Tag Archives: Fantasy

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Savage Possession

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I really enjoy this book series, but it has become too predictable for me. The characters are still fantastic, and I love how they are depicted, but the plot is becoming a bit repetitive. The main couple always has to struggle to stay together due to some external force trying to keep them apart. This theme has been consistent since the first book, and while it was enjoyable initially, it has become tedious. It would be nice to see the characters dealing with different situations, or perhaps even have another couple in the pack face romantic challenges.

Darcy always knew that her life wouldn’t be easy. She expected to face various challenges and make hard decisions. Therefore, when she is faced with death, she makes an almost immediate decision that she will do anything to stay with her love, Mason. Zane suggests that she takes on vampire nature to replace her witch nature, and Darcy agrees without considering the consequences. However, after surviving the conversion, everyone is pleased, but they sense something different and dark about Darcy.

I already have the next book in the series but I’m unsure if I want to read it right now. I already know what’s going to happen since we’ve already had a showdown with the same villain before. Do I really need to waste my time? I do like the series, but it’s time for things to move forward. It feels like we’re always in the same place.

My rating: ✭✭✭✭

https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Possession-5-Mystic-Wolves-ebook/

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Day Shift

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The story continues seamlessly a few months after Manfred has taken up residence in Midnight and he is more a member of the community. The characters are already well established and I like them all, even Olivia. The town seems to be changing in subtle ways that the residents cannot do anything about. Several stories are going on in this book that relate to individuals and then come back to the group. This is an ensemble that works well apart but even better when they come together to help each other.

People say there is no such thing as bad publicity but in Midnight where the residents value their solitude it can be deadly. Olivia Charity is an anomaly in a town of secretive people. No one really knows what she does for a living, only that she is beautiful and dangerous.

While in Dallas on a working weekend, Manfred finds out just how dangerous Olivia really is when a couple she is seen in their hotel winds up dead at the end of the evening. Things take a turn for the worse when one of Manfred’s regulars dies during their reading, and her son makes claims that could put Manfred in jail as well as bring the eyes of the world to Midnight, Texas. Olivia is told to help Manfred get rid of his problem and she reluctantly agrees.

Sookie gets a mention here and a character from Dallas who hasn’t been seen in a long time. Things get a little more mysterious in some instances and we get some explanations for other things. I enjoyed this a great deal and think anyone else would too. This is a three-book series and should be read in order.

My rating: ✺✺✺✺

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All the Stars Look Down

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I really liked this duo and found myself lost in both of the stories, one with characters new to me and another with friends that I have missed. Because there are two stories I averaged the stars out to 4.25 for the book. I have never read Grace Draven before but definitely liked the tale that she has included in this book with characters who felt enough like people I found myself liking and would like to see more of in the future. Then there is Elizabeth Hunter who I have been reading and enjoying for a while with my favorite couple making a surprise appearance that made my holiday season.

‘Sunday’s Child’, 4 stars.
The story is based on Norse mythology and has an elf named Andor Hjalmarson who has been exiled for 1000 years for seducing one of the King’s favorite concubines. He is sent away to serve his exile as a helper to Saint Nicholas and in so doing finds someone that makes him feel far more than he ever expected.
Claire Summerland is special even though she may not know it. When she was a child she got to see something that all children wish for on Christmas Eve plus someone she never expected to see but which fades as she gets older. When Claire grows up she no longer sees the magic but does find a bit of magic that was lost to her.
This is a sweet story of love, sacrifice, and redemption. Enjoyable for all!

‘Lost Letters and Christmas Lights’, 4.5 stars.
Giovanni and Beatrice travel to Rome when a new mystery comes along and interrupts their Christmas. Bea is on the hunt for a journal written by a priest in the California missions to another priest in the Vatican. The journals hold the secret to growing grapes. But there is something even more about the letters than what meets the eye.
Fina Rossi was in charge of the library when Lorenzo first established it and Giovanni decided to keep her on after Lorenzo was no more. Fina and her son live there alone but she has been corresponding with a friend of Gio’s and wonders what he is really like. Zeno Ferrara works at the Vatican deep in the archives and has never considered leaving. Then he meets Fina and Gio’s offer of employment seems a little more tempting.
There is a little sweetness and a little heat in this matchmaking story that just happens to involve vampires. A great addition to the Elemental Mysteries series.

I think this is a nice holiday-themed book that will bring a smile to the face.

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A Christmas Haunting at Point No Point

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This is another author that I have never read before and it seems to have become a theme during Christmas that I find new authors that I like. This is said to be a stand-alone novel but I think that even though it can be read without having read the previous books it still might be a good idea to read them to lend more context to the story. Reference is made to situations and people from previous books which can make it hard to understand what is happening sometimes. This was a really good ghost story with subtle but very interesting and well-thought-out imagery.

Steven’s brother and his family are coming for a visit during the holidays after years of staying away. To make things more comfortable for his brother he decides to rent a location for their vacation that will be neutral and hopefully help everyone enjoy themselves. Steven settles on Point No Point, the oldest lighthouse in the region, which offers the lighthouse keepers’ house as their vacation spot. The family finds their holiday turning into a nightmare as they start to notice changes in each other and try to figure out the haunted secrets of Point No Point things take a turn for the worse.

