Hot New Reads in SF/Fan/Horror

 Hello again!  In this episode/blog I thought it'd be fun to talk about some new stuff without a specific subject (though I focused on the speculative fiction which is my fav, and also none of these will be teen titles. For those who worry, not all adult titles are explicit (though some are), some just weren't written for teens.  All titles were published in 2020 or 2021.

Here is the link to the podcast if you'd like to listen:

alchemy of genres

Of course these are "hot" according to my taste, and as usual I won't be mentioning books I didn't enjoy or finish because authors work hard on their books and I hate trashing something as personal as taste in books.  Yes, you can read reviews (in fact I encourage it); but ultimately, reviews are still a judgement based on your taste and your experiences......so all of this to say, you would likely make a whole different list if you were doing this, but this is my list and I hope you too enjoy some or all of the titles.

I am obsessed with Laurell K Hamilton books, so of course I had to read this as soon as it came out.  This was published in 2021.  Rafael is a character who has been around since the first book but hasn't really gotten a focused novel before this.  Rafael is the King of the Wererats (nationwide), and he is one of Anita Blake's designated "feeders" (meaning she can feed from the passion of their lovemaking).  He is hoping to be made one of her animals to call now that she has a rat in her personal menagerie (Anita isn't a shapeshifter but has many animals within her).  I won't spoil this, especially given how new it is; but it is a quick, fun read that really shows some hidden aspects of the wererat culture and shows growth in the relationship & understanding between Anita and Rafael.  So good!   Audiobook should be out soon (if it isn't already) and the person who narrates most of the Anita Blake books, Kimberly Alexis, is amazing.

This is a new author for me and a brand new book (pub 2021)  This is a suspense/mystery book that I really enjoyed.  Noah is an FBI agent and Cole is an FBI profiler but neither of them know that when they meet in Vegas.  Noah has been in the closet his whole life (he's 40), and he isn't sure he really is gay....so after an FBI convention panel he sneaks out to see if he really likes guys.  He isn't really expecting much, but he meets Cole and sparks fly.  They have one night and make plans for the rest of the time Noah has left in Vegas; but then a serial killer strikes in his territory of Des Moines and he has to leave early.  Noah decides not to contact Cole because it was just a dream to think he could have love like that and he goes home.  Cole is upset because he felt like they had a connection but is resigned to never seeing him again; then he gets sent to Des Moines to profile a serial killer......Things are difficult between them, both because of their past and also because this killer is really difficult to find.  Bauer did a great job with the suspense of the story, and had some cool twists that I didn't see coming.  The relationship between Noah and Cole also has ups and downs for lots of reasons, and you can see both sides because each character alternates voices.  All in all, a very cool story.

Again, I have said how obsessed I am with this Soulbound series (I have read & listened to all the books multiple times).  So, when this 6th installment in the series came out March 2021, I was all over it.  Again, no spoilers for those who care.  Patrick is finding working as an agent and being an alpha of his pack more and more difficult to manage; especially since the government doesn't know.  Well, it was bound to blow up and in An Echo in the Sorrow, it does and of course it is in the worst way possible.  No matter what though, Patrick won't give up Jono or the family that the pack has become for him regardless of what the consequences may be. 

Turner has ramped up the tension in this story, and with only one book left before the series ends, I'm sure it will get worse before it gets better.  I love the characters and the stories; and in this story we get a variety of gods from some different pantheons rather than being focused on only one....which is really cool.

Dollhouse is one of the titles in the new Joe Hill Comics line of horror comics that started in 2020.  This title focuses on a family dollhouse that seems to have some evil & magical connection to their family.  Carey writes a really cool, creepy story with a really strong female lead.  You jump back into the history as she learns things, but it really focuses on her as a child and her as an adult with a child and how she is determined not to let the evil dollhouse win.....as well as the consequences if it does.

