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Page & Sommers #1
Hither, Page
A jaded spy and a shell shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar England.
James Sommers returned from the war with his nerves in tatters. All he wants is to retreat to the quiet village of his childhood and enjoy the boring, predictable life of a country doctor. The last thing in the world he needs is a handsome stranger who seems to be mixed up with the first violent death the village has seen in years. It certainly doesn't help that this stranger is the first person James has wanted to touch since before the war.
The war may be over for the rest of the world, but Leo Page is still busy doing the dirty work for one of the more disreputable branches of the intelligence service. When his boss orders him to cover up a murder, Leo isn't expecting to be sent to a sleepy village. After a week of helping old ladies wind balls of yarn and flirting with a handsome doctor, Leo is in danger of forgetting what he really is and why he's there. He's in danger of feeling things he has no business feeling. A person who burns his identity after every job can't set down roots.
As he starts to untangle the mess of secrets and lies that lurk behind the lace curtains of even the most peaceful-seeming of villages, Leo realizes that the truths he's about to uncover will affect his future and those of the man he's growing to care about.
James Sommers returned from the war with his nerves in tatters. All he wants is to retreat to the quiet village of his childhood and enjoy the boring, predictable life of a country doctor. The last thing in the world he needs is a handsome stranger who seems to be mixed up with the first violent death the village has seen in years. It certainly doesn't help that this stranger is the first person James has wanted to touch since before the war.
The war may be over for the rest of the world, but Leo Page is still busy doing the dirty work for one of the more disreputable branches of the intelligence service. When his boss orders him to cover up a murder, Leo isn't expecting to be sent to a sleepy village. After a week of helping old ladies wind balls of yarn and flirting with a handsome doctor, Leo is in danger of forgetting what he really is and why he's there. He's in danger of feeling things he has no business feeling. A person who burns his identity after every job can't set down roots.
As he starts to untangle the mess of secrets and lies that lurk behind the lace curtains of even the most peaceful-seeming of villages, Leo realizes that the truths he's about to uncover will affect his future and those of the man he's growing to care about.
232 pages, ebook
First published June 7, 2019
236 people are currently reading
9113 people want to read
About the author
Cat Sebastian
27 books5,216 followersCat Sebastian has written sixteen queer historical romances. Cat’s books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist.
Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of south. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.
The best way to keep up with Cat’s projects is to subscribe to her newsletter.
Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of south. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.
The best way to keep up with Cat’s projects is to subscribe to her newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,166 reviews
July 27, 2019
I was almost finished with Cat Sebastian's Hither, Page when Friend X asked what I was currently reading. "Isn't that a M/M romance?" they said when I told them. "Because, ugh, I do not read those."
"It is," I said, "But I understand." And our conversation moved on to other topics.
But as we kept talking, another part of my brain piped up, "Um, excuse me, Michael. If Friend X had said 'Ugh, I do not talk to Swiss people' or 'Ugh, I do not eat chocolate' you would've pointed out that writing off an entire nationality or food group (and chocolate is a food group, thank you very much) was a pretty limiting way to approach life.
I've always been a fan of genre fiction from sci-fi to mysteries to horror to, yes, M/M romance (though, I confess, I don't read a ton of it just because I do like so many genres). So I'm used to people turning up their noses when I say Stephen King has written some of the best books of the past thirty years or that I love alien invasion stories or that my favorite books as a kid were Anne of Green Gables.
So I spoke up. "Actually, Friend X, I think you're being a little narrow-minded in your thinking. Plus you're missing out on a really awesome book. Yes, it's a M/M romance, but that's just a very simplified category that covers a whole range of books that you shouldn't just dismiss for unfair, biased reasons that you probably haven't thought very deeply about."
Friend X started to respond, but I was just getting started.
"Furthermore, Hither, Page is a clever murder mystery with a wonderfully crafted, evocative setting--an English countryside village just a few years after WWII. It's a terrifically written tale about two badly damaged, but ultimately kindhearted people trying to find happiness in a world that has given them precious little of that." I grabbed my Kindle and opened it to some notes I'd marked. "And," I continued, "it has some pretty profound things to say."
I turned to a scene where James, a doctor suffering from PTSD after operating on countless soldiers during the war, is sitting in his local vicarage contemplating a stained-glass window showing three hares endlessly chasing each other. As a boy, his uncle had told him the hares represented the holy trinity, an example of how the past, present, and future are all cyclical, part of a greater whole. And that concept had brought James, who had lost his parents, a measure of comfort.
"But," I explained, "after the trauma of war, things like the past, present, and future feel different to James." Then I started to read: "Now he found himself thinking of how if the three hares represented past, present, and future, that meant the future was always touched by the past. Chased by it, even, just as James was pursued by his memories. The hares couldn't outrun one another."
James, like all of us, can't escape his past, no matter how badly he might want.
"Not exactly a trite sentiment. is it?" I asked. Without waiting for a response, I went on, "Actually, it's rather sophisticated and emotionally complex. But you were probably just expecting heaving bosoms, right?"
"Maybe," said Friend X, eyeing me warily.
I went on to explain that Leo, James' love interest, is a spy/assassin who did a great deal of his government's dirty work during and after the war. Like James, he has a lot of blood on his hands, figuratively and literally. James saw his work as an unpleasant but necessary job for which he was willing to sacrifice his sense of self and any chance of a normal life. But his sacrifices have left him operating outside of polite society, isolated, and hardly even aware of how much he's missed out on in life. At one point Leo notes, "If only honest men knew how many lives had been saved with a bit of criminal conspiracy, they'd think it one of the cardinal virtues. This was probably how butchers felt when someone felt sorry for pigs while halfway through a ham sandwich."
"So" I continued, "both James and Leo are complicated men suffering from serious issues. While this is proudly a M/M romance, it's not a story of sweaty, heaving chests, throbbing members, and lusty looks. In fact, in addition to being a complex character study of two damaged, gay men in an era where homosexuality was still forbidden, Hither, Page is a clever, twisty mystery in the grand style of Agatha Christie that wonderfully captures the time and place of it's setting. And its often laugh out loud funny."
Friend X nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Anything else?"
"Yes," I said. "I think what I might have loved most about this novel is how it left me feeling at the end. In a time when it feels like the wheels are flying off of everything we thought held us together, where bigotry and hatred are marching across the landscape, Sebastian's book left me feeling good and hopeful about the world. Yes, bad, even terrible things can happen, people can be horribly damaged, and love can seem like something only a fool would dream of. But in the end, good people can win and love can still find a way. But if you still think all M/M romance is just silly fluff or a chance to read about hot, naked men, go back to whatever culturally approved new novel the New York Times Book Review deems worthy of your time. As for me, I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out."
"It is," I said, "But I understand." And our conversation moved on to other topics.
But as we kept talking, another part of my brain piped up, "Um, excuse me, Michael. If Friend X had said 'Ugh, I do not talk to Swiss people' or 'Ugh, I do not eat chocolate' you would've pointed out that writing off an entire nationality or food group (and chocolate is a food group, thank you very much) was a pretty limiting way to approach life.
I've always been a fan of genre fiction from sci-fi to mysteries to horror to, yes, M/M romance (though, I confess, I don't read a ton of it just because I do like so many genres). So I'm used to people turning up their noses when I say Stephen King has written some of the best books of the past thirty years or that I love alien invasion stories or that my favorite books as a kid were Anne of Green Gables.
So I spoke up. "Actually, Friend X, I think you're being a little narrow-minded in your thinking. Plus you're missing out on a really awesome book. Yes, it's a M/M romance, but that's just a very simplified category that covers a whole range of books that you shouldn't just dismiss for unfair, biased reasons that you probably haven't thought very deeply about."
Friend X started to respond, but I was just getting started.
"Furthermore, Hither, Page is a clever murder mystery with a wonderfully crafted, evocative setting--an English countryside village just a few years after WWII. It's a terrifically written tale about two badly damaged, but ultimately kindhearted people trying to find happiness in a world that has given them precious little of that." I grabbed my Kindle and opened it to some notes I'd marked. "And," I continued, "it has some pretty profound things to say."
I turned to a scene where James, a doctor suffering from PTSD after operating on countless soldiers during the war, is sitting in his local vicarage contemplating a stained-glass window showing three hares endlessly chasing each other. As a boy, his uncle had told him the hares represented the holy trinity, an example of how the past, present, and future are all cyclical, part of a greater whole. And that concept had brought James, who had lost his parents, a measure of comfort.
"But," I explained, "after the trauma of war, things like the past, present, and future feel different to James." Then I started to read: "Now he found himself thinking of how if the three hares represented past, present, and future, that meant the future was always touched by the past. Chased by it, even, just as James was pursued by his memories. The hares couldn't outrun one another."
James, like all of us, can't escape his past, no matter how badly he might want.
