Secret of the Whispering Woods by Jordan Gray

September 6, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Secret of the Whispering Woods by Jordan Gray
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This enchanting story, perfect for early teens and young adults who love fantasy and adventure, will whisk you away to a magical world where sparkling fairies and mischievous sprites live side-by-side with humans. Featuring a magical world, thrilling battle between good and evil, bravery, friendship, and a touch of magic. It’s a tale about the power of courage, the importance of friendship, and the enduring hope for a happily ever after.

Magic is everywhere.

I appreciated how magic worked in this universe. The same rules applied to everyone regardless of who they were and whether or not they were aware that their choices were being so carefully observed. Sometimes this led to characters experiencing consequences to their actions that they never would have expected but that were deeply satisfying to read. Without giving away any spoilers, keep an eye out for how characters react to frustrating situations and how they behave when they have no reason to believe anyone will ever know what they’re doing. If only our world always operated on the same principles of justice and equality.

It would have been nice to have more details to work with. Whether I was thinking about the character development, the plot twists, or the descriptions of the settings, this was a thought that continued to pop up as I read. There simply wasn’t enough information about any of these things for me to easily visualize them in the majority of the scenes. To give one concrete example, there were a few feasts mentioned that barely spent any time describing what the otherworldly food at them looked or tasted like. Not everything needs to be described in great detail, of course, but including some passages like this here and there would have gone a long way in encouraging me to choose a higher rating.

One of the unique things about this tale was how much of it was written from the villain’s perspective. Elara was an interesting person, and learning about her sad and difficult childhood made it easier for me to understand why she had grown into such an angry, jealous, and selfish adult. Of course, this wasn’t an excuse for the terrible things she did, but it can be hard for someone to make good decisions if they haven’t had positive role models to show them a better way to live. Elara certainly had her work cut out for her there!

Secret of the Whispering Woods was a cute fairy tale.

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

Island Dreamin’ by Kate Douglas

September 5, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Island Dreamin’ by Kate Douglas
Escape!, book 7
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Teri’s had it! She’s tired of fighting for accounts in her job with the city’s largest advertising firm, but Brad and Steve are making her life miserable. After a frustrating day, she takes her drink and her disappointment into the bath for a long soak. A quiet vacation on a desert island. That’s what she needs…

The dream that follows is anything but frustrating. Brad and Steve, both bound and under her control, and does Teri ever take control! But is it all a dream? And what is it with those two guys? She had no idea they lusted after one another as much as they want her.

Teri is tired of the constant competition and struggle with her city job at an advertising firm. Brad and Steve in particular make her days miserable. Only the calm of a hot bath and a very cold drink at home at the end of the day can help her get up and do it all over again. For in those quiet, relaxing hours in her bath at home she can escape in her dreams and finally be the one in control.

I thoroughly enjoyed this very short but highly relatable and deeply sensual quick read. Having to constantly do battle with idiots at work and wondering if the rat race is really worth it is a situation I feel the majority of people can really feel compassion for. A delicious boozy drink- or three – and a hot bath at the end of the day is also something I can feel down in my soul. So, I thought this book easily grabbed me right from the first few pages.

What followed was a sizzling hot but equally enjoyable island getaway dream. Readers who enjoy M/M/F style threesome stories should definitely find this short story fits the bill. Teri, Steve and Brad quickly jump into their sexy shenanigans and readers will likely find themselves scorched with the outcome the threesome find themselves in.

Disconnect from a hard day, grab a big cold drink and enjoy this quick and sexy read.

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

Werewolf Cove by Marteeka Karland

September 4, 2024 By 1 Comment


Werewolf Cove by Marteeka Karland
Escape!, book 6
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

ER nurse Isabella loves Connor, but she refuses to be just the girlfriend anymore. She need more from Dr. McHottie, but he’s afraid to commit. Will a little fun in the sun bring her sexy werewolf to heel?

Isabella loves Connor – and she knows he loves her in return. But Connor is a little gun-shy when it’s coming to a firm commitment, so Isabella has a plan.

I found this to be a super hot and really quite sweet werewolf steamy romance. I felt immediately drawn into Isabella and her predicament of still being “the girlfriend” after three years with Connor and I was pleased with her modern attitude and refusal to back down from what she wanted. I was pleased though that the author did show us a bit from Connor’s perspective too – as the situation wasn’t as clear as Isabella originally thought, so seeing the matter from Connor’s eyes too really helped me feel connected to both these characters.

