Confession: I was tired this week and did not initially give this book the attention it deserves. There may be a certain level of grumpiness that comes through in the beginning of this review, which is my fault, not the author’s. As always, my ARC of The Quest for Lennox Levane was provided for free by the author.

Here’s the blurb:

For her entire life, Reyna has been shunned by her village for her magic, something she never wanted to have. She has heard that the goddesses in the Blue Forest make deals, and after her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is desperate to trade her magic for her mother’s life. But the goddesses only talk to people with royal blood or pure hearts. When a knight named Finn who is distantly related to royalty knocks on her door, Reyna thinks she’s found a solution. The only problem is Finn wants to kill her childhood hero—Lennox Levane, a witch who is trying to overthrow the king—and he’ll only help Reyna if she helps him.

Reyna soon finds herself on a dangerous journey that forces her to face the dark undertones of her relationship with her mother. Her travels with Finn soon bring her into the path of another knight, the arrogant Thomas. As she encounters friend and foe and learns more about the mysterious Lennox Levane and her cause, Reyna will be forced to question whose side she wants to be on: the side of Lennox Levane, or the knights that she is beginning to care about.

We begin with a map. I love this feature in a fantasy novel, can’t stand them in crime fiction. I particularly dislike floorplans of the stately home where the murder was committed. But I digress. I’m not sure a map was necessary for Lennox Levane as the journey doesn’t seem particularly epic, although this is book one of a trilogy, so maybe the quest will become more confusing as time goes on.

I felt immediate sympathy for our heroine, a young witch named Reyna. I couldn’t quite fathom why she’d want to raise her horrible mother from the dead, and this does become a mystery throughout the novel. Her reasons by the end do make a fair amount of sense, but it’s worth noting that there is a trigger warning in place for abusive parenting.

As for the titular Lennox Levane, her mythology is nicely worked in. She’s (in the context of the novel) a real person, but the way people idolise or fear makes her into an almost godly figure. I found myself eager to meet her and sort the man from the myth, so to speak.

And then we come to the knights, cinnamon roll Finn and arrogant Thomas. Sigh. Finn spent most of the novel being almost unbearably stupid. Which is a shame, as he’s also the love interest. He’s just so nice, it wasn’t very sexy. Thomas had a few more layers to him, with some good twists in his backstory. But these two are definitely the weakest part of the book.

At this point, I realised I wasn’t reading a cosy fantasy. There’s serious peril for both Reyna and the knights, and some very dark deeds are hinted at. Seeing how witches are treated is historically accurate to the real world, but was heartbreaking to read. By coincidence, I’ve been doing some work on the Newcastle Witch Trials so reading about similar things in a fantasy world was very upsetting. The stakes are upped further by how much witches are hated. As Reyna’s magic inevitably develops, she starts to be in real danger. This makes the book exciting, but can be a hard read.

The novel really finds its footing towards the end, and sets up the trilogy well. I definitely want to read the second book as I feel Jones’s writing became more confident as the novel progressed. There’s a big twist at the end of Lennox Levane, which I guessed approximately two paragraphs before the reveal. Not to brag, but I’m quite good at guessing twists, so Jones gets points from me for skillfully hiding the truth. This bodes well for book two. I’m giving Lennox Levane 3.5 stars out of 5.

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I suspect this review will be shorter, because this time I’m reviewing a novella. As usual, this book was provided as a free ARC by the author, with no obligation to give a good review. But I’m giving one anyway.

Here is the blurb:

Three Boxing Days. Three dead girls.

And the killer’s already in the queue.

DCI Fiona Weston has spent three Christmases failing to catch the man Hartington Heath calls the Christmas Killer.

No team, no working CCTV, no leads—just table four at The Grind, a pumpkin spice latte she didn’t order, and Emily, the barista who remembers everyone’s usual.

You’ll meet him in chapter six. He’s the quiet one by the window, cutting his cake into neat little cubes, tipping generously, and deciding who he wants for Christmas this year.

She’s been hunting him for three years. He’s been sitting at the next table.

