Tag: reviews

Review: Death in Utopia by Phillip Vega

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

An idyllic paradise. A deadly secret. A detective who can’t escape the past.

When Detective Karen Skaryd and her husband arrive at a luxurious Caribbean resort to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, they expect sun, relaxation, and romance. But when a prominent guest drops dead in the middle of lunch—with a cryptic biblical message left behind—Karen is thrust into a web of lies, power, and murder.

As she navigates law enforcement politics, elusive suspects, and a retired senator with secrets of his own, Karen soon realizes that this case may be tied to something much darker than she ever imagined. With danger lurking in paradise, she must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

Because in Utopia, nothing is what it seems.

Favorite Lines:

“Honey, never forget—a keen mind will always be your best tool.”

“Panicking won’t help. We simply stick to the facts and let them chase the shadows.”

“You can’t come to the Dominican Republic and not eat your weight in food.”

My Opinion:

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

Death in Utopia has a setup I’m almost always going to enjoy: a detective goes on vacation, fully intending not to be a detective, and then someone dies. Karen Skaryd and her husband Brock are in Punta Cana celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary while also attending an international rose society event, thanks to Brock’s very serious interest in growing roses. The resort is beautiful, the drinks are flowing, there are plenty of eccentric personalities around, and then one particularly unpleasant member of the rose society suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances. Karen may technically be off duty and very much outside her jurisdiction, but there is basically no chance she is going to ignore what she sees.

Karen was probably my favorite part of the book. She is observant, stubborn, experienced, and constantly slipping into what Brock calls her “detective eyes,” even when she is supposed to be relaxing. Their marriage also gives the story a nice grounding point. They have been together long enough that their conversations feel comfortable and familiar, with the kind of teasing and minor irritation that makes them seem like an actual married couple rather than two characters who exist only to move the mystery forward. Brock is also more than just the spouse waiting back at the hotel while Karen investigates. His rose obsession is what brings them into this particular group of people in the first place, and their relationship helps keep the story lighter even as the situation around them becomes increasingly dangerous.

The mystery itself gets much bigger than the first death suggests. There are biblical messages, a growing list of people who may or may not be telling the truth, suspicious resort employees and guests, international law enforcement complications, and someone who seems very interested in making sure Karen knows she is being watched. I liked that the book gives you a lot of possible directions to look without making every suspicious person feel like an obvious red herring. Karen is also at a disadvantage because she has no real authority in the Dominican Republic, which leads to some friction with Inspector Montenegro. She wants to investigate the way she normally would, while he is understandably not thrilled about an American detective inserting herself into his case.

The tropical setting is a fun contrast to the darker material. One minute Karen and Brock are surrounded by ocean views, elaborate floral displays, resort restaurants and a competitive group of rosarians, and the next Karen is looking at a crime scene or following someone through a crowded tourist area. The book also has a fairly large supporting cast, including Montenegro, Wolfram, Alvarez and a number of resort guests and staff, so there is usually another relationship or secret being introduced as the investigation progresses. At times there is a lot happening, especially once the mystery expands beyond the resort itself, but that also keeps the story moving and gives it more of an adventure-thriller feel than a quiet traditional whodunit.

What surprised me most is that Death in Utopia doesn’t really wrap itself up like a completely self-contained vacation mystery. The immediate investigation builds toward a much larger threat, and the opening scene makes more sense once you see where the story is headed. I think readers who enjoy series mysteries will probably appreciate that more than readers looking for everything to be neatly tied up by the final page. This feels very deliberately like the beginning of Karen Skaryd’s story, with her family life, police career and a particularly dangerous adversary all positioned to continue into future books. There are some darker moments along the way, but the overall reading experience still feels accessible and entertaining rather than grim. I am excited to see where Vega takes Karen’s story next!

Summary:

Overall, this is a vacation mystery that gradually turns into something much bigger. Readers who like amateur-out-of-necessity investigations, police procedurals, tropical destination mysteries, married protagonists, large suspect pools, serial-killer elements and mysteries that continue into a larger series may enjoy this one. Happy reading!

Check out Death in Utopia here!

 

Review: The Confessor: A Logan Hollister Novel by Noah Christopher

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

A killer is making Los Angeles confess.

The Confessor is never wrong. He has built his whole life around being sure of it.

He chooses people who got away with it — never charged, never even suspected. The charity director who gutted his own foundation. The smiling influencer who built an empire on a lie.

He sits them down alone with a pen and a yellow legal pad, and waits as long as it takes for the truth in their own hand.

Then he balances the account.

The confessions are real. But on paper, nothing connects the victims — separate lives, separate crimes, no thread that should tie one death to the next.

Detective Logan Hollister has every reason to stay out of it. The money came a long time ago; the house is an hour down the coast, the kind of quiet other men spend their whole lives chasing. Logan can only tolerate it in small batches before he wants back in. He keeps the badge, works the cases that still mean something, and this is the one he can’t walk away from.

On the surface, he and the man he’s hunting are opposites. One has everything a life can hold. The other spent years making himself into no one at all.

But the bodies keep coming, and the difference between them keeps thinning — until Logan can’t always tell whether he’s hunting the man or recognizing him.

Favorite Lines:

“Everybody with a secret and a blazer had done a TED talk.”

“The truth had to come on its own, the way water finds its level.”

“The days of chasing a ghost were gone. Now he was hunting a man, and the hunt was drawing close.”

“Some part of him, far down, mistook a train leaving its rails for the feeling of being free.”

