Martin Luther King, Jr., I Had A Dream speech, and This Coming Week In Reviews

It’s the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s speech on Wednesday and yesterday tens of thousands of people gathered to commemorate that momentous occassion and to remind the world that his dream still needs to be fulfilled. Racism still exists and we as a nation still have such a long way to go for all to be equal under the law and in each other’s eyes.

Just in time for his anniversary, the MLK statue on the memorial was “fixed” so that awful truncated version of MLK’s speech is now gone, That was just another example of how this man and his message is still misunderstood by some, in this case the Chinese artist and a group of architects responsible for that statue.. I am not a fan of that statue. To me it belongs in Tiananmen Square not Washington DC, it exemplifying the type of statuary so often seen in the communist nations. Where is the man of passion? Where is the man of fire and vision? I don’t see him in the statue but instead look to his speeches where he and his dream will live forever.

Martin Luther King’s “I Had A Dream” speech:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Now to the week ahead in book reviews. I have the second series from the Pulp Friction authors and a guest blog from Lee Brazil this week. I love these series and can’t wait to bring the third one to you the week after next. That will be the Triple Threat series by Laura Harner. I also have two books by authors who are always on my TBR list, Astrid Amara and Josephine Myles. Be sure to grab those up as well.

The weather is exquisite. Present are those clear blue early autumn skies that make you smile and stay outside until twilight falls. I heard my first flock of snow geese go trumpeting overhead last night, the first of many that signal an early fall. The whitetail deer herds are also reforming early. That would account for the over 15 of them in my neighbors yards last night. Did it make the terrors three crazy? Why, yes it did! As well as every other dog in the neighborhood. Almost time to start winter proofing my gardens but not just yet. I will enjoy them for a little longer. So its time to gather up my Kindle and my knitting (and of course the dogs) and head outside to enjoy the day. I hope you will enjoy yours too.

Monday, Aug. 26, 2013: Fifty Fifty Chances Are by Lee Brazil

Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013: Ghost of Chances Are by Lee Brazil

Wed., Aug. 28, 2013: Author Spotlight: Meet Lee Brazil

Thurs., Aug 29, 2013: Demolished by Astrid Amara

Friday, Aug. 30, 2013: Handle With Care by Josephine Myles

Sat., Aug. 31, 2013: A Summary of Scattered Thoughts August Reviews

Guest Interview: Meet Havan Fellows!

Good morning all! We (the pups and I) are welcoming Havan Fellows, author and creator of the extraordinary Wick Templeton and the Wicked’s Ways series, to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words this morning. Welcome, Havan. Here’s your cup of coffee, watch out for begging critters!. *shoos away the terrors three*.

Thank you so much for having me here today, Melanie. *looks around and sits on nice cushy couch* wow, it’s so different being here than just looking in. *pets the puppies jumping all around my ankles*

Oh thank you again…*sips coffee and smiles* now that is a good cup of brew. Hits the spot, you know? I guess I should introduce myself, my name is Havan Fellows and I get a personal high from telling tall tales. It’s a gift/curse—depending on who you talk to in my family. Because yes, my immediate family knows I write M/M fiction & romance (or depending how feisty I feel at the time erotic romance *winks*).

So what started me on the Wick Templeton bandwagon? It’s a simple story about how Wick came about – but one that is close to my heart.

Here’s how I first described Pulp Friction back in January when we went public:

PF is an exciting new venture that was born in that beautiful head of Laura Harner…one day she came to Tom Webb, Lee Brazil and me and said:

“Hey…what if we swung it this way? You know, have the edginess of some hard-as-nails men doing what they do—how they do it—and getting the things done. Sure there may not be a HEA right away (if ever)…but we’ll deliver the thrill of the quick read suspense with a splash of sexy! So come on…who wants to sha-wing it with me?”

Okay *blushes and ducks head*—that might not be what she said verbatim…but I was paraphrasing, honest! hehe

Um…yeah, silly as it sounds that little snippet describes PF practically perfectly (say that 5 times fast). Just about a year ago Laura came to us with an idea of doing shorts…in the old pulp fiction style.

We loved the idea immediately. It was something that would let us experience a different side of our writing. We brain stormed for days and nights – completely talking up the “what if” phase. Honestly I didn’t know if this would be a project that would take flight or not, but it was darn fun to dream about. 🙂

But the more we chatted the more it looked like this was gonna happen. I freaked! I wasn’t sure I was up to the challenge.

I sat there biting my fingernails wondering if I was in over my head. One of the things we all wanted to do was have “bad” good guys. Men who weren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty in order to help people.

Enter Wick Templeton…

I can’t tell you the exact moment that he smacked my ass and called me mama…he just suddenly was there. All these scenes popped into my head of things he did or would eventually do – it was crazy. I’d be working on book two and a phrase he wanted to use in book four would suddenly be running through my mind. (at that time I had no flipping idea what book four was about either *heads desk* lol)

Wick was all for breaking whatever law he had to – not necessarily in the name of justice, but because darn it, it amused. Yeah (insert tentative giggles here), some of the things he wanted me to write…um… Honestly, Wick didn’t share as much with me as I hoped he would. For every chapter I wrote I wondered what this man was up to, why he was spurred on to do what he did. An ex boyfriend calls—one he obviously didn’t mourn over losing—and he immediately jumped into action. No talk about payment, no sexual tension between them, no hostility or any of those things that might have popped up…just Wick doing what needs to be done.

Admirable right? Don’t build him a statue just yet, trust me…

Then, the guy he wouldn’t admit being attracted to called for help—but that wasn’t the pivotal point that got Wick up and moving. Some serial killer was offing people in his town…that wasn’t allowed. No matter how much Wick wanted to poke and prod at Ned (in so many ways too lol) it was the fact that innocent people were being hurt.

Oh yeah, and Wick doesn’t like keeping his nose in his own business…smh.

But how much of our noses will he allow poked into his business? Not fair is it? He holds everything so close to his chest that it’s really difficult to pry even small details away to share with the readers. Only in writing the third book did he share even more of himself with me…and holy shite was I floored!

