Archive for Fantasy Books
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding - Fantasy Book Anthology
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If you’ve ever planned a wedding, gotten married, or even just been a wedding guest, you’ll appreciate the twisted tales in this nuptial-themed collection of short stories from a host of top-notch paranormal authors.
Spellbound by L.A. Banks
Odelia Hatfield and Jefferson McCoy, of the infamous families, fall in love as college sweethearts and battle their disapproving relatives as they plan their wedding, with a little magic thrown in, of course.
Something Borrowed by Jim Butcher
Werewolf Billy is ditched at the alter by Georgia, but when his best man Harry investigates, he discovers that someone has placed Georgia under a spell. Now he must figure out how to break it before it’s too late.
Dead Man’s Chest by Rachel Caine
A wedding aboard a pirate ship might seem like a dream, but Cecilia Welles’ fiancee has more than romance in mind for her, as does the pirate captain Lockhart. Will she make it out of her honeymoon alive?
All Shook Up by P.N. Elrod
Frankie Foster is catering a wedding for Santiago and Trinidad, and impersonator Elvis makes an appearance. But something tells her these two should not be getting married, and there’s something a little off about this Elvis.
The Wedding of Wylda Serene by Esther M. Friesner
Spoiled little princess Wylda is determined to have her wedding at the exclusive Club, although it has a history of strange events. But she refuses to listen to reason, and sheer chaos ensues.
Charmed by the Moon by Lori Handeland
Does true love really exist? This sweet story explores the concept with werewolf hunter Jessie, who’s set to marry professor Will when she discovers a love charm. Now she has to figure out if they’re really in love, or if the charm has blurred reality.
Tacky by Charlaine Harris
Harris works her magic again with this short from the Southern Vampire series. The impending wedding of vampire Taffy and werewolf Don has fangs out and fur ruffled since vamps are not supposed to marry outside of their race.
A Hard Day’s Night-Searcher by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Dark Hunters return in this suspenseful story involving the love between a squire and one of the immortal warriors who spend eternity protecting the world from supernatural enemies.
…Or Forever Hold Your Peace by Susan Krinard
A wedding in Victorian England is rife with mystery, a disappearing bride and supernatural complications. Can Lady Olivia Dowling and Christopher Meredith sidestep the obstacles and solve the mystery?
Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable book that gave me some exposure to a few new fantasy book writers. My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding is now On Sale at Amazon!
Fantasy Book Review - Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep
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Spider’s Bite, by Jennifer Estep, tells the story of Gin, a top assassin in a Southern town run by Elementals who rule with their magic. Gin works with Fletcher, her handler and mentor, at a barbeque restaurant called The Pork Pit. When he’s not serving barbeque, Fletcher is handing out jobs for Gin, nicknamed The Spider, to perform. In addition to being the best-trained assassin east of the Mississippi, she’s also a Stone elemental, which gives her the ability to manipulate and manage stone - a good skill to have in your back pocket when you’re operating in a world populated by Fire, Ice and Air elementals.
Fletcher has just handed Gin a new job: taking out an embezzler for a nice $5 million dollar payday. Gin is nervous about this “easy” job because quite frankly, it’s just too easy. However the tidy fee associated with this job would guarantee her ability to get out of the killing business for good. But Gin soon finds out that there’s truth in the statement “if it’s too good to be true” when she ends up targeted by another assassin during the commission of this job.
Heading back to the safety of Fletcher and the Pit, she comes upon a horrific discovery: the tortured body of Fletcher. Clearly someone wants Gin very badly and they killed Fletcher trying to find her. Now Gin has a new mission – find and avenge the death of her handler.
Teaming up with Fletcher’s son they proceed to find out who killed Fletcher and why Gin was set up to take the fall for his murder. Initially pursued by smoking hot police detective, Donovan Caine, Gin ends up surprising him by making a unique proposition - work with them to find the people who set her up and they’ll help him find out who’s dirty in his department. Unfortunately, Donovan has personal reasons to despise Gin; this coupled with his attraction to her serves to notch up the tension between the two of them even more.
With Spider’s Bite, the first book in the new Elemental Assassin’s series, Jennifer Estep has given us a story of action, mystery and complicated attraction as the team of three works to avenge Fletcher’s death and unravel the conspiracy. I love urban fantasy books with strong, smart women who protect the ones they care about and at the same time give the bad guys exactly what they deserve - a full measure of revenge with all the venom contained in a spider’s bite.
