Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Paranormal Romance

SOULMATED (Joining of Souls Book) by Shaila Patel – Paranormal Romance, YA Paranormal, Coming of Age

Eighteen-year-old Liam Whelan must balance the pressure and danger of his new role leading his entire empath clan while searching for a fabled ‘soulmate’ in Shaila Patel’s paranormal romance novel, Soulmated.

Since the age of six, guided by his father’s visions, Liam and his family have traveled across the United States, moving from town to town searching for the girl destined to “join” with Liam. However, no empath in centuries has found a soulmated union. No one knows what joining actually means. Liam tires of his parents’ search for what he considers a fantasy girl, but he agrees to give up one more year of his life. The family moves to North Carolina for Liam’s senior year.

Laxshmi Kapadia will graduate a year early. Her mother, an overprotective and overbearing widow, plans Laxshmi’s entire life. Either her daughter attends med school or marries a proper Indian boy. Neither prospect appeals to Laxshmi, who wants to major in dance and doesn’t even want to start dating, let alone get married. So, when she meets the handsome new boy two doors down from her house, she doesn’t understand why he’s so drawn to her, unaware of her latent empathic abilities.

Liam marvels at Laxshmi’s power, smitten with her mesmerizing eyes. But as the two become closer, a strange power begins to emerge, a force that threatens their lives and draws the attention of the enemies that Liam must face as a leader.

Liam and Laxshmi bear the weight of responsibility, both to the family and themselves.

At barely eighteen, Liam has to prove himself worthy to lead his clan. He embraces the great honor but fears the added burdens of becoming the “prince.” In addition to his rigorous schooling, he constantly reviews the financial documents of his people to be sure of their success. His heightened empathic abilities make him an asset to the entire empath world and a dangerous wildcard. Liam doesn’t want to control the Group of Elders, but his father pushes him toward that future. This responsibility combines with his remarkable potential, and Liam becomes lost in his abilities.

Laxshmi struggles under no less responsibility.

Her father died five years ago, and since then, Laxshmi’s mother has focused entirely on her. Mrs. Kapadia struggles financially and determines that her daughter must do better by becoming a doctor or marrying a wealthy man. Though she balks at her mother’s control, Laxshmi can’t help but feel she must be the dutiful daughter to keep a promise made to her father. Can Laxshmi give up on her dreams for the sake of her mother? Laxshmi honors her mother’s wishes to stay away from all boys, especially those who are non-Indian, though it means she may be missing out on a genuine love with Liam.

Ironically, both Liam and Laxshmi find a certain freedom in the responsibility of a relationship with each other. Though they must invest great emotion, they make that trade for the chance to choose their paths. Rather than being burdened by another’s emotions, they make each other stronger.

Shaila Patel’s Soulmated won 1^st Place in the 2015 CIBA Paranormal Book Awards for Supernatural Fiction.

February 11, 2022
Montana Mustangs: Book 2 of the Nymph Series (Nymph’s Curse) by Danica Winters – Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Family Relationships

Aura Montgarten needs to find her sister, Natalie, in Danica Winters’ paranormal romance, Montana Mustangs.

At first, Aura hopes that Natalie just went off with friends and didn’t bother to call. But the silence continues for more than a week. Aura jumps in her truck to search the last place Natalie’s cell phone had been used, a mountain near Somers, Montana, behind a place called the Diamond Ranch. Before she can get onto the mountain to search, Aura becomes embroiled in a darker mystery when she finds a mutilated hand near where Natalie had been staying. With the gruesome discovery, she fears that Natalie ran into more serious trouble than she had first suspected.

When a handsome sheriff’s deputy questions her, Aura feels a stirring she hasn’t ever experienced.

Dane Burke, a no-nonsense lawman, has a case to solve. He shouldn’t be thinking about the mysterious, beautiful drifter in any way except as a possible suspect. With one failed marriage and a non-existent relationship with his estranged brother, he can’t allow himself to feel anything, not even lust. Little does he know, Aura feels much the same, but for very different reasons. Aura keeps her true identity hidden: a shape-shifting nymph. As part of her supernatural nature, any man who loves her or that she loves will die. The two delve deeper into the mystery and the search for Natalie, and their feelings become impossible to deny.

Dane and Aura have juxtaposing relationships with their respective siblings.

Aura and Natalie couldn’t be closer. As demigods, the two nymphs have lived for over five hundred years. They share the same curse, connecting them by something else–the need, but inability, to love. Because they cannot allow themselves to find love in a mate, they only have each other. Though Natalie has often “gone wild” and let her Mustang side free for days or weeks at a time, she always returns to her sister who hasn’t shifted in many years. In fact, the two have never gone seven days without speaking before. Aura will do anything to find her sister, even if it means using her nymph powers of seduction to force Dane to help her.

Dane and his brother, Zeb, couldn’t be further apart. For over twenty years, Dane has stayed away from the Diamond Ranch, once his childhood home and owned now by Zeb. Dane vowed to never return to the ranch when he caught his wife in the arms of his brother. Absence has not made their hearts grow fonder. When Dane shows up at the ranch to question his brother, Zeb meets him with a shotgun, and when Dane releases Zeb from custody, the two brawl in a parking lot. Aura can’t understand their interactions because of her closeness with Natalie.

Aura and Dane must both face their fear of love.

Dane was hurt before, however Aura knows that for her, life and death hang in the balance of her love. She wants to protect Dane from her curse. This presents an ironic twist considering Dane, the consummate protector, has sworn to save lives even at the cost of his own. Aura seems fearless, but in truth her fear of love controls her to the point she has never shared her secrets with any man. She uses her hundreds of years of watching humans cruelly hurt animals as part of her excuse—how could she possibly love them?

Despite her fear, Aura can’t deny she actually enjoys Dane’s controlling nature, the predator and prey feelings that excite her nymph nature. Her feelings go beyond lust, though, coming from “somewhere hidden,” a place no man has ever touched. These new feelings make her consider allowing herself to love and be loved. Though she has always prided herself on being free, she knows she has never truly been so because of her fear of love. Dane’s love becomes the very thing to break her from the bonds of that fear.

Danica Winters’ Montana Mustangs won 1st Place in the 2014 CIBA Chatelaine Book Awards for Romance Fiction.

February 7, 2022
ANNIHILATION: Book 2, Gehenna Series by Kaylin McFarren – Occult Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Occult Horror

Samara Daemonium tries to break free from her father’s control as the realms of Heaven and Hell prepare for war, in Kaylin McFarren’s erotic supernatural novel, Annihilation.

Lucinda, the daughter of Satan, rules Hell with an iron fist. She sits on the throne thanks in part to the angel/demon hybrid Crighton and his angel soulmate Ariel. However, power changed Lucinda. She no longer stands as a brighter future in Hell, but rather as a demagogue driving her demons to rise up in battle against the hosts of Heaven. Crighton struggles between his loyalty to Lucinda, and his responsibility for his family—especially his pregnant soulmate. He doesn’t yet know the depths of Lucinda’s deception.

Crighton tries to hold his family together by force, as Ariel gives birth to Cassius and a stillborn Caleb. But Samara chafes under her lack of freedom, kept in a secluded cabin to hide her from the forces of Hell. She turns to her uncle Tyrus for help, and when dark forces descend on her family, she steps up to defend them. While Samara can help to save her parents and brother, she doesn’t see the danger to herself until it’s found her. Lucifer, returned to physical form in the body of Samara’s first love, drags her to Hell and the palace of cruelty he prepared for her.

McFarren illuminates the fantastical stretches of Hell in tactile, colorful description.

Torture, sex, and supernatural powers mingle together in an otherworldly display. Witches take vengeance on the demon who killed their sister, Lucinda consumes the souls of magically gifted beings, and Samara learns of a bloodline with incredible abilities. But amongst all the magic and hell spawn, themes of family and identity ground the central characters.

Lucifer fights the political influence of the Knights of Darkness, strengthening his hold on the realm of demons. Meanwhile, a group of cambions calling themselves the Crows try to stop an apocalyptic war from breaking out. And the Daemonium family fall into the sights of them all.

Though Samara yearns for her freedom, she fears that she won’t have a family to return to. Has her brother Cassius taken her place, left her forgotten? When Lucifer abuses and assaults her in Hell, when she’s abandoned by her father Crighton for two months, she can rely on next to nobody. Only Tyrus, now imprisoned and tortured as well, keeps her sane.

From the depths of Hell, Samara will face a destiny laid out since far before her birth.

Can she really save the world—more than one world, in fact—from Lucifer’s power mongering? The great Red War looms on the horizon, and Samara finds that in the end, she can’t even be sure of herself.

Throughout this story, readers will reel at Lucifer’s horrors, cheer for the protection of the bonds of love, and anxiously await their answers as to how the multi-faceted story lines of the series many characters will come together. Annihilation proves a suspenseful read. The characters stand larger than life, their personalities remaining solid from beginning to end.

December 31, 2021
CRIMSON FLAMES (The Crimson Series Book 2) by Ashley Robertson – Paranormal Romance, New Adult and College Romance, Vampire Romance

Newly-turned vampire Abigail Tate desperately wants to protect her human boyfriend, Tyler, in Ashley Robertson’s second book in The Crimson Series, Crimson Flames.

Tyler has been accused of helping the Resistance, a rogue band of vampires who want to bring down the Council, but Abby believes in Tyler’s innocence and refuses to hand him over as the law requires. Since being turned, Abby has gained unbelievable pyrokinesis powers thanks to her mother, the powerful sorceress, and counselor to the High Council. With her burgeoning ability and the promise of much more to come, the Council agrees to give her time in exchange for her tentative help in fighting Lars, the Resistance leader and a vampire capable of harnessing the powers of darkness and death.

Abby’s loyalty to Tyler is tested when she meets Trace, a member of the High Council.

The handsome, ancient vampire can’t control his feelings for Abby, and the more she learns about Tyler’s treachery, the less convinced she becomes that he is truly innocent, making her more and more willing to give Trace a chance. As the war between the Council and the Resistance intensifies, Abby discovers truths she isn’t sure she wants to know. As her powers increase, she’s driven to connect with the spirit of her sorceress mother. But doing so leads her closer to a clash with her destiny. Will she be powerful enough to defeat the darkness?

The strength of this novel lies in the development of the main character, Abby.

Abby is part-vampire, part-sorceress, and all hero. While learning the extent of her pyrokinesis, the ability to call up an internal fire hot enough to bring down not only her vampire enemies but also entire buildings, she must also learn how to control it. As the novel progresses, so does her power. Elliot, arguably the strongest member of the High Council, has the ability to communicate with the dead, allowing them to inhabit his earthly body, and in Abby’s case, pass on much-needed information and help. When Elliot calls forth Madelaine, Abby’s deceased biological mother, he fulfills Abby’s strong desire to know the woman who passed on her unbelievable abilities. Having been raised by a human blood donor whom Abby believed to be her birth mother for most of her life, Abby’s reunion with her mother creates joy but uncertainty. This uncertainty creates the more human element of the character, showing that ultimate power doesn’t necessarily bring ultimate fulfillment.

Still, Abby is a consummate hero.

Even when it could mean her death, Abby refuses to leave anyone behind. She sees herself as a “monster” with the responsibility to care for the race to which she recently belonged. To Abby, mercy and second chances seem almost second nature. In fact, she refuses to allow anyone to harm Tyler, even though he betrayed her, until she gives him another opportunity to make things right and explain his strange behavior. She stands against the most powerful vampires in her world as long as righteousness and justice remain her goals.

A clear theme issue within the novel is trust.

Surrounded by betrayal, Abby must learn whom she can truly trust. The biggest betrayal happens, in part, before the novel’s action begins. In book one, her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, Tyler, plays a part in the murder of Abby’s father. Though he claims not to have been aware of his treachery, everyone believes him to be duplicitous. It isn’t until later that Abby will learn the full truth, a much more complicated story than she would have ever guessed, and come to terms with all that that means in her life.

The issue of helping the High Council presents yet another trust situation. Though the Council offers the chance to “meet” the mother she didn’t know existed before her transformation, she must submit to their expectations and demands, putting herself fully within their hands and possibly committing acts she cannot reconcile with her own beliefs. When she does meet Madelaine, she once again doesn’t know how much to allow herself to trust. She repeatedly questions her mother’s motives, whether she wants to help her daughter or help the Council.

Most importantly, Abby must learn to trust herself and her new powers. It isn’t until she begins to trust in her own strength that she becomes strong enough to defeat the ultimate darkness. That confidence in oneself remains the hardest to earn and comes with the highest cost. Crimson Flame won 1st Place in the CIBAs 2013 Chatelaine Awards for Paranormal Romance books.

August 20, 2021
ABIGAIL’s WINDOW by Susan Lynn Solomon – Romantic Fantasy, Paranormal & Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Katy Novacs is haunted, both by her past and the laughing specter that reminds her of it. When her friends bring her to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the hopes of lifting her spirits, she finds that their inn has a ghost of its own who has a tale that might save her.

Katy comes to the Niagara Inn in a mire of sorrow, fear, and trauma. Though her friends try to help her move forward with her life, to fall in love and open herself up to other people again, Katy’s stay at the inn only seems to drain her further. Both she and her friends question her sanity as she becomes certain that she’s sharing a room with the spirit of a dead woman, but when Abigail eventually reveals herself, it is to tell Katy a story that she needs to hear—that of Abigail’s life.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Abigail Kirby finds her own love in Will Bender. They cross the lines of class to be together, but Abigail’s story doesn’t end when she wins Will’s heart; there are far greater struggles, sorrows, and the dark shadows of the past waiting to fall upon her. What strings have fate wrapped around Abigail, and will Katy be able to find the message that she so desperately needs?

Abigail’s Window is threaded through with evocative descriptions. The cold and snow of Niagara-on-the-Lake surrounds the Niagara Inn, which is built up with foreboding and emotional energy that suffuses parts of the old house. Abigail’s story is even more expansive in its description, building the whole town as it was long in the past; this old picture gives the reader a strong sense of Abigail and the world that she lived in, from the small social circles of Niagara-on-the-Lake to an exploration of the far-reaching American Civil War.

Susan Lynn Solomon creates animated, complex characters whose personalities show through in everything they do and say. Katy’s emotional exhaustion is palpable on the page, shading the entire beginning of the story; her narration is intimately understandable even at its most troubled. Her experiences show a deep alienation from the people around her and draw the reader into her world which is, at least early on, truly private. Among that fear and isolation from Katy’s struggles, the story introduces a slow, powerful development of the friendship and emotional connection that Abigail and Katy share as they tell each other what they’ve both been through; their life stories carry parallels that help them understand one another while remaining distinct characters with their own voices and ways of seeing the world.

The reader learns the mysteries of Katy and Abigail at the same time the two women learn them, their stories interwoven. The pacing of Abigail’s Window is excellent. The story takes its time revealing Abigail, giving space for Katy to settle into the house and teach the reader about herself. Katy’s fear of the ghost doesn’t change to comfort all at once, but over time as Abigail becomes more and more present. Once they begin sharing, both of their stories are given the space they need to be told, to explore the feelings within them and show the reader who these characters were before they came to share a bedroom in the Niagara Inn. Those stories come together as Abigail’s Window picks up the pace for a tense and affecting climax.

Common themes connect Abigail and Katy. Abigail’s story is marked by fate, how what happened to her before could only have led to what came after, and how she tried to fight against it. Katy struggles to accept the love that’s waiting for her because of her own past. Abigail’s Window doesn’t shy away from the deep emotional pain of its characters, but the story is strung together with the idea that a true connection with someone else has the power to heal the soul, and the trust that love will survive, no matter what else.

Abigail’s Window is a touching, fascinating story of two wonderful characters, and the connection they form across a century and a half. This novel by Susan Lynn Solomon won Grand Prize in the CIBA 2019 Paranormal Awards for supernatural fiction.