This was a very enjoyable story that had me from beginning to end as I tried to figure out what was going on along with them. The characters were fantastic and the scenery was what you would expect from the Pacific Northwest right down to the weather. It gave me great visuals. The slow build was perfect and added to the atmosphere that was being built within the house.

I would definitely recommend this book.

My rating: ✮✮✮✮

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Mayhem in Christmas River

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I like these books because they offer a light mystery in a unique setting. This is a fairly quick read with short but numerous chapters that fly by. I listened and followed along in the book which was a great way to go, the narrator is very good and creates each character in a realistic way. The dialogue can come off a little stiff on occasion but does seem to reflect the characters as a whole.

Christmas River is about to celebrate Christmas in July, their annual play and parade that brings the tourists in. While the town is making its preparations a fire destroys Cinnamon Peter’s best friend’s ornament shop and they are all in shock while they wait to find out how it started. When it becomes clear that a maniac is lost in the town with a flair for dramatic things heats up.

Cinnamon and her deputy boyfriend Daniel must find out who is behind the blaze before the whole town goes up in flames. They are also going to have to navigate their personal problems from rejection to jealousy as things burn around them.

The story is nice with a twist you may or may not see coming. There is a wholesomeness to the stories that make them very sweet. I think most would find them entertaining.

My rating: ✭✭✭

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Mark’s Merry Mayhem

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Because this is a short story collection I generally rate each story separately and then do an average. With that said, I give this 3.71 stars and have rounded it up to 4 for the sake of their system. I fell in love with the Zombie Fallout books after the first one that was given to me by my sister and have been enthralled ever since. This gives you plenty of the folks from the novels getting into general mayhem.

2 stars, ‘Fucking Pepperoni Pizza’. Michael decides to have a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza knowing that it does not agree with him. When it wakes him up in the night he starts to feel that something is not right. Then he sees something that he hopes is a pepperoni dream.

3.5 stars, ‘Mike in Trouble Again’. Tracy wants Mike to keep his promise to clean out the garage and he tries to get out of it. When he finally starts the work he manages to fall, hit his head, and end up in some alternate universe. Somehow he pulls BT with him and they are being stalked.

4 stars, ‘Michael’s Haunted Adventure’. Mike is asked to conduct a tour of a haunted location because of his own weird experiences with the paranormal. The Paranormal Examining Society has set up a tour of a haunted penitentiary and he is doing it for almost nothing. Turns out things are a lot more spooky than he planned for.

2.5 stars, ‘Through My Baby’s Eyes’. Mercury Jones was born to teenage parents who were forced into marriage. His father stayed around long enough to give him the bizarre name and then took off for parts unknown. His mother found solace in heroin and abandoned her son in that way. Raised by his grandparents he grew into a good young man but suffers from multiple ailments because of his fathers’ many vices. He has tried to live well for a long time and finally, it all catches up to him.

4 stars, ‘Mayan Prophesy’. Michael is trapped with Travis, Tracy, Henry, and Rylie (their bulldogs) in their home on Christmas Eve. The zombies come out of the woods and find their way into the basement where they start to make their way into the house proper. Mike does not have the time he did before and things look a lot more grim.

5 stars, ‘A Visit From That Bitch Eliza’. Okay, this is a poem set to a very familiar Christmas one. You will enjoy it.

5 stars, ‘Henry’s Story’. That bulldog who always seems to be in the right place at the right time gets his own little aside. He does what he does best, takes care of his human.

Most of the stories do not have a Christmas theme but there are two which do. I had been going for a Christmas novel but this still worked fine for me because I do love to deal with Michael Talbot and his penchant for trouble. You get Michael at his snarky best in pretty much each story not to mention BT who is always entertaining in his weird friendship with Mike. I think anyone who enjoys Zombie Fallout or any Mark Tufo novel will be happy with these tales.

My rating: 💫💫💫💫

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Crane

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This was one of those books that it took me a while to get into. I liked the idea of the book and after reading the blurb I was prepared to totally like it but it did not click right away. I think it partially had to do with the main character, I had a hard time warming up to her. She was actually rather dull at the beginning though I had decided I liked her by the time we were getting to the end. The fact that the story was two-pronged both helped and hurt me. I understood that it was a matter of telling the story of Ichabod Crane as well as bringing it into the present it was not bad and I liked the way that his story was handled, the present just didn’t flow as well. I also liked that Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle were prominent parts of his story.

Ichabod Crane and his friends go to Sleepy Hollow where he has been retained as the Schoolmaster. After the war, they are all just wanting to find work and live out their lives as peacefully as possible. But they have come to the wrong place to find that peace because Sleepy Hollow is under a curse that seems to be pulling them in. Ichabod has fallen in love with a girl who has been promised to another. Rip is making a reputation for himself under Ichabod’s name and Irving is just being himself. When the Horseman rides and seems to be coming for his beloved Ichabod makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Ireland Crane is looking to make a fresh start in Sleepy Hollow after a bad breakup that has left her mistrustful of men. She has no idea that bearing her name in that town is not the best of ideas. She comes there as a guidance counselor to the local High School and proceeds to fall into the role it seems she was always meant to play. When the Horseman seems to reappear and she becomes a prime suspect things could not seem worse. Then she finds a squatter in her basement who turns out to be Rip Van Winkle and he tells her that she is cursed.

