Deja Blue (Ruby Blue Series Book 2) by Julie Cassar

I enjoyed this installment in the series. Only a few pages in and I was taken back to my own weekend on Mackinac Island and watching fudge being made. There really is a difference in Mackinac Island Fudge and all the other fudge out there.

The story begins with Ruby on vacation with Nick and his parents. Ruby has acquired a few "gifts" from her battle with Sirrush  and now has to learn what they are and how to control them. Besides being able to see fairies, now she can hear their telepathic conversations when Anya and Brennan aren't speaking aloud to each other.

Accepting a challenge from Nick to swim to the nearest buoy, Ruby discovers  she has acquired the ability to swim very fast, most likely as part of the abilities she acquired from Sirrush. On the way back to the beach, she has to pretend to be exhausted and swim slower to prevent Nick from becoming suspicious. Later, swimming alone by the pier, Ruby is trapped underwater by falling rocks. Little does she know that she has seriously angered someone, someone who has put out a hit on her life. Things are not looking good.

Thanks to the assistance of the mermaid who helped Brennan rescue her, Ruby now owes a debt to Celestine. Brennan has an idea of how she can repay the debt, but he isn't sharing the details. Not sharing the details of his plan makes Ruby nervous, but there's nothing she can do about it.

Deja Blue is a good sequel. The friends' adventures continue with challenges to overcome and new enemies to avoid. New fey creatures are introduced and Ruby's knowledge of the fey world is expanding by leaps and bounds. I think the audience this book is targeted for will really enjoy the story. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars

This book is available from:
                                    Amazon US
                                    Amazon Canada
                                    Amazon UK
                                    Barnes & Noble

Phegru's Revenge by D.J. Shaw

You know, I never used to read short stories. I mean, come on. What can possibly happen in less than a hundred pages, right? Well, several months ago, I took a chance and am so glad I did. At that point I'd already read a trilogy by an author I was familiar with. Shaw is now the second author of short stories I've read. I am so glad I took that chance all those months ago. Had I not, I would have missed out on some great stories.

Phegru's Revenge is the third short story I've read from Shaw. In just a few pages she takes us on a whirlwind ride of fear becoming hopelessness, morphing into acceptance, turning into want, and finally becoming loss. But wait a minute, the title says "Revenge." Where does that come in you ask. In the sweetest bit of horrifying justice (sort of) you could imagine.

Kylie has been kidnapped and told it's for her own good. He tells her she hosts a demon that must be exorcised. And so her kidnapper proceeds to do what she believes is an exorcism. Her captivity is a long one. After three years, Kylie is finally released. By this time, she has come to depend on her captor and is reluctant to go.

I'm going to side-step for a moment, but I'll come back to discussing the story. Many years ago, a friend was explaining part of her belief system. Karma she said, is our reward or punishment in a future life based on our actions in this one. Dharma is similar, the difference being we reap in this life what our actions have sown. So, back to my thoughts on this story.

What neither Kylie nor her captor knew was that she really was host to a demon. A very. Particular. Demon. When her captor reappears in her life, he's no longer dealing with Kylie, and dharma is about to come calling.

I found Shaw's writing to be very singular, or maybe driven would be a better choice of words, in this story. I could almost, but not quite, sense the way the story would end. I found the ending to be ironic and grinned. Shaw makes me glad I gave up my hard stand against short stories. I enjoyed this one as much as the other two. I'm pretty sure you will too. Well written, well edited, and very well thought out. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars

This book is currently only available from Amazon.

Things in the Mirror by D.J. Shaw

I can only sit amazed at how Shaw put so much into so few pages. Shaw nails this one on the head and hard. Rissa hears sounds coming from mirrors. When she starts seeing things in the mirror other than her reflection, the fear ramps up. Her husband doesn't believe her, at least not until he gets home and has to rescue his wife.

Now, I have a rather fertile and active imagination. I read, things get stuck in my head (either consciously or not) and pop back to the front of my mind later, usually at the worst time. This story has my nightmares written all over it. I didn't even finish the first chapter before I had to set it aside until earlier in the day. Nope. Not reading this one at night before bed.

Mirrors are portals. Don't look at me like that. Just nod your head and agree. Now, I won't go so far as to specifically identify what's on the other side of the mirror. I think that has to be done by each individual person. I just know that for me, they better stay on the other side. There's a reason I've never admitted this to anyone; I don't look good in white jackets with long sleeves. So. Shaw either has a direct link to my nightmares, or she's got one whale of an imagination. Doesn't much matter to me which it is. I have never had someone, all unknowing, so accurately describe them for all to read.

How's your imagination? I don't look at mirrors when I'm in a dark room. You may not either after reading this story. There's so much I want to say, and I can't without giving it all away. As for what's in her mirror? I just hope it never comes looking for me. It's more than a little eerie how she was able to tap into my nightmares like that. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars

This book is available at Amazon.

The Crimson and the Frost by James Colletti and John Williams

Billy's father is always bringing home things from work for his son. He looks at it as free advertising. After an altercation after school, Billy sees the things his father brings home for him as the reason the kids don't like him; they're jealous. Later, while stargazing, he catches a glimpse of something disappearing in the woods. As curious boys often do, he suited up to go outside without thought for how late it was or whether his parents should know. What he finds set our story in motion. Two reindeer, a sleigh with the initials "S.C." on it, a couple of stuffed bags, and no one in site.

