Awix (3310 KP) rated The Great God Pan in Books
Aug 21, 2019
It's slightly amusing to consider that this novella was criticised on first release for its decadence and sexual content - by modern standards it is, on the surface at least, very tame. But that's the nature of the beast in this case - this is a horror story where all the disturbing scenes happen off-stage, which is where the monster stays as well. Everything happens through implication, and is left somewhat to the reader's imagination, a trick which Machen pulls off rather more deftly than some writers who hailed him as an influence. I must be honest and say that the lack of a big reveal and a genuine climax wrong-footed me a bit, but the story is on the whole ingeniously structured and well-written, atmospheric and unsettling.
Cowboy Dark (Summer Romance Collection #1)
7.0
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A standalone young adult romance from New York Times bestselling author Tess Oliver. 5 STARS:...
Amalgamated (Coming Home #2)
8.0
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Escape with Leo and Zak in outback Australia as they discover it sometimes takes time, distance, and...
Contemporary MM Romance Small Town Novella
The Furthest Station (Peter Grant, #5.5)
7.0
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There have been ghosts on the London Underground, sad, harmless spectres whose presence does little...
Buying Trouble (Dorina Basarab #0.9 On the Prowl Anthology)
9.0
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"Buying Trouble" In Midnight's Daughter, New York Times bestselling author Karen Chance took us...
urban fantasy
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2631 KP) rated Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots in Books
Jan 4, 2024
Even though I don’t normally read this series, I didn't have any trouble jumping into the characters here. There was enough explanation of who people were that I could follow along. The bits about those I assume are series regulars didn't mean quite as much to me, but I enjoyed meeting everyone. This is on the serious side of the cozy spectrum, and the atmosphere was carried perfectly throughout the story. Lucy did seem to jump to one conclusion, but since she was proved right with evidence later on, I can't call it a major flaw. There are two recipes at the end of this story to enjoy later. This is probably my favorite of the stories I’ve read from Leslie Meier.
NOTE: This is a novella, roughly 100 pages along.
NOTE 2: This was originally published in the anthology Gingerbread Cookie Murder.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2631 KP) rated Nightmare on Elf Street in Books
Jan 4, 2024
The series always features wacky humor, and this story is no exception. Even though the story is only 100 pages, we manage to get a couple of sub-plots and some twists as well. The characters are developed enough to pull us in while making us laugh as well.
This is a novella length story, so it will be faster than a full novel. As long as you know this, you’ll be fine.
Also note that this was originally released in the romance anthology Secret Santa. You’ll want to make sure you haven’t read it before purchasing it again. Although, if you haven’t read it, you’ll be thrilled to add this fun, festive mystery to your to be read pile.
David McK (3883 KP) rated Warriorborn (The Cinder Spires 1.5) in Books
Dec 27, 2023
I actually re-read that recently, as entry #2 had been released (The Olympian Affair) and it had been so long since the first that, whilst I could remember the general gist (steampunk, basically), not so much the actual ins and outs.
Which is probably a long-winded way of saying that I feel that this novella was released for others in the same boat: to ease them back in, as it were, to the world and its inhabitants.
In this, the Warriorborn Benedict Sorelin-Lancaster is charged by the Spirearch of Albion to investigate the mysterious reason why the colony of Dependence has cut off all contact with the outside world, and finds himself in charge of a cadre of other Warriorborns, all of whom he has arrested in the past and who have reason to mistrust him. It also shows more why the denizens of this world are so afraid of the surface than I remember from the previous entry ...
The Blue Veil (Seven Deadly Veils #1.5)
10.0
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When one of High Lord Valadon’s rare paintings goes missing, his second in command, Remare enlists...
Urban Fantasy Romance Novella