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October Daye #8.2

No Sooner Met

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It may have taken them years to reach the point of admitting that there was a mutual attraction between them, but now that they have, it's time for October Daye and Tybalt to begin exploring their relationship, such as it is, and deciding what it is going to mean for them going forward. But when an old-fashioned pureblood and a modern changeling decide to court, what form can that courtship possibly take?

It's time for a first date, a first romantic encounter, and a first assassination attempt. Just the usual assortment of complications for a man, a woman, and the complicated world between them. And of course, it doesn't help that the man is a King of Cats, and has his own share of demons to bring to the table...

"No Sooner Met" is best read after Ashes of Honor, and contains spoilers for the series up through book six.

25 pages, ebook

First published January 7, 2015

7 people are currently reading
2095 people want to read

About the author

Seanan McGuire

508 books17.1k followers
Hi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.

Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).

I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
Profile Image for Susana.
1,053 reviews266 followers
September 24, 2015
A cute _ albeit short _ sweet moment _well, ignoring the assassination attempt that is _ between Tybalt and Toby.
It took them so LONG to get where they are now, that _for me! _ "episodes" like this one, are always appreciated! ;)
Also, neither of them were bleeding, which is always a positive in their frantic lives!
Profile Image for Veronica .
777 reviews209 followers
January 8, 2015
A lovely little October/Tybalt short story chronicling their first date in the days right after Ashes of Honor. It's told from Tybalt's perspective and it's always nice to get insight into his thoughts and feelings. But c'mon! What's it going to take to get a love/sex scene between these two????
Profile Image for Pippa DaCosta.
Author 79 books1,559 followers
August 13, 2015
It's Tybalt!



Dayam, I love this series.

Tybalt is his usual well-spoken, disarmingly threatening self:

I crossed the floor in a twinkling, wrapping my fingers tight around the soft flesh of his throat before he had an opportunity to react. "The meal was delightful. Your sommelier should be congratulated for the wine selections. The dessert was poisoned. Would you care to comment?"

Unusually for the series, this little short story is told from Tybalt's POV. We see his wonderfully antiquated approach to dating, and his absolute admiration for Toby. I just adore these two, and I generally—as a rule—hate book couples. But Toby and Tybalt have certainly earned their time together. Long may it last, but I suspect it won't, so let's all enjoy it while we can!


Currently free to download from Seanan's website, but I'd recommend you read the prior novels first.

http://www.seananmcguire.com/tobyshor...
Profile Image for Liz.
612 reviews29 followers
January 8, 2015
Sweet lil Toby/Tybalt short story made even better told from Tybalt's POV!

“I won’t pretend that you do not have the capacity to break my heart. The fact that I would trust you enough to risk the breaking of it is a compliment, and I believe in telling people when they have earned such trust from me. Would I sulk for a time, years perhaps? Yes. I am only a man. But I would return to you with my hat in my hands and ask that my friend take me back, even if my lover had journeyed forever into that strange and distant country known as ‘Memory,’ where never a living soul may go.”
She blinked once, slowly and deliberately, before putting her somewhat mangled bread to the side and saying, “You know, sometimes I can’t tell whether you realize how much you sound like a romance novel.”
“My dearest October.” I pulled myself up straight in my chair, smiling at her languidly. “The romance novels learned everything they know from me.”


Siiiiiigh, Tybalt!
Profile Image for Jo.
957 reviews242 followers
April 29, 2016
No sooner met but they looked,
No sooner looked but they loved.
—William Shakespeare, As You Like It

I loved reading this novella, seeing Tybalt court Toby and taking her on their first date. SO CUTE.

She was so much more, and always had been, even in the days when I denied myself the honest admission of loving her.

I have been wishing for their romance since the first book, and seeing these very special, sweet and romantic moments just make me so very happy.

“I need you to try your hardest not to hurt her.” Quentin looked at me with the same open sorrow that I saw sometimes on my young nephew’s face—more often, since the death of his parents, than I would have liked. “She’s my family.”

It is amazing how Seanan McGuire write such emotional short stories. In a way they don’t read like short stories at all, probably because of all the emotions she brings forth with such a limited amount of words. With this novella I was mostly ecstatic with happiness, loving the romance so much. There were even tearful moments when Quentin said that she’s his family, and I loved his response to Tybalt about his courting of Toby.

