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Cairo Malachi and the Adventure of the Silver Whistle
“The first time I met the love of my life, he died in my arms.”
Cairo Malachi, Conduit to the Spirits, is a liar, a thief, and a fraud. He may be building a reputation as one of the most fashionable mediums in London, but he doesn’t even believe in ghosts and has certainly never conjured one. Which is why, after he witnesses the brutal slaying of a handsome young constable, he’s shocked when the man’s spirit appears in his home, begging for his help.
Constable Noah Bell is everything Mal can never be—honest, funny, and kind. But it’s ridiculous to be attracted to a man he can’t even touch, especially when every step they take towards solving Noah’s murder is one step closer to bringing him the justice he needs to move on—and out of Mal’s life forever.
As their investigation brings unexpected enemies to light, the secrets they’re keeping from each other may prove even more dangerous. Mal and Noah will have to work together... or risk a fate worse than death.
Cairo Malachi, Conduit to the Spirits, is a liar, a thief, and a fraud. He may be building a reputation as one of the most fashionable mediums in London, but he doesn’t even believe in ghosts and has certainly never conjured one. Which is why, after he witnesses the brutal slaying of a handsome young constable, he’s shocked when the man’s spirit appears in his home, begging for his help.
Constable Noah Bell is everything Mal can never be—honest, funny, and kind. But it’s ridiculous to be attracted to a man he can’t even touch, especially when every step they take towards solving Noah’s murder is one step closer to bringing him the justice he needs to move on—and out of Mal’s life forever.
As their investigation brings unexpected enemies to light, the secrets they’re keeping from each other may prove even more dangerous. Mal and Noah will have to work together... or risk a fate worse than death.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2021
19 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 20, 2023
If you're looking for a cute, low angst ghost story set at the end of the 1800s, this will be right up your alley. Unfortunately, I was expecting something a lot more serious so the story felt lackluster to me. The MCs were bland, the mystery was amateur and the worldbuilding made no sense and got worse as the story progressed.
The positives include the historical details being on point, which I appreciated. The story takes place in 1895 and except for Mal saying fuck once or twice and having nipple rings, everything about the characters' behavior, clothes and speech fit the time period very well. In addition, I loved that the ghost elements allowed the author to include even older things. These included real-life references like Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, Shakespeare and the Sanger Circus’ run at the Astley’s Amphitheatre in London until 1893, all of which fit into the story well.
I also liked that the mystery wasn't the main focus of the story. Please note that if your main interest in the story is related to the mystery, don't bother. The mystery itself is overly simplistic (more on that later) and doesn't take up much page time but that's what I liked about it. The majority of the story focuses on the MCs learning about ghost-related things and their developing romance with the mystery only existing as the catalyst that brings them together and serving as a plot thread that weaves the entire story together. I usually avoid mystery-romances because they focus too heavily on the mystery and I was glad that this wasn't the case here, but mystery lovers would definitely not enjoy that.
There were also small details I liked, such as Mal’s PTSD from and all the horrors he’d witnessed and endured there. I spent most of the book confused over why Mal prefers the nickname ‘Mal’, when Malachi is his last name. Usually, nicknames are shortened forms of people’s first names so I was expecting something like Cai. But there’s actually a reason behind the Mal nickname and the reveal of that near the end of the story was really cool!
Now for the negatives.
Nonsensical Worldbuilding
I spent much of the book confused because Mal and Noah believe that ghosts are in the spirit realm because they have unfinished business and want to get it resolved before moving on. Since none of the other ghosts around them seem fussed about being in the spirit realm, this made no sense. But then the author slowly reveals that , which nicely explained why the other ghost characters behaved the way they did. This is one of the only aspects of the worldbuilding that was well thought out and well executed, but the author didn’t take this approach with anything else.
You either have to turn your brain completely off when reading this book or you’ll end up wanting to throw the book out a window because the worldbuilding is filled with plot holes and plot conveniences. It feels like the author got a bunch of neat ideas but didn't spend enough time seeing how they fit together and figuring out how to plug the many holes along the way. The author is constantly trying to explain how things work to the reader but the explanations are never clear or complete so it became obvious after a while that the author doesn't have the answers either. For example - we learn right at the start that Noah and ghosts in general can interact with certain objects in the living world but not with others. So Noah can sit on a chair and Victoria (the ghost cat) can sit on the floor, but they can also pass through walls and doors and Noah can't pick anything up. The author tries to use this for angst by having Mal and Noah both be upset that they can't physically comfort each other. But unfortunately, the lack of consistency led to frustration. Why can Noah walk up stairs but he can't open doors? And don't get me started on the ridiculousness that Noah requires sleep and is able to eat 'ghost' food. The author tries to explore these questions but it's done in a sloppy way that doesn't lead to clear answers.
In addition, the author has both Mal and Noah learn how to use ghost-related powers throughout the story. This made sense at the start because Mal has been pretending to be a medium for ages and he was trying to hide his past from Noah, so it fit that he’d want to gain actual knowledge of how ghosts work. For Noah, it made sense that he would want to figure out how he can interact with the ghost world. Unfortunately, the author never provided clear explanations and seemed to be making things up as the book progressed. For example, Noah and Mal’s abilities keep changing and getting more and more advanced, to the point where the book ends with . None of it was explained, there’s no logical consistency to it, it was just done because that was the easy route. It was some of the laziest storytelling I’ve ever come across.
Next worldbuilding problem – Mal.
But here’s the worst part – the worldbuilding got lazier and more nonsensical as the story progressed. In particular, the end arc was just a series of plot conveniences.
The worldbuilding around the entire ghost aspect was poorly done and meant I wasn't as invested in the story as I could have been.
Amateur Mystery
As I said, I appreciate that the mystery wasn't the main focus of the story. But I'm sorry - if it's blatantly obvious who the killer is during the victim's very first recounting of how he was killed, then that's either a story meant for children or you need to work on your mystery crafting skills. And I don't just mean that I knew who had killed Noah right from Noah's first retelling of the day he was murdered. No - I knew the whole thing, including why Noah had been killed and all the people involved and why they were involved. It meant the investigation process was a boring waste of time and I spent the entire book impatiently waiting for the reveal that I knew was coming because I wanted to get it over with.
Noah = Mr. Perfect
I didn't connect strongly with either MC and part of the issue with Noah was that he's bland and way too perfect. The guy adjusts to being a ghost very easily, he gets along with Mal from the start and except for a little argument, there's little conflict between them. Part of the problem is that Noah doesn't know the truth behind who Mal really is and I hated that the reveal was kept hidden for so long because that reveal would have introduced much needed conflict between them. The whole reason I was interested in this story was because I loved the idea of a criminal reluctantly teaming up with a cop to solve the cop's murder. I thought there would be conflict and tension between them due to Mal approaching things like a criminal and Noah being torn over whether to go along with Mal's plans or insisting on following his principles. But because Noah doesn't find out who Mal really is until near the end, there's little conflict between them and thus, Noah is just a too perfect, boring guy.
Mal = Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes
As I said, my main interest in the story was that Mal was supposed to be an unapologetic conman. A liar, a thief and a fraud, as stated in the blurb. The idea of somebody like this randomly developing supernatural abilities that give him the power to help a murder victim in ways that nobody else can was supposed to present an exciting moral dilemma that I wanted Mal to struggle with. Unfortunately, the author took the route of sanitizing Mal to the point where he was mostly a bland goody-two-shoes. . Oh, but he's still working as a conartist, regularly lying to London's wealthy population. This made no sense because if his tricks were ever uncovered, his wealthy clientele would demand that he be punished as harshly as possible, which would include a lengthy prison term. Mal is relatively well off, he's polished, charming and self-educated. Unlike in his youth, he now has skills and connections he could use to get a reputable job. But he doesn't, despite being terrified of going back to prison. Why doesn't he? The author has Mal claim that he has no skills, but that’s not true. The guy can read and write, he has great customer service skills, he’s educated himself about all sorts of things and he’s clearly intelligent and capable of learning whatever he needs to. He’s already perfectly set to fit in with the middle/working class of the time period so the author’s insistence that Mal has no choice but to continue conning people for money is nonsense.
But the discrepancies didn't stop there because Mal's characterization was full of hypocrisy. The guy literally makes his living conning grieving people into believing that their loved ones are speaking through him. Yet, the guy is a law abiding, kind, considerate sweetheart the rest of the time. He doesn't hesitate to help Noah investigate his death and it's always Mal who is more hesitant about bending certain rules during their investigation than Noah is, which tells you something. None of this worked for me. I wanted Mal to be an unapologetic criminal who screwed people over because he liked doing it. Having the unique ability to see/hear Noah when nobody else could should have led to a good moral dilemma and the story should have involved a redemption arc for Mal. But the author didn't want to go down this route, instead choosing to keep things simple and bland.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a low angst, cute historical paranormal mystery that you can read while your brain is turned off then this one will be right up your alley. Since I was looking for something a lot more serious and intense, I found this boring and the amateur approaches to worldbuilding and the mystery crafting was very frustrating.
