If that author's name sounds familiar, it's because I interviewed her yesterday about a completely different project! Jennifer is one of the most prolific authors I know, and I was honored to receive an advanced copy of her latest fantasy novella to review. This story debuts today, and I highly recommend snagging a copy of … Continue reading Review: PRISON MADE OF MIRRORS by Jennifer Loring
Schedule for Cleveland ConCoction 2017
I'm looking forward to returning to Cleveland ConCoction for my second year (March 10-12)! It's a great mix of literary, media, gaming, and costuming focus, with something for everyone. It's also my favorite con in terms of they way they are set up to promote authors, with an Author's Alley where the con sets up … Continue reading Schedule for Cleveland ConCoction 2017
Review: JUST BUSINESS (Takeover #2) by Anna Zabo
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend and have promoted her projects on my blog. However, I purchased this ebook for full price. Probably the best praise I can give this novel is that I meant to read a chapter or two before bed and when I looked up, my Kindle read 100% and it … Continue reading Review: JUST BUSINESS (Takeover #2) by Anna Zabo
Review: TAKEOVER by Anna Zabo
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend and have promoted her projects on my blog. However, I purchased this ebook for full price. I've had this book on my Kindle forever, and while had previously read and greatly enjoyed another novel by Zabo, I wasn't sure whether my love of her urban fantasy would translate … Continue reading Review: TAKEOVER by Anna Zabo
Review: THE EIGHTH by Stephanie M. Wytovich
Disclaimer: The author and I share a publisher for her poetry collections and I consider her a friend. However, I purchased a hardcopy version of this novel for full price. I hate starting reviews with "I don't usually read this genre, but..." In this case, however, it's 100% true. I'm not a horror reader (or … Continue reading Review: THE EIGHTH by Stephanie M. Wytovich
Review: “28 Teeth Later” (a PRISON DAD short) by Cristin Kist & Jeffrey Gritman
Disclaimer: I am friends with the authors of this short story. However, I purchased the ebook version for full price. I have not yet had a chance to read either of the Prison Dad collections that I own, but this short story was a delightful introduction to the world. I was promised ridiculousness, speculative fiction references, … Continue reading Review: “28 Teeth Later” (a PRISON DAD short) by Cristin Kist & Jeffrey Gritman
Holiday Romance Special Part 2: Victory & Mikelos
As promised, the husband and I shared a delicious meal of Indian food in front of the TV last night to celebrate Valentine's Day. We watched another few episodes of The Grand Tour and then went to bed early. Today actually marks 8 years since we officially started dating! Not because of the holiday, but … Continue reading Holiday Romance Special Part 2: Victory & Mikelos
Holiday Romance Special Part 1: Kane & Archer
I've been happily married for a few years, and while I could wax poetic about my amazing husband, when it comes to real life, we're not the most romantic couple. He doesn't work on Mondays, so our Valentine's Day plan is to get some take-out Indian food and catch up on the DVR tonight. Honestly, … Continue reading Holiday Romance Special Part 1: Kane & Archer
Review: “When A Child is Born” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #2.5) by Jodi Taylor
This short story set in the Chronicles of St. Mary's universe is a great way for a new reader to dip their toe into the series without committing to a full novel. It highlights my favorite trio of time travelers (Max, Peterson, and Markham -- with bonus Maj. Guthrie) on a relatively simple mission that … Continue reading Review: “When A Child is Born” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #2.5) by Jodi Taylor
Review: A THEFT OF MAGIC (Fay of Skye #2) by Cara McKinnon
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend, and the two of us have worked together to help promote each other's work as nontraditional authors. I won a hardcopy version of this novel from the author in a random giveaway drawing during a social media launch event. I would absolutely have purchased this novel anyway. Romantic … Continue reading Review: A THEFT OF MAGIC (Fay of Skye #2) by Cara McKinnon
Review: LIES, DAMNED LIES, AND HISTORY (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #7) by Jodi Taylor
