Really Short Reviews: Recent Romance Reads

I love discovering new authors! And 2019 has been a great year for debuts. It's still completely by accident that I wound up with a whole post of debut romance reviews. Have you read any of these yet?

Faker
Sarah Smith
Release: October 8, 2019
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Debut author Sarah Smith nails this fun and sexy multicultural romance where two office foes hammer out their differences to build a love that will last...

Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she's tough as nails--the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.

One thing she doesn't have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie's friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can't stop staring at his Thor-like biceps...

When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get...heated. Emmie's beginning to see that beneath Tate's chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real. 

Review:

I have mixed feeling about Faker. An enemies to lovers office romance is one of my favorite things. But something about it just felt a little off. Emmie is completely focused on Tate from page one and I kept thinking that I wished she would interact with other characters more. She does actually talk to other people so I think maybe the POV threw me off. It's entirely in first person present tense and that sense of urgency wasn't really necessary here.

Still, there are things I enjoyed about the story. Emmie's background was interesting. She's half-Filipino and grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in Nebraska. I liked how she instinctively understood Tate's introverted ways once she realized what was happening. And Tate's romantic gestures are so cute. But it was obvious from the beginning that she was misinterpreting his attraction as antagonism, which was frustrating.

    

3  stars

Well Met

Jen DeLuca
Release: September 3, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek. 

Review:

Grumpy hero ✔️
Small town shenanigans ✔️
Enemies to Lovers romance ✔️
Grand Romantic Gestures ✔️
Well Met is a Hallmark Channel movie waiting to happen.

I loved that the main characters started out with so much chemistry in costume and none out. And I relate so hard to Emily. By the end, her insecurities started to feel repetitive but I still really enjoyed this Ren Faire Rom Com.

    

4  stars


Library Love Challenge: Book 26/24

Bringing Down the Duke

(A League of Extraordinary Women #1)
Evie Dunmore
Release: September 3, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar's daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring...or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....

Review:

I've just realized that Dukes are the Historical Romance equivalent of Billionaires. (Hopefully, that's because I just started reading Historicals and not because my comparative literature muscles have atrophied.) The Victorian setting magnifies the obstacles presented by the characters' class differences. And I loved the resulting push/pull between Annabelle and Sebastian.

But what's really fascinating about Bringing Down the Duke is the politics. Queen Victoria and Prime Minister Disraeli actually appear on the page, but the issues in the story feel surprisingly timely. I could almost picture the suffragists in pink pussy hats. That Annabelle and Sebastian were able to come together from opposite sides of that battle was so powerful.

I can't even express how much I loved this book! Bringing Down the Duke is sure to be on my Best of 2019 list!

    1/2

4.5  stars

Romanceopoly: Women’s Avenue - Women’s Fiction


Library Love Challenge: Book 25/24

#nameathon Readathon Wrap Up

For Nameathon you use the letters in your name or blog name to generate a TBR list. I'm using WERES. The challenge is hosted by Under the Covers and Ideally Inspired Reviews and ran from September 16-22. Check out my TBR post.

I should probably start by saying I am terrible at sticking to a TBR list. And I knew when I made the list that I probably wouldn't read five books during the week. Turns out I did, just not the ones on my TBR. Fortunately some of my books count for more than one prompt.

Here's what I read during the readathon:





And here's how I completed my prompts for WERES:

W author’s debut - Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
E enemies to lovers and
R royals -  Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster
E green on the cover and
S rom com - Well Met by Jen DeLuca

How did you do in the Readathon?

Release Week Blitz: The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee Excerpt and Giveaway

I just started reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo and I'm loving it. I'm excited to have the blurb and an excerpt to share today. Normally I would wait to tell you about a book until I finished it, but there's an awesome giveaway that ends the 15th. Check it out at the bottom of the page! And watch for my review on the blog next week.

THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO
F.C. Yee
Release: August 8, 2017
Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks
TBD Goodreads

The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie Lo's every waking thought. But when her sleepy Bay Area town comes under siege from hell-spawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are suddenly and forcefully rearranged.

Her only guide to the demonic chaos breaking out around her is Quentin Sun, a beguiling, maddening new transfer student from overseas. Quentin assures Genie she is strong enough to fight these monsters, for she unknowingly harbors an inner power that can level the very gates of Heaven.

Genie will have to dig deep within herself to summon the otherworldly strength that Quentin keeps talking about. But as she does, she finds the secret of her true nature is entwined with his, in a way she could never have imagined…

Excerpt

“GREETINGS,” HE SAID, HIS ACCENT THICK BUT HIS VOICE LOUD and clear. “I have arrived.”