"Not exactly a trite sentiment. is it?" I asked. Without waiting for a response, I went on, "Actually, it's rather sophisticated and emotionally complex. But you were probably just expecting heaving bosoms, right?"
"Maybe," said Friend X, eyeing me warily.
I went on to explain that Leo, James' love interest, is a spy/assassin who did a great deal of his government's dirty work during and after the war. Like James, he has a lot of blood on his hands, figuratively and literally. James saw his work as an unpleasant but necessary job for which he was willing to sacrifice his sense of self and any chance of a normal life. But his sacrifices have left him operating outside of polite society, isolated, and hardly even aware of how much he's missed out on in life. At one point Leo notes, "If only honest men knew how many lives had been saved with a bit of criminal conspiracy, they'd think it one of the cardinal virtues. This was probably how butchers felt when someone felt sorry for pigs while halfway through a ham sandwich."
"So" I continued, "both James and Leo are complicated men suffering from serious issues. While this is proudly a M/M romance, it's not a story of sweaty, heaving chests, throbbing members, and lusty looks. In fact, in addition to being a complex character study of two damaged, gay men in an era where homosexuality was still forbidden, Hither, Page is a clever, twisty mystery in the grand style of Agatha Christie that wonderfully captures the time and place of it's setting. And its often laugh out loud funny."
Friend X nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Anything else?"
"Yes," I said. "I think what I might have loved most about this novel is how it left me feeling at the end. In a time when it feels like the wheels are flying off of everything we thought held us together, where bigotry and hatred are marching across the landscape, Sebastian's book left me feeling good and hopeful about the world. Yes, bad, even terrible things can happen, people can be horribly damaged, and love can seem like something only a fool would dream of. But in the end, good people can win and love can still find a way. But if you still think all M/M romance is just silly fluff or a chance to read about hot, naked men, go back to whatever culturally approved new novel the New York Times Book Review deems worthy of your time. As for me, I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out."
August 17, 2022
Cat Sebastian: Hmmm, I wonder what Teal would like to read? (starts writing Hither, Page)
Teal: (reading Hither, Page) Cat Sebastian, how did you know??? 😱
Okay, so that's not exactly how it went. But it sure felt that way!
Before I say more, I have a heads-up to offer about the blurb. If, like me, you read the first sentence:
"A jaded spy and a shell shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar England"...
...and concluded that postwar + shell-shocked = post WWI, then, like me, you were wrong. There's nothing else in the blurb that establishes the time period, so it wasn't until I was underway that I learned it's actually set in 1946. So "postwar" here means post WWII, and I have to admit it took me a while to reset my expectations and make that 25+ year mental leap forward.
Once I did, I was hooked. I have no idea how many stories I've read with scenes set in English villages during the first half of the 20th century, but let's just agree that it's a lot. Some were mysteries, some weren't, but what they all had in common was that the MCs were not two gay men falling in love with each other.
But here they are. Taking that so-familiar setting and making it gay made everything fresh and new for me. And tweaking the mystery setup to add an espionage angle totally changed the ethical dimensions of what could otherwise have been a standard-issue mystery.
Those two things lead off my list of good stuff:
- Made it gay
- Made it morally ambiguous
- The setting felt true to its time
- The mystery was clever and coherent
- Nobody was stupid! Nobody ignored what was right in front of them!
- James's PTSD (as we'd call it today), the idiosyncratic way it manifested for him, and his efforts to cope with it, all felt genuine:
- Leo's struggles, after half a lifetime of assumed identities, with a newly-emerging sense of his "real" self (and his knee-jerk efforts to repress it) were entertaining:
There's a lot of humor here, and a cast full of intelligent, perceptive characters. I did get thrown a bit at the end, when all the threads were getting tied up, because there was one I was left wondering about. I'm not sure if it was unaddressed or if I simply missed it when it whizzed by.
I thought I'd be giving this 5 stars almost until the very end. But I'm withholding the final star because I would have loved for the relationship to have been left in a state of uncertainty. This is the first in a series, after all — let's give the relationship a series-sized arc. I couldn't help comparing it to the sloooooow burn in the Adrien English series. I suspect Cat Sebastian's romance-author instincts compelled her to leave readers with a tidy ending. I prefer things messy.
But still, this was a treat and a delight. I'm so glad the author took the leap into a different historical era, and I'll be waiting impatiently for Book 2. Very impatiently. Cat Sebastian, if you ever do happen to wonder what I would like to read... the answer is, the next installment of Page & Sommers.
Teal: (reading Hither, Page) Cat Sebastian, how did you know??? 😱
Okay, so that's not exactly how it went. But it sure felt that way!
Before I say more, I have a heads-up to offer about the blurb. If, like me, you read the first sentence:
"A jaded spy and a shell shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar England"...
...and concluded that postwar + shell-shocked = post WWI, then, like me, you were wrong. There's nothing else in the blurb that establishes the time period, so it wasn't until I was underway that I learned it's actually set in 1946. So "postwar" here means post WWII, and I have to admit it took me a while to reset my expectations and make that 25+ year mental leap forward.
Once I did, I was hooked. I have no idea how many stories I've read with scenes set in English villages during the first half of the 20th century, but let's just agree that it's a lot. Some were mysteries, some weren't, but what they all had in common was that the MCs were not two gay men falling in love with each other.
But here they are. Taking that so-familiar setting and making it gay made everything fresh and new for me. And tweaking the mystery setup to add an espionage angle totally changed the ethical dimensions of what could otherwise have been a standard-issue mystery.
Those two things lead off my list of good stuff:
- Made it gay
- Made it morally ambiguous
- The setting felt true to its time
- The mystery was clever and coherent
- Nobody was stupid! Nobody ignored what was right in front of them!
- James's PTSD (as we'd call it today), the idiosyncratic way it manifested for him, and his efforts to cope with it, all felt genuine:
It was dread of the next time, the knowledge that he’d be dealing with these recurrences for years or forever, that depressed James the most... He thought, though, that he now understood the grinding, never ending cycle of trauma that could make death seem like the only option.
- Leo's struggles, after half a lifetime of assumed identities, with a newly-emerging sense of his "real" self (and his knee-jerk efforts to repress it) were entertaining:
"James, I want to be honest with you. I want to be...truthful.” He spoke as if he had confessed to craving some unique perversion.
There's a lot of humor here, and a cast full of intelligent, perceptive characters. I did get thrown a bit at the end, when all the threads were getting tied up, because there was one I was left wondering about. I'm not sure if it was unaddressed or if I simply missed it when it whizzed by.
I thought I'd be giving this 5 stars almost until the very end. But I'm withholding the final star because I would have loved for the relationship to have been left in a state of uncertainty. This is the first in a series, after all — let's give the relationship a series-sized arc. I couldn't help comparing it to the sloooooow burn in the Adrien English series. I suspect Cat Sebastian's romance-author instincts compelled her to leave readers with a tidy ending. I prefer things messy.
But still, this was a treat and a delight. I'm so glad the author took the leap into a different historical era, and I'll be waiting impatiently for Book 2. Very impatiently. Cat Sebastian, if you ever do happen to wonder what I would like to read... the answer is, the next installment of Page & Sommers.
July 4, 2019
It feels like it's been some time since I read something by Sebastian and I quite enjoyed this little reunion. But I'll admit that of the plot, the characters, and the romance.. I think I only liked the characters.
He was so accustomed to playing a role, acting a part, completing a mission, that sometimes he found it convenient to ignore that beneath the mission there was a man.
The plot for HITHER, PAGE was an almost Clue-like whodunnit, set in a small English town after the war, and there was spycraft and secrets afoot. But I wasn't really too bothered by the who or the why. I mostly just wanted to spend more time with the characters. This town had a whole host of interesting personalities and, to be honest, I'm not sure I disliked a single one. Some were just.. darling. Others clever and mischievous and precious af. And even more were all of the above plus suffering from mental trauma and PTSD and longing for quiet from the horror the world had just survived. Side note : all signs point to this being a series and oh I hope so. I want more of this little place and these people.
"You've got what half the village seems to have. Half has a streptococcus infection and the other half is murdered. Quite the lovely place."
As for the romance. Because this wasn't quite novel length, yet not quite novella (?), there was only so much time dedicated to the romance what with all the murder-yness murder going on. It definitely had moments of cute but, I think, if it is actually going to be a series.. I wouldn't have minded waiting on them to cement things until the next instalment. Things moved a little quickly considering they knew one another for only the span of a week and I know it happens all the time in romance books but.. sometimes you just aren't sold. Like I said, cute, but.
"I wasn't sure you'd want to see me."
"Then you're not as clever as you look. I'm losing all faith in the intelligence services."
I'll definitely read on because I love the idea of a mystery series set in a small town and I'm looking forward to getting to know the other characters a little better each time. Plus I want a chance to be sold on the romance. So, yes, consider me invested.
