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Review of Pack of Lies by Charlie Adhara

August 5, 2022 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Pack of Lies book coverBlurb

Werewolf meets human. Werewolf snubs human. Werewolf loves human?

Julien Doran arrived in sleepy Maudit Falls, North Carolina, with a heart full of hurt and a head full of questions. The key to his brother’s mysterious last days might be found in this tiny town, and now Julien’s amateur investigation is starting to unearth things the locals would rather keep buried.

Perhaps most especially the strange, magnetic manager of a deserted retreat that’s nearly as odd as its staff.

Eli Smith is a lot of things: thief, werewolf, glamour-puss, liar. And now the manager of a haven for rebel pack runaways. He’s spent years cultivating a persona to disguise his origins, but for the first time ever he’s been entrusted with a real responsibility—and he plans to take that seriously.

Even if the handsome tourist who claims to be in town for some R & R is clearly on a hunt for all things paranormal. And hasn’t taken his brooding gaze off Eli since he’s arrived.

When an old skeleton and a fresh corpse turn a grief errand into a murder investigation, the unlikely Eli is the only person Julien can turn to. Trust is hard to come by in a town known for its monsters, but so is time…

Review

Pack of Lies is the first book in a spinoff of the Big Bad Wolf series, which I have not read, so this world was entirely new for me, and this novel can stand on its own.

This is the story of Eli, a snarky werewolf who manages a mountain resort in Maudit Falls, which serves as a safe house for rebel werewolves. Eli is a bit unusual in that he possesses secret shifting abilities that he must keep secret even from his own kind. He encounters Julian, a grieving tourist who is staying at another local resort. We learn that Julian is searching for answers about his brother Rocky’s untimely death and was led to the area by a cryptic message about monsters that Julian found in his brother’s room. Both Eli and Julian are suffering from past trauma and trust issues, making them especially leery of getting too close to the other. Eli fears that Julian would reject him if he learned that Eli was a shifter. And Julian…well, he has his own secrets.

The title in this novel is perfect as there certainly is a plethora of lying going on, so much so that you’re not sure who to believe. I enjoyed how the author slowly revealed each of the character’s pasts, and in so doing, we learn their motivations, their secrets, and what drives them. Both of the characters are mysterious, highly complex, and multi-layered, and I loved how the layers are exposed to the reader a little at a time. I also enjoyed the dual POVs, allowing us to experience the story from each of their perspectives.

The author does an excellent job both with character development and world-building, leading to a compelling and atmospheric story. Additionally, the novel serves up an addicting plot along with a tantalizing mystery to solve. I love the combination of a murder mystery and the paranormal elements of the narrative and enjoyed how Eli and Julian joined forces to do some “sleuthing,” all the while trying to keep their secrets from the other. I enjoyed seeing the evolution of their relationship as the story progressed.

All in all, Pack of Lies is an enthralling read about secrets and murder that pulled me in immediately. It features plenty of snark and humor, twists galore, nail-biting suspense, monster hunting, danger, and sizzling chemistry between our two main characters. I loved the sexual tension and the romantic dynamics between Eli and Julian.

Though this is the first book in the series, the author nicely wrapped up the ending with no cliffhangers while setting up the story for future books. I can’t wait to continue on with the series and see what the author will do with this compelling world. Recommended!

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

This title will be released on August 30, 2022 but you can preorder it HERE.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Review of Flipping by R. Lee Fryar

July 27, 2022 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Flipping book coverBlurb

Charley Dalton died a homeless man. He’s not about to be a homeless ghost.

When Charley’s haunted house passes into the hands of psychic house flipper, Austin Sparks, Charley promises himself and the ghosts he lives with that he’ll haunt overtime to get rid of the threat. Once people start pulling up carpets and tearing down walls, a haunted house is doomed.

Charley devises a plan to scare Austin off for good. But Austin Sparks doesn’t scare easily. Worse, he’s sexy as hell, and soon Charley has a bigger problem than failed plans. He’s got the hots for the enemy.

But forbidden romance isn’t part of a ghost’s happily-ever-afterlife.

Review

I’m a sucker for a queer ghost romance, so I was excited when this one came to my attention. It ended up being much more than I thought it would.