Now, I’d done my best to describe this guy to the police. They pressed me hard for details, as apparently this wasn’t the first group mugging in recent weeks.

But I’d let Officers Davis and Rodriguez down. Nice eyes and a winning smile weren’t much to go by. I was too frazzled to notice anything before, which meant this was my first decent look at the boy without the influence of adrenaline.

So a couple of things.

One: He was short. Like, really short for a guy. I felt bad that my brain went there first, but he wasn’t even as tall as Mrs. Nanda.

Two: He was totally okay, physically. I didn’t see how anyone could be up and about after that beating, but here he was, unbruised and unblemished. I felt relieved and disturbed at the same time to see there wasn’t a scratch on him.

And his mint condition just made Point Three even more obvious.

He was . . . yeesh.

Nothing good could come of our new classmate being that handsome. It was destructive. Twisted. Weaponized. He had the cheekbones and sharp jawline of a pop star, but his thick eyebrows and wild, unkempt hair lent him an air of natural ruggedness that some pampered singer could never achieve in a million years of makeup.

“Argh, my ovaries,” Yunie mumbled. She wasn’t alone, judging by the soft intakes of breath coming from around the room.

“Arrived from where?” said Mrs. Nanda.

Quentin looked at her in amusement. “China?”

“Yes, but where in, though?” said Mrs. Nanda, trying her best to convey that she was sensitive to the regional differences. Fujianese, Taishanese, Beijingren—she’d taught them all.

He just shrugged. “The stones,” he said.

“You mean the mountains, sweetie?” said Rachel Li, batting her eyelashes at him from the front row.

“No! I don’t misspeak.”

The class giggled at his English. But none of it was incorrect, technically speaking.

“Tell us a little about yourself,” Mrs. Nanda said.

Quentin puffed out his chest. The white button-down shirt and black pants of our school’s uniform for boys made most of them look like limo drivers. But on him, the cheap stitching just made it clearer that he was extremely well-muscled underneath.

“I am the greatest of my kind,” he said. “In this world I have no equal. I am known to thousands in faraway lands, and everyone I meet can’t help but declare me king!”

There was a moment of silence and sputtering before guffaws broke out.

“Well . . . um . . . we are all high achievers here at SF Prep,” said

Mrs. Nanda as politely as she could. “I’m sure you’ll fit right in?”

Quentin surveyed the cramped beige classroom with a cool squint. To him, the other twenty-two laughing students were merely peons on whom his important message had been lost.

“Enough wasting of time,” he snapped. “I came to these petty halls only to reclaim what is mine.”

Before anyone could stop him, he hopped onto Rachel’s desk and stepped over her to the next one, like she wasn’t even there.

“Hey! Quentin!” Mrs. Nanda said, frantically waving her hands. “Get down now!”

The new student ignored her, stalking down the column of desks. Toward mine.

Everyone in his way leaned to the side to avoid getting kicked. They were all too flabbergasted to do anything but serve as his counterweights.

He stopped on my desk and crouched down, looking me in the eye. His gaze pinned me to my seat.

I couldn’t turn away. He was so close our noses were almost touching. He smelled like wine and peaches.

“You!” he said.

“What?” I squeaked.

Quentin gave me a grin that was utterly feral. He tilted his head as if to whisper, but spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

“You belong to me”

About F.C. Yee

F. C. Yee grew up in New Jersey and went to school in New England, but has called the San Francisco Bay Area home ever since he beat a friend at a board game and shouted “That’s how we do it in NorCal, baby!” Outside of writing, he practices capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts, and has a day job mostly involving spreadsheets.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

5 winners will receive Genie Lo prize packs—complete with a finished copy of the book and a special Genie Lo horoscope (that doubles as a bookmark!)

US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top 5 Wednesday: 2017 Debuts

Top 5 Wednesday is a group of bloggers, booktubers and bookstagrammers posting on a common topic every (you guessed it) Wednesday. You can find the lists by searching #T5W or Top 5 Wednesday. And you can join the group on Goodreads if you want to participate. 

This week's topic is 2017 debuts we're excited for.

5. I'm almost afraid this one won't live up to the hype.

Caraval
Stephanie Garber
Release: January 31
Goodreads Amazon

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever. 

4. I've heard so much good stuff about this one already!

Gilded Cage

(Dark Gifts #1)

Vic James

Release: February 14

Goodreads Amazon

Not all are free. Not all are equal. Not all will be saved.

Our world belongs to the Equals — aristocrats with magical gifts — and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world. 

