The Book of the Unwinding (Witches of New Orleans #2) by J.D. Horn

Tags

4 stars, family, horror, J.D. Horn, magic, New Orleans, paranomal, series, voodoo, witches

About The Book of the Unwinding

The struggle for power continues in the sequel to The King of Bones and Ashes from Wall Street Journal bestselling author J.D. Horn.

With their magic diminishing, warring factions of New Orleans witches desperately search for the Book of the Unwinding—a legendary grimoire, hidden by spells, that holds the key to unimaginable powers. As a ruthless struggle erupts in a maelstrom of malevolent magic, psychic Nathalie Boudreau finds her destiny intertwined with that of an exiled witch.

Her name is Alice Marin, a vulnerable young woman trapped in a realm of illusion. Only Nathalie can free her, but first she must come to understand and master her own extraordinary abilities.

Now, in a world where betrayals have become the order of the day, it will fall to two women to restore rightful balance amid terrifying chaos.

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Review of The Book of the Unwinding

The Book of the Unwinding is the second book in the series that began with the King of Bones and Ashes. You really need to have read book 1 to enjoy this latest book. Like book 1, the second book in the Witches of New Orleans series has a jammed-packed cast of characters. If you are like me, you will appreciate the character list strategically placed at the beginning of the book.

While there a lot of characters, I found few to sympathize with. For the most part, this is a plotting, scheming group of people that want nothing more than the power represented by the Book of the Unwinding.

Thank heavens for sweet Nathalie Boudreau who doesn’t know her own powers but would do anything for anyone. That trait gets her smack dab in the middle of a daring and dangerous spell to bring Alice back from the Dreaming Road. Daniel, Alice and Evangeline, who were my favorite characters from The King of Bones and Ashes, remain in good stead with me in The Book of the Unwinding, but their lives are getting very complicated. I can only hope their goodness will prevail.

There are several story lines going on, with different characters dealing with their own challenges. The characters do overlap between story lines and eventually, I suspect all the story lines will merge into some epic conclusion when the series concludes. The novel is complex and thickly layered with intrigue, horror and a constantly changing path towards the cliffhanger ending.

Yes, like book 1, this book ends in a cliffhanger, but before that point, there will be come ultra-evil wringing of hands by one or more villainous witches. Having read both of these books, I still have absolutely no idea where the tale is headed. And isn’t that what we really want in a great story?

Through NetGalley, I received a copy of this book from the publisher so that I could bring you this honest review.

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Always Her Wingman (Mars Squadron 17) by Jessica E. Subject – Review

Tags

4 stars, Jessica E. Subject, new adult, scifi romance

Review by KJ Van Houten

About Always Her Wingman

Staff Sergeant Hannah Coriveau dedicated the last five years to the Space Military Command. Heading back to Earth, she’s ready to begin civilian life and reunite with her parents and the boyfriend she left behind. The person she’ll miss most is Garish—her wingman, best friend, and the one who made her regret not being single.

Senior Airman Colin Garish wants his squadron leader. Bad. After spending so much time by her side—both in the Martian skies and on the red planet—being her friend isn’t enough. When Hannah learns of her boyfriend’s infidelity, Colin is there to comfort her.

Before Colin has the chance to confess his feelings, Hannah receives worse news from home. Her father is dying. Seeing her devastation, Colin remains the friend she desperately needs. But in her grief, she pushes him away. Will Hannah let him back in her life when they land on Earth? Or will Colin never get the chance to win her heart?

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Review of Always Her Wingman

The story opens with Staff Sergeant Hannah Coriveau and her crew of 5 on their way back to Earth from a 5-year mission with the Space Military Command on Mars. One of her crew, Senior Airman Colin Garish, is harboring a huge crush on Hannah, and the close conditions of their shuttle doesn’t allow it to be hidden. I get the impression that it wasn’t much of a secret anyway. From various conversations throughout the crew, it’s a source of entertainment for some to goad Colin about it.

The first part of the story follows the crew on the shuttle journeying to the Moon, where they undergo physical therapy to enable their return to the gravity of Earth, and then a space elevator journey to the Earth surface. The second part of the story follows Hannah and Colin after the return to Earth, as Hannah deals with unexpected tragedy and Colin stays by her side to help her.

