Review Tour & Giveaway: Chronos Warlock (Chronos Chronicles, #2) by Shami Stovall

CHRONOS WARLOCK

by

Shami Stovall

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess Fish Promotions.

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Capital Station Books
Publication Date: November 21, 2024
Page count: 420 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

Adair Finch, the most powerful warlock in the world, is back in business!

 

But first he must complete his pact with a mischief spirit by finding her a human body. Seemingly no easy task, as the mischief spirit is beyond picky about her future body. But on his way to Oakland, Finch stumbles upon the dead body of a social media star—both a solution and a major problem.

 

Oakland is teeming with werewolves, full moon witches, vampires, and redwood elves, most of whom aren’t on good terms with Finch. Navigating the supernatural world to gather clues about the murder is hard enough, but now Finch must also dodge old enemies and rivals. And to make matters worse, the murderer just might be trailing Finch, now that he’s found the body.

 

Good thing Finch has a pact with Chronos. With time on his side, perhaps he can do the impossible…

 

Continue this urban fantasy series in the second book of the Chronos Chronicles!

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

The luxury nightclub was stunningly beautiful. The chandeliers wept crystals, lush black rugs were made of some of the softest material Finch had ever stepped on, and the gentle golden lighting gave everything an expensive feel. Soft jazz music played from speakers in the ceiling, rounding out the ambience.

           

It was a place so fancy, even the perfectly spherical ice cubes in everyone’s drinks had pedigrees.

 

The clientele was also in a league of its own. The moment Finch took in a deep breath, he knew everyone here was supernatural in some way. While some looked completely human, magic radiated from them like heat off a heat lamp.

 

Plus, there was a werewolf behind the bar.

 

Not like the bouncer outside, who had to remain in human form. No, this bartender was a full-blown anthropomorphic wolf. He stood on two legs, his black fur lustrous over a body made of pure muscle. He wore a suit tailored for his lycanthrope body, his little vest a shade of gray that complemented his ebony fur.

 

He even had a tail hole in his pants, so his large and bushy tail could wag around, unhindered.

 

And the bar had clearly been built to accommodate a beast nearly eight feet tall. It was larger, more spacious, and made of material that wouldn’t easily be scratched by the man’s claws.

 

His long muzzle and pointed ears really gave him the silhouette of a wolf, but his dark eyes were alight with human intelligence. And having dark eyes was a good thing—only werewolves with red eyes could spread the lycanthrope disease. If this wolf lost his temper and bit everyone here, there was no chance of a werewolf outbreak. Oakland had had too many of those already.

 

The wolf’s ears shifted in Finch’s direction as Finch walked over. The beast turned to greet him with a fang-filled smile.

 

“Good evening,” the werewolf said, his voice rich and confident. “You seem familiar, but I don’t think I’ve seen many warlocks in these parts. Take a seat. I’ll pour you something smooth.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators, or hugging John.

If you want to contact her, you can do so via email at s.adelle.s@gmail.com or at the following locations:

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REVIEW:

5 stars!!!

Adair Finch returns, and this time, he’s brought friends. 

Chronos Warlock is the second book in author Shami Stovall’s wonderful paranormal mystery series, The Chronos Chronicles, and this follow-up may be even better than the debut! Finch forms a team to track down an old client’s erring wife, who turns out to be deep in debt at an exclusive Oakland gambling casino run by some shady redwood elves. 

While fulfilling his bargain with the mischief spirit, Kull, to find her an appropriate human body to assume, they discover the body she selects is the victim of murder. But before they can figure out that story, Finch is approached by a client from his and his brother’s past. The man believes his wife is cheating on him, and Finch quickly finds that although the man is wrong, the wife is still in big trouble. As he and Kull investigate, they run across Enzo, a former star Oakland PD detective from the Finch brothers’ past, who faked his death after becoming infected by a werewolf, fearing the accompanying uncontrollable rage would harm his family or coworkers. Together, they work to solve the wife’s problem with the elves and find out who wants Kull’s new body dead. 

The trio is a fine mesh of personalities, backstories, hopes, and dreams, with Finch as their understanding friend, mentor, and, at times, savior. All three have their sorrows and regrets, and there are several poignant moments as they deal with the results of their past choices, some quite emotional. I enjoyed each individual character for their strengths and willingness to be there for each other, and I loved their camaraderie and growth as a unit. 

The plot device of rewinding time is fascinating, though, on occasion, I wished the rewind would begin at a point later in the story. However, it wouldn’t have served the plot to do so, and understanding this eased the repetition. Also, the author made great choices in varying the characters’ responses to each new iteration of the do-over just enough to keep things fresh and interesting and progressing forward quickly. There were some epic plot twists throughout that had me gasping and grateful for Finch’s ability to start the story over. I enjoyed this match-up of characters so much that I hope there’s another book in the works soon! 

I recommend CHRONOS WARLOCK to readers of paranormal mysteries, especially those who enjoy a variety of supernatural beings and talents.

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Shami Stovall will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.