Category: Book Review

Book Review (SERIES): All I Want for Christmas

Erin Penn

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All I Want for Christmas (series) by Liana Brooks

  1. All I Want for Christmas is a Werewolf
  2. All I Want for Christmas is a Reaper

(Fingers-crossed hoping – All I want for Christmas is another book to this series. I hope Ms. Brooks has room in her heavy schedule.)

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A WEREWOLF

Del hates Christmas. As a child, she spent too many Decembers on the streets after her parents abandoned her. As an adult, the enforced family focus, the clients who see the holidays as an excuse to get gropey, and the mistletoe her well-meaning colleague Maureen hung over her work desk just seals the deal: December sucks.

If only it could stay Halloween for a couple of months instead. Del loves the excuse to slay monsters, the spooky atmosphere—and of course, the werewolves. Because everyone knows werewolves make the best lovers… Pity they’re not real.

When Maureen conjures up a list of eligible bachelors for the holidays and insists Del take her pick, Del does the only reasonable thing: she lies. And when nosy office Grinch Rafael Kane asks who the lucky fellow is, Del announces it to the whole office: she’s getting a dog.

So now, the first item on Del’s holiday to-do list? Find a dog. Fast. Because if she doesn’t, nothing will protect her from Maureen’s list of Miami bachelor rejects.

A charming, sensual romance for everyone who believes in found families, happily ever after—and werewolves.

MY REVIEW for ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A WEREWOLF

Do you want a light frothy romance story for Christmas? This gem delivers, complete with rich people, art parties, Miami beaches, and gorgeous abs.

Do you want a paranormal and angst capturing the loneliness of Christmas? This book delivers with a complicated main character overcoming her past emotional damage, and a mysterious man willing to help her heal.

Somehow a delightful mixture of both the Grinch and Hope of the season, of loving bumps-in-the-night and jogs along the morning winter beach, this novella should be on every Colorful Goths romance list.

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A REAPER

Meet Meredith Kriesmas, forensic accountant who sharpens numbers the way killers sharpen knives—Chicago’s very own Grim Reaper of the business world. Whole divisions close in her wake, and her clients pay handsomely for it. But ten minutes into a three-day weekend, Merri craves a new job to sink her teeth into.

A call from an old friend saves Merri’s sanity. Can she visit the winter wonderland at Cozy TV studios—known for its heart-warming holiday movies—and take a look at the books? Horror movie mill Slasher Corp just bought the studio—and Cozy might not make it to the final credits.

Merri must dodge the mistletoe, dismember the finances, and disappear before dawn—all while avoiding the Cozy Curse, where no one gets off set single.

No problem there. For Merri, business always comes first. At least, until she meets hot horror hipster CEO Seth Morana, and uncovers the secret he hides…

A sensual stand-alone paranormal romance for everyone who believes people should be loved exactly as they are.

MY REVIEW for ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A REAPER

FIRST REVIEW 1/8/2021
Are you looking for read where a Holiday TV Special Romance is mashed up with the Nightmare before Christmas for a vibe? Do you like your romance with a side of snide. This is the book for you!

Second in the series of “All I want for Christmas is …” (a werewolf was the first in the series), Reaper follows a Forensic Accountant, Meredith Kriesmas, as she investigates the corporate takeover of the beloved Cozy TV studio by the horror movie mill Slasher Corp. She is used to taking down corporate giants and destroying lives – she lives for the city and the thought of moving to the suburbs gives her the willies more than the daily death threats she receives. Slasher Corp is run by Seth Morana, who may have a monster of a secret, but mostly is a hot nerd who likes scaring people.

The story is delightfully warm in friendship, edgy in danger, googey in the holiday-romance tropes, and intimating with its powerful woman lead. All with a (VERY) light side of paranormal.

So much fun. It might be added to my annual Christmas read list.

Received for an honest review

(Addition – I should add, I LOVE Ms. Brooks writing and really enjoyed the cameos of some of my favorite characters in this book.)

