BLOG TOUR The Poseidon Project by E. William Podojil

Hi friends! Welcome to my stop on the tour for The Poseidon Project by E. William Podojil. Check out my post to learn more about the book, the author, and even read an excerpt. Make sure you enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the page. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win! You can increase your chances by visiting the other tour hosts pages as well (the link to the tour schedule is below). Happy reading everyone!

The Poseidon Project by E. William Podojil Tour Schedule (Goddess Fish Promotions)

About the Book

The Poseidon Project is an international suspense thriller and the first book in The Herb Society Mysteries series  

Molly Halloran and her friends have a secret past.  Their bucolic retirement is suddenly upended when Molly’s husband is abducted and held for a steep ransom.  Now she, her friends, her tech executive son, Lukas and his Air Force pilot boyfriend must race against the clock and travel halfway around the world to meet the kidnappers’ demands.  But when they learn why her husband has been abducted, they realize how high the stakes truly are.  Molly and her friends now must face their past in order to save the future.  But not only their futures; the world’s.

Check out this excerpt!

The Spectrum’s engines roared, providing thrust to power the plane to takeoff speed as it lurched ahead down the runway. The plane’s power was evident as the acceleration force held them in their seats. This plane was designed to go fast, and the cabin was surprisingly quiet. As they hit takeoff speed, Taylor pulled back, and the nose lifted off the ground, followed shortly by the rest of the plane. The landing gear retracted immediately into the fuselage. 

The passengers quietly stared out the large porthole windows as the Goose climbed out of Tucson. It was almost dusk, and Lukas spotted thousands of saguaro cacti dotting the sides of mountains that cast distorted shadows that looked like goblins. The exhilarating views captivated everyone. That is, for everyone except Donna, who sat rigid in her seat, hands clenched and her eyes squeezed shut. Lukas shot her a thumbs up in thanks to Donna—already not a fan of flying, but all in for a fifteen-hour flight halfway around the world just to support her friend. The plane’s angle leveled off, and soon Taylor emerged from the cockpit, curious how well the passengers had settled into their home for the next fifteen hours. Linda and Betty had their eyes shut, as Donna distracted herself with her laptop.

Taylor walked back to the crew stateroom for a few minutes. He and Diego had a brief conversation before Diego walked up to the cockpit. Lukas moved toward the back of the plane to set up his inflight internet connection and workspace. Linda and Betty awoke, startled and disoriented after their brief power nap, while Donna adjusted their seats to face each other, a small table between them. Betty remarked that it reminded her of a train. 

“How’re you doing?” Taylor asked Lukas. 

“Just trying to get set up here. I’ve got a lot of work to do on the way to Dubai. I need to connect with my team in Croatia to get some data and ideas on how I can get this ransom together. It’s still early morning there, so I’ll wait a few hours.” 

“Why don’t you get some sleep until then?” Taylor suggested. I’m gonna try to myself. You mind?” Taylor pointed to the empty seat next to Lukas. 

“Of course not.” Lukas stood to let him in. Taylor sat and reclined his seat. “I changed my mind. I’ll let the kids do the first leg, then I’ll replace one of them, and we rotate like that.” 

Lukas saw that his mom and her friends were already starting to doze off, no doubt tired from the frenetic day. “Why don’t you sleep with me?” Taylor said, and then caught himself. “I mean not with me but next to me—you know what I mean. You make me all tongue-tied, Dr. Halloran.” 

“Sure, I could use a nap. I’m relieved we’re finally on our way.” Lukas reclined his seat to the same angle as Taylor’s. The cabin was mostly dark, except for the LED accent lights that glowed a cool blue. 

Taylor reached out and touched Lukas’ hand. “Is this okay?” He then intertwined his fingers with Lukas’. “This is better than okay. Sleep tight.” Lukas raised their joined hands and kissed the back of Taylor’s. Pretty soon, their hands were on each other’s thighs. 

Heat rose from Taylor’s athletic legs.

Despite the sadness, stress, and emotion of this week, Lukas appreciated the kind soul sleeping next to him. As he was resting, Lukas suddenly felt a rush of panic. What am I doing? Random memories of Drew raced through his head as he tried to calm himself. He tried to rationalize his thoughts. Yes, I just met this guy. Yes, I promised myself I’d never get hurt again. But he’s such a nice man. What if he’s psycho? He pulled his hand away from Taylor and eventually calmed his mind and drifted off to sleep. When Lukas woke up, he noticed his mother sitting with her eyes open, staring at nothing, either deep in thought or terrified of something. Lukas walked over to her. “Ma, are you doing okay?” 

