Tag: Fiction Review

Monthly Features – October 2025

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Hummingbird Moonrise by Sherri L. Dodd

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: The past two years have taken their toll on Arista Kelly. Once an eternal optimist, now she has faced the darkness and must recalibrate what true happiness means for her. Meanwhile, Shane, her ex-boyfriend, is pulling all the right moves to help keep her sane from her heightening paranoia. But it doesn’t help that Iris, her Great Aunt Bethie’s friend, has disappeared.

Still, one additional trial remains. While searching for Iris, Bethie and Arista stumble upon a grand revelation in the eccentric woman’s home. With the discovery, they realize their run of chaos and loss of kin may have roots in a curse that dates back to the 1940s—the time when their family patriarch first built Arista’s cottage in the redwoods and crafted his insightful Ouija table.

This pursuit will not follow their accustomed recipe of adrenalized action, but the high stakes remain. Will the mysterious slow burn of unfolding events finally level Arista’s entire world or be fully extinguished, once and for all?

Summary: Overall, Hummingbird Moonrise is a paranormal mystery that works because it never loses its human touch. Yes, there are curses, possessions, and supernatural forces, but there’s also cinnamon bread, inside jokes, and the kind of family loyalty that keeps people moving forward even when the odds feel impossible. What I admired most is the way Dodd lets the suspense simmer without sacrificing warmth. The book left me both unsettled and comforted—a rare combination that lingers long after the last page

See the full review here: Hummingbird Moonrise
Purchase here

 

Unborn by Eva Barber

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Olesya was not born like other people but was found in the Siberian Forest by a couple unable to have children. Plagued by mysterious visions and dreams, she struggles to fit into a society both as a socially inept but brilliant child and as she becomes part of a research team to discover the nature of dark matter. The findings of this discovery never make it to the scientific community as the project leader goes missing and the physics lab blows up, destroyed by a powerful foe with seemingly noble intentions.

Seattle detectives question Olesya in connection with the explosion and the disappearance of her boss. She becomes a person of interest until she herself goes missing. From her kidnappers, she learns that her parents, knowing she lacked a belly button, suspected she was created by the Russian government as part of a scientific experiment, and emigrated to the USA to hide and protect her. She also learns she possesses powers related to dark matter and of the existence of a brother held captive since his discovery by the Russian government. Even though she suspects her kidnappers’ interest in her and their motivations aren’t so noble, she joins them in rescuing her brother. Catastrophic world events following the successful rescue force her to continue working with her foes to save the world from destruction.

While working to save the world, Olesya experiences a moral dilemma and becomes someone she never thought she’d be—a mother. Olesya learns of mysterious chambers scattered around the world, and her visions return to haunt her, until she opens the chambers and learns their secrets, wishing she hadn’t. Now she faces the heart-wrenching realization that she must travel into a dark dimension to save the world from self-destruction. Worse yet, her daughter, Emery, is the key to humanity’s salvation and must follow her mother once she becomes an adult because she is the only being who can travel where no one else can to restore balance to the universe and return with an extraordinary gift for humanity. But powerful entities have reasons to keep the gift away from humanity and will do anything to stop her.

Summary: Overall, Unborn is a haunting, beautiful story about science, motherhood, and the unknowable threads that connect us. It’s the kind of book that lingers quietly after you’ve finished it — the kind that leaves you wondering whether what you just read was speculative fiction or something closer to a modern myth.

If you like stories that mix atmosphere and emotion — think The Time Traveler’s Wife, Never Let Me Go, or The Daughter of Doctor Moreau — you’ll find something to love here. It’s for readers who enjoy a story that makes you think and feel at the same time; readers who don’t mind when mystery lingers even after the answers come. 

See the full review here: Unborn
Purchase here

 

Smoke on the Wind by Syvila Weatherford

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: “Smoke on the Wind” is a captivating tale that weaves the perils and dangers encountered on the Western frontier by Will Lawton, a young Black cowboy, after kidnapping then wedding his young Native American bride, Niabi. He plods a path packed with uncertainty that ultimately winds its way to an unthinkable opportunity – a race for free land.

Follow the characters of Smoke: the beautiful Louisa Ortega, who haunts the memory of the Chief’s son, Nashoba; Captain Horton, head of Fort Townsend, charged with keeping peace between settlers and tribes, and Dakota Sam, a rambunctious Civil War veteran attached to his military blues and backwoodsman ways.

This is the second book in an epic series, following the success of Weatherford’s first novel, “Blessings from the Four Winds.”

In this sequel, new characters are introduced: Liao Ming Chow, a Chinese immigrant, Sargent Thomas of the Buffalo Soldiers, and Mr. Todd Morgan the railroad tycoon. Niabi and Will raise two children and enjoy the protective company of their horses: Rodeo and FireTip. Their journey is marked by resilience, the spirit of community, and the ongoing struggle for safety and belonging.