My Opinion:

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

The Confessor starts with a killer who doesn’t simply want his victims dead. He wants them to admit what they’ve done first. His targets are people hiding behind carefully constructed public images, and he does an unsettling amount of homework before confronting them with the truth. The opening, involving a respected charity figure and some very questionable finances, immediately establishes what makes this killer interesting: there’s a twisted logic behind what he’s doing. He doesn’t see himself as indiscriminately violent. In his mind, he’s exposing people who deserve to be exposed. That makes the moral line running through the book considerably messier than your standard serial killer thriller.

On the other side of the story is LAPD detective Logan Hollister, who is probably the biggest reason I enjoyed this as much as I did. Logan has money, a Tesla, a house in Laguna Beach, and enough independence within the department to operate a little differently than everyone else, but he also seems almost incapable of actually enjoying the quiet life he has built for himself. Los Angeles and the work keep pulling him back. His partnership with Curt Alton gives the book some much needed humor and personality, especially because Curt is one of the few people who seems completely unimpressed by Logan being Logan. Their dialogue feels easy and lived in, and I liked their relationship almost as much as the investigation itself.

There is also more going on with Logan than the other characters realize. He secretly owns WLTLH, an investigative news site that has grown far beyond the little local operation he originally created. That becomes much more than an interesting character detail once The Confessor and WLTLH begin brushing up against each other. Logan suddenly has access to information as a journalist that he cannot exactly walk into the police department and explain without exposing a huge part of his life. I thought this was one of the more original pieces of the book because it gives him two different ways of hunting for the truth, while also creating a pretty significant problem when those two identities collide.

The story alternates between Logan’s investigation and The Confessor himself, so this isn’t really a mystery where you spend the entire book trying to guess what the killer is doing. A lot of the tension comes from watching both sides work and wondering when their paths are finally going to meet. The Confessor studies people with almost obsessive patience, while Logan is similarly good at noticing the tiny details other people overlook. That parallel makes them feel strangely well matched. The book also has a very strong sense of Los Angeles, moving between expensive Westside shops, diners, churches, freeways, ordinary neighborhoods and Logan’s quieter life down in Laguna. It gives the story a contemporary, very lived-in feeling rather than using LA as generic crime-thriller scenery.

At a little over 400 pages, The Confessor is substantial, but it reads quickly because the chapters tend to keep pushing you into the next piece of the investigation. There are stretches where the book gets very detailed about how Logan or The Confessor thinks through something, which may be more procedural than some readers want, but I actually think that detail is part of the appeal here. You get to understand how both men think rather than simply watching clues appear when the plot needs them. More than anything, this feels like the beginning of a crime series rather than a standalone thriller with a detective who happens to solve one case. Logan, Curt, WLTLH and the larger world around them all feel built to continue beyond this story, and I would be interested in seeing where the series takes them next.

Summary: 

Overall, The Confessor is a smart, fast-moving crime thriller about an LAPD detective hunting a killer who forces seemingly respectable people to confess the ugly truths they have been hiding. The alternating perspectives make the cat-and-mouse element especially fun, while Logan’s secret life as the owner of an investigative news site adds a genuinely interesting complication. Readers who like police procedurals, serial killer thrillers, morally complicated villains, clever detective work, strong partner banter and contemporary Los Angeles settings may enjoy this book. Happy reading!

Check out The Confessor here!

 

Review: The Journey of the Wish – Part II: The Crimson Winter by Stefanos Sampanis

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

I perceived the world and acknowledged all of its colors. There was truth; the kind you cannot simply speak of. A tale suits the cause better. It is a disguise that anyone can enjoy and if intrigued, look behind it. This is my testament. A fantasy saga exploring the most human reality. A Journey that lies ahead and matures with each page turned.

Favorite Lines:

“Kneeling before the symbolic grave of his mother, he is overwhelmed by the sense that she is somehow there, waiting for his song. For a fleeting moment, a wild hope seizes him. He wants to call out to her, to beg her to embrace him one last time. Yet, even saying her name feels like the hardest task of all.”

“It exists to allow the soul to bloom, even if only once, in perfect and peculiar beauty.”

My Opinion:

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

The Crimson Winter picks up Glimm’s story in a world that is still one of the strangest and most interesting parts of this series. Spring and Winter aren’t simply seasons here. They determine who is awake, who belongs where, and essentially how the world itself functions. Glimm, meanwhile, is still living as one of the Enslaved, navigating that world without sight or touch and relying on the unusual sense known as Clarity.

This time around, the story seems to get considerably darker. Glimm is sent into the Jungle Accursed as part of a group tasked with confronting Elves who have crossed into Winter. The obvious problem is that Glimm is an Elf himself. Even worse, he’s forced to work alongside an Orc despite everything that happened to his family. That immediately puts him in this uncomfortable position where the lines between enemy, ally, family, and captor aren’t nearly as simple as he wants them to be.

That’s probably the part of the book I find most interesting. Glimm isn’t written as the perfectly noble fantasy hero who always makes the right decision. He’s angry, impulsive, grieving, and still trying to figure out where he actually belongs. The story seems very interested in what happens when a child who has survived terrible things begins making choices based on that pain. Sometimes his anger makes complete sense. Sometimes it leads him somewhere much more complicated.

The supporting characters also sound like they get more room this time. Fawke continues to have that difficult mentor relationship with Glimm, while Than offers a much quieter kind of loyalty. And then there is King Semela, who remains incredibly hard to categorize. He’s capable of seeming cruel and protective almost at the same time, and I like that the series apparently doesn’t rush to tell us exactly what we’re supposed to think of him.

The world itself expands quite a bit too. We get more of Winter beyond the Mount, including Crystal City and the Court of Ice, where Glimm eventually finds himself facing judgment. One detail I particularly liked from the descriptions of this section is that the court literally measures how much time someone is allowed to speak. It’s the kind of slightly bizarre worldbuilding detail that makes this series feel like it has its own mythology rather than just rearranging familiar fantasy pieces.

