Category: Fiction Page 6 of 348

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ecco
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 368 pg.
Read Date: April 28-30, 2026

What’s Remarkably Bright Creatures About?

There’s a widow named Tova, who needs to stay busy to keep the losses in her life from overwhelming her, so she works nights cleaning at a local aquarium.

There’s a thirtysomething man, who’s in a band with an old friend (a band that’s going nowhere fast), he has a series of construction jobs that he tends to lose as fast as he gets them. Cameron is directionless to say the best—he becomes convinced that his father is someone who lives in Northern Washington—not too far (but far enough) from Tova and her aquarium. Cameron sets off to meet him.

There’s a wonderful Scottish grocer named Ethan who has a crush on Tova and who helps Cameron out when he comes through town. I don’t want to say too much about him, but he’s really my favorite human character in this book, so if you’re reading this post and haven’t read the book yet—keep your eye on him, he’s just a delight.

Yes, I said favorite human character. Because the main reason to read this book is the giant octopus on the cover. His name is Marcellus. He was rescued by the aquarium some years back (he would say captured, and he can tell you exactly how many days have passed since his capture). We get snippets of his diary (one wholly composed in his head, but whatever) throughout the book. Marcellus is the hero of the book; he’s a large part of the heart of the book (although, the humans contribute a lot to it, too), and he carries most of the humor.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I came into work one day, and it was waiting on my desk with a note from a coworker. That seemed like a pretty strong recommendation. I’d seen some online buzz about it, and it seemed promising.

Thankfully, that coworker was willing to wait a year or so for me to get to it (and I really only read it when I did, so I had it read before the movie was released).

I stuck with it because it was a charming and sweet story—and how do you not want to keep coming back for Marcellus’ voice? Or anything to do with Marcellus? You come for the sweet and uplifting story, you stay for Marcellus.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

It’s about the need for a sense of connection. Almost every character we meet (I can think of 5 exceptions) is looking for some kind of connection. For some it’s romance, for some it’s family, for some it’s just a good friendship. For some, it’s unknown—but they know it when they find it.

There really are a bunch of lonely people wandering through this book. Some of them realize that’s their problem, not all of them realize it. Some have ideas how to fix it (or how they want to, anyway). But largely, they’re walking open wounds. And in one way or the other, human connection is the fix.

The exceptions I mentioned earlier? They all have strong connections already—it’s not that they wouldn’t welcome more, but they’re not hungry for it. They’ve got their needs met—and can express that into a concern for others and helping them.

A Quick Word About the Movie

I did get this read a couple of weeks before we watched the movie. It’s not the most faithful of adaptations. They rearranged some of the timeline, they combined things, elided scenes, twisted bits—but I think all of it was justifiable given the medium and the time limits. But they captured the heart of the book, and got enough of the details right to satisfy me.

Also, Sally Field was a great Tova, Alfred Molina was perfect as Marcellus, and Colm Meaney is worth watching in anything.

So, what did I think about Remarkably Bright Creatures?

This is such a sweet, heartwarming book. With just enough humor to add a little kick to it.

I’m not sure that I ever had a moment of suspense about any events in the book. Van Pelt telegraphed everything. Not in a bad way, there was next-to-no suspense involved. The only question was how she was going to execute all the plot points you expected. And how much of Marcellus do we get along the way.

On some Facebook group the other day, I saw someone wondering if they should DNF the book because Cameron was so dislikeable. That’s the entire point of Cameron—to be dislikeable, immature, and even self-centered. If that’s not obvious to you within a scene or two of meeting him, I wonder how much you’re paying attention. It’s his involvement with other characters in the book that gets him out of that and puts him on the road to being a decent person. That’s part of that telegraphing I was talking about Van Pelt doing.

The charm about Cameron is watching him stumble through what Tova, Ethan, and others are doing for him. Not enough time elapses in the book for him to grow up—but he’s on the path. (I don’t think this is a spoiler, see above.)

And Tova? Dear, sweet, Tova. From her introduction on, you just want everything to work out for her. Life has not been easy for her, you want her to find some comfort.

A perfect book? No. But one that satisfies on so many levels.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart: Keeping a Toddler Alive Might Be the Downfall of These Assassins

By HCNewton

On June 19, 2026

In Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Three Hitmen and a Baby

by Rob Hart

DETAILS:
Series: Assassins Anonymous, #3
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: June 16, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: May 30-June 2, 2026

What’s Three Hitmen and a Baby About?

After the events of The Medusa Protocol, things have really settled down for the members of the recovery group. Up until the events of this novel, of course. Valencia gets word of some family trouble in California, and she needs to go help—but she can’t take her three-year-old with her. So Mark, Booker, and Astrid, her “uncles” (yes, even Astrid—Lucia’s not so great with gender concepts), volunteer to watch her. How hard could it be?

Spoken like people who haven’t spent that much time on their own with a toddler. Incidentally, 12-Step rules or not. If you’re going to watch someone’s child for a few days—you’d better know their last name. Our trio learns that the hard way. I’ll leave it at that.

At the same time, one debt that Mark owes a Russian mobster becomes due. They (on behalf of someone else) want Astrid dead. And who better to take care of that than her friend, Mark. They don’t care that Mark isn’t killing anymore, and they’d care even less to learn that Mark was her sponsor. And you don’t have to be a Friend of Bill to know that the relationship between sponsor and sponsee isn’t supposed to be ended with a murder. Then again, the mobster knows about Mark’s ex- and their child. So, he does have two compelling reasons to throw his sobriety out the window.

All in all, these three (ex-)hitman have quite the struggle.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I can’t imagine stopping this series now. When the publicist emailed me about the book, I jumped on it without thinking.

I kept going because the story wouldn’t let me go. We get the comedy of these (former) professional killers being utterly inept when it comes to taking care of a toddler. And then this between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place that Mark finds himself in.

What’s the Underlying Theme?

This book is about a couple of things at the core—there’s the found-family connection between the members of this group—and a couple of other people they’ve collectively added along the way. But that’s something that’s been part of this series from the beginning (and will almost certainly continue to be).

The other core of this book is making amends. Step 9 of Assassin’s Anonymous—like all 12-Step Programs—is making amends. Now, it’s impossible to make amends to those they’ve killed. So they’ve each had to come up with ways to do that. Sometimes, it’s service. Sometimes, it’s talking to loved ones of the victim.

Not only do we see some attempts at amends to victims. We also see the toll that not being able to make them takes on members of the group. The nightmares, the way they’re haunted not by their past sins but their inability to do anything to ameliorate the situation or amend for them.

So, what did I think about Three Hitmen and a Baby?

I had a blast with this—and I’m having a hard time coming up with new things to say about this series (seriously, this would’ve been posted a week ago otherwise).

I do think this is slightly more successful than The Medusa Protocol overall, which is not to cast aspersions on book two. There’s less globe-trotting in this book than in either previous book, but that doesn’t keep the cast from being international. It just ramps up the pacing. This all happens in a much more contained period of time, keeping the pressure on throughout. There’s little downtime or breathing room (and most of that involves entertaining a three-year-old).

Hart really has the balancing act between light-hearted moments, soul-searing introspection/disclosure, and action down pat. The jokes about John Wick and other action films keep coming and haven’t lost their punch. There’s a great scene where Mark and Booker talk about their preferred entertainment and critique action tropes that I’ve read at least three times, just to watch Hart fill out these characters a bit (particularly Booker, we know Mark well enough now).

The way this one resolved was rewarding both plot-wise and character-wise, and did set up book four in a pretty solid manner, too.

This one really shouldn’t be missed, my friends/readers/utter strangers who happen to see this.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: A Little Bird Told Me by Rachael Gray

By HCNewton

On June 17, 2026

In Book Tour, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The BBNYA Finalst Tour for Rachael Gray’s A Little Bird Told Me. Be sure check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours over the next week and change to see other people saying great things about the book, it came in 2nd in last year’s BBNYA competition, so you know it has die-hard fans. Let’s learn a little bit about the book, shall we?

Before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: A Little Bird Told Me by Rachael Gray
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction
Release date: September 5, 2024
Length: 290 pages

About the Book:

A fresh start leads to murder and mystery…

Laurel Nightingale wants to start again. However, after discovering a dead body shortly after arriving in the tight-knit community, she wonders if village life is as wholesome as she first thought.