Fantasy Book Review - Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass
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Seressia Glass’ new novel, Shadow Blade, tells the story of a young woman, Kira Solomon, who is an elite warrior, working diligently to keep the balance between Light and Shadow. The story takes place in Atlanta with the normal, human world mixing in with a parallel world of magic and ancient rituals. Kira works for the Gilead Commission as a Shadowchaser – someone who ensures that the world is protected from the worst of the Shadow creatures who want to bring chaos into our reality.
The fun begins when Kira is introduced to a mysterious dagger, brought to her by her friend, Bernie Comstock. He wants her to touch it and tell him its story. Kira always wears gloves when she does this because she can’t touch an object without seeing everything that previously touched it (a real problem when trying to eat meat - ugh!). When she touches people, it just drains the energy out of them, leaving them in a coma. However, since she wants to help her friend she takes her gloves off and touches the dagger, seeing an ancient world, ancient and modern battles and lots and lots of magic. What’s shocking is that all of her visions feature the same tall, fierce warrior. It’s clear that a single man has carried this dagger for the last four thousand years. By the time Kira jerks her hands away from the dagger she realizes that this mysterious stranger clearly wants it back.
After her friend Bernie meets a fatal end Kira goes all out to avenge his death. It’s not helping that the four-thousand year old warrior, Khefar, has caught up to her and is only focused on getting his magical knife back. Apparently, this knife can undo all of creation if it falls in the wrong hands, such as Shadow hands. Kira simply wants him out of her way since she’s got work to do. That is, until he reaches out and grabs her arm - and nothing happens! He’s the first person to touch her in years that isn’t affected by her power. The gods must like her since the first person to be able to touch her and survive is a tall, muscled, gorgeous Nubian warrior. We should all be so lucky . . .
Kira and Khefar end up working together to find out who killed Bernie and to protect the dagger from the Shadow forces. Kira has to learn to trust this man who has inserted himself into her life while Khefar needs to see Kira as a partner, not just a soldier in his army who he orders around. The attraction between the two of them helps with this effort - it’s hard to kiss someone if you think of them as a soldier in your army!
With Shadow Blade, Seressia Glass, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award winner, has written an urban fantasy tale with all the elements that I like in a good story: magic, deception, redemption, romance and victory - a solid formula for a very entertaining read. I’m certainly looking forward to the next installment in the adventures of Kira and Khefar.
Fantasy Book Anthology - Unusual Suspects
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This fantasy anthology serves as the sequel to Powers of Detection and features works from bestselling and award-winning authors such as Simon Green and Sharon Shinn. This series contains twelve original short stories starring supernatural investigators solving mysteries in the fantasy world. From a little bit of the traditional to the more out there, this anthology has a story for every taste.
Quick summary of stories in the book:
Lucky by Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris does it again. Sookie Stackhouse investigates another mystery, which involves some break-ins at an insurance agent’s office. She and her friend, Amelia Broadway, do some detective work, but they are in for a ride. Lots of magic is involved, as well as couple supernatural beings, namely vampires.
Bogieman by Carole Nelson Douglas
The year is 2013, and the story takes place in Las Vegas. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other freakish monsters roam the streets freely. But they aren’t real; they are simply actors from Hollywood! Paranormal Investigator Delilah Street investigates Sam Spade’s death. With a fast-paced plot and intriguing characters, this short story is a charmer.
Looks Are Deceiving by Michael A. Stackpole
A dwarf mage tries to find the King’s killer. But the King isn’t actually dead; he just remains in a spell. There are numerous twists and turns in this story, and Stackpole’s fantasy world is believable and wholly interesting.
The House of Seven Spirits by Sharon Shinn
Erica thinks she is just renting a small house with some history, when she seeks somewhere to do her summer writing. But she has seven roommates in total that she had no idea about beforehand. And they aren’t human…Erica is a strangely likeable character, and the ghosts are as silly as they are funny.
Glamour by Mike Doogan
Alf finds himself between a rock and a hard place after his daughter’s disappearance when nobody knows where to look. Alf finally locates her with the help of a complete stranger. But he is shocked when he realizes where she ventured off to. Doogan really makes this story come alive with his unique sense of humor.
Spellbound by Donna Andrews
Gwynn finds himself in the middle of a great mystery. As a young apprentice to a great wizard, he takes it upon himself to figure out what is happening when things start to go awry at a school magic gathering. Gwynn tries to escape love spells in his own chamber, so that he does not fall in love with the obsessive witch. Humor and romance make Spellbound an adventurous read.
