I read both of these books on the Kindle–what great finds!

Wistril Compleat by Frank Tuttle is several novellas all in the same fantasy setting, all about the trials and tribulations of the grumpy Wizard Wistril. Humor, adventure, and fun capers all around. The first story started off a little slow and I was leery–but this book was some of the best fantasy I’ve read in long while. Great beach read–the pages turn faster and faster. I’m not that fond of short stories, but when they are all in one setting about the same characters, they read much more like a novel and are fully satisfying.

Wistril Compleat is also available on CD, although I’m not linking to it because it wasn’t currently in stock at Amazon.

Next up is a crime novel, Fatherly Love. I know, I know. Looking at the cover, this book doesn’t look like much, but we all know that covers don’t make the book!

Fatherly Love is a very good mystery, similar in tone/style to those great pulps of yesteryear, but with a modern sensibility (the women aren’t just for looks). It’s available on Amazon and also at Smashwords.com.

I’m also not sure I love the title of this novel; “Fatherly Love” while appropriate, leaves out a lot. I think it could be more…interesting. No, I don’t know what it should be, but somehow it seems like it should capture something mob-like.

I reviewed Unleashed for BSCreview–my last review for them! Here’s the review:

From the San Francisco aura described in the first paragraph to the magic on the last page, this book never let up. It’s action-packed danger, a see-saw between clues and just staying alive.

Not only did the characters grow and change in Unleashed, we get some unfinished business cleaned up. There were a few loose ends from novels one and two, but nothing that seemed major until this book, where we get to see what has been festering in the background. Mason has accepted that as a practioner of magic, he has some responsibility to the community. He’s more willing to look into problems and help clean them up. He’s still impatient and impulsive, but he’s also getting smarter.

Levitt uses his respect for and experience with music to describe magic and its traits, an analogy that really works, especially if you’ve ever heard someone play that has an indescribable talent, something beyond the mere human touch. His world-building is subtle; many times magic doesn’t even seem magic. It’s just another color or iridescent hue across the pallet. It’s a dog being a dog–is it magic, intelligence, or both?

Levitt’s biggest strength in world-building is his ability to create depth in characters–from the monsters to the people and everything in-between. There’s a subtle message that big, ugly and mean don’t always equate to true monster. There’s even a case made that those hanging on to what we view as sanity might be just a horse of a different color–a dangerous horse, but of value nonetheless. When dealing with something beautiful, be it a person or a place, you never know whether to expect poison or peace. The constant mixing of the world adds a realism that is unexpected, but delightful.

The mystery plot in Unleashed is very strong, probably the strongest of the three books and certainly the most tangled. There were enough red herrings to keep me guessing all the way through the book. Who was the guilty party? Who??? Every time Mason and Lou came close, there were more clues–and more false trails to be explored.

I could nitpick a character flaw or two and definitely pick on an area where I didn’t love the logic, but the plot moved so quickly, a minute detail here or there wasn’t important enough to hold me back. Magic isn’t always logical, and neither are monsters–be they human or other.

There are very few books I want to read twice. Unleashed made me want to go back and re-read books one and two. And before I was even done with Unleashed, I wanted to read it all over again.

Note: There are Kindle editions for “New Trick” and for “Unleashed,” but not “Dog Days.” The Kindle edition is about a dollar and a half cheaper than the 7.99 paperback. However, “Dog Days” and “New Tricks” are both available as part of the “order 4 books and pay for 3.” It’s possible Unleashed will be added to that deal…but if you need recommendations for how to fill out that order to 4 books, let me know. More than happy to help!

Lesa The Librarian This is a great review site–Lesa covers YA, teens and adults. She reviews a lot of cozies, thrillers and other mysteries, although she does the occasional non-fiction, mainstream and fantasy. She also has a couple of book drawings each month and gives away free books!

Cozies! and other favorites – A really nice list of cozy authors, interviews, reviews, discussion–all about mysteries and cozies.  I was very pleased to find this one as there just aren’t a lot of mystery sites where I feel at home.

Red Adept Red reviews books that are out on Kindle. She also offers a Kindle subscription to this service if you happen to have an iPod touch, an iPhone or a Kindle! She does very detailed reviews and covers many small press and unknown authors.

Books on the Knob – Brings reviews, Kindle deals, free book deals, Kindle news/releases and general book talk.

Debut and Reviews This is a fun site. Instead of just a review after she reads it, Tia, the host, intros the book, talks about the website, any tidbits she hears about the author and then starts reading. She puts out a post or two as she reads and then finishes with a longer review. A number of authors stop by to comment.

