Vanished Trails by LT Ryan

December 5, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Vanished Trails by LT Ryan
Publisher: Liquid Mind Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Amidst Shadows and Secrets, a Deadly Hunt Begins.
Six kids walked into the woods, but only five walked out…

18-year-old Liz Turner’s vanishing act sets off a relentless storm of secrets and suspicions. Her tight-knit group of friends, on the verge of starting their college journey, becomes fractured as they grapple with the puzzling nature of her disappearance. Without a body to be found, the police investigation stalls, leaving the case enshrouded in uncertainty.

Maddie Castle, tormented by personal tragedy. In the depth of her despair, the vanishing of Daisy Miller, her boyfriend’s sister-in-law, stirs old wounds and ignites a flicker of hope. Desperate for answers and redemption, Maddie seeks alliance with Detective Ashley Harper, the relentless investigator assigned to the Liz Turner case.

But their partnership comes at a cost. Maddie, once a respected law enforcement officer, must now rely on her instincts and her loyal K9 partner, Tempest, to navigate the treacherous terrain of this perplexing enigma. Harper’s bargain is simple: unravel the threads of Liz Turner’s life in exchange for assistance in solving Daisy’s disappearance.

As they plunge deeper into the heart of darkness, Maddie and Harper find themselves entangled in a web of danger, deceit, and deadly adversaries. From the eerie depths of the Pennsylvania wilderness to the clandestine world of hidden foes, they discover that every step taken toward the truth could also lead them closer to their own demise.

PI Maddie Castle is still recovering from her previous case. Struggling with her grief and despair she’s finally ready to help her childhood friend Bentley discover what happened to his sister in law Daisy. Yet when Maddie reaches out to try and find details of that case, another vanishing falls into her lap. The parents of a recently missing teenager – presumably lost in the woods – hire Maddie and her K9, Tempest, to search for their wayward daughter. Only Maddie quickly finds that case is far more complicated, and volatile, than she expected.

I have been really enjoying this series and found this to be an interesting and well paced book. There is quite a lot of personal growth and character movement – both for Maddie and the other secondary characters directly around her. While I thoroughly enjoyed the progress on a number of the longer running story arcs I can’t help but feel that maybe readers new to this series might feel all the character growth and development might be slowing the pace of the mystery plot. I enjoyed the – long time coming – developments, but I am also heavily emotionally invested in a number of these character arcs. Readers who are fresh to this book and series, or readers more interested in the mystery, might not feel the same.

That said, I did feel the two main mysteries here – one longer running and one well encapsulated in this book – were well written and intriguing enough to hold the readers attention. While I admit this is not a highly complex, deeply plotted storyline I found it fresh and not too cliched. I also appreciated that the missing teenager was not the usual sort of “innocent missing kid” that is usually in this scenario. That definitely gave the plot a realistic and more modern feel to me and had me interested on what had actually occurred that weekend. Watching that puzzle get solved was fun and kept me turning the pages.

Readers should definitely be aware that one of the sub-plots and quite a few of the character story arcs are ongoing throughout the series, and while the main mystery plot gets very well wrapped up – the sub-plot is a longer running line and is left with quite a few important questions still hanging at the end of this book. While I found this incentive to hurry into the next in the series – I could understand if readers who hate any kind of cliff hanger might not be as thrilled by this style of book ending.  This was a good book with plenty of character movement.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

We Will Speak Again of the Red Tower by Author Joelle Killian, Carson Winter, Jack Klausner, Joe Koch, Rhiannon Rasmussen, C.J. Subko, TJ Price, and RSL

December 4, 2025 By Leave a Comment


We Will Speak Again of the Red Tower by Joelle Killian, Carson Winter, Jack Klausner, Joe Koch, Rhiannon Rasmussen, C.J. Subko, TJ Price, and RSL
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“The ruined factory stood three stories high in an otherwise featureless landscape…”

With these words, Thomas Ligotti begins one of the most influential short stories in the canon of horror and weird fiction. “The Red Tower” is a singular work, extraordinary even within Ligotti’s exemplary oeuvre, and has long been admired by scholars and enthusiasts alike. It is unlike any other story you’ve ever read.

