Jazz Bang Boom by Will Okati

September 7, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Jazz Bang Boom by Will Okati
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Riot’s attempt to teach his pretty lover to behave himself doesn’t… quite… go as planned.

Jazz loves pretty things and things that go BOOM. Tyger, AKA Riot, is a man on a mission, searching for the bits and pieces that’ll repair his damaged, bio-constructed DNA. It only makes sense for the happily mismatched lovers to turn airship pirates and sneak, snatch or con what they need, right?

Right. One problem. Occasionally Jazz gets a little too fond of explosives, and Tyger gets a tad too focused on his quest. When that happens, they need to vent a little steam. So to speak.

Adrenaline is a drug like no other.

Jazz and Tyger’s relationship was what made this tale gel together for me. Not only was their chemistry fantastic, their dialogue was playful and witty as well. I loved seeing these two characters and thought they made the perfect match both inside and outside of the bedroom to the extent that I briefly wondered if this was a series I’d accidentally jumped into the middle of. It’s nice as a reader when that happens as it can give the characters an additional layer of depth due to all of the effort that’s been put into exploring who they are as individuals.

The ending was something I do wish had been given a little more time to evolve. While the fast pacing worked well for these characters and the world they inhabited in general, it would have been nice to slow down just a tad in the last few paragraphs in order to explain how their time travel worked and why they always seemed to travel together.

One of the things I found most interesting about the mystery and science fiction storylines was how much the author trusted his audience to put the clues together. As much as I wanted to know more about their adventures, this was one of those cases when it wasn’t strictly necessary to have a lot of plot development in order for everything to make sense. A little bit of development went a long way.

Jazz Bang Boom was action packed from the first scene to the last one.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Wandering Star and Other Stories by Sarena Ulibarri

September 3, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Wandering Star and Other Stories by Sarena Ulibarri
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Twelve stories of mythic fantasy that will transport you to the oceans and mountains of lands where water nymphs long for the touch of a mermaid, a mother’s tears of grief create a river in a desert village, and ancient songs can stop the moon from falling, make a flower bloom, or keep a dark power at bay. A quest to save a princess turns into a mission to escape a cult of giant snails. A selfish older sister seeks the favor of the last magical queen who grants wishes when the two moons align. A refugee journeys to find her lover while a comet hurtles toward their world.

A better world is possible.

“The Riverhead” was a beautiful fable about how a mother’s grief created a nearly endless supply of water for a desert village. I loved the descriptions of how various villagers reacted to her supernatural ability and what happened when the water levels rose so high that nobody knew what to do with them. Not only were they good storytelling, they explored the many faces of grief that not everyone feels comfortable showing in public.

As much as I enjoyed this collection in general, I did find myself wishing that some of the stories in it were given more time to develop. “The Ice Tree,” which followed Mirella as she attempted to kill every lizard in her community, was one such example of this. Her motivation for this and other disturbing changes she attempted to make to her environment was unclear. While I understood the point the author was trying to make, I think this would have been a stronger piece if Mirella had been given more opportunities to explain herself to the audience and convince us that her plan made more sense to her even if others disagreed with it.

I loved the world-building in “A Chorus of Shadows,” particularly as it applied to how a small group of professional singers were responsible for everything from how plants grew to what the future of humanity would look like. The descriptions of their musical abilities and the many years it took for them to perfect their skill made me wish this one could be a full-length novel. It was brimming with beauty and possibility.

The creativity shown in Wandering Star and Other Stories makes me want to read more from Ms. Ulibarri soon.

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

The Footman is an Earl by Valerie Bowman

September 1, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Footman is an Earl by Valerie Bowman
Lords in Disguise, book 1
Publisher: June Third Enterprises, LLC
Gene: Historical
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

When a spirited activist falls for a footman, will love survive when she learns he’s really the earl behind the cause she opposes?

Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Kendall, but he’s intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So, while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea—what if the ladies of the ton didn’t know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend’s summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong?

Miss Frances Wharton is far more interested in fighting for the rights of the poor than in marriage, but her mother insists she attend a summer house party—and find herself a husband. Frances would rather wed a goat than the pompous man her mother has in mind, so in order to dissuade the would-be suitor, she vows to behave like a shrew. The only person she can be herself with is the kind, handsome footman she runs into at every turn. Their connection is undeniable, and the divide between them is no match for the passion they feel. But what will happen when Frances learns that the footman she adores is actually the earl she despises? In a game where everything is false, can they convince each other that their love is true?

The Footman is an Earl is the first book in the Lords in Disguise series and can easily be read as a standalone. However, after enjoying this book so much, I definitely plan to read the second installment in the series.