Summary: Overall, Smoke on the Wind is a vivid continuation of America’s untold stories — where race, heritage, and faith collide. It’s tender and unflinching, full of voices that feel like they’ve been waiting a century to be heard. Weatherford writes history the way it deserves to be written: not as distant fact, but as living memory. For readers who are drawn to immersive, historical fiction.

See the full review here: Smoke on the Wind
Purchase here

 

Review: Wooden Dolls Game by Ivonne Hoyos

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Synopsis:

In a game of life and dolls, Mary Jane Crowell struggles to find a peaceful life for everyone, free from chaos and drama. The Crowells raised her non-identical twins, Mary Jane and Antonia, in a fair way with no distinctions or preferences. Somehow, even when kids come from the same family they can grow with opposite personalities.

Moving to a new place means to make many decisions like the color of a room wall, a simple game of chance makes Mary Jane victorious for the pink room. This triggers a dark feeling in her sister, and she decides to give a touch of black in revenge. As teenegars they grow appart and are too different. Mary Jane is a good example at school, with good grades and the student who will give the graduation speech. On the contrary, Antonia doesn’t have a chance to graduate, consumes drugs and is an agressive girl.

An unusual set of wooden dolls comes to Mary Jane and she discovers the magic of dolls, and that by recreating the last episodes of her life she can rewind time and fix all problems triggered by her sister. A series of travels in time teaches her a final lesson that is not in her hands to change destiny and that clock hands don’t stop actions triggered by peoples’ intrinsic nature. They always detonate heaven itself or irrevocable chaos.

Favorite Lines:

“Time is an inexistent physical dimension; it is well used by ones and wasted by others. Nevertheless, time is not as dangerous as human nature. It is so powerful that even if time could be rewound, clock hands won’t stop actions triggered by peoples’ intrinsic nature. They always detonate either heaven itself or irrevocable chaos.”

“Somehow, it is being said that hard lessons are not always a way to strengthen character, but to trigger frustration.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What begins as a tender domestic tale—a family moving into a new home, twin sisters finding their first sense of individuality—slowly evolves into something darker, stranger, and impossible to forget. Wooden Dolls Game is a haunting psychological thriller about childhood envy, love, identity, and the kind of family wounds that don’t fully heal, even when everyone pretends they have.

Hoyos captures the fragile tension between innocence and obsession through Mary Jane and Antonia Crowell, twin sisters whose bond fractures over something as simple—and as symbolic—as the color of a bedroom. The early chapters feel deceptively calm, filled with family rituals, cardboard boxes, and small joys, until the wooden dolls enter the story and turn playtime into prophecy.

This is a novel that thrives on atmosphere. There’s an eerie domestic stillness beneath every scene: a family dinner, a fairground, a painted wall. Hoyos writes with cinematic precision; you can feel the weight of the paintbrush in Antonia’s hand, the splinters of the wooden dolls, the tension building between sisters who love and resent each other in equal measure.

While the dialogue at times leans simple—true to its child narrators—the psychological undercurrent is chillingly mature. The novel’s real horror is not in the supernatural, but in how jealousy and love can coexist in the same heartbeat. The “game” isn’t just about dolls; it’s about control, inheritance, and the ways trauma rewinds time in our minds, forcing us to relive what we can’t forgive.

Readers who enjoyed Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn will find echoes here: the fragile domestic world turning on itself, sisterhood as both salvation and curse. This book lingers—not because of what it shows you, but because of what it makes you remember.

Summary:

Overall, at its heart, Wooden Dolls Game is about the things families try to hide — the arguments, the comparisons, the moments when love feels unfair. It’s a story for readers who like their fiction a little unsettling and deeply human.

Fans of psychological dramas, dark family fiction, and slow-burn suspense will connect most with this one. It’s not a horror story in the traditional sense, but it’s full of dread in the quiet, ordinary moments. Happy reading!

Check out Wooden Dolls Game here!

 

Review: Unborn by Eva Barber

~ likelystory18 ~ 3 Comments

Synopsis:

Olesya was not born like other people but was found in the Siberian Forest by a couple unable to have children. Plagued by mysterious visions and dreams, she struggles to fit into a society both as a socially inept but brilliant child and as she becomes part of a research team to discover the nature of dark matter. The findings of this discovery never make it to the scientific community as the project leader goes missing and the physics lab blows up, destroyed by a powerful foe with seemingly noble intentions.

Seattle detectives question Olesya in connection with the explosion and the disappearance of her boss. She becomes a person of interest until she herself goes missing. From her kidnappers, she learns that her parents, knowing she lacked a belly button, suspected she was created by the Russian government as part of a scientific experiment, and emigrated to the USA to hide and protect her. She also learns she possesses powers related to dark matter and of the existence of a brother held captive since his discovery by the Russian government. Even though she suspects her kidnappers’ interest in her and their motivations aren’t so noble, she joins them in rescuing her brother. Catastrophic world events following the successful rescue force her to continue working with her foes to save the world from destruction.

While working to save the world, Olesya experiences a moral dilemma and becomes someone she never thought she’d be—a mother. Olesya learns of mysterious chambers scattered around the world, and her visions return to haunt her, until she opens the chambers and learns their secrets, wishing she hadn’t. Now she faces the heart-wrenching realization that she must travel into a dark dimension to save the world from self-destruction. Worse yet, her daughter, Emery, is the key to humanity’s salvation and must follow her mother once she becomes an adult because she is the only being who can travel where no one else can to restore balance to the universe and return with an extraordinary gift for humanity. But powerful entities have reasons to keep the gift away from humanity and will do anything to stop her.

Favorite Lines:

“Being different is not something you should be ashamed of. It’s something you should be proud of.”

“For years now, her hope had lain buried deep inside, waiting for the right moment to awaken.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eva Barber writes Unborn with an eerie tenderness that makes the strange feel familiar, the impossible feel almost believable. It’s a novel that mixes the beauty of myth with the sharp edges of science, and it does so without ever losing sight of its humanity.

The story begins in a Russian forest, where a baby is found alone and impossibly alive. Her name is Olesya. She’s perfect — except she doesn’t have a belly button. That single detail feels small at first, but Barber builds the entire story around it. What does it mean to be created instead of born? To belong to a family, but not to the natural order that defines one? Those questions stay at the heart of Unborn, even as the story stretches across centuries, countries, and dimensions.

What I loved most is how the book keeps its balance — it’s dark without being bleak, intelligent without ever becoming cold. The writing feels cinematic, full of quiet tension and visual detail: candlelight against snow, the hum of a laboratory, a mother’s hand trembling as she holds something she can’t quite understand. And yet, under all of that, the story is deeply emotional. It’s about motherhood, creation, and the lengths we’ll go to protect what we love — even when we’re not sure what it really is.

By the time I reached the end, I realized that Unborn isn’t really about science or the supernatural. It’s about inheritance — what we carry from those who came before, and what we unknowingly pass on. It’s about the ache of being human in a world that keeps asking us to prove we exist.

Summary:

Overall, Unborn is a haunting, beautiful story about science, motherhood, and the unknowable threads that connect us. It’s the kind of book that lingers quietly after you’ve finished it — the kind that leaves you wondering whether what you just read was speculative fiction or something closer to a modern myth.

If you like stories that mix atmosphere and emotion — think The Time Traveler’s Wife, Never Let Me Go, or The Daughter of Doctor Moreau — you’ll find something to love here. It’s for readers who enjoy a story that makes you think and feel at the same time; readers who don’t mind when mystery lingers even after the answers come. Happy reading!

Check out Unborn here!

 

Review: PEOPLE MAKING DANGER: Short Stories by Adam Fike

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Synopsis:

PEOPLE MAKING DANGER is a collection of three-act short stories from a variety of genres, plus two bonus stories.

STORY ONE: THE QUIET ONES (Thriller) – Neighbors grow together with the help of their friendly local serial killer.

STORY TWO: OPERATION DRAGONHEAD (Satire) – Mistaking experimental communication helmets for alien antennae, townsfolk launch an improvised defense. Based on a true story.

STORY THREE: HIGH DESERT (Western) – A rotten Sheriff and reluctant hero clash beyond the reach of the law, with cars for horses.

STORY FOUR: PAGANINI (Biography) – The wicked life of an actual nineteenth-century Italian violinist, who played so beautifully they thought he was the devil.

STORY FIVE: YARDLEY COUNTY (Drama) – A dead convict finds himself, and his redemption, at the hometown robbery where a gunshot began his career.

BONUS STORY: VALLEY FOOTBALL (Comedy) – Existentially lost grownups start a secret tackle football fight club in the suburbs.

BONUS STORY: THE TROP (Farce) – This aging, and somewhat haunted, East Hollywood motel has rooms at reasonable rates for struggling stock characters on the down-and-out.

Reading. Why not do it for fun sometimes?

Favorite Lines:

As always with any short story collection that I read, rather than providing direct quotes from the book, I am sharing which stories were my favorite from the collection: The Quiet Ones and Operation Dragonhead.

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

PEOPLE MAKING DANGER surprised me with how many different layers it manages to hold at once. At first glance, it’s a collection of short stories but the deeper I read, the more it came together into a reflection on what it means to live with risk, to carry trauma, and to wrestle with the edges of survival.

