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#BookReview: So This Is Christmas by Kay Bratt

Yet Another Excellent Entry In Series. Seriously y’all, if you enjoy small towns and family drama, you’re going to love this entire series. So just go all the way back to Book 1, start there, and this one will be here when you get here.

Yet again with this series, Bratt bases the crime of the book on an all-too-real one, though as she notes in the author’s note, this particular one was *so* horrible that she just couldn’t bring herself to replicate certain elements of the real crime in her fictional world.

And that brings me to my one criticism of this particular book. Anyone that knows Bratt and follows her on social media, particularly her Facebook page, knows that she brings quite a bit of her own real world into her fiction, and there was one particular line that while meant as fiction and from a character’s perspective… there are just too many instances of the real world blending into the fictional for this line not to be addressed in my review, particularly since, as I told Bratt personally, I tend to call such bullshit lines out any *other* time I see them, and I do try my best to approach every book and every author in the same manner, *no matter what*. Indeed, the very line in question references by name and detail an all too real event that happened just months before publication of this book.

The particular line in question here is that “The gun laws in this State are a joke, and you know it. That’s why we’ve got tragedies like Apalachee High School – two kids and two teachers gunned down because *it’s easier to buy an AR-15 than it is to adopt a damn dog*.” (Emphasis mine).

As I told Bratt directly before sitting down to write this review – and I quote: “As someone who has both adopted a dog and bought a gun in the State of Georgia – the gun across State lines at a Georgia gun show while living in South Carolina, no less! – I can state without hesitation or equivocation that Bratt is 100% wrong about it being easier to buy a gun in the State than adopt a dog. For one, there are no background checks at all when adopting from a County-run animal shelter, while buying a gun anywhere in the United States requires a criminal background check to be completed before the gun can be purchased – yes, even if buying the gun at a gun show. Furthermore, while where I can take my dog is not legally restricted in any manner (though property owners certainly may decline to allow my dog on their property), where I can take my gun is heavily restricted, even in the State of Georgia.”

I also told her that I would also note here that this is absolutely one of those issues where your mileage may vary – you may agree that guns need to be more heavily regulated or you may not, you may think that pet adoption or pets generally need to be more heavily regulated or not – but the statement in the text was 100% wrong in the real State of Georgia, and I’ve personally experienced both sides of the statement and know of what I speak here. But hey, Bratt never specifically addresses these issues in her fictionalized Georgia, so even though it bears a striking resemblance to the real thing, as authors frequently note in the front pages of their fiction books “This work is fiction and not intended to represent any real person, place, or thing no matter how similar they may or may not be. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the fictional characters only and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by any real person, including the author.” So let’s give Bratt the benefit of the doubt here that she isn’t addressing the real State of Georgia in that particular line and move on. 🙂

Again, outside of that particular line, the book itself is perhaps even one of the stronger of the entire series – which is saying something, considering Bratt originally intended to end this series a few books ago, but fans keep demanding to come back to this world, and she keeps delivering. The drama in our central family is coming back up from unexpected and interesting places, there is more drama brewing in other areas well established earlier in the series yet which had cooled off in recent books, the crime of the book is particularly gnarly and the investigation is tight without being the frenetic sprint of the prior book…

It just all works truly, truly well, and again, makes this one of the stronger books in the series to date overall.

So again, go back to book 1 (assuming you’re new to the series) and get here – you’ll want to get here when you do, and this book will make you fall in love with the series all over again and want at least one more book from it. Which Bratt may or may not have news about in the Author’s Note. 😉

Very much recommended.

This review of So This Is Christmas by Kay Bratt was originally written on December 11, 2024.

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#BookReview: See How They Hide by Allison Brennan

Intriguing Crime Drives Solid Series Continuation. This is one of those FBI tales where the crime at hand really drives this particular story, even as Brennan expertly weaves the relationships between her team forward even throughout the investigation. Showing each teammate at their best – but also showing that they are not superhuman by any stretch of the imagination – this particular story is at its best when its villains are at their creepiest.

And yes, the crime at hand is particularly creepy on its face… which Brennan then spins into its own breathtaking and heart rending sub plot.

I wouldn’t *start* reading the series here, mostly due to the relationships between the teammates, but the crime itself isn’t tied to any prior tales, so it also isn’t a “you absolutely cannot start reading the series with this book”. So whether you’re new to this series intrigued by its premise and *want* to start here or whether you’re a long time fan of it, you’re going to have a good time with this book. Just be warned that there *are* situations that will make some uncomfortable here. Read the book anyway, and hopefully make such situations a touch easier from having dealt with them in the safety of fiction.

Very much recommended.

This review of See How They Hide by Allison Brennan was originally written on December 11, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Sentinel: The Complete Jane Harper Trilogy by Jeremy Robinson

Terrific Trilogy Puts A New Spin On Well Established Entities.

As this *is* a review of the entire trilogy, let me start by placing my reviews of THE SENTINEL and THE RAVEN (Books 1 and 2) here first:

THE SENTINEL:

A Long Time Coming. Let me tell you a story. It begins in 2010. Jeremy Robinson and I have known each other online for a few years now, having met in MySpace. I’ve read every book he’s written (just a half dozen or so at this point), and he is now releasing a book he calls TORMENT – his first outright horror book. So I read it too. And it literally gave me nightmares for YEARS after reading it.

A year later, Robinson releases his next horror book – The Sentinel. And it becomes the first of his books that I would not read… for 13 years. Until November 2024, when he is gearing up to release the completed Jane Harper Trilogy via writing a book called THE HOST and packaging it similarly to how he did FAMINE and HUNGER: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY earlier in the 2020s.

And now that my nightmares from TORMENT have faded – particularly after Robinson retconned it into his INFINITE TIMELINE event in the late 2010s/ early 2020s and weakened it significantly – I’m finally in a position that I can attempt to read THE SENTINEL.

And what I found… was nowhere NEAR the horror of TORMENT. Yes, it absolutely has its horrific moments – many times over. Its got an almost Carrie-type callback. Its got a ship sinking. Its got creatures. Its got the same irreverent wit that Robinson would come to develop more over the last 15 years. Truly, having read everything Robinson has released since THE SENTINEL (other than its sequel, THE RAVEN), this may as well be included in his “Origins” package, because you can absolutely see in this book the beginnings of his style to come for the next decade+ of his career.

So pick this book up, even now – or maybe wait until March 2025 when THE SENTINEL: THE COMPLETE JANE HARPER TRILOGY is released. You’re going to laugh. You’re going to cry. You might even puke a few times at the horror on the screen. But you’re going to have a blast doing it, and you’re going to want to have the next book available immediately at hand anyway.

Very much recommended.

THE RAVEN:

Second Book In Series Picks Up Weeks After First Book And Raises Stakes. This is one of those second books where we get direct (if a few weeks later) follow-up to the story from the first book – so absolutely read The Sentinel first, or wait until March 2025 when The Sentinel: The Complete Jane Harper Trilogy will be available, as you absolutely need that context to understand much of any of the insanity happening in this book. As has always been the case in a Robinson book, the New God of Science Fiction – a moniker I gave Robinson long after the original release of this book over a decade ago – takes a somewhat common concept in scifi (zombies, here) and makes it 100% his own while creating utterly wild action sequences that you’ll never see anywhere else. And boy do this book have a lot of those. Wow.

The one issue with this particular book – soon to *finally* be rectified – is that it very clearly sets up a sequel and likely conclusion to the trilogy… that Robinson then waited *over a decade* to deliver on. Though he’s still faster in concluding his stories than a certain famous “Game” / “Song” writer. 😉
So read this one now if you haven’t, to get ready for THE HOST, available in the aforementioned THE SENTINEL: THE COMPLETE JANE HARPER TRILOGY in just about 3 months as I write this review. Or pick up that book when it comes out in March, because I guarantee you that by the time you finish this book, you’ll be glad THE HOST begins on the next page.

Very much recommended.