SECOND REVIEW 6/21/21
At Atomacon in 2021, Liana Brooks was a guest and I got to meet her in person – so I picked up this book in PAPER format in addition to kindle … and, of course, I had to reread it. The little footnotes work better in paper format (they were fine in kindle form, just slightly better in paper), and there is a section of a few scenes from Seth’s point of view I didn’t get to see before – might have been because I got an advance reader copy (ARC) for the kindle as part of the honest review; sometimes the ARCs don’t have everything found in the final book.

The books still works wonderful second time around, knowing all the secrets. The humor and character interaction, the mystery and romance, all of it. Can’t wait to see the next monster given the Cozy Christmas Romance treatment for the next holiday cycle.

And, yes, I did read this book twice the same year, even with all my other commitments. I enjoyed it that much.

Book Review: American Girl: The Story of America

Erin Penn

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American Girl: The Story of America by various contributors

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON

Step into key moments from America’s history with the American Girl BeForever™ characters in American Girl: The Story of America. Travel back in time-from the 1750s to the groovy ’70s. Find out how the Nez Perce tribe lived, what it was like to grow up on the wild frontier, how girls helped the war effort during WWII, and much more.

Fascinating facts are paired with historically accurate items from the American Girl Doll collections to illustrate important eras in American history. Young readers will engage with history as they meet each character and discover her incredible story.

 

MY REVIEW

I am blown away but how accurate, identifiable, and the level of historic information provided in American Girl. It covers a great amount of details for concrete thinkers (ages 8-11 that this book is aimed at). Long-term, ages 13-15 when they become abstract thinkers, they will understand the Addy Walker’s escape from slavery, why Kaya has no teeth showing, Josefina Montoya’s heritage, and how Kit Kittredge lives through the great depression. They will have people to attach these to – empathy for the historic details which abstract thinkers are capable of. This book is awesome as a building stone to create healthy, informed adults.

I love the different families each of the dolls have – from being raised by a grandmother, dealing with the parents divorcing, single mother, multiple siblings. I love the diversities of the characters through time, culture, and skin colors. And I love it is aimed at girls – after being erased from so much history, this book focuses on females living through historic times.

Bought as a gift for a niece – read to make sure it really does support strong women, which it does more than adequately.

Book Review (SERIES): Queen of Kats

Erin Penn

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Queen of Kats by John G. Hartness

  1. Betrayal
  2. Survival
  3. Revolution

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for QUEEN OF KATS

It should have been so simple…
Remarin is a thief. He was hired to steal a gem. No big deal, right?
Yeah, right.
He stole the gem, then everything went sideways, and now he’s running for his life across rooftops, through sewers, and all over the godsforsaken world trying not to get dead.
And who is this kid, Kit, anyway?

MY REVIEW for QUEEN OF KATS

Queen of Kats is available for sale as three stand-alone novellas (99 cents for Betrayal, 2.99 for Survival, and 2.99 for Revolution) or as one collection (4.99). – pricing from 1/18/2021

Queen of Kats is reminiscent of the heyday of sword & sorcery fantasy of the late 20th century, where the adventure focuses on the thieves (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser by Fitz Leiber is one example). The fights in Queen of Kats are amazingly detailed, the break-ins and skills needed engrossing, and the political action layered. I think this series is some of Mr. Hartness’ best work so far.

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for BETRAYAL

It was supposed to be a simple heist – break into some rich idiot’s house, steal a gem, sell it to his usual fence.

Then everything went sideways, and now Remarin is running for his life and embroiled in matters of state far above his station.

The nimble thief just wanted to live his life, be left alone, and steal from people that have more than they deserve. But now he’s got a talking dagger with an attitude problem, a teenaged sidekick that is worth far more dead than alive, and a price on his head that makes him think it might be worth it to turn himself in!