Fike writes about ordinary people under extraordinary pressure. Each story feels like a small explosion—characters pushed to the edge, not by dramatic fantasy but by the sharp, recognizable challenges of real life. That immediacy made the book difficult to put down; I always wanted to see what would happen when danger inevitably arrived, and how the characters would react to it.

One of the things I appreciated was how different the voices and settings felt across the collection. Some stories simmer quietly before snapping into violence or heartbreak, while others throw you into conflict from the first page. Yet even with these shifts in style, the book has a cohesion—it keeps circling back to questions about survival, choices, and the thin line between safety and chaos. The repetition of these themes gave the collection weight without making it feel repetitive.

The characters themselves are what lingered with me. They’re not perfect; often they’re messy, flawed, even unlikeable at times. But they’re always believable. Fike has a way of sketching just enough detail—a gesture, a memory, a bitter aside—that makes you recognize these people instantly. In some cases, I felt like I had met them before in real life, which made their downfalls and small victories all the more striking.

By the end, I came to see the title, PEOPLE MAKING DANGER, as more than just a clever phrase. These aren’t just stories about danger happening to people—they’re about how people create, provoke, or invite danger into their lives, often without meaning to. That nuance—danger as something we stumble into, sometimes through love, sometimes through pride, sometimes through desperation—is what makes the book feel bigger than the sum of its parts.

Summary:

Overall, PEOPLE MAKING DANGER is an unsettling and varied short story collection where the everyday collides with the extraordinary. What makes it powerful is not just the danger itself, but how ordinary people create or invite it into their lives. Fike’s ability to shift between tones—grim, satirical, surreal—keeps the collection fresh while always grounding the stories in authentic human choices. It’s a book that lingers, leaving you to wrestle with what danger really means in the context of family, community, and survival. If you enjoy short story collections that reflect on what it means to be human, than this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out PEOPLE MAKING DANGER here!

 

Review: The Collectors by Richard A. Danzig

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Synopsis:

The Collectors is the third book in the award winning Chance Cormac legal thriller series. The first two books “Facts Are Stubborn Things” and “Punch Line” are both best sellers on Amazon.

Chance is retained by a client who believes that he has been the victim of fraud when he purchased a valuable abstract painting that may be a forgery. Chance soon learns that both the painting and his client, might not be what they seem.

Chance is then summoned to Costa Rica to help Damian and JR who are caught up in the black market of selling human organs. Facing police corruption and danger, it may be too late to help to save his friends.

Favorite Lines:

“Art is meant to be seen. A painting in a vault is like a flower growing underground.”

“I learned early on that one of the keys to success is to always delegate responsibility to the most capable person.”

“I’m the luck one. A dream job doing the two things I love most – looking at art and making money.”

“I think if she wants it, it’s the best lesson in life. To work hard at something you love, to build confidence and self-esteem. Learn to win and learn to lose. Laugh because it’s only a game.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Richard A. Danzig’s The Collectors is a fast-paced thriller set at the intersection of the art world and organized crime, following Chance, and a cast of allies and enemies as they navigate stolen masterpieces, criminal networks, and personal codes of loyalty. 

What drew me into The Collectors right away was its mix of adrenaline and atmosphere. This isn’t just a story about stolen art—it’s about survival, identity, and the ways people justify the choices they make when life pushes them to the edge. From the early combat fight scenes, to the moments of quiet reflection on scars—both physical and emotional—the book doesn’t let you forget that its characters are people who have already paid heavy prices.

The art-world angle was particularly fascinating. Paintings aren’t just commodities here—they’re symbols of power, greed, and memory. Beauty becomes dangerous when hidden, hoarded, or traded like currency, and Danzig captures that tension with sharp precision.

At the same time, the book is driven by relationships. Family promises sit alongside the betrayals and shifting loyalties of the criminal underworld. These contrasts give the novel depth. It isn’t just about art forgery or organized crime—it’s about what people decide is worth protecting, and what they’re willing to sacrifice along the way.

By the time the story edges toward its conclusion, it becomes clear that the heart of The Collectors isn’t the money, the fame, or even the paintings. That’s what stayed with me. For all its action, the novel lingers because it asks readers to think about what truly matters when everything else can be bought or stolen.

Summary:

Combining gritty action with meditations on beauty, family, and survival, The Collectors delivers both suspense and heart—reminding us that beneath the heists and betrayals, the real stakes are love, trust, and what it means to protect what’s yours. It’s a story that entertains, but it also lingers after the final page, asking bigger questions about what we value and protect when the world demands compromise. Readers who enjoy thrillers, contemporary fiction, and character driven crime novels may enjoy this book. Happy reading!

Check out The Collectors  here!

 

Review: Settle Down by Ritt Deitz

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

A college kid endowed with hypnotic powers keeps telling himself there’s got to be more waiting for him after graduation than family in the neighborhood and an okay catering job. Maybe he just needs to get his story straight.