A dark, funny, small-town Christmas crime novella. For readers who like their festive reads with a seasonal latte—and a body count.

Having read the blurb as I copied and pasted it into this review, I realise that I didn’t read it just before reading the book. So I didn’t know that the author admits you meet the killer early on. When I got to this scene, I had concerns. Revealing the killer early is always a risk. Either this was going to be a game of cat and mouse, or it was going to be a damp squib. Thankfully, The Regular is the former.

I assumed the title referred to the regularity of the killings (every Christmas) but then realised it also refers to the regulars at the cafe. There was a brief moment when I wondered if Fiona, a regular at the cafe, would turn out to be the killer. The multiple POV also had me concerned Emily would be the next victim, but you’ll have to read The Regular to find out if I was right about that.

The novella goes straight into the plot and introduces the main characters and a decent supporting cast. Less words to tell the story sometimes means characters aren’t fleshed out, but I didn’t feel this was the case here. The Regular is definitely not a cosy crime, but there are some good flashes of humour to break up the grit. Possibly due to the word count constraints, there isn’t much of a twist at the end. This was a bit of a disappointment, but the book is still a rollicking read. The pace doesn’t let up.

One thing I did not like is Fiona’s obsession with her weight. It felt like I was reading a book published twenty years ago, although diet culture is alive and well today. Tilburn does mention his wife in the acknowledgements so I assume he got her advice on how to write women. He does a good job, but I’m looking forward to reading more books with female characters who are curvy and they like it.

No spoilers on how the plot ends, but the book has a little section from Fiona’s notebook. It’s a lovely way to spend more time with the characters, with little updates on each and some insights into Fiona’s thought processes. I’m giving 4 stars out of 5, it’s nearly Christmas, after all.

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As always, this review is of an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) this time provided on behalf of the author by BookBuzz PR. The Lantern Beast, by Archer Wilder, is a small-town romance with a sci-fi twist. I prefer my romances to be side plots, so I took a bit of risk on this novel. That risk paid off. Lantern is a visually stunning novel for someone who can picture things very clearly in their head. Several times I bemoaned the fact that there weren’t any pictures to accompany the text, and wondered what a film adaptation would look like.

Here’s the blurb:

Some secrets lie beneath the surface. Some rise to find you.

Photographer Jules Everton has spent her adult life in motion — new ports, new faces, connections shallow enough to leave clean. When dreams she can’t ignore pull her to Bracken Ridge, she tells herself it’s temporary. Just a winter. Just her aunt’s porch swing and a town that loves its local legend. But Fortune Lake has been waiting for Jules since she was ten years old.

Corporate lawyer Danny Pencroft has built his entire life around a lie of omission — that he doesn’t believe in the lights on the lake. Until Jules arrives, and suddenly he’s the only one in town who understands exactly what she’s seeing. She’s the first person he has never had to lie to.

Something ancient lives beneath Fortune Lake. A guardian older than the town, older than any record of the lake — and it is dying. Night by night its cries grow more desperate. It kept Danny. It called Jules home. They are the only ones who can hear it, and they are running out of time to listen.

I assumed the identity of the titular Lantern Beast would be kept a secret, with readers having to guess if it was alien or supernatural and so on. Instead, a prologue immediately explains the Beast’s back story, and how it ended up in Fortune Lake. I could tell then that I was in for something a little different. I did have concerns later on that knowing what the Beast was lessened the tension, but Wilder found other ways to keep me on edge!

From the first chapter, you’re pulled into both the story and the romance. I was concerned about switching between the two main characters POVS, but it helped to build trust in them and their motivations. There’s a decent number of supporting characters too, all of whom add to the plot. My favourite is Mack the ferryman. Every small town needs a gruff father figure and Mack fits the bill. I thought he’d also be the local eccentric, but that honour goes to Harbor, the harbour master, who is truly ‘in tune’ with the lake. I’m afraid you’ll have to read the book to find out what I mean by that.

