Book Review Alert: Boxset one: The Lucas Rathbnone Mysteries 1-5 by Saffron Amatti

Reviewed: August 14th, 2021
Released: January 31st, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Lucas Rathbone talks to ghosts.

Well, ghosts talk to Lucas. He’d rather they didn’t.

But it’s solve murders or be haunted forever, and he has enough of that as it is.

In the first five Lucas Rathbone Mysteries, Lucas must solve crime to rid himself of ghosts, avoid a ruthless gang he accidentally crossed, and stop people meeting a untimely death, all while battling for a love with the odds stacked against it.

What could go wrong?

I love cozy mysteries and this boxset of Lucas Rathbone mysteries set in the 1920’s is perfect for a nice evening of gentle reading. Read More…

Book Review Alert: The Companion’s Tale by Astrid VJ

Reviewed: August 12th, 2021
Released: July 9th, 2021
Genre: Fantasy

The Companion’s Tale is one of The Wordmage’s Tales, accompanying The Apprentice Storyteller. The apprentice has learned from master storyteller, Viola Alerion, and now he performs these classic tales from the Haldrian Empire in his own right.

Elaine is thrown in the deep end and her life unravels before her eyes when the princess she serves dies in a tragic accident. All of a sudden, Elaine doesn’t have a purpose. Alone and drifting, she realises the princess’ death may not have been an accident at all, and things spiral even further into chaos.

Can Elaine find herself in the midst of it all, or will she let the stream tug her into yet another life not of her choosing? And what of Raymond Dart, the king’s chief investigator with a reputation for being the hardest, most intimidating man in the kingdom? Is the kindness he shows Elaine real or is he acting to get her to confess to a crime she did not commit? Elaine doesn’t know what to believe and her life could be on the line if she misses a step. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Needlework by Bekah Berge

Reviewed: August 11th, 2021
Released: June 20th, 2021
Genre: YA Fantasy

Four musicians vie for a coveted spot on the main stage at the prestigious Olive Branch Music and Arts Festival.

For as long as she can remember, Melly has only been good at one thing: making music. From the instant she got her fingers on a flute and tambourine, music had transformed her life and become a way for her to express the hidden desires of her heart. And like every artist in the realm, joining the illustrious Olive Branch Music and Arts Festival was her ultimate dream.

When Hakim encounters Melly singing in a grubby tavern, his world stops for the briefest of moments. For Hakim, it was as clear as the sky on a sunny day—her voice was what his band, Needlework, had been missing. On a whim, a deal is struck. Soon Melly finds herself whisked away with the band as they join the Olive Branch Festival for what promises to be one wild ride. Read More…

Book Review Alert: The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune

Reviewed: August 8th, 2021
Released: November 12th, 2019
Genre: Gay Fantasy Romance

Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam’s pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the king’s wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam’s 14, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At 15, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle – Knight Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can’t control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the king sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan’s boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have. Read More…

Book Review Alert: A Grim Affair by Rachel Stanley

Reviewed: August 5th 2021
Released: April 12th, 2021
Genre: Dark Fantasy

Wait! What? The Grim Reaper’s real?

Emma lives a normal life, so normal that even her own mother has been known to accuse her of being boring.

That is until the Grim Reaper starts haunting her dreams, and then her normal life becomes anything but. Not only is she stalked by Blake, the wickedly handsome ‘Keeper of Souls’, whenever she sleeps, but a mysterious stranger follows her every move during the day.

Despite the danger, Emma finds herself inexplicably drawn to the scythe carrying reaper. Will loving him be the death of her? And just who is the stranger who lurks in the shadows? Read More…

Book Review Alert: Shattered Moonlight by K.L Bone & Erin McFadden

Reviewed: August 4th 2021
Released: February 1st, 2021
Genre: Fairytale retelling

Every night, the wolf wailed his sorrow to the lonely moon.
Every sunrise, her heart echoed his mournful call.

**
Celine treads a worn path through the cursed wood to pray beneath the Hawthorn tree for her sister’s safe return. The trail is dangerous—her nightly pilgrimage is stalked by monsters who dwell in the murky shadows. One moonlit evening, the beasts come for her, yet instead of meeting death, Celine is saved by a fearsome wolf.

As Celine and her wolf develop an unlikely companionship, she begins to suspect the complex creature is more than he appears, and perhaps his fate is inexplicably tied to the kingdom’s curse.

When a handsome huntsman arrives intent on slaying her protector, Celine must face her fears to save her big bad wolf. Read More…

Book Review Alert: The Last Magus by Mark Piggott

Reviewed: August 1st, 2021
Released: May 18th, 2021
Genre: Comtemporary Fantasy

Marcus Gideon awoke at the crossroads outside the border town of Armändis. Lost, with no memory of his past life, he was stabbed through the heart and left for dead. His life was saved by a blacksmith’s kindness who replaced his damaged heart with a mechanical, magical miracle—a clockwork heart. The gears clicked, the motor spun, and his heart started beating again, powered by his own magical energy.

Gideon was alive, but his savior was no ordinary blacksmith. Henry Botàn was a Magus, hiding out in Armändis to protect the weapons within his magical armory. The swords, spears, and other-worldly artifacts were potent, some cursed and even forbidden to wield. His responsibility was to protect these weapons from falling into the wrong hands, but he was old and past his prime. He needed an apprentice, and Marcus Gideon may be the one he waited for. As Gideon searches for clues to his past, he looks toward his future and his fate in Attlain as THE LAST MAGUS. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Firebrand by Brandi Gann

Reviewed: July 20th, 2021
Released: February 27th, 2021
Genre: YA/NA Fantasy

Nineteen-year-old Aleria Edlind has always known that her fire would make her a valiant Lady Fayharrow, but when all that she loves burns to the ground, that spark inside must carry her through its ashes.

Firebrand is a YA fantasy romance that whisks readers off into a world of adventure, whimsy, and burning tension as Aleria collides with a group of fae warriors desperately searching for the cure to an ancient curse. When our spitfire heroine seems to be the key to unlocking those answers, she finds herself in a new land with new politics and a new man pretending not to steal glances in her direction.

Strap in for a magical tale with a little heat and a whole lot of heart as Brandi Gann weaves words as beautifully brassy and brazen as her protagonist. An entertaining, unassuming read to cozy up with at a time when we all need a little escape. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Witch Hazel and Wolfsbane by Emily Michel

Reviewed: July 15th, 2021
Released: February 5th, 2019
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

Annie doesn’t need anyone to rescue her from the things that go bump in the night, but when the Carter brothers barrel into her life, she might have what she needs to find her husband’s killer.

Thrown into a world of magic and monsters, Annika Turner pursues the creature that changed her life with relentless determination. When her only lead is killed in front of her by a pair of Hunters, she seizes the opportunity to learn from the battle-scarred brothers. Annie gets more than she bargains for when she falls for one of them.

Rhys and Owen Carter take a detour to a small Arizona town to stop a werewolf. The headstrong witch they save from the creature brings chaos into their lives when they decide to teach her about the things that go bump in the night. It might be the best idea ever or the worst, but they can’t let Annie face the monsters on her own. Read More…

Book Review Alert: Sojin by Cully Mack

Reviewed: July 12th, 2021
Released: June 26th, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy

Sojin is a free prequel novel from Cully Mack, set in the world of her A Voice that Thunders series.

Some dreams dig deep into the soul and never let go.

Before the gods, before the war, there lived a freckled-face little mugger called Sojin. He dreamed of growing into manhood, finding a wife and settling down. But that was before…

On the run, hiding from gods, giants and chimeric beasts, Sojin meets a new foe. Lestas, a brigand who demands Sojin pay his dues and join his band of runners. As Sojin strives to stay alive, he refuses to abandon a new dream. To kill the god who murdered his mother. Read More…