Category: Fantasy, fantasy horror

Review:  Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore #2) by Jasmine Mas 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Be warned of many Triggers: graphic violence, past childhood abuse/trauma, torture, and more. 

The violently complex , and ultimately successful sequel to Blood of Hercules, Mas continues the bloodbath saga of the deeply damaged young woman, Alexis ,who discovered she was actually Hercules, daughter of Persephone and Hades, god of the Underworld. 

Weaving mythology with a powerful new world vision of the Greek pantheon and humanity, Mas has been telling the tortured story of Alexis’ journey from abused orphan to Hercules, daughter of the Gods, one still fighting for her life and finding her own way towards destiny and new life.

This story picks up from the violence acts of the ending of the Blood of Hercules, where Alexis was trapped into marriage by both Augustus and Kharon. From the horror of waking up married to plans for revenge, and the hidden agenda that seeks her ruination, Alexis is fighting not just for survival but for her right as the daughter of Hades. 

Achilles and Patro,her mentors are both equally responsible for her new battles and their own struggles.

A layered, enormously complex, violent and kinky tale, I enjoyed it immensely. There’s things that I wish were better explored or handled by the author in greater depth, but it’s a big story and it sets up the next book and chapter in this saga to come. 

Alexis, Augustus and Kharon seem to have a resolution of sorts to their own relationship. Although the main “villain” isn’t necessarily held accountable. Mas has left several storylines hanging and I’m sure that’s because they carry over into the next book which features Achilles and Patro. And one more new character from this book to make another tormented third. 

Mas has a thing for twisted dynamics and damaging relationships. And we’re definitely headed back in that territory next.  Look for trigger warnings for this book as well.

If you enjoyed the Blood of Hercules, then you will love this sequel. 

Villains of Lore:

Blood of Hercules 

Bonds of Hercules #2

Buy link 

 Book 2 of 2: Villains of Lore 

Blurb 

I’m Hercules, but my powers are not what they seem.

I’m trapped in a marriage with my two enemies and I’ve accidentally joined a cult. To make matters worse, Augustus and Kharon are trying to seduce me. It doesn’t help that my mentors, Achilles and Patro, are acting really strange.

Now, a dangerous prisoner has escaped from the Underworld, and things are spiraling out of control.

Men are fighting over me.

Mysteries are unfolding left and right.

And I’ve had enough.

Everybody better beware because I’m fighting in the Gladiator Competition and seizing my power.

Things are about to get very messy.

For Sparta.

A Dark Romantasy for readers who love:

  • “Who did this to you?”
  • Kickass heroine
  • Extreme Enemies to Lovers
  • Morally Gray Alpha Heroes
  • Greek Myths and Gladiator competitions
  • Zodiac Academy, Quicksilver and Shield of Sparrows

Are you Team Professors or Team Mentors? Choose a side.

Publisher

Canary Street Press

Publication date

October 28, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

544 pages

Book 2 of 2

Villains of Lore

Review: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi Book 1) by Django Wexler

Rating: 3⭐️

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi Book 1) by Django Wexler should be just my jam. But no matter how much I try to like it, I just can’t find it in myself to enjoy the story. 

It’s got a clever concept. A princess is caught up in a tale where she is defending her world against the Dark Lord. Unfortunately, she never wins. She loses, is subjected to horrific acts and dies. Or dies quickly. But usually she’s caught, captured, and tortured by the Dark Lord for a long time (very descriptive), then dies. Then she’s revived via a Groundhog Day plot and so it goes. For hundreds or thousands of years. 

It’s all very coldly narrated and factual. Let me say as a woman this was an aspect of the story I didn’t like. 

Davi then switches over to become the Dark Lord herself. This should be an important, and emotional moment for her and the story. However, its treatment is just as deadpan and flat as everything that’s preceded it. 

Her actions, and the events that follow are those that do little to connect the reader or celebrate her change in status. 

Honestly, the biggest fight here was to complete the book. 

The plot was clever but the characters are one dimensional. I didn’t have any problems putting the book down because I wasn’t interested in Davi or her future. 

There’s other humorous fantasy stories. Matt Dinneman’s series if you’re interested in RPG lit gamer fiction. 

You might want to check it out. 

Buy link

 Book 1 of 2: Dark Lord Davi 

Blurb 

Groundhog Day meets Deadpool in Django Wexler’s raunchy, hilarious, blood-splattered fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

“Takes the old saying ‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,’ to the next level. A sarcastic, action-packed, intrigue-filled (mis)adventure. One of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.”–Matt Dinniman, author of Dungeon Crawler Carl

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side. 

A humorous western isekai featuring the reincarnation of an antihero female lead.