It follows Charley, who died of food poisoning and now lives a peaceful life with his ghost family — peaceful, that is until his house passes into the hands of house flipper Austin Sparks. Once Austin begins renovations, the ghosts decide that something has to be done to stop them; otherwise, their futures will be doomed. Charley takes the initiative and promises the others that he will rid the house of the intruders. But, of course, things don’t quite go according to plan, especially once Charley begins to fall for Austin.

I adored the characterization in this story. Both Charlie and Austin were relatable, complex, and well drawn-out, and I soon found myself rooting for both of them. The slow-burn romance was well done and believable, and I found the relationship between Charlie and Austin to be exceptionally moving.

Additionally, the world-building was phenomenal, and the novel gave the reader a vivid sense of place, making me feel as though I were in the house right along with the characters. It was ripping with atmosphere, which immediately drew me in. The author also gives us several riveting secondary characters, a couple of which played an integral part in the storyline, especially once an entirely new and surprising storyline develops. As the story went, I put together a couple of pieces, but I didn’t pick up on the huge curveball towards the end.

I also enjoyed how the house itself took care of the ghosts, which proved to be quite a unique take on the classic haunted house ghost story. All in all, I loved everything about this story: the setting, characters, the wry humor, the tender romantic relationship, the relationships between the ghosts, and the plot line. It had me smiling one moment and tearing up the next. What I especially enjoyed was how lighthearted, and funny this book was, even when it was deeply touching.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book.

Buy Flipping on Amazon

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Review of Playing with Myself by Randy Rainbow

March 6, 2022 by Roger Hyttinen 1 Comment

Playing with Myself book coverBlurb

An intimate and light-hearted memoir by viral sensation and three-time Emmy-nominated musical comedian Randy Rainbow that takes readers through his life—the highs, the lows, the lipstick, the pink glasses, and the show tunes.

Randy Rainbow, the man who conquered the Internet with a stylish pair of pink glasses, an inexhaustible knowledge of Broadway musicals, and the most gimlet-eyed view of American politics this side of Mark Twain finally tells all in Playing with Myself, a memoir sure to cause more than a few readers to begin singing one of his greatest hits like “A Spoonful of Clorox” or “Cover Your Freakin’ Face.”

As Randy has said, “There’s so much fake news out there about me. I can’t wait to set the record straight and finally give people a peek behind the green screen.” And set the record straight he does. Playing with Myself is a first-hand account of the journey that led Randy Rainbow from his childhood as the over-imaginative, often misunderstood little boy who carried a purse in the second grade to his first job on Broadway as the host at Hooters and on to the creation of his trademark comedy character. In chapters titled “Pajama Bottoms” (a look back at the days when he wore pajama bottoms on his head to pretend he was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz), “Yes, It’s My Real Name, Shut Up!” (no explanation necessary…) and “Pink Glasses” (a rose-colored homage to his favorite accessory), Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question “Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world, one show tune at a time?”

Review

Memoirs are not my preferred genre, but when I heard that Randy Rainbow was releasing a no-holds-barred story of his life, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, given that I’ve been a fan of his musical political parodies from the beginning.

Like the man himself, this book was so much fun! I enjoyed learning about his childhood, his family, his struggles with depression, his inspiration, his missteps, and his eventual rise to stardom. I was also surprised to learn that Randy Rainbow is his real name – who could have guessed?

I swear Randy Rainbow is the only person who can make the story of one’s childhood enjoyable and enthralling. And if you’re a fan of celebrities, Randy does plenty of name-dropping throughout the pages, and I enjoyed learning about his relationships with various actors, actresses, and musicians.

I loved getting a behind-the-scenes look at his process — how he comes up with ideas for and makes his videos. It also becomes clear that his rise to fame was the result of a lifetime of hard work and preparation. Though there is a serious aspect to the book, especially regarding self-image issues and bullying, overall, it’s humorous, light-hearted, and fun, peppered with witty asides, enjoyable banter, and jokes. I caught myself laughing out loud so many times as I read about his compelling life.

Frequently, I find memoirs to drag in places where I need to slog through them painfully. Not this one. Playing with myself was a hoot from beginning to end! All in all, I found this book utterly delightful, and it gave me a new appreciation for Randy Rainbow. It was a blast getting to know the man behind the pink glasses. If you enjoy his creative video spoofs, you should enjoy this funny yet heartfelt book. It’s a refreshing and entertaining read about one of my favorite people.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a review copy of this book.

