Meghan Maslow is a relatively new author for me. I just discovered her story from a recent multi-author fantasy series and really enjoyed it. So I was wondering what else she had written.
Imagine my joy to find an entire series to dive into.
Maslowās Starfig Investigations series offers up a wealth of characters, some truly funny dialogue, a rich universe to explore and storylines that combine mystery, comedy, romance, fantasy with more than a bit of horror.
Zombies and Orcs, cyclops and ghost ships! Plus sexy supernatural beings of all types and temperament. Itās great when a story and itās characters can make your puls
Half fairy half dragon Twig Starfig runs Starfig Investigations. His latest client? Brandsome Nightwind , magnificent sparkly unicorn with his pet human slave,Quinn Broomsparkles, in tow.
The unicorn has an object he wants Twig to recover. What seems to be straightforward is anything but and a twisting, amazing adventure ensues.
Plus an equally strange and amazing relationship between Twig and Quinn.
Thereās father issues, unholy family dynamics, bogs, yes zombies, secrets, and some just amazing characters and great scenes. I laughed, sighed, felt a little heartbroken for each in turn at points in the narrative and wholly fell in love.
I adore this story and canāt wait to see what the second installment has in store for our heroes and her readers.
Need a new fantasy book and series? Start here. Highly recommended.
If youāre looking for something sweet, light hearted, filled with laughter and love, then grab up Operation Meet Cute, the first book in KM Neuholdās new Operation HEA series.
Adorable Harlow , his parents ugly divorce haunting him, decides the way to HEA and his true love is through a movie āmeet cuteā moment. And heās been busy staging his own for yearsā¦.to no avail.
Teddy, his neighbor upstairs, has been watching Harlowās search go unrewarded for 4 years, the same amount of time Teddy has been Harlowās best friend. Only his heart wants more.
This best friends to lovers story is funny, engaging, full of great lines and captivating characters. Alternative POV work beautifully to move both the storylines and romance forward.
By the time weāve reached the ending, both the couple and reader are satisfied and ready for the next step.
What can I say? What a outstanding story! And not the least of which because every element comes across as a fully adult intelligent relationship thatās being explored, grown, and in the end, committed to.
Hallelujah
Rainbow Cove is a terrific series, heartwarming, rainbow, and yes, kinky.
Hope on the Rocks delivers up the story of bartender/co owner of Rainbow Tavern, Adam Ringerās, path to a very beautiful and somewhat kinky HEA.
His partner to be? Dr Quinn Strauss, the townās GP whoās current heartbreak leads him to Adamās bar, a load of cocktails and a drunken confession about his secret desire for a Daddy.
Which just so happens to fit beautifully in with Adamās need to be a Daddy, especially to the appealing man before him so in need of being taken care of.
What follows is first an agreement for a summer friends with benefits arrangement, no ties, to help Quinn explore fully his sexual/emotional desire for a Daddy.
As with the previous story. Lumber Jacked, which explored rope kink, beautifully so, Hope on the Rocks focuses its men and their burgeoning relationship around their mutual desire/need for Daddy kink. Albert expertly uses her characters and their relationship to explain exactly what this type of kink means and how it fits into a committed partnership.
Far from any sort of sex tutelage into Daddy role play, we get a sexy, moving, and meaningful story, full of adult communication on each otherās needs, expectations, and secret desires. Safety and trust, patience and love. All seen and experienced by Quinn and Adam as their summer and relationship deepens.
What barriers there are to overcome are ones that are equally realistic and ones I appreciate as they affected their dynamic. Demands by family, fears generated by past history, even work schedulesā¦..all that rings so true.
The men are so sympathetic and engaging, both separately and as a couple that I read this story from start to finish without stopping. Thatās a true measure for me of how much I love a book and how fully Iām involved in that universe and couple.
Here? It was 100 percent, I was all in and didnāt want to leave them and Rainbow Cove behind at the end.
I have no idea how many more stories the author intends to write in this series but hereās hoping that Rainbow Coveās future is bright, as shiny and wonderful as this story and all those before it.
Tara Lainās stories always leave me with warm, happy feelings. I certainly adore the characters she introduces her readers to in her books and series. And her storylines are well plotted and end satisfactory.
So it was with real anticipation that I started her Fuzzy Love series . The central character being a Papillon, huge bat earned tiny ball of high intelligence and energy. Yep, Iām all in immediately as I love books with animals as main or largely secondary characters.
Can I say right now I absolutely love Bat? Thatās Batshit Crazy, the Queen of the Universe, yes, sheās amazing.