“You’ll do okay with her, I guess.”
“I appreciate your approval.”
“Oh, don’t get too cocky. I’m sort of the training wheels of the ‘if you hurt her, I will end you’ talk. Wait until May gets her hands on you.”
I grimaced. “The lady Fetch. Yes, that will be…delightful.” A thought struck me. I tensed. “She’s not lurking in the hallway waiting for you to tag her in, is she?”
“No, she’s out at the movies with Jazz. But you should get ready for her, because she’s going to come after you with all guns blazing.”

And of course the funny moments that I’ve come to expect with this series.

“I won’t pretend that you do not have the capacity to break my heart. The fact that I would trust you enough to risk the breaking of it is a compliment, and I believe in telling people when they have earned such trust from me. Would I sulk for a time, years perhaps? Yes. I am only a man. But I would return to you with my hat in my hands and ask that my friend take me back, even if my lover had journeyed forever into that strange and distant country known as ‘Memory,’ where never a living soul may go.”
She blinked once, slowly and deliberately, before putting her somewhat mangled bread to the side and saying, “You know, sometimes I can’t tell whether you realize how much you sound like a romance novel.”
“My dearest October.” I pulled myself up straight in my chair, smiling at her languidly. “The romance novels learned everything they know from me.”

Such a delightful short story. A must read for all lovers of this series. If you have not started this series yet, what are you waiting for?? You are missing out on a real treasure. READ IT.

Profile Image for Sarah.
3,358 reviews1,236 followers
September 7, 2017
No Sooner Met is another Tybalt POV story and it's available to download for free from Seanan McGuire's website. This book fits into the timeline after Ashes of Honor and it does contain spoilers for that book so I wouldn't recommend reading it beforehand.

I spent the first 5 books praying for Toby and Tybalt to act on the attraction that was so obvious between the two of them so I was over the moon when they finally admitted they had feelings for each other in Ashes of Honor. This story picks things up just after the book ends and shows us their first proper date told from Tybalt's point of view. Of course nothing is ever simple when Toby is involved so you can't have a date without an assassination attempt but I loved they way they handled things.

I just love seeing these two spending time together really and it was great to see just how important Toby is to Tybalt and the way he has been so patiently waiting for her to be ready for a relationship with him. They're still feeling their way in their burgeoning relationship but they are a ridiculously adorable couple and Quentin's little warning talk with Tybalt before the date started was hilarious.
Profile Image for Negine.
60 reviews47 followers
January 10, 2015
Seanan Mcguire has treated us fans with a delightful morsel of a story about a first date. It takes place a short time after Ashes of Honor and stars my most favorite couple, Tybalt and Toby, but with Tybalt narrating this time.

He made me smile and sigh. Just so charming and exactly what I needed after a stressful day at work.

I adore these two to pieces.
Profile Image for Maria Dimitrova.
748 reviews148 followers
April 29, 2016
Buddy read over at BB&B . We can't seem to get enough of Toby's world.

This is the third short story told from Tybalt's POV. It was about time our kitty cat had some good luck and a story that didn't end with him broken-hearted.

Tybalt and Toby go on their first date - an event I've been waiting for since the scene in the allay in Rosemary and Rue when we first met the King of Cats. And what a date this was! I laughed until tears ran down my cheeks! The clash between Tybalt's old-fashioned manners and speech and Toby's modern attitude is even more pronounced here. Damn but it was hilarious.

I loved Quentin in this. Nothing new cause I always love Quentin but this was the first time he referred to Toby as "family" and that was the highlight for me. As with all the short stories Ms. McGuire managed to pack one hell of an emotional punch in just a few pages. I just can't forgive myself for not reading her works sooner. If you love UF this series is a must read. And if you're a fan of Toby you absolutely MUST read this story.
Profile Image for Samantha.
272 reviews35 followers
April 25, 2016
In this story we get Tybalt's POV and get to see how he feels about Toby. It's so cute, but funny that he really doesn't understand dating in the modern world, but he's trying. I just love reading his POV. He's still so stuck in the past in ways, and Toby is dragging him into the future, but he doesn't mind. In the series we never get to see them just have a date, so this was refreshing. Yes there's some trouble in the end, but nothing all that big. What we really get is two people who have known each other for so long, but never thought they would find themselves in this position. You can tell that they both care about each other, but they really don't know what to do now that they're romantically involved. I like we got this small glimpse into their early relationship. I like to see them cute and nervous and Tybalt so adorably confused when it comes to Toby, and how she surprises him by her reactions and things she says. Also Quentin telling Tybalt not to hurt her was sweet. You can see he really cares about Toby and her feelings! I love that Toby has them both! I think this was an enjoyable read, and that anybody that loves Tybalt and Toby should read it!
Profile Image for Jen Davis.
Author 7 books726 followers
August 28, 2016
Read this after Ashes of Honor and roll around in all of the wonderful goodness of Tybalt and Toby TOGETHER. This story follows them on their first date. It's sweet and a little awkward and satisfying in every way. I adore how willing Tybalt is to express his love. I know that the novels can't take as much time to focus on the happy, so this short story really hit the spot.

