Bunny’s Special Treat by Wanda Violet O.

November 28, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Bunny’s Special Treat by Wanda Violet O.
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

His Bunny. His rules. One night of denial becomes a lifetime of surrender.

I never dreamed being Max’s Bunny would feel like this. Owned, protected, and utterly consumed by his desire shouldn’t be the enticement, but pleasing Max, submitting to him, fulfills something inside me I didn’t know I was missing. Every touch, every command, every whispered promise reminds me I belong to him. But belonging comes with its own exquisite torment.

Daddy Jacob’s masquerade promises a night of temptation and denial, where every glance burns hotter and every stolen touch leaves me trembling on the edge. I ache for release, but Max’s rules are absolute: I come only when he allows it. And tonight, he intends to push me further than I’ve ever gone before.

Surrounded by power, lust, and dangerous devotion, I have only one truth to hold on to. I’m Max’s Bunny. Always.

Max and his Bunny are enjoying a special night at Daddy Jacob’s masquerade. Even though the night is filled with friends, power and lust, Bunny knows Max’s rules come above all else. No matter the provocation or situation, she only comes when Max allows. Can Max and his Bunny enjoy this exquisite but tortuous evening together?

I enjoyed this brief but spicy Daddy Dom erotic short story. While I think I’ve read one of this series before – I haven’t followed along fully, and I still found the story spicy and enjoyable. I do think readers might feel a stronger connection to Bunny and Max and their friends if they’ve read the other books – but I found it certainly easy to pick this up pretty much by itself and still enjoy the proceedings.

Readers should be aware this spicy romance has multiple partners for Bunny, and the party is quite the enticing and exotic event. While there isn’t really much of a plot – I still found this an interesting and fun quick read. Absolutely have a cold drink on hand and I’d recommend not reading it anywhere public – Bunny is thoroughly put through her paces, and this isn’t the sort of book you want to be reading when others are around.

Short and sexy, this was a fun Halloween themed erotic story that should appeal to many BDSM readers.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

All Dressed Up by Ashlynn Monroe

November 27, 2025 By Leave a Comment


All Dressed Up by Ashlynn Monroe
Jack-O-Lanterns, Book 8
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Halloween isn’t just for trick-or-treating. Sometimes it’s about playing dress up. When Isaac’s wife brings home a friend on Halloween, he never expects them to show him just what his sex life has been missing or that demons are real. Will he be willing to share his wife with two demons?

Isaac and Suzy’s marriage had gone from strength to strength after they moved. Reconnecting in the bedroom they each had loved the injection of heat into their sexy antics. Isaac is somewhat disappointed, therefore, when he gets home on Halloween to discover Suzy is out collecting her good friend Roneka who had come over for an unexpected visit. Can Issac and Suzy be honest about what each of them want?

I found this to be a super spicy foursome romance. While Suzy and Ronnie have been friends for quite some time, neither had acted on their attraction. When Ronnie also brings fellow demon Renault the four of them virtually set the bedroom on fire. Readers should absolutely sit back, keep calm, and enjoy the ride.

I do feel readers should be aware that there is very little plot to this spicy short story, and I found each page thoroughly enjoyable. The chemistry between all four characters is sky high and I really didn’t mind they didn’t even leave the house for the duration of the story.

Readers looking for a smoking hot four-way Halloween orgy can’t go wrong with this spicy short story.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Murder In the Garden by Faith Martin

November 26, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder In the Garden by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Edward Philpott is found bludgeoned to death with his own spade in his beautiful garden. He lived with his daughter Rachel and his two grandchildren.

Hillary’s only lead is a rival from the village flower show who used to argue with the victim about the size of their vegetables. But what dark secrets from the past and present does this village hold?

Hillary has returned to work after the slaying of her boss and is desperate to track down his murderer. His pregnant widow is even more determined to get revenge, but will she go too far?

Can Hillary cope with two complex investigations full of extreme emotions, one of which is very close to home?

