Modest Musings

Welcome to Modest Musings!

This is were we tell you about the books we have acquired this month.  Whether it is through purchases, NetGalley or one of our many book list emails.  Please feel free to tell us what you think and if there is a particular book you are interested in seeing us review.  We hope you enjoy what we found this Month!

Jessica’s Musings

Die for me by Amy Plum – My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I’m fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family’s—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Welcome to the Darkness by L.M. Justus – A typical teenager, seventeen-year-old Reed Hennessy doesn’t realize how lucky he is to lead a normal life until he loses everything, including his humanity. The attacker who slaughters his family and destroys their home turns out to be a vampire, a creature Reed had considered a myth.

Now a vampire himself, but with the unique ability to walk in sunlight, Reed struggles in the dark underworld he didn’t even know existed. His only two allies in his fight to stay alive are his reluctant mentor, Nathaniel, a vampire with over two hundred years’ worth of emotional baggage, and Sarah, a rookie cop with a secret ability of her own.

Together, Reed and his companions face a harrowing, cross-country journey before stumbling into a plot which could mean the end of everything for humans and vampires alike.

Royal Date by Sariah Wilson –  This Cinderella didn’t plan on a prince . . .

Kat MacTaggart is a girl who has a plan for everything—including her holiday ski trip to Monterra with her best friend. Everything is going according to plan until she finds herself careening out of control down a mountainside and being rescued by a guy who looks like Superman’s hotter Italian cousin.

HRH Prince Nico is intrigued by the woman he saved on the slopes and her refusal to date him. He offers Kat a deal—let him show her his country and he’ll pay her to write articles that will help Monterra’s tourism industry. Kat agrees, but given her past and lingering distrust of men, she has one condition—absolutely no kissing.

Thanks to the claims of a jealous British noblewoman and the schemes of a meddling paparazzo, Kat’s rule doesn’t seem to be a problem at first. But the more Kat gets to know Nico and the people around him, the harder it is to remember her keep-your-distance plan. Should she stick to it or risk everything for a chance at happily ever after?

The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan – Enter a hidden world of magic, mystery, danger and romance in this YA fantasy from Amazon bestselling author, Rachel Morgan…

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamor follows her into the Fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the Fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.

 

Lynn’s Musings

All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle – The king’s orders were clear enough. “Move the tower’s shadow,” he bellowed. “I refuse to deliver my commencement speech from the dark.”

As the newly appointed mage to the Crown of Tirlin, Meralda Ovis has no choice but to undertake King Yvin’s ill-conceived task. Tirlin’s first female mage, and the youngest person to ever don the robes of office, Meralda is determined to prove once and for all that she deserves the title. The Tower, though, holds ancient secrets all its own. Secrets that will soon spell destruction for all of Tirlin—unless Meralda can unravel a monstrous curse laid by a legendary villain seven centuries before she was born.

An ancient curse. A haunted tower. A clamorous gathering of nobles, mages, and kings from the Five Realms come together in Tirlin for the fifth-year Accords. Meralda finds herself facing far darker foes than any mere shadow of the tower.

The Baskerville Tales by Emma Jane Holloway – These three short stories return us to the world of Emma Jane Holloway’s delightful novels featuring Evelina Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes. Together they expand the bounds of Holloway’s irresistible vision of Victorian London, which has enchanted readers with a seamless mix of paranormal fantasy, romance, and mystery. Now this trilogy of prequels is available in one convenient eBook bundle:
 
THE ADVENTURE OF THE WOLLASTON RITUAL
Prequel to A Study in Silks
 
THE STRANGE AND ALARMING COURTSHIP OF MISS IMOGEN ROTH
Prequel to A Study in Darkness

THE STEAMSPINNER MUTINY
Prequel to A Study in Ashes

In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines—something Evelina Cooper has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest at Her Majesty’s secret laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she’s never found out? But first there’s murder and mayhem to deal with.

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger – Class is back in session….

Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style–with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. But when Sophronia discovers they are being trailed by a dirigible of Picklemen and flywaymen, she unearths a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos. With her friends in mortal danger, Sophronia must sacrifice what she holds most dear–her freedom.

Gather your poison, your steel-tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine’s proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series by steampunk author Gail Carriger.

The Accidental Assassin by Nichole Chase – Ava McKenzie is a creature of habit. Life is passing her by and she has nothing to show for it. She’s had the same job since she started college, she orders the same dish every time she goes to her favorite restaurant, and only reads books from authors she knows. There is nothing new or surprising in her life… until her best friend marries a man from London. When her newlywed friend asks her to house-sit while she honeymoons, Ava jumps at the chance. She thinks this could be the very thing she needs to shake up her life. Ava throws herself head first into her new lifestyle; she wants to try everything, go everywhere, and never get stuck in a rut again. Of course, offing a man in a car garage hadn’t been one of the things on her list to try.

Owen Walker spends every day in a new place with a new case. As one of the most renowned assassins in the world, he has his choice of marks—and he’s never failed in a mission. When a new hit takes him back to his hometown, he looks forward to spending time somewhere familiar. What he isn’t expecting is to help an attractive, confused American woman find out how she’s ended up on a hit man’s list.

As Ava and Owen dodge bullets, will they be able to escape their undeniable attraction to each other? Or will all of that chemistry blow up in a shower of hot and dangerous sparks?

Riot Girls – Riot Girls: Seven Free Teen Books With Girls Who Don’t Need A Hero is a collection of Young Adult Speculative Fiction (Fantasy/SciFi/Dystopian/Paranormal) for readers who like it when a girl can take care of herself. These teens don’t sit around waiting for someone to rescue them from their situation, they act!

The collection has something for everyone–dystopian societies, trained assassins, strange creatures (faeries, vampires, werewolves, and zombies), super heroes, and witches. What binds our stories together is our heroines–girls who have the inner and outer strength to take care of themselves.

Included in the collection:

xGeneration 1: You Don’t Know Me – Genre: SciFi / Superhero – Full Length Novel (95,000 words). Fourteen-year-old Janis Graystone is mostly worried about soccer, school, and keeping her older sister from running her life. But when strange things start happening to her including out-of-body experiences and the sense someone is watching her, she finds herself working with an unlikely but loyal ally to discover the source of the danger she senses around her. Rated PG-14 (Language).

The Blemished: Blemished #1 – Genre: SciFi / Dystopian – Full Length Novel (85,000 words). Below average and imperfect in a world of stunning clones, Mina Hart is denied an education and a normal life. But when she meets a new friend’s mysterious brother, she finds herself willing to share a dangerous secret…

Xoe: or Vampires, and Werewolves, and Demons, oh my! – Genre: Paranormal – Full Length Novel (50,000 words). Xoe Meyers liked her normal small-town life. But things change fast when the new guy in town turns out to be a werewolf who goes after her best friend in a big way. Determined to save her friend, she finds herself allied with creatures she never knew existed in a battle that threatens all their lives. Rated PG-13 (Language).

Magic Unbound: Book One in the Fae Unbound Series – Genre: Contemporary Urban Fantasy – Full Length Novel (45,000 words). Not-quite-sixteen year old Lizbet Moore expects a boring last month of summer vacation. What she wasn’t expecting was a fifteen-hundred-year old fae hiding in her back garden. Murderous monks, memories of her past lives, and the race to save the fae from destruction change her summer in ways she could never have imagined.

Avoidables: Book 1 – Genre: Fantasy / Dystopian – Serialized Novella-length Fiction (25,000 words). Hope is an Avoidable in a world that belongs to the Perfects. She was born with only one arm, but when she discovers that her disability is actually a gift, she joins a group of rebels who are determined to change the rules of her society. Rated PG-14 (Language, Mature Situations).