“I think I’m okay. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I know. This has got to be tough for you...” “Honey, I’m not talking about your father. Of course, I’m concerned about him, but it’s only a matter of time until we can see him, hopefully.”

About the Author

E. William Podojil has worked as a writer, advisor and  international business executive while living in the Netherlands and the United States. He studied screenwriting at UCLA. His first novel, The Tenth Man, was published in 2004, by Haworth Press.  His latest novel, The Poseidon Project, will be published by Wild Rose Press in August, 2024 as the first book in the Herb Society Mysteries series. 

Podojil currently resides in Northeast Ohio with his husband and three sons. He travels extensively and writes about his experiences on his website www.ewpodojil.com.  

https://www.facebook.com/ewilliampodojil

http://www.twitter.com/EWPodojil

https://www.instagram.com/ewilliampodojil/

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REVIEW City Spies: Mission Manhattan (City Spies #5) by James Ponti

City Spies: Mission Manhattan (City Spies #5) by James Ponti
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Format: Audiobook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Aladdin 

Check out my review of the first book in the series, City Spies!

Check out my review of the second book in the series, Golden Gate!

Check out my review of the fourth book in the series, City of the Dead!

After the ending of the last book, I was super excited to get to read the newest book in James Ponti’s City Spies series, Mission Manhattan. It’s another fast-paced, action-packed book where the diverse group of young spies has another major world mission to complete. Audiobook narrator Lisa Flanagan once again knocked it out of the park with her performance - I have no clue how she does so many voices, but it’s a great listen (and always clear who’s talking). 

Unlike some of the other books in the series, the target of interest in this book is a young climate activist (akin to a Greta Thunberg-type figure). The team succeeds in their initial mission to protect her but realizes there is a much larger and more devious plan going on. This adds a layer of social justice to the book, instead of a stereotypical spy movie plot (like nuclear weapons, or terrorist groups). They travel to multiple locations in Europe and the United States, and it was fun to get to explore New York City through Brooklyn’s eyes (it’s been a little over a year since her induction to the team). 

The characters are always a highlight of the City Spies books, and this book is no exception. Rio is the star of this book, and it was so exciting to see him get his time to shine. As the youngest of the group, he’s struggled to get as many leadership opportunities and step out of his sibling’s shadows. However, he really stepped up to the plate and I appreciated that his talents (charm and sleight of hand) played so heavily into the story. 

Mission Manhattan is a perfect book for readers young and old who enjoy page-turning spy stories. There’s once again a major cliffhanger at the ending of this book, and I can’t wait to see how things play out (especially with the continual Clementine and Umbra sub-plot). I’m really sad that I now have to wait for the next book in the series, but I’m sure it will be well worth it.

REVIEW City Spies: City of the Dead (City Spies #4) by James Ponti

City Spies: City of the Dead (City Spies #4) 

by James Ponti

Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library) + ARC (Courtesy of Publisher and Rockstar Book Tours)
Publisher: Aladdin 

Check out my review of the first book in the series, City Spies

Check out my review of the second book in the series, City Spies: Golden Gate

James Ponti delivered another amazing addition to the City Spies series with one of his latest releases, City of the Dead. It’s an inventive and fun take on the spy genre, with a rag-tag group of child spies taking up yet another mission to save the world. This was a great read (and listen), as narrator Lisa Flanagan once again did a great job with her performance in the audiobook. I always appreciate the ability to tell which character is narrating (without having to look at the print version). 

Since the first book’s addition of Brooklyn to the team, the team hasn’t really changed all that much. Each of them have their own special talents, and Kat’s ability to perform math and see patterns where others don’t take center stage in this book. I really appreciated the opportunity to see Kat own her uniqueness, and find a way to make her talents help the team (even when under the pressure of chaos and overstimulation). The team has a good routine going on, however, when a new surprise addition to the team joins the FARM in this book it disrupts all their plans and their current dynamic. It’s really going to change the interactions of the group/family going forward, and I’m curious to see how that plays out in the next book. Especially with the cliffhanger the author leaves readers on prior to going into the usual dossiers included at the end of the book (this time written by teammates).  

