Death’s Requiem by David J. Gatward

March 8, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Death’s Requiem by David J. Gatward
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Music can be murder.

When the body of internationally-renowned vocalist Gareth Jones is found hanging in the tower of a church, the walls daubed in occult symbols, the world of classical music, and the local dales community in which he grew up, is shaken to its core.

With the worst winter in years sweeping through Wensleydale, the spectre of a friend’s death haunting one of his team, and a killer driven by forces darker than he could ever imagine, Grimm and his team are up against the creator of not just a masterpiece, but a symphony of pain.

And it’s up to Harry to make sure that when the curtain comes down, there’s no chance of an encore…

DCI Harry Grimm and his brother Ben are really beginning to settle down into life in Wensleydale. With the people from the small town welcoming and for the most part friendly and the beautiful scenery, it’s hard for them not to both start feeling at home. Bad things still happen in small towns though, and Harry all too soon is finding himself wrestling with both a strange murder in the local church and a surprisingly professional group of animal smugglers.

I really enjoyed this next book in the DCI Grimm series. While I feel the reader would enjoy it more having read the previous installments, this book can absolutely be picked up and read as a standalone. The two main plot threads are very well explained and handled in this book – and even though the animal smuggling/kidnapping has been very loosely alluded to in previous books it was more of a throw-away sort of comment, the actual plot aspect and in-depth investigation is completely contained in this book. The murder begins and concludes in this book, and I feel adds an excellent counterpart to the animal/farming based plot and the two bounce very well off each other.

I am also very pleased to see the further development of a number of the main characters. Jim in particular I feel is coming along very well, from the very young and rather inexperienced police officer in the first book to now being heavily invested in his work and really learning and growing. I also was really pleased to finally see a bit more of Ben’s character – Harry’s brother. While the cast of characters could be seen as on the small side, I really feel they are each well drawn, individual to each other and there’s enough characters to feel like a good unit without there being too few or too many. The fact we can spend time with them all and watch them develop is an integral part to the story being really well rounded and enjoyable to my mind.

The occult/paranormal aspect to this story is very, very lightly handled – I really wasn’t sure to even give it a “paranormal” tag, but there is a “spell” cast in the past by a bunch of the local kids and with the fresh murder some symbols were left so I really felt while light and not a strong part of the plot it was present enough that it needed mentioning. Readers looking for a spiritual/occult/paranormal mystery should definitely not consider this a strong or heavily invested story – and equally readers looking to avoid a paranormal tale shouldn’t shy away from this. The small country town, the characters and the two mysteries are definitely the focus of this story – not the occult/paranormal themes.

Readers looking for a good bunch of characters, a small country town setting and two interesting, concurrent police procedural style investigations should be really satisfied with this book. I found it to be another excellent addition to this series I am really looking forward to the next one.

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

Honor by January Bain

March 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Honor by January Bain
Sin City Wolf, Book 3
Publisher: Totally Bound
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Never run from a wolf!

Isadora Champagne is a witch on a dangerous mission—to take down Lucius Luceres. That bad boy alpha billionaire doesn’t deserve to have it all his way. Thinks he can dump her baby sister and get away with it! But now that she’s met the shifter, keeping her heart safe from him is going to take more than the curse she laid on him…it just might cost her a pact with the devil himself.

Lucius of the House of Luceres is an alpha werewolf, secure in his bad-to-the-bone reputation. But when confronted by the beautiful Isadora one fateful night, even he can’t ignore the extreme attraction that instantly ignites between them. But what he hadn’t counted on was how useful her magic gifts can be to the House of Luceres when one of their own goes missing.

Will he be able to set aside the centuries of mistrust between witches and shifters and allow her special brand of courage and caring to heal even the most jaded heart?

A witch and a wolf – who will come out on top?

Well, the wolf, obviously, because the witch (Isadora) is supposed to be a strong, fearsome woman who bends the rules of her coven to help out other women but the minute the wolf (Lucius) speaks, she melts.

