The Amethyst Cat Caper (A Tea House Tale, #1)

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The Amethyst Cat Caper (Birthstones)

by Charlie Cochet (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 93 ratings · 35 reviews

Two years ago, Remington Trueblood left England and everything he held dear for the chance at a new life. Now the successful owner of The Purple Rose Tea House in Manhattan, Remi has come across the perfect addition to his business: a stunning amethyst cat. But Remi's acquired something else with his latest purchase: the attention of the notorious Gentleman Thief.

Detective...more

ebook, 132 pages

Published February 29th 2012 by Torquere Press

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The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee

Best Gay Historical Romance

83rd out of 278 books — 465 voters

Best M/M Romance Published in 2012

205th out of 581 books — 1,203 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jul 06, 2012 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-own-need-to-read, reviewed-for-affaire-de-coeur, mm-romance, stolen-artifacts, locations-new-york-city, 4-5-stars, 2012-reads, cops-detectives-agents, private-investigators, steamy-goodness, anal-play-or-sex, oral, hot-mm-lovin, classic-noir

What a fun, sexy, romantic, exciting story! I loved the writing, the 1930s time period with a classic noir feel, the characters... Remi and Hawk are perfect together... I loved everything about this book. If you want male/male stories that are about more than just sex, with characters who are awesome people, and a storyline that's well thought out and interesting, I have no doubt that you'll love it, too!

I can't wait to read more by this author!

4.5 stars

7 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2012 Vio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, mystery, highly-recommended, really-really-good, loved-it

4.5 stars
Love my historical romances and The Amethyst Cat Caper was no exception. This was a lot of fun an enjoyable mystery/caper, Remy and Hawk have great sexual tension between them, they are delightful. I loved the interaction, teasing jokes and the sex was lovely too. I actually didn't mind the instant love/attraction it somehow fit the story and didn't cause me any problems. The Gentleman Thief, I worked him out early on in the piece so no surprises there he was a very resourceful chap and...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Weasel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, gay-main-char, historical-fiction, humour, m-m-romance, romance, thief-or-heist, humour-possibly-unintentional, gentleman-burglar, third-person

4.25 stars

The Amethyst Cat Caper is a hilarious book. Possibly unintentionally so, but I enjoyed myself immensely reading it, laughing pretty much the whole way through with the exception of the sex scene which had me flinching a bit.

I'm a sucker for the whole "Gentleman Burglar" trope which is why I picked this up. The presence of a "Gentleman Thief" a he's called here, a Pinkerton Detective as one of the main characters, and the word 'Caper' in the title might lead you to expect this to be a m...more 4.25 stars

The Amethyst Cat Caper is a hilarious book. Possibly unintentionally so, but I enjoyed myself immensely reading it, laughing pretty much the whole way through with the exception of the sex scene which had me flinching a bit.

I'm a sucker for the whole "Gentleman Burglar" trope which is why I picked this up. The presence of a "Gentleman Thief" a he's called here, a Pinkerton Detective as one of the main characters, and the word 'Caper' in the title might lead you to expect this to be a mystery, but it's not. It's more a MacGuffin chase a la The Maltese Falcon though the story structure is rather different as we know where the MacGuffin is the whole time. The role of the MacGuffin in this case is played by an amethyst statue of Bast, stolen from Egypt by our Gentleman Thief, which ends up in the hands of our heroine and fragile flower, Remington Trueblood, or "Remi" for short. Remi is for all intents and purposes the sort of naive innocent heroine one might expect to encounter in a silent movie melodrama, only with a penis. His actions, attitudes, and dialog are a catalog of romance cliches and his character would work just fine as a southern belle complete with fan and smelling salts.

Remi's beau in this instance is a sort of film noir style detective, who gets put on the case after a break in at the shop of Remi's antique dealer friend Tom. (Remi is English but the story takes place in 1934 New York.)

The identity of the "Gentleman Thief" is blatantly obvious to the reader as soon as we get past the prologue and into Chapter 1, and the characters really don't spend any time investigating the question so that can't even be argued to be the central mystery.