You see, upon writing Wicked Incarceration, I was blessed with the knowledge of what the next two books afterwards would be. With each book Wick upped the game some, toed that line you might say, and plans to continue doing that – making all of us wonder what side of that line he will land on.

*stops and sips more coffee*

Sorry, you’ve just taken part in one of my ‘rambling’ modes. Those closest to me know I can go off and just start babbling without any rhyme or reason behind it…and unfortunately when I talk about Wick…well I can talk for hours about him as if he is a real person that I’m kinda in awe with.

There are just so many facets to him, and he’s only allowing me to show a little bit of them at a time. Nice to know he’s as much an ass with the author as he is with everyone in his books right? lol

My sister stated it best – you see, she’s had to hear non-stop about Wick since last September I believe. Over lunches, on the phone, in emails…heck I’ve even PM’d her on FB to plot points out. But she’s never actually read one of Wick’s books.

After reading some reviews for Wicked Solutions and Wicked Bindings she informed me that she was finally going to sit down and read the series. She stated “I don’t care if I know most of the story through you, I need to read and experience Wick for myself.”

My point is – I could sit here with you sipping this freaking fantastic coffee and babbling about Wick all night long. No seriously, I’m not just saying that I really could do it…lol

But that wouldn’t give you the true feel of Wick…he’s someone you have to experience first hand.

I want you to experience that…I want you to read Wicked’s Way and let me entertain you for a couple of hours. With that thought in mind and in honor of Melanie allowing me not only to visit but to not put a word count limit on me *blushes* if you hop over to All Romance e-books you will find the entire Wicked’s Way series on sale for 33% off the cover price!

Yep…your eyes do not deceive you…from today until Sunday midnight (Eastern time) all four of Wick’s books will be available for only $2 a piece. *winks*

Thank you Melanie for your hospitality and thank you everyone for actually reading to the bottom of this very long blog post lol…

Oh and by the way, would you like a parting hint about Wick five? Okay – the first hint about the next Wick book…

A man from Wick’s past knows Ned’s secrets and is after their future…Wicked Truths. (working title) 🙂

Thanks, Havan, for stopping by. As you all know by now, I am crazy in love with this series and that wicked, wicked man, Wick Templeton. Yesterday, I posted the review for the latest release, Wicked Guidance.

For those of you new to the series, go back to the beginning and work your way forward. Really, its the only way to fly. Here are the books in the series to date in the order they were written and should be read:

Wicked Solutions (Wicked’s Way #01)
Wicked Bindings (Wicked’s Way #02)
Wicked Incarceration (Wicked’s Way #03)
Wicked Guidance (Wicked’s Way #04)

Your buy links here:

All Romance Wicked Solutions (Wicked’s Way #1), Wicked Bindings (Wicked’s Way #2), Wicked Incarceration (Wicked’s Way #3), Wicked Guidance (Wicked’s Way #4)

Review: Wicked Guidance (Wicked’s Way #04) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Series Rating: 5 stars out of 5

It’s not every day that a pickpocket steals the wallet out of Wick Templeton’s jeans. And for Wick Templeton, it means he has to chase that unlucky thief down to retrieve his wallet and phone. But the thief he catches is just a child, and a smart-mouthed one at that. For Wick it’s like looking at a mirror, a small Wick mini me, all dirty, thin and full of sass. And that’s just the start of the trouble, all four feet of it. It seems that someone wants the kid out of the way – permanently. Several fired shots later and Wicked is pissed. No one is going to hurt this kid. Its time for Wick to do what he does best, investigate, threaten and create total chaos.

And if one gorgeous, sexy Ned Harris turns up to meddle in the case, well no one, including Wick would be surprised. Who is after Wick’s little 11 year old companion? And what is the deal with Ned Harris this time? With a little wicked guidance, Wick will see his mini me safe and the criminals behind the threats in jail or dead. It’s all in a days work for Wick Templeton, a law unto himself. And with a twerp to protect, those hunting the boy had better run, and run fast, for the most wicked of them all is on their trail and judgement day is coming.

With Wicked Guidance, one more piece of the puzzle that is Wick Templeton is revealed and fitted into place. With all the other stories, we have seen Wick’s intelligence, his ultra competency, his meticulous planning and control at work. We have watched him smart mouth villains and outsmart the law. He’s been witty, and sexy and dangerous. But we haven’t seen him really care about someone…until now. Sure we know he is a loyal and trusted friend to a small group of people and that his clients can trust him implicitly when it comes to their cases. But a softer side, ok, Wick’s type of softer side has been missing until a young boy steals his wallet.

With the creation of Kyle, pickpocket and twerp extraordinaire, Havan Fellows delivers another facet to Wick Templeton’ character. Kyle is a true eleven year old in every way. Defiant, smug, mouthy, and full of fire, it’s no wonder that Wick looks at the kid and sees himself. Fellows does a beautiful job in giving us a miniature Wick while still keeping Kyle believable as a tween out on the streets. But Kyle is also in deep trouble with the vulnerability of the young that cries out for protection. Kyle is just a terrific character and his interaction with Wick reveals more of Wick than we have seen in the other stories, starting from the moment Wick chases him down.

He tapped the handy dandy earpiece again then eyed his current problem. “Tried infers that you attempted something and failed.” He waved the wallet and phone in front of the brat before slipping them securely back in his pocket. “You attempted and failed.”

The kid humphed at him. “You gonna call the cops?”

“Why? They can’t protect you from me.”

The thief’s eyes widened for a brief second before he slumped his shoulders in defeat. “I’m real sorry, mister. I just was so hungry.” He rubbed his hand over his stomach for good measure. “I’ve learned my lesson and won’t do it again. Promise.”

Wick scored him a ten for his acting chops. He stepped back and took in the whole picture the kid presented. His blond hair teased the line of medium brown due to its oily matted down appearance, and Wick was sure there was a pale complexion on that face somewhere—if he Brillo padded through the dirt to find it. The bright hazel eyes that shone through the mess held intelligence and fire, defiance at its best. The twerp’s clothes matched the rest of him, filthy beyond any washing machine’s help, with holes in places that never qualified as cool. They hung loosely on his bony frame, as if at one time they fit properly but, with the boy’s new restrictive diet, had become too big too fast for him.

And that’s just the exchange I can quote. The rest is both hysterically funny and perfectly authentic, especially the words coming out of Kyle’s mouth. And all the more heartbreaking for all the sarcasm and bleak point of view in someone so young. And you can see why this youngster appeals to every protective instinct that Wick has. For me, it’s the most fulfilling and heartwarming relationship of Wick’s to date, his lustmance with Ned aside. Trust me when I say the reader is absolutely emotionally involved in this boy and his future.

As with all the stories, we have a mystery to solve, and it’s a huge one. Someone is trying to kill Kyle. Havan Fellows has drawn us in, first with the introduction to Kyle, than with the developing relationship with Wick and finally with the threat to Kyle’s life. We worry about the threat and we fear for his future, even while being assured that he is safe with the one person in the world who can protect him….Wick Templeton. The author craftily sends us on an emotional rollercoaster of a ride, from laugher to fright back to laughter and than back down to dead fear once more. It’s a true E Ticket ride (google it), one you won’t want to get off.

This is also the story where we see that the tenuous lustmance between Wick and Ned is finally turning into something deeper. Oh, there is still scores of questions to be answered about both of their background and in Ned’s case, current employment. But a deeper connection between the men has formed, and while the sex is still hot and spicy, an element of caring has arrived in the mixture too. I love that Fellows is making this a slow build to something real and perhaps lasting. We aren’t there yet, but the glimpses she gives us makes us want more.

Wicked Guidance is my favorite book of the Wicked’s Ways series to date. Havan Fellows has written a story that combines all the ingredients for the classic story you constantly reread. It flows smoothly from beginning to end, it has laughter, it has wit, it has memorable characters, a mystery and sex appeal. And with the inclusion of Kyle, Wicked’s Way and Wick Templeton gain a measure of heartbreak and warmth as well. By the end of the book, I felt like that little boy Joey who calls out “Shane, come back!” at the end of that classic western. I wanted more…much, much more of Wick, of Kyle, of Ned….just plain everyone. I think you will feel that way too. Here is a little something more to wet your appetite:

Wick learned a long time ago that if you just gave a little nudge, a simple word or two, chances of someone talking raised significantly. It felt like he wanted to talk. Maybe he needed a reason to.

He fell in step with the kid and mimicked him as he started kicking the little pebbles out of the way. They walked the duration of the path this way, quietly kicking stones, matching strides with each other. It meant Wick had to shorten his step a bit, but that didn’t cause a problem, neither did the silence. Wick was one of those that could hold his tongue for however long it took to get what he wanted.

Thankfully for us, he won’t have to wait long. Soon he and the readers will get what we want. So run, don’t walk, and pick up this series. Start with the first in line, Wicked Solutions and work your way through to the last story released so far, Wicked Guidance. I read them completely through in one sitting and then did it again. Thank goodness, Havan Fellows has promised to deliver more Wicked’s Ways and Wick Templeton in the future. I can’t wait until I make their acquaintance once more and get caught up in their lives and investigations.

Here are the books in the Wicked’s Way series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and the events that follow:

Wicked Solutions (Wicked’s Way #01)
Wicked Bindings (Wicked’s Way #02)
Wicked Incarceration (Wicked’s Way #03)
Wicked Guidance (Wicked’s Way #04)

Cover art by Laura Warner. Nice job of branding the series, but I consider the design a missed opportunity to design something along the lines of the original pulp fiction novels. This series cries out for more.

Book Details:

Published July 14th 2013 by Appleton Publishing Avenue

series Wicked’s Way #04

Review: Wicked Incarceration (Wicked’s Way #03) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Series Rating: 5 stars out of 5

It was almost a guarantee that Wick Templeton would end up in prison one day, at least thats what the local wisdom said. True insiders knew that if Wick Templeton is walking through the prison gates, all the inmates should run and hide for the devil’s at their door and knocking to get in. With a wicked smile and a knowing smirk, Wick Templeton is being incarcerated. So why is he so pleased?

It seems that inmates are disappearing only to resurface drooling at the local funny farm. Who is behind the disappearances and what could be their motive? Wick Templeton is there to find out and if he has to become the king of the cellblock to do that, he will. So run, you criminals, run while you can. The most wicked of them all has been incarcerated and trouble has walked through the gates.

Wicked Incarceration, book 3 of Wicked’s Ways, has landed and my love affair with all things Wicked has deepened into addiction. How I love this wicked, wicked man! Once more we are thrown into the middle of an investigation of Wick Templeton’s. This time, it is a case of a disappearing ex boyfriend of a new client of Wick’s. That the boyfriend turned up a drooling mess in a psychiatric ward is shock because the guy was sent off to prison and should still be there. It makes perfect sense for Wick to investigate from inside the prison, at least that is the course that Havan Fellows takes to our absolute delight.

With delicious disregard for the bonds that rules and regulations lay on most men, Wick Templeton flows through the prison corridors like the devil’s own enforcer, a dangerous wiseguy in orange. As created by Havan Fellows, Wick has more hidden depths to him than the Carlsbad Caverns and navigating through to the truth about Wick Templeton can get just as tricky. With friends and foe at his beck and call, Wick Templeton is always the dominant force in every situation, evens when it seems to be a hopeless mess. Here is a taste of an incarcerated Wick:

He heard Banyu’s exaggerated sigh and smiled. That boy really thought he’d be able to instill proper phone etiquette in Wick.

“Hello, Wick, how are you doing today?”

“I’m in jail, how the hell am I supposed to be doing?”

Banyu laughed over the line. “You put yourself in jail. You can’t use that as an excuse for being a sourpuss.”