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price? 

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution. 

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

3. Pride and Prejudice and Dragons!

Heartstone

Elle Katharine White

Release: January 17

Goodreads Amazon

A debut historical fantasy that recasts Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice in an imaginative world of wyverns, dragons, and the warriors who fight alongside them against the monsters that threaten the kingdom: gryphons, direwolves, lamias, banshees, and lindworms

They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay—and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters. 

Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well; she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again.

Her relief is short-lived. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle; what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers . . . something far more sinister than gryphons.

It’s a war Aliza is ill-prepared to wage, on a battlefield she’s never known before: one spanning kingdoms, class lines, and the curious nature of her own heart. 

Elle Katharine White infuses elements of Austen’s beloved novel with her own brand of magic, crafting a modern epic fantasy that conjures a familiar yet wondrously unique new world. 

2.Magical Debutante Balls, anyone?

Blood Rose Rebellion

(Blood Rose Rebellion #1)

Rosalyn Eves

Release: March 28

Goodreads Amazon

The thrilling first book in a YA fantasy trilogy for fans of Red Queen. In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.  
Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever. 

1. Because Pirate Girls!

Daughter of the Pirate King

Tricia Levenseller

Release: February 28

Goodreads Amazon

A 17-year-old pirate captain intentionally allows herself to get captured by enemy pirates in this thrilling YA adventure. 

If you want something done right . . .

When the ruthless pirate king learns of a legendary treasure map hidden on an enemy ship, his daughter, Alosa, knows there's only one pirate for the job—herself. Leaving behind her beloved ship and crew, Alosa deliberately facilitates her own kidnapping to ensure her passage on the ship, confident in her ability to overcome any obstacle. After all, who's going to suspect a seventeen-year-old girl locked in a cell? Then she meets the (surprisingly perceptive and unfairly attractive) first mate, Riden, who is charged with finding out all her secrets. Now it's down to a battle of wits and will . . . . Can Alosa find the map and escape before Riden figures out her plan?

Debut author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling YA pirate tale.

Bonus pick: I can't decide decide where to rank this one since the author is a friend of mine. But doesn't it sound awesome?

Borrowed Souls

(Soul Charmer #1)

Chelsea Mueller

Release: May 2

Goodreads Amazon

Callie Delgado always puts family first, and unfortunately her brother knows it. She’s emptied her savings, lost work, and spilled countless tears trying to keep him out of trouble, but now he’s in deeper than ever, and his debt is on Callie’s head. She’s given a choice: do some dirty work for the mob, or have her brother returned to her in tiny pieces.

Renting souls is big business for the religious population of Gem City. Those looking to take part in immoral—or even illegal—activity can borrow someone else’s soul, for a price, and sin without consequence.

To save her brother, Callie needs a borrowed soul, but she doesn’t have anywhere near the money to pay for it. The slimy Soul Charmer is willing to barter, but accepting his offer will force Callie into a dangerous world of magic she isn’t ready for.

With the help of the guarded but undeniably attractive Derek—whose allegiance to the Charmer wavers as his connection to Callie grows—she’ll have to walk a tight line, avoid pissing off the bad guys, all while struggling to determine what her loyalty to her family’s really worth.

Losing her brother isn’t an option. Losing her soul? Maybe.

Here are 5 more late 2017 debuts that sound amazing but don't have covers, or in some cases even blurbs, yet. Click the titles to add them to Goodreads.

5.Cinderella, Necromancer by F.M. Boughan, September 5

4.Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, September 5

3.Royal Bastards by Andrew Schvarts, June 6

2.Mirage by Somaiya Daud, November 6

1.Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody, August 15

What debut authors are on your radar this year?

Cover Reveal: Borrowed Souls by Chelsea Mueller and Giveaway

Our friend Chelsea wrote a book!

It's coming out this spring!

This is so exciting!

Okay, now that I'm done flailing, I'm happy to reveal the cover for Borrowed Souls by Chelsea Mueller. It releases in April 2017.

And as if that isn't enough awesome, here's the synopsis. It reminds me a little bit Stacia Kane's Downside series, which we love.

Callie Delgado always puts family first, and unfortunately her brother knows it. She’s emptied her savings, lost work, and spilled countless tears trying to keep him out of trouble, but now he’s in deeper than ever, and his debt is on Callie’s head. She’s given a choice: do some dirty work for the mob, or have her brother returned to her in tiny pieces.

Renting souls is big business for the religious population of Gem City. Those looking to take part in immoral—or even illegal—activity can borrow someone else’s soul, for a price, and sin without consequence.

