Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye ( Psychic Eye Mystery 1) by Victoria Laurie

 Hello to all,

So far 2023 has been really stressful for me and there were several moments i wanted to give up so i took refuge in books and i had one in my TBR pile that called to me ....it's an older book so it was time i finally gave it a try...

Now i just hope i will be able to complete my collection as i have part of the books but not all of them so when it's an older series it's always a risk but we will see one day at a time.

Happy Reading

Publication: 2004

Genre: cozy mystery, paranormal
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 16+

Description from goodreads :
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Abby Cooper is a P.I., psychic intuitive. But her insight failed her when she didn't foresee the death of one of her clients-or that the lead investigator for the case is the gorgeous blind date she just met. Now, with the police suspicious of her abilities and a killer on the loose, Abby's future looks more uncertain than ever.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

This is an older story but i enjoyed it a lot it was easy to read, funny, the investigation is well written so i'm really glad i discovered it and i want to read the rest of the series.

Abby is Psychic intuitive..she can via her "guides" get glimpses of a person future or intention...having made that her job she is quite happy but suddendly one of her client is killed and she is determined to bring her justice....even if it means working with the police.

Dutch is an police officer who met Abby from a website for people searching love....when she start giving info about a kidnapping he is doubtful but when a murder happen related perhaps to abby he goes into protect mode even if he still isn't sure of her powers.

I loved the dynamic between the characters and the rythmn of the story.

Death Maker ( Lark Morgan 1) by J.C. McKenzie -review

 Hello to all,

today i'm sharing with you a new release from an author i really love. I'm not really into dark theme so necromancer generally are not the kind of story i would pick but since i trusted the author and the blurb made it very temping i gave it a try and now i just want more.

Happy reading!

Publisher: JCM Publications 

Publication: 2023

ISBN:  9781990143250

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: strong
Language: strong
sex: mild
Public: 18+

Description from goodreads :

Death is a terrible power to wield…

Most people think my life as a certified necromancer is filled with raising the dead to resolve estate disputes and make the rich richer. And they’re not wrong. But I’ve added illegal raisings and consulting with the police to my resumé.

Normally, I ask the recently departed “whodunit” for the cops, but in a recent string of gruesome killings, the dead aren’t talking. And while the souls are silent, the vampires won’t shut up. They think I’m the key to solving their problems. To complicate matters, I also keep getting sucked into the veil—the magical realm where spirits rest and a mysterious castle keeps appearing.

All I want in life is to do my job, help my mom pay her medical bills and not murder a certain arrogant detective. But if I don’t figure out how the murders, the veil and the vampires are connected, all while keeping my less-than-legal activities from the cops, I might go from making sacrifices to becoming one.

A deliciously dark Urban Fantasy tale with a flawed necromancer trying to survive a harsh world by International Bestselling Author, J. C. McKenzie.

 Oh i love this new series!!! So our world but something happened to make paranormal creatures, witches, shifters and vampires known. Now they live like anyboby and works but there are still some rules each " glamy" as they are called must follow. Vampires can't make vampires as they want for example and magic users are registered and must follow some specific laws as not to loose their licence.

Lark Morgan is a necromancer and a porwerful one even if she is not exactly liking that.....the sacrifice of animals needed to make it work some some trivial matter does bother her. She is respectful of the deceased but she does need to work as she is saving to pay for her mother medical treatment. She is strong willed, determined but has a kind heart and i really appreciate it as it balanced the darker side. Living with her brother and his boyfriend, her love life is a mess but with her strange hours it's not surprising...working very late all the time sometimes helping the police or more precisely officer Kang who keep bickering with her , he is so funny.

Suddely the master of the vampires offers her a deal she can't refuse while a precedent client is " courting" her and the police is confronted to a series of strange murders. Poor Lark has very little time for herself and the danger keeps growing so she will need to decide what she really wants and who to trust.

I really loved the story , i read it in one sitting. If i was a bit hesitant at first because of the necromancer part i'm really happy to say it's wonderfully written, the sacrifices are not overly described. The fact Lark is repectful and is moved by what she must do make it work perfectly. I also loved the interaction between Lark and Kang ( and his partner), the sparks between them are funny and the mystery about both of their secrets just make us impatient to read more

A great urban fantasy with a dark twist, a touch of romance and full of action to have you addicted to this new series!

Spells , Salt, & Steel ( Spells, Salt, & Steel 1) by Gail z Martin

 Hello to all,

              I know i'm kind of reading Gail Z Martin in complete disorder but i discovered one of her series then learned that others were linked to that world kind of spin off etc and i just got addicted , now i must read everything and  I'm starting with the Spells, Salt &Steel series which are a series of novellas and short stories ( available in collection as well or individually) tht i had in my TBR.

I hope you will enjoy it as much as i do.

Happy Reading

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication: 2017

Genre: urban fantasy

Violence: strong

Language: strong

sex: none

Public: 18+

Description from goodreads :

When all else fails, the ass end of a carp makes a damn fine weapon.

No, that didn't come from the lips of Bubba the Monster Hunter, but it sure could have! That sentence right there kinda encapsulates the life of Mark Wojcik, Monster Hunter. A blue-collar mechanic from the wilds of PA, Mark likes his beer cold, his poker games private, and his monsters…well, he doesn’t like them at all. So when he finds himself dueling a Japanese mythical monster in the Linesville Spillway in the wee hours of the night, he has to use every available weapon to survive and vanquish the ningen.

Even if it means beating the damn thing to death with a carp.

If interloping Japanese fish-monsters weren’t bad enough, there’s a Nazi ghost terrorizing the community. Somebody needs to gank the ghostie, and Mark is the man for the job.

He hopes.

They are the first line of defense against the things that go bump in the night.
They are the keepers of a centuries-old legacy of The Church defending the world against the forces of darkness.
They are a bunch of highly armed rednecks, internet video celebrities, soccer moms, and assorted broken nutjobs.
They are the new Templars, and things are about to get weird.

The New Templars novella series is a new series of short novels, similar to BookShots. Spells, Salt, & Steel is the first in the series by popular steampunk, epic, and urban fantasy duo Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin.  

Oh i loved this one, i started with the most recent ones and loved it so now i'm starting the series at the beginning and fully enjoying it. In this story we meet " Mark", monster hunter and we discover how he "met" Gus it was funny, and we see even we only heard about later in the series so it's informative as well.

I loved the variety of creatures he comes accross and i can't wait to see when he will start being more a protector than a simple hunter.

I really recommend this story and series if you love good urban fantasy with uncommon paranormal creatures, lot of action and good sosis of humour.

 

Crowbones ( The others 8) by Anne Bishop- Review

 Hello to all,

To start the year i wanted to read something for pleasure not just because i needed to read something so i reread one of my favourite series to be able to read the latest one to lift my mood this month.  It's not an easy world, it's quite dark but so well written  you get addicted....i just hope we will have more as i do wonder how the situation is at Bennet but before hoping for a book 9 let's focus a minute on book 1 Crowbones when we discovers new kind of Others with pleasure

Publisher: Ace Books 

Publication: 2022

ISBN:  0593337336

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: strong, very strong
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Description from goodreads :

In this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer-before it's too late....

 

Crowbones will gitcha if you don't watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others-shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings-Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.

But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble-and that could mean serious trouble.

To "encourage" humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others-and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter

I LOVE LOVE it!!!!!! really i just rerad the whole series and i just want more,  this is fantastic!
Victoria has become friendly with a lot of the Others as the Reader and trouble magnet ( thus source of amusement) so when something is threathening her they jump to the rescue.

However the bad is perhaps deeper than it seems and a pranks leads to several murders resulting in the presence of some less know elders and Hunter...

I loved that we got to hear about other characters we missed and we hear Meg not just hear about her so that was fantastic and let's be honest....Simon way of apoligise is the best one^^ More importantly there are deeply sad moment, there are big consequences to some of characters we come to like so it's a bit darker than some other books in the series but read in order it's just perfect. I really thing Others made things "gentler" for Meg 's sake in comparaison to what Victoria is learning.

A series i recommend without any hesitation

TBR PILE 2023 Challenge the 10th edition Sign Up

 Hello to all!!

2023 did not start that well for me so i nearly missed posting my Challenge list because yes the TBR pile Challenge is back for a 10th edition and i could not miss that ( i may get lucky this time)

I love the challenge hosted by RoofBeamReader.com ,it's a good one to get back on track and the level of pressure is not too high so i should not make myself sick trying to read my 12 books.

My List for the Challenge:

1: Phantoms and Felonies ( Hunted Mansion Mystery 2) ( 2021) by Lucy Ness

2: Miss Frost solves a Cold Case ( Jayne Frost 1) ( 2016)  by Kristen Painter

3: Sons of Darkness (Night Vigil 1) ( 2018) by Gail Z Martin

4: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye ( Psychic Eye Mystery 1) ( 2004) by Victoria Laurie

5: Furbidden Attraction ( Raven Fall1) ( 2020) by R. O'Leary

6: Spells, Salt, & Steel ( Spells, Salt & Steel 1) ( 2017) by Gail Z Martin

7: Lock'N'Load ( Federal K-9 1) ( 2018)  by Tee O'Fallon

8: Stranded with The Detective ( Tennessee SWAT 4)  ( 2018) by Lena Diaz

9: Assassin's Honor ( Assassins of Landria 1) ( 2018) by Gail Z Martin

10: Keeping Guard ( K-9 brother book2)  ( 2021) by Sandra Owens

11: Miss Frost Ices the Imp ( Jayne Frost 2) ( 2016) by Kristen Painter

12: Jingle all the Slay ( Marshmallow Mysteries1) ( 2020) by Dakota Cassidy

alternates:

1: Mercenary instinct  ( 2014) by Ruby Liondrake

2: K-9 Defense ( K-9, Alaska 1) ( 2019) by Elizabeth Heiter

are you participating?

TBR pile Challenge 2022 wrap up post

 Hello to all!

      I wish you all the best for 2023 and i sure hope to do better than i did this year. Oh i've read more than 100 books but with the stress of the actual situation and the rest, the blog sure was put aside  a bit ....i guess it means i can only improve and i will try.

However before thinking of 2023 let see how i did the TBR pile challenge for 2022.

I'm happy to say i've completed it....i've read 12 books: 11 from my main pile and 1 of the alternate. Why? because my 12th book was somewhat misplaced and i could not find it ( suspect is brother who may be reading it in secret) so i had to take an alternate to complete the challenge. I'm really proud to have managed to finish it and i will join next year with pleasure

My list for this challenge :

1. Vendetta (2015) by Gail Z Martin

2. Chase the Dark ( 2014) by Annette Marie

3. Bind the Soul ( 2015) by Annette Marie

4. After Dark  ( 2000) by Jayne Castle

5.A Ghost of a Chance  ( 2019) by debbie Cassidy

6. The Rookie ( 2020)  by Kimberly Kincaid

7. Magic for Nothing  ( 2017) by Seanan McGuire

8. Elemental Mating ( A.L.F.A. 1) ( 2017)  by Milly Taiden 

9. Demon Slayer t6 ( 2017)  by Koyoharu Gotouge

10. Lake Silence ( 2018)  by Anne Bishop

11. Wild Country ( 2019)  by Anne Bishop

12. Demon Slayer t7 ( 2017) by Koyoharu Gotouge

alternates:

1:Mercenary instinct  ( 2014) by Ruby Liondrake

2: Mating Needs  ( 2017) by Milly Taiden 

I think my favourite was Silver Lake but i enjoyed all the book so a bit hard to pick only one favourite.

How was your 2022 reading year? Any Goal for 2023?

Happy New Year ( with a few hours of advance)

Review Like Silence ( the others 6, World of the Others1) by Anne Bishop

 Hello to all, 

There are some books or series that make such a strong impression on you that  you hesitate to try the spin off or sequels.... i absolutely loved "The Others" series by Anne Bishop ( i have it in Hardback and paperback^^ , french version and english ones) i even reread it several times  which is not sometimes i do that often or so soon after a first read....

When Lake Silence release part of me was happy to have more of a universe i came to enjoy a lot but i feared i would be disappointed because it was not the usual cast of characters i've come to love so i did get the paperback but somehow i did not dare reading it yet....time flow and it was still on my tbr pile when  a friend send me a copy...-now that's something i absolutely don't mind when i have a favourite book having two copy can be great especially if book get borrowed or read too often - but i realized it was time i gave it a try  and now i just regret having waited so long!

Publisher: Ace Books 

Publication: 2019

ISBN:  0399587268

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Description from goodreads :

In this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.

Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others--vampires, shape-shifters, and even deadlier paranormal beings. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget....

After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns such as Vicki's don't have any distance from the Others, the dominant predators who rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what is out there watching you.

Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe--one of the shape-shifting Others--discovers a murdered man, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, ancient forces are roused by the disturbance in their domain. They have rules that must not be broken--and all the destructive powers of nature at their command. 

  

I waited to read this one because i loved the main series so much that i was afraid to be disappointed but that fear was stupid....The author manage to get us back in the universe with sometimes a link to the main group but ,while we are in a completely new village we know some of the characters like Ilya and Natasha if we read the main series. If we are starting the universe with this book perhaps it could be a little confusing at first but soon we are so engrossed into the story that nothing else matter.

I loved Vicki , she is respectful of the others even before meeting some and while she has strong panic attacks due to her past she still try to protect others and it was admirable. I totally love Julian the bookstore owner....he also had a very difficult past as an Inuit but still stay a protector he does not look for revenge and he can be so tender with Vicki.
Grimshaw is an excellent police officer but he is independant and that does not work in his favor....except when he suddenly posted at Sproing ....meeting back with Julian who he worked with at the academy gives him his first ally but soon his need to protect show him how to work to others because he also wants to protect them even if he does not realise it at first. He is really open minded and a good human alpha.

Both Vicki and grimshaw ( even if he had some experience it was not that intensive) are quite new to the wild country, they are learning the rules and what is expected of them ..when a group comes to try to change the rules set by the Elders and put Vicki in danger it's the whole city that could be paying the price so Grimshaw is determined to pretect the village now under his responsability and Vicki who slowly built an important place in the community as a links to the others.

Full of tension, suspense sometimes gruesome scenes ( others know how to make a mess) this is an excellent urban fantasy story that could be read as stand alone ( but you just want more believe me)

I would love to read more about them so knowing book 3 will be about Sproing again makes me quite impatient.