The rest of the universe and main couple, Em, the vet and the defense attorney, Finn Morgenstern, are so engaging and heartwarming that they not only deserve Bat but clearly each other and a HEA.
This story is full of suspense, action, character growth, romance, and dog on criminal adventures. Itās fast paced and so much fun.
I was fully involved with everyone and their relationships, and their HEA.
That includes the delightful glimpses we get of the people in the next books who inhabit Emās sitting room .
Iām absolutely recommending this book and the series. The cover is on point. Look at that dog! The coloring exactly and the attitude! Pure sass! And the butterfly ears the breed is named for. Love it.
Reviewers And Dog Lover/owners note: Like tv series and movies, a book can make a breed so irresistible that it makes people want one for themselves, without exactly checking out if that breed is right for you and your lifestyle.
Tara Lain does a responsible job here in noting aspects of the Papillon breed that make it not for everyone. They are highly energetic and intelligent. They are territorial, and yes barkā¦..a lot. Alarm barking, hey look whatās passing by, whatās that sound barking. Itās part of the breed and she had her characters mention that repeatedly, albeit fondly and sometimes with exasperation.
They do outstanding as agility dogs because they need an outlet for that intelligence and energy. Donāt confuse this breed with that of a lap dog. Uh no. š
Want to explore more ? YouTube Papillon in agility and Papillon dog facts. They are a fantastic breedā¦.for the right people.
This story has such amazing energy! And Iām not just talking about that great title.
From the start I fell in love with the plot, characters, and settings for Prancing of a Papillon.
It was effortless to fall so throughly into the lives and relationships of the people here.
From the sad, vulnerable moment we meet Jericho Jones , with his motherās Cairn terrier, Killer, and , of course, Batshit. Heās on a blind date and itās awful. Jericho is sweet and gentle and introverted. The exact opposite of what his huge āExterminator ā exterior projects. That sets up an immediate conflict between what the men he meets assumes heās going to be and the withdrawing āold maid ā he considers himself. That chasm in expectations leads once more to disaster.
And a broken-hearted harshly rejected Jericho.
Fear not! Because this man and romance has a super Papillon on his side!
Bringing back Batās owners from Passions of a Papillon, Finn and Em, our gentle hearted first grade teacher Jericho proceeds to get involved in the wildly entertaining business of the professional dog show world. A former Best in Show and Champion in her former life, Bat has been missed on the circuit and whoās better to accompany Bat on her return as her handler then Jericho! But he needs training.
Enter Ichiko the trainer/handler for well known Papillon breeder and downright gorgeous Brees Apollonia., Rodolfo , his Champion Papillon in tow. Soon thereās romance, mystery, suspense, and fabulous dogs prancing their hearts out in show rings to cheers from the crowd. Thereās even another wonderful secondary character, Kathy ā¦ new owner/handler of Papillon White Trash, to join in on the action..
Prancing of a Papillon! You got that right! If youāve ever seen Westminster or Crufts Dog Show then youāve seen this breed. All high energy, enormous butterfly ears at attention, the brightest eyes totally focused on the job and handler. Ah but put them down and let them start around the ring? Magic! Those tiny legs pumping , flying up high, prancing as fancy as anything imaginable, head held like royalty. And barking to let everyone know they are THERE! Always to the huge enjoyment of the people watching. YouTube it.
Tara Lain has captured this perfectly. The flow of communication between dog and handler. The judging and the various owners/ handlers. Itās quite the show and not just in the ring.
In fact everything about this story is just so fine. The characters that pour themselves into your heart ,
(Jericho Jones I truly adore), the many layered plot, the venue. The romance which swung from fragile to sexy to perfection ā¦..woof!
And yes, the humor, bravery, and cheers for Bat and all the dogs involved.
Yes, this turned out to be my favorite after all.
Thatās hard in a series I loved this much. Grab them all up and find your own.
A note about that outstanding cover! Yup thatās both Jericho and Brees to perfection. But the best? That Batshit Crazy is accurately pictured as fawn Papillon. Thatās the brown and white coloring. Rodolfo is black and white , similar to the dog pictured on the other covers. Just one more reason this is the Best in Show!
Reviewers And Dog Lover/owners note: Like tv series and movies, a book can make a breed so irresistible that it makes people want one for themselves, without exactly checking out if that breed is right for you and your lifestyle.
Tara Lain does a responsible job here in noting aspects of the Papillon breed that make it not for everyone. They are highly energetic and intelligent. They are territorial, and yes barkā¦..a lot. Alarm barking, hey look whatās passing by, whatās that sound barking. Itās part of the breed and she had her characters mention that repeatedly, albeit fondly and sometimes with exasperation.