And now, the conclusion of our trilogy:

THE HOST

Concussive Conclusion. Man, if you thought THE RAVEN hit hard and heavy, this book is about to feel like you went a few rounds with Iron Mike Tyson in his prime… in the best of ways. The action here, well, Robinson has had a decade since writing the last book to hone his craft even further. And with that truly demented mind… yeah, you’re in for some pretty awesome treats in this particular tale.

As a conclusion to this trilogy (finally, though still faster than that “Game” / “Song” dude), this works on many, many levels. You get the callback to using a particular name that Robinson used a few times in his earlier books, though in a completely different character here. (For those who don’t know, that name happens to be Robinson’s long time editor, assistant, and occasional co-author, and while those who *do* know now know he shows up, that’s all I’m saying here.) You get some of the more metaphysical discussions that Robinson has packed into a few of his books over the years to great affect (at least in my opinion, and hey, this is my damn review :D). You get the humor and action and heart that has defined Robinson’s career from the earliest books through now and presumably for as long as he is writing. And you get a conclusion for all of these characters that works within the story told to this point, without going all “Return Of The King” and ending hours after it should have.

The *one* issue I have with this book, and I told Robinson this personally shortly after finishing in a more direct way (as it involves spoilers to get *too* specific here), is that where the metaphysical discussion is happening, Robinson reaches to what I told him seems to have become a bit of a crutch these last few years, and that I hope he ditches that particular device in the next few books. At least for a few books. So we’ll see what happens there, but even still, it absolutely worked within the story told within this trilogy, so it isn’t like it was *completely* out there – just a personal preference that I told the author, whom I’ve known for many, many years, directly and am expressing in this review. Feel free to tell me to go to hell over this and that you *love* that particular crutch and hope Robinson uses it in *every* book. 🙂 As long as you’re reading and reviewing books, I’m happy. 😀

Ultimately, again, this really was a pretty damn perfect conclusion to this particular trilogy.

Very much recommended.

And with three “Very much recommended” ratings on three books in this completed trilogy… yes, the trilogy as a whole is thus very much recommended.

This review of The Sentinel: The Complete Jane Harper Trilogy by Jeremy Robinson was originally written on December 10, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Raven by Jeremy Robinson

Second Book In Series Picks Up Weeks After First Book And Raises Stakes. This is one of those second books where we get direct (if a few weeks later) follow-up to the story from the first book – so absolutely read The Sentinel first, or wait until March 2025 when The Sentinel: The Complete Jane Harper Trilogy will be available, as you absolutely need that context to understand much of any of the insanity happening in this book. As has always been the case in a Robinson book, the New God of Science Fiction – a moniker I gave Robinson long after the original release of this book over a decade ago – takes a somewhat common concept in scifi (zombies, here) and makes it 100% his own while creating utterly wild action sequences that you’ll never see anywhere else. And boy do this book have a lot of those. Wow.

The one issue with this particular book – soon to *finally* be rectified – is that it very clearly sets up a sequel and likely conclusion to the trilogy… that Robinson then waited *over a decade* to deliver on. Though he’s still faster in concluding his stories than a certain famous “Game” / “Song” writer. 😉

So read this one now if you haven’t, to get ready for THE HOST, available in the aforementioned THE SENTINEL: THE COMPLETE JANE HARPER TRILOGY in just about 3 months as I write this review. Or pick up that book when it comes out in March, because I guarantee you that by the time you finish this book, you’ll be glad THE HOST begins on the next page.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Raven by Jeremy Robinson was originally written on December 10, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Sentinel by Jeremy Robinson

A Long Time Coming. Let me tell you a story. It begins in 2010. Jeremy Robinson and I have known each other online for a few years now, having met in MySpace. I’ve read every book he’s written (just a half dozen or so at this point), and he is now releasing a book he calls TORMENT – his first outright horror book. So I read it too. And it literally gave me nightmares for YEARS after reading it.

A year later, Robinson releases his next horror book – The Sentinel. And it becomes the first of his books that I would not read… for 13 years. Until November 2024, when he is gearing up to release the completed Jane Harper Trilogy via writing a book called THE HOST and packaging it similarly to how he did FAMINE and HUNGER: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY earlier in the 2020s.