Burningblade & Silvereye

Ashes of the Sun 

Blood of the Chosen 

Emperor of Ruin

Review: Dark Running Exile of the Winter Court By BR Kingsolver 

Rating:  4.75⭐️ 

Books with fae characters and/ or fae realms are prevalent in current fantasy and romantasy genres, so much so that I sort of look for stories with elements outside of this genre. But Kingsolver, a gifted author who’s novels I don’t read enough of, has written a fabulous novel of adventure, fae privateers, complex fantasy political betrayal, royal scheming and fiery battles on land and sea, set on alternate historical landscape. 

This is a world where one event, wherein King Charles II, in 1680, kidnaps the fae daughter of the Summer King has catastrophic consequences. The fae invade England across the very Veil erected to keep the races and realms separate , destroying multiple European cities and England’s empire forever.  Leaving the human landscape, political parties and governments changed. 

These aren’t your typical Fae, the ones that are human coded as written by other authors. Kingsolver has created fairies and a variety of different fae that are as alien to humans as I would like and hope to read. Even the fae courts look and act differently to humans and to each other. Not that any human being would ever want to willingly go to either court or the Fae realm. 

From their physical appearance to their personalities and perspectives on the human race and humanity’s ideas of emotions, from love to empathy, it’s clear they are a complex, and clearly defined older race. Apart and superior. 

Which makes Alanis Nightshade, the fairy pirate and trader, a fascinating character. A high born daughter of the dark Winter court, she’s the owner and Captain of the unique magical Fae ship, the Merry Prankster, who sails the seas through both sides the Veil in search of cargo to sell and profit to make. 

It’s her ship that makes her a target of political scheming and hidden enemies.  It’s a ship that is prized by more than one group of individuals who have their own agendas. 

The fabulous tale of intrigue and high suspense and survival is nerve wracking, complex, and highly entertaining. It’s beautifully detailed with Edinburgh’s landscape, imaginative creatures and wildly appealing designs of the Fae Realm. And the indescribable beauty and horror of the fae who rule there.

The only reason this doesn’t have a 5 star rating is that i wanted the ending to have been fully executed, more details and the drama that was expected given everything that came before. 

And honestly? I wanted to see those fae on their dangerous unicorns riding into battle, obliterating the army before them. What an amazing scene! My mind is still engaged with their wild journey. 

Highly recommended, the author included. 

No romance. All action and suspense. 

Love this cover. 

Cover art by Heather Hamilton-Senter

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comDark Running: Exile of the Winter Court eBook : Kingsolver, BR

Blurb 

When Charles II kidnapped a Sidhe princess in 1680, her father didn’t send diplomats—he sent armies. The Fae stormed through the Veil, leveled cities, and rewrote history. Centuries later, Humans and Fae still share the Mortal Realm uneasily… and England never recovered its empire.

Alanis Nightshade, Winter Court Fairy, smuggler, and occasional pirate, prefers to stay far from royal drama. She flies under the radar, smuggling rare goods between worlds and minding her own business. But when she’s stranded in Edinburgh during a coup, she’s dragged straight into the kind of trouble she tries to avoid.

A new Sidhe king has seized Scotland.

He’s hungry for conquest, and he wants what Alanis possesses—

a ship that can cross the Veil and carry an army straight into Faerie.

If she doesn’t outwit him, outrun him, or outright kill him, both realms may pay the price.

Review: The Night Vision: A Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries) by K Sterling 

Rating: 4.25🌈

The Night Vision: A Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries) by K Sterling really improved upon the previous story and those characters here, especially Lord Smoak who, along with his Park Ranger lover have important roles here and show huge character developments or make that revelations. 

The Moon Murder Mysteries is evolving into a group of powerful characters that Demi Sun God/anthropology professor Lennox “Nox” MacIlwraith, and his mate, Agent Nelson, along with Merlin, one of their magikal found family of witches, hellhounds, and medics is gathering together, book by book to help him fight the darkness. 

Sterling’s is a rich tapestry of Irish mythology, Celtic lore and language as well as literature . She  then matches this with the deep historical context of the American mountain culture and tapping into the world of the paranormal and ancient traditions for a dark, compelling mystical tale.

It can work too well as it does here with the Wolves of the Ossery, a horrific element that needs further foundation as well as  exploration to due justice to such a uniquely powerful piece of this narrative. Its introduction is detailed and memorable. Dark and damaging. And pieces of it, history and their culture pops up in the story in various ways. But there’s no resolution,  no insight into what happened to them. 

What Sterling crafts so beautifully is a mystery. Here with visions from the Oracle (another story and person brought into the circle), is used by Nox and Parks Service investigator, Agent Silas Shelby to locate a mysterious man they believe will be killed soon if they don’t help him, Tighe Ossor. 

Silas was featured heavily in the previous story, Dead Air, which was about the Ranger, Niall, and the demon, Cenn, aka Lord Smoak.  Here, Lord Smoak becomes the character who is worthy of the name. Here, his character evolves to become the overwhelming threatening force with its own agenda, something that we didn’t see before in his and Niall’s book. 

Other characters are showing signs of their own new powerful abilities and adaptations as new threats emerge. 

