get your mind out of the toilet...BM stands for
BIG MOUTH.
As you can see I really DO have a BIG MOUTH...which means I've got a lot to say...from time to time.
TODAY...I am gonna step up on my
soapbox and expound upon...
FANTASY.
I went on over to the
MUSE IT UP Bookstore and
MUSE IT HOT Bookstore to see what is winging its away in the Fantasy Skies above of...I trolled, trawled, and fluttered about until my mouth opened wide and I knew I HAD to yelp from the rafters about what I found.
If you LOVE fantasy,
put your feet up, grab your notebook, and be prepared to take notes.
Since it's Saturday AFTERNOON, let's start with Mainstream MIU Fantasy...
What's available for the avid lover of dragons,
werewolves,
pixies,
vampires,
gnomes,
elves,
leprechauns, and other
UNUSUAL fare?
I BM, decided I should tell you about books I'VE read in this genré...and can HIGHLY recommend...since I AM a BIG MOUTH,
Let's get started.
BEYOND YESTERDAY by L.J. Holmes. Can the wind prevent a person from escaping? Can a ghost from the past reach through the vagaries of time and shed light on the past? Can a video for Reba MacEntire's song FANCY propel a woman to face her disjointed past, and maybe move BEYOND YESTERDAY? This is a HAUNTING short story.
BILLY COOPER'S AWESOME NIGHTMARE by Penny Estelle. This is Book One in Ms. Estelle's powerful short story Series, aptly entitled...THE WICKWARE SAGAS. Ms Estelle wings Miss Wickware's students back in time to live the historical events they've been glossing over as HO-HUM stuff. I LOVE...OMG...DO I LOVE THIS SERIES! Each book is a MUST READ! You'll be surprised how much YOU'LL learn. DYNAMITE!!!!
BUMPED BACK IN TIME by Penny Estelle...This is Book Four in Ms. Estelle's amazing THE WICKWARE SAGAS. This series should be required reading for anyone and everyone who loves a good story.
CHANGE PARTNERS by James Hartley...A real Winner. Look at that cover...It makes you ask...are the couple GHOSTS? SHADOWS or something creepier?
DARK HEIRLOOM and DARK LIASON by J.D. Brown. How does one become a vampire? She's not undead, nor was she bitten...so how did Ema Marx become...well a FANGER? This is an intriguing series packed with fun, angst, and so much more.
DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGHAGE by LJ Holmes. Nion is a dragon back in the days of Camelot. He's the heat behind the formation of diamonds a joint enterprise between Camelot and the land of ice and snow Fridgeonia. Arthur's dead. The Knights are off in pursuit of The Holy Grail...and diamond production is down. Can Nion teach a champion who's allergic to armor, to rise up and reclaim the pipeline for diamonds again?
FLASH TO THE PAST by Penny Estelle...This is Book Three in Ms. Estelle's fantastic THE WICKWARE SAGAS. In this book Miss Wickware's students and we, the readers, are whisked back in time to Trenton...and George Washington's crossing and the Battle at Monmouth and Molly Pitcher. This is HISTORY at it's best. It comes alive in ways no history text book can compete with.
FORTUNAUS by James Hartley. James Hartley writes a LOT of powerful fantasy stories. In this one...the magic...believe it our not...is IN the box! How different is that?
GETTING AHEAD by Marion Sipe. Okay...this one was a little bit weird...but hey...a head of and by itself can be quite the fantasy experience...right?
HER LAST DAY by Kat Holmes and L.J. Holmes...Pompeii, August 24, 79 AD. Daria wakes to a life weighed down by her arranged marriage to a violent man, and the suspicion she's pregnant. It's a day like all the others since her husband bought her from her father in Rome and brought her to this hellish place called Pompeii. With Acteon, the slave her husband gave her as a wedding gift, and the man she trusts above all others, at her side, she visits the market place, the one friend she has who knows how truly bad her marriage is...and all of this is before...before Vesuvius erupts. Will Daria and Acteon make it out of Pompeii and survive? This is a very powerful short story.
HIDDEN by Kat Holmes...if you love vampires but are a little disgusted by the antiquated attitudes of male vamps being the power behind the FANGS, you're gonna love Kat's Hekate's Web Series.This is Book One: Lilith is a NEW vamp...made 30 years ago and kept in HIDING...But when she COMES OUT she's gonna show those male vamps more than a thing or two.I predict this series will become the next BEST VAMP Saga.
IN MY OWN SHADOW by Susan A. Royal...oh boy...this one has just about EVERYTHING! You've got banshees...(did I forget to mention them?) you've got vampyr, you've got Shadow Riders, one of my favorites, TIME PORTALS, and cities wafting by on clouds.
LAUNCHING SISTERS TO WITCH CAMP by LRS...This is a fun book...with a message...Be careful what you wish for! I loved, loved, loved it. A GREAT book for young and old at heart. It's sort of a witchy tale reminiscent of the old Gypsy tales.
LIFE WITH A FIRE-BREATHING GIRLFRIEND by Bryan Fields. OMG this was such a delightful read. I loved the fact that the dragon shifter in this story was FEMALE. That alone makes it a MUST READ. If you love dragons, but would like to see the shifter as a woman...OMG is this the read for you!
LIFE'S JOURNEY by L.J. Holmes. I've got to admit I fell in love with the cover for this one, done by the amazing Suzannah Safi. It is so ethereal and haunting. When her heart stops beating, her soul rises called by the spirit of her grandmother. Off she goes, reliving the many hills and valleys of the life she's just led...but can she return from this NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE...or should she stay and wait for her loved ones back there to die and join her here?
REVELATIONS by Julie Lynn Hayes...This isn't THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT...this brings a whole new dimension to Christ's life and that of Judas. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've read the last line.
RICHES TO RAGS by Penny Estelle...Book 5 in THE WICKWARE SAGA Series...I hadn't read or learned about the Orphan Train until I read this book. Ms. Estelle has such a vast knowledge of history and a glorious way of bringing it to life through her Time Traveling Series.
RIDE OF A LIFETIME by Penny Estelle. This is Book Two in Ms. Estelle's Powerful THE WICKWARE SAGAS. In this book Miss Wickware takes us back to the Revolutionary War and a ride that didn't get the press Paul Revere's did. AGAIN I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS SERIES!!
SEEKER by Kat Holmes. This is Book TWO in Kat's Hekate's Web Series. Lilith, our dynamo female vamp is off shopping...something she wasn't allowed to do for the thirty years Hekate kept her hiding while she cooked. In SEEKER, there's a dangerous orb hidden somewhere in the world the good vamps must find before the bad vamps. The manipulative goddess drops a scroll in their hands and commands them to unravel the clues in the scroll and find that orb. Atu, a general in the good vamps camp accepts the assignment and sets off to kidnap Edeline...a powerful psychic. This is an EXCELLENT second book for this amazing series.
TEEN ANGEL by James Hartley. I remember a song when I was a kid called TEEN ANGEL performed by Mark Dinning and Alex Murray in 1959. The song is about a teenage tragedy...a boy and his girlfriend are out for a ride when their car stalls on a railroad track. He tosses her to safety and becomes a TEEN ANGEL. In James' story our angel is a girl. She comes down from heaven assuming her boyfriend is still a teen, waiting for her to return...but that's not what she finds. What's a man to do when an angel returns certain she's your forever despite your wife and teen-aged daughter...oh and you got rid of you DA haircut ages ago?
THE BLUE OF HER HAIR, THE GOLD OF HER EYES by John B. Rosenman. There are books you read that have you cheering the hero/heroine so loudly when you finish it, you know you'll go back and reread it over and over again. THIS is such a book. There's a condition...is it a plague?...who knows, that Rachel has contracted. The medical world tells her euthanasia is the only option open to her...will she take it? And if she doesn't...what then? I LOVED this book and want to thank John for writing it. One day this will be a classic...and it couldn't happen too soon!
THE BOOK OF HELEN by Sherry G. Antonetti. Helen of Troy...is she a fantasy creature? Well, maybe, maybe not. She's certainly a figure of myth and legend, but under the deft guidance of Sherry G. Antonetti she's larger than legend. I learned so much about the Helen post Troy, post the death of her husband and the exile from Rhodes by her sons. Fantasy? Myth? Legend? More? This book is all of that!
THE CALLING OF MIKE MALONE by M.L. Archer. What do you do when the dad you thought long dead pops up and reveals he's a fallen angel who wants you to be the anti-Christ? You're in your twenties already successful with a dynamite girlfriend. Do you need this?
THE KING OF SILK by Joe D. Trent...What's a man to do when he wakes up in the 15th century? Joe Douglas Trent plops poor Michael smack dab in the middle of 15th century Italy. Talk about culture shock?
THE LYCAN MOON by S. Durham...Werewolves...S. Durham knows how to bring the furry ones to life and make you want to play Fur & Fangs. Dana Pierce is a successful columnist with an agenda. Calen Meer is a shifter who wants to keep his small town below everyone's radar. Who will win?
THE MINOTAUR by Chrystalla Thoma...Greek myth and legend comes alive in the capable hands of Greek author, Chrystalla Thoma. I'm an avid Chrystalla Thoma fan. She creates some of the most powerful short Greek tales I've ever read, and this one ranks right up there with the rest.
VENGEANCE IS SWEET by Jo Ramsey. I was first drawn to this book by its stellar cover done by Mike Zambrano, but then I read the blurb on the back cover and had to dive in. Omara is a demon of vengeance working for hell. Problem is, she likes to bend the rules from time to time..actually too often, so gets her demonic self placed on probation. LOVED this book. LOVED the premise, LOVED how Jo Ramsey weaves Omara's tale.
VERSES;THE LOST SONG by Janie Franz. Janie Franz has created an amazing world with her Bowdancer Series. Jan-nell, eleven summers ago, left her daughter with the sisterhood so she could live with Khrin and raise their son Bearin.Ms. Franz has created a civilization that reminds me so much of the Amazon women. It is rich in detail, bold in integrity, and heart enchantingly intense.
Time to move on to the Erotic Fantasy Stuff.
BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY WOLF by Kay Dee Royal...Werewolves..Ms. Royal knows how to spin the fur and make you long to howl at the moon..and maybe a hunk too. I read this book when it first came out back in 2010, and have reread it three times since. Which should tell you what a great story it is.
BLUE STREAKS by Pat Dale. One of the things I really hate about this book is Pat Dale passed on so can't give us new books to salivate over. However, at least he's left us a rich portfolio to tease and please us until we move on joining him up there. BLUE STREAKS is cleverly deceptive. You think you know where Pat is taking you, but you're wrong. LOVE Pat Dale's cunning twists and turns as he manipulates the space-time continuum like a candy maker manipulates taffy.
CRIMSON WATERS by Kat Holmes...Holy Moly...This is Book FOUR in Kat's GODS AT WORK SERIES...the gods from Olympus are among us...Poseidon...what that god can do with water should be packaged and sold to all women everywhere. When Poseidon orders the waters to bend to his will, wowee!
DANCES AT DAWN by Kat Holmes...Book Five in Kat's GODS AT WORK SERIES...Apollo is among us...and OMG to have the woman he loves he's willing to barter with THE FATES to give up his immortality and defy his Daddy Zeus...the King of the Gods, but even he is afraid of THE FATES!
HEART OF THE QUEEN by Kat Holmes...This is Book TWO in Kat's GODS AT WORK SERIES...Hera...she's been portrayed as a hate filled, vengeful queen...but now that she's among us, a gifted midwife, we learn her truth...and Boy Howdy does she have a lot of love in her.
FROZEN by Kat Holmes...Book One in the ARTICA LIGHTS Series. Artica is a land of perpetual cold with a queen, Awni, whose skin is so cold it is the source of execution for her people in Artica. Tichi is the one and only god. Awni is his chosen daughter...a daughter her loves. Awni is alone. No one can get close to her because to touch her skin is instant death. She cannot share her heart, her desires, her longings...or can she? Artica Lights swirl...one moment Artica is as it has always been...the next Brent swept into the snow swirls of the Lights lands in Artica. You will love the world Kat created. You'll love Tichi, Awni, Elric, and cheer for Brent.
IN DEATH'S ARMS by Kat Holmes...Book Three in her GODS AT WORK SERIES...Hades...when you see or hear that name, do you think...vicious...conniving...evil...? Me too...until I read this book. I want a Hades of my own!
LOVE AND CONSEQUENCES by Heather Kuehl...okay dokey...This is Book Two in A WHITE WOLF STORY Series...A white female wolf shifter. She's rare and so is her heart. Two women shifters, in love...can they beat the odds...especially since her parents, who destroy female/female lovers are coming to town?
LOVE POTION # 9.5 by Kat Holmes...Fairyland has gas...lots of it, thanks to the words uttered by a rather forgetful but powerful witch. The stinky town is up in arms. Husbands caught in the malodorous spell, are forced to sleep outside on the hard ground rather than in the comfort of their marital beds. Lucy Mixernight is working round the clock trying to find a potion to counter the stench...This is a funny, short, fantasy book and the first in Kat Holmes' TALES OF FAIRYLAND Series.
ONE NIGHT STUD by Kat Holmes and L.J. Holmes. He's a centaur who only has one night to find his one true love, and convince her to ride his stallion forever. This is a SHORT book rich in fantasy detail. If you love horses, how about trying centaurs? They know how to stamp their hooves and spread their manes.
REFLECTIONS OF ICE by Kat Holmes. Book Two in the ARTICA LIGHTS series. Elric retires to his...spartan room weary from another long day attending to his Queen. He adores Awni, raised her from infancy, but he longs for something he cannot name...until he looks into his mirror one night and sees the Lights...the Aritca Lights...and when they stop spinning and dazzling, a woman, a beautiful woman reflects back to him. This is a delicious sequel to Awni's story. I LOVED Kat's allowing Delia to proudly stand up and vanquish her demon. I also loved how Kat showed Elric's capacity for gentle respect. LOVE THIS SERIES!
SAVAGE SMOKE by Kay Dee Royal...he was the enemy, the rogue in Kay Dee's first book....STARING INTO THE EYES OF CHANCE...can he be redeemed?
STARING INTO THE EYES OF CHANCE by Kay Dee Royal...Chance is a shapeshifter...he's also a lotta hunky man. After thirty-four years of a passion-less marriage, Olivia learns at his funeral, her husband was really a HOUND DOG! Chance is a Lycan...cop...and more than a little drool worthy. Chance is drawn to Olivia's wild-life preserve because of of a murdering lycan. Murder, danger, and drop-your-drawers-now passion. PHEW can Kay Dee deliver the goods!
SUC-U by L.J. Holmes. She's a succubus working for Succubus United, the equivalent of a dream bordello...but when she's assigned Drake Phaeton...a man she intends to invade more deeply than JUST in his dreams.
SUC-U TOO by L.J. Holmes. Where the hell is Ambreaton Nightshade? She was supposed to switch with her tonight so she could go and see the new Kellany exhibition in New Hope, PA. Bre didn't come back after heading out to tease and please Drake Phaeton's dreams. Ballisma (BAL) Buster MUST go to the exhibition. She may be a succubus invading men's dreams with lust, and delicious seduction, but tonight all she wants is to be an art connoisseur.
THE OAK KING'S DAUGHTER by Emily Pikkasso. The Oak King...autumn's master is her father. She's expected to dance attendance on the sycophants brought into the realm to win her hand, but Dara has eyes ONLY for Tinne the new mage...and she means to have him no matter what!
THE PENDULUM SWINGS by L.J. Holmes...She was an Egyptian slave just seconds ago...before her owner's superior plunged his sword into her belly. Now she's here, inside the body of a hated blonde, married to a hunky guy who hates her, and mother to the adorable little girl she easily enchants. She's not Joanna, she's Siri. How will she convince the husband she's wed to in this world, she's worth hanging on to?
UNDER THE HUNTRESS MOON by Kat Holmes...Book Six in the GODS AT WORK Series...I first fell in love with this book when I saw the cover...isn't it great? Done by Karen Phillips, it's a work of art. Artemis...goddess of the hunt...expert with the bow, and owner of a nature and wilderness school as Diana Fox. A powerful story filled with deceit, grief, anger, and treachery. LOVED this one. (I want to be Artemis when I grow up!)
WHITE WOLF by Heather Kuehl. This is Book One in the White Wolf Tales Series. Kalia Seffmoyer is a rare albino werewolf...every alpha in the world wants her...and it doesn't matter what she wants...until the symbol shows up on the wrong werewolf mate.
WORKING UNDER COVERS by Kat Holmes. Book One in her GODS AT WORK Series...Aphrodite is among us running her very own computer dating service...but women are disappearing and the cops are watching. Will the goddess of love and the undercover investigator she's drawn to, find out why women are going missing from her ranks before dead bodies start showing up?
That's it for now...but BM Holmes will return and showcase OTHER books...like...maybe HORROR...or SCI-FI...or YOUNG ADULTS...Hmmm.
Until then...