Chronicles of Steel: Raven 1: Episode 1 – Genre: Fantasy / Steampunk – Short Serialized Novelette (17,300 words). Raven was trained by her father to be a Reaper. Just as she’s saved enough lives to redeem the ones she’s taken, she agrees to take on a last mission that’s too important to ignore. Will it force her back into the life she’s trying to escape?

Halloween Magic & Mayhem by Stella Wilkinson – Genre: Paranormal / Comedy Romance – Novelette (15,000 words) . On her sixteenth birthday, Emily Rand discovers she is a powerful witch. Her experiment with a spell accidently turns a ghost back into a boy and reanimates a group of zombies. It will take all of her power to undo what she has done. Rated PG-13 (Language).

Please note: Riot Girls contains books by authors from both the United States and Great Britain. Spelling, punctuation, and sentence construction can be different from what is correct grammar on the “other side of the pond”.

Emma by Jane Austen

 

Emma by Jane Austen

 

Book Description: When her former governess finds happiness as the bride of a local widower, the brilliant and beautiful Emma Woodhouse — one of Jane Austen’s immortal creations — flatters herself that she alone has secured the marriage and that she possesses a special talent for bringing lovers together. The young heiress next busies herself with finding a suitable husband for her friend and protégé, Harriet Smith, setting off an entertaining sequence of comic mishaps and misunderstanding in this sparkling comedy of English-village romance. Beneath its considerable wit, the novel is also the story of a young woman’s progress toward self-understanding.
Emma abounds in the droll character sketches at which Jane Austen excelled. In addition to the well-intentional heroine and her hypochondriacal father, the village of Highbury during the Regency period is populated by an amusing circle of friends and family — kindhearted but tedious Miss Bates, a chatterbox spinster; ambitious Mr. Elton, a social-climbing parson; Frank Churchill, an enigmatic Romeo; Mr. Knightley, Emma’s brother-in-law and the voice of her better nature; and a cluster of other finely drawn, unforgettable personalities.
The author’s skill at depicting the follies of human nature in a manner both realistic and affectionate elevates this tale of provincial matchmaking to the heights of scintillating satire. A classic of English literature that has delighted readers since its 1816 publication, the novel is now available in this high-quality, inexpensive edition sure to charm a new generation.

 

My Thoughts: You’ll notice that this doesn’t begin with the usual “My Review”. How do you “review” Jane Austen. You don’t. You give your thoughts. I don’t think anyone can critique established genius. She’s one of my favorite authors of all time so I’m not even going to try. Instead, I’m going to tell you some of what I love about this book.

I don’t think of Jane Austen’s work as romance. I don’t spend time thinking about who anyone ends up with. For me, the adventure is in the journey. If you forget the movies that have been made about her work and only concentrate on the stories I think you’ll find that they are more gigantic character sketches than anything else. Her books are about people and how relationships effect their lives. I’m not just talking about romantic ones.  I don’t find them overly romantic. They explore the time in which Jane Austen lived. She doesn’t build up Mr. Knightly, or even Mr. Darcy for that matter, as a romantic hero.  She definitely doesn’t portray them as the Bronte’s portrayed Mr. Rochester and Heathcliff. Yes, I know that they were not writing at the same time but I think the fact remains. If you only ever watch the movies made about these books then you will miss what they are truly about.

 

Some people feel that watching one of the numerous movies will give them the general idea of what this book is about and that’s good enough for them. That’s fine. I gave up that fight long ago. A little Austen is better than none at all.

If you’re going to go that rout I have a suggestion. I’ve only seen one version that really captures the essence of the book for me. It’s not perfect but I like BBC’s Emma (2009). Okay, it’s technically a four part mini-series but I don’t think you can do much better. It stays close enough to the book that you’ll get the general feeling. The dialogue is also fantastic. It’s very well written and that drew me in just as much as the acting.

It also manages to steer clear of the thing that I detest about Jane Austen movies. I hate, and I mean hate, all of those white dresses with so much lace on them that the lace becomes a character in the movie. I hate that all the dresses are all exactly the same across so many of the movies. Does anyone actually think that all of the women of society were forced to wear a uniform?