Danny and Jules’s ability to see the lights on the lake gives them an instant bond, although I was surprised that Aunt Lindy hadn’t told Jules about them, because it seemed pretty obvious to me that she could see them too. Danny is confused when the lights show for Jules, thinking he is the only one who can see them. This felt like a little bit of a plot hole. If Danny and Jules are of a similar age, and Jules frequently visited Fortune Lake as a child, how come they never met?

To be fair, this quickly becomes irrelevant as the damage to the Lantern Beast becomes so great that everyone can see the lights. Here the novel slips from sci-fi into a very real metaphor for the dangers of climate change and corporate greed. It’s cleverly done, and I’m sure many people who live in small towns that rely on tourism will relate to the characters’ dilemma on preserving the environment versus being able to afford the groceries. It’s interesting to see the different explanations people come up with for the lights. The reader knows the Lantern Beast is real, but for some characters it’s just a myth to draw in the tourists.

You can’t have a romance novel without the romance going wrong at some point. Of all the plot devices I might have been expecting, one of the pairing being a workaholic wasn’t the one. But it meant you got deep into the character’s motivations which really helped to bring them off the page. Sometimes you read a book and wonder what demons the author has, and this is one of them. I might be totally wrong, but it felt like Archer Wilder has put work before life on a few occasions. Or maybe they’re crazy good at getting into their character’s heads.

Wilder is also good at explaining the science bits without info dumping. There’s a sort of sub plot with scientists near the lake, it becomes increasingly important as the book goes on. This means a lot of physics and engineering explanations, but everything is taken slowly and explained without losing the plot tension. It helps that Jules and Danny only partially understand the science, so they act as the ‘helpless reader’ to get the information out.

Away from the science, this book is the definition of lyrical prose. It is beautifully written and while there is a HEA, the reader has to work for it. Several times I thought everything was going to go very wrong. Another 4 out of 5 stars.

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She’s the key to the cursed tomb that can save his people. He’s the prince who promises her the ultimate treasure—but only if she binds her soul to his own.

Cynthia’s magic is only good for one thing: raiding deadly tombs.

Desperate to buy a better future for her ailing sister, Cynthia enters a soul-binding bargain with a frustratingly handsome fae prince. Her task? Help him break into a king’s cursed tomb for the heist of a lifetime.

But allying with Desmond puts Cynthia in the crosshairs of his blood-soaked past. He’s scorned by his own kingdom, hunted by assassins, and infuriatingly sarcastic. Cynthia despises him—except he sees potential in her magic that she’s never dared to see in herself.

I have left off the end of the author blurb because it contains a big spoiler.

The following review of A Thief Among Fae, by Maddy Calder, is written after an ARC was provided by the author with no expectation of a good review.

That said, Maddy Calder is getting a good review. In fact, I’ve decided that I will only post a negative review of a book if there is something deeply disturbing that I feel I need to warn readers about. So if I read a book and just don’t like it, you won’t see a review.

On to all the things I did like about A Thief Among Fae. First up, Calder writes her trigger warnings in the same style as the novel, which I think is fun. It turns a dry but important document into something everyone should read. I personally think everyone should read trigger warnings anyway.

On to the plot, and we are straight into deadly peril, action and magic. This is not a cosy novel like my last review, in ATAF, actions have serious consequences. These consequences spill over into the rest of the book, influencing Cynthia’s (our heroine) choices. I felt an immediate connection to Cynthia, even though my home life and parental relationships are considerably better.

The romantasy genre has exploded in recent years and I’m a late convert. I appreciated the slow burn drip drip of the romance plot, the gentle teases of potential love triangles, and the fact that sexy scenes (not necessarily sex scenes) didn’t run to multiple pages. I don’t have a moral issue with ultra spicy novels, I’m just not enjoying reading those scenes at the moment.

We’ve dealt with the romance, now on to the violence. As I said, this is a book with high stakes and the violence levels reflect that. There are several battles and details of torture. Nothing is overly dwelt on, but it’s clear our characters have been through some dark times. One thing I liked about the battle scenes was how easy it was to keep track of the characters. Everything is very logical, so even with six or more people, I could keep up. This is something I’ve struggled with in other fantasy books.

The many characters include humans, fae, orcs, goblins and shapeshifters. The culture of each race is explored and each character has a complex set of motivations. I particularly enjoyed how morally ambiguous the characters can be. I also enjoyed the backstory of the war and the way religions are explained. I hope there will be more of the religious story and the way the characters practice their faiths in future books.

We know there will be future books because ATAF is book one of a trilogy. The first novel had a happier ending than I expected. No spoilers, but I thought enough plot threads were tied up for a satisfying finale, while still leaving enough scope for book two.

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Review: The Cozy Cauldron Cab Co.

The first thing you have to do when reviewing an ARC (advanced reader copy) is confirm that you have been given the book for free, meaning the author has not bribed you for a good review. I promise that is what happened here, but after reading the following review of Nathan C. Ashford’s The Cozy Cauldron Cab Co., I forgive you if you think he slipped me a wad of crisp £20 notes. The novel really is that good. Although that title is quite long, so for the rest of the review I’ve abbreviated it to Cozy Cauldron. I’m also spelling ‘cozy’ the American way when referring to the title, and the English way (cosy) otherwise.

Before we continue, here’s the blurb:

Mitsi Blunderlock graduated from Gloombubble Academy with one problem: she’s a witch who can’t fly. After a disastrous crash left her with a crooked nose and a healthy respect for gravity, Mitsi has resigned herself to keeping her feet firmly on the ground (much to the horror of proper witch and warlock society).

When tea leaves spell out “GO. NOW.” Mitsi leaves the comforts of home for the cozy town of Marivell, with nothing but a magical pumpkin carriage (courtesy of her inventor father) and a desperate need to find her purpose. After accidentally retiring the local postal phoenix and causing chaos with her horseless contraption, Mitsi stumbles upon an idea: why not become the town’s first cab driver?

With the help of a distinguished elder werewolf, two eccentric harpy neighbors, the local opossum baker, and a myriad of other fantastical friends, Mitsi discovers that serving others might be the strongest magic of all.

And now for the glowing review, which does contain mild spoilers about characters you will meet, but hopefully not too much about the plot. Cozy Cauldron is so cosy it could be described as the hot chocolate (or perhaps pumpkin spice latte) of books. There were times when I wondered if it wasn’t a bit too cutesy, Ashford is not an author who kills his darlings. Although that is understandable when you consider how darling they are. At one point the main character, Mitsi Blunderlock, moves into a mushroom. Her landlords are mice. And the Santa Claus figure is a capybara. I was charmed.

We start with proper chapter titles. I love that these are making a comeback, it takes me back to childhood. I think that’s part of what makes cosy fantasies so popular, they do feel like a novel you might have read as a young adult, without all the dystopian derring-do of actual YA novels. Another reason is that there is a strong theme of communities banding together, something which is often lacking in real life. Which isn’t to say that everything goes smoothly in Cozy Cauldron, but this is definitely a low stakes tale.

It’s fashionable to market a book by comparing it to other authors. A few pages into Cozy Cauldron and I made a note ‘we’re in Pratchett territory here’. Yes, I really did mean Sir Terry Pratchett. This is probably the highest praise I could give a fantasy novel. But Ashford’s clever way of introducing modern inventions into his fantasy world are distinctly Pratchett-like, and the instantly loveable cast of eccentric characters hints at many more books to come. The small Christmas subplot suggests a festive tale is in the offing.

The only other current author I’ve compared to Pratchett is Travis Baldree, and I think Baldree’s fans will feel at home here. The large number of animal characters given human traits is an instant reminder of Juneau Black, and while there is no murder in Cozy Cauldron, I’d encourage Black’s readers to give this a whirl too.

Without an evil villain, a complex crime to solve, or even a romance, I wasn’t sure where the plot of Cozy Cauldron was going to go. Without major spoilers, I can tell you that it’s a satisfying meander through life in a small town, with plenty of subplots to keep the pace going. This is truly a 10/10 read.

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