Local police are convinced the death was accidental, but Laurel suspects murder, and enlists new friend Maggie to join her quest in uncovering the truth.

When a second body is found, Laurel ruffles feathers by pointing the finger at one of the locals. But, when her accusation backfires, she’s left alienated and afraid.

With her fear at an all-time high, her sleuthing partner missing and village gossip spreading like wildfire, Laurel wonders who she can truly trust.

Is it time to move on, yet again? And will her newly-formed friendships be enough to save her from this mysterious murderer?

A Little Bird Told Me is a clever cosy crime murder mystery that will put your sleuthing skills to the test.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Rachael Gray is the author of the Elderwick Mysteries series: A Little Bird Told Me, A Turn-up for the Books, and A Storm in a Teacup.

Though she’ll always be a Yorkshire girl at heart, Rachael now lives and writes from the home she shares with her husband in Normandy, France.

Author Links:

Website ~ Bluesky ~ Facebook

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

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Opening Lines: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2026

In Fiction, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art and we all do judge them that way). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I like to throw it up here (especially if I’m out of time to come up with a post that involves writing on my part).

from All Systems Red by Martha Wells:

I could have become a mass murderer after i hacked my governor module, but then realized access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on company satellites. it had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, probably, don’t know, little under movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. as heartless killing machine, was terrible failure. .

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The Best Dog in the World edited by Alice Hoffman: All the Best Dogs (except yours or mine)

By HCNewton

On June 10, 2026

In Dogs, Non-Fiction

The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love

edited by Alice Hoffman

DETAILS:
Publisher: Scribner
Publication Date: March 10, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Length: 208 pg.
Read Date: May 11-29, 2026

All these years, I never had a dog and I didn’t know what I was missing exactly. I had opinions on the matter, It seemed that dog people were the kind of folks you saw in beer commercials tossing Frisbees on the beach. The kind of people who have season tickets to the Mets. The kind of people who never miss a Giants game. The same people who never miss the Rolling Stones when they’re touring through. The kind of people who probably would have voted for Teddy Roosevelt and then for his cousin Franklin. Easygoing. Unflappable. Cool. A dog person is someone who first and always loves dogs. A dog person treasures connection and brings humans together. A dog person is open to the possibilities that come from loving an animal that needs you and loves you back. And now, after a lifetime of not being one, I was a dog person.

from Adriana Trigiani’s “Lola”

Warning

You know how each National Dog Day in August, I post something called “These Dog Days Aren’t Over” about books where dogs live? This book will not be appearing in that post.

Of the 16 dogs written about in this book, three were alive when the essay was written—that’s 19%. And one of the essays about a dog who was living talks about the dog’s aging, and the essayist thinks about life after the dog. So the percentage is almost lower.

If you’re one of those readers who (understandably) want every dog in a book to live, this is not one for you.

But for those who can appreciate something well-written where a dog doesn’t have to keep running and barking, read on.

What’s The Best Dog in the World?

This is a collection of essays by Isabel Allende, Chris Bohjalian, Bonnie Garmus, Roxane Gay, Emily Henry, Ann Leary, Tova Mirvis, Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Strout, Amy Tan, Adriana Trigiani, Nick Trout, Paul Yoon, and Laura Zigman. The title pretty much tells you what to expect, but Alice Hoffman’s afterword sums it up pretty well:

In reading these essays I realize they are all about loyalty and love. How lucky we are to have a dog in our lives. How treasured our time with them is. I have come to realize there is not necessarily one best dog in the world, but, if we’re fortunate, many best dogs, who each enrich our lives in different ways.

In the essays contained here there are stories about loss and family, about new relationships and hardships, but each and every one is about love.

So, what did I think about The Best Dog in the World?

Like most dog owners, I view her with absolute objectivity as a canine genius with the sweetest soul on the planet.

The only dog owners that would likely disagree with Chris Bohjalian are people like me, who are convinced their dog missed out on the day intelligence was passed out with the sweetest soul on the planet.

