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Life after love banner

Spotlight and review of Life After Love, by Imogen Markwell-Tweed

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I’m trying something new, scary right? I’ve joined a blog tour. If all goes well I might do it again. So, things might look a little different on occasion. But the reviews are still written in the same manner, nothing is changing there. It’s just that now I get to include a lot of fun graphics and even a GIVEAWAY at the bottom. I’m super excited about that. Plus, I get to start a local-to-me author, and reading local authors is a special thrill for me. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Adam and Danny in Life After Love.

Life After Love
by Imogen Markwell-Tweed
Genre: Paranormal LGBTQ Romance

 

 

Adam and Danny are your average couple. Sure, Adam is a ghost — and then he’s not — and then he is again. And, yes, in between crafting lattes, Danny sometimes crafts spells. But other than that, they’re your typical couple — plus or minus a few grimoires. From ghostly best friends to husbands, Adam and Danny find a way to work through all of their troubles … even death.
Danny loves his new apartment, its stainless steel appliances, low crime rating, and proximity to his job that keeps him from having to take the bus. The only downside? The ghost that haunts it. When Danny reluctantly offers to share the space with Adam the Ghost, he thinks he’s signing up for an awkward roommate situation. Instead, Danny is faced with the very real possibility that Adam might be the love of his life — and that, at any moment, he might lose him forever.
**Only .99 cents!! **

Life After Love puts paid to the dictum of the “show, don’t tell.” The book is written in almost 100% tell, but it works. I mean really works. If you like Alexis Hall‘s use of feels or TJ Klune’s chanty-repetitiveness you will like Imogen Markwell-Tweed’s writing. 

Granted, it covers a lifetime in just over a hundred pages. So, it’s on the spare side. And I wasn’t surprised to learn, after reading it, that it was written in parts (maybe as a serial) before being compiled into this book. You feel it a little in the way some things are needlessly recapped. But the whole this is just so sweet (without being artificially saccharine) that it’s all forgivable. Well worth picking up.

Imogen Markwell-Tweed is a queer romance writer and editor based in St. Louis. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her dog, IMT can be found putting her media degrees to use by binge-watching trashy television. All of her stories promise queer protagonists, healthy relationships, and happily ever afters.

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
 
IMT Goodie Bag including: 
personalized note, Life After Love limited edition button,
 bonus short story, $10 Amazon gift card, and more!

 

blood demon

Book Review of Blood Demon (Demon Assassin Series, #1), by A.C. Wilds

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I picked up a copy of A.C. Wilds‘ Blood Demon through Booksprout.

Description from Goodreads:

Meh, not horrible, but awful shallow and not overly smooth. Anima far too easily accepts the word of Torque and turns her back on everything she’s ever known. And then goes straight to assuming/understanding a threat that hasn’t truly been explained to her. The plot hardly hangs together in a followable fashion, leaping from one event to another. I felt NO tension in Anima and Torque’s ‘romance.’ And the whole thing ends on a cliffhanger.

It’s readable and I imagine those who are into demon kings and motorcycle club presidents and magical assassins and fallen angels (yes, we have all of those included here) might like it. But it was not a winner for me personally.

Review:

Meh, not horrible, but awful shallow and not overly smooth. Anima far too easily accepts the word of Torque and turns her back on everything she’s ever known. And then goes straight to assuming/understanding a threat that hasn’t truly been explained to her. The plot hardly hangs together in a followable fashion, leaping from one event to another. I felt NO tension in Anima and Torque’s ‘romance.’ And the whole thing ends on a cliffhanger.

It’s readable and I imagine those who are into demon kings and motorcycle club presidents and magical assassins and fallen angels (yes, we have all of those included here) might like it. But it was not a winner for me personally.

the order of the dragon

Review of The Order of the Dragon, by Scerina Elizabeth Rose

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I received an Audible code for a copy of  The Order of the Dragon, by Scerina Elizabeth Rose & Rhiannon Jayne. It was narrated by Michelle Jones.

Description from Goodreads:
“What if all the stories you heard about the infamous monster name Dracula were all lies? What if there was another side to the story that no one even knew of, a side where he was not a monster but in fact a savior? What if he was a vampire who had a soul? What if the monster had a heart and yearned to be loved? The story am about to tell, is the real story of Vlad Tepes and how he came to be this infamous so-called monster called “Dracula”, that everyone most feared. And I promise once am finish with this story, you will view him in a whole new light with a whole new respect and love. ” ~ Mina Murray ~

How far would you go to find a cure for an illness that could take your life at any moment that was incurable?

Would you sell your soul to the very Devil himself to prolong your precious life?

And at what cost are you willing to pay for such a priceless gift?

A secret society of the very wealthy and powerful of London, England who are terminally ill and would do just about ANYTHING for a cure for their illness. Including selling their soul to the very Devil himself, Dracula.

This is a version of the classic horror tale of Dracula but with a different twist. Retold with a different perspective on mortality and immortality.

What path are you willing to take when it comes to your mortality and soul? The right path or the wrong path. And would the choice ultimately be worth it in the end.

Review:
Bad, just really really BAD!

Please, authors, if you want to write in modern vernacular just go ahead and write in modern times. It DOES NOT WORK to write modern dialogue and narration in the 1800s! And even if that wasn’t true, the writing here is just sloppy. There are a ton of repeat words. Things like the word coffin being used three times in the same paragraph. The sex scenes are so cringe-worthy I fast-forwarded through them. And the plot is super inconsistent. There’s a twist at the end that just doesn’t work; it so contradicts everything up to that point. The audiobook narration isn’t all that great either, though it does improve as the book goes along. If I hadn’t been listening to it in order to get through folding a GIANT pile of laundry I’d have DNFed this for sure.