Review: A Case of Possession by K.J. Charles

A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies, #2) by K.J. Charles Published by KJC Books LGBT, fantasy, paranormal, historical, romance

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...

After The Magpie Lord, I had high hopes for A Case of Possession; I expected it to rise to new levels and have more development that the first book lacked. I wished that Lucien and Stephen's budding relationship would deepen and whisk me away, since I felt the potential was there. However, I found that A Case of Possession took a turn I didn't expect - or really enjoy.
The new mystery and plot still had me intrigued; there's blackmail, blood and murder. There's a plague of giant rats slaughtering people that Stephen has to investigate, while he's under suspicion of becoming a warlock. Pressure is building on Stephen's shoulders like no other, and Lucien is increasingly concerned of Stephen's disappearing acts, while dealing with blackmail. Certainly entertaining and kept me turning the page.
While Lucien and Stephen's relationship deepened and there was some beautiful scenes between them, the steamy scenes left me cold. Oh, it was passionate and dirty, but it was also kinky. It's a personal preference what anyone enjoys; I don't care much for kinky stuff, and while this still was relatively mild, it was something I don't like reading. Thus, I mainly skim read the steamier scenes and focused on everything else. However, it made me feel less invested into the relationship and well, bleakened the overall enjoyment. I have decided not to read the last book of the trilogy, because well, I'd rather dedicate my time for something that I enjoy all the way through and not romance, where I skip half of the scenes together. Still, I'd recommend this trilogy to anyone who finds it interesting. It's well written and entertaining, and this time it's wholly personal why I decided to drop it. Others seem to have enjoyed the aspects I didn't, so this truly is the case of its-me-not-the-book.
3 of 5 stars
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