They do outstanding as agility dogs because they need an outlet for that intelligence and energy. Donāt confuse this breed with that of a lap dog. Uh no. š
Want to explore more ? YouTube Papillon in agility and Papillon dog facts. They are a fantastic breedā¦.for the right people.
Thereās no literary voice like BA Tortugaās . As I read one of her stories, the richness of the regional dialect that rolls out from the mouths of her characters rings with such authenticity that I can still hear those words and sentences even now.
Itās not just a muttered āsweet baby Jesusā or a āall you allā. Nor is it all the many local dishes eaten, barbecue grilled ( btw Iām definitely taking up the pickled mustard seed tyvm), or even the Tex mex delicious drool worthy food her characters devour, nope, itās more. Itās small town Texas itself, the good, the heartwarming, and yes, the ugly. BA Tortuga knows the land and itās people on a truly cellular level and is able to take that knowledge and love and pour it into her books.
I always feel as though I honestly know these people, these flawed human beings she writes so well. Here itās Jericho and his children, a rancher neighbor of Baileyās. Sheās got a stalker and called her brother Anderson back in California for help. A brother bullied as a youth in school there in that small Texas town and now reborn as Logic, a highly successful tv robotics Star, writer, and robot builder. The renewal of acquaintance sparking more, being in town pulling up old memories.
Both the sister and Jericho have children and again, these kids are so well written. Perfect for their ages, each voice memorable and funny, engaging and sweet. When Travis meets his hero Logic for the first time and thinks heās being punked? Perfection!
I could read that and enjoy their relationship over and over.
In fact all the interplay between the families just draws you into this incredible dynamic and makes you want to be a huge part of it as well.
Thereās drama, hurt/comfort elements. But also for me thereās that great ending..
Iāve really debated with myself over how much to say here about it. Because at one point I thought BA was going to go a certain way with it ( shame on me, should have known better) because hey, isnāt that what happens with romances like this.
I know I know. Wet noodle time. Trust in the Tortuga.
So yep, fantastic endingā¦.. ok I wanted more but I say that about all her stories. Canāt stop now. Thatās because I never want them to end. Sue me.
But this one? Itās so special. One of my favorites out of so many of hers. Read it and I think youāll agree.l
A series thatās centered around the smarts of a Papillon? One called the Queen of The Universe, aka Batshit Crazy? Love it!
As someone familiar with the breed ( a groomer of mine had 3 he brought to work with him), the author captured their high intelligence and marvelous personality to perfection. Loved the way Lain wove the antics of this wonder dog into her plot of suspense and mystery. With its aspects of academia job applicants , stress/joy of teaching and then the romance with all the characters, human and animalā¦well, itās is just so entertaining and quite wonderful.
Animals done well in books always add that extra layer of warmth and layers for me. Here Bat, Harry, and Cat were the perfect characters and plot foils time after time. Paired with their humans, their dynamics allows us a window into each personās character and sometimes current emotional state, showing us a vulnerability we might not see otherwise.
Cat the abandoned Abyssinian works so beautifully with Jack Sparks, a human being, isolated by history and need. Harry the ingratiating pit bull in love with Bat works perfectly as a foil for the twins, the adorable Toby Albertine and his sister Molly. Toby the twin in need of a fake boyfriend and a real love life. And Batshit the super Papillon who brings everything and everyone together.
Humor is also a lovely part of the storyline, especially with regard to the animals and their association with each other . Bat is after all Harryās true ā¤ļø.
Itās a fast paced, emotionally satisfying, well written story. And it ties up the 3-book series in a way that everyone will love. Including me.
This is a marvelous story. Read them all and see for yourself which of Batās capers come the closest to your heart.
Reviewers And Dog Lover/owners note: Like tv series and movies, a book can make a breed so irresistible that it makes people want one for themselves, without exactly checking out if that breed is right for you and your lifestyle.
Tara Lain does a responsible job here in noting aspects of the Papillon breed that make it not for everyone. They are highly energetic and intelligent. They are territorial, and yes barkā¦..a lot. Alarm barking, hey look whatās passing by, whatās that sound barking. Itās part of the breed and she had her characters mention that repeatedly, albeit fondly and sometimes with exasperation.
They do outstanding as agility dogs because they need an outlet for that intelligence and energy. Donāt confuse this breed with that of a lap dog. Uh no. š
Want to explore more ? YouTube Papillon in agility and Papillon dog facts. They are a fantastic breedā¦.for the right people.
I adore this author and eagerly grab up each new offering as she releases it. Doesnāt matter what trope or character type, Iāll know that the authorās engaging style, her well layered characters and terrific plot will have me deeply entertained and throughly meshed with whatever universe and romance sheās created.
