DDBook Reviews

  The Dead Queen by Briar Knightly is a dark retelling of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. In this version, Sienna, heir to the Fox throne, is forced to return home to a palace and a position she does not want. Caught off guard by an arranged marriage to her childhood friend—now one of the King’s Guard—she must also contend with rumors of another heir soon to be born. If it is a boy, her life will be forfeit. Haunted by memories of her grandmother and the elusive moth motifs scattered through the city, Sienna vows to uncover the truth behind her grandmother’s death. When one of the Dead Queen’s Wolves is discovered in the Fox King’s private office and thrown into the dungeons, Sienna heals him and helps him escape. Fleeing with Hunter, her childhood friend, and Tristan, the Wolf, she learns the true cause of the war dividing North and South. As the fugitives face the Fox King’s guards and the dead that wander the northern lands, Sienna makes a decision that will haunt her f...

  Black Bird by JT Bishop is a pulse-pounding 10th installment in her thrilling Detectives Daniels and Remalla series. In this nail-biting episode, Daniels and Remalla dive deeper into their investigation of the secretive Black Bird society. Not knowing who to trust, they keep their personal quest to infiltrate the secret society quiet. All while they hunt for the assassin, Rhonda and Margaret Redstone's partner, Winnie. The high-stakes investigation and constant interference by Margaret strain Rem's relationship with his girlfriend, Mikey. As Rem uncovers the reason for Damien Rook's grudge against him, he realizes how intricately their previous cases are linked. After another police officer is shot, Daniels and Remalla, supported by their friends and family, take a huge gamble with their lives as they face the full force of Damien Rook and his unknown power. Will they survive and finally be rid of the psychopaths who have affected their lives? Will this be the end of th...

  Hidden deep within the boarded-up remains of an old opera house in New York's warehouse district, something ancient and vengeful begins to stir. Born of trauma, heartbreak, and a violent end, a restless presence now lingers—unseen, but very much alive. When Christine Danau, the daughter of a renowned music professor, and her fiancé Raoul set out to restore the forgotten opera house as a community venue for musical talent, they awaken a history far darker than they could have imagined. A creeping sense of dread, strange sightings, and a series of deadly accidents rattle the renovation team and Christine alike. But when Raoul reveals a secret music room he has renovated for her, Christine finds herself face-to-face with a spirit who is as gifted as he is tragic. With the help of a parapsychologist, she begins to uncover a buried past—a serial killer in 1910, a devastating fire, and a tormented soul left behind. To bring peace to the opera house, Christine must face the darkness b...

  Red Summer by Ana Lee is a compelling new adult fantasy that follows Wilder, a boy with unruly red hair and slate-gray eyes who has spent his life in foster care. Wilder has always seen strange, otherworldly things—like a tiny knight riding a mouse—and has an unsettling tendency to start fires unintentionally. After his latest incident, he faces yet another move, this time out of the city. Instead, he runs. With a storm brewing that mirrors his emotions, Wilder encounters a mysterious white owl that seems to be guiding him. He follows it to a crumbling building, only to discover that it conceals a grand Victorian structure behind its illusion. There, he's greeted by Terra, a new girl at his school, who informs him he's not human at all, but likely a Summer Fay—his bright red hair being the giveaway. Wilder is introduced to a hidden world of Vampyrs, Lycans, Magem, and other Fay. Among them, he finally begins to feel at home. With a war brewing in the shadows, Wilder and his n...

Cicero James by Hal Emerson is a cracker-filled urban fantasy and so much fun to read. Cicero James is a Worker – someone who through some horrible tragic event in his life awakened the ability to fight creatures from the space between spaces. He has a Mentor, an older doctor who took Cicero in after his mother passed. Cicero does the mundane thing, the daily grind at his uneventful job, but in his free time, he does Works, meaning he takes contracts from the Worker higher-ups and then sends the beasties back to where they belong. Unfortunately, his last beastie killed him. At least that was what should have happened. When Cicero wakes up in the morgue with no deadly wound to his chest, let’s just say things get complicated. Cicero has to escape an unknown threat and prove to Marlowe’s associates that he is to be trusted while coming to terms with his apparent Immortality. Hal Emerson has written an exciting and action-packed urban fantasy and Cicero James reminds me of Harry Dresden...

