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Featured New Release of the Week: Ghost Pain by Pandora Pine

This week we’re going back into a year long saga of a pair of ghost detectives. This week, we’re looking at Ghost Pain by Pandora Pine.

This entire spinoff series has been my entry point into Pine’s universe, and I’ve been very impressed so far. She manages to bring the paranormal and the normal together in ways rarely seen in other similar efforts, all while keeping the series focused on the people involved even as the individual books feature specific cases. (As the better long running series – in any medium – tend to do.)

This particular book is a typical entry in that vein – we open up dealing with the aftermath of the ending of Ghost of a Chance (Book 5), and because of that at minimum that book needs to be read before that one. But even that book deals with the events from the very first book in this spinoff series, Ghost of Himself. (And on and on and on :D) So read all six books – because by the end of this one Pine basically calls her shot with presumably the next book, and it is one that has been building since even before this spinoff series began.

This book in particular was Pine’s usual excellence in storytelling and execution, and I am very much looking forward to Book 7! 🙂

And with that… the Goodreads/ Amazon review:
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#BookReview: A Drakenfall Christmas by Geralyn Corcillo

Hallmarkie Christmas Great For Princess Diaries or Downton Abbey Fans. If you hit any of the fandoms listed in the title, you’re going to love this book. Even if you don’t, it is still a solid Christmas romance set in the realm of English nobility and the staff that maintain their homes. Lots of different moving parts to this one, including three four separate intertwining romances – which may be a bit confusing to some, but was easy enough to decipher if the reader sticks with the story. Very much recommended.

This review of A Drakenfall Christmas by Geralyn Corcillo was originally written on November 3, 2019.

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#BookReview: Playing To Win by Stephanie Street

Solid YA Romance. I came into this book unfamiliar with Street, but very familiar with the author of the first book in this series – Maggie Dallen – and this book keeps much of the same feel I am used to from Dallen’s work. To the level that it is almost unclear as to whether Street’s style is just so similar to Dallen’s or if the books were heavily coordinated amongst the authors. Though this isn’t a bad thing in any way, and indeed was a bit of a comfort. Overall you can expect a fun, fast paced romance with some angst (though far from emo levels) and some humor and some minor conflict at the back of the book just before the happily ever after – and a well executed one at that. Very much recommended.

This review of Playing To Win by Stephanie Street was originally written on November 2, 2019.

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#BookReview: Blue Descent by David Wood

Amazing Maddock Tale. This book has a foreward by the author where he speaks of seeking to create an enjoyable tale for fans of this long running series while also wanting to give people new to the series a “book 0” to start with that reflects more of his current writing style, and he achieves both of those objectives spectacularly. If you’ve never read a Maddock Adventure before, this one is truly a good place to start and a good idea of what you’re in store for throughout the rest of the series and surrounding universe. If you’re a long time fan, this book is one that sets in motion a few things while also allowing some possibilities for things to come. Truly a fun, action packed adventure, and very much recommended.

This review of Blue Descent by David Wood was originally written on November 1, 2019.

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#BookReview: A Transcontinental Affair by Jodi Daynard

One of the More Intriguing Historical Fiction Novels I’ve Ever Read. The title says it all. In this story of a legendary train ride from coast to coast – just a year after doing so was even possible – Daynard manages to put some aspects into this tale that were very much unexpected, but does so in a way that is at least possible. Indeed, for much of the back half of the book the reader constantly expects something to happen – whether or not it does is up to you to read and find out. 😉 Very much recommended.

This review of A Transcontinental Affair by Jodi Daynard was originally written on October 29, 2019.

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Featured New Release of the Week: Once Upon A Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane

This week we are looking at a romance book written by someone I previously knew as a historical fiction author. This week we are looking at Once Upon A Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane.

The book itself is, as I titled the Goodreads review below, a “solid romance”. It hits billionaire, cowboy, and second chance tropes all in one book, which is a feat unto itself at times. And it works well as an entry point into the series, even though it is Book 3.