I loved it. It's free on the author's website. (20 pages.)
Profile Image for Ronda.
890 reviews179 followers
November 28, 2015
Different to read something from Tybalt's POV... Love this series!
Profile Image for Sana Zameer.
948 reviews130 followers
March 1, 2021
"I won't pretend that you do not have the capacity to break my heart. The fact that I would trust you enough to risk the breaking of it is a compliment, and I believe in telling people when they have earned such trust from me. Would I sulk for a time, years perhaps? Yes. I am only a man. But I would return to you with my hat in my hands and ask that my friend take me back, even if my lover had journeyed forever into the strange and distant country known as 'Memory', where never a living soul may go"

💕Tybalt 💕
Profile Image for Thenia.
4,405 reviews180 followers
March 29, 2020
A sweet short story told from Tybalt's point of view, about his first normal date with Toby that gets interrupted by .

Previous book reviews:
Ashes of Honor (October Daye, #6) ~ ★★★★★ (10/08/2014)
In Sea-Salt Tears (October Daye, #5.1) ~ ★★★ (29/03/2020)
One Salt Sea (October Daye #5) ~ ★★★★★ (04/02/2013)
Through This House (October Daye #4.1) ~ ★★★ (01/02/2016)
Late Eclipses (October Daye #4) ~ ★★★★ (03/02/2013)
An Artificial Night (October Daye #3) ~ ★★★★ (02/02/2013)
A Local Habitation (October Daye #2) ~ ★★★★ (02/02/2013)
Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1) ~ ★★★★ (30/01/2013)
Profile Image for Ina.
233 reviews46 followers
February 16, 2017
3.5 stars
"Ah, my dear October, as always, the sight of you can brighten a dark night like nothing else.“
"And as always, you are one hundred percent full of crap.“
No Sooner Met is a cute short story about Toby and Tybalt's first date. After the other October Daye short stories I read, this one was strangely happy and optimistic.

In this story, you can see just how old Tybalt really is. His use of words like „lady“, „courtship“ or „servant“ were ridiculous at times. They are cute and accurate since Tybalt is over 300 years old, but it will take me some time to get used to it.

Their date actually reminded me of Lady and Tramp. Friendly restaurant, private dinner, the only things that was missing was the famous meatball. All in all, this was a cute short story, I would just probably enjoy it more, if it was written from Toby's POV.
Profile Image for Karina Webster.
354 reviews55 followers
Read
March 8, 2021
Free download from Seanan McGuire’s website.

No sooner met but they looked,
No sooner looked but they loved. - W. Shakespeare

Happy to read this little bit of happiness. Can’t rate it as it’s only 25 pages about a meal. It was nice to get an insight into Tybalt’s thoughts though, even if he says dear / dearest a little too often.
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.4k reviews543 followers
September 18, 2015
This one was cute. I loved seeing Toby and Tybalt in all their awkwardness as they start dating. Of course them being who they are there was some added excitement to the date.
Profile Image for Kathy Davie.
4,876 reviews738 followers
March 10, 2021
A free short story, 6.2 in the October Daye urban fantasy series, revolving around a hero changeling knight who rushes in to save the day. In this case, the focus is on Sir October Daye and Tybalt, the King of Cats.

My Take
It's such a poetic approach to a first date, as well as into it...
"I would return to you with my hat in my hands and ask that my friend take me back, even if my lover had journeyed forever into that strange and distant country known as 'Memory', where never a living soul may go."
Such a beautiful thought Tybalt has in response to one of Toby's concerns...sigh...

There isn't much action until the end, as it's mostly character-driven. A first date that sounds too typical of any pair of friends as they worry over making the wrong move or what to talk about. It's certainly a switch-up from when we first encountered Tybalt and October together!

It's first person protagonist point-of-view from Tybalt's perspective as he glories in this new experience with Toby. It will be that ending scene that really makes this such a perfect night, blending the cruelty of their lives with the acceptance of love.

And despite that comment from Toby about well-done steak...it is so sweet.

The Story
When an old-fashioned male who first courted in the time of Shakespeare takes his ladylove on their first date, it can be a confusion of manner, dress, and language. Whether it be the language of flowers or...

The Characters
The 350-year-old Tybalt (Rand Stratford for the evening) is the King of Cats. Raj is Tybalt's nephew and heir as well as Quentin's best friend. Samson had been Raj's dad. The mortal Anne had been Tybalt's previous love and wife. The Shadow Roads can only be accessed through the shadows and only via Cait Sidhe.

Sir October Daye is a changeling and a hero. May is Toby's Fetch and her housemate. Jazz is a Raven Maid and May's significant other. Quentin, a Daoine Sidhe, is October's squire.

Jason Thomas is a cat changeling who owns Cat in the Rafters, a restaurant. Blake is a pastry chef and a changeling.

The Duchy of Shadowed Hills is ruled by Sylvester Torquill with his consort, Luna Torquill. Stacy Brown is an old changeling friend of Toby's. The Divided Courts are a result of Oberon marrying Titania and Maeve.

The Cover and Title
The cover, as the story, begins with a bouquet of red tulips, moss roses, and purple flax in a tall white jug against a distressed orange background on the left. On the right is a distressing light as it moves toward the bouquet. At the very top is an info blurb in white as is the author's name immediately below it. The distressed title, also in white, spans the jug. In the pocket created by the last two words of the title is a combination info and series blurb in black.

The title is part of a quote from Shakespeare's As You Like It, and so [metaphorically] true of Tybalt and Toby, for "No Sooner Met" but they loved.
Profile Image for The Flooze.
765 reviews283 followers
June 11, 2016
Highly entertaining story - so nice that I don't think it rightly deserves the honor of being review #666. Heh. Should have held off for something more horror-filled.

It's lovely to see Toby and Tybalt just being. In the fast-paced, perilous world they inhabit, it's not often we get to see them peacefully enjoy each other's company. Here - at least for a little while - they feel free to laugh, and tease, and get to know one another. The only undercurrent is the typical nervousness experienced by anyone and everyone who has ever been faced with falling in love.

Even when their peaceful night is interrupted, they are so in sync that it's not so much a bother as it is an added reason to appreciate every quiet moment they can. They are without a doubt meant for each other.
Profile Image for Ivy.
1,505 reviews76 followers
April 17, 2015
It was nice to read a story from Tybalt's point of view. Nice to see the start of his and October's relationship (courtship). Also nice to see them when they are not covered in blood and solving cases. Hope everything goes well with them.
Profile Image for Tabitha.
580 reviews28 followers
April 19, 2021
I’m not typically one for short stories but the opportunity to get in Tybalt’s head?? Count me in!

I read this with a big goofy smile on my face. It was entirely to short if you ask me, I need a whole book from Tybalts POV, but it was a cute, fun little story and I loved it.
Profile Image for Becky.
866 reviews75 followers
March 1, 2015
May I please have more of Tybalt's voice? He's a pretty wonderful narrator.
Profile Image for Casey.
772 reviews
January 1, 2018
No Sooner Met is a short story of a date between Tybalt and Toby. It is told from Tybalt's perspective, and shows the love he has for Toby. Considering that Toby is so different from Tybalt, it's an interesting relationship match-up, but they have had good chemistry in the main series books.

It's a rather straightforward story, with a tiny bit of mystery at the end. Cute, but nothing super substantial with character building.
Profile Image for Iffah.
194 reviews
May 27, 2019
I've always enjoyed Tybalt's way of talking, and this book, written from his POV, is just so fun and refreshing. We get to glimpse what Tybalt and Toby's relationship was like at the beginning. A short, sweet and romantic story, Toby and Tybalt's style, cos hey, if it was uneventful, it wouldn't be their story. 😊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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