Category: Genre

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Title: Song of Blood and Stone
Author: L. Penelope
Pub. Date: 1-May-2018
Rating: 2 Stars

The first thing that drew me to Song of Blood and Bone, by L. Penelope, was the cover art and once I read the blurb I was super excited to read.  Now I feel let down and under whelmed. I never felt a connection to the characters and the plot did not draw me in.

Normally, at this point I do a synapsis. Right now I am finding myself at a loss for words. This is so unlike me and speaks volume.  I usually have to control myself and not go on and on about what I have read. I should not be surprised since it took me three tries to finally get to the end. Continue reading “Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope”

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Title: The Book of M
Author: Peng Shepherd
Pub. Date: 5-Jun-2018
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Book of M, by Peng Shepherd, is a quirky, out-there, grab you by-the-pants debut novel. I think it will be one of those books that will leave readers thinking long after the last page has been turned. I predict some will be so-so about it and some will love it. Personally, I fall into the former and I will explain why later.

Sometime in the near future it will happen. People will start to lose their shadows and with it they slowly lose their memories. With the loss of memories comes the ability to perform a deadly and dangerous magic. It starts slowly with one man in India and as it spreads across the globe whole societies began to collapse. Continue reading “The Book of M by Peng Shepherd”

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

Title: Brightly Burning
Author: Alexa Donne
Pub. Date: 1-May-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne is a futuristic remake of Jane Eyre. At first it was kind of hard to wrap my head around the idea of Jane Eyre in space, but it worked. I am sure it helped that I am a fan of Science Fiction. Though the focus is on the story and not the science.

The setting is in the future when the Earth is covered in ice. This new ice age is a result of an eruption of a super volcano. All people that were able to evacuate did so, and now live in colony ships in Earth’s orbit. Stella is an engineer on one of these ships and stuck in a job she hates, on a ship that is on its last legs, and she wants off. She does have marketable skills and applies to various jobs in the fleet. Continue reading “Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne”

The Circumstantial Enemy by John R. Bell

Title: The Circumstantial Enemy
Author: John R. Bell
Pub. Date: 12-Oct-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Many kudos to John R. Bell for writing this wonderful historical fiction book loosely based on his father-in-law’s experiences during WWII. There is much to love about it and I especially enjoyed that the main character was from Croatia.  Most WWII novels I have read are set somewhere in Western Europe or Great Britain. We tend to forget about those countries that were eventually swallowed up by the USSR.

The main character, Vlatko Anton “Tony” Babic, is a one of the few pilots in the region with experience (though very limited) and he has great value to the Germans in the new Croatian Air Force Legion.  As his choices are presented, he finds he is left with no other option but to join and serve the Germans.

Continue reading “The Circumstantial Enemy by John R. Bell”

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr

Title: The Wounded Shadow
Author: Patrick W. Carr
Pub. Date: 3-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr is the third installment in the Darkwater Saga. It was a little slow going at first; but once I got into the story, I could not read fast enough. I predict this will be one of my favorites for the year.

There are so many things to say about this book I am not sure where to start. So, I am going to just jump right in with the world building, which has to be the most elaborate I think I have had the pleasure to read in a long time. In this way, it was reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The imagination, time and effort it took to construct this world is just mind boggling. The thought of how to keep it all straight while you are developing the plot is enough to give me a head ache.

Continue reading “The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr”

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Pub. Date: 24-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The gorgeous cover is what drew me to Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. After reading the blurb, I was like; I have to read this one. The story is a Vikingish YA fantasy with a heroine you will fall for within the first few pages. It is a beautifully crafted tale and I dare you not to get hooked by the end of the first chapter.

Eelyn is a warrior for the Aska clan and has been training since a young girl to fight their sworn enemy the Riki. She fights alongside her friend Myra and together they are fierce on the battle field. Until one day Eelyn almost gets killed by a young Riki warrior. Her brother, Iri, saves her. Yet, this cannot be possible, Iri died five years ago in another battle against the Riki. Continue reading “Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young”

The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp

Title: The City of Lost Fortunes
Author: Bryan Camp
Pub. Date: 17-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

I have always associated The City of Lost Fortunes with Las Vegas. Not anymore. Bryan Camp has forever changed that for me. His debut novel is packed with magic, the supernatural and occult of New Orleans and all of these other worldly elements come together to effect the fortunes of the characters in the most unanticipated ways.

Jude, a demi-god and would be magician, living in New Orleans, has been hiding and drifting ever since Katrina left New Orleans broken and a shadow of her former self. He has lost control over his magical gift that allows his to find lost things. That is until one day when the Fortune God, Dodge, calls in a favor that Jude owes him. Continue reading “The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp”

School for Physics by K. C. Archer

Title: School for Physics
Author: K. C. Archer
Pub. Date: 3-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

School for Physics by K. C. Archer is an explosive new urban fantasy series with a good dash of crime thriller on the side. It reads like a Harry Potter story for adults. I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire time and second guessing myself right to the very end.

Theodora Cannon, aka Teddy, lives in Las Vegas above the garage of her adopted parents’ house. After a series of very bad decisions she currently owes over a quarter of a million to a Russian loan shark. You are probably wondering how someone ends up in such a situation at so young an age. Simple, you like to gamble. Teddy has even gone so far as to “borrow” money from her parents’ retirement account. Continue reading “School for Physics by K. C. Archer”

River Rising by John A. Heldt

Title: River Rising
Author: John A. Heldt
Pub. Date: 20-Sep-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

River Rising by John A. Heldt is a historical fiction/fantasy novel set in 1888/89 and today. It follows the adventures of a time traveling family, who end up in the wrong place at the right time, as they attempt to find lost love ones and return to the present day.

Adam Carson, along with his siblings: Greg, Natalie, Cody and Caitlin, are devastated when their parents fail to return from a hiking trip. As time goes by, they are presumed dead. Then they find out the most unbelievable thing, their parents are time travelers. Continue reading “River Rising by John A. Heldt”

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Title: The Last Magician
Author: Lisa Maxwell
Pub. Date: 18-Jul-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell is full of surprises. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out the author would throw me another curve ball. By the end of the book I was wanting more. I want to know all about this world and more about characters, such as Dolph Saunders and Harte Darrigan. Their stories are begging to be told.

However, this story is about Esta. She is one of the few people remaining that have an affinity for real magic, one of the Magues, and a talented one at that. She can manipulate time. She is also a first class thief, she can steal anything. Her teacher and mentor has sent her back in time to steal the book Ars Arcana.  It is the definitive book on magic that contains the secret to destroy the Brink, the magical barrier around New York that lets Magues in, but not out. Continue reading “The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell”