Review: Visions of Ascension aka Fate of Spectrums by Nicholas L Carter

 

 

 

 

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5089363194

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5089378385

 

This is Book One in a very comprehensive universe created to hold a supremely powerful ruling being. They are named Corianna and are ultimately tamed by love. I was strongly reminded of the epic of Gilgamesh.

The grammar was terribly lacking, as if English was not the author's first language. The title is not clear-- 'Spectrum' appears nowhere in the story. Weighing against the technical problems are some awesome concepts of how a super-being can work either for or against its own species as a whole. The attempts at depicting gender-fluid family life are commendable if not convincing, and the depiction of different alien species is slap-dash and left to us readers to complete.

review of The Lost Shrine series 3: By Blood Betrayed by Amberlyn Holland

 

                            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40776913-by-blood-betrayed

 

This book continues a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling in this third installment.

The three shape-shifting Hound brothers have divided the hunt for dark sorcery between them, with the youngest, Phelan, assigning himself to the dangerous borderlands of Marnak, under the very nose of the evil warlord Trask. As a spying bard he insinuates himself into the rebel underground in search of a lost power place that has been nearly drained by the evil blood magick along the border with his birthplace, the land of the Thousand Tribes. What he finds is a close-knit clan of refugees led by flame haired twins who fled from a monstrous fate.

Selena and her brother were closer to the evil Phelan hunts than they would like to admit, and it still seeks them. She knows her healing magic should be for the land and not for conquest, that family should be aligned with love and not coercion. She's given up on personal dreams of happiness, beyond keeping her brother and their self-made family safe. Is the ballad-singing stranger putting them in danger, or will he help root out a hidden enemy in their midst? Can they muster allies enough to stop the poisoning of their waters? She discovers that she has supernatural allies greater than the darkness, but will they last beyond this hour of peril?

This book stands alone quite well, but you will be craving happy endings for all the heroes.

review of The Lost Shrines 4: By Love Reclaimed by Amberlyn Holland

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40777267-by-love-reclaimed

 

 

This book continues a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling in this installment.
This book stands alone quite well, but you will be craving happy endings for all the heroes.


The three shape-shifting Hound brothers have divided the hunt for dark sorcery between them, and Ranulf surprised them by opting to return to the Milesan Isle of Tirnan, where once his heart was broken. Somewhere is a rumored goddess cave, fully separated from the renowned sacred Sword shrine, and dark forces could infiltrate there and put all their lands at risk. Tara's father scorned Ranulf as an adopted and inferior Milesan then; this legacy persists due to the family secrets Tara and her brother and sister still conceal.

Tara, a Defender of Hearth and Home, is struggling to keep their isle whole despite the worsening onslaughts of darkness that plague her and her sister of Harvest and brother of Storm. How can a Harbinger of Death like Ran possibly aid full Milesan Powers like them? Why was their love judged so wrong when it felt so right in their youth? It will take the truth, and the powers of both their feuding lineages, to defeat the insidious plots the blood sorcerer laid in the course of generations.

Only then will Ran and Tara allow themselves to love again. If it succeeds, and they are not separated by the Death he senses around her.

Though this is the purported end of the series I sense that there are other pairings possible and not yet explored by Amberlyn. 

 

 

review of The Lost Shrine series 2: By Destiny Bound by Amberlyn Holland

 

                     https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40776865-by-destiny-bound

This book continues a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling in this second installment, where the bonding appears accidental.

The three shape-shifting Hound brothers have divided the hunt for dark sorcery between them, with the eldest, Maddyn, assigned to the city-state of Galwei. The magical source endangered has been so well hidden by the holy order of Kelan for centuries that locating it seems the hardest problem to solve. But when he encounters a certain unconventional novice called Yve, secrets fall into view in the nick of time as the head of the Order is ambushed by a murderous blood mage.

Yve joined the Kelan Order hoping for a life more in line with heroic legend than her present contemplative existence has been until now. The other novices and courtiers react to the Hound Harbinger of Death with fear; she can't overcome her magnetic draw to him and must resign the outcome to the will of the Goddess. It lands her in a role of influence she could barely imagine but must master swiftly, for the good of her land.

Neither of them expected this; neither of them want it to end, though they think it must. This book stands alone quite well, but you will be wanting more happy endings for our other heroes.

review of The Lost Shrine series 1: By Vengeance Guided by Amberlyn Holland

 

 

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40776828-by-vengeance-guided

This book begins a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling, even in this first installment, where a fertility rite is crucial to the plot.

Caerwyn of the Isles is of the Milesan race, who are each born to embody a godlike power of their universe, which overshadows their human personality when invoked properly. His is the spirit of Vengance, and has kept him roaming the lands of this world to redress the killing of his parents in defense of an ancestral Cauldron of power. He is aided in this by his foster brothers the Hounds, with shape-shifting abilities of the Thousand Tribes race but also Milesan ones, granted by the healing Cauldron. They have been summoned by Daen, prince of Galwei, because he suspects he has been bewitched. The culprit? His betrothed, Lady Liadan of Hara Dale.

Liadan herself knows that this betrothal is all sorts of wrong. The match would badly upset the balance between her tiny principality and its neighbors; besides, she was not supposed to be the true heir, but rather her sister, and eventually, her three year old niece. Now Gui, her sister's husband, is attempting to manipulate her the way her sister once allowed herself to be used. Ancestral secrets of the land are in grave danger. What does the stranger who calls himself 'Wyn' have against her family? Is he friend or foe?

What he and the Hounds uncover will not only seal the fate of Hara Dale but all of the human kingdoms.

This book stands alone quite well, but you will be wanting more happy endings for our other heroes.

Review: Beneath: Running from the Devil 1, by J E Taylor and Katie Salidas

 

 

 

 

The book begins with long-time torturer of Hell Phenex taking a chance upon a rogue portal and ending up stranded in New York City with very realistic culture shock. Fate has assigned her exactly one ally, a being equally between realms as she is, and a redemption contract that she'd best fulfill or else.

The ally, Smoke, prefers living as a stray tomcat to either Hell or Heaven. Phenex, or as she renames herself, Phoebe,
discovers a long-buried joy in aiding animals serves her well. Her task is to stop a rogue Djinn from gorging on too many human lottery winners with the help of a Night Hag she met Down Below... all before she figures out how to learn to read.

The only hiccup I encountered in believing this unfolding tale was how quickly our heroine figures out the telling of time. Otherwise I was very easily entranced by this spin on the supernatural realms, and look forward to finding out what's making the portals, why Lucifer is MIA Down There, and whether Phoebe and Smoke can do all seven of her Redemption Tasks while also becoming a full-fledged Veterinarian's assistant. That is, if she quits nearly dying prematurely. Fine start to a series.

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3564604987

 https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Running-Devil-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07XDC8LVF/

 

Although it is not marketed as a YA,  I am designating it as one because it is not at all romantic or even sexual in content, and it has plenty of puppies.

Review: YA romance and regime change; Cats and Wolves by Amberlyn Holland

I believe the universe created by Ms Holland is absolutely perfect for a YA romance audience. They have strong plots and stand on their own while detailing a new generation of shifters who are ousting a corrupt establishment, incidentally discovering the bonds of friendship and non-explicit romance. They are a dose of hope greatly needed in all our lives, acceptable for any audience.

Cats and Wolves is no exception. Carrying out a mission together brings Caitlyn into a position where she can overcome her prejudices about wolves, reclaim her family legacy, and let it go for the greater good. Doane, the wolf assisting her, gets to lay to rest some of the scars of his own troubled past and align the result with the greater good. When they both realize that they deserve happiness it's soooooo good.

The tie-ins to other episodes of the historic unfolding of regime change through love are there, but not annoying or incongruous.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54280638-cats-and-wolves 

Victoria Marmot and the Dragon's Rage, Victoria Marmot and the Road to Hell by Virginia McClain --YA review

Victoria Adelaide Marmot is a one-off incredible heroine you will instantly like and if she doesn't succeed in saving the universe, you will never get to meet her. So read any one of her series of adventures while you have this chance.

I was plunged into the midst of her struggles and updated on the previous developments very smoothly in the course of the adventure, meaning I felt no lack from not having begun with volume 1 at all. That's a great skill by itself. And although I do feel a bit of itch to find out what happens when Vic manages to use her dimension-hopping ability to claw her way back to Earth AGAIN (because in this volume alone she leaves and returns several times), I am comfortably aware that because I am here and typing this review, she did make it. Because the Universe is still here; the villain got thwarted.

Well, all right, I'd like to know more and I will probably try to get a few more volumes into my reader, because Vic and her colleagues are an international, inter-species magical shifter supernatural rainbow of diversity, including gods and demons. There is snogging and flirting but it remains YA suitable without sacrificing realism very much.

I think the shocking sexy stuff happened more in volume 3 where she meets the succubus :D



 Victoria Marmot and the Road to Hell

 Yes, that is our Victoria on the cover. She hasn't even assumed her final form!

The witty asides, and breaking of the fourth wall (in which Vic berates the author for dropping her from the frying pan into the fire repeatedly) continue in this final volume of the series. Goddess Gwyn explains things, Vic and her friends manage to save the universe and what is more, save her loving family as Vic finds it within her to finally forgive.

Any story with a succubus among the good guys and polyamory front and center is going to mention sex, but is through tasteful elisions and fully YA compliant IMO. Only kissing. And there is a kitten.

Highly recommended, entire series.
"I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review."


 https://www.amazon.com/Virginia-McClain/e/B00LMISTLG?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

Review: Magic In Disguise (Agents of A.S.S.E.T. #3) by Katie Salidas

This is the 3rd installment of the Agents of A.S.S.E.T series featuring Sage Cymwrig. She grew up in Phoenix unaware of her mother's actual profession as one of these buffers between the regular human and the arcane world. Her mom died in the line of duty and Sage discovers she is actually a Terran, one of the great lineages created with absolute immunity to magic. Heritage obliges her to continue the family profession, but in the previous episode she has come up against something beyond the usual, and it's kept at bay only by being stuck to her, literally.

