Splatter by E. Stuart Marlowe

Splatter by E. Stuart Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

British ex-pat, Jonathon Gale, has made a career in Hollywood as an envelope-pushing horror film director, and his current project, Incendiary, promises to be as on-the-edge as its predecessors. But before the first scene is even committed to film, weird things and tragic accidents begin to plague the production, and soon the rumor of the “curse” of Incendiary is born. With financial backers fading from the picture and accidents continuing to plague the cast, Jonathon realizes that he keeps running into this one particularly bitter and malevolent actress he had never chosen to cast in his films, at odd, random times and locations. Wondering if she may somehow be responsible for the troubles on and off the set, he decides to track her down for a confrontation. Pushing ahead with the wrap of the film within reach, the “curse” really starts to amp up.

Splatter was a roller coaster of a read for me; I couldn’t put it down! Even though I started out disliking the main character, I changed my mind as the story flew by. His partners, cast, and crew were interesting individuals, all with their quirks and well-written personalities. The simple mentions of places in Hollywood and LA were fun, and I loved the horror film standards used, such as the cabin in the woods for the story's climax and film’s resolution. The author and the “curse” throws everything at you!

I recommend this book as a fun take on the horror film genre, and I understand that there is a lot of realism in the depiction of the film industry for those interested in that. There is blood, gore, and adult situations, so this one is not for the kiddies.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Black Cats, Corpses, and The Pumpkin Pantry (Haunted House Flippers, #5) by Rachael Stapleton

Black Cats, Corpses and the Pumpkin Pantry: A Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery by Rachael Stapleton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Spirited Construction is engaged to renovate Sleepy Hollow Manor for Bronson Van Tassell in preparation for hosting the annual Bohemian Lake Halloween festivities, Junie and Jack Young look forward to sprucing up the historic 17th-century Dutch farmhouse. And, although the renovation proved simple enough, weird things begin to happen right away. Not only does Junie encounter an unusually strong female ghost at the manor, but also the spirit of a long-dead Hessian soldier from the American Revolutionary War still roams the grounds of the manor farm on his ghostly, black stallion in search of his missing head. It is rumored that catching sight of this frightening apparition foretells tragedy for the unlucky viewer. In addition, there is a mysterious feud going on between Bronson and two of his neighbors, all having to do with a past Halloween event when Bronson’s daughter had a terrible horseback riding accident, and a neighbor’s son disappeared.

When Bronson is startled into a mini-stroke by the appearance of the Headless Horseman and Junie is confronted by a burglar while alone at the manor, she takes matters into her own hands to figure out what’s going on and get it to stop.

Black Cats, Corpses, and The Pumpkin Pantry is book five and the final entry in the Haunted House Flippers storyline of the larger Bohemian Lake series, and author Rachael Stapleton really has Junie and Jack exiting center stage in grand style. Bohemian Lake is a well-developed little place, and the author states in the endnote, that Jack and Junie will still be around and make appearances in forthcoming series’ books, much like other characters from subplots appeared in this one: Eve Banter, Nelle Storey, Mallory Vianu, to name a few. Even the Mabels and the Victorian Ladies Club stopped in for a visit in this book.

This final episode starring the Youngs though, is full of action – continuous and non-stop. Maybe more than in any of the previous books, too, we get a good look into Jack and Junie’s life together, and it is good. They really have grown as a couple since their very first adventure.

And, like some of the other Bohemian Lake novels, this one looks into a classic story. It features the elements of Washington Irving’s famous tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (a particular pleasure for me as my hometown is named after Irving and celebrates his legacy with a variety of annual events.) The Bohemian Lake version of what happened to the characters of Sleepy Hollow fame is well done and complex. The mysteries are solid, and the resolution surprising but plausible. All in all, the combination of familiar characters, the riff on the old classic tale, and the Halloween setting make for an entertaining story.

I recommend that readers start with the first book in this series and continue reading in order of publication, but this one just might be able to stand on its own and still deliver the goods. However, if paranormal cozies are your thing, do yourself a favor and read the whole series from start to finish; they are certainly worth it.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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The Demon’s Fate – Kyle Belote

The Demon's Fate by Kyle Belote
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An action-filled, space adventure with an amnesia-stricken crew!

I was immediately attracted to The Demon’s Fate because of its beautiful cover and unusual premise: the crew of a small spacecraft awakens not knowing who they are, where they are going, or why. The only information the ship’s artificial intelligence (AI), SAVI, can give them is general; all other information is classified and inaccessible without the ship commander’s (who has amnesia) passcode. Asking the right questions of the AI, the crew determines that they are fleeing the last planet they visited with a beautiful, alien artifact aboard, and one of their members was left behind.

There are five crew members on the small ship, and the author gives each one a distinct and well-defined personality. I could easily see each one in my mind as if I knew them. As the story goes on and the crew begins to remember things, the characters remain faithful to the personalities that they awoke with, although, some have hidden strengths that come forth when needed. I liked each of the characters, including the ship’s AI and the synth, Emma.

The action takes place both aboard ship, and later in the book, on the planet, Celestia 6. The ship itself is well described, and I had no trouble seeing the layout of things. It is a small craft, but that just made it feel homey, familiar, and comfortable. The author created a planet with a variety of terrain and populated it with alien peoples and some crazy, wild creatures. The world-building included giving readers a glimpse into the aliens’ past and current life as well. And the bad guys are evil, making some decisions that are made later in the story very difficult.

With so much happening action-wise, you wouldn’t think that the story would have room for moral dilemmas, but it does: several, in fact. Without giving away the plot, the ship’s commander must puzzle out problems regarding artificial intelligence and synthetic humans, getting information out of an enemy combatant, and weighing the pros and cons of risky actions.

The Demon’s Fate is one of those books that I think would make a great action film and would have been the great start of a series (I would totally get the next one.) There are some unanswered questions at the end of the story. I recommend this book to science fiction readers. There are sexual situations (and the subject of sexual assault is a major plot point, in case that is a reader’s aversion), so this is for a mature audience.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Terra’s Fate (The Darkest Day, #3) by Danielle Forrest

Terra's Fate by Danielle Forrest
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Terra Wilson, a long out-of-work clerical employee, is glad to finally receive an interview at NASA, but during her pre-employment physical, it is discovered that unknown to her, she is actually a shifter, a non-human, and shifters are outlawed. She is tossed into a shifter internment camp, shocked and hopeless, until she witnesses the tragic arrival of a shifter toddler named Annie who has been torn from her human family and dumped, alone, into the same camp. Taking Annie into her care, Terra now has a mission: protect Annie and get them both out of the camp!

Using her newly discovered shifter skills, Terra escapes one night with Annie in her arms and immediately runs into Shandor Jackson, himself a shifter, who takes them to the clandestine shifter caravan encampment where he lives. As Terra fitfully works out her thoughts and feelings about being a shifter, and Annie settles into the life of the caravan, Jackson finds himself becoming more and more enamored of the pair and the idea that they could become a family. All the while, the human world is gearing up for the fight for their very existence as the evil alien army approaches the planet intent on wiping out the human race and taking Earth for themselves.

I really enjoyed this 3rd addition to The Darkest Day series by author Danielle Forrest. Terra's Fate runs concurrently to the story chronicled in the series second book, Tristan's Choice, however the characters from the previous novels are only peripheral at first. New characters give the reader an insight into what is happening on Earth and what society in America is like during this time frame. The two stories dovetail and wrap up the storylines begun in both of the previous series books.

I highly recommend this entire series, and readers should start with Mila's Shift and continue reading in order of publication. Each book builds on what came before. For those that read and enjoyed the previous two in the series, this one will satisfy all your questions and entertain at the same time.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.


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Sweet Saboteur (The Cozy Café Mysteries, #1) by C.A. Phipps

Sweet Saboteur by C.A. Phipps
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid cozy mystery that will also satisfy your sweet tooth!

When the Finch sisters’ mother, Lilac, passed away, she left the girls heartbroken, saddled with a mountain of debt, and the owners of the Cozy Café, her much-loved bakery in Cozy Hollow, Oregon. The eldest sister, Scarlett, was born to follow in her mother’s footsteps and loved the bakery, but the two younger girls, Violet and Ruby, felt trapped, tied to the café, and longed to hang up their aprons and follow their dreams. But the bakery was just barely breaking even, making little headway on overcoming their debt, and their tenure seemed to stretch out endlessly into the future.

