📚This Author ‘Dares To Be Different’. @deBieJennifer reviews dark #UrbanFantasy Legacy Witches by @CassKayWrites for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Jenni.

Find out more about her here https://jenniferdebie.com/

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Jenni has been reading Legacy Of Witches by Cass Kay.

Legacy Witches by Cass Kay

When Vienna Roots returns home to Salem for her mother’s funeral after a decade away, she expects a short trip. Bury the old witch, sell the family home, try not to let the ghosts of her ancestors or the demon haunting its walls get in the way of the sale, and get back to her life in Boston. No, she does not want to get involved in the tangled, occult politics of her hometown. No, she has no intention of taking over her mother’s place, or practicing her family’s particular brand of brutal magic. No, she doesn’t want to get the police involved. But when Vienna finds a hand in a drawer, and an unexpected specter haunting one of the upstairs bathrooms, she knows this quick trip home isn’t going to be nearly as fast or as simple as she’d hoped.

The market on urban fantasy and witchy protagonists is arguably glutted at the moment. Witches are cutesy, they’re sexy, they’re demon huntresses and vampire lovers and all sorts of fun combinations of back-cover blurb buzzwords, but something that truly sets Cass Kay’s Legacy Witches above the rest for me is that her witches are dark.

Vienna Roots’ ancestors and peers deal in moldering corpses, gruesome deaths, and necromantic rites as a matter of course, and while Vienna herself shies away from the murder edges of magic, Kay seems to revel in the gory details. As something of a connoisseur of gory details, I appreciate the unflinching approach to maggots and skeletons and what a pain in the butt it is to rob a grave on a rainy night.

I appreciate that Kay doesn’t try to redeem the terrible things that the Roots witches have done in the past, and the lengths they will go to to protect their own.

A story of generations, and rewriting the scripts of eras come and gone, Legacy Witches is more than just one more urban fantasy with a witchy protagonist. This is a novel with heart, a story about growth, and acceptance, and magic far darker than most authors in the genre dare dabble in from a writer who obviously knows her craft. In a market that has long been saturated by the cozy, the sexy, and the action-y, and the overly romantic, Legacy Witches dares to be something different, and as a reader, I appreciate that too.

5/5

Book description

Coming from a long line of murderous witches hasn’t exactly been sunshine and rainbows for Vianna Roots. When she inherits the family’s haunted house after her mother dies, she decides flipping the rundown dump is her smartest move—but the ghosts that haunt her have a different plan.

When Vianna finds the ghost of her childhood friend Nancy, she’s drawn into the mystery surrounding her friend’s death. Her meddling attracts the attention of the oldest coven in Salem. In order to get her out of town, they make an offer on the house, but Vianna hesitates. She’s no longer sure she wants to abandon the demon familiar who possesses her home, the transgender outcast witch—who may just be the best friend she never knew she needed—and her high school crush, who now wants her in his life.

Vianna must find a way to solve the case of her murdered friend, stay out of the hands of the most powerful coven in Salem, and face the past she’s so desperately tried to run away from.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS (Due out Oct)

🕵🏻‍♂️’A supernatural police procedural that laughs with sharp teeth.’ Jenni reviews #urbanfantasy Eat The Poor by @TomCW99, for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Jenni.

Find out more about Jenni here https://jenniferdebie.com/

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Jenni has been reading Eat The Poor by Tom Williams

Eat The Poor by Tom Williams

Returning to the scene of the crime, and the chief inspectors who will solve it, Tom Williams is having obvious, and bloody, fun in his second entry into the Galbraith & Pole series with Eat the Poor. Odd couple Chief Inspector Galbraith, an only slightly middle-aged mortal, and his counterpart Chief Inspector Pole, a vampire with a few centuries under his belt, are on the trail of something rotten, something hungry, and something neither of them have ever seen before in this novel and I’ve got to say, it works!

There is obvious chemistry and history to these two characters, but Williams has a light touch when it comes to referencing the first novel in this series (Something Wicked, 2021), and readers will not feel lost if this is their first experience with Galbraith and Pole. Exposition is delivered naturalistically, no pages or paragraphs devoted to catching new readers up to speed, because honestly, what do they need to catch up on? Other than the odd line about tango lessons and the inevitable question that every author must confront when they pair up an immortal vampire and a very mortal human, there seems to be little plot carried over from the first novel. Something has started eating people on the streets of London, and the facts of the current case are far more pressing than hashing out the details of the last one.

And the man who is doing all this eating? Well he’s a fun character in and of himself, and a sly satire on the state of affairs in general that I will leave it to the readers to discover for themselves. Needless to say, there are two sides of this story: the hunters and the hunted, and Williams’ tongue was lodged firmly in his cheek when he drew this particular antagonist.

Fun and fast to read, with just the right amount of black in its comedy, Eat the Poor is a supernatural police procedural that laughs with sharp teeth. Williams evidently enjoyed creating these characters, readers will certainly enjoy getting to know them!

5/5

Book description

A werewolf is on the loose in London.

Chief Inspector Pole, the vampire from the mysterious Section S, teams up once again with his human counterpart to hunt down the beast before the people of the city realise that they are threatened by creatures they have dismissed as myths.

Time is short as the werewolf kills ever more recklessly. Can Galbraith and Pole stop it before panic spreads through London?

Galbraith and Pole start their search in Pole’s extensive library of the arcane, accompanied by a couple of glasses of his excellent malt whisky. All too soon, though, they will have to take to the streets to hunt the monster by the light of the moon.

But the threat is even greater than they think, for in its human form the werewolf is terrifyingly close to the heart of government.

This is Tom Williams’ second tongue-in-cheek take on traditional creatures of darkness. Like the first Galbraith & Pole book, Something Wicked, this will appeal to fans of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London.

You never know when the forces of darkness may be released and there will be no time for reading then. Buy Eat the Poor before it’s too late.

AmazonUk | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #urbanfantasy SOMETHING WICKED by @TomCW99

Today’s team review is from Sherry. She blogs here https://sherryfowlerchancellor.com/

Sherry has been reading Something Wicked by Tom Williams

Detective Chief Inspector Galbraith is called to the home of Lord Penrith when the lord’s body is found dead. The strangeness of the death is that the body has been drained of all its blood but the room is not covered in blood.

The investigation begins and soon, DCI Galbraith is joined by a mysterious visitor from Section S—a section no one in the precinct has heard of before. This mysterious officer is John Pole and he explains his section deals with issues of national security and the investigation of the death of Penrith flagged in their office.

They team up to try to figure out who killed the lord and how. DCI Galbraith learns some things about an unknown group who operate in the dark in London. There are some scenes of the past that are intriguing and enjoyable to read.

I enjoyed this book and it seems there may be additional stories involving this crime solving duo in the future. Both have good qualities and seem to have a great working relationship. The way they deal with the crime is clever and a bit surprising. I, for one, am hoping for more adventures with these characters.  I give this one 4 stars.

A peer of the realm dead in his study, his body drained of blood

A tango club where the Undead and the living dance together

A 500 year old policeman

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #UrbanFantasy SOMETHING WICKED By Tom Williams

Today’s team review is from Shelley. She blogs here https://shelleywilsonauthor.com/

Shelly has been reading Something Wicked by Tom Williams

Vampire novels are my favourite, so I jumped at the chance to read Something Wicked when I spotted it on Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team list.

The story begins with a murder – always a great hook! The body of Lord Christopher Penrith is discovered by his butler, drained of blood. We meet Detective Chief Inspector Galbraith, who is tasked with solving the case.

In my mind, Galbraith was a cross between Columbo and Horatio Caine. He gives off the tortured detective vibe. His investigations lead to the dance hall, La Cieguita. Before he can get too deep into the case, Galbraith comes up against Section S, a counter-terrorism department. Enter John Pole, a 500 year old policeman who shares an interesting hidden world with Detective Galbraith.

Trying to solve a murder using modern policing isn’t going to work. Galbraith needs to rethink how he deals with the various suspects and additional killing and how on earth he hopes to close a case like this.

Something Wicked is well written with plenty of atmosphere. For me, it was a bit too deep into police procedure over vampire action. I had hoped for blood and gore, but instead, there was a hefty amount of ‘crime novel intermingled with historical fiction and politics’.

It was a good novel for anyone dipping their toe into urban fantasy, but my personal tastes meant it didn’t quite work for me. I like my vampire novels to have a bit more bite!

3 stars.

A peer of the realm dead in his study, his body drained of blood

A tango club where the Undead and the living dance together

A 500 year old policeman.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

GIRL IN A GOLDEN CAGE by @lucyBranch11 #UrbanFantasy #Alchemy #Milan #WeekendBlogShare

Girl In A Golden Cage by Lucy Branch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Girl In A Golden Cage is book #2 in the Gold Gift urban fantasy series, but is easily a stand alone book. I didn’t realise there was a book #1 until I had finished.

The setting is Milan, Italy. Francesca is visiting her father for the summer holidays. The book opens with one of her serious migraine headaches which leave her in a terrible state, she barely survives the flight from London.

Francesca’s father is very rich and life in Milan is luxurious. Here she can indulge in her love for caricature art, ans she has plans to tell her father that she has dropped out of her medical course at university and wants to study art.

There are secrets in the house and Francesca sees ghostly lights of a supernatural being. The projection is from Abigail Argent a girl being held captive. She begs for help.

Discovering an age old society which believes alchemy is possible, Francesca puts her own life at risk. Who can she trust? A jealous half brother, a young flamboyant artist or her father’s dark sultry assistant?

I enjoyed this book, with the richness of the surroundings, there is a sprinkle of light romance and the supernatural is more linked with a historical theme rather than a pure fantasy one. I believe the storyline will continue in the next book.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Book Description

She has an eye for detail but can she see the truth? Making decisions is not one of Francesca Miliardo’s strengths so when something mysterious starts unfolding in her father’s mansion in Milan – it’s no surprise that she’s unsure what to do. Francesca dreams of becoming a star in the contemporary art world and she has all the right connections, though what should be a summer of fun is turning out to be anything but.

Crippling migraines have always been a burden, now strange happenings are making her question whether they really are a curse. It’s not the best time to fall for someone, but who could resist a man with wolf’s eyes? Knowing who to trust is vital when those closest to you are suddenly not all they seem. It’s the time in Francesca’s life to make some hard choices: follow her own path or step into somebody else’s story.

 

About the author

Lucy Branch’s fiction has been featured on Radio 4, Timeout London and The BBC World Service. She is an expert in the conservation of public sculpture and has worked on some of the UK’s highest profile projects including Nelson’s Column, Eros and Cleopatra’s Needle. She studied at University College London, The Royal College of Art and Victoria Albert Museum. Her knowledge and passion for the art world is poured into her fiction which she weaves together with myth, conspiracy theory and fantasy.

Goodreads | AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Twitter

HIGH SUMMONS by Eli Celata @Celata_E #YA #UrbanFantasy #TuesdayBookBlog

High Summons by Eli Celata
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

High Summons is a debut young adult urban fantasy and takes place in Rochester, New York state.

Jon is an eighteen year old student, he’s always known he was different from others, he could do magic and he was a wizard’s son, yet he drifted in life with no real purpose.

One evening he meets Jordan in a strange book store and is introduced to the world of demon hunting. Jordan agrees that Jon can become his apprentice while he sets out to stop a large demon summoning. It’s a steep learning curve for Jon with an introduction to an epic array of demons.

While Jordan tries to identify a fifth magical figure to be recruited by a rogue team, he leads Jon all over Rochester. They encounter hunters and magic folk while Jon struggles with his absent father’s loss and his reasons for leaving Jon with no training.

Of all the magical action in this book I enjoyed the warp folding style of travel the most and the fight scenes less so. There is a need to tighten the writing to make the dialogue and action vivid with less tendency towards info dumping in places. I’m sure the author will grow as a writer with her subsequent work.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Title: High Summons

Author: Eli Celata

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

Hosted by: Ultimate Fantasy Book Tours

Book Description

Jon Blythe is sick of waiting for his Yoda. After years of hiding his magic, he’s ready to retire from his mortal life, drop out of college, and jump into the world of demon hunters. He just didn’t really expect a bleach blond bookstore clerk with light up toys for weapons. Unfortunately, Jordan is Jon’s only hope. When rogue magic users come to Rochester with a malicious plan, the odd couple strikes out to save the day. Jordan might not be what Jon expected, but between demons and Econ homework, the demons win every time. Wild nights drag Jon further from normal into the world where his father vanished. Maybe he’s becoming an addict. Maybe magic just comes with a price. Either way, he’s hooked.