  In the land where the seven Kingdoms struggle to live peacefully, heir after heir is born in the hope that they would be the ones to run the race for the Last Kingdom, a Kingdom that would unite them all under one rule. Each kingdom has paid its price as the parents of the newborn heir die so the new heir can live. Seven monarchs grow up as orphans made who they are by those who raise them in their parent’s stead. Emberly from Snowark and Leon from Seavale both had a hard upbringing and when the portals to the race for the Last Kingdom open for them to compete, they both have conflicting emotions regarding their suitability to compete in the race. As they face the seven stages Ember and Leon face heartbreaking tragedy and physical challenges that test them almost to death. When the two Monarchs and their teams meet up and decide to work together, Ember and Leo could not have guessed that they would end up as friends and maybe more. But, who will rule if both of them finish the ra...

Kryn Darien stands at the cusp of reaching his goal, which he has pursued for over seven centuries. Once a humble and devout Soul Warden, Kryn promised his brother his soul would be in paradise after he died in the Oceanic Conflict. But when he confronts a wizard who had been killing travelers through a curse, he is confronted with a magical mirror that shows him a vision of his brother in anguish. He is granted a boon for his service to the church and is granted a visit to the Gardens of Eternity to search for his brother's soul. But Kryn has a latent magical aptitude, and the magic mirror has blessed him with visions. When he realizes, thanks to these visions, that the likeness of his brother in the Gardens of Eternity is not real, he sets out to discover the truth about the Seraphs and magic. In his quest, he learns about the true nature of the Seraphs, and the lies the church has been propagating. Alone and hiding, he learns magic and becomes a powerful wizard with one goal. Sa...

 An Elf, a warrior, a dwarf, and a weedy man enter a pub in Slagbottom, and soon all four are dead. As the local crime-solving busybody, Miss Marble is in the hospital, Constable Big-Girl’s-Blouse asks the Met to help with the investigation. DS Dogsbreath is sent to start the investigation that will be done by the Corner of the Yard (aka DI Aloysius Corner of Scotland Yard). As the investigation develops, DS Dogsbreath finds it challenging to navigate the suspects, all of whom swear that they did not see who committed the crimes, if there were even crimes. The four strangers did not either commit suicide or die by some freakish accidents. After all, who knew the cistern could fall on a dwarf’s head and kill him or that a man could be killed by billiard balls or a lone dart to the head. When Dogsbreath insists that the four deaths were murders and he comes close to discovering the secret kept by all the villagers, Miss Marble solves the crimes from her hospitable bed, declaring all ...

  Zee Morani, author of a syndicated opinion column, wants to become a "serious" journalist. To do this, she has secured an interview with disgraced scientist Dr. Ian McNeary, but when she arrives at his office, she is met with a horrific sight. Dr. McNeary has been murdered! After she identifies a possible culprit and he subsequently implores her to solve the murder because he is innocent, Zee starts to investigate, gathering evidence, making dumb decisions, and landing herself in dangerous situations. She is supported by her best friend. Fontina is a holistic mystic who teaches yoga and believes in herbs, meditation, and intuition. The problem is that Zee's intuition lands her in trouble and the emergency room. Seeing herself as an investigative journalist, Zee does what she thinks is necessary, visiting the victim's father, his old friends, and colleagues and searching through old garbage dumpsters in search of the murder weapon. Through her tenacity, she solves th...

  What do you do when your dragon just wants to play and not take a bath? When he starts to stink but sees through all your plans to get him wet and clean? Well, you devise a brilliant plan that he does not see coming. After trying to lure his dragon to the bath, the little boy tried catching and bribing him with his favorite toy. The boy tried playing with the hose in the garden, but the dragon stayed dry, and the boy got wet. Next, he tried to lure the dragon into the pool, but the sly dragon remained outside and just stank up the yard. Then, when the stink became so bad, and it seemed the dragon would stay stinky forever, suddenly the weather changed, and the dragon ran out. What brilliant plan did the boy make to trick his dragon into washing up? How to Wash My Dragon, Children's Guide to Washing Their Dragon, by Terry E Gunn, is a colorful children's book written for a fun reading time and an excellent introduction to fantasy and imagination. Terry E Gunn wrote the fun s...

