A Case of Possession

By: KJ Charles

Narrated by: Cornell Collins

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Magic in the blood. Danger in the streets.

Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. He knows Stephen's job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician is doing his disappearing act more than seems reasonable - especially since Crane will soon return to his home in China. When a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship, there's only one thing stopping Crane from leaving the country he loathes: Stephen.

Stephen has problems of his own. As he investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he's turned warlock. With all eyes on him, the threat of exposure grows. Stephen could lose his friends, his job, and his liberty over his relationship with Crane. He's not sure if he can take that risk much longer. Crane isn't sure if he can ask him to.

The rats are closing in, and something has to give....

©2014 K. J. Charles (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

From strong to even stronger

A fantastic story and a brilliant romance.

Everything great about the first of the series but with the refining and perfection needed to perfect the series. Any problems I had with the series are gone and everything I loved about the first book is even better in this instalment.

Well worth a read.

Excellent Sequel

This book picked up where the first left off. Lucien Crane and Stephen Day are lovers, they also keep finding themselves caught up in shenanigans.

Lucien's acquaintances from Shanghai have been caught up in intrigue that has followed them back to London. There's a supernatural force using mutant sized rats as weapons. It's up to them for figure out who, how and why.

The story was fast-paced and well written. The plot was interesting, and the same narrator returns from the first audiobook. He did an excellent job. I'm invested in this series and look forward to the next book.

Collin is capable to read every book in the world

Collin has the most talented voice and resonance. I would listen to him read a grocery list.

Giant rats!

I’m rating this book one star down from the first book in the series because I thought the story was a bit thin and the MCs acted in surprisingly stupid ways at times. I will say possession by an evil spirit unleashing a red tide of giant killer rats was not on my bingo card! 😂 Still an engaging, fast-paced story that had me sprinting to download book three. Cornell Collins, as ever, is an impeccable narrator.

Simply Incredible!

First of all, Cornell Collins is a brilliant voice performer. KJ Charles is an author whose audiobooks are always top-notch. Collins brings these characters to life in a way that is so rare, and I profoundly appreciate him.
Secondly, the characters are so vivid! Lucien and Stephen are two of the most interesting men I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. They couldn’t be more different, an Earl and a magician falling in love in Victorian London at a time when who you loved was frequently illegal.
Lastly, this story is the most original story I’ve ever encountered. It’s so richly detailed without being pedantic.
I highly recommend this book!

Always a pleasure

Interesting story AND sexy bits! KJ Charles delivers yet again. I recommend all her m/m romance stories!

Great

A Case of Possession is another corker of a book by KJ Charles. Stephen and Lucien’s story continues in London. We meet Stephen’s fellow justiciars including his partner Esther, and we also meet Lucien’s friends and acquaintances from his business and his time in Shanghai.

Lucien and Stephen’s relationship grows and deepens as Stephen investigates murders that are committed through the use of giant rats. The scenes with the rats are very descriptive to the point of horrifying but so well done. The intimate scenes are very hot. I really enjoy Charles’s writing and the worlds she creates. The historical background is obviously well researched and meticulous.

I listened to the audiobook. Cornell Collins does another fantastic job with his interpretation and the difference between character voices. I’ve said it in other reviews, but he adds another dimension to the books.

I really enjoyed A Case of Possession and already started the following book.

An absolute must listen!

After listening to book 1, narrated by Charles Cornell, I decided that there was no point in reading any of the series. I was going to hear Cornell's voice for each of the major characters, so I might as well listen to him narrate the book.

For this sequel, Stephen and Crane are back in London, and they are carrying on their affair. Unfortunately, the drastic increase in Stephen's power has been noticed, and he has been placed on a watch list for being suspected of being a warlock. At the same time, Crane is threatened with blackmail.

As Stephen and Crane are dealing with those issues, a series of murders begins, with people being killed by giant rats. The discovery of one victim and a thwarted attempt on another provide a link between the blackmailer and events that occurred during Crane's time in China. Will Stephen and Crane be able to stop the attacks and the perpetrator in time? Will they be able to protect their relationship?

This book didn't have quite as much action as the first book, but it still didn't feel slow. There was more mystery surrounding this one, and I liked that we learned more about Crane's time in China. Indeed, not only did we learn more about Crane and his history, but we got to know each of the major characters more. At this point, I'm really pulling for their relationship to succeed, despite London's view on homosexuality and its criminality of it.

I am definitely looking forward to listening to book 3 and finishing this series.

Still absolutely wonderful

This author is amazing and does wonders woth magic and storytelling. Cannot wait to het may hands on book 3 to see what these two get into now. This is indeed a really good series.

Enjoyed

I really loved the 1st book in the series, and the 2nd book I can book is almost just as good. Their narration is completely fantastic as it was in the 1st one as it shall be in the 3rd one.

I felt the overall story was a little more lacking than the one in the 1st book. Somehow it just didn't feel quite as compelling and the tension between the 2 main characters was obviously not as strong strong as it was in the 1st one although their relationship has grown and that's really fun to read.

All in all, if you enjoyed the 1st one, you'll enjoy the 2nd one.

Another entertaining story

Another entertaining story that was superbly narrated, but PLEASE stop artificially inflating the audiobook length by adding on chapters from the next book in the series. It actually spoils my enjoyment of the book. If I buy a book that is 6hrs long I expect a story to be 6hrs long, not 4.5 hrs with a short story added, and then after that, chapters from the next book in the series. It is so annoying and makes me feel like I've been duped into paying for audio I won't listen to because if I do it will be a pain to find my place in the next story on my MP3 player. I really hope this doesn't become a wider trend with audiobooks because it feels like a con.

Marvellous. Simply marvellous.

I’ve loved the hell out of the Magpie books ever since stumbling across them on Kindle some time ago, and reread them several times.

Unfortunately audio performances don’t always live up to the version one ‘heard’ in one’s head, but Mr Collins delivers a thoroughly terrific performance from start to finish.

Excellent (and clearly distinct) characterisation of the myriad disparate characters peopling the Magpie books, and an engaging narrative voice. Heartily recommend!

Magpies have never been so charming

I picked this book up no more than 30 minutes of finishing the 1st, I was that excited to continue the story. In that 30 minutes I did worry about the phenomenon that plagues book series, that the second installment is inferior - those novels tend to suffer from less polish - but I was concerned for nothing. The standard of the first was upheld through this novel in wonderful fashion.

In this book we explore more of London and how Stephen lives and works. The worldbuilding is very interesting, and the characters are all vibrant. The plot is probably the weakest mechanical part of the piece but that is not by much, and the fact that it takes the backstep for most of the book allows the characters more space to flourish. Their interactions are glorious, there is so much I love about them.

I am disappointed on a very surface level by a couple of things, but they are just personal preferences. Nothing that detracted from the overall enjoyment of the piece. I did think about dropping my rating to 4 stars, but I am loath to do so as I feel like it would be putting too much emphasis on what is a minor flaw.

A well written story

This is not my usual kind of book, but it is very well written, with a good storyline. The characters are believable, and have an enjoyable life. I woll read more of these. Very well performed.

Excellent series

Shamen, dirty deeds, giant rats and possession form the basis of this gripping instalment. Very good all round.

Great series

Loved it, listened to it twice, and that's saying something considering I'm phobic about rats. it's got a compelling story which isn't secondary to any romance. loved it.

Difficult to rate - good and bad

Good story and characters in this series, but the narration of the sex scenes is painfully awkwardly bad. Also, there is a short story at the end, followed by a 30 minute preview of the next book, so there is significantly less book than you’d hope for your money.