“We are all talking and thinking about the Red Tower in our own degenerate way…”

The eight artists of these pages have come together, if not as representatives of the Tower itself, as adherents of its twisted, creative force. Each of them have seen the blasted factory, been touched by its encrimsoning, and have produced for your consideration these novelties from its ruddy depths. Perhaps once you have read them, you too

“…will be able to speak again of The Red Tower.”

Few things are scarier than not having any idea what’s happening in a strange situation.

The plot twists in “Jar of Arms” kept me guessing. I never would have thought that glass jars could be so scary or be used in such interesting ways. I also enjoyed the different reactions that children had to what was happening in this tale as compared to the adults around them. Various age groups can experience the same phenomenon in discordant ways in real life, too, so of course the same can be true in fiction.

As much as I appreciated the scary vibes of this universe, there were times when I wished more attention had been paid to plot development and explaining what was going on with the Red Tower. “[_]he [__]a[__]r[_] of th[_] [_]e[_] [___]r [__] [__]o[___] [_____]t[_]”, the second to last instalment, was a good example of this. The main character found an abandoned child and only then realized that he or she had never met a child before and, what’s more, couldn’t even remember that portion of their own life. This was the sort of detail that I would have loved to see expanded upon as it’s not something I’ve seen before in the speculative fiction genre from what I can recall and there were so many possibilities that could have been explored after that revelation.

All of the tales in this collection had dreamlike qualities about them, and this was especially noticeable in “Tolerance” which began with a nightmarish description of how the Red Tower mysteriously changed shape, color, and size so regularly that no map or chart of it could ever be accurate. It reminded me of nightmares I’ve had about trying to escape buildings that never seem to have any way to exit them even if they do appear to have windows or doors at first glance. Focusing on the logistical problems related to not knowing how this tower works was a smart way to not only describe it in more detail but to also help the rest of this book make more sense.

We Will Speak Again of the Red Tower was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Like The Stars by Jonathan Wright

December 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Like The Stars by Jonathan Wright
Jack-O-Lanterns, 9
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

If a Lycan loves you he will take you and ravage you with intense passion, make you come all night, and leave you exhausted and satisfied. In return for your love and your unquestioning obedience he will protect you, cherish you, and love you forever. He will fight to the death to keep you.

A vampire will seduce you with detached casualness and make you come until you scream. He will not stay with you, but will depart smiling, uncaring, having satisfied his own selfish desires and leaving you never wholly satisfied. You will beg to be his slave. He may accept you as such, but will feel no responsibility for you. He will use other women and you will not care as long as he uses you. If you disobey him the punishment will be harsh and painful. If you die he will feel nothing but a vague sense of what-might-have-been.

Lycans and vampires do not mix well.

Denise loved Halloween and particularly enjoyed the fantasy of vampires. Dressed for a party in the French Quarter as a succubus, she was determined to nab a vampire-costumed hottie. What she ended up with was Razul – an actual (not wannabe) vampire. Can one smoking hot night lead to something more?

I thoroughly enjoyed this super short Halloween themed spicy story. While I feel the story is somewhat unconventional, I do think other open minded erotica readers should enjoy this as thoroughly as I did. Readers needing a one-man, one-woman style of sexy story might not enjoy this quick read, but I do think if you keep an open mind this interesting and slightly different Halloween read could be something fresh and different.

I enjoyed how the author led us along and felt the story and changes to Denise were well explained. This is a new-to-me author, and I’d definitely be intrigued and interested to read more of his work. With a surprisingly robust plot for such a short story, I enjoyed both the twist (which I absolutely didn’t see coming) and the world building.

Equal parts sexy and intriguing, I found this to be a really well written, slightly darker spicy romance. Recommended.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Wrapped in Tinsel by Sarah Stein

December 2, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Wrapped in Tinsel by Sarah Stein
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

IVY CANE TINSEL
He’s bad news.
But I can’t help staring.
His eyes pick me apart every time we’re in the same room together.
He’s drop-dead gorgeous, and my body reacts in a way that surprises me.
I thought his job was complete, but it was just the beginning.
He’s taken residence in my mind and refuses to leave.

ASHER BOYD
I was hired to do one job, and that was it.
Unfortunately, things never happen as expected.
It takes longer than expected, only because of her.
Just as I finish, another request pops up.
I’ve never played Santa before.
My only thought is whether Ivy will take the opportunity to sit on my lap and reveal her Christmas wishes.

The holidays are the perfect time for a little romance, whether for a few nights or maybe for much longer than that.

Ivy and Asher were a good match for each other. Not only did they have similar personalities and interests, they had nice chemistry as well. All of these things were important to establish early on in order to help explain why their relationship heated up rapidly, so I was glad to see so much proof that these two were compatible right away.

I did find myself wishing that a few plot holes involving the protagonists’ places of employment had been filled in better. Given how busy both of their jobs seemed to be, especially in a store during the holiday season, I would have loved to have a more thorough explanation as to why they seemed to have so much free time to do things other than work. There were hints that Ivy had some truly caring and fantastic bosses and Asher was the boss at his workplace, so this could have been easily explained with a few more details added to show why there were so many lulls in activity.

There was a fun Christmas-themed plot twist involving Bells & Whistles, the store Ivy worked at, that made me smile. Obviously, I can’t go into detail about what it was without sharing spoilers, but I appreciated the humor it injected into the storyline and thought it fit the mood of this piece nicely.

Wrapped in Tinsel was playful and festive.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

December 1, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
Publisher: 47 North
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new home: It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.

Selena has nothing to lose. Ditching her partner and taking nothing but the clothes on her back and her ever-faithful dog, Copper, she chooses to start a new life and find whatever it is that she’s been missing. But when she arrives in Quartz Creek, she discovers her only connection to the town has died. Does she stay and try to make it work? Or does she go back to Walter and admit defeat?

Since this was my first T. Kingfisher novel, I honestly had no idea what to expect. What I got, however, was a dark fantasy bordering on horror at times, with more humor than you would imagine. Copper, the black lab, is the source of most of this humor, as labs often are. Grandma Billy, also, is good for a chuckle just when things start to get intense. Thankfully, we had the calming presence of Father Aguirre for when things got truly crazy.

Selena was one of the more interesting characters, in my opinion. Her ex, Walter, was controlling and constantly made her doubt herself. Watching her deconstruct and discover the truth was something special. That moment when she began to realize that Walter’s reality and hers were two different things really stood out.

As someone who has spent most of her life in the desert, everything about this book appealed to me. The bleakness and beauty of the southwest, the native beliefs, and of course, that a road runner was at the forefront of the story. These little birds have fascinated me since I was a child, and it makes me sad that I rarely see them these days. Quartz Creek might seem like a dying town, but there is absolutely more to this sleepy little village than meets the eye. I look forward to reading more of T. Kingfisher’s books in the future. This one certainly lived up to the hype for me.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bunny’s Special Treat by Wanda Violet O.

November 28, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Bunny’s Special Treat by Wanda Violet O.
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

His Bunny. His rules. One night of denial becomes a lifetime of surrender.

I never dreamed being Max’s Bunny would feel like this. Owned, protected, and utterly consumed by his desire shouldn’t be the enticement, but pleasing Max, submitting to him, fulfills something inside me I didn’t know I was missing. Every touch, every command, every whispered promise reminds me I belong to him. But belonging comes with its own exquisite torment.

Daddy Jacob’s masquerade promises a night of temptation and denial, where every glance burns hotter and every stolen touch leaves me trembling on the edge. I ache for release, but Max’s rules are absolute: I come only when he allows it. And tonight, he intends to push me further than I’ve ever gone before.

Surrounded by power, lust, and dangerous devotion, I have only one truth to hold on to. I’m Max’s Bunny. Always.

Max and his Bunny are enjoying a special night at Daddy Jacob’s masquerade. Even though the night is filled with friends, power and lust, Bunny knows Max’s rules come above all else. No matter the provocation or situation, she only comes when Max allows. Can Max and his Bunny enjoy this exquisite but tortuous evening together?