And now that my nightmares from TORMENT have faded – particularly after Robinson retconned it into his INFINITE TIMELINE event in the late 2010s/ early 2020s and weakened it significantly – I’m finally in a position that I can attempt to read THE SENTINEL.

And what I found… was nowhere NEAR the horror of TORMENT. Yes, it absolutely has its horrific moments – many times over. Its got an almost Carrie-type callback. Its got a ship sinking. Its got creatures. Its got the same irreverent wit that Robinson would come to develop more over the last 15 years. Truly, having read everything Robinson has released since THE SENTINEL (other than its sequel, THE RAVEN), this may as well be included in his “Origins” package, because you can absolutely see in this book the beginnings of his style to come for the next decade+ of his career.

So pick this book up, even now – or maybe wait until March 2025 when THE SENTINEL: THE COMPLETE JANE HARPER TRILOGY is released. You’re going to laugh. You’re going to cry. You might even puke a few times at the horror on the screen. But you’re going to have a blast doing it, and you’re going to want to have the next book available immediately at hand anyway.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Sentinel by Jeremy Robinson was originally written on December 6, 2024.

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#BookReview: Hera’s Scream by Shaun Griffin

Series Second Sets Up Spectacular Climax. Seriously, this book does its job as the second book in a trilogy really quite well, resolving many of the lingering threads from Book 1 while furthering certain other threads and setting up what should truly be one *epic* climax in Book 3. Here, Griffin manages to tie up a lot of the loose ends from Book 1, maybe by stepping away from the hard boiled noir a touch and leaning a touch more into the more scifi/ action elements, but while remaining true to the world created in Book 1.

And then that ending.

DAYUM even I wish I already had Book 3 in my hands, and I’m pretty sure that as I write this review on December 6, 2024, Griffin is still *writing* said book. 🙂

Truly one of the better trilogies to come out in 2024-2025, and very much recommended.

This review of Hera’s Scream by Shaun Griffin was originally written on December 6, 2024.

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#BookReview: Pity Present by Whitney Dineen

Solid “Secret Identity” Romance Where Side Character Nearly Steals Show. This is one of those romances where there are a lot of instances of “oh, you happen to be here and look who else happens to be here” bits, particularly in the setup. Which leads to a lot of miscommunications and assumptions, and you know what they say about “assume”. Still, it totally works in the usual Hallmarkie and zany way, and if you’re down for that kind of story, you’re going to enjoy this one. If the secret identity/ happenstance/ assumption setup isn’t your bag… eh, you probably won’t enjoy this one as much.

And then… one particular side character. Not going into this character at all other than to note that this character does in fact nearly steal the entire damn book, and indeed, it almost feels like there are more “real” emotions as our main characters interact with this character than with each other. Which is probably not the best thing in a romance book, but hey, at least there are “real” and touching moments *somewhere*, right?

As to spice level… this one is far closer to a warm glass of milk than a Carolina Reaper. So there again, know that up front and read (or not) according to your own tastes there. For those that *must* have sex of some form (open door/ closed door) in their romance books… eh, I think that speaks more to you than the author, but just know that this is NOT present in this book.

Overall I think the book worked well as a continuation of its series, including having a few characters from earlier books come back and play pivotal roles (and, for those that despise spoilers of any form, absolutely read the earlier books in the series before getting to this one).

Very much recommended.

This review of Pity Present by Whitney Dineen was originally written on December 5, 2024.

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#BookReview: A Wood-Fired Christmas by Maddie Evans

Heart Filled Novella Packs A Compelling Story In Short Form. This is one of those novellas that by the time you’re finished, you’re going to *think* there *had* to be at least twice as many pages given just how much story Evans manages to pack in here. And yet because it *is* barely 100 pages, its *actual* brevity makes it a great holiday read while you’re waiting for things to cook or you’re waiting the 5 minutes of commercials between every possession in a football game or you’re needing five minutes of peace from the chaos of so many family and friends around or… you get the idea. Quick books make great books to read in limited time slices, and this is absolutely that type of tale. Also great for those looking to add a quick easy read (with a lot of heart) to help with those annual reading goals.