So it was with real interest that I saw a chance to read Albertās very first story and series. I wanted to see what her first book and couple looks like and how much I could learn about the beginnings of a author I admire.
Here we have the story of a tv singing competition, a cobbled-together singing group and the two wildly different young men in it who go on to romance and hopefully a HEA . One flamboyant, desperately competitive and definitely out gay. The other quiet, from a conservative religious family that accepts heās homosexual but only within a strict set of guidelines. And away from home for the first time.
Thatās the barest story framework. Then Albert works a lovely sort of magic.
All the elements I expect from Annabeth Albert now in her series I can see here. Not fully . Not yet but the rough, lovely start of the complex, flawed people who we will meet in all the stories and series to come.
The messy personal dynamics? Check. The personal growth and self revelation? Check. Here the epiphany and hard choices seem to arrive and resolve themselves too quickly for all the history that both the men have and the sea changes each has to undergo.
But itās her first book. So yes I get it. All that is a new author, one whoās works will , one after another, settle, show growth themselves, a strength and depth that here glimmers as promise.
Is this still a very sweet and lovely story to read. Absolutely. A must is the list of songs from the author at the end. Donāt miss them or any of the videos she listed. They enrich the story and will make you smile.
So a definite yes. Iām recommending it and will finish the series.
A Case for Christmas is just plain amazing. Sumptuous in period details, incredibly well written, and so full of clever scintillating dialogue that a review could easily be filled with one quote after another, itās one to remember.
From the unusual cast of characters, to a twisting, devious mystery, and a romance that the reader is never quite sure is actually going to come together, along with the misgivings , miscommunications, and overall misunderstandings by our main leading men. Both of whom feel genuine and genuinely so completely flummoxed by their feelings for each other that it threatens to derail the investigation and the romance.
All the while the reader is steadily pulled into this universe and relationship. We learn to love the Gales, what a mad, wild, incredible bunch they are, the urchins, even the dogs. Itās the whole of the dynamics here that have you not only entertained but emotionally involved.
Iām so heavily invested in the proceedings that I couldnāt stop reading. I needed to finish and then I was sorry I had because it meant leaving everyone behind before I knew what happened next.
I honestly want more. Another in their story, the next stage, another case. Perhaps a marriage. But definitely more.
After this, youāll feel the same.
Now for the others in the series. Yes need those too.
Winter Cowboy, the first story in a new series by RJ Scott, has a full and varied narrative plot/theme list.
As the first book in the series, itās required (and does) set in place the history and universe for Whisper Ridge and itās foundation characters.
We start with Micah Lennox and his sister, Rachel, and her children. The Lennox ranch. The town and its people. Daniel, now the townās doctor, along with Micah and Danielās deeply troubled past. A past that includes a traumatic accident, prison, death, and more.
Thatās the past. Turns thereās the present with much for multiple characters to deal with on a daily basis. We see elements of PTSD, past evidence of domestic violence, child battery (never seen but referred to), cults, and murder. The aftermath all that takes on a person, no matter the age. As well as everyone, including Danielās family, dealing still with the ramifications of that car accident years ago that shattered lives.
I havenāt even mentioned therapy (thankfully and responsibly the author shows the importance of getting help for all involved).
And we havenāt we begun to talk romance yet. We can talk lovers reunited, enemies to lovers, second chance at love? All fav tropes of mine. Yep. All here. Even hurt/comfort. A bit of that too.
Yes, Winter Cowboy carries a full load but in the very capable hands of RJ Scott it all melds together in a cohesive and moving story.
If I had a wish , it would be that Daniel and Micah had more time as a reconciled couple in the story, well yes maybe more than a bit more. I really wanted to get more a feel of them as a couple as we spent so much time on the deep traumatized past that kept them apart and broke up their lives. It was brutal constantly revisiting that accident while no one had really moved on. When they finally forgave themselves and each other the story was almost over. And I wanted more of them new and exploring what it meant to have a āusā again.
There is a ābridgeā chapter/prequel after the end of Winter Cowboy that leads us into Summer Drifter, book 2 , in the Whisper Ridge, Wyoming series.
After reading it, I can see we will be getting deeper into the past events mentioned in Winter Cowboy. Hopefully we will see Micah and Daniel too at the next stage in their relationship.
Iām now looking forward to the next in the series and more of the Lennox Ranch and the tantalizing glimpse I saw of one of the main characters.
Read Winter Cowboy, Daniel and Micah and all the friends and family thatās making Lennox Ranch home!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 