KJ does it again!  Over the past 18 or so months, she had become one of my favourite authors. I enjoy her voice so much, her books are just delightful to read.

Rag and Bone is set in the Magpie Universe and there are plenty of Magpie cameos which works just fine for me.  And none of them are forced either.  They are an integral part of the plot.

I think I've also found a new fave in Ned, the waste-man.  Trust me, he's not a waste at all!  *LOL*  I like his steadiness, his down-to-earth simplicity and his determination.  

The story of how Ned and Crispin, the magician/warlock come to terms with their relationship and their distinct talents and their future is a good one.  It kept the pages turning and allowed the characters to grow.

Rag and Bone is one of those books where I read the final words and sigh happily because it's so ultimately satisfying.  :)  

Loved it!

Jackdaw is set in the world of Charm of Magpies and features Jonah Pastern, who we met in Book 3, <i>Flight of Magpies</i>.  Jonah is a windwalker and a thief.  Once, he was the lover of Ben Spenser, a police officer.   Then came betrayal, secrets and laws that could not be contravened.  

To me, this book is a little darker than Stephen's and Lucien's tales.  Ben is in a very bad place during the first half of the book and things look rather hopeless.  Even Stephen in his supporting role seemed harsh and unlikable.  It was also a smaller story - in scope, I mean.  There were no otherworldly creatures to battle, no magical baddies out for murder and mayhem.  It's the story of two men, one who feels totally broken and done, the other who feels as if he was never worth anything and never could be and how they manage to get past that and create something sweet and beautiful.  And despite the harshness and violence at the beginning of the book, I found this story to be almost gentle and cosy in nature at times.  

I loved the character of Jonah.  The people of the village in Cornwall call him a bucca and he's really exactly that.  So full of life, living on his emotions, a huge heart and he takes pleasure in so many of the simpler things.  I think he may be one of my favourite characters of all KJ's creations.  He's tied with Lucien at the very least.  :)

And yes, Lucien makes an appearance and it is WONDERFUL!  

Yes, I loved this book and I don't know if we'll see more of Jonah and Ben or if we'll ever see more tales in this universe even, but I certainly hope so.  

I loved this book.  :)  Stephen and Crane are among my favourite couples in all of Romancelandia and the opening scene of this installment of their adventures had me squeeing online as I read it.  The affectionate banter, the wonderful characterization, the casual sexiness, it all had me grinning from ear to ear.  

And then things start to happen. Paranormalish type things.  Gruesome murders, theft, pretty yet shifty young men appear on the page.  We have Stephen's partner, Esther, with her own challenges.  It all seems very disparate at first, but by the time the last chapters roll around, everything hangs together quite nicely.

There's a scene not quite halfway through the book, I think, where Stephen and Crane have an explosive argument.  It was so REAL!  The author did a wonderful job and had me holding my breath as it played out.  I find these books so READABLE.  

I think that in this book, the actual paranormal plot, while important and exciting and served to drive the story onward, was really only of secondary importance to the growth of Stephen and Crane's relationship into the strong, walls all down, no holds barred, permanent relationship we've been reading for.  

Now, an argument could be made that the hurt and anger they both felt through most of the book was manufactured by outside forces, but I think that what they felt may have been magnified by what was going on, but that there were definite and deep issues that both had to work out.  It was all very believable for me and you know, I'm not sure that everything has been perfectly ironed out.  Nor should it be.  Even if we are looking at the supposed closing of the trilogy and the story of Stephen and Crane.  They have their HEA, but there is no doubt in my mind that they will face challenges and hard times and quite honestly, that's how it should be.  

I am looking forward to the passage of the torch, so to speak, from Stephen and Crane to Jonah and even more superb writing from KJ Charles.  

Decidedly a very good book. I understand why all the fuss about it. 4.6 stars because there were a couple of things that bugged me.

I am sooo looking forward to reading A Case of Possession!

I think real life got in the way for me while reading this. I failed to feel captured by it. I really liked it and I loved a lot of it but not enough to completely stun me and fall in love with ALL of it. This really should have blown me away, I mean just look at all the things I LOVED about it!

The mystic and magic - I love

'Champagne hands' - I love

The candlelight atmosphere - I love

The descriptive extremely skilled writing - I love

Merrick - I love

Lord Crane - I like him. He's sexy, but maybe too nice? I like his rough side, his history and the references to his Shanghai adventures. Now the Shanghai adventures of Merrick and Lucien is a book I would love to read.

Stephen Day - An interesting little man, an admirable and original character. But ...I perceive his voice and actions to be that of a heroine, not a hero. Sorry. I can't pinpoint why, I just do *shrugs*

I'm excited about this author, an amazing talent who I'm sure is going to thrill me in the future. It's nice to know I have something to look forward to with the sequel coming soon. This is definitely a unique and inspired series that deserves a lot more praise than I can muster right now.

Ami's review and an interview with this debut author can be found at Boys in our Books.