About the author

Eli Celata was born in Rochester and is currently attending Binghamton University as a doctoral student.

Author’s Social Media Links:

• Twitter: @Celata_E
• Website: elicelata.wordpress.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EliCelata/

Buy Links for Book:

Amazon: https://goo.gl/PQ7lzh

Kobe: https://goo.gl/4ZrKVs

Smashwords: https://goo.gl/eYuVNU

iTunes: https://itun.es/us/MEqCdb.l

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT THE BEAST THAT NEVER WAS by Caren J Werlinger #SundayBlogShare

Today’s team review is from Karen, she blogs at http://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com

Karen has been reading The Beast That Never Was by Carne J Werlinger

What if Beauty was the Beast?

My Opinion

This book introduces you to 18-year-old Lise. After her father’s death, the family struggles to earn a living by producing cheese.

With The Beast That Never Was, Caren J. Werlinger has created a wonderful fantasy story with a touch of romance. It is a very enjoyable and compelling read, drawing you in as you learn more about Lise and Senna. Caren J. Werlinger paints a clear picture of Lise’s mind while the story evolves. I was drawn very close to Lise – a young woman with a sense of duty and justice, rebelling against her mother’s old-fashioned mind-scape. The characters are complex, believable with their flaws and virtues; the author’s care for each of them shows. As for the location – I imagined a Scandinavian landscape, perhaps due to the names. The story is very nicely woven and has a wonderful flow.

This is a book for you if you like mythology, urban fantasy, believable and often very likeable characters, and/or lesbian fiction.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

SUPREMACY by Christin Lee @SupremacyAuthor #YA #UrbanFantasy #BookReview

Supremacy by Christin Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rating 3.5 stars.
Supremacy is a #YA #UrbanFantasy set in Texas. Seventeen year old Kate Parker has perfect recall. It allows her to remember everything that’s ever happened to her.

When out searching for a stray dog she meets Lucas a nineteen year old Spanish student, and helps him fix his motorbike. They become friends and Kate must introduce him to her over-protective family. But Lucas is even more protective of her, it is what he has been trained to do.

When Kate discovers that there is much more to Lucas, she becomes obsessed with finding answers. He takes her to a secret society and a whole new world opens up for her. We find they are destined for a future together in a battle against those who want to wipe out the human race.

This popular storyline had lots of potential, the secret society was interesting. The dialogue style of writing took up more than seventy-five per cent of the book. This method denied me, as the reader, the opportunity to empathise and feel a part of the story. There was little building up of layers to the story, anticipation or the characters. Some of them need work, Kate’s father’s reactions were childish and didn’t fit the character of a leader in his expertise. I wasn’t even sure about Lucas, he verged on the edge of being abusive, both mentally and physically to Kate, apologising after he’d hurt her, like any abuser. YA fantasy is a competitive market, this is book #1 of the series and I feel it needs to up its game to stand a chance.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT BELTANE by @AlysWestYork #UrbanFantasy #FridayReads

Today’s team review is from Cathy, she blogs at http://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Cathy has been reading Beltane by Alys West

Opening with a terrific prologue which grabbed my interest immediately, Beltane has a lot of factors I love in a book – including a handsome druid, magic and Glastonbury, a place I know well and enjoy visiting, so being able to clearly picture the setting was a bonus. The story is set almost entirely in Glastonbury, encompassing the Abbey ruins, beautiful Chalice Well Gardens and the Tor, all atmospheric and mystical places. The flavour of the area is evident throughout and it’s obvious Alys West knows the locale extremely well.

Druid Finn McCloud makes a deadly enemy of spellworker, Maeve Blackwell when he rescues his sister from her clutches. He pays dearly for his mistake and is trapped by Maeve’s power until Zoe Rose arrives at Anam Cara, Maeve’s healing retreat. Zoe is there at the recommendation of her friend, Anna, trying to find inspiration for her work as an illustrator. Zoe can only feel unease and immediate dislike on meeting Maeve, despite Anna’s enthusiasm and praise for the healer.

The characterisation is so good, Finn and Zoe make great protagonists, very appealing and I liked them immediately. They’re realistic, well-rounded and in Finn’s case, gorgeous. Zoe is intrigued by, and attracted to, a carving of the Green Man on a tree in the garden at Anam Cara although other aspects of the retreat unnerve her. Her reactions to the situation she finds herself in, along with the shocking revelations she finds out about herself and Finn, are convincing and unforced.