MY REVIEW for BETRAYAL

Betrayal is a non-stop action beginning to a fantasy adventure reminiscent of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser. Remarin has stolen a great gem, this time for a contract rather than for his own individual challenge. Problems start when the contract gets canceled with prejudice after he completed the job. Then there was this orphan waif kid needing rescuing – and while Remarin is a thief, he isn’t a killer, okay, he is a killer, but not a killer of children. Got to draw the line somewhere and there just isn’t much profit at killing children. And it would upset his dagger – his sentient dagger who used to be his best friend. Now they are on the run. Him, the dagger, and the kid whose head price makes Remarin just a bit jealous because it blows the bounty on his head out of the water.

And now they were in water. Sewer water to be exact, but it got them into a city. A city where Remarin left a couple years ago because of …. issues … with the guild head.

And the story just continues rolling. Off to read the next book.

You want adventure fantasy, this novella really works well.

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for SURVIVAL

The thief with impulse control trouble and a talking dagger is back, and this time there are whole realms at stake!

After getting Kit out of Veosia with her treacherous uncle’s men hot on their heels, Remarin thought they were safely hidden away until he began to notice a man following him in the market.

But the man isn’t looking for Kit, he’s someone from Remarin’s past, and some of his old sins are coming back to haunt him. Now the thief has to reveal that he’s also much more than he previously let on, and Veosia might not be the only kingdom in danger.

MY REVIEW for SURVIVAL

Book two finds our pair of protagonists, Remarin and Kit, three years after the events in Betrayal. Kit has become a skilled master thief under Remarin’s questionable mercies. While they supposedly are planning her response to the Betrayal by Kit’s Uncle and his seizure of her throne, time has made them comfortable. They have found a city and a place in the city, carved out a bit of comfort and predictability in their very uncomfortable and unpredictable world.

It comes to an end, not from Kit’s past and politics catching up with them, but Remarin’s. And not his recent past with angry husbands and fathers – that wouldn’t have both Past AND Politics catching up with them. Now instead of running from danger, they have to run towards it – because Remarin’s baby brother is the one in danger. Can the thief arrive in time to save the day?

A quick read (novella) and really hard to put down. The story is complete to itself but. also, has a big pull-through last line for the final book of the series. Plus side – The complete series is available so off I go to the next one!

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for REVOLUTION

Remarin and Kit have returned to the scene of the crime in Bravis, ready to depose the usurper King Alexander and avenge the murder of Kit’s father, the rightful king. But nothing is as easy as it should be, and sacrifices will have to be made before Kit can ascend the throne as the Queen of Kats!

MY REVIEW for REVOLUTION

Revolution finds Kat and Remarin returning to their beginning in an effort to overthrow her uncle after he had nearly a decade to entrench, but Kat had time to grow from a teenage pampered princess to a hardened thief. Will her time maturing, and Remarin conniving, be enough to win against her evil uncle?

Not as funny or pure joy action-packed of the previous novellas which focused more on thievery, this political punch novella works on revolution. With the tone change, I didn’t enjoy the book as much, though I understand why the tone change occurred. Via Revolution!

The story is complete, and it leaves a couple paths for future fantasy should Mr. Hartness want to return to this universe.

Book Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Erin Penn

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The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON

Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

 

MY REVIEW

I slipped into editing mode while reading this book because I kept wanting to see if the timeline worked. I guess mystery readers do this all the time. The timeline and mystery is tight and complicated.

Very much a story about how different eyewitnesses see things from different angles and not everyone has the same motivations.

Only instead of the normal changing of points of view (POVs) for the various eyewitnesses, relating what they saw to a police officer or detective as is typical in mysteries, the “hero” is jumping between characters within the story to solve the mystery. It wouldn’t be a problem, except some of the characters are aware they are in a story too, and they have started changing the plot.

Checked out for public library. Support your library – foot traffic defines their budget.

Book Review (SERIES): Zombie Cosmetologist

Erin Penn

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Zombie Cosmetologist by J.D. Blackrose

  1. Pluck & Cover
  2. Hide & Chic
  3. Cut & Dyed

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for PLUCK & COVER

Waylon Jenkins has a problem. Well, he’s got a few of them. The ghost of Betsy Ross lives in his house, he’s pretty sure his favorite client is the victim of ongoing domestic violence, and he’s been roped into helping the police investigate a series of murders.