But he hits on the main point of the book. I seem to be on a theme this year, a few months back, I read a novel called All the Best Dogs—and the theme was all the dogs are the best dogs. Then we get this compilation—which basically says the same. Every dog-person basically knows this already—it’s just affirming to see in print.

This collection was like talking with a bunch of new friends about our dogs—much like a lot of conversations at a dog park, just without the interruptions to point out something ridiculous or cute (or both) happening in the park itself. Oh, and more erudite and eloquent.

There were two essays that didn’t work for me—but the rest did. Some were just satisfying, some were, “I want to spend hours with this author and/or their dog.” One of the ones that didn’t work for me was actually really well written, and I was impressed by the way they worked in life events with the discussion of their dog. I just thought it was too dog-light to fit the theme. The other was about a show dog. Sorry, Amy Tan, I just had a super-hard time caring. I’m sure it’s reverse-snobbery on my part (although Frankie seems like a well-loved dog, with a great life—especially in retirement). Also, there was some really good writing in Tan’s essay (not a shock to anyone).

Emily Henry almost made me weep; Bonnie Garmus convinced me to read Lessons in Chemistry in the hope that the same voice shines through; I’m going to have to check out Paul Yoon (and probably a couple of the others); the Jodi Picoult in these pages is not the one that my wife describes to me when she talks about her books (this is likely true of most of these writers. Different topics, etc.) And the list goes on.

This was sweet, touching, uncommonly relatable, heartstring-tugging, and smile-inducing. I don’t know if you’ll walk away with a fresh understanding of the love of a human for a canine—or a canine for a human—but it’ll be refreshed.

REPOSTING: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall: A Mulligan-Equipped PI

By HCNewton

On June 5, 2026

In Book Tour, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Time-Marked Warlock

by Shami Stovall

DETAILS:
Series: Adair Finch, #1
Publication Date: June 2024 (or August, depending who you ask)
Format: e-ARC
Length: 402 pg.
Read Date: April 15-16, 2024

What’s Time-Marked Warlock About?

Until a few years ago, the names of warlocks Adair and Carter Finch were famous among the magic community. Private eyes who helped law enforcement as well as private clients dealing with cases large and small—they were pretty close to superheroes. Then they took that one job that put them against an opponent they weren’t ready for, things went wrong, and Carter died.

Adair’s magic couldn’t help. He couldn’t even track down everyone who was responsible, so he couldn’t get revenge. So…he went home and retreated from life. He became an asocial hermit, doing little more than existing.

Then one pre-dawn morning, a twelve-year-old girl pounds on his apartment door. Her mother always told her that if she was in real trouble to track down Adair or Carter Finch. They weren’t close friends by any means, but they did know each other—enough so that her name makes Finch pay attention. Bree’s mother was a witch and her father is a warlock, but not in the same league as Finch. Bree tells Finch that her mother has been murdered and her father kidnapped—and she needs his help to rescue her father and get justice for her mother.

Finch is not inclined to do anything but close the door on her face and get back to not interacting with anyone. But he can’t turn down her appeal—so he agrees to go to the crime scene (if only so he can determine that she misunderstood what she saw, and that her father actually was the murderer).

The scene isn’t what he expected—Bree might have been right. Also, the police detective on the scene knew Finch before he “retired” and neither really appreciated the other. Det. Jenner really rubs Finch the wrong way on the scene.

Between their less-than-pleasant interaction, Bree pulling on his heartstrings just right, and what Finch noticed at the scene of the crime, Finch decides to take the case, wrap it up quickly, and get back to wasting away as soon as he can.

Finch

Let’s get this out of the way real quick: Frequently reminded me of (James J.) Butcher’s Huntsman, Leslie Mayflower (and several other retired/depressed heroes, but Mayflower is most recent in my mind, so he gets name-dropped). Is he the Huntsman? No—he’s far less inclined to leave a trail of bodies in his wake.* for one thing. But he gives a similar vibe.

* We can argue some other time about how inclined Mayflower really is. Roll with it for now.

