The Dandy Medium

Nott Haven Duology #1

by Dez Schwartz

Alfred “Alfie” Hughes is a spiritual medium who has more than enough people in his social circle. Unfortunately, they're all dead. That is until Detective Sebastian Davies arrives in Nótt Haven, a tourist town known for its active nightlife, and deems Alfie's abilities—perhaps, even his company—worthy of closer inspection.

A circus performer, known as The World Bender, mysteriously disappears and a slew of peculiar murders accumulate. Suspecting foul play as unusual as the crimes themselves, Sebastian enlists Alfie to guide him through the town's supernatural underbelly to find answers; and, in the process, Alfie might solve the biggest enigma of all: human connection.

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Romance, Victorian, Ghosts, Queer, Historical

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 9, 2021

About the author

Dez Schwartz writes LGBTQ Paranormal and Dreampunk about dapper occultists, vampires, and ghost hunters.

She lives in a haunted Edwardian home in Texas with her family and pirate crew of pets.

Pronouns: She/Her

Never miss an update! Please visit Dez's website to join the mailing list:
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dezschwartzauthor@gmail.com

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Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hey, I finished it. I should have DNF. This was…badly written in a dispassionate way.

When I got to the end of your historical and I have no idea what year or even what country the book took place in we really have a worldbuilding problem. This lack of atmosphere extends to the relationship. The MCs have no personality as individuals and no connection whatsoever. I’m fine with low steam but give me something to feel!

Also Alfie is the worst dandy ever. Barely any attention paid to his wardrobe! He lives in a dirty house. What the hell dude.

My favorite part of this is how a major plot point reminded me of The X-Files episode “Bad Blood.”

[A.E. Bross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been following this book every since the author first announced they were working on the project. I'm a big fan of the time period, and historical fiction involving the supernatural/paranormal is kind of my jam, so when offered the opportunity to give it a read, I jumped at the chance.

We're met with Alfie, a medium after my own heart (i.e. he finds it far easier to communicate with ghosts than with the living). I hear you, Alfie. The living are difficult to figure out. Despite not being able to emotionally connect, Alfie seems to think he has it all figured out. Nice clothing to throw off clients and others, to make it look like he is a well-to-do scion of the Hughes family. In truth, he lives payment to payment, in an isolation only interrupted by the ghosts he speaks to.

Until, of course, he meets Detective Sebastian Davies. A tall drink of water in his own right, Det. Davies has a problem on his hands: the disappearance of a circus performer known as "The World Bender" and an increasing number of bodies piling up in his hands. He seeks out Alfie's help in the hopes of finding insight into the crimes and find the murderer before he can cause any more damage.

What ensues is a sweet, romantic, and compelling race to find a murderer that lurks in the shadows of Nótt Haven. From werewolves to vampires to faerie folk, Alfie and Sebastian follow the trail of a killer determined to stop at nothing to get his way.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoy this read. Schwartz weaves an engrossing gaslamp mystery while, at the same time, bringing romantic tension between both Alfie and Sebastian. She also begins to introduce the world of Nótt Haven, setting up underworld influences, elite forces that would prefer to see the town continue in their ways, and the rabble that refuses to fall in line. Between the determined Kara and the cynical Madame Violetta, as well as other colorful characters (some living, some not so much) throughout the story, we are treated to an enticing introduction of the world.

Also Francis. I need more Francis. But I digress.

One small drawback was that there were instances that the text felt awkward. There were parts that I found myself rereading so that I completely understood what was being said. However, they were few and far between. I can honestly recommend this book to fans of the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the readthrough, and I think you will, too.

[Eule Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful mystery/paranormal romance for a sunny weekend or at any time. A host of delightful characters, especially Alfie and his wardrobe (I'm sure I know him in RL!), Nott, and a cat called Captain. Lots of gorg and a bit of the spoook. More please!
5 owls from me.

[ME E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and mysterious Gothic Romance. This book was exactly what I needed!! The story follows Alfie, a medium who has an easier time communicating with ghosts but finds it difficult to open up to the living. When Alfie is hired to show off his medium skills (or tricks) at a party, he is introduced to a handsome detective named Sebastian. From there Sebastian pulls Alfie into his current missing persons case. Alfie is determined to help solve the mystery and keep the attractive detective in his vicinity for a little longer. This was a sweet romance with a fun paranormal world.