March 22, 2021
SOUL SEEKER by Kaylin McFarren – Occult Horror, Paranormal Romance, Occult Fiction

The realms of demons and angels clash, as the possibility of romance, plunges the beings of Hell into chaos. Kaylin McFarren’s Soul Seeker follows the otherworldly set as they flee for their lives, uncover millennia-old secrets about one another, and face the possibility of love in a very dangerous world.

But first, the demon, Crighton, wreaks havoc on his human target, a man named Poe, devastating the man and his family. You could say, Crighton’s at home collecting wicked souls for his boss, Lucifer. His villain persona is put into question when he meets the angel, Ariel. At first, Crighton believes the angelic Ariel would make an excellent prize for the prince of darkness, as the demon is well aware that his master adores ruining pretty things. However, when an undeniable attraction emerges between them, they wrestle with each other, pitting strength against strength. Beware any who would do anything to tear these two apart—that would spell certain death.

McFarren leads us into Hell through the mechanisms of secret societies and across the earth’s crust, ever raising the stakes for her leading duo. Crighton and Ariel discover what a union between angel and demon truly means, and what has been conveniently left out of their histories.

Soul Seeker paints an intimate view of a supernatural world, seen through the eyes of characters who know it well—though not so well that there aren’t mysteries to yet uncover. In McFarren’s world, demons are more than just evil beings, but as those who suffer, desire, and ones with whom we empathize. More than any character, Crighton embodies the conflict between cruelty and mercy. Angels aren’t monolithic either. Indeed, McFarren portrays her cast of heavenly dwellers with their own doubts and failures that make them real and emotionally affecting characters, especially as Ariel learns that Crighton isn’t quite the monster she first sees him as.

Ariel and Crighton run through a thrilling and fast-paced narrative, full of ever-present tension and half-victories. The story keeps a brisk pace, and Kaylin McFarren builds on this momentum as the pages seem to turn by themselves, creating a sophisticated and remarkable otherworldly conclusion.

At its heart, this story is concerned with the personal thoughts and feelings of its characters. Crighton and Ariel become the emotional heart of the story as they slowly try to grow to accept each other, and change to meet their new challenges, but many of the characters are given space to grow and understand one another, providing a heartwarming journey alongside the fighting of demons, the family turmoil, and the enticing mysteries of Soul Seeker. In short, Kaylin McFarren has done it again! Those looking for a new, otherworldly thriller series, need look no further than Soul Seeker.

Order here.

October 7, 2020
ENTHRALLMENT by Meg Evans – Paranormal Romance, Romance, Urban Fantasy

One woman unwittingly enters into a deadly game of obsession. What must she pay to regain her body and soul?

Between classes and her part-time job, Zara Logan doesn’t have much time for socializing or even the horror movies she loves and hates, but when Dorian Hatch moves in next door, her life quickly shifts from familiar routine to chaos. Dorian is drop-dead gorgeous. He’s the stuff that dreams are made of – and that becomes a bit of a problem for Zara.

It’s a deadly game, the pursuit of Dorian. Zara doesn’t set out to be possessed body and soul by her neighbor, but obsession is a tricky web. What begins as spying on the hot guy next door quickly becomes so much more. Zara knows her need for Dorian is unhealthy at its most innocent and destructive at its most dangerous, yet she cannot rid herself of the burning desire for him. She sees her identity slipping away, knows it’s consuming her, but nothing matters, not even when Dorian asks what she is willing to “stake” to be with him.

Zara’s attraction to the mysterious Dorian turns up a few thousand notches to an undeniable blazing heat, full-on obsession. Her relationships with her Aunt Cynthia (who raised her) and her best friend suffer when she begins lying so that she can secretly spend time with Dorian. Aunt Cynthia and Rachel try to make Zara comprehend their concerns, but Zara believes she is under control.

But who can fight a supernatural dark force? Zara soon experiences some rather strange physical symptoms such as blackouts and nightmares, and an all-out need for the man. Zara is far from being in control. She’s stuck in an all-consuming compulsion to be near him, but with every move closer, she senses absolute darkness surrounding him and knows it’s only a matter of time before she can no longer find her way back to herself.

