Class of ‘59 by John A. Heldt

January 17, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Class of ‘59 by John A. Heldt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Historical, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

When Mary Beth McIntire settles into a vacation house on June 2, 2017, she anticipates a quiet morning with coffee. Then she hears a noise, peers out a window, and spots a man in 1950s attire standing in the backyard. She panics when the trespasser sees her and enters the house though a door to the basement. She questions her sanity when she cannot find him.

In the same house on March 21, 1959, Mark Ryan finds a letter. Written by the mansion’s original owner in 1900, the letter describes a basement chamber, mysterious crystals, and a formula for time travel. Driven by curiosity, Mark tests the formula twice. On his second trip to 2017, he encounters a beautiful stranger. He meets the woman in the window.

Within hours, Mary Beth and Mark share their secret with her sister and his brother and begin a journey that takes them from the present day to the age of sock hops, drive-ins, and jukeboxes. In CLASS OF ’59, the fourth book in the American Journey series, four young adults find love, danger, and adventure as they navigate the corridors of time and experience Southern California in its storied prime.

John A. Heldt has written many good time-travel romances, and Class of ’59 does not disappoint. Mary Beth and Piper are young adult sisters living in the year 2017. They stumble upon a pair of intriguing brothers from 1959 and follow them back into the past. They make a quick buck by gambling using their knowledge of the future. Unfortunately, they get the attention of some bad guys while doing this.

Mary Beth and Piper and the brothers, Mark and Ben, have a great time together in 1959. The young women really enjoy learning about the era as they immerse themselves in it. Readers are sure to enjoy all the ‘50s details. Piper even enrolls in school. The two sisters fall for the two brothers and they in turn with them, but they know it can’t last. Mary Beth and Piper will have to return to the future.

Meanwhile, gangsters are trying to find them, and they are getting closer. Though there are suspense and a sense of danger in this book, it is more about the setting and the adventure than that danger. It comes into play every so often, but the focus is more on the young ladies’ discovery and romance.

This is a charming time-travel book with a surprise ending. I would recommend it.

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The Snow Queen by Claire Keay

January 14, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Snow Queen by Claire Keay
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The classic story of how Gerda saves Kay from the evil Snow Queen is depicted in this enchanting picture book. The entertaining narrative presents this beloved story in a way that allows for independent reading and for story time with an adult. Beautiful illustrations will inspire young readers to tap into their imaginations. This fresh take on a Christmas classic will get readers in the holiday spirit and excited for fun winter activities.

Friendship can make anything possible.

One of the things I liked the most about this picture book was that it didn’t require prior knowledge of the classic fairy tale that this was based upon. The narrator explained almost all of it quite clearly while still leaving room for readers who were already familiar with it to think of a few details from the original that were changed or left out. This also meant that all readers could use their imaginations in certain portions of the storyline which was delightful in many cases.

With that being said, I do wish the origins of the Snow Queen and her wicked specks of snow had been explained better. This was something I’d probably go ahead and talk about ahead of time with the little ones in my life so they’d better understand her backstory and motivation for doing the naughty things she did. While the plot did make sense without it, knowing about it would make certain scenes easier to explain to anyone who might wonder what was happening in them and why Kay was suddenly behaving so awfully.

The friendship between Gerda and Kay was wholesome and wonderful. They truly cared about each other. I enjoyed the scenes that described the sorts of things they did together before the Snow Queen came into their lives and changed everything. It helped to explain why Gerda was eager to go on her long journey to save Kay and try to get their lives back to normal.

The Snow Queen was a heartwarming fairy tale that works well for little ones.

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Trenchcoats, Towers, and Trolls: Cyberpunk Fairy Tales by Edited by Rhonda Parrish

January 11, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Trenchcoats, Towers, and Trolls: Cyberpunk Fairy Tales by Edited by Rhonda Parrish
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What do you get when you take the high tech/low life settings of cyberpunk and sprinkle them with the magic and possibilities of fairy tales? Trolls under teleportation bridges, masquerades held in virtual reality, princely avatars, giants and dwarves alongside hackers and androids. From retellings of traditional tales such as Rumpelstiltskin, in which a young woman is tasked with writing code instead of spinning gold, to original tales like the changeling-inspired story of a formless machine intelligence that hijacks human bodies, these cyberpunk fairy tales form a unique collection that is sure to satisfy connoisseurs of both genres.

Original stories from Thomas Badlan, Suzanne Church, Beth Goder, Sarah Van Goethem, Nicola Kapron, V.F. LeSann, Angus McIntyre, Wendy Nikel, Ana Sun, Michael Teasdale, Alena Van Arendonk and Laura VanArendonk Baugh.

Everyone should have a chance to live happily ever after.

In “***********SK.IN,” a young woman named Sam must write an impossible sequence of code for some old computer chips in order to avoid a jail sentence that will lead the authorities to discover a secret she must keep hidden at any cost. She was such an intelligent and resourceful character. As soon as I met her, I earnestly began hoping she’d find a way to slip out of the clutches of those who wished to harm her. This feeling only intensified as she continued to face more obstacles in her path. I couldn’t stop reading until I’d learned her fate!

Nara discovered a tiny seedling in a neighborhood where no plants had grown in a few generations in “Neon Green in D Minor.” I was mesmerized by the dirty place she’d grown up in and how the seedling had managed to sprout when so little sunlight fell on anyone or anything who lived there. The only thing better than that scene was figuring out which fairy tale this was based on. The author’s outdid themselves with their creativity.

Giants were a slowly dying breed in “Firewalls and Firewort,” but Mave wasn’t about to stop searching for a way to save her people. I admired her courage, especially given the cruelty and bigotry that was so often a part of her interactions with humans. Every story in this book was excellent, but this was the one I’d be most excited to revisit in the form of a sequel if the author ever decides to write one. While I was satisfied with how everything ended up, there were so many portions of giant society that could be explored in greater detail in the future.

This is the final instalment of a series of anthologies. It can be read as a standalone work.

Trenchcoats, Towers, and Trolls: Cyberpunk Fairy Tales was utterly perfect.

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If the Light Escapes by Brenda Marie Smith

January 6, 2022 By 16 Comments

If the Light Escapes by Brenda Marie Smith
Publisher: SFK Press
Genre: post-apocalyptic science fiction
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Rose

A solar electromagnetic pulse fried the U.S. grid. Now northern lights are in Texas—3,000 miles farther south than where they belong. The universe won’t stop screwing with 18-year-old Keno Simms. All that’s left for him and his broken family is farming their Austin subdivision, trying to eke out a living on poor soil in the scorching heat.

Keno’s one solace is his love for Alma, who has her own secret sorrows. When he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive no matter what. Yet armed marauders and nature itself collude against him, forcing him to make choices that rip at his conscience. IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES is post-apocalyptic science fiction set in a near-future reality, a coming-of-age story told in the voice of a heroic teen who’s forced into manhood too soon.

This is the second book in the series, but I had not read the first book. I didn’t have any trouble following this book, but there was enough about book one that I have already ordered it so I can see what led up to this point. And, fair warning, book two ends on something of a cliffhanger. I don’t personally have an issue with that, but I know some readers do.

The characters in this book are phenomenal. They are multifaceted, with their good points and their bad points. The story is told in first person from the point of view of 18-year-old Keno…. a young man who has had to grow up way too fast. As we work alongside him, we know his thoughts, his fears, and his determination to protect his people at all cost.

The secondary characters are all just as richly drawn. Even the “bad guys” are trying to survive, which makes their actions understandable. Folks, in this book and in this time, we aren’t in Kansas anymore and tough times call for tough measures. And the question is begged… will people come together to help each other, or will it be every man for himself?

That’s one thing that makes this book so compelling. I could see something like this happening, and people showing what they are made of. The people of this community have to find that answer in themselves.

The book starts off with a bang and does not let up even a smidgen. I stayed up way too late a couple of nights because I just had to know what came next. I’m already anxiously waiting Book Three. Kudos, Ms. Smith.

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Kingston and the Echoes of Magic by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi

January 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Kingston and the Echoes of Magic by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

In this duology’s finale, Kingston travels back in time and uses his growing magic to save the world.

Kingston might have saved Echo City but the victory is bittersweet without his pops by his side. The holidays are approaching and if Kingston could have one wish, it would be to have his father, who is trapped in the Realm, come home. But as new problems arise and blackouts blanket the city, Kingston begins to have a persistent feeling of déjà vu, as if he’s lived this same day before—and he has. Echo City living up to its name, is caught in a repeating time loop.

Maestro, his father’s old rival, has found a way to overwrite reality with an alternate timeline where he rules over all. It will be up to Kingston, Too Tall, and V to find a way to enter the Realm and travel back through time to stop him. But with a magic he still barely understands, Kingston will needs his friends’ smarts and their collective courage to figure out the mystery and find Maestro before Brooklyn as they know it is erased for good.

Kingston and the Echoes of Magic is Book 2 or a sequel to the first book, Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found. It’s as fast-paced and as easy a read as the first book. It might be a little quirkier, but I mean that in a good way. Kingston, his cousin V, and their friend Too Tall are stuck in a world that goes round and round. A sort of time warp that repeats the same day. Sometimes it’s good to know what will happen tomorrow and sometimes not. None of that will help Kingston find his pops.

There is plenty of magic or fantasy here and once again a cast of characters that most any young person can identify with. Winston and his pals are left with puzzle after puzzle to solve. It makes this book enjoyable to read but keeps the reader on his or her toes. There’s lots of fun here too. I enjoyed the plucky dialog and the interaction between the characters. I read Book 1 earlier. While either book can stand alone, I’m glad I read them in order. I think it gave me a better chance to know the characters and to understand the pace and flow of the story.

This was a good read. I was disappointed when it was over and wish there was a 3rd book on the way.

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

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories by Tom Batt

December 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories by Tom Batt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories is a collection of 15 short crime stories from dark detective noir to domestic murder, crossing time periods as far back as the Victorian era and into the near future. Some with a twist of horror, science fiction or the supernatural. Each story revolves around intriguing characters with twists and turns and on occasion a sting in the tail.

Private investigator Nick Shelby is struggling to move on from the abrupt and unexplained departure of Louise, the woman he loved. When she turns up dead in Mexico, he sets off to investigate her death and, in the process, unravels a web of lies and betrayal woven together by a roster of shady characters in 1940s Los Angeles. A mysterious man thought to be dead, a deceiving doctor and a notorious gangster are all connected, but the big question is who killed Louise and why?

Plus, three small town sheriff’s deputies are made a tempting offer by a sinister stranger they’ve arrested; a young prostitute tracks down the man who murdered her friend and exacts brutal revenge; in the near future where reproduction is regulated a desperate mother will risk everything to have a child of her own and in Victorian London a married couple encounter one of the city’s most infamous criminals and find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Sometimes the fringes of society are the most interesting places to be.

After going broke and nearly losing their home, George’s wife decided to work as a prostitute to keep her family housed and fed in “An Unexpected Encounter in Spitalfields.” His angry response to the way their community treated them once word of her new occupation got out piqued my interest. I had a lot of compassion for this couple and was curious to see how they’d manage their financial woes as well as the stigma they faced. There were some wonderful twists in this tale that kept me guessing, and the final surprise was the best one of them all.

“A Deadly Suspicion” began with Cooper and Gabe making small talk as they got rid of a body. I was intrigued by how casually these characters cleaned up the scene of the death and how much more attention they paid to other concerns in their lives like making sure their hair looked good. That wasn’t how I’d expect anyone to behave in that situation at all, so I couldn’t imagine what their reasoning was for it. As intrigued as I was by their unusual behavior, I did find myself wishing that they’d gone into more detail about why they were so used to handling dead bodies and how they were planning to get away with their crimes. This was a pattern I noticed in a few other stories here as well. I would have gone with a higher rating if the author had been a little more methodical about explaining what was going on in them.

Russell was dismayed to learn that his mistress was pregnant in “Fatal Infidelity.” After his mistress died in a car accident a short time later, he had to figure out how to cover up the evidence of their affair and her death. I thought I knew where everything was going based on the beginning and middle of it, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how many tricks the author still had up his sleeve as the characters moved closer to the climax. This was quite creative and was one of my favorite tales of them all.

