Monthly Archives: August 2026

Anti-Hero, Demons, Dragons, Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Mythology, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Review, Suspense, Vampire, Werewolf, Witches

#Review #Audio – The Last Smile in Sunder City (The Fetch Phillips Novels) Book 1 by Luke Arnold

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In a world that’s lost its magic, a former soldier turned PI solves cases for the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in an imaginative debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.

Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few things you should know before you hire me:

1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don’t work for humans.

It’s nothing personal–I’m human myself. But after what happened to the magic, it’s not the humans who need my help.

Walk the streets of Sunder City and meet Fetch, his magical clients, and a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

Praise for The Last Smile in Sunder City:

“A richly imagined world…Winningly combining the grit of Chinatown with the quirky charm of Harry Potter, this series opener is sure to have readers coming back for more.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A marvelous noir voice; Arnold has captured the spirit of the genre perfectly and wrapped it around a fantasy setting with consummate skill.” ―Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch
One Foot in the Fade

 

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Twinsie Kelly’s Review

The Last Smile in Sunder City has a Noir Comic feel and is a great story. I listened to the story via audiobook and as kept thinking to myself, “how did the author come up with this title?” Then all of a sudden, it hit me and it fits this story perfectly. The world building is very intricate with a lot of twisted turns. Fetch has spent a lot of his life trying to find his place. Where does he belong, what is right and wrong, which side does he belong to? At this point in his life, he carries a great burden as he feels that he is the reason all the magic is gone. He caused this and is now in a constant state of loneliness and has basically shunned all humans, like himself. However, this latest case takes him down a rabbit hole that makes him remember much of his past and sparks a hope for the future. It is magical, gritty, dark, but witty. The narrator has the perfect voice for this type of storytelling. I look forward to uncovering more of Fetch’s monsters and seeing what else lies in the shadows of Sunder City.

 

 

Audio Book, Comedy, Dark Humor, Mystery, Review, Satire

#Review #Audio – Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

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Chaz Perrone might be the only marine scientist in the world who doesn’t know which way the Gulf Stream runs. He might also be the only one who went into biology just to make a killing, and now he’s found a way–doctoring water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness tycoon can continue illegally dumping fertilizer into the endangered Everglades. When Chaz suspects that his wife, Joey, has figured out his scam, he pushes her overboard from a cruise liner into the night-dark Atlantic. Unfortunately for Chaz, his wife doesn’t die in the fall.

Clinging blindly to a bale of Jamaican pot, Joey Perrone is plucked from the ocean by former cop and current loner Mick Stranahan. Instead of rushing to the police and reporting her husband’s crime, Joey decides to stay dead and (with Mick’s help) screw with Chaz until he screws himself.

As Joey haunts and taunts her homicidal husband, as Chaz’s cold-blooded cohorts in pollution grow uneasy about his ineptitude and increasingly erratic behavior, as Mick Stranahan discovers that six failed marriages and years of island solitude haven’t killed the reckless romantic in him, we’re taken on a hilarious, full-throttle, pure Hiaasen ride through the warped politics and mayhem of the human environment, and the human heart.

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

Chirp

 

Twinsie Kelly’s Review

Skinny Dip is hilariously incredible! There is never a dull moment during this story. There are so many characters, all well developed, and each one plays a very important part with the story. Every decision, twist, turn, haunting, cheating, discovery….all of everything, I was hooked. What am I saying? I am hooked! This is the second book I have read by this author and Carl Hiaasen is in my top ten favorite! On more than one occasion I sat here with my mouth open, shaking my head in disbelief at what just happened then laughed my butt off at the response! It is hilarious if you have a twisted sense of humor….like me! I love the hijinks and craziness. Skinny Dip is one of those stories that is a train wreck that you just can’t stop watching. You just know something bad is going to happen, but you can’t look away. OOOOOHHHHH, and poor Chaz. How this comes full circle for him in the end had me in stitches. Literally, I was laughing out loud. Let me tell you that it was the absolute perfect ending.

 

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Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, where he still lives. He is a prize-winning journalist with a regular column in the Miami Herald and many articles in varied magazines. He started writing crime fiction in the early 1980s and has recently branched out into children’s books; he has also had several works of non-fiction published.

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#NewRelease- #Review – Every Single Second (Every Single Series Book 3) By: S.J. Chaynie

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Every Single Second is a small town, single mom, second chance romance.

It only took one summer for Parker Stillwater to steal my heart. Then like the cocky cowboy he was, he never gave it back.Even when he left me in the dust, licking my wounds as I watched him live out our dream from afar. The one where I wasn’t just the small town girl who polietely smiled and never made a fuss. The one where he wasn’t just some useless kid who wanted to be a champion. What we had was real. Until he ruined it. But now, the infamous bull rider is back in Mayson Ridge, still handsome as ever, adn wearing a tempting smile that still makes my heart skip a beat. But when I find out that he’s back after an injury, and I’m the one in charge of his rehab, my guard is stronger than ever. I’m not the same girl he fooled years ago. He may be the only man I’ve ever loved, but I still had my pride. And the last thing I was giving Parker Stillwater was another chance to break me. But the more time we’re forced to spend together, adn the more he reveals about the truth of the day he left, the harder it becomes to push him away. He’s here for more than just a second chance. But just when we think we can begin to create a new future, life throws us another curveball. When the past comes knocking, I’m terrified that one of our hearts, if not both, will have to break again.

Every Single Second is book three in the Every Single Series. It can be read as a standalone. No cheating, and a guaranteed HEA,

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Review by: Twinsie Melinda

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Parker Stillwater and Laiken had a secret romance when Parker would come to visit the ranch each summer. Everything changed when Parker left to chase his dream of becoming a champion bull rider, leaving Laiken with a broken heart. After making one poor decision one night, Laiken gains her biggest blessing her son, Trace.

When Parker is injured after a bull riding incident he comes back to the one place that has always felt like home and makes it so Laiken is his personal Physical therapist. Laiken is determined not to let him back into her heart. Parker, on the other hand, is determined to prove that Laiken has always been the only woman he has ever loved and the only one he ever will.

Trace absolutely stole my heart. He is such a little firecracker who wants nothing more than to be just like Parker and the other cowboys on the ranch. I was laughing so hard when he thought he was sneaky because the guys let him get away with cussing when on the ranch and away from his momma. Then there was the whole “don’t tell them I got sick or they’ll take away my man card” moment that had me cracking up.

I loved watching Parker work to earn Laiken’s trust again and Laiken try to deny her feelings. Their chemistry never disappeared, but seeing him prove through his actions that he was all in made their second chance even sweeter. The ranch family was there every step of the way, reminding me why I love this series so much.

This story had me flying through the pages because I just had to know what was going to happen next. Every time I thought I had it figured out, S.J. Chaynie threw in another twist that I never saw coming.

I have loved every book in this series, and Every Single Second is another great story. These cowboys have completely stolen my heart, and now I am counting down the days until Ryder gets his story.

S.J. Chaynie is a small-town Texas girl who has found a love for writing. She enjoys writing romance, with a sprinkle of suspense, and a little humor. If she is not busy writing her newest ideas, she is spending time with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She believes a good book and a lot of laughs is the best medicine. She brings suspense, love, angst, and sometimes the occasional heartbreak to her stories. Always a HEA, but every character and story she holds close to her heart and hopes they touch yours as well.