He’s clearly angry at himself. He’s reticent to put himself out there emotionally (or any other way). He’s not ready to let anyone else down again (assuming he really did). But something about Bree creates a crack in his defensive shell, and it’s great to see purpose emerge from where he’d trapped it down. He’s a different guy by the end of the book (probably like what he was years ago)—he’s not totally where he should be, but he’s on the road to recovery. As the series continues, i look forward to seeing how he grows/recovers.

Bree Blackstone

I don’t know how any UF reader is supposed to read her full name and not think of Harry Dresden. Maybe we’re supposed to—surely we are right?

Anyway…if Bree doesn’t melt your heart right off. If you’re not rooting for her to get the answers she seeks and maybe a touch of the retribution she longs for—and to save her dad…there’s something wrong with you—go listen to some Whos down in Whoville sing some Christmas songs until your heart is the right size.

She is so frightened by everything—there’s a real parallel to Finch there. But she’s determined to get the help she needs to save her dad and get the bad guy who killed her mom. And if Finch is the way to get both of those, she’ll get him to help her.

Naturally, along the way she picks up a pretty hefty case of hero-worship. Finch doesn’t see it for what it is right off—but he eventually does, and knows he’s not worthy. Watching him balance helping her, fending off (or trying to) her fangirling over him, and teaching her what she needs to know to be safe in the magic world is a great balancing act.

Bree is really well-conceived and executed by Stovall, and will become one of your favorite characters of the year.

Kullthantarrick the Sneak

Kull is a trickster spirit that Finch calls up to help with a little something along the way—she’s largely around for comic relief—but she also helps Bree to learn some things about the nature of magic, spirits, and the like that she hasn’t learned from her parents yet. Yes, her role is to help make worldbuilding infodumps entertaining. She’s well-used that way.

Any spirit of mischief—from Mercy Thompson’s Coyote to the Wizard in Rhyme’s Max to Al MacBharrais’s Buck, or…okay, I’m drawing a blank here—can be a lot of fun. You just set them loose to create havoc and sit back and watch. And Kull is great at that.

But that’s not all she is—she wants to be a human, she’s seen and done enough as a spirit, and she wants the human experience now. That adds a little depth to her—there’s also an affection that develops between her and Bree that adds even more shades of depth to what could’ve been a disposable character that ends up being so much more.

Really well done there.

The Magic System(s)

I don’t know how much to say here. This world has a handful of magic systems at play—there’s one for witches—like Bree’s mother and (presumably) her. There’s another one for warlocks—it’s similar and not necessarily mutually exclusive to the witch system. And there are some others, too.

One way that Finch uses his abilities (that other warlocks like Bree’s father can’t) is that he has some ability with time. It’s in the title, I feel I can give a vague description here. He’s constantly noting the time whenever anything happens. If he “marks” the time, within any 24-hour period he can return to the marked time—retaining the memories and knowledge gained, but getting to start over. Bree compares it to a save point in a video game.

This is brilliant—and so good to see in action. There’s part of me that wondered if it’d feel like a cheat—killing tension and so on. Or if it’d just be some Groundhog Day-riff good for comedy and that’s it. If you’ve ever played—or watched someone play—an intense video game with a save point, you know that’s not enough to keep someone from getting stressed out about almost dying/dying within the game. Sure they can take another try (or several), but the tension is still there. It works that way for this book (especially if it looks like Finch might not reset in time). And yes, there’s some weatherman Phil-esque humor, but not as much as other authors might have indulged in.

All in all, Stovall nailed this part of Urban Fantasy.

So, what did I think about Time-Marked Warlock?

Three great characters (not even counting the antagonists), an even better magic system, and a decent plot with a satisfying central villain. I don’t know what else to ask for in a UF novel.

The pacing was on-target—even when revisiting the same day or events over and over, Stovall was able to keep it fresh. She also knew when to say “they did X again” and when to show it. The action scenes worked well. The villain(s) were believable, had compelling motivations, and were enough of a threat to all involved to keep the reader’s interest.

There were supporting characters—including villain(s) that ended up not being as terrible as you might initially think—that were just as fully drawn, and you could generate a little sympathy for some of the people associated with the murder once you realized how they were being used, too.

There’s a good setup for further books in the series, too.

I really can’t think of much that Stovall could’ve done better—this scratched my UF itch, and I bet it’ll do the same for you, too. Keep your eyes peeled for the release and get your hands on this when you can.

4 Stars

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

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Cover Reveal: Stranded by Nicholas W Fuller

By HCNewton

On June 5, 2026

In Fiction, Science Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome the Cover Reveal for Nicholas W Fuller’s Stranded to The Irresponsible Reader today. This one is a doozy.

Before we see the cover, let’s learn a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.

About the Book:

Quick Stats / Facts

Title: Stranded
Series Title: Sanguine Stars
Author: Nicholas W Fuller
Cover Art & Typography: Jeff Brown
Genre: Sci-fi, Sci-Fantasy, Action Adventure
Pitch: If you put the vibes and setting of Firefly in a room with Words of Power by Shami Stovall, add a touch of Dungeon Crawler Carl humor, and put some baby making music on… In nine months, you’d have Stranded.

FAQs

There’s already 30+ chapters available on Patreon.
The first four chapters you can read FOR FREE.
Stranded will be complete on Patreon in just a few months!
I’m planning a cool, limited print run before the end of the year. 😉
The events of Stranded happen after Shattered: A Sanguine Stars Novella, BUT, Stranded makes a better entry point and Shattered is best as a book 1.5 in the planned trilogy.

Blurb

Poey Targe is stranded.

His skug-sucking captors dragged his ass all the way across the galaxy to who-the-hell-knows-where instead of just killing him when they forced him to watch his home planet’s destruction.

Fortunately, even on this mud ball in the middle of nowhere there’s a bit of civilization; enough that there’s a bar where a man can get drunk. That’s all that Poey cares about—losing everything you ever loved will do that to a man.

But, while he’s out killing monsters to keep the bar safe and earn his next drink, Poey starts to hear a voice in his head… has he cracked? Or could this be the key to untold power as the voice claims? Perhaps the procedure he endured before his home was blown to bits wasn’t a failure. If the voice is telling the truth, he might not only have a way to survive, but grow in power. Just as he starts to ask the only other person on the colony rumored to hear voices, he overhears a mayday – one that carries a codeword he made back home…

Poey’s new mission is to rescue whoever put out that mayday and he’ll stop at nothing to get there.

Sanguine Stars is a fast-paced, Sci-Fantasy story featuring found family and a unique progression system with many mysteries to unravel..

and now…

The Cover

cover for Stranded by Nicholas W Fuller

Kudos to Cover Artist Jeff Brown for this eye-grabber. I’ve seen so many covers credited to Jeff Brown in the last few weeks, I can’t help but wonder who isn’t using his art. I sure would be if I had a book coming out.

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall

By HCNewton

On June 5, 2026

In Book Tour, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The BBNYA Finalst Tour for Shami Stovall’s Time-Marked Warlock. In addition to this Spotlight, my post about the book will be coming along soon. Be sure check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours over the next week and change to see other people saying (probably) great things about the book. This is not the first Spotlight that I’ve posted for this book, I should add. But I’m pleased to do this–and I’d be happy to do it a few more times. But for now, let’s learn a little bit about the book, shall we?

Before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release date: June 2024
Length: 374 pages

About the Book:

Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother.

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything.

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well.

Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

Book Links:

p style=”text-align: center;”>Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ <a href=”https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/93640c6e-3ed0-43c3-b013-96c7e3b7aba9 target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>The Story Graph

About the Author:

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators. She loves John, reading, and writing about herself in the third person.

See all future releases with: https://sastovallauthor.com/newsletter/

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2025 Finalist badge

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: Like a Champion by Vincent Chu

By HCNewton

On June 4, 2026

In 2018 First Reads Challenge, 2018 Indie-Fever Challenge, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

The post I had pretty much ready for today had to be scrapped, the more I thought about it, the less I agreed with it. And I was just too knackered to finish anything else. So…it’s time for a Summer Re-run.