The instant connection between Silas and Tighe Ossor is believable, intimate and even mystical. So the reader is eager to see how this relationship develops between them. I would liked to have had actually less sex and more time spent with them getting to know each other, especially as Tighe is so much a man “out of time “. 

The Night Vision suffers from having too much of a narrative agenda to get through and not enough pages with which to get it done throughly and with all the storylines well developed. 

Sterling has offered up fantastic content and ideas here. So much to think about and take into consideration. Just the idea of the emergence of a new god, its evolution and what it means for the universe and other realities is mentioned here.How much control does that god have over its own creation? 

That’s just a small part of the story. 

The villain is barely a part of the book. Blink twice and you will miss him. A dramatic moment and what’s highly anticipated about it is glossed over, but it’s there. One sentence. 

This is a small narrative suitcase that’s bulging with all  important storyline things, the sides are separating as stuff is trying to fall out. But even more is needed. 

It ends on a sort of cliffhanger. Which will lead to an explosive start I’m sure to the next in the series. 

We’re on the journey of an evolution of a god that started with the first trilogy, now he’s gathering his set of warriors. 

I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

No, not one is a standalone story. 

Definitely recommend. But there’s many trigger warnings for multiple reasons. Read them. 

Great covers.

Cover art by @KillerLaurent

Moon Mysteries 1 – 3 (first series)

Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries sequel series)

Back in the Hunt #1

The Tides of March #2

Dead Air #3 

The Night Vision #4

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Night Vision: A Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder …

Blurb 

A vision of a corpse in a stream. A man with a heart too wild and a soul too pure for this world.

Parks Service investigator, Agent Silas Shelby, isn’t supposed to chase prophecies. But when an oracle named Tony shows him the skull of a man he’s never met, obsession takes hold. The trail leads him to Tighe Ossor—a descendant of ancient warrior-hunters hiding in the Appalachian wilds.

Tighe walked away from his brutal pack to live free, only to be hunted by a necromancer bent on power. To protect him, Silas must rely on anthropology professor Lennox MacIlwraith, Agent Nelson, and their magikal found family of witches, hellhounds, and medics.

Together, they must outwit dark sorcery before the oracle’s vision comes true. But with destiny, danger, and desire colliding, can Silas save a man fate has already marked for death?

The Night Vision can be read as a standalone but it includes numerous spoilers for the rest of the series and the original trilogy.

* [ inserting note of my own: imo not one of these complexly interwoven books can be read as a standalone story. Why this author and others seem to be adding this comment to blurbs for their series as a standardized note is puzzling, especially considering taken on their own merits, essentially all the characters foundation and the world building is lost without each others story ] 

Publisher

Bawdy Books

Publication date

November 20, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

201 pages

Review:  Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Selena ,with her dog, Copper, has fled an abusive relationship after the death of her mother. Broken and desperate with dollars to her name, she’s bought a train ticket and traveled days to a small desert town of Quartz Creek in search of an aunt she barely knows. 

Kingfisher’s novel pulls us immediately into the character of Selena, as it’s her voice that’s telling her story.  Quietly contained, tense, and worried as we watch through her eyes, her journey to a town so dry , so small that there’s nothing to see when she’s deposited at her final destination with her few belongings and gentle old lab, Copper. 

We’ve no idea exactly how broken Selena is or how horrific a relationship and past she’s fled. That is slowly revealed throughout the narrative as she starts to find her own way and new foundation in this quirky community. 

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher is a richly woven, beautifully written tale of a broken woman who finds in small dusty desert town full of secrets, small Gods both frightening and dangerous and some benign a refuge and home, along with a found family. People who are ready to support her, give her comfort and the space she needs to recover and develop her own strengths. 

It’s a remarkable journey. Full of humor, compassion, joy and yes, horror.  

All the characters are remarkable in their design and detail, human and otherwise.  The mythology and mystical elements are incredible. 

And I appreciate that even in the “horror “ aspect of this tale, there is a grey area attached to the “villain” here. Yes, its actions now are wrong but all the characters can see their origin came from a very different place.  I really like having a broader perspective on subjects like this. Nothing is ever black and white. 

T. Kingfisher  or author Ursula Vernon is a writer whose work is quietly thoughtful and insightful. Her love for this desert and its beauty is apparent here, it flows through the landscape of the narrative in every sentence. 

As does her approach to life and wildlife. Roadrunners are indeed far more than the cartoon characters would have you believe. Authors notes are a delight. Check them out. 

Highly recommended. Both author and book. 

Exquisite cover that carries major themes of the story.

Cover design by Logan Matthews Cover illustration by Tristan Elwell

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comSnake-Eater: Kingfisher, T.: 9781662525094

Blurb 

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author T. Kingfisher comes an enthralling contemporary fantasy seeped in horror about a woman trying to escape her past by moving to the remote US desert—only to find herself beholden to the wrath of a vengeful god.

With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new home: It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.