To say I was beyond excited for this release is an understatement. And my excitement was not in vain! Molly Boys is exciting, dark, creepy, passionate, heartbreaking, immersive, and wonderful! The description "Ripper Street meets Penny Dreadful LGBTQ+ style" is perfect for this story! We have dreadful murders in 1885. We have the secret molly houses filled with the illegal passion of men loving on men. We have a ruthless murderer picking up beautiful men. We have a strong and talented police inspector sniffing out secrets and bad guys. We have a lord promised to the church but desperately fighting against the fate he never chose. We have a sweet little boy in the underbelly of the city just trying to survive alone. We have so many things!!!! I don't even know how to put into words the complexity and wonder of this book. Lord Everett Stanley. A second son with little choice in his future. A young man burying his pain and despair in the pleasure of men. His character was so wonderfully described and brought to life. Inspector Archibald Franklin. A good detective dedicated to his job. A man repressing and hiding himself to be able to do said job. Our two main characters hold so much potential in them, even just by these short descriptions. But when you add in the gruesome crimes they are both connected to, and the fact Ev's been targeted by the culprit, and the sizzling passion brewing between them, you get something extraordinary. There are just too many aspects of this book I like: 1. The characters, obviously. The author managed to assemble a set of wonderful characters that grip you with their personality, loyalty, and charm. 2. The mysterious crimes. The gruesome kind. The plot was eerily well executed. The little snippets of the crimes, the glimpses into the culprit's head, the frank and gory details provided during crime scene investigations, and in coroner reports all provided a mysterious and creepy atmosphere. 3. The queer history aspect. The additional angsty point in this book is the focus on the illegal status of queers. Several characters in the book are queer, who just want to be themselves in peace and are always threatened by discovery. It provides a very much heartwrenching aspect. 4. Jack. That sweet little boy is so precious. No other words are needed. 5. The underlying supernatural plot that is slowly built up in the novel. It's so subtle, but the tension is so well executed. As you can see, there is already so much of this book I loved, and I could sit here all night just listing things, but let this be enough incentive for you to read the book! When's the next one coming?