Curio

by C.S. Poe

Llewellyn Cooper and his aunt Julia run Curio Cabinet in New York City’s West Village, where the clientele is as strange as the junk being amassed in their secondhand shop. Llewellyn and Julia have been as thick as thieves his entire life, and Llewellyn can’t imagine being anywhere else six days a week—even if Julia’s bizarre habits and inappropriate conversations drive him crazy. That’s family, though, right?

When Llewellyn drums up the nerve to chat with a routine customer—in part due to curiosity, as Henry McLaughlin returns time and again to purchase nothing but old photographs, but also because the bearded and bow tie–wearing man is the finest thing to ever step foot inside Curio—it seems like Llewellyn will finally have a plus-one for future RSVPs. But just when things start looking up in the romance department, it turns out Henry might be too strange for the Cooper family.

And that’s saying something.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Short Stories, Historical, LGBT

60 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2024

About the author

C.S. Poe is an author of gay mystery, romance, and speculative fiction. She’s a winner of the Next Generation and e-Lit book awards, as well as a finalist of the Lambda Literary award.

She resides in New York City and is a Gilded Age New York historian and board director for the Victorian Society of New York. She loves Romanticism artwork, the films of Buster Keaton, coffee in the morning and whiskey in the evening, true crime, and cats. She’s rescued two cats—Milo and Kasper do their best to distract her from work on a daily basis.

C.S. is an alumna of the School of Visual Arts.

Her debut novel, The Mystery of Nevermore, was published 2016.

cspoe.com

Reviews

[~Nicole~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

Well, as much as I adore this author and her books I have to say that this one here was disappointing. The romance was bland , the characters and humor were OTT and Lew was a nasty piece of work- shallow, narrow-minded and immature. Henry was way too interesting for that dumb man-child.

[C.S. Poe]

Buy Links:

Ebook

[Lily Loves 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my heart! What a sweet short story! I would love more of course because Poe creates such amazing characters. This was such a delight! If you’re looking for a short story that will tug on your heartstrings, this is it!!!!

Thank you to the author for an ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute, super sweet and quintessentially New York short story! I adored this story!

While CS Poe is known for her mysteries and amateur sleuthing of murders, this lovely tale has no grisly murder. Instead, we get a little bit of a mystery, a hot date with dirty talk (ohhhh, I wanted more of that), and a second date!

I would eat these two up if they full up the pages of a fulll-length novel!

Thanks, to CS Poe for the ARC!

[QuietlyKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curio was such a sweet, fun short story with wonderfully eccentric characters and wacky interactions. Where the story really shined for me was in the hilarious interactions between Lew and his aunt Julia. At one point I thought to myself, “I want to be like Julia when I’m her age!” only to stop and realize, she’s just 60 and I’m closing in on 58 😅🤣 For real though, family relationship goals! 😉 Loved it!

Note to self: definitely revisit this one! It’s short and sweet and made me laugh out loud multiple times.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llewellyn Cooper (Lew) and his aunt Julia ("Remember the summer you took up performance art in the park and destroyed all your panties in front of picnicking families?" "It was art, Lew. I was making a statement.") run the Curio Cabinet in NYC's West Village and have lately been fascinated by Professor Bow Tie (Henry), a natty dresser (albeit with thick thighs and a lumberjack beard) who sorts endlessly through old photos in their shop, occasionally buying a photo or two.

Julia insists Henry and Lew would make a great couple. And even after a somewhat fraught first date ("I started to giggle. And not in a cute way either - but in a hysterical way that'd have had a nineteenth-century woman locked away."), Lew and Henry find they are, indeed, a good fit.

This novella packs in a lot - quirky well-developed characters, an Easter egg (or two?), and the start of what looks to be an interesting relationship. Toss in a robbery, a WWI-era mystery, a steamy sex scene (and, yes, this all fits nicely into this 60-page novella) and you have a thoroughly enjoyable story that I personally loved. 5 stars.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So despite the cover, this is a contemporary story. It's short, fun, sweet, and got me just a bit emotional at the end.