The Low, Low Woods was a very strange story that I didn't totally understand but enjoyed nonetheless.  The main story (I think) is about adying coal town where the women seem to all suffer from moments of amnesia and no one knows why.  The main two girls are high school seniors and when they wake up in a movie theater not remembering anything, they are determined to figure it out.  Their investigating opens up all kinds of horror and reveals a history of terror for the women in the town.  

Definitely worth a read.   Maybe you can explain all the symbolism to me....or maybe I'll wait for the movie.....

 Spy Spy Again is #3 in the Family Spies books, and I don't know what number in the Valdemar series overall (60?).  This title came out in 2020, and since Lackey likes to work in trilogies (unless it's a single stand alone title) this is the end of this trilogy which follows Mags' family as they become adults.  (Mags had his own trilogy explaining how he became spymaster to the kingdom.)  Since Mags has 3 kids, this works perfectly.  

This adventure is for both Tory (son of Mags & his wife, the King's Own) as well as the Prince Kyril (known as Kee).  They have a rare power that only works in tandem, so when Bey, Mags cousin, calls in a favor to find his kidnapped daughter, they both need to go.   Bey and his family are all from an association of assassins known as Sleepgivers, so when his daughter is kidnapped, they suspect Karse, a mutual enemy.  The story alternates between Tory & the daughter's point of view but seems to really be about Kee and her......so while I really enjoyed the book, it felt like a really abrupt ending.  Like, deus ex machina instant thing happening when everyone but Tory seems to have a happy ending, then BAM! Here's your ending, end of the story.  I kind of hoped that Tory would get an addition book (and who knows), but since Lackey's next book looks like it is focusing on the founding years of Valdemar it doesn't seem like it will be happening any time soon.   So, yeah, Valdemar is awesome, and I love Lackey but there are some small issues with the story though it still rocks overall.

Carriger published this e-book novella in 2020 as a quick prequel story that is all about an incident known as The Hedgehog Incident in the Parasol Protectorate series.  This is a very quick and fun story that works best if you have already read the series, kind of like extra dessert rather than as an appetizer before the meal.  

Red Heir is the first book I've read by Lisa Henry, and was really fun.  It's a comedy fantasy adventure with a bit of sexual humor, so it's not everyone's cup of tea (same goes for the other books in the series).  Red Heir works as a double meaning because it is all about the confusion that happens when 2 people with red hair are in a cell, and a group of mercenaries come to rescue the Heir to the throne, but no one knows what he looks like; only that he has red hair.  (see?  funny!)  The one who claims the royal heritage is actually a con artist (you know this because the whole story is from his viewpoint); and he is sure that the other person is just a random red head as well, but maybe he really is the lost royal?  There is the journey to the kingdom, and the silliness of the rescuers as well as the growing relationship between the two men.  All in all a really fun book.

Elf Defence is another punn-y title, following Red Heir and also published in 2020.  In this adventure the two elves from Red Heir are send on a mission of defending a principality from rogue trolls.  The kings really just wanted the elves out of the way (due to their constant need to talk about "down with the monarchy"); but when the elves reach the mountain town and are accidentally involved in the death of the ruling Duke, it all becomes a mess.  Of course there is a lot of elements all coming together in this story, between the two elves, the needs of the duchy & it's governmental crisis, and the relationship between the elves and the new Duke (who is really a hot cow-herd and a reluctant leader).  Another really interesting and funny adventure.

Emerald Blaze is #2 in the Catalina Baylor trilogy, and is #5 in the Hidden Legacy series.   I am not sure that this is really a trilogy (but it seems likely); and since I love the series, when the newest title came out in 2020, I was excited to read it.

This series is set in a parallel world where paranormal powers exist due to a formula discovered a long time ago that changed the DNA and either made people monsters or superpowered psychics (or killed them).  This time Catalina is again forced to work with Alessandro, which is a problem after the way things ended last time.  But things seems different this time, and Alessandro seems changed and Catalina isn't sure she trusts the changes though she can't seem to resist her attraction to him.  Both of them need to track down who murdered a well known and well connected family heir, and all the suspects lead to more trouble for everyone concerned.  I like that this book happens a few years after the last one, so you can see the growth of both characters and also changes in the family structure of the Baylor family.  Really a well paced suspense novel with a touch of romance and a lot of twists and turns in the journey.

