I confess. Anthologies usually start at a 3. It's up to the individual stories/authors to change that. Being that this is a theme anthology, one expects a bit of cheese. Being that it's an EC theme anthology, that's likely cream cheese...

:ahem

Tale the first isn't bad if you get past the TSTL of the heroine. I mean; she wants to get nailed by her hot boss (fair enough), and sets out to do so at the halloween masquerade party at his bar (well, ok), with the intent of leaving afterwards with her anonymity still intact (ummmm). She figures he'd never look at her otherwise so she gets tarted up (yeah?), shows up, catches his eye right off the bat (still with you), stays after closing for the "special party" of two with him (mmmhmmm?), and tries to leave. She's astounded when he asks her where she's going, and calls her by name. I mean really hon. How many nearly 6' statuesque redheads do you think he knows?

Tale the second...is a mixed up fairy tale. Ella Cinder is a living cliche. Her late father married a woman with two unattractive, rather bitchy daughters, promptly keeled over, and she has an office in the basement of their prestigious GYN hospital/office. She has the hots for the new Dr who is exceedingly hot for a OB/GYN. By nights, she has an adult production company that puts on a private showing of a decidedly mature Cinderella, named Sinderella. She's doing a show, Prince Charming fails to show, and Dr McHotty is in the audience. She puts forth the offer for him to act as a substitute. He's happy to follow through... and he also figures out who she is. Really hon, you talk to him daily. You don't think he'd recognize your voice?

Tale the third is actually pretty good - if you ignore that the h ends up mated to a total stranger without any knowledge of how that happened (or that it was even a possiblity). She's a werewolf, and not by choice. She's after the rogue who turned her, and assumes that the H is him. Fortunately for her, he isn't. He assumes at first that she's in with the rogue. She's not. They do conveniently find the rogue - or rather, his pack does - and he's taken out.

Tale the third...ehhhh that's a no for me. The h is kidnapped on halloween by a couple of weirdos. She wakes up naked and tied to a bed, listening to an argument about her, and well, the third weirdo is absolutely convinced she's his wife (I have no recollection of that event...). She...puts out? Well, not like she has a choice, being as how she's tied up, but she doesn't protest too hard. Later she finds out - from someone called the Wise One - that somehow she ended up in an alternate dimension thanks to him, has a zillion clones of her, also thanks to him (because he had the hots for her), and someone wants her dead, because for reasons never clarified, she killed the previous Goddess, and to protect her, she was sent back. Oh, and she is married apparently but her memories were wiped. A scant day(?) later a former boyfriend of hers tries to kill her, and she wakes up naked in her own bed. There's a knock at the door and the guy claiming to be her husband in the other dimension is there. I dunno. The whole thing leaves too many holes in the story itself (what, why, how, huh???), a h who caves way too readily to someone she has no memory of, and a lot of BDSM type sex without the h actually agreeing to any of it.

I think I need some whine with that cheese.

Zachary (Dawn Of The Awakening Book 1) -...

There wasa 911 call when the officers approached the center house there was fragments of glass as far into the street as to where the officers stood.   They crept to the door and after hearing a baby wailing they looked into the window and saw a nude baby boy who appeared to have just been born. Eric was the oldest and most powerful living profit . he woke from his torturous sleep. Years ago he had sworn to serve those who he believed were loyal to an antiquated faith- the Circle of Benediction.  The Circle of Benedictions mission was to destroy anyone with supernatural abilities. Then he said” the child, he is here”. He came out of his dream that wasn’t a dream. Eric went to enzo his evening bodyguard and told him he needed to talk to the Lore now. Eric went to a big table filled with monitors. There was also a conferencing camera. There was one with the Supreme Leaders shadowy figure in it. He only got involved when he felt the need to. Eric wasn’t one of the Lore, he was a trusted advisor. Eric said he wouldn’t be at a crossroads if they could convince him the prophesied child is actually a danger to humanity. He told the lore’s members this was their chance to tell their side of what they knew. If they than had not convinced Eric he would provide them with false information and they won’t know the difference until it was too late.  Eric said he would like to be convinced they were doing the right thing. The Supreme leader said eric knew why they did what they did and what would happen if they didn’t ...Eric said devastation, a cataclysmic event that could have an impact on humanity which they hadn’t seen in thousands of years. Eric said how many do they have to kill? Where does it end? Eric shouted he would be the only one to answer for his crimes if they were in accordance to the Lord's will. The lines they had crossed were clear, and necessary. But the baby was another matter. He knew the prophecies . he wanted to be sure this was the sign they waited for and confirms what they had been doing for thousands of years is valid and true. Eric knew he could be killed for overstepping his boundaries but he was old and had little to lose. The leader said they were given prophecy about him long before his birth.  If any of Eric’s prophecies had failed he would have been dead. Each of Eric’s prophecies had come true. Jacob knew the child had been born and they only had hours that the child must be extracted and protected form the Circle of Benediction. Jacob headed the watchers who were sworn enemies of the Circle Of Benediction who killed many of their kind. Jacob has supernatural powers and uses his fortune to create Rampart Industries to protect others with supernatural powers from the Circle. Jacob does secure the child before the Circle can destroy him.

This would have been a much better read of the editorial errors had been corrected. The odd part was the didn’t really show up until later on in the book. Than this also dragged for me at different times in this book. I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the pilot but this was a common enough thread - some people were different and had to be destroyed because of that- in this case people with supernatural powers and a secret society deem themselves right in  murdering these people even an newborn baby. Si I finished this but at times I forced myself to continue as I said I had mixed feelings. I am sure there are others who really enjoyed this book.

Are you in the market for an Arthurian type tale that pulls you along in a riptide of ye old prose...fae folktales with little to no gritty substance..High fantasy without true danger in quest or trial... fae princes with daddy issues caught in the midst of an insta-bromance that might be boarderline, "I want to wear your skin and be you", unhealthy?? (I now realize that this is catering to a VERY specific niche market) Then this book is for you!

Fair warning: That bromance was weird!! I asked myself repeatedly "where is this going" and "how did this happen so fast"?!? It was definitely uncomfortable until the love interest was introduced and then I sighed with relief that things didn't end up THERE. Marissa was a cute character to throw into the mix but her relationship with Aric was lacking... oh well, opportunity missed.

The book was going pretty well until all heck broke loose on their "quest" to find Albaric a true home and Aric a wife. After the skirmish it seemed to drone on and on. What I had considered endearing before quickly became tiresome. I know that that is probably not a popular view (and maybe a touch fickle) BUT I gave it a fair chance. I even purchased this on Audible, after the written format began to chafe, with the hope of changing the tone up enough to bring back some appeal BUT alas, it was not meant to be. If you like all the parameters mentioned above then this could very well be your thang.. it wasn't mine.

This book was 100% adorable, and if I had found it as a middle-grade reader, I would have loved it. There were aspects of it that were wholly unbelievable, and the portrayal of both Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes was not canon, but I am no purist and didn't care a whit.

The basic premise is that Sherlock & Mycroft's mother had a late in life child, Enola, who is 14 at the time that Sherlock is well into his career (it's post Hound of the Baskervilles, for sure). One day, her mother up and abandons her, leaving her notes (with money) hidden around the house. She decides that she is NOT going to a boarding school, and runs away, finding a kidnapped peer, and getting kidnapped herself, on her travels, all the while uncovering a charlatan who has been separating the gentry from their money under the pretenses of being a psychic.

This was a quick little read that I was able to check out from library using overdrive. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you have kids, especially girls, who like mysteries, this might be a good one to recommend. Bonus points if they enjoy the original Sherlock Holmes tales.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

                Beverly is not Mrs. Fletcher.  This is not Cabot Cove.  The dead body isn’t freshly dead.

                Needless to say, Beverly is not having a good day.  She isn’t sure about her income and then there is a skeleton in her backyard.

                Springer’s mystery isn’t so much a mystery as opposed to a novel about family, community, and belief.  It is about how first impressions can be both wrong and right, as well as defining what family is.

                It should be noted that the mystery does deal with child abuse.

                The story also deals with how society views older women, in particular those who are not traditional, and how much of the time they are written off as crazy cranks.

                It is refreshing book too because the central characters are all women who are not discussing boyfriends or husbands.  They are not in competition with each other, and, at the very least, they respect each other.  This more than makes up for the somewhat obvious mystery of the skeleton as well as the low key creepy factor.

                The use of art in the book is well done.  Not only in the terms of it being Beverly’s chosen profession but also in the lives of her daughters.  Her daughters are one of the best things about the book, concerned but not bitchy.  What Springer gives us is a family, a true family with squabbles, but those of all families.