5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 271 pages. Published March 26th 2021
Blurb:
Levi Black has mostly recovered from the events of a year ago. The only lingering effects are that he’s much more well known in York than he’d like to be, and he’s a lot more cautious about walking around his house naked. However, those events brought him the capricious and fascinating Blue, so he’s not complaining. On the contrary, he’s happy, in love, and looking forward to Blue finally moving in with him. And if sometimes he wonders what Blue sees in a boring cartoonist, he keeps that to himself.
Blue Billings is finally ready to throw off the memories of his past and move in with the person who means the most in the world to him. His psychic abilities have grown in the last year to his mentor Tom’s consternation, but Blue is determined to look on the bright side. He’s also focused on ignoring all the warning signs that he’s received lately.
However, even deeply buried secrets have a way of rising to the surface. And when a surprise from Blue’s past turns up and draws them away to a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors, Levi and Blue must fight for their survival once again.
Likes:
- Hooked me fast and held my attention.
- More ghosts than the first.
- The tie-in with Blue’s personal history.
- Blue and Levi, together and separately.
- That both men still had worries about their relationship.
Dislikes:
- That Blue went to the quiet house in the first place.
- That Blue ignored his crow.
- That people like the house owner actually exist.
I reread The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings before starting The Quiet House, since Levi and Blue are the main characters of both books. It was a good choice, since I wouldn’t have remembered the little details of the relationship and lives otherwise. And while Levi and Blue were happily together at the end of book one, their relationship isn’t completely settled yet.
I really love Levi and Blue together. Their feelings are genuine, but they still banter a lot. In this book, despite everything they went through in the previous one, both men aren’t convinced that it will last. Blue’s past makes him worry that Levi will eventually abandon him. Levi, who was cheated on by his last partner, sees Blue getting more and more popular and wonders why someone as amazing as Blue is with someone as boring as him. Their worries felt realistic for them.
When a warning spirit shows up, Blue knows something big is coming. I was surprised who the ‘surprise from Blue’s past’ was, and the way the entire interaction played out, but was happy with the way things ended. It definitely had a hopeful feel to it.
What I wasn’t thrilled with was the fact that Blue went to the Quiet House in the first place. Everything was pointing to it being a bad idea, but Blue went anyway. And while I can understand why he did, I didn’t like it. Especially since the two people most important to him went along to keep him safe, and ended up in danger.
There were way more ghosts in this book than the first. I was hooked fast and stayed invested as more and more ghostly phenomenon occurred. It was so blatant that even someone like Levi, without any special ability, had run-ins with the ghosts. One of the biggest compliments I can give a book is being so caught up reading that I forget to take notes, and that happened with this book. No soggy middle here!
The sad thing is that there are people like the Viscount Ingram out there in real life. People who enjoy collecting and being around objects that have witnessed lots of human suffering. I found all of the less-than-pleasant side characters to be completely believable. The charlatans and faux ghost hunters were only out to make money and further their fame.
I hope we get more books about Blue and Levi. I’d also take a book about Will and Jem. Even though they were minor characters, they were both sweet.
Be sure to check out my review for the first book, The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings (Black and Blue #1)
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