This title will be released on April 19th but is available for preorder now.

Purchase Playing with Myself from Amazon

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Review of The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

December 13, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I’m a massive fan of Bill Konigsberg, so I was very excited to learn he was coming out with a new book. This was certainly an intense and quite a raw read.

It follows two teens, Aaron and Tillie, two strangers but who end up on the George Washington Bridge at the same time with the intention of jumping. Aaron is gay and suffering from depression, and Tillie has just been ghosted by her boyfriend and has been publicly humiliated in an online bullying event. So there are four scenarios that could play out:

  1. Tillie jumps, but Aaron doesn’t.
  2. Aaron jumps, but Tillie doesn’t.
  3. They both jump.
  4. Neither of them jumps.

What’s interesting about this story is that it explores all four outcomes in a diverging storyline format, which I typically enjoy. That is to say, the story plays out all four scenarios allowing us to see the fallout and repercussions of each decision on everyone in their lives. It’s funny. I went into this without knowing anything about it (Bill is an auto-buy author for me).

But when we moved onto the second scenario, I thought, “Wait, What??? Isn’t Tillie dead??” It’s at this point I read the blurb and had that: “Aha!” moment.

So….to say this novel is powerful is an understatement.

As you can imagine, any novel with the theme of suicide at its core is no doubt raw and heart-breaking, and this novel is no exception. Though a bit tough to read in places and definitely an emotional roller-coaster, it was also compelling as each section laid out the various possibilities of events following each scenario.

In the story, he delves into themes of mental health, bullying, shame, body shaming, body image, parental neglect, family, loneliness, and of course, death by suicide. But I felt that at no point does the author romanticize suicide but instead shows the brutal results of such an act and how it can affect so many others.

Now given that this is an exploration of these four different scenarios, there’s really not any closure to the story as all of the stories end in an open kind of way. It’s up to us to decide the outcome of each story. I’m glad the author saved the scenario in which neither teen jumps for the last, which ends the novel in a hopeful and optimistic manner.

The message at the core of these four stories is kind of a wake-up call — maybe even a personal message to anyone who has or has ever had suicidal thoughts. There’s no ideation here, but instead, the author attempts to show us that things will, indeed, get better, as well as illustrating how devastating the death of a loved one by suicide can be for family and friends.

I also think these four stories create an often much-needed conversation around the topic of depression and mental illness in general. In the case of one of the characters, it’s discussed how exhausting it is to keep a smiling face when the darkness inside threatens to overwhelm you and pull you down.

The events that kicked off each scenario were not only fascinating but also eye-opening, and I felt that the author did an excellent job of bringing these events to life for the reader.

And even though we get the same story after the events of the George Washington Bridge, the book is not at all repetitive because every decision the teens make sets off a chain of entirely different events. The ripples and repercussions of each person’s decision in the story made for fascinating reading.

I felt the story in which they both jumped was especially powerful, and the author took it to the next level by showing the hole that they left not only now but in the future. Here, the author shows us how far into the future, the ripples of their decision can reach. For instance, the book introduced the people they were supposed to fall in love with, people who now felt like something is missing from their life, but they can’t put their finger on what.

So here, we see the effects not just on the people they knew but also on the people they should have known. Ah… I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

So again, the book is not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination. It’s dark, heavy, sad, and gut-wrenching. The grief in this story jumps off the page. But it’s also hopeful, in that there’s always another option, and in this book, we explore those options.

Purchase The Bridge on Amazon

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Review of Dracula’s Child by J.S. Barnes

September 20, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb:

It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives. But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition – and, the older their son Quincy gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers’ marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincy himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown. And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers’ marriage are about to be exposed…

There is darkness both within the marriage and without – for, while Jonathan and Mina wrestle with the right way to raise a child while still recovering from the trauma of their past lives, new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something thought long-ago forgotten is, finally, beginning to stir…

Review

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ~ Edmund Burke

I’ve always been a massive fan of Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’ so I was incredibly excited when I had to opportunity to read Dracula’s Child. The story takes place ten years after the original novel’s events after Abraham Van Helsing destroyed the evil Count Dracula. In this novel, we follow Jonathan and Mina Harker, who are still dealing with the trauma and aftermath of those horrific events. Then, something happens on the eve of their son Quincy’s 13th birthday leading to a descent into darkness for everyone involved as it quickly becomes clear that the evil may not be gone after all. Thus begins a fight not only for Quincy’s soul but for the lives of everyone around him.

