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Review: The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter (Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club #1) by Theodora Goss
This book made quite a splash when it first came out, so it’s been on my radar for a while. I bought it about a year ago, and finally decided to start reading it recently. Overall, it is a fun, exciting, and most of all unique tale that I enjoyed immensely. My largest critique was…
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Review: Choices (Tales of Valdemar #12) edited by Mercedes Lackey
What should have been a comforting visit to my favorite land was tempered by the fact that the majority of the stories in this collection were continuations of stories in previous anthologies. I have a decent memory for things I’ve read ages ago, but even with that, some of these tales were hard to dive…
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Review: Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves and Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen & Heidi E. Y. Stemple
I snagged this from the graphic novel section in a used book store in New York City without realizing three things. It’s written for the middle-grade audience. It’s a collection of short essays, not a graphic novel. The few illustrated elements are about the authors doing research, not the subjects of the text. That being…
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Con Report: Pulpfest 2019
Pulpfest, held outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is not a convention I would have attended normally, but my publisher held an event there and I wouldn’t have missed that for the world. Raw Dog Screaming Press celebrated their sixteenth anniversary with readings from many of their authors, and I had a blast spending time with old…
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Review: Invincible Volumes 19-21
I’m far enough along in the series that some plot points and villains are starting to get recycled, but everything is still so epic that I’m happy to be along for the ride.
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Review: The Barista’s Beloved (River Hill #4) by Rebecca Norinne & Jamaila Brinkley
Disclaimer: I am friends with both authors; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. The latest installment in this small-town romance series pairs up a whiskey distiller with a barista, and the fact that the distiller is the lady and the barista is a guy is only one of the many things I loved…
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Review: Invisible Chains by Michelle Renee Lane
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author, who provided me with an advanced electronic version of this book for review. This is the first book I’ve read in years to give me nightmares. Lane’s debut novel is an intricate and descriptive historical horror that encompasses some of my favorite tropes in speculative fiction. Jacqueline is…
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New Release: Steel Shadows!
Today, Steel Empires Book 5: Steel Shadows is released! That’s five books in five years. Time to party! Information about the book is below, including how to purchase your own copy and ways to celebrate with me. ABOUT THE BOOK The shadows are talking and they won’t take no for an answer. Victory has returned…
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Author Interview with Nancy O’Toole Meservier
I’m pleased to help celebrate the latest book in fellow author Nancy O’Toole Meservier’s superhero saga! Information about the book is below, along with some insights into her worldbuilding and writing processes and a short excerpt from the book. ABOUT THE BOOK The masks are off. Dawn Takahashi has achieved her dreams by becoming Bailey…
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July Wrap-Up & August Goals
Priority number one for August is to celebrate! Seriously, on August 8, I’m publishing my fifth book in five years — Steel Empires Book 5: Steel Shadows. That’s a pretty awesome accomplishment, and while it would be easy to focus on all the other projects I have (and am behind on), I shouldn’t let this…
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Review: A Duke in Disguise (Regency Impostors #2) by Cat Sebastian
It’s hard to distill this book into a short review, because it was chock full of elements I loved with surprising moments at every turn. Sebastian is fantastic at creating characters that go against expectations, either the reader’s or for their position in society. Verity and Ash follow the “friends to lovers” journey, but the…
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Review: The Mathematical Gambit (The Galipp Files #2) by Jamaila Brinkley
This story continues the adventures of a pair of professional spies — if only their income from the profession could support them. Instead, Simon works on his magical studies and Anastasia relies on the patronage of members of the peerage who know about her clandestine role. The partners reunite to solve another case involving rich…
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Review: “Eidolon” (Whyborne & Griffin #1.5) by Jordan L. Hawk
This short story takes place near the beginning of Whyborne and Griffin’s relationship, and reading it after seven full novels is an interesting trip into the past. In this story, there’s still a bit of relationship angst that I now know to be completely unfounded, but it’s not so angsty as to make me roll…
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Review: Proper English (Think of England #0.5) by K.J. Charles
I will happily read pages and pages of characters in a historical novel interact at a house party. Bonus points if half of them don’t like each other, the other half like each other a bit too much, and at least one person is outright rude. I enjoyed myself so much, following the point of…
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2019 Resolution Project: Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) by Ilona Andrews
My 2019 Resolution Project over at my other blog, Speculative Chic, is to read the entire Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews, finishing up with a first read of the final book in the series. I’ve read the fifth book, Magic Slays, before, but never officially reviewed it. You can find my full review here. An excerpt: “So…
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Review: Reverb (Twisted Wishes #3) by Anna Zabo
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. The final book to follow the romantic escapes of the band Twisted Wishes focuses on bass player Mish Sullivan. She’s pretty much the literal definition of strong, independent woman who knows what she wants. But what she wants is different…
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Review: The Baker’s Beauty (River Hill #3) by Rebecca Norinne & Jamaila Brinkley
Disclaimer: I am friends with the authors; however, I purcahsed this ebook for full price. Sometimes my interest in the romance between two characters takes a backseat to my interest in the development of the characters themselves. This book was sweet and enjoyable, with all the traditional romance novel tropes, but I found myself much…
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Review: The Distiller’s Darling (River Hill #2) by Rebecca Norinne & Jamaila Brinkley
Disclaimer: I am friends with the authors; however, I purcahsed this ebook for full price. I felt a bit guilty enjoying a glass of port while reading this book, but I have a feeling that I’d have loved it no matter the beverage. Iain and Naomi have almost nothing in common on the surface, but…
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Review: A Prince on Paper (Reluctant Royals #3) by Alyssa Cole
I enjoyed the third book in the series just as much as the others, even if it was yet another take on the premise. I especially found the intersection between traditional fairy tales and modern royalty compelling. The character development paths of Nya and Johan sucked me in on their own, which is important when…
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Review: Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse #8) James S.A. Corey
After the rise of the Laconian Empire in the previous book, the crew of the Rocinante is spread across the universe once again. Naomi and Bobbie are both fighting an underground war in the ways they do best. These women continue to be my heroes and I adore them. This book especially shows the power…