There’s also something really effective about the continued focus on perception. Glimm experiences the world through Clarity rather than normal sight, so color has a significance here that it wouldn’t have in most fantasy novels. Even the shift from the Grey Winter of the first book to the Crimson Winter of this one feels meaningful. The series uses things like sight, color, sensation, and deprivation as part of the story’s larger questions about what it actually means to understand the world around you.

Underneath the gods, curses, battles, magical cities, and strange creatures is a coming-of-age story about a kid trying to make sense of grief, anger, loyalty, and family. I especially like that the idea of family seems to get increasingly messy here. Blood doesn’t automatically make someone safe, and the people who hurt you aren’t necessarily as simple to understand as you want them to be.

Summary:

Overall, The Crimson Winter is a much bigger and darker continuation of Glimm’s story, but not necessarily just in terms of battles or worldbuilding. The more interesting expansion seems to be happening inside Glimm himself. He’s getting older, his understanding of the world is changing, and some of the things he believed were simple are becoming much harder to define. I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy immersive epic fantasy, original mythology, morally complicated characters, mentor relationships, philosophical fantasy, and slower stories that spend as much time on their characters as they do on battles and magic. Happy reading!

Check out The Journey of the Wish – Part II: The Crimson Winter here!

 

Review: A Heart That’s True by Mark Guillerman

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

When all is taken, what remains?

In 1912, twelve-year-old Joseph Cross and his cousin Elizabeth White Cloud are torn from the foothills of Montana and sent across the country to the Carlisle Indian School, where children are stripped of their language, their traditions, and even their names.

Separated from home and forced into a world that sees them as something to be remade, Joseph and White Cloud must learn to survive in ways they never imagined. They face loneliness, danger, and a system determined to erase who they are. Yet through friendship, courage, and the teachings of their people, they begin to discover a strength no one can take from them.

Where courage walks, the spirit follows.

Along the way, their journey becomes intertwined with the legend of Big Black, a powerful wolf whose story mirrors their own struggle to belong in a world that fears what it does not understand.

A Heart That’s True is a moving and unforgettable story of resilience, identity, and the unbreakable bond between family, culture, and spirit. Inspired by real historical events, this novel shines a light on a chapter of history that must never be forgotten—and celebrates the courage to remain true to who you are.

Favorite Lines:

“The human spirit will never die in a heart that’s true.”

“The smell of the fresh morning air was strong medicine for Joseph.”

“Her grandfather had taught her many things in her young life, and one thing stood out: always remember and learn from her past.”

My Opinion:

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

A Heart That’s True is historical fiction that takes on a part of American history that is incredibly difficult to read about, but important to remember. The story follows twelve-year-old Joseph Cross, a Lakota boy taken from his home in Montana and sent across the country to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Before he leaves, his grandfather gives him a piece of advice that basically becomes the heart of the entire book: no matter what happens to him, he has to hold onto who he is.

I think what worked best for me was that the book doesn’t only focus on the cruelty of Carlisle itself. A lot of the story is really about Joseph’s fear of losing his identity. There’s a moment before he even reaches the school where he meets an older Native student who has already adopted the clothing, speech, and mannerisms expected of him, and Joseph is genuinely terrified by what he sees. He’s been warned that people will try to “wash” his spirit away, and suddenly he understands what that might actually look like. That fear follows him throughout the book and makes even some of the quieter parts of his time at Carlisle feel unsettling.

Joseph’s relationship with his cousin White Cloud was another part I really liked. They’re separated after arriving at Carlisle, but their connection to each other and to their grandfather gives the story an emotional anchor. White Cloud is also a compelling character on her own. She’s older, more guarded, and much more aware of what is happening to them, while Joseph still has a little bit of childhood innocence left.

And then there’s Big Black, who honestly ended up being one of my favorite parts of the book. He’s a huge black wolf/Newfoundland mix Joseph meets during the journey east, and their immediate connection initially seems like a sweet little break in an otherwise bleak situation. But Big Black becomes much more important than that. Joseph connects him to Lakousa, the Wolf King from one of his grandfather’s stories, and the wolf becomes tied to this larger idea of home, freedom, and the part of Joseph that Carlisle can’t take away. I really liked how that storyline brought a slightly mythical feeling into what is otherwise pretty grounded historical fiction.

There are also quite a few real historical figures and events worked into the story. Jim Thorpe has a particularly meaningful role rather than just popping up for the sake of having a recognizable name. His quiet friendship with Joseph becomes another source of encouragement for him, especially when Joseph is able to tell the stories his grandfather taught him instead of being ashamed of them. I thought those scenes were some of the strongest because they show resistance in a much quieter way. Joseph isn’t necessarily making some huge rebellious stand. Sometimes simply remembering and telling his people’s stories is the rebellion.

I did think the writing could be a little heavy on historical explanation at times. There are sections where the story pauses to give quite a bit of background on people, places, and events.. At the same time, I understand why so much context was included, especially because Carlisle and the broader history surrounding Indian boarding schools may be unfamiliar to some readers.

Summary:

Overall, A Heart That’s True is a moving story about identity, family, survival, and refusing to let someone else decide who you are. There are some genuinely painful parts, but there is also a surprising amount of warmth in Joseph’s relationships with White Cloud, Big Black, and the people who show him kindness along the way. It isn’t necessarily a light historical fiction read, but it has a lot of heart. I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy American historical fiction, coming-of-age stories, books about Indigenous history and boarding schools, animal-human bonds, and stories centered around resilience, family, and finding your way home. Happy reading!

Check out A Heart That’s True here!

 

Review: Echoes of a Wild Girl’s Drum by Tiffini Johnson

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

I was seven when they tied me to the stake.