DI Hillary Greene has been off on two months compassion leave after the explosive ending of her last case. She returns to work slightly changed from the person and officer she was on that last fateful day. When her team is called onto a new investigation before she’s even sat down at her desk, Hillary knows she’ll need to be in top form if she really wants to return to her job – and life – after this enormous change.

I was pleased that the ramifications of the previous book are still solidly sounding through this story. While I don’t feel readers need to have read the previous book to understand the importance of what happened in it – I do think a deeper emotional connection and better understanding will be had if readers have at least a few of the previous books under their belt and they know the connections and deep friendships between Hillary and some of the secondary characters.

I was also pleased that while the resolution of this previous case is very strongly represented, it didn’t really detract from the new murder case. I thought the author handled the two powerful plotlines quite well. I was also intrigued by how Hillary’s character is still very much the same – but she’s clearly grieving and not at her best. I’ve never felt Hillary had been written as some omnipotent or untouchable heroine – but seeing her somewhat disjointed and not in top form was very realistic and quite interesting to read. Particularly since she continued to play to her strengths and remained the appealing and gripping character she’s always been.

This book was layered and very interesting. I’m eager to continue the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder In The Meadow by Faith Martin

November 20, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder In The Meadow by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Wayne Sutton is found dead by a stream in a beautiful meadow. His head has been bashed in and a red paper heart left on his body. The handsome young artist had a reputation as a ladies’ man.

DI Hillary Greene discovers that many wealthy married women were buying his paintings and taking ‘private’ art lesson from him. It appears that several of them might have wanted him dead.

Hillary also has a new detective sergeant, Gemma Fordham. Seemingly efficient and pleasant, she harbours a secret agenda.

Can Hillary get to the bottom of a complex case involving jealousy, love, and cold-blooded murder?

When two schoolboys find a dead artist in a nearby meadow DI Hillary Greene and her team are called in to investigate. All too soon they have more suspects than they can handle – cal DI Greene work out what’s really going on?

I’ve been really enjoying this British police procedural series based around Oxford. Greene is a wonderfully different character, a middle-aged woman, secure in her career and with plenty of brains and intuition. I love how she’s smart and competent without being omniscient or unrepeatable. I also enjoy how the author has managed to switch things up a bit by over the last few books having two of Greenes team move on – one through a transfer due to marriage and one through promotion. This realistically and easily opened the doors for two new team members to arrive and become strong secondary characters.

With enough interpersonal intrigue to keep me turning pages, the fact the murder mystery was also well plotted and set at a good pace was just icing on the cake.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Jack Shadow by Graeme Smith

November 19, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Jack Shadow by Graeme Smith
Shadow Dance #1
Publisher: BWL Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jack Shadow. He’s heard them – every one of them. The jokes. They all start out the same. “See, this guy walks into a bar…” Well, that’s not him. That guy who walked into a bar. He’s the guy who walked out. It’s not amnesia. Near as anyone knows, he just doesn’t have a past. Near as anyone knows – or admits to. He doesn’t walk round a corner, and some guy from a car shoots at him because of something he did long ago.

Sure. Guys shoot at him. Hell, women too. But not for long ago. Mostly for last week. Where ‘last week’ is any week you choose. No, he just walked out of a bar. Were there piles of dead bodies behind him? A stacked deck he was dealing, or one he was dealt? He doesn’t know. Or care. But they were waiting, and they took him. The Dragon. Took him to make a difference. To wait for the time a beat of a gnat’s wing could change tomorrow. And Jack’s the gnat. Jack walked out of a bar.

The rest – the rest will be history. Some day. Not that he’ll be in it. Nobody remembers the gnats. Not if they did their job right. And Jack’s the best there is. Jack Shadow. Because some days – the last thing you need is a good guy.

Danger is the spice of life when one is in certain lines of work.