The sex was steamy and intense – I feel readers who enjoy werewolf style stories should definitely enjoy this short story. A fast and sizzling hot read this would be a great pick me up when you don’t have a lot of time to commit to a longer story.

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

The Mermaid’s Scream by Kate Ellis

August 29, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Mermaid’s Scream by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Piatkus
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Most assumed that literary legend Wynn Staniland stopped writing because of his wife’s tragic suicide. Yet writer Zac Wilkinson hopes to reveal the true story to the world in his upcoming biography of Staniland.

When Zac is found brutally murdered, DI Wesley Peterson finds that Staniland is a link between Zac’s death and an unexplained poisoning of a couple in a local caravan park. He suspects that the killings are a grim re-enactment of the murder of Mary Field, which inspired Staniland’s best-known novel.

As Wesley begins to unravel decades of deception, he discovers that someone close to him is involved – and the truth proves almost too much to bear . . .

DI Wesley Peterson is called out to a suspicious poisoning out in the local caravan park in what looks might be a double suicide – or possibly a murder/suicide. With little but his instincts to go on he is reluctant to link it to another recent murder of a local author who is writing a biography of a local literary legend. Yet the more Peterson and his team look into the two loosely connected events, the more they find lurking in the background, and when a re-enactment of a young woman many years ago is also tied in the team have more than enough to keep them busy.

I found this to be an interesting and well-paced British murder mystery. I was impressed with the sub-plot revolving around Petersons nearly teenaged son, Michael and hope we can maybe see a bit more of him in future books to come. I also was really pleased that – for now at least – Wesley’s wife Pam seems to have settled down a bit and has a much better and more patient outlook on her life. I was very happy with the progress of both of these characters and found they really added to my enjoyment.

The plot was well contained and while readers who pick this book up and try to read it as a stand alone mightn’t find the same enjoyment with the character progressions that I did – the story and mystery aspect is very well handled and certainly is all tied up with no real loose ends. Readers who are hoping for a strong historical storyline or archaeological plot woven in with the modern day murder mystery might find that aspect to this book a little lighter than Ellis’ books in this series usually are. Speaking personally, I didn’t mind the lighter hand this time around as there was quite a bit going on – both with the characters, their longer running arc and family members as well as the main mystery plot. I felt had the historical aspect to the story taken up more room something else would have needed to be cut back and so I wasn’t upset to see the history take a bit more of a back seat this time around.

Readers looking for a solidly plotted and well-paced British Police procedural style of mystery should find this book really hits the spot. While I feel readers who have read a few of the previous books and know all the main characters and players will find this a little more emotional and more satisfying I do feel the plot is well contained and can easily be enjoyed just with this book alone. A good addition to a long running series and an author I really enjoy.

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

A Mark Of Imperfection by Rhys Dylan

August 28, 2024 By Leave a Comment


A Mark Of Imperfection by Rhys Dylan
Publisher: Wyrmwood Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Know thine enemy …

Evan Warlow is a man with enemies. As a DCI in the Dyfed Powys force, that comes with the territory. But when two of his most vicious critics are abducted and turn up dead in a macabre tableau, tough questions need to be asked.

The uncomfortable answers lead Evan and the team back to his roots and an old case that has haunted him for years. The deaths in the forest have all the hallmarks of a dangerous killer with no fear of consequences. And when one of Evan’s fellow officers becomes the next target, it’s clear that the murderer isn’t finished yet.

There’s a coppery aroma of vendetta in the air. Unless Evan and the team can get to the root cause of the killer’s twisted anger, there will be more deaths. And guess who’s next on the list?

DCI Evan Warlow has made a number of enemies on his many years on the police force. When two of his most vitriolic enemies are found tortured and murdered, there are a number of difficult questions to answer. Evan and his team continue to tirelessly pursue both the truth and to stop any more unnecessary deaths, but will they have the strength to come through this – one of their hardest cases yet?

I have been greatly enjoying this slightly gritty, Welsh based police procedural series. While there are a few longer-running plot arcs that run through numerous books together, there is definitely one main plotline for each book and the police investigation around it. So, while I feel each of these books can certainly be picked up alone, I equally feel that readers who have read some or all of the books can get a deeper connection to these longer-running arcs and get a more complicated and layered enjoyment of the stories.

