I’m always on the lookout for new concepts in fiction, especially in the genres I already enjoy. Montrose packs a double dose of surprise to create a truly unique premise in this novella-length introduction to the world of her new paranormal romance series. Because this is a shorter book, the romance story line is slightly … Continue reading Book Review: Uprooted (Florae #1) by Erica Montrose
Book Review: Sins That Find Us (Madly Ever After #1) by E.M. Lindsey
The first installment of this nontraditional fairy tale retelling has a lot of work to do. Multiple characters to introduce, both individually and their previously established dynamics, along with the politics of an underworld to set up. Lindsey pulls no punches by immediately showing how dark and kinky these guys are, already with each other … Continue reading Book Review: Sins That Find Us (Madly Ever After #1) by E.M. Lindsey
Shepherd.com: “The best books that blend fantasy and alternate history”
Have you heard of Shepherd? It's an interesting new option for those looking for book recommendations. I was asked to contribute an article in a way that ties into my Steel Empires series, so the topic I landed on was the best books that blend fantasy and alternate history. It was incredibly difficult to settle … Continue reading Shepherd.com: “The best books that blend fantasy and alternate history”
Book Review: Snakebites (Irons and Works #9) by E.M. Lindsey
Read my reviews of previous books in the Irons and Works series: Free Hand (#1) | Blank Canvas (#2) | American Traditional (#3) | Bio-Mechanical (#4) | Stick and Poke (#5) | Scarification (#6) | Scratcher (#7) | Ornamental (#8) | To Touch the Light (follow-up) | Last-Minute Walk-In (follow-up) I prefer longer novels in the romance genre because that gives the author so much … Continue reading Book Review: Snakebites (Irons and Works #9) by E.M. Lindsey
A Year in Reading: 2022
Every year, Goodreads invites me to its annual reading challenge with a helpfully suggested goal of 12 books. Every year, I bump that goal up to 50, because I figure that's always doable unless the apocalypse occurs. In the last few years, I've more than blown that number out of the water. Here's my final … Continue reading A Year in Reading: 2022
December Wrap-Up & January Goals
Happy New Year! Let's approach 2023 with caution, offer it treats, and hope only good things come of it. I'm home from my fantastic holiday vacation, both wishing I was back at the beach and looking forward to everything I get to do in the months to come. Lots of authors have shared some truly … Continue reading December Wrap-Up & January Goals
Book Review: Distraction (Mobsters + Billionaires #4) by Kelly Fox
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Mobsters + Billionaires series: Extradition (#1) | Protection (#2) | Attraction (#3) The relationship between enforcer Hopper and Liam, his RICO agent, has been teased from the beginning of this fantastic series, and the final reveal of the full arc did not disappoint. A lot of the set-up for … Continue reading Book Review: Distraction (Mobsters + Billionaires #4) by Kelly Fox
Holiday Letter 2022
Welcome to my final* post of 2022! The blog will be quiet for the rest of the year because the spouse and I are once again hitting the high seas for a tropical holiday cruise with my extended family. We're spending Christmas zip-lining in Honduras, and we'll return to Maryland in time to spend New … Continue reading Holiday Letter 2022
Book Review: Crimson Halo by Daniel May
It’s hard to do something “new” with vampire romance, but sometimes authors forget that they can lean into existing tropes and find ways to make them original. May does an amazing job with this book in portraying the inherent inhumanity of immortality while still making Seth a compelling and very human character. After all, a … Continue reading Book Review: Crimson Halo by Daniel May
Book Review: Ignite (Ignite #1) by Nora Phoenix
Despite my love of this author’s works, I delayed reading this series because I burned out on dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories a few years ago. But I’m still a science-fiction geek at heart, bonus points if it involves aliens and alternate history, so I knew these books would eventually make it to the top of the queue. … Continue reading Book Review: Ignite (Ignite #1) by Nora Phoenix
Book Review: Malicious Compliance & Instant Regret by E.M. Lindsey