The positives include the historical details being on point, which I appreciated. The story takes place in 1895 and except for Mal saying fuck once or twice and having nipple rings, everything about the characters' behavior, clothes and speech fit the time period very well. In addition, I loved that the ghost elements allowed the author to include even older things. These included real-life references like Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, Shakespeare and the Sanger Circus’ run at the Astley’s Amphitheatre in London until 1893, all of which fit into the story well.
I also liked that the mystery wasn't the main focus of the story. Please note that if your main interest in the story is related to the mystery, don't bother. The mystery itself is overly simplistic (more on that later) and doesn't take up much page time but that's what I liked about it. The majority of the story focuses on the MCs learning about ghost-related things and their developing romance with the mystery only existing as the catalyst that brings them together and serving as a plot thread that weaves the entire story together. I usually avoid mystery-romances because they focus too heavily on the mystery and I was glad that this wasn't the case here, but mystery lovers would definitely not enjoy that.
There were also small details I liked, such as Mal’s PTSD from and all the horrors he’d witnessed and endured there. I spent most of the book confused over why Mal prefers the nickname ‘Mal’, when Malachi is his last name. Usually, nicknames are shortened forms of people’s first names so I was expecting something like Cai. But there’s actually a reason behind the Mal nickname and the reveal of that near the end of the story was really cool!
Now for the negatives.
Nonsensical Worldbuilding
I spent much of the book confused because Mal and Noah believe that ghosts are in the spirit realm because they have unfinished business and want to get it resolved before moving on. Since none of the other ghosts around them seem fussed about being in the spirit realm, this made no sense. But then the author slowly reveals that , which nicely explained why the other ghost characters behaved the way they did. This is one of the only aspects of the worldbuilding that was well thought out and well executed, but the author didn’t take this approach with anything else.
You either have to turn your brain completely off when reading this book or you’ll end up wanting to throw the book out a window because the worldbuilding is filled with plot holes and plot conveniences. It feels like the author got a bunch of neat ideas but didn't spend enough time seeing how they fit together and figuring out how to plug the many holes along the way. The author is constantly trying to explain how things work to the reader but the explanations are never clear or complete so it became obvious after a while that the author doesn't have the answers either. For example - we learn right at the start that Noah and ghosts in general can interact with certain objects in the living world but not with others. So Noah can sit on a chair and Victoria (the ghost cat) can sit on the floor, but they can also pass through walls and doors and Noah can't pick anything up. The author tries to use this for angst by having Mal and Noah both be upset that they can't physically comfort each other. But unfortunately, the lack of consistency led to frustration. Why can Noah walk up stairs but he can't open doors? And don't get me started on the ridiculousness that Noah requires sleep and is able to eat 'ghost' food. The author tries to explore these questions but it's done in a sloppy way that doesn't lead to clear answers.
In addition, the author has both Mal and Noah learn how to use ghost-related powers throughout the story. This made sense at the start because Mal has been pretending to be a medium for ages and he was trying to hide his past from Noah, so it fit that he’d want to gain actual knowledge of how ghosts work. For Noah, it made sense that he would want to figure out how he can interact with the ghost world. Unfortunately, the author never provided clear explanations and seemed to be making things up as the book progressed. For example, Noah and Mal’s abilities keep changing and getting more and more advanced, to the point where the book ends with . None of it was explained, there’s no logical consistency to it, it was just done because that was the easy route. It was some of the laziest storytelling I’ve ever come across.
Next worldbuilding problem – Mal.
But here’s the worst part – the worldbuilding got lazier and more nonsensical as the story progressed. In particular, the end arc was just a series of plot conveniences.
The worldbuilding around the entire ghost aspect was poorly done and meant I wasn't as invested in the story as I could have been.