  Kings and Queens have been murdered, and both kingdoms blame the other. At the same time, a third party takes advantage of the chaos to finally exact revenge on humans and dragons alike After the battle of Nevergrace, where the newly knighted Cyran Orendain survived an epic battle with the famed Dragon Queen, monsters from the Evenmeres target villages on the edges of the forest. Cyran and his archers travel on Eidelmere, an ancient forest dragon, and are sent to investigate the truth about the village attacks. When they travel into Murgare, they are captured and taken to Northsheeren, where the Dragon Queen offers Cyran an opportunity to study under her and learn about dragons and the Nebl í r. Rescue comes from a most surprising ally, and Cyran flees back to Belvenguard. At King Igare’s stronghold, Galvenstone, he finds his sister together with the Lady of the Never, where Jaslin is sleuthing around to find the traitor responsible for the death of her queen. Meanwhile, Pavol ...

                                                                                  Valtera, or the Emerald city, has been cursed to travel forever over the plains for over a century. Men may leave the city during the day only to disappear with it at twilight. Now someone is murdering citizens, and the people of Valtera have been placed in Calec of the Woods. Calec, a retired knight, has been living with his mate Serileen and the people of the Woods. Now he feels the need to travel again, and in this restless state, he is abducted by people from the Emerald city in the hope that he would help them break the curse they bore for burning a witch a century before. Calec must discover how to locate the vanishing city to help the people. He has to naviga...

Time's Orphan by Hayley Chow is a YA fantasy that tells the story of Emara, who lives in Okarria, a land destroyed by war and overrun by cannibals and undead doing the bidding of the Dead King. A Mage and a Necromancer have resurrected Idriel, or the Dead King as he is known, but they need a Time Heir, blessed with a healing gift, to heal Idriel's broken body. Emara has hidden her gift of healing all her life and only uses it to help ease pain and heal minor wounds. When the city of Faveno falls to the enemy, she is captured and taken to Austerden, where the Dead King rules. On her way there, she is joined by a talking black cat and reunited with the Shadow Heir and Dragon Heir. Together, they can kill the Dead King and save their beloved Okaria. But as all seems lost, something miraculous happens, and Emara is sent back in time with the order to find Bellaphia, a Magus who can help her with her gift as Time Heir. In the past she makes friends with a street rat and the second...

Zomerschoon, Beauty of Summer by Wendi Dass is a beautiful contemporary romance set against the academic backdrop of Oxford. Anna Franklin comes from an Academia family that pressures her into following in their footsteps. Though she is a mathematician and cryptography genius, at 25, she is looking for some warmth and love. When her academic overseer falls into a coma after a stroke, she is left with Hendrik van der Aart, a Dutch Cryptographer, as her overseer. When their love for puzzles brings them together, they realise that there may be something between them to fight for. However, can Anna look past the academic rules that keep them apart and see the man with a strong moral compass, and can Hendrik accept that she is a genius and still want to be with her? If these were but the only struggles in their blooming relationship. Jealous roommates and difficult parents also influence the two lovebirds.   Wendi Dass has written a beautiful romance, perfectly capturing the atmosph...

Her Name Was Lola by Karen Janowsky is a contemporary college love story. Lola has made the second big decision in her life. She is 22 and in the final year of her undergraduate studies at Jewett College; therefore, it is the grown-up thing to do to start acting as an adult. First on her list is to find someone to help her lose her virginity. Unfortunately, the experience does not end as she anticipated, and she is heartbroken when she starts her final year of library studies. When she meets the professor with whom she will be working to fulfill her major assignment to graduate, she is shocked that she already knows him. Intimately. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Her Name Was Lola by Karen Janowsky. It is relevant to young adult love and the ethics around teachers and students when the age difference becomes blurred at a university level. What I loved was the theme of fairytales woven throughout the story. From the first to the last page, it forms a full circle, and the theme is constant...