Always Her Wingman proved to be a sweet, quick read. It was a shorter story that I expected, but it still portrays a full romance. I’d describe this story as falling into the New Adult genre, which isn’t a usual arena I read in, but it was pleasant, and I definitely recommend this story to anyone who does read New Adult fiction regularly. Some of the elements that lead me to call this New Adult push the boundaries of believability for me – I feel the characters are too young for the experience they have, for example, and as a result I had some initial difficulty relating to the characters. I also found that, despite the references to Mars, the Moon, differences in gravity, and the existence of the space elevator, it was all too easy to forget this was a scifi story. The ‘space’ elements seem to exist to colour the background, but the story could have existed without them just fine. Switch a mission to Mars to a military mission anywhere on Earth, readjustment to gravity to post-mission recovery and not a lot would have changed. The basic story of two soldiers who find first attraction and then love would be just as endearing.

There is no graphic sex, despite jokes, innuendoes, and finally the real deal behind the scenes, so I recommend this to readers that don’t want the graphics, too. Again, not my usual sort of read, but I certainly have no regrets for reading this one! An author worth following.

Note: Author provided a digital copy of Always Her Wingman in exchange for an honest review.

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Perchance to Dream and Truth Seekers (Dream Weaver and Truth Seekers) – Two by Cecilia Dominic – Review

Tags

4 stars, Book Review, Cecilia Dominic, paranormal, series, urban fantasy

About Perchance to Dream

About to embark on a major move with her husband, Emma can’t think about anything but her dreams. It’s not all that surprising given the seductive world she finds in her sleep – parties with Poseidon, Demeter and Persephone in attendance. Even more interesting, powerful gods like the super sexy Triton, son of Poseidon, and ultra-badass Artemis ask her to accomplish different tasks for them each night.

What Emma doesn’t realize until she’s in too deep is that her dreams aren’t figments of her imagination. She becomes part of the Collective Unconscious when asleep and plays a vital role in bridging the waking world and the dream world. But when the gods enact a punishment that affects her waking life, Emma is forced to choose between the C.U. and those she loves.

Review of Perchance to Dream
4 Stars

I rarely remember dreams and when I do, they are not all that remarkable. Maybe that is why I had difficulty sympathizing with Emma.

Of course, I also thought Emma was kind of a wimp in her relationship with her husband and her in-laws. Another reason not to sympathize with the main character. But it gave her fuel for her dreams and a reason to keep slipping back into the Collective Unconscious. Despite my lack of character attachment, I did enjoy the story, of the woman that walks through dreams and is surprised to learn that dreams can be more than what you experience during your sleep. Despite the very short length, I felt it was a complete story and a fun part of this new Dream Weavers & Truth Seekers series by Cecilia Dominic.

About Truth Seeker

A coffee shop dare gone wrong. A stupid childhood decision. A cat-and-mouse hunt that will require a triple strength espresso and a major sacrifice before it’s all over.

Philippe Ormandie can see ghosts, and his special abilities have gotten him into big trouble this time. A dare gone wrong leaves him trapped far away from home in a network of metaphysical tunnels that connects the locations of a large and popular coffee shop chain. Truth Seeker Maggie – formally known as Margaret of Cornwall, lost aunt of King Arthur – needs to find him before the tunnel’s builders do.

When Maggie catches up to Philippe, she whisks him away to what she hopes is a safe place. Unfortunately, the builders of the tunnels won’t be foiled so easily, and she finds herself hunted along with him. Betrayal and old family drama follow Maggie and Philippe no matter where they land.

Maggie needs all the help she can get as the battle ends up being not only for control of the tunnels, but for Philippe’s soul. In the end, the ultimate question is not how Maggie will save the world – and her job – but who will pay the price.

Review of Truth Seeker
4 Stars

I was surprised to find that this first book in the Dream Weavers & Truth Seekers series had little in common with the short story prequel, Perchance to Dream. Truth Seekers does have that ethereal Collective Unconscious feel to it, but the story line is quite different from the prequel.

Philippe seems to be an average human that inadvertently found he can travel the ‘tunnels’. These tunnels connect places that are miles apart by bags of coffee beans in a chain coffee shop. Sound like a strange place to travel from and to? Well, maybe. But in order to avoid the unknown danger, Philippe is getting very little sleep. Hence the coffee shop? It works for me. 🙂

Maggie steps in to help Philippe, not only because he needs help, but also because she needs to know about the tunnels and how they may or may not affect her world.

The adventure that follows leads to old friends and betrayal, capture and rescue. At times, the overall plot seemed a bit disconnected to me, however, reading persistence paid off and I discovered the goals of the Truth Seeker. The tale contains action that is non-stop, romance possibilities and, ultimately, an unexpected conclusion that left me a bit speechless.

Dreamlike and magical qualities flow through Truth Seeker. At the end of the story, I felt like I had awakened from a dream. I suspect that was Ms. Dominic’s goal.

I received a copy of these books from the author so that I could bring you this honest review.

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