Bayou Book Junkie: Review Tour ~ The Jackal's House (Lancaster's Luck #2) by Anna Butler (Review + Giveaway)

Friday, November 10, 2017

Review Tour ~ The Jackal's House (Lancaster's Luck #2) by Anna Butler (Review + Giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner

Length: 114,000 words approx.

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Design: Reese Dante

Lancaster's Luck Series

The Gilded Scarab (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK

About The Series

Lancaster's Luck is set in a steampunk world where, at the turn of the 20th century, the eight powerful Convocation Houses are the de facto rulers of the Britannic Imperium. In this world of politics and assassins, a world powered by luminiferous aether and phlogiston and where aeroships fill the skies, Captain Rafe Lancaster, late of Her Majesty's Imperial Aero Corps, buys a coffee house in one of the little streets near the Britannic Museum in Bloomsbury.

So begins the romantic steampunk adventures which have Rafe, a member of Minor House Stravaigor, scrambling over Londiniumís rooftops on a sultry summer night or facing dire peril in the pitch dark of an Aegyptian night. And all the while, sharing the danger is the man he loves: Ned Winter, First Heir of Convocation House Gallowglass, the most powerful House in the entire Imperium.

Blurb

Something is stalking the Aegyptian night and endangering the archaeologists excavating the mysterious temple ruins in Abydos. But is it a vengeful ancient spirit or a very modern conspiracy?

Rafe Lancaster's relationship with Gallowglass First Heir, Ned Winter, flourishes over the summer of 1900, and when Rafe's House encourages him to join Ned's next archaeological expedition, he sees a chance for it to deepen further. Since all the Houses of the Britannic Imperium, Rafeís included, view assassination as a convenient solution to most problems, he packs his aether pistol—just in case.

Trouble finds them in Abydos. Rafe and Ned begin to wonder if they're facing opposition to the Temple of Seti being disturbed. What begins as tricks and pranks escalates to attacks and death, while the figure of the Dog—the jackal-headed god, Anubis, ruler of death—casts a long shadow over the desert sands. Destruction follows in his wake as he returns to reclaim his place in Abydos. Can Rafe and Ned stand against both the god and House plots when the life of Ned's son is on the line?

Excerpt

I like kissing.

Like Ned, Iíd spent years in hiding. His constraint had been matrimony and the sense of honor and duty that would never have allowed him to be unfaithful to the mother of his sons. Only her untimely death had released those bonds. Mine had been less noble: I had no desire for a court-martial and a dishonorable discharge from Her Imperial Majestyís Aero Corps. Most of my encounters over the years had been quick and furtive, but Iíd taken every chance I could to practice my technique.

I not only liked kissing, I was good at it.

Fast little kisses to start with, kisses that barely made contact with the skin of Nedís throat, kisses meant to tease. He tilted his head back to let me in, closing his eyes. His mouth opened on a soft sigh. I hoped he was giving himself up to the pleasure, losing himself in it, that nothing mattered to him at that moment except the feel of my mouth on his throat and lips. I hoped so. I wanted to please him.

I kissed and licked the delicate skin under his ear until he choked with laughter at the tickling. He tightened his grip on my hands and tugged at them until I raised my head. Ha! Heíd lulled me into trusting him there and took full advantage of it. He swooped to capture my mouth with his, cutting off breath and thought, bringing a dizzying warmth with his hot tongue, and making me moan.

Of course, they were very manly moans.

5 Stars!

Lancaster's Luck is a series with an intricate world-building, set in Victorian England, and fantastic characters you so don't want to miss!

The Gilded Scarab

Rafe Lancaster is the best pilot in Her Majesty's Imperial Aero Corps, but after an accident, he's discharged from service and has to find a new job. He's part of one of the minor Houses, the Straivagor, but refuses to just play into the House dynamics and ask them for help. Still, he's forced to ask them for monetary aid when he gets the chance of buying a coffee house he's been frequenting.

He meets Edward Fairfax at the most elegant molly house in Londonium and the two spend the most wonderful night together. However, Edward is leaving to spend several months on an expedition in Aegypt. When Edward returns, it turns out he's Ned Winter, the First Heir to Gallowglass, the most powerful house in the Imperium.

I adored Rafe! He's such a lovable character and the narrator of the series, his voice is just amazing, sarcastic and arrogant (rightly so, too), but charming as all hell. He always seems to land on his feet, even when at first it wouldn't appear so. I really liked Ned, too, he was really sweet and loyal. And together Rafe and Ned were amazing, complementing each other perfectly, in and out of the bedroom. I adored that despite the unconventional beginning of their relationship, once they met again, Ned insisted on taking things slow and they invested time into getting to know each other and becoming great friends.

This book has a very intricate plot and while not all things were resolved here, there's another book in which they do. I suggest, if possible, to read them back to back, even if I was left with a huge hangover, it was so worth it.

The Jackal's House

The Jackal's House is the continuation of the series and I really don't suggest reading it as a standalone. Not only will you be missing out on the fantastic world-building, but on a great book.

Ned and Rafe were amazing and I absolutely adored them together. I enjoyed Rafe's interactions with Ned's son, as well. It was sweet.

This book has an even more intricate plot than the first one, what with the whole expedition and someone wanting to sabotage it, the fact that someone wants to kill Rafe and Ned's son being kidnapped. It was all so interesting and engaging and I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. And while I guessed some of it, the rest was mindblowing!

Anna Butler's writing is stellar, the imagery is very vivid and the characters are fantastic. Even if you don't like historical books or steampunk, this is a series that you shouldn't miss!

*Copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*

October 30 - Love Bytes
November 1 - Nerdy, Dirty & Flirty
November 3 - Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Novel Approach
November 6 - RJ Scott
November 7 - Gay Book Reviews
November 8 - MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Jim's Reading Room
November 9 - Alpha Book Club
November 10 - Drops of Ink, Bayou Book Junkie, Padme's Library

Anna was a communications specialist for many years, working in various UK government departments on everything from marketing employment schemes to organizing conferences for 10,000 civil servants to running an internal TV service. These days, though, she is writing full time. She recently moved out of the ethnic and cultural melting pot of East London to the rather slower environs of a quiet village tucked deep in the Nottinghamshire countryside, where she lives with her husband and the Deputy Editor, aka Molly the cockerpoo.