Amateur Mystery
As I said, I appreciate that the mystery wasn't the main focus of the story. But I'm sorry - if it's blatantly obvious who the killer is during the victim's very first recounting of how he was killed, then that's either a story meant for children or you need to work on your mystery crafting skills. And I don't just mean that I knew who had killed Noah right from Noah's first retelling of the day he was murdered. No - I knew the whole thing, including why Noah had been killed and all the people involved and why they were involved. It meant the investigation process was a boring waste of time and I spent the entire book impatiently waiting for the reveal that I knew was coming because I wanted to get it over with.
Noah = Mr. Perfect
I didn't connect strongly with either MC and part of the issue with Noah was that he's bland and way too perfect. The guy adjusts to being a ghost very easily, he gets along with Mal from the start and except for a little argument, there's little conflict between them. Part of the problem is that Noah doesn't know the truth behind who Mal really is and I hated that the reveal was kept hidden for so long because that reveal would have introduced much needed conflict between them. The whole reason I was interested in this story was because I loved the idea of a criminal reluctantly teaming up with a cop to solve the cop's murder. I thought there would be conflict and tension between them due to Mal approaching things like a criminal and Noah being torn over whether to go along with Mal's plans or insisting on following his principles. But because Noah doesn't find out who Mal really is until near the end, there's little conflict between them and thus, Noah is just a too perfect, boring guy.
Mal = Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes
As I said, my main interest in the story was that Mal was supposed to be an unapologetic conman. A liar, a thief and a fraud, as stated in the blurb. The idea of somebody like this randomly developing supernatural abilities that give him the power to help a murder victim in ways that nobody else can was supposed to present an exciting moral dilemma that I wanted Mal to struggle with. Unfortunately, the author took the route of sanitizing Mal to the point where he was mostly a bland goody-two-shoes. . Oh, but he's still working as a conartist, regularly lying to London's wealthy population. This made no sense because if his tricks were ever uncovered, his wealthy clientele would demand that he be punished as harshly as possible, which would include a lengthy prison term. Mal is relatively well off, he's polished, charming and self-educated. Unlike in his youth, he now has skills and connections he could use to get a reputable job. But he doesn't, despite being terrified of going back to prison. Why doesn't he? The author has Mal claim that he has no skills, but that’s not true. The guy can read and write, he has great customer service skills, he’s educated himself about all sorts of things and he’s clearly intelligent and capable of learning whatever he needs to. He’s already perfectly set to fit in with the middle/working class of the time period so the author’s insistence that Mal has no choice but to continue conning people for money is nonsense.
But the discrepancies didn't stop there because Mal's characterization was full of hypocrisy. The guy literally makes his living conning grieving people into believing that their loved ones are speaking through him. Yet, the guy is a law abiding, kind, considerate sweetheart the rest of the time. He doesn't hesitate to help Noah investigate his death and it's always Mal who is more hesitant about bending certain rules during their investigation than Noah is, which tells you something. None of this worked for me. I wanted Mal to be an unapologetic criminal who screwed people over because he liked doing it. Having the unique ability to see/hear Noah when nobody else could should have led to a good moral dilemma and the story should have involved a redemption arc for Mal. But the author didn't want to go down this route, instead choosing to keep things simple and bland.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a low angst, cute historical paranormal mystery that you can read while your brain is turned off then this one will be right up your alley. Since I was looking for something a lot more serious and intense, I found this boring and the amateur approaches to worldbuilding and the mystery crafting was very frustrating.
July 18, 2023
⭐️ 3.5 stars (rounded up because the ghost cat 🐈)
Ok so to read this book you are gonna need to turn off all logic and mechanic understanding in your brain because this is just vibes and unexplainable ghost shenanigans.
Super fast read about a fake medium who becomes a real medium (how? Idk.) and teams up with a murdered peeler to solve his murder so he can move on (how do we know this will work? We don’t.)
I don’t think at any point we nor our cast of lovable characters ever actually know what is going on with the whole ghost situation but listen, I fully support Mal’s goal to fuck a ghost. Good for him. Aspirational to all us with Casper crushes as children.
The characters were both sweet here but they always felt a bit out of reach to me as the reader - I just like a little more depth to my main characters. Victoria the ghost cat though? She was perfection and I would willingly give her my shoes to eat.
Ok so to read this book you are gonna need to turn off all logic and mechanic understanding in your brain because this is just vibes and unexplainable ghost shenanigans.
Super fast read about a fake medium who becomes a real medium (how? Idk.) and teams up with a murdered peeler to solve his murder so he can move on (how do we know this will work? We don’t.)