They wanted me to burn, burn, burn like Nángi. I threw blackjack petals in her ashes, but not even the strongest herbs can make dead mothers come back. Nobody threw blackjack petals for me, but when my turn came, a boy broke rhythm for me instead — the village drummer, the Commander’s ward — and he was scarred for it.

So I ran. Into the forest, into the dark. I learned to sleep where nothing could find me and eat what the forest gave and trust tree kangaroos and cuscuses before people. I forgot almost everything — except the boy who cut me loose from the stake. Except the tree where we carved a spiral with hair and blood and a poem nobody knows. Except the night we climbed so high the whole sky cracked open and I told him there were a million hundred stars. Except our beat — tap boom tap, tap boom boom tap — that belongs to no one else in the world. He was the only thing I kept.

Women burn in this village. They burn for sick children. For failed crops. For the herbs they keep. Some are tired. Some are angry. Some pass secrets. But I didn’t decide to come back. Something small needed me to.

And now they know: the witch’s daughter didn’t die twelve summers ago.

I know the sound the drum makes before whispers spread like fire.
The air already smells like smoke.

Only now the boy who once broke the rhythm is a man.
And I am no longer seven years old.

Favorite Lines:

“We are strong. We are brave. We are women.”

“The wind blows against my skin while my heart beats fast. In my head, I imagine tapping against the drum, keeping the pressure of the beat just so. The first time I played the Heartbeat and people spilled out into the streets, opened their shops, hitched wagons, and began their day, I felt it. Power. The drumbeat gave the village the knowledge that it was time to begin a new day. The drumbeat acts as the village’s sun. I am the village’s sun. And now I will learn to be its moon.”

“I’m talking in circles, jumping from one thing to the next, just like Salu, but you said spirals lead us home. You are my home. Listen to me.”

My Opinion:

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

This is one of those books that grabs you from the first few pages and really doesn’t let go. The opening is heartbreaking, but it’s also the kind of scene that tells you exactly what kind of story you’re stepping into. It’s heavy, emotional, and not afraid to sit with uncomfortable realities.

The story is set in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, and that setting never felt like just a backdrop. It becomes part of everything, from the traditions and village life to the way the characters understand the world around them. I especially loved how the drum wasn’t just an instrument. It became a language, a responsibility, and a symbol that carried so much meaning throughout the novel. The cultural details felt woven naturally into the story instead of stopping everything to explain them.

I was a really big fan of the dual perspectives. Seeing the world through young Soryelle’s eyes is absolutely devastating because of her innocence. She notices smells, sounds, plants, animals, and little moments that make the tragedy around her hit even harder. On the other side, Maikel’s chapters add a completely different layer as he wrestles with duty, tradition, and what kind of man he wants to become. Watching those two perspectives slowly build toward each other kept me invested the entire time.

The writing itself is very sensory. You can practically smell the smoke from the mumu fires, hear the rhythm of the drums, and picture the forests and mountains. At times it almost reads like someone telling you a story around a fire rather than a traditional historical novel, which fit the atmosphere really well.

This is definitely not an easy read though so get ready to cry. Johnson doesn’t shy away from trauma, grief, or the lasting effects of violence, and there were several scenes that were difficult to get through emotionally. At the same time, the book never felt hopeless. Underneath all of the pain is a story about resilience, healing, connection, and choosing compassion over fear. Even some of the quieter moments between characters carried just as much emotional weight as the bigger ones.

Summary: 

Overall, this was a beautifully written and emotionally powerful novel that stayed with me long after I finished it. It’s the kind of book that asks difficult questions about humanity while still leaving room for hope. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy emotional historical fiction, character-driven stories, literary fiction, and novels that explore resilience, culture, and hope after unimaginable loss. 

You can find the book trailer here
Check out Echoes of a Wild Girl’s Drum here!

 

Review: There Be Dragon by Michael Tars

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

THERE BE DRAGON is an adult epic fantasy with slow-burn romance in a sprawling world of magic, greedy demigods, and dark prophesies.

When the people of magical Kalador prayed for a savior, they summoned Kwe—a battle-scarred soldier from a futuristic Earth who is plagued by memories of his violent past. He’s told that an ancient Dragon’s spirit resides within him and that together they’re destined to protect the realm from hungry demigods plotting Kalador’s demise.

Now, voices of several Dragons crowd Kwe’s mind, each with their own agenda, all threatening to take over. Cut-throat court politics and strange magic, assassination attempts and threats of imminent war are bad enough; it’s worse to fall in love when romance is impossible. Though try explaining that to the amorous dragon within…

Common-born Kira didn’t expect to become the Chosen. Now she must bind the new Lord Dragon’s soul to Kalador. If only he’d see not just her duty, but also her love.

With threats multiplying, and Kira’s life on the line, Kwe’s only choice is to embrace the dragons—without losing himself in the process. He might be a pawn in some demigod’s secret game, but he won’t be broken or controlled.

With a nefarious demigod plotting from the bottom of the ocean, will Kwe’s newfound
Dragon powers and battlefield experience be enough to keep the country and those he loves safe?

An adult fantasy romance for fans of romantasy, dragons, forbidden romance, and mysteries demanding to be solved.

Favorite Lines:

“The hardest lies to see are those you tell yourself.”

“Nothing had changed, yet everything was different.”

“Wars were costly. Even for the victor.”