This mini-series doesn’t do that. The dresses are fashionable and that’s what binds them together. Each character’s dress is an extension of who they are. Emma’s look is comfortable which is how she feels about her place in society and life in general. Harriet is delicate and simple and so is her dress.

If you don’t care about dresses and lace and want to focus on the book you could always listen to the audio book. I suggest The Classics Collection by Brilliance Audio. It’s read by Michael Page and it’s very well done.

If you’ve never read Emma you should give it a try. Jane Austen wasn’t a romance writer. Hear me out. Romance is classified as: if you removed the romance from a book, does it still have a plot? If it does then it’s not a romance(someone very smart said that but I don’t remember where I read it). Emma, without question, has romantic elements but this is the story about a young woman discovering her own heart. I don’t just mean romantically. Emma is a good person but she has certain character faults that she comes to see herself. Faults that don’t have anything to do with who loves who. Realizing that we are not perfect is a shock to anyone.

I think this book is also about the effect that society has on Emma instead of how Emma effects society. At certain points in the story I really think Emma is just doing what she thinks she’s supposed to do. Sort of going through the motions without knowing why. I don’t think it matters where you are in class ranking. I think society knocks you around anyway.

I love the style of Jane Austen’s books. I like how she tells the stories of her heroines. Can you imagine how refreshing it must have been to read about Emma or Elizabeth Bennet at the time? Jane Austen wasn’t the massive hit she is now but she did have some success. She was read. Can you imagine being a young woman of the time and reading about other young women who spoke their minds publicly and caused all kinds of mischief? It must have been something. Below you will find some of my favorite sites for all things Jane Austen including the books. Explore the world of Emma without all the baggage of the movies and experience it for the first time with a fresh perspective. You’ll be glad you did.

My favorite Jane Austen resources:

Austenprose– This a blog about all things Jane Austen. The novels, the movies; all things that concern the life and times of Jane Austen and her characters. If you want to know what to read after you finish Jane Austen’s novels then this is the place to find it.

Austen.com– This site has a great breakdown of all of Jane Austen’s work. It is also a great collection of links regarding the military and wars that were fought.

JaneAusten.com– This site is also a great resource for learning about Jane Austen and the Regency Era. You can also read her books for free there as well as get desktop wallpapers.

JaneAusten.co.uk– This is the site of the Jane Austen Center. They also have a great online magazine that has everything from Regency recipes to fashion of the time. It also has a gift shop where you can buy everything from teapots to lockets.

 

 

 

 

 

Original Background Image:Butterfly by Larisa Koshkina from PublicDomainPictures.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched 

by Ally Condie

Book Summary:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My Review:

In the Society your freedom of choice is gone.  Based on your data they choose who you should marry, what you should be, even what foods you should eat for maximum health.  Cassia grew up in this society so like most people she trusts what she knows.  When she is matched with Xander she is excited because they are best friends and it’s very comfortable.  It’s later when she finally when she learns the system is being manipulated that she starts too question everything. Is Xander her match or is it Ky.

Xander is a nice person.  He is very Society and knows what is expected of him.  He is on a path that could put him higher ranking in the Society.  He is safe and comfortable for Cassia.

Ky is not safe.  He has secrets and the more Cassia talks with him the more she falls in love. But they face the Society rules and their need to control every aspect of your life.

There were times I just wanted to scream at the book “What are you allowing these people to do to you!!”  The Society has gone to far.  Their need for perfection has made it so basic human rights are not being met.  With arranged marriages and deciding what someone can wear and eat it’s almost as though with moving forward, they have gone back in time.

While this is very much about the Society and fighting back to take control of your own life this is also a romance.  It’s about the need to love who you choose.  It’s a story that pulls you in and keeps you reading.

Unbound Enchantment by Kara Jaynes

Unbound Enchantment 

by Kara Jaynes

Book Summary:

“I knew what the collar meant. I was a slave. I felt numb inside. It was a fate said to be worse than death . . .”

Adaryn, a magic wielding nomad, has been captured and enslaved by an Oppressor. Her captor is handsome, agreeable, intelligent, and completely unlike the cruel master she had expected, but Adaryn is ready to do whatever it takes to gain her freedom.

A 25,000 word novella.

My Review:

Adaryn is considered a savage because her people live off the land in the forest.  Aaric is an Oppressor who is looking for his first slave.  But we quickly learn that he is not like other Oppressors.  He is good to Adaryn and she knows it.

The other Oppressors have been know to use the collars the slaves wear to shock them into submission and to beat them for there disobedience.

It’s a story of love and acceptance and that these two individuals aren’t really that different.

This novella is a quick read and I admit once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down.  It’s also part of a series of novellas and I can’t wait to read the next one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Kara Jaynes grew up on Vashon, a little island in the Puget Sound. She’s been writing and drawing since she was very young, and is now a published author and illustrator.
When Kara was very small, she wanted to be a zookeeper. Now she’s married and has six kids. On some days, that kind of amounts to the same thing.

 

Original background image by Ken Kistler on publicdomainimages.net

 

 

 

 

 

When Darkness Falls by Bella Higgin

Welcome to Wattpad Wednesday, where we feature an Author who has an interesting tale to tell.

When Darkness Falls

by Bella Higgin

About the Author:

Hi everyone! I’m a British chick obsessed with reading and writing. When I’m not off in some fictional world I can be found rescuing animals, and dancing barefoot in the rain. Occasionally I have frogs in my shower.

I’m a Trekkie, a Supernatural addict, and I adore rock music, especially the legendary Alice Cooper.

Follow me and check out my stories 🙂

Book Summary:

When darkness falls the vampires come out. Sixteen-year-old Kiara Morrow knows that better than anyone. She’s been trained her whole life to wipe bloodsuckers off the face of the earth.

Then she meets Luke. He’s a vampire but he’s unlike any vamp Kiara’s ever known. The closer she grows to him the more Kiara is forced to confront the foundation of lies her life has been built on. Luke may be what Kiara’s been looking for her whole life but as far as her family is concerned the only good vampire is a dead vampire.

But Kiara’s bloodthirsty family isn’t the only problem they have to face. People in town are dying. Something evil is looming on the horizon…

Crime Wave by Rose Pressey

Crime Wave by Rose Pressey

 

Book Description:   Maggie Thomas doesn’t know the first thing about being a private eye. She quickly discovers that running her uncle’s faltering Miami Beach P.I. agency is nothing like watching detective show reruns. Even the private eye app on her iPhone can’t help.

But Maggie’s first case is surprisingly easy…or so she thinks until she stumbles upon a dead body. With whizzing bullets, car chases, and spandex-clad bodybuilders, Maggie wonders if she’s in over her head. Jake Jackson, the dangerously charming cop, thinks Maggie needs to stick to snapping pictures of cheating husbands and leave the detective work to the professionals.

The danger escalates when another homicide victim washes up on the shore and now someone wants to stop Maggie from solving the murders. With the help of her knitting needle–wielding, orthopedic shoe–wearing assistant Dorothy Raye, Maggie must solve the case before she’s the next victim of this crime wave.

 

My Review: Alright. I will admit that I wasn’t sold on this book when I started it.  Believe it or not I was caught unaware that this was a cozy mystery. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a cozy mystery. I like them. I just like to be prepared for them.

My favorite character in this book was Dorothy. I really enjoy characters with plenty of pluck. Dorothy was fantastic. I want to be Dorothy when I’m elderly. She is a peppermint popping, crossword puzzle solving, knitting needle toting, woman who doesn’t take any sass from anyone.