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories was a well-rounded collection that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys all sorts of different types of mysteries.

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

Bite Me for Christmas by Megan Slayer

December 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Bite Me for Christmas by Megan Slayer
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Holiday, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Dicentra

Rachael isn’t good at magic, and she’s not versed in life, but this witch wants to lay her hands on the sexy vampire who’s come to her in her dreams. She wants just one thing for Christmas wish — her vampire.

Gavin wants the witch in his dreams, but he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of her. Part of him wants to devour her magic and save himself, but what if being saved doesn’t involve dying?

Anything is possible with a little Christmas magic.

Sometimes Santa works his Christmas magic and delivers more than what you ask for…

Rachel isn’t the best or the brightest witch, but she does her best. Her days are dull, but her nightly dreams are filled with the gorgeous vampire Gavin. When she decides to change things for herself, she puts her Christmas wish out into the universe and requests that Santa bring her vampire lover to her. Gavin, as a vampire, longs to be free of the constraints of his nature. He does have feelings for Rachel, but he doesn’t feel like he has anything to offer her. After Rachel’s Christmas wish ends up bringing the lovers together, will everything work out for them in the end?

There isn’t a lot of worldbuilding in this story, but I don’t think it was necessary. The story is set in a very recognizable version of our world. Additionally, the characters and their emotions were quite impactful – I was rooting for Rachel from the very first line of the story. I loved how Ms. Slayer balanced the erotic scenes with the emotional scenes. Gavin was super charming, and there were many moments where he caused me to swoon. Cue the heart eyes!

The ending of the book is by far one of my favorite parts of the story. Ms. Slayer tied everything up in a bow nicely! Overall, Bite Me for Christmas was a delightful paranormal/urban fantasy holiday short story. If a reader is in search of a quick, entertaining, and spicy read complete with happily ever after this book delivers.

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

The Christmas Unicorn by Elf Ahearn

December 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Christmas Unicorn by Elf Ahearn
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The greatest gifts aren’t always under the Christmas tree.

Believing herself abandoned by her fiancé in the wilds of Northern Wales, actress Babbie Crispen and her wheelchair-bound son struggle to find shelter on a frigid night before Christmas.

A strange man the locals call the Wicked Scot finds them near death on a snow-covered hillside. He brings them to his castle, a place of both terrifying and wonderful magic so powerful it changes all their lives.

It’s one thing to enjoy blustery winter weather by looking at it through a window. It’s quite another to be stuck in the middle of it and have nowhere warm and safe to go at all.

Most stories about Christmas were written about people who have a home to live in, however modest it might be. The holidays take on quite a different meaning for families that don’t have enough money for basic shelter and food, much less anything special to eat or to give as a gift. As soon as Babbie and her young son, Francis, I was sucked into their tale and couldn’t wait to find out how she’d manage to keep their little family alive over the winter. The odds were stacked against them so terribly.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the character development. The storyline was well developed, but my understanding of who the characters were as individuals and how they were changing as a result of their experiences during this Christmas wasn’t as strong. While I could have described their physical appearances and occupations easily, I would have struggled to do the same with their personalities. There simply wasn’t enough information for me to say what any of the main characters were like apart from that.

The magic in this world was delightfully unpredictable. I couldn’t blame Babbie one bit for being so unnerved by the things she experienced when she first visited the Wicked Scot‘s castle. There were no rational explanations for them, and some of her experiences were just vague enough to make me wonder if her worries about there being something dangerous in that house were legitimate. I can’t say much else about this without giving away spoilers, but I deeply enjoyed where the author went with it.

The Christmas Unicorn made me smile.

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

Rejected Mate by Sam Crescent

December 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Rejected Mate by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Humiliated.

Alone.

After going through her first transition, Constance finds her mate—who publicly rejects her. The pack wants her to leave, but Gage, the alpha, tells her to stay. His son may have rejected her, but he wants her to stay. At a meeting, Gage declares he will be the unmated male to claim her. She will be his.

All her life, she’s had a crush on the softly spoken alpha, and now he intends to be her mate. Is he doing it out of pity?