The appeal here is the cliched and melodramatic language. This will either amuse you or it wont, and if it doesn't ... well, I'm not sure why you'd read this except for the comedic value. Narration is in the third person, and the relationship/romance (very high speed romance) is front and center.

I had a blast reading it, but am docking a few points for a few English usage problems. The kindle edition from amazon also is somewhat poorly formatted, lacking chapter breaks or even bolded headings when a new chapter starts and using "--" instead of a proper em-dash when a dash is used. There are a few questionable punctuation choices as well, but neither the punctuation or the formatting problems were sufficiently bad to interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

I definitely will take a look at the author's other books and would be happy to give any sequel a read.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2012 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-cops-detective-guard, mm-historical-medieval

Hmmm, I think my biggest issue with this one is the Insta-Love. I'm not such a huge fan of that theme, personally.

Considering the blurb and the cover, I kind expect some investigations into the identity of The Gentlemen Thief, in addition to the romance. Unfortunately, it's goes straight to acknowledging the lust. They flirt, they kiss, there's a threat to Remy's life, and Hawk takes Remy to his place (easily), and more makeout session. Then of course, they realize they love it each other

I don'...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 MostlyDelores rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, mystery, period-historical

Romantic, almost syrupy-sweet, with Remi the aristocratic young beauty and Hawk, the tough detective with a marshmallow centre. Very enjoyable.

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More rated it 5 of 5 stars

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(view spoiler)...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Elisa Ramblings added it

A light historical romp on a Gentleman Thief, the 1930s prototype of a twink and an handsome detective… and no, don’t worry, this is not a ménages a trois.

When Detective Hawk is taking the case about a break-in in an antiquities shop, he doesn’t expect to find love. Hawk is homosexual, but while in the 1920s it was easier to be gay in New York (for reference please read the fabulous Gay New York), in the 1930s people are starting the witch hunt, and so Hawk prefers to take for himself his prefer...more A light historical romp on a Gentleman Thief, the 1930s prototype of a twink and an handsome detective… and no, don’t worry, this is not a ménages a trois.

When Detective Hawk is taking the case about a break-in in an antiquities shop, he doesn’t expect to find love. Hawk is homosexual, but while in the 1920s it was easier to be gay in New York (for reference please read the fabulous Gay New York), in the 1930s people are starting the witch hunt, and so Hawk prefers to take for himself his preferences in bed companions. But when he meets Remington Trueblood, Englishman transplanted in New York and fashionable owner of a tea house, he knows he has met his destiny.

Remi is very young and despite his role as successful businessman, very innocent. He had a bad break-up with an older man, someone who is still holding a place in his heart, and he was not believing possible to fall in love again. But as for Hawk, it’s love at first sight, and the little detail he is on the focus of a thief is not so important like the task to know better Hawk.

Despite Remi’s young age, 23 years old, and being the 1930s (or maybe right since it’s the 1930s and so when you see a chance it’s better not to let it go), Remi and Hawk move very quickly and in the blink of a day they went from strangers to lovers. True there is nothing against them, they are both free, independent and willing, so why should they have to wait? And for what? And if someone is wondering about the chance of two men having an happily ever after in that age, well, I suggest you to read the above mentioned essay, you will be surprise how it seemed easier to be gay and discreet in the 1930s, and being a couple when most people don’t really care what you did in the privacy of your bedroom.

There is really no mystery on the real identity of the Gentleman Thief, and the dangerous adventures are not so dangerous after all; the main focus are Remi and Hawk and their blossoming love. I have the feeling this was only an appetizer for this author, and the idea is to have more and more adventures centered around the antiquities shop.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007FGWHOE/?...(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 10, 2012 Tam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicals, m-m, police-crime-mysteries

I’ve been meaning to read this for some time. I had read the author’s short story set in this time period and really enjoyed it and Jen had said good thing about this book. So I finally settled down and picked it up. I don’t think it’s any secret that as a rule I’m not a fan of historicals. It’s just not my thing, not that I never read them or haven’t read some I’ve quite enjoyed, but I don’t usually pick them up. But I think the trick is that I just never hit the time period that worked for me....more I’ve been meaning to read this for some time. I had read the author’s short story set in this time period and really enjoyed it and Jen had said good thing about this book. So I finally settled down and picked it up. I don’t think it’s any secret that as a rule I’m not a fan of historicals. It’s just not my thing, not that I never read them or haven’t read some I’ve quite enjoyed, but I don’t usually pick them up. But I think the trick is that I just never hit the time period that worked for me. Now I don’t know if it’s just the time period or just this author, but it seems the 1920/30s are my thing. I just adore the stories I’ve read set in this time and this was no exception.

Remi left England and his father behind when he refused to marry a woman to fulfill family obligations. He has since made a success of himself running a purple tea house. He’s also become good friends with an older antiquarian and when he goes to visit is shown some of the new finds the man got from Egypt. One of the items is an amethyst cat which would look perfect in the tea house, however most of the things he sells are fakes (openly sold as replicas) so they don’t think much of it. However, earlier there was someone who calls himself the “Gentleman thief” who stole something from a museum in Cairo, unfortunately in a storm, the item became redirected. Guess where?

When the man drugs the shop owner to get information, in comes Pinkerton detective Hawk who sets out to find the thief and in the process, meets Remi to whom he is instantly attracted. Before long he’s more worried about protecting Remi when the thief breaks in and attacks him, and maybe the thief is more than he first appears. I really enjoyed Remi’s insistence to be true to himself and his wonderful relationship with shopkeeper Tom, a true friend. Also seeing Hawk slightly confused by his strong feelings for Remi, rather than his usual casual attitude towards men was fun and I swear the details are so fun. Is that really what it was like in that time period? Did they use that language? I have no clue, don’t care. I’m a historical wallpaper reader. I want it to be fun and like movies or TV.

Jeepers Creepers, Hawk was used to fellas dropping hairpins, but this kid was dropping pianos

Accurate or not, it’s how I imagine it, a time when “holy fuck” wouldn’t have cut it, even with a hardboiled detective. It makes for an enjoyable read along with the clothes, furniture, the tea house, all of it reminded me of an old film noir movie. So if you enjoy historicals I think you can’t lose with this one and even if like me, you’re not a big fan, you may enjoy this as more like reading/watching an old movie than a sometimes dry historical novel with a romance.(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Guilty Pleasures rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: guiltypleasures-gennieg, authorreviews

Gennie's review posted on Guilty Pleasures

4.5 Stars and a Recommended Read Award

I loved this book! The Amethyst Cat Caper is a short story filled with mystery, sweet romance and lovable characters. This book is set in the 1930s and begins with the theft of an artifact (an amethyst cat) from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. By chance this priceless artifact ends up in the hands of one of the main characters Remi, who is a born Englishman and has come to NYC to find his way in the world. The thief of...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Jenre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicals, m-m, romance

I read a fabbo short story by this author a few weeks ago and so when I saw this novella I snapped it up. The story is set in 1930's New York and tells of Remi, an ex-aristocratic Brit who moved to New York to escape a tyrannical father. He now owns a very successful tea shop with a garish purple theme (fancy pants ladies like lavender, apparently). A friend of his comes into possession of a cat statue made of fake amethyst and sells it to Remi. However, unbeknown to him or his friend, the cat s...more I read a fabbo short story by this author a few weeks ago and so when I saw this novella I snapped it up. The story is set in 1930's New York and tells of Remi, an ex-aristocratic Brit who moved to New York to escape a tyrannical father. He now owns a very successful tea shop with a garish purple theme (fancy pants ladies like lavender, apparently). A friend of his comes into possession of a cat statue made of fake amethyst and sells it to Remi. However, unbeknown to him or his friend, the cat statue is the real deal, stolen from an Egyptian museum. Before long Remi is embroiled in a mystery, along with rough around the edges 'Pinkerton man' Hawk, on the trail of the elusive 'gentleman thief' who wants his stolen statue back.