This episode is about how the spreading blackness in Sage's left hand is finally remedied, and in the process, all manner of conspiracies and power schemes are exposed. Also exposed are the vulnerabilities in her partner Grey's past that have been scuttling their effectiveness as a team. While the rest of her life is literally burnt to the ground, Sage and Grey race against time to get assistance and materials for a showdown with the Goddess Herself.

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. But I would gladly have gotten this action-packed heart-wringing adventure on my own.

Although there is romance, it is never explicit enough to make the series wrong for young people. The characters are much too busy surviving frequent injuries to do more than cuddle.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42315877-magic-in-disguise

Free Love #ebook Giveaway

https://artofthearcane.wordpress.com/July-Free-Love-Giveaway-Giveaway

 

 

get your own copy of The Incredible Heidi Wasabi or any of scores of other erotic romance reads, for a limited time!

 

 

https://artofthearcane.wordpress.com/July-Free-Love-Giveaway-Giveaway

Review YA : A Crown of Flames (Dragonriders of Skala #3) by Pauline Creeden, Melinda R. Cordell

**spoilers**
This is the volume where love re-makes Dyrfinna's world. Ibn, the Iberian envoy to King Varinn's court, once had the same problem with his spell-singing that Dyrfinna has suffered from. As she recovers from a death blow delivered by the evil Nauma, healed of it miraculously by Gefjin and the magical roses, he shares his methods with her of affinity song.

There is a council of dragons, who reclaim their community powers from their long alliance with humans, for the good of the entire Earth. Then with the help of the gods, there manifests a solution to the imbalance of the dark powers, in the form of the flaming crowns.

You will be glad to know that Gefjin and Dyrfinna's sword friends Skeggi and Reyjna are not dead after all. And once all this is over, Dyrfinna resolves to have the most fun possible in her world! and it involves quite a lot of kissing.

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41056808-a-crown-of-flames

Review: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1) by Darynda Jones

This tremendously long supernatural mystery-suspense series is written with plenty of humor, and ends up being very believable. It reminds me very much of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. We are treated to the seedy underside of human experience in each one, rendered cohesive by a supportive cast of family and friends, all strung upon a thread of erotic romance.

They also have a numerical value in every title that give up very little else of the plot. As you can guess, this is volume 1, where the main character, who's been seeing dead people all her life, discovers that her astral traveling lover is going to be taken off life support, which could trigger the Apocalypse. Meanwhile she has mysteries to solve for her PI clients, on top of helping the many souls she encounters to move on into the Light.

It's quite a juggling act for Charlie to handle, but it's how she rolls. I'm pretty certain every volume is going to be more of the same, nonstop chaos very reminiscent of real life for those of us cursed to live in 'interesting times'.

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8788554-first-grave-on-the-right

Wish upon a Duke, by Erica Ridley --review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2583509829

When his twin brother the rake announces his engagement, all the eligible young women re-align their matrimonial sights toward the bookish and peripatetic Christopher Pringle, who up till now was in his brother's shadow. Escaping to join an astronomy tour, his eye is drawn by the tour guide, only to be appalled at her cavalier attitude to the proper names of constellations. She's gleefully encouraging the tour to re-name them however they like. Imagine his surprise when he is referred to her not only as a matchmaker, but to repair his broken telescope!

Past hurts have both these people running away into the stars. It turns out they both own the same state-of-the-art telescope, in fact. But Gloria blames the ocean and all water for robbing her of her family and refuses to even skate upon the local pond, while Christopher has been traveling for so long that he no longer views it as avoidance but as pleasant discovery.

Ridley choreographs the way these two dance around their challenges and learn to bend into doing things together, in order to balance out a life they can share. Settling into idiosyncrasies could have left them as two lonely 'characters' in stagnation. How they work it out is both heartening and tear-inducing.  HEA is assured at the last possible moment, too.

Yes, this is an xxx adult tale, and you will be thrilled by that part when you arrive at it.

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Review of The Priestess of Camelot by Helgaleena

Those who enjoyed Marion Zimmer Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend will be quite happy with this new alternative, which has plenty of well-described love scenes. 

It's a shame about the historical inaccuracies in the book, which render Anya a 'Rus from Jutland'. Evidently author confused Viborg in Karelia with Viborg in Denmark. All notes about supposed equivalency of Rus with Vikings are thereby invalidated. However since this is not a history book per se, it is only interfering with our suspension of disbelief. Also the dying visions are rendered in full as if Anya came back to life to write them down. Third mistake: heavy mention of using the herb coneflower, which is exclusive to North America. Scratch the Pulitzer off the wish list, Heirs of Camelot.

That said, it's a pleasant, Goddess-affirmative fantasy of feminine fulfillment. I have a feeling the cursing of Morgaine is going to set up plenty of future adventures.


 https://www.amazon.com/Priestess-Camelot-Prequel-Heirs-ebook/dp/B07HSYTNRT/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8