This novel was another strong installment in the Chronicles of St. Mary's time travel series, full of both laugh-out-loud and gasp-out-loud moments. I continue to love Max, Leon, Peterson, and the rest of the gang, and Taylor's glimpses into the past are realistic and tantalizing. I think we've established by this point that I adore … Continue reading Review: LIES, DAMNED LIES, AND HISTORY (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #7) by Jodi Taylor
Book 4 is DONE (sort of)
That's actually a lie. The first draft of book 4 of the Steel Empires series, Steel Time, is done. There's still a ton of work for me to do, including cutting at least 10,000 words of length, but I can't fix what doesn't exist. And now it definitely exists. It's been a crazy year: worldwide, in my … Continue reading Book 4 is DONE (sort of)
Review: TEMPEST edited by Mercedes Lackey
Favorite story: "Harmless as Serpents" by Rosemary Edghill & Rebecca Fox Perhaps because they are such alien creatures, stories where a point of view character is a Companion always intrigue me. Throw in tantalizing details about the mysterious land of Iftel, the realistic aftereffects of Karse's religious upheaval, and multiple laugh-out-loud moments, and this was easily … Continue reading Review: TEMPEST edited by Mercedes Lackey
Review: A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE BUILDING RECENTLY ERECTED FOR THE DEPARTMENTS OF NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM by Richard Rathbun
This is not a typical review, because this is not a typical book. I stumbled across this text while looking for books about the historical design and architecture of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. This was a perfect research resource for what I needed. It was well-written, succinct, and easy to … Continue reading Review: A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE BUILDING RECENTLY ERECTED FOR THE DEPARTMENTS OF NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM by Richard Rathbun
“Dear Sherry” letters needed!
One of the regular features at Speculative Chic is called Dear Sherry, hosted by award-winning author and certified life-coach Sherry Peters. In it, she answers reader letters with concerns about anything related to writing and publishing. She even answered a letter from me and gave some great advice! But I won't tell you which one, … Continue reading “Dear Sherry” letters needed!
Review: THE PURPLE HEART DETECTIVE AGENCY by Rock Neelly
There are a lot of really great things about this "modern noir" book, which is why I kept reading until the very end. I picked it up primarily because of the disabled main characters, which is a diversity not often seen in fiction. While their combat injuries certainly informed their characters, neither men were ever … Continue reading Review: THE PURPLE HEART DETECTIVE AGENCY by Rock Neelly
Review: UNDER THE EMPYREAN SKY (Heartland Trilogy #1) by Chuck Wendig
I picked up this book on Kindle purely because of a blog post by the author completely owning the fact that he had written about a character who was gay without homosexuality being used as a plot device or some sort of moral lesson. As someone who strives for the same diversity in her own … Continue reading Review: UNDER THE EMPYREAN SKY (Heartland Trilogy #1) by Chuck Wendig
Review: CLOSER TO THE HEART (Herald Spy #2) by Mercedes Lackey
This book had the awkward job of pushing along a trilogy plot that I don't quite understand and a relationship that is already solid. I keep reading Valdemar books because this world has such a special place in my heart, but at this point the drama and intrigue is no longer there for me in … Continue reading Review: CLOSER TO THE HEART (Herald Spy #2) by Mercedes Lackey
Review: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #6) by Jodi Taylor
I find the title to this latest installment of my favorite time travel hijinks series highly amusing because I thought I already knew all the ways in which things would go wrong in this world. It turns out that I was tragically wrong, and I'm so thrilled that this author can keep surprising me. It seems … Continue reading Review: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? (Chronicles of St. Mary’s #6) by Jodi Taylor
Review: THE ANATOMY OF JANE (WJM #1) by Amelia LeFay
This novel was the first (non-fanfiction) three-way erotica I've read, and it both met and failed my expectations in different ways and on different levels. I absolutely don't regret purchasing this ebook. But I'm not sure whether I will be purchasing the sequel, despite the fact that this book ends on a ridiculous cliffhanger (one … Continue reading Review: THE ANATOMY OF JANE (WJM #1) by Amelia LeFay