This was a fast-paced story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you occupied. Unfortunately for me, I wanted more depth to the story, instead of skimming the surface. Isadora’s sister acted strangely when they were speaking, but Isadora never questioned it. Why did she think her actions in the elevator were the right way to go? Why did the disappearing cousin not even leave a note? I don’t know.

This story was good, it just didn’t give me what I needed. Their emotions flip on a dime, and it made me dizzy. I’m sure fans of this author will rave over this book, but it just wasn’t one for me. Perhaps it is because it is the third book in the series and I haven’t read the others? I don’t know.

If you want steamy hot romance, then this may be the book for you.

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

The Runaways by Brenda Barnes Clark

February 24, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Runaways by Brenda Barnes Clark
Publisher: RBC Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Review ed by Astilbe

What if Penny, an abused pony at a 1946 West Virginia county fair, runs away to eleven-year-old Billie Rose Tackett?

What if, through “think-speak,” Penny tells Billie that she was stolen and did not belong to the carnival or the horrible, terrible pony ride keeper? How can Billie prove the theft when no one in their right mind would believe that a horse speaks? In her quest to save Penny, Billie and Penny show amazing courage and tenacity to overcome seemingly impossible, life-threatening situations. In this fast-paced adventure story, Billie grows in confidence as she deals with prejudice, disability, bullying, family loss, compassion, and forgiveness while doing whatever it takes to save the runaway pony.

Empathy makes the world a better place.

The pacing was perfect. I ended up reading far longer than I was intending to because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page or wait to see what happened next. There simply wasn’t a good time to take a break. That’s the sort of writing I love to see, and it makes this first-time reader eager to see what Ms. Barnes Clark might come up with next. She couldn’t have made a better first impression with me.

Billie lost some of her hearing as a result of an infection she had as a child. The scenes describing her memories of that illness and how it affected her life as well as the lives of her mother and sister were written beautifully, and I’m saying that as someone who lives with a person who is hard of hearing. It’s rare to find characters who have partial hearing loss but who can still hear certain tones, so I was thrilled to see this topic covered here.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that included the mind reading between Billie and Penny. The paranormal elements of their adventures were subtle but unmistakable. That suited these characters nicely, and I enjoyed coming up with my own theories about why they could communicate telepathically. Not everything needs to be fully explained in a tale like this one, especially when there was so much else going on in their lives simultaneously.

I appreciated how descriptive this book was about everything from the physical appearances of the characters to what their homes, barns, gardens, and other settings looked like. The author did a wonderful job of fleshing out the world she was describing, and I found it easy to close my eyes and picture everything in my mind. What made this even better was how seamlessly she included all of the details in the storyline. The pacing of the plot never needed to slow down in order for her to describe all of the little but important details that created such a memorable read.

The Runaways was an exciting adventure that I’d wholeheartedly recommend to adults just as much as to the middle grade audience it was originally intended for!

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

Securing His Mate by Laura M. Baird

February 10, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Securing His Mate by Laura M. Baird
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

A vow to his ailing mother gives Grizzly shifter, Micah, six months to find his mate, or he and his brothers lose their family’s land. He can’t contemplate a lifelong bond, but one tease of Nicolette’s enticing scent has him and his bear ready to do what it takes to make her his.

Nicolette and her sister are all each other have in the world so she protects their existence by living a sedate life. A chance encounter with the charming Micah has her rethinking her decisions.

But how will she view him when she learns he’s a shifter and her only experience with that world led to heartache?
Micah offers love and security, but can he convince her their bond is meant to be?

* * *

He’s reluctant to face his destiny.
She’s protected herself from more heartache.
Their bond will prove fate doesn’t make mistakes.

Vows are not meant to be broken – so Micah has to find his Mate with only one month left of the time limit given.

This is the fifth and final book in the Shifter Mail-Order Brides series, so all the other brothers have found their Mates, leaving only Micah, the youngest, left. He is fed up with the whole thing but will do his duty. He has no idea how though until he runs into Nicolette. Then he knows what he must do.

This is a typical fast-read paranormal. See Mate. Sniff Mate. Want to mate Mate. Boom! And, of course, the Mate takes it in stride. Okay, so maybe Nicolette has a wobble, but trust me, she takes it quite easy considering rape and murder were on the cards just a few minutes before.

This is a quick read at only 91 pages, so don’t expect anything too deep. However, if you are wanting a fast story that makes you smile at the HEA then I can absolutely recommend this one.

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

Soft Heart by Megan Slayer

February 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Soft Heart by Megan Slayer
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Paranormal, Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Dicentra

Can two broken souls be repaired with a lot of love and a little power from the gods?

Leto, the goddess of motherhood and womanly demure, wants to be anything but bashful. Working in Las Vegas in the music business has proven she can’t be coy if she has desires, but the man she loves isn’t available. What’s a goddess to do? Help break a curse, that’s what.

Tommy has loved Leto since the day they met, but he never thought she’d want to be with him. He’s also got a girlfriend. When his girlfriend leaves him for his brother and curses him, it’s up to Leto and Tommy to admit their deepest desires—they want to be together.

There’s just the matter of breaking that pesky curse…

Megan Slayer’s Soft Heart sizzles with chemistry and passion. A cross between a second chance romance and a fated mates story, there’s always something that has been in the way of Tommy and Leto being together and finding true happiness. The stars have finally aligned though, and one last obstacle remains. It’s more than just a pesky curse though…

As a fan of Greek mythology, I appreciated the focus on Leto (who is an underappreciated figure in my opinion). I liked how Ms. Slayer incorporated her children (the archer twins Apollo and Artemis), and the dynamic between Leto, Zeus, and Hera (like many things in Greek mythology, it is super complicated and dramatic). Zeus was still a jerk in this book, which is very on-brand for him (I don’t think a book where he’s a redeemable figure would read as realistic). Leto deserves a happily ever after ending, and I’m so happy that Ms. Slayer gave her one.

The chemistry between Tommy and Leto is off the charts. They never actually thought they could be together, but when Tommy’s girlfriend leaves him there’s suddenly a chance. Their relationship goes from zero to sixty very quickly, but I didn’t have any issues with that. Ms. Slayer establishes that they’ve known each other for a while and that the “celestial mates” aspect plays a role. Large amounts of on-page relationship establishment weren’t necessary for a story of this length.

Overall, a very enjoyable and quick paranormal erotic romance read (with some elements of fantasy thrown in). Readers who enjoy the genre(s) and think they might like a story influenced by Greek mythology should pick up Soft Heart. I enjoyed the book and will happily read other books by Ms. Slayer in the future.

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

Beautiful Heart by Cooper McKenzie

January 31, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Beautiful Heart by Cooper McKenzie
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Mystic’s All Night Café—where the city’s supernatural world meet for the best coffee, tea, and pastries.

Gerri Markham wakes and walks the streets in the wee hours of each morning as physical therapy after a car accident left her a widow. When a pair of street rats try to mug her, a tall, dark man comes to her rescue. Little does she realize he’s going to expand her horizons and completely change her life.

Livingston Daniels, Prince of the city’s vampire coven, has been looking for his mate for nearly two hundred years. He never expected the woman he would spend the rest of his unnatural life with to be the bland woman he saves from two homeless men.

Can Gerri change her life for the vampire Prince? Will Livingston give his mate the time she needs to accept him and his lifestyle? Will Mystic’s predictions come true?

For years now, Gerri had consistently woken up each morning around 2am with recurring nightmares about the car crash which had killed her husband and left her with a permanent limp. With a bit of work, she’d managed to find a route she could – with difficulty – walk safely in these early-morning midnight hours, which helped dispel the memories and thoughts that plagued her. Gerri had never been bothered on these early morning walks, but one evening when two drugged out hoodlums try to change that, Livingston Daniels steps in. Gerri didn’t need the assistance, but she’s happy to allow Livingston to walk with her to Mystic’s All-Night Café, a small but interesting diner Gerri hadn’t known existed. Will both Gerri and Livingston find more than they bargained for together?