3.5 stars
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
He was so accustomed to playing a role, acting a part, completing a mission, that sometimes he found it convenient to ignore that beneath the mission there was a man.
The plot for HITHER, PAGE was an almost Clue-like whodunnit, set in a small English town after the war, and there was spycraft and secrets afoot. But I wasn't really too bothered by the who or the why. I mostly just wanted to spend more time with the characters. This town had a whole host of interesting personalities and, to be honest, I'm not sure I disliked a single one. Some were just.. darling. Others clever and mischievous and precious af. And even more were all of the above plus suffering from mental trauma and PTSD and longing for quiet from the horror the world had just survived. Side note : all signs point to this being a series and oh I hope so. I want more of this little place and these people.
"You've got what half the village seems to have. Half has a streptococcus infection and the other half is murdered. Quite the lovely place."
As for the romance. Because this wasn't quite novel length, yet not quite novella (?), there was only so much time dedicated to the romance what with all the murder-yness murder going on. It definitely had moments of cute but, I think, if it is actually going to be a series.. I wouldn't have minded waiting on them to cement things until the next instalment. Things moved a little quickly considering they knew one another for only the span of a week and I know it happens all the time in romance books but.. sometimes you just aren't sold. Like I said, cute, but.
"I wasn't sure you'd want to see me."
"Then you're not as clever as you look. I'm losing all faith in the intelligence services."
I'll definitely read on because I love the idea of a mystery series set in a small town and I'm looking forward to getting to know the other characters a little better each time. Plus I want a chance to be sold on the romance. So, yes, consider me invested.
3.5 stars
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
June 25, 2019
This story, set in the years after WWII, is quieter than Sebastian's Regency romances, bleaker, yet there's an undercurrent of emotion in it that hit me just right.
James Sommers was a doctor in the military in WWII, and after leaving the service, he's still haunted by all he saw and did. He retreated to the tiny village where he spent his happiest childhood moments, to become a country doctor. He battles what we would now call PTSD, emotional resonances that can hit unexpectedly and make even simple things difficult.
He's gay, with no illusions about himself, but in this place and time that's something he's buried pretty deeply. He's surviving, getting on day to day, sometimes ministering to those who came out of the war in even worse shape, like a man renting a cottage down the way. But when a local housekeeper with a history of snooping in everyone's affairs is found murdered, he worries about the folk he's come to care about in the village.
Leo Page was recruited into a black-ops type of service in his teens, before the war, and all he has ever known is intrigue, spycraft, assassination, and war. The murdered housekeeper worked for a man who is a person of interest to Leo's boss, and he's sent to investigate what was going on, and to make the problem go away, so it doesn't impact his boss's case.
Leo has been many men, many names, over the years. But he hasn't spent much time in Britain, where rule of law ought to be in force, and where he's using his real name for a change. He's never really had a place he belongs. Meeting a good man like Sommers, and the elderly ladies and village children he cares about, shakes something loose in Leo. His boss's instructions didn't stop with justice, and didn't shy away from assassination if expedient. But can he do his job, and not lose the fragile sense of belonging that he's starting to feel?
The mystery is fun and plausible (beyond one obvious clue that was missed.) The characters are unique, but not caricatures. There's a strong sense of time and place, from rationing and train travel to not having good antibiotics to treat strep throat that felt authentic to me (as an American reader, anyway). The romance is slow burn and realistic to the two men, and the time they live in. I felt steeped in this book, in its grey early-winter feel that matched the two men's hearts, and the slow build of warmth and hope. I stayed up far too late to finish it and I really look forward to the next one.
James Sommers was a doctor in the military in WWII, and after leaving the service, he's still haunted by all he saw and did. He retreated to the tiny village where he spent his happiest childhood moments, to become a country doctor. He battles what we would now call PTSD, emotional resonances that can hit unexpectedly and make even simple things difficult.
He's gay, with no illusions about himself, but in this place and time that's something he's buried pretty deeply. He's surviving, getting on day to day, sometimes ministering to those who came out of the war in even worse shape, like a man renting a cottage down the way. But when a local housekeeper with a history of snooping in everyone's affairs is found murdered, he worries about the folk he's come to care about in the village.
Leo Page was recruited into a black-ops type of service in his teens, before the war, and all he has ever known is intrigue, spycraft, assassination, and war. The murdered housekeeper worked for a man who is a person of interest to Leo's boss, and he's sent to investigate what was going on, and to make the problem go away, so it doesn't impact his boss's case.
Leo has been many men, many names, over the years. But he hasn't spent much time in Britain, where rule of law ought to be in force, and where he's using his real name for a change. He's never really had a place he belongs. Meeting a good man like Sommers, and the elderly ladies and village children he cares about, shakes something loose in Leo. His boss's instructions didn't stop with justice, and didn't shy away from assassination if expedient. But can he do his job, and not lose the fragile sense of belonging that he's starting to feel?
The mystery is fun and plausible (beyond one obvious clue that was missed.) The characters are unique, but not caricatures. There's a strong sense of time and place, from rationing and train travel to not having good antibiotics to treat strep throat that felt authentic to me (as an American reader, anyway). The romance is slow burn and realistic to the two men, and the time they live in. I felt steeped in this book, in its grey early-winter feel that matched the two men's hearts, and the slow build of warmth and hope. I stayed up far too late to finish it and I really look forward to the next one.
August 7, 2024
~3.5~
This book grew on me, kind of like matcha: The first time I tasted the green concoction, I found it a little bitter* and grassy, not bad exactly but definitely an acquired taste, but I kept drinking it and drinking it until I liked it and was surprised that I did.
(*This book isn't bitter. Obviously. But it has slow-moving parts.)
Expect a cozy mystery, if post-WWII England, a lonely spy (Leo) who doesn't belong, a tormented doctor (James) who struggles with nightmares, and two murders can be considered cozy.
There is no simple resolution to the mystery. Everyone has a secret, and the only person in Wychcomb St. Mary who knows what's going on is a rather dramatic and resourceful 15-year-old ragamuffin named Wendy.
Leo is right; Wendy would make a fantastic spy.
The romance is muted, much like the mystery. Some may call it a slow burn, but I don't think it was any kind of burn at all, more like a leaning and a falling.
Could James be any more endearing?
P.S. My father-in-law's name was James Leo, and I just thought I'd share that.
This book grew on me, kind of like matcha: The first time I tasted the green concoction, I found it a little bitter* and grassy, not bad exactly but definitely an acquired taste, but I kept drinking it and drinking it until I liked it and was surprised that I did.
(*This book isn't bitter. Obviously. But it has slow-moving parts.)
Expect a cozy mystery, if post-WWII England, a lonely spy (Leo) who doesn't belong, a tormented doctor (James) who struggles with nightmares, and two murders can be considered cozy.
There is no simple resolution to the mystery. Everyone has a secret, and the only person in Wychcomb St. Mary who knows what's going on is a rather dramatic and resourceful 15-year-old ragamuffin named Wendy.
Leo is right; Wendy would make a fantastic spy.
The romance is muted, much like the mystery. Some may call it a slow burn, but I don't think it was any kind of burn at all, more like a leaning and a falling.
"But I feel that I'm growing fond of you at an, ah, accelerated rate ... When I look at you, I see the man I'm - well ... all it would take would be a stiff breeze to push me into outright love with you, and I thought you ought to know that."
Could James be any more endearing?
P.S. My father-in-law's name was James Leo, and I just thought I'd share that.
July 2, 2020
4.5 Loved-this-cross-of-an-Agatha-Christie-novel-with-M/M romance Stars!! 😱😍 💕🤩
It's 1946, WWII is over but the ravages of the war are far from over, especially for the good doctor; Dr James Sommers residing in the small village of Wychcomb St. Mary. His battle-scars (PTSD) are invisible, but make his life and work as a doctor/surgeon challenging at times. However, with a strong will and positive outlook, he relishes his work as the village doctor, checking in with the mishmash of villagers, the elderly, the frail and indulging in their whims, tales, tea and biscuits. His hope to find some semblance of security and peace in his day-to-day life is tied to the peace and harmony of his village, Wychcomb St. Mary. But the peace and quiet is suddenly disturbed when the local busybody dies suspiciously and almost everyone in the village is a suspect. In the middle of this mystery and mayhem, comes Leo Page who from the outset is just a visitor doing some harmless research; but as James figures out is actually a spy/ secret agent who has come to solve the crime/s and unintentionally unravel all those long held secrets hiding under the facade of tranquility in Wychcomb St. Mary. James is both attracted to Leo and suspicious of how his sleuthing could jeopardize the peace in the village. Nevertheless he offers his help to Leo for he sees beyond Leo's disguise; and gets a glimpse of the jaded spy who is yearning for a home and heart to belong to.
What happens when there is another murder? What are these long held secrets that can jeopardize the lives of so many if they come out? Can the residents of Wychcomb St. Mary ever go back to their serene lives after this is all over? And what about James and Leo? What does the future look like for two men in the still intolerant world of the 40s & 50s.