Kenny McLuher is far from his native Wisconsin, in his last year at the University of Virginia, majoring in history with no idea what he’s going to do with it. At his catering job, Kenny’s old Southern folktales keep putting his co-workers to sleep, and in Kenny’s dreams President Abraham Lincoln sure seems to be trying to tell him something.

Maybe the pieces will come back together after graduation when Kenny returns to Madison, where he can ask the big question: What is home, anyway?

Favorite Lines:

“Kenny looked out over the pool, unsure what he had expected from this little pilgrimage. His parents had come here once in college, and it had seemed important to them. Kenny had wanted it to mean something to him, too. Sure, the homeless guy would be memorable, and the Orion thing was weirdly coincidental. And there sat Lincoln, belonging to the ages. But when he imagined the president asking him What are you doing here?, Kenny couldn’t think of any answer at all.”

“We so badly want to stay, don’t we? We belong, we stay, we know. And yet things happen, and some of us leave. We just have to go.”

“It looked like a labor of love. Or boredom.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ritt Deitz’s Settle Down  follows Kenny McLuher, a Wisconsin native in his final year at the University of Virginia, as he grapples with the age‑old question: What is home, anyway? Majoring in history with no clear path beyond graduation, Kenny drifts between lecture halls, late‑night catering shifts, and echoes of Southern folktales he shares—sometimes to the bemusement of his co‑workers. Through Kenny’s gentle humor and restless curiosity, Deitz captures that universal limbo of young adulthood, when every choice feels both urgent and uncertain.

The novel’s heart lies in Kenny’s evolving friendships—especially with Laurent, after a chance encounter by the Yahara River. Laurent’s quick wit and unexpected references to Civil War lore are Kenny’s first introduction to him but certainly not the last. Later in the story, Kenny ends up getting a job at Laurent’s small catering company, which plays a rather large part in Kenny’s life (at least the parts we see in this story). Kenny’s chance encounter with a cryptic stranger, hinting at Orion and otherworldly connections, infuses the story with a subtle magic that mirrors the way history itself can feel uncanny and alive.

Deitz’s writing style is unpretentious and warm, guiding us effortlessly between Kenny’s internal monologue and the vivid campus landscape. The University of Virginia emerges as more than a backdrop—it’s a place steeped in myth and memory, where colonial architecture meets the hum of modern student life. Deitz peppers the narrative with historical allusions—Abraham Lincoln’s unfinished stories, John Wilkes Booth’s shadow—and by doing so, reminds us that every brick and bust on Grounds carries a tale waiting to be rediscovered.

At its core, Settle Down  is a meditation on belonging. Kenny’s Wisconsin roots tug at him even as he finds unexpected comfort in Charlottesville. In Deitz’s hands, the search for “home” becomes both a physical journey—back and forth between Madison and UVA—and an emotional one, as Kenny learns that sometimes the place you’re meant to “settle down” in is less about geography and more about the people who listen when you tell them a story. 

Summary:

Overall, Settle Down is a warm, heartfelt coming-of-age tale about finding home in unexpected places. It’s a quietly triumphant debut that will resonate with anyone who’s ever wondered where they truly belong. Happy reading!

Check out Settle Down here!

 

Review: The Hidden Life by Robert Castle

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

The police have just surrounded the hereditary mansion of Gladwynne Biddleton. He has just shot and wounded his security chief, Dominic Kittredge, and killed Dominic’s wife, Theresa. As he watches the siege unfold on TV, historical visions besiege Gladwynne’s mind. By turns he is a B-17 bombardier; an SS officer tasked with burning the bodies of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun; a fugitive pursued by the celebrated Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal; and a co-conspirator in the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.

Between the television coverage and the pageant in his head, Gladwynne becomes dissociated from what has just actually happened. Fixation on his immediate physical needs and with life in the mansion tend to conceal the enormity of his crime from him. He descends into a narrowing and harrowing spiral of isolation.

Why did he shoot his closest confidant, Dominic? We don’t quite know. But in Dominic’s thirty year diary of serving Gladwynne we begin to find clues. In this chronicle, Dominic recounts the “golden age” of their association, a time when the two men devised a mock nation with Gladwynne as its center. With Dominic’s encouragement, Gladwynne came gradually to conceive of his own physical person as a sovereign state, competing diplomatically with other world states, persistently resisting their efforts to deprive him of his sovereignty. Between the hostile international powers out to get him and the police now at his door, will Gladwynne’s confusion become total?