I was particularly glad that two very long plots (one surrounding Evan and his sons, and the other dealing with a particularly distasteful work colleague) were very well handled and wrapped up in this book. While I could understand if there are a few tendrils of the work colleague that linger into the next book or so I definitely feel much better for having – I believe – the bulk of this storyline wrapped up. I also felt a bit bad for Catrin – one of Evan’s team members – being dragged into the muck with this and I am hoping all will resolve well related to her character.

The plot itself was very well handled I felt. The difficulty of having the two victims be genuinely awful people and not at all sympathetic, and in addition to that them being very much antagonists of our hero, Evan, made it a really interesting read to me. Seeing Evan and his team work just as hard to solve this murder as any other shone a lot of light on both the teams’ characters as well as their impartiality – their genuine desire to solve crime no matter who the victim might be. I really enjoyed the slightly different look this gave and it made what could have been a very uncomfortable book something different and fresh to my mind.

With excellent characters – both good and bad – and a solid, well-paced plot I am enjoying this series and am eager for the next installment.

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

The Household by Stacey Halls

August 26, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Household by Stacey Halls
Publisher: Manilla Press
Genre: Historical
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life – but how badly do they want it?

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her her stalker of 10 years has been released from prison . . .

As the women’s worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

In a large house in a small town the young ladies who enter and leave it’s walls are all kept practically secret. Offering a refuge to a select few they are allowed to forget their pasts – as prostitutes or petty thieves or merely destitute. They can learn regular household skills with a strict schedule and a plethora of nice clothing and warm food. Then when they are trained, they can begin a new life in the colonies – should that be their wish. The women’s worlds collide in ways neither them, nor their benefactors could ever have guessed.

I was quite curious about this blurb and this new-to-me author. What I found within was a very unusual but highly enjoyable story. Set solidly in the past, the best way to describe the genre of this book would be straight historical. It’s definitely not a romance or mystery, and really at the heart its historical setting is used to highlight the small group of main characters and the entirety of the plot revolves around these people. I loved finding out how they came to be where they were, how they all came together and how the course of their lives brought them together and drifted them all along their own paths. I found this highly engrossing and particularly during the last quarter or so struggled to put it down.

I particularly liked that most of the main characters were women, but also women of different ages – ranging from I suspect late teens to maybe their forties or fifties – and from all walks of life, poor, rich and working class. I thought the author handled these differences very well, and equally I was impressed how the workings of the plot and set up meant this variety of people all needed to work and interact together and find a way to proceed forward. It was interesting, and I was pleasantly surprised.

While there are a smaller number of men, I found these characters were also well varied and while there’s certainly no explicit romance in this story – and certainly there’s no romanticizing the historical time setting – I do like that there were both good and bad characters and a balance between everything. I feel readers who like historical novels, or readers who enjoy character driven plots and storylines should definitely find this to be a well written book with a different and very fresh type of story. While somewhat gritty – as real life was back in those days – I didn’t feel the author went overboard to turn off the reader with many of the realities back then. Also, none of the darker aspects of those times were used in a titillating manner or in a distasteful way. I really thought the author had done a good amount of research and I believe care has been taken to make the historical context realistic, but not unduly dark.

A well written character driven novel, I found this to be a good historical book with a very different and fresh outlook. I enjoyed it and would be happy to read more by this author.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

A Blind Eye by Marion Todd

August 23, 2024 By Leave a Comment


A Blind Eye by Marion Todd
Publisher: Canelo Crime
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Can DI Clare Mackay unravel a dead man’s secrets?
Harry Richards, a local solicitor, is found in his car, throat slit.

DI Clare Mackay is on the case. She soon learns that Harry was not the upstanding man he seemed to be. Finding the killer should be easy.

Then the wife of one of Harry’s colleagues is discovered dead in her car, and Clare realises there is something more sinister at play…

Can she find out who’s behind the murders before they turn their attention to her?

DI Clare Mackay is called to investigate the seemingly abandoned car of a mission local lawyer who had been reported missing the previous day. When the man is found inside the car with his throat slit, Clare knows this is far more than a missing local lawyer and immediately she and her team begin to search for the truth. When a second, connected, body is found under very similar circumstances Clare knows the treachery extends far beyond just this one man and his questionable actions.

