Category: book review

  • Celebrating Steel Victory 2.0: Free Online Workshop!

    To celebrate the launch of Steel Victory 2.0, the fancy hardcover edition of my first book chock-full of special bonus features, I’m offering my popular alternate history workshop online for the first time ever! I have previously only shared this interactive presentation at live events. For this online special on Wednesday, July 15 at 7…

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  • Review: Feast of Sparks (Thornchapel #2) by Sierra Simone

    I devoured books 2 and 3 in this series in a single day (plus a few hours because it was VERY late when I finally went to bed). On the one hand, tangling apart my thoughts of each book might be difficult. But this book ends in a stunning revelation, a different sort of pain…

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  • Review: American Queen (New Camelot #1) by Sierra Simone

    I adore Arthurian literature, but not all of it. Lancelot has especially never been a particular favorite, for much the same reason Simone explains in this book: He’s a fanfic self-insert by the French so they could play with chivalry in a set of tales too old for such a relatively modern social construct. I…

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  • Review: A Lesson in Thorns (Thornchapel #1) by Sierra Simone

    I bought this ebook months ago, and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why. The cover description was intriguing, but not my typical fare. It seemed a bit too throw-back Gothic for me. So, I glanced at a few online reviews, and one of them complained about bisexual characters. Who cares why I…

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  • Review: Between Sirs (K Club #4) by Rachell Nichole

    Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. This book is not going to be for everyone. Read the description blurb and heed the content warnings. If you think it’s for you, then you’re in for a great ride. Nichole never fails to deliver on the sexiness and…

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  • Review: Slippery Creatures (Will Darling Adventures #1) by K.J. Charles

    The bad news: This book does not end with a happily ever after. The good news: Because it’s book 1 of a trilogy! Will and Kim have fabulous and intense chemistry that only enhances the plot they’re embroiled in, and I look forward to seeing their relationship develop throughout the next two books. As always,…

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  • Review: From Sir, With Love (K Club #3) by Rachell Nichole

    Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. In some romance novels, I enjoy the development of the relationship. In other romance novels, I enjoy the development of the characters, and the relationship is a bonus. For this book, I leaned toward the latter. The growth that Evangeline…

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  • Review: Hexhunter (Hexworld #4) by Jordan L. Hawk

    Now that Hawk has thoroughly established the rules of the Hexworld series, it was time to start breaking them. The events of this book took elements of familiars and witches to new levels, in intriguing ways that made for a mystery that acted as the perfect backdrop for the burgeoning relationship between Isaac and Bill.…

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  • Review: “For Sir” (K Club #1) by Rachell Nichole

    Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. This story does an excellent job of introducing prospective readers to the world of The K Club and the types of romance this series provides. The back-cover blurb is a bit misleading in terms of the plot, but the story…

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  • Review: Hexslayer (Hexworld #3) by Jordan L. Hawk

    Every book in this series gets better on multiple levels. Hawk continues to pull threads on the over-arching plot, making it more intriguing and convoluted without losing any of the believability of such events in the world he has created. In tandem, each romance both supports and is affected by the greater events. I was…

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  • Review: Dragon Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido

    Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this book for full price. Once again, DeCandido has blown me away with his knowledge of genre tropes and how to bend them to his will to create a fantastic story. This time, he combines the magic of police procedurals with high fantasy (via table-top…

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  • Review: Eye Spy (Family Spies #2) by Mercedes Lackey

    Overall, this was probably the best new Valdemar book I’ve read and enjoyed in years. That’s not to say that it has no flaws, but overall, Abi is a great, solid character with some truly excellent and original adventures. I’m not going to lie: Part of my enjoyment might be because this is the first…

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  • Review: Wishes, Wings, and Woes (Gods and Demons #2) by Kaye Draper

    As usual, I devoured the latest installment of this series as soon as possible and enjoyed every moment of it. Troya continues to grow as a character as she regains more memories of her previous lives and Derek White’s connection to it. Her relationships with her boyfriends grow deeper and more solid. And Draper’s world-building…

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  • Review: Hexmaker (Hexworld #2) by Jordan L. Hawk

    As usual, Hawk excels in crafting unique characters that you can’t help but fall in love with and root for. On the surface, this book is a typical tale of two people from different social strata falling in love and dealing with the barriers between them. But there’s also a bonus police procedural plot and…

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  • Review: “The 13th Hex” (Hexworld #0.5) by Jordan L. Hawk

    This delicious short story, packed with adventure and romance, can be read at any point during the Hexworld series. I enjoyed this look into how Rook and Dominic became working (and more) partners, and as an added bonus, Cicero (from Hexbreaker) is a prominent character. Hawk packs a solid bit of worldbuilding into this fantasy…

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  • Review: Seeker of Truth (SPECTR #3.3) by Jordan L. Hawk

    For the first time this series, the dream team is splitting up of their own accord. Caleb stays in New Orleans to assist Zahira on a case for SPECTR while John heads out of town in search of clues to his own identity. Both separate plots of this novella are satisfying, and Hawk gives those…

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  • Review: The Spare by Miranda Dubner

    As an author who regularly breaks genre rules herself, it came as no surprise to me that this book was self-published. It is absolutely a love story and romance. But it centers on more than the two heroes, includes a healthy dose of family drama, and has the audacity to feature more than two points…

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  • Review: Hexbreaker (Hexworld #1) by Jordan L. Hawk

    In other reviews, I’ve raved about the ways Hawk includes diversity in his fiction. For this series, I’ve found something else to adore — the effortless way that the reader is absorbed in the worldbuilding with no awkward breaks for exposition or the dreaded info-dump. Could there be a bit more explanation for some things?…

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  • Review: Bringer of Night (SPECTR #3.2) by Jordan L. Hawk

    After all the shenanigans that have occurred over the course of this series, a run-of-the-mill murder mystery and case of mistaken identity are almost too boring for our heroes. Except nothing about this string of murders is normal, and John, Caleb, and Gray have friends (both old and new) along for the ride. There’s yet…

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  • Review: Stalker of Shadows (SPECTR #3.1) by Jordan L. Hawk

    The first installment of the next SPECTR epic brings us something completely different — and all the best parts of exactly the same. John is now the character who must wait patiently while Caleb and Gray get to do what they do best (eat demons). They’re in a new setting, which is why everyone is…

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