Favorite Lines:

“Why bug him? Why not let him alone to pursue what he wanted? Namely, let him READ”

“We labored and bled and often humiliated ourselves for the favor of indifferent masters. I would be no different and, simultaneously, completely different.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Robert Castle’s The Hidden Life is a layered, unsettling novel that fuses courtroom drama, family saga, and psychological study into a narrative that constantly blurs the line between fact and delusion. At its center is Tony (Gladwynne Biddleton IV), a wealthy recluse who retreats into his own sovereign “state” of paranoia, books, and war games—until reality collides with his obsessions in a violent and public way.

The novel begins almost cinematically, with Tony in the cockpit of a bomber, struggling to release his payload—a surreal yet fitting metaphor for the tension between his immense privilege and his inability to act decisively in the world. From there, Castle builds a portrait of a man trapped in the shadow of an old-money dynasty, defined as much by wealth as by decay and scandal. The Biddleton family history, interspersed through news reports and testimony, reads like an American gothic—money, influence, and corruption stitched together with a thread of impunity.

Yet Castle never lets this become just a social critique. At its heart, the novel is about Tony himself, a man both grotesque and oddly sympathetic. His enormous head, described in disturbing detail, sets him apart from childhood, but it’s his obsessive reading, note-taking, and self-imposed isolation that give him dimension. He isn’t simply “the strange kid” who became a killer; he’s someone who tried to find order in chaos through books, chess, and rituals, only to have those coping mechanisms twist into delusions of grandeur.

One of the novel’s strongest features is its structure. Castle moves between Tony’s interior monologues, television commentary, historical flashbacks, and courtroom testimony. This mosaic approach allows the reader to experience the siege at Wolf Chase from multiple angles: Tony as besieged sovereign, the police as hesitant aggressors, and the public as hungry spectators. The testimonies of Bernard Thierry and Dominic Kitteridge—loyal family lawyer and loyal family servant—are especially sharp, exposing the ways in which devotion and dependency warp when tied to immense power.

The Hidden Life is not a straightforward read. At times it feels disorienting, intentionally so—echoing Tony’s fractured sense of reality. But that’s what makes it effective. Castle asks us to consider uncomfortable questions: How much of identity is inherited versus chosen? What do loyalty and servitude look like in the shadow of power? And perhaps most chillingly—when a person hides from the world long enough, do they become hidden even from themselves?

Summary:

Overall, Robert Castle’s The Hidden Life is a dark, ambitious novel that intertwines wealth, madness, and loyalty into a portrait of a man unraveling. Both unsettling and absorbing, it’s a story that lingers long after the final page, not just for what it says about one family, but for what it suggests about the hidden lives we all construct. Happy reading!

Check out The Hidden Life here!

Monthly Features – August 2025

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Hunting the Red Fox by W. Kenneth Tyler, Jr.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: This is the story of Perry Barnes, a multi-talented man who made one bad teenage mistake in the weeks leading up to his high school graduation in 1942. On a lark he “borrowed” some jewelry that wasn’t technically his. The local judge took it personally and gave Perry the choice of an assignment to a newly formed Army special operations unit at the start of World War II or go to jail for 15 years. As a result he winds up being trained by the United States government in the skills and arts of sabotage, killing, self-preservation, espionage and ultimately how to be a first class jewel thief.

Along the way he finds himself in the movie business in the Hollywood of the 1950’s, then uses his immense physical skills in pursuit of excellence as a journeyman golfer on the PGA tour of that era with the likes of Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret and Arnold Palmer. Before the adventure is over Perry has stolen the world famous Mecklenburg Diamond from a known jewel thief, worth a fortune, with the intention of returning it to the authorities for love, of all things.

All the while he is befriended by the most bewildering array of characters, some real, some not, who add marvelous vignettes of clever humor, situational intrigue, and steamy romance as he earnestly pursues the one goal he covets most: finding true love, martial companionship and family.

Summary: Overall, Hunting the Red Fox blends memoir-style storytelling with novelistic suspense, leaving readers to weigh for themselves whether Perry Barnes was simply a man with colorful tales or a true “Red Fox” whose life was stranger than fiction. Readers who enjoy historical fiction thrillers full of suspense, espionage, and memoir-style narratives may enjoy this book. 

See the full review here: Hunting the Red Fox
Purchase here

 

Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea by Richard L. Levine

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: When they met in the fourth grade, it was love at first sight for Mitchell Brody and Jessica Ramirez. He was the freckle-faced kid who stood up for her honor when he silenced the class bully who’d been teasing her because of her accent. She was the new kid whose family moved to San Juan Island, Washington, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and whom Mitch had thought was the most beautiful girl in the world.

She was his salvation from a strict upbringing. He was her knight in shining armor who had always looked out for her. Through the many years of porch-swinging, cotton-candied summer nights, autumn harvest festivals, and hand-in-hand walks planning for the ideal life together, they were inseparable…until 9/11, when the real world interrupted their Rockwell-esque small town life, and Mitch had joined the Marine Corps.

