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Review: “And Now For Something Completely Different” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor
I love when stories are exactly what they say on the tin, but when the St. Mary’s crew is involved, you know it’s still going to outrageous. The Christmas story for 2018 features very little Christmas and a lot of planetary-hopping shenanigans. As someone who follows the current research into getting the first human to…
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Review: “A Questionable Client” (Kate Daniels #0.5) by Ilona Andrews
This short story takes place prior to any of the novels in the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series. However, reading this story after reading at least the first novel, Magic Bites, works best. “A Questionable Client” tells the story of how Kate first meets one of her informational contacts, a shape-shifter called Saiman. He’s kind of…
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Review: Escaping Mortality (Escape #3) by Sara Dobie Bauer
Disclaimer: I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review. The cliffhanger at the end of book 2 in this trilogy, Escaping Solitude, left me frantic. Luckily, this installment picks up mere moments from where the previous left off and continues the story without missing a beat. This trilogy of novellas will make for a…
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Review: Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) by James S.A. Corey
After the whirlwind of the previous book in this series, this book should have felt like a time to breath. Unfortunately, I think the authors took things a bit too far in the other direction. They teased us with a Bobbie-centered prologue, and then things started to drag. On top of it all, I wasn’t…
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Review: Into the Ashes (Taine McKenna Adventures #3) by Lee Murray
Disclaimer: I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review. The third installment of the Taine McKenna adventures follows the format of the two previous books without becoming formulaic or predictable. It’s an action-packed adventure featuring human and supernatural dangers, full of both familiar faces and new characters I hope to see again in…
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Review: Necropolis (Whyborne & Griffin #4) by Jordan L. Hawk
This installment of the series takes poor Whyborne far out of his comfort zone as his friend Dr. Putnam summons him to Egypt for his professional expertise. The fact that I read this book while on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean probably enhanced my sympathy for him, which was a fun…
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Review: Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse #3) by James S.A. Corey
This series was perfect vacation reading, and I’m now caught up the first three seasons of the television show, which is all that has been released at the time of this writing. For a series that was supposed to be about “the little guys” who happen to get involved in solar system-spanning action, it seems…
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Review: Belle By Night (Dommes By Night #1) by Rachell Nichole
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. Having absolutely zero experience with how the phone sex industry works, this was a fun, escapist story. I will always be a fan of three-dimensional characters and romances with a unique “meet-cute.”
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Review: Caliban’s War (The Expanse #2) by James S.A. Corey
Since I read this book after watching the first three seasons of the television show, The Expanse, my opinions of the book are colored by my experience with the adaptation. For example, my favorite thing about this book was finally meeting two of my favorite characters in print. Avasarala and Bobbie are amazing and I…
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Review: Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy #3.5) by Ilona Andrews
This novella picks up where the last book in the Hidden Legacy series leaves off and features a surprise protagonist! As much as I adore Nevada, it was awesome to read a story from the perspective of another member of the Baylor family, and Catalina is fantastic.
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Review: An Acceptable Time (Time Quintet #5) by Madeleine L’Engle
For the final installment of my 2018 Resolution Project over at Speculative Chic, I reviewed An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Unfortunately, this series did not end with a bang for me. You can read the full review here, and check out an excerpt below: This series, which gave us everything from aliens to angels to…
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Review: “Remnant” (Caldwell & Feximal/Whyborne & Griffin Mystery) by K.J. Charles& Jordan L. Hawk
This short story is available as a free download from K.J. Charles’ website. It is best read after Stormhaven (Whyborne & Griffin #3) by Jordan L. Hawk and the full collection of The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles because it contains significant spoilers for both.
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Review: Stormhaven (Whyborne & Griffin #3) by Jordan L. Hawk
The horrors of this book are once again an homage to those created by Lovecraft himself, and I continue to find absurd joy in heroes that would have completely pissed him off. At this point, I am thoroughly enamored by both Whyborne and Griffin, and Hawk continues to impress with their excellent character development.
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Review: Threshold (Whyborne & Griffin #2) by Jordan L. Hawk
This book was an excellent follow-up to the first in the series, proving that Hawk is now comfortable with their world and their characters. We leave behind the Lovecraftian city of Widdershins for a company town in the Appalachian mountains, haunted by creatures who are both horrifying and unique.
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Review: Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin #1) by Jordan L. Hawk
I picked up the first book in this series because I’d heard good things about it from readers who also enjoyed the stories in K.J. Charles’ Charm of Magpies world. They were spot-on in their recommendation, and I’ll also throw in my hat that fans of either series will enjoy the other.
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Review: Into the Sounds (Taine McKenna Adventures #2) by Lee Murray
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased the electronic version of this novel for full price. After reading the first book in this series, I kind of thought I knew what I was getting into. It’s really awesome that I was completely wrong. On the surface, lots of things are similar to…
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Review: The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles
This intertwining collection of “short stories” are a blast to read, and I love the idea of a Holmes and Watson style pairing working together in the occult realm. This is definitely a case where the author’s notes at the end enhance the coolness of what I just read, and shows how the author’s research…
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Review: Into the Mist (Taine McKenna Adventures #1) by Lee Murray
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased an electronic copy of this novel for full price. For those of you who are averse to the horror genre, I’m happy to report that this novel is instead a thrilling action-adventure. There are some gory bits, but it’s not gratuitous, and the moments that…
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Review: Love Around the Corner by Sally Malcolm
Disclaimer: I received an electronic version of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have a soft spot for contemporary romance stories that have evolved with the times. So many relationships begin with the partners meeting online these days (my own included) that more traditional “meet-cutes” almost start to feel…
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Review: “A Queer Trade” and Rag and Bone (A Charm of Magpies World) by K.J. Charles
This connected short story and novel take place in the world of A Charm of Magpies. A reader will get the most of these stories after reading the initial trilogy and Jackdaw.
