I’ve gone down a rabbit hole in the last few months. I blame Grace Burrowes and a random comment she made on Facebook about a new book coming out last year. This book, What the Devil Knows by C.S. Harris, was a casual mention in my feed upon its release. I read the synopsis and decided to give it a try. It sounded interesting. This was a mistake.

There are 16 of these things. About to be 17 in 2022.

Now, my TBR pile is pretty big. Two paper boxes full, plus the ones I buy from the authors I am dedicated to.

It took me a few months to order the first one Sebastian St. Cyr book. I might have requested it for my birthday in July. Why do you need all this useless timeline information, you might ask. Well, its because in 7 short months, I’m on number 11. I’ve even preemptively bought a few in the series so that I won’t have to wait when I get there.

Could I have been done with all of them by now? Sure. Absolutely. I could have burned through these things in a couple of months they’re that good. But I’m older now, and I realize the value of anticipation and reveling in the bliss of a well told story. To draw this ou, I’ve been strategically slotting other books in-between so that I wouldn’t read them all at once and not have anything to look forward to. See, i’m smarter now.

From the author’s website:

Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries

Regency England. The age of Napoleon and Jane Austen, of Beau Brummel and Lord Byron. Ladies wear filmy dresses and dampen their petticoats, while gentlemen duel with pistols at dawn and agonize over the cut of a coat. Fortunes are won and lost at the turn of a card, a decades-old war has turned Europe into a ravaged battlefield, and in London, a child of six can still be hanged for stealing a handkerchief.

This is the world of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. Heir to an earldom, disillusioned Army officer, latter day knight errant.

A master of disguises. Sebastian moves easily from the ballrooms of Mayfair to the rookeries of St. Giles, from the exclusive men’s clubs of St. James’s to the dangerous docks of the Thames.

Think Mr. Darcy with a James Bond edge…

One – I love Darcy. Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite books. I’ve read it multiple times. I have three copies. Don’t judge. I have my reasons. One is the original copy I bought in my 20’s. The smell is amazing and the binding is perfect. I bought a second because the cover was beautiful-keep your snarky comments to yourself. I bought the third in graphic novel form…because I could.

Two – I LOVE James Bond. In an almost uncool way. I’ve read all the books through Zero Minus Ten. I had to stop there because it was really really bad. And Let me tell you, I’ll read some horrible shit. I have all the Ian Flemings in the original paperback and the John Gardner books (which might be better than the Ian Fleming-but let’s keep that to ourselves).

As you can see, the Sebastian St. Cyr books are a perfect match to my tastes. This series is like cocaine to me.

Now I’m just wondering if they’re on audible and if I want to make that investment…

Ugh, they are. I have regrets for looking now. I guess all my extra audible credits will be going to C.S. Harris for the forseeable future. ARGH!