I don’t think at any point we nor our cast of lovable characters ever actually know what is going on with the whole ghost situation but listen, I fully support Mal’s goal to fuck a ghost. Good for him. Aspirational to all us with Casper crushes as children.
The characters were both sweet here but they always felt a bit out of reach to me as the reader - I just like a little more depth to my main characters. Victoria the ghost cat though? She was perfection and I would willingly give her my shoes to eat.
August 31, 2021
A dead cop and a ghost cat ... this was just delightful. The two very likeable MCs Mal and Noah reminded me so much of Lee Tyack and Gideon Frayne in their early stories/tales. I was totally immersed into the Victorian time period and very moved by Mal's struggle to make something of his life. That said, I'm not totally convinced regarding the paranormal mechanisms involved for our MCs interactions for the second half of the book - I had to suspend belief altogether by the time we got to the HFN ending. Much is forgiven since I'm desperate for the next book to see what's in store for our private investigators for the deceased! 4.5 stars for a great series start.
July 6, 2022
4.3, was really good. I love the creativity and the attention to historical fact the author gave. The mystery wasn't super complicated but that didn't take anything away for me. Really fun and cute:)
July 26, 2021
SoRelle does it again! This book was such a joy to read; I got through it in one sitting! I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes-esque mysteries, so this was right up my alley. SoRelle does an excellent job of developing the relationship between Cairo and Noah and the pacing of the unfolding mystery is excellent. (The cat, Victoria, is also an especially nice touch.) Add this to your TBR today!
June 19, 2023
At 15% in, I am done. The author wrote a boring ghost story/love story. Boringly slow pace, not very bright MC despite how he's described himself. Really, really not for me. I expect some slowness from historical fiction, but was hoping the characters could make it good. Nope.
February 23, 2022
I love a fun, non-scary ghost story. Esp one that comes with an MM romance. So this was kinda my cat nip but it didn't quiiiite do it for me. Ghost stories, by default, require suspension of belief, and I'm happy to do that, but the way in which the ghost situation was resolved in this one? Eh, a little too out there. I'm thrilled Mal and Noah got their HEA but the nature of Noah's existence going forward was just too darn woo-woo. Beyond that, the story, although enjoyable, was overlong and too slowly paced. I found myself feeling bored and restless quite a bit. And the part where Jennings pounded on Mal and Noah turned his back was terrible, enraging. Oh and the cover is complete cringe. However, on the plus side, the writing, setting, time period, and Victoria were all thoroughly enjoyable though. Three stars it is.
July 18, 2022
Even though I had figured out the mystery long before Mal did, I still enjoyed his journey to get to that point. I loved all the supporting cast, especially Jennings, Mrs. Wright and Dickie. Poor Mal, having to tell Noah the truth in painful dribs and drabs, afraid each time that Noah would be finished with him and walk away. It's obvious that Noah brings out the best in Mal in all ways, and I'd love for them to solve another mystery together!
Read
June 24, 2023*DNF*
(36%)
(36%)
October 23, 2021
Very enjoyable read with a strong narrative voice. The mystery really was just a frame for the development of the relationship between the two main characters and the resolution was very hand wavy but this just made it an easy read.
July 26, 2021
Very enjoyable read. This historical, paranormal tale about a fraudster who stumbles into the murder of a cop and tries to go clean is more heartbreaking than I expected. I love a tale of unrequited love, of someone being scrappy and a survivor and still thinking they're not good enough for their noble, good partners, and Mal had this in spades.
There are things that don't work here. The ghosts and ghost system don't really hold up to scrutiny and the mystery is blatantly (and I mean blatantly) obvious. I did not love. There things with the ending that don't get resolved, such as . On a petty note, the author has a penchant for using exclamation points in the middle of her narration, which bugs me to no end (I am of the belief they belong only in dialogue). Despite its flaws, I still found it a very engaging book with a lovely couple of MCs, with real lives and very real flaws.
I assume this is the set up for a series and, if so, I'm very interested in how it continues and, if not, in what this author does next.
There are things that don't work here. The ghosts and ghost system don't really hold up to scrutiny and the mystery is blatantly (and I mean blatantly) obvious. I did not love. There things with the ending that don't get resolved, such as . On a petty note, the author has a penchant for using exclamation points in the middle of her narration, which bugs me to no end (I am of the belief they belong only in dialogue). Despite its flaws, I still found it a very engaging book with a lovely couple of MCs, with real lives and very real flaws.