Wick straightened and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I thought we knew each other. Hello, my name is Wick Templeton. I’m an Aries, I enjoy long walks over fiery sandlots with broken shells cutting into my feet and smelly water creeping up to me, also putting on false happy faces when stupid people do stupid things that others consider cute. And did you just call me a puss?”

“Um…no?

Good answer. That’s Banyu, Wick’s go to IT genius. Banyu is at it again, assisting Wick on his investigations. Banya is another wonderful character among the small group of characters you will meet in this series that orbit around our man Wick. Another is, of course, Ned Harris., our local law enforcement enigma who is not only hot but hot on Wick’s trail once more. But is it Wick or the case, Ned is interested in? Wicked Incarceration brings the hint of romance or perhaps lustmance more fully into the picture here. It’s dangerous, and incredibly sexy. Just like the men involved.

Havan Fellows seems to specialize in questions with these characters, another of the joys of this series. We are still not sure of anyones true identity. Banyu is only heard over an earpiece. Who is Ned Harris? Who exactly is Wick Templeton? We are never quite sure, precariously balanced as Wick is between the law and the lawless. The author continues to keep us guessing even as we snicker and gasp at Wick’s escapades and intrigues. And they are many. We know he will pull the situation together and escape but how? And when will Ned pop up, to mess up Wick’s plan and confound us further? One thing I am sure of. We get a terrific little mystery and a joyfully, deliciously wicked path to journey on before the story will end.

Fellows’ narrative is an absolute treat. It flows swiftly, even lightly through the maze she has laid out for us and her characters. There is snark, witty lines and tons of trouble on every page. It’s just so much fun!

One more story to go, and it’s the best yet. But I truly adored Wicked Incarceration, read it twice in fact. So need a new addiction? Something to make your heart beat faster and your brain giggle? Meet Wick Templeton and crew in the Wicked’s Way series. Start with Wicked Solutions, then Wicked Bindings, and then Wicked Incarceration. You will love each and every one. They are short in length and large in character and feel. And you won’t ever want to put them down. As I said, one more to go and more promised from the author. I can’t wait. And neither will you.

Cover art by Laura Harner does an excellent job of branding the series. I only wish she had used elements of the old Pulp Fiction books on it as well, that was a missed opportunity here.

Here is the series in the order they were written to date:

Wicked Solutions (Wicked’s Ways #01)
Wicked Bindings (Wicked’s Ways #02)|
Wicked Incarceration (Wicked’s Ways #03)
Wicked Guidance (Wicked’s Ways #04)

Review: Wicked Bindings (Wicked’s Way #02) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 4.75 stars out 5

Series Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Wick Templeton, private investigator and all around pain in the ass, receives an email on his private account that only his friends have. The problem? It’s not from any of his friends, but from that enigma from his last case, Ned Harris. There is a serial killer on the loose, murdering prostitutes and both men are out to stop him. From Ned Harris’ point of view, it’s all about procedure and legality. For Wick Templeton? Not so much. Wick has always done things his way and Ned is about to find that out. As the two mens investigations intertwine, so does their interest in each other. Wick and Ned are playing head games with each other as the killer taunts them from behind a maze of clues.

Who will find the killer first? Or will the killer have the last laugh and turn the tables on Wick and Ned?

Wicked Bindings is the second installment in the Wicked’s Ways series, a series that just gets better by the book. We pick up shortly after Wicked Solutions ends. In that story, Ned and Wick part, each thinking they got their own way in the resolution of that case. As Ned leaves Wick’s office, Wick tells Ned:

“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Ned. Don’t begin a game you can’t finish.”

With these men, a threat is as good as a flirty come on and neither man is very good at resisting either one or each other. This is how it all starts again in Wicked Bindings:

Wick chuckled and turned back to his computer, tuning out his overnight guests’ babblings. He brought up his private email and his curiosity piqued once more; he didn’t recognize the sender. Since he didn’t use this email for anything except his closest friends, it never received any type of spam.

The subject line contained one three letter word: tag.

And with that one word, the game is on once more. There is an investigation into the deaths of several prostitutes that pulls both men in and now they have a murderer to catch. And there will be a clash or two as the sexual sparks fly and their methods of investigation collide on each side of the law.

Without consciously doing so, his hand moved the mouse and his finger depressed the left button when the pointer hovered over that small word.

“Want to come out and play with me again? If you are interested you’ll have to take a turn for the worse, but remain brave and don’t worry—I’ll protect you. Ned.”

So much attitude and characterization is packed into that piece of dialog. Havan Fellows has created two wonderful characters in Wick Templeton and Ned Harris. These men ooze vitality and sex appeal. They are witty with a love a gamesmanship that they deploy at every possible moment and the reader gets to come along and experience the fun and sometimes terror.

In each new book, the author uses the interpersonal interplay between Wick and Ned to reveal more of their characters and their history. Of the two, Ned continues to remain more of an enigma. Wick (and the reader) is not sure exactly what branch of the government Ned works for, and Ned continues his own personal investigation into Wick’s past and circle of friends. Through this approach, Fellows creates a level of tension between the men is not strictly sexual. Is Ned trustworthy? What is his real intensions towards Wick? Friend or foe? As their head games continue, the murder investigation adds another layer of tension and apprehension on top of the existing doubts about each other. It’s a delicious feeling and the reader can’t help but smile while cringing in dread as the men close in on the killer.

Havan Fellows does a tremendous job of creating a scene that contains comedy and terror, both occurring at the same time. It’s a wonderful ploy to keep the reader engaged at several levels. You are laughing even as you fear for the safety of two men you have come to love. And yes, I loved every minute of it. I admit it. I am addicted to Wick and his Wicked Ways. You will be too.

These are short stories, under 50 pages or so. And while these are quick reads, they all have the feel of a much longer story. The end is wrapped up nicely while still leaving us with a clue to the continuing growth in the relationship between Ned and Wick. The book did not leave me wanting, while the two men made me crave so much more. Like a certain food item, you can’t have just one. You want more, so much more.

