Review- Prince of Fools (The Red Queen’s War #1)

Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War #1)
By: Mark Lawrence
Website: https://www.marklawrence.buzz/
Release Date: June 3rd, 2014
Publisher: Ace
Series: The Red Queen's War
Award: David Gemmell Legend Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel (2015), David Gemmell Ravenheart Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Cover Art (2015), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2014)
Rating:


I admit that I bought the Red Queen’s War trilogy when it was on sale and that I haven’t read the preceding series Order of the Broken Empire yet. Still, I didn’t feel lost or utterly confused as I stepped into this new fantasy realm and I am very glad that I took a break from the murder mysteries and thrillers to enjoy this trilogy because it was amazing.

Review- Never Goodbye (Broden Legal #2)

Never Goodbye (Broden Legal #2)
By: Adam Mitzner
Website: http://adammitzner.com/
Release Date: April 24th, 2018
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Rating:


After the events in book one Dead Certain we see Ella come to terms with the fact that she really does love singing more than she loves being in the courtroom so when this story opens up we learn Ella has left her position as a lawyer and is now singing regularly in the clubs around Manhattan.

Review- Dead Certain (Broden Legal #1)

Dead Certain (Broden Legal #1)
By: Adam Mitzner
Website: http://adammitzner.com/
Release Date: June 1st, 2017
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Series: Broden Legal
Rating:


I admit that sometimes I fall in love with genres and never let them go and obviously that’s true for my crime/thriller/mystery stories but can you really blame me? We get suspense, action, a puzzle or two to solve and sometimes a hint of romance. Which, to me, sounds like perfection.

Review – The Last Move

The Last Move
By: Mary Burton
Website: https://www.maryburton.com/
Release Date: September 19th, 2017
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Rating:


This is the first book I’ve ever read by Mary Burton and let me just say how impressive it was. Honestly the story pulled me in from the start and I instantly became a fan.

As I understand it Mary Burton writes a mix of series and stand-alone novels and I was very glad I picked this one to start. In this book we meet Kate Hayden, a FBI agent looking to put monsters away as a form of keeping her own nightmares from surfacing. When she is brought back to San Antonio to investigate a crime she realizes that there are two options, the man Kate originally arrested for the Samaritan crimes wasn’t the killer or she’s dealing with a highly formidable copy-cat.

Paired up with local homicide detective, Theo Mazur, Kate must put everything she thinks she knows about this case and the man she put away for it, aside in order to catch the person killing and to stay alive herself.

With a mix of point of views and a lot of creepy parts from the killer’s side I was honestly extremely nervous that all the characters would make it out alive. As a result of my nerves I read this book in one day and then dove into Mary Burton’s works to find another gripping tale.

If you’re looking for a stand-alone, romantic suspense novel that actually feels suspenseful, I definitely recommend you pick up The Last Move. You won’t be disappointed.

Review- Bad Blood (Violet Darger #4)

Bad Blood (Violet Darger #4)
By: L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain
Website: https://ltvargus.com/
Release Date: June 23rd, 2018
Publisher: Smarmy Press
Series: Violet Darger
Rating:


Book number four and whoa am I impressed with this installment. In rural Michigan a man has been killed in a mafia-style hit and Violet and Loshak show up to try and figure out how a small town man ended up dead.

Review- A Body in the Village Hall (Kate Palmer #1)

A Body in the Village Hall (Kate Palmer #1)
By: Dee MacDonald
Website: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/dee-macdonald/
Release Date: June 29th, 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Series: Kate Palmer
Rating:


This is a slight departure from my normal mystery reads because, while this is a mystery (surrounding murders) this book falls into the genre of Cozy Mystery. Let me quickly define this for anyone who doesn’t know what this means.

Review- The Angel of the Crows

The Angel of the Crows
By: Katherine Addison
Website: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/katherine-addison/
Release Date: June 23rd, 2020
Publisher: Tor Books
Rating:


If you are a fan of historical fiction and alternative history writing this story is definitely for you. Also, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes then this story is 100% even more for you.

Now, before moving into the story itself there are a few things I wanted to clear up as I found them out for myself as I finished this novel. First, the author Katherine Addison is the same person as the author Sarah Monette. It appears that for different genres and topics Monette has applied her pen name Addison, so keep that fun fact for yourself if you want to read more of her writing. Second, and this is direct from the author herself in the Author’s Note – The Angel of the Crows began as a Sherlock wingfic fanfiction.

Now, to talk about this wonderful book itself. I am, admittedly, a fan of all things Sherlock Holmes so to see a reimagining of the story with different characters (Crow being Sherlock and Doyle being Watson) was fun for me. The explanation for why the characters are the way they are fits so well that I found myself smiling wide. Crow, being an angel whose domain is all of London, thus explaining his heightened senses and sometimes odd behavior as Sherlock, is wonderful in his odd ways. Doyle, much like Watson, is suffering from a leg injury and from having been in the war however his injury is of a spectral nature as he was attacked by what is known as a Fallen angel i.e. one that is now filled with dark, nefarious energy and power.

Throughout this book we cover the well-known Sherlock Holmes stories of “A Study in Scarlet,” “The Sign of the Four,” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” but Addison didn’t stop there and also had our heroes join the hunt for Jack the Ripper.

Honestly while I wish some lesser-known Sherlock tales had been picked or that things had been reworked a bit more to make them feel new or extremely different I did enjoy the way that Addison connected the dots between these classic stories and our newly reimagined characters.

If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, alternative history or the idea of these characters being redone in a way that breathes new life back into these classics I would definitely suggest you pick up this book. While it wasn’t life altering it was a quite enjoyable read and I was impressed with Addison’s style. I may be picking up her other works soon.

Review- The Girl in the Sand (Violet Darger #3)

The Girl in the Sand (Violet Darger #3)
By: L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain
Website: https://ltvargus.com/
Release Date: March 19th, 2018
Publisher: Smarmy Press
Series: Violet Darger
Rating:


When bodies are found burned in a sedan Violet and Loshak go out to Las Vegas to try and help catch the killer. But when all signs point to a serial killer with a grudge again Violet things go from bad to worse.

First, let me just say the tension and action in this book was superb. I really enjoyed the pace in this book and, in looking back at my kindle edition notes I realized just how frantic I was as I was reading because I have fewer notes and a lot more curse words.

Second, the characters are just getting better. Sometime Violet and Loshak annoy me but that just means they aren’t perfect. They both have moments of stupidity and there are parts of this story I couldn’t believe ever happening in real life so it’s good it was written in a fictional tale. Violet continues to charge head first into danger and while she’s getting better at being one step a head of the criminals she’s chasing she is still making mistakes that could’ve been prevented. As with any series I don’t want to give anything away but just know that in this book character death seems both possible and likely so be prepared to be on the edge of your seat while reading!

All in all I was glad I read book number three but I do feel myself pulling away from Violet lately. I skipped the novella in between this time but am planning to return when I want another dose of Violet and Loshak.

Review- Killing Season (Violet Darger #2)

Killing Season (Violet Darger #2)
By: L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain
Website: https://ltvargus.com/
Release Date: July 31st, 2017
Publisher: Smarmy Press
Series: Violet Darger
Rating:


On to the official book two in this series, and not just a novella. I’m very glad this was a full-fledged novel as I don’t think this story could have been accomplished within a novella.

In Atlanta there is a serial killer hunting people. Not just stalking and killing, but actually hunting. Taking shots carefully the killer first takes out eight victims and causes a massive pileup on the highway. The following morning a grocery store is attacked. When Violet and Loshak finally get there the city is in a panic and it’s time for the hunters to be hunted.

Violet and Loshak do a fantastic job in this book as they grow as partners. I also was so taken in by the surprise plot twists, the idenity of the gunman and a host of other chaotic moments throughout the book. I will say that even though the killings in this book are horrible it felt easier to swallow than the previous ones, perhaps because this serial killer does it at a longer distance, rather that close-up and personal. Learning about the killer was also interesting and seeing things through his eyes felt like I could swallow this case a bit easier than the others. (Reminder for anyone who hasn’t read the previous books in the sereis; book one focuses on body mutilation of young women and the novella focuses on a family annihilator. Pick your poison.)

I will also say that if you wanted to read only one Violet Darger book this may be the one to pick. While there are some call backs to the previous works here it isn’t impossible to follow along without any of the previous context. Still, I prefer having all the context so I’d still suggest reading the series.

Review- Image in a Cracked Mirror (Violet Darger #1.5)

Image in a Cracked Mirror (Violet Darger #1.5)
By: L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain
Website: https://ltvargus.com/
Release Date: June 8th, 2017
Publisher: Smarmy Press
Series: Violet Darger
Rating:


When I saw that there was a novella between book one and two of the series I was curious as to why it was just a novella and not a full blown book. However, I agree with the decision made by the authors to keep this short as the case, while disturbing, wasn’t too complicated and it gave us further insight into Violet and Loshak.