This is another brilliant book by Cat Sebastian and a promising start to a romance & mystery series💕. The plot is mystery heavy so the romance is on the subtle side with medium sizzle💘. But a story about two men in a time when a romantic relationship between them would have been illegal😢, where the story also serves as a start of a partnership of sorts for the two MCs💞; it would have been unusual if they were hot and heavy right away. The story of James and Leo felt realistic where the emotional to physical connection moves more organically😍. I'm looking forward to the next one🤩, I hope their adventures take them out of the village. I think I know enough about the residents 🙄
Highly recommended to all historical M/M fans who are fascinated by old-school whodunits!! 👍👍
It's 1946, WWII is over but the ravages of the war are far from over, especially for the good doctor; Dr James Sommers residing in the small village of Wychcomb St. Mary. His battle-scars (PTSD) are invisible, but make his life and work as a doctor/surgeon challenging at times. However, with a strong will and positive outlook, he relishes his work as the village doctor, checking in with the mishmash of villagers, the elderly, the frail and indulging in their whims, tales, tea and biscuits. His hope to find some semblance of security and peace in his day-to-day life is tied to the peace and harmony of his village, Wychcomb St. Mary. But the peace and quiet is suddenly disturbed when the local busybody dies suspiciously and almost everyone in the village is a suspect. In the middle of this mystery and mayhem, comes Leo Page who from the outset is just a visitor doing some harmless research; but as James figures out is actually a spy/ secret agent who has come to solve the crime/s and unintentionally unravel all those long held secrets hiding under the facade of tranquility in Wychcomb St. Mary. James is both attracted to Leo and suspicious of how his sleuthing could jeopardize the peace in the village. Nevertheless he offers his help to Leo for he sees beyond Leo's disguise; and gets a glimpse of the jaded spy who is yearning for a home and heart to belong to.
What happens when there is another murder? What are these long held secrets that can jeopardize the lives of so many if they come out? Can the residents of Wychcomb St. Mary ever go back to their serene lives after this is all over? And what about James and Leo? What does the future look like for two men in the still intolerant world of the 40s & 50s.
This is another brilliant book by Cat Sebastian and a promising start to a romance & mystery series💕. The plot is mystery heavy so the romance is on the subtle side with medium sizzle💘. But a story about two men in a time when a romantic relationship between them would have been illegal😢, where the story also serves as a start of a partnership of sorts for the two MCs💞; it would have been unusual if they were hot and heavy right away. The story of James and Leo felt realistic where the emotional to physical connection moves more organically😍. I'm looking forward to the next one🤩, I hope their adventures take them out of the village. I think I know enough about the residents 🙄
Highly recommended to all historical M/M fans who are fascinated by old-school whodunits!! 👍👍
October 26, 2024
I hesitate to use the term ‘cozy mystery’ given that there are several murders and also pretty prevalent themes of PTSD following on from WWII, but that’s really the best way to describe this borderline novella length book. This is my first Sebastian book, which is criminal considering how much I love queer historical stories but I enjoyed myself a lot while reading this.
This story gave me the same feelings that I get watching Midsomer Murders or Hercule Poirot and given that I grew up on them I am very sentimental over stories that evoke this vibe. All very murder mystery in ‘small country village England’ where everyone has secret agendas and motives.
I do think perhaps the marketing is a bit misleading given that it literally says ‘a romance’ on the cover. Whilst there is definitely a delightful romance here between Leo and James, I would say that it’s more subplot and not the limelight. So people going into this looking specifically for a romance might be disappointed.
Honestly I found myself feeling that there would be a lot here for people who loved Will Darlings adventures by KJC, given the themes of a burnt out spy and dealing with shell-shock in the wake of a world war features across both of them. But with enough differences that there’s still something fresh here.
I don’t think this book is breaking any barriers but it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.
This story gave me the same feelings that I get watching Midsomer Murders or Hercule Poirot and given that I grew up on them I am very sentimental over stories that evoke this vibe. All very murder mystery in ‘small country village England’ where everyone has secret agendas and motives.
I do think perhaps the marketing is a bit misleading given that it literally says ‘a romance’ on the cover. Whilst there is definitely a delightful romance here between Leo and James, I would say that it’s more subplot and not the limelight. So people going into this looking specifically for a romance might be disappointed.
Honestly I found myself feeling that there would be a lot here for people who loved Will Darlings adventures by KJC, given the themes of a burnt out spy and dealing with shell-shock in the wake of a world war features across both of them. But with enough differences that there’s still something fresh here.
I don’t think this book is breaking any barriers but it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.
August 30, 2019
cat sebastian is always a fucking delight but this was even more delightful than usual.
fantastically developed characters, a luscious slow burn romance that didn't make me want to slam my face into the nearest wall like most slow burns do, and a mystery worthy of agatha christie?? bingpot. (apologies to people who have never watched b99 for using that word.)
and the next one comes out in one and a half years. boy oh boy do i love DEATH
fantastically developed characters, a luscious slow burn romance that didn't make me want to slam my face into the nearest wall like most slow burns do, and a mystery worthy of agatha christie?? bingpot. (apologies to people who have never watched b99 for using that word.)
and the next one comes out in one and a half years. boy oh boy do i love DEATH
February 28, 2023
A delightful old fashioned mystery in the English countryside, with a twist of (also old fashioned) gay romance.
I really had lots of fun reading this! But the unraveling of the murder mystery was disappointing. 🤷♀️
I really had lots of fun reading this! But the unraveling of the murder mystery was disappointing. 🤷♀️
January 6, 2020
A solid historical mystery set just after WWII, with the lingering aftereffects of the way playing a large role in the plot. Well-written, with interesting characters. I hope Wendy goes on to great, or at least dramatic, things.
August 1, 2019
Mash-up of several subgenres: the cozy English village murder mystery, spy stuff, historical with a pretty convincing just-post-WWII depressed British social scene, m/m romance. The latter, set historically, has the drama threatening the relationship and raising the stakes built-in by the setting, relieving the need for much in the way of Stupid Misunderstandings to move the plot along, always a plus. The ending felt a little crammed, as the writer contrived to arrange happy endings and apportion the narrative rewards, a couple of minor subplots being lost in the shuffle. (Norris and his severely war-disabled friend seemed left in-air.) Quick read.
Ta, L.
Ta, L.
June 23, 2025
The mystery was done well enough, but I was under the impression that this was also a romance and unfortunately the romance was very very very secondary. Almost non existent until the end.
May 31, 2023
Audiobook: Full five stars for the audiobook. Voice actor Joel Leslie was phenomenal. As with the book: The writing is atmospheric with a strong sense of time and place. The characters are deftly drawn. The prose is lovely, and the narrative and dialogue insightful and ever so charming. And the mystery? Well done! Cat Sebastian is a truly superb writer.
March 11, 2023
3.5 stars - I was expecting more of a historical romance with a mystery plot, but I would call this a historical mystery with strong romance elements. I loved how much this reminded of a Golden Age of Detective Fiction kind of village mystery! The added spy element was a nice addition, as well. Not super memorable but a well done version of what it was setting out to do
September 19, 2024
This was just lovely
January 1, 2025
December 2024: Re-read so I can read #2.
June 2019: Well, the sex part of this certainly wasn't as prevalent as the mystery, but it did deliver on Sebastian's other promise, which was "Agatha Christie, but make it gay."
Small English village, check.
The mysterious murder of one of their own, check.
The discovery that the small village is hiding a bunch of secrets, check.
An outsider coming in to unearth those secrets, check.
Lonely spy falls in love with traumatized country doctor, check.
This was very sweet in terms of the romance, and pretty clever in terms of the mystery (although I think I would have liked it better had I not just read Magpie Murders, which was such a clever homage to Christie and so pleasurable, and whose murders had multiple similarities to the murders in this book). But Leo Page is not a detective, but a spy, so his goals are a bit different than say, Poirot's would have been. I liked the way that Sommers and Page just sort of fell into working together as a team, with Sommers using his village connections to glean information Page doesn't have access to, and I liked the resolution of the mystery as well.
My only complaint, and this has been a complaint for the last few Sebastian books I've read, is that I wish it was longer, a little more fleshed out. The mystery aspect was fine, but I wanted to see more of Sommers and Page getting to know each other and flirting, and yes, I would have very much appreciated a longer sex scene (or more sexy scenes in general) than what we got. But I can overlook it in this case because this isn't just a one-off, but the first book in a series. There's still lots of room for development down the road.
All in all, fun and worth it. I hope she publishes a hard copy eventually. I really don't like reading mysteries by e-book.
June 2019: Well, the sex part of this certainly wasn't as prevalent as the mystery, but it did deliver on Sebastian's other promise, which was "Agatha Christie, but make it gay."
Small English village, check.
