The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is about a woman, Isabel, who is forced to share her house with her brother’s girlfriend. In 1961 in the rural Dutch province of Overijssel, the war was over. Life has begun to move on and settle into a new pace. Isabel is living alone in her late mother’s country home by herself. She is disciplined and spends her day following the same routine. Everything is kept in its place and there is no disorder.
That all changes when her brother, Louis, requests to have his girlfriend, Eva, to stay with Isabel for the season. Isabel is annoyed by Eva and her looming presence. Isabel considers Eva to be loud and brash and the opposite of her.
Isabel becomes convinced that someone is stealing things from the house. She starts noticing little things are disappearing. First, it was a spoon, then a knife, and a bowl. Isabel tries to voice her suspicions to her family, but everyone thinks she is overreacting. As Isabel and Eva start to spend more time together, Isabel makes a startling discovery that will change everything she has ever known.
The novel was a cozy read. I was able to guess where the novel was heading and the reason behind Eva’s visit early on. It was an entertaining read but, I did find both Isabel and Eva to be annoying some of the time. They both had hidden motives but their attraction to each other came out of nowhere. I thought the book was an okay read but, I would be open to reading more books by the author.
Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron is about a woman, Jana, who goes on vacation unexpectedly with her ex, Anil. Jana Suleiman is known for being perfect, strict, and rule-following. She rarely has fun. She feels that she never quite fits in and rather spends time by herself. The one time Jana let herself go, she ended up with a broken heart and a baby born out of wedlock.
Jana has learned her lesson and has kept her heart (and having fun) under lock and key. She was recently invited to be a bridesmaid for a close friend. The wedding is a destination wedding that takes place in the Serengeti National Park. Jana was looking forward to the break until she realized that practically everyone she knows will be there, including a potential new boss. Surprisingly, her lying ex-boyfriend will also be there.
While Jana doesn’t trust Anil romantically, she knows he is a great dad. She still hasn’t forgiven or trusted him after lying to her. Jana is determined not to let him get to her and prove to him that she is over him. Jana’s friends want her to let loose and have a fun time, so they create a plan of fun out-of-the-box things for Jana to do. While crossing everything off her list, Jana finds herself letting go and enjoying herself. However, while she is having fun, she finds herself getting attracted to Anil again.
The romance novel is a fun and easy read. It did have a few funny moments and some raunchy humor. I did like the novel but at times, found the characters to be annoying. Jana was upset and betrayed by Anil’s lies but instead of talking to him, she would address the issue with someone else. Anil seems to want to have a better relationship with Jana even if it’s platonic, but he could have also communicated better. I did find it weird that Jana was so concerned about how sociable and what she does outside of work, would affect her job. This is the third romance I've read that was written by an Asian novelist where the protagonist is highly encouraged to be more social in their personal time for work. Previously, I never read a book with this storyline and I found it weird to have it so prominent in a novel. Overall, I did enjoy the book and would be open to reading more books by the author.
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle is about a young woman, Rose, who notices these weird demonic creatures following people around. In Neverton, Montana, the people are God-fearing and it’s also home to Camp Damascus. The camp claims to be very successful with gay conversion and is one of the most effective ones in the country. They promise