My Opinion:

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

There Be Dragon opens like a futuristic military science fiction novel before abruptly turning into something completely different. Lieutenant Colonel Kwe is leading a raid in a technologically advanced version of Earth when he sacrifices himself to save his best friend and expects to die. Instead, he wakes up in the snow beneath a perfectly blue sky, surrounded by three girls who are convinced they have just summoned their country’s new Lord Dragon. Kira, Maya, and Kira’s younger sister Nora have been sent out as part of an ancient ritual meant to find Kalador’s new divine protector, and through either fate, magic, or some very enthusiastic pompoms, they find Kwe. It’s a strange setup, and the collision of genres gives the story an unusual starting point. Kwe tries to analyze everything through the eyes of a highly trained soldier from an advanced civilization, while everyone around him interprets his technology through the perspective of a world where magic and gods are completely real.

What I found more interesting than the actual “man from the future becomes a dragon” premise was the way Kwe reacts to the society he’s landed in. Kalador treats him as an all-powerful ruler almost immediately, but he is increasingly horrified by many of the traditions everyone else considers normal. This is especially true when it comes to the treatment of women. Kira was facing marriage to an abusive man, Maya’s father was essentially negotiating a price for her, and all three girls are suddenly told that they now “belong” to Kwe as his Maidens. Kwe’s refusal to simply accept that arrangement creates an interesting tension within the story. Even when he’s attracted to Kira, he is conscious of the fact that her society has given her very little real choice, and he doesn’t want his position as Lord Dragon to become another way for someone else to control her. That complicates their developing relationship, particularly as Kira tries to establish that what she wants is actually her own decision.

Kwe also begins challenging Kalador’s traditions in smaller ways. He isn’t only interested in defeating enemies with futuristic weapons or demonstrating how technologically superior his world was. He cooks, insists that his Maidens eat with him, recruits women as fighters and bodyguards, teaches the girls to defend themselves, and treats servants and commoners with a level of respect that repeatedly confuses the people around him. These moments help establish the kind of ruler Kwe intends to be, although I did find there was sometimes a disconnect between the story’s criticism of Kalador’s treatment of women and the way its female characters were presented elsewhere in the narrative. One particularly meaningful moment comes when Kwe meets Moira, the cook who cared for Kira and Nora when their own family failed them. Rather than dismissing her as a servant, Kwe kneels before her, thanks her, and promises to care for “her girls.” It’s a relatively small moment compared to the larger political conflicts surrounding Kalador, but it reveals quite a bit about how Kwe sees the people who have unexpectedly become part of his life.

There is plenty of action, magic, political maneuvering, romance, and humor, with the relationships between Kwe, Kira, Maya, and Nora forming a significant part of the story’s emotional foundation. Kwe begins the book mourning a life he believes he has lost, but over time, Kalador stops feeling quite so much like somewhere he has accidentally landed and starts becoming somewhere he genuinely wants to protect. The ending leaves the larger story unfinished, particularly when it comes to Leviathan and the threats gathering around Kalador, while still bringing Kwe’s personal journey in this installment to an important turning point. By the final pages, the people gathered around him represent the connections he has formed in a world that was completely foreign to him when the story began.

I do want to flag that there are some parts of this book that are, in my opinion, problematic. While I appreciated the novel’s emphasis on consent and Kwe’s efforts to challenge Kalador’s treatment of women, I sometimes found the repeated focus on the women surrounding him and their attraction to him excessive. There were also a few adult-oriented jokes involving a much younger character that I personally found uncomfortable and unnecessary. These elements occasionally distracted me from what I thought were the more interesting aspects of the story, particularly the clash between Kwe’s futuristic values and the traditions of his new world. Because these elements may be significant for some readers, I think they are worth mentioning as part of my overall experience with the book.

Summary:

Overall, There Be Dragon is a genre-blending portal fantasy about a futuristic soldier who finds himself transported into a medieval world and mistaken, or perhaps correctly identified, as its newly summoned Lord Dragon. As Kwe tries to understand his new powers and the Dragon sharing his consciousness, he also has to navigate a society whose traditions surrounding class, gender, marriage, and political power often conflict sharply with his own values.

I think this may appeal to readers who enjoy portal fantasy and isekai-style stories, powerful protagonists, science fiction mixed with traditional fantasy, dragons, political worldbuilding, found family, and stories where a modern or futuristic character introduces new ideas into a less technologically advanced society. Readers should also be aware that the book contains a significant romantic and sexual component, including some material that may be uncomfortable for certain audiences. The story also deals with darker subjects involving abuse, exploitation, sexual violence, assassination attempts, and war.

You can find the book trailer here
Check out There Be Dragon here

 

 

Monthly Features – July 2026

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR by C.L. Stiles

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

Synopsis: When a man vanishes from a Kansas City diner — pulled through reality by forces no one can explain — Nathan Quipp knows it’s only the beginning.

As director of the Office of Hidden Realms, Nathan has spent his career keeping the supernatural world invisible to those who can’t handle the truth. But something is moving even deeper beneath the surface. Ley lines are surging. Cross-realm incursions are rising. And a near-divine source whispers the need to find the missing man — the Eidolon.

Now Nathan’s team is scattered across two continents and twelve centuries, racing to piece together a mystery that reaches from the streets of Kansas City to ancient Stonehenge and back again. The Veiled world is fracturing. The Unveiled are running out of time.

And something much older than the OHR is finally paying attention.

Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR is the first installment of the OHR Case Files.

Summary: Eidolon is an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery novel centered around the Office of Hidden Realms, a secret organization dealing with supernatural threats hidden beneath everyday life. The story mixes magical investigations, folklore, ghosts, fae, monsters, prophecies, and hidden conspiracies with a surprisingly emotional undercurrent about grief and identity. The tone balances humor, mystery, horror, and found-family energy while gradually building toward a much larger supernatural conflict. Readers who enjoy The Dresden Files, Supernatural, Men in Black-style organizations, SCP-style lore, paranormal procedurals, or ensemble urban fantasy casts will probably have a great time with this. 