What didn’t I like? Jake Jackson. He’s the cop/ love interest in this story. He was too perfect. And just when I thought he was about to get interesting I realized that I had completely misread the situation. There is a point when Jake and the killer are struggling and Maggie bounds in to save the day. I thought for sure Jake was going to turn out to be dirty and in on the murders with the killer but no such luck. Sadly the most interesting thing about Jake is that his fellow law enforcement officers make fun of him because he had to be saved by a P.I.. If you are interested in a cozy that does the cop/love interest right try Juliet Blackwell’s  A Witchcraft Mystery series.

Dorothy saved this story for me. I wanted to know the next funny thing she would say or what she would get herself into so I kept reading. As for the mystery itself? If you read mysteries then you will know who the killer is right away. The attraction of this book isn’t the mystery. It’s what Maggie and Dorothy get themselves into that makes this story fun to read. The golf cart scene is really funny and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who enjoys a cozy.

If you are a romantic comedy fan then you’ll love this book. If you like peppermint popping, sassy sidekicks then you will love this book. If you’re looking for a good mystery that you can’t tear your eyes from then you will probably be disappointed. However, if you like a fun story with a main character who has to deal the hand she’s been dealt, then this is the story for you.

 

There are several murders.

 

 

I’m rounding up. I would really rate this a 3.5 but I really liked Dorothy.

 

 

 

 

Original Background Image: Day At The Beach by Paul Brennan little paul from PublicDomainPictures.net

Hunter Born by L.M. Justus

Hunter Born

by L.M. Justus

Book Summary:

If a vampire destroyed your life, would you give up or fight back?

Trudy’s life is looking up, and she suspects her boyfriend is about to propose marriage. Then the unthinkable happens, tragedy strikes, and her world spins into darkness. Now Trudy has to make a decision: succumb to her misery and give up, or train to fight the monsters that ruined her life.

Find out if Trudy has what it takes to embrace her new destiny in this short story companion to the Darkness Trilogy. HUNTER BORN can be read on its own or as a supplement to the trilogy.

My Review:

This book explores How a Vampire Hunter comes to be.  When Elizabeth shows up at Trudy’s door months after the worst night of her life she is still recovering. But she knows she has survived a vampire attach and she is ready to fight back.

Our trio of survivors each have there own story, but Trudy is the one we focus on in Hunter Born.  She is a strong woman who has just lived threw a hellish ordeal and needs to find a purpose to it all.  Trudy is a minor character in the first novel in L. M. Justus’s Welcome to the Darkness.

This short story was fast paced and well laid out. It’s a great introduction to this author and I look forward to picking up the first book in the Darkness Trilogy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Background image by Alex Grichenko on publicdomainimages.net

 

 

Interlude With Death by Arietta Charles

Welcome to Wattpad Wednesday where we feature an author who has an interesting tale to tell. This week we have our friend Etta Charles. She makes our really cute header images with our name on them. Her new story is called Interlude With Death and don’t miss the other short stories in the Kensington Shaw Adventures.

Interlude With Death #3

As Kensington Shaw spends the remainder of her holiday vacation with her fireproof Christmas tree and its enchanted lights, she receives unexpected visitors who make quite an impression. The Angel of Death and zombies. Yes, zombies. Things become interesting when the Angel Of Death wants to see what the great Kensington Shaw has up her well tailored sleeve to stop them.

Dance Hall Disaster #1
It’s the roaring twenties and purveyor of magical objects, Kensington Shaw, finds herself in the middle of a police drug investigation. Expensive, intoxicating, and lethal Dal is the drug of choice for those who can afford to buy it. When six people collapse at a dance, one of them being her dance partner, Kensi becomes determined to find out why. Her only true obstacle is the detective who won’t give her the time of day until he suspects her of murder.

Darkness Becomes You #2
Kensington Shaw is beautiful, very rich and very dangerous. It’s the dangerous that gets her into trouble the most. She obtains and sells enchanted objects to anyone who can pay the price. She is about to find out how dangerous her job can truly be. Detective Kane’s not sure what Kensington does for a living even though he suspects her of dealing a powerful drug. He only knows for sure that she keeps finding bodies. He’s also pretty sure she has had a hand in putting them there. They are two people who have secrets and it’s one of those secrets that will get one of them killed.

