I’ve read a couple of short books in the last couple of months and thought I’d share my reviews with you.

About the Book

What really lies beneath the waves?

Dive into our magical collection of short stories written by award-winning and up-and-coming authors and follow the ocean’s call.

Meet murderous kelpies, hear the mermaid’s song, find a kidnapped prince, and explore the beautiful underwater kingdoms. Befriend selkie royalty, break fearsome curses, and swoon as you fall in love.

This book is fully illustrated with sketches and stunning water colour by Helena Satterthwaite and Elena Shelest.

All profits go to Oceana to support their mission to protect the world’s oceans and promote sustainable fishing. 

See it on Goodreads.

My Review

This review is based on the short story “Daughter of the Selkie King” by Lyndsey Hall included in the book, “Enchanted Waters”.

A fast-paced, interesting story of a girl who had never known her father and had been haunted by rumours and bullying for possibly being part Selkie.

Her courage to try swimming after never have done it, her courage to confront her mother about her father, and her courage to go back to the water speaks of great change to come.

I liked the subtle social commentary – judging those not quite like oneself to be monsters.
A fun read with an ambivalent end.

*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.

About the Book

Constrained by the strict rules of vampire society, all Catherine can think of is falling in love.
When a charming noble asks her dance, all of her dreams start to come true. But as the daughter of a noble, Catherine has her duty to follow.
Can she follow her heart?

See it on Goodreads.

My Review

Catherine is a vampire debutante – with a cold father who only sees her as chattel. Unfortunately, she falls in love and gets “ruined” – so she can’t marry who her father wants her to, and being the cold vampire he is, he casts her out.

To know if Catherine will survive and return to her true love, one has to read the novel.

The story has some good points, feels like a Regency read (the romance era I enjoy), and is easy to read.

I’ll add the novel “Bite of the Past” to my TBR.

About the Book

They threw stones at her. She built an empire.

Abigail Davenport, magic wielder and descendent of Helios, survived death. Everything else should be easy, right? Not when she gets tricked into participating in the Underworld’s version of the Irish Harvest Games. Winning the games becomes not just life and death, but a matter of saving her soul.

While recruiting her friend, Quinn, to be the first Eastern Hemisphere Magistrate, Abigail and her partner, Lincoln, are trapped in the Underworld by Áine, Queen of the Fae. Forced to participate in the harvest games so she can leave the Underworld, Abigail receives help from an unlikely source, Myrddin. He is the basis of the ancient legends of Merlin, the great wizard. Abigail, a wielder of magic herself, is mesmerized by the great man, but he has secrets too. She has to decide if his help and affections are genuine or just another Fae trick.

She faces a self-absorbed queen, a death goddess and a distracted partner. While building the Foundation of the Agency, Abigail finds that if the foundation is to be solid, it must be built on a rock. She must become unbreakable as stone.

See it on Goodreads.

My Review

Great worldbuilding: Irish pantheon, Fae, Merlin, various other pantheons all seamlessly combined to create the fantastical world Abby traverses. Did I mention Merlin (Myrrdin)?

There’s a lot of backstory woven throughout so one feels like Abby has lived a big life even before the book starts.

Loads of magic, danger and heartache in this one. A good beginning to a series.

About the Book

Accused as witch, Eileen must flee for her life, leaving her village and true love behind. With her pursuers closing in, she chances across a strange black horse – but does she dare to pay the price of escape?

Fae Horse is a short story of 5k words (about 25 pages) in the traditional dark faerie tale style.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

An eerie tale of a young woman forced to flee for her life, only to end up bargaining with a puca – a fae horse.

A dark, thrilling read that readers of dark fantasy will love.

About the Book I’ve Read

*** Collected prize-winning and published short stories 1994 – 2013 ***

A couple break up on a rainy night; a woman finds comfort from eating lunch as her best friend lies in hospital; a runaway longs to go home; a teenager finds herself in an unlikely place.

There are over 7 billion people on Earth. We collide with just a handful of them throughout our lives, either by accident or design. Our story never ends, it just leads into the next.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

A collection of dark and twisty, melancholy short stories. I devoured them in one sitting!

About the Book I’ve Read

After Adelaide’s sisters vanish with the captain of the Fitcher’s Bird while she’s away at sea, she decides there are only two choices—rescue them or avenge them.

With poisons in her hems and the ghost of her mother “helping,” Adelaide sets out to marry the captain to get access to his ship.

This is a short adult story, highly influenced by the story of Bluebeard. 

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

An interesting take on “Fitcher’s Bird” with pirates, a wailing ghost and a kick-ass heroine.

An entertaining short story.

Have you read any of these books? Have you read anything by these authors?

*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*