The mysterious murder of one of their own, check.
The discovery that the small village is hiding a bunch of secrets, check.
An outsider coming in to unearth those secrets, check.
Lonely spy falls in love with traumatized country doctor, check.
This was very sweet in terms of the romance, and pretty clever in terms of the mystery (although I think I would have liked it better had I not just read Magpie Murders, which was such a clever homage to Christie and so pleasurable, and whose murders had multiple similarities to the murders in this book). But Leo Page is not a detective, but a spy, so his goals are a bit different than say, Poirot's would have been. I liked the way that Sommers and Page just sort of fell into working together as a team, with Sommers using his village connections to glean information Page doesn't have access to, and I liked the resolution of the mystery as well.
My only complaint, and this has been a complaint for the last few Sebastian books I've read, is that I wish it was longer, a little more fleshed out. The mystery aspect was fine, but I wanted to see more of Sommers and Page getting to know each other and flirting, and yes, I would have very much appreciated a longer sex scene (or more sexy scenes in general) than what we got. But I can overlook it in this case because this isn't just a one-off, but the first book in a series. There's still lots of room for development down the road.
All in all, fun and worth it. I hope she publishes a hard copy eventually. I really don't like reading mysteries by e-book.
August 26, 2019
Hither Page
By Cat Sebastian
Published by the author, 2019
Five stars
“Have you ever met a rich man somebody didn’t want to kill?”
I’ve read a lot of favorable commentary about this book, and I was not disappointed in the least. Cat Sebastian – who, against all logic, is an American and from, as she puts it, a swampy part of the South, somehow captures the language and the sense of place of a British writer. I am a snob and a sucker for British authors, not to mention historical fiction, and Sebastian is spot on.
In “Hither Page” she revisits a popular setting for such authors – England after a war. In this case, because the cast is what we’d called today “intergenerational,” she actually looks at the aftermath of two devasting wars and its effect on her characters.
The setting as well is (I’m sure) intentionally familiar for any reader of a certain age. It can’t be an accident that the drama takes place in a cozy rural village outside of London called Wychcomb St. Mary, which calls to mind for any mystery aficionado the village of St. Mary Meade, wherein lived Agatha Christie’s redoubtable Miss Marple.
It is exactly this sort of small town – unexceptional, lacking in any great interest – that has drawn back James Sommers, a young doctor who spent happy times with his uncle there as a boy. Sommers has returned to the village in 1946, after serving faithfully, and even heroically, on the field of battle. He seeks out the peace and safety of his childhood memories. He is looking for a place to dampen his nightmares of violence and carnage.
And it works, until a dead body turns up.
Leo Page is a very different sort of young man. He comes to Wychcomb St. Mary with orders to “get to the bottom of things by any means necessary.” Since his own bleak boyhood, his training has been specific and extensive. Leo is a great pretender, and indeed hardly knows who he really is. He is not beset with bad dreams, but finds himself rootless, without a home or anything approaching a family. Leo quickly finds himself drawn into the mildly claustrophobic society of James Sommers’s village. What disturbs him most is how much he enjoys it.
“Leo was a weapon, and he didn’t care for the idea of being aimed by a stranger.”
The narrative links James and Leo in a way that seems both far-fetched and entirely logical, and from there the author leads the reader in a charmingly choreographed dance, as the two young men find out each other’s secrets, and with them the secrets of all of Wychcomb St. Mary’s. A rich lot of secrets it is, too, as fifty years of local history gradually reveal themselves to the doctor and the sleuth, each of them seeking some kind of personal solace and truth. Every character is richly painted and full of detail, keeping us increasingly on edge as the plot gets more puzzling and provocative. Who is a killer? Who is a victim? What is Leo supposed to do about it? What the hell is going on?
Kudos to Cat Sebastian for pulling this off, and for giving us gay characters who are not of our time, but authentically of the time in which she places them. I note that this is tagged as “Page & Sommers #1,” which gave me goosebumps of pleasure.
By Cat Sebastian
Published by the author, 2019
Five stars
“Have you ever met a rich man somebody didn’t want to kill?”
I’ve read a lot of favorable commentary about this book, and I was not disappointed in the least. Cat Sebastian – who, against all logic, is an American and from, as she puts it, a swampy part of the South, somehow captures the language and the sense of place of a British writer. I am a snob and a sucker for British authors, not to mention historical fiction, and Sebastian is spot on.
In “Hither Page” she revisits a popular setting for such authors – England after a war. In this case, because the cast is what we’d called today “intergenerational,” she actually looks at the aftermath of two devasting wars and its effect on her characters.
The setting as well is (I’m sure) intentionally familiar for any reader of a certain age. It can’t be an accident that the drama takes place in a cozy rural village outside of London called Wychcomb St. Mary, which calls to mind for any mystery aficionado the village of St. Mary Meade, wherein lived Agatha Christie’s redoubtable Miss Marple.
It is exactly this sort of small town – unexceptional, lacking in any great interest – that has drawn back James Sommers, a young doctor who spent happy times with his uncle there as a boy. Sommers has returned to the village in 1946, after serving faithfully, and even heroically, on the field of battle. He seeks out the peace and safety of his childhood memories. He is looking for a place to dampen his nightmares of violence and carnage.
And it works, until a dead body turns up.
Leo Page is a very different sort of young man. He comes to Wychcomb St. Mary with orders to “get to the bottom of things by any means necessary.” Since his own bleak boyhood, his training has been specific and extensive. Leo is a great pretender, and indeed hardly knows who he really is. He is not beset with bad dreams, but finds himself rootless, without a home or anything approaching a family. Leo quickly finds himself drawn into the mildly claustrophobic society of James Sommers’s village. What disturbs him most is how much he enjoys it.
“Leo was a weapon, and he didn’t care for the idea of being aimed by a stranger.”
The narrative links James and Leo in a way that seems both far-fetched and entirely logical, and from there the author leads the reader in a charmingly choreographed dance, as the two young men find out each other’s secrets, and with them the secrets of all of Wychcomb St. Mary’s. A rich lot of secrets it is, too, as fifty years of local history gradually reveal themselves to the doctor and the sleuth, each of them seeking some kind of personal solace and truth. Every character is richly painted and full of detail, keeping us increasingly on edge as the plot gets more puzzling and provocative. Who is a killer? Who is a victim? What is Leo supposed to do about it? What the hell is going on?
Kudos to Cat Sebastian for pulling this off, and for giving us gay characters who are not of our time, but authentically of the time in which she places them. I note that this is tagged as “Page & Sommers #1,” which gave me goosebumps of pleasure.
October 24, 2020
re-read/listen - still like this, it's got a quiet but intense tone the setting making it feel more than a light cosy. Love how there's so many secrets and digging into things for someone to then casually mention them as if open fact and no bother, made me grin and seemed typical.
Narration is ok, it's Joel Leslie - if you've listened to one you know what you get! Able and listenable but.. His women's voices are limited and accents uncertain, a few sound mock-Australian to me. Not the best choice for this, but then i'm fussy with audio.
__ __ __ __
Indeed.
I really enjoyed this, for me it was the right mix of cosy mystery with a hint of espionage for added flavour, characters drawing together with the promise of romance and an authentic feeling setting and time period. Exactly the sort of story I like.
While the story has a range of characters they felt real rather than the cartoonish eccentrics a lot of village based cosy mysteries have. There's a lot of intrique and a fair bit of gossip going on that it was fun to sink into and wonder about. I really liked the detecting, that while some things seemed obvious (I got the solution half right) they followed an intelligent line rather being oblivious to the facts and got to the solution with out needless messing around. I liked how things came together and the resolve. Though with a sequel planned would perhaps like an update on a certain fleeing side-character to know how that ends. Perhaps.
Set post WW2 there's traces of hardship, rationing and what is clearly PTSD. It colours the book naturally so the reader gets the sense of these things, rather than a lesson. Shows the fallout from war without any over dramatisation. Social norms and assumptions play their role. A subtle humour along the way and a nod to Agatha that made me smile.
The romance is well timed, good doctor Sommer and Page, a man so used to shadows he's gotten lost to them. There's so much restrained emotion, from the promise of a distraction to real yearning between them. The end does seem a bit too neatly finished for a series but while it wraps this book up nicely on a good feel I rather think there's a long journey ahead of these two. Page needing to discover who he is without guise. But as the song says:
Looking forward to the next one.
Narration is ok, it's Joel Leslie - if you've listened to one you know what you get! Able and listenable but.. His women's voices are limited and accents uncertain, a few sound mock-Australian to me. Not the best choice for this, but then i'm fussy with audio.
__ __ __ __
Hither, page, and stand by me
Indeed.
I really enjoyed this, for me it was the right mix of cosy mystery with a hint of espionage for added flavour, characters drawing together with the promise of romance and an authentic feeling setting and time period. Exactly the sort of story I like.
While the story has a range of characters they felt real rather than the cartoonish eccentrics a lot of village based cosy mysteries have. There's a lot of intrique and a fair bit of gossip going on that it was fun to sink into and wonder about. I really liked the detecting, that while some things seemed obvious (I got the solution half right) they followed an intelligent line rather being oblivious to the facts and got to the solution with out needless messing around. I liked how things came together and the resolve. Though with a sequel planned would perhaps like an update on a certain fleeing side-character to know how that ends. Perhaps.
Set post WW2 there's traces of hardship, rationing and what is clearly PTSD. It colours the book naturally so the reader gets the sense of these things, rather than a lesson. Shows the fallout from war without any over dramatisation. Social norms and assumptions play their role. A subtle humour along the way and a nod to Agatha that made me smile.
The romance is well timed, good doctor Sommer and Page, a man so used to shadows he's gotten lost to them. There's so much restrained emotion, from the promise of a distraction to real yearning between them. The end does seem a bit too neatly finished for a series but while it wraps this book up nicely on a good feel I rather think there's a long journey ahead of these two. Page needing to discover who he is without guise. But as the song says:
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather
Looking forward to the next one.
June 23, 2019
The one thing everyone in Wychcomb St. Mary agreed on was that Mildred Hoggett was up to no good
And with that opening line of Cat Sebastian's latest book, Hither, Page , I found myself being transported to the kind of reads of my childhood -- the Agatha Christie's mystery books, to be exact. Although of course, this one, may be even BETTER because Cat Sebastian also includes romance between a jaded war veteran doctor, James Sommers, and a spy, Leo Page, who comes to St. Mary on the order of his boss to find out what happened to the dead Mrs. Hoggett.
I absolutely enjoyed this book - I always adore murder mystery that happens in a small village, with its secrets and busybodies. Again, probably it's influenced by my Agatha Christie's book-reading childhood. I loved all the way Leo was trying to gather what people were hiding. I loved that James trying to stay away at first - none of his business - but he couldn't actually NOT caring about what happened (especially since later on, a second dead body was found).
I loved the romantic relationship between the doctor and the spy. It was lovely and sweet. The fact that there is one other queer couple in the small village makes me hopeful that everyone will pay no strong attention if Leo ends up renting a room at James' house for the foreseeable future *smile*
I see that there's another book in this series coming late next year? Well, I will be patiently waiting for that one.
And with that opening line of Cat Sebastian's latest book, Hither, Page , I found myself being transported to the kind of reads of my childhood -- the Agatha Christie's mystery books, to be exact. Although of course, this one, may be even BETTER because Cat Sebastian also includes romance between a jaded war veteran doctor, James Sommers, and a spy, Leo Page, who comes to St. Mary on the order of his boss to find out what happened to the dead Mrs. Hoggett.
I absolutely enjoyed this book - I always adore murder mystery that happens in a small village, with its secrets and busybodies. Again, probably it's influenced by my Agatha Christie's book-reading childhood. I loved all the way Leo was trying to gather what people were hiding. I loved that James trying to stay away at first - none of his business - but he couldn't actually NOT caring about what happened (especially since later on, a second dead body was found).
I loved the romantic relationship between the doctor and the spy. It was lovely and sweet. The fact that there is one other queer couple in the small village makes me hopeful that everyone will pay no strong attention if Leo ends up renting a room at James' house for the foreseeable future *smile*
I see that there's another book in this series coming late next year? Well, I will be patiently waiting for that one.
November 18, 2023
This was the most boring ass "mystery" I've ever read. I should have quit this two days ago when I originally wanted to, but I got stubborn.
I really enjoyed Sebastian's Turner series, and so I was looking forward to reading this. But it was so slow and quaint, despite these men dealing with PTSD and murders. But the slow and quaint far outbalanced the PTSD and murders, and honestly, there was so much tonal discord to the various pieces crammed into this thing that none of them really get a chance to shine, although once or twice the PTSD bits made valiant attempts to shine through the dullness of everything else around it. So I guess this is a "cozy" mystery, because yes, there's a mystery, but no one's in any real rush to solve it.
I do admit, around 77%, I skipped towards the end just because I ran out of patience with the way the plot was plodding along, but then I had to backtrack a couple of chapters because the resolution, if you want to call it that, was convoluted as hell. So in all, I skipped two chapters.
The romance didn't grab me either. Sommers was nice. Page was...Page. They liked each other because of reasons that frankly never made much sense from Sommers's perspective, but I guess they'll be HEA now. 🤷🏻♀️ And Page was absolutely the worst spy ever.
I really enjoyed Sebastian's Turner series, and so I was looking forward to reading this. But it was so slow and quaint, despite these men dealing with PTSD and murders. But the slow and quaint far outbalanced the PTSD and murders, and honestly, there was so much tonal discord to the various pieces crammed into this thing that none of them really get a chance to shine, although once or twice the PTSD bits made valiant attempts to shine through the dullness of everything else around it. So I guess this is a "cozy" mystery, because yes, there's a mystery, but no one's in any real rush to solve it.
I do admit, around 77%, I skipped towards the end just because I ran out of patience with the way the plot was plodding along, but then I had to backtrack a couple of chapters because the resolution, if you want to call it that, was convoluted as hell. So in all, I skipped two chapters.
The romance didn't grab me either. Sommers was nice. Page was...Page. They liked each other because of reasons that frankly never made much sense from Sommers's perspective, but I guess they'll be HEA now. 🤷🏻♀️ And Page was absolutely the worst spy ever.
January 14, 2020
Great start to a series
I really enjoyed this story. Good mystery and slow burn romance.
Fave quote: “I don’t think you have a place to call your own.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “A place where you belong. You could belong here.”
I really enjoyed this story. Good mystery and slow burn romance.
Fave quote: “I don’t think you have a place to call your own.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “A place where you belong. You could belong here.”
January 24, 2025
This is a historical cosy mystery taking place in a small english village right after WW2. Add some murders, excentric villagers and a mysterious man turning up. Loved it and can't wait to read the next.
August 29, 2019
I've given this a B+ at AAR, so that's 4.5 stars
Cat Sebastian has become known for her queer historical romances set in the nineteenth century, so Hither, Page is a bit of a departure in that it is set in Post-WW2 England. The sleepy Cotswold village of Wychcomb St. Mary is the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else, is in each other’s business, and gossip abounds, but also where people pull together and look out for one another in times of trouble. Hither, Page is billed as the first in the Page & Sommers series, and is a cosy mystery wherein a country doctor traumatised by war and a world-weary, rootless spy team up to work out who is responsible for a couple of murders.
Leo Page, a spy working for one of the more disreputable branches of the intelligence services is an orphan who was recruited more than a decade earlier by British Intelligence and has been getting his hands dirty on their behalf ever since. He has no family, no friends to speak of – those just aren’t compatible with the sort of life he leads - but when he’s sent to the village of Wychcomb St. Mary, ostensibly to look into the death of a woman who worked for a former army officer suspected of selling military secrets, he begins to find his priorities shifting, regardless of whether he wants them to or not.
Doctor James Sommers grew up in Wychcomb and returned there after the war, hoping to find refuge from the memories of the devastating memories that continue to haunt him. His PTSD can hit unexpectedly, but for the most part he’s getting by, tending to the villagers and making a home among them, but the news of the death of one of their own disturbs him more than he cares to admit. After everything he’s seen and done, all he wants is a settled, orderly life, one where he’d take any and every reminder that people were capable of something other than reducing one another to piles of meat.
The mystery in the book is well done and moves at a good pace, but really, it’s secondary to the characters, a motley crew of quirky, well-rounded individuals who have been affected by the war in some way, from Marston a former patient of James’, who now lives in an old gamekeeper’s cottage and keeps himself to himself to the Misses Pickering and Delacourt, a pair of elderly spinsters who live on the outskirts of the village, to the vicar and his permanently harried wife, and the former evacuee Wendy, who was sent to the village to wait out the war but has never returned home.
Mildred Hoggatt was found dead following a dinner party at Wych Hall, home of Colonel Bertram Armstrong. She was drugged, and then pushed down a flight of stairs, and while she was a bit of a busybody, there seems to be no real motive for her murder. Leo arrives in time to attend her funeral – and there notices the local doctor, who seems familiar. Unusually, Leo is working using his own name, but has taken on the persona of an office worker snatching a few days holiday in the area to study the local church architecture. His easy manner and good humour, together with the fact that many of the locals are just dying to share their theories about Mildred’s death with someone new, mean it doesn’t take him long to ingratiate himself and get people talking.
James recognises Leo – although he’s damn sure that wasn’t his name back then – from a night in France in 1944 when he was suddenly called away to patch up a man dressed as a member of the French Resistance. James realises immediately that the other man must be some sort of government agent who has come to Wychcomb to look into more than the death of a mere charwoman, but he has absolutely no desire to become involved. He resents the intrusion of more death and devastation into the quiet life he craves, but when it emerges that Mildred left Wendy a large sum of money, and that it could lead to Wendy being the prime suspect in the murder, he’s compelled to act. He can’t let an innocent – if rather eccentric – girl be wrongly accused, so he decides to help Page, even though it goes against his inclination and better judgement.
