Another Backwards Christmas by Brooke Williams

Another Backwards Christmas by Brooke Williams
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the author in exchange for an honest review.
I have a feeling that this is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but this story wasn’t for me in every possible way.
The characters, specifically the female protagonist, were extremely naive and had unrealistic romantic views that make the reading experience rather less than joyful. I could understand the male romantic interest's motivation slightly better, but with the focus placed on the female character, the reader does not get much of a chance to fully appreciate the character.
The plot is a typical and traditional one for Christmas stories, with the quirky twist of creating Christmas traditions in a backwards way, hence the title.
The writing left a few things to be desired. As this was a short story, I was surprised to find a lot of repetition in the narration and much time was spent on internal contemplation done by the female protagonist. The repeated use of the word “giggled” gave the character an image of a silly school girl and took away from the potential of being more realistically romantic.
Overall, this wasn’t for me. I puzzled throughout reading this story why the author chose to write most of the story from the female character's point of view instead of the male character's, which would have possibly provided the story with more of a Christmas spirit. I would give this one a pass.

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Edinburgh Twilight (Ian Hamilton Mysteries #1) by Carole Lawrence

Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
A serial killer, a detective with his own demons and lots of possible suspects and all set in one of the most captivating cities I ever had the pleasure of visiting. They combine to make for a great detective story that keeps the reader bound in its world long after the story is over.
The characters were fully and richly developed. From the protagonist to the over enthusiastic want-to-be assistant, they all had character traits that kept the reader on their toes. A detective with a few issues that could annoy even the most understanding reader blurred the lines between a person doing good and being good in their own way. And with secondary characters that have their own flaws, it is a perfect ensemble to fill the story with intrigue and mystery.
The plot was a typical murder mystery, but very nicely executed with enough tangents and little red herrings to maintain the readers interest without getting boring, but not too many to distract from the main purpose of the story. In addition, the reader obtains little snippets of the protagonist’s past and character to look forward to the next installment.
The writing was very smooth with a seamless integration of imagery and technical explanation so as not to get too caught up in one or the other. Although, I have to comment on one thing I noticed in the latter part of the story: there was a bit of repetition in the descriptive words used, which took only slightly away from the narration.
Overall, I loved this story and it stayed with me for almost a week after finishing it. If I had the sequel already, I would have started it immediately. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, complex characters and Scotland at the turn of the century.

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Alpha's Queen (A Havenwood Falls Novella) by Lila Felix

Alpha's Queen by Lila Felix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the author in exchange for an honest review.
I needed a few days to think about this story. It left me divided in my opinion and confused as to how I should rate and review it.
At the beginning, the main characters held great promise to be well developed and complex, with spunk and their own little quirks, but somewhere towards the middle of the story they lost their way. The entire story was mainly focused around the two central characters with the stock bad guy, the stock bad-guy-in-training and a whiff of female competition for the female lead.
The plot began showing great potential, with intrigue and complications; I was excited to see how the characters would manage the challenge. It was all resolved in the most simple and lackluster way possible, deflating any sense of anticipation and excitement. The same can be said about the connection between the main characters. The author took half the story to set up electrifying sexual tension, only to have it unfold in the imagination of the reader as the scene closed and the chapter ended. Anticipation that doesn’t lead to any type of satisfaction can be very frustrating.
The writing was good for the most part, but again at around the midpoint of the story it began to slack. The narration began to repeat itself and certain points were brought up again and again, taking the joy out of finishing the story.
Overall, I felt this story was divided into two parts; the first was interesting, fun, filled with anticipation and the promise of a satisfying conclusion; and the second part that rushed to finish within the constraints of the limited space provided. I am still torn. I have enjoyed Havenwood Falls Series, including the first part of this story. It was the conclusion that just didn’t do it for me.

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The Ruby Eye by Amy Miles, L.G. Miles

The Ruby Eye by Amy Miles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the authors in exchange for an honest review.
The adventure continues with Tommy, Jack and Becky working to solve the mystery of the creepy trickster.
I enjoyed the sequel to The Trickster just as much and maybe even more than the first installment. I felt it was a little longer and contained more details about the three main characters, who are fun to join on their path to breaking the curse.
It is a lovely short story series with elements of the eerie, mystery, adventure and light humour. I will certainly look out for the next installment.

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The Trickster by L.G. Miles, Amy Miles

The Trickster by L.G. Miles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the authors in exchange for an honest review.
This was a cute, spooky and creepy short story geared towards the younger audience of the Young Adult genre.
For a short story with space limited and the purpose to bring the narration to a quick conclusion with as much entertainment and pleasure to reader as possible, I found the characters to be very well developed. Each one had their own distinct purpose without falling into the dreaded stock character category.
The plot was straight forward and to the point without any unnecessary fluff or tangents that would have only confused the reader.
The writing was clear and crisp so that the reader could picture the three friends’ adventure vividly in their mind’s eye.
Overall, this was a delightful quick read that has the flavour of a very well-known story. It captures the elements of the creepy and eerie successfully to make for a very entertaining read. I would recommend it.

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