He has watched her flourish into a beautiful, curvy wolf, and since his son doesn’t want her, he craves her. He’ll stop at nothing to claim her for his own.

He loves her. He will mate with her.

But he couldn’t have anticipated what would happen when he finally leaves his mark on her.

Will he save her before it is too late?

Constance hadn’t had her first turn until the very late age of her twenty first birthday. While she loved her pack and her small town she had often felt like an outsider and this feeling had only grown significantly since her destined mate had rejected her. The alpha’s son hadn’t cast her aside in private or quietly, but he rejected her in front of the entire pack, cementing Constance’s humiliation. With her suitcase packed and on her way out of town – unable to bear the cold and rejection of the whole pack – Constance is surprised when their Alpha, Gage, insists she stay another three days until the town meeting. When in that meeting he publicly claims Constance as his own mate, her world is turned upside down.

I found this to be an interesting and highly sexy story. While there wasn’t anything too fresh or different to the plot of the story, I found Gage and Constance’s characters interesting and relatable, and Gage’s young and egotistical son, Tanner, a good area to show the conflict in the story. I was exceptionally pleased that Gage didn’t immediately jump into bed with Connie. While their age difference didn’t bother me too much, the fact he was her Alpha and a lot more mature emotionally than her and the fact Connie had a crush on him all meshed together to make me feel Gage was a little too much of an authority figure for them to be intimate immediately after he claimed her. I was really relieved the author allowed them both – and me as the reader – a bit of time to see Connie and Gage get comfortable with each other emotionally and in their day-to-day lives before becoming sexually intimate.

That said, there was plenty of steamy sex throughout much of the story so readers looking for a spicy and extremely erotic story should definitely find this fits the bill in that respect. I thought there was a really good balance in this story between the paranormal world building and with the regular sticky emotional relationships between a new couple and dealing with rejection and petty jealousy. I thought the author did a good job and I found myself eager to read more as Gage and Constance build their trust and relationship together. With a good amount of plot – especially surrounding the intricacies of a shifter who turns a bit later in life and the fine lines between what true mates were and claiming a mate who becomes yours I thought this book was a lovely blend of solid plot and very sexy shenanigans.

Hot and spicy, this is an interesting and good read.

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

The Forest God’s Favor by AT Lander

December 13, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Forest God’s Favor by AT Lander
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Can the love of a man heal the heart of a god?

Fertility god Anthos, a shy and gentle three-hundred-year-old virgin, has grown up in the shadow of his brutal older brother Dryas and spent his life hiding from mortals, no matter how much his nature draws him to them.

Cleon, a humble farmer who always has room in his heart and his bed, knows that Lord Dryas is angry. The crops aren’t growing, and his family is going to starve if he doesn’t give the god a worthy sacrifice—his own body. But when he reaches the shrine, he finds a very different god, the sweet, untouched Anthos.

Eager to satisfy Anthos’ curiosity, Cleon shows him what sex is…and what a relationship between them could be, with their instant attraction blooming into love. But when Dryas returns with a vengeance and Cleon’s life hangs in the balance, Anthos is forced to make a choice.

Will he bow once more before his brother’s rage, or take a stand for the only man who has ever had faith in him?

If your local fertility god suddenly stops blessing you, what are you to do?

This is the dilemma that troubles Cleon as his family, and those in his village, face starvation due to their crops not growing. He decides to pay a visit to the cruel Lord Dryas but, instead, meets the sweet and caring Anthos.

Oh, man! This story!!! Considering it has a Reader Advisory, I found it to be so completely sweet. The violence in it is necessary and shows the growth of the main characters and how they solve the problem they have. The rest of it is pure, unadulterated erotica and if that shocks you, maybe you shouldn’t be reading a book about a fertility god!

Anthos and Cleon are fantastic together, and their ending brought a happy tear to my eyes. Jealousy is not part of their relationship, and I loved how it worked between them. They are supported by a great cast of characters that remain in the background until needed. The focus really is on Anthos and Cleon and that makes it so much more intimate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and read it in one sitting. I am going to be reading more by this author, that’s for sure! Absolutely recommended by me.

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