See the full review here: Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR
Purchase here

 

The Meaning of Androsia by Eric Bush

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

Synopsis: It was a time of steam locomotives and horses, of city-states and principalities ruled by monarchs – but it did not take place in the past. It was a time of civil war between Protestants and Catholics over direct access to the Messiah – but the Messiah wasn’t Jesus. It was a place where Orthodox spires dotted the landscape, and people addressed each other with matronymics instead of patronymics – but it wasn’t a Slavic country, or even in Europe or Asia. It was a culture that venerated the great writers and composers from prior centuries – but their names were not Bach, or Shakespeare, or Beethoven. And when mid-winter rolled around, everyone celebrated the traditional holiday by decorating fir trees – but it was not Christmas. In short, it was a time very much like past centuries of our own – except that it was different. Something had happened to change the course of history.

Thus begins the story of Ilya Erynovich and Katerinya Emlynovna, a lifelong search for the meaning of something from the past. Ilya doesn’t know where he came from, or how old he is. He seems to know things he couldn’t possibly have learned. He has skills he couldn’t possibly have acquired. He is sought out, and sometimes captured, by political and religious leaders, and constantly followed by anonymous stalkers.

At first, he doesn’t even know that he is Ilya. He wakes up one evening in a train station, unable to remember anything about himself, including his own name. As he searches for someone – anyone – who might know who he is, he encounters Katerinya, a young writer, who takes an interest in his predicament and offers to help. She takes him in, and although strangers, they soon develop a mutual affection that blossoms into love.

This turns out to be good memory therapy for Ilya, and he recovers his knowledge of the last 20 years or so – but then it becomes stuck. He can’t remember anything prior to that. And it soon becomes clear to them that Ilya’s past self has left messages for his present self – there is something about the past that his present self needs to know – but the clues are cryptic and hard to decipher.

Over the course of a 24 year love affair, buffeted by political and religious intrigue, two epidemics, and a civil war, Ilya and Katerinya finally figure out who he really is…or was. But it’s not what either had expected.

Summary: The Meaning of Androsia is an ambitious speculative mystery that combines post-apocalyptic science fiction, romance, political intrigue, religion, genetics, philosophy, and alternate future history. It follows an amnesiac professor trying to discover who he is and why people are pursuing him, only for that personal mystery to gradually uncover a much larger story about a civilization that lost most of its connection to its own past.

I think this would especially appeal to readers who enjoy big-idea speculative fiction, stories about lost civilizations and reconstructed history, scientific mysteries, philosophical discussions about religion and knowledge, and slow-burning mysteries where seemingly minor clues eventually connect to a much larger explanation. Readers who enjoy a strong central romance alongside their science fiction may also really like Ilya and Katerinya. It will probably be a harder sell for readers who prefer very fast pacing or minimal exposition, because this is a long novel that frequently pauses the central plot for extended conversations about science, religion, history, literature, politics, and human behavior. 

See the full review here: The Meaning of Androsia
Purchase here

 

Review: Fire Breathes Stone and Storm by Teresa Hakaraia

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

Sekya has spent her life making herself small.

Raised in an orphanage alongside Khala, Riva, and Lio, she has done whatever it takes to keep her found family together — even if it means surviving in Silk House, a pleasure house in the fire dominion of Eratari.

On the world of Thyra, power belongs to the Taniva: rare shapeshifters who carry the blood of the first elemental creatures.

Sekya is not one of them.

Then one night, watching from the balcony, Sekya sees the Queen return in phoenix-drake form, her Taniva wings cutting through the dark, her wounded son carried on her back.

Then time just stops.

The city is motionless.

The Queen hangs suspended above the lake, her great wings caught in mid-beat. And on her back, wounded and dying, Prince Kairon lifts his head — and turns to find Sekya, as though he knows exactly who stopped the world.

From that moment, Sekya’s attempt to remain unseen becomes impossible. She begins to share dreams with Kairon, drawn into a connection neither of them understands and neither can ignore.

When the Queen comes searching for the girl from her son’s visions, she finds more than Sekya. She finds four young people who carry something she cannot name: a strangeness in them, a power she can feel but not identify. Whether they are the answer to saving her son, or a threat to him, the Queen does not yet know.

What follows will change everything they thought they were.

Khala holds fire.
Riva holds water.
Lio holds stone.
And Sekya — Sekya can hold time itself.

Four orphans. Four powers that should not exist. And a world of four dominions holding a peace none of them fully trust.

But the thread between Sekya and Kairon runs deeper than magic. Deeper than blood. Deeper than anything either of them knows how to name.

Some connections cannot be undone.

Some costs cannot be survived.

Favorite Lines:

“What I do know…is that you are not some mistake Silk House made. You and your family love each other fiercely. You protect each other. You are Eratari.”

“Last night, I had not wanted to become another thing a man wanted from me. I wanted to be seen. Wanting, on its own, was too easy. Men did it all the time.”

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And you love me.”

“I only hope tomorrow finds us worthy of what comes after.”

My Opinion:

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

Fire Breathes Stone and Storm is the kind of fantasy that throws you into a fairly expansive world but keeps the emotional center of the story surprisingly intimate. At the center of the story is Sekya and the family she has created with fellow orphans Khala, Riva, and Lio. They have grown up relying on one another, and I liked that the story establishes those relationships as something worth protecting before their lives begin changing. As Sekya discovers there is more to her own identity and abilities than she realized, the world around the four of them starts opening up as well. What begins as a more personal story gradually introduces elemental powers, divided dominions, political tensions, and a mythology that suggests their lives are connected to something much older and more complicated than any of them know.

