Behind Blue Eyes

The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. This really brings everything full circle and packs a punch, wrapping up the trilogy. The way things were unraveling through the last book and a half or so, I didn't expect the ending to satisfy, but was surprised that it wrapped up the story pretty well. View all my reviews

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley... This was a brilliant and fast paced follow up to The Justice of Kings , both working well as a sequel and a bridge to the final in the trilogy, which is releasing soon... View all my reviews

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an audiobook ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Excellent narrator that also did Marshall's What Lies in the Woods last year, and once again the combination of author and narrator keeps the story moving, and the twists keep the reader guessing and reguessing... View all my reviews

Unbound II: New Tales By Masters of Fantasy by Shawn Speakman My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an ecopy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. There's a little of something for everyone here, I think. As with most collections, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but the quality of the writing is top notch throughout this one. Favorites by far include stories by Tamora Pierce, Django Wexler, and Shawn Speakman. These three easily gained the overall experience a star rating bump by their inclusion. View all my reviews

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley... I didn't know what to expect going in, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by what I got. It appeared to be an epic fantasy with swords and battles and such, and while it was that it was so much more as well... A mystery/whodunit which could be an homage to Sherlock Holmes set in a medieval world with a very elaborate political world setting. What's not to love? View all my reviews

Things Get Ugly: The Best Crime Fiction of Joe R. Lansdale by Joe R. Lansdale My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley... Joe R. Lansdale knows how to craft a story, with an instinctive grasp of character development. His language is such that he connects with readers and makes the task of reading an enjoyable escape. While all of the stories in this book fall into the "crime" category, this is a very loose grouping. There is such a mixed bag of offerings here, from the noir to the really freaking weird. As with most collections, some stories hit with me better than others, but there really aren't any duds here. View all my reviews