Oh, and Evans shows a love of pizza here I honestly didn’t know she had. This entire novella is almost as much a love story for the hole in the wall pizzeria our couple winds up working together at as it is a romance between the couple themselves. Both play off each other well in all the best ways, and along the way everyone from foodies to Hallmarkie types will be quite pleased with the results.

Very much recommended.

This review of A Wood-Fired Christmas by Maddie Evans was originally written on December 4, 2024.

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#BookReview: Sea Of Grass by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty

Seemingly Comprehensive Review Of Its Field Marred By Dearth Of Bibliography. This is one of those books you pick up randomly because “hey, I don’t actually know more than the very rough basics about the American Prairie”, and it will actually give you a largely well rounded view of the entire topic, from its ancient origins and pre-European development through the Indian Wars/ Manifest Destiny era and through the Dust Bowl years all the way up to mostly current farming tech/ practices in the region. Yes, the commentary is titled perhaps a touch toward the left side of the dial, but honestly it wasn’t anywhere near as pervasive or preachy as some other similar texts tend to get, so eh, it was enough to mention here but now I’m moving on.

No, the real problem, at least with the Advance Review Copy edition I read roughly 6 months before publication, is the dearth of a bibliography, clocking in at just 7% of the overall text – a far cry from even the 15% of my newly relaxing standard for bibliography length, much less the 20-30% of my former standard. So that’s the star deduction – for all of the facts presented, there simply isn’t anywhere near enough bibliography to back them up – much less the more editorial commentary.

Overall a seemingly strong primer on the topic, I know I learned a lot about a lot here, and I suspect many will as well. I simply wish it had been better documented.

Very much recommended.

This review of Sea Of Grass by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty was originally written on December 3, 2024.

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#BookReview: Waste Wars by Alexander Clapp

Anti-Western Ideology And Dearth Of Bibliography Mar Otherwise Solid Enough Examination Of The Topic. This is one of those books that has a lot of great information… and then doesn’t really document where that information came from. Clearly, Clapp traveled extensively and did a lot of first hand observations – which is clear from the narrative. And yet there is also quite a bit of discussion of histories old enough (yet still modern enough) that Clapp could not possibly have conducted such interviews himself, such as one comment from a letter from an activist in 1992 Guatemala regarding the trade in trash being more lucrative at the time than the drug trade! Thus, there is enough that wasn’t directly observed that the bibliography should have been longer than the 13% the Advance Review Copy form of this book I read a few months before publication had. Still, that was only call it a half star deduction, as 13% is really close to the 15% that I’m trying to relax my standard to (from 20-30%).

The other half star deduction is from the explicit and pervasive anti-Western commentary – at one point going so far as to claim that “Indigenous societies were in greater touch with Earth’s natural rhythms than white settlers. They had a more profound sense of moral purpose.” While this statement was perhaps the single worst in the narrative, there were numerous similar comments spread throughout the entirety of the text, enough that some may wish to defenestrate this book early and often.

But don’t. Read the book. There really is quite a bit here, and while some of it is included in other works on the trash trade and trash life cycle – such as Year Of No Garbage by Eve Schaub, Worn Out by Alyssa Hardy, and Wasteland by Oliver Franklin-Wallis – Clapp manages to go to other areas (such as Indonesia) not covered in these other works and show their own problems and opportunities in stark clarity. Indeed, remove the blatant anti-Western bias, and this is truly a solid work in the field, showing a wide breadth of the overall problem of the life of trash after it is thrown away and now nothing ever really solves this particular problem… in part due to the classic peril of there being too much money to be made by *not* solving it.

So read this book. Maybe you agree with the author’s biases, maybe you’re vehemently opposed to them. Either way, I’m almost 100% certain that even if you happen to be an actual expert in the global trash trade… you’re *still* going to learn something from having read this book.

Recommended.

This review of Waste Wars by Alexander Clapp was originally written on December 2, 2024.