This is not just the story of a wounded warrior finally coming home to search for the love, and the world he abandoned twenty years before. It is also the story of a man who is seeking forgiveness and a way to ease the pain caused by every bad decision he’d ever made. It’s the story of a woman who, with strength and determination, rose up from the ashes of a shattered dream; but who never gave up hope that her one true love would return to her. As she once told an old friend: “Even before we met all those years ago, we were destined to be together in this life, and we will be together again, because even today we’re connected in a way that’s very special, and he needs to know about it before one of us leaves this earth.”

Summary: Overall, Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is a thoughtful, unhurried story about coming home and facing the past you can’t outrun. Richard I. Levine gives us a main character shaped by war, haunted by loss, and pulled back to the San Juan Islands to reckon with love, regret, and responsibility. It’s a novel about memory and forgiveness, written with the patience of the place it inhabits. For readers who appreciate reflective, character-driven fiction rooted in a strong sense of setting, this one lingers like salt air long after you’ve finished the last page. Be ready to cry and happy reading!

See the full review here: Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea
Purchase here

 

Review: Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse by Frances Mary Dunham

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

A Spicy Fantasy Romance of Blood Magic, Cursed Lovers, and Storm-Bound Passion.

She came for vengeance. He offered ruin. Together, they’ll defy the gods—or die trying.

Heiress Abigail Derby was born to rule the seas. She’s fought her way through storms, smugglers, and scheming noblemen to claim her place at the helm of her father’s shipping business. But when a shipment critical to her family’s legacy is stolen by none other than her long-time rival—Captain Wesley Northrup, the maddeningly seductive pirate with a devil’s grin and a taste for destruction—Abigail launches a personal mission of retribution. What she doesn’t expect is to uncover his devastating secret: Wesley is a cursed warlock.

Bound by ghost-forged chains and the ancient power of a fractured Oathstone, Wesley is slowly being consumed by magic—body and soul. Each silver-blue link etched across his chest is both a prison and a death sentence. The only way to break the curse is through blood magic—dark, forbidden rituals that require sacrifice, pain, and a bond no spell can fake. The deeper they go, the more Abigail must give. Her blood. Her trust. Her desire.

And she’s burning with all three.

As they descend into a world of haunted ruins, sea beasts, smugglers, and betrayal, Abigail and Wesley find themselves fighting not just for survival, but for control—of the curse, of their futures, and of the explosive passion that ignites every time they touch. What begins as an uneasy truce becomes an irresistible hunger neither of them can deny.

Every ritual draws them closer. Every broken chain demands a deeper intimacy. And every act of magic tempts fate itself.

But the curse is not the only danger.

There are forces in Salem who want Abigail’s empire to fall. Enemies from Wesley’s past who would see him dragged beneath the waves. Ghosts. Gods. Monsters. And as the storm builds around them, the final ritual may cost more than blood—it may demand their hearts, their souls, or the destruction of everything they swore to protect.

Will they break the curse before it breaks them? Or will love be the greatest risk of all?

Prepare to be swept away by:
Enemies-to-lovers heat that explodes off the page
Forced marriage by decree
Erotic blood magic & soul-binding rituals
A cursed rogue sea captain & a proud, powerful heiress
Sea monsters, ghost-inked chains & salt-kissed kisses
Savage intimacy, sacred vows & one unforgettable final bond

Set against the dark allure of colonial Salem and the raging Atlantic, Spellbound By The Captain’s Curse is a deliciously wicked blend of slow-burn tension, supernatural danger, and off-the-charts spice. This standalone fantasy romance delivers everything you crave—grit, guts, and gasp-worthy passion wrapped in lyrical prose and high-stakes adventure.

The rituals are brutal. The sex is searing. The love is something they never saw coming.

For readers who devour the seductive danger of The Bridge Kingdom, the raw intensity of From Blood and Ash, and the dark romantic magic of A Soul to Keep, this book will leave you aching, breathless, and completely spellbound.

Favorite Lines:

“I am terrified not of dying, but of opening myself to Wesley—of letting him see the soft, damaged parts I keep hidden even from myself. And that, I realize, is exactly what the curse wants.”

“I forgot how allergic you are to being outbid.”

“You mistake audacity for cleverness…You mistake privilege for immunity.”

“The storm didn’t claim them. Desire did.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the very first page, Frances Mary Dunham’s Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse sweeps you into Abigail Derby’s world of salt‑sprayed decks, candlelit archives, and auctions where fortunes—and honor—are won or lost in a heartbeat. Abigail, acting head of Derby Shipping, is introduced in full force at a high‑stakes auction where she dares to outbid Salem’s fiercest merchant captains—until Captain Wesley Northrup, the legendary “North Sea Devil,” arrives to crush her last vestige of pride.