The relationship between the two men is nicely developed and carries equal weight (as the mystery) in the story. There’s an instant spark of attraction between them, but even though it doesn’t take either of them long to discern where the other’s preferences lay – and Leo doesn’t waste any time in flirting with James – this is 1946 and they still have to be careful. And although James is grateful to still be able to feel the stirrings of attraction, he is reluctant to become involved with a man for whom deception and betrayal are a way of life.
Both James and Leo are well-developed characters and I liked them individually and as a couple. James is a lovely man – quiet, considerate and compassionate – but he’s the first to acknowledge that he’s not quite right in the head, and wonders if he’ll ever be able to leave his demons behind him. By contrast, Leo is outgoing and garrulous, but it’s all an act. He’s spent so long pretending to be whoever he had to be for whatever job he was assigned that he doesn’t know who Leo Page really is. But for the first time in his life, he’s starting to want to find out – to find out what it’s like to have friends, to belong somewhere, with someone – and to realise that he’s been missing out on so many of life’s simple pleasures.
I did think that the romance progressed a tad quickly – especially as this is going to be a series – but on the other hand, these are two men who know only too well that life is short and not to be taken for granted, so it works. Cat Sebastian has done a great job of creating the atmosphere of an English country village worthy of a Christie novel – which sadly makes the (albeit infrequent) Americanisms (“gotten”, “trash” etc.) stick out like sore thumbs – but the writing is excellent and very perceptive. Page and Sommers make a great sleuthing team and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series.
Cat Sebastian has become known for her queer historical romances set in the nineteenth century, so Hither, Page is a bit of a departure in that it is set in Post-WW2 England. The sleepy Cotswold village of Wychcomb St. Mary is the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else, is in each other’s business, and gossip abounds, but also where people pull together and look out for one another in times of trouble. Hither, Page is billed as the first in the Page & Sommers series, and is a cosy mystery wherein a country doctor traumatised by war and a world-weary, rootless spy team up to work out who is responsible for a couple of murders.
Leo Page, a spy working for one of the more disreputable branches of the intelligence services is an orphan who was recruited more than a decade earlier by British Intelligence and has been getting his hands dirty on their behalf ever since. He has no family, no friends to speak of – those just aren’t compatible with the sort of life he leads - but when he’s sent to the village of Wychcomb St. Mary, ostensibly to look into the death of a woman who worked for a former army officer suspected of selling military secrets, he begins to find his priorities shifting, regardless of whether he wants them to or not.
Doctor James Sommers grew up in Wychcomb and returned there after the war, hoping to find refuge from the memories of the devastating memories that continue to haunt him. His PTSD can hit unexpectedly, but for the most part he’s getting by, tending to the villagers and making a home among them, but the news of the death of one of their own disturbs him more than he cares to admit. After everything he’s seen and done, all he wants is a settled, orderly life, one where he’d take any and every reminder that people were capable of something other than reducing one another to piles of meat.
The mystery in the book is well done and moves at a good pace, but really, it’s secondary to the characters, a motley crew of quirky, well-rounded individuals who have been affected by the war in some way, from Marston a former patient of James’, who now lives in an old gamekeeper’s cottage and keeps himself to himself to the Misses Pickering and Delacourt, a pair of elderly spinsters who live on the outskirts of the village, to the vicar and his permanently harried wife, and the former evacuee Wendy, who was sent to the village to wait out the war but has never returned home.
Mildred Hoggatt was found dead following a dinner party at Wych Hall, home of Colonel Bertram Armstrong. She was drugged, and then pushed down a flight of stairs, and while she was a bit of a busybody, there seems to be no real motive for her murder. Leo arrives in time to attend her funeral – and there notices the local doctor, who seems familiar. Unusually, Leo is working using his own name, but has taken on the persona of an office worker snatching a few days holiday in the area to study the local church architecture. His easy manner and good humour, together with the fact that many of the locals are just dying to share their theories about Mildred’s death with someone new, mean it doesn’t take him long to ingratiate himself and get people talking.
James recognises Leo – although he’s damn sure that wasn’t his name back then – from a night in France in 1944 when he was suddenly called away to patch up a man dressed as a member of the French Resistance. James realises immediately that the other man must be some sort of government agent who has come to Wychcomb to look into more than the death of a mere charwoman, but he has absolutely no desire to become involved. He resents the intrusion of more death and devastation into the quiet life he craves, but when it emerges that Mildred left Wendy a large sum of money, and that it could lead to Wendy being the prime suspect in the murder, he’s compelled to act. He can’t let an innocent – if rather eccentric – girl be wrongly accused, so he decides to help Page, even though it goes against his inclination and better judgement.
The relationship between the two men is nicely developed and carries equal weight (as the mystery) in the story. There’s an instant spark of attraction between them, but even though it doesn’t take either of them long to discern where the other’s preferences lay – and Leo doesn’t waste any time in flirting with James – this is 1946 and they still have to be careful. And although James is grateful to still be able to feel the stirrings of attraction, he is reluctant to become involved with a man for whom deception and betrayal are a way of life.
Both James and Leo are well-developed characters and I liked them individually and as a couple. James is a lovely man – quiet, considerate and compassionate – but he’s the first to acknowledge that he’s not quite right in the head, and wonders if he’ll ever be able to leave his demons behind him. By contrast, Leo is outgoing and garrulous, but it’s all an act. He’s spent so long pretending to be whoever he had to be for whatever job he was assigned that he doesn’t know who Leo Page really is. But for the first time in his life, he’s starting to want to find out – to find out what it’s like to have friends, to belong somewhere, with someone – and to realise that he’s been missing out on so many of life’s simple pleasures.
I did think that the romance progressed a tad quickly – especially as this is going to be a series – but on the other hand, these are two men who know only too well that life is short and not to be taken for granted, so it works. Cat Sebastian has done a great job of creating the atmosphere of an English country village worthy of a Christie novel – which sadly makes the (albeit infrequent) Americanisms (“gotten”, “trash” etc.) stick out like sore thumbs – but the writing is excellent and very perceptive. Page and Sommers make a great sleuthing team and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series.
May 13, 2019
"The one thing everyone in Wychcomb St. Mary agreed on was that Mildred Hoggett was up to no good."
This book is an utterly delightful, Agatha Christie-esque 1940s mystery set in a small English village full of gossip and secrets - and absolutely wonderful characters I adored, many of whom turned all sorts of stereotypes on their heads. The kind, shell-shocked village doctor and an amoral visiting spy fall in love as they solve the mystery together, and their romance is really sweet and well done, but this book is really about the whole village, about the truths hidden behind its picture-perfect image, from the pair of sweet little old ladies to the vicar's wife and the eccentric gardener. What makes it a really wonderful read is that it carries such a warm, compassionate message about all of those secret truths and scandals. People don't have to be perfect to be worthwhile, neither does life, and villages don't have to be idealized in order to be perfect homes. By the end, I really wanted to move to Wychcombe St. Mary, too! And I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
This book is an utterly delightful, Agatha Christie-esque 1940s mystery set in a small English village full of gossip and secrets - and absolutely wonderful characters I adored, many of whom turned all sorts of stereotypes on their heads. The kind, shell-shocked village doctor and an amoral visiting spy fall in love as they solve the mystery together, and their romance is really sweet and well done, but this book is really about the whole village, about the truths hidden behind its picture-perfect image, from the pair of sweet little old ladies to the vicar's wife and the eccentric gardener. What makes it a really wonderful read is that it carries such a warm, compassionate message about all of those secret truths and scandals. People don't have to be perfect to be worthwhile, neither does life, and villages don't have to be idealized in order to be perfect homes. By the end, I really wanted to move to Wychcombe St. Mary, too! And I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
November 1, 2024
3,5*
My first Cat Sebastian book! And definitely not the last, they can write 😳
It is a short historical, almost cozy murder mystery that's engaging enough, but what kept me reading were the characters. James is a very kind village doctor who suffers from quite severe PTSD after WWII. Leo is a spy (or more like a saboteur almost) sent to James' village to figure out a murder. It's written in dual third-person POV, which I much prefer to the first-person style.
Both are written so well, even though I feel there's much more to understand about them, especially Leo. What I wasn't that sold on was their romantic connection. I can almost see why James fell so fast, he strongly yearned for companionship - so much he was willing to take it from someone who's clearly made of lies (so who are you even falling for?). He also had troubles since the war to even feel attraction to others so I can see that when he finally felt something, it represented evidence he could potentially heal, not having to spend the rest of his life alone.