Havan Fellows has promised that the mysteries will continue with more of Wick and Ned past these four books. That’s a promise to cheer about. If you are new to the series, start with the first book, Wicked Solutions and work your way forward.

Here are the books so far in the Wicked’s Ways series. Read them in the order they were written and released in order to understand the characters and the developing relationship:

Wicked Solutions (Wicked’s Way #01)

Wicked Bindings (Wicked’s Way #02)

Wicked Incarceration (Wicked’s Way #03)

Wicked Guidance (Wicked’s Way #04)

Cover art by Laura Harner does a good job of branding the series while losing the opportunity to make a great pulp fiction cover.

Book Details:

ebook

Published March 17th 2013 by Pulp Friction

ISBN13 HFPF000001

edition language English

series Wicked’s Ways

Review: Wicked Solutions (Wicked’s Ways #1) by Havan Fellows

Book Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Series Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Wick Templeton is an ex cop, and a man with a plan. Wick’s plan, as a private detective, is to take only the cases that interest him and only when he feels like making the effort. That’s what happens when an injury forces you to retire from the police force, you cop an attitude. Although if anyone was asked, it was an attitude you always had. When an ex boyfriend calls in need of his help, Wick decides a little wicked intervention is needed to protect the ex and solve the case. What he doesn’t figure on is an enigma called Ned Harris.

Friend or foe? Criminal or cop? Wick doesn’t know but he likes the way the man fills out his slacks. But Ned the puzzle is going to have to wait because there is a crime to solve and Wick is the man to do it.

What a great story and a delicious new addiction! Havan Fellows has created an over the top private eye, Wick Templeton, in an action-packed adventure series guaranteed to bring a smile to your face as well as quite a few snorts as Wick moves through an investigation like a devil with guns, knives and sarcastic comments to spare.

In the first story of the series, Wicked Solutions, we are introduced to Wick Templeton, a man who lives his life on his own terms and no one else’s. Here he is:

Wick Templeton had retired from the police force years ago when an injury to his left side kept a doctor from clearing him to do anything but paper pushing.

He wasn’t a paper pusher. He needed the action of the streets, his fingernails dirty to feel like he contributed. Otherwise he was mean as a bear, and not the type he preferred in his bed either.

So he made do with his own company, so he could do things his way and play by his rules. Technically he wasn’t a private investigator, though he did have his license, for legal purposes. No, he leaned more toward the title of problem solver, hence the name Wicked Solutions. Have a spouse cheating on you and require proof? Sure, he’d take the pics if his schedule permitted. Have an issue with an overly friendly person who pops up everywhere?

Wick would help out there also.

Here is a man in pure pulp fiction form and we love him for it. Wick is smart, crafty, and dominant in every way. Oh, and have I said sexy? He is that too. Wick has more layers to him than a puff pastry. And it seems that the more Fellows reveals about him, the more we understand that what we are given is just the “tip of the iceberg” as far as his character goes. And the mystery about Wick, and Ned, and all of the other people we meet is part of the delicious fun of this book and the series.

In each story, Wick is given a mystery to solve. In Wicked Solutions, it appears that an ex-boyfriend is being set up to take the fall for some illegal activities and needs Wick’s help to keep his job and prove his innocence. While Wick is not eager at first to help, when he does agree, he will do so by all means, legal or not. He has a small group of friends he trusts, including one who is an IT wiz. It’s such a giggle and a snort to watch as Wick goes about the business of offending and outsmarting all of those around him. I just loved it.

Havan Fellows writing is so well done here. The story flows smoothly, the dialog crisp and perfect for the characters, and the ending leaves one wanting more while still giving the mystery the resolution is deserves. Just a great job all around. There is an element of romance here but it builds slowly over the next four books. We see in this book only the interest between the men and the hint of what will follow. It really works as a neat tease for the rest of the series.

At 43 pages, it is a quick read. Far too short for my tastes because I just love this character. But it works at 43 pages, a true complete story. It also sets up the next book in the series, as does each book that follows. I have to admit I read them all in one sitting, grabbing each up like a bonbon and devouring them. You will want to as well. But you must start with this one and get a feel for Wick and all the wonderful, snarky adventures to follow. I can’t recommend this character and this series highly enough. You are going to love him too!

Wicked’s Ways series:

Wicked Solutions

Wicked Bindings

Wicked Incarceration

Wicked Guidance

Cover art by Laura Harner. The design works to brand the series but I wish it had been a little more “pulp fiction” in design.

Book Details:

ebook, 43 pages

Published January 15th 2013 by Appleton Publishing Avenue

ISBN13 9781937252342

edition language English

series Wicked’s Ways

Review: Dance Only for Me (Dance with the Devil #6) by Megan Derr

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Jackie Black, sorcerer and gunslinger, has a surprise for Roman, his lover of two years. Jackie has decided to move to the city to be closer to his boyfriend and makes a surprise trip to tell Roman the good news. But the surprise is on Jackie when he intrudes on a romantic evening Roman has planned with another man, a much younger man. Heartbroken and lacking a place to stay, Jackie heads out of Roman’s building and straight into trouble. In a bar in the poorer section of the city, Jackie is befriended by a man who claims to be a supernatural detective who needs help on a case. That case involves retrieving a magical object from someone who just might also be a killer.

Needing something to take his mind off his pain, Jackie agrees to help the detective and changes the course of his life forever. For nothing in Jackie’s life is as he wants it to be. His father is off somewhere in Asia, mourning the loss of his wife and Jackie’s mother, Jackie feels he is not made for love as his last three boyfriends have cheated on him, and his new found friend is dead, dying in his arms moments upon his return. What is Jackie to do but what a Black always does. Holster his guns and go get the person who done the crime, or crimes. He can only hope it won’t cost him his life as well.

