Digital Devotion

by

Julian Christian

Thought-provoking tale of loneliness and what it means to be human.

Digital Devotion by Julian Christian is a thought-provoking and emotionally vulnerable tale of loneliness and what it means to be human … and not. When Marcus’s long-term relationship with Leah abruptly crumbles, he is left living an emotional half-life, unable to move past his former “coupleness” to just himself. But then an advertisement for an AI companion changed everything. Rather than Marcus and Leah, it was now Marcus and Evie. But was this the perfect answer that it appeared to be? 

This was a highly entertaining story that had me glued to my chair and wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. I had a constant feeling of unease all the way to the surprising resolution as Marcus slipped more and more under the spell of this perfect digital partner. I wondered if his gradual view of Evie as a real person wasn’t somewhat akin to how readers sometimes come to view book characters who start to feel like old friends and family. 

I recommend DIGITAL DEVOTION to readers of science fiction and fantasy. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

To Rescue a Witch

Tales of the Witchborn, #2

by

Lisa A. Traugogg

Absorbing tale of treachery, betrayal, secrets kept and long overdue to be revealed.

To Rescue a Witch by Lisa A. Traugott is an absorbing tale set in 1730s England and America’s Virginia colony, with treachery, betrayal, and revenge all in play because of an aristocrat’s young illegitimate daughter. Scottish attorney William MacLeod travels from England to Virginia and back again as he seeks to take the girl to her biological father, Lord George Hallewell, her origins and existence steeped in secrets, some of which William himself is responsible. 

The story is fast-paced, urged along from multiple points of view, with the main plot narrated through the eyes of William and the traumatized and abused child, Annaliese. The story is often brutal, with repeated incidents of sexual assault and other physical abuses of the young girl. The story is historical fiction about the weak, vulnerable, and powerless at its grittiest. Annaliese is viewed as chattel, no different than livestock, and she grows up knowing only the pain and abuse meted out by her stepfather and his creditors. She is ignorant of how to live in society, struggling with proper language, comportment, or even how to dress herself in the accepted clothing of the day. 

William’s wife, Fiona, is home in Scotland, keeping their family and the estate together. She’s a skilled wise woman who works secretly, having promised her husband to refrain from practicing the more magical aspects of her knowledge because witchcraft is illegal. She struggles with visions of the future that are sometimes unclear but always true in the end. 

 William has his own struggles. He has a dark capacity for violence lurking just under the surface that he’s released on several occasions at the behest of his old friend and employer, Lord Hallewell. He’s trained as an attorney and is normally a kind and generous man. These bouts of brutality are constantly at odds with his true nature. 

However, William is not the villain of the piece. Besides, Annaliese’s horrible stepfather is Lady Margaret Hallewell, the wife of Lord George. I found her to be a fascinating and despicable character, scheming and manipulative, using every womanly wile available to gain the advantage over the men in her life, and she’ll stop at nothing for her revenge, including destroying her husband, William, Fiona, and a little nine-and-a-half-year-old girl. 

The story contains vivid descriptions and details of life on land and at sea during this time. To modern eyes, it is dirty, dangerous, and brutal in many ways, but there are glimpses of unimaginable splendor and wealth in the aristocratic circles. The lack of autonomy, freedom, and power is shown in frightening detail with respect to the indentured, enslaved, and married women. 

I recommend TO RESCUE A WITCH to readers of historical fiction who like action and adventure and are interested in stories of witchcraft and witch trials. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

Shadowed Witness

The Secrets of Kincaid, #2

by

Angela Carlisle

Exciting and mysterious tale of romantic suspense.

Shadowed Witness is the second book in author Angela Carlisle’s fresh and satisfying Christian romantic suspense series, The Secrets of Kincaid, and features a young photographer struggling with health issues who may have been the only witness to a terrible murder. Allye Jessup was leaving her studio for the night when she heard odd noises coming from the rear of the building. Going to investigate, she steps around the corner just in time to see a man beating and kicking a limp figure on the ground. Spotting her, the man attacks her, too, and she later regains consciousness, lying at the bottom of the staircase to her second-story studio, being helped by the mayor of Kincaid, whose office is next door to her building. Although Allye knows what she saw, Mayor Jennings is just as adamant that she must have fallen down the stairway and imagined it all. 

Allye Jessup is a kind and relatable young woman trapped in a bad situation. Not only is she physically ill from some as-of-yet undiagnosed malady, but she’s the only witness to a murder that no one else believes happened. An old friend, Detective Eric Thornton, wants to take her at her word when bruising from her attacker’s hands around her neck appear the following morning, and eventually discovers enough independent evidence to indicate that she’s not hallucinating. Her gaslighting at the hands of some of the characters was difficult to watch, but it made for an intriguing part of the story. 

While the book is the second in the series, readers new to The Secrets of Kincaid should be able to read and enjoy it as a standalone. Initially, I felt like I had walked into the middle of the story. The relationships between characters seemed well established, far beyond the introductory stage, with a lot of backstories left untold. However, as details from the past were woven into the present story, that feeling dissipated, and I felt caught up. 

The suspense builds as unexpected and downright weird things happen, causing the main character to question her sanity at times, and it was heart-wrenching to watch as her health deteriorated more and more. The tension between Allye and Eric is irresistible as they figure out their feelings for one another, as they unravel what’s behind the secrets in Kincaid. 

I recommend SHADOWED WITNESS to readers of romantic suspense, especially those looking for an inspirational theme. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Kill Pocahontas

by

Ray Anthony Morris

Absorbing tale of murder and genocide set against the backdrop of Canada’s Indian Residential School tragedies.

Kill Pocahontas by Ray Anthony Morris is a heartbreaking and gripping story of murder, institutionalized abuse, and genocide of indigenous children, using the tragic history of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools as its background. Indigenous attorney Hallee Landry is on her way to the First Nations PowWow and Potlatch when she is abducted, her head shrouded and hands bound behind her back, and shoved into the back of a fleeing Porsche Cayenne, without a clue as to why. She believes it is a case of mistaken identity. However, careless driving, an encounter with a bull moose on a winding mountainous roadway, the subsequent car accident, and the aid of two good Samaritans effect her eventual escape. Safely back and in touch with her PowWow contacts, Hallee is informed of her family’s history, which connects her to the tragic events at the local South Thompson Indian Residential School, of which she was completely unaware. Her existence, her very DNA, irrefutably connects a powerful Roman Catholic Church official directly to the abuse and murder at the school, and he’s not about to go down without doing everything he can to get rid of all evidence. 

This mesmerizing story is told from multiple points of view, both in present time and 50 years in the past, but the main perspective is that of Hallee Landry. She begins the story in complete ignorance of her connection to the notorious school, so Hallee and readers learn of her past at the same time. While the points of view and time periods switch back and forth, they are clearly identified and well told, so there was no confusion as to who was narrating or when events were occurring. 

The book starts with Hallee’s frightening abduction, and it’s a truly riveting opening. The story relates horrific incidents of all manner of abuse against the children at the school and incorporates the history of the government’s residential school policies. Readers sensitive to or triggered by the stated content warnings should take into consideration their tolerance for these issues prior to proceeding with the book. The author further acknowledges that the book contains scenes that may be triggering for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people, especially victims of abuse at residential schools. In the end, the resolution is hopeful, surprising, and satisfying. 

I recommend KILL POCAHONTAS to readers of thrillers and historical crime fiction. 

CONTENT WARNING: child abuse, child sexual abuse, racism, racial subjugation, racial slurs, murder, kidnapping, hatred, violence, bullying, drug use, fentanyl. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

Girls of Dark Divine

by

E.V. Woods

Gothic tale of naïve young dancers given their heart’s desire – with strings attached.

Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods is a mesmerizing gothic tale of what happens when some naïve and ambitious young dancers are lured into unknowingly trading their lives for their heart’s desire to dance as a member of the renowned Manrow’s Marionettes. The story follows lead dancer, Emberlyn, and her sister dancers, revealing the truth behind the success of the magical troupe. 

The dancers of Manrow’s Marionettes are exquisitely beautiful, flawless visions as they perform the magical choreography of Malcolm Manrow, giving the audience the illusion of full-sized, lifelike dolls. What the audience doesn’t realize is that, despite being living, breathing women, their amazing “stringed” performances are real, the result of a curse and controlled by Puppetmaster Malcolm Manrow himself. 

Emberlyn, the lead and longest tenured of the Marionettes, has always been looked up to by her fellow dancers for guidance and protection. However, by the time of the opening in the novel, she is burnt out and exhausted by the unimaginable truth of her life, stretched to the breaking point by her horrific existence. She is ready to attempt an escape, with or without her best friend in the troupe, Aleida, even though Malcolm has made it clear that dancers can never leave. Her planned escape is one of survival rather than an abandonment of her sisters. I felt she was long past being selfish and heartless or any noble sentiments whatsoever by this time. Malcolm is a cruel predator and master, especially after he’s been drinking. He exercises control through fear and violence, and is devoid of any redeeming qualities. 

The workings of the curse are original and horrifying, and details are kept hazy and mysterious through most of the story, increasing the gothic feel of the work all the more. I was captivated by the unique addition of the shadow, which initially only appeared during Marionette performances, to lift and twirl Emberlyn across the stage. His mysterious existence was a highlight for me, and I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the story. 

With its atmospheric settings, many sympathetic characters, and a frighteningly imaginative plot, I recommend GIRLS OF DARK DIVINE to readers of gothic young adult mysteries, thrillers, and tales of horror. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through Toppling Stacks Tours.