About the author: Arietta is someone who that found out too late that becoming a fairy princess, a pirate, or a dragon wasn’t something that could actually be achieved. So, she decided to write stories about them instead. You can find her at:

Blog: https://ariettacharles.wordpress.com/

Website: ariettacharles.com

Twitter:  @ariettacharles

 

 

Greta and the Glass Kingdom by Chloe Jacobs

 

 

Greta and the Glass Kingdom 

by Chloe Jacobs

Book Summary: 

Once upon a dark time…

Greta the human bounty hunter never quite fit into the shadowed, icy world of Mylena. Yet she’s managed to defeat the demon Agramon and win the love of the darkly intense Goblin King, Isaac. Now Isaac wants her to rule by his side—a human queen. And the very announcement is enough to incite rebellion…

To make matters worse, defeating Agramon left Greta tainted with a dark magick. Its unclean power threatens to destroy her and everything she loves. With the Goblin King’s life and the very peace of Mylena at stake, Greta must find a cure and fast.

Her only hope lies with the strange, elusive faeries in the Glass Kingdom…if she can get there before the evil within her destroys everything.

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

Book Review:

We are once again thrown into the incredible world of Mylena that the author has created.  She picks up where book one left off.  Greta has just defeated Agramon and is tucked up safely inside Isaac’s castle.  But the battle has left her with an inner dark magic that seems to come out when ever she is stressed or feels she or the people she loves are in danger.  However, she is still the same Greta.  She is fiercely independent and stubborn.  Her strong headed behavior may get her into some of her situations.

Isaac is the same lovable Goblin King, if not with a little bit softer side.  His love for Greta is strong and his need to keep her safe drives him. He wants his people to accept her and understand that she is here to stay.

The story takes many twists and turn as you would expect.  They travel to the Glass Kingdom where we finally meet the Faeries. Their journey doesn’t end without some tragedy and at points I wanted to throw my kindle across the room.  It was an excellent follow up to Greta and the Goblin King and we are left with one of the most unexpected endings and a huge cliff hanger.  Lefts hope it isn’t another two years for the final book in this exciting series.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she’d at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Author Links:

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The Missing Magic by C. J. Knight

 

The Missing Magic

by C. J. Knight

Book Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Jenna’s family and most of her friends are witches. She should be a witch too, but there’s one problem – her magic hasn’t shown itself yet. She knows that if a witch doesn’t come into her power before her eighteenth birthday, it’ll probably never happen. As her birthday draws close, Jenna is starting to panic, and the matter is complicated by her attraction to Scott, a male witch in her family’s coven. Although he’s just a year older than Jenna, Scott is already very powerful, and barely knows that she exists.

Jenna is unable to face a life with no power, and is convinced Scott will never notice her if she remains without magic. In desperation, Jenna seeks help from a dark magician, not considering that there will be a price to pay.

Will Jenna find a way to obtain the power that’s her birthright? And will she ever have a chance with Scott?

This is a romantic YA paranormal short story / novelette of approximately 16,800 words, or 52 printed pages.

My Review:

Jenna comes from a long line of pure witches.  There hasn’t been anyone in her family without power, that is until now.  In her desperate attempt to gain magic she is willing to do anything. Even go to Silvio Jardine, who is probably one of the creepiest characters I have come across. Silvio of course isn’t willing to do something for absolutely nothing in return.

The summary suggests that Scott doesn’t know Jenna exists, but that is not entirely accurate.  Their part of the story is sweet and keeps you reading. Not that her trying to get her powers doesn’t, I am just a romance junkie as most of you have figured out by now. Scott is a genuinely nice guy and the way it plays out with Jenna is nice.  It’s not crazy fast and it’s just right for them.

I really enjoyed this short story and would love to read more about the witches and the coven itself.  Jenna’s mother is a very powerful witch who comes from a long line of coven leaders which could play out into so many different things. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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