A missing person’s case…

… A murder investigation?

Private detectives Ram and Will got their name in the news by catching a high-profile serial killer, and now they’re getting more clients. When they’re hired to find a missing person, all they’re worried about is having to spend a night away from home. They go to check his last known sighting in Kent, staying in a quaint country inn.

Little do they expect that Serial Investigations London are about to get thrust into a new murder investigation – one that happens right under their noses.

A confession seems to solve the case, but is it genuine? With suspicions running high, the duo still have to find time to sniff out the whereabouts of their client – and avoid getting arrested themselves.

With Ram hitting the bottle harder than ever and Will fighting to stay in control, they might be about to lose more than just the case.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Blood Evidence (Serial Investigations #2)

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Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

When Will and Ram are hired to find a missing fiancé, they assume that the groom has just got cold feet. However what looks to be an open and shut case soon takes a sinister turn as they find themselves in the middle of a new murder investigation. The both of them are still battling their inner demons and Will’s feelings for Ram are becoming harder for him to ignore.

I really liked book 1 in the series and was excited to start book 2 and it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the murder mystery at the hotel and the shifty bunch of guests all with their own secrets. They were all hiding something so at one point I thought any one of them could have done it.

Ram and Will are still struggling with what happened in San Francisco and their different coping mechanisms threaten to drive a wedge between them. Added to this is Will’s difficulty in accepting he’s gay and also that he has feelings for Ram. I liked how the author has addressed the anxieties that he feels about coming out. It was portrayed as very realistic and I liked Will’s new friendship with Harry – even if Ram didn’t!

I think my favourite aspect of the series so far is the bond between Will and Ram. They already have a great rapport and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship progresses further in the series.

How do you solve a murder…

… When you’re the prime suspect?

A body cut up into pieces and left in Highgate Wood. It sounds like the most exciting case that private detectives Ram and Will have had to deal with since leaving their FBI training and returning to London.

As each new body is piled up amongst the trees, the stakes get higher – and Serial Investigations London embraces their first real challenge.

But Ram’s lifestyle – staying out all days of the week, drinking too much, and having sex with a different man every night – soon catches up with him when the police realise there’s just one link that connects the bodies.

And it’s him.

Will faces a battle around the clock to prevent his best friend from being put away for life – and while the two of them face their own demons, there’s a secret hanging over their heads that might just bring it all crashing down.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Bloodless

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Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

When private detective duo Will and Ram return from America to set up Serial Investigations London, they quickly find themselves involved in a murder investigation, just not in the way that they expected. Ram’s out of control lifestyle of drinking and one-night stands places him firmly in the frame for the murders and it is up to Will to prove his innocence before it’s too late. However Will has his own demons and both of them are still struggling with what happened to cause them to leave their FBI training in America behind.

I was really excited to begin reading the first book in this series and Bloodless did not disappoint. I enjoyed trying to decipher the clues to the murder mystery alongside the two protagonists and piece it together with them as the novel progressed. The characters of Will and Ram were really great. They complemented each other perfectly and you could really sense the chemistry between the two of them. They also had their flaws, as all great characters do, but these were not unlikeable ones and I found myself really relating to them. The romance between them is going to develop gradually, which I really like as it feels like a natural progression between the two of them rather than hurried or forced in anyway.

I cannot wait to read book two and see where their investigations take them next.

Evelyn Moore hasn’t seen her children since the day they were born. No one in Felicity has.

From the moment a child is brought into the world they are placed into the arms of a patrol, and sent to live on the other side of the bridge. This is the way it has been for as long as anyone can remember. The water in Felicity is too tainted for the children to survive. They say it started with a war so ravenous that it split the land in two, creating what is now known as The Chasm – a giant crack in the earth that serves as the divider between Evelyn’s world, and her children’s.

On one side of the bridge is a city named Felicity, with beautiful high-rise buildings that can be seen from all the way across the divide. Those that live in Calloway can see the silhouette of the other city if they stand close enough to The Chasm. Every child wants over that bridge. Their city is riddled with violence, and the homes that are still standing are nothing better than shacks. It doesn’t help that those that live in Felicity are oblivious to the squalor that surround their children. Everything about the cities must always remain separate.

