Tag: author Cari Z

Review: The Tower (The Spell Saga: Book 2) by Cari Z

Rating: 4🌈

The Spell Saga continues with the The Tower, a book that , unlike The Train, starts to show how little or how flawed the world building is here.

While The Train’s plot and tight storylines were held to the constraints of a moving train, and the exposition was used to move forward the mystery there. Here the series arc, the characters background, even the very foundation of the nation’s rulers are highlighted and the lack of information is apparent.

Now whether this is by flaw or author’s choice I don’t know but it makes for a oddly murky, disconnected story because we keep trying to pull pieces of a puzzle together that just won’t fit.

Even the timeline seems off.

It appears to pickup weeks after the events on the train. Anton Seiber is soon to finish his Doctorate of Thaumaturgy, even though he just got there. That feels inordinately fast given his work to get there. And the high stature of the College and the students around him.

Anton is still got the highly dangerous , one of a kind, magical palimpsest that was used in making spells for the gun that never missed and knife that always killed.

Having Anton keep that never made sense but otherwise we wouldn’t have this book where he’s clearly the target of a killer who’s victims have all been young men who have resemblances to Anton.

Enter Lord Camille Lumière, the French Emperor’s spy. A man of rare talents, including that of missing a soul, he’s assigned to the murders and Anton.

Several issues should be addressed. If you haven’t read the first book (it’s a must for this), his soulless condition isn’t explained here. But it’s important arc element . His background is a mystery, is further enlarged with only the smallest of hints.

But it’s his relationship to Anton that is. They go from first attraction to full on sexual relationship here. But without the depth of partnership we saw and got to explore with them in The Train.

There’s so much narrative “traffic “ here that their partnership in investigating the crimes gets lost midway through. That’s the real heft here . The how’s, the why’s, the neat tools of thaumaturgy in investigating the murders and their minds working it out, that’s the fascination.

But it’s a criminal we could spot immediately, side characters we didn’t connect with, and more storylines added in that took us away from what I initially thought was the couple that we were focused on.

That’s a shame because there’s so many terrific ideas and themes here.

I’m definitely awaiting the next in the series The Tank. But I do wish this had lived up to the first book promise.

Still I’m recommending it. Read The Train and then The Tower before moving forward.

The Spell Saga series:

✓ The Train #1

✓ The Tower #2

◦ The Tank #3-October 25, 2022

The Tower: The Spell Saga: Book Two

Description:

Anton Seiber is on the cusp of finishing his Doctorate of Thaumaturgy, ready to leave university life behind and set out to make his own way in the world. His careful plans are interrupted by the arrival of Camille Lumière, the emperor’s investigator—and Anton’s lover.

Camille is in pursuit of a murderer, and needs Anton’s special talents to help track him down. Worse yet, the killer is targeting foreigners with magical abilities—men like Anton himself. If he and Camille don’t find him before he find Anton, his every plan for the future could be in jeopardy…not to mention his life.

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: The Train (The Spell Saga: Book 1) by Cari Z

Rating: 4.5🌈

What a exciting and suspenseful story! From the moment we dive into the harried life of young Anton Seiber, journeyman thaumaturge, we are plunged into a world of murder, spies, Royal espionage, and magical weaponry! On a train!

The Train (The Spell Saga: Book 1) by Cari Z has a nonstop fast action plot that’s rich with excellent characters, a multitude of themes, from those peoples wishing freedom from Royalty to dangerously magical weaponry and spells to imminent continental war. With a the hint of a romance as well.

Mystery, murder, and magic!

I’ll go ahead and throw in the mayhem that occurs when Anton Seiber misses his train to Zurich from a Paris layover. He’s got a hard earned scholarship to the Masters of Thaumaturgy program at the prestigious Universität Zürich and he must be there precisely on time or all will be lost.

So when the occasion arises where he assumes the identity of a man that will be traveling on the last train to get him there? He takes it.

Anton Seiber is such a fabulous character. He’s worked hard to become the best thaumaturge he can and you absolutely believe in his pursuit of knowledge and his magical abilities. He’s a vivid personality that makes you wonder what’s happening within his head, and heart!

The person to bring out the most confusing emotions and the best of his abilities is the French Emperor’s spy ,Lord Camille Lumière . It’s their joint investigations aboard the train, the murders and murderous attempts that keep this story rocking along at a fast pace . It also keeps us guessing as to who the next target is and where the danger is coming from. And are they ever going to kiss?

The Train and our heroes work through all the investigations to a highly satisfying ending that starts a hint of a romance for the series.

