When the synopsis of P.C. Cast's Divine by Blood landed in my inbox, I felt I had to take a chance on a story that started out with a woman from a parallel universe being freed from a tree into modern-day Oklahoma. Even though I had not read the first novels in this series, I just had to find out what kind of story could come of that beginning so I picked it up and started reading.

After a lengthy introduction to the history of the Partholon universe, we are introduced to Morrigan Parker, an 18 year-old who feels that she doesn't fit in with the rest of the girls she knows. Raised by her grandparents after her mother died giving birth to her, Morrigan at last finds a place she feels comfortable – the Alabaster Caves, which are filled with dazzling crystals.

Okay, so humans aren't always the sharpest tools in the shed, but we do have some pretty good ideas when it comes to deception. Especially where survival is concerned. We can reach back into our history and pull up interesting ideas that can be useful in our current situation. That is what the next generation of Guardians do in Christopher W. Wilcox, Sr.'s fifth installment of the Æthereal series, Æthereal's Children.

The real test of any writers' skill is the short story. To come in hard, fast, and hold them to the end. Or, to tease them and give a twist they never saw coming. The variations on a theme are many, but the road to success with this particular genre, alas is filled with more road kills than victors.

I am happy to present to you two treats: Frozen Stiff and The Last Laugh. To say too much is well, too much.

Regency Romance is a genre of the charm, mores, and fallacy that comes from a period of time when England was desperate to hold its own against the ravages that France had with the Revolution going on just over the Channel. For some the period romance can include the entire 1800's. Since Thwarting Magic takes place in an alternate universe, one that has magic, I will say it is the 1800's and a bit closer to the time of Georgian than the true Regents of England.

How far have you traveled during your life? Have you started out on the top of the world and slipped a bit lower? Or were you the one that started out at the bottom of the heap and clawed your way to the top? Just because you've started out in poor circumstances doesn't always mean that you'll end up there as Rory finds out in The Heir of Westfell, the first book in the newest series by Christopher Wilcox, Sr.

How delightful it is to come across a book that seems to hold hidden treasure. As a reader of many books, I often find the usual formula and conclusion. Being a writer myself, I fully understand the challenges in undertaking an idea and bringing it to fruition. It is not easy and is a labor of love and hate and passion. With the Eyes of Light series, I have found in myself, the reader again.

After reading the first installment of Katrina Strauss' Eldridge Legacy, Secrets Revealed, I've been curious to know what happens next. I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to read the second book in the trilogy, Lessons Learned.

Lessons Learned is penned in a similar fashion to Secrets Revealed and I must again warn the readers that this is not a vanilla romance. Though not as adventurous as the first book, you will still find elements of BDSM, partner-sharing and lesbian frolics within its covers so if this is not your type of thing you will want to avoid this book.

All good things must come to an end and sadly I have finally finished reading Fates Fulfilled, the last book in Katrina Strauss' Eldritch Legacy trilogy. I've been lucky enough to have been able to review this entire series and on the whole it is one of the most enjoyable I've read in a long time.

We first meet the Eldritch family in long ago Europe in the first book of the series, Secrets Revealed. Travel forward a few hundred years and we run across some old friends and new in Lessons Learned, the second book in the trilogy. In this final episode, the Eldritch family has turned up in the new world in near present-day West Coast America.

I am a big fan of the tales of King Arthur, so when I stumbled across a listing for Joan Upton Hall's Arturo el Rey, a tale of a man who may be King Arthur himself returned to life, I had to read it.

Based in a futuristic America that has been devastated by plague and turned into something similar to scenes in the Mad Max movies, Arturo el Rey tells the story of the man who would be king and his lady, Shanna.

I have always loved Science Fiction for the variety of ideas that it brings up, the morality plays, the drama, the humor, and the stretches it provides to dormant brain cells. So it is with enthusiasm I dived into this third and, I am assuming, final installment of the Behold the Eyes Of Light series. I will state honestly, that when I closed the cover digitally for the last time, it was with a sad sigh. I was not ready to leave that place and indeed my writing mind was imagining all sorts of things for the characters I became friends with.

In reading fiction, we always look for someone we can relate to. It should not matter the age of the protagonist, but it should matter as to their humanity. Many a writer has, in these contemporary times, added flawed and damaged people with something decent about them so we do not become so repulsed by them, we can't stand to have them in our head. Unlike television, a book actually gets into your brain. It is there that we develop the image, the texture, the taste, and even smells and flavors if we are given such.

Ready for something different from the usual horror tale or overly clever teens solving mysteries? Maybe you need to check into the writings of R.R. Smythe, a writer who works with an unusual twist, and things that go bump in the night. Nothing is what it seems at first, but rather something much more sinister and with a sprinkling of magic—voila, you've got the literary stylings of R.R. Smythe.

As the effects of global warming on our planet become more and more obvious, not to mention intense, more and more books will attempt to take on the challenges of educating a sometimes short-sighted public about the long-term dangers drawing ever closer. Not all of those books will be nonfiction.

Tomorrow’s World is more than just a novel. It’s a warning and even an indictment of man’s responsibility to the planet. It’s a grim exploration of a future that might not be all that far from what could happen if humanity doesn’t wake up and smell whatever replaces coffee when we can no longer grow food outside. One of the dangers of this kind of book is that it can get preachy at points, but I think Mr. Henderson managed to tell this story without venturing into that territory. For that he deserves praise. Another thing he deserves praise for is writing a rousingly good story.

The vampire rules the dark fantasy of the last one hundred years. In the past, this creature would allow a female character to act out her secret fantasies of the less than chaste behavior of seduction. These days, however, such fantasies would be considered worse than passe, they would be laughed off the market.  After Sundown: Redemption reflects a more modern approach. Today's vampires are no longer mysterious counts or earls of some hidden away wealth and power, but un-dead creatures that need to find their purpose in life as much as anyone. They also seem to need, love. Ah, but there lies the source of delicious conflict. How can a human and vampire find love when the human’s very flesh is what must be fed on? Who would win, the Predator or the Prey?

I can honestly say I've never had a desire to be locked in a dank dungeon until I read Secrets Revealed by Katrina Strauss. Ms. Strauss presents a vivid picture of what it is like to be a young woman who enjoys her pleasure fueled by pain.

And yes, I mean that literally. This is your warning that Secrets Revealed is not a vanilla erotic romance. You will find BDSM and other treats in the pages of this steamy opener to the Eldridge Legacy trilogy. Know thyself and steer clear of this book if it isn't your cup of tea.