Grave-Reaping Hermit - Everlyn C. Thompson

When self-professed hermit Theodora Edwards is attacked by a dark fae and infected with his magic, she finds herself thrust into the supernatural spotlight as the first possible changeling in centuries. As if surviving the transition isn’t hard enough, Theo has to deal with an attempted abduction by her newly turned vampire ex-husband, unwanted courting offers from salacious fae suitors, and her growing attraction to the guardian of the gate to Fairie.

Caught in a cruel tug-of-war between the queen of the fae and a surly law-enforcement agent, Theo must find a way to free herself before she loses her hard-earned independence for good.

Book one in the Grave Reaper Series.

My Review

Grave-Reaping Hermit is the first book in the Grave Reaper series. I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book, but once I started I was hooked. Theo, our heroine has no idea about fae, vampires or any other paranormal beings. She suddenly finds herself right in the middle of that world, after being attacked by a dark fae.

Theo is a fantastic and really relatable character. I'm not entirely sure how I might react when faced with anything like this, but there's something really human and real about her. I also loved the other characters that appear, from the dog that appears looking for food, to the various paranormal characters that find their way into Theo's life.

I also really loved the humor in this book. Right from the very first line, there are some really funny moments in this book.

This is the first book of three, I'm desperate to know what happens next and I'm so pleased that we're not leaving this world behind just yet. I loved this story and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

Everlyn C.Thompson

Born and raised on the beautiful Canadian prairies, Everlyn prefers to spend her time outdoors with her family kayaking, skating, fishing, and hunting. She loves reading and writing about vampires, witches, fae and zombies that get to find their own version of happily ever after.

Counterfeit Lover - J.C. Farmer

Counterfeit Lover
J.C. Farmer
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: November 24th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

Darrin Clark is an impoverished young man, madly in love with his long-time friend Janie. He is desperate for a job, and any way to win Janie’s affections. Then a Hollywood studio promises to make him a movie star—if he will submit to a face-modifying procedure they are developing.

Darrin’s love overcomes his fear, and he allows the movie studio to alter his face. Soon his dreams come true. He is extraordinarily handsome, rich, and popular, full of the confidence he needs to earn Janie’s love. Yet, changing faces doesn’t seem enough, and the studio wants him to sacrifice more of his identity than just his appearance.

His plan to win Janie’s heart becomes complicated when she unexpectedly joins the cast and changes her face too. Now a gorgeous star, she’s pursued by prominent, powerful men, and beneath the glitz and glamour, Darrin finds himself in a world of death and deceit, where anyone can have any face.

Several of his friends have been murdered by a mysterious killer, and the ability to alter appearances seems to make the criminal invincible. Soon, Darrin abandons his pursuit of Janie, simply hoping to keep her alive.The only way to outsmart the ruthless villain is to risk everything. How drastic a transformation is Darrin willing to make for love?

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Author Bio:

Jerome Connelly Farmer has had a successful career as an engineer, inventor and technology consultant. He has three engineering degrees from Stanford and an MBA from the Anderson School. He has several patents and spent many years managing engineering teams and consulting for high-tech firms, movie studios, and Fortune 500 companies.

J.C. was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. He is an airplane pilot, sailor, scuba diver and avid traveler; he has explored Tibet, camped in the Australian outback, canoed through the Amazon River, and retraced segments of Ernest Shackleton’s famous rescue in Antarctic. J. C.’s passion for wildlife photography has taken him to all seven continents, including searching for Komodo Dragons in Indonesia, wild macaws in the Peruvian jungle, endangered species in the Galapagos Islands, Duck-billed Platypus in Australia, and White Rhinoceros in Botswana.

J.C. is the author of the romantic thriller Counterfeit Lover and the children’s book Santa’s Dashboard. Writing combines his love for adventure, invention and exploration.

When he is not traveling, J.C. lives in Solana Beach, CA.

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My Review

Counterfeit Lover is an unusual book, I think that I would call it a thriller over and above anything else, but even in this, it is very different. The story is about actor Darrin Clark, he's been in love with his close friend Janie for years and years. He finally gets the chance to win her over and become a well-known actor when he actually becomes a famous actor from the past.

The whole premise of this story is unusual and very interesting. There is a lot going on although it's not really clear why people are doing what they are doing or indeed who is behind everything. This book really keeps you guessing throughout. Even worse than that, you don't even get to find out at the end. I saw that this was book one, but didn't realise that it was the kind of series that follows on and leaves you on a cliffhanger at the end of the book.

There is a romance of sorts, although it really isn't a big part of the story and I have to admit that I didn't fully connect with this side of the story. I do wonder if this is something that will play out in more depth in the next book.

I was kept guessing the whole way through this story and I have to admit that I still have not idea where this one is going. This is a really interesting and different read and I really enjoyed it.