I have been enjoying this Scottish mystery series – delightfully branded as Tartan Noir – and this book was an excellent addition. Similar to British police procedurals this book focuses heavily on the police and their unraveling the truth. Readers who prefer a more action orientated, American or spy syle of novel might find the pace moves a little slowly for them, but personally I really enjoy the slower piecing together of the puzzle as it really lets me follow along and have a good crack at guessing what’s really going on for myself.

There is a strongly written cast of important secondary characters and while there’s quite a history and team network between them, I do feel readers should be able to pick this book up by itself and not need any of the previous installments to fully enjoy this story.

I also enjoyed how there were clearly a few moving parts to this plot, and while they did interweave together very nicely it didn’t feel pay or overly serendipitous, it came across to me as a well plotted and interesting mystery that had a number of different areas overlapping nicely to form a larger picture.

I found this to be an enjoyable and realistic police procedural mystery with a bunch of great characters. I’ve enjoyed this series and am eager to read the next book.

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

The Reincarnation of Marie by Jim Woodman

August 21, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Reincarnation of Marie by Jim Woodman
Publisher: Legacy Launch Pad
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Facing enlistment in the Algerian War in 1950s Paris, French Army officer Yann Roussel had a heart heavy for the future. Seeking solace, he found The Journal of Marie Bashkirtseff, the diary of a late French-Russian artist who’d lived in Paris in the late 1800s.

The first woman’s diary to ever be posthumously published (to bestselling success), its sensual details of a bohemian life cut short fascinated Roussel. But soon, fascination gave way to near madness when he found himself in love with the spirit of a dead woman.

The Reincarnation of Marie, an epistolary, historical romance by Jim Woodman, tells the story of how Roussel’s obsession led to a doomed love affair with Marya, a haunted young art student with uncanny similarities to Bashkirtseff. Convinced he’d discovered Bashkirtseff’s spirit reincarnated, Roussel found the impossible love he’d been looking for—just on the eve of his leaving for war.

Love is eternal.

Some of the most interesting scenes for this reader were the ones that explored Yann’s obsession with the past and his overwhelming desire to have been born decades before his actual birth. I liked reading about the time he spent wandering around graveyards and visiting the tomb of Marie as he learned more about her life and tried to figure out what her connection to Marya might be. There were melancholic and romantic aspects to his personality that worked nicely for this tale.

I struggled with the plot holes in this novella, especially since the characters didn’t notice or comment on them. It was most distracting when comparing the differences between social norms and medical care in the 1880s versus the 1950s. Seventy years is a long time, and there were several differences between those eras that I wish had been acknowledged as they should have made substantial changes to how the characters’ lives played out in the 1950s. This would have earned a much higher rating from me if those sections had been given more attention.

The romance was sweet and strong. I enjoyed seeing how Yann and Marya reacted to each other when they first met and how they figured out that the connection between the two of them was much stronger than it should have been for virtual strangers. This is a good example of how the love at first sight trope can play out, and it made me curious to see what else Mr. Woodman may have written.

The Reincarnation of Marie was heartwarming.

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

The House Of Eyes by Kate Ellis

August 20, 2024 By 1 Comment


The House Of Eyes by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Piatkus
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Darren Hatman first reports his daughter missing, DI Wesley Peterson isn’t too concerned. Leanne Hatman is an aspiring model, keen to leave Devon for the bright lights of London.

But Wesley realises something very sinister is going on when Darren is found murdered in the grounds of Eyecliffe Castle, the hotel where Leanne works. Could Leanne have met a similar fate to her father? But, if so, where is her body?

Wesley begins to suspect a connection between recent events and the disappearance of two girls in the 1950s, at a mysterious ruin called the House of Eyes.

As he tries to solve the puzzle, Wesley must face alarming revelations rooted in centuries of evil – as well as deal with a nightmare of his own . . .

DI Welsey Peterson and his team aren’t sure how seriously to take the missing persons report from a father when his nineteen year old daughter hasn’t made contact for a few weeks. Independent and with dreams of becoming a model in London, it seems quite understandable she’s been caught up in the fast paced city life. Only when the father turns up dead, murdered on the edges of Eyecliffe Castle, the hotel where his daughter had been working for some time does it appear likely things aren’t as simple and innocent as they’d suggested. Can Wesley and his team uncover what’s really going on?