Meg Evans doesn’t let up on her main character but pours on the heat and throws Zara into one sensuous scene after the other until Zara feels used up and strung out. The author manages to craft a tale that is simultaneously a steamy romance and an uncomfortable portrayal of what it is to be genuinely obsessed. Indeed, it isn’t until much later that Zara realizes how much of a Dorian-junkie she has become. He is the fulfillment of her greatest dreams and the embodiment of her worst nightmare. She feels the humiliation of her neediness but can’t pull away from the way Dorian makes her feel. How does he do it? What is this power he holds over Zara?

Zara’s stress is nearly her undoing, but this pain is nothing compared to the escalating obsession that consumes and drives her, leaving her to wonder if she is losing her mind. It’s all tied tightly together, which promises to leave readers enthralled and desperate for more.

Remember to pre-order your copy of Enthrallment right here!

June 29, 2020
The SEA ARCHER by Jeny Heckman – Fantasy Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance Series

Raven Hunter should be happy. In fact, with her super-successful, twelve-year career as a pop singer and her million-dollar condo in Seattle, she should be unstoppable, but the world can’t see who she really is: a recently divorced, domestically abused, broken woman. No longer in her twenties and facing a world of artificiality, she just wants to hide from everyone. But when her best friend, Que, and her twin brother, Wyatt, convince her to take an extended vacation to Hawaii to reconnect with herself, she reluctantly agrees.

Only wanting to rid herself of the taint of her former husband/manager, Donovan, Raven is NOT looking for romance, despite Que’s urging. It isn’t until she sees Finn Taylor, marine biologist plus savior of monk seals all over the islands, that she thinks there may be more to this vacation than she imagined.

Finn isn’t looking for love–a one-night stand definitely–but never love. He’s too busy with his research and his quirky grandmother, Dee, to be burdened with a permanent lady in his bed. But Raven seems to be everywhere he goes, and more importantly, she is rapidly becoming a fixture in his mind. Neither can deny the connection they feel almost immediately, nor the odd dreams both are having. When Dee begins to tell them a strange tale of gods and goddesses, prophecies, and destruction, they must decide if there truly is more to their romance than a holiday fling.

The mythology around which the novel rotates is a beautiful addition to what is already a great romance. Any lover of mythology will devour this novel. Cronus’ defeat and the Olympians’ plotting all make for fun as author Jenny Heckman recreates the lore for her spicy romance.

When Raven and Finn meet, the wheel of fate begins to turn, bringing forth Themis herself to tell Dee the prophecy. Only after both Raven and Finn discover and overcome their weaknesses will they find the path to each other and bring the gods to life.

Self-discovery and self-truth dominate this novel. Raven is terrified to start over. Without the urging of her brother and best friend, she would never have found the courage to go to Hawaii alone, but once there, she began to reconnect to the part of herself she gave to her wretched ex-husband. With a rented piano and a legal pad, she forges ahead, writing herself into her songs, the very songs Donovan never would have let her play and sing, songs that tell her truth. Having lost her parents at a young age and growing up in the foster home from Hell, Raven learned the hard way to keep herself hidden.

Finn must face some ugly truths when his uber machismo gets in the way of his feelings for Raven. With his trident tattoo, stunning looks, and bad-boy attitude, he always gets what he wants from women, and he tries to become the very thing Raven is escaping. His need to control everyone and everything gradually collapses in the presence of the beautiful Raven. Heckman delivers a strong, sexy, and smart first in series Paranormal Romance that will definitely hook readers.

The Sea Archer won First Place in the CIBA 2018 Paranormal Awards.

June 26, 2020
YEARNING for the UNATTAINABLE by L. L. Eadie – Southern Gothic YA, Ghost Story YA, YA Paranormal Romance

Y.F.T.U.: Shorthand for “yearning for the unattainable.” It’s an ongoing condition in the life of 16-year-old Gentry Wickleham, very much a 21st Century teenager whose life thus far has been a series of shifting sands: a father who can’t seem to hold a job, a mother who disappeared long ago, Rawsom – her obnoxious older brother, a seemingly endless series of Dad’s girlfriends with maternal skills that verge on the non-existent, and a constant life on the move.

“Damn,” she says at one point. “Maybe I’m not sure where I belong. Maybe I don’t.”

So, when Dad and Nikki, his nubile new girlfriend, and Rawsom move to the small town of Wiregrass, Georgia, and move into her great aunt Tom’s decrepit old mansion, Gentry has no expectation of the wild, exuberant ride awaiting her. Who knew that secrets, ghosts, and murder awaited her, along with new friends, a new exciting life, and even love was right around the corner? More specifically, who knew what revelations about her family’s past, as well as her own unique relationship with a dead girl from another time, was happening right upstairs in the attic of the old house.

Yearning for the Unattainable is an enjoyable brew of multiple storylines that keep readers bouncing through Gentry’s life. Central to the story is her near-identical resemblance to Sylvie, her aunt Tom’s daughter, whose early, mysterious death at 16 during the 1960s affected virtually everyone who lived in the small, close-knit town Even today, people are influenced by her suicide – or was it murder? – a half-century ago.

But this is no usual whodunit. We live in Gentry’s sensitive yet yearning skin as she navigates through the rigors of growing up. Is she pretty enough? Can the young man she lusts after, a nearly perfect boy named Legend, even begin noticing her when he’s constantly surrounded by hoards of busty competitors that keep Gentry constantly reassessing her own ability to compete? In her world, if boys are Sirloins and girls are Sirens, then what is she?

It takes skill to tell this kind of tale. There are multiple threads to follow from the dead Sylvie to the mysteries of Aunt Tom’s mansion, to Gentry’s lustful fantasies about Legend and her reluctant development of a relationship with her father’s girlfriend among them. Author, L.L. Eadie effortlessly takes us with her from storyline to storyline in what ultimately is a complex tale. Y.F.T.U. also keeps providing new details about each key character, making it easy to recall who’s who, which allows us to know these people even as the mysteries of Wiregrass reveal themselves all the way to the last page.

The language is often salty. Some might find that offensive, but this is a contemporary book dealing with themes as old as mankind itself. Author L.L. Eadie serves up a Southern Gothic YA novel in a fresh new way and succeeds admirably.

January 22, 2020
Magic of the Pentacle by Diane Wylie – Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, Historical Romance

Richard Blackstone, aka The Mesmerist, is a successful magician working in San Francisco, but in the city of millions, he is truly alone because Richard has a secret. He is immortal. Centuries ago, as a medieval knight in King Edward’s service, Richard’s life changed when he met a traveling magician and stole an enchanted amulet that granted him immortality, magical abilities, and the power to sense others’ emotions. But magic comes with a price.

After an enemy kills his wife and sons, he sees how miserable his long existence will be and gradually becomes determined to never love again rather than feel the heartbreak of loss; but following on overnight stay in a psychiatric hospital for an incident in a bar, Richard meets a woman who challenges his long-held beliefs.

What began as a bargain to help a patient becomes so much more for Dr. Juliana Nelson. After agreeing to attend one of Richard’s magic shows, Juliana can’t keep her mind or her hands off the sexy magician who is as mysterious as his magic show, but when she learns his secret, she is uncertain whether she can believe the tale. If it is untrue, Richard should be committed, but if she allows herself to believe it, she should be committed. If he is immortal, Julianna will inevitably be forced to give him up, and she is left to wonder if love can conquer time.

One strength of the novel is the paradoxical irony of Richard and Juliana’s relationship. After spending five hundred lonely years, he has now found his love redemption with Juliana, but in order to fully immerse himself, he must let go of the family he watched die in the fifteenth century. If Richard ever wants to find happiness in his present life, he has to free himself from his past life, and Juliana may be the key to his freedom.

But can this new couple’s found love balance a future of pain and loss?

A mixture of romance, the paranormal, and historical fiction, this novel has something for everyone. Romance lovers get their literal knight in shining armor. History fans will get to experience a fifteenth-century battle in a video game style quest, and paranormal buffs will love the power of the amulet. All in all, a fine read.

March 22, 2019