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A Game of Wings and Marks - Rebecca Crunden

A Game of Wings and Marks by Rebecca Crunden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know what I would really classify this as, as strange as that might sound. While it is a romance with paranormal or supernatural themes, I'm not completely convinced that it fully fits that genre. In many ways, it has more of a fantasy feel than anything. While there is a love story in here and the heroine gets her man, in many ways, that doesn't feel like the main drive of the story.
I think my reason for saying that, is perhaps that there are two males (one being a demon and the other an angel, I don't think that 'men' would be the right term) who are interested in her. I won't tell you who she ends up with, but I personally liked the demon Zev more than angel Raphael. We see far more of Zev and he is quite an interesting character, much more willing to bend the rules and make things happen his way. Raphael is a far more steady character. Admittedly he is torn between his feelings for Octavia and his need to stick to the rules, but he just lacks the mischievous edge that Zev has.
I really enjoyed this read and read it fairly quickly, mostly because I wanted to see how it would all pan out. In many ways, the storyline was almost as though it was set up for future stories in that world, I don't know if that was the case or not? I'd certainly be interested in reading more from this interesting world.

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Outside the Veil Boxed Set - T.J. Shaw

Outside the Veil Boxed Set by T.J. Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all, I feel a little mean not giving this more than a four-star score, I was in two minds whether to give it five or four, but decided to go with four. There was a lot I loved about these books, but I suspect that there's room for even more in future instalments of this series, so I decided to go with four.
I had intended to read the three parts of this boxed set separately, possibly reading something in between each one. This time, that just didn't happen. With each part, I couldn't put it down and was dying to know what was going to happen in the next. I was warned that the first two books would finish on cliffhangers, but I still didn't expect to be so caught up in the story.
Both Jaxon and Amari were fascinating and I loved how they were together. Finding out how they managed to navigate their way through the problems that faced them and their finding a way for Amari to become who she should be. I also really liked the other members of their cardre and I hope that we see more of them in future books. This is the start of a series I believe and there is certainly scope for plenty more storylines. Amari's sister Lizbet has got her own issues to face in the near future, as well as dealing with the shadowy villain of the piece. I suspect that we have only seen a small amount of this person so far, their motives or what they are ultimately trying to do hasn't really become clear as yet.
The setting of this book means that there is a fair amount of world-building to be done. This doesn't get in the way of the story or the action and our understanding grows as the plot develops so that you almost don't notice it, but certainly know far more about the world in which they live by the end of the books.
There is romance here and I loved the interaction between Jaxon and Amari as they at first find themselves drawn to one another and then as their relationship and love begins to grow and develop.
If you are thinking of giving Outside the Veil a go, then I would suggest going straight for the boxed set. You probably won't be able to put it down so you might as well get all three to begin with. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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Fianna's Awakening - Rod C. Nieto

Fianna’s Awakening
Ron C. Nieto
(Warriors of Myth and Legend, #1)
Publication date: November 13th 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Outcast. Betrayer. Chosen.
After five years being a Fianna, Aisling O’Malley still has to prove herself every day. The sins of the father weigh heavily on her shoulders, and no matter what she does, her fellow warriors regard her as the undeserving one. It doesn’t help that one of the four mythical treasures of Ireland has turned up under her nose, leaving her none the wiser. If by any chance the touted Spear of Lugh up for auction is indeed the legendary Spear of Victory, she needs to get her hands on it before anyone else does—and be spectacular enough about it to make the rest of the Fianna forget she almost missed the artifact in the first place.
Exile. Betrayer. Forgotten.
After spending twice as long undercover as he ever lived at home, Ronan no longer knows where he belongs to or where he’s actually exiled from. He can’t return to his people, not unless he collects the four artifacts of power the Tuatha Dé lost when they were forced to leave Ireland, and three millennia after the fact, he’s pretty sure they’re going to remain lost. Except one of those ancient treasures has landed in his lap—or could land in his lap, if he brings himself to work with the spunky young woman who wants to hire him to consult on the Spear’s authenticity.
Can two broken people learn to trust one another? And even if they can, will it be too late to save Ireland… or themselves?

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Author Bio:
Ron C. Nieto is a fantasy and romance author who has been writing in her secluded fortress for the longest time. Recently, she had a talk with her cat and decided that she should share her creations, because it was selfish to hoard them all for herself.
If you would like to know more about her, please visit her website.

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My Review

This book was a little different to the ones that I usually go for, in all honesty, I wasn't sure what to expect. This is the first book in a series that follows Fianna Aisling O’Malley and Ronan, who appears to be an expert on Irish myth and legend at the local university, but is perhaps much more. When a legendary spear that allows the owner to be undefeated in battle turns up, they try to track it down and get hold of it, but they are not the only ones who want it.

There is a lot of world-building to be done here.  For the most part it's well done and enjoyable. I was wondering how Aisling found herself as a Fianna, but there isn't a great deal of detail. I found out, after reading the book, that there is a prequel novella that tells this story and I wish that I had read this first.

I thought that both Ronan and Aisling were interesting characters and I'd be interested to see how their story develops and plays out over time. Clearly, there is much more to learn there. Overall, it's an enjoyable read and a good start to a series. 

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