While it’s not an overly complex mystery, I was very engaged by the mission that the City Spies get sent on in this book. There’s a very large cast of characters, but they all had a purpose in the story (and I hope to see some of them making a cameo in future installments). As you might guess from the title and the cover, this book takes the kids on a mission to Egypt. I loved getting to learn bits and pieces about the culture there, as well as how many of their artifacts sadly ended up the property of other museums around the world. It was also a reminder that despite the way various travel companies stage their pictures, the pyramids are actually in the middle of urban sprawl in the modern day.

City of the Dead was an excellent read and I look forward to checking out more of the books in the series (though I’m sad I only have one more book before I have to wait for the next release). In the past, I’ve compared the series to a kid-friendly Mission Impossible meets James Bond, but I think it's equally suitable for more mature readers as well. If you or a young reader in your life enjoys mysteries and thrillers with spies, this book is worth a listen. 

REVIEW City Spies: Golden Gate (City Spies #2) by James Ponti

City Spies: Golden Gate (City Spies #2) by James Ponti
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 8, 2021
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio 

Check out my review of the first book in the series, City Spies

Check out my review of the fourth book in the series, City Spies: City of the Dead

The second book in James Ponti’s City Spies series, City Spies: Golden Gate, was another great installment in a fun adventure series perfect for middle-grade readers and above. In a setting where Spy Kids meets James Bond and Mission Impossible, it was fun to see our ragtag group of child spies take on jobs even the adult spies of MI6 can’t do. 

While the child spy theme is not a new one, I really appreciate the unique spin the author put on things. As we learned in the first book, each child has their own unique gifts (which were what inspired “Mother” to recruit them). Readers get to learn more about each of the children in this book, and see additional backstory on how some of the others in the team were recruited. The action starts right in the middle of a mission, and it was fun to get to see the team save the world again. It was also fun to see them outsmart various adults in the book. The wit and humor that each of the children demonstrate have had me invested in their characters and their journeys over the course of the books. Found family is a very big theme in the story, and there is a specific part of the ending that left me very emotional. I’m excited to see where the author takes that part of the storyline in the future. 

From the cover of the book and the title, I had assumed that a large chunk of the action would take place in San Francisco. While the city spies do end up in the California Bay Area, they also visit places like London, Australia, Oxford and Australia to help solve a case that’s been confusing MI6 for years. The sub plot of “Mother’s” missing children takes a step forward in this book, though we haven’t actually seen them in person yet. I’m curious to see how that mystery eventually resolves further down the line. 

Overall, this was another excellent read and I look forward to checking out more of the books in the series (I already picked up an audiobook copy of the third book, City Spies: Forbidden City). Lisa Flanagan once again did a great job bringing the voices of Brooklyn and the other characters to life with her performance in the audiobook. If you or a young reader in your life enjoys mystery and thrillers with spies, this book is worth a listen. 

CONTENT WARNINGS: Death, Kidnapping, Murder

BLOG TOUR Helluland by CR Lindstrom

Hi friends! Welcome to my stop on the tour for Helluland by CR Lindstrom. Check out the post to learn about the book and don't miss the giveaway. The author will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card at the end of the tour.

Helluland by CR Lindstrom Tour Schedule

About the Book

A GIFT AWAKENING. A LEGEND REVEALED.

In a remote corner of the Arctic, unexplained phenomenon haunt an isolated community. Several people have disappeared, and somehow young Erika Holstrom knows why. Still reeling from the loss of her mother, she escapes to university, only to be followed by unsettling visions of the future.

When a Russian submarine vanishes in the far North, Erika's nightmares suggest the answers lay buried deep in her family history. Now, just as the melting polar ice releases its sinister secrets, Erika and her friends are in a race against time to convince the sceptical authorities what is really happening in her Arctic homeland, before it’s too late.

Will they succeed, or is the frozen North lost forever...

Excerpt

Erika moved to the music, allowing the rhythm to guide her. She watched Michelle from the corner of her eye, trying to process what had just happened and how she felt about it.

Danger.

Erika hesitated while the others kept dancing. Something terrible was about to happen, but what? She scanned the room. Erika could see Sandra and Nicole had moved towards the corner of the dance floor with their French-Canadian boys. She looked up to see a giant speaker hanging from the ceiling by silver chains. Erika desperately tried to clear her head.

She shuffled towards Sandra, Michelle following her with a dance move.

Danger.

Erika’s senses honed in on the speaker chains. They were going to give way. She had to act now. Masking her actions as a drunken stumble, she slammed into Sandra, sending them both into a row of chairs beside the dance floor. As they hit the ground, the chains holding the dangling speaker broke, sending the huge piece of equipment crashing to the ground. Sparks flew from the massive box. Several people nearby screamed, pushing themselves away from the electrical calamity. The music stopped.

From her position under a pile of chairs, Erika could hear Michelle calling out to Nicole. “Gibson, where are Holstrom and Bruster?”

About the Author

C.R. Lindström is a debut author with a passion for lore and history.

https://books2read.com/helluland/

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REVIEW City Spies (City Spies #1) by James Ponti

City Spies (City Spies #1) by James Ponti
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 9, 2020
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio

Check out my review of the second book in the series, City Spies: Golden Gate

Check out my review of the fourth book in the series, City Spies: City of the Dead

James Ponti’s series opener City Spies was a fun adventure series perfect for middle-grade level readers and above. In a book where Spy Kids meets James Bond and Mission Impossible, an orphan joins a rag tag group of child spies on a mission to save the world. 

While the child spy theme is not a new one to books, I really appreciated how the author put a unique spin on things. Each of the different child spies has their own special gifts (which inspired “Mother” to recruit them) and it’s quite a diverse cast from all around the world. The mystery and the saving the world issue is the main plot, but the author does reveal bits and pieces about each of the individual characters as secondary storylines. “Mother’s” storyline was the most unique (though I’m still not sold on his nickname) and I’m curious to see how that will play out in subsequent books. 

The storyline was also a unique aspect of the book. Instead of having the main character Brooklyn jump straight into spy training after Mother recruits her, she goes almost directly into her first mission with the other children. I did miss getting multiple scenes of training sequences, but in return I appreciated that readers get to jump straight into the action. As a side note, I did want to warn any potential readers that there is some serious stuff happening in the book. The crimes that the kids have to deal with are no joke, there are mentions of murder and other violent acts like dismemberment and explosions (never on page), and there is some mild language in the book (things like freaking and stupid, nothing to the degree of an ‘f-bomb’).  

Overall, this was an excellent read and I look forward to checking out more of the books in the series. Lisa Flanagan did a great job bringing the voices of Brooklyn and the other characters to life with her performance in the audiobook narration of the story. If you or a young reader in your life enjoys mystery and thrillers with spies, this book is worth a listen.

About the Author

James Ponti is the New York Times Bestselling author of three Middle Grade book series: the DEAD CITY trilogy about a secret society that polices the undead who live beneath New York City; the Edgar Award-winning FRAMED! series about a pair of Sherlockian tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, D.C.; and the all-new CITY SPIES about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 spy team.

James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family.

REVIEW A Longer Fall (Gunnie Rose #2) by Charlaine Harris

A Longer Fall (Gunnie Rose #2) 

by Charlaine Harris
Rating: 4 Stars
Reelase Date: January 14, 2020
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited) + Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Saga Press

In the second installment of Charlaine Harris’ Gunnie Rose series, A Longer Fall, readers once again return to a world where the United States we know are no more, having split into multiple different smaller territories. If you enjoy genre-bending novels with a bit of a Western flair, this would be a great choice for your next read. 

Lizbeth Rose is a “Gunnie”, a sharpshooter gifted with firearms and a boon to any crew she’s on. After the events of the last book left her all alone with a dead crew, the new crew she’s on has been given the job of guarding a piece of cargo as it makes its way across the continent. Things don’t go to plan though, as her crew is (unsurprisingly) ambushed and the cargo is taken. Once an old friend shows up, Lizbeth realizes that things are much more complicated then she anticipated and they must retrieve the cargo or die trying. 

Lizbeth and Eli are a unique pairing. While they are not a traditional ‘couple’, they fit together well and make a great team. On paper, their chosen professions would never have them even meet let alone interact for an extended period of time. However, fate has them partnered together and they make the most of their time (both professionally and in a personal, intimate way). The two characters definitely carry the book; while the side characters helped to move the action along, I couldn’t really recall any memorable details about any one in particular. 

The setting is still a bit jarring, but I can appreciate the unique take with the alternate history the author has crafted in this book. You’d think that the dystopian thriller western vibes that Ms. Harris has going on in this book would read as somewhat discordant, but I think it blended together well. 

Audiobook narrator Eva Kaminsky once again did an excellent job bringing Lizbeth’s perspective to life with her performance. This book leaves a clear starting point for the next book, and I’m excited to see what’s next for Gunnie Rose and Prince Eli in The Russian Cage. Additionally, I’m also excited to get to see Felicia get her time in the spotlight starting with the fourth book in the series, Serpent in Heaven. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Racism, Slavery, Domestic Violence, Lynching, Gun Violence

About the Book

In this second thrilling installment of the Gunnie Rose series, Lizbeth Rose is hired onto a new crew for a seemingly easy protection job, transporting a crate into Dixie, just about the last part of the former United States of America she wants to visit. But what seemed like a straight-forward job turns into a massacre as the crate is stolen. Up against a wall in Dixie, where social norms have stepped back into the last century, Lizbeth has to go undercover with an old friend to retrieve the crate as what’s inside can spark a rebellion, if she can get it back in time.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and Midnight, Texas trilogy) is at her best here, building the world of this alternate history of the United States, where magic is an acknowledged but despised power.

About the Author

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.

The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.

Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.

Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.

BLOG TOUR A Long Dark Road by Joan Hall Hovey

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Selected Tales of Suspense containing 5 short stories and a novella

“Joan Hall Hovey knows suspense. She keeps it simmering in every scene she writes and knows just the right moments to turn up the heat. She also knows character creating richly layered people to populate her stories, sometimes with no more than a single sentence stocked with perfectly chosen description words or phrases... terrific suspense ."James Hankins, author of Brothers and Bones

“Taut plotting, great characters, and chilling suspense. Abook you can’t put down, exhibits a master’s touch. Alfred Hitchcock would be smiling. - Book Pleasures Review, Steve Moore

Read an Excerpt from "A Long Dark Road"

The Old Post Road was long, a narrow tunnel hemmed in by dark woods, and seemed even longer tonight. Most drivers used the new main highway now. She passed only a couple of cars along the way. Lulled by the rhythm of the wipers blended with the music, and the hum of the wheels on rough pavement, Elsie's heart leaped when the car dropped suddenly with a bone-jarring thump that reverberated through her body, followed by a jerky vibrating ride as the car took her further down the road. Whump! whump! whump! She eased off on the gas and brought the car to a crawling stop on the shoulder. Sat unmoving until her heartbeat settled down. Oh, no, please not here. But it was here; in the dark and the cold, and the rain.

About the Author: I've always been drawn to the dark side of our human psyche, and devoured everything from Edgar Allan Poe to Shirley Jackson growing up and later Ruth Rendell and Stephen King and so many more wonderful writers than I could list here. It was my dream to become a published writer for as long as I can remember, and have written eight novels. My latest book is ‘A Long Dark Road’. My love of reading seemed to go hand-in-hand with the writing.

I grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada's oldest incorporated city, situated on the Bay of Fundy. I married young and had four incredible children, three boys and a girl. My eldest son passed away in 2018, of ALS, which was the moment I knew I was in control of nothing. Nothing at all. And how it feels to have your heart shredded, slowly. But still, we must be grateful for what we have.

When the children were still small we moved to Gondola Point, where we lived in a modest home my husband built, overlooking the Kennebecasis River. Lots of lovely tall pine trees and bird song. It was country then, but no more. We lived there happily with various beloved pets over the years. People often remarked that the view must be inspiring, and it was, but the truth is when I was at my computer, my back was to the river, my head already filled with characters and scenes as I lived in a world of the imagination.

My husband is gone now, my children grown with children of their own and I moved back to the city to escape the loneliness. I live in a pleasant apartment in a historical part of the city with my sweet calico cat, Bella. From my window, I can see a beautiful old church with the steeple jutting into the sky, and a clock that competes with the moon. It is Sunday morning and the church bells are ringing as I type this.

I hope you enjoy my books!

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1234888.Joan_Hall_Hovey
https://www.facebook.com/joan.h.hovey
https://www.joanhallhoveyauthor.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Dark-Road.../dp/B0C5W58B88
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-long-dark-road-joan-hall-hovey/1143527937

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REVIEW An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose #1) by Charlaine Harris

An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose #1) by Charlaine Harris
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library) + eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Gallery/Saga Press 

My first exposure to Charlaine Harris’ books was her Sookie Stackhouse series, and I’ve since checked out her Midnight Texas and Aurora Teagarden books as well. It was exciting to read the first book in her newest series, Gunnie Rose. An Easy Death did not disappoint. 