Dunham balances razor‑sharp wit with crackling sexual tension. Abigail’s fierce determination and Wesley’s dark magnetism play off each other like thunder and lightning: each encounter leaves them both scorched and craving more. Unlike many romances, their enemies‑to‑lovers arc is driven as much by legacy and honor as by desire. The looming threat of the ancient Oathstone—a relic that can bind souls as surely as chains bind wrists—raises the stakes from personal rivalry to a battle for free will itself.

The novel’s pacing is masterful. After the charged auction scene, we follow Abigail into the storm‑lashed Maritime Archives, where she uncovers forbidden laws and the terrible power of the Oathstone. Moments of high romance—stolen glances, near‑touches, and whispered challenges—are threaded through discoveries that could undo her family’s legacy forever. Dunham’s prose is evocative without ever becoming overwrought: you taste the brine on your lips, feel the weight of Abigail’s defiance, and shiver at every hint of magic lurking in Salem’s shadows.

At its heart, this is a story about choice: whether to cling to the safety of solitude or risk everything for connection. Abigail and Wesley must decide if the bond the Oathstone forces upon them is a prison—and whether their own hearts are worth the gamble. 

Summary:

Overall, for readers who love gritty coastal settings, smart heroines, morally complex heroes, and slow‑burn romance that truly earns its happy ending, Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse is an absolute must‑read. Happy reading!

Check out Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse here!

Review: The Chronicles of Ordi: Brotherhood of the Lost Gems by Alex Zenk

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

In the sprawling fantasy realm of Asheros, Ordi—a dwarf mage of unprecedented talent—finds himself thrust into a desperate quest when rumors emerge that the Dark Lord Xerxes has returned from the dead. Together with his loyal posh hound companion Mira and his warrior brother Verdun, Ordi must embark on a perilous journey to recover the legendary Otthroite gems, ancient artifacts of immense power.

As darkness spreads across the land, Ordi’s party grows to include unlikely allies: a mysterious elven druid named Nimue, a gnome healer, and a charismatic bard hiding dark secrets. Their quest takes them through treacherous forests, abandoned dwarven strongholds, and into territories untraveled for centuries, all while battling the forces of the encroaching evil.

With each step, Ordi discovers more about the world’s forgotten magic and his own extraordinary connection to the arcane. The gems they seek were once used to enhance the weapons and armor of legendary heroes—but finding them proves far more dangerous than anticipated when betrayal strikes from within their ranks.

Time is running short as reports of attacks along the borderlands grow more frequent and disturbing. Ordi must master ancient spells, navigate political tensions between races, and confront enemies both seen and unseen if he hopes to prevent the prophecies of destruction that haunt his dreams.

If you enjoyed The Fellowship of the Ring, The Eye of the World, and The Wise Man’s Fear, you’ll love The Chronicles of Ordi: Brotherhood of the Lost Gems.

Favorite Lines:

““Oh, the winds, they sing our tale, of heroes bold who shall not fail. Our hopes and dreams will see us through the mist and twilight’s hue.”

“I can make you a god… but first, you must die.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. 

In The Chronicles of Ordi: Brotherhood of the Lost Gems, Alex Zenk gives us a fantasy tale that wears its heart proudly on its sleeve. It’s a classic quest at its core—complete with a call to action, a legendary artifact, and a band of unlikely heroes—but what sets it apart is the emotional vulnerability of its central character and the steady exploration of themes like faith, forgiveness, and the meaning of purpose.

The story follows Ordi, a reclusive dwarf who has spent years hiding from the world—and from his past. But when an unexpected vision shakes him out of his spiritual exile, he’s drawn into a divine mission that might be bigger than he’s prepared for. He’s not a warrior or a prophet, but he is someone who believes in doing what’s right, even if it hurts. That kind of quiet courage powers much of the book’s emotional momentum.

As the journey unfolds, Ordi joins forces with a growing band of companions, forming the “Brotherhood of the Lost Gems.” Their quest isn’t just to retrieve magical stones—it’s a search for hope, healing, and second chances. Zenk’s writing isn’t flashy or dense; it’s clear, sincere, and often meditative, especially in its reflections on Ordi’s relationship with Elandril, the world’s creator deity. The spiritual undertones feel authentic and integrated, adding depth without becoming preachy.

This is a book for readers who enjoy fantasy driven by relationships and ideals as much as by action. It has moments of danger and suspense, yes—but also long stretches of conversation, camaraderie, and introspection. The pacing may feel gentle to some, but the rewards are emotional rather than explosive.

Summary:

Overall, Brotherhood of the Lost Gems is a thoughtful, redemptive fantasy debut with a rich spiritual core. It champions kindness, humility, and the power of belief—not just in gods or magic, but in each other. If you’re looking for a quest with soul, this one’s worth answering.

Check out The Chronicles of Ordi: Brotherhood of the Lost Gems here!