Maeve, on the other hand, is completely evil, scheming and ruthless. Her karmic wave healing sessions don’t seem to have the effect expected by her guests. Maeve has an agenda and will do whatever it takes. She an excellent antagonist. Winston is a fascinating character as well, and hopefully he will feature a little more in future books.

Alys West has created a wonderfully visual and gripping, fast paced story, with a strong plot full of mystery, magical forces and tension. I love all the threads of the well written storyline and how they’re woven together. I’m looking forward to the next book, finding out what’s in store and how the characters develop.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

#NewRelease ROUND TRIP FARE by @barbtaub #UrbanFantasy #BookReview @HartwoodBooks

Round Trip Fare by Barb Taub
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Round Trip Fare is Book #4 in the Null City Urban Fantasy series. I advise reading earlier books in this series before embarking on this one or you will be quite lost. I’ve read book #1 and it was enough for me to pick up the storyline.

In this book Carey Parker is all grown up, she works for the Accords Agency bringing in rogue paranormal beings, however there are still a team of Outsiders who are also searching for Carey. Eight years ago Carey and her twin Connor were protected by their guardian Harry on his ranch. He had promised their older sister Gaby he would raise them as his own. He taught them how to use their superpowers, or brought in specialists to train them. But all that changed on the night the ranch was attached, Harry killed and the children barely escaped. To protect his sister, Connor led the pursuers away and Carey hadn’t seen him since.

Old wounds open when a stranger turns up with a current photo of Connor. Iax Zahavi is a rogue agent, but he works with Director Jeffers, so Carey tolerates him, especially when he saves her from a car bomb. A decision is made to hide Carey on the Metro train as a form of guardsperson, but she has to give up her superpowers. The train runs between various stations and Null City a place where all those with superpowers may go to live a normal life, but, it is under threat from the Outsiders. Carey hopes to hear news to help them with the task to save the city while serving on the train.

The story builds to an exciting climax and there is an opportunity for another book as many of the story threads are currently unsolved.

I do like the Metro Train and its peculiar ticketing booth, it is my favourite part of the book and I would be happy to have it included in much more of the storyline. The characters are well described and believable as are the fighting and romantic scenes. Carey is witty and fun. I wasn’t so sure about having a character change his name Iax became Yosh and both names were used, with a big cast of characters one name would have been good enough for me and I must just mention a little over-kill on the word “sigh”. But apart from that another good book from this author.

This review is based on a free copy of the book given to me by the author.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Book Description – Round Trip Fare (Null City, #4) Urban Fantasy (with romance, humor, a sentient train, and a great dog)

Is it wrong that shooting people is just so much easier than making decisions? Carey wonders—and not for the first time. But the Agency claims this will be an easy one. A quick pickup of a missing teen and she won’t even have to shoot anybody. Probably.

Carey knows superpowers suck, her own included. From childhood she’s only had two options. She can take the Metro train to Null City and a normal life. After one day there, imps become baristas, and hellhounds become poodles. Demons settle down, join the PTA, and worry about their taxes. Or she can master the powers of her warrior gift and fight a war she can’t win, in a world where she never learned how to lose.

And then there is…him. For the past two months, a dark stranger has persistently edged his way onto the mental game board behind her eyelids. Well, whatever trouble he’s selling, Carey Parker is not buying. Her to-do list is already long enough: find her brother and sister, rescue her roommate, save Null City, and castrate her ex-boyfriend. Preferably with a dull-edged garden tool. A rusty one.

She just has a few details to work out first. Her parents have been killed, her brother and sister targeted, and the newest leader of the angels trying to destroy Null City might be the one person she loves most in the world. And her sexy new partner’s gift lets him predict deaths. Hers.

In halcyon days BC (before children), Barb Taub wrote a humor column for several Midwest newspapers. With the arrival of Child #4, she veered toward the dark side and an HR career. Following a daring daytime escape to England, she’s lived in a medieval castle and a hobbit house with her prince-of-a-guy and the World’s Most Spoiled AussieDog. Now all her days are Saturdays, and she spends them consulting with her occasional co-author/daughter on Marvel heroes, Null City, and translating from British to American.