Author: cvegnad

A provocative, globe-trotting, time-shifting novel about the seductions of — and resistance to — toxic masculinity.

Born Slippy

Frank Baltimore is a bit of a loser, struggling by as a carpenter and handyman in rural New England when he gets his big break, building a mansion in the executive suburbs of Hartford. One of his workers is a charismatic eighteen-year-old kid from Liverpool, Dmitry, in the US in the summer before university. Dmitry is a charming sociopath, who develops a fascination with his autodidactic philosopher boss, perhaps thinking that, if he could figure out what made Frank tick, he could be less of a pig. Dmitry heads to Asia and makes a neo-imperialist fortune, with a trail of corpses in his wake. When Dmitry’s office building in Taipei explodes in an enormous fireball, Frank heads to Asia, falls in love with Dmitry’s wife, and things go from bad to worse.

Combining the best elements of literary thriller, noir and political satire, Born Slippy is a darkly comic and honest meditation on modern life under global capitalism.

My Thoughts

Born Slippy is the type of novel that you cannot put down – it is full of anguish, heart break, selfishness, suspense and so much more.

First we have Frank, a man with a kind heart but someone that you just want to shake. He trusts those around him, most of the time a little too much. He is awful at standing up for himself, instead he always accepts less than what he truly deserves. At times, he appears envious of others and it makes you wonder if that is why he accepts bad relationships, bad friendships and allows others to use him. Dmitry is hard to put into words – he is manipulative, selfish and while appears to be charming, he is an awful person. He makes Frank believe he is his friend but you want to shake Frank for believing him.

The book starts off with an explosion a Dmitry’s office building where he is presumed dead and then we take a journey back in time to see how their relationship developed over the years and uncover quite a plot around money laundering and more. We see how Dmitry evolves from being a young man who wants to make millions to quite the con artist, with hisa many schemes over the years adding up. We watch as Frank unknowingly (or perhaps he knows but prefers to keep his blinders up) participates in these illegal acts. Frank seems to be constantly grasping for something that he cannot reach – whether it be love, work or respect. While my heart was sore for him at the end of the novel, he played a large part in his demise.

This is a well written novel, that starts off a bit on the slow side but builds an intricate plot that you will not want to stop reading. You find yourself shocked, angered, intrigued throughout the book – and constantly on the edge of your seat as you can never quite guess what Dmitry has up his sleeve or how low he may go. Born Slippy is a definite must read novel.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Tom Lutz is the author of, amongst others, And the Monkey Learned Nothing, Drinking Mare’s Milk on the Roof of the World and Crying, which have been translated into a dozen languages, and several of which have been named New York Times Notable Books. His Doing Nothing won the American Book Award. He is the founding editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books. This is his first novel.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The second in the seductive new Scottish historical romance Wild Wicked Highlanders series from New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Enoch!

About Scot Under the Covers

In Scot Under the Covers, a resourceful English lady and a hot-blooded Highlander join forces to trick a scoundrel, and every rule will be broken!

Miranda Harris is known for her charm, wit, and ability to solve any problem she encounters. But when her brother lands neck-deep in gambling debt to a crafty villain and Miranda is subsequently blackmailed into marrying him, she must enlist the help of the devil himself to save the family honor―and herself.

Devilishly handsome Highlander Aden MacTaggert knows next to nothing about the ways of the ton, but he most certainly knows his way around gaming halls and womens’ hearts. Still, Aden is not sure how he’ll manage to find a Sassenach bride in time to save his family’s inheritance. When his almost sister-in-law Miranda comes to him for assistance, he proposes a partnership: She will help him navigate London society and he’ll teach her everything about wagering…and winning back her freedom. The beautiful, clever lass intrigues Aden―but is she playing her own game, or are the sparks between them real? He is accustomed to risking his pocket. But betting on Miranda’s love is a game he can’t afford to lose

My Thoughts

Scot Under The Covers starts off a bit slow as we learn about the MacTaggert brothers but it quickly picks up and leaves you on the edge of your seat through a series of lies, bribery, fights and romance.