Now that Evelyn’s daughter, Char, is old enough to reenter Felicity she has chosen to become one of the patrols whose job it is to keep the cities safe, and separate. It was the only way she could ensure her brother, Alexander, stay safe in Calloway. Except, things begin to unravel the moment Char crosses over. Between the cryptic messages that Evelyn begins to receive, and the strange radio broadcast that Alexander discovers in Calloway, it becomes clear that someone out there is desperate for the truth to come forward.

Everything they thought they knew about their cities will turn out to be a lie. Unfortunately for them, some things are better left forgotten.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: The Forgotten

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Review

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

The Forgotten was nothing like what I was expecting when I first started reading and I mean this in a really good way.

When war ravages the land and the water becomes poisonous for children to drink, the residents of Felicity make the heart-breaking decision to send them away across The Chasm to Calloway so that they might live. Thus starts a grim tradition that has been in place for as long as anyone can remember. Each parents longs for the day that their child becomes old enough to cross the bridge and return to them.

When Char Moore crosses back into Felicity, she is reunited with her mother Evelyn whom she struggles to form a bond with. Evelyn is jaded and haunted by past events, however she had always longed to see her children again.

When Char begins to unravel the mysteries of Felicity and Calloway, she learns the devastated truth of all that she had been brought up believing. Together with her mother and younger brother Alexander, she has to find all the answers before it is too late.

The Forgotten is one of these novels that you cannot tell what direction it will take next. There is no second guessing, which makes it an especially gripping and intense read. The characters were so raw with their emotions and you could really feel everything that each of them had gone through.

There were so many plot twists and surprises at every turn. I cannot recommend The Forgotten enough. Dystopian science fiction at its best!

Ravee: a pious Rad-em merchant’s daughter sailing with her family’s goods

Mairi: the Runonian king’s advisor seeing the outside world for the first time

Alesh: an alchemist’s apprentice in Joesar with a past rapidly catching up to her

Three women find themselves caught in the threads of change as the world threatens to fall apart around them. From across the Oldal Sea, the southern kingdom of Dusset has declared war, and if anyone is going to survive it, the alliance between Runon, Chayd, Rad-em, and Joesar must be solidified.

But there are forces at work that could undermine all the progress King Yudai and Tatsu have made. Peace treaty negotiations between the four realms could crumble at any time beneath the building tension.

As the women’s paths converge, they must navigate the true meaning of loyalty to themselves, their countries, and their families, while at the center of it all, a shattered king, hellbent on revenge, threatens the world balance.

Pre-Order: Amazon.com

Goodreads: The Loyal Whispers

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Review

*I received an advance copy for free for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

The Loyal Whispers is the third novel in The Life Siphon series. Instead of being told from the points of view of the main characters from the first and second novels, the author took the bold decision to tell it almost completely from the points of view of three female characters who play pivotal roles in the third instalment. This move really did pay off and through them you learn so much more about the rich and detailed world that the author has created.

It was great to see more of Alesh and Ral, and the characters of Mairi and Ravee were wonderful additions to the cast. Through them you see Yudai and Tatsu struggle to build alliances when the world around them is fracturing. As well Yudai still faces his own inner battles and demons. This is expanded on more in the latter half of the novel, foreshadowing possible events to follow.

The plot itself is a thrilling combination of action, magic and the politics driving the first two. Combined this creates an engaging and gripping read that I didn’t want to put down.

I absolutely loved The Loyal Whispers and the amazing world that the author has created and I really hope that there will be further novels in the series.

A coming-of-age love story between an orphan and the heir of the richest family in the Land of Yamato. The human world meets the yōkai in a power struggle for the fate of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu.

While he battles to find his own path, Hirotsugu finds solace in a boy who will become his secret friend, then his salvation, and then as they become adults together, the love of his life.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Shinigami

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Review

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Shinigami is the second novel in the Takamagahara Monogatari series. As with the first book in the series, Shinigami draws Japanese religion and folklore into its stories as well as the life of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu. I don’t want to say too much about the historical Fujiwara no Hirotsugu as it would spoil some plot elements, but he was a real person and I liked how the author incorporated this into their work.

Shinigami begins when a young compassionate Hiro takes pity on a starving boy and from his kindness a bond between them is forged. Over the years their friendship turns into a forbidden love that will shape the course of Hiro’s destiny.

Like the first novel, Shinigami combines a mixed of folklore, history and religion to create a uniquely beautiful tale. Time is taken to set each scene and describe every detail in a way that draws you into this wonderful world that the author has created. The romance happens gradually and at a natural pace that never once feels rushed or false. You really feel for these characters and the struggles that they are facing.

Shinigami is a beautifully written and moving novel, which I cannot recommend enough. I very much look forward to reading further novels in the series.

Exiled from Chayd and pursued by Runon, Tatsu’s life twists into something unrecognizable when he escapes with Yudai into the mountains. Despite the growing danger trailing them, the biggest threat lies within Yudai and his voracious magic, a force spiraling outside his control. Their only hope is to head into Joesar in search of a way to contain the magic.

But Joesar’s desert holds perils of its own, and the only answers Tatsu and Yudai find lead them farther into storms. Friend and foe blur until impossible to tell apart, and all the while, the unchecked siphon devours any energy it can find. If Yudai can’t fix what the Runonian mages broke, the siphon could swallow the world, and Tatsu will watch the horror unfold.

No matter how tightly Tatsu’s heart is tied to Yudai’s, and after everything they have sacrificed for freedom, the past might catch up with them, murky and muddled, betrayal lying in Tatsu’s traitorous bloodline.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: The Mage Heir

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Review

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Picking up where The Life Siphon left off, Tatsu and Yudai journey to Joesar hoping to find a way to control Yudai’s magic before it destroys everything. Many challenges and dangers await on route to their destination and when they finally find the answer that they are looking for they learn it could ultimately part them forever.
I just couldn’t wait to read the second instalment of this duology. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and the second did not disappoint. The world building is greatly expanded on here so you get to learn more about the realms that the author has created, which are wonderfully rich and detailed.

Tatsu and Yudai continue alone for much of the novel. Whilst a part of me was saddened not to see as much of Alesh and Ral, it gave a chance to fully explore their developing relationship further. I think this was my favourite aspect of the second novel. I loved how their relationship evolved and just how much they came to care for each other. Tatsu’s character really develops as his feelings for Yudai deepen. You also see a different side to Yudai, a vulnerability that he’s hidden up until now. They are perfect for each other and I was hoping against hope throughout the novel that they would get their happy ending together. The ending itself did not disappoint and I highly recommend you checking out this duology.

Tears of Winter (Light from Aphelion #2)

by Martine Carlsson

Paradise is an illusion, and the progressive, experimental city of Nysa Serin was living on borrowed time. The winter festivities that should have warmed everyone’s heart take the contorted face of a feast of fools. Despite their knowledge, Selen, Louis, and Lissandro are swamped by events. Falling one after the other, the sick litter the streets of Nysa Serin. A natural pestilence? The vengeful hand of the gods? Turned to ashes, Louis’s dreams slip through his fingers like a shattered cathedral of sand.

Jeopardizing its fragile stranglehold on the crown, the royal couple leaves for a desperate mission while, trapped inside the walls, the citizens strive to survive. Though the clock ticks on, in sickness and fear, the tensions surface and friendships are tested.

The line is thin between cowards and heroes. Should the rescuing party even make it back, the capital will never be the same again and neither will their lives. Therefore, why not haste into darkness… till death do us part?

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Tears of Winter on Goodreads

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Review

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Tears of Winter is the second instalment of the Light from Aphelion series. After the events of book 1, Louis and Selen have begun making Louis’s visions for Nysa Serin a reality. All children have a right to access an education, city infrastructure is vastly improved and all citizens are treated equally and fairly. However the society is built on the fragilities of the system before it and an epidemic of plague threatens to destroy all that they have accomplished so far. Louis, Selen, Lissandro and their allies set off to find a cure whilst desperately hoping that not only is their mission is successful, that they make it back to the city in time.

Book two is a lot darker in tone than the first novel in the series, which really fits giving the setting and just what is at stake. I very much enjoyed seeing more of the Kingdom and also the addition of new characters, all of whom have their own motivations for joining the heroes on their mission. The description is as rich as ever and so immersive that you are immediately pulled into the world. There is no lag and plenty of action to keep you turning to the next page. However my favourite aspect of Tears of Winter has to be the characters.