This is the next book in a long-running series blending together a current British Procedural murder mystery along with always a dollop of historical and archaeology. I must admit this time around Neil and the archaeology aspect to the plotline takes a bit of a back seat. Wesley has a fair bit of family difficulty going on and that takes a bit more of a front seat in this book and it appears to have squeezed out some of the history. While there certainly is still some history surrounding an old diary I do feel the archaeology element isn’t as front-facing in this book as it often is in the others.

I definitely feel the pace of the current murder and mystery is well plotted and well balanced with the other elements to the story. I also feel that the plot surrounding Pam was delicately handled and while it might have been a little gentle/brief on details I feel Pam and Wesley both reacted to the situation logically and in a believable manner I was particularly pleased Wesley put his money where his mouth frequently is – and he did indeed drop his work commitments when his family needed him there. We’ve seen him do this on lesser scales a number of times, but a big part of me the fact he did this without question or request will hopefully finally shut up Pam and her whining about how much time Wesley spends with his work commitments.

Another small fault was Rachel, Wesley’s colleague and fellow officer, putting off her wedding again. Admittedly it was for a jolly good reason this time – but since this is the second (or third? At least?) time the ceremony has been put off I’m really starting to feel her farmer fiance’s patience should be wearing thin and Rachel really need to either call it all off or go through with it. The previous time she put it all off (about two books ago now) I felt quite sympathetic for the long-suffering fellow and while there was a solid and undeniable reason this time, I really do feel his patience is heading towards saintly levels and not being very believable. I sincerely hope they manage to make it down the aisle in the next book or so.

With quite a bit of character movement in this book along with a solid murder mystery I feel this book might not be the best suited for new readers who haven’t read any of the previous books. But I did find this an excellent police procedural for readers who have read at least a few of the previous installments. With strong and interesting characters and an excellent mix of historical and present day mystery this is a lovely book.

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

Beneath Cold Earth by M S Morris

August 19, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Beneath Cold Earth by M S Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A buried skeleton. A dark conspiracy. A ruthless killer.
When flash floods unearth a human skeleton at a local beauty spot, DCI Tom Raven is called to investigate. Who is the dead man, and how did he end up there?

Help is on hand from forensic anthropologist Dr Chandice Jones who enjoys the challenge of working with old bones. But is Raven one challenge too many for her?

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Becca Shawcross is called to a local nursing home where an elderly resident has taken his own life. The death appears to be a routine case of suicide, but Becca has her suspicions. Could foul play be involved?

As the two investigations widen, Raven and Becca begin to find common threads. And when things take a sinister turn, they must work together to untangle the connections between the two deaths.

Because some secrets are best left buried.

When local flooding uncovers a long-buried skeleton DCI Tom Raven is intrigued, and even more committed when the beautiful forensic anthropologist Dr Chandice Jones can give him some of the answers he seeks. Meanwhile DS Becca Shawcross is convinced that a local elderly man did not commit suicide as his caregivers appear to believe, and when the evidence supports her intuition she finds herself quickly uncovering more than she ever expected. Can Becca and Tom each uncover the truth behind their respective mysteries?

This is the second book revolving around DCI Raven and his small team and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very well written British police procedural I definitely enjoyed the two main plots in this story. While I felt it a little cliched when the two threads wove together it didn’t feel overly fake or forced. I did however particularly like how it was Becca who joined the two cases together before Tom managed to find the links. I found that very cool.

I also really enjoyed a number of the secondary characters in this book – especially Violet in the nursing home. The only thing I do feel readers should be aware of is while the plot is very well handled and wrapped up in this book one of the longer story arcs revolving around Becca did end on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Readers who hate one book ending and it being fairly necessary to begin the next book immediately might need to ensure they have book 3 readily on hand. As this second book certainly finishes right where book three is about to begin and where from the blurb it appears the next investigation is right about to start.

I found this to be a well plotted murder mystery with two solid plots that interwove together very well. I am thoroughly enjoying the strong cast of secondary characters, and I also greatly enjoyed the strong historical context to this particular murder mystery. While there is somewhat of a cliffhanger ending which is clearly leading into the next book the plot itself is very well contained in this story and I do feel readers can certainly pick up this book and read it very much as a standalone. I am eager for the next in the series.

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