                                                                             Fae are cruel, calculated and untrustworthy. What does that say about Yana, the bastard daughter of the King of Aclad? Born from a Fae held captive by the King, Yana has only a quarter of Fae blood. She is a hybrid, an oddity used by the King as entertainment. When Yana lost the only family she had known due to her father's arrogance, she became an adept thief, stealing from the Fae. She is sure that she will find the Dark Fae responsible for the deaths of her friends. When she is rescued in the Darkrealm by  Voidsworn, her life changes dramatically. At first, she is but a toy to be played with by the Fae, but then something slowly changes. She and Dain are at constant odds with...

Cruise Ship Heist, by Stuart St Paul, is a fast-paced thriller featuring retired British commander Kieran Phillips. Kieran has accepted a position as a speaker on a cruise ship that travels along the Colombian coast, through the Panama Canal, and then on to Madeira, Spain. He is to meet up with his daughter, a dancer on the ship. When one of his co-workers finds a suitcase full of money, Kieran is unwillingly pulled into the attempt to smuggle the money onboard the Cruise Ship, receiving his money cut. But the owner of the money wants it back, and professional thieves are also looking for the money. When it becomes clear that someone on board is prepared to kill for the money the stakes are raised and become personal for Kieran. Hunter, the ship’s chief of security, has a few secrets that he shares to convince Kieran to help him apprehend the criminals on board the ship. Kieran realizes that his position on the Cruise Ship is no coincidence. He was hand-picked for his military skills. ...

Behavior Beyond Analysis by Richard van Doren is a crime procedural and the third book in the Abel Haskins Trilogy. Having recently joined the renowned BAU with the FBI, former parish minister, and subsequent police detective, Abel Haskins is pulled into the most horrific murder cases of his career. Abel is suited to join the FBI task force, which has to investigate the ritualistic killings of young girls kidnapped from church camps. As the investigation expands, it becomes clear that the killer has a bigger plan than any of them could have guessed. Following leads and hunches, Abel, his friends, and family come into the crosshairs of a Satanic group. Willow, the young woman Abel rescued from the Deep Dark cult, feels called to aid the investigation, but when she joins the Satanic cult, Abel is at a loss. Will he be able to keep his loved ones safe from a sinister adversary, or will he lose those he fought to save in his quest to thwart evil? Behavior Beyond Analysis brings the reader ...

  The Seventh Friend by Tim Stead is an Epic Fantasy of phenomenal proportions. It is a complicated tale encompassing a whole continent. Four hundred years before the Seth Yarra came to the shores of Terras. The religious fanatics tried to convert the people of Terras by sword but did not make it further than Afael. They met with the fury and vengeance of Wolf Narak, the Wolf god, one of the Benetheon created by Pelion to look after the continent of Terras and its surrounding seas. Now, the Seth Yarra have returned and has a different tactic. As traitors show their colors and friends are lost, Narak attempts to thwart the Seth Yarra invaders. The most unlikely heroes arise and come together at the gate on the Green Road between  Telas and Berash, the gateway to the rest of Terras. In this first book of the Sparrow and Wolf series, we meet the core characters and the battle for the gate against staggering odds.   Tim Stead has written a tome of a fantasy novel, an epic...

The Wolf and Flame is a paranormal shifter romance that focuses on Kasspian, an American with roots in Ireland as he is from a Wiccan family. He has inherited a fae pact that he has to uphold but his time is running out to receive the proper training. When he is invited to Ireland to train and meet the other Wiccan families he meets and is immediately drawn to Cara, a Wiccan/Shifter who is torn between her adoptive parents who are Wiccans, and her father's family who are shifters. Raff's mentor is killed and Raff's training is in danger as the International Council is called in to evaluate Raff and his abilities. When a traitor shows his colors and tragedy strikes close to home for Cara she and Raff have to join forces and try and find a way out for both of them. The Wolf and Flame is a new adult novel and has many themes that are relevant today, such as family and acceptance, moral compasses and how they differ from person to person, and a strong need to protect those you ...