On their quest Louis and Selen find themselves tested in ways that they could never imagine and even the bond between them is stretched to almost breaking point. When Selen voices a desire for something that is seemingly impossible as well as something that Louis would never contemplate, it creates a rift between them at a time when they need to be united more than ever. I really felt for both characters in these moments. I could see where they were both coming from and whilst neither of them were really at fault, it took them a long time to reconcile and come to an understanding. This rift really shows how they have both developed, but despite wanting something different their love for each other means that they can find a way to resolve this. The character development was especially great to see in Selen as I was worried that he would become more of a supporting character, but he just goes from strength to strength in Tears of Winter. He complements the head-strong, and at times reckless, Louis perfectly.

You also learn more about Lissandro’s character and the truth about who he really is. I had suspected in book 1 and I was thrilled to have my suspicions confirmed. It makes a very interesting twist and one that I hope is expanded on further in book 3.

Tears of Winter is the perfect follow up to Rising from Dust and if you haven’t checked the series out yet then I definitely recommend that you do so!

Saints and Curses by Alexis Lantgen

The short stories in Saints and Curses explore fantasy and magic from a wide variety of perspectives and settings. The stories range in tone from lighthearted modern fantasy in stories like Elven Carols, to the dark and ominous stories like Erlkonig, and in time from the late antiquity to the modern day. Magic, like all forms of power and like human nature, has two sides, light and dark. Whether we find (or become) a saint or a curse depends on our circumstances. And, of course, our choices.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Saints and Curses on Goodreads

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Review

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Saints and Curses is an extremely well-written collection of short stories with magic and curses as the theme running throughout them. I really enjoyed the mix of modern and historic fantasy tales, each with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing as to how they will end.

My favourites in the collection are:
Grackle – a poignant tale with a lovely ending.
Cinnamon Ultra Pumpkinator – an amusing tale of the perils of addiction with a fun and very relatable main character
The Rats – An excellent and original retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The collection has an outstanding array of very different tales with something for everyone. I highly recommend checking them out!

Rising from Dust (Light from Aphelion 1) by Martine Carlsson

FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. DIE FOR LOVE.

War is raging in the kingdom of Trevalden. Up north in the Frozen Mountains, the amnesic hermit Selen survives as the pariah in his community. Drawn by a mysterious call, he travels to Trevalden and meets Louis, an enigmatic archivist. Together, as Selen remembers his past, they face the desolation of war with a group of misfits. For the sake of the people, they fight back the king’s armies, prepared to meet death…or a new dawn. As Selen and Louis understand that their feelings for each other may be their undoing, they are torn between their emotions and the greater good. But in the end, what is the greater good?

While they try to find their place in an unknown world, they carry a secret that will shatter the society and make them realize that the hardest fights are not against dragons but within oneself.

Rising from Dust is an epic journey where gritty fantasy and history cross paths. A graphic story of loyalty, violence, magic, court plots, and unwavering love where no one is what they seem.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Rising from Dust on Goodreads

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Review

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

When strangers Louis, Selen and Lissandro are mysteriously drawn together they find themselves not only fighting for the land that they have been re-born into but also piecing together their former lives. Each is terrified that the tragedies that befell them the first time will repeat themselves once more.

Louis is a heroic warrior who does not hesitate to put his friends’ lives above his own. Driven by his strong ideals and desire to make the world a better place, his determination sometimes prevents him from seeing the truth in how things are vs how he wishes to see it.

Selen, whilst also a warrior, is a gentler character and his sense of compassion is also a positive influence on Louis. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and shares Louis vision for the future of their world.

Selen and Louis are in a relationship which, if discovered, would get them both killed. Their relationship is one of my favourite aspects of the novel. It is beautifully written and you can really feel just how much they care for each other.

Lissandro’s character has a more accepting and practical view of the world that they now live in. His advice and guidance to Louis is more practical and he’s not afraid to speak out if he feels his friend is making a mistake. I feel that perhaps his character was not explored fully in book 1 and look forward to seeing much more of him in book 2.

I absolutely loved this first novel in the Light from Aphelion series. It combines two of my favourite genres; fantasy and history. The immersive world and wonderful main characters draws you in right from the beginning and I just didn’t want to put this book down. I enjoyed slowly uncovering the details of the characters previous lives and how they were linked to world-history. The detail in the battle scenes, whilst quite graphic in places, was brilliantly written and I really could imagine that I was right there along with them.

There is never a dull moment in this novel and there are plenty of twists and turns that I did not see coming. The finale of book 1 is beautiful and couldn’t be more perfect.
I can’t recommend Rising from Dust (Light from Aphelion 1) enough and cannot wait to read book 2 in the series.