THE UNMOTHERS by Leslie J. Anderson

The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While going through my Paperwhite to pick my next read, I stopped on this one. I mean, the horse and baby angle totally intrigued me.

After a devastating loss, Marshall's editor sends her to the small town of Raeford to investigate the bizarre claim that a horse gave birth to a human baby. But when she digs deeper, Marshall finds that there's something very strange going on...

I really enjoyed this dark folktale with a monstrous angle fuelled by the generational rage and secrets women are forced to carry.

Although the story unfolds via multiple POVs, I considered this to be Marshall's personal journey into recovery and facing her grief. She's a reporter who is struggling at work and is given an assignment that's meant to be nothing serious. A way to get her out of the city. Instead, she stumbles into old rituals, the mystery surrounding one baby's birth, and a town that's full of secrets.

That's before getting stuck into the worship of horses, the strange way these animals are involved in human rituals, and the darkness that lives in the forest. And did I mention the shitty old man with a god complex? Yeah, there's a lot going on here, and all of these elements come together in a very satisfying way.

The other characters that I really liked were Jason and Agatha.

I also think that the author captured the hopelessness and backward location very well, while also showing the resilience of the townsfolk, the carelessness of law enforcement, and the beauty that exists even in the darkest of places.

This is a great book!!


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NINE MONTH CONTRACT by Amy Daws

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lately, every time we go to K-Mart, we find a bunch of books on clearance and this was one of them. "I'd buy that for a dollar!" I'm serious, this book was a buck. 😅

Wyatt is hardworking but is definitely a bit too grumpy, and he wants to be a dad. Trista loves animals but her life is a little chaotic, and she wants to open an animal sanctuary. Together, this odd couple might be a perfect match...

This is such a fun, heartwarming, funny, and raunchy story!

I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book because the concept sounded like it might be a little problematic. I've never read a rom-com dealing with surrogacy, and I certainly didn't expect to be hooked, but after trying out the first chapter, I couldn't stop.

I found the Fletcher family dynamics charming, and the tension between the brothers was intriguing. Yeah, the characters hooked me in from the beginning!

The story is mostly told in the alternating POVs of Wyatt and Trista as they meet, realise they're quite compatible, but choose to focus on their nine month contract. After all, Wyatt is the one who wants to be a parent, while Trista doesn't have any interest in children because of her own past. It makes for an interesting dilemma as things heat up between them because their mutual attraction is very intense.

There are so many reasons why I should've found some of these topics disturbing, but I didn't. Instead, I had a blast reading this book and enjoyed the writing style, too.

I'll definitely be checking out the other books in this series. And by that I mean that I already have the second one. 😁


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LITTLE RED DEATH by A.K. Benedict

Little Red Death by A.K. Benedict
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another book we found in one of our local Street Libraries.

A writer held captive. A detective on the case. A killer obsessed with fairy tales. A collection of murders that relate back to the lead detective...

Wow. This contemporary fairy tale is amazing! It's a murder-mystery. A fast-paced thriller. It's a serial killer crime novel. And definitely fits into the dark fantasy genre. Did I mention that it's full of twists and turns?

I was utterly hooked from beginning to end, and couldn't wait to find out what was really going on.

DI Lyla Rondell is such a great character and as she investigates murders that are based on the Grimm Fairy Tales, she slowly realises that the killer is somehow connected to her. But not just that, everything that's going on circles back to her.

I found this SO addictive! The trippy nature of this book is something that makes it stand out. There's a story within a story within a story, and a conclusion that will blow your mind. Not to mention how magical and lush the location is.

Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to delve into the more fantastical aspects of this tale and how clever it is, it would spoil everything that makes this book special. I think you should go in without knowing too much about the plot.

Loved it!


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Getting Stuff Done...

Hello! How are you today? Hope you're enjoying the month of November. We've had a few temperature drops, but this spring is turning out to be quite warm.

So, what's new?

As you can see below, my latest book was released this week and I'm very excited. Yay!!! 🥳

FALLEN DESTINY is a cozy urban fantasy, with a good dose of horrormance, about an occult detective with abandonment issues, a found family, and a mystery that might reveal the burning questions she has about her past. I'm very proud of this novel and hope that it finds an audience, and that readers enjoy it.

If you want to know more, you can read more about it here. Or you can check out the excellent GET IT Kirkus review.

Asides from this very awesome news, I've also finished writing and revising two new short stories.

Final word counts: 2,423 and 1,327.

These tales were a bit of a surprise, especially the first one. Not only because it came out of nowhere, but what happens in this tale changes the fate of one particular character. The shorter tale is one I've had in mind for a while but even that turned out very differently. Love it when that happens!

So, here's the vampire world update: two novels, one novelette, and twenty-three short stories. The collection has now crossed 81k, and I suspect the short stories might finally be done. I think. Maybe. Except for one more thing that isn't a story but it's something that makes an appearance in the overall narrative and I've wanted to put it together since completing the very first novel. 😁

Something else that I'm very excited about is that we started getting back into yoga and have actually done two workouts already. There are so many health benefits so we want to keep this up. Fingers crossed.

I've also been reading, including this harrowing book. This was such an uncomfortable and disturbing story, also very sad.

Anyway, I'm trying to get stuck into the many books I have on my massive TBR pile. And I'm not just talking about all the hardbacks and paperbacks, I'm also talking about my Kindle and Kobo books. 😳

Well, that's it for now. 

Hope you all have an awesome week!!

 

I DIED AT FALLOW HALL by Bonnie Burke-Patel

I Died at Fallow Hall by Bonnie Burke-Patel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We found this book in a local Street Library, so I decided to get stuck into it last night to see if I liked it... and couldn't stop reading.

Anna Deerin lives in a remote cottage in Cotswold and is a gardener on the grounds of the Fallow Hall estate. She lives alone and wants it to stay that way. Detective Inspector Hitesh Mistry left the city to escape his past and personal grief. He lives a solitary life and likes it that way. When Anna finds bones buried in the garden, their paths cross and an old mystery unfolds...

What a great story! I REALLY enjoyed this small-town murder mystery. The first thing that grabbed me was the lush description and the quaint location. The second thing is the characters. Not just the three narrators, but also the great cast of secondary characters. I mean, how cute is David the golden retriever? And David's human, Reverend Watts is also such a good character.

Anna and Hitesh are interesting together and apart, each living with their own personal trauma. But at the heart of the story is the tragedy of Catherine Blackwaite, which is quite sad because she's such a lively and spunky young woman determined to find her place in the 60s. Too bad I don't feel the same about Lord Blackwaite.

I also like the author's cozy writing. Her storytelling style is addictive.


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It's Release Day!!

 Today is the day!

FALLEN DESTINY IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM BRIGIDS GATE PRESS.

Destiny isn't human and she has the horns to prove it. She's also damned good at blending into the human world.

That, along with her powers, has helped her forge a career out of locating supernatural beings and objects.

Got demon troubles? Need a mystical artifact found? Destiny's the one for the job.

All goes well for her until the day she's hired by a mysterious nun, and for the first time, Destiny's stumped.

How exactly does a demon hired by a nun find an angel?

Grab an eBook or paperback copy here:

AMAZON | B&N | KOBO

BOOKSHOP.ORG | WATERSTONES | BOOKS-A-MILLION

ADD TO GOODREADS

I'd want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Gwendolyn Kiste, Angela Sylvaine, Sonora Taylor, Wayne Fenlon, and Brian Bowyer for these amazing blurbs:

"I've been a fan of Yolanda Sfetsos for years, and whether you're brand-new to her work or you've loved her books for as long as I have, Fallen Destiny is an absolute must-read. This cozy dark fantasy takes you on a supernatural adventure with page-turning prose and characters you'll adore. Enjoy the ride."

— Gwendolyn Kiste, Four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Haunting of Velkwood and Reluctant Immortals   

“Fallen Destiny is a wicked urban fantasy that will appeal to fans of Kim Harrison. Sfetsos delves into the mysteries of heaven and hell while wrapping the reader in the warm embrace of found family. Move over Hellboy, there’s a new kick ass demon in town, and Destiny won’t be denied.”

— Angela Sylvaine, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Frost Bite. 