Jack had a well-rounded, intriguing personality that made me want to learn more about him. I appreciated his wry sense of humor and how intelligently and cautiously he approached every aspect of his work. He was the sort of character I’d want to hang out with during an emergency due to how closely he paid attention to small details in his environment as well as how prepared he was for a wide variety of possible outcomes in life, both positive and negative.

This was one of those tales that tossed the reader into the action and asked us to figure out what was happening as the protagonist attempted to stay alive and well. As much as I enjoy the challenge of this style of writing in general, I did find myself wishing for a little more exposition in the beginning in this case. Even a few more paragraphs worth of it would have catapulted this to a five-star rating for me as I enjoyed everything else about it and thought Jack was definitely someone worth getting to know better.

The time travel aspects of the storyline were handled nicely. It can be a complicated topic, especially when more than one trip is involved or when multiple characters are involved, so I was glad to see Mr. Smith spend some time digging into the risks involved and what the characters hoped to earn from their hard work.

Jack Shadow was fast-paced and adventurous.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Murder In The Mansion by Faith Martin

November 18, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder In The Mansion by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Mattie Jones is found brutally stabbed to death in her palatial home. Hillary Greene is called in to investigate the murder of this wealthy woman. Who wanted her dead and why?

Hillary discovers that Mattie’s snobby attitude had made her many enemies. Mattie was also going through a messy divorce and had a secret lover.

Meanwhile, in a terrifying turn of events, police officers are being gunned down outside their stations. A sniper is on the loose. Who will come under attack next?

Can Hillary cope with the enemies within, a complex case, and the whole force under attack?

This is the next book in the DI Hillary Greene series. I’ve been really enjoying these books – Oxford based British police procedural mysteries. There are two main plot lines through this book – both that of a sniper shooting police officers in their HQ car parks seemingly at random, and Hillary is leading her team investigating the brutal stabbing murder of a woman in her mansion.

I found both plots moved along at a good pace, keeping me interested and eagerly turning the pages. A few of the longer-term story arcs also moved forward which I enjoyed – both with Hillary’s personal life, and the ongoing drama with Gemma, Hillary’s new DS and Barrington, her DC. I enjoyed the movement with her colleagues and am finding this a really enjoyable series.

Readers who hate cliffhanger endings should be aware they will definitely need the next book in the series on hand. While the murder plot is very neatly wrapped up there is an important event that happens right at the very end of this book that will absolutely change the scenery of the rest of the series. I, myself, needed to read the first chapter of the next book immediately upon finishing this one and I strongly expect a number of other readers might feel the same as me in this instance.

Readers who like British police procedural books, or those based in smaller towns should definitely give this a go. While it’s not necessary to have read any of the previous books–I feel this could easily be picked up by itself–I did enjoy the progress with the supporting cast and that came from knowing the history between everyone.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Pits: Life Literally Bit Me in the Ass (a memoir) by Cheryl Edwards

November 17, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Pits: Life Literally Bit Me in the Ass (a memoir) by Cheryl Edwards
Publisher: Huber House Press LLC
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Cheryl Edwards’s life takes a terrifying turn when she is viciously attacked by three pit bulls, and nothing goes according to plan when it comes to escaping, finding help, and recovering.

Once a happy dog-loving gym rat who swam with sharks and skydived, she’s now afraid of skiing, snakes, and senior schnauzers. With her life in the pits, she copes like any other Gen Xer and the only way she knows how: with pigheaded determination, sarcasm, and humor. Needless to say, the results vary.

Cheryl wants nothing more than to be normal again, but after therapist number three informs her that she hadn’t been normal to begin with, she’s forced to confront her past in order to make the most of her future.

This gripping memoir isn’t just a cautionary tale for dog owners and pet sitters; it’s a thank-you letter to her husband, a guide to treating victims, and a testament to friendship.

Courage comes in many forms.

Ms. Edward’s conversational writing style was the perfect fit for this memoir. Even though I’ve never actually met her, in some ways it still felt like I was sitting down with an old friend to get a detailed update on her life as I read. Her warm and easy-going narrative was occasionally punctuated by funny moments that I never would have expected to read in a book about a vicious, unprovoked attack by three dogs.

