Sunday 6 August 2017

KitKat Reviews The Courtyard Clairvoyant Mysteries #Ace #LGBTQIA #Paranormal #Cozy #Mystery #Series

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZM1HG5?tag=dorishay-20
Title: The Courtyard Clairvoyant Mysteries Collection One
Author: J.J. Brass
Genre: LGBT / Psychic / Cozy
Status: Read
Cats?: Yes, but I don't want to talk about it.

KitKat Says:

I have a new favourite queer cozy mystery series and it's called The Courtyard Clairvoyant Mysteries.

What's so great about the Courtyard Clairvoyant? Well, first of all we've got an asexual aunt and her pansexual niece as main characters. Aunt Elise is currently recovering from a cornea transplant and guess what?  Turns out the cornea she received previously belonged to a psychic!  Now when she looks people in the eye, she can see what they're hiding.

What are you going to do when you find out you're suddenly psychic? You're going to solve mysteries, of course! Especially if you live on a small-town courtyard and your neighbours are all a bunch of gossipy (but mostly friendly) people.


My favourite of the four books I've read was the third in the series: I Spy a Courtyard Casanova.

In this book, Aunt Elise's former fiance arrives on the courtyard. It turns out she left him at the altar many years ago, and seeing him again brings out lots of messy feelings.

I love the way author J.J. Brass shows us this older woman coming to a greater understanding of what it means to be asexual, for her.  It's not like she's been identifying as ace for 50 years.  The idea of identifying as asexual and that there are other people in the world who are a lot like her is pretty new.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0741NKXLX?tag=dorishay-20
I also love the way her niece Val helps along the way. Life can be confusing for anybody, but for someone who is questioning her identity later in life, Elise sometimes feels really discombobulated. She admires the way her niece's generation can be so out and proud while she still feels a need to keep certain matters private.

The other thing I love most about I Spy a Courtyard Casanova is the mystery itself. It starts out looking like a simple theft, but we soon discover an art fraud ring going on right under their noses. Who doesn't love a good art forgery story, am I right?

There are cats in this series but I won't say too much about that. When you get to the fourth book in the series, I Spy a Wedding Dress Mess, you'll find out why.

I highly recommend The Courtyard Clairvoyant for any cozy mystery reader who wants a strong cast of queer characters. This series has got it all kinds of representation covered: characters who are genderqueer, ace, poly-pan, trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, the list goes on! There are even a few straight people in there too. 😛

If you want to sink your teeth into a cozy small-town mystery series with a hearty dose of queer representation, look no further. The Courtyard Clairvoyant Mysteries by J.J. Brass is the series for you!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZM1HG5?tag=dorishay-20