I thought Sekya’s struggle with belonging was one of the more interesting parts of her character. She’s fiercely protective of the people she considers family, but she doesn’t always extend that same confidence or sense of worth to herself. Her growing connection with Prince Kairon complicates things further, especially as the line between dreams and reality becomes increasingly difficult to understand. There is romance here, but I appreciated that Sekya’s story isn’t entirely defined by it. Her bond with the other orphans remains an important part of who she is, and there is an underlying tension between the life and family she already knows and the unfamiliar world that seems determined to claim her.

The world itself has a lot of moving pieces, and this definitely feels like the first installment of a series that plans to keep expanding. The elemental magic is only one part of it. There are four dominions with their own histories and conflicts, strange creatures, the mysterious Shell, and questions surrounding a sleeping god and the characters’ origins. I was particularly interested in the way the story touches on what happens when a society’s understanding of its own history is incomplete. Ariki’s experiences add another perspective to that idea, bringing prejudice and cultural identity into a story that could otherwise have remained focused primarily on magic and political conflict. There are still a lot of questions left unanswered, but I get the sense that many of the smaller details introduced here will become more important as the series continues.

The pacing does take its time, particularly as the story works to establish both its characters and a fairly complicated fantasy world. There were places where I thought things could move a little faster, but I also understand why so much groundwork was necessary for what appears to be a much larger story. I found myself more interested in the mysteries surrounding the characters and their connections to this world than in having every answer immediately. By the end, it becomes clear that what happens in this book is really only the beginning, so readers should go in expecting the start of an ongoing story rather than something that wraps everything up neatly.

Summary:

Overall, I thought Fire Breathes Stone and Storm was an interesting introduction to a fantasy world with plenty of room to grow. For me, the strongest aspect was the idea of these four young people who have already chosen one another as family finding themselves pulled toward identities and destinies they never asked for. The magic and mythology create the larger mystery, but it’s the questions of belonging, identity, and what makes someone your family that give the story its emotional foundation. There is clearly much more waiting to be uncovered about the Shell, the characters’ powers, and the history connecting everything together, and I think readers who enjoy settling into the beginning of a larger fantasy series will find plenty here to make them curious about what comes next. Happy reading!

Check out Fire Breathes Stone and Storm here!

 

Review: Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR by C.L. Stiles

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

When a man vanishes from a Kansas City diner — pulled through reality by forces no one can explain — Nathan Quipp knows it’s only the beginning.

As director of the Office of Hidden Realms, Nathan has spent his career keeping the supernatural world invisible to those who can’t handle the truth. But something is moving even deeper beneath the surface. Ley lines are surging. Cross-realm incursions are rising. And a near-divine source whispers the need to find the missing man — the Eidolon.

Now Nathan’s team is scattered across two continents and twelve centuries, racing to piece together a mystery that reaches from the streets of Kansas City to ancient Stonehenge and back again. The Veiled world is fracturing. The Unveiled are running out of time.

And something much older than the OHR is finally paying attention.

Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR is the first installment of the OHR Case Files.

Favorite Lines:

“Magic or no magic, she wasn’t starting Sunday without coffee.”

“You just found out the world is even bigger and stranger than you thought…And I won’t lie and say there’s nothing to fear.”

“The Keeper peered deeper into Nathan where the true battle raged. Not of flame, but of faith, of love. No, the memory of love.”

My Opinion:

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

Eidolon feels like a mashup of urban fantasy, paranormal procedural, supernatural horror, and found-family adventure, but in a way that’s genuinely fun instead of overly self-aware. The setup hooked me almost immediately. A man vanishes inside a diner without any trace of magic, one witness remembers what happened while others mysteriously forget, and suddenly we’re pulled into the hidden world of the OHR, the Office of Hidden Realms. From there the novel opens wider and wider, introducing ghosts, fae, magical investigators, shapeshifters, strange prophecies, hidden archives, and a growing sense that something ancient and catastrophic is moving behind the scenes.

What worked best for me was the tone. The book balances mystery and danger with a surprisingly relaxed, conversational style that makes the world feel approachable even when the lore gets complicated. Sandra and Jasmine especially carry a lot of the early momentum. Their dynamic is one of the strongest parts of the novel because Sandra has this exhausted, sarcastic competence while Jasmine reacts to the supernatural world in ways that actually feel believable. She’s overwhelmed, curious, skeptical, and fascinated all at once. Their conversations help ground the story whenever the mythology starts expanding outward.

Nathan’s storyline adds a very different emotional layer to the book. Underneath all the monsters and magical investigations, there’s a pretty consistent thread of grief running through the novel because of Anne’s death and Nathan slowly reconnecting with abilities he thought were gone. I liked that the emotional side never completely disappears beneath the action. The supernatural elements matter, but the characters’ personal losses and fears matter too. Even some of the side characters, like Mia or Taft, feel more fleshed out than you’d expect in a book juggling this many concepts.

The worldbuilding is honestly huge. The OHR itself feels like a blend of Men in Black, The Dresden Files, Supernatural, SCP Foundation, and folklore-heavy urban fantasy. Every few chapters the reader gets introduced to something new: magical archives, latent abilities, weavers, fae bargains, edge events, ancient beings, hidden blogs, undead archivists, and supernatural politics. Normally this amount of lore would bog a book down, but Stiles usually keeps things moving by tying the exposition directly to active investigations or character interactions. The inserted guidebook sections and informational entries were also a smart choice because they help explain the setting without forcing characters into unnatural exposition dumps.

That said, the book absolutely prioritizes atmosphere, lore, and character interactions over tight plotting. There are stretches where the story feels episodic, almost like watching a supernatural TV series with monster-of-the-week energy slowly building toward a larger threat. Personally, I think that structure mostly works because the cast is enjoyable to spend time with, but readers looking for a very streamlined plot may occasionally feel like the story wanders. 