To save her brother, Callie needs a borrowed soul, but she doesn’t have anywhere near the money to pay for it. The slimy Soul Charmer is willing to barter, but accepting his offer will force Callie into a dangerous world of magic she isn’t ready for.

With the help of the guarded but undeniably attractive Derek—whose allegiance to the Charmer wavers as his connection to Callie grows—she’ll have to walk a tight line, avoid pissing off the bad guys, all while struggling to determine what her loyalty to her family’s really worth.

Losing her brother isn’t an option. Losing her soul? Maybe.

ADD IT ON GOODREADS

PRE-ORDER LINKS:

Amazon|Book Depository|Barnes & Noble 

Chelsea's doing a giveaway to help spread the word about Borrowed Souls. One winner will receive:

The Veil by Chloe Neill SIGNED!

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

1 custom "Soul Magic" candle (it smells of forest, storms, and cinnamon)

And it's International!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chelsea Mueller writes gritty contemporary fantasy (BORROWED SOULS, 2017). She founded speculative fiction website Vampire Book Club, blogs about TV and romance novels for several other awesome blogs, and is co-chair of SF/F charity Geeky Giving. She loves bad cover songs, dramatic movies, and TV vampires. She lives in Texas, and has been known to say y’all. Find her online at ChelseaMueller.net.

Website|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

Read This F@%!ing Book (54)

Welcome to a feature we're going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book

 This is a feature for us to push our favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention!

We're also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like it's not getting the play it deserves? Email us to let us know and we'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something we haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)!

If you're interested email Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

or send us a message on Facebook.

  This week's post comes from our very own: 

Gretl!

Read This F@!%ing Book 54: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Abyss Surrounds Us

(The Abyss Surrounds Us #1)

Emily Skrutskie

Release: Feb. 8, 2016

Goodreads Amazon

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. 

There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop. 

I think this is the first ever Release Day RTFB, but I thought this was such a cool book I had to share it with everyone ASAP. Just from that cover it looks awesome, right? Here's what I loved about The Abyss Surrounds Us:

Pirate Girls!

The Abyss Surrounds Us takes place in an alternate near future where, presumably, the polar ice caps have melted and the Earth is mostly covered by water. The world's countries re-divided into smaller and easier to manage nations, and left some far-flung islands without government. These islands became havens for pirates.

The ship on which our heroine Cassandra finds herself is captained by a ruthless woman named Santa Elena. Half of her teenage proteges, including the one in charge of Cas, are female as well. I loved the diversity and the girl power in this book! I think this is something that YA does so much better than adult books right now. 

Sea Monsters!

In an effort to stop the pirates, the world's nations got together and developed Reckoners, sea monsters that escort and defend their ships. Reckoners are created Jurassic Park-style from the DNA of several different species. They can be mostly turtle-like, squid-like, or snake-like, though obviously a giant version of whichever animal they resemble. Each Reckoner has a trainer that travels aboard its ship to oversee its care and direct it in battle.

The Reckoner battles are just epic and wonderful and my favorite parts of the book. It's kind of like Pacific Rim without the robots. In addition to being really cool, they let Cassandra show us what makes her special. Her innate sense of what her Reckoner is capable of and her outside the box thinking will surprise readers just as much as her adversaries. I would love to see this book become get made into a movie so I could watch her battle on the big screen. 

See my review on Goodreads.

Have you read this book?

Let us know in the comments below!

Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain?

Review: Strange Magic by James A. Hunter

Strange Magic
(A Yancy Lazarus Novel)
James A. Hunter
Release: January 16,2015
Links: Goodreads Amazon

Summary: Yancy Lazarus is having a bad day: there’s a bullet lodged in his butt cheek, his face looks like the site of a demolition derby, and he’s been saran-wrapped to a banquet table. He never should have answered the phone. Stupid bleeding heart—helping others in his circles is a good way to get dead.

Just ask the gang members ripped to pieces by some kind of demonic nightmare in LA. As a favor to a friend, Yancy agrees to take a little looksee into the massacre and boom, he’s stuck in a turf war between two rival gangs, which both think he’s pinch-hitting for the other side. Oh, and there’s also a secretive ass-hat with some mean ol’ magical chops and a small army of hyena-faced, body- snatching baddies. It might be time to seriously reconsider some of his life choices.