I really enjoyed this caper type story which pairs up a mix-matched couple in Remi and Hawk. Remi is very posh and upper-class but with a fierce independent personality and a temper. Hawk is a native New Yorker with a strong protective streak. Sparks fly when the pair are together and much of my enjoyment of this book was as a result of the banter between the characters. They get on so well that I could believe how quickly they find themselves falling for each other. The sexual tension is high too and led to some very satisfying sex scenes.

The mystery isn't too much of a mystery really because we know who took the statue and I guessed pretty easily who the identity of the 'gentleman thief' was. Still it was pretty fun to watch these guys figure it out and I also enjoyed the sly way the thief attempts to get back his stolen statue. As a historical story, there are a few interesting details about the way the detective agencies worked in the 1930's and I learned a few things I hadn't known before - always a bonus for me. However, there was a slip in the British side of historical accuracy when Remi tells Hawk that he wanted to go to "Eaton" (it's spelled Eton, BTW) and his Father sent him to Cambridge. Eton is a school for up to 18 year olds and Cambridge is a university for 18+ so that didn't fit. It jarred me out of the story slightly and annoyed me because the rest seemed so accurate.

That slip wasn''t enough to ruin my enjoyment of this story though. The characters sparkled on the page and the story was very amusing and I would recommend it.(less)

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Mar 21, 2012 Gennie Gee rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5

I loved this book! The Amethyst Cat Caper is a short story filled with mystery, sweet romance and lovable characters. This book is set in the 1930s and begins with the theft of an artifact (an amethyst cat) from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. By chance this priceless artifact ends up in the hands of one of the main characters Remi, who is a born Englishman and has come to NYC to find his way in the world. The thief of the cat is desperate to get it back and that’s when we meet the other main c...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Erastes rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book I've read by Ms Cochet (When Love Walks In was the first) and like the first one, I was impressed, and also the author has a talent for creating characters and situations which we'd not only like to see more of - we can say that about many books - but which stories lead naturally to a conclusion, whilst still leaving the door open for More Adventures.

Set, like her other book, during the Great Depression in America, this deals with the top end of society. Englishman Remi (...more This is the second book I've read by Ms Cochet (When Love Walks In was the first) and like the first one, I was impressed, and also the author has a talent for creating characters and situations which we'd not only like to see more of - we can say that about many books - but which stories lead naturally to a conclusion, whilst still leaving the door open for More Adventures.

Set, like her other book, during the Great Depression in America, this deals with the top end of society. Englishman Remi (Remington) has left his wealthy family in England due to his incapacity to please his father--marry where ordered, continue the line, that kind of thing--and came to America and is living the American dream. He starts a tea house in the centre of Manhattan and it's doing really rather well, making him a millionaire twice over in his early twenties.

So, although the struggling masses of the depression are mentioned a few times, you don't really get to see them. This is a world of Hollywood style opulence, art deco interiors and shiny shiny things. And it's described very well with just enough scene setting to see where we are, but not overdoing the detail by telling us who made every knick-knack and trinket.

The characters come to live quite beautifully on the page. Remi for instance, seen through the eyes of the burly detective Hawk is easily conjured to mind. Slim, wonderfully tailored and gorgeous to boot. It's nice that he doesn't consider the man's wealth as part of the deal. What I particularly liked was that Remi was damaged a little, from his relationship with his family, and from the first man he ever fell in love with who "done him wrong." Hawk, sadly, although I liked him as a character doesn't have this particular depth and I bonded with him much less than I did with Remi. Hawk seems to get swept away with Remi so easily and the problems that their relationship might bring aren't even considered until right at the end of the book. I think I'd have liked him to be a bit more noir, as I feel he considers himself a Sam Spade but he doesn't come over that way, he's more protective and lustful.

There's a lot of eye colour detail too, which I have to say I'm over when it comes to romance novels. I don't know anyone with violet or emerald eyes and I'd probably punch them if I did.

