"A Man of Our Kind" by Scott Telek

If you have been reading my reviews for long enough, this book's title may sound familiar to you. There is a reason for that. Quite some time ago I read and reviewed a book from this author with almost the same title. With this rewrite he changed the title of this one, I assume to avoid athe possibility of confusing his readers.. This series, The Swithin, is one of my favorite Arthurian series. He has been writing this series to be as historically accurate as he can. And in his research, he learned new information that required him to rewrite much of what he had previously written in order to remain true to his intended purpose in writing this book.

So after removing the original version from publication, he rewrote it and asked if I would consider reading and reviewing the new version. How could I possibly refuse? Now don't be fooled into thinking that this is going to be some dry, history lesson about the legendary King Arthur and Merlin. It is anything but dry or boring. It is a wonderful book that I didn’t want to put down. I'm so glad to have received a review copy of this book.

Honestly, I believe this new version far outshines the previous one. I absolutely loved it. This book is all about how Merlin himself came to exist. And while much of this book focuses on Merlin's mother, her family, and those in her life, it is told so well that I only put this book down when I absolutely needed to so that I could get some sleep. The pacing of the book and the details create fantastic foreshadowing of events. Many of us are familiar with at least some of the legends surrounding King Arthur, Merlin, and the Round Table, but how often do you get to read about  what happens before everything we know comes to pass?

I also loved how at the end of this book Mr. Telek took the time to let us know what was historically accurate and what was added by him in order to make the story flow in a much more relatable manner while still maintaining the accuracy of the legends and tales he is presenting to us.

Even if you have read the previous version of this story, I recommend that you read this rewritten version. It far surpasses the previous version. It is very worth taking the time to read. Highly Recommended.

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"Flames Like Darkness" by Belle Manuel and Angelina J. Steffort

Calla has been raised to take over ruling for her father one day. She hopes that she can make life better for everyone, both human and fae, and not just for the rich and powerful. But there are those who feel differently and don’t want such changes. And after an incident in which it is discovered by a few that Calla possesses faerie magic, things begin to happen quickly, and it appears that only the half-fae man who had mistakenly kidnapped her rather than his intended target may be able to keep her safe from other assassins.

I received a review copy of this book. And found it to be an interesting story. Griffin doesn't know much about where he came from, and had to learn how to control his power on his own. Now he has saved the life of the princess, and it looks like he may be the only one able to help her in more ways than one.

I enjoyed reading this book. While Griffin isn't always the most appealing of characters, it is easy to understand why he behaves as he does. He has been deeply hurt more than once in his life and fears letting others in again. Calla, on.the other hand, is a good deal more trusting and seems to see people for who they can be, and not necessarily who they are. And yet somehow, these two nearly opposites seem to work well together, despite neither seeming to actually want to admit how they feel, both about themselves and each other. One is fire and light, and the other darkness and shadows. And yet, together they seem to work, if they can learn to trust.

I felt this was an interesting story, and really want to see where it will go in the next book. Be warned though, this book ends on a cliffhanger, so if like me you read it before the next book has been released, you'll have a bit of a wait to find out what happens. (I don't know about you, but I will definitely be waiting and watching for book two.)

If you enjoy fantasy novels that deal with fae and human relations, as well as including some subjects that exist in our world, (such as love, jealousy, poverty, and racial hatred), then take a look at this book. These themes aren't always obvious, but they are there nonetheless. And in my opinion, they make this book that much more appealing.

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"The Humble Bride for a Prideful Mountain Man" by Florence Linnington

Louisa lives in the time not long after the civil war. The man she was engaged to, never returned from the war, and there isn't anyone that her father considers good enough for her. When she receives a proposal from a man through the matrimonial times, her father forbids her to accept, but she leaves in the extremely early hours of the morning to catch the train anyway.

Luke lost his parents as a child and was taken in and raised by the Indian tribe. When the government took their land and sent them to live on a reservation, he became the local Indian representative, in the hopes of helping them as much as he could. Neither he nor Louisa were truly ready for the changes and expectations brought by each other.

I received a Review Copy of this book from the author, and it doesn't disappoint. As always, this book embraces the importance of communication and trust. But this one also highlights the importance of patience and understanding. Without all of those, no relationship has a chance of success.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were at times both sympathetic  and infuriating, and they make the reader truly feel for both the highs and lows of their journey together. In my opinion, this is one of Ms. Linnington's best books to date. If you enjoy mail order bride stories, stories that make you smile at the end, or have enjoyed any of Ms. Linnington's previous books, then you should enjoy this one as well.

This book may also be available from the following:

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Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

"Stiffs and Petroglyphs" by Trixie Silvertale

When Mitzi's old boss from the coffeeshop in Arizona calls hoping to hire the Harper-Moon Investigations duo to try and find out what happened to his missing girlfriend, Mitzi and Erick decide to take the job, traveling to Arizona and going undercover as  newlyweds looking to cleanse themselves of previous negativity at a retreat center on Native American lands.

With Mitzy and Erick attending the retreat and looking for the missing woman, what else are they likely to discover about what is really happening behind the scenes at the retreat? Because obviously there will be more going on than meets the eye. And this time, they are on their own. No “ murder board” to lay out the clues they find, and no Pyewacket or Silas around to help them out when they inevitably get into trouble along the way. Can they solve this one on their own? Will they be able to find out what secrets this retreat is hiding?

I received a review copy of this book, and as always, I enjoyed this latest adventure quite a bit. Nothing is ever quite as it first seems when this duo is involved. Yes, Mitzi once again stumbles upon a corpse and finds herself seemingly in over her head, but other than that and, of course, them solving the case, very little goes quite the way you might expect. All in all, making this a very enjoyable cozy mystery.

If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, stories involving the famous characters from the Harper-Moon series, or have enjoyed any of Ms. Silvertale's other books, then you'll want to read this one.

This book may also be available through the following:

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"Wisteria Wonders" Written by Angela Pepper, Narrated by Tiffany Williams

Zara Riddle certainly has her hands full in this one. Not only did Frank,  her coworker at the library, turn into a pink flamingo after her prank surprised him, but not knowing that he was a shifter, he didn't know how to turn human again. Also, her neighbor Chet needs her help in order to return his finance’s spirit to her body and awaken her from a coma. Two rather difficult tasks for her to accomplish in this book. Add in Zara’s crush on Chet and her spirit-charmed abilities causing her to experience some of the other woman’s memories and feelings for Chet, and she really has her hands full. 

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. It was a fun and amusing tale, even while parts of it left me feeling quite a bit of sympathy for a number of the characters involved.  The narrator once again did a great job of differentiating the voices of the characters so that there was no confusion as to who was speaking at any point within the story, and I enjoyed listening to the tale. This was the third book in this series, and I am looking forward to finding out what is next for the characters in the town of Wisteria.

If you enjoy Cozy mysteries, either reading or listening to the audiobook version, I think that you will enjoy this one. It is a very fun tale in an amusing series.

This book may also be available through:

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Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.