This is another new (to me anyway) author and a really cool series so far.  I read the first one at the end of 2020, and the newest one came out in early 2021.  This is a combo book talk, just because it works.  =)

Sage is a struggling, lonely man.  He is traumatized from the death of his mother that he witnessed as a child and beaten down by his abusive and uncaring father who has had control of him since the death of his mother.  Fantastic Fluke starts with the death of his horrible father.....and the weird and wonderful things that start to happen to him after that. First, he begins to talk to his maternal grandmother that he thought he had nothing in common with (and that she didn't like him); but it turns out things were awful due to a combination of his awful father and her horrible children....and then Sage finds a lost fox who turns out to be a familiar.  Sage is sure it can't be his familiar because his magic is weak and sad; but nope.....he has a familiar and a strong, secret magic that no one talks about.  He finds out about it through a ghostly teacher.  Sage finds that his ghostly instructor is sweet, and handsome....and both of them are horrified to realize everyone with this power seems to have died in a horrible way (including Sage's mom).  Can they figure it out before it happens to Sage?  Can Sage figure out this new magic? And when he does what happens to his sexy cowboy instructor?  

In the second book, some of the immediate problems of the first book are resolved, but the larger problem of the evil conspiracy of murderers still exists....and of course they haven't gone away.  Sage is learning more about his powers, his family and trying to make a better life for himself.   This title has a bit more violence in it; but given the problems with a murder-cult; it isn't surprising.  I also like that the author explores the trauma and the journey to overcome it of a lifetime of abuse.

Of Secrets & Wolves is #1 in Winsford Shifters series and came out in 2021.  Alice Winters is known for writing humorous adventure stories with M/M romance in it as well...and I am happy to say that this title is happily as fun and intriguing as other series in her catalog.  Quinn is the alpha of a mixed pack of shifters and Rowan is hired to find an escaped prisoner.  They meet and while sparks are flying, Rowan has a real issue with shifters.  Another issue is that all the information they have been given seems to be a lie and they have inadvertently opened a can of worms on secret government agents and experiments in the community.  Rowan has secrets of his own that he is hiding and the revelation of them is almost as explosive as the discovery of what is really happening.  An added element in the tension and story overall is that in this world shifters are not trusted and have few legal rights.   The next book in the series comes out later in March and I am looking forward to seeing what happens.

Another new to me author, and another new book (copyright 2020).  This one is just pure fun......

Erin lays an accidental curse on her ex-husband who is busy planning a wedding to her former best friend (and she is so not over all of those losses).

Andromalius is the demon who comes to fulfill the curse and his revenge plots are awesome (mystery smells, junk mail, lots of things along those lines).  He is also sweet and sexy and Erin finds herself really liking him....so when her witch best friend (who is also the local elementary school librarian) banishes him, Erin is devastated....and is desperate to find a way to bring him back....because she kind of liked him, and he made her feel like maybe she really could overcome all her anxiety and worries from her terrible past relationship and begin to find her own happiness.  

Such a fun silly book!

I started reading this series because I found them in these multivolume offereings on Amazon Kindle Unlimited....(I had previously unknowingly read one of the titles out of order, and trust me...it made a difference).

Basically, the Chosen One Universe is basically a world full of secret magic, lots of magical creatures & secrecy from "humans"; and the Chosen One who will fix all the problems of the secret universe...like the fact that few seem to be finding their mates, or having children....and also the fact that there is an evil in the world capturing children & killing nonhumans....

