Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Paranormal Reviews
Dazzled by J. K. Harper
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Dazzled*
Parody of Subgenre Romance?
We meet Lacey, who curates a museum of a billionaire, as she is talking about her attraction to her boss with a friend. He comes from California old money and has quite a reputation as a playboy. She fantasizes about him but knows he wouldn’t be interested in an academic like her. Also, she wouldn’t want to be just another of his for-the-night-only women, as that seems to be about the duration of his relationships. We meet Sebastian as he is flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles. But he isn’t doing this on an airplane. Nope, he’s a dragon shifter. He’s just bought an old piece from his family’s history that had been stolen and is happily taking it back home. As he flies, he can’t seem to stop thinking about Lacey. He is definitely attracted to his curator.
This book has such over-the-top language used to describe the attraction between the couple and their appearance that the story almost seems to be a spoof, a send-up of not only the romance genre in general but of shifter romance, paranormal romance, billionaire romance, and boss romance. To me, it reads like a parody of all those genres, exploiting the language and tropes of those types of stories. I don’t know if this was intentional by the author or if this is just her writing style. Other than being overblown, the writing itself is relatively solid and easy to get into. She has a good sense of pacing, as climactic even happened when they should. She did need a few more nouns and verbs, though, to describe how a particular undergarment became moist, or perhaps she could have chosen not to use that image so much. Surprisingly, the intimate moments aren’t as often as one might imagine, although there are lots of heated gazes and imaginings before their attraction comes to full fruition.
The Satyr’s Secret by April Fernsby
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Scribd, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Satyr's Secret*
Delightful Worldbuilding and Characters in Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Things have been quiet in Brimstone, but now it appears that three witches have gone missing at the Mirella Retirement Village. Blythe sends Cassia and Stanley to investigate. They are at first thwarted by the grandson of one of the witches, Trent, but he soon joins their investigation. It appears that his grandma has a spellbook that reveals dark secrets.
Is karma paying back Trent’s grandma? Is Trent really helping or harming? What about the healing blue flowers that are so much a part of the village?
This is the first book I have read by this author. She has quite a way with describing settings as well as constructing a complex plot that’s still in the realm of a paranormal cozy. Stanley is an excellent character; I don’t think I’ve read another book that had such an awesome, human-like familiar. I was feeling Cassia’s horror right along with her when things didn’t look so good for the cat. I love the descriptions of the retirement village. Could you imagine living in such a place? The fun zone, the woods, the quiet place–I think I’d love it!
This is an absolutely delightful cozy, and if you enjoy paranormal ones, you might find this a very engaging and enjoyable read.
Bulwark by Brit Lunden
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Bulwark*
Creepy Tale Defies Categorization
The fictional town of Bulwark, Georgia, is a town of secrets and mysteries. When this book opens, sheriff Clay is investigating a strange, large puggle that has a car trapped inside it. Soon, we meet other residents of the town, as well as injured newcomers who claim their children were stolen by a witch who lives in a gingerbread house on a street that Clay has never heard of. Taking the couple to the ED, Clay meets his estranged wife, Jenna, who is a nurse there; they are divorcing due to struggling with the disappearance of their daughter but haven’t signed the papers yet to make it official.
What’s going on in this small town? What other strange things will the sheriff find? Who will die? Who is in danger? What will happen with Clay and Jenna?
To me, this book has an almost Twilight Zone or Twin Peaks feel to it. If you decide to read this book, you can choose to go into it knowing that little will make sense for quite a while. If you can let go and allow that to happen, you might enjoy the ride because this book does take you to strange places.
On the book review site where I downloaded the ARC for this book, it was listed as a cozy mystery, a paranormal romance, and a small-town romance. The cover says paranormal thriller. I can see where the author would have a hard time pinning down the specific genre or genres of this book. I would say there are paranormal aspects, romantic aspect, but I wouldn’t call it a paranormal romance as that suggests to me that, say, a witch and/or shifter love story is happening. That’s not what happens here. The book is super slow burn until you get to the end, so I wouldn’t quite call it a thriller either. There’s definitely an element of the gothic here as well with the creepy, hidden mansion. It’s definitely not a cozy as it is far too dark for that. Although it takes place in a small town, I wouldn’t call it a “small-town romance” either. Maybe call it paranormal suspense with romantic aspects, but even that might not be wholly accurate as the paranormal elements weren’t clear until later in the book.
I am a registered nurse and have worked night shift in the hospital. There are definitely some medical and nursing errors in the book, but they most likely would not disturb anyone who is not a medical or nursing professional.
In a fun twist, the book has two alternate endings for the reader to enjoy and choose from.
Deacon by M. J. Perry
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Deacon*
More Troubles with the Vampires
At the start of the book, Deacon learns that the rogue vampires have taken Milly. He is able to rescue her, and he takes her back the alpha’s home. He tells her more about his background of being turned in a partial vampire after having survived a vampire bite; his wolf hasn’t been able to shift since. He had pushed her away earlier in order to protect her, but they both know that they are mated and meant to be together.
Have they subdued the rogue band of vampires? Will Deacon and Milly consummate their bond? What other dangers lie in store for them and the rest of the pack?
I found this book a little hard to read at times, even though the relationship between Deacon and Milly was fascinating to read, because there were formatting, punctuation, and grammar issues. In particular, the author seems to like to write the narrative passages in one long paragraph whenever they occur, not breaking them into smaller paragraphs for easier reading. One such paragraph was four pages long on my Kindle, and I don’t use large type. Commas are often problematic in indie published work, and this book had issues with commas missing between independent clauses in compound sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction as well as others. Some quote marks were inappropriately placed. The plural *vampires* was misspelled once as vampire’s. The dialogue, too, didn’t seem natural, not the way people actually speak. There wasn’t enough distinction between each character’s dialogue as well; everyone seemed to talk like each other.
Jacobites by Name by Sean T. Rassleagh
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Jacobite by Name*
Speculative Fiction with a Heavy Dose of Political Satire
In this satire about near-future Scotland, that country is feeling the after-effects of Brexit and the wrath of the Tories, specifically a post-Brexit faction called the New Georgians. A shadow a group of scientists, the Guild, responsible for advances in cloning and quantum computing conspire with the Vatican to bring about another Jacobite rebellion.
Will this Jacobite uprising succeed? Or will the Tory plans for Scotland come to fruition?
As an American of Scottish descent who visited that area of Great Britain last year, I was intrigued by the concepts of this book when I read about it at a book review site I use. This book is definitely political satire with a healthy dose of wry, dark humor. I would also call it speculative fiction because of the Guild’s work in furthering modern technology and its use. The book lacks a clear protagonist, which sometimes makes the book’s many twists and turns hard to follow. The story is told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator in an almost detached, journalistic fashion, with a heavy emphasis narrative prose that tells more than shows. We are told of political events more than we see them happen in action. I think this book could have benefited from being shown through the dialogue and actions of a narrator-protagonist rather than being told by a narrator.
I did laugh at the line early in the book when the new Viceroy of Scotland’s Tory faction is described thus: “If only they could restore the social structures of Georgian times, London could once again be the centre of a great empire spanning the globe. People said that Tories wanted to take the country back to the 1950s but in the Viceroy’s view, that wasn’t nearly ambitious enough. The 1750s would be ideal.”
The Winnowing by Patrick Garner
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Winnowing*
An Odd Mishmash of Sci Fi, Mythology, and Sex
I hardly know what to make of this book. It takes place in contemporary times, and the Greek goddesses known as The Fates, who rule over the time of life and death, are reanimating. The goddesses do not like the idea that scientists are tampering with those subjects, infringing upon their domain.
A man named Jack is the narrator, and he is intimately involved in these women’s lives, sometimes creepily so. In fact, there are definitely many cringe-worthy moments in this book. Jack as the narrator often tells rather than shows and makes comments that display more knowledge than he would have had if he was simply talking about the moment. I am more accustomed to books that live in the moment of what is being told or shown; I find this kind of high-level omniscience distancing as a reader.
This book has gotten really high reviews from others and glowing praise within the comments. I just don’t see it. We each have our own tastes, of course, but I did not find this book appealing in the least.
Beyond the Shadows by Dixie Carlton
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Beyond the Shadows*
A Unique Long-Distance Relationship
We meet Penny and Erik as they are about to embark on a unique long-distance relationship. Reminiscent of Same Time, Next Year, they plan to meet at a different location on the globe every six months while they maintain their relationship electronically in between. Penny is an Australian single mom of adult children while Erik is a forty-something-year-old who lives in Amsterdam. They initially met at a Las Vegas convention and shared an attraction, making them both want to keep in contact long distance. After 18 months of just digital communication and an occasional phone call, they decide to meet physically twice a year. During their first time together in Italy, Erik questions whether he wants to take the relationship further physically, as he has some fear of losing her as a friend.
All of this is complicated by Helena, a past former lover of Erik’s. She is the jealous sort and doesn’t appreciate him getting involved with another woman, and she is able to cause problems.
The book goes back and forth between their visits as well as the times they are at their homes. I would have liked to have seen a bit more balance in the amount of time the author spent at each of their worldwide destinations. A great deal of time was spent in Italy and England, but Fiji was only touched on briefly. Fiction is such a fun way to experience the world, and it would have been more fun to spend a longer time globe-hopping with this couple.
As in other books I’ve read by this author, there are significant issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, though some of that may stem from her being Australian and me being an American copyeditor; I am not too sure of Australian rules for such. It was, however, a little distracting at times, though it didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment of the novel.
The book is definitely a steamy read, as they do decide to become lovers. The book has a paranormal twist that I didn’t see coming in a work that is otherwise fully grounded in this world. It is nice to be surprised when reading, though, as it doesn’t happen often, especially in romance.
This book is a very unique take on one way to approach long-distance relationships. If you enjoy steamy reads about more mature characters and don’t mind a little bit of the paranormal, you might find this to be a page-turner.
Soulshift by Laura Greenwood
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Soulshift*
Soul Swapping from Arya’s Perspective
In this book, we get to see Arya’s and Tate’s soul swapping through Arya’s eyes. Arya is a vampire who has never like blood. Something always felt off to her about being a vampire and about her relationship with Sian, even though she loves her. When the soul swapping starts, Arya thinks it’s just a dream, but soon she realizes it’s real. At first, she feels like she is betraying Sian, but her relationship with Devon is giving her more of what she needs but never got with vampire lover.
Will the soul swapping continue? Will they be able to control it? Will Arya continue to fall for Devon? What’s going on with Tate and Sian? (Of course, the answer to that last one is in Soulswap!)
I’ve read all the books in this series, and I loved seeing Arya’s and Devon’s relationship from her perspective. She’s quite different from Tate. Honestly, Devon should have realized that, even though the body looked the same, the woman inside was quite distinct from what he knew before. Arya’s and Devon’s love story is sweet to follow, even though Devon has a hard time adjusting once he finally is told what is truly going on. I love that Arya/Tate could now experience life in dragon form, which Tate has never been able to do. The author did an excellent job lining up events in the two books of this trilogy that were concurrent, this one from Arya’s perspective and Soulswap from Tate’s perspective.
There were a few issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, but that didn’t detract from the story.
Spelled by Camille Peters
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Spelled*
Unsympathetic Heroine Hinders Enjoyment of Book
As is shown in the first scene the book, Rosie isn’t the best at the baking spells she longs to do. Nevertheless, she decides the cast a culinary spell to try to attract her prince charming, who already happens to be betrothed to another woman. Her best friend is a princess, so why shouldn’t she take charge and have her own happily ever after?
Will Rosie get a spell right after all? Will she make Prince Liam fall for her? Will he be able to get out of his betrothal? What would that mean for the relations between the kingdoms the marriage was meant to unite?
The story is told from Rosie’s first-person perspective. As is unfortunately too common in books written from this point of view, there was far too much narrative prose compared to dialogue. I find it tedious to hang out in one person’s head for so long, especially when the narrator is unsympathetic. I did not find Rosie to be a character I could empathize for. She is bold to be sure, but she only thinks about herself and not about the repercussions of her actions. She comes across as spoiled and narcissistic. If this were done with some irony or humor, it would have made her and the story more palatable. However, as it stands, she was too self-absorbed as a character to make this story a good read. There were some odd wrong words as well, like “crock” of an elbow instead of “crook.”
Protectors of Poison: Scorpio by Laura Greenwood
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Scribd, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Protectors of Poison: Scorpio*
Ancient Egyptian Deities . . . and a Poisoned Osiris
The Egyptian goddess Serket is alive in modern times (known as Sera) and working as a veterinary technician. Known for her healing, Serket’s powers are on the wane because Egyptian gods and goddesses are largely forgotten. Sed, a jackal god, appears to her as a wounded jackal, and she rescues him, not knowing of his divine state. Soon, he lets her know and also asks her if she is involved in the poisoning of Osiris, as the venom appears to have come from one of her scorpions. She is not involved in this, of course, so they join forces to try to figure out what exactly is going on.
Will they figure out the source of this poisoning? Will they be able to save Osiris? Will Serket regain any of her power?
What an interesting, quick read. We don’t often see ancient Egyptian mythology in paranormal stories. Sed and Serket are ones I haven’t heard of before, so it was fun to see them in action and learn a little bit about them and their myths. Even though this book was short, the author had good pacing and characterization. I’ll be interested in reading more of this.
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