The Train leaves me in great anticipation for The Tower, coming out soon.

Until then, I’m highly recommending The Train, the first in this new series by Cari Z. It’s magical, suspenseful, murderous, and more entertaining then you can imagine!

The Spell Saga series:

✓ The Train #1

◦ The Tower #2 -October 11, 2022

◦ The Tank #3-October 25, 2022

The Train: The Spell Saga: Book Oneby Cari Z

Description:

Anton Seiber, journeyman thaumaturge, has finally escaped his dead-end job identifying bodies in the morgues of London. He’s off to seek a brighter future…or he would be, if he hadn’t just been robbed, mugged, and turned away from the only train that will help him reach that future on time.

A random meeting turns into a fight for his life and gifts Anton with two things: a knife that always kills whatever it stabs, and the chance to assume the identity of the man who just tried to kill him and board the train in his place.

He wasn’t counting on being found out by a lumière, one of the French emperor’s most powerful and intriguing spies. He wasn’t betting on a murder being committed on the train, or on being asked for his help identifying the culprits. He wasn’t asking to be drawn into a web of simmering insurrection, and he certainly didn’t want to find Lord Lumière so irresistible, but there’s no denying it.

Perhaps Anton will even tell him so…if he survives to the end of this journey.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Friendly Fire by Cari Z and Nick J. Russo (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I really enjoyed the narration of this audiobook by Nick J. Russo.  I say that up front because listening to the story unfold is always a different experience from reading the book, and in the hands of a talented and experienced narrator, an average or above average story can be even more enjoyable. That’s the case here as I set out to listen to what I thought would be an interesting story but turned out to be so much better than I expected. 

Elliot McKenzie is the CEO of a highly popular social media corporation, Charmed Life.  Ostensibly, it’s for those who want to learn from past mistakes and make their lives as good as their potential.  Against all odds, he’s succeeded, and on the surface one would think he’d be pretty full of himself, but Elliot is not like that.  He’s quite down to earth and he certainly relies heavily on his staff, including his assistant, Serena.  So when she finds out he’s been getting threats, she’s on him to call the cops—something he won’t do because his sister is running for DA for the second time around and she lost the first race because of his arrest on the eve of the last election.  He won’t let bad publicity affect her this time—under any circumstances—so Serena convinces him to hire her sister’s ex-husband, a former Army Ranger who now works for a security firm.

Lennox West suffers from severe PTSD, so much so, that he’s afraid to spend too much time with his teen daughter, leading to an even further estrangement with his ex and with his daughter.  He’s trying though—going to therapy and making an effort to hold a steady job and to spend brief periods of time with the young girl.  When he meets Elliot McKenzie, life as he knew it changes drastically.  Elliot is not what he seems to be on the outside and he captures Lennox’s attention and holds it. That the sparks are mutual leads to some pretty hot sex for the two and lays the foundation for a closeness that Lennox is certainly not used to.

When accidents and threats and outright attempts on Elliot’s life keep throwing the men together and the mystery gets heavier as it appears that more than one culprit is involved, the men risk losing their independence as they see they need each other.  Does it help that Elliot’s presence in his life seems to increase the time Lennox gets to spend with his daughter? Definitely. 

The story is highly enjoyable as told by Nick J. Russo who uses a deep, rough, slightly Southern accent for Lennox and a well-paced, business-like, professional tone for Elliot’s voice.  The women in the story don’t sound the least bit fake, and in fact, at times I forgot a man was doing their voices.  My enjoyment only increased as the mystery got more complex, the men got closer, Lennox got to spend more time with his daughter, and the threats and danger to Elliot escalated out of control.  My only downside was that the couple didn’t commit to a solid future together.  Possibly the author has plans to bring them back in a sequel, and that’s something I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing.  So though the guys are together at the end, I’d call it more of a HFN rather than a HEA—still good—just not where I wanted them. 