The Book Smugglers – Two very fun book addicts talk all about their love of books. It’s a great site with plenty of reviews, free give-aways, interviews and just a nice atmosphere. They cover romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, fantasy…young adult…probably the back of cereal boxes…

Scott Pack has been in the business for a while and seen it from many angles–book buyer, publisher, editor.  He reviews many an eclectic book, does book giveaways, music discussions, magazine reviews and just your general “what do you think of that.”  It’s a fun site and because he lives in the UK, it often contains a slightly different viewpoint and different books than you might hear about in the US.

Marleen’s Journal Covering all parts of the world, Marleen brings you book thoughts from Ireland. She reads a very wide range and posts all her thoughts–good, bad and otherwise!!!

Mysteries in Paradise, Australia Just what the name says, ma’am. Kerrie covers all kinds of crime!

As I said when I started the book earlier–I enjoyed it. There were a lot of nifty little history facts thrown into a vivid recollection of better, simpler days. Oh, it wasn’t all glory and greatness; the author paid attention to the political upheaval during the times–race issues, the cold war and the like, but he managed to do it without preaching. The author captured that feeling of sitting around talking to relatives where they’re discussing their favorite parts of childhood–their toys, the commercials and tv shows they loved, the silly things that all kids do that get them into trouble. By the time I finished reading, I felt like I had been talking to one of my aunts or uncles for a couple of hours. Even though the author says in the description that the book isn’t a memoir, it’s the personal experiences and little side jokes that make the book special. I reviewed it on Smashwords and Amazon; it’s a good book to read on rainy day with a cup of coffee or tea.

As I said in my review, I only wish the author had included a few of those wonderful-sounding recipes from the golden days!!!! I can almost taste the butter pie crusts melting in my mouth!

I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series, even though it takes a special series to keep my attention. I think this series will be a keeper. It’s a very nice comfort read, yet it is fast-paced and funny enough to have that special magic that keeps me wanting more. I haven’t read a lot this year, but this book is very likely to make my top reads for the year 2009.

Liliana of Maryland!!!! Your book will be on its way shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered; and a special shout out to Danna at her Cozy Blog for sending people this way!

In celebration of a new book in the series, I’m giving away a brand-spankin’ new copy of Kaye C. Hill’s first in the series, Dead Woman’s Shoes.

Kaye’s latest book, “The Fall Girl” is available for pre-order at Bookdepository. The release date is around August 12. Woot!!!

This contest is open only to US addresses–However–if you live in the UK, you’ve a little luck: Dead Woman’s Shoe’s is on sale at the publisher site: Creme de la Crime for only 2 pounds! Pretty darn good deal for a trade paperback! (You may need to scroll down to find Dead Woman’s Shoes.)

Dead Woman’s Shoes is a cozy/mystery with a lot of suspense and great characters including Kinky the chihuahua, a missing cat, a vet, a policeman, an entire drama club, and of course, an amateur sleuth, Lexy, who must sort it all out even though she is on the run herself! There are twists and turns, capers–-and many a thread woven into a completely captivating tale. Dead Woman’s Shoes made my list of top books for 2008. I fully expect “The Fall Girl” to make my 2009 list.

If you include your mailing address in the email, and you are selected as the winner, I will announce the winner and mail the book right away. If you don’t want to include your mailing address, I will attempt to contact you via email ONCE. You will have a week to reply with your US mailing address. If I don’t receive an email within the week, I will select another winner. Please enter only one time. Multiple entries will be disqualified!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the covers or the books (if you’re read them!) Earlier, I posted some info about the covers and how the publisher designs their covers.

Enter:
Footsteps Guides: Footsteps Through the City of Malaga

Wow, what a nice little guide. It’s full color, coated paper with plenty of pictures. It covers not just the main highlights, but little gardens, smaller museums and some interesting local history. There’s nice instructions for walking through what sounds like a delightful and quaint city. No, it doesn’t tell you the five best places to stay or eat–rather it gives you enough information to help you decide how long you might be happy exploring the city, what there is to see and how to go about seeing it. It’s not a huge guide (60 brochure style pages), but it seems to cover the territory well. There’s a nice section towards the end that discusses a local cemetery, a 1900 shipwreck and some info on famous people of the Malaga area.

This is exactly the type of guide I love. It allows me to explore the city before I arrive so that I can decide what I want to see. It ensures that I know where to go when I want a quiet hour or so at a park or garden. And with a guide like this, I won’t feel that I missed anything!