So, in 2020 the conclusion to the series happened; and in this there is Give Him Hell (Hellhounds Champions #3), Nothing Gained (Chosen One #4) and Stop at Nothing (Chosen One #5).  There are a LOT of moving parts in this multi-part and multiple series story....and they are all interconnected so you really need to read them in order.  Finding them in these multi-sets, helped me understand what was happening much better.  Also, this is NOT a deep series, it is a fun fluffy adventure with fated mates and lots and lots of sex.......the main character needs to find all seven of his fated mates....yup, SEVEN....so, yeah...this story will not work for everyone (and honestly I am not sure how someone would find the time to save the world when having that much sex); but this series came at a time when I was looking for some serious escapism, and it was a perfect match for me.   So, if you don't mind a fantasy series with a bit of a need for some serious willingness to let go and just go with the rules of this world; then give it a shot.

These next two books both came out in 2020.  They are in the Bed, Breakfast & Beyond series (#1&2).  This is a really different series because most of the psychic stuff is coming from the house....and I kind of love the idea of a possessed house who decides who stays or leaves; and shows affection (or arranges things in the manner it wants...like locking or unlocking doors when it wants specific things to happen).  Lucky is the thief who gets a second chance, Arnold is the B&B owner, who is determined to turn this haunted house into a successful B&B.  Arnold is a nice guy, but is struggling to make the business work.  He thinks Lucky deserves a second chance, and while he thinks he is cute, is determined to not get involved.  

While the first book deals mostly with getting to know the house and the guys, the second one is mostly dealing with the evolving nature of their relationship ...both the one between the two men as well as their relationship with the house.  It is also where we find that in this tiny town there may be something special in the air, because they find another possessed house...and a friend who may be able to renovate it and use it as an LGBTQ shelter for those who need it.  

The Huntsman is the first book in a new series (Fox Hollow Zodiac); but may be related to other Morgan Brice books (it is hinted that they may be in the same universe as some of her other books....)

This is not a deep book, but is a good escapist adventure.  While I struggle with the concept of fated mates, lots of authors & worlds like that connection...so I am willing to at least pretend to buy into the idea.  Fox Hollow is a haven of sorts for shifters, where they don't have to hide who & what they are.  Liam is a fox shifter, and the new librarian.  Russ is a wolf shifter and owns an autobody place as well as working as a volunteer fireman for the town.  They meet when Liam's car dies on his way into town.  Liam is on the run from a crazy ex who hired a huntsman.  A huntsman is a human who intentionally hunts shifters, knowing they aren't animals but not caring.  Russ likes Liam but is still struggling with grief from the death of his husband.  There is lots of adventure and suspense, and while the plot gets a bit thin sometimes, it is a fun read nonetheless...and I look forward to seeing where the series goes

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Unholy is #5 in the Witchbane series.  It isn't clear if this is the final one, but in this adventure Seth & Jesse's hunt for dark wizards takes them to Charlotte, NC.  In this story, they meet characters from the Deadly Curiosities series in order to fight the latest plot of the dark wizards (so it's a nice crossover story if you follow both series, which I do).  Lots of suspense and detective work to figure out who the baddies are and how to save as many as they can...and because the characters don't know the people in NC, it's a great introduction to those characters & that parallel series (author name for that series is Gail Z Martin).

This title is the newest in the Jon's Mysteries series and I was so happy to see it when it came out in early 2021.  Jon's Mysteries are paranormal mystery books, and I am obsessed with them because I love the storytelling and the characters.  In this story, Jon has to go to Vegas on a plane to defuse a bomb....and since he psychically fries everything electronic he touches, defusing the bomb is easy....flying on the plane is not, so flying is the bigger risk; but it is all a big mess.  Also Jon's decision to go causes some major friction between Jon and his partner & anchor Donovan.  This is an emotional story, but I love that Sherwood really focuses on characters who talk through their trauma and work on constructive solutions....it's a nice change from crazy characters yelling and throwing things.  All in all, a very nice addition to the series, and I continue to love the characters & the stories

I have talked about the Heathen graphic novel books, and the final book in the series came out late in 2020.  In this Aydis has to sway Odin to release the curse and also her friends need to find a way to prevail against Odin's army (including the Valkyries).  This is a really cool story set in the Viking god pantheon but with some original ideas to make a truly exceptional story.