The story takes place in a world that’s an alternate history Western movie meets thriller and dystopian novel, with the former United States of America fractured into pieces. The map included in the book was helpful in keeping track of where certain parts of the action were taking place, and which other countries took over the ruins of the United States. For example, the Holy Russian Empire rules over the continent's West Coast (where California and Oregon used to be). Britain has taken over the Northeast, Mexico has territory in the South, and the former Southern states have fractured into their own separate groups of territories. Readers also get a mixed sense of what time period the book is set in - in some ways, they are stuck in the past with Winchesters and Colts being the weapons of choice for those without magic. However, there are also more present and futuristic touches like refrigerators, cars, and other tools utilizing electricity. Despite the setting being a bit haphazard and hard to keep track of at times, I found myself remaining invested in the story. 

In addition to the physical worldbuilding, the characters were another highlight of the book. It was interesting to see various character groups, like the Grigoris from the Holy Russian Empire and the Gunnies who are so common in the South (but relatively unheard of in other places). I enjoyed getting to learn more about the magic system that occupies this world, and I hope to get to learn more about it in future books of the series. Eva Kaminsky did an excellent job bringing the action to life and voicing Gunnie Rose’s perspective throughout the book. Like many of Charlaine Harris’ other heroines, Gunnie is a strong Southern girl at heart, and I think this is one of those cases where the narrator’s performance took the book from good to great. 

Overall, An Easy Death was another excellent book, and Charlaine Harris continues to knock it out of the park with every book she writes. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy adult novels that mix genres. While the majority of the content would be suitable for young readers, some of the events in the book (see the trigger warnings below), I’m hesitant to recommend it to a wider/younger audience. All in all, I’m excited to continue reading about Gunnie Rose’s adventures in the next book in the series, A Longer Fall, as soon as possible. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape and attempted rape, gun violence, kidnapping, loss of autonomy (mind control)

About the Book

In the southwestern country now known as Texoma, this is a world where magic is acknowledged but mistrusted. Battered by a run across the border to Mexico, gunslinger Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards.

She may be young, but Gunnie Rose has acquired a fearsome reputation and the wizards are at a desperate crossroads, even if they won't admit it. They're searching frantically to locate the only man whose blood they believe can save their tsar's life.

A powerful enemy sends enemies who want their mission to faillThe trio are set upon by a powerful force does not want them to succeed in their mission. Lizbeth Rose is a gunnie who has never failed a client, but her oath will test all of her skills and resolve to get them all out alive.

About the Author

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.

The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.

Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.

Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.

REVIEW The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Format: Audiobook
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 

Lily Meade’s debut young adult novel, The Shadow Sister, is an exciting and captivating new book. Mixing the genres of thrillers and mysteries, readers are kept on the edge of their seats as they follow Casey and Sutton in a quest to determine what’s been going on in their community. I particularly enjoyed Tamika Katon-Donegal’s audiobook performance, and how she brought the action to life through her narration. 

There’s so much the author explores throughout the book. First of all, the fractured sibling relationship between Sutton and Casey. Readers get a glimpse into what their relationship used to be like with the alternating point-of-view, and the various flashback moments. It was also nice to have the point of view switch between Sutton and Casey; switching between past flashbacks from Sutton and the present from Casey’s point of view, really put an emphasis on their fractured sibling relationship, what the overall family environment was, and what the relationships used to be like. 

In addition to sibling relationships and the bonds of family, there’s also an exploration of generational trauma and the impact of racism on the black community. After Sutton’s disappearance, their parents note how they have to get on TV and beg for help every day to just get a modicum of the attention a white girl’s disappearance would get. While the book does emphasize some of the challenges the black community faces on a day-to-day basis, it also highlights the importance of the cultural traditions they value (largely introduced thanks to the girl's grandmother, who is my favorite side character in the book). 

The mystery surrounding the events of the story was impressive. Unlike many other books, I did not piece together the truth of the mystery early on (which is always exciting). With the big reveal at the end of the story, so many things began to click into place and I always love it when an ending feels earned. The supernatural or magical realism aspect of the book just made the story better, and I thought the book wrapped up very well. 

Overall, this was a very entertaining read and a great debut novel! I’m excited to see more of what Lily Meade writes in the future. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Racism

About the Book

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls--or half-Black girls--without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone—or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

About the Author

Lily Meade is a young adult novelist of speculative fiction, represented by Elana Roth Parker of Laura Dail Literary. She has a Certificate in Editing from the University of Washington. Her work has been published in Bustle and Teen Vogue and she has been featured in Romper, Buzzfeed, and Rolling Stone. Her YouTube channel on writing advice and inspiration has over 3,700 subscribers.

Check out the author's website