Dungeon Crawler Carl

 

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I've very late to the Dungeon Crawler Carl party, but I'm thrilled I finally arrived. 

This is the first literary RPG (LitRPG) book I've read. LitRPG is a book that combines video game elements with a sci-fi or fantasy story. Elements such as character stats, inventory, skills, and weapons are common. 

DCC has been all over bookstagram. The plot is corporate aliens have turned the Earth into a giant reality show where the contestants must navigate a deadly maze. 

This book is a total romp and audiobook is a blast! The story itself is goofy action-filled fun, but it's the dynamic duo of Carl and Princess Donut that really make it shine. And yes, Princess Donut is a talking cat who I would protect with my life. 

If you've been curious about this book, go with the audiobook. Narrator Jeff Hays delivers a tour de force performance of all the characters. He is phenomenal. No two characters ever sound the same. His performance of Carl gives the character notes of empathy and intelligence that provide real emotion amid the all the chaos. Donut's voice has all the haughtiness you'd expect from a prize-winning show cat. 

The action is nonstop and the humor woven throughout the story made me laugh out loud at times. But between the chuckles and the gore, author Matt Dinniman slyly examines corporate exploitation, suffering as entertainment, humanity, defiance and resilience, and friendship. 

I'm not a gamer, but I loved everything about this book. This one's earned ALL THE STARS. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can grab a copy of Dungeon Crawler Carl from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore whiel you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review you might be interested in my review of Them by W.H. Chizmar.

About the Author

Matt Dinniman is a writer, artist, and bass player from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the author of several books, including the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Follow Matt on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

Tear the City Down

 

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Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Megan Beatie Communications for the gifted ARC.

Andre Hardy was fourth-round NFL draft pick. Now he’s writing gritty crime fiction.

Coltrane Davis has made millions as a fixer for Saul Sollman, a crooked kingmaker who moves San Diego’s elite around like chess pieces. Coltrane wants out. He’s got a teenage daughter with real tennis talent and a woman he’s ready to build a life with. Then the Chargers’ star running back is compromised, and Saul pulls him in for one more job. Easy money. There’s no such thing.

That job cracks San Diego open. Coltrane follows it into the city’s underworld and finds a girl being trafficked, and from that moment the book stops being about football entirely. He’s already haunted by his daughter’s best friend, another trafficking victim he couldn’t save. Saving this one becomes the only thing that matters to him.

Coltrane is a man of contradictions and he knows it. He knows something in him is broken and he’s trying to fix it with meditation and Buddhism, both of which his girlfriend Mona brought into his life. He’s also finding out that walking away from Saul is nowhere near as simple as deciding to.

The action is relentless and Coltrane will fight his way out of anything. But Hardy gives you more than suspense. Racism, poverty, and class inequality run through every page of this. It’s noir that has something on its mind.

This is a great choice for fans of S.A. Cosby looking for edgy noir. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out Sept. 1. 

🚨I’m chatting with Andre about Tear the City Down on IG Live Wednesday, September 2 at 3:00 PM EST. Come hang out with us.

Grab a copy of Tear the City Down at Bookshop.org and help am indie bookstore while you're at it.

if you enjoyed this review, you might like my review of Brimstone Hollow. 

About the Author

Andre Hardy has written across multiple genres, including creative nonfiction, essays and short stories, screenwriting, and long-form narrative. Andre’s essays, interviews, and critical analysis have been published in L.A. Tribe Magazine, Lunch Ticket, Antioch University’s cutting-edge literary and visual arts journal, and The Los Angeles Review of Books. His short story, “Negro in a Hot Tub,” is featured in Made in L.A.: An Anthology of Stories Rooted in the City of Angels, written by Los Angeles-based writers. Andre was the fourth pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1984 National Football League draft. He is a member of the NFL Retired Players Association and the NFL Legends Community, and he earned his MFA through the NFL Players Trust tuition reimbursement program. Follow Andre on Instagram or  visit his website for more news and information about his work.

We Already Dug the Grave

 

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Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

Apparently murder is a family bonding activity in this book.

Milly used to be able to read the future in tea leaves, until one deadly night made the gift go silent. Now she’s estranged from her sister Francis, who married into the most powerful family in Alabama and hasn’t spoken to Milly in years. Not since what happened in that meadow when they were teens. But Francis shows at Milly’s door needing help, and Milly can’t say no, especially once the tea leaves start talking again. 

This is a Southern gothic thriller with strong Sharp Objects meets Practical Magic vibes. I liked the past and present timelines showing how Milly's and Francis’s childhood with their two no nonsense aunts shaped everything they became. The pace is steady and then revs up as the twists keep coming. Aunt Ruth and Aunt Hattie May stole every scene they were in. 

This one is a perfect choice if you love family drama with a pinch of the supernatural. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 We Already Dug the Grave is out September 8. 

You can preorder a copy from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of the supernatural thriller Molka.

About the Author

Emma C. Wells is the USA Today bestselling author of This Girl's A Killer. Follow Emma on Instagram or visit her website for more news an information about her books.

Them

 

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Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted listen. 

They made contact with an alien species and thought they could turn it into a weapon. They could not. 

Them by W.H. Chizmar is a stunning dystopian thriller that will leave you thinking “who are the real monsters here?” A top secret government project finds a way to move matter across space and brings something back alive. Something they think can be tamed into the perfect soldier. It cannot. 

Years later one man walks the earth by night, scavenging abandoned houses and hiding from the creatures that wiped out most of humanity. Another man sits alone in an underground bunker with nothing but a journal and the guilt of knowing he’s the one who started all of this. Their stories collide and the full picture of how the world ended comes into focus. 

This is Chizmar’s first solo novel and it does not read like a debut. The writing is sharp and layered. The tension never lets up, and the aliens themselves are nothing like what you’re picturing. These are massive armored killing machines, and somehow they still end up feeling real and complex. 

I don’t usually pick up sci-fi, but the emotional weight of this one pulled me right in and never let go. This is more than just dystopian sci-fi. It's also an examination of loneliness, guilt, and friendship. Narrators Johnny Heller and Kevin R. Free both bring real gravitas to their characters. These are top notch audio performances. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Them is out now. Don't miss it! 

You can grab a copy of Them from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of The Dorians by Nick Cutter.

About the Author

W.H. Chizmar is the New York Times bestselling coauthor (with Richard Chizmar) of Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting, as well as numerous short stories and essays. Them is his debut solo novel.

Currently Reading

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

Thank you Simon Audio, Grand Central Publishing, and Megan Beatie Communications for the gifted copies! 

I just started listening to The Camino by Anya Niewierra. This is a literary thriller about a woman who walks the Camino de Santiago in search of answers to her husband's death. This one's out Aug. 25. 

I'm reading Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy. Coltrane is a hustler and fixer, but he's ready to quit the game for his daughter and the woman he loves. But one final job involving an NFL player gets complicated and pulls Coltrane into danger he never expected. This is gritty crime fiction debut from Hardy, a former NFL player. It's out Sept. 1. 

You can preorder a copy of The Camino and Tear the City Down from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

The Shadow Friends

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and Megan Beatie Communications for the gifted ARC.

I started this series with book three and it was just fine.

Tess Gerritsen’s The Shadow Friends was definitely the thriller I needed at the right time. It’s a smart, fast-paced spy story about a group of friends who are all retired intelligence agents. They call themselves the Martini Club, and they spend their retirement on good food, good conversation, and a lot of drinks. Until duty calls.

When a renowned infectious disease expert and Russian defector turns up dead at a conference, followed by the murder of a hotel waitress, the group gets pulled back into the game. Ingrid recognizes the killer’s handiwork immediately. She’s seen it before, decades ago, on a mission that nearly got her killed.

I really liked Ingrid, her husband Lloyd, Maggie, and Declan. Gerritsen provides enough backstory that jumping in at book three never felt like a gap. I had a real handle on these characters and their friendship from page one. The pacing never let up, the tension stayed high, and the spycraft was sharp throughout. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one is perfect for anyone who loves the idea of nosy retirees solving mysteries and saving the world at the same time. 

The Shadow Friends is out August 25. You can preorder a copy from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it. 

You you enjoyed this review you might be interested in my review of Kills Well with Others. It's a funny and fast paced spy thriller about a group of retired female assassins who go back to work to find a mole in their former organization.

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen earned international acclaim for her first novel of suspense, Harvest. She introduced Detective Jane Rizzoli in The Surgeon (2001) and Dr. Maura Isles in The Apprentice (2002) and has gone on to write numerous other titles in the celebrated Rizzoli & Isles series, most recently The Mephisto Club, The Keepsake, Ice Cold, The Silent Girl, Last to Die, Die Again, and I Know a Secret. Follow Tess on Instagram or visit her website more news and information her books.

Two for Tuesday: Five Star Romance Edition

 

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Two for Tuesday is going all in on five stars today. Two romances, two very different worlds, both worth whatever's left of your summer reading time. 

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan and The Open Era by Edward Schmit have both been out all summer, so I won't bore you with a big summary eery. Five stars for both.

I listened to Dolly on audio, narrated by Julia Whelan, and she's perfect for this one, which should surprise no one. Dolly herself is everything I want in a romantic lead: a real, down to earth woman with a job that's an actual job and a family that feels like an actual family. She's not twenty-five, and doesn't need to be. Her teenage son could have been written as an eye-rolling cliché and wasn't. Her brother's mental health struggles are handled with real care. There even a subplot where Dolly keep's a relationship with Stewart's mother even after the third act breakup. Monaghan's writing is sharp and funny then sneaks up on you and makes you feel things. Perfection. 

The Open Era is a completely different vibe and just as good. Austin is funny, smart, sweet, grieving, and dealing with real anxiety that's written honestly, including going to therapy for it. Watching him navigate a Grand Slam tournament and sudden media attention as the first openly gay man competing on that stage is moving. Diego might be the sweetest love interest I've read in a long time. The Grand Slam setting gives it this electric, high stakes backdrop, and for a debut novel, Schmit's control of the pacing is impressive. This is Schmit's debut novel and it's a stunner.

If you want romance with characters who have actual layers and depth, who are smart and funny, and feel real, both these books deliver. Crackling tension, great banter, swoon-worthy moments, the whole package. 

These are two five star reads to close out your summer. You can't go wrong with either one. 

You can grab a copy of either book at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my review of Reality Bites. It's a fun romcom by Amy Mass.