I also had no idea where it was going, but really enjoyed it once my brain figured out what was going on!

YW! Happy to give other recommendations, I tried to provide fantasy/mystery romances I enjoyed in the last year or so as you'd mentioned you liked Catholic detective and fantasy.

I also highly recommend the Stariel series by A.J. Lancaster, gas lamp fantasy, magic, queer. Excellent narration too

Some of these are book 1 in a series, and I've enjoyed the whole series!

Not how I pictured it by Robin Lefler - RomCom, stranded on an island, Canadian!
A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong - Victorian, time travel, early forensic science, slow slow slow burn
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - early 1920s ish, fantasy, MM, save the world mystery adventure

I do! From my recent reads:
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams - contemporary, healthy masculinity, RomCom
Ghosted by Sarah Ready - contemporary, paranormal, RomCom
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland - Fantasy, MM
Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles - 1920s, MM, mystery
....

More up your alley and to ensure I include a woman, Agatha Christies And then there were none!

Asimov - I, robot is also under 300!

Kafka - the metamorphosis
Oscar Wilde - the Picture of Dorian Gray

Aw man! My library still has it on notify me,, this is making me debate preordering!

It's a very interesting question! Now that you've pointed it out I'll probably notice it more often. I don't think its more common in MM, it just caught my attention Subtle Blood, I didn't even notice it in R,W &RB. I don't track open/closed, so I don't have data to look back on 😢

I enjoy the vagueness, my imagination can fill in any missing blanks. Sometimes when sex is described in detail, I get caught up in logistics, wondering if bodies can actually physically fit in that position, etc.

Oh, I've read a few that are open door without being explicit! Subtle blood, book #3 of the will darling series by K.J. Charles comes to mind (also MM romance), but I could be recalling incorrectly. I can't think of any MF examples off the top my head, but they're out there.

I'll check it out, thanks for the rec!

Yup, along with mass production, standardization, and accelerated scientific discovery. Railways, telegraphs, gas and water systems, etc.

I'd recommend the whole series!

I really enjoyed Light From Uncommon Stars! I'll check out the others 😁

💙📚