The MacTaggert are rough around the edges and don’t care about what anyone thinks about them or their Scottish heritage. Life was not always easy for them – their Mother left them for English society when they were young and now they were forced to head to England by their Mother to find wives (yikes – not an easy task for brothers who refuse to be tamed nor have any fondness for English society). While they appear to be hard on the outside (not to mention that they have been rumoured to love to gamble and place bets!), I was constantly amazed by the thoughtful, compassionate, perceptive nature that shone through (I actually really enjoyed the eldest brother’s character and can’t wait to learn more about him).

Aden falls and falls hard for the beautiful Miranda. Miranda though is not too sure of him – because of her family history, any man that gambles is not a person she wants to associate with. She has seen too many people fall victim to gambling debts and lose everything. So you can imagine how their first few encounters turned out! But Miranda is soon forced to put her future in Aden’s hands when an evil character enters the plot who is threatening her and her future. But Miranda is still scared – can she truly trust Aden?

I loved the way this story turned out and it was definitely not what I was expecting at all from when I first started reading it. The characters had such great depth to them, Aden was so much more than the gambling, care free Scot that he was perceived to be. He went to great lengths to protect Miranda and he definitely ensured that the individual who was holding her at his mercy was punished and would never commit those crimes again. Miranda made me laugh so many times – she was brave, independent and did not mind saying what she felt. It is a beautiful novel, fast paced and full of intriguing characters, mystery and romance. I fell in love with the characters and read this book all in one night.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

A native and current resident of Southern California, Suzanne Enoch loves movies almost as much as she loves books, with a special place in her heart for anything Star Wars. She has written more than fifty Regency novels and historical romances, which are regularly found on the New York Times bestseller list. When she is not busily working on her next book, Suzanne likes to contemplate interesting phenomena, like how the three guppies in her aquarium became 161 guppies in five months.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mark of the Medallion is the spellbinding first novel in The Wizard Academies YA fantasy series. If you like sword and sorcery, enchanted adventures, and suspenseful coming-of-age stories, then you’ll love Mike Shelton’s action-packed tale.

About Mark of the Medallion

Fifteen-year-old apprentice Kyril is sick of being bullied. And after a tragic fire leaves him orphaned with out-of-control thoughts and powers, he can’t wait to escape constant taunting at the wizard academy. So when a dicey faction entices him with companionship, he ignores the grim warning signs.

Even as Kyril’s power grows within the group, he’s left out of the crew’s dangerous plans to derail the authorities. And when being accepted comes at the expense of making questionable choices, he fears his newfound friendships aren’t worth the deadly price.

Can Kyril master his new magic before his shady companions send him to his doom?

My Thoughts

I love reading about magic, and this book delivers magic, an excellent plot and incredible characters, making it a great read for young adults and adults alike.

Kyril comes from a poor family and was orphaned at a young age. He is alone in the world and others make him feel worse about his position in life. He is bullied for many reasons, and like most victims none of it is deserved. He would do anything for a friend, to be appreciated and to feel power.

Something strange begins to happen at their academy, people are acting out of character, doing things they shouldn’t be doing. Kyril is one of these individuals – and is gaining power at great leaps and bounds. These powers don’t go unnoticed and soon he is brought into the folds of a powerful group who have ulterior motives for him. Because of his past, he doesn’t realize he is being used and begins to behave and act in ways he never would have before. The plot that begins to unravel has many dark turns and unexpected twists, keeping you on the edge of your seat through the entire read.

Mark of the Medallion is very well written with an excellent plot that develops at a great pace. You are never left feeling lost or as though you are missing information. Mike introduces each character and gives you the right amount of information to understand their magical powers and how the characters are connected. I loved the plot – it was not what I was expecting and kept me engaged. The book is geared toward young adults but I loved every moment. A fantastic read from start to finish!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Mike is now on his fourth YA fantasy series. For information on his new releases, book reviews, and other relevant info, please join him at www.MichaelSheltonBooks.com.

Mike was born in California and has lived in multiple states from the west coast to the east coast. He cannot remember a time when he wasn’t reading a book. At school, home, on vacation, at work at lunch time, and yes even a few pages in the car (at times when he just couldn’t put that great book down).

Other than reading, Mike enjoys the outdoors, disc golf, and spending time with his family. He has worked in corporate finance for most of his career, publishing his first books in 2016. He has now published 15 YA fantasy books full of adventure, magic, and wizards!

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.