I enjoyed this brief but spicy Daddy Dom erotic short story. While I think I’ve read one of this series before – I haven’t followed along fully, and I still found the story spicy and enjoyable. I do think readers might feel a stronger connection to Bunny and Max and their friends if they’ve read the other books – but I found it certainly easy to pick this up pretty much by itself and still enjoy the proceedings.

Readers should be aware this spicy romance has multiple partners for Bunny, and the party is quite the enticing and exotic event. While there isn’t really much of a plot – I still found this an interesting and fun quick read. Absolutely have a cold drink on hand and I’d recommend not reading it anywhere public – Bunny is thoroughly put through her paces, and this isn’t the sort of book you want to be reading when others are around.

Short and sexy, this was a fun Halloween themed erotic story that should appeal to many BDSM readers.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

All Dressed Up by Ashlynn Monroe

November 27, 2025 By Leave a Comment


All Dressed Up by Ashlynn Monroe
Jack-O-Lanterns, Book 8
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Halloween isn’t just for trick-or-treating. Sometimes it’s about playing dress up. When Isaac’s wife brings home a friend on Halloween, he never expects them to show him just what his sex life has been missing or that demons are real. Will he be willing to share his wife with two demons?

Isaac and Suzy’s marriage had gone from strength to strength after they moved. Reconnecting in the bedroom they each had loved the injection of heat into their sexy antics. Isaac is somewhat disappointed, therefore, when he gets home on Halloween to discover Suzy is out collecting her good friend Roneka who had come over for an unexpected visit. Can Issac and Suzy be honest about what each of them want?

I found this to be a super spicy foursome romance. While Suzy and Ronnie have been friends for quite some time, neither had acted on their attraction. When Ronnie also brings fellow demon Renault the four of them virtually set the bedroom on fire. Readers should absolutely sit back, keep calm, and enjoy the ride.

I do feel readers should be aware that there is very little plot to this spicy short story, and I found each page thoroughly enjoyable. The chemistry between all four characters is sky high and I really didn’t mind they didn’t even leave the house for the duration of the story.

Readers looking for a smoking hot four-way Halloween orgy can’t go wrong with this spicy short story.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Murder In the Garden by Faith Martin

November 26, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder In the Garden by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Edward Philpott is found bludgeoned to death with his own spade in his beautiful garden. He lived with his daughter Rachel and his two grandchildren.

Hillary’s only lead is a rival from the village flower show who used to argue with the victim about the size of their vegetables. But what dark secrets from the past and present does this village hold?

Hillary has returned to work after the slaying of her boss and is desperate to track down his murderer. His pregnant widow is even more determined to get revenge, but will she go too far?

Can Hillary cope with two complex investigations full of extreme emotions, one of which is very close to home?

DI Hillary Greene has been off on two months compassion leave after the explosive ending of her last case. She returns to work slightly changed from the person and officer she was on that last fateful day. When her team is called onto a new investigation before she’s even sat down at her desk, Hillary knows she’ll need to be in top form if she really wants to return to her job – and life – after this enormous change.

I was pleased that the ramifications of the previous book are still solidly sounding through this story. While I don’t feel readers need to have read the previous book to understand the importance of what happened in it – I do think a deeper emotional connection and better understanding will be had if readers have at least a few of the previous books under their belt and they know the connections and deep friendships between Hillary and some of the secondary characters.

I was also pleased that while the resolution of this previous case is very strongly represented, it didn’t really detract from the new murder case. I thought the author handled the two powerful plotlines quite well. I was also intrigued by how Hillary’s character is still very much the same – but she’s clearly grieving and not at her best. I’ve never felt Hillary had been written as some omnipotent or untouchable heroine – but seeing her somewhat disjointed and not in top form was very realistic and quite interesting to read. Particularly since she continued to play to her strengths and remained the appealing and gripping character she’s always been.