With bodies dropping and no knowledge of why or how she seems to be involved Ireland must try to believe something so fantastic it could only be a movie. But to break the curse she will help someone she has never believed existed.

The story is a good one but it took a while for me to connect, this does not mean it would be the same for anyone else. Once it gets going well the story takes on a life of its own and draws you in. I am debating on reading the remaining books in the series but may just see where things go after she takes charge.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes the retelling of old myths and legends.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟

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Blind Date With a Vampire

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I have read quite a few novels by this author and always enjoy the story she weaves. This was no exception as I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and was reluctant to stop before the end. The main characters are well-fleshed and established in a short time so that you can decide how you feel about them for better or worse. The peripheral characters come clearer as the story progresses though some remain a little murky until the end. The setting is contemporary so there is no particular world-building other than to establish the quirks of these vampires.

Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Glover was an investment banker who came home from the Korean War with a case of PTSD, though they did not call it that then. In 1955 he was coping the best way he could without medication or a doctor with the help of his best friend who took him out for the evening. He gets much more than he wanted when he and his friend are turned by two women they meet. Because he cannot cope with his new life he decides to take a fifty-five-year nap and wakes in 2010 where he likes the technology but finds the women a bit forward.

Samantha Blythe was in an abusive relationship for a number of years, but she is now finally done with it. She just wants to meet a nice guy and her best friend, Pinky gets her on a dating site where she meets who she thinks maybe that nice guy. The only hitch is that he turns out to be a vampire but still a nice guy.

Sam and Nate hit it off but her ex is not done with her and he finds that he has some unfinished business with his maker that could mean the end of any relationship with Sam. Then there is the fact that his friend has kept him so in the dark that he does not even know how to be a vampire.

This was a little more than just a blind date, so the title does not seem accurate, but it was definitely a couple of good ones. There is some good action, with a sweet romance and steamy sex scenes. I would say it is a good recommendation.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Fury

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I have never read this author before but really love her style based on this particular book. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and had a hard time putting it down to do anything else. I really liked Fury when he was introduced and felt for everything that happened to him. It took me a little longer to fully warm up to Ellie but I did because she seemed so sincere about everything she did, if a bit impulsive. All the other characters were very well fleshed out and it makes me more than ready to read their stories as well. The timeline is never stated so I have no idea whether this is the near future or the present, but science would say it is more a future event.

Fury was born and bred through the fusion of human and animal DNA to be an unwilling test subject at Mercile Industries. His life has been nothing but pain and betrayal from a human after human and he has come to hate them. Because they created him they feel they can treat him like an animal and do as they please. When a new nurse comes into his cell she seems to be different, she smiles at him and tries not to hurt him. He begins to trust her and looks forward to when she comes. But then one human he has trusted betrays him and he swears that if he is ever freed he will kill her.

Ellie Brower was working as a nurse at the corporate headquarters of Mercile Industries and was unaware of the more immoral testing that was being done in the name progress. When she is approached by a law enforcement officer about going undercover in the secret lab she is willing because she feels that they are abusing people not just animals. When she first sees Fury, known as 416, she is immediately attracted to him and wants nothing more than to save him. When she has to betray him it is the hardest thing she has ever done.

This was a great story with a lot of action, gun fights, hate groups, and raids. There was also a love story that was hard won by the two people involved and some seriously HOT love scenes that could make you blush. The New Species are some of the hottest-sounding hybrids I have read about in a while and if only they were available. I would recommend this book very highly. I am hoping the rest of the series is just as good.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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The Unwanted

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I have read the previous books in this series and always enjoyed them. While I liked this one it did not hold the same impact that the others did. I don’t think it was because it was shorter but just that the characters did not seem as engaging as at other times. The story was also a little thinner but important to tell. This was more about the two agents than it was about the case that they were supposed to be working. There was a lot of soul-searching and inner dialogue about the past and how it had affected them and not enough about the crime.

Destin Mortin and Caleb Durand had been partners in an FBI unit that was separate but equal to the one run by Taylor Jones. Caleb’s specialty is that he can filter and help a psychic to better handle their gift by making things clearer for them and taking some of the pain and anxiety. Destin’s gift is one that comes with a high price, she excels at tracking rapists but not just any rapists, she tracks the most violent.

When Caleb starts to lose himself in Destin and cannot tell where she ends and he begins he decides to leave. Destin is left heartbroken but blames him for not caring and does not look at herself as part of the problem. When he is brought into a case 5 years later she is not happy to see him because she believes she has moved on. Life can be unfair but sometimes fate gives you a second chance.

This was a nice enough story but I would have been just as happy to have more of the case and a bit less of the emotional stuff. Would still recommend it, just not enthusiastically.

My rating: 💫💫💫