I definitely recommend this to those who like a murder mystery—in this case attempted murder—in a contemporary MM romance with well-rounded, interesting characters.  It’s likely obvious by now, but if I must say so outright, I highly recommend the audiobook version. 

~~~~~

Cover art by LC Chase depicts the rear view of a man holding a gun down at his side. Done in black on gray and with a smudged look—somewhat like a watercolor effect—the only part of the cover that stands out from a distance is the bright “fire” red title of the book.  I don’t think the cover adds any appeal at all and would not induce me to purchase it.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 8 hours and 5 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Audible.com Release Date: August 10, 2017
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B074N5PZCH

In the Spotlight: Suspicious Behavior (Bad Behavior #2) by LA Witt and Cari Z (Riptide Publishing Tour and Giveaway)

Suspicious Behavior (Bad Behavior #2) by L.A. Witt and Cari Z.
Riptide Publishing
Cover by: G.D. Leigh

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here at Riptide Publishing

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host L.A.Witt and Cari Z. on their Suspicious Behavior (Bad Behavior #2) Tour.  After checking out the story, be sure to enter the giveaway below.

♦︎

About Suspicious Behavior

 

Detective Darren Corliss is hanging by a thread. In between recovering from a near-fatal wound and returning to work at a hostile precinct, he’s struggling to help care for his ailing brother. His partner and boyfriend, Detective Andreas Ruffner, wants to help, but doesn’t know how. And with his own family crises brewing, Andreas is spread almost as thin as Darren.

 

For cops, though, life takes a backseat to the job. When a stack of unsolved homicides drops into their laps, Andreas and Darren think they’re unrelated cold cases. But when a connection surfaces, they find themselves on the tail of a prolific serial killer who’s about to strike again.

 

Except they’ve got nothing. No leads. No suspects. Just a pile of circumstantial evidence and a whole lot of hunches. Time is running out to stop the next murder—and to pull themselves back from their breaking points.

 

Available now from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/suspicious-behavior

About the Bad Behavior Series

 

It’s “hell no” at first sight for newly partnered detectives Andreas Ruffner and Darren Corliss. Darren is too chipper, Andreas is too gruff, and that whole “IA wants me to prove you’re a dirty cop” thing really doesn’t get them off on the right foot.

 

It doesn’t matter if they like each other. They’re partners and that’s final. Though Andreas is easy on the eyes. And Darren is kind of cute. And . . . okay, maybe they can make this work.

 

They’d better, because as their cases get more horrifying—and more personal—they’ll have to trust each other with their lives, and with their hearts.

 

Check out Bad Behavior! http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/series/bad-behavior

 

About Cari Z.

 

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She’s still climbing that ladder, but can’t stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

 

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get ‘im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there’s a lot of love to go around.

 

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

 

Connect with Cari at http://cari-z.net/  or via her blog, http://carizerotica.blogspot.com/

 

About L.A. Witt

 

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .

  1. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Suspicious Behavior, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and their choice in an ebook from each of Cari and L.A.’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 26, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

An Ali Audiobook Review: Where There’s Fire (Panopolis #2) by Cari Z. and Nick J. Russo (Narrator)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Making a name for myself as a Villain in Panopolis is hard work. Six months ago, my boyfriend broke me out of jail. Now he’s spending most of his time defending our turf against other Villains he accidentally freed along with me. And my new psychic powers are not only impossible to control, but they’re also giving me migraines.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. My skills are improving every day, and Raul—aka the Mad Bombardier—and I have never been happier. That is, until my first solo job is interrupted by a mysterious woman who tells me that Raul has been kidnapped by a ruthless new Villain. The only way to free him is to do a job for Maggot, a man with scary ideas and an even scarier superpower.

I can’t go to the cops or a Hero for help. Odds are they wouldn’t listen to me anyway. If I fail, Raul will be killed. If I succeed, we’ll both be bound to a man who’ll stop at nothing to put Panopolis on the path to civil war.

It looks like the only way to win is to take out the competition.
This entertaining story picks up six months after the last one ended. Edward is trying to get a handle on his new powers and he and Raul are living a quiet life. Edward is having some bad side effects to his power that he’s struggling with and he’s exploring how to make a name for himself as a villain. His first bank robbery goes awry and Raul is kidnapped by the worst villain they’ve encountered yet. His love for Raul forces Edward to step into the role he doesn’t think he’s ready for yet.

This was another really good read by this author. I think this series is so unique and creative. I love the world the author has made and I personally haven’t read anything like it before. The plot races along and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. In addition to the action you also get a sweet love story with a bit of sexy times thrown in. I highly recommend this fun series and I can’t wait for the next episode in Edward and Raul’s lives. 
This book was narrated by Nick J. Russo.  I felt like he did a great job with all of the voices.  I’ve listened to many books narrated by him over the years and he’s consistently good.
Cover by LC Chase:  I love the cover of this book, as well as the others in the series.  They are striking and they have a sort of comic book/graphic novel vibe to them, as do the plots of the books.
Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes
Audiobook Details:
Audiobook
Published April 18th 2017 (first published July 12th 2015)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesPanopolis #2