Fantasy – Page 7 – Carol's Notebook

Magical Midlife Madness by K. F. Breene

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 by Carol4 Comments

Why have I never read anything by Breene before? Magical Midlife Madness is funny and cute and I loved it. Alright, maybe Jessie being in her 40s helped too, even though I question 40s being middle-aged, I certainly don't feel middle-aged, but Jessie does seem to have more creaky joints than I do. But 40 is definitely not too old to start a new adventure and I love that Jessie goes for it. I also adore that her "team" is older too. Recently divorced and in need of a do-over, Jessie accepts a position as caretaker of Ivy House, an old mansion she visited as a teen. Between the strange butler, groundskeeper, and talkative next-door neighbor, things seem more than a little crazy. We've got plenty of paranormal characters, shifters, gargoyles, a vampire, an alicorn, and who knows what else. We've got a touch of romance that I assume will progress as the series continues. Best of all, we've got a...

The Automaton’s Wife by Vered Ehsani

April 24, 2020April 21, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

The Automaton's Wife is an amusing, quick read, although I do suggest reading the first in the series before this one. Bee continues her adventures in Africa with the help and also complications of her friends and family. This time around she meets a large bat, her husband's ghost has seemingly disappeared and her horse is posessed by a snake spirit. In the meantime, a local woman has been found dead in a mysterious manner. I like the Kenya 1899 setting and the author provides a brief fact or fiction section after the story. Bee and her family don't fit in, but they are doing their best. Bee tries to keep an open mind when dealing with people, but she is a part of her British culture. Bee also learns a few things about her past that puts her prejudices in a different light. It's a cute series. It's light and enjoyable. And Bee is fun to hang out with....

Ghosts of Tsavo by Vered Ehsani

April 21, 2020April 20, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

Ghosts of Tsavo is not my typical read, but it is. It's kind of like a cozy mystery set in Victorian-era Kenya, except instead of a traditional mystery, our heroine, Beatrice Knight, "Bee" to her friends, needs to solve a paranormal problem. There are ghost lions killing goats and the railroad workers worry that soon the lions' appetites will turn toward people. Bee, of course, is not alone. She has a family who are totally over-whelmed by moving to Africa, their servant, the local man she semi-partners with who is as mysterious as the lions, and a new friend who seems a bit ditzy. Oh, and her dead husband who is haunting her. And a local man that is interested in the lions for another reason altogether. It's a fun story and I enjoyed the historical Kenya setting. I like Bee. She's intelligent, but also likes people to observe the customs of the era when possible. Politeness and tea are important. She's...

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Angie Fox

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019 by CarolNo Comments

Small confession: I have the first of the Southern Ghost Hunter mysteries on my Kindle, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Then I saw this "between the books" holiday story and decided it was a perfect way to get a taste of the series. The Ghost of Christmas Past is not actually a mystery, but it works as a stand-alone and let me get to know Verity and some of her crew. As you can tell from the title, The Ghost of Christmas Past is a retelling of the Charles Dickens tale. A few ghosts decide Verity needs to learn a lesson. This is a feel-good story, a bit sentimental in a good way. Verity is sweet and caring and I love her pet skunk. We don't really get to see her solve a mystery, but she does have a problem or two that she solves. She's clearly brave and resourceful, and Frankie, her ghostly sidekick is interesting,...

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

I am a huge Claire North fan. Regardless of topic, her writing is lyrical and vivid and, at times, graphic. The Pursuit of William Abbey begins in the 1880s and continues into the first World War, while taking us around the world. North brings the era, the people, and the places alive for us, through her characters and descriptions. William Abbey is cursed. He watched a boy be tortured and burned without doing or saying anything- this scene is devastating. As the mother kills her child to end his suffering, she sends out her curse and it lands on Abbey. As the blurb says, the shadow of the dead boy starts following him and when it catches him, the person he loves most will die. The person he loves most, not the person he should love, not the person he pretends to love, the person he truly loves most. Using modern transportation, he can stay ahead of the relentless, shuffling...

Binding Dante Lovelace by Jennifer Rainey

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

My two favorite demons, Dante Lovelace and Iago Wick, are in trouble again. Definitely go back and read The Last Temptations of Iago Wick, the first in the series, before Binding Dante Lovelace though. It gives some extra background to the characters that I think it's better when reading this one. The first gives more attention to their jobs as demons, while this one's focus is a bit different. Dante has been bound by a witch, which Hell lets occur. They don't really have their demons' backs when it comes down to it. The witch needs his power to add to hers, but we don't find out why for a few chapters. Turns out the world is actually in danger and Dante has been forced to help save it. Of course, Iago leaves Boston to join him. Of course, saving the world is never easy, especially not for demons. The costs are high. I adore Dante and Iago. I love how...