"Fallen Destiny is a fun, devious, supernatural mystery with lots of clever twists and turns. Sfetsos manages to create a large and fascinating world of amazing characters, all of whom I loved. Don't miss this one."

— Sonora Taylor, award-winning author of Little Paranoias: Stories and Without Condition

"A cosy blend of genres: infusing horror, folklore, and eroticism, with a hint of mystery. A detective story at heart. This one, like all of Yolanda's work, is another proper page turner. A great writer."

— Wayne Fenlon, author of The Black Cabin

“Sfetsos is simply one of the best, and Fallen Destiny—thrilling, intense, and filled with suspense—displays an artist at the top of her game.”

— Brian Bowyer, author of Metro Kinetic. 

"A lively and atmospheric occult mystery with a main character who’s as hellish as she is human."

—Kirkus Reviews, GET IT verdict

Read full review here

I'm SO excited about this new release and can't wait for readers to read my cozy urban fantasy book about an occult detective investigating a mystery that might lead to her past.

The beautiful cover art was made by: Alison Flannery

Thanks for reading!

THE CHANGE by Kirsten Miller

The Change by Kirsten Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been meaning to read this book for ages, so I'm glad I finally got stuck into it.

Three very different women find each other when they start going through some changes. Harriett Osborne is an advertising director, but now spends most of her time growing a wild garden. Jo Levison is a former executive who runs a gym and has developed a newfound strength that manifests in a fiery rage. Nessa is a widowed nurse who can hear the voices of dead girls who deserve to be found. Together, the trio is determined to get justice...

Wow. This book is fucking amazing. There's no other way to describe how much I enjoyed it.

I love the way it deals with everything, starting with everyday sexism, amping up to disgraceful misogyny, and everything else in between. Through the lives and the untimely deaths of the girls and women who live in Mattauk, the female experience—the wonderful and the nightmarish—is captured perfectly.

OMG. I absolutely LOVE Harriett, Jo and Nessa!! All three are such strong, empathetic characters whose flaws enhance their personalities.

Not only did I enjoy the interactions between the three leads, because their friendship is strong enough that they can be brutally honest with each other, but I also liked their individual stories.

The way multiple POVs are threaded into the main narrative hooked me from beginning to end.

The powerful tales of three very different middle-aged women opens up to include so much more, and other stories weave their way into the narrative in a way that kept me glued to the pages. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, and I was on the edge of my seat during the last few chapters.

It's a long and it's quite sad, but the author's brilliant voice is very addictive. This is a powerful and important book and definitely worth reading.


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Hey, it's November!

How are you?

I hope you all had an awesome Halloween! I spent mine listening to a thunderstorm while reading the latest Sally (The Nightmare Before Christmas) book. Such a trope, right? I also popped into my ACNH island to catch up with Jack, chatted with hubby, and filled up my first Attic Notebook.

It might be November, but the Halloween aesthetic never ends. At least, it doesn't for me. 😊

For the first time in years, I'm not actually writing a novel first draft during November. But it's not a big deal because I've been busy writing a lot of short-stories. Speaking of shorties, I completed another one last week.

The final word count:  1,987.

As I mentioned last week, I completed two more stories, and both were about the same character. The idea to round them out as a trilogy of sadness and self-discovery came to me during one of my walks. And guess what? After I finished, I realised that I love this character so much, she's getting a spin-off. Not sure if it's going to be a novella or novel, but I'm very excited about the continuation of her story and already started taking notes!

So, here's the vampire world update: two novels, one novelette, and twenty-one short stories. The short story collection has now crossed 78k words.

Still having a blast writing them but I think it's slowly coming to a nice and organic end. Of course, that's what I think today. Tomorrow, the plan could change because these characters are loud.

Did you guys hear about the upcoming ACNH updates? My husband and I still pop into our islands daily, so we're super excited!! I love my island (I called it Grimoire) and my villagers are adorable, so these new features are going to be a lot of fun. Especially getting the chance to build islands inside your dreams. What a cool idea!

Well, asides from all the writing and revising, I've been catching up with some reading. I'm also enjoying long daily walks. The days are a lot longer and I'm taking advantage.

Okay, that's it for now.

Have an awesome week!! 😁