The story is good too, and tight, having a definite arc which begins and ends with exciting well-written action. Having struggled with action myself, I know how damned hard it can be to write when three men are struggling and there's a gun involved, but Cochet pulls it off with cinematic style.

The third person is, of course, the Gentleman Thief and I was delighted when I entirely missed the clues as to who it might be and plumped for someone it absolutely wasn't. That kind of re-herring-ism is a bit hit with me and I enjoyed guessing.

So, what with good period detail, movie-style flair, good characters and an ending which practically sets itself up for a whole series of "Capers" in the future, I have no problems with thoroughly recommending The Amethyst Cat Caper and look forward to more from Ms Cochet.

And it has to be said, because I've pointed out their errors so often, this was lacking in errors which was a refreshing change! I also liked the cover a lot, but sadly on Kindle it's only in black and white.(less)

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Jul 24, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt, historical-romance-fiction, m-m-romance, mystery, series

“The riches that are in the heart cannot be stolen.” – Russian Proverb

The Amethyst Cat Caper could easily have been subtitled, “or the Case of the Stolen Hearts,” for as much as the Gentleman Thief scarpered with said cat from the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, it was Hawk and Remi who absconded with the true treasure in this quick-fire romance wrapped within the mystery of an Ancient Egyptian statue that is mistaken for a forgery when it unexpectedly lands in Tom Winchell’s Antiquities and Odd...more “The riches that are in the heart cannot be stolen.” – Russian Proverb

The Amethyst Cat Caper could easily have been subtitled, “or the Case of the Stolen Hearts,” for as much as the Gentleman Thief scarpered with said cat from the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, it was Hawk and Remi who absconded with the true treasure in this quick-fire romance wrapped within the mystery of an Ancient Egyptian statue that is mistaken for a forgery when it unexpectedly lands in Tom Winchell’s Antiquities and Oddities shop.

Stanley Hawk is the hardboiled Pinkerton’s agent with the soft gooey center who is hired to solve the case of a break in at Tom’s shop, where he discovers that Remington Trueblood may very well be at the core of the mystery. And he is, just not in the way Hawk had originally expected. It was easy for Hawk to jump to some conclusions about Remi, based on the limited evidence that’d turned up before he met the younger man. Unfortunately, it was also easy for Hawk to underestimate Remi after they met, which led to a fair share of problems between them. Remi is essentially Hawk, turned inside out, as Remi’s beautiful surface conceals the heart of a lion who is much stronger than he appears. One thing these two men didn’t get wrong, however, was the spark of attraction that lit the moment they set eyes upon one another.

In a case of lust preceding trust, Hawk makes a promise he has no intention of keeping, although he does it under the best of intentions—to keep Remi safe from the elusive and thoroughly cunning man who is set on acquiring the statue in Remi’s possession but who also seems to have a keen personal interest in Remi himself. Hawk’s betrayal, however, is one that Remi is unfortunately all too familiar with, and one that might not be easily forgiven or forgotten. Until, that is, something far more priceless than the statue is stolen from Remi, right in plain sight.

The intrigue unfolds quickly in this first book of the Birthstone series, as does the romance between Hawk and Remi. It was love at first sight for the two men, and whether there were forces far more powerful at work than an irresistible attraction, it’s hard to say; nothing is impossible where the gods are concerned, I suppose. And it seems there are far more treasures yet to be discovered in Tom Winchell’s curiosity shop, which I look forward to discovering along with Hawk and Remi, hopefully sooner rather than later so I can see their relationship grow as well.

TNA
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Mar 21, 2012 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, m-m

Liked this a lot; the scene was excellent, the language flowed like it was natural and not researched, although I will admit I guessed the culprit fairly early on. The resolution was left fairly open-ended, both in terms of "will the Gentleman Thief resurface to Cause Problems?" and in terms of paving the way for possibly more books in the series with new antagonists.

While I know some people will have an issue with what seems a lot like Insta-Love, I really didn't, but I do wish there had been m...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Ayanna added it

Shelves: reviewed, dnr

I am not going to rate this (I know, I know. Perish the thought and all that nonsense).