I assume this is the set up for a series and, if so, I'm very interested in how it continues and, if not, in what this author does next.
February 14, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
Cairo Malachi and the Adventure of the Silver Whistle is a historical paranormal book from author Samantha SoRelle. The book is set in 1895 London and SoRelle does a lovely job setting the tone of the world and helping me visualize the space the characters occupy. As much as I enjoy period queer stories, it was the idea of lovers divided by literal death (and from the beginning!) that had me itching to read this story. The blurb for the book sets the stage well and the opening line did not disappoint: The first time I met the love of my life, he died in my arms. I really enjoyed how Sorelle addresses the life and death situation of our two love interests immediately, has Mal himself (he is the narrator for the whole story) give details of his life before becoming a medium, and establishes Mal in real-time for the first few chapters.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
Cairo Malachi and the Adventure of the Silver Whistle is a historical paranormal book from author Samantha SoRelle. The book is set in 1895 London and SoRelle does a lovely job setting the tone of the world and helping me visualize the space the characters occupy. As much as I enjoy period queer stories, it was the idea of lovers divided by literal death (and from the beginning!) that had me itching to read this story. The blurb for the book sets the stage well and the opening line did not disappoint: The first time I met the love of my life, he died in my arms. I really enjoyed how Sorelle addresses the life and death situation of our two love interests immediately, has Mal himself (he is the narrator for the whole story) give details of his life before becoming a medium, and establishes Mal in real-time for the first few chapters.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
January 13, 2025
⭐2.5
The first two chapters were great but it quickly went downhill from there. You need to manually turn off your brain for any of this to work - not a single thing is explained and the plot is so predictable.
What worked:
- ghost cat
- delightfully historical
- funny narration
What didn't work:
- world building
- spirit world and all the powers in general
- bland mystery and dense characters
- equally bland love interest
- lazy 3rd act conflict instead of compelling development
- forced happy ending?? that makes no sense??
- oh my god nothing in this book makes sense
Very underwhelming in both plot, romance and characterization. Too many lies revealed too late make the romance feel like they need to start over from the very beginning, instead of picking up right where they left off. They could've worked through their conflicts and had actual development instead of this boring romance, or at the very least a more interesting adventure that forces them to combine the knowledge of a thief and a cop to solve the case.
Don't even get me started on that ending. I was so close to DNFing multiple times and now I really wish I did.
cw: sexual content, homophobia, implied past rape, death, murder, gun violence, physical violence
The first two chapters were great but it quickly went downhill from there. You need to manually turn off your brain for any of this to work - not a single thing is explained and the plot is so predictable.
What worked:
- ghost cat
- delightfully historical
- funny narration
What didn't work:
- world building
- spirit world and all the powers in general
- bland mystery and dense characters
- equally bland love interest
- lazy 3rd act conflict instead of compelling development
- forced happy ending?? that makes no sense??
- oh my god nothing in this book makes sense
Very underwhelming in both plot, romance and characterization. Too many lies revealed too late make the romance feel like they need to start over from the very beginning, instead of picking up right where they left off. They could've worked through their conflicts and had actual development instead of this boring romance, or at the very least a more interesting adventure that forces them to combine the knowledge of a thief and a cop to solve the case.
Don't even get me started on that ending. I was so close to DNFing multiple times and now I really wish I did.
cw: sexual content, homophobia, implied past rape, death, murder, gun violence, physical violence
July 4, 2023
3.5/5 That was an unexpected opening that sure caught my attention and intrigued me! I really sympathised with Malachi’s backstory and how he got stuck in a not ideal situation. I might wish he’d shared more with Noah, but I understand on the other hand why he didn’t, especially at first. (As a reader, we clearly saw the problems coming, but it’s always easy to see that as an observer.) The violence from one of the characters was, I fear, probably historically accurate but painful to witness and didn’t seem altogether in character for someone who was supposed to be a good, upstanding man.
It was entertaining to see Mal and Noah get to know one another under a set of really weird circumstances, and I enjoyed seeing how everything played out and we figured out how they could have their HEA. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spirit world that worked quite like that, and it was fun to see Mal and Noah figure out what they could experience together. I liked the unexpected allies, and Victoria the cat was awesome.
