Irregulars by Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Astrid Amara & Ginn Hale

Why I read it:  Brie has been telling me I need to read this book for ages.  The DABWAHA tourney moved it up the TBR pile.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  It’s a secret international organization operating in cities on every continent. It polices relations between the earthly realm and those beyond this world, enforcing immigration laws, the transfers of magical artifacts, and crimes against humanity.

The agents who work for the NATO Irregular Affairs Division can’t tell anyone what they do, or how hard they work to keep us safe. It brings a colorful collection of men together:

Agent Henry Falk, the undead bum. Agent Keith Curry, former carnivore chef turned vegetarian; Agent Rake, Babylonian demon with a penchant for easy living; and Agent Silas August, uncompromising jerk.

Four cities, four mysteries, four times the romance. Is your security clearance high enough to read on?

Cherries Worth Getting by Nicole Kimberling

I will admit I had not read even the blurb before starting this book.  I knew it was set in an alternate world and there were four stories each in the same world and each featuring an m/m romance.  That was it.  So the cannibalism issue came as a bit of a shock.  It's kind of Men in Black without as much humour (that's not a criticism).  Agent Keith Curry is paired with former lover Agent Gunther Heartman to investigate the "Cannibal Killings".  The investigation was slick and there was a kind of vague noir feel to it as well - sort of Watchmen-ish IMO.  As the first book in the anthology, this author had the responsibility to paint the first picture of the Irregulars world.  I thought it was very well done - no info dump, snippets of information that make the world more "real" - like the way goblins eat cigarettes rather than smoke them.  No doubt the world building will continue over the course of the book, but I thought the set up was very well done.

Bellskis 1 & 2 by Astrid Amara

Carol of the Bellskis 

Why I read it: This book (and the next) has been on my wishlist for a while and I was reminded of them again in the comments of a recent Vacuous Minx post.  So I went shopping.

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  Paralegal Seth Bellski is tired of being the secret lover of his boss, Lars Varga, founding partner of Finch & Varga Law. So when he asks Lars to spend Hanukkah with Seth's family at their kosher B and B in Whistler, B.C., and Lars refuses, Seth realizes he will never get his self-conscious boss out of the closet.

So Seth prepares to spend his Hanukkah holiday alone in the B and B. Instead he finds himself running the place, as his aunt and uncle are missing, and seven demanding, peculiar, and danger-prone guests have arrived. To make matters worse, Lars shows up, begging forgiveness. Lars's touches remind Seth of why he put up with his boss's behavior in the first place. If only the words that came out of that beautiful mouth were as sweet as his kisses.

But how can Seth find time to fix his broken relationship when the guests are demanding kosher, gluten-free diets, losing their pet terriers, and hitting their heads on the ice? Seth and Lars find themselves put through the paces of being a married couple, all while still broken up. But then again, if they can survive this Hanukah, maybe they'll be singing a carol of the Bellskis.

What worked for me (and what didn't): This fun Hannukah themed novella is told from Seth's first person POV.  Seth is a paralegal at Lars' law firm.  They've been together for a year but on the downlow and  Seth is tired of being a dirty little secret.  When Lars pulls out (har har) of a holiday to a family run B&B in Whistler for Hannukah, they break up and Seth goes alone.  When he arrives his aunt and uncle are nowhere to be found, guests keep arriving (with various special requests)  and Seth is beside himself.  When Lars turns up (lucky he happens to be a very good non professional chef), Seth accepts (albeit with reluctance) his help so that the guests have a decent Hannukah while he tries to locate his missing relatives.  In the meantime, Lars, having realised that if he doesn't make some big changes, he's going to lose Seth altogether, uses the holiday period to try and win Seth back and convince him Lars is a good bet.