This book came out in Jan 2021, but is still really a Christmas story of a Scrooge type character and a Christmas obsessed character.....and it involves not only fated mates, but men getting pregnant (not my usual cuppa....but somehow this sweet holiday tale made me smile in spite of those reservations).  This silly, fluffy romance reminded me of a shifter version of a Hallmark Christmas story (you know you watch them).....and so if you're looking for a sappy, fun, light story for the holidays, you should try this one.  

Origin is the first in a new series collaboration written by AJ Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake.  This series deals with dragon shifters and human mages.  Alfric is a fire dragon, indeed the king of them.  Cameron is a tourist visiting Germany when the dragons find him.  They tell him he is a mage...and while he is excited to find out that dragons are real, he isn't so sure about this magic thing.  This story lays a lot of the groundwork for the series as a whole while also giving you the romance of Alfric and Cameron.  I enjoyed this, but I did find the exposition of all the elements a bit much sometimes....(though I understand it).  Looking forward to seeing where the series goes, but so far so good.

Blood Heir is a very cool book, but also has a VERY cool backstory.  The story itself was written as a quick fun blog thing giving Ilona Andrews something to think about that was not involved or overwhelming (lots of writer's block due to anxiety & stress thanks to the Covid pandemic and shutdown).  The blog stories took off and became so popular that the authors (Ilona Andrews is actually a husband/wife duo) took the story off their blog and made a full book and a new series out of it. It is a self published book, but you should be able to find it in most bookstores.

I am unsure if the series name will be Aurelia Ryder or Kate Daniels World (kept seeing both); but it IS in the Kate Daniels universe, but starring Kate's adopted daughter Julie, who is now known as Aurelia Ryder.  Julie has secretly returned to Atlanta, but can't be in contact with her family because she is trying to defeat a prophecy, and if she tells Kate or sees her....everyone dies and the bad guys win   Julie is trying to solve a murder but is simultaneously trying to figure out how this murder ties into the god/cult that she is trying to defeat.  Since this whole thing happens 9 years after she left, you see things in a different light, but also get to have big changes that you need to figure out.  I love this book so much; and this world is amazing.....so awesome.

These next two books are 1&2 in the Romancing the Curse books (not sure how many there will be in this or if this is it).  Kasey solidly set these in a Covid world with quarantine restrictions in place; but also a magical curse to solve.  In this first book, Zach has inherited a cursed house, but also keeps seeing a mystery man who seems to be somehow tied into the curse.  The former owner had hoped that when he died, the curse would end; but it hasn't....and now Zach and this mystery man have to figure it out....but will they have to sacrifice their love to break the curse?

In Recipe for a curse, you are back in the house, but the curse has been lifted.

However, Rio is cursed to turn into a monstrous wolf every full moon (not a werewolf, truly a curse); and Rio the chef for Zach is trying to save him.  He doesn't understand the curse, but is just trying to save the nice veteran with PTSD who seems to be living off the grid in the woods.  

I really liked the new angle for the new book, but how they are tangentially related.  Kasey is a master of the sweet, tense adventure story.

These next two books (got the pics backwards, but they are still both in the Hidden Species series) are fun, funny and suspenseful.  In Demons Do It Better, you find the hidden governmental oversight of supernatural creatures and the human man who stumbles across them in trying to get a better job.  You are also introduces to a secret evil scientific group who really want to study & copy the abilities of the supernaturals.....and the effects of their magic are one of the issues visited again and again

In the second book, there are more consequences from the evil science conspiracy and also some direct attacks on those fighting against them.  Yes, there is also romance and shifters/demons/vampires....but it is really more about the story than about the romances.