If asked, I would be hard pressed to say which of Megan Derr’s fantasy universes is my favorite. but certainly her Dance with the Devil series would be in the top two. So you can imagine my delight upon hearing that her latest release was a return to that amazing universe and wondrous group of supernatural beings that inhabit it. Jackie Black and his father Jebadiah Black have appeared briefly in other stories but now Jackie is getting a central role in his own novel, Dance Only for Me (Dance with the Devil #6). And I have to say I loved it. It had everything I have come to expect from Megan Derr and this terrific series.

Jackie Black is an oddity in his world, an amazing thing to say given the creatures that roam the streets and bars of the City. He is over 70 years old, a sorcerer who wears a Stetson, cowboy boots, duster and uses magical revolvers of the old West to take down miscreants, human and non human alike. Thin as a whippet, “whipcord” thin as his mother would say, Jackie is a bit of an anachronism, just like his father. He speaks in the dulcet well mannered tones of a Sheriff in the old West, polite even when aiming his six shooters to kill, This is our first introduction to him and his story:

Jackie caught the goblin right square between its crazy ass eyes and sighed as the fool thing dropped like a sack of flour to the warehouse floor. He holstered his revolver in a single, smooth move and touched the brim of his hat to the cluster of goblins huddled in the corner. “Ma’am,” he said to the one at the head of the pack, who had hired him to do something about a goblin that had tipped from average goblin crazy to crazier than a pack of elves gone drunk and frisky.

He walked over to the body to make certain it was dead and wrinkled his nose at the smell wafting off it. He’d caught whiffs of it before, but now the thing was holding still it was a sight easier to catch. “Poor thing’s mind done been scrambled like eggs at Sunday brunch.” He tipped his hat back to look up at the head goblin as she approached him. “Ain’t got a clue how he was poisoned, but I were you, ma’am, I’d be checking right careful for a traitor in your midst. This sort of thing is near always personal.”

I loved the dialog that Derr has written for Jackie. It is so easy to picture him, a spare man of honor, like Gary Cooper in High Noon (google it). In fact, I loved everything about Jackie, from his background and family life to his current painful predicament as a discarded lover who thinks he will never find the person/being right for him. His singular code of honor drives his actions as well as his relationships. And people are drawn to him whether he likes it or not. The many layers to Jackie will draw in the reader as well, we just can’t help it!

Typical of Derr, it’s not just Jackie who is beautifully characterized but all the beings/people created for the story as well. Whether it be friend or foe, everyone you will meet between these pages feel real. They have hidden agendas driven by greed, pain, or a need to set things right. They want love or friends or a family or all three. From a demon called Ned whose pain will make you cry to a young boy, Wyatt, whose dark past has made him older than his years, each and every one will cry out for your affection and attention. And they will deserve it. Especially Ned, Wyatt Thorne and a vampire necromancer, Phoenix Fairchild, each so memorable in their own way. I loved them too.

One of the charms of this series is that couples, people from previous books make appearances throughout the series. Sable Brennus and Christian are here, as is Ontoniel Desrosiers, Johnny and Grim, and even a dragon or three. Seeing them here just made me want to go back and start reading each of their books all over again. Megan Derr has such a wonderful imagination and her creativity just flows through this series like a river of magic. Every type of magic or wondrous being is included here. Angels, sorcerers, witches, goblins and alchemists, that’s just a start. There are werewolves, vampires, ghosts and golems too. They are all present and involved in Jackie’s life and story and we are so much the richer for it.

I came close to giving this story a 5 star rating but there was just a few too many errors here. Spelling errors, repetition problems and sentences like this one. “Hope your right, Sheriff.” Instead of “Hope you’re right, Sheriff”. An editor should have caught these common problems and didn’t. That brought the rating down which was a shame. Tighter editing and better proofreading would have made this story a perfect read.

Those issues aside, I absolutely recommend this story to every person who is a fantasy fan, who love mythical beings come to life and men who hunger after love even though their past has told them it only brings heartbreak. If you are new to the series, you can read this as a stand alone. But reading the other stories first make this a much richer and fulfilling adventure. I really hope that Megan Derr brings back Jackie, Ned and the rest for a followup adventure. They are all so deserving of it.

The Dance with the Devil series:

Dance with the Devil (Dance with the Devil, #1)

The Glass Coffin

Dance in the Dark (Dance with the Devil, #2)

Midnight (Dance with the Devil, #3)

Ruffskin (Dance with the Devil, #4)

Sword of the King (Dance with the Devil, #5)

Dance Only for Me (Dance with the Devil, #6)

Cover Art by London Burden. Great job in branding the series by cover but I wish it was a little lighter in tone so we can see the guns.

Book Details:

ebook, 236 pages

Published July 24th 2013 by Less Than Three Press LLC

original title Dance Only for Me

ISBN13 9781620040850

edition language English

url http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=490

series Dance with the Devil #6

A Touch of Fall and The Week In Reviews

So you know that certain color of blue that only appears in the fall skies? That is the color of the sky outside this morning. The air has a certain crispness about it, so foreign usually in August here in Maryland. The light is shining at a different angle, portending the coming fall and the promise of colder weather. I even heard a flock of Canada Geese this morning, honking as they flew overhead in the largest formation I have seen this year. What does it all mean? Probably nothing. But as I love autumn, I am sure that my step is a little lighter this morning and the dogs a little bouncier on this day that seems so full of anticipation.

So I will be gathering up knitting, Kindle, dogs and my coffee and heading outside to bask in the light of a fall to come. I cannot tarry inside for I know how fleeting such days are. Here is the week ahead in reviews and a mini rant on story resolutions.