Billy decides to stow away on the sleigh just in time to hear two elves argue about who's going to drive. With typical young boy curiosity, Billy searches for anything interesting since the elves still don't know about him. One thing leads to another and a very important jewel is removed from its setting at the back of the sleigh, only to go overboard. The greatest adventure Billy will ever have has started.

A magical adventure in Christmas Town, two rather bumbling elves that keep losing a young boy (who gets caught taking bites out of the wall of The Gumdrop Shoppe), and a sleigh that can't fly until the jewel is found. To mix things up a little more, the King of Winter (aka: Jack Frost) has learned the jewel is missing and wants it for reasons of his own.

This is a fun story, full of life, magic, laughter, trials, and woe. Hopelessness and despair are turned around as a young boy learns to find hope. Although this is a delightful Christmas fantasy, this really is for kids old enough to handle a little conflict in their holiday stories. This could become a favorite family read at the holidays. Check it out and let me know what you think. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Angela's Siren Awakening by D.J. Shaw

We've all heard the warnings when we were kids; "be careful what you wish for," "read the fine print," "don't talk to strangers," "do unto others (you know - the golden rule)." This story offers a couple of very good reasons for paying closer attention to those annoying rules drilled into us as we were growing up.

Poor Angela is going through a rough time since breaking up with her boyfriend. Channel surfing while she wonders how her life turned into its current mess, her attention is grabbed by an infomercial. What's for sale? Vengilixer. The price? Your soul. What can be more startling than that? The announcer answers her question directly and begins a conversation with her.

Angela discovers two things, she's not entirely human and the announcer is a demon who wants to help her realize her full potential. And this is where I must stop or I'll give everything away. There is an element of humor in this story that I appreciate. Angela's wide-eyed, near innocent disbelief wars with her desire to get even with her ex. Daryl (the friendly and oh-so-helpful demon) is the epitome of the smooth talking salesman.

In spite of the demon and Angela's growing desire to get even, I found this to be a fairly lighthearted story, though with a couple of definite caveat twists at the end. Regardless whether you want something to shake your head at or you're feeling a bit vengeful, I think you'll enjoy this short story. Both well written and well edited. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Obsession by Georgina Hannan

This book picks up shortly after the four friends return from their vacation. University classes have begun and everyone is knee deep in homework. Now that some time has passed, everyone is writing off their experiences on vacation as delusions and tricks of their minds. Everyone that is, except Daisy. Daisy can't indulge in that bit of wishful thinking because she came home with a permanent souvenir... the ghost of Lady Howard.

Journalism class becomes the source of Daisy's greatest challenge when the year project is assigned. Everyone is to trace their family history as far back as possible and write about what they learn of their ancestors. Genealogy can be a lot of fun, and for a while, Daisy is really enjoying learning about her ancestors and their lives.

Throughout her life, no one has wanted to talk to her about her mother, not her father, not her grandparents. As she begins digging for information, she finds a treasure trove of documents at her maternal grandparents. Her grandfather had begun his own search into genealogy and gave her access to boxes of his results. With each discovery, Lady Howard becomes a more persistent presence in Daisy's life. Daisy doesn't have to dig for long before she makes a startling discovery about her mother.

The book is aptly named. The further Daisy gets into her research, the more obsessed she becomes with finding answers. Lady Howard wants something from her and is making it very clear Daisy won't like the consequences for not helping. Tyler, Alice and Jake become more and more concerned with her welfare. Tyler is especially worried and no one knows what to do to help. Her obsession with finding answers may cost her the one person she loves most of all if she can't pull it together.

The story is fraught with tension and definitely a page turner. I found myself not only pulling for Tyler to stick it out and be supportive of Daisy and what she's going through, but wanting Daisy to have someone to lean on. This is a great sequel making Hannan two for two. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series. This book is both well written and well edited. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Cursed by Georgina Hannan

Four friends decide to take a holiday together and see a bit of the English countryside. Two weeks on their own and no parents, each one is hoping for an adventure. Ever have someone tell you "be careful what you wish for?" Yeah. Hannan wastes no time letting you know what kind of a story you're in for (as if the title weren't enough of a clue). Two of the friends, Alice and Jake, are already a couple before the story begins. The other two, Daisy and Tyler, are each hoping the other is just as interested. This does play in to how they each react later in the story.

Alice is the planner in the group and has ideas for their holiday so every day they will be doing something that most of them enjoy. On their first evening, they all go to the local pub. As the bartender sets them up with their first round of drinks, he shares a few of the local myths and legends. Like any decent bartender, Frank can spin a good tale, and spin them he does. Local legends of the Beast of Dartmoor, a disappearing cottage no one seems able to find more than once, a woman doomed to travel in a carriage made from the bones of her dead husbands, and more.

As things begin to happen to each of our intrepid adventurers, they are initially reluctant to say anything to the other three. Of course there's the usual suspicions of whether one of them is trying to spook the others. This is the kind of book I prefer to read early in the day. Stories like this have a tendency to grab hold of my imagination and visit my dreams. It can be rather embarrassing to wake up the neighbors screaming from story-induced nightmares. So yeah, I got a few pages into this and quickly decided I needed to wait for daylight before I continued reading.

Hannan can spin a tale and she does it with eloquence. I had no trouble relating to Alice, the one who jumps at every little thing and loves to plan trips. What makes this book so successful is you're given just enough "meat" if you will, for your imagination to pick you up and run away with you. Her storytelling doesn't spell everything out for you. Even better, she saved the best hook for the very end. If you enjoy a story that makes you tense and jumpy, read this at night in the middle of a thunderstorm. You won't regret it. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.