Yancy is a bluesman, a rambler, a gambler, but not much more. Sure, he can do a little magic—maybe even more than just a little magic—but he knows enough to keep his head down and stay clear of freaky-deaky hoodoo like this business in LA. Somehow though, he’s been set up to take a real bad fall—the kind of very permanent fall that leaves a guy with a toe tag. Unless, of course, he can find out who is responsible for the gangland murders, make peace in the midst of the gang feud, and take out said magical ass-hat before he hexes Yancy into an early retirement. Easy right? Stupid. Bleeding. Heart.  

Review: On New Year's Eve, I started watching Supernatural on Netflix. Two weeks later, I'm in the middle of season five. So I admit I may be inclined to see Winchesters where there really aren't any. But when Yancy Lazarus gets a call from his Marine-turned-monster-hunter buddy Greg, sets out for L.A. in the old car he lives out of, and gets attacked by a monster in his crappy motel room on the way, you can probably understand why I thought he must be Sam and Dean's long-lost cousin.

However, Lazarus is also a blues musician and a Vietnam vet. I thought the choice to make him sixty five was an interesting one. His character would be the dad or the sidekick in most stories. He's also sarcastic, ill-mannered and usually funny. His pop culture references are a little dated, but they fit his age.

Strange Magic has some great fantasy elements. I especially liked the scenes in The Hub, the magical realm that serves as a bridge between worlds, which feels like a modern day Mos Eisley. But I felt like there were too many of those elements introduced for a book this size - it's only about 200 pages. A few bombshells are dropped and abandoned, like an ex-girlfriend possessed by the Morrigan, that me saying, "Wait! What?"

I 'd like to know more about The Guild, the monster hunting organization that Greg works for, and Lazarus had a falling out with. I'd also like more explanation of the way magic works in this world. Lazarus draws on the elements and weaves them together to form constructs, but he seems to do it all inside his head. I want him to be gesturing or something when he holds a spell in his hand.

But there's a good foundation for the series to build on here. If you're looking for a quick read about mages and magical creatures, it's worth a look.

Recommended for fans of: Supernatural, The Dresden Files

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

   

3  stars

Early Review: Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

Owl and the Japanese Circus
(The Adventures of Owl #1)
Kristi Charish
Release: January 13, 2015
Links: Amazon Goodreads

Summary: Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Ex-archaeology grad student turned international antiquities thief, Alix—better known now as Owl—has one rule. No supernatural jobs. Ever. Until she crosses paths with Mr. Kurosawa, a red dragon who owns and runs the Japanese Circus Casino in Las Vegas. He insists Owl retrieve an artifact stolen three thousand years ago, and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: he’ll get rid of a pack of vampires that want her dead. A dragon is about the only entity on the planet that can deliver on Owl’s vampire problem – and let’s face it, dragons are known to eat the odd thief.

Owl retraces the steps of Mr. Kurosawa’s ancient thief from Japan to Bali with the help of her best friend, Nadya, and an attractive mercenary. As it turns out though, finding the scroll is the least of her worries. When she figures out one of Mr. Kurosawa’s trusted advisors is orchestrating a plan to use a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a city, things go to hell in a hand basket fast…and Owl has to pick sides.

Review: This book was a fun ride and was different enough to set itself apart in a genre full of stereotypes. I’ll have to admit; at the beginning I was struck by the resemblance it had to Indiana Jones. Not because of the amazing character charisma; actually, Owl has very limited people skills. More because the plot sped along with so many entertaining events, I didn’t mind some of the things that usually bother me.

Owl is a familiar stereotype. She's an outsider who keeps everyone at arms’ length and focuses on the financial rewards of her work. Personally, I ran into a couple of moments where I found myself disliking Owl, but the writing and plot pulled me through. I ended up liking Owl as a protagonist. She was sarcastic and smart. By the end of the story, she had experienced some necessary and logical character growth, and even had people who called her out on her decisions. 

The story itself was intriguing with a interesting cast of supernatural characters: an incubus, a naga, vengeful ghosts, vampires and even a dragon. I thought it was an interesting world and the story kept me hooked. The archeological sequences were fun, and the setting changed enough to provide variety in what was essentially a series of quest steps. Along the way, she met various other supernatural races, and tried to solve the mystery of the artifact she was searching for. There was action, some romance, and lots of historical sites. I was never bored while reading this.

I ended up quite liking this book. Owl was a unique, fun, and sometimes reckless heroine. The side characters were varied and surprising. I loved the historical aspect of this book, and thought the friendship and romance were good. This book was definitely a good start to a new series! 

Recommended for fans of: Geeky heroes, unique supernatural world building

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

    

4  stars

 

Read the first chapter of Owl and the Japanese Circus here.

Check out our Author Q&A with Kristi Charish and enter the giveaway here.