The two MCs, Lew and Professor Bow Tie aka Henry are adorable and have great chemistry. Lew's Aunt Julia is a pip! I love the little Easter egg CS Poe drops in there too. I don't generally read such short stories, but I couldn't resist with this author and am glad I picked this one up.

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a little gem of a novella.
"Curio" is such a quick read, but it packs a punch: I inhaled it in less than an hour, but it still made me swoon and laugh out loud, tear up and clutch my lil' queer heart.
C.S. Poe's writing is so special to me: everything I've read of hers so far has made me fall in love with her writing a little bit more each time. And "Curio", despite its short length, was an absolute joy to read: Lew is an unforgettable protagonist, witty and neurotic and hilarious, and Henry was a total dreamboat. Aunt Julia stole the show though: an absolute icon of a woman. I've had her for only an hour and just over 50 pages, but I'd let a bus run over me if she asked me to. She's so damned funny and absolutely crazy; my favourite kind of character.

Anyway, this novella was so damned lovely, and so damned heartfelt. I wholly, wholly recommend.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful romantic romp along the lines of the old mid-20th century Ealing Studio madcap comedies. This author is an autobuy for her murder/procedurals and I can now add her breezy light M-M romances to my fav-to-go lists.

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story set in the gay scene of the West Village and inside a junky antique shop. There is a wildly eccentric aunt, her nephew who helps her run the store, a mysterious hottie who wears bowties and only buys old family photos, and a Pikachu mask wearing robber.
There is some amusing dialogue and a fairly hot sex scene.

[Denise H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curiosity !

A delightful short story in the New England area, about a bow tie wearing Ginger, and Llewelyn, who works in a curiosity shop, called Curio, with his lively Aunt.
Enjoy !

=====

[Gerbera_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute short story that featured quirky lovable characters, a bit of spice, a touch of eccentricity and a good amount of humor. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and the tiny bit of danger the book contained. The story was the chef's kiss.

[Abrianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book told in Poe's usual style of quirky character and unique prose. I loved the small Easter egg of a fan favorite mentioned, and find it funny how they're perceived by someone outside their small circle. My only critique is it's so short. I've read Poe's other short stories and loved them, this one misses the mark a little in terms of feeling like a complete romance, more of a teaser to what could be a sweet, wholesome one. I am okay with that, but still wouldn't have minded watching these two dive a little deeper into the type of caring and sweet dynamic I can see them having (plus some more of that hot sex hinted at wouldn't be remiss).
All in all a quick, fun, palate cleanser of a read.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet and charming, with a dash of danger and intrigue. I enjoyed each character and appreciated the humor. There's a lot of personality packed into so short a story.

[Frida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here lies Llewellyn Trevor Cooper. He died the same way he lived. Stupidly..

This book is simply adorable! Curio is like a quick burst of joy—even though it's only 60 pages, it managed to make me giggle, lough out loud, swoon, and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I just loved Bow Tie and Llewellyn's awkwardness together! But the true show-stopper is definitely Aunt Julia!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters, and I did like the ending which left me with a more positive impression of the story than I'd had up until that point. But, honestly, on the whole, it felt insubstantial and underdeveloped to me, and I really could have done without the sex scene in the middle.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+/4.5 stars

C.S. Poe’s Curio is a superbly-crafted little gem. The author packs a lot of story and characterisation into a mere sixty pages – it made me smile and sigh and swoon during the less-than-an-hour it took me to read it.

