Another One Bites the Past by Vladimir Provorov is a thought-provoking work of speculative fiction that puts the reader inside the mind of Jim Miami, a band manager for a very familiar (and easily recognizable) legendary band. From the start, Jim begins noticing strange glitches during performances and in his own memories, pulling him and the reader toward the central question of the story: what is real? At the opening, Jim is… Read more: Another One Bites the Past by Vladimir Provorov

Platform Decay by Martha Wells is the next installment in her beloved Murderbot Diaries series. Once again, we’re back in the company of our favorite SecUnit as it attempts a rescue mission that is never, ever as simple as it sounds. This time, Murderbot is trying to extract Dr. Mensah’s family from a very dangerous situation, the one human it genuinely considers a friend. With help from Three, the SecUnit it previously… Read more: Platform Decay by Martha Wells

“Goddamnit, Donut!” I finally managed to finish the book everyone around me has been talking about: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve already heard of it or read it yourself. An alien syndicate decides Earth will be its next source of “contestants.” Any human caught outdoors survives an apocalyptic event in which all buildings and enclosed spaces are completely flattened. The… Read more: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

The Witching Hours is the newest release from Heather Graham and launches The Crows, a spin-off series from her long-running and popular Krewe of Hunters books. The story begins with a chilling crime, the murder of a grandfather and the kidnapping of his grandson and the boy’s nanny, which quickly draws the attention of Jackson Crowe and the Krewe. He assigns two newly hired investigators, Skye McMahon and Zachary Erickson, to unravel… Read more: The Witching Hours by Heather Graham

What happens when you inherit property in a strange town from a great-aunt you’ve never met, and the longer you stay, the more you realize you might actually belong there? You get Witch Way Home by Trae Vincent, a cozy paranormal mystery and the first book in her new series, The Larkspur Lake Witchery Mysteries. Lynne Tierra inherits a manor house and a bookstore from a long-lost great-aunt (every reader’s dream, right?).… Read more: Witch Way Home by Trae Vincent

Mist in the Willows by Lucy Linne is the first book in her new cozy paranormal mystery series, The Spirit Fleet Chronicles, and it delivers much more than a standard ghost story. Alongside the expected chills, the novel explores the very real emotional struggle of trying to return to civilian life after a life-altering experience overseas. Jade has returned to London after being discharged from the British military due to severe PTSD.… Read more: Mist in the Willows by Lucy Linne

Magic, Mirth & Mayhem by Susie Swenson is the first book in The Havenwood Cove Cozy Mysteries that asks what you would do if everything you thought was real is a lie and the truth has been kept hidden from you? Seraphina (Sera) Blackthorn finds herself in just that position after enduring a painful divorce and attempting a fresh start at age forty. Sera’s quiet attempt at a new life is upended… Read more: Magic, Mirth & Mayhem by Susie Swensen

The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson opens with the shocking murder of an eighteen-year-old boy that shatters the peace of a small rural community. What follows is a gripping story that pits neighbor against neighbor and keeps readers guessing until the very end, even decades later. Set in the town of Stavböke in 1999, the story begins as Siri Bengtsson joins the local police force. Almost immediately, she’s thrown into… Read more: The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson

Ultimart by Carl Wilhoyte paints a bleak and unsettling portrait of a future where capitalism rules every aspect of life, there is no escape from corporate control, and ordinary people struggle just to survive, often at the cost of their humanity. At the center of this dystopian nightmare is Corwin, an AI advertising worker doing his best to follow the rules and provide for his wife and son. Life under the Ultimart… Read more: Ultimart by Carl Wilhoyte

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison follows a woman’s grim descent from a glamorous influencer to someone questioning her own sanity.  What starts as a story sprinkled with subtle unease quickly spirals into something dark, eerie, and best read with the lights on. Clio Barnes has it all – money, fame, and seemingly endless good luck. But as she is enjoying her hedonistic lifestyle, it begins to unravel at the news of the… Read more: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

Samuel Garza Bernstein’s biography captures the sparkle and sophistication of Cesar Romero, a charismatic and versatile actor, from his days dancing in New York to his numerous films and television work in Hollywood, and his lifelong choice to keep his personal relationships private The author discusses Romero’s early life and the close bond he shared with his family, which he maintained throughout his life, even during his Hollywood days. It touches briefly… Read more: Cesar Romero by Samuel Garza Bernstein

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie is a wonderful combination of dark fantasy and wicked humor, set against the backdrop of an alternate post-Carthaginian European history, where Carthage won, with the addition of fantastical events, deadly magics, and creatures both wonderful and horrifying. The religious world is divided, and the reigning pope is desperate to unite the split by returning the long-lost heir of Troy to the throne and bringing both sides under… Read more: The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

Hello everyone, I know I don’t have a large audience, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am still here, still reading, still reviewing. I took an unwanted pause due to outside issues that took a serious chunk out of my free time. I am getting back and have upcoming reviews on The Devils by Joe Abercrombie, Cesar Romero by Samuel Garza Bernstein, and a horror short story called Sabrina… Read more: Long Time, No Review!

I was not prepared to like this anthology as much as I did, but The Front Step by Roly Andrews delivers a delightful collection of short stories that cover a wide range of topics, from love and loss to murder and revenge. The collection features three sections: Tales from Home, Tales from Away, and Tales from the Dark. In Tales from Home, the stories show the human spirit and hope, and some… Read more: The Front Step by Roly Andrews

Epilogue to a Christmas Murder is a charming and festive addition to the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries series by Lauren Elliott. Addie Greyborne’s generous gift of a first edition of The Gift of the Magi to a charity fundraiser for the lighthouse museum is stolen, along with the other donations, but the discovery of a body on the rocks outside the lighthouse overshadows the theft. Addie has returned home to Massachusetts… Read more: Epilogue to a Christmas Murder by Lauren Elliot

The House on Darkling Street by Annette Miller is a short but sweet paranormal romance set in the quietly magical fictional town of Garland Falls, Minnesota. The main character, Holly Stevens, has been hired to clean a mysterious manor house perched on the top of Darkling Street in anticipation of the original owner’s daughter returning. But the manor house has other plans. Ray Burnett has lived on Darkling Street for most of… Read more: The House on Darkling Street by Annette Miller

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig is a fantastic tale of romance, disillusionment, and revenge that draws the reader so deeply into its fantasy world, you won’t even realize you are reading. However, be warned: it ends in a cliffhanger, which is sure to make you angry and guarantee that you will read the sequel. Number Six (Sybill) has spent her entire life as a Diviner, one of a group… Read more: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

Secret Nights and Northern Lights by Megan Oliver is a sweet story about following your dreams and reconciling long-lost love. We meet Mona Miller, a travel magazine writer that is stuck doing small-town fluff pieces instead of her dream job of traveling internationally to exotic locales. When she is offered the chance to prove herself with an assignment to Iceland, she grabs it. The only caveat is that she is paired with… Read more: Secret Nights and Northern Lights by Megan Oliver

The King and the Pallid Mask by Frank Cavallo is a delightfully dark and twisted look into the sinister forces lurking just beyond our world, who use humanity as pawns in their sick machinations. Blending horror, mystery, and supernatural elements, the story relates what happens to those who investigate their world and the consequences of uncovering those secrets. We follow Kyle Hawkes, a writer and popular paranormal investigator. His final story, before… Read more: The King and the Pallid Mask by Frank Cavallo

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully is a fun mystery, pulling the reader into the world of privilege and hidden agendas surrounding a suspicious death inside a wealthy Vermont family, while watching the main character blunder her way through the investigation. Olivia Blunt has landed her dream job, working with Aubrey Merrit, a renowned private investigator she has admired since discovering her while researching for her… Read more: The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully