by Halo Quin

This is very much a Pagan book, but includes the original folktales of many Welsh legends. These were well-researched and it's good to find them collected in one place!

The first part goes through rituals and offerings, visualisation suggestions, that sort of thing. The second part is more what I expected, following through the tales and their relationships to history and belief in Wales. Sources are cited and there's a pronunciation guide at the end.

There's a heavy dose of the author's personal beliefs throughout, but the folktales are genuine and this would be a good reference for anyone interested in British folktales and legends.

I've never yet been let down by Neil Gaiman and Norse Mythology certainly didn't break that winning streak. In this nonfiction book Gaiman covers a wide range of Norse myths and in the process destroys what Marvel had implanted in the minds (my mind at least) of what Asgard looked like and who inhabited it. For example, Marvel led me to believe that Loki and Thor were adopted brothers. Nope! In actuality, Loki was Odin's HALF brother sooooo the family dynamic just got a whole lot weirder. I think the best thing about Norse Mythology is that it justified my interest in Loki and non-interest (is that a word?) for Thor (who is described as all brawn and no brain). I really enjoyed learning about how these myths explained world events like earthquakes which were thought to be caused by Loki struggling against venomous poison inside of a mountain. And humans attained the gift of poetry from mead that was made from the blood of the wise god, Kvasir. Gaiman doesn't only focus on the 3 biggies (I'm talking Odin, Loki, & Thor) but also discusses the 'lesser' gods and in particular the events surrounding Ragnarok. Up until reading this book, I thought Ragnarok was another word for apocalypse but actually it's better termed as a time of grand change. Yes, the world as the gods came to know it will end but then it's time for a new world which isn't necessarily a bad thing (unless you're a god I guess). This would have been a 10/10 for me except that I kept wishing for illustrations culled from historical texts. This would have really added to the short stories and made it a standout. However, that doesn't stop this from being a very interesting read and I don't think it should stop any of you from grabbing it off the shelves.

What I'm Currently Reading: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I am in my happy place. Dani, the woman has gone through some massive trials and made some huge transitions. In the beginning it was confusing, to see a young girl suffer so and be seen as more in the future. I admit I did not like young Dani, she was a thorn to me in the story. Oh there was some serious backlash towards Ms. Moning, speculations based on her age, before the tale was finished being told. If only they'd waited they would have seen this beautiful, wonderfully magical woman finally grab ahold of her red threads and become what she was ment to be. The truth of why this obsession was there made me jump and scream "YEH!" I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, you don't need to know more.
Another great book from Ms. Moning. She continues to be one of my top 5 authors, one I re-read from often. I can not wait for her next work.. Bravo Ms. Moning, you rock !

It’s a literal fight for love in this fast-moving shifter tale in the popular Masters of Maria series.

For coyote shifter Blue Shapely, becoming the new alpha of Maria’s pack is his long-awaited chance to be his own man and eliminate chaos from the town. Unfortunately, the pack’s patron is thwarting him at every turn.

After being magically attached to the Coyote group for more than a century, demigoddess Willa Matheson has a soft spot for them—even the dangerous ones threatening to expose them to humans. She may have hired Blue to rein in the pack, but the two constantly disagree on strategy. She doesn’t want to upset anyone, whereas he’ll do whatever it takes to get his Coyotes in line. And to make things worse: all signs point to the anxious demigoddess being his mate.

But developing a tenderness for Willa will be an obstacle to Blue’s determination to be as ruthless as he needs to be. If the duo can’t find a way to retract their claws, and soon, it may be too late to protect the pack’s secret—and their own hearts.

Sensuality Level: Sensual 

The Coyote’s Chance is an enchanting book that characters were a bit surprising because they were in no way what I was picturing. But this is a good thing, because the difference added a whole different feel to the book and made it a very interesting read. Willa was the most surprising because her being a demigoddess had picturing a whole different personality but the surprise that the author had in store for me added a lot of depth to the characters and definitely had me emphasizing with the characters as I became totally engrossed in the rocky relationship growing between these two characters. As usual, Holley Trent manages to portray her characters with a vibrancy that makes it easy for readers to become caught up in the story as well as ensuring that the characters heat up the pages with lots of steamy passion.

The readers are also kept glued to the pages by the suspense that builds throughout the story regarding their respective fathers who cause some major conflicts for Willa and Blue and what their future has in store for them. Lots of action and thrills to keep reader’s on the edge of their seats but what’s more, the author adds some unexpected twists to keep readers guessing as to what will happen next or even if Willa and Blue shall overcome some major obstacles in their search for their happily ever after.

Holley Trent has added another enchanting book to her growing list of wonderful books as I was totally captured by Willa and Blue’s story and I can’t wait for the next Master of Maria book.

The Coyote’s Chance is the 4^th book in the Masters of Maria series.

The Coyote’s Chance is available in ebook at:

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Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up. 

Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes, can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect? 

Charley Davidson is back in a non-stop action filled adventure that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

If I had only one word to describe this book, I would have to go with unpredictable but luckily I have more than one word because this book is worth many more. The unpredictable word is very fitting because there are many twists and turns and a conclusion that will knock your socks off because I sure didn’t see that one coming. I have to admit that for the majority of the book I didn’t see how Charley could possible come out on top of the latest troubles in her world which kept me glued to the pages as Charley and all the other wonderful characters set about not only saving the world but also saving Charley’s family.

It is a bit of a roller coaster ride with lots of hair raising thrills and chills and of course snarky dialogue that catches you unaware and startles a laugh out of you because of Charley’s unique view of the world and how everyone fits in it. This book doesn’t have a lot of romance scenes but hey how much more romantic can it be when one has to save the love of her life from certain death.

Once again, Darynda Jones has written a funny but electrifyingly exciting book that readers can’t put down and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Charley’s world. One last thing, for those of you who have not read the previous books, then you could become a bit lost because you missed the events that let up to this point and also because Charley’s penchant for renaming people and things may throw you off somewhat besides you would be missing out on Charley’s fun, thrilling adventure of a life.

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave is the 12^th book in the Charley Davidson series.

#13 as yet untitled is coming soon!

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave is available in print & ebook at:

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Also Available in Audio

Darynda Jones can be found at:

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