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A review by kp_hobbitreads
The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings by Lily Morton
5.0
#1 The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings: ★★★★★ | 5 stars
I'm always hesitant to pick up something even horror-adjacent because I'm a big chicken when it comes to scary stuff. But, this managed to be just the right amount of spooky for me, and was balanced really well by an incredibly sweet romance and fantastic side characters.
Levi Black's life needs a new direction. After breaking up with his long-time boyfriend, he receives the news that he's inherited a house in York. Naturally, he sees this as his opportunity for a fresh start. But, when he gets to said house he finds out that it's got quite the reputation, and nobody stays too long. His search for answers about his house leads him to the Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings ghost tour leader extraordinaire. While they work together to unravel the mysteries of Levi's house, the two men find themselves forging a connection. And, they will have to decide if the potential of something great is worth opening yourself up to heartbreak.
I absolutely adore both Levi and Blue as characters. Levi is so steadfast and is the perfect balance to Blue. He wants to be there and support Blue, but is always very cognizant of Blue's boundaries and refuses to cross them. And, Blue. I just want to wrap him in a blanket and give him a big hug. He has been through so much, but still manages to be a dedicated friend and kind person. He deserves all of the good things - but, mostly he deserves Levi.
Three Thoughts:
1. I love Tom and Blue's friendship. It's the perfect amount of snark and found family.
2. The balance between the romance and the mystery was so well done and had me not wanting to put the book down.
3. The way Blue and Levi communicate with each other about what they want in a relationship and the care the have with building something strong because they want it to last was just....ugh, so wonderful.
While this book doesn't end with what I would consider an HEA, the ending is quite satisfying and puts them in a good place to get their true happily ever after in the second book. Highly, highly recommend.
content warnings: loss of a parent (in the past), grief, mentions of sex work (in the past), mentions of child abuse/neglect (in the past), sex (on page), violence, murder, attempted murder, depiction of suicide (in the past)/i>
I'm always hesitant to pick up something even horror-adjacent because I'm a big chicken when it comes to scary stuff. But, this managed to be just the right amount of spooky for me, and was balanced really well by an incredibly sweet romance and fantastic side characters.
Levi Black's life needs a new direction. After breaking up with his long-time boyfriend, he receives the news that he's inherited a house in York. Naturally, he sees this as his opportunity for a fresh start. But, when he gets to said house he finds out that it's got quite the reputation, and nobody stays too long. His search for answers about his house leads him to the Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings ghost tour leader extraordinaire. While they work together to unravel the mysteries of Levi's house, the two men find themselves forging a connection. And, they will have to decide if the potential of something great is worth opening yourself up to heartbreak.
I absolutely adore both Levi and Blue as characters. Levi is so steadfast and is the perfect balance to Blue. He wants to be there and support Blue, but is always very cognizant of Blue's boundaries and refuses to cross them. And, Blue. I just want to wrap him in a blanket and give him a big hug. He has been through so much, but still manages to be a dedicated friend and kind person. He deserves all of the good things - but, mostly he deserves Levi.
Three Thoughts:
1. I love Tom and Blue's friendship. It's the perfect amount of snark and found family.
2. The balance between the romance and the mystery was so well done and had me not wanting to put the book down.
3. The way Blue and Levi communicate with each other about what they want in a relationship and the care the have with building something strong because they want it to last was just....ugh, so wonderful.
While this book doesn't end with what I would consider an HEA, the ending is quite satisfying and puts them in a good place to get their true happily ever after in the second book. Highly, highly recommend.
content warnings: loss of a parent (in the past), grief, mentions of sex work (in the past), mentions of child abuse/neglect (in the past), sex (on page), violence, murder, attempted murder, depiction of suicide (in the past)/i>