The Princess Beard: The Tales of Pell by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson

She's a princess who is in a tower under a spell.  She wouldn't marry the man the King wanted her to so that's her punishment.  When she awakens, she finds her fingernails and toenails are all extremely long, as is her hair.  She first cuts her nails and then her long hair.  She decides to leave her beard alone.  It makes a good disguise...

Del Rey and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published October 8th.

She heads out away from the tower.  The next town has a diner in it and she goes in to eat.  There she meets some pirates and asks to join them.  The captain is a parrot.  Besides his regular crew, he has a centaur on board.  He can do magic with food.  Doesn't sound like much but blocking cannons with sticky frosting is useful...

They are looking for treasure.  Patrol boats are looking for them.  So are monsters from the deep.  I think the scariest part is when they meet these nice folks who clean them all up, massage them, and then when they go back to the hot springs they get dropped into a soup pot.  The nice folks are cannibals!  Can they escape?

It's a busy tale with all kinds of outlandish things in it, but it's great fun to read.  You won't be bored!

No Country for Old Gnomes: The Tales of Pell by Kevin Hearne; Delilah S. Dawson

The halflings have started a war against the gnomes.  They're bombing their homes, killing random families, and attempting to run them out of their homes.  They are also winning.  The only ones brave enough to resist are the children.  They begin their quest to stop it by starting out to visit the men in charge...

Del Rey and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 16th.

As the gnome begins his journey, a girl gnome with witch powers joins him.  Then he comes across an almost sheep-like person who is also journeying and trying to stay away from the halflings.  And, without planning it, they even end up with halfling helping them.  The halfling comes with a gryphon so they're a formidable enemy.  It seems one halfling is set on stealing gnome homes to sell on another world level.  They intend to stop him.  But he has spies everywhere and one King on his side. With this batch of misfits, will they manage to conquer him?

It's a great fantasy with lots of action.  There are sad parts but there is only one casualty on the quest team.  I'd like to see them all survive but his sacrifice has made him a hero and his father can now be very proud of him.

I'd be interesting in seeing how it all goes for them down the line.  That makes it a good book to me.

Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson

There's witches, curses, a warrior, a Darkling Lord, a woman half bunny rabbit, a goat, a farm boy, fairies, elves, trolls and more in this story.  It's most irreverent, very busy and keeps you reading.  I liked it!

Del Rey and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It is scheduled to publish on July 17th.

An evil fairy visits the farm boy and tells him he's the chosen one.  He has to wake the princess in the tower from her sleep.  When he gets there, the thorns are almost more than he can conquer.  But he's not the only one there.  A woman warrior wants in and since she can't find the door, she's going to scale the wall.  Part way up the tower, she falls.  Unfortunately, she falls on the farm kid killing him.  She feels bad and takes him up with wall with her, laying him on the bed next to the sleeping princess.

He had a goat with him and when she leaves the tower, it follows her.  As strange as it seems, the goat seems to have been the chosen one...

The quests are outlandish, the monsters more so, and the ones on the quest have questionable talents.  The Dark Lord's big thing is creating something almost bread-like out of thin air.  The half bunny woman is really good at finding salad stuff.  The warrior has a sword that lusts for blood. There's more death, shape shifting and many battles on the quest.  The ending is a hoot. 

If you want to read a fantasy that holds your attention and even makes you laugh here and there, this is the book for you.  It's done a bit tongue-in-cheek, and it's not a bit boring.

Carniepunk by Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Estep, Allison Pang, Kelly Gay, Delilah S. Dawson, Kelly Meding

Are you brave enough to visit the carnival?  Better take your hellhound with you...

Gallery Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this ebook anthology (thank you).  It will go on sale July 23rd, so make a note to remember to grab a copy.

This is an interesting mix of stories.  They are unique and have their own flavor.  They have zombies, vampires, the dark fae, monsters and the like in them.  Sometimes circumstances causes the problem; sometimes it's all in their minds.  Many of them are filled with horror; not one of them is boring.  If you enjoy tales that are out of this world, you'll enjoy this book.

I enjoy anthologies and this one has all kinds of surprises it it.  I enjoyed the one by Allison Pang even though it's a bit sad.  I especially liked Hell's Menagerie by Kelly Gay.  It was so good, I went online and bought her four books about Charlie Madigan.  Charlie wasn't even in this short story but Ms. Gay impressed enough with her style and story line that I have to read to more.  You might find yourself doing the same thing as you sample these different authors.

Just remember, you want to be careful about what might be hiding behind opening in that big tent on the midway...

Happy reading.

The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance by Delilah S. Dawson

Frannie has no family left in the world.  Her brother was killed in a duel trying to defend her honor and now all she has is her business and her secure building where she hides from the world.  It's her habit of taking home small, wounded things and caring for them that makes her take Casper home with her.  That and his offer of decent coin for a room...

Pocket Star and Edelweiss allowed me to download an ebook of this story for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with the stores that sell ebooks for a copy.  I snagged mine on Barnes & Noble.

The title caught my eye on this one.  I'm fond of animals and I wanted to know why her pets were peculiar.  I found out that not only were some of the animals strange, some of the people she meets or knows are a bit strange, too.

Once she takes Casper home, she starts having trouble.  Someone tries to burn her house down.  The best part of that trouble is that she meets a fireman who is named Thom and is Scottish.  He continues to hang around a bit and helps find her animals that have escaped in the confusion of the fire.  

When he finds someone mailed her a viper in an attempt to killer her, Thom gets even more protective.  Casper gets jealous and tries to charm Frannie, but she has no interest in him as a boyfriend.  He's too volatile and flighty.  

There are daemons and other creatures in this world.  Just like people, some good and some are bad.  When she goes to a performance by Casper (he's a master piano player), someone shoots an arrow at her in his box while she watches.  Thom saves her again and their friendship flourishes into something more.

I really enjoyed the romance between these two characters.  Both have suffered loss in the past and very cautious about the future.  The romance is tentative and sweet.  Before the story was over, I wanted a Thom, too, even if he wears a kilt.

This story impressed me enough to purchase a copy so I can read it again.  It was an interesting, fun read and I want to visit with them again.

There are more books in this series, but this one can be read alone.  Why not read it and see if it hooks you, too?

Happy reading.