And his penis fell off in the shower this morning. He needs a new one, but none of his friends are willing to donate theirs to the cause.

In case it isn’t obvious by now, Waylon Jenkins is a zombie.

He’s also one of the most highly respected and in-demand makeup artists in Hollywood, and that keeps him busy, no matter how dead he is. But now he needs to find out who’s committing a string of murders, and make sure nobody hurts Mitzi (one name only), one of his most faithful (and famous) clients.

He also needs a new penis.

MY REVIEW for PLUCK & COVER

Another delight from JD Blackrose. Made me LOL three times; once, I had to book down until I composed myself I was laughing so hard.

Her characters are so real, and the real-life solutions to the problems just feel natural. Okay, you might be asking, how can a Zombie Cosmetologist to Hollywood Stars be “real” – I DON’T KNOW – but he IS!!!! I could see running into Waylon Jenkins in day-to-day life and sitting down for a talk on a park bench (with suitable hat and sunscreen).

100% RECOMMEND

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for HIDE & CHIC

Waylon Jenkins can’t die. He also can’t let Dr. Samuel Early, his only hope of dying, go off on a mission to rescue a disembodied zombie in the heart of a Central American jungle without him. But even this skilled cosmetologist to the stars isn’t fully prepared to blend-blend-blend himself into a convincing member of a strike team, not when his first instincts are to give moisturizer recommendations to sunburned vacationers.

As they delve into the jungle, they uncover a much bigger problem than the drug cartels. Someone is after Rodrigo Flores and his family and it’s personal. The only way to help the family get through it alive to help his daughter, Amalia, win the Miss Mango Pageant. Will Waylon’s skills and his famous friend and client, Mitzi (one name only), be the team’s secret weapon?

Can Waylon get through it without breaking his vow never to make a zombie?

And who is the mysterious Señor Cinco that seems to be behind it all?

Hold on to your butt paste. This is going to get wild.

MY REVIEW for HIDE & CHIC

Waylon, cosmetologist to the Stars by trade and zombie by reanimation, has agreed to aid the military team which got his house destroyed last novella rescue the one they left behind. So off he goes to the jungle, fighting bugs and sunlight, suffering through a cruise, and discovering a beauty contest.

At last, something he was VERY familiar with. Now all he had to do is survive being blown up, again, and getting a evening dress for the contestant he is helping.

Mascara should help.

The book, as with everything in this series, is a wonderful combination of urban fantasy parody and amazing characters in an action-adventure.

(P.S. You know something is absolutely amazing when I got to make a meme for it.)

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for CUT & DYED

Captain Perkins once again drags Waylon Jenkins, zombie and cosmetologist to the biggest Hollywood stars into a murder case. Eyeless, and missing hands, the bodies tingle the experienced officer’s ‘woo-woo’ sense and the captain demands that Jenkins help find the killer.

Unfortunately, one of the victims is linked to Waylon’s favorite client, and Hollywood “It’ girl, Mitzi (one name only). Meanwhile, Jenkins’ new luxury cosmetic line struggles with several federal agencies, especially since “dehydrated zombie skin cells,” aren’t an FDA-approved ingredient.

A new mystery man takes over as CEO of The Industries, “Miss Mango,” Amalia tricks him into building a treehouse for a charity playground, and his executive assistant, Mrs. Betsy Ross, floats through the house in a fit of ghostly depression.

And if that isn’t enough, Waylon desperately needs a body to loan him an ear.

MY REVIEW for CUT & DYED

Another excellent session in the chair with Waylon Jenkins, Zombie Cosmetologist to the stars. Join him attending Charity Galas of the Hollywood Elite, running a makeup business jumping through the government hoops of new cosmetic line, and courting the coroner (hoping to get a little something-something … like a new ear).

Made up with the blushing sparkle of funny, the shadowy shimmer of action, and the perfect blendable foundation of characters – you can’t go wrong with Cut & Dyed.