This is the second story based around Mystic’s café and I found it really enjoyable. Gerri might be mentally and physically scarred but she’s far from weak or unable to protect herself. She has the sort of stubborn strength only those who have survived can achieve and I found this really interesting to read. I also enjoyed the fact that Livingston was more than he initially appeared to be, being the prince of the local vampire coven. I was pleased that Gerri was exposed to the paranormal element of this book’s world fairly early on – though I will admit I had to completely suspend my disbelief at how readily and easily she jumped on board with the whole “werewolves and vampires are real and hey I’m the Prince of all vampires” thing. While these stories are great to read, I find I really struggle with how readily and easily these kinds of reveals are taken. I think readers will need to disconnect their brains a fair bit and just relax into the story and enjoy it for the fun tale it is – and not expect anything too rational or logical.

That said, I really enjoyed pretty much every other aspect of this story. I thoroughly enjoyed that while Livingston and Gerri had a lot of chemistry and were attracted to each other almost immediately they had a little bit of time getting to know each other before jumping into bed together. I also liked that Gerri continued to ask questions to Livingston and she tried to learn more about the paranormal element to the world she’d never known existed before. I thought the slight plot twist in the middle of the book really helped add some conflict and tension to the story. Readers wanting a very heavily erotic story might find that these other plot elements take up a lot of the story, but personally I found the balance was really well handled and the author did a good job of adding a proper plot along with enough bedroom shenanigans to keep a range of readers satisfied.

I felt this book definitely stood well alone and I don’t feel readers need to read the previous story to thoroughly enjoy this one. Grab a large drink, sit back, relax and just roll with the story – I found this to be a fun and sensual paranormal romance with a few decent intertwining plots and some strong and interesting characters.

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

Beautiful Soul by Cooper McKenzie

January 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Beautiful Soul by Cooper McKenzie
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Mystic’s All Night Café—where the city’s supernatural world meet for the best coffee, tea, and pastry.

Five years after her ex-husband left her scarred, 51-year-old Lena Wellings continues to hide from the world. In the wee hours of the morning, she meets a man online. When he invites her to Mystic’s All Night Café, she reluctantly agrees.

Mage Kingsley James gave up on love decades ago, devoting himself entirely to his craft, and to his position as the city’s negotiator between the city’s supernatural species. Meeting Lena online intrigues him. Meeting her face to face enthralls him.

When rogues kidnap Lena, Kingsley must bring vampires, shifters, and other supernatural creatures together to rescue her.

Will Lena learn to see herself as Kingsley does? Will Kingsley rescue Lena in time? Will they be able to keep the city from war between the supernaturals?

After continually waking within minutes each morning of 2am and being unable to go back to sleep, Lena joins a local online chat community for insomniacs and workers on the graveyard shift. One of the frequent chatters in particular has helped ease Lena’s transition into embracing being awake for much of the earlier hours – someone with the screen-name of KingJames. Kingsley James has no idea what, exactly, it is about Lena that draws him, but he can’t resist the allure. His nights are crammed full of mediating between the constant bickering between the local vampire coven and the restless shifter clan and so joining the message board on a whim had seemed like a good, lowkey way to keep his mind off his real-life troubles. Can Lena and Kingsley find something special together during their very long nights?

I admit I just couldn’t go past the idea of a mystical all night café where people get set up – there’s just something inherently romantic about that sort of image to me. While the plotline itself is fairly dated (I recall reading countless “magical cat/shoes/busybody sets the hero and heroine up together” style of stories in the late 90s and early 00s) I have to admit it’s still to this day a strong storyline and plot device. Even in these pandemic times people want to connect with each other and feel that magical spark of attraction and romance. So I really feel this storyline will appeal to a wide range of readers, especially those looking for something fairly straight-forward and maybe even slightly vintage in style of plotline.

Added to this slightly old-school feeling I absolutely loved the more modern reading elements. Lena was not some shy, retiring virginal miss, but a middle-aged, battle scarred woman who had survived an abusive and difficult previous relationship and come out the other end. I was so pleased Lena wasn’t a cookie-cutter style of heroine and – even more importantly – was still willing to take careful and calculated risks to help change her own life for the better. I really feel she will appeal to many modern readers. The paranormal aspects to the story, while not delved into in great depth, also really helped give the whole story a more modern and slightly whimsical feel to my mind.

Readers looking for an intense and graphic sexy story should find that this fits the bill. While Lena and Kingsley don’t jump into bed immediately, they do become sexually intimate very quickly and I feel the speed of this likely will mostly appeal to readers who like insta-love stories or those where the hero and heroine don’t spend a lot of time getting to know each other outside the bedroom first. I was pleased that even though Kingsley and Lena become intimate very quickly they do begin to grow a far strong and more emotional connection that helped sell me on the believability that their relationship should last long-term. This helped me feel more connected and invested in their relationship rather than just feel they were a fling or more interested in a quick romance.

Readers who like a steamy and sexy story with elements of the paranormal world dabbled through should find this a quick and enjoyable read.

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

The City Below by William Meikle

January 20, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The City Below by William Meikle
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Action/Adventure, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

THE CITY BELOW continues the adventures detailed in THE LAND BELOW and THE SEA BELOW

Our adventurers have escaped a conflagration only to find themselves in a great underground city.

They quickly discover they are not alone.

And when a natural disaster threatens to engulf them it becomes a battle for survival.

Can they find the route home to the sun before it is closed to them forever?

Danny, Ed and Stefan have made a monumental discovery – a hidden city under the Earth. With paves streets, temples, homes and even terraced gardens the abandoned landscape was equal parts eerie and amazing. Can the three adventurers find their way back up top amidst all the dangers that lurk below?

This story picks up exactly where the previous story left off (The Sea Below) and in a similar vein to both the other books in the series is an action orientated adventure style of short story. This time though, Danny and Stefan are determined to escape back up to the surface and Ed, too, soon realizes the three of them need to regroup and agrees to head for the surface.

I have to admit I’ve come to adore our three main adventurers – the younger Ed who has an unquenchable thirst for adventure and discovery, the more elderly Stefan who remains brave and strong – the wiser, more seasoned local and calm head of the ground. And Danny, the old soldier and reluctant hero of the group. I love how while the three characters are quite different, they’re each at heart strong, brave and heroes in their own right, and through those adventures they’ve forged a friendship and bond that has been amazing to follow along with and watch develop. While I absolutely found their time discovering amazing sights and monsters under the ground has been well worth the read – these three characters and their interactions, growth and slowly building friendship has been a true joy to read and journey along with.

While our group’s explorations are full of new discoveries, danger still lurks everything – from enemies as well as monsters. I really enjoyed the pace to this story – it wasn’t crazily fast but it was definitely a good clip most adventure readers should really enjoy.

This book seemed to me to span a good mixture of adventure, suspense and paranormal “monsters dwelling below the earth” and I feel should appeal to a wide range of readers and they should thoroughly enjoy it. While it can definitely be picked up by itself, I feel reading this will have a stronger impact and better experience by going back and reading the two previous installments first. These are short, sharp, witty and exciting stories and well worth the investment in reading them in order.

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

Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell

January 14, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell
Publisher: TCK Publishing.com
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Horror
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Deliver us from evil…

Drowning in a meaningless existence flipping burgers, Matthew Davis suddenly collapses from a powerful psychic connection he shares with his twin brother, Jake. The pain is violent and immediate, and Matt knows exactly what it means… hundreds of miles away, Jake has been viciously killed. But instead of severing their connection, the murder intensifies it and Matt begins to suffer the agony of Jake’s afterlife.

Hell bent on solving Jake’s murder in order to break the connection, Matt travels to his troubled hometown of Hatchett, Nebraska, where an old lover and savage new enemies expose the festering wounds that Jake left behind.

Matt tries atoning for Jake’s sins, but when a demon infests the connection between the two brothers, Matt must find a way to sever their bond before his world, and ours, become engulfed in the flames of hell.

Our Trespasses is an unpredictable mystery but is so much more. It is labelled as a legal thriller; however, it has the feel of a spiritual thriller. The supernatural elements are key to the plot and add much to make readers sit on the edge of their seats, so to speak.