This book was layered and very interesting. I’m eager to continue the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Great Hunter by Kel Paisley

November 25, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Great Hunter by Kel Paisley
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Kel Paisley’s The Great Hunter takes us back ten thousand years, to Mesolithic Britain – a very different country from today. Not yet an island but a peninsula of Europe, with fast rising seas to the south, west and north-east. A peninsula covered mostly by forest or woodlands and home to tribes of hunters, fishers and gatherers, warriors and shamans.

Powerful spirits and other supernatural beings influence everything in the minds of these people, from the weather to illness, to childbirth and success in hunting or courtship.

Life is not without its challenges, but the real hardships of the Ice Age that ended over sixty generations before are becoming a distant memory. There is an abundance of game animals, fish and plant foods too, in season. Rich pickings for the numerous bands of hunter-gatherers. Yet the country is as hazardous as it is bountiful. Bears, wolves, aurochs and other wild animals that could kill a man roam the landscape. Floods, blizzards, wildfires and tree-felling storms may strike with little or no warning. Still more danger comes from the tribal wars that might suddenly flare up, with their brutal raids and counter-raids. Destruction may also come from enemies within.

Sometimes it takes more than love to make a relationship work.

This was a good example of crisp, clean writing. Some passages required detailed descriptions of what was happening since the vast majority of people living in the modern era do not need to go hunting or gathering in order to have something to eat for dinner, but these sections were balanced out by other moments when the audience was given free range to interpret certain emotional reactions and human impulses for ourselves. Having this delicate balance in an already 450-page novel meant that I never quite knew what to expect next, only that the narrator would share exactly what was necessary to understand the storyline and characters and not a single word more. It was exactly what I was hoping to read in that regard.

I struggled to keep track of the large cast of characters at first, especially since their names were often so similar that only a few letters separated them. While I appreciated the abbreviated list of characters that was shared before the first chapter began, it would have been nice to see more names listed there so that I could more easily keep track of who I had and hadn’t met before. What helped this issue to improve for me as a reader was how often the author reminded us of who certain characters were and how they were connected to one another. It was still a little confusing sometimes as I wandered deeper into the plot, but these reminders went a long way in prompting my memories about who was who. Speaking of lists, do take note of the Names & Author’s Notes section at the very end of this book as it does include some important cultural and historical context for this tale.

The immersive world building kept my attention levels high from the first scene to the final one. I especially enjoyed figuring out the aspects of Garetto’s society and environment that don’t translate well to life in the twenty-first century. For example, there was a description of strangers about a third of the way through this book that was quite frightening in context but also contained clues about their true identities that made me smile because of what we in modern times now know about those people that Garetto never would have guessed. Yes, I know this is a little vague, but figuring it out was a delight that I want other readers to experience for themselves.

The Great Hunter was an exciting peek back into the Mesolithic era.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder In The Meadow by Faith Martin

November 20, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder In The Meadow by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Wayne Sutton is found dead by a stream in a beautiful meadow. His head has been bashed in and a red paper heart left on his body. The handsome young artist had a reputation as a ladies’ man.

DI Hillary Greene discovers that many wealthy married women were buying his paintings and taking ‘private’ art lesson from him. It appears that several of them might have wanted him dead.

Hillary also has a new detective sergeant, Gemma Fordham. Seemingly efficient and pleasant, she harbours a secret agenda.

Can Hillary get to the bottom of a complex case involving jealousy, love, and cold-blooded murder?

When two schoolboys find a dead artist in a nearby meadow DI Hillary Greene and her team are called in to investigate. All too soon they have more suspects than they can handle – cal DI Greene work out what’s really going on?

I’ve been really enjoying this British police procedural series based around Oxford. Greene is a wonderfully different character, a middle-aged woman, secure in her career and with plenty of brains and intuition. I love how she’s smart and competent without being omniscient or unrepeatable. I also enjoy how the author has managed to switch things up a bit by over the last few books having two of Greenes team move on – one through a transfer due to marriage and one through promotion. This realistically and easily opened the doors for two new team members to arrive and become strong secondary characters.

With enough interpersonal intrigue to keep me turning pages, the fact the murder mystery was also well plotted and set at a good pace was just icing on the cake.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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