Llewellyn – Lew – Cooper helps his wonderfully eccentric aunt Julia (“Remember the summer you took up performance art in the park and destroyed all your panties in front of picnicking families?” “It was art, Lew. I was making a statement.”) to run the Curio Cabinet, a small second-hand odds-and-ends shop in the West Village. For months now, a good-looking, well-built, well-dressed man Lew and Julia have nicknamed “Professor Bow Tie” has been coming in regularly to look through the thousands of old photographs they have in the shop, occasionally buying a few; Lew would love to know what he does with them and his name – and maybe even to ask him out – but after so many months…

…we’d blown past that window of opportunity in which to make small talk.

It was too late to ask his name.

We’d have to keep up the gauche silence for every visit until either he or I died first.

Although it seems Lew’s mouth is way ahead of his brain, because, amid an awkward spew of verbiage about his aunt’s fondness for potatoes and a cannibal murder-mystery from the 1980s, he does, in fact, ask for Professor Bow Tie’s name. It’s Henry.

Julia insists that Lew and Henry would make a great couple, although Lew thinks he’s probably scared the guy off with all the verbal vomit, especially after telling him he was intimidated by his beard. But fortunately, for Lew, Henry isn’t easily put off, and after a rather lovely first date, it’s clear that Julia was right and that they really are a good fit.

There’s a little bit of mystery, a touch of steam, plenty of humour, and a rather poignant story at the bottom of Henry’s fascination with old photographs to be found here, as well as glimpses of the author’s always impeccable research and knowledge of her home city. Curio was a joy to read – an entertaining story featuring loveable, quirky characters (Aunt Julia is Da Bomb!) and the beginnings of a tender, caring romance between Lew and Henry. If you’ve got an hour to kill – or if you just want a quick but satisfying read – I urge you to give Curio a try.

[Courtney Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew going in that this was a short, so I won’t complain about wanting more, even though these wonderful and quirky characters made me wish I could visit them again! It was fun to see a certain “sourpuss” mentioned a couple of times lol. And who knew that Henry, with his bow ties and muscled thighs, had such hidden depths? Loved it!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5🌈

I simply don’t read enough stories by this remarkable author. Curio by C.S. Poe is an excellent way to find your way to this wonderful storyteller.

This short story really resonated with me as I just had someone drop off a dilapidated cardboard box full of old photographs, mostly mine, from the past. No dates, and haphazardly thrown in there, saved from the trash.

So a story that tackles the possibilities that lie behind forgotten old discarded photos hits home.

Poe’s characters, so vividly real and grounded in a place the author calls home, brings the humor and emotional layers so important to this. Llewellyn “Lew” Cooper with his aunt Julia run Curio Cabinet in New York City’s West Village. It’s a hodgepodge of Julia’s interests and antiques, including old photographs.

Then a handsome man comes, buying the photographs on a regular basis. Why? Who is he?

Poe beautifully builds this quietly emotional story of buried history revealed and love in all its forms. Curio comes to a happy ending leading forward for Henry and Lew that makes sense and leaves me absolutely satisfied.

This is a terrific read and the author is one you should have on your auto buy list.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

Curio is a charming and entertaining short novella from author C.S. Poe. For a book with just 60 pages, Poe really packs in a wonderfully complete story that takes us to just the right point for Lew and Henry. Sometimes with shorter works, the pacing can be off, either too much happening or not enough. But I think Poe gets the balance just right here and the relationship didn’t rush ahead, but also left me confident that there is a bright future for these guys.

Just for clarification in case the cover confuses you (as it did me), this is a contemporary story. The older photo relates to the story and has some nice significance, but the book takes place in present day.

Overall, I found this one really charming and a fun read. There is a nice balance of humor, romance, sexiness, and poignancy, all in one short package. I read this in one sitting and really loved it.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Curio" by C.S. Poe was a fun short read. Lew helps his aunt run an antique shop and sees "Professor Bow Time" come in the shop and buy old photographs all the time. Lew finally gets brave enough to ask his name and finds out it is Henry. There were a lot of times I laughed out loud. The characters were hilarious, and the storyline was great. This is definitely a one sitting read. My favorite part was when Henry came back to the store asking about Lew. His aunt's response was funny.