But really what I want to talk about here is that dichotomy between the genres Lane writes in and how brave – and skillful – she is for doing so. Some authors may shy away from risking splitting their fan base or not wanting to take the effort to grow a “second” fan base, and let’s face it, far too many readers will absolutely refuse to read outside of a given genre. I’ve spoken with those types online numerous times, and honestly I just don’t get them. A good story is a good story, no matter the genre or language or anything else. And Lane has conclusively proven to me that she can give me a good story in at least two different genres – so I for one would *love* to see her try even more. 😀

I absolutely love when authors are willing to take risks, whether that means staying within one genre but doing nearly every subgenre possible within it, ala the “Modern Day Master of Science Fiction” Jeremy Robinson or pushing the bounds of their given genre ala Laura Heffernan’s Gamer Girl series or outright writing in multiple genres as Lane does. And I genuinely wish more authors had the balls to do it and more readers had the balls to follow authors they know can give them good stories no matter where that author decides to push themselves. Everyone involved in publishing, from the authors through the publishers through the sellers and all the way to the readers themselves would be stronger for it if authors would challenge themselves in this way. I get playing it safe and the reasons there, and let’s face it, there is arguably a steadier income stream from the author/ publisher side when authors choose to go that route. But, well, I’m a guy that has always lived by the words of Garth Brooks’s Standing Outside the Fire: “Life is not tried it is merely survived if you’re standing outside the fire.”

Take the risk. Live a little. If you’ve never read romance before, give this one a try. If you’ve never read Lane’s work before, this is as good a place as any to start. Stop reading this review and go buy the book already. 😉

Continue reading “Featured New Release of the Week: Once Upon A Cowboy Christmas by Soraya Lane”

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#BookReview: The Puzzle of You by Leah Mercer

Jack Campbell Loves Big Brother. This is a solidly written and told story that is quite a bit infuriating, but I try to be “professional” enough in my reviews to not drop stars because I disagree with the story of a fiction book. And most of the infuriating aspects of the tale are spoilers to discuss anyway and may not (likely won’t) be as infuriating to most people to boot. But Mercer does an excellent job of telling her tale, and therefore there is nothing to actually ding here other than the fact that it simply pissed me off. (And if you catch the dual references in the title, that gives you a clue into why I am so pissed off with it – but as I said, actually referencing what makes me so mad is to go into spoiler territory.) So yes, the book is very much recommended in and of itself, even though I personally wanted to throw my damn kindle down in disgust.

This review of The Puzzle of You by Leah Mercer was originally written on October 27, 2019.

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#BookReview: Beside Herself by Elizabeth LaBan

Not A Megachurch. (Ignore the first paragraph. 😉 ) In this book, LaBan describes the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe – as it is formally known – as a megachurch for those drawn to Disney but still religious enough to go to church while on vacation, and it is *NOT*. I’m an annual passholder at Disney and go there at least every couple of months – and frequently stop by at the outlet mall directly beside this church and know for a fact how empty it tends to be! 1* book! (OK, how do people write serious reviews like that? Get a life!)

But seriously, this book was really, really good. It takes the reader on a ride many have been on in real life and while it may bring back painful memories, it does it in a way that can provide a bit of catharsis – and maybe even hope. Funny yet mostly realistic, this book pulls few punches indeed and at times can be a bit uncomfortable for some because of it. But at the end of the day, an excellent story and very much recommended.

This review of Beside Herself by Elizabeth LaBan was originally written on October 26, 2019.

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#BookReview: Wildflower Christmas by Grace Greene

Solid In-World Christmas Tale. This book picks up shortly after the events of Wildflower Hope and gives a brief Christmas interlude to Kara Hart’s story at Wildflower House. Works very well in-world and even gives a brief introduction to a pair of characters that could play larger roles in future Wildflower books. Very much recommended.

This review of Wildflower Christmas by Grace Greene was originally written on October 24, 2019.

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#BookReview: The Poison Garden by A.J. Banner

Everyone Has An Agenda. This is one of those books where if you spend more than a couple of pages or so with a character… they have some ulterior motive to everything they’re doing. Dark and twisted, with pretty solid pacing throughout. Couple of places that seemed to be a bit *too* trippy, but that could have been just this reader – and these places usually resolve themselves well enough if you just keep going. Overall an excellent work, and I’m looking forward to more from this author. Very much recommended.

This review of The Poison Garden by A.J. Banner was originally written on October 24, 2019.