Mini Reviews For Stories That Wowed Me

(Any excuse to use this picture of Dean Winchester!)

I've been reading a lot great books lately, and I want to share them all with you. But how to do that without a super long post? Mini reviews. Let's hope I can do these awesome tales justice with a few sentences.

"Dragon's Destiny" by Alex J. Cavanaugh

This short story is the sequel to Alex's latest fantastic space opera novel, Dragon of the Stars. I loved seeing what happened with Aden and the Kargrandes. The drama was in the emotions of the characters rather than big action sequences, and Alex pulled it off beautifully. You can get this tale free from Alex as a gift to his fans.

Black Magic & Mojitos by A.A. Chamberlynn

A kick-ass teaser novella for Alexia's upcoming urban fantasy novel. It's fast-paced, dark, hilarious, and full of action. It features a supernatural bounty hunter, Zyan Star who is now one of my new favorite UF heroines!

 

Ghost of Death by Chrys Fey

A marvelous short paranormal tale that grabbed me right from the beginning. The tension is tight throughout and everyone is a suspect. Such fun in that Jolie hates being a ghost and the detective working her murder case is the only one who can see her.

Beyond: Space Opera  by Milo James Fowler, Siobhan Gallagher, Anne E. Johnson, Simon Kewin, Devin Miller, and Deborah Walker.

This is a fantastic collection of science-fiction short stories. We have the humorous and horrific, the awe-inspiring and the monstrous. A little something for everyone and then some. "Captain Clone" was my favorite of the tales. Wait until you meet Grey Cut!

 

Double Negative by C. Lee McKenzie

A wonderfully inspiring YA contemporary that really pulled at my heartstrings. It's narrated by Hutch, a teen trapped in a dysfunctional family and feeling that he has no way to escape. Nothing is sugarcoated, dismal as reality can be, but there was still a light of hope.

 

My upcoming reads...

 

River Fairchild recently released another hilarious novella about Death and Chronos, Just Another Day in Purgatory. I can't wait to read more of their adventures!

 

My family and I went to the library yesterday, and I picked up a couple of thick novels. Stephen King's Finders Keepers and L.K. Hamilton's Dead Ice. I've been reading on my Kindle so much lately, I hope my wrists can handle these books!

 

I'll be co-hosting IWSG this week.

I'm eager to find out what their mega surprise is!

See you on Wednesday. 

Teaser Tuesday with Affliction

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

AFFLICTION is the newest in the Anita Blake series by L.K. Hamilton. I loved the series right from the start, but these last books have been hit or miss. I like it when Anita is out there fighting monsters, especially fulfilling her duties as a Marshal. This one has promise, but it could be another political and relationship maneuvering one. A little of that is fine, but with the immense cast of characters in this series, it can get convoluted.

Here's your teaser:
"It's an old wives' tale that all shapeshifters need fresh meat after they shift," I said.
"Was that 'old wives' comment aimed at me?" she asked, her voice belligerent.

Teaser Tuesday with Kiss the Dead

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is the newest novel in L.K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. I love the beginning of the series, but after a while, it became hit or miss with me. I like the darker and grittier books where Anita is on Marshal duty rather than the ones she's dealing with her harem. Oh, I particularly like some of the men in her harem, but too much of a good thing is a little too much.

Here's your teaser:
Sometimes when I had nightmares, they got glimpses of it if we were sleeping next to each other. When I was working on a really violent case, some of my lovers started sleeping elsewhere. (page 64)