I ended up really enjoying this. The novel has genuine personality, and that matters a lot in crowded urban fantasy. It feels written by someone who genuinely loves folklore, supernatural horror, conspiracy fiction, and paranormal investigation stories. More importantly, it feels like the author actually enjoys these characters. By the time the larger mythology involving the Serpent King and the Eidolon itself starts taking shape, I was invested enough that I wanted to keep following the OHR into future books.

Summary:

Overall, Eidolon is an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery novel centered around the Office of Hidden Realms, a secret organization dealing with supernatural threats hidden beneath everyday life. The story mixes magical investigations, folklore, ghosts, fae, monsters, prophecies, and hidden conspiracies with a surprisingly emotional undercurrent about grief and identity. The tone balances humor, mystery, horror, and found-family energy while gradually building toward a much larger supernatural conflict. Readers who enjoy The Dresden Files, Supernatural, Men in Black-style organizations, SCP-style lore, paranormal procedurals, or ensemble urban fantasy casts will probably have a great time with this. Happy reading!

Check out Eidolon: From the Case Files of the OHR here!

 

Review: Intrinsic by W.H.B.

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Christopher Franklin, the proud and only son of a New York literary royalty, from birth he is built and destined to nothing less than greatness. One day, out of disappointment, he makes the dangerous decision to change and turn into someone who is not. He consciously decides to entangle his life with a miserable soul. Abruptly he learns his first lesson from life, miserable souls only bring misery, with one act he will lose everything, in one evening he will be reduced to nothing. No greatness, he becomes a nobody.

Years passed by and Chris settled into his life as a taxi driver, Brooklyn is home, and the miserable soul is still around him and has gotten more miserable with the years. This time is different, he is a dad of two beautiful daughters with unconditional love, their safety is his new purpose in life, nothing and no one is above his girls. He also discovers a dear friendship with his neighbor and confidante, a place of solace.

One night, without warning, a triggered chain reaction will take Chris into a ride of a lifetime, nothing will be ever the same, lies and secrets are uncovered, he was played and fooled, he didn’t know anything about who he is and, once again, he is reduced to nothing, rock bottom is where he belongs. Suddenly, out of nowhere, greatness at last, he has the privilege to show who he is, royalty. He will rise while making sure others will fall, miserably.

Life is fair, but not for all.

Favorite Lines:

“Life is fair—but not for all.”

“Pay it forward. At some point we all need help.”

“No matter what, things have to return to where they naturally belong—a universal rule.”

“I don’t predict the future. I don’t want to, and I don’t need to. I am simply ready and prepared for whatever it throws at me. The only thing I know is no matter what it brings, I will always be the one who decides when and how it’s going to end. Simple control. Control is when you never fail to punctuate the present moment.”

My Opinion:

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

Intrinsic immediately stands out as a very ambitious and emotionally driven novel. From the opening pages, the book throws readers into a vividly detailed version of New York City that feels alive with movement, history, and personality, and there’s an unmistakable sincerity behind the writing that kept me engaged. The narration is rich and reflective, almost cinematic at times, and the story quickly establishes itself as something much larger than a straightforward family drama. It’s interested in morality, destiny, identity, sacrifice, and what truly defines a good person, all through the life of Chris Franklin, a taxi driver carrying far more emotional weight and history than people around him realize.

What stood out most to me was Chris himself. He’s written almost like an old-fashioned idealized protagonist: endlessly kind, thoughtful, generous, intelligent, patient, hardworking, devoted to his children, and seemingly able to connect deeply with everyone he encounters. In lesser hands that could have made him feel flat, but the novel balances it somewhat by surrounding him with emotional tension and instability, especially within his marriage to Mary. The family scenes were honestly the strongest part of the book for me because they feel emotionally loaded even during ordinary conversations. There’s this constant undercurrent of volatility in the household where Chris is trying to preserve warmth and tenderness for his daughters while navigating Mary’s anger and emotional instability. Those scenes created much more tension than the larger philosophical passages.

The book also has a huge sense of nostalgia attached to New York City. The opening chapters almost function as a love letter to the city in the late 2000s and to a version of urban life that feels increasingly distant. Taxi driving, neighborhood delis, late-night cigarettes on fire escapes, crowded avenues, old bookstores, political conversations about Obama’s election, family-owned buildings, and references to pre-smartphone daily life all combine to create a very specific atmosphere. Even when the writing style becomes (intentionally) overly elaborate, there’s still a genuine affection for the setting that makes the world feel lived in. The flashbacks to Chris’s privileged teenage years also help explain why he feels emotionally divided between who he used to be and who he became.

What stayed with me most after finishing Intrinsic was how emotionally sincere it felt. The book wears its heart on its sleeve in a way that feels increasingly rare, especially in modern fiction that often leans detached or overly cynical. Chris’s love for his children, his constant desire to protect the people around him, and the lingering sense that something larger is shaping the course of his life all give the story a strong emotional core. Even during quieter moments, there’s a feeling that the novel is building toward something meaningful. It’s the kind of book that is less focused on rushing from plot point to plot point and more interested in exploring the emotional weight behind the choices people make and the lives they build.

Summary:

Overall, Intrinsic feels like a character-driven literary drama disguised as a philosophical thriller. It’s ambitious, emotional, reflective, and there’s enough heart underneath it that I stayed invested in Chris and his family. Readers who enjoy emotionally heavy family sagas, morally driven protagonists, reflective narration, and stories centered around sacrifice, destiny, and identity will probably connect strongly with this one. It feels less interested in realism and more interested in exploring what kind of person someone chooses to become when life repeatedly tests them. Happy reading!

Check out Intrinsic here!