While the first book in this trilogy (Spectral Files 1-3)came out in 2017, the final 2 came out in 2020.  In this paranormal mystery suspense series you meet and see the cases of Rain (a federal special agent, then a psychic consultant with the police) and Daniel (a police detective).  Rain is struggling with his abilities to see and speak with ghosts in the first book, but by the 2nd is working to come to terms with his abilities.  Daniel is the man Rain left behind to pursue his dreams of a career as a federal officer; and is also the man he found his way back to in the first book.  In the second and third they are still figuring out how to work with Rain's abilities, how to solve cold cases involving the ghosts Rain sees, and also handling the effects of ghosts and their own past history on their growing relationship.  Harmon does a great job on the continuity and the journey for the characters and how as they figure out step one, the next one comes and smacks them back to a mess.  

Black Sun is a novella from the Shadow Council Archives (indeed all stories in this series are novellas).  This series is set in the late 19th/early 20th century.  Joe Mack is the avatar of a Slavic god and in this story is sent to Reading, PA.  Someone is killing immigrants and stirring up race & class tensions in the town.  Joe needs to figure it out, along with his friends before an evil entity destroys the town and gains an immeasurable power from the destruction. 

Creature Feature is book #7 in the Spells, Salt & Steel series featuring Mark Wojcik.  Mark has no special magic but has the knowledge of the supernatural & cryptid community and is determined to keep humanity safe.  He is also very careful not to cause harm to cryptid creatures who are just living and aren't intrinsically evil; and that "first cause no harm" philosophy is tested to the max when he and his fellow helpers find all sorts of creatures who seem to have been experimented on.  What they find is a history of terrible experiments tied to someone who is trying to stir up a war between vampires and werewolves.  A war that will have terrible consequences for everyone, especially the clueless human population near Pittsburgh, PA.

I love this series so much, like a book version of X files.  So good!

This cool creepy graphic novel features a mystery woman who comes into town just as a series of child murders starts.....of course the child who lives says he saw monsters, but everyone knows there are no monsters.  Or are there?

I can't wait to read more in this series (I hope they make more!)  Very interesting story with classic horror elements but twisted into a new shape.

Basketful of Heads is a truly awesome story.  I could totally see it as a movie (fingers crossed!).  It is set in the 70's and involves a small town police force, an escape from prison and a murder spree...but all is not as it appears....

The added intensity of a Nordic ax which keeps the heads alive when they are separated from their bodies, and turns them into almost a greek chorus is amaze-balls.....and the female lead character starts as a ditzy blonde 70's trope, but turns into a kickass chick as she tries to figure out what the heck is happening.

Definitely worth a read.

This is #3 in the Being(s) in Love series.  R. Cooper's series features a variety of supernatural creatures as they fall in love.  In this story Zeki returns to Wolf's Paw to begin a career as a Consulting Wizard and finds that the crush he had in high school on Theo, the werewolf, is as strong as ever.....

He doesn't understand a lot of the townies who talk about Theo's true mate or the anger towards him; and on the way to understanding magic, mates and fate; they both have to make peace with the things that happened to them as children.

I like the twist on fated mates in this one, as well as the added element of necessary consent (so it adds so much depth to the idea as well as adding the possibilities of misunderstandings, upon which stories can be written).

Enforcer Enigma is #3 in the San Andreas Shifters series...and I really hope there are more coming, but Covid has messed with so many things including authors and their muses.

In this humorous series you have the Selkie mob,  parent issues (neglect and abuse) and the usual issues of forming a relationship compounded by some truly epic age issues.....because Judd is an enforcer werewolf and is over 100, while Colin is a young college student (also a werewolf).  A new bodyguard gig for the San Andreas pack ends up bringing up family issues for Colin and his brother but also begins building his relationship with Judd.  

I love Carriger's books, and while this isn't the strongest one in the series, it is nonetheless really a fun read.

This stand alone title plays with nano technology and alien tech in a very original and fun way.  Shiney is no longer entirely human due to a combination of a nano/alien infection.  She is contagious, in that any human coming into contact with her is infected and wants to serve her (think insect behavior around a queen).  She has been in hiding, but someone has found out about the alien tech hiding in her junkyard and she will have to use every bit of her knowledge and chutzpah to overcome the impossible odds.

Really a cool story.