Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Interlude 
SERIES: Snow & Winter Collection
AUTHOR: C.S. Poe
PUBLISHER: Emporium Press
LENGTH: 149 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 8, 2021
BLURB:
Interlude is a collection of short stories spanning the complete timeline of the Snow & Winter series, beginning with The Mystery of Nevermore, to after the conclusion of The Mystery of the Bones. They feature the point of view of Sebastian Snow and Calvin Winter and consist of mini mysteries, as well as scenes from daily life.
Please note: While many of these titles were previously made available for free to readers, they have all since been rewritten, expanded, and edited for this collection. Several shorts are brand-new and exclusive, including Someone’s in the Wall, St. Louis What Now?, and Trope: Only One Bed.
REVIEW:
Note: These stories and vignette take place between the timeframes of the series books and as such do contain spoilers. They are best enjoyed in context around the rest of the series books 🙂
Oh what an absolutely delightful visit with some favorite characters! I really enjoyed a second look at some of these previously released short stories and I particularly liked that there are some new offerings here as well. There are eleven shorts in this collection that range in order from just after the end of The Mystery of Nevermore (Dopamine: Take Only as Directed) to a “current” story post the events of The Mystery of the Bones (Trope: Only One Bed) when Calvin and Seb are in a more stable place 🙂
Some of these stories are definitely on the smexy side, for example Lunch Date (a nooner at the Emporium) and Roger, Houston (an unexpected layover on a delayed honeymoon). Both of these contain a healthy dose of comedy too 🙂 There are the unexpected surprise stories, such as Credit Scores and Cohabitation which leads to Calvin and Seb finally finding a new apartment after the struggle of living in Calvin’s studio post the loss of Seb’s place. I also loved the homage to Romance cons in St. Louis What Now? Plus there are some old favorites with a little bit of a tie in to a Romance con in The Ghost of Durango.
These stories also give us to opportunity to visit with favorite secondary characters in the series. These include Quinn, Calvin’s partner and Max, Seb’s ever solid employee at the Emporium. These characters try to keep Calvin and Seb from getting into even more trouble – usually with little success 🙂 Seb’s father continues to be a support for both Calvin and Seb. Beth, the bookstore owner of the business next to the Emporium is her usual curmudgeonly self. And of course we can’t forget Neil, Seb’s former boyfriend and NYPD CSI guy. What’s really nice here is we get to see Neil interacting with both Seb and Calvin. I’m still waiting for his story 🙂 Hint, hint!!!
Overall, this is a wonderful collection of the slices of life that make up Calvin and Sebastian’s relationship outside of the murder mysteries. I wouldn’t call them staid or calm – because I don’t think these guys will ever fall into that kind of life. There is also something going on with them that will keep things interesting and engaging. I know the main series is over, but I hope that we will get to drop in on this couple in the years to come to see how they are faring as they navigate life in the Big Apple as a married couple. Highly recommended for any fan of this series – you will love more time with these beloved characters 😀
RATING: 
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