Menagerie à Trois by R.J. Hore

TROIS
Menagerie à Trois by R.J. Hore
Publisher: Burst Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Short Story (108 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Things are looking up for Randy C. Alysious – and that makes him nervous. Instead of struggling to drum up some business, he’s got three cases on his hands. There might be a common thread uniting them, if only he can figure out who the real bad guy is. To make matters worse, old, powerful magic might be involved and there’s no outrunning the reaper, though his kid might be outsmarted – at least for a little while.

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As interesting as the descriptions of other parts of the plot were, the food is where the narrator really made me visualize what was happening. Would I want to try everything described in this book? No, but there was something appealing about almost every dish. Figuring out which parts of new dishes were appetizing to me only made me enjoy the storyline more than I already did.

There were times when I had trouble keeping all of the characters straight. This was especially noticeable when it came to individuals who weren’t directly connected to the crimes that Randy was trying to unravel.The story simply didn’t have enough room to show what was going on with all of them without also slowing down the plot. While it was definitely a smart decision to keep everything moving, the end result of this was that I wasn’t able to get to know certain characters well enough to keep all of their backstories attached to the right people and creatures.

The dialogue regularly made me smile. One of the things I appreciated the most about it was how closely the author tied it to the setting. There are certain words and phrases that make more sense when they’re used in the same room as a goblin, elf, or gnome. I hadn’t even realized that a few of them are so well-suited to these scenarios until I saw how Mr. Hore interpreted them. Once this happened, I only grew to like the dialogue even more than I already did because of how smoothly it all fit together.

I’d recommend Menagerie à Trois to anyone who enjoys fantasy tales that include a few mysteries to solve as well.

Amber Legacy by Kevin B. Henry

LEGACY
Amber Legacy by Kevin B. Henry
Publisher: Burst Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (80 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Mitchell and Crystin are living on the west coast of Florida in the Seventies. He has the beginnings of a loving family and couldn’t be happier. It’s remarkable how quickly things can change. Perhaps the fate of a Teithwyr Amser is to never be stable, never find love without defending it against the rest of the world, against evil and against the fabric of time itself.

A simple TV documentary will spin Mitchell out of control as he first attempts to prove the filmmakers wrong and then ultimately find and protect his new family from a monster of his own creating.

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You can’t always predict bad consequences ahead of time. Sometimes they appear before anyone can stop them.

While there were a few times when I would have made different choices in their shoes, I always understood why the main characters thought other responses would work better. It was nice to spend time with characters who were so intelligent in both the academic and the practical sense of the term. This is something I look for in a story because I like to read about people who think through their options carefully and logically before deciding what to do. Seeing a character take these things so seriously is nice.

There were pacing issues in the first several scenes. The beginning was slow in large part because the narrator was explaining what happened in the first two books in this series. While the refresher was needed in order to make this something that can be read out of order or without already being familiar with the characters, I would have preferred to jump into the main conflict earlier on. At times I had trouble paying attention to what was happening because the first few scenes had much more exposition than they did anything else.

With that being said, once the pace picked up I was hooked on the storyline. One of the things I appreciate the most about Mr. Henry’s writing style is how much detail he’s able to pack into his scenes. In some ways this tale read like something two or three times its length because of how many different things happened during the course of it.

Amber Legacy made me wish I had the ability to time travel. This is a good choice for anyone who likes science fiction that asks its audience to help it answer questions about what humans should and should not do.

The Sea Wife by Naomi Clark

SEA
The Sea Wife by Naomi Clark
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (35 pages)
Other: F/F
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Charley and Nessa are from two different worlds. Nessa is a selkie and Charley is all too human. When selkies and humans fall in love, tragedy can follow. For Charley and Nessa, that never seems to matter when they’re together. But when Nessa’s seal skin is stolen, the lovers uncover all the reasons humans and selkies should stay in their separate worlds.

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One of the things I liked the most about Nessa was discovering the differences between how her mind worked and how the mind of the average human usually functions. While she was every bit as intelligent and likeable as her human companion, there were definitely a few things that they perceived in completely different ways because of where they were raised and what they were used to seeing in life. Acknowledging these things was a smart decision as I would have been pretty surprised by a selkie who understood absolutely everything about our society.

There were a few things about how selkie society works in this universe that I never figured out. The narrator’s explanation of it wasn’t as clear as I would have liked it to be. This was especially true later on when some new information seemed to contradict what had been told to the audience earlier. I was never quite sure if this was really a contradiction, though, because of how fuzzy it was to begin with.

The sex scenes were well done. Not only did Charley and Nessa have great chemistry, the background information that was shared about how they met and how long they’ve been together made their time together feel even more special to me. There’s definitely something to be said for stealing erotic moments with someone you really love, especially when a couple is facing as many obstacles to staying together as these two are.

I’d recommend The Sea Wife to anyone who loves selkie stories.

Dream Job by Mickey J. Corrigan

JOB
Dream Job by Mickey J. Corrigan
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (45 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

He’s the hot, sexy man of her dreams. And her new boss. But someone else is dreaming about her, someone even more dangerous…

After Adrianna sleeps with her hunky boss, she has to face him every day at the office of DreamCorp International. She has to test the company’s dream software with him in the office hot tub. She has to ignore the fact that his touch drives her to peaks of ecstasy she’s never experienced before. And that she’s fallen madly in love with him.

To make her life in tropical Florida even more confusing, Adrianna is plagued by disturbing dreams. Davis, one of those forgettable men she’d rather not think about anymore, a geeky guy she never should have slept with, stalks her. Davis has other ideas. He still wants her, and he plans to have her—in the murky dream world they appear to share.
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Something strange is happening to Adrianna. And it’s making her wonder about her dreams. Are dreams more than a random rehash of day-to-day images, repressed sexual urges, and memory fragments? Could it be that dreams are the entry way to another world? A real world? A hyper real world?

Whether she wants to or not, Adrianna is about to find out all about the dream world. After all, she’s landed her Dream Job. And she’s in love with the man of her dreams.

Some people think dreams don’t have any special meanings for our waking lives. Other people think every dream is meaningful. Which one should Adrianna believe?

Adrianna was such a firecracker. What was really interesting about this character, though, was how much more I liked her after I noticed her personality flaws. She definitely wasn’t a perfect person by any stretch of the imagination. Some of her biggest flaws turned out to be things that I usually find a little irritating in a main character, but they suited her so well that I actually kind of liked seeing them in her. They rounded out her personality and made her more relatable.

It would have been helpful to have more clues about what was going on in the plot. I was pretty confused about what was happening to the main character for most of the storyline, and the explanation that was given never quite pieced it all together for me. There were so many sudden breaks between the various locations, dream sequences, and points in time that I had trouble figuring out how everything should have flowed together.

With that being said, the dreams themselves were delightful. They used the sometimes wonky logic that only really makes sense to anyone who hasn’t woken up yet. It was especially charming to see how Adrianne reacted to all of the strange, wonderful, and threatening things that invaded her mind while she slept because of how well I’d gotten to know her.

Dream Job is a good choice for anyone who is in the mood for something unconventional.

Coffee Date by K. Lynn

COFEEE
Coffee Date by K. Lynn
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (44 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Alice is finally happy with her body and her life—except for the part where revealing she’s trans winds up leaving her hurt and abandoned over and over again. She’s decided she’s done making herself miserable by looking for love.

Love finds her anyway, in the form of Hank, the new guy at her local coffee shop. He’s sweet, friendly, charming… and will probably turn out like all the rest. Determined not to shatter the fantasy and lose him before she has to, Alice holds fast to her secrets.
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But if the truth doesn’t ruin everything, the lies will, and it seems no matter which choice she makes Alice is set for just one more heartache.

Finding Mr. Right isn’t always an easy thing to do.

Hank and Alice’s budding relationship was so sweet. The kind way he treated her made me smile. Not only did they have strong chemistry, they also shared so much in common that they could have easily been best friends. Love feels so much better when it’s combined with a genuine friendship, so this is exactly the kind of dynamic I want to read about when I pick up a romance novel.

There were a few things about the main source of conflict in this story that I never quite understood. The explanation that was given for why it developed didn’t seem to match what I’d already figured out about the people involved in it. To be more specific, some of their reactions to the conflict felt out of character for them. It would have been really helpful to have more time spent explaining what they were thinking when they made certain decisions as I would have expected them to react in completely different ways to those situations.

Mary, Alice’s best friend, was a nice addition to the plot as well. She came across as such a wise and empathic person. I completely understood why Alice valued her opinion so much. What really made me like Mary, though, was the author allowed these characters to talk about things other than men. Writing their conversations in that way was a smart decision because it allowed both women’s personalities to develop in ways that probably wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Bravo!

I’d recommend Coffee Date to anyone in the mood for something short and satisfying.

Witch of Death by Chrys Fey

WITCH
Witch of Death by Chrys Fey
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (45 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical murder involves working with a witch.

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Supernatural crimes can’t always be solved by logic and reason alone.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone calling your name. As soon as I read this part of the opening scene, I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened next. It was such an eerie way to introduce the characters who were involved in it. I appreciated being thrown into the middle of the action like this with little indication of what was going on or who I should trust. This technique worked well with the overall tone of this story.

The plot often told the audience what was happening instead of showing it. These tendencies were especially noticeable in the final scene. It had all of the elements of a strong ending. Had there been more detailed descriptions of what was going on and more time spent showing how those events affected the characters, I could have easily given Witch of Death a much higher rating.

With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised by what happened in the final scene. The twist wasn’t something I’d figured out ahead of time, so stumbling across it was a treat. It was especially interesting to read this section because this wasn’t the first tale I’ve read from Ms. Fey. I’ve been enjoying her career so far, though, and am quite curious to see how she writes the endings in her future books!

I’d recommend Witch of Death to anyone who likes seeing how the urban fantasy and mystery genres can be woven together.

The Childkeeper by Sol Stein

CHILD
The Childkeeper by Sol Stein
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Short Story (120 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Roger Maxwell was a successful banker. He was the new owner of a beautiful old house in the country. He was the loving husband of a captivating and sensual woman. He was the proud father of four “great kids.”

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How well do you know your loved ones? Sometimes the people in this world that are the most difficult to figure out are the ones we care about the most.

Roger’s character development was well done. He was written so sympathetically that I liked him even when he made decisions that I didn’t agree with at all. What interested me the most about this character was how much time was spent describing where he came from and how it had impacted his current life. He felt like a real person to me, warts and all.

This story had some pacing issues. It took a long time for me to understand what the mystery was in it because so much time was spent introducing the characters and showing how they interacted with one another. For while I wondered if it had been marketed as the wrong genre because the plot took so much time to begin mentioning any mysterious events to the audience.

All of the dialogue sounded like real conversations. It has also aged nicely considering that this story was set several decades ago. I wasn’t familiar with all of the slang terms that the teenaged characters used, but I was able to figure out most of their meanings from context clues that were provided by the people they spoke to. One of the reasons why I enjoy historical mysteries so much is that they provide these short glimpses into how ordinary people used to live and think. There were plenty of interesting things for me to glimpse here!

I’d recommend The Childkeeper to anyone who is in the mood for a mystery that builds up slowly.

Service before Self by Tegon Maus

SERVICE
Service before Self by Tegon Maus
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (97 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A recent transplant to Southern California, Toby Grant has landed his dream job. He’s a service tech for Handy Dandy Services—the premier handyman service in the southland.

Things don’t go well for Toby on the first day when he is teamed up with Ryan Burnell, a twenty year veteran of Handy Dandy. Toby quickly learns the hardships of being Ryan’s partner, and finds himself in one uncomfortable situation after another.

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Haunted by one misunderstanding after another, Toby learns the true meaning of the company’s motto—“Service before Self.”

Everyone feels nervous on their first day at a new job, but Toby has a few extra reasons to worry.

A murder mystery generally isn’t something I’d expect to find funny, but this one provided me with a lot of opportunities to laugh. Mr. Maus has a unique sense of humor that worked really well with the tone of this story. His uncanny ability to draw out the humorous side in all kinds of unlikely scenarios is one of the biggest reasons why I get so excited when this author releases something new.

There were a few minor pacing issues in the beginning. This tale needed to introduce several important characters before the plot picked up. While all of the characters were important to what happened later on, I would have preferred to dig into the mystery sooner because it was such an interesting one. A slow introduction works well for a novel, but it felt a little out of place for something this length.

Some of my favorite scenes in this book showed how the customers that Toby and his coworker visited were actually living. How people present themselves to the outside world doesn’t always match what is really going on their lives. The gap between that image and the reality of their private lives was a fascinating place to explore.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading one of Mr. Maus’ books yet, Service before Self is a great place to start. If you’re already a fan of his work, I’d recommend it just as strongly. There’s something here for everyone!

The Gift: An Erotic Anniversary Tale by Ishabelle Torry

GIFT
The Gift: An Erotic Anniversary Tale by Ishabelle Torry
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (16 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When their tenth anniversary comes around, Sheryl wants to make it special for Daniel. Something crazy, extraordinary, and completely out of her persona. Her solution–a nude portrait. But on the way home, self-doubt leaves her wishing she’d stuck to the same old ties and shirts of the past. The painting must go! Only one problem…Daniel’s home earlier than expected! It’s no-holds-barred as Sheryl frantically tries to hide the foolish gift. Can she play distract-the-hubby long enough before he catches a glimpse?

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Sheryl is the queen of over-thinking things. I liked the fact that this tendency of hers was woven into the plot in so many different ways. Not only did it help this reader get to know her better, it also helped to explain why she was so conflicted about whether or not to show Daniel the painting she had commissioned for him. Including so many details about this personality trait of hers was a good choice.

There were some pacing issues in this tale. A disproportionate amount of time was spent introducing the characters and setting up the scene. While I enjoyed learning how Sheryl’s mind works, I would have preferred to jump into the action a little sooner. All of that background information would have worked well in a novella or novel, but it felt out of place for something this length.

The chemistry between Sheryl and Daniel was sizzling hot. To make things even better, it only grew more intense as the plot thickened. They seemed to be the perfect match for each other, and they knew one another so well that they could have almost gone through this whole story without speaking a single word. The scenes that included both of them were my favorite ones. I didn’t want any of them to end.

The Gift: An Erotic Anniversary Tale made me smile. I’d recommend it to anyone in the mood for something romantic and sexy.

B Is For Broken Anthology

BROKEN
B Is For Broken Anthology
Edited by Rhonda Parrish
Publisher: Poise and Pen Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (296 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Broken people, broken promises, broken dreams and broken objects are just some of the ways these 26 fantastic stories interpret the theme of ‘Broken’. From science fiction to fantasy, horror to superheroes the stories within these pages cover a vast swath of the genres under the speculative fiction umbrella.

Featuring original fiction by:

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Science fiction has a creepy side. You can read about it here.

The titles of these tales give away major spoilers about what happens in them. Ms. Parrish used this same creative technique in her previous anthology, A Is For Apocalypse. Once again I will be referring to the author’s name in this review instead of the titles of their contributions so that other readers will remain just as surprised as I was by what happens in them.

Ms. Cleto caught my attention immediately. It was fun to figure out what a Snow Queen with a rare, magical gift could possibly have in common with an ordinary teenage girl like Gwyn. I enjoyed jumping back and forth between their timelines as I attempted to piece all of the clues together. The ending worked particularly well for the short story form due to how quickly the plots were sketched out.

This doesn’t happen very often when I read anthologies, but I enjoyed every single selection in this book. Some of them would have worked much better as novellas or full-length novels, though, due to their complicated plots. Ms. Simon and Mr. Fosbury’s piece of fiction was a good example of this. It showed what happened to a village midwife named Hessura after she made a difficult choice for one of the pregnant women she had helped. The premise was fascinating, but the plot simply didn’t have quite enough time to fully develop.

As soon as I started reading Mr. Phillips’ entry, I couldn’t wait to discover out what happened next. He described a little girl named Adina who born with an unusual birth defect. Her mother soon figured out how to turn this anomaly into a steady source of income for the family. The character development was incredible, especially considering how quickly the author needed to work in order to pull everything together. I never wanted to stop listening to what Adina had to say.

I’d recommend B Is For Broken to anyone who loves contemporary science fiction as much as I do. There is a lot of great material to explore in this collection!