Because restaurants and hotels are ever changing, the publisher opted to let other guides cover that. I cheated though. I wrote to the email address at the website and got some very helpful hints! Maybe in the future, Footsteps will consider having a forum where people can talk about restaurants or hotels that worked out well.

I’ll update this post or post again after the trip to let you know how the guide worked out with actual use in the city. I have high expectations.

The guide is also available at: Bookdespository.com

The Dragons of Hazlett by Michelle Scott is a good debut. This is a beach read; nothing complex, a nice read for a quiet afternoon. I read it as an e-book, which is particularly good for stories that don’t require a lot of concentration. (I don’t own a fancy e-reader, I read on my laptop, which probably lacks the sophisticated features that make reading online easier.)

It took me a while to get used to the premise because it’s a little unusual: mechanical items are taboo and considered occult. What’s funny is that in real history, mechanical items were often thought evil, yet in fantasy, it’s almost always magic that is the occult. So I’m reading along with certain expectations and finding myself in a bit of a different place. Not a bad thing, but I found myself thinking, “Hey! Everyone knows that mechanical items are just…” Some of the examples of “mechanical” could have made the concept easier to accept. There’s one scene where the protag doesn’t really know what an arrow is…that brought me up short because it took my mind a while to wrap around the concept that in any world an arrow wouldn’t be common place (why waste magic when something as simple as an arrow would do?)

This is a murder mystery at heart and a good one. Romana’s granduncle has been murdered and though she didn’t know him, she is determined to find his killer. Even though it means accepting some unpleasant truths about his life and going to an unknown city where she has no friends or other family she takes on the duty with determination.

There were two POVs to the story, but the author kept it nicely simple. The character development was strong enough that I didn’t mind the two POVs—I cared about both characters enough to like both segments and not get annoyed at moving back and forth. That said, the character motivations were very simple. I’d have enjoyed a bit more complexity in motivations from both the main POVs and the other characters in the story. The characters are not one-dimensional, but they are simply stated rather than having hidden facets.

The actual plot is where the dimensions of the story is fleshed out. Just when things look simple, there’s a bit of a twist or at least an alleyway. Nicely done—right up until the end battle. It was a nice ending, had great tension, but then it dropped it suddenly. After some of the setup shown earlier in the story (which I can’t reveal as it would be a spoiler) the climax needed to deal with the issue as the true battle it was. Instead, it was packaged neatly and dispensed with. There were certainly other plot elements that were handled with the complexity they deserved so the ending felt a little like the author had a word limit.

Despite the rushed ending, this is a good story and a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. It’s easily worth the e-book price (about 5 dollars) and for those that don’t do e-books, it’s also available as Trade Paperback (click on the title links in this post to go to Amazon). Though it’s not labeled YA and probably rightly so because it isn’t a perfect fit, The Dragons of Hazlett would be good reading for that category as well as adult–I’d call it a cozy/fantasy/mystery.

(Cover Art by Skyla Dawn Cameron)

The character development is top-notch and there are enough side plots going on that it was impossible for me to guess the culprit. The personalities were real and complicated. There’s plenty of room for Dixie (the main character) to grow and develop. She has a heart (she’s a pet sitter, she *has* to have one or more!) and I’m greatly looking forward to her next adventure.

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) is the first in the Kate Daniels series and I highly, highly recommend it. It easily made my Books of the Year for 2008!!! Book two is bound to make it into the list for 2009.

These are strong urban fantasy books that use a lot of interesting, well-researched myth characters–not just a vampire or werewolf. The books have a touch of old fashioned romance. When there are vampires, they are also not your standard creatures, a take that I enjoyed because instead of trying to make a dead thing romantic, Andrews’ character knows dead is dead! Kate is a modern day warrior in Atlanta where the magic is back–but only in waves, existing next to technology when the magic isn’t working.

The links above go to Amazon where I noticed that the titles are on the buy 4 books for the price of 3 as of May 1–get all three. They are that good. If you need a recommendation for a fourth title, just let me know. I have oodles of recommendations!

Update:
My review of “Magic Strikes” the third in the series is over at BookSpotCentral Review. I loved it, of course. These books really made my week!!!

While doing the review and checking the copyright, I noticed that “Ilona Andrews” appears to be two people–Ilona and Andrew Gordon. One of these days I’ll have to look into this mystery of two people and find out just how it all works out into a book. No matter who is doing the writing, it’s just wonderful stuff!!!