Like a Champion

by Vincent Chu

eARC, 238 pg.
7.13 Books, 2018

Read: January 31 – February 2, 2018

The man across from Henriette read a book. It was a very big book, a Hunger Games or Game of Thrones kind, with a sword and flame and chess piece on the cover. Dean had never read such a big book. The man was on the very last page and Dean felt guilty suddenly for spying on him during this personal moment, but he did not stop. It was not often, he reasoned, that he would get the opportunity to observe another person at the exact moment they finished a book, a big one at that. But, after the last page, the man, without so much as a satisfied nod or pensive stare, shut the thing and immediately put in his iPhone buds. This disappointed Dean.

That’s just one of any number of paragraphs throughout these stories that don’t advance the plot, reveal or describe much in the way of character — but man, the little bit of flavor they add to the story makes it worth it. And don’t you just want to shake the man who finished the book by the shoulders and ask what is wrong with him? The guy appears for one paragraph, and I have a strong reaction to him. With short stories, you don’t typically get to do that kind of thing the way you can with novels, because every word has to count — and typically, that’s what Vincent Chu does, but every now and then, he stretches a bit. Typically, like the best short fiction writers, Chu gets his bang for his buck when it comes to his words — tight, economical prose that strikes just the right tone each time.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Like a Champion is a collection of eighteen short stories featuring all sorts of people — underdogs in one sense or another — getting a taste of victory. Some of this victory is very short-lived, some is quite Pyrrhic, but it’s there. The stories are varied in tone, in voice, in setting, in types of character — and that’s such a strength. Some will make you smile, some laugh, some are sad, some are tragic, some are somber, all are incredibly human.

There’s a lot I could talk about — if I could, I’d spend a few hundred words on “Squirrels”, the fourth story in the collection. I don’t know why, but that one sealed me appreciation for this book, and it stands out as a high point for me. There’s just something about it that worked for me, the same kind of thing that lead me to write three papers for three separate courses in college about one Updike short story. There were a couple of other stories that I could point to that were as as outstanding, but I’ll stick with “Squirrels” — a story about one man’s childhood basketball triumph in the midst of defeat — because I enjoyed it more.

With one exception (at least one that I noticed, I might have missed others), these are independent of each other. The two stories that are connected are so different in tone and subject matter that it takes you by surprise when you notice the connection — but it really works (and the connection is of a lesser importance, that not much changes if you don’t make the connection). It was a nice little touch, I would’ve liked a part three, however.

I’m not crazy about Chu’s depiction of older characters. Maybe if I only got one of the stories in this collection featuring an older character — I wouldn’t have commented. Or if I took a few more days to read this than I did, it wouldn’t have stood out to me as much, but when you get the same note or two being played so often with elderly characters it sticks out.

I don’t usually spend much time talking about the publisher of the books I post about, but when it comes to some indie presses, I should. A couple of months ago, I know I posted a link to a profile of 7.13 Books in a Saturday Miscellany, and before that I talked about another short story collection they put out. And come to think of it, I have one more book from them on my schedule in the coming weeks. If Like a Champion is indicative of what they are publishing (and it seems to be), there’s something in the water there, folks, keep an eye out for their books.

Like with every collection — be it full of short stories, essays, poems — there are some in this collection that don’t work for me — two because I didn’t get what he was going for; a couple that I’m pretty sure I got what he was going for, and just didn’t care for it. And I’m very sure that many people will get those I didn’t and will like the ones I didn’t care for — and even dislike the stories that I enjoyed, and maybe even someone’s nuts enough to not care for the ones that filled me with joy. There’s enough variety in these to appeal to all sorts of tastes — and that’s a compliment, Chu’s nothing if not versatile. But on the whole, this is a great collection of short stories, full of compassion, humanity, and talent. You’d do well to grab this one.

Note: I received a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions as expressed above.

—–

4 Stars

Quick-Take Catchups: The Leftovers from March

By HCNewton

On June 3, 2026

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Urban Fantasy

I’m a few weeks behind on this, but that “To Write About” stack is still calling. Time for me to do a few more of these—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

Rabbit Cake

by Annie Hartnett, read by Katie Schorr

DETAILS:
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: March 7, 2017
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 7 min. 
Read Date: March 9-13, 2026

This is told from the point-of-view of a very bright 10-12 year-old girl (named Elvis) grieving the recent death of her mother. She has an older sister who is having some pretty severe mental health challenges (likely inherited from the mother)—and it’s unclear about Elvis’s mental health, too.