This post includes reviews of the books in the Loose Lips Sink Ships duet: Malicious Compliance (#1) | Instant Regret (#2) Malicious Compliance (Loose Lips Sink Ships #1) Any book by this author is going to be packed with emotion, and this one hits us with it right away. Jules is coming out of a … Continue reading Book Review: Malicious Compliance & Instant Regret by E.M. Lindsey
Book Review: Weavers Circle Series by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
This post includes reviews of the books in the Weavers Circle series: Broken Warrior (#1) | Wild Warrior (#2) | Blind Warrior (#3) | Tangled Warriors (#4) | Storm Warrior (#5) Broken Warrior (Weavers Circle #1) This series contains many urban fantasy concepts that I love, and the authors are two I have read and … Continue reading Book Review: Weavers Circle Series by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott
Book Review: A Purpose That Restores Us (Magi Accounts #3) by Michele Notaro
Read my reviews of previous books in the Magi Accounts series: Our Hearts That Tie Us (#0.5) | The Scars That Bind Us (#1) | A Kiss to Revive Me (#1.5) | The Shackles That Hold Us (#2) | A Date to Impress Him (#2.5) This fascinating urban fantasy world Notaro has created is an interesting dichotomy of how things … Continue reading Book Review: A Purpose That Restores Us (Magi Accounts #3) by Michele Notaro
Book Review: Catalyst (Chain Reaction #1) by Aurora Crane
I read another recently published book by this author and immediately sought out more. Though I was bummed that more wasn’t currently available, I was thrilled to find that this book is the beginning of a longer series. I stayed up way too late the night I started and even managed to keep reading while … Continue reading Book Review: Catalyst (Chain Reaction #1) by Aurora Crane
Book Review: Raiden (Sons of the Fallen #6) by Jaclyn Osborn
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Sons of the Fallen series: Galen (#1) | Castor (#2) | Daman (#3) | Gray (#4) | Bellamy (#5) Authors and readers like to describe characters as golden retrievers in human form, but I’ve found the definitive version. Raiden might not be 100 percent human, but he definitely has that wholesome … Continue reading Book Review: Raiden (Sons of the Fallen #6) by Jaclyn Osborn
November Wrap-Up & December Goals
You know how time seems to speed up the older you get? It's a combination of math and perspective. You've lived longer, so a month is a smaller proportion of your life than when you were 8 years old and enjoying endless summer break. Between recovering from my epic adventure in Israel, friends visiting from … Continue reading November Wrap-Up & December Goals
Book Review: Heart2Heart Vol. 6 (multiple authors)
I was honored to be asked to review an advanced digital copy of the 2022 Heart2Heart collection, featuring many of my favorite authors. Since I'm reading this charity anthology for free, I've made a separate donation to a local LGBTQ+ organization. This book is only available for a limited time, so don't wait to grab … Continue reading Book Review: Heart2Heart Vol. 6 (multiple authors)
Book Review: All for the Game Series by Nora Sakavic
This post includes reviews of the books in the All for the Game series: The Foxhole Court (#1) | The Raven King (#2) | The King's Men (#3) The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) Multiple writers that I admire and whose work I love highly recommend this trilogy, so I figured I should … Continue reading Book Review: All for the Game Series by Nora Sakavic
Book Review: Notorious (Shifter Scoundrels #1) by Charlie Cochet & Macy Blake
I’m always willing to give weird genre mash-ups a shot, so this book ending up on my TBR isn’t a surprise. It features a shockingly unexpected opening that sets up the main conflict while also doing a decent bit of worldbuilding, which hooked me pretty much instantly. I also thoroughly enjoyed main characters Caspian and … Continue reading Book Review: Notorious (Shifter Scoundrels #1) by Charlie Cochet & Macy Blake
Book Review: Unwrapping Christmas (Rebel Sky Ranch #4.5) by Kelly Fox
Read my reviews of previous books in the Rebel Sky Ranch series: Goodnight (#1) | Sparrow (#2) | Navarro (#3) | Warwick (#4) There seems to be a default assumption that holiday-themed romances have to be sweet, but Fox sees this assumption, packs a ton of sweetness into this novella, and then raises the spice level off the charts … Continue reading Book Review: Unwrapping Christmas (Rebel Sky Ranch #4.5) by Kelly Fox