Leo, on the other hand... It's possible I just don't understand him yet. The problem is, he's been a spy for more than ten years, not living in one place for more than a month, never forming lasting connections, never feeling the need. And suddenly, after barely a week, he's having a full-on existential crisis and practically declaring he's falling in love? I wasn't convinced, not at all. James' kindness had an enormous effect on him and if that means James is the first truly kind person he's met in ten years...then that's truly a miserable existence. It's possible that Leo subconsciously had doubts about his life in general before meeting James but that's just my speculations to make sense of their quickly-formed connection.
Maybe that's why I skipped the sex scene. It wasn't even graphic or long but I was just not in the mood to read it when I didn't sense any emotional connection.
Still, I liked them both on their own and I'm definitely picking up the next book. I really enjoyed the writing, the winter atmosphere (oh, and the part with Leo and the Christmas crackers was heartbreaking 🥺) and the mystery.
I hope I'll see more of Wendy, she was such an interesting character!
My first Cat Sebastian book! And definitely not the last, they can write 😳
It is a short historical, almost cozy murder mystery that's engaging enough, but what kept me reading were the characters. James is a very kind village doctor who suffers from quite severe PTSD after WWII. Leo is a spy (or more like a saboteur almost) sent to James' village to figure out a murder. It's written in dual third-person POV, which I much prefer to the first-person style.
Both are written so well, even though I feel there's much more to understand about them, especially Leo. What I wasn't that sold on was their romantic connection. I can almost see why James fell so fast, he strongly yearned for companionship - so much he was willing to take it from someone who's clearly made of lies (so who are you even falling for?). He also had troubles since the war to even feel attraction to others so I can see that when he finally felt something, it represented evidence he could potentially heal, not having to spend the rest of his life alone.
Leo, on the other hand... It's possible I just don't understand him yet. The problem is, he's been a spy for more than ten years, not living in one place for more than a month, never forming lasting connections, never feeling the need. And suddenly, after barely a week, he's having a full-on existential crisis and practically declaring he's falling in love? I wasn't convinced, not at all. James' kindness had an enormous effect on him and if that means James is the first truly kind person he's met in ten years...then that's truly a miserable existence. It's possible that Leo subconsciously had doubts about his life in general before meeting James but that's just my speculations to make sense of their quickly-formed connection.
Maybe that's why I skipped the sex scene. It wasn't even graphic or long but I was just not in the mood to read it when I didn't sense any emotional connection.
Still, I liked them both on their own and I'm definitely picking up the next book. I really enjoyed the writing, the winter atmosphere (oh, and the part with Leo and the Christmas crackers was heartbreaking 🥺) and the mystery.
I hope I'll see more of Wendy, she was such an interesting character!
July 20, 2019
The life of Wychcomb St. Mary, a sleepy Cotswolds village in the early years after the end of WW2, is shaken by the suspicious death of a nosy charwoman. Leonard Page, a jaded and disillusioned spy, is sent to investigate the murder and his arrival starts wreaking havoc to the life of the village's inhabitants who may be hiding secrets behind the closed doors of their living rooms and parlours.
The presence of Page - who represents by extension the disruption of the imaginary bubble of peace and tranquillity enveloping Wychcomb St. Mary and the whole of peacetime Britain - is particularly disruptive to James Sommers, the village doctor who's trying to readjust to civilian life despite a deeply-ingrained case of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Constructed as a sort of old-fashioned, Agatha Christie-esque story, Hither, Page is a delightful journey to postwar England, its social appearances, eccentricities and façades.
Inhabited by a beautiful cast of characters, the novel moves with ease from the cynical Page to the generous Sommers. Through their interaction, the former seems to realise that another life outside the dangers and subterfuge of his mysterious agency can be possible and Sommers comes to the slow realisation that disruption and evil cannot be forced out of everyday life or hidden away under a pretence of serenity.
The plot itself is satisfyingly intricated and left me guessing until the end. I've also liked the way Cat Sebastian prepares the way for further stories focusing on the same characters by leaving them with a good amount of closure but also enough open threads to trigger my curiosity.
The writing is lovely - measured and with a great sense of time and location and with frequent little touches of British eccentricity that make the book endearing and engaging.
Really looking forward to reading more about Sommers and Page!
The presence of Page - who represents by extension the disruption of the imaginary bubble of peace and tranquillity enveloping Wychcomb St. Mary and the whole of peacetime Britain - is particularly disruptive to James Sommers, the village doctor who's trying to readjust to civilian life despite a deeply-ingrained case of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Constructed as a sort of old-fashioned, Agatha Christie-esque story, Hither, Page is a delightful journey to postwar England, its social appearances, eccentricities and façades.
Inhabited by a beautiful cast of characters, the novel moves with ease from the cynical Page to the generous Sommers. Through their interaction, the former seems to realise that another life outside the dangers and subterfuge of his mysterious agency can be possible and Sommers comes to the slow realisation that disruption and evil cannot be forced out of everyday life or hidden away under a pretence of serenity.
The plot itself is satisfyingly intricated and left me guessing until the end. I've also liked the way Cat Sebastian prepares the way for further stories focusing on the same characters by leaving them with a good amount of closure but also enough open threads to trigger my curiosity.
The writing is lovely - measured and with a great sense of time and location and with frequent little touches of British eccentricity that make the book endearing and engaging.
Really looking forward to reading more about Sommers and Page!
February 3, 2022
* 5 Stars *
*MM-Romance, Historical, Mystery, Small town/village, Slow burn, Low to Med Heat, HFN*
I LOVE CAT SEBASTIAN. I own and have read about ten of her work, and each one is as excellent as the next. Cat Sebastian made me fall in love with historical romances once again.
I found everything to be absolutely perfect in Hither, Page .
~ The sarcastic, wounded ex-war-time-medic who wants to live with his head buried in the sand and battle his PTSD all by his lonesome.
~ The cynical spy who has no identity or home and puts on a new persona as often as someone might change their socks, and grumbles at Christmas decorations.
The chemistry, the subtle flirting, the slipping into the more and potential of a future. Loved it. The mystery was worthy, and I had a new suspect after each chapter and was way off the mark when the truth was revealed. The writing is beautiful. Cat Sebastian has a talent for ending each scene with a bang creating memorable secondary characters... and her dialogue is just smart. That's how I feel about her work, and it hits each point that a romance should naturally progress towards. It's not predictable; it's satisfying. Highly recommend!
*MM-Romance, Historical, Mystery, Small town/village, Slow burn, Low to Med Heat, HFN*
I LOVE CAT SEBASTIAN. I own and have read about ten of her work, and each one is as excellent as the next. Cat Sebastian made me fall in love with historical romances once again.
I found everything to be absolutely perfect in Hither, Page .
~ The sarcastic, wounded ex-war-time-medic who wants to live with his head buried in the sand and battle his PTSD all by his lonesome.
~ The cynical spy who has no identity or home and puts on a new persona as often as someone might change their socks, and grumbles at Christmas decorations.
The chemistry, the subtle flirting, the slipping into the more and potential of a future. Loved it. The mystery was worthy, and I had a new suspect after each chapter and was way off the mark when the truth was revealed. The writing is beautiful. Cat Sebastian has a talent for ending each scene with a bang creating memorable secondary characters... and her dialogue is just smart. That's how I feel about her work, and it hits each point that a romance should naturally progress towards. It's not predictable; it's satisfying. Highly recommend!
January 15, 2022
Re-read in time for publication of book 2.
This was a rather enjoyable post WWII mystery. The description of the setting, in terms of both place and time, was compelling. I mean there is nothing better than a mystery in a small English village :0)
The plot was decent but the strongest element here was the cast. The two main characters of the spy and the country doctor, of course, but also the rest of the inhabitants, all hiding something. The portrayal of people dealing with life after the war, but still feeling its effects, felt spot on. And then you had a little soupçon of mm romance.
This was a rather enjoyable post WWII mystery. The description of the setting, in terms of both place and time, was compelling. I mean there is nothing better than a mystery in a small English village :0)
The plot was decent but the strongest element here was the cast. The two main characters of the spy and the country doctor, of course, but also the rest of the inhabitants, all hiding something. The portrayal of people dealing with life after the war, but still feeling its effects, felt spot on. And then you had a little soupçon of mm romance.
August 3, 2020
This was absolutely fantastic.
I have to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of historical and I'm always very picky with my historical books but this blew my mind.
Page and Sommers was fantastic, complex characters and I was really rooting for them from the start. I am a sucker for Agatha Christie and this had all those feels. Can't wait for more.
I have to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of historical and I'm always very picky with my historical books but this blew my mind.
Page and Sommers was fantastic, complex characters and I was really rooting for them from the start. I am a sucker for Agatha Christie and this had all those feels. Can't wait for more.
May 31, 2024
Rather lovely, post WWII murder mystery with a touch of coziness, a wide cast of townsfolk and a soft, slow burn romance.
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