The Artificial Elephant by Eric J. Hull

April 28, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Artificial Elephant – stories of loss, magic, and hope by Eric J. Hull
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Character-driven literary speculative fiction for readers who crave haunting emotional payoffs.

A boy grieves the impossible beast that healed him. A house searching for its lost family. A vampire steals back her lovers’ tears. A scavenger hunt gone hilariously awry. Two lovers dancing at the end of the world.

Ghosts. Love. Winter. Hope. These 22 stories of fantasy, science fiction, and horror cast flickering light against the crowding darkness. They embrace the transformations between grief and love, kindness and bitter fate.

Sometimes the line between facts and feelings is paper thin.

In “Christmas Lights,” a smart house searched for its missing family for many years. I loved the fact that this was written from the perspective of a building instead of a human one. It was a unique way to frame the storyline and made me wonder if the house would ever find out what happened to the parents and two children who had once lived there. The twist ending was as poignant as it was logical for this universe as well.

Katie was a three-year-old girl whose body grew so impossibly cold she couldn’t eat anymore in “Katie Dreams” because any food or liquid she tried to consume froze solid when it was moved too close to her. I was nearly as fascinated by the scientific attempts to understand and reverse her condition as I was by her mother’s response. The strong emotional bond between them made this something I couldn’t possibly stop reading until I knew how it ended. In my opinion, memorable science fiction begins with the relationships characters have with each other before anything unusual occurs, and I would have happily read a full-length novel about Katie’s family and how they coped.

A teenager’s grief for his dead sister took on a new form in “Charcoal.” As he recalled a few of their shared childhood memories during his last few days at home, strange things began happening that were as bittersweet as they were inexplicable. This was a beautiful metaphor for how gut-wrenching it is to say goodbye to someone who died far too young in life, and the plot worked just as well on that level as it did when read from a paranormal perspective.

What ultimately convinced me to give this collection a five-star rating was the breadth of characters and experiences that were included here. I wish I had the space to mention all of them in my review as there were so many other gems to discover that included genres ranging from romance to horror. It takes talent to imagine such a wide variety of characters, all of whom remained distinct in my mind.

The Artificial Elephant – stories of loss, magic, and hope was exactly the sort of diverse speculative fiction I enjoy reading, and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Hull comes up with next.

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

Jake by Olivia Sinclair

April 2, 2026 By Leave a Comment



Jake by Olivia Sinclair
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A military secret crush / fake fiancé holiday romance

Jake

Nobody but me gets to be her fiancé, fake or otherwise. I’ve been waiting for years to finally show her how I feel, tell her that I know how her eyes always find me in the background. Looks like it’s finally time to claim my spot by her side.

Valentina

I need a fake fiancé for Thanksgiving to finally escape the kids’ table in the garage. So I hired one. Not the silver-eyed hunk I’ve been crushing on for the last ten years. That guy is standing in front of me saying he plans to make my deception all very real. Very, very real. I seem to be having trouble remembering why I should say no…

For years Jake has quietly sat back and waited while his army buddy, Scott’s, younger sister finished her education. Now in her mid-twenties and finished with school, Valentina is determined to fake a fiancé for her Nonna’s Thanksgiving dinner table and move up from the kids table to the grown-ups. When Jake hears about this, he’s determined Valentina has no one except him in her sights – even if it might be fake.

I stumbled on this fun and sexy short story totally by accident. Curiously hooked by the blurb I eagerly dove in and found the story sassy and fun, with just a nice amount of spicy romance. I thought the chemistry between Valentina and Jake was both believable and a steady build and Jake’s determination was a lovely thing to read.

Readers looking for a twisty or convoluted plot should be aware that this is a quite short story, so everything is fairly straightforward. While Jake and Valentina didn’t jump immediately into bed, again with the short length there wasn’t a huge build up and the spice was delightful once we reached it.

I’ve never read anything previously by this author – but was already purchasing some of her other works before I got halfway through this book. I was really pleased with this new-to-me author, and I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read. Sexy and fun, lighthearted and festive I enjoyed it a lot. Recommended.

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

Box Of Chocolates by Sean Michael

February 26, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Box Of Chocolates by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

As a single guy, Dorian isn’t a fan of Valentine’s Day, but he loves chocolates and when someone brings in a box for the office to share, he falls in love with the heart-shaped truffles he tastes and decides to get himself a box or two at the new-to-him chocolatery before treating himself to a supper out.

Smoke owns Smoke’s Chocolates and Valentine’s Day is his busiest time of year, between making the chocolates and helping to sell them at the front counter, he’s putting in long hours. When the last minute rush slows down, though, Smoke goes out for dinner only to encounter the also flying solo Dorian. The two men get to talking and sharing appetizers and discover a mutual attraction.

Can they both come to love Valentine’s Day for a reason that has nothing to do with chocolate?

Dorian is buying some chocolates for himself as a treat for Valentine’s day and while his eye is caught by chocolatier Smoke, their interaction is brief and the shop is slammed. When they bump into each other later that evening at a bar, they’re able to sit and talk for a while, and both men realize there is attraction sizzling between them. Can they each have a very special Valentine’s day?

I enjoyed this fun and sexy short story. I liked that while Dorian and Smoke weren’t shy with each other, they didn’t jump immediately into bed. The author did a good job of balancing the sexy shenanigans with some semblance of “getting to know you” and reality. Readers should be aware this is an erotic short story – so there is not a complicated, in depth plot outside of the growing relationship between the two men. For a short, erotic story, it is a delightful and enticing quick read.

With two interesting and believable characters and a whole lot of sizzle, this is a fun and engaging read by an author I really enjoy. Recommended.

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

Kuro by Ana Raine

February 13, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Kuro by Ana Raine
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, LGBTQ, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Preston saves a black cat everything he knows about life and demons is going to be questioned.

While shopping for candy for his friend’s Halloween party, Preston saves a strange black cat from a group of teenage boys. Overcome with a desire entirely new to him, Preston takes the black cat home and discovers things are not always what they seem, especially on Halloween.

The cat, a demon named Caleb, has been searching for his mate for months and can’t help but be fascinated with sweet Preston. He’s determined to drag Preston down to his home in the underwater demon world.

Now Preston must choose between his mortal life, or one full of demons — and love.

Preston rescues a black cat from a group of teenage boys. Despite never wanting a cat, Preston decides to take the stray home – only to discover things are not always what they seem.

I found this to be a fun and sexy short story. Caleb and Preston certainly set the pages on fire between them, but I liked that even though Caleb was a demon he didn’t really use powers or magic to lure Preston or fake things between them.

Readers looking for an extended or slow drop into love should be aware that this simply isn’t possible with such a short page count. I thought the author did a good job showing the attraction and chemistry between Preston and Caleb give the quickness of the story and while I do feel readers will need to disconnect their brain a little I did find this a fun and enjoyable Halloween themed story.

With smoking heat between the two men and some sizzling scenes I enjoyed this short and erotic quick read.

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

Cole For Christmas by Treva Harte

January 15, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Cole For Christmas by Treva Harte
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Sarah has a secret — she wants her best friend Cole. Cole wants Jeff. And Jeff? Surprise! He wants them both.

Cole is wild, funny, impulsive, and Sarah’s best friend. She doesn’t understand what he gets out of submission, but she’s not going to let Cole get hurt the way he has in the past. So when she discovers his new dom is Jeff, the jerk who helped kick her out of her undergraduate program, she knows she has to intervene.

But when she sees Jeff again, she’s confused. He says he wants Sarah to be Cole’s Christmas present, and she’s stunned. She and Cole are just friends, aren’t they? Amazingly, Cole seems to want her as much as she secretly has wanted him. The even bigger surprise? She realizes she wants Jeff too.

Even if she could have them both, this is supposed to be temporary. It’s too bad she’s only allowed to have Cole for Christmas.

Life was never meant to be simple. Cole is Sarah’s best friend. When she finds out his new Dom is Jeff – the jerk who got her kicked out of her undergraduate program – she knows she needs to keep a very close eye on her best friend. Only Jeff thinks Sarah should be Cole’s Christmas present, and suddenly everything gets complicated. Can the three of them work something out with no one having a broken heart in their Christmas stocking?

Readers looking for a spicy and lightly kinky friends-to-lovers style Christmassy read should absolutely enjoy this read. While Jeff and Cole have recently begun a relationship, Cole and Sarah have been good friends for years. I thought this would be an interesting dynamic to the usual menage scenario – one where all the characters know each other quite well already but the relationship itself changed significantly through the story. This certainly made the quick road to intimacy easier to accept and understand so I think most readers should find the storyline believable and realistic.

There was quite a bit of antagonistic history between Jeff and Sarah. While this created a good amount of conflict and tension in the story I was pleased that the author handled the difficult conversation between these two fairly early into the story. Getting their history, the circumstances leading to the situation and both their feelings aired and discussed really paved the way not just for all the sexy shenanigans to be enjoyed, but also for some truth and trust to have room to flourish between them. While not exactly realistic – when do conversations like this ever really go smoothly this fast and this easily? – I could absolutely appreciate the author getting this worked out and smoothed over early so I could sit back and enjoy the relationship develop between the three main characters.

Readers who enjoy their erotica with a bit of BDSM and plenty of spice and strong characters should absolutely enjoy this story. I thought there was a solid balance between the emotional plot, the strong connections between the threesome and the spice levels which made this a lovely read for me.

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

Movie Review: That Christmas

December 15, 2025 By Leave a Comment


That Christmas
Writers: Richard Curtis and Peter Souter
Director: Simon Otto
Starring: Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, and Bill Nighy
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars (8 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

It’s an unforgettable Christmas for the townsfolk of Wellington-on-Sea when the worst snowstorm in history alters everyone’s plans, including Santa’s.

Anything is possible when Santa comes to visit.

Wellington-on-Sea was such the perfect setting for this tale that I wished it were a real town. I loved the friendly relationships between many of the members of this small town as well as the many inside jokes about their community and lives that they shared with viewers. Their playful senses of humor worked beautifully for the Christmas season, especially when not everything necessarily went according to plan. Viewers who are already at least somewhat familiar with British culture will also find some great cultural references here, although understanding them is not required in order to understand the plot.

This movie would have been stronger if it had focused on a smaller number of storylines, and I’m saying this as someone who enjoyed all of the subplots. There simply wasn’t enough time to develop all of them fully, so I wasn’t quite satisfied with any of them in the end. A few plot lines were left dangling, and others were only able to briefly hold the audience’s attention as their most important moments were resolved.

I liked the modern spin on the holiday season that was shown here. It included characters from many different types of families as well as an exploration of who should and shouldn’t be counted as naughty for Santa’s purposes. That meant that a wide range of perspectives were included, from kids who knew they deserved to be on the good list to those who really struggled with the holidays and everything in-between.

That Christmas was a jolly ride.

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

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

December 8, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Publisher: Grove Press
Genre: Holiday, Historical, Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

Sweet and yet thoughtful or short and sweet. That would be my description of this little book. Not much needs to be said about this delightful book. It’s a perfect read for the Christmas holidays. It needs to be shared with all of your loved ones.

Small Things Like These was chosen as an Oprah’s Book Club Pick in 2024. It’s a novella, only 114 pages. It’s based in Ireland. A story composed of hardworking, faith-following religious folk and a man who sees he must do what has to be done. But even though he can “see the right-thing” that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to consider all the consequences to his loved ones and those around him.

A deep and yet poignant story. A beautiful tale to read. What a wonderful Christmas gift this would be.

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

Movie Review: Meet Me Next Christmas

December 8, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Meet Me Next Christmas
Writers: Camilla Rubis and Molly Haldeman
Director: Rusty Cundieff
Starring: Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, and Kofi Siriboe
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars (6 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

In pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dreams, Layla must race through New York City to get her hands on the hottest ticket in town: the sold out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert.

True love makes everything a little better.

I adored the chemistry between Layla and her romantic interest. They shared similar playful personalities and were both incredibly kind and generous people as well. It was nice that they both had so many opportunities to shine as this film progressed as they weren’t the sort of people who would generally draw attention to themselves on purpose. They needed a little more time to open up to the viewers, but it was well worth the wait.

There was a plot hole involving Layla’s desperate need for a ticket to a Pentatonix concert that I did wish had been explored in greater depth. Couldn’t she have gone to the venue without the ticket and still looked for James in the lobby or left a message for him with the employees at the box office there? That’s what I would have done in her shoes, and I was a little puzzled by why this never came up as an option even though I otherwise enjoyed the storyline.

With that being said, this was still entertaining. As a fellow fan of Pentatonix’s music, I loved seeing Layla gush about their songs and try to use that as a way to connect with other people. She was so earnest about her interests that it only made me like her even more. There is definitely something to be said for characters who are this deeply invested in something that matters so much to them.

Meet Me Next Christmas was sweet and heartwarming.

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