We only touch the surface of the supernatural side and I would love to explore more!! We get to meet a few other supernaturals but there are hints of even more paranormal creatures out there. Dez has such a fun and unique way of world building. I hope she continues to write other couples and stand alones within this universe, while Alfie and Seb make cameo appearances.

5 Stars for the pure enjoyment I got from this sweet and mysterious story.

[PaperMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wasn't that convinced that the two MCs developed love for each other over the duration of the book - in fact, I believe it's less than a month really from when they first meet at an explosive after dinner entertainment seance to when they move in together by book's end. Likewise - the world building concept (Victorian-era? with supernatural/paranormal beings) looked promising but proved a little 'lite' in fleshing out how the human/paranormal communities existed alongside one another. So not bad for the first book by an untried author ... and hopefully some of the 'teething' issues will be ironed out in subsequent volumes.

[A.E. Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, supernatural read set in the Victorian era. Alfie and Sebastian are sweet characters and reading about them coming together was comforting. If you like murder mystery with your romance, this is a good one to pick up!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect start to a new series.

I'm in love with Nott Haven and can't wait to delve more deeply into this world. Dez Schwartz has done it again. She's written another whimsical story with plenty of sassy humor, remarkable characters, sweet romance, and plenty of paranormal mystery and suspense. Five stars. I'll be waiting patiently for the next book in the series.

[Aveline Reynard]

DNF. This seemed quite charming, but definitely needed a more thorough editing pass to smooth out the grammatical errors and issues.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing characters, suspenseful mystery with a great worldbuilding and paranormal elements. I very much hope it's only the first book in a new series!

[Danni · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would have been a DNF but I picked it for a book club, so I felt obligated to keep reading it all the way through.

This book needed a going-over by an editor. At least once, maybe twice. There were issues with punctuation, grammar and spelling. There were awkward sentences, and ones that went on too long, and stuff that just felt awkward to read. I had to read and reread sentences to try to figure out what was going on in the scene.

There was no chemistry between the main characters. It felt like there was just... no substance to their relationship, and the characters themselves. Alfie is supposed to be a dandy, but there were maybe two references to him liking nice clothes, and in my opinion that does not make someone a dandy. He has no money, he lives in a dusty, dirty house, and if you're making a point at how the character is a dandy in the very title of the book, it should feel relevant to the character in some way. Sebastian has a tragic backstory that is practically glazed right over. The characters work together for a few days, partake in some nameless drug and have sex, and then Sebastian disappears for two days and Alfie starts fretting about being abandoned, but he wasn't and actually it turns out that they love each other. Another maybe two days later and they're planning on moving into Alfie's house at the end of the book.

The book feels like it's out of time. It is extremely hard to pinpoint when this book is taking place. At first I thought I was getting into a Regency romance, and then about halfway through the book the police whipped out a crime scene camera and it made me do a double take.

Getting into some late book spoilers, so I'm going to put this behind some tags:
There gets to a point where it comes out that vampires and werewolves are also real and living in the city. Which I wasn't expecting to happen. It felt odd, but by that point I was already disappointed that this really wasn't a book about a regency medium. So when Alfie just up and takes Sebastian to a vampire bar, I was just at the point where I was rolling my eyes. The entire supernatural element gets glazed over by Sebastian, who was entirely unaware it even existed. It really just got a "oh okay" and they were off again. Apparently Alfie had some sort of relationship with the leader of the vampires, but that also got brushed off. It's like there were little threads of things that should have been elaborated on, but were skipped over entirely.

Sebastian had an ex who died, he was killed by a criminal. That's about all the mention it gets in the book. You would think there might be a bit more focus on one of the main character's having an ex who's died, but that's not the case.

It's trying it's best to be a murder mystery, but it's not a very captivating mystery either. If you're like me you'll figure it out before it gets to the point of the reveal, which also did not get enough time on the page, either, and just left more questions.

There's also some deus ex machina going on where Alfie is apparently developing his powers, but there's no explanation why, there's no real reason for it but by the end of the book he can also kind of read minds I guess and it solves the problem, but it gets no explanation at all.

It feels like it has the beginnings of something that could have been good. But I get the impression that it was trying too hard to set up threads for future books, with a lot of "and this, and this, and also this" going on in the background. If there are going to be future books, I hope the author puts more time into developing the characters, the plot, and has them professionally edited.

[Melissa Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, if that wasn't a delight and a half to read, I don't know what would be.

Have I hit the historical/spiritualist/occult/fantasy jackpot or what? I want more in this world. More Seb and more Alfie and more Nott Haven. Please? And more Captain because who doesn't need a random, wonderful cat? I want more drama with Francis and for Kara to find love and.. look. This story was such a joy and I want more.

[Anthony Pisacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

What a wonderful story. I could hardly put the book down, it kept my interest in not only the main plot, but in the blossoming relationship between Sebastian and Alfie. I’m anxious to begin reading the next book in the series, and I hope they’ll be many more after that.

[Lynn P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and different

This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to trying more. I’m actually hoping that it will be a second book about these characters.

[Menoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wished it wouldn’t have been so fast paced, but it was still a pleasant read !

[Isaac Sattler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book! The characters were phenomenal, and the story drew me in immediately. I look forward to more from this world, if we get any!

[Lena Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Finding one's place in the world is never easy. Have courage and be true to who you are. Remember, those who dare to be different are often the ones who change the world.” ~ Christopher Paolini

Alfie, of the ‘Dandy Medium’ by Dez Schwartz, has always been different. No matter how hard he tries, Alfie never fits in. Because they didn’t know what to do with their strange child, his parents sent him to boarding school, and when his school expelled him for being too “eccentric”, his parents sent Alfie to live with his uncle.

Alfie is a medium. He communicates with the dead, bringing comfort to the living when he can. Technically, his birth puts him in the upper class, but Alfie has little use for their vanity and airs of self-importance, so he shuns them. They tolerate him because of his abilities to “put on a good show”. Alfie inherited his uncle’s house, but still needs an income, so he attends their functions as their entertainment, even though his gifts are real. At his latest engagement, Alfie’s communication is a smash; at the conclusion, every mirror in the room shatters. This has never happened to Alfie before.

The next day, Sebastian, a man Alfie met at the seance, comes to see him. Sebastian is a homicide detective. Convinced that Alfie’s gifts are genuine, he enlists his help in a murder investigation that has him stumped and offers to compensate him generously. Alfie needs the money and working with the handsome detective will not be a chore. He figures he has nothing to lose, so Alfie accepts Sebastian’s offer. They proceed to the victim’s home. After “snooping around” for a while, Alfie commands the victim’s ghost to speak to him. His answer is a shower of glass from the mirror in the room, just like the night before. Alfie apologizes, telling Sebastian that he doesn’t know why that keeps happening.

This is the first, but not last, case that Sebastian and Alfie work on together. As their attraction to each other grows, so do the murders that become more bizarre all the time, but Sebastian keeps sending Alfie mixed signals. One moment, innuendoes fill their conversations; at others, Sebastian retreats from any kind of physicality. Sebastian’s behavior confuses Alfie but, unlike with other men in the past, he is not ready to walk away.

‘The Dandy Medium’ is an intriguing story that ticked all my boxes: paranormal activity, spirits, mediums, period references, social issues, dress, attitudes, a murder to be solved, and, best of all, a passionate romance between two complex men. The worldbuilding is exceptional. The suspense and mystery revolving around the characters kept me turning pages late into the night. Thank you, Dez. I hope Sebastian and Alfie will continue to solve mysteries well into the future.

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first read for this author with this book, yah a ghost book I'd auto clicked on.
A good beginning as Alfie was of to a party event where he'd hold a seance for entertainment. This has a fair amount of narrative included but it also builds up the intrigued for Alfie and a stranger. The time period is built around an early rail roads and pocket watches for the story.
A mystery to solve about a circus performer vanishing without a trace and Detective Sebastian needed Alfie's help. Alfie was clueless as to why mirrors kept exploding too. Told from Alfie's pov, and includes some dramas at the ending. A good book to read for a mystery and its paranormal beings.

Although I didn't feel the characters or chemistry in this story, the book was well written. I would've loved sexy scenes and both povs in this to truly love this..