I just can't, not in good faith, anyways.
For one thing, I despised Hawk. Just absolutely despised him. I really wanted Gray to win, you know. So much so, in fact, that Gray/Remi are now my head-canon. I just decided that and so it shall be.

There's just...something about him...I find...distasteful. Something Javert-like. For whatever reason. Of course, for me to find the reason, I'd probably have to reread it,...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Jayhjay rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review was originally published on my blog Joyfully Jay.

It is early 1930s New York and Remington Trueblood is thrilled when his friend Tom sells him his latest acquisition - a beautiful amethyst cat, a reproduction of famous Egyptian artwork that Remi plans to display in his tea house. Remi moved to America two years ago when his father kicked him out of his home in England for refusing to give up his life to follow his father's wishes. Remi quickly made a success of himself, even in the mi...more This review was originally published on my blog Joyfully Jay.

It is early 1930s New York and Remington Trueblood is thrilled when his friend Tom sells him his latest acquisition - a beautiful amethyst cat, a reproduction of famous Egyptian artwork that Remi plans to display in his tea house. Remi moved to America two years ago when his father kicked him out of his home in England for refusing to give up his life to follow his father's wishes. Remi quickly made a success of himself, even in the midst of hard economic times, and now is a successful businessmen.

When Tom is attacked a few hours after selling Remi the cat, Pinkerton detective Stanley Hawk is called in to investigate. He quickly figures out that the cat they assumed was a replica was actually a priceless artifact recently stolen from a museum in Cairo by the notorious and elusive Gentleman Thief. The thief has made his way to New York to regain his wayward treasure and is now trying to track it down, placing Remi in danger.

Hawk and Remi hit it off immediately when the detective comes to investigate. Hawk is big and imposing and scares most people off, but the younger Remi is quite a match for him. They both let down their guard and it seems like things might be developing between them. But as the investigation heats up, the men must figure out if they can make it work between them while still catching the thief.

The Amethyst Cat Caper was a really enjoyable historical. I haven't read many books set during this time period and Cochet really captures the feeling of the time. The story includes lots of historical details, including the technology, the dress, and the style of speaking. The whole feel of the story fits within the setting and I could really believe it all happening in this era.

I really loved Hawk and Remi and the way that there was more to both of them than you see at first glance. Remi appears wealthy and privileged and people often assume he is too pampered to handle anything on his own. Yet he has built his fortune from nothing, making a totally new life for himself in America. He is generous with his money and much tougher and more resourceful than most people give him credit for. And while Hawk has a tough and intimidating detective side, when he lets down his guard his is gentle and caring and a bit goofy. The guys are a great match together and really enjoyable characters.

Some small quibbles with the story. First, I think that the identity of the thief (or at least a key clue about him) felt like it was given away quite early. This is a short novel so things have to develop quickly, but I wish this reveal had been held off a bit longer. I also think the relationship between Remi and Hawk goes quite quickly from hot hookup to totally serious about it each other awfully fast. Again, perhaps an issue with the shorter format, but it did pull me out of the story a few times as I wondered, "wait, how long have they known each other?" This type of instalove is not uncommon in romance novels, but I do wish we had seen things develop a bit more slowly and realistically between them.

Despite these issues I really enjoyed the story. The setting was so well done I really felt immersed in the time period. The book was fast paced and quite interesting. We get some hints at the end that there might be more to come in for the guys, and if so, I will be looking forward to reading more. (less)

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Apr 24, 2012 Becky Mrs Condit Reads Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading Charlie Cochet’s THE AMETHYST CAT CAPER is very much like watching a film noir. Set in the 1930s it is stylish, polished, and moody.
The ending was absolutely thrilling in the take your breath away kind of action. It’s a short novella and I read it start to finish in one sitting. Ms Cochet got the feeling of the era spot on, including the dialog and descriptions of the city and what people were doing. I enjoyed THE AMETHYST CAT CAPER very much.