This covers roughly a year in the life of the family—dad and the two daughters trying to deal with it (our protagonist has an internal calendar in her head for when she’ll be done grieving). There’s some mild comedy, some strong emotional moments–all learned.

I think I came into it expecting something different than what it was. I thought it was…fine? A little better than fine—I enjoyed it, and assume many people will click with it better than me.

The Cyclist

by Tim Sullivan, read by John Heffernan

DETAILS:
Series: The DS Cross Mysteries, #2
Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
Publication Date: November 4, 2021
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 26 min.
Read Date: March 13-16, 2026

I think I read this too close to the previous one—it seemed to hit a lot of the same notes for the same reason. I get that we’re not going to see a lot of growth in DS Cross. That’s just not him. But it feels like the characters around him should be learning from their time with him—and how does his father not know how to introduce changes to him at this point in life?

The mystery felt a little more convoluted than complex—but the solution was pretty satisfying (although I was faster by a few chapters than our DS), as was the reveal.

Wholly satisfying and entertaining—just not quite what I was expecting. I’m hoping with a little more distance that the third mystery won’t be overshadowed by The Dentist the way this was.

Blind Date with a Werewolf

by Patricia Briggs, read by Holter Graham

DETAILS:
Series: Alpha and Omega
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 5 min. 
Read Date: March 17-18, 2026

I’ve read one (maybe two) of these stories in various anthologies before—they’re all fine. Asil is a fun character to read, but I don’t know that he’s enough to sustain my attention for that long. Well, maybe if there was a novel-length plot—but this series of stories gets pretty redundant quickly. I think the gimmick turned me off a bit, too.

The characters that Asil interacts with are amusing enough, I suppose. Asil seems better as a supporting/secondary character. There’s some nice character growth for him, and I’m curious to see what that looks like in Briggs’ future works.

The Spellshop

by Sarah Beth Durst, read by Caitlin Davies

DETAILS:
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 12 hrs., 29 min. 
Read Date: March 18, 2026

You’ve got a librarian—with a sentient talking fern—who is chased from the Capitol city during a coup. She returns to the home her parents abandoned when she was a child and sets up a jam shop/black market potions shop. Adventure and found-family ensue.

Okay, this is technically (according to some, anyway) a romance. And I know some of my readers will be scared away by this. It’s pretty tame on that front—and I just don’t mean it’s PG. I mean, the love story is pretty tame and mixes in pretty well with everything else that one could be forgiven for not thinking of it as a Romance. Like I do.

I had a blast with it, and am looking forward to getting my paws on Durst’s follow-up.

Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir

by K.J. Backer

DETAILS:
Series: Nav'Aria, #1
Publication Date: January 18, 2019
Format: Paperback
Length: 390 pg.
Read Date: March 26-31, 2026

This is a fun, sort of porthole fantasy—Darion has been sent by his parents to Earth with some caretakers. He doesn’t know he’s from this different world—he just thought his parents had weird hobbies for him—martial arts, a lot of time in the forest, hunting, and so on.

There’s very little new or unexpected to this story—it doesn’t matter, it’s done well and is entertaining. It’s a very comfortable read in that sense. You’ve got a noble king and queen, a jealous upstart relative, loyal countrymen, oppressed citizenry…yada yada. We’ve all read it, we all like it (otherwise we’d find another genre). It’s in the telling, and some of the small touches. Backer shines there.

For example: The relation between dragons and unicorns—which we’re going to explore more in volume two—is pretty interesting. And unicorns at the top of the power structure? That’s cool.

And we’re not talking plush unicorns with rainbows and flowers. We’re talking big, strong animals who know that pointy thing can be used for. They have other cool magic abilities, too. Really, the unicorns alone are worth reading this.

My concern is that Darion seems to be shedding his Earth-ness for Nav’Arian as fast as Peter Pevensie did when he went back to Narnia in Prince Caspian, I’d like to see that hanging on a little longer. Otherwise, instead of Earth, he might as well have been sent to live in a hovel in a small town to hide. I’m back for more soon.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.