My favourite passages were the ones that described the parts of recovery that might not be the first thing to cross someone’s mind when they think about the practicalities of healing from so many bites. For example, the author had a terrible time convincing her insurance company to cover many of the bills that resulted not only from her attack but also from the physical therapy and other medical costs in the weeks, months, and years to follow. Her mental health was negatively affected in completely understandable ways as well as she dealt with the horrific trauma of that day. These sections were an excellent reminder of just how long healing can take as well as how much of it involves things that outsiders might not understand. Compassion is key whether someone is the victim of such an attack or a friend or loved one who is trying to help. I’ll leave it up to other readers to absorb the rest of the lessons she learned as a result of these experiences, but there was plenty of material here to work with for people from every walk of life.

The author’s reactions to the dogs who attacked her was what ultimately encouraged me to give this a glowing five-star read. That is to say, I was impressed with how she responded to the thought of discussing their future once the danger was finished and she’d received appropriate medical care for her many injuries. That isn’t a topic I can go into great detail about without sharing spoilers, but it was what solidified this into a must-read for me.

The Pits: Life Literally Bit Me in the Ass overflowed with hope, forgiveness, and kindness. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Masked Prey by John Sandford

November 13, 2025 By 1 Comment


Masked Prey by John Sandford
Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The daughter of a U.S. Senator is monitoring her social media presence when she finds a picture of herself on a strange blog. And there are other pictures . . . of the children of other influential Washington politicians, walking or standing outside their schools, each identified by name. Surrounding the photos are texts of vicious political rants from a motley variety of radical groups.

It’s obviously alarming–is there an unstable extremist tracking the loved ones of powerful politicians with deadly intent? But when the FBI is called in, there isn’t much the feds can do. The anonymous photographer can’t be pinned down to one location or IP address, and more importantly, at least to the paper-processing bureaucrats, no crime has actually been committed. With nowhere else to turn, influential Senators decide to call in someone who can operate outside the FBI’s constraints: Lucas Davenport.

US Marshall Lucas Davenport is called in to Washington DC when deeply hidden website shows snippets of alt-right propaganda and a number of long-range photos of Senator’s children outside their schools. With clear implications and enough data for any number of people to take drastic action, Davenport is told to find those responsible and fast. But nothing is ever simple in DC and soon Davenport finds the case spiraling out into directions he’d never previously considered.

I am a long-time fan of this series and found this to be an interesting and extremely relevant addition. Davenport is certainly middle aged – but I find in many ways his experience is a fascinating and slightly different perspective to the genre is equally gripping to read. There’s a lot to be said for the no holds barred, endless action scenes style of mystery novel, but Davenport has always been equally about brains and solving the crime and not just jumping into the car and zooming somewhere guns blazing. I feel this book has a good balance between both those perspectives and adding in the strongly political element this plotline has again deepens the plot and makes everything delightfully complicated.

I feel this book is strictly a “summer-reading” style of novel. While the plot is complicated, the characters interesting and the setting extremely modern, this is definitely an action orientated type of plotline and not a deep thriller. Readers looking for something knotty or complicated might feel this is a little light – but personally I had a lot of fun reading it and there are certainly enough threads and elements for me to feel the plot was well woven and multi faced enough to keep my interest.

Readers who have enjoyed any of the previous series should easily be able to pick this book up and thoroughly enjoy it. Better still, while there is clearly a huge history behind Davenport and his various connections, I strongly feel this book can absolutely be picked up by a new reader and still found to be highly enjoyable.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu

November 12, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Most humans cower in the face of Death. Not Nella May Carter. She sees him. She doesn’t hide. Instead, she bargains.

Born enslaved in eighteenth-century Georgia, Nella still believes in the will to survive amid the most untenable of conditions, in the glory of life, and in the ultimate goodness of the human race. She asks that Death, doubtful and curious, allow her to live long enough to prove it. He’s giving Nella all the time in the world.