Please see my complete review on May 3, 2012...more

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May 07, 2013 ttg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, favorites, reviews

Very fun and enjoyable historical mystery novella about Remi, the young owner of a New York City tea house who gets mixed up with a stolen cat statue and finds knocking at his door one grouchy Pinkerton detective by the name of Stanley Hawk.

I was looking for something light and fun, and this novella definitely fit the bill. Well-written, great period dialogue, a little cheeky, very romantic, and low on angst. I loved the chemistry between Remi and Hawk, and how they flitted equally between being...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Vastine Bondurant rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh, yummmm-o, as Rachael Ray would say.

My first Charlie Cochet book. And, oh, baby, it's not going to be my last!

This Remi and Hawk duo are fabulous! Ms. Cochet has their offsetting personalities down to a perfect T---Remi, gloriously handsome, pristine manners, sometimes pouty and a little sexy minx when need be.

And then there's Hawk. Oh, sugar. My kind of man. Big, dark, swarthy, fearless, a delightful sense of humor. Who could not love a fellow who tells duck jokes, protects his love interes...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Barb ~rede-2-read~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bingo-challenge, read-2013

This was a fun romp through a bit of mid 1930's history. The Amethyst Cat has been stolen from a London museum and finds it's way accidentally to an pseudo-antique collector in New York City. It's promptly sold to his friend Remi Trueblood, then the shop is broken into, the owner hurt and hospitalized and the Pinkerton detective on the scene to solve the crime meets Remi and instantly falls in lust. It's mutual and by that evening they are having sex.

I found the romance a bit too sudden and the...more

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Feb 26, 2013 GymGuy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-mystery, m-m-romance

LOL. This book is somewhere between a Dick Tracy comic book and a very bad "B" movie with a very obvious plot. It contains about every cliché known to man, including the obligatory chase scene through a warehouse. But....the characters are cute. It doesn't deserve a 2-star but certainly nothing better than a 3.

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Jun 08, 2012 LdDurham rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, gay-fiction, m-m-romance, historical

Delicious! Absolutely delicious! This was a fun story, exciting, and romantic. Cochet rendered the time period beautifully. And as a person who caught the "Duck Soup" reference, I adored every nuance Cochet put into it.

This is my first Charlie Cochet book, but it will, by no means, be my last!

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Apr 22, 2012 Pamela Craft Jenewein rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-stories

A nice historical novel set in the 1930 period. The story’s mystery was believable, well developed and enthralling. Stanley Hawk and Remington Trueblood were delightful and captivating. Their romance was genuine too, a wonderful read.

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 27, 2012 Lady*M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, m-m-romance, mystery

4.5 stars

Lighthearted, fun, with two excellent protagonists who were funny (duck & penguin!) and hot and endearing. I liked them both a lot and I'm so happy there will be more of them.

I was glad Gentleman Thief survived and maybe we will see more of him too in the future (his identity was easy to guess). I liked how the author connected this story with The Auspicious Troubles of Chance. Recommended.

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2012 Sandra marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-romance, rom-suspense, m-m, novella

$4.99 at AllRomance

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Mar 02, 2012 Sylvie rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was a very enjoyable book. I hope to read more stories about these two MC.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Charlie Cochet added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: my-own-books

Hello all! The Only Star (A Tea House Tale, #1.5) is available for free! You can download here or from All Romance eBooks or www.charliecochet.com It's also available to read online free from my website. Thanks! <3

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Apr 22, 2013 Christopher Hawthorne Moss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great fun. See http://kitmossreviews.blogspot.com .

1 like · like · see review

May 27, 2012 Fehu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-historical, man-in-uniforms

3,5 stars.
I had my difficulties with this one, mostly to find my way into the story. The characters are likable but the romance part happened a bit fast for my taste.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 Sylvia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lovely, sweet & funny

1 like · like · see review

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About Charlie Cochet

m/m Romance author by day, artist by night, Charlie Cochet is quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From hardboiled detectives and society gentleman, to angels and elves, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance,...more

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