The Duh Vice by Michael Armstrong
Armstrong’s short story stands out as it is the only science fiction story in the bunch. In this futuristic world, wasting energy is a punishable crime, and so when an officer gets a call-in about a case of excessive resource wasting, he goes out to investigate and deal with the criminal. Twists and turns abound. This story will encourage some thought as to where the current world is headed, in terms of energy use.
Weight of the World by John Straley
For those of you who have wondered what Santa Claus is up to after his world trip on Christmas Eve, this story will answer your question. Mystery abounds in this story with a murder case and a missing valuable. Santa Claus isn’t all we cut him out to be, and he too has problems!
Illumination by Laura Anne Gilman
This short story starts with Bonnie and her mentor J, who are looking for Bonnie’s missing father. Things are not looking good, when they bump into a cave dragon. After this chance meeting, Bonnie learns a few things about her past as well as what is to come. Gilman combines suspense and light-hearted humor here to make for a great story.
The House by Laurie R. King
There is an old house on the outskirts of town that is known for strange disappearances and other occurrences. A group of teenagers decides to research the house as part of their school project. Then one group member suddenly vanishes. The story as a whole is entertaining and amusing.
Appetite for Murder by Simon R. Green
Sam is a detective in the Nightside part of London. It is filled with all sorts of dark creatures and nasty monsters, and so it comes as no surprise when a serial killer starts killing off some of its citizens. Sam takes it upon himself to find the killer, but not without the help of a sexy counterpart named Ms. Fate. Strange name? This short story is well-worth the read.
A Woman’s Work by Dana Stabenow
Seer and Sword are two smart detectives, and they are both females. They are sent by the King to Pylos to investigate the heir’s death in a strictly male-dominated kingdom. In this short story, they are not doing just detective work, however. Stabenow piles up the suspense in this story, and there is plenty of magic to go around.
Overall, this anthology was a wonderful read. The stories were well-written, with quirky characters (which I love) and plenty of mystery and suspense. Get Unusual Suspects from your favorite online retailer; it’s currently on sale at Amazon!
A Match Made in Hell by Terri Garey
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A Match Made in Hell, a novel by Terri Garey, is the second in a series of urban fantasy books that describe the life and adventures of Nicki Styx, the owner of a haute couture thrift shop who, after having a near death experience, can now “see dead people”. The fact that the doctor who saved her life, Joe Bascombe, wants to start a serious relationship with her only adds complexity to an already complicated life.
The story starts out with Nicki being visited by a female ghost named Lila who’s desperate to find her daughter. You see, although Lila is now dead, her daughter Kelly is still alive (barely) and trapped at the scene of the car accident that killed Lila. Time is of the essence of course because it’s unknown how long her daughter can survive being seriously injured and trapped inside the wrecked vehicle.
Nicki does find the girl but there’s a twist: Kelly (the girl trapped in the car) is Joe’s ex-wife and Nicki’s long-lost twin sister. And the ghost Lila is actually Nicki’s biological mother.
Say what?
Okay, don’t worry. Terri Garey writes in an easy-to-follow style that makes this moderately complex storyline flow seamlessly!
As the two sisters work to acquaint themselves with one another and explore the mysteries surrounding their past, Nicki has to deal with her feelings about Joe’s previous relationship with her twin sister. Imagine having a boyfriend that was once married to your twin sister – think of the problems that could present. On top of that, a demon named Sammy has started stalking her. Okay, he’s not bad on the eyes (he looks like Billy Idol), he quotes classic literature, and he can be charismatic. They might have possibilities as a couple if he just wasn’t so damned intent on stealing her soul!
Terry Garey has given us a great story with strong characters that pull you in and make you feel like you’re experiencing the story with them. The scenes between Nicki and Sammy are great fun and keep you looking forward to their next run-in. Additionally, the book’s dialogue and characterizations are very realistic - never strained or contrived. As such I found myself identifying with more than one character in this book.
So:
• Will Nicki and Kelly find answers to the questions about their past?
• Will Joe have trouble staying with only one twin?
• Is Sammy what he claims to be?
• Will I lose 10 lbs. by my birthday? Okay, even I don’t know this answer.
Read “A Match Made In Hell” to get answers to the rest of the questions - you’re going to love how it all turns out!
Great Fantasy Book - Deadtown by Nancy Holzner
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Boston is a melting pot of supernatural creatures. Vampires, werewolves, shifters and zombies all co-exist within the city walls – that is, in one small section cordoned off from the humans. This quarantined zone is called Deadtown.
