ZomPoc

A pandemic sweeps through the world. Some lose their memory and slowly whither away. Others become violent and attack others, spreading the infection. After her fiancé abandons her with a group of murdering bandits Casey manages to escape and flees the city to her childhood home and her prepper dad. 

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It’s actually fairly typical for the genre and if I’m honest I wasn’t really feeling it at first. But at some point (not sure when) I realised I was approaching it all wrong. Most books try to skirt around the edges of reality, keeping close enough that an average person with a little imagination could see it happening. The author puts people you would recognise in otherworldly situations. 

That’s not this book. She carries shuriken for goodness sake. 

This book is Batman. It’s Wonder Woman. It’s Tank Girl. And it’s a dozen other comics. And when I realised that I was suddenly enjoying it for what it is. An off the wall comic book bullet ballet.

Adventure / Thriller

A U.S. Marshall and a bank robber join forces to get back to family.

U.S. Marshall Cody Greer is sent to collect fugitive Caleb Frost after he is captured in a small town. On their return flight a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) caused by a solar storm wipes out the electrical grid and causes their plane to crash.

Rather than taking his chance to escape, Caleb decides to help Cody get back to his wife and baby.

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Brilliant. This book is a gripping page turner. It sucks you in and holds onto you to the very last page. I think it might be the best book I’ve read this year.

Paranormal Romance / LGBTQI

Nettie has led a sheltered existence on a small Island in Maine. Her future is all planned out. She will marry the werewolf her father chose for her and live her life on the island. Feeling her chances to see the world slipping away she runs away but soon discovers life isn’t easy in the human world for a naive werewolf with no money.

When she stumbles into Wisteria Grove she quickly realises it’s a witches village and werewolves and witches do not get on. She somehow manages to land a job at the town’s café but she must keep the fact that she is a werewolf secret. And she’s not the only one keeping secrets. The owner of the café, Rowena is intriguing and enigmatic and has her own secrets.

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I really loved this book. There isn’t much to it but it’s cute and entertaining and rather well written. The ending did drag on a bit but I think lovers of Howl’s Moving Castle would probably enjoy this. But not for the kids. It is lesbian romance but I wouldn’t have a problem giving this book to a mature teenager.

Romantic Suspense (Christian)

When long haul truck driver Kit, wakes up in her crashed rig all she remembers is taking an emergency job delivering equipment. She doesn’t know how she crashed though the bullet holes in her windscreen suggest foul play and she doesn’t know why there is a baby in her truck.

Together with Cullen they need to not only figure out what’s going on, they need to avoid the bad guys and with a volcano set to erupt looming over them they need to run from that too.

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I have read a little Christian Fiction and if I’m honest I avoid it just because it often wanders off into the wilderness and preaches at me. This book isn’t like that. It is obviously Christian but it doesn’t preach and manages to be both well written and entertaining. Folks who enjoy romance but don’t like descriptive sex scenes will enjoy this book.

This book will be published July1, 2025

Historical Fiction

Thirty-five years after the end of the English Civil War, the Duke of Monmouth (illegitimate son of Charles II) has decided to take the throne for himself. The incompetent and short lived rebellion led to his execution on Tower Hill.
After the capture and execution of the Duke of Monmouth King James II felt particularly angry towards the people of Dorset and set up courts to try and execute the rebels who had sided with the Duke of Monmouth.

After King James ordered the arrest and execution of all the rebels who participated in the rebellion, the Elias Harrier, Duke of Granville sets about saving as many as he can. Through bribes, deception and slight of hand, and with the help of his mother Lady Jayne Harrier and the sharp legal mind of Althea Ettrick they set about saving as many of the young men and women of Dorset who turned of the king as they can.

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The Players follows on from The Swift & the Harrier in an entertaining work of historical fiction. The Swift & the Harrierwas set within the events of the English Civil War which makes for a much bigger story. The events in 1685 which underlie The Players were more a flash in the pan than crate of dynamite and in some ways this book feels smaller for it. 

Personally I would have enjoyed it more if the author moved away from the history a little and focused on the main characters more, particularly Elias and Althea. 

It’s a good book, entertaining, engaging, well written…but it’s hard to hold a book up to The Swift & the Harrier without feeling at least a little disappointed.

Young Adult Fantasy / Romantasy

At the age of 17 Aurelia should be entering magical society and finding a match, but 150 years earlier her Mathilde Wycherley was cursed and since then the curse has travelled down through the generations…and it has landed on Aurelia. She is a pariah, not a single witch will join with her and without a “tether” her magic will fade away.

Jules Nightly is a descendent of the witch who cursed Mathilde but desperate times call for desperate measures and in an effort to hold onto her magic without a tether Aurelia enters into a forbidden bargain with him.

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Fans of Morrigan Crow (The Tales of Morrigan Crow) or Leovander Loveage (Sorcery & Small Magics) will love this book. I hesitate to say this but it’s another book for the Harry Potter refugees. If you need a little magic in your life, this is your book.

(Book #4 in series. Suggest starting at Book #1 The Trials of Morrigan Crow)

Morrigan discovers she has family in the exclusive Silver District and finds herself whisked away from her home and living the life of the idle rich. But while attending a wedding the newly married groom is found murdered and she realises there is something very off in the Silver District.

As she investigates she learns things that will completely tear the Silver District apart.

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I hesitate. That which must not be spoken. I can’t help but think refugees of the Harry Potter series will enjoy the Nevermoor series. It’s a magical fantasy mystery series and while I’ve occasionally struggled with it, it is a lot of fun. This book did meander a little at first but it had a 5 Star ending.

13 years earlier Noelle Marshall survived the brutal attack that killed her husband. As a high profile and well connected politician his murder was investigated by the FBI but because Noelle only had patchy memories of the attack the investigation went nowhere. 

After the death, one of the investigating agents encouraged Noelle to pursue a career in law enforcement and following that path led her to becoming a detective with the Oregon State Police. 

But after 13 years the FBI are taking another look at the murder of her husband to see if anything shakes loose. 

And something has. Noelle has said or done something that has made the killer start to suspect her memories are returning but she has no idea what that is. Now with the help of the two FBI Agents she must dig up the truth of her husbands murder before the murderer silences her forever. 

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Noelle Marshall has been floating in the background of Kendra Elliot’s Columbia River series for a few books now. She has become a fan favorite and finally she is getting her own series. And she doesn’t disappoint. Her First Mistake is much more cerebral than previous books but it is tight, gripping and an edge of your seat thrill ride.

Mystery

When Claire returns home from work she discovers her parents, lying in bed, murdered. While investigating the murder Bree Taggert uncovers family secrets and a shocking motive. 

Every now and then an author stumbles upon the magic sauce that makes a series great. Robyn Carr found it with Virgin River, Patricia Briggs with Mercy Thompson and Kendra Elliot nailed it with Mercy Kilpatrick. Bree Taggert is kind of like that. Melinda Leigh’s other series’ were good, even great, but Bree Taggert got everything right. 

And when you hit that sweet spot there is a lot of pressure to keep going. Robyn Carr kept going with Virgin River way past its best before date. I wonder if Patricia Briggs is also approaching that point with Mercy Thompson. And in some ways this book feels like that. It’s good. Every bit as good as some of her other books, but it also feels like maybe the series has run its course and maybe it’s time to explore new ideas. 

Overall, this book was good but not great. But there were opportunities in this book which were not explored and I hope Melinda Leigh planted those seeds to be explored in her next project. 

YA / Fantasy

Leovander Loveage is a bit of a failure as a scryer. While other sorcerers are writing powerful and complex spells he is stuck writing small magic. His exact opposite is the intensely serious Sebastian Grimm. He is a magical prodigy…and they hate each other.

Until they are forced to partner in class. Leovander hands Grimm a spell to cast on him but the small magic he thought was being cast was somehow mixed up with a powerful curse. And they must somehow put aside their differences to break the curse.

I try to not compare books but I’m going to here. Sorcery & Small Magics gave me some of the same feelings as Darkwood by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch. Honestly that’s about the highest praise I can think of. I loved this book and I’m excited for the series to continue.