The story takes place in a small town, and the author has done a great job with the setting. Little details set the mood. When strange, otherworldly things begin to happen, the thriller aspect of the book comes into play. The stakes are high, and things do not look good for the protagonist who is trying to solve his brother’s murder. If he does not do this in time, evil will be unleashed into the world.

Family and friendship are important here, as is the idea of forgiveness. This gives a depth and more meaning to this fast-paced tale.

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

Escape From The Center Of The Earth by Greig Beck

January 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Escape From The Center Of The Earth by Greig Beck
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

“Help me, it’s Ally. Please help me.”

A ghostly, sobbing voice is detected from the depths of Russia’s Kola super deep borehole – 9 miles down. A Russian team is dispatched in a desperate rescue mission to find the woman. But how did she get there?

Meanwhile, the Americans prepare their own expedition after a new rift leading to the center of the Earth has been discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean. Mike Monroe and Jane Baxter agree to accompany the team of soldiers and scientists to seek a compound that is potentially a cure for cancer… a cancer that is slowly eating away at them, and the legacy of their time in the boiling red hell at the core of the planet.

Now, a two-pronged mission seeks answers from the Earth’s interior, a place of impenetrable jungles, fallen kingdoms, and monstrous creatures that have never been seen on the surface and have evolved into nightmarish, deadly forms.

But there is something else – a mountainous ancient being that is as old as the world and has been awaiting them. And this time will not let them leave.

Escape from the Center of the Earth is the final edition of the blockbusting Center Earth trilogy and closes the series with a climax that will blow reader’s minds.

Jane and Mike are both fighting the long-term consequences of their two previous expeditions down into the center of the earth. Each determined to save the other, will this final trip allow them to close this chapter of their lives?

I have really enjoyed this trilogy and found this third and final installment to meet – and even exceed – my every expectation. That’s no small feat, I am a huge fan of Greig Beck and now pretty much expect a superlative read from each of his books. Fantastic blending of horror, mystery/suspense, thriller, sci-fi, techno thrillers and best of all an adventurous and amazing expedition style of story are all things that I expect from Mr. Beck and in this story he did not disappoint. I feel it’s important for readers to know this story stands very well by itself – but it is equally very clearly the final part in the trilogy, and I absolutely think readers will have a much more encompassing and enjoyable adventure if they read all three books back-to-back.

I was both cautious and excited to read about Ally. Her part towards the end of the second story was one of the major things that really, truly stuck with me for weeks after I finished reading Return to the Center Of the Earth. While much of it was my own imagination and the somewhat abrupt ending to her section, I feel anyone who reads the second book will completely understand why Ally stuck with me – in both a good and a bad way – for many weeks. So, knowing her story wasn’t over and realizing this book would progress that storyline was both wonderful and frightening for me. Without spoilers – I found myself impressed and deeply satisfied with how this story handles Ally and both the realism of her character and the progress and conclusion that was given to me as a reader. The storyline as a whole absolutely won’t be every reader’s cup of tea (and indeed for some parts it wasn’t to my taste either), but I can’t deny this is one of those stories and trilogies, a character arc that just really hits you in the heart and soul and stays with you. For good or bad it made a serious impact on me and is something I will think and talk about for a long time to come.

Jane and Mike and another set of hard-ass military professionals also were an amazing expedition party. As one would expect there are new monsters, new dangers and new wonders all set in store for them and the reader journeying along. I was thrilled when one of the characters was introduced to the party. No spoilers – but it’s a very well-known character who many fans of Grieg Beck will be hopefully as excited as I was to see added to this adventure. It really helped make the book even more amazing for me, personally, as it’s one of my all-time favourite trilogies of Beck’s.

Readers looking for an adventure, a thrill, a bit of a scare and a can’t-be-beaten “expedition party getting eaten by the monsters” style of story should absolutely be as enthralled as I was. I totally think readers should go back to the first story and read all three, but if you happen to find a copy of this just lying around somewhere then pick it up and devour it – for sure. This is an amazing book, and I can’t wait for more from this author. Highly recommended.

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