If you liked this, you'll like that: read-alike recommendations for historical mystery & paranormal romance

I thought it might be fun to do a post sharing series siblings, books that share a lot of similarities in some way or other, so if you liked one, you might just like the other. If you like this format, let me know and I'll make it a regular thing! And for now, here are a few recommendations...

If you liked...

The Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

I was going to call this series "silly," but that's mean. More accurately it's light-hearted. A mystery series set in the latter part of the Victorian era, centering no-nonsense and entirely modern-thinking lepidopterist Veronica, who somehow starts solving crimes with her friend and very obvious love interest, bad-tempered natural historian and taxidermist Stoker. There are plots involving the royal family and a whole lot of innuendo. I enjoyed the first book well enough I read the second, and I liked that one enough I'll read the third. They're enjoyable enough, but remain too shallow for the stories to be truly memorable.

A uniquely lovely take on Sherlock Holmes, in this series it's Charlotte Holmes. In her mid-twenties, after years of learning to downplay and hide her brilliant observational skills from all but those closest to her, she finally decides enough is enough, leaves home, and embraces detecting as a full-time occupation. All the characters--especially Charlotte's sister Livia, and her friend and accomplice the widow Mrs. Watson--are wonderfully engaging and well-rounded, and the often misunderstood Charlotte shines throughout. I love that we see her at the beginning of her career, when she's still figuring things out, and despite her cold logic and brilliance, she's so very human. She makes mistakes, mis-judges situations, and remains unfailingly loyal to those she cares about. Add in intriguing mysteries and this series is a great read. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, coming out this fall.

The series is available for free in (very good!) audiobook format on Hoopla Digital.

If you liked...

A fast-paced, fun, and rather gory historical-fantasy-romance, in my mind KJ Charles can really do no wrong. After living in China for 20 years, Lucien is forced to return home to England on the death of both his father and brother, making him the unhappy heir to an earldom. Unfortunately, he also seems to be heir to quite a nasty curse. Enter magician Stephen, an embittered and frighteningly powerful enforcer of magical laws. Though things don't start off too well between them, they're quickly forced to band together against evil corpse-stealing magic users set on doing Bad Things, and they just as quickly start falling for each other. Though not my favorite KJ book, considering how much I like my favorites, that's still not saying much. I've only read the first in this series, but it was quite enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the rest soon.

The first book, The Magpie Lord, is available in ebook format on Amazon US for $2, and Amazon CA for $2.50.

...then you'll like...

Another historical-fantasy-m/m-romance, this time set in New England, in a strange little town with mysterious founders and rather more than its fair share of monsters. Reclusive and just generally awkward philologist Whybourne is used to his quiet, orderly life: he works in the museum, has few friends, and is sure he'll never have anything else. But then he meets Griffin, a charismatic and frightfully handsome detective tasked with tracking down the missing son of a wealthy local, and the two quickly become inseparable, as both lovers and investigators of the strange and mysterious. I've read the first three books, and they're a lot of fun. Adventure as much as romance, there's always some creepy, gruesome plot to be solved, and these books are quick reads. There's more sex than I'd personally prefer, because I'm more in it for the monsters and Whybourne than the relationship between the two of them to be honest, but that's definitely a case of your mileage may vary.

You can buy the first three books bundled, in ebook form, for $6 on Amazon US and $8 on Amazon CA.

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