This was my first read novel by Luanne G. Smith, which is interesting since I already have her earlier novel, The Vine Witch title on my kindle, but I haven’t read it yet. I snagged this title as an Amazon first reads for January. Her cover of The Raven Spell was enough to draw me into the story behind it. This story was set in Victorian England and revolved around a series of missing people and murders. Private detective, Ian Cameron awakes along a London River without his memories and stumbles into local witches, the Blackwood sisters. Edwina Blackwood teams up with Ian to find his lost timeline, but they uncover secrets Mary will wish had been left hidden. The first in a new series, this is an intoxicating blend of magic and history and murder. The ending was a dynamite cliff hanger. I will be adding the sequels to my TBR! (4/5 rating)
This was her debut novel in an urban fantasy world, based in 1911 New York City. We follow protagonist, Frances Hallowell, a 17 year old seamstress. She is forced to attend a witch school after killing her boss. Set up as a fake tuberculosis center, she is thrust into a new world of underground magic. Magic that may help her uncover the truth of her brother’s murder.
For a debut novel, we can tell much love went into this story. This was a smasing debut with a wild tale of murder and magic and betrayal. I try to steer clear of some of the young adult reading as it caters to the demographic it is aimed at. Some of those reads feel immature to my cynical thity year old heart. This was not the case with this tale. Frances, while only 17, carries the grief of losing her brother and a grief I know too well. I really loved Franis and watching her struggle but succeed to find a new normal without him.
If you were on the fence, read it. I know I will be adding Sasha Peyton Smith to my list of wonderful authors and will be impatiently awaiting her next one. This was an easy 5/5 for me.
**Spoiler Alert**
When her boss catches her alone at work and tries to rape her, France’s attempt to defend herself. Somehow, her scissors come to save her day, even though she was sure they were across the room. Sbe attempts to hide the evidence with the the help of her supervisor but she still ends up on the police radar after admitting she worked late the night of his death. A pair of nurses arrive just in time, claiming Frances has tuberculosis.
Arriving at the tuberculosis center, Frances gets to see what is actually an academy for magical girls, Haxahaven. They learn how to control their emotions as well as spellwork. Soon after she begins, Francis begins receiving midnight notes regarding her brother’s death. The messenger turns out to be an old work friend of her brother’s, Finn. As more bodies pile up, matching her brother’s circumstances, they team up to piece together the details.
Finn seems to be a gentleman that carres for her until his psychotic side finalely shines through his veneer. He attempts to take over his school, killing members of the board, trapped in a meeting and is headed to take over Haxahaven until Francis tries to intervene. She saaves one of the non-magical familiies slated to be murdered by Finn, Oliver and his family. Oliver is a longtime friend of here brother and offers to help her. Chaos erupts within the magical community. Old hurts and wrongs are brought to lght as the dead pile up.
Can Oliver and Francis save them from a maniacal Finn?
This is Cam Lang’s debut novel, and I must say it’s a beauty. A murder mystery set in rural Canada that also tackles one of his passions: urban planning. This also won a gold metal from Reader’s Favorite Book Contest, in FICTION – MYSTERY – SLEUTH. I gave this book an easy 5 out of 5 stars. This kept me guessing until the end and it should be on your ‘to read’ list.
The tale begins in present day Niagara Fallls, Canada. An elderly retired, history professor is killed in his home. One of his ex-students that is now on the Ontario police force, is called in to investigate the murder, Bryan Dee. One of Bryan’s longtime friends, Gage, is home for th month to help his parents move and agrees to help him.
The most obiious suspect, at first, is the last person that saw him alive – the realtor. As suspicions play out, Gage’s experience as a city planner becomes key to unraveling the mystery. With my ciivil/structural engineering degrees, I loved getting to see those small details become important. Smalll details that normal people just aren’t trained to notice.
The plot was a wonderfl quagmire of rotating suspects as more evidence became available. New deaths and old deaths roll around to create mayhem. I won’t ruin the end for you though, you need to read it! You won’t regret it.
In honor of National Ice Cream Month, I have added some ice cream reads to be reading list, this month. However, closest to the top of this is the newest addition to K.F. Breene‘s, Installment 9 of her DDVN world. See my review of the first in the series here. This is one of my all-time favorite series, since I am such a Reagan fan. Read on to see the rest of my plans for this month.
1 Revealed in Fire (book #9) – K.F. Breene – Releases July 2nd, and this is all I will be doing once its in my kindle.
Good Reads
“Reagan’s trip down to the underworld was never going to remain a mystery. And now Lucifer is actively looking for the woman and her vampire cohort that raised hell in his domaine.
When a band of demons come to the surface with a note asking after Lucifer’s heir, the truth of Reagan’s true lineage can no longer be hidden.
The problem is, the elves remember Lucifer’s past heir, and how he nearly took down the Realm. This time, they do not intend to stand by while Lucifer finds his heir and raises her to power. This time, they’ll cut the problem out at the root.
Reagan went from a nobody in NOLA, to the most wanted woman in all the worlds. It’s time for her to own who and what she is. It’s time for her to fight back.”
2 – Never on a Sundae – by Wendy Markham, Lynn Messina, Daniella Brodsky
“It’s the best spot in Manhattan for a sinfully delicious ice cream sundae. And it’s where three young women come to soothe their troubles and treat themselves to a little taste of heaven. Lucky in friendship, not always so lucky in love, these women know that just a few spoonfuls of ice cream can sweeten everything from a date gone sour to a workday from hell. But before they can say “extra whipped cream,” they’re going to discover that there’s more to life than hot fudge-and that making their dreams come true is the real cherry on top”
For as long as Rachel Brooks can remember, she’s had capital-G Goals: straight As, academic scholarship, college of her dreams. And it’s all paid off–after years of following the rules and acing every exam, Rachel is graduating at the top of her class and ready to celebrate by . . . doing absolutely nothing. Because Rachel Brooks has spent most of high school saying no. No to dances, no to parties, and most especially, no to boys.
Now, for the first time in her life, there’s nothing stopping Rachel from having a little fun–nothing, that is, except herself. So when she stumbles on a beat up old self-help book–A SEASON OF YES!–a crazy idea pops into her head: What if she just said yes to . . . everything?”
“When Tally’s cousin Bree spots her deadbeat ex-husband strolling the Lantana County Fair with a fat wallet and a vixen on his arm, she immediately files for back child support. But when his lawyer is found dead, things get a little sticky. Did Bree serve up a dish of cold, sweet revenge? Or is she another hapless victim of a parfait crime?”