That’s where our heroine, Vicky Vaughn lives. She slays demons for a living, in particular, ones that infiltrate people’s dreams. Vicky enters the person’s dreamscape, kills the demon(s) there, and leaves the client with a promise of happy shiny dreams for the rest of his/her life.
After finishing one such job and packing up her things Vicky detects a slight presence of evil nearby. Apprehensive about dealing with another supernatural entity, Vicky blames her uneasiness on a lack of sleep and quickly corrals her teenage zombie assistant (who’d unexpectedly crashed Vicky’s demon slaying party) and heads home.
But Vicky can’t run from this particular evil. The next day she’s escorted to the police station and informed that her client died after her departure - but not of natural causes:
“He was . . .cooked. From the inside out. The body looked perfectly normal, even felt cold to the touch like you’d expect in a corpse. But when the paramedics lifted the victim onto the gurney, his mouth fell open. A jet of steam shot out and scalded one of the EMTs.”
“Ice cold skin but boiling inside.”
And just like that, Vicky’s world comes crashing in. You see, the detective has just described a Hellion, a badass demon of the worst caliper. Hellions exist to destroy on a large scale; earthquakes, plagues, and events of mass destruction are their specialties. Since Hellions almost never go after individuals it’s clear that a sorcerer (and a powerful one at that) must have directed the Hellion to attack her client.
Additionally, in order to get the Hellion inside Boston the sorcerer had to breach the city’s magical protective shield, previously erected by Boston’s white witches. But there’s a catch 22 to repairing the shield outright – sealing the shield means the Hellion is trapped inside the city and can’t be banished back to Hell.
But when the Hellion appears at the scene of Vicky’s next job and delivers a personal threat she realizes that her options for solving this problem are limited; she’s got to quickly hunt down and kill the Hellion (and find a way to banish it) before it starts a killing spree.
To complicate matters, her love life is on the skids, her closest family member is having identity issues and politics surrounding the upcoming gubernatorial race has prompted the press to shine a spotlight on her once private lifestyle.
Deadtown is the first in what I hope will be a long running fantasy series about Vicky’s life as a PA (Paranormal Americans) in modern day Boston. Nancy Holzner has created a plausible world in which humans and the supernatural co-exist, in particular, the political backdrop surrounding the story is dead on. Think about it: if we discovered that supernatural races had been living among us for centuries, the politics surrounding their legal and civil rights would dominate the airwaves. And can’t you just see our public servants making this issue a big part of their political platforms? All of this adds to the believability of Holzner’s storyline.
I thoroughly enjoyed Deadtown and eagerly look forward to the next installment in the series.
Great Fantasy Book Adventure - Deathwish by Rob Thurman
Posted by: | CommentsDeathwish by Rob Thurman
The book opens with Cal and Niko being approached by Seamus, a vampire sent to them by Promise, Niko’s girlfriend. Seamus seeks Cal and Niko’s help because he believes he’s being followed. But Seamus isn’t totally forthcoming and doesn’t quite give Cal and Niko the whole story. You see the Vigil (a watchdog organization responsible for cleaning up supernatural problems) are watching Seamus because they believe he wants to reveal himself (and other creatures) to the human race. Their mission is to keep humans and monsters separated. On top of that they learn that Promise’s daughter, Cherish (a thief and a con artist), stole something from a creature who’s now in town to retrieve it.
This is far from the end of their troubles, though. The story hits another turn when the brothers discover that the Auphes are back looking for Cal. Between the Auphe and their constant desire to capture and kill Cal, the Vigil, and the theft the brothers have their hands full.
What makes this fantasy book truly stand out is the great character development amidst all the different events. Cal is portrayed as a young male struggling with his Auphe side. Disdain for the race and frustration at his identity make him a tangible character and show the reader that he isn’t just another hard-headed, perfect protagonist. Niko on the other hand, is a meditative human with inner strength. He has exceptional fighting and weaponry skills, belying his outer calm. Niko is the head, and Cal is the heart of this family, and they battle many forces to restore peace in their hometown. Aside from these main characters, we see a glimpse inside Niko’s vampire girlfriend, Cherish, and various other supernatural characters.
Deathwish, the fourth book in the Cal Leandros fantasy book series, is action-packed with a plot that unfolds rapidly. Along with numerous twists and turns and dark humor, the bounty of unique characters makes this book an intense read. Deathwish is another wonderful addition to Thurman’s popular fantasy book series. Get Deathwish from your favorite online bookseller.