[Kristel (hungryandhappy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could keep reading about Lew and Henry going on more dates, talking about they love, exchanging smiles, being lovey dovey and sweet.
While this felt like an appetiser, an introduction to a love story, it was still full of fun and interesting events. Pikachu masked individual, mentions of someone we love from another series so we know everything is set in the same universe, a quirky wild aunt with green hair and an explosively chaotic personality, and a tiny mystery that led to a bit of a misunderstanding.
I love C.S. Poe's writing style and I will definitely start visiting antique shops to see if I also can find hidden treasures.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story about Lew who works in a NY antiques store owned by his aunt. A few times a week Mr Bow Tie comes in and buys photographs.
One day Lew plucks up the courage to ask Mr Bow Tie his name and then one day whilst out with his aunt, they see him from afar and follow him to his place of work.
Loved the Aunt in this.
Lew and Henry ( Mr Bow Tie) went together well as well.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 3.5 Stars **

[Smutty Sully · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was decent, but at 54 pages it wasn't quite long enough to balance out all the details and bizarre slapstick comedy. Too much in too few pages.

I did appreciate the details though!

Highlights:

• I closed the magazine I’d been thumbing through, a retro Tiger Beat—exclusive fold-out poster of the Backstreet Boys still intact—

• Hell, last time he’d come in for his usual perusal, I’d been arguing with Julia to not display the vintage novelty dildo shaped like a woman’s head with a vibrating beaver attachment inside a nineteenth century French birdcage with a sign reading, “Tweety Bird runs on C batteries! Twee settings for your puddy tat!” because I was pretty sure it broke an obscenity law still on the books somewhere.

• I looked good in color, at least. I had no qualms about rockin’ orange pants with a green plaid button-down and a pair of white oxfords.

• “You’re a walking swingers’ advertisement and you haven’t even had one date yet.”
“Huh?”
Julia motioned up and down with one finger. “The pineapple print.”
I looked down—the shirt was a cute, slim fit in a forest green with small, repetitive pineapples patterned across the front and back.
“What the heck do swingers have to do with—”
“Swingers advertise their availability with the upside-down pineapple,” Julia explained with mild exasperation. “Aren’t you a millennial? Shouldn’t you know this?”
“No, I shouldn’t know what middle-aged, suburban straight couples do at backyard pool parties on a Wednesday evening,” I retorted. I grabbed the shirttail, asking as I studied it, “Are these upside-down?”
“It depends,” she replied. “Are you looking at it from head-on or from your point-of-view?”
“I’m changing.” I was already halfway out of the shirt by the time I reached the bedroom threshold.

• Thank God I changed shirts, otherwise I’d have sweaty pineapple pits right now.

[Fritz42 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say the banter between Lew and his aunt Julia is worth the price of the book and more. The two of them are their own special type of quirky, and I loved it. When they found out the reason for why their customer, and Lew's potential love interest, was buying pictures, it tore out my heart in a good way. Definitely 5 stars for me.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely novella by CS Poe. I have to admit that CS Poe is one of my top three favorite authors. The relationships that she develops between her characters and the historical details in her books wow me every time. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like a shorter book by her, but this was a lovely, quirky, special little treat. I really enjoyed it.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[M.J. Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet

Loved the characters and the sense of humor in the familiar NYC setting we all love. CS Poe is a master writer and it doesn’t matter if it’s 300 pages or 57, she tells one hell of a story. Waiting for her next book. Sigh!

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, outrageous, hilarious, and at the end a little sad as some family history is uncovered. For such a short tale there's enough packed in it, a gem of a read.

[Spiderorchid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovely idea and well written, just not my cup of tea.

I love C.S. Poe's mysteries but the style of this short story was a bit too much like a sitcom for my taste.

If you like over-the-top characters and comedy based on ridiculous misunderstandings and overreactions, you'll like this. :)