Calixta

“And this was the first time I died!”

“But if you are a mage and you received your power the second time you died, doesn’t that mean you are now obliged to work for the king?”

(Vanquishers of Alhambra 1) Calixta by Omayra Vélez

My thoughts on Review spoilers, and ratings may be relevant before you venture below --- the spoiler line ---. Click the [Back] button there to return here if you take a look. Review 1250± words

My Rating:

I reluctantly recommended this 3.5 star fantasy romance novel.

Calixta is a whore house madam. Not just any old slut with good management skills. Sold into slavery at 8, she's been trained to be far beyond the best. She speaks, reads, & writes in several languages, talks intelligently about any topic. Her brothel is the best in the Alhambra. And Calixita herself wears the tattoo of an "exotic". Among the most beautiful and most extensively trained in her profession. Few of the royals can afford an hour with her. That was before the first time she died.

Arriving at death's processing center, Calixta did not have the proper items to be processed and was hauled into an emergency meeting with the Virtues. Among these were Wisdom, Justice, Hope, Love, Peace, to name a few. Their job is management on behalf of "Father" (aka "Boss of the Virtues") and these "Virtues" had unusual news for Calixta. She's special; and the dark, painful life she lived wasn't suppose to happen that way, and worse... her mission is not complete. She'll being going back to that body that was just shot in the chest while protecting one of her pregnant girls.

Generally:            ----- Possible Spoiler Line -----
Jadro is high level management of evil incarnate and his boss has high expectations of him conquering the entire world. He's been highly successful. He's already murdered the mentors of Alhambra's Vanquishers who are now almost entirely untrained. Most are unaware of who they are. He's just received information that the third Vanquisher has been identified.

Dark Matter

“Until everything topples, we have no idea what we actually have, how precariously and perfectly it all hangs together.”

“It’s like we get so set in our ways, so entrenched in those grooves, we stop seeing our loved ones for who they are."

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

My thoughts on Review spoilers, and ratings may be relevant before you venture below the spoiler line. Click the [Back] button there to return here if you take a look. Review 800± words

My Rating:

I recommend this interesting character driven 3.5-star science fiction quasi-quest novel where our protagonist and antagonist is Jason Dessen. Jason is not just Jason. (Yes, sounds confusing. Read it & it's not confusing.)

Our protagonist Jason has chosen a road less traveled. He could have been somebody. Awards, accolades, admiration of his professional peers. No one doubted that Jason was brilliant and likely would fast track to the top. Even Jason knew it and in rare moments regretted it.

Instead of fame and fortune, he chose instead, Danielia and his son Charlie. Rather than winning fantastic awards, being admired as the best among his profession, he chose family nights, wine, and warm fires on cold nights. He'll wash, Danielia can dry the dishes.

What Blake Crouch does in Dark Matter is peek behind this veil we think of as reality.

Generally: --- Possible Spoiler Line ---
There has long been a hypothesis that everything that can happen, has happened. In this theory, every time anyone makes a life altering choice, a new universe is born. Each choice opens a door in a maze of universes.

Warrior Fae Princess

“The lion, the yeti, and the dingy hotel suite,” Charity said as Devon ran right. “One wonders why that never became a beloved children’s book.”

“The time will come when you need to make a choice. ...—to give her a life—you must take the hard road,...”

(Warrior Fae 2) Warrior Fae Princess by K. F. Breene Review

My thoughts on Review spoilers, and ratings may be relevant before you venture below the spoiler line. Click the [Back] button there to return here if you take a look. Review 800± words.

My Rating:

Recommended 4.5 star fantasy paranormal romance novel. Charity and Devon are our protagonist and co-protagonist in a continuation of the Warrior Fae series, the eighth novel in the Demon Days, Vampire Night world. In this novel we are primarily trying to save Charity from herself. A quest novel.

Additionally, Ms. Breene is beginning to wrap up the multitude of "loose ends" in the Demon Days, Vampire Night world. Eight books into a series "highly recommending" is overkill. If you've read eight, you're mumbling to yourself at this point (04/01/2021), "Can you hurry up, Katie?" Be patient, there is a publish date for Book 9: Revealed in Fire.

Generally: --- Spoiler Line, cross at your own risk ---
Chairty is reaching her magic puberty and her magic is literally knocking people around. Her lack of control of her magic endangers herself and those around her. Much like any teenager, there's emotional chaos going on.

Warrior Fae Trapped

“Well, didn’t you find yourself a handsome young man? Congratulations. Just remember, they don’t come trained. You have to do that yourself.”

Macy stepped up next to Charity. “How are you doing?” “If I said ‘fine,’ would you believe me?” “If I said ‘yes,’ would you believe me?”

(Warrior Fae 1) Warrior Fae Trapped by K. F. Breene Review

My thoughts on Review spoilers, and ratings may be relevant before you venture below the spoiler line. Click the [Back] button there to return here if you take a look. Review 1200± words.

My Rating:

Recommend this 4.5 star paranormal fantasy romance novel primarily about Charity, our protagonist, a girl from the under belly of Chicago. Raised by a violent alcoholic father, and mother who abandoned her when she was 16. Determined, Charity not only survives but wins a scholarship to UC of Santa Cruz where we eventually meet our co-protagonist Devon, who had a workaholic father, and mother who rejected him as her own blood in his hour of need.

This is the 7th book in the Demon Days, Vampire Nights (DDVN) world, and the first book focusing on this set of characters, Warrior Fae 1? K. F. Breene has not disappointed. Once I finished the "Fire and Ice" Trilogy focused on Reagan Somerset, I doubted Ms. Breene could equal that literary work in her "Magical Mayhem" Trilogy that focused on Penny Bristol. In this first book about Fae in the DDVN World, K. F. Breene reached new depths of connecting readers with her co-protagonists.

After finishing this book in under 24 hours, I've struggled with the decision to wait, or immediately re-read the entire series.

Generally: --- Possible Spoiler Line ---
Sam, who took in Charity as one of her pet projects is one of the rich beautiful people on campus. Unlike her rich beautiful friend, Charity wasn't in college to party and have a good time. Her full scholarship was her ticket to a life unlike her childhood.