It was entertaining to see Mal and Noah get to know one another under a set of really weird circumstances, and I enjoyed seeing how everything played out and we figured out how they could have their HEA. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spirit world that worked quite like that, and it was fun to see Mal and Noah figure out what they could experience together. I liked the unexpected allies, and Victoria the cat was awesome.
October 15, 2021
I enjoy SoRelle's writing. She has talent.
Didn't like the violent cop storyline. The author thought this was a good idea to add to a book written in 2021. Huh. Ok.
Also, I live in England and have never met anyone called Noah. It's supposed to be the normal name that no one blinks an eye at. It's very American. Maybe a Nigel or a Neville. Yes, I know he was from a Russian immigrant background, but they were the people who assimilated the hardest.
Other than these quibbles, I enjoyed it - it drags a bit in the middle - and there are a few American turns of speech but other than it's well done.
Didn't like the violent cop storyline. The author thought this was a good idea to add to a book written in 2021. Huh. Ok.
Also, I live in England and have never met anyone called Noah. It's supposed to be the normal name that no one blinks an eye at. It's very American. Maybe a Nigel or a Neville. Yes, I know he was from a Russian immigrant background, but they were the people who assimilated the hardest.
Other than these quibbles, I enjoyed it - it drags a bit in the middle - and there are a few American turns of speech but other than it's well done.
February 12, 2022
I've read several novels that involve psychics and the police so here are my thoughts. I'd give it a 2.5 but being generous with 3.
1. It has one of the better opening lines and it definitely caught my attention. But as a whole not as strong as the ones I've read before.
2. the physics or lack of surrounding the ghosts was wildly inconsistent and really didn't make sense. One minute, he's walking through the wall and the next he's touching the doorknob? Especially toward the ending - how they explained it, felt very rushed and not well thought out.
3. the mystery was so painfully obvious that it was downright insulting.
4. I liked the writing style, it's just the plot that let me down.
I think this was too short and could've benefited by taking the time to really flesh out the details. The mystery could've been much better and more interesting.
1. It has one of the better opening lines and it definitely caught my attention. But as a whole not as strong as the ones I've read before.
2. the physics or lack of surrounding the ghosts was wildly inconsistent and really didn't make sense. One minute, he's walking through the wall and the next he's touching the doorknob? Especially toward the ending - how they explained it, felt very rushed and not well thought out.
3. the mystery was so painfully obvious that it was downright insulting.
4. I liked the writing style, it's just the plot that let me down.
I think this was too short and could've benefited by taking the time to really flesh out the details. The mystery could've been much better and more interesting.
June 9, 2022
I enjoyed this Victorian, paranormal, M/M romance, mystery. It was fun to see the jaded medium Cairo Malachi shocked when an actual ghost appeared at his fake seance. I liked the characters of the earnest policeman Noah and the ex-con Malachi trying to make a somewhat "honest" living. When they decided to work together to find Noah's killer, it revealed how much each of them needed someone to hang on to in this world to keep them from being so alone and to settle unfinished business.
While I figured out the mystery pretty early on, I was intrigued by the methods that Noah and Malachi used to find evidence and just navigate in the real and spirit worlds. The final reveal was a grand production, and I loved the end result. The love story was touching, and I'm looking forward to further adventures for these two.
While I figured out the mystery pretty early on, I was intrigued by the methods that Noah and Malachi used to find evidence and just navigate in the real and spirit worlds. The final reveal was a grand production, and I loved the end result. The love story was touching, and I'm looking forward to further adventures for these two.
October 23, 2022
I got wrapped up.
The culprit in this was obvious to me pretty quickly, so it isn't much of a mystery, but it is a lovely romance. Mal's story and the way it's told were very easy to get wrapped up in. Noah, though, is the tragic heart of this story. Falling in love with a ghost is tricky. Like Mal, I wanted Noah to get justice and find peace, but the romance is over if the spirit is put to rest. I've read and loved some heart-rending stories that explore that end, but this one went for less angst. It has a very cute and satisfying end that has me finishing this with a smile.
The culprit in this was obvious to me pretty quickly, so it isn't much of a mystery, but it is a lovely romance. Mal's story and the way it's told were very easy to get wrapped up in. Noah, though, is the tragic heart of this story. Falling in love with a ghost is tricky. Like Mal, I wanted Noah to get justice and find peace, but the romance is over if the spirit is put to rest. I've read and loved some heart-rending stories that explore that end, but this one went for less angst. It has a very cute and satisfying end that has me finishing this with a smile.
