Hero Forged is a fast paced, unique, entertaining urban fantasy. It has everything from a villain with blood lust, to an information dealer giant locust, some monsters from your nightmares, gods, a succubus, and a snarky main character being thrown in the middle of it all. If you are bored with the usual UF tropes, you might find this book quite refreshing. A warning: there might be quite a few dead bodies scattered along Gabe’s path.
Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords is Zorro meets The Three Musketeers. It has adventure, exciting sword fights, clashing morals. The reckless youthfulness meets the wise seasoned fighter and sets sparkles. And of course there is no Benedict Patrick novel without rich mythology and folklore to make the Yarnsworld a place you’d like to visit. Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords is a tale about heroes, braveness, selflessness, sorrow, revenge, regrets and chances to begin again.
Alien Stars while keeping to the historical fiction genre, ventures deeper into Science Fiction. It also draws more from different mythologies and waves them together nicely. Alien Stars still has that unique atmosphere the other books also had: the prose is flowing, the characters are alive, and London leaps off the pages. If you are looking for a mystery, a historical fiction or even a science fiction novel, you’ll get all three in one. If you haven’t already checked out Harry Stubb’s adventures, I really don’t know what are you waiting for!
Overall, Red Season Rising is a fast-paced, intriguing and promising dark fantasy debut. Maybe it’s not perfect, and maybe not everyone will like it, but it has the potential to be epic. It has a ruthless, cruel villain you’ll love to hate, a main character who fights with addiction while trying to keep his head clear, and side characters whom you might find liking. The red season is rising, and your soul is at stake. You better pray to Dajda to keep you safe until her children come to embrace you.
Warlock’s Sun Rising offers a wide selection of characters you can love or hate, from every cast be it noble or peasant, rich or poor, male or female. And that diversity which makes it so damn interesting and enjoyable. Plus the fact that it can leave your mouth hanging open with a twist you never saw coming.
In Wrath of Gods the stakes are getting higher, and if you thought it’s impossible to dig up even more mythological creatures, then think again. Dyrk Ashton has some more of them up in his sleeves and not afraid to use them. And play with your emotions too while he is at it.
Actually, this is a perfect summer read for those who like to read romance books, while lounging by a pool, drinking cocktails, and pointedly not acknowledging the world around them. The Lighthouse keeper blends romance, mystery, past and present loves together nicely. I recommend this book for everyone who looks for a nice light romance book, with a summer feel, and the vibrant life of a small town.
Fawkes blends real historical events from 17th century England with fictitious characters and fantasy elements. The world building is seamless, London almost leaps off the pages. Nadine Brandes did her homework right and thoroughly researched the era and the events. The result is an intriguing, page turning story where you can’t help but go through a wide range of emotions together with the characters.
If you enjoy mystery, with a historical background, especially the Tudor era of England, then I strongly recommend giving a shot at Dissolution. It’s gripping, makes you sit on the edge of your seat, even though it’s not exactly fast paced. It will held your interest until the end, and you’ll find yourself totally engrossed and waiting when you can continue reading on. Oh, and did I say it also adds a tiny twist to Anne Boleyn’s story? Yeah, it has many, many layers you’ll enjoy discovering. I also recommend listening to the audiobook, Steven Crossley did a really good job narrating it!
If you love grimdark, you look for a book with self-absorbed pirates, plenty of action, blood and adventure, then Where Loyalties Lie is for you. It’s witty, it’s brutal, it’s bloody, it’s dark and it’s impossible to put down. There is plenty of rum, fight, plotting against each other, secrets well-kept, magic and interesting enough characters.