What I loved about this captivating book is how it’s in the same epistolary format as the first and written in the form of letters, found documents, newspaper clippings, and diary entries. Like the original, the story is also told through multiple points of view, allowing us to experience the story from several different angles, viewpoints, and voices.

It was so true to the original and so atmospheric that I felt as though I were reading a sequel penned by Stoker himself. It even had that same suspenseful slow burn aspect to it as what was really going on was slowly revealed by the author.

Additionally, the characterization was spot on and utterly faithful to the original. It was so compelling to watch the new terror unfold as many of our favorite characters from the original story are forced to face an unspeakable horror and make some impossible decisions. There are also plenty of new characters as well as a new and original plotline to add to the intrigue of the story.

I thought this book really stood up well to the original and what we end up with here is a gothic story as timeless as the original Dracula. The story’s ever-darkening atmosphere had an increasing feeling of foreboding and menace to it as the events slowly unraveled, revealing quite a twisty, multi-layered heart-in-your-throat tale.

Though this book does stand on its own, I’d recommend reading the original first as there were plenty of references to that book’s events. It will also help the reader better understand the characters and their motivations.

All in all, I thought this was a phenomenal and unputdownable novel. Barnes has succeeded in creating here an intense, troubling, and complex story just as dark and creepy as the original, and I thought that the blend of human horror and the human heart is expertly achieved. Dracula’s Child is an outstanding balancing act that walks a thin line between being an ode to classic horror and a nightmarish and original modern-day suspense story all its own.

Purchase Dracula’s Child from Amazon

Filed Under: Horror, Suspense/Thriller, Uncategorized

Review of The Bright Lands by John Fram

July 13, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

It’s difficult to believe that this is a debut novel as it was not only addictive and gripping but also incredibly well-written. This was a riveting supernatural thriller/horror novel full of suspense, twists, and tension that takes place in a creepy small town with quite an assortment of fascinating characters.

As Joel begins to investigate his brother’s disappearance, he unearths a plethora of painful memories — memories he thought he’d left behind him after being shamed out of town ten years prior for being gay — and he ends up exposing the town’s darkest secrets. But Joel wants answers and is willing to do whatever it takes to get them — even if it puts his life in jeopardy.

As he gets closer to the truth, it eventually becomes clear that the town itself is responsible for the evil goings-on in Bentley with a frightening urban legend at the heart of it all. I actually thought that this was going to be a small-town mystery story, so I was a bit gobsmacked when the horror and supernatural elements came into play – though I will say pleasantly surprised.

Think you have it figured out? Think again! And that’s what I enjoyed about the story — how unpredictable it was. I was a bit surprised, though, when the story went super dark and took on an overall sense of foreboding, hints of menace, and the general feeling that something was off. What we end up with, then, is a razor-witted, intense, and brutal look at the modern human condition – a tale of twisted narratives fueled by obsession, resulting in a tense and unsettling read. This book is a serpentine tale of betrayal, madness, and murder.

But interestingly, it’s also about casting off shame and stigma. At its core, it’s a novel rooted with human failings: the dangers of bigotry and close-mindedness of our own society leading to many of the characters facing insurmountable demons — demons resulting from the suppression of the self and the suppression of others. There is definitely a deeper story within these pages, and parts of it speak to the divisiveness of the world in which we live.

Additionally, the author explores several other important themes in the story: sexuality, religion, betrayal, drugs, predation, complicated family dynamics, racism, conformity, and the confusion that coming of age can bring along with it.

I liked how the story was told several alternating POVs, allowing us to see the events through multiple lenses and perspectives. Though there are several pivotal events in the story, at its heart Bright Lands is a character-driven story where every character has something to hide. All their stories come together to weave a dark and intricate tale that draws you in until the very end. What we end up with is a pitch-dark, terrifying story that explores what we’re capable of when our backs are against the wall.

I will say, however, that The Bright Lands is a disturbing novel with graphic content, so it may not be appropriate for more sensitive readers.

All in all, this was an edge-of-your-seat page-turner that kept me guessing until the explosive ending, and though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I enjoyed the wild ride it took me on.

Purchase The Bright Lands from Amazon

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Suspense/Thriller, Uncategorized

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