One thing I especially appreciated was the Author’s Note before the prologue. Combined with the prologue, it provides a wonderful introduction to the cast of characters and immediately made me feel connected to them. It also increased my anticipation to begin the story, even after the synopsis had already captured my interest. This was my first Valerie Bowman novel, and I found her writing style to be engaging and effortless to read.

Frances is the heroine of the story, and I loved that she is clever, sincere, humble, and intelligent. She is exactly the kind of woman the hero, Lucas, has been hoping to find. I especially enjoyed her hilarious shenanigans as she tried to avoid marrying the man her mother had chosen for her.

This was such a fun and refreshing read because I’d never read a historical romance in which the hero was the one in disguise. I’ve read plenty of stories where the heroine disguises herself as a man, but Lucas posing as a servant was far more entertaining. Even better, his disguise carries a deeper purpose that is revealed later in the story when his deception comes to light. It’s a wonderful example of Valerie Bowman’s skillful storytelling, as she ties Lucas’s deception into Frances’s passion for advocating for the poor.

The connection between Lucas and Frances felt genuine, making it easy to become invested in their romance. Their chemistry was irresistible, and Lucas’s friends—who are also in disguise—added even more humor and entertainment to the story.

I found the plot to be fresh and original, with a smooth pace that kept me eagerly turning the pages. By the time I reached the end, I was completely satisfied and already looking forward to reading the next book. I highly recommend The Footman is an Earl to anyone who enjoys witty, engaging historical romance with memorable characters and a unique premise.

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

Movie Review: The Odyssey by Writers: Christopher Nolan

August 31, 2026 By 1 Comment


The Odyssey by Writers: Christopher Nolan
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron
Publisher: Universal Pictures
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars (8 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Dicentra

Odysseus, king of Ithaca, embarks on a perilous journey to return home after the Trojan War. Crossing the Mediterranean Sea with his fellow soldiers, they soon find themselves battling not only the elements, but an array of deadly obstacles and mythical creatures along the way.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the latest adaptation of the Greek epic poem by Homer, was a massive endeavour and well worth the hype. I was impressed by the directors commitment to practical effects and how the movie was the first to be filmed entirely in IMAX, but the reliance on the audience’s previous knowledge of the story and some of the scenes that they cut out kept me from giving the movie a full five stars.

Matt Damon’s Odysseus was definitely the star of the movie. I was impressed with his ability to command different scenes, whether that was in the belly of the Trojan horse (where apparently Christopher Nolan was in there with them) or on deserted beaches acting opposite Charlize Theron’s Calypso. While he was definitely the focus of the movie, he was by no means the only talented actor. Anne Hathaway did an excellent job bringing Penelope’s quiet strength to the screen. Robert Pattinson did an excellent job bringing the smarmy suitor Antinous to life. And my jaw dropped with Samantha Morton’s whole portrayal of Circe. I was flabbergasted when I later learned that the scene in which she turns Odysseus’s men into pigs was mostly practical effects instead of all CGI.

While the actors in this movie were great, there are some scenes where the director relies on the audience’s prior knowledge of the story for them to make full sense. For example, the scene with the Laestrygonians on screen mostly just looked like giant people in armor smacking around Odysseus’ crew and killing them. They took out more of Odysseus’ crew than the Cyclopes or Charybdis and Scylla, yet they get no explanation time on screen. I was also saddened that the full ‘Nobody’ sequence from the original story did not make it into the movie, though I understand that adding multiple Cyclopes would have been out of the budget (even for a massive film such as this).The scene with Clytemnestra and Agamemnon’s homecoming also makes more sense when you know the catalyst for her decision (it got maybe 5 seconds of screen time hinting towards what happened).

Overall, this was a great movie and I’m glad I took the time to see it in IMAX (even though I wish I brought some earplugs to dull the noise, haha). I do recommend that people go see the movie in theaters, though I think for the best experience it would be good to brush up on the general outline of the story beforehand.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our Ghost Harry by Peter De Geesewell

August 31, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Our Ghost Harry by Peter De Geesewell
Publisher: Rowanvale Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

How would you react if one day you found a genuine ghost sitting in your living room – declaring that from now on he’s your new housemate?

Meet Sir Henry, the bitter, mischievous ghost of Urquhart Castle in Scotland. Cursed by his own son to haunt his castle until he saves a girl’s life, he finally decides to leave his dilapidated, abandoned home and ‘emigrate’ to Switzerland, where he transforms himself into the genial and funny guardian spirit of his newly adopted family.

Our Ghost Harry is a charming ghost story that is equal parts spooky, hilarious and moving, perfect for readers aged 10 to 100. Ideal for reading aloud or enjoying on your own, it will terrify and delight audiences of all ages.

Regret is good, but fixing things is even better.

Sir Henry was a funny, cranky ghost whose past contained a few dark secrets he’d been wrestling with for over seven hundred years. Sometimes I loved him for his sense of humor and dramatic habits, but in other scenes I was exasperated by how unsympathetic and stubborn he could be. There’s something to be said for a character whose flaws are deeply woven into their personality and who was as well-rounded and interesting as he was.

The other characters in this book, especially the older members of Henry’s chosen family, were not given this same chance to shine. While I wouldn’t expect the exact same amount of time to be spent on describing what their personalities were like, the fact that I would struggle to describe how they behaved or what their biggest weaknesses were was why I ended up choosing a four-star rating. As much as I enjoyed the main character and the plot, I simply had too many questions about what the people around Henry were like to pick a rating higher than that.

This included a wonderful mixture of genres that I don’t get to see used together as often as I’d like to, especially when it came to combining comedy with horror. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that explored the cultural differences between life today and what Henry experienced in the 1300s. His expectations of how things should proceed, especially when it came to who should decide how what was now a historical site should be used, were obviously wildly out of touch with what someone born several decades ago has grown up knowing as the proper way to do things. I know this is a little vague, but there are later plot points related to how the law and social norms have changed over the centuries that fans of history or adult readers might especially like.

Our Ghost Harry made me wish for a sequel. This was such an exciting romp through both modern-day and medieval life.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

James by Percival Everett

August 18, 2026 By 1 Comment


James by Percival Everett
Publisher: Vintage
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

I read Huckleberry’s name, and I was back in the 60’s reading Huck Finn in my high school. But this wasn’t Mark Twain’s book. This was someone who had written a book of the time, these times, the 21st century. This was a good story, but it had reality in it. It was full of those things we sometimes don’t like to face.

I am really not sure how Everett did this. He wrote a story I couldn’t put down, one of bad guys and good guys, troubled times, and good times. He included words that I would have put a book down immediately had I read some of the words included. Words I would definitely find offensive in today’s world. I’d be ashamed that someone had called anyone those names. Yet somehow, he portrayed the truth all mixed with reality, even humor, mixed up with a story you just can’t wait to know how it ends. How in this world he did it, I cannot tell you.

I can’t find anything to pick on except for maybe a few typos and for this story even I can forgive those. That’s saying a lot. I can say you will have lost out if you don’t read it.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

TV Review: Little House on the Prairie

August 17, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Little House on the Prairie (2026), screenplay by Rebecca Sonnenshine and based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Showrunner: Rebecca Sonnenshine
Starring: Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, Alice Halsey, and Skywalker Hughes
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Holiday, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars (8 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

The Ingalls family lives and works on a farm in Midwestern America during the late 19th century.

Anything is possible on the open prairie.

So many iconic moments from the book were explored here. I’d say my favorite one involved what happened when the Ingalls family was snowed in over Christmas and had to become creative when planning how to celebrate that special day. Another notable moment involved a natural disaster that the characters had no advance warning of but had to react to quickly in order to prevent something catastrophic from happening. These were moments I imagined over and over again while I read the Little House books growing up, and it was fun to see a modern reimagining of them.

I was surprised by how many changes this adaptation made to the original material which had already softened many of the more difficult moments of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life. Some of the changes made sense for a 2026 interpretation of this classic as western society has changed quite a bit in the last hundred and fifty years or so, but I would have loved to see Laura and Mary played by actors who were closer to the original ages of these girls when the book was written. Some of their scenes simply fit better for younger children and felt a little unusual for a preteen and a young teenager to still be interested in. For example, most older kids have a very different experience of Santa than what was portrayed here.

With that being said, this first season did a great job of setting up what happens to these characters as they grow older. There was some wholesome foreshadowing for the Ingalls children in particular that Little House fans might find amusing, and I liked the way so many of the important people in their lives were either introduced early on or included in conversations that will hopefully be revisited in the future.

Little House on the Prairie was a heartwarming introduction to what will hopefully be a long-running series.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Minding Earth – A Collection of Contemplative Geological Science Fiction by Russ Colson

August 12, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Minding Earth – A Collection of Contemplative Geological Science Fiction by Russ Colson
Publisher: Real Dragon Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Take a light-hearted journey to the age of dinosaurs with Nate and Sandy as they consider whether the best inclinations of human nature might sometimes win out over the worst. Join Allan and Anna at an alien dig site as they explore the foundations of belief and bias amongst the petrified artifacts of a vanished race. Grapple with the morality of terrorism with Karzak and Janilla as they fight to save their alternate world from climatic catastrophe and bureaucratic intransigence.

Engage with six contemplative short stories that address the search for Truth, including the complexity of preconceived bias, the value of honoring the past, the importance of sometimes deceiving ourselves, the seductive prejudice of wanting to be right, and others. Each story is followed by short prompts and questions for reflection and discussion.

The past can never be unwritten.

Allen and his colleague Anna were tasked with finding out whether an extinct alien race had practiced any religion in “And the Rocks Cried Out.” One of the most unique parts of this tale was that the characters were investigating a species that had died out a long time ago. Anything that could be learned about what they were like must be found in the things they left behind. This isn’t typically how alien stories go, and I enjoyed the challenge of piecing together the clues along with the protagonists.

I would have liked to see more plot development in “Overturn.” It surprised me that this future version of Earth didn’t necessarily see climate change as a big deal, and knowing more about why they felt that way would have helped me to better understand their reaction to the newest threat to life on this planet that involved methane leaking into the atmosphere. The scientific evidence for why this was happening was fascinating. I simply needed more from the storyline itself.

“A Matter of Stratigraphy” explored what Syana and the other scientists discovered when visiting a planet that had sent out an emergency message a little over two hundred years ago and then gone silent forever. I especially appreciated the philosophical questions that were asked in this story as not everyone is necessarily eager to know the truth if they suspect having that information might conflict with their current beliefs about how the universe works.

Minding Earth – A Collection of Contemplative Geological Science Fiction is making me wish for more from this author. What an intriguing collection!

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

So Passes the Night by Cassidy McKay

August 3, 2026 By Leave a Comment


So Passes the Night by Cassidy McKay
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One wild night, two sexy seamen and a voluptuous woman — three broken souls seeking completion.

First Mate Cade Talbot disobeyed a direct order, sacrificing himself to save his best friend. Since then, Captain Grant Rowen rules his ship with an iron fist, demanding strict compliance from all aboard.

Coffers are low, and when a lone woman requests passage to St. Thomas, Captain Rowen accepts her payment. But the stormy sea crossing holds more than just nature’s surprises.

Aurora Journade reveals that she not only speaks to spirits, she makes love to them –and she doesn’t follow orders. With Aurora’s help, Cade has one last chance to reach out to his captain. Not even death can keep them from seeking passion’s redemption.

Healing comes in many different forms.

The setting was as unique as it was well-suited for this erotic tale. I wasn’t initially sure if it was supposed to be set in contemporary or historic times, so figuring that out was part of the fun of reading it. Other readers should discover for themselves exactly when this was set, of course, but do keep an eye out for clues along the way as they do influence how everything played out. It was also interesting to see how the characters dealt with such a violent storm when help could be so far away due to the technology of the time.

I would have liked to see more plot development in this piece, especially as it related to Grant’s relationships with Cade as well as with the mysterious woman who asked to board his ship on a stormy night. The bonds between them were incredibly important later on in the storyline, so it was a little disappointing for me as a reader to not have as much information about them as I would have preferred by that point.

The slightly ambiguous ending suited these characters well. While the most important conflicts were wrapped up, there was still plenty of space for readers to speculate about what might happen next and fill in the gaps about the things the narrator didn’t spell out directly. Yes, it would have been nice to have more resolution about them, but it also left room for a sequel if the author decides to write one!

So Passes the Night was a sexy romp.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

TV Review: Widow’s Bay (Season 1)

August 3, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Widow’s Bay (Season 1) created by Katie Dippold
Directors: Hiro Murai, Ti West, Sam Donovan, and Andrew DeYoung
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey
Publisher: Apple TV
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A New England mayor trying to boost tourism on his island must navigate strange events suggesting it might be cursed.

It may be a small town, but it’s anything but sleepy.

The plot twists in this show were fantastic, and I was surprised by them on more than one occasion. What made them even better was how much effort the creator put into not only giving the audience fantastic clues but also making plenty of space for alternative interpretations of them as well. This meant that even when I was wrong about where the plot was headed, I still felt satisfied by my attempts to predict the ending of season one as my theories were perfectly reasonably at the time.

Horror and mystery are even more enticing to me when mixed together, and I loved digging into the history of Widow’s Bay as secrets were slowly revealed and a few explanations as to why this small community had such terrible luck were put forward by various characters. The paranormal themes only made everything scarier and more thrilling, and I’m hoping that these types of scenes are given even more screen time in the future as they provided ample opportunities not only for frights but also for some memorable character and plot development as well.

Speaking of small towns, I thought this was an honest portrayal of both what it’s like to live in a rural community as well as what it feels like to move to one and interact with people who have all known each other for their entire lives and may not always be that interested in getting to know outsiders. The tensions between various groups of people including newcomers, lifelong residents who wanted to see their community grow, and those who strongly preferred for things to remain the same forever were well written, fair, and sometimes downright hilarious. Honestly, I could understand everyone’s perspectives even if I didn’t necessarily agree with all of them, and I thought this added some nice conflict as well early on when the paranormal antagonists weren’t as active yet.

This first season of Widow’s Bay has me eagerly anticipating what might happen next. What a wild ride!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »