Feed aggregator

Our Kickstarter went well, thanks to you all! Backer letters will go out over the weekend. Thank you so much!

In reply to Bill.

The ways of Amazon are inscrutable.

I’m lost, which series is Augustine from?/ I’ve read everything I don’t remember an Augustine? /Is Augustine someone from This Kingdom?

Augustine is the character from the Hidden Legacy series. We first meet him in Burn For Me, which is the first book.

A section of the wall slid aside. The receptionist looked at me. I stepped through the opening into a vast office. We must’ve been in a corner of the fin, because the wall to the left and straight ahead consisted of blue glass. A white, ultramodern desk grew seamlessly out of the floor. Behind the desk sat a man in a suit. His head was lowered as he read something on a small tablet, and all I could see was a thick head of dark blond hair styled into a short and no doubt expensive haircut.

I approached and stood by a white chair in front of the desk. Good suit, in that color between grey and true black people sometimes call gunmetal.

The man looked up at me. Sometimes people with talent in illusion minimized their physical flaws with their magic. Judging by his face, Augustine Montgomery was a Prime. His features were perfect, in the way Greek statues were perfect, the lines of his face masculine and crisp but never brutish. Clean-shaven, with a strong nose and a firm mouth, he had the type of beauty that made you stare. His skin nearly glowed, and his green eyes stabbed at you with sharp intelligence from behind nearly invisible eyeglasses. He probably had to have protective detail when he left the building to fend off all the sculptors who wanted to immortalize him in marble.

The glasses were a masterful touch. Without them, he’d be a god on a cloud, but the hair-thin frames let him keep one foot on the ground with us mere mortals.

“Mr. Montgomery,” I said. “My name is Nevada Baylor. You wanted to see me?”

Montgomery valiantly ignored the purple tint of bruises on my face.

“Sit down, please.”

He pointed to the chair. I sat.

“I have an assignment for you.”

Andrews, Ilona. Burn for Me: A Hidden Legacy Novel (pp. 29-30). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Is the baby tiger ok?

Who do you take us for? Yes, the baby tiger is okay. Nothing bad happens to Kitty.

Does this mean the series is now back, and we’ll have Arabella’s trilogy?

No. You get Augustine’s novella with bonus Arabella scenes and her shorts from the blog. No promises for anything else.

Will Beast Business be available from your direct store? Is it an exclusive? Will it be on Amazon, B&N etc?

Beast Business will be available from all the usual retailers and our store.

Which formats will Beast Business have? When will they be available?

We are starting with the ebook, print paperback, and audio to follow. Print will be shortly after or on the release date of the ebook, while the audio will be a few months out. We are looking for our perfect Augustine audio reader. As always, the price of the POD print edition will be horrendous, but we have to make at least $1 from each sale, or we will be taking a loss.

We will announce the exact dates as they come in.

Will the audiobook be traditional narration or dramatized? Dual POV?

The novella is dual POV but we have made no decisions in regard to audio yet. It is a shorter project and not all audio readers work on shorter projects, but we are in process of reviewing the auditions.

Is it really coming out this January? 2 weeks from now January?! Can it be true?

We are aiming for the tail end of January. It’s the matter of getting the edits done. If we miss this deadline, we will have to push it to summer, because we do not want it to intrude on This Kingdom publishing window. Nobody wants to wait till summer, so January it is.

When does BB happen in the timeline?

A couple of months after Baylors buy their house.

Is this the same artist as the Hidden Legacy special edition?

Yes! Helena is amazing.

Is this Augustine’s real face or Augustine as he illusions himself to look?

If only there was a novella that might explore that question and give us some answers.

Detail Police: Why is Diana not blonde? Why does the cub not have 4 nostrils and a tentacle collar and 4 eyes and is not blue? Are Augustine and Diana the same age, because she is older than Cornelius?

It is so nice to see you guys still being that passionate about the series. It warms my evil heart. Let’s take these one at a time. Diana is not blonde because she changed her hair, which you can find in the first snippet of this novella.

Zeus does not have four eyes.

A creature waited next to him, indigo blue, with a spray of ghostly black and paler blue rosettes and spots across its fur. At least two and a half feet tall at the shoulder, six feet long, with a thick neck crowned with a fringe of tendrils, a short wide muzzle with dagger teeth, and wide paws as big as my hand. It reminded me of a tiger.

Andrews, Ilona. Wildfire: A Hidden Legacy Novel (p. 90). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

and

There was something feline about it, something reminiscent of the broad powerful tiger, but its nose was a complicated thing of four nostrils, and the fringe of tentacles that ringed its neck moved on its own. The beast looked at me with an understanding, as if it was a lot smarter than any Earth animal. It was just odd. Really odd and unsettling.

Andrews, Ilona. Wildfire: A Hidden Legacy Novel (pp. 95-96). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

It’s hard to draw that kind of nose on a tiger, especially when it’s that small, and Kitty is very young, so the tentacles are still forming, which is explained in the novella. The tiger is most definitely blue. Some of you think she is white, but she is not.

This is a white dress/blue dress situation.

I will also pause here to say that right now every book cover – not an exaggeration – is accused of “being AI.” We made a conscious decision to keep Kitty as tiger-like as we could and gave that description to Helena, because if Kitty was drawn with four nostrils, some people would assume it was an AI-generated image gone wrong. The potential fallout to the art and to the book was not worth it.

Augustine and Diana are roughly the same age. At the beginning of the series, Augustine is in his very early thirties, while Cornelius is 28.

Also, this cover is gorgeous, but it cannot possibly match the mental image of every Hidden Legacy reader because there are tens of thousands of you. While Helena is definitely an art Prime, there is no magic like that.

When will GA rerecord the books with the new Augustine?

They will not be rerecording them. So many people worked on them and the original actor gave a wonderful performance. He is very talented and his performance was inspired. It’s more that Catalina’s trilogy will get a different Augustine.

I thought the novella was a serial?

No. We only posted a couple of snippets. Serials require so much time, and we are putting in over 2,000 words on This Kingdom #2 every day.

When is the Spanish edition coming?

Mod R tells me June 9th, but please check with Hidra directly.

We are seeing two audiobooks of Inheritance on sale.

Correct. We are doublechecking this, but this is probably caused by our distributor stepping in. Initially, the Inheritance audio was exclusive to Audible/Amazon but now, after 90 days passed, our distributor will pushing it to other retailers. You are seeing that preorder.

My Turn

Now I have a question for you. We had a bunch of how-to writing articles on the blog, which we mostly archived. I’m not great at teaching. First, I’m not an expert. I know how to write commercial fiction, but I have none of the education that would train me for explaining how to do it. Second, fiction is also strange. What works for one person doesn’t work for another. You can really damage people with feedback if they are not ready for it, and I feel like I do more harm than good.

However, Mod R mentioned that people are still looking for the articles. I can bundle them together for you into an ebook reference, if there is enough interest, but I would have to charge a couple of bucks for it to recoup the time investment and editing costs.

I think the topics were something like how to fold time, how to write a chase scene, difference between show don’t tell and passive voice, basic story structure, etc. We did a class one time on the worldbuilding based on economy, and I think I still have the write up for that somewhere. For those who are still asking about the alphahole article, I took it down ages ago and I don’t have a copy of it.

I don’t think there will be enough interest in any of this, but if you want it, we will consider putting it together. If you want it, let us know in the comments and tell us which topics you want to be covered.

The post All the Questions, Some of the Answers first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

Last week, our septic system died. It had been giving us trouble for a while, making dyspeptic noises when we did the laundry or ran too much water through the pipes, draining too slowly, and generally seeming not well. You might say the whole thing crapped out on us. But shit happens….

We had someone come in to check it, and they told us the tank needed pumping. But when we had another someone come in to do that, they discovered that the tank, which is made out of cement, was broken, and had been KNOWN to be broken by the previous owners of the house, who had set up some weird makeshift patches over the broken section to hide or at least mitigate the problem. So, that was something of a pisser….

Then we had a third someone come in to remove the broken tank and replace it with one that, well, wasn’t broken. This was set to cost us a great deal of money — a butt-load, if you will. And they discovered that the broken tank was actually resting on a second tank, which was deeper in the ground. At which point, their already-substantial estimate ballooned further. That really stank. It felt like we were just flushing money down the toilet….

And actually, we had previously — as in just a couple of weeks ago — had to replace our hot water heater. Hence, you might say that the septic issues were our number two problem….

Okay, I’ll stop now with the terribly immature scatological humor. The septic problems were real — not something I made up to work in these awful jokes. Fortunately, the work is done, the expense has been borne, the bird feeders are back up, and the yard has been patched, though it will take a while for it to recover fully. The guys doing the tank replacement (who were great — professional, considerate, friendly, reliable, and determined to get the work done quickly) had to bring in some heavy equipment. There was nothing to be done about the lawn.

But that’s a small matter. Everything (for now) is working as it’s supposed to. You might even say that our problems are behind us now….

Enjoy your weekend!

Last week, our septic system died. It had been giving us trouble for a while, making dyspeptic noises when we did the laundry or ran too much water through the pipes, draining too slowly, and generally seeming not well. You might say the whole thing crapped out on us. But shit happens….

We had someone come in to check it, and they told us the tank needed pumping. But when we had another someone come in to do that, they discovered that the tank, which is made out of cement, was broken, and had been KNOWN to be broken by the previous owners of the house, who had set up some weird makeshift patches over the broken section to hide or at least mitigate the problem. So, that was something of a pisser….

Then we had a third someone come in to remove the broken tank and replace it with one that, well, wasn’t broken. This was set to cost us a great deal of money — a butt-load, if you will. And they discovered that the broken tank was actually resting on a second tank, which was deeper in the ground. At which point, their already-substantial estimate ballooned further. That really stank. It felt like we were just flushing money down the toilet….

And actually, we had previously — as in just a couple of weeks ago — had to replace our hot water heater. Hence, you might say that the septic issues were our number two problem….

Okay, I’ll stop now with the terribly immature scatological humor. The septic problems were real — not something I made up to work in these awful jokes. Fortunately, the work is done, the expense has been borne, the bird feeders are back up, and the yard has been patched, though it will take a while for it to recover fully. The guys doing the tank replacement (who were great — professional, considerate, friendly, reliable, and determined to get the work done quickly) had to bring in some heavy equipment. There was nothing to be done about the lawn.

But that’s a small matter. Everything (for now) is working as it’s supposed to. You might even say that our problems are behind us now….

Enjoy your weekend!

 

A Tale of Vines and Vengeance (Wicked Darlings #3.5)by Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:This is not a full novel, it is a short story connected to the Wicked Darlings series. It is meant to be read after you've completed all three of the main novels in the series, starting with A Court of Sugar and Spice. It contains some spoilers for the series.If you loved Clara and her handsome Sugarplum Faerie, Finias, you'll enjoy this small glimpse into their life after the events of the series.
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:I'm a rebel. I totally skipped over the third book in this series to read this short story about Clara and Fin.
And it's a quick read with both suspense and lots of deliciousness. If you loved Clara and her Sugarplum Faerie as much as I do, this is a must read!There's spoilers for the first two books, and maybe minor spoilers for the third book.
Why should you read it:It's fun and delicious.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Paranormal
Length: 6 hours and 12 minutes
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Release Date: June 04, 2024
ASIN: B0CKWGFGHW
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Eclipsed Evolution series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

“As time has passed, Dr. Renee Caisson has begun to see the demonic, alien August as more than a research subject or an unlikely colleague—they’ve become friends. And together she and August have helped the two societies of Nextdoor and Earth through the confusion of first contact, the danger of misunderstandings, and the anger of mistreatment.

But when a popular blogger and conspiracy theorist twists August’s words, an uproar ensues, turning a powerful section of human society against the Neighbors—and resulting in Renee’s house arrest. Her could-be boyfriend, Major Jackson, says it’s to protect her, though that’s not how Renee sees it.

Torn between duty and friendship, August jumps Renee to freedom, fully aware that the journey might reveal more to her than she should know. The wily Neighbor has pieced together that Renee has been unconsciously using their magic, a fact that, if revealed, will cause more, not less, conflict between the humans and Neighbors.

For if the people of Earth can master magic and exile August’s people again, the Neighbors will not survive. . . .”

Series Info/Source: This is the third book in the Eclipsed Evolution series. I bought a copy of this on audiobook from Audible.

Thoughts: I am a bit torn about this series. I like the idea behind it and do enjoy some of the characters. However, it is really predictable and moves really slow (the novella format might have something to do with that). I got the first three of these on audiobook because I was looking for some shorter audiobooks that I could listen to during a car trip. The audiobook is okay; the narrator has a kind of raspy voice that can be tough to hear if there is a lot of background noise where I am listening (for example, in the car). I got these as a bundle deal and probably wouldn’t have kept reading after the first book if I hadn’t done that.

This book picks up right after where the second book in the series left off. Renee and August are starting to work on research projects together, and the Neighbors are now known to the rest of the world. When a popular blogger starts to twist the story, an uproar ensues and Renee ends up under house arrest. August jumps her out. However, the fact that Renee may be unconsciously using the neighbor’s spark magic has both human and neighbor sides concerned.

I like the idea behind this whole series; it is an intriguing blend of science fiction and paranormal elements. I also continue to like the characters; they are smart and kind, if a bit vanilla at times. I will also say that characters come across as very world-weary as well. I just feel like the story drags; the way things play out is exactly how I would expect them to play out. The actions characters take feel a bit underwhelming, and nothing is surprising. This makes the story feel strangely unoriginal (even though the premise is unique) and a bit tired.

Everything about this is okay but not great. I originally thought this was a trilogy and that this book would wrap up the series, however I was wrong. Nothing is resolved in this book, and there will definitely be more books in this series.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I find this series underwhelming. I like the premise and the characters, but struggle with how predictable and tired the story feels. If I hadn’t bought all three of these together, I probably wouldn’t have read past the first book. Now that I have the three released books in this series, I am still feeling underwhelmed and don’t plan on reading additional books in this series. This is definitely not Harrison’s finest. Despite the creative premise, this story has been very slow, predictable, and tired.

 So, I hope everyone had a good holiday season. Mine was mixed.

Anyway, I am between books still and working on a bunch of print projects with my new Elegoo Centauri Carbon at the moment. But I sent Shelby 10 off to Rea and Goodlifeguide so, here is the first snippet!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}

           Chapter 1

New Tau Metropolis

 

Vice Admiral Shelby Logan stared at the bulkhead. Things were coming together but not how she had hoped.

"Ma'am?" Boni asked carefully.

"Yes?"

"We recieved confirmation that General Sedu went to ground with the hostages. He's taken a chunk of the reservation aliens too, apparently to work as a slave workforce. He has dug into the Eastern Reserve Mountain Range. Apparently the area is riddled with caves and mines."

Shelby scowled and looked down and then to the window. "Damn it."

"This was not anticipated."

"No, it was," Shelby said with a shake of her head. "The grunts and jarheads knew that he might pull this shit—at least find a way to fight and possibly go down fighting. Taking the hostages was not something that was considered but should have been."

"Yes, ma’am," the AI stated, grateful that her principle was beginning to think properly again.

"Let the colonels know and give them whatever support that they need. We need to end this. Preferably without a bloodbath."

"Yes, ma’am."

Shelby inhaled and then exhaled slowly. After a moment, she shook herself. "The good news is that the grunts were in preparation of this contingency." There were hundreds of troops en route to T-15. But they were scattered in various ships in transit from various locations, some as far away as Agnosta in Rho Sector.

"Yes, ma’am. Pity about the timing, most of the line troops are in Sigma."

"Don't I know it," Shelby stated in disgust. "And it doesn't help that we've got penny packets of army reservists all over the sector with expensive bases and equipment but not the right sort of troops. All weekend warriors and engineers."

"Reservists can fight, ma'am. They have the basic training."

"I don't know; I never looked too deep into the grounder's training methods. Aren't most of them support personnel?"

"Yes, ma’am. Army Corps of Engineers, some SAR, MASH, logistics, training, recruiters … a few infantry units but none larger than a company. They are scattered as you mentioned."

Shelby shook her head. That was all thanks to the partisans in congress who had spread the love with the army at the expense of the navy when they had been blocking Admiral Irons’ rebuilding efforts after Horath blew up in everyone's faces. "My point stands."

She scowled. "Alert all commands to support any movements. If the Marines or army need transport, I want them moved within twenty-four hours if possible. Less is better."

"Aye aye, ma’am."

<<(O)>>

Lebynthos

 

As soon as the details began to come in, the 2 Colonels had their schedules changed so that they could sit down with each other and discuss it.

“Good news, Lobo is out of it and the navy has control of the star system.”

“With the exception of the ground,” Colonel Letterman said as he continued to study the report. His jaw flexed when he got to news about the hostages.

“So, worst case confirmed, you were right. He went to ground and took the hostages with him. Now we have to dig him out without rock bombing his ass into oblivion.”

“Exactly,” the army colonel said with a resigned shake of his head.

Brown eyes surveyed the army colonel. “You don’t look happy at being right,” the Neochimp said.

“That’s because I’m not,” Colonel Letterman sighed.  “This is going to be a bitch.”

“I know. Good news, Taurens do not like enclosed spaces.”

“True. But there is a ticking clock.”

Randy blinked. “Oh? Why the sense of urgency? The hostages are still in their pods right?”

“Exactly.”

The Neochimp Marine’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Exactly?”

“The pods. They have a limited battery life. Unless they are hooked to an external power source.”

“Um… shouldn’t they last for like, centuries? Like Admiral Irons did?”

“Admiral Irons was in a life pod. These stasis pods are for long term movement of people. The batteries are purely there as a backup and for when they are moved around. Remember what they said about the death of the Pele refugees?”

The Neochimp blinked and then his eyes flared wide in surprise and consternation. “Shit!”

“Right. The Pele refugees died because some idiot shut the power off and the batteries shut off after a few months.”

“Oh frack…”

“We don’t have years to starve him out. Months at best.”

“Damn it…”

“Right.”

“Do the powers that be know this?”

Colonel Letterman looked up to the ceiling. “You know, that is a damn good question.”

<<(O)>>

Celebrate the launch of Twelve Months with Jim on Reddit with an “Ask Me Anything” event!

…Not to mention all the stretch goals. Yes, we’re running a Make 100 Kickstarter, and it ends today. So, if you were thinking about getting 100 detective stories in all genres, you’re almost out of time. Fifty of the stories are mine, and fifty are Dean’s. Plus any extras that came with the Kickstarter itself.

(And if you signed up for my newsletter, you got two more.)

If you want a sample, read my Free Fiction Monday story, “Helmie.”  Last week’s free fiction story was also from the book, but alas, free fiction vanishes from my site when I post the new one. However, if you read it last week, you might remember…

Anyway, the Kickstarter with all of its deals on books and workshops will vanish at 7 p.m. PST tonight. So click here for your last chance to get all the good deals.

Titles by Arturo Perez-Reverte

The post Spotlight on “The Final Problem” by Arturo Perez-Reverte appeared first on LitStack.

 

A Court of Hearts and Hunger (Wicked Darlings #2)by Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:Just as Clara and her sister are settling into their new life, Drosselmeyer sends a desperate message to the Seelie Court. With Lir and Louisa occupied elsewhere, Clara and Finias (the Sugarplum Faerie) have no choice but to respond and forge deep into Unseelie Territory, where a cruel Queen, known as the Eater of Hearts, has taken the throne. As they infiltrate the Court of Dread, Finias and Clara are forced to keep their relationship a secret. Meanwhile, the ravenous victims of the Queen, called the Heartless, turn the Unseelie kingdom into a far more dangerous place than usual.
Brimming with drama, horror, and spice, this sequel to "A Court of Sugar and Spice" brings back Clara and Finias, while introducing new characters like the fiendishly hot Cheshire Cat, the enigmatic Rabbit, the terrifying Queen, and more.
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:I totally bought this because it had more Clara and Finias. And this book is a must have for anyone who loved them in A Court of Sugar and Spice in my opinion. They're chapters are worth it all by themselves.
I did really enjoy the chapters with Alice, Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat as well, but more because of the Rabbit and Cheshire Cat than because of Alice. I didn't click with her at all. Her personality just felt off to me. That aside, I had a great time with this book, and treated myself to the print version as an early Christmas present after finishing it.(yes, I'm behind on my reviews and still catching up)
Overall a really enjoyable read with some darker elements, so I advice you to look into the content warnings before diving in.
Why should you read it:More Fin & Clara!

Updates on the Wrath & Desire book release in February, including pre-order links, details on maps and dictionaries, ARC team info, and a bonus story I'll be including.

 

The Midnight King: A Cinderella Retellingby Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:Bound by magic, Celinda serves her step-family night and day with little hope of escaping the drudgery of her life, and even less hope of attending the upcoming series of royal parties hosted by the Crown Prince, who is seeking a bride. When a family heirloom summons a handsome Faerie, Celinda sees a possible avenue for escape. But she finds herself being seduced, not by the prince, but by his incredibly attractive father, the King. Tempted by the pleasure the King offers and drawn by the magic her Faerie godfather can access, Celinda's heart is tugged in two different directions, even as she fights to circumvent the cruel schemes of her malevolent stepmother.
This spicy romantasy retelling of the Cinderella fairytale will appeal to fans of Scarlett St. Clair, Karina Halle, and Raven Kennedy. It's a fantasy romance novella with a love triangle and frequent spicy scenes in addition to a compelling plot. 
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:After finishing A Court of Sugar and Spice I immediately grabbed my e-reader and started on The Midnight King, which I got as a freebie by signing up to Kenney's newsletter.
For some reason I assumed it was a novella, so I was surprised to find out I read until deep into the night when I finished it.
This book is just as delicious, although with a very different (triangly) back and forth between Celinda and her Faerie godfather and the King.Not that I minded: I was totally engrossed and was eager to see where the story would lead and how Celinda would escape her miserable life and find happiness.I loved seeing how Kenney bends the original fairy tale and makes it her own,
And when I finished this book and saw there was a version of it with bonus content on Amazon, I totally bought it, as well as the other books in the Wicked Darlings series.
Why should you read it:It's a yummy Cinderella reimagining.

Buy The Trident and the Pearl
FORMAT/INFO: The Trident and the Pearl will be published February 24th, 2026. It is 464 pages long and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: With a storm threatening to wipe out her people, Queen Coralys strikes a desperate bargain: she will marry the first person to step foot on her island's pier, in return for an end to the disaster. Unfortunately, the first person to arrive is not the hoped for prince from a neighboring kingdom, but a lowly, smelly fisherman. But Queen Coralys honors her word, marries the fisherman, and sails off to her new home. What she doesn't know is that her new husband is actually the god of the sea - and he believes Queen Coralys is the key to stopping a dark threat facing mortals everywhere. Unfortunately for the sea god, Queen Coralys may have obeyed her bargain, but she secretly harbors revenge in her heart against the gods themselves.

Despite a strong start and lovely prose, The Trident and the Pearl completely flounders in creating romantic tension. That's quite a big thing to stumble over, given that this book is being marketed as a romantasy. While I could believe the sea god Okeanos had fallen for Coralys, I didn't for a second believe the reverse was true at any point in the story. Any tender moments towards the end of the story struck me as false.

I will give the book credit for having some high points that made me wish I liked it more. I was really pulled into the beginning of the story, with the initial introduction of Coralys's island nation, their culture, and the bargain she strikes with the gods. I enjoyed the turn the plot took at the midpoint, and thought it was taking the story into a genuinely interesting direction. The overall atmosphere is well done, and I loved the style of writing that felt appropriate for a story about a woman caught in the machinations of gods.

But overall, the plot just felt a bit of a mess. Characters refuse to divulge information to a frustrating degree, stalling out story momentum. Other characters seem deliberately obtuse. Even allowing for the emotions at play, the sheer refusal to consider evidence that they are being lied to or manipulated made me want to scream. The last third of the book felt scattered and meandering, and I ultimately lost interest in the plot.

I really wanted to like The Trident and the Pearl, and for the first several chapters it seemed like it would hit all the right boxes. Unfortunately, the plot completely stalled and characters behaved in a way that was frustrating to watch. I sadly cannot give this book a recommend.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Length: 325 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 11, 2025
ASIN: B0DQJ422QX
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Legends and Lattes series
Source: Borrowed ebook from from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.”

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Legends and Lattes series. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was an amazing follow-up to Legends and Lattes and follows Fern, from the Prelude book. I really enjoyed that this went from more of a cozy fantasy to an adventure fantasy (with some coziness of course). I thought Fern’s struggles felt very real and was hoping for her to find her path and happiness. It was incredibly relatable.

Fern relocates her bookstore to Thune and gets set up with the help of Viv, Tandri, and Cal. However, she isn’t happy. Fern finds herself panicking when she realizes this move to Thune didn’t fill the empty spot in her. For a solution, she has a night of hard drinking and then wanders around town, inadvertently falling asleep in the back of a wagon. Unfortunately, she wakes up on the road with a famous warrior elf, the elf’s odd captive goblin, and no money whatsoever. Now Fern is on an adventure that will test her courage and make her question what she really wants out of life.

I really enjoyed all of the adventuring in this book. It is different from previous books in this series, but I enjoyed the change. The adventure is exciting and life-threatening at times, but still stays cozy feeling too.

I also really enjoyed all of the characters here. Fern is a foul-speaking Ratkin in a tough spot but she tries to be as helpful as possible and really is struggling to find her happiness. The elf warrior she joins up with is a creature of habit, she’s been a merc for centuries and can’t imagine doing things any other way. The captive goblin is pure chaos, and it’s tough to figure out if she’s actually a captive. In the end, they all end up being what the other party members need. They all end up pushing each other out of their comfort zones. The antics here were humorous, fun, and thought-provoking.

This was very easy to read and I enjoyed it. It is quite different from the last two books in this series in format and tone, but I thought that was a good thing. It was still a cozy and thought-provoking read. This was incredibly well written, and I breezed right through it and enjoyed every minute of it.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this new installment in the Legends and Lattes series. The format is different this time around with a lot more adventure, but I liked the format even better than the previous books. We do see a bit of Viv and Tandri, but the story really focuses on Fern and a cast of new amazing characters. If you enjoy thoughtful adventure fantasy with some coziness, I think you will enjoy this. If you enjoyed the other two Legends and Lattes books, I think you will enjoy this as well, just keep an open mind and go along with the adventure.

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (January 20, 2026)

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Author Information: Website

Narrators: Bel Powley, Henry Rowley, Richard Armitage

Alice Feeney is an author I can usually depend on to deliver an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and on its surface, My Husband’s Wife sounded like it would be exactly that. So, imagine my disappointment when it did not work for me the way it clearly has for so many others. Now, I’m aware I’m in the minority with this one, but somewhere along the way I felt the story just went so far off the rails that I stopped enjoying myself.

The book opens with Eden Fox, an artist about to have her career breakout moment, deciding on an evening run to blow off some steam before her first gallery exhibition. As always, she leaves all her valuables including her phone, wallet, and wedding ring at home before she heads out. When she returns, however, she discovers something very wrong. The key to her house no longer works. Someone answers the door to see what’s going on, and it’s a stranger who looks remarkably like Eden—similar build, hair, facial features—and she claims that there must be a mistake, because she lives there, not Eden. Then, a man come downstairs to investigate the commotion, and Eden is relieved because it’s her husband, Harrison. He’ll sort out this mess and kick this crazy lady out of their house! Except to Eden’s shock, Harrison stares back at her with no recognition in his eyes. He insists the strange woman beside him is his wife, and that he has no idea who Eden is but if she doesn’t leave the property, they will have no choice but to call the police. Carrying no proof of her identity, Eden is forced to flee into the night, feeling frightened, hurt, and confused.

Running alongside Eden’s story is a second one following Birdy, a reclusive woman living in London who has just received a devastating diagnosis and may only have months to live. That same night, however, she is visited by a representative of her estranged grandmother’s estate and learns she has unexpectedly inherited a house in the seaside village of Hope Falls, where her family once lived. When Birdie arrives at the property, affectionately known to all the locals as Spyglass, she discovers a letter among her late grandmother’s belongings from a mysterious corporation claiming it can predict the exact date of a person’s death. Given the timing of her diagnosis, Birdy’s curiosity is understandable, and she decides to look more closely into the company’s mission and history. As her investigation unfolds, the novel gradually stitches together these two seemingly separate narratives, linking half-truths and coincidences that may not be coincidences at all.

For the most part, this works. I’ll say this about all Alice Feeney’s books: her prose is snappy, the atmosphere is intense, and the pace is so brisk that the thought of taking a pause is nearly impossible. I was genuinely curious and looking forward to the reveals for at least the first half of My Husband’s Wife, even when I wasn’t entirely sure what the hell was going on. After all, confusion is part of the deal here, completely by design, and the plot is structured in a way to make the reader feel disoriented.

Where the story started to lose me was in the second half, with its handling of twists. Not because there were too few, but because there were too many! At a certain point, the story completely gives up on building upon its own foundations and begins pulling the rug from under itself, over, and over, and over again. Shocking revelations became less about providing answers and more about being completely unpredictable, even if it doesn’t really make sense or throws everything that we know about the characters out the window. When you realize that anything can change at any second and none of the truths that were previously established matter, it all starts to feel rather pointless.

To be clear, I have nothing against twists. It’s one of the best reasons to read thrillers and why I enjoy the genre so much. But at the same time, My Husband’s Wife was a bit much even by Feeney standards. Thing is, I don’t want to remove all thinking from the equation. I’d like to be given the chance to form coherent theories and emotional attachments to characters that could hold out to the next chapter. Without that expectation, I’m afraid it undercuts tension rather than heightens it for me.

That said, the audiobook narration is fantastic. Read by Bel Powley, Henry Rowley, and Richard Armitage, all three delivered strong and engaging performances. I’m especially a big fan of Armitage, who does incredible voice work on anything he does, not just Alice Feeney audiobooks. To be honest, even when the story frustrated me, the narration kept me listening.

In the end, I think My Husband’s Wife will be very much a “your mileage may vary” thriller. For me, the book started strong but ultimately collapsed under the weight of its need to induce whiplash, leaving me entertained but mentally exhausted and emotionally detached. But like I said, I suspect I am the outlier here, and fans who love Alice Feeney’s books despite or perhaps because of her bold, major-suspension-of-disbelief twists will probably have a great time.

 

Several people asked my opinion "as a military man." They were wrong about the man part, but the thought of explaining Gallacia's sworn soldiers to a boatload of Americans was so exhausting that I needed a gin and tonic just to contemplate it, and a second one to decide that explaining would be a bad idea.

 (page 1, What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher)

---------
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Publisher: Page count: Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback

I loved Ling Ling Huang’s Natural Beauty and couldn’t wait to read this one too. Sadly, Immaculate Conception didn’t fully live up to my expectations.
There’s a lot here that I admired. The ideas are strong and timely; we get cloning, AI replacing artists, art as commodity, art as theft. The obsessive dynamic between the narrator, Enka, and Mathilde is fascinating. That slow burn of jealousy and the way admiration curdles into resentment, guilt, and self-loathing is incredibly well written. Huang nails that emotional ugliness. 
Enka isn't likable, nor is she relatable. She makes selfish, cruel choices and justifies them badly. But she’s believable in her pettiness and envy. She want what others have instead of building something of her own and I know people like this.
Despite my appreciation for the ideas, the book felt very detached and emotionally distant to me. I finished it, but I never truly connected to Enka, to Mathilde, or to the story as a whole. I wanted deeper character development early on, especially for Enka and Mathilde, before everything spiraled. Their bond is supposed to be intense, but I struggled to feel it.
Huang is an excellent writer, though. The art discussions are fantastic. I actually went and looked up the artworks mentioned, and that genuinely improved my experience. The performance art sections, in particular, are powerful. 
To sum it up, where Natural Beauty pulled me in immediately, this one took effort. I was also, admittedly, hoping for a bit more weirdness and a little more unhinged energy. And while I appreciated what the book was saying, I think it could’ve been shorter.
In the end, I liked it more in theory than in practice. It's smart, thoughtful novel about awe, jealousy, and artistic obsession, but it kept me at arm’s length. Despite my reservations, I’ll absolutely pick up whatever Huang writes next.

Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files is one of the best selling and most beloved fantasy sagas on the shelves. How can a series that is now 25 years old with 17 books on the selves stay fresh? Well, one way is to change up* how the story is told. Jim Butcher has said that a Dresden…