Challenged, Nella embarks on an epic journey across the globe and centuries. Each new incarnation records the joys and losses, and the friendships and heartbreaks, throughout her lifetimes. When she meets handsome and passionate professor Sebastian Moore―the first man to whom she has ever revealed her secrets―Nella yearns for the mortality that escapes her. She can’t bear to leave this love behind.

As Death keeps watch, has Nella’s journey come to an end? Or is a new one just beginning?

Love is eternal.

Some of my favourite passages in this book were the ones that debated the true nature of humanity and whether our collective good deeds make up for the horrific things we’ve done to one another throughout the generations. While I tended to agree more with Nella, both protagonists made intelligent points with their arguments, and it was quite interesting to see them go back and forth with evidence for their positions. This is something I’m saying as a reader who generally shies away from philosophical works. Ms. Nwosu did a wonderful job of blending philosophy into an exciting story in ways that made those scenes feel natural and encouraged me to think critically about every argument that was made and refuted.

I would have preferred to see stronger world building in this novel. Some of the settings were easy to visualize, especially the first one in 1774 as well as Nella’s experiences during World War II, but other ones like France didn’t include enough descriptions for me to easily imagine what the main character’s life was like there. Had this been included, a five-star rating would have been a strong possibility from me!

The complex relationship between Nella and Death made it difficult for me to stop reading. It was delightful to see how her reactions to him evolved over the centuries as she grew accustomed to her immortality and began to question some of the rules that Death had put into place about what she could and couldn’t do during her quest. Without sharing too many spoilers, these developments made the last hundred pages or so incredibly rewarding for me as a reader.

The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter was beautiful.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Crucifix by Naomi Cashman

November 11, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Crucifix by Naomi Cashman
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

There are always two sides to everyone … Some people are just good at keeping their sinful side hidden.

Something dark and sinister lurks in the musty hallways and abandoned rooms of the Convent of Mercy. The now defunct orphanage, with its history of odd occurrences and murderous deeds, draws tourists with a taste for the macabre. But what if the stories that have been whispered about by the locals are true?

In 1865, orphaned Katherine is sent to live at the convent where fear rules. Nobody will speak of the odd occurrences – an organ playing in the dead of night; fresh graves dug beneath her window; and the Reverend Mother’s bizarre obsession with an ornate crucifix. Worse still, girls who are summoned to her office are never seen again. And when Katherine attracts the attention of the malevolent Sister Nora, her survival seems unlikely.

Katherine’s quest to uncover the truth exposes her to unspeakable evil. Will she resist the darkness that festers in her soul or will she succumb to the unholy power of the crucifix?

Evil wears many faces.

I loved the character development in this novel, especially when it came to how my opinion changed about the various characters as I learned more about them. It’s not easy to write an antagonist whose motives are understandable and whose personality is well-rounded enough for a reader to find something likeable about them, so kudos to Ms. Cashman for making this look so effortless.

The plot twists were equally well written. Where I thought the storyline was going to go in the first scene didn’t necessarily match what happened, and it was fun to be surprised a few times as Katherine learned more about her new home and tried to avoid the horrors lurking there. The foreshadowing nudged me in the right direction without being too obvious about what was coming, although once I looked back at the signs, I found a few that I should have paid closer attention to. It’s amusing when this happens, and I will definitely keep an eye out for future works from this author.

Knowing that the setting was inspired by a real convent only made this an even more immersive and frightening read for me. Horror is scariest when there’s a sliver of truth embedded in it in my opinion, and I eagerly read more about the original Convent of Mercy in Ireland between reading more chapters about the fictional one. This wasn’t necessary in order to understand the plot, but it’s definitely something I recommend to anyone else who also happens to enjoy learning about history.

The Crucifix made me wish for a sequel about the terrifying Convent of Mercy.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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