Most of the residents of the small town had loved the girls’ mother, and they rallied around them, providing as much business as they could, but there were a few folks that for unknown reasons did everything in their power to make a tough situation worse. One of the most outspoken opponents was the town’s mayor, Arthur Tully. After the death of the Finch sisters' father, Arthur had pursued the new widow and been firmly refused. Also heading up the Finches’ detractors is Arthur’s political ally on the town council, Mabel Norris, the town’s librarian.

When things at the bakery begin to look dire, Scarlett goes to the library to ask Mabel to hire Ruby as her assistant. However, Scarlett discovers the librarian’s body on the floor of a backroom, dead with a cupcake from the Cozy Café at hand appearing to have poisoned the woman. Scarlett is cleared, but another poisoning attempt is made with a cupcake soon after, and the mayor is telling anyone and everyone that the Finch sisters must go!

Sweet Saboteur is the charming debut novel in a new series, The Cozy Café Mysteries, by successful author C.A. Phipps. The three sisters, Scarlett, Violet, and Ruby are all sweet, go-getters that I could really get behind. They’ve had a rough time of it, losing both parents as well as caring for their mother during her long illness leading up to her death. None has been able to spread their wings and fly free, and now, due to circumstances, they are tied to a life that only one of the sisters finds desirable. But, they have a strong love for each other and a reasonably good support system helping them hang in there in their Aunt Olivia and the townspeople who have known them all their lives.

The bad guy in all of this, the mayor, is an awful person. Every chance he gets, he’s there bad-mouthing the girls, and he is a character that is easy to boo and hiss. The local paramedic, Sam Drake, and Sheriff Nathaniel "Nate" Adams provide delightful, potential love interests for two of the sisters, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series to see how those relationships pan out and if a third eligible bachelor makes an appearance.

I recommend this book to cozy mystery readers, especially those that enjoy a culinary storyline. The author provides a number of recipes for some delicious sounding sweets at the end of the book.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Scones and Scoundrels (Scheming Spires Mysteries, #1) by Charlotte Graham

Scones and Scoundrels by Charlotte Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There was just so much to be delighted by in Scones and Scoundrels that I think this will be a series I will look forward to each new installment.

A year after the death of her husband of 30 years, Georgina Strange follows her dream of attending Oxford to read English. But after only a few days on campus, she becomes embroiled in a murder investigation – one in which SHE is the prime suspect. After an early morning walk through campus, Georgina finds the body of an obnoxious, fellow student, Dexter Ellis, in the quad courtyard with one of her homemade scones from a campus bake sale stuffed in his mouth. Unfortunately, only the day before she had been overheard telling the man she didn’t care if he choked on it! When all other suspects are able to come up with solid alibis for their whereabouts at Dexter’s time of death and the chief inspector on the case zeroes in on her, she takes matters in her own hands to prove her innocence.

I enjoyed that the protagonist, Georgina Strange, is an older woman, a recent widow, setting out on a new phase of her life – a life without her beloved husband, Simon, and a life at university. The friends she makes are a diverse group of people all older (some just a bit) than the traditional student. She’s excited and optimistic about this new chapter of her life yet a little intimidated by the university experience as a whole. (I groaned just thinking about how I’d feel about returning to school and hitting the books again at my age.) She has guts and nerve! I particularly liked the character Lucy Saunders, her free-spirited flatmate, and new best friend.

The question of who murdered Dexter Ellis is a solid mystery, and it was easy to follow Georgina’s thinking and actions to try and clear her name. I wasn’t crazy that the chief inspector seemed utterly convinced that Georgina was the only real suspect and didn’t seem to investigate anyone else on his own initiative. He does redeem himself some as time goes on, and his character developed a little bit more. However, the murder wasn’t the only mystery involved in the book. Many other things were going on besides, and thankfully, these are wrapped up by the end of the book, so no unsolved cliffhangers.

Besides the murder, Georgina also confronts her first year of study, and I enjoyed the story of her going to tutorials, writing her essays, and becoming part of university life. An interesting subplot is Georgina’s awareness that as a mature woman, she had to face down some stereotypes from others while realizing she, too, has been guilty of stereotyping some of her fellow students herself. Also, she is still feeling her way through life after a year of widowhood. In this unfamiliar location, she is introduced to new people, including men, who do not know her as Simon’s widow but as an attractive woman. She is unsure about dating at this point but does consider the possibility, and there is a candidate or two provided in the story for her future consideration.

The author included nice details of the Oxford setting, making it feel more and more familiar as the book went along. The little mentions of the fall leaves, and the rain made it even more vivid in my mind.

This is the first book in the series, Scheming Spires Mysteries, and I hope to see many more like this one. I recommend this book for cozy mystery readers, especially those that enjoy a more mature amateur sleuth.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

See my original review on Reedsy Discovery!

Melkor & Purity 2 (Melkor & Purity, #2) by Kim Faulks

Melkor & Purity: Book Two by Kim Faulks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Picking up where the first book left off, we get a taste of the training the hunter, Alma, is giving to Purity. Both are working long and hard, but Purity is struggling somewhat with using the portals until suddenly it just clicks for her. She and Melkor are teamed up and introduced to Redemption, an Unseelie warrior, and their first order of business is to help find the mother of one of Purity’s fellow students from her high school.

Jesse is one of the high school bullies from book one, and he begs Purity and Melkor for help in rescuing his mother, who had been taken by one of the Soulless, an action that none of the hunters had ever heard of them doing before; they grab and kill only. In tracing the mother’s movements on the day of her disappearance, Purity and Melkor discover she is peripherally involved in the theft of the keys of Hell.

This story just keeps getting better and better. Purity, on her own, is beginning to show some depths to her character that just weren’t visible when with her family. She and Melkor are both growing into a more mature relationship with each other as well, and this developing storyline provides much of the entertainment, the smiles and laughs I had while reading. I enjoyed how each experienced some nervous anxiety over their close proximity to each other, the worry over there only being one bed in the apartment, Melkor’s fumbling with how to approach Purity during their brief hiatus before going out to find Jesse’s mother and the keys. And yet, they still had some less than adult moments as in the car race with Jesse back to the apartment. The voice of the unknown Unseelie in Purity’s mind and the appearance of Unblessed were unsettling and an excellent addition to the story.

I listened to the Audible audio edition of this book read by Heather Murdoch for HotGhost Productions so much that I will be looking for more books she has narrated. She has a great voice and a range and talent to distinguish a wide range of characters, both male and female.

I highly recommend this series as a whole. Book 2 does not stand alone. I think young adult readers and readers that like paranormal romance with younger protagonists would enjoy these the most.

I look forward to the upcoming publication of Book 3.

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Melkor & Purity (Melkor & Purity, #1) by Kim Faulks

Melkor & Purity by Kim Faulks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One year, Purity Jane Anderson sent her Christmas wish letter to Satan. She wanted a puppy. Lucifer gave her a hellhound.

I found this the first book in the Melkor & Purity series to be very entertaining, smart, and creative. Although presenting a vision of Hell similar to that described by Dante, we meet a Lucifer he certainly never envisioned – he almost seems like a pretty decent guy. In fact, the story really begins when he tries to fulfill Purity Jane Anderson’s Christmas wish for a puppy but, as he sees something intriguing in the young girl, he hooks her up with a hellhound of approximately the same age level.

Purity and Melkor grow up together as friends with frequent play dates and I thought the characterizations of the two leads when children very amusing. Purity is a lively, mischievous child, a real handful for her very traditional parents, and Eric is the bratty little brother we all grew up with.

I liked how the author developed their characters as they aged. They expressed the same kind of moodiness, angst, and withdrawal from their families to become independent units pretty much the same as most teens display. Bullied at school for being overweight, Purity has lost some of her earlier sass and is burdened with low self-esteem. And when high school graduation arrives and their friendship has grown to more, both struggle with communicating their desire to leap friendship to love.

But there is more to their story, Purity is fated to become a hunter and Melkor is a hellhound and both are meant to protect, to stand between the horrors of Hell and this world. I look forward to reading more about Purity’s training to take up her destiny and Melkor taking his place in Lucifer’s hierarchy in the next books.

