Synopsis: “Secrets, secrets are so fun. Secrets, secrets – cut my tongue.” In a land where magick is heresy and ancient forces manipulate human whims, secrets will tear a fragile peace asunder. Four people stand at the heart of this burgeoning war. An unproven prince who married a woman forbidden to him. A sickly boy […]
A.J.’s Top 10 Reads of 2023
It was hard to narrow down my top reads of the year. For anyone who has followed me on social media or through my blog, you know I read a lot. This year’s total was 70 books, which I think is a record for me. And it was tough to pick only 10. I’m a […]
Review: The Hungry Fire (Serpentstone #1) by A.M. Obst
Synopsis: Her parents died as heroes. When their murderous enemy returns for revenge, she must learn to handle the truth before she can save her world. Betharad’s devotion to her family’s legacy will never fade. The newly elected leader of her town is determined to do her best for her community and orphaned siblings. But […]
Review: The Key to Reality by F. Ted Atchley, III
Synopsis: An Elite Cybersecurity Analyst. A Desperate Rebellion’s Best Hope. Brandon thought the assignment was just another standard security assessment. Wrong. As he peels back the layers of a deepening conspiracy, he discovers everything he thought he knew about his reality is a lie. And he’s the only one who can save it. Exiles from another […]
Review: The Arid Lands by Kate Kelly
Synopsis: The Tyrhennians struggle to survive in the dried out basin of an ancient ocean. Inez knows no other world than this endless cycle of heat and brine, but listens to the stories of a distant land of great cities and endless seas. She never believed them, until the day her brother is injured by […]
Review: Owl Eyes Motel: Lover’s Retreat (Owl Eyes Motel #2) by Barbara Avon
Synopsis: Each room is its own unique story; each chapter, a room. Complimentary breakfast. Management is not responsible for lost luggage… or souls. Welcome! We are honoured to have you. Owl Eyes Motel is rich in history. Prior to its transformation, the building was a hospital, erected in 1901. A fire raged through its halls in 1920, […]
Review: Imago: A Dystopian Gothic by Matthew Zakharuk
Synopsis: Forsake the world that hates you. Embrace its monster. Tresor Institute accepts only the worthy, and Ada Călinescu is anything but. Intractable, mannish, a child of convicted terrorists, she can at best hope to be overlooked. Yet somehow the Institute accepts her application for transfer. Her ticket to the polar town of Heilung, home […]
Review: A Bleak Remedy (Savage Panacea #1) by D.S. LaLonde
Synopsis: On the shores of the St. Lawrence River there lies a secretive biomedical research facility. Within that facility’s deepest recesses are two vampires. One is a ravenous humanoid bat. A true apex predator. The other appears human but is no less dangerous than its monstrous peer. These vampires have amazing regenerative abilities, enabling them […]
Review: Under an Azure Sky (Elysia Dayne #1) by Wil Chan
Synopsis: Elysia Dayne is a renowned hero, mercenary, and monster slayer famed for killing a dragon in single combat. At least, that’s how the bards tell it. However, there was a time when she thought that dragons were beautiful. The jaded sword master accepts a job along the unforgiving borderlands to rescue Princess Isabella Solemaine, […]
Review: Quarantine Thirteen (Inner Universe #3) by Natalie Kelda
Synopsis: Since her fight against the last Star-Eater, Tara Polendi’s energy-vision has become unreliable — a truth she is too humiliated to share. When Tara unwittingly directs Lucia into the heart of a portal storm, the ship and her crew portal back to the last place they want to go: Outer Universe. Now, they can’t […]
Review: Dreamtaker (Zodiac #2) by Azshure Raine
Synopsis: Fate and Time are forever intertwined, but what about Fate and…Eternity? Fate smiles upon a thriving Chall under the rule of its new king. A time of celebration has come to the once guarded metal walls. Flowers bloom and people arrive in anticipation of the royal wedding of the King of Chall to his […]
Review: Far Removed (The Apidecca Duology #1) by C.B. Lansdell
Synopsis: On the moon of Knyadrea, the sea yields intelligent life. For a species shaped by tides, change is the only constant. Little can be hidden in the glare of a spotlight. Charismatic and innovative, Oklas Sayve has risen to prominence in Apidecca, the moon’s capital city. A politician and college director, he has the […]