Monday, Aug. 5, 2013: Dance Only For Me by Megan Derr

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013: Wicked Solutions #1 by Haven Fellows

Wed., Aug. 7, 2013: Faire Fugitive by Madeleine Ribbons

Thurs., Aug. 8, 2013: Wicked Bindings #2 by Haven Fellows

Friday, Aug. 9, 2013: The Beast Without by Christian Baines

Saturday, Aug 10, 2013: Wait? That Was The Ending? A Story Writing Mini Rant

Scattered Thoughts July 2013 Book Review Summary

Scattered Thoughts July 2013 Book Review Summary

It was an outstanding month with regard to books I read. So many great books and authors that it made this month a joy to be a reader and reviewer. And even more remarkable is that every one of the 5 star rated books were all part of a great series, whether it was a long established series or a series just getting started. Mary Calmes released her 7th book in her A Matter of Time series,, Missouri Dalton new Guidebook series promises to be an instant classic for young and old, Amy Lane made us weep as she finished up her beloved Promises series, and Kendall McKenna continued to prove she is one of the best military fiction writers I know with her third book in the Recon Diaries series. And that’s just the tip of the books read and reviewed this month. So many great stories, truly something for everyone.

All the reviews are linked. So take a look, see what story you might have missed or new author to add to your must read list. The bar has been set really high for August. Just saying.

July 2013 Book Review Summary
5 Star Rating:
Birds of a Feather (Bellingham Mysteries #5) by Nicole Kimberling (contemporary romance)
Forever Promised (Promises #4) by Amy Lane (contemporary romance)
Necromancy and You (Guidebooks #2) by Missouri Dalton (YA horror supernatural fiction)
Parting Shot (A Matter of Time #7) by Mary Calmes (contemporary romance)
The Final Line (Recon Diaries #3) by Kendall McKenna (contemporary romance)

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:
Attachment Strings (Jeff Woods Mystery #1) by Chris T. Kat (4 stars) (contemporary romance)
Fever Anthology by M. Rode (4 stars) (contemporary romance)
Grime and Punishment (The Brothers Grime #1) by Z.A. Maxfield (4.5 stars)(contemporary romance)
Son of a Gun by A.M. Riley (4 stars) (contemporary romance)
Sweet Young Thang (Theta Alpha Gamma #3) by Anne Tenino (4.25 stars)(contemporary romance)
The Curtis Reincarnation by Zathyn Priest (4.25 stars)(contemporary romance)
Vampirism and You (Guidebooks #1) by Missouri Dalton (4.75 stars) (YA horror supernatural)
Worlds Collide (Sanctuary #7) by R. J. Scott (4.75 stars)(contemporary romance)

3 to 3.75 Star Rating:
Bully For You by Catt Ford (3.75 stars) (contemporary romance)
Love On The East End by Lily Sawyer (3.5 stars)(contemporary romance)
Pick Up Men by L.C. Chase (3.75 stars) (contemporary romance)
Tattoo You by Willa Okati (3.75 stars) (contemporary romance)
The Heir Apparent by Tere Michaels (3.75 stars) (contemporary romance)
Waiting for Ty (Lovers and Friends #2) by Samantha Ann King (3 stars) (contemporary romance)

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:
Changing Planes by Karenna Colcroft (2 stars) (contemporary romance)

1 to 1.75 Star Rating:
Side Line by Ben Ryder (1.5 stars) (contemporary romance)

Review: Necromancy and You (Guidebook #02) by Missouri Dalton

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Alter (Al) Skelton is just like any other 15 year old who is obsessed with death. He has a purple and black bedroom full of skulls, walls decorated with Day of the Dead posters and a vent where he hides all his copies of Raising the Dead from Cemetery Comics. Shortly after his 15th birthday, Al sends away for a copy of Necromancy and You with a coupon out of the back of his Raising the Dead comic along with the box tops from three boxes of Count Chocula cereal. The book he receives in the mail is so much more than he expected. Instead of a paperback, Al gets a heavy leather bound book addressed to him and immediately his life starts to change dramatically.

From the moment Al starts to read the book, he realizes something is weird. The spells in the book are working for him as a disastrous incident in his science lab demonstrated. Al can raise the dead. Now he’s a boy with a plan and the ability to raise the dead. That plan? To raise his dead father and get his family back together. But so many obstacles block his path. The man his mother is dating is hateful and abusing, too bad he is also Al’s psychiatrist. An evil group called the Coalition operates a school for Necromancers and they will do everything in their power to bring Al into their fold. Suddenly Al’s world is full of ghouls, ghosts, vampires, and talking dead frogs. What’s a young budding necromancer to do when danger is all around him in a world turned more dark and scary than usual?

Missouri Dalton has created an instant classic for older teens and adults alike with Necromancy and You, the second story in the Guidebook series. Never have I been so enthralled by a young 15 year old like Al Skelton. As created by Dalton, Al is a brilliant, depressed social outcast, who lives for his Raising the Dead comics and memories of his old family life. His father died five years before when Al was 10, an event that happened while his dad was away on business so Al never got to say goodbye. Since then, his mother has turned cold and distant, spending all her time either at work or with her new boyfriend, a sadistic man who also happens to be Al’s psychiatrist. With his present life a nightmare, Al would like nothing better than his family back together again, happy and whole, an impossibility considering his dad is dead. If this description starts to conjure up visions of Harry Potter, then yes, there are similarities. But for me, I find Al Skelton far more interesting and quite a bit darker. He is also far more sarcastic and self aware than Harry seemed to be. But I guess that comes with being a Necromancer. albeit a budding one as well as being a bit of a smartmouth.

Dalton’s narrative is so clever, so enthralling and her main character so charismatic and appealing that the reader is pulled in instantly, immediately hooked on Dalton’s world building and Al’s life. Oh the life of a teenager at 15, it’s such a tough one. Hormones are raging, poised between child and adult, the world can be a harsh place, especially if that teenager is just a little different from everyone else. Dalton takes this truism and gives us a darker version. Al doesn’t just think everyone is out to get him, they really are. Lonely, upset and missing his father and the way his family used to be? That should sound familiar to any number of kids these days. And if the normal world is scary place for them, what would happen if you then find out that vampires, ghouls, zombies and ghosts are real and you are not quite human?

Lucky for us, we get to find out as Al goes from normal teen to powerful Necromancer and beyond. This is how it all starts:

When the package arrived, that clear crisp morning on the twenty-third of October, I knew it would be a good day. The package was green, vibrant and shiny, tied with black string. The address label was white with black letters that spelled my name.

