Tag: LGBTGIA urban fantasy fiction

Review: Gale (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 2) by Jennifer Cody

Rating: 4.75🌈

Hammer and Fist is a two-part series by Jennifer Cody that’s mind boggling in structure, absolutely labyrinthine in its creative threads and fantastically complex world building and characterizations.

As of now the author is alternating between the two connected series , Lexatalion and Geminatus, and their characters/arcs. But from the events in each series second books, I expect that’s about to change with the stories that will follow as the major threats and threads feel like they’re about to converge.

But first the extraordinary events that have occurred here in Gale: Geminatus Book Two. The titles, like the characters themselves, are so multifaceted and complex. Not a complete Geminatus, a single being with two physical avatars that function almost in sync with each other, the title character here is not only partially Geminatus, but also human, and demon, as well as Fae origin, although exactly how he came into being is as yet unclear. But his demonic origins are known with each of his individually functioning avatars, Hunter and Ranger, containing certain elemental magical powers. One the Inferno of the first book, the second the Gale of this story.

Honestly, the storylines are far too complex, the character development and ideas behind them equally complicated and wildly compelling that’s it’s impossible for a review to cover the important aspects of this element. Especially as , per the cliffhanger at the end, Cody is further enlarging on exactly what might be the roles of the avatars within this Geminatus.

Mind blowing.

We do get to see one of the “off page events “ from Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2) occur here and mentions of the magical occurrences that will shape both series going forward.

But there’s plenty of mystery, horror, death, and bodies here for everyone to deal with. It’s part of what Hunter had been dealing with since his teenage years in town as well as part of a larger investigation.

How Cody pulls both together is brutal, exciting,and full of suspense.

There’s lots of action, surprises, and some twists and tons of anxiety for the future. I can’t wait for the next books to arrive.

Apparently, via author’s note, it’s looking like at least two more books will be coming each to finish this off. Maybe more. I can believe it. So beautifully complex and getting even more so.

I’m highly recommending this but read them in alternating order ( the first book ones, then both book two’s) from the beginning otherwise you’ll be lost.

Hammer and Fist Series

✓ Sledge and Claw (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 1)

✓ Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2)

✓ Inferno (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 1)

✓ Gale (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 2)

Buy Links:

Gale (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 2)

Blurb:

Ranger/Hunter:

After nearly losing an avatar, I’m ready to sign on with IDIA, the Interdimensional Immigration Agency. I need their resources to figure out what the hell is happening to my town. Townsend keeps attracting rogue non-humans and other extraterrestrials, and I’m half convinced it’s ritual sacrifice, but who would bring people here to die? And am I being used to kill these people, or is it happenstance that I’m the one defending Townsend from the violent non-humans?

As I get closer to answers, mysteries and portals pop up and someone starts targeting the people I care about. I’m not usually known for losing my patience, but if these people want to fuck around, they’re going to find out what happens when they do. With the help of my new friends in the agency and the trainer they’ve assigned me, I’ll find out who’s threatening the people under my protection, and when I do, they’re going to regret going up against a prince of hell. I might look like a Geminatus, but I’m so much more than that.

Gale is a 68k word Urban Fantasy with darker themes including dark magic, murder, gore, mutilation, ritual sacrifice, and suicide. Mild cliffhangers happen in UF and this books isn’t an exception

Review: The Hound of the Burgervilles (Quest Investigations #2 ) by E.J. Russell

Rating: 4.75🌈

The Hound of the Burgervilles was such excellent fun! A total non-stop madcap romp fest of a urban fantasy murder mystery.

How’s that for throwing in the narrative trope sink! There’s a hint of romance but it’s really a backseat story line to all the other plots running about hither and yon here in and out of Fae lands.

The Hound of the Burgervilles picks up closely after the events of Five Dead Herrings, the novel that launched this series.

Now Quest Investigations has two new employees added to the payroll since the deeds of book one. That would be Eleri, the dryad who’s now an investigator and Matt Steinitz, aka Hugh Mann’s BFF. Jordan, the ever lovable, overly energetic and accident prone young werewolf.

Jordan, a fav character of mine, has become Quest’s new, well only, intern. Probably just to save the coffee shop they like where he recently worked from anymore acts of accidental destruction. Here Jordan’s character starts to show real emotional growth. And tbh, I’m not sure I’m ready for him to outgrow his “golden retriever’ stage . Ah well.

Matt’s love life is still on hold primarily because Brody’s husband has disappeared and is needed to sever their Fae marital bond.

But more dire happenings intrude … a murder or more to investigate. Loose doggies, and a hellish quest! All described through this author’s uniquely vibrant and imaginative writing.

Russell keeps the remarkable characters hopping to a labyrinthine plot that’s cements our interest to every page and scene as it occurs.

I mean glued!

Even if we have good clues as to who dunnit HOW they did it is still a even bigger problem. And a rabbit hole we and all the characters end up following or is it falling into?

Either way… it’s a quick paced, high action, plot full of complexity and great characters and multiple storylines.

And while this story perfectly ends this mystery, it sets the stage for the next in the series The Lady Under The Lake.

This should be rated 5 🌈 but it’s so interwoven with the Mythmatched series and characters that for those readers who haven’t read those stories, you’re missing a richness of layers here that makes this story and series so much more multi dimensional.

These books must be read in the order they were written. And for, imo, complete understanding and enjoyment, read in conjunction with the other series referenced above.

Plus they’re great novels too.

So yep, recommending this, that, and all of those!

Quest Investigations Series:

â—¦ Five Dead Herrings #1

â—¦ The Hound of the Burgervilles #2

â—¦ The Lady Under The Lake #3 – not yet released

The Hound of the Burgervilles

Synopsis:

This case is really going to the dogs…

After I try a little off-the-books interrogation to locate my selkie almost-boyfriend’s nearly-ex-husband (don’t ask, it’s complicated), I’m in the doghouse again with my bosses, who bust me back to surveillance. Ugh. So when another human inexplicably storms into Quest Investigations—something our security spells ought to prevent since I’m supposed to be the only human admitted to our offices—I’m reduced to staking out local fast food restaurants to check out the guy’s alleged sighting of a giant, glowing-eyed, dumpster-diving spectral hound.

Ridiculous, right? Humiliating, too, not to mention boring. But at least they didn’t fire me.

Imagine my surprise when there actually is a giant, glowing-eyed, dumpster-diving spectral hound—one of the Cwn Annwn, Herne the Hunter’s traitor-tracking dog pack, to be exact. Jeez, who let this dog out? It’s my case, though, so it’s up to me—Matt Steinitz, aka Hugh Mann—to return him to Faerie. But while Herne’s normally hopping kennels are inexplicably unpopulated by pups, they’re playing host to one extremely dead body.

Uh oh. Looks like someone’s bite was a lot worse than their bark.

Guess my love life will have to take a back seat again while we nose out the truth.

Dammit.

The Hound of the Burgervilles is the second in the Quest Investigations M/M mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no on-page sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance. The series is best read in order