Today is week three of our readalong of Ashes of Honour (October Daye #6) by Seanan McGuire  The schedule is over on Goodreads and this week I am hosting the questions.  With the customary warning about potential spoilers lets get straight to the Q&A.

So Duchess Riordan is indeed involved in Chelsea’s disappearing acts – a plot which coincides with Samson’s efforts to remove Tybalt from power and “remove” Toby with him … Do you think Samson and Riordan are in cahoots somehow?

Oh my – I never even considered that but now the question has been asked it makes sense!  Riordan was speaking to a man on the phone when Toby was earwigging the conversation so that could have been Samson.  I’ve become so used to the Queen of the Mists being oddly involved with things or acting strange that I tend to always look in her direction when things go wrong and this has probably blinkered me a little and stopped me considering other people’s involvement.

Speaking of Toby and Tybalt … Not so much a question, but let’s discuss THAT confession from Tybalt!

Well – that little confession clears up so much.  For example, why Tybalt originally disliked Toby due to her changeling nature.  And, more than being revealing it just helps to build up more of a picture of Tybalt – not to mention just how long he’s actually been around. Plus it feels like the air has been cleared – there’s really nothing standing between Toby and Tybalt now!  These two do make a great couple.  I liked the remarks in the book – that Connor was in love with ‘Toby the girl’ but Tybalt is in love with ‘Toby the woman’ – I’m not quoting there but there was definitely something along those lines and I thought it was spot on.  Toby and Connor were together in a strange hankering after ‘what was’.  It never felt right for either of them really – more like they were clutching at straws.  I certainly didn’t want Connor to die mind you – but there it is!

Meanwhile, Officer Thornton’s last appearance was not so random. Do you think he might know more than Toby realises about what’s going on, or does he just suspect something more?

The feeling I’m getting from Officer Thornton is that he doesn’t believe Toby.  He knows that something is wrong but just not what or why?  That’s the way he comes across to me at least.  Like turning up at Toby’s house for example – he’s obviously looking into her because otherwise how would he know where she lived?  That being said – I don’t like that he’s looking into her!!  I don’t really know what his role is going to be in all this – I’m not getting a bad vibe but I can’t help feeling a little bit suspicious.  I’m hoping though that maybe Officer Thornton might be a future ally for Toby – he could certainly be very helpful in future cases – in the same way, he could, of course, be very unhelpful.

Lastly, I need to mention that last encounter between Toby and Luna, in which things seem far less cosy at Shadowed Hills than they once were. What do you make of Luna’s reactions, and Toby’s responses to them? Is Toby in the right, or do you think Luna’s not being entirely unreasonable?

At first I was thinking this was strange but now I’m not so sure.  It’s always felt as though something strained the relationship between Luna and Toby.  At the back of her mind maybe Luna blames Toby for not actually succeeding in rescuing her and more to the point Rayseline?  I also sometimes get the impression that Luna maybe dislikes the close relationship that Toby and Sylvester enjoy.  Plus, at the end of the day, Luna did send Toby into a situation that would more than likely end up with her death.  That must cross Toby’s mind as well – it just feels like the two of them really need to clear the air and speak their minds.  As it is it feels as though Toby has hardened a little towards Luna and it feels very much as though Luna has withdrawn into herself.  I hope the two of them figure it out – they do have a lot of history between them and not all of it is good but I think they could work it out if the desire to do so was there.