Alter Skelton

215 Bridge Lane

Verity, IL 34055

It was a package I’d been waiting for seven weeks and three days. Waiting ever since I mailed in the coupon out of the back of Raising the Dead along with the box tops from three boxes of Count Chocula cereal. The ad had caught my attention immediately, gleaming on the slightly thicker glossy paper of the back cover, in bright green and black and white.

Learn to control the forces of life and death! This book will change your life!

I knew in a heartbeat I would do anything to get my hands on it. So despite my normal tendency toward not eating breakfast, I ate it. I also started to act less strange around my mother to decrease suspicion. And now, on a Saturday morning, I had my book.

I took the parcel immediately to my room. My mother was out shopping, so I had a good couple hours to peruse the book before shoving it behind the vent cover where I kept my issues of Raising the Dead and the pornographic magazine Tommy had foisted on me after his mother started cleaning his room again.

And then later on, once Al is safely in his room:

I cleared the detritus off of my bed, mostly clothes, and unwrapped the parcel.

The book was heavy, and as I tore away the paper, I noticed it was not the paperback copy I’d expected from the photo in the back of the comic. The cover, by the feel, was leather, black. On the very front there was incised decoration: bright green lines indented as a border around a white skull that felt and looked like bone. Over the skull, in silver lettering, was the title.

Necromancy and You!

Underneath the skull was a secondary title. From A to Zombie

There was no author listed. On the interior page was a notation.

A Stone House publication copyright 1344. Do not redistribute. Books sold without covers are considered stripped books; the house nor the author receives payment. Please refrain from purchasing stripped books.

And on the next page.

Welcome, young master! You have chosen to take the first step in a wonderful journey! Herein are the methods, practices, and rules of the way of Necromancy! Please read the entire first chapter thoroughly before proceeding to the Practical Applications to ensure safety!

Well. Safety was important. One wouldn’t want to raise anyone on accident or anything. No need to get the neighborhood riled with corpses walking about. Or skeletons. Or both.

No, secrecy was key here.

The neighbors were too nosy as it was. Then again, so was my mother.

And from the moment Al opens the book and begins to read, his journey (and ours) has started. There is no going back, not that he would want to of course, at least in the beginning. Al has a unique voice, it’s quirky, it self effacing and it definitely belongs to a teenager. It has just that right amount of young perspective and cluelessness while still sounding aware and confident. How I love this boy. Al is also remarkably resilient and he has to be. Because before him are so many unpleasant truths about his world and horrifying events to cope with that the ability to take such things in stride is necessary for his survival.

Along his journey he also meets a cadre of remarkable personalities and creatures, some friend, some foe, and some just well….we just don’t know where they stand. But all of them are exquisitely created. They team with life or unlife (!) as the case may be. Some are personalities that we have met already in Vampirism and You (Guidebook #01), including that m/m couple of foster vampire Duncan and 17 year old Louis. They loom large in Al’s future but more than that I won’t say. You will have to discover the details for yourself. All the characters involved are memorable, some charming, some chilling and several downright evil. But no matter what side they fall on, good or bad, they are all believable and realistic right down to the smallest detail.

Dalton moves her narrative along at a swift and smooth pace and you will want to scamper along with her, wanting to rush to see where the plot is taking Al and you next. But slow down, don’t miss any of the details, even the ones that seem so insignificant. There is so much layering here, of plot twists, relationship dynamics, family dynamics, young love (more on that later), the trials and tribulations of growing up….you name it and Missouri Dalton has incorporated it into her story. But Dalton does so effortlessly, her narrative never feeling jumbled up or dense. Really, this is an outstanding book in a remarkable series.

There are some things that should be noted. Necromancy and You as well as the Guidebook series are categorized as a YA book, a category I do agree with one limitation. I don’t feel it is appropriate for anyone under the age of 15 (Al’s age). While a kiss between the hero and heroine is the sexiest this gets, there are mild suggestive comments for the sexual activities of a few other couples. Nothing explicit, nothing even major, but its there. My limitations pertaining to age is more along the lines of the traumatic events that occur. Al is hurt numerous times and while we are spared the details, it happens and younger children might be upset. People die and there are other potentially violent scenes. They are necessary for the book and work beautifully within the narrative. Most of the violence is “off stage” as it were, but the emotional impact is huge. These events are as beautifully constructed as the rest of the story so yes, you will feel them just as Al does. This is an emotionally moving, heartfelt and heartrending story. It has the power to bring tears to your eyes even as they are rolling down our hero’s face.

In addition to giving us an intrepid young man, Dalton gives us an equally resourceful heroine. This is a minor romance happening within the storyline. Al is straight and there is a slight romance starting here. One that I suspect will grow over the course of the series, along with that of our m/m couple Louis and Duncan. Again, like every other teenage, young love finds a way, no matter your sexual preference. But this series is geared towards suspense and mystery of the supernatural kind. The romances that occur are secondary to the main focus of the series, a battle brewing against good and evil, that eternal conflict with surprising elements to each side. I wanted to order print copies immediately and go running along crowded sidewalks, passing them out and yelling at them to “read this book”!!!!! Teenagers, young adults, old adults, and everyone in between needs to read this book, invest themselves in the series.

As you may have guessed, I enthusiastically recommend this book and this series. I will leave you with a few thoughts from Al himself:

I just couldn’t take normal life seriously.

“Mr. Skelton, are you paying attention?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good, then you can complete the problem on the board.”

Do. Not. Kill.

That should not be anyone’s daily mantra.

While it may not be ours, I love that it is Al’s. Run, fly, do whatever you have to do, but get this book!

Here is the Guidebook stories in the order they were written:

Vampirism and You (Guidebook #01)

Necromancy and You (Guidebook #02)

Book Details:

ebook, 206 pages

Published July 3rd 2013 by Prizm Books

ISBN1610404939 (ISBN13: 9781610404938)

edition languageEnglish

urlhttp://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=3934

series Guidebook

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