February 15, 2022
nb but
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2021
I can't say that I enjoyed this book nearly as much as His Lordship's Master, it was promising. Samantha SoRelle definitely stands along in the genre. I read another Victorian M/M series while waiting for Silver Whistle to come out and while it wasn't horrible, it wasn't SoRelle. It is utterly amazing how she can pack all the emotion of a slow burn into so few pages. I'd certainly be interesting in reading the future adventures of Cairo Malachi, but I also hope to see more from Lord Aflie too.
August 24, 2021
Looking forward to more of Noah and Mal
What an absolute enjoyable read. I congratulate this author on weaving a beautiful romantic adventure. A fast read that I did not want to end. I do hope that this author will continue the adventures of Cairo Malachi and Noah Bell as they begin their private spirit investigation services.
Thank you for entertaining me.
Aaron
What an absolute enjoyable read. I congratulate this author on weaving a beautiful romantic adventure. A fast read that I did not want to end. I do hope that this author will continue the adventures of Cairo Malachi and Noah Bell as they begin their private spirit investigation services.
Thank you for entertaining me.
Aaron
August 28, 2021
The best yet!
I've just read all of this author's works (to date!) and loved them all. While I was initially sad this wasn't a third "His Lordship's Mysteries" title, that only lasted for about half a page.
This book blew me away, and now I can't wait for more!
(Not to mention: The best opening line to a novel ever! :-))
I've just read all of this author's works (to date!) and loved them all. While I was initially sad this wasn't a third "His Lordship's Mysteries" title, that only lasted for about half a page.
This book blew me away, and now I can't wait for more!
(Not to mention: The best opening line to a novel ever! :-))
December 13, 2022
This was fun. Uncomplicated lovely paranormal romance murder mystery.
I was hooked after the prologue and even guessing the murderer at the start didn’t make me enjoy it less. Especially cause the characters are never stupid about it. It’s a new author for me and I’ll be checking more. Hopefully there will be more books with Mal and Noah!
I was hooked after the prologue and even guessing the murderer at the start didn’t make me enjoy it less. Especially cause the characters are never stupid about it. It’s a new author for me and I’ll be checking more. Hopefully there will be more books with Mal and Noah!
October 25, 2025
Fabulous! The perfect blend of mystery, ghost story, and romance, with so much heart and wit! Sure, it’s not hard to figure out whodunnit, and the cover is crying out for an update (something Edward Gorey-ish would be perfect!), but look past that and you have a fun, heartwarming adventure with colorful and lovable characters, not to mention a hilarious ghost cat!
October 6, 2021
Decent writing
I don’t really care for paranormal though so I could t get into it enough to keep reading. I don’t know why I didn’t realize that’s what this is. I need to remember to read the synopsis instead of just looking at the picture
I don’t really care for paranormal though so I could t get into it enough to keep reading. I don’t know why I didn’t realize that’s what this is. I need to remember to read the synopsis instead of just looking at the picture
July 14, 2022
I enjoyed this historial, ghostly romp.
A bit of humour with the seances that the Victorian’s were so fond of, sadness at how things had happened for Malachi, ghostly with Victoria and Noel. And a bit of detective work.
Hope there will be more from these two.
A bit of humour with the seances that the Victorian’s were so fond of, sadness at how things had happened for Malachi, ghostly with Victoria and Noel. And a bit of detective work.
Hope there will be more from these two.
February 5, 2023
3.5
Above average cute. I know it is a ghost story, so the suspension of disbelief must be there. Still the explanation about wasn't exactly convincing.
Above average cute. I know it is a ghost story, so the suspension of disbelief must be there. Still the explanation about wasn't exactly convincing.
July 26, 2021
Sadly this didn't grab me, I was saddened as I've enjoyed the other books by this author and I had been excited for its arrival, I stopped at around 37%. Well, I guess you cannot win them all.
August 30, 2021
Fun Read
A fun, quick read with interesting characters, a tight plot, and good pacing. I’m looking forward to a possible sequel.
A fun, quick read with interesting characters, a tight plot, and good pacing. I’m looking forward to a possible sequel.
dnf
December 15, 2021DNF/pause at 7%
Just not vibing with me right now, might come back and give it another shot later. Narrative tone is strong and distinct and not what I feel like reading right now
Just not vibing with me right now, might come back and give it another shot later. Narrative tone is strong and distinct and not what I feel like reading right now
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