The narrator for the Audible edition of this book is Heather Murdoch with HotGhost Productions and I thought she did a competent job giving voices to the various characters in the story with only a few mispronunciations. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy paranormal, coming-of-age stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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The Piano Teacher (A Magnus Markusson Crime Novel, #1) by Karl Viklund

The Piano Teacher: A Gripping Slow Burning Swedish Crime Novel by Karl Viklund
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A slow-building, surprise-laden Scandinavian mystery with the smart and quirky Magnus Markusson and his squad of detectives.

Magnus Markusson is the chief superintendent over a good investigative squad in the Varsberg (Sweden) Police Department. He has a horrid, NO experience police commissioner boss breathing down his neck after the body of a local piano teacher is found hanging in the woods. Set up to look like a suicide, forensic evidence and good, common sense shows that Sven Julin, a sweet man apparently loved by all, was murdered; this was no suicide. With few leads to work, the investigation stalls until a year-old cold case with similar circumstances comes to light in another city.

Written in more of a narrative style, it took me a little reading to get in sync with this story, however, once I did, I can easily say this was one of the most entertaining murder mysteries I’ve read in a long while. I did not want to put it down. The author does a fabulous job developing the characters that comprise the members of Magnus’s detective squad. Each, including Magnus himself, has their own interesting backstory that builds throughout the book.

Magnus, clearly on the brink of retirement, still keeps his hand in the active cases but, unlike most detectives you commonly read about, he takes time out of his day for a nap or a book break or an afternoon here and there for gambling or tennis with one of his buddies. It does seem to rejuvenate him and allow him to tackle the big questions in cases, and he is known for getting results. He has a lovely relationship with his wife, Lena, which is (and this is pointed out), unusual in his line of work (and in this genre.) And he loves dogs … adding to his pack at home as he finds a pooch in need. He has a non-existent relationship with his one and only son, Sebastian, which is an underlying heartbreak for him and his wife.

Like Magnus, the complex identities of his squad members, victims, and witnesses slowly unfold, demonstrating perhaps one of the themes of the book that “we all have our problems and by always pushing forwards, we can overcome them.” The squad members all deal together quite well and advance the investigation with good, solid police work.I enjoyed the setting of Varsberg, and reading the little tidbits of regular life that the author slips in: shopping, new-to-me products, and organizations, “Taco Friday” which is apparently a thing in Sweden.

The action moves forward at an understandable pace with some quite detailed detective work going on, some fruitful, some not, really showing the highs and lows of a complex case. I wanted to keep reading and not put the story down but it does come to an exciting conclusion with some clear surprises. With a teaser ending, I will definitely be watching out for the next book in the series. I recommend this book to mystery readers that enjoy this type of slow-burner or mysteries with Scandinavian settings or those that enjoy a particularly well-rounded cast of quirky characters. I am so glad to have run across this author and book.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Degrade (Tesla Expansion, #1) by Mark Lingane

Degrade by Mark Lingane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An awesome dystopian tale of power-grabbing and political intrigue set in Western Australia based on the Tesla Evolution series.

Arid Geiger, a teenage ‘diviner’ on his own, is minding his own business developing data on a possibly viable aquifer when he gets caught in the middle of a battle between the two megaRigs, the Lady Moonshine and the Rankin. With one swing of the Rankin’s mighty attack beam, his small dowser is destroyed and he’s dumped onto the burning sands surrounded by deadly stick crawlers. Saved at the last moment by Ella, a girl on the Moonshine, Arid meets the Moonshine’s commander, Queen Bea, Ella’s mother, who promises to have his dowser repaired so he can get back in business. But as they speak, Bea sees the pendant around Arid’s neck and realizes he’s the son of some old friends that she’d once been close to and that Arid holds the key to controlling their harsh society and a peace they’ve not seen in many years.

This is a spin-off from the original Tesla Evolution series also by author Mark Lingane, and to fully enjoy this new story, readers should probably begin there. However, there was more than enough for me to love right here in Degrade! (Disclaimer: I may love this way more than some because I was a water quality/water conservation educator for several decades.)

Lingane has developed an awesome dystopian world set in Western Australia where water is limited and ‘diviners’ make a living by locating viable aquifers deep beneath the surface of the Earth and selling the data of what they find to the megaRigs: huge, metal, moving cities, remnants of past mining operations that survived an apocalyptic tsunami many years before the current action.

One of these ‘diviners’ is the orphaned teenager, Arid Geiger, an absolutely engaging character. (And is that not the most awesome name in a water-scarce world?) As a teenage character and one that has spent much of his life isolated from other people, it was amusing and endearing, to see his reactions to meeting Ella and Frey, the daughters of Queen Bea, one he was instantly attracted to, the other not so much.

In addition, the harsh environment is almost a character unto itself and Lingane’s descriptions and use of the setting let me feel the heat, the grit, the fear, and the desperation of it. There are deadly creatures that inhabit the sands (of course, this is Australia!) and they do not disappoint for anxiety-inducing situations and reading. Once again, when the stick crawlers attacked, I could imagine the terror, and this added just that little bit more oomph to the threat to characters that left the shelter of the megaRigs.

The plot is constantly moving forward with multiple characters and subplots in action. I liked the complexity and the stories within the story, the multiple points-of-view. Because this was my introduction to this world, there were many unfamiliar aspects so I had to pay attention to keep things straight. And not knowing the past history, I felt I was in a similar state of mind as the main character, Arid himself. It was all fast-moving, no dull moments, many surprises, so I’d call this one a definite page-turner.

I certainly recommend this book but those that are familiar with the Tesla Evolution will derive the most enjoyment. The language is clean and this may be suitable for younger readers that parents feel can handle the monsters in the desert and some of the more intense scenes.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Special Agent Maximilian (Undercover FBI, #3) by Mimi Barbour

Special Agent Maximilian by Mimi Barbour
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Navy Seal Lieutenant Commander Nik Baudin is in New Orleans for a little medical R&R when he comes face-to-face with the twin brother he never knew he had and the mother he’d been told had died when he was just a toddler. His new-found brother, Max, is equally surprised as his mother, believing her youngest son had been killed by her abusive ex-husband, had kept that heartache to herself for all these years.

Before the two brothers can really get to know each other, Max, who is an FBI Special Agent, goes to meet with his confidential informer and gets the goods on a sex trafficking ring when he is attacked by the gang and left for dead on a rural back-country road. Before completely losing consciousness, he is able to phone Nik who finds him and takes him to a safe hiding place to heal and recuperate. Because the timing on this case is critical, Nik takes Max’s place to try and get back the vital incriminating evidence that was stolen. But there is a big complication in the way of Nik being able to successfully pull off his masquerade: Max has a partner, and she’s a by-the-book, no-nonsense woman that is not going to be easy to fool.

This is the 3rd in Mimi Barbour’s Undercover FBI series and the second that I’ve read. Once again, the author has developed a compelling story with mystery and romance to boot. Main characters, Nik Baudin and Special Agent Maya Barnes are both functioning adults, one carrying the burden of an unhappy and abusive childhood, the other saddled with memories of an unstable mother and early life, each suffering from the deep-seated, hidden damage. In addition to the two flawed leads, there are a variety of other interesting characters supporting the story: the twins’ mother, the surprising and entertaining Julian Freed, and a whole host of dastardly bad guys to overcome. As with the previous book in the series that I read, the city setting proves to bring another enjoyable aspect to the story. The plot is fast-paced with little downtime for the two main characters to talk themselves out of their attraction for one another. (No dithering about or on-again/off-again relationship.)

I recommend this book to readers that like romantic suspense or those that like mysteries with a sexy romantic storyline.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Posies and Poisons (Sweetfern Harbor, #1) by Wendy Meadows

Posies and Poison by Wendy Meadows
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Brenda Sheffield inherits a bed and breakfast from her uncle, she packs up her life as an assistant to a private investigator in Michigan and relocates to the charming small town of Sweetfern Harbor. As is the way, the residents there know everyone and everyone’s business but, for the most part, all get along very well. There is an exception though, and in this case, it is the local grande dame and largest property owner, Priscilla Pendleton. Soon after Brenda arrives, the town gets into an uproar because “Lady” Pendleton has announced another rent increase and is really putting the squeeze on the small, local business owners. When Lady Pendleton suddenly ends up dead and everyone in town has a motive to get rid of her, the local police detective asks Brenda to help him work through the long list of suspects.

Posies and Poisons is a short and quick introduction to the Sweetfern Harbor cozy mystery series by Wendy Meadows. The author has created a quaint setting in the small seaside town, one every reader will want to visit, if it were possible, with a variety of interesting characters to populate it. The main character Brenda Sheffield is calm and canny and very observant of her fellow residents. This amateur sleuth did not do anything out of the ordinary or put herself in harm’s way as most do, and that was a nice change. She was smart, sensible, capable, and likable. The police detective on the case, Mac Rivers, seemed less so. Likable, yes, and definitely a candidate as a romantic interest for Brenda but he seemed to jump from suspect to suspect too quickly.

The Audible edition of the book was easy listening and didn’t require strict attention to detail. It was fun. The narrator, in this case, had a pleasant enough voice however her delivery was rife with odd pauses which were very distracting from the story itself. I slipped into my Kindle edition of this book and found it a much better reading experience than this audio version.

I recommend this book for cozy mystery readers especially those that like those small-town stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.


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Coven of Secrets (The Bayshore Witch Legacy, #1) by C.J. Beaumont

Coven of Secrets by C.J. Beaumont
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At 17, Roxanne Cole had been a very troubled, young witch headed down a path of darkness and destruction when her beloved Granny had pulled her back from the brink of death at her own hands. Seven years later, she is still recovering but has, pretty much, been getting her life together, making a living as a legal transcriptionist, when Granny passes away. Granny had been the high priestess of the Bayshore Witches Coven and by rights and responsibility, Roxanne should have stepped up to replace her. However, because of her earlier experiences, Roxanne had completely renounced magic and her place in the Coven, and Olivia, a distant relation from another bloodline, had taken on the role. Roxanne is the guardian of her younger sister, Kathryn, a teenager who is also grieving the loss of their grandmother and, as a result, has become quite difficult to manage.

One day, Roxy catches the local television news and is shocked to see Kat being interviewed as the planner and organizer of Bayshore’s first-ever Witch Festival. Kat (who’s skipped school) and several other young witches, too young to be initiated into the Coven, have outed the Coven and announced to the world that witches and witchcraft really exist. As she waits for Kat to get home and explain herself, Roxy discovers that her younger sister may be going down the same dark path she had traveled so many years before.

The sisters’ confrontation goes off the rails right away. Kat is an angry, young woman and has been rebelling against the old ways and the Coven on social media and is disgusted with Roxy’s decision to leave magic behind. Soon Olivia arrives and to de-escalate the tension between the two sisters, convinces Roxy to let Kat come and stay with her and her daughter, Darlene’s, family. (Darlene’s daughter, Sylvia, is Kat’s best friend.) Roxy reluctantly agrees and the following morning she receives a call from Darlene that Kat disappeared during the night leaving behind her cellphone and other possessions.

Frantically, Roxy searches for the missing teenager, and when she gets nowhere on her own, she has no choice but to accept the help of Ray Hammond, an old nemesis from high school. A former high school athletic stand out, pretty boy, and one of the “cool kids,” back in the day his buddies and their girlfriends had unmercifully bullied Roxy and been the source of much of her younger self’s anguish. But Ray was now a successful private investigator in town and may be able to get information and cooperation out of the Coven members that they have denied Roxy who they feel betrayed and turned her back on them.

But the case does not come to a swift conclusion as Kat’s whereabouts and well-being remains unknown and more witches, including the high priestess, Olivia, disappear. And when some of the missing witches are found murdered, Ray and Roxy know Kat isn’t just a disgruntled runaway but in the worst kind of danger.

Coven of Secrets is tension-filled from the first sentence, and warning, it starts out with a suicide attempt. I was drawn into Roxy’s world immediately and wanted her to be alright, succeed, and overcome the problems she was facing. Her younger sister seemed to be reacting pretty much as teens do but she is a mystery yet to be revealed. The chemistry between Roxy and Ray, although immediately apparent to the reader, evolves slowly as the two work through the search for the missing witches.

The author has created a great hometown in Bayshore and a good backstory creating the existing conflict between Ray and Roxy which plays into her mindset from the very beginning of the book. The history and hierarchy of the Coven are solid, easy to understand, and interesting. I anxiously await the next book in this new series. I recommend this book for readers that enjoy stories featuring modern-day witches and thrilling mysteries involving paranormal themes.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Gypsies, Traps, and Missing Thieves (Bohemian Murder Manor, #1, Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery, #5) by Rachael Stapleton

Gypsies, Traps & Missing Thieves by Rachael Stapleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mallory Vianu manages her family’s Gypsy Caravan Manor Resort along with her Nana and adopted sister, Danior. The ladies capitalize on its beautiful, yet haunting, Victorian architecture and reputation for harboring an actual ghost or two, by hosting paranormal-themed events. This weekend they are trying out a new feature: a murder mystery weekend where the manor guests work to solve a “murder” during their stay. Presenting the event is an old friend of the family, Joelle Mackay, who recently started this new enterprise in an effort to revive her struggling business, so Mallory, Danior, and Nana are free to play along for a firsthand experience. If the event is successful, the Vianu ladies hope to incorporate it into their resort’s corporate event offerings.

With an unexpected spring blizzard headed their way and the guests beginning to arrive, Mallory is under the gun to ensure things still go off without a hitch. But, to add to the stress, she finds out that Nana has invited a special guest, a blind date for her granddaughter!

As the weather moves in, close friend Penny Trubble, headed to the airport to meet her significant other on vacation, and her driver, Police Detective Kaden Bones drop off a guest from town, Mal’s best friend, Rebel Rouse, and become stranded there themselves when all flights are canceled and the roads become impassable. The two new arrivals are added to the game and the evening’s activities start off smoothly enough, with the exception of two missing guests at the opening scenario. But when the body of one of the missing guests is found at the bottom of a secret, hidden staircase, and it’s not part of the script; Mallory knows one of the players is a murderer!

If you’ve been following the unfolding Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery series, you’ll recognize many of the characters in this first novel of off-shoot series, the Bohemian Murder Manor Mysteries. This storyline features the mysterious ladies of the Vianu family that operate the Gypsy Caravan Manor Resort on the lakeshore across from the town of Bohemian Lake.

And the ladies ARE mysterious. Matriarch Nana Vianu is known for her uncanny skills as a gypsy fortune teller. Mallory, her granddaughter, can see auras and talk to the spirit world. Danior was found as an infant and adopted into the family; who she is and where she came from is a complete mystery. And then there is the unexplained disappearance of Mallory’s mother, Jili, and her father’s death, both a decade earlier.

With the Victorian manor house setting the tone for spooky goings-on, this first story has it all: odd guests who are not who they say they are, ghostly apparitions, numerous bumps in the night, murder, tension, and suspicion all around. It is a complex tale but entertaining to watch as the players work their way through the mysteries: those of the game and those that are real.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy cozy mysteries with a touch of the paranormal and that have read the previous books in the Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery series. This is definitely a mid-point in a series and would be difficult to follow and enjoy as a standalone story.

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Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel: A Valentine novel (Valentine, #6) by Curtiss Ann Matlock

Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel by Curtiss Ann Matlock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Claire Wilder reads the mysterious yet hopeful message about searching for ‘real life’ on the wall of the truck stop women’s room, she is inspired to kick off the trappings of her divorce-afterlife and hit the road herself. She quits her job, cuts her hair, packs her car and heads to … Valentine, Oklahoma. It was supposed to be just for one night: time enough to get an impression of the place she was born but never really lived. She just wanted to see where her father’s people – a father she’d never known - had lived and, eventually, passed away. And in her heart of hearts, she wanted a clue to why her father had never tried to contact her.

Claire has a lot to wonder about. On her way out of town, she’d run into her ex-husband, Andrew, who had had second thoughts about his impending marriage to his much-younger fiancée, and now wanted to try for a reconciliation with Claire (something Claire had been wishing for since the divorce two years earlier.) But having made her mind up about this solo trip, Claire surprises even herself by putting Andrew off and wanting to think about it.

Settled in at Valentine’s only lodgings, the Goodnight Motel, Claire begins her search for answers, starting with some of the locals who might have actually known her father or his family. With the help of the charming and gentlemanly, Winston Valentine, she successfully locates her grandparents’ final resting spot. However, the next morning she awakes to find her car and all her belongings have been stolen, and the thief has left behind his frightened and very vulnerable, pregnant girlfriend, Sherrilyn. As Claire tries to help the girl, she becomes more and more a part of the small rural community and her search for her father and his people becomes more and more a search for her real self and a real life.

This sixth book in the author’s Valentine series is a solid, satisfying story of not just one woman’s search for herself but two. Claire has been drifting through life reacting and not actively living, passively adapting around and to the actions of others, relying on others to make her a life, waiting for her father to return to her and her mother, to rescue them. It is good to watch as she finally takes the steps to lead her own life as she desires, overcomes her lethargy, and takes charge. The lost soul, Sherrilyn, is a beaten down thing but her pregnancy has given her a goal and the beginnings of some strength to protect herself and her unborn child. She stands firm when she doesn’t want to have an abortion against the abusive Denny, and refuses to agree to give up the baby for adoption. The characters that populate the pages of the book seem so very real, not unlike those that populate your own community.

I recommend this book for readers that like a story of overcoming the odds and taking charge of one’s life. There is romance and a strong sense of accomplishment throughout the book for many characters.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Dog Town by Debbie L. Richardson

Dog Town by Debbie L Richardson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harry, a small brown dog of indeterminate breeding, lives in Little Rover, the small-dogs-only section of Dog Town, with his best friends, Junior, a beagle, and Fleabag, a Chihuahua. He’s a good boy that loves to run and, mostly, obeys the Dog Law. Mostly. Because each time Harry wins a race around Little Rover, he leads an excursion of small dogs into the forbidden territory of the large dogs, Big Rover.

One night on one such tour, Harry and his doggo tourists are surprised by the appearance of the leader of the large dogs, Grizzly, a Doberman pinscher, and his two hench-dogs, Chains and Diesel. The small dogs escape except for Harry who gets left behind, knocked unconscious, behind a large, blue dumpster. Unbeknownst to Grizzly and his pals, when Harry comes to, he realizes the big large dogs are searching for something, and it’s not him. As Harry creeps away, he discovers a hidden underground passage, a stormwater drainage pipe that leads him to a most amazing place: Cat World.

In Harry’s town, there are no cats; they have been extinct for as long as Harry can remember. It is only in dreams that Harry has ever seen a cat, or so he thought. But there in Cat World were all sorts of the creatures: playing, laughing, singing, even watching TV on a comfy sofa. Stealthily, Harry finds his out and back home to Little Rover where he now has a dilemma. If he tells the dogs of Dog Town about Cat World, Grizzly and his gang will destroy the place and harm the cats which Harry doesn’t want to happen. But the cats are hiding an awful secret. Inside their hidden world is a big, horrendous statue of a cat and it is made out of puppy teeth!

Author Debbie L. Richardson has created a fun world of dogs and cats long separated due to an argument among the best of friends – the worst kind of argument you can have! With fun, distinctive characters, readers young and old will enjoy watching them work out their differences. The races incorporated into the story are exciting and the big dogs and night-time settings provide the right amount of menace for thrills. There are doggy puns woven in every now and then that will have readers smiling as will the fun and appropriately doggo names of the streets in the town: Chew Toy Lane, Good Girl Avenue, Fat Belly Road, and the like.

I highly recommend this book, especially for middle-grade readers, and it would be perfect as a school or family read-aloud selection. The writing is so clear and descriptive you can easily see the action, colors, and characters in your mind’s eye. It would make a wonderful film!

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect by Philip Wyeth

Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect by Philip Wyeth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not at all what I expected: Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect by Philip Wyeth is also a good mystery.

The year is 2045, and it is almost two decades since society flipped on itself. The 2020s saw the rise of the empowerment of women, and in the elapsed time, the world has become a feminist-forward stronghold with men relegated to second-class status. Detective Ashley Westgard of the Jacksonville, Florida, Police Corps is at the apex of her physical prowess, her career is flourishing and on the rise.

After a night on the town with her gal pals, Ash is summoned to the scene of the annual Cheri Chat (being held this year in Jacksonville), a conference of the high-powered movers and shakers encompassing the female-led world of the day, where one of the original “Essential Planners” has been brutally murdered. As she and her partner, Detective Theodore “Ted” Gillard, one of the last men actively working in this field, gather evidence and launch an investigation, she is called to another crime scene – a nearby convenience store robbery-gone-bad where the store owner has shot and killed the would-be perpetrator. Talking with the deceased thief’s (Dayve’s) companions, two young male orphans known as “runts,” she hears that this act was completely out of character for Dayve, a shock and tragic surprise to his two friends. They believe his bizarre behavior is a direct result of his ingesting a new “tasty” he got that evening from his pill supplier.

Uncharacteristically for Ash, she immediately takes a very personal interest in one of the friends, a runt gamer named Vernon, and they end up spending a surprisingly satisfying night together. More amazing to her is the fact that she begins to have feelings about Vernon that are quite unlike those she’s experienced in her past relationships. Together, these two unlikely people team up to get to the bottom of Dayve’s actions and how it is related to the murders of some of the most prominent feminist thinkers of their time.

Although categorized as a Sci-Fi tale and reminiscent of those men’s action-adventure stories from an earlier time, Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect is also a good mystery.

The main character, Ash, begins as a pretty shallow, arrogant creature out for what she wants, no matter who she uses to get it. She’s even quite insensitive and rude with her police partner, Ted, frequently poking at him over his physical limitations (he’s got an artificial leg) and haranguing him about when he’s going to retire. Sooo not a buddy partnership.

Her thoughts and thought patterns are not like any woman’s I’ve ever known BUT the author is depicting an alternate future where women are the power gender (and have been, at the time of the story, for a couple of decades) so who knows for certain what this altered environment might produce in the population. I don’t think any men I’ve known, in real life, thought this way either but what do I know. I felt the author was trying to create an extreme on purpose, a vast contrast, maybe to provide for a greater change in attitude for the character to have later in the story.

There is a lot of “horn-dogging” on her part and that of her friends at the beginning of the book. There is a meaninglessness to Ash’s sexual relationships, past and present, but as the book progresses she is cognizant of her dissatisfaction and knows that something inside her is changing. She realizes she’s living recklessly, without meaning, drinking too much, doing pills, and going through sexual partners like issues. The focus of the book eventually narrows to solving the murders though and Ash experiences some surprising changes (to her) in her thoughts and behavior, especially toward the witness and a male gamer, Vernon.

The book is well-written making it easy and enjoyable to read. It’s a real page-turner with a future society that seemed plausible with an increase in the use of advanced AIs and things called Worker-Factory-Mechanics which have eerily embedded themselves into every aspect of life and that may pose a problem in future stories.

Although I was initially turned off by the character, Ash, I wanted to see her solve the murders and be absolutely right about her theories by the end of the book. (We really don’t find out about her theories though leaving room for sequels, I hope.) I really liked "the runts," Vernon, in particular, and her partner, Detective Gillard, and wanted a better situation to come about for all of them. Just another reason to hope there are more books in the future continuing this story.

I recommend this book for readers that like a futuristic mystery in a society that is very different from our present. There are sexual themes and scenes (male-female, female-female) throughout so this is not a book for some readers or younger ones. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Murder in the Catacombs (A Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery, #15, Penning Trouble, #4) by Rachael Stapleton and DeAnn Howe

Murder in the Catacombs by Rachael Stapleton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Penny Trubble wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris for herself and a group of friends, the gang from Bohemian Lake packs up and sets off on a private jet to be wined and dined in luxury. Naturally, all is not what it seems, and soon after arriving in the City of Lights, Penny is separated from the rest of her group while sightseeing, abducted, and dragged down into the Paris underground: the catacombs.

There she meets the wealthy Simone Lantz, the person behind the trip, who wants to retain Penny’s investigative services to locate her missing granddaughter. Simone fears that Michaela is being held against her will until her grandmother agrees to bankroll her son-in-law’s local occultist group trying to find their way to the lost city of Agartha, supposedly located deep within the core of the Earth. Reluctantly, Penny agrees to help because one of the people involved in this ‘Hollow Earth’ group is none other than the man that stole a valuable coin and family heirloom from the Vianus back in Bohemian Lake, Jocelyn Godwin.

Returned to her friends, the first stop that evening is a fashion show being held by Blanche and Sascha Saunier, Michaela's mother and father, and Penny plans to do a little snooping. However, she spots Godwin and before she can formulate a plan to figure out why he’s involved, Simone is shot and Eve is the most likely suspect. They hotfoot Eve away from the show and return to their hotel only to find that their rooms have been searched. The friends pack up their belongings at the hotel, just steps ahead of the police, and Maurice, Simone’s assistant, relocates them to a safer, guest house that Simone owns.

Compounding things, Sera Popescu and her coworker, Hans Dressler, who are supposed to be in Paris as well have gone missing. Now Penny and the group must not only find Michaela, but rescue Sera and Hans, and now Simone has disappeared, too.

Murder in the Catacombs follows closely on the heels of the previously published book in the series, Hyde & Seek, and nicely wraps up some of the details of the adventures begun in the Bookish Adventures in Witch-Lit thread. As with all the Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery books, the action is non-stop and the dialogue is snappy. Many of the characters that give the series its unique charm are featured in this one and we get to see a little more of the various couples’ relationships: Penny and Cody, Mallory and Kaden, and last but not least, Eve Banter and Ren Trubble (Penny’s father.) Although this is Penny Trubble’s story, Eve Banter plays a major role and her current beau, Ren, is a delightful foil to her craziness. This book wraps up one of the mysteries from the Bohemian Murder Manor storyline and is the final Penning Trouble book.

Because the storylines are heavily entwined, the Bohemian Lake Cozy Mysteries are not standalone books and should be read in order beginning with the first book. However, they are quick, easy reads, each interesting and fun and well worth the time to catch up.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.


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Time Rep by Peter Ward

Time Rep by Peter Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When out of work paperboy and slacker, Geoffrey Stamp, is hired as a holiday rep for a tour company, he expected exotic locations. What he got was the time of his life … literally.

When Geoffrey Stamp lost his job as a paper boy (the only job he’s ever held), one of the customers on his route offered him a place to stay and that’s where he’s been ever since – playing computer games and just vegging out. The roommate, Tim, never got all up in his business, never seemed to get too worked up over the cleaning up or Geoff’s failure to pay rent in the past two years, his lack of ambition or personal hygiene. Geoff had the total slacker life, and he was content to let time go by, occasionally wishing he had the nerve to ask out Zoë the mail carrier, but for the most part, just chillin’ on the couch in Tim’s front room.

One day, Tim talked Geoff into applying for a job he’d seen advertised in the newspaper as a “holiday rep” for a tour company, and Geoff’s ideal life took a decided left turn. Hired on the spot, Geoff finds out that the holidays he would be arranging were for tourists from the future who were time-traveling to visit the twenty-first century, and the reason that Geoff, with no prior experience or desire to accept the job, was snapped up is because his existence, in the grand scheme of life and the future, was totally insignificant. Apparently, Geoff’s existence was so insignificant that having him take on the job and interacting with people from the future would not impact and change the future in any way.

Well, except for that one seagull at the end of time that ends up looking right instead of left …

I was absolutely charmed by the book, Time Rep, by Peter Ward. It is reminiscent of the Douglas Adams Hitchhiker’s Guide series, but updated. The lead character, Geoffrey Stamp, is the epitome of a modern-day slacker but, eventually, we discover there are hidden depths. His inner dialogues are continuous and funny, and helped to reveal his growth from slacker to capable hero material. Roommate Tim, who turns out to be a recruiter for Time Tour, Inc., the time-travel travel company, is a wonderful straight man throughout. I found myself rooting for both his safety and his sanity.

Along with the “smack-in-the-face-you’re-totally-insignificant” storyline, the major plot of the book involves someone in the tour company working to change the past so an alien race hiding in plain sight on Earth can destroy the human race. There are a number of suitable candidates in the company to choose from which makes for a good mystery as our heroes struggle to stop the traitor. (I so didn’t want for it to be Tim!)

I really enjoyed the depiction of London and life in the future, and the concept of the time-travel tour company with Time Reps (tour guides from the actual period being visited.) There was quite a bit of silliness with that.

The book was entertaining from start to finish (and I was delighted to see that it is the first book in a trilogy!) I literally laughed out loud over dialogue. The book is fast-paced and the action is constant. There are unexpected “left turns” all along the way to the final page. And Ward’s handling of the problems of the past changing the future was fun. I look forward to reading more.

I highly recommend this book to readers that enjoy humorous SciFi/Fantasy, tales of time travel, and the aforementioned Hitchhiker’s Guide. I stayed up reading this way later than advisable; it was that entertaining.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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The Last Alive – H. L. Wampler

The Last Alive by H.L. Wampler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A young woman’s twin sister is infected with a mysterious and virulent virus from either a needle-stick at her job as a research lab associate or a bug bite while on a family camping trip. She dies in a hospital within 48 hours, in agony, but almost immediately reanimates as a mindless, flesh-eating zombie. She bites her nurse who quickly dies and comes back biting and infecting everyone in the hospital ER setting off an epic a chain-reaction. The healthy twin, a local police detective, along with one of the ER docs escapes the hospital but it is too late to contain the virus.

Jump ahead either four or five years and the world has been devastated by the virus. The few survivors cluster together in fortified cities reachable only by river routes as the land is overrun with the undead and marauding bands of outlaws that kill and destroy those from the cities. Our heroine, Emma, and her doctor friend, Nathan, have gathered up her family and friends and they all get by in the fortified city that once was Pittsburgh. When Nathan suddenly goes missing, Emma, who is now the police chief, figures out he’s returned to the hospital to re-stock his medical supplies. So Emma, her best friend, Meaghan, and the city’s Rescue & Search Team go outside the city fortifications to retrieve his irresponsible self.

What do I say about this book? I really enjoy post-apocalyptic stories, zombie stories in particular, and I did enjoy this one. HOWEVER, this was one of the toughest reading experiences I’ve had in a long time because of a lack of decent editing. It appears the author must have reconsidered the plot between draft and final edition but didn’t get catch all the mentions of the earlier premise and make the change. The book begins with a needle-stick being the cause of the virus but only pages in the origin becomes a bug bite. In one scenario, Emma and her sister, Becca, are 25 years old twins but later in the book they were only 20 years old when Becca dies and becomes a zombie. Chapters alternate between present time and the time of the outbreak, sometimes it is five years earlier, other times only four. Often it is unclear who dialogue is attributed to, and it may have changed which characters were delivering a segment of dialogue over time because there are references to male characters as her or she and female characters as him or he.

Grammar issues abound.

Logic issues pop up often. Yeah, this is a zombie story so you may wonder “What logic? It’s fiction!” But I’m talking about basic issues with the way things actually work that don’t make sense.

In short, this book is a mess BUT it still has a ton of potential as a really fun, exciting read! The author needs to pull it back out and do the grunt work of re-reading and editing. Maybe hire a professional editor or proofreader at the very least. It is all fixable and this story is so worth the effort! But, until it is, I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

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Hyde & Seek: A Bohemian Lake Cozy Mystery (Bookish Adventures in Witch-Lit, #2) by Rachael Stapleton and DeAnn Howe

Hyde & Seek by Rachael Stapleton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On their second Gas Lamp Literary Tour, Sera Popescu and the rest of the Bohemian Lake book club members are touring Edinburgh, Scotland, and learning about Robert Lewis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. With tour director, Nelle Story, in London preparing the way for part two of the tour, Sera and her fellow bookstore staffer, Hansen Dressler, accompany the group to the various relevant sites (i.e., museums, spooky after-hours haunted cemeteries.) However, when one of the participants, Daniel Brodey, is discovered hanging from a tree during one of the cemetery tours, an apparent suicide, and another goes missing, Sera begins to suspect the witch hunter organization that plagued them during their previous tour is back. When the attacks against the group continue in London, Dr. Gretchen Dressler (Hansen’s sister) begins to act more erratically than ever, and Nelle Story seems to have secrets of her own to hide as well, Sera starts to look at the project materials Nelle has regarding her investigation of the Jack the Ripper case for possible connections.

This second outing for Sera, Hansen, and the book club from Bohemian Lake was every bit as dark as the previous one with quite a few deaths and some adult themes as well. It still tracks a well-known literary tale: this time a double dose. The authors did a good job of matching up aspects of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde theme and creating a very interesting plotline dealing with Nelle’s ongoing research in the mystery of Jack the Ripper. We have another trip with characters from book one and learn more about them all. We also get a fun, virtual tour through Edinburgh and London, courtesy of Gas Lamp Literary Tours, which really sets the scene in both history-laden cities.

I recommend this book to cozy mystery readers that don’t mind a little witchy magic in their stores and those that like a literary link. It is best to read the first book in this trilogy before jumping in here on book two, if not the entire Bohemian Lake series. They are very good, each one, and I highly recommend those as well.


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Landing by Moonlight (Spy Sisters, #1) by Ciji Ware

Landing by Moonlight: A Novel of WW II by Ciji Ware
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the early days of WWII, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Washington, D.C. mining heiress, Catherine Farnsworth Cahill Thornton, is in a loveless marriage to a British diplomat posted far out of sight to the embassy in Chile. She joins the US war effort supporting our Allies in Europe by successfully stealing, copying, and returning undetected the French naval codebooks from the embassy of the Nazi-puppet Vichy French government. Assisting her is French diplomat Henri Charles Leblanc, the press attaché at the embassy.

When the French delegation is ultimately ordered out of the country, Catherine and Henri are both recruited for Churchill’s newly-formed spy operation, the SOE, the British Special Operations Executive. Separated, they are trained in spy craft at various secret schools established in the English countryside and eventually sent to secret undercover positions in Nazi-occupied France.

Inserted into hidden networks supporting the French Resistance, Henri in Paris and Catherine on the Mediterranean coast, the Cote d’Azur, both work to disrupt Nazi war operations, provide the members of the resistance with weapons, information, and other supplies, and help to spirit out downed aviators and their fellow secret agents as needed. With D-Day approaching, all this is accomplished under the very noses of the Nazis and the dreaded SS.

Author Ciji Ware has crafted a well-researched and thrilling historical fiction novel of WWII. Landing by Moonlight has the kind of characters that grow on you and become people that you worry about chapter after chapter. And worry I did! This story focuses on a piece of WWII history not really familiar to me. I’ve read some about the undercover men and women working right under the noses of the Nazis but they were always secondary characters to the hero or heroine. Here, they are front and center.

This story immerses you in the constant danger they had to have been under at all times and made for a tense, and exhilarating, reading experience. The mantra, “Trust no one,” was really brought home for me. Not even knowing who among your old friends and acquaintances were working for the Nazis, maybe just to get food for their children, was terrifying.

Besides the constant threat of exposure, the characters are out in the field accomplishing the big tasks that helped turn the tide of war in favor of the Allies – tasks that someone really had to do – exhilarating when successful and exhilarating when it was over. Characters need to blow off a little steam and relieve the pent-up tension so there are sexual relationships and well-written scenes of a sexual nature.

Another aspect of this book I enjoyed were the various settings. The characters move around from location to location and each time this author made me see and feel the time and the place. My favorite had to be the setting in the south of France. I could almost feel the sun, see the old boats, and taste the ‘new’ red wines.

I recommend this book to historical fiction readers, especially those that want a pretty immersive tale. This one so very well done.

I received a copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

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Snowflakes and Sleigh Bells (Avon Calling! Season 2, Episode 15) by Hayley Camille

Snowflakes and Sleigh Bells by Hayley Camille
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With the Pinzola trial in full swing and Christmas fast approaching, Betty and Jacob continue to follow any lead they have as to the identity of The Boudoir Butcher, finally, getting an angle on Tilly’s whereabouts. But on the home front, Betty is dealing with daughter, Nancy’s, growing restlessness while worrying that her long-distance relationship with husband, George, is deteriorating as his memory of what happened in the basement of the orphanage returns.

Although this is episode 15 in the Avon Calling! series by Hayley Camille, the author still has plenty of surprises in store. Her description of the time and place makes the WWII New York City-setting a character in itself. I am continually amazed at the little nuggets of history and culture that the author’s research has uncovered that she weaves into the story. I also like the fact that Betty is not just a flash-bang superhero; she’s got emotions and vulnerabilities that every mother and wife has.

Snowflakes and Sleigh Bells is not a standalone story. If you haven’t read the previous episodes in Betty’s story, start now, at the beginning. They are so worth it! For those readers that are already up-to-date, this latest entry feels like a long-overdue welcome back. As always, I can’t wait for the next installment.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Book Review: Microphones and Murder (Podcasting Sisters Mystery, #1) by Erin Huss

Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A new true crime podcast team investigates a missing person cold case.

Liv Olsen was working on the number one true-crime podcast program in the nation, Cold in America, when she learned about the 10-year-old missing person's case of Amelia "Millie" Clark. Based on this case, she pitched the idea of a new podcast, Missing or Murdered, to her Cold in America boss, who not only turned her down flat but added insult to injury by scoffing at the idea of Liv as the host. With hurt feelings and injured pride, Liv quits her job and goes all-in to bring her dream to fruition, taking her younger stepsister, Camry Lewis, along as her assistant.

Camry has relatives in Santa Maria, where Millie had lived, so the girls set up a home base for their investigation and interviews for the show at Camry's Great-Aunt Hazel's home, which eases the strain on Liv's minuscule operating budget. Hazel is delighted to host the sisters, as her life has become somewhat quiet since her husband passed away. As she learns more about the girls' project, Hazel enlists the aid of her grandson, Oliver, who is a successful <i>YouTuber</i> with over 5 million subscribers to his channel.

Together, the four start looking into Amelia's disappearance, with their first step being to interview the original detective on the case. Now retired, he is anxious to see that his only open case is resolved. When one clue after another results in dead ends and Amelia's father changes his mind about the podcast reinvigorating interest in his daughter's disappearance, Liv worries that the podcast she has staked everything on is going down in flames.

Microphones and Murder is the first book in author Erin Huss's fun Podcasting Sisters Mystery series, and I was immediately drawn to the likable young narrator who decides to follow her dream of hosting her own show. The premise of the true-crime podcast is timely and exciting, and her characters are engaging. The story is told from Liv's perspective, and her narrative is witty, fun, and entertaining. I liked that Liv's character, although competent and confident, also has a very real vulnerability as she second-guesses her decision to go out on her own and follow her dream. Stepsister Camry is young, flirty, and sassy but has her vulnerabilities as well. I felt the mystery was sound, and Liv's investigation made sense. I'll definitely be reading more of this author's work.

With its topical premise, non-stop plot, and engaging characters, I recommend MICROPHONES AND MURDER to cozy mystery readers who like young, savvy female protagonists.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Hidden Gems.


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Lullabies for Suffering (Tales of Addiction Horror) – Mark Matthews, ed., Kealan Patrick Burke, Caroline Kepnes, Mark Matthews, John FD Taff, Gabino Iglesias, Mercedes M. Yardley

Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror by Caroline Kepnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lullabies for Suffering is a dynamite collection of six novellas or novelettes tied together by the central theme of addiction, more specifically, addiction horror. Some are drug addictions, another an addiction to pain, but each one is a deep, dark, maddeningly glittering gem of a tale.

Each entry is compelling reading; I couldn’t look away. Each is terrifying in what happens and is so very, very real. (I started hearing every creak and snap and pop of the house while I was reading Gabino Iglesias’ Beyond the Reef.) I don’t feel a 5-star rating for many books and never for a collection before (there’s always a weak sister or two) but this was a solid from the first word. I’m already looking for more from these authors, their backlists, which sounds a lot like the beginning of … an addiction.

I highly recommend this to horror fans and even general fiction readers that enjoy the dark underside of the human experience.

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The Murderous Macaron: A Provence Cozy Mystery (Julie Cavallo Investigates, #1) by Ana T. Drew

The Murderous Macaron by Ana T. Drew
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Julie Cavallo returns to her hometown of Beldoc in the Provence region of France, to open her own patisserie, Julie’s Gluten-Free Delights, and get a fresh start after her recent, and sudden, divorce. Business has been slow to build up but Julie is optimistic that her planned marketing events will get the word out: free Wi-Fi, free samples during the upcoming lavender trade show, and a class on making macarons at the shop. However, when one of her students drops dead in the first macaron class, the effect on her business is anything but positive.

Then when a friend of the deceased comes to the shop, Julie gets a “vision” that Maurice was being poisoned rather than experiencing a heart attack, she asks the local officer handling the death to look deeper. When the gendarmerie goes ahead and closes the case anyway, she decides to investigate the murder herself and prove that the shop was is no way responsible.

This first in a new series by author Ana T. Drew is a solid mystery with great characters in a small town setting. It is set in France but other than a few French terms and phrases, it really could have been any small town, not a lot of flavor, but not a detractor at all.

Julie has three sisters and is a twin to one, Catherine. “Cat” is mentioned regularly but really doesn’t make much of an appearance; the girls are estranged over the existence of their psychic abilities. (Cat makes her living using her skill while Julie has hidden it from everyone her entire life, and Julie is uncomfortable with Cat’s making this ability public.) But other than the intermittent psychic “snapshots” she gets, Julie seems to be a pretty normal woman working through some past traumas. I liked her curiosity and willingness to go ask questions of anyone involved in the deceased man’s life and then doubting and re-thinking her choices. She’s confident enough to approach her hostile next door business neighbor, Magda, and to attempt to mend fences she doesn’t even know she broke.

Other characters of note include Julie’s grandmother, Rose Tassy, a youthful and sassy survivor of the 60s who teaches “doga” classes and knows everyone in town. Also, the local notary, Maître Serge Guichard, a nice older man who is attracted to Rose. And then there is the potential love interest for Julie, Capitaine Gabriel Adinian with the Beldoc gendarmerie.

On the other hand, there are a number of characters introduced in this first book that don’t get completely into this story but are perhaps being set up for the future such as Denis Noble, a former junior-high-level classmate of Julie’s that is trying really hard to interest her romantically. But even Julie doesn’t know much about Denis and we were both left wondering what his true motives are in showing up now. Another interesting character is Julie’s sous chef, Eric Dol. He’s funny, sweet, sometimes a little awkward, and has his own tragic past.

In all, I liked one enough to give it 3 stars out of 5 for a “Good” rating, and to put it on my list to look for more books in the series in the future. I would recommend this book to cozy mystery readers, especially those that enjoy culinary settings.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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Flask of the Drunken Master (Shinobi Mystery, #3) by Susan Spann

Flask of the Drunken Master by Susan Spann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is August of 1565, and the capital city of Kyoto is in the temporary “protection” of the feared samurai, Matsunaga Hisehide, since the seppuku of Ashikaga, the last official shogun. The city is under a veritable lockdown and everyone entering is viewed as a possible spy including Hattori Hiro and his charge, Jesuit priest, Father Mateo Ávila de Santos.

One morning in the city while purchasing noodles for breakfast, Hiro and Father Mateo see their friend, Ginjiro the brewer, being arrested and hauled off by the yoriki, for the murder of Chikao, a brewer from a poorer part of the city. The two had been heard arguing the night before, and the victim’s body was found outside Ginjiro’s home and place of business with the remnants of one of Ginjiro’s custom saké bottles at hand. The victim’s son apparently owed the accused a considerable amount of money and Ginjiro had refused to advance Chikao any further credit. Ginjiro asserts his innocence and his daughter, Tomiko, begs Hiro and Father Mateo to find the real killer and save her father from certain death at the hand of the executioner.

Author Susan Spann has again crafted a compelling murder mystery against the complex background of 16th century Kyoto, Japan. It is a very robust historical tale as, along with the murder investigation, there is the continuing story of the fall of the Ashikaga clan, the impending approach of the fierce warlord, Oda Nobunaga, and the arrival of the Portuguese and Jesuits in Japan. The relationship between Hiro and Father Mateo is great fun to observe as their two cultures and basic natures try to work together and get along as is the side story of Akechi Yoshiko, the female samurai who may have her eye on Hiro for romantic reasons. Additionally, another fun and interesting side story involves Hiro’s pet cat, Gato. The story explains that cats were not considered pets by the Japanese at this time in the past so having a cat in the house is a new experience for the tough, manly Hiro.

This is the third entry in the Shinobi Mystery series which currently numbers at seven total. Flask of the Drunken Master could be read alone but I highly recommend starting at the first in the series because they are just that good and worth looking for. I recommend this series to historical mystery fans especially those with an affinity for stories set in old Japan.

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Minor Mage, a novella by T. Kingfisher

Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Up until now, 12-year-old Oliver has lived a fairly peaceful, if not exactly normal, life with his mother, a retired mercenary, in the quaint village of Loosestrife. But as the village’s wizard when Loosestrife experiences a prolonged drought, the villagers expect him to do something about it. However, even though he is the village mage, he is still very young and still trying to figure out magic spells. He had been apprenticed to the village’s previous wizard and although the man was very kind, he was also very old and passed away before fully completing Oliver’s training.

With his mother away visiting his older sister and new baby and armed with the three spells he’s mastered, Oliver and his faithful familiar, an armadillo named Eglamarck, set out for the distant Rainblade Mountains to find the rumored keepers of rain, the mysterious Cloud Herders, and to save his village.

Minor Mage is a great story with genuinely likeable characters, witty dialogue, lots of action, exciting obstacles to overcome, and bad guys to foil. I read this one is one sitting and loved it. The story is suitable for both adult and juvenile audiences, and may be one that would keep even the most reluctant reader coming back and turning pages. (There are short, easily completed chapters, too.) I highly recommend this book for readers that enjoy fantasy quest stories and tales of magic-infused journeys, child or adult.

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The Key of Atrea by Nicholas Marson

The Key of Astrea by Nicholas Marson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jenny Tripper is barely keeping it together: an outsider at school, a ghost only she can see a constant companion, her 17th birthday coming up, and her mother, at the end stages of cancer, has come home for her final days. Living with her Aunt Bea, her mom’s sister, Jenny helps with expenses by reading tarot cards in her aunt’s shop, with the bleak expectation that she will take over the meager living when her aunt passes away. On her birthday, she receives a strange and mysterious puzzle box from her only friend, Michael, but before she can realize its solution her mother dies and she puts it away. Returning to it days later, she finds herself in a parallel universe where the mental anomalies she’d experienced back home were now revealed to be gifts: special powers she needs to learn to understand and control in order to save the Selkans, an alien race being hunted and enslaved by the current galactic rulers, the Tyr.

Jack Spriggan is also just barely scraping by. Previously, in his home star system of Balt, Jack had been an accomplished space fighter pilot but when the First Galactic War was over Balt had been required to dismantle their space fleet, and Jack found himself without his career. Now, in his small workshop on Lan Station, he keeps a roof over his head and food on the table by repairing anything mechanical that come his way. When his friend, Hocco, approaches him to make some REAL money piloting his restored Harbinger spacecraft, the Celestial Strider, he is reluctant at best. Jack is committed to staying on the right side of the law and away from the rebels hiding and running from the Tyr, the peacekeepers and victors of the First Galactic War. But the temptation proves too much and off he goes, not realizing that Hocco’s body has actually been possessed by one of the worst of the Tyr, Admiral Vae Victus himself, and the admiral is hot on the trail of the escaped Selkans.

With elements of fantasy and science fiction, adventure and romance, The Key of Astrea is one of the most entertaining stories I’ve read in a long time, keeping me reading way late into the evening. The story is fast-paced covering a lot of ground, literally planets and parallel universes, in a short span of time. A number of great characters populate its pages. Besides Jenny and Jack, there are a host of good guys, bad guys, and those we’re not quite sure of at times, well defined, and used to build a really good, satisfying story.

Besides the excitement, this is also a coming-of-age story for Jenny and some of her fellow recruits at Cabin, Inc., as they come to terms with their special gifts which, back home, had all been seen as handicaps, and as she deals with the loss of her mother and the discovery of a sister she never knew about. There is a teaser or two at the end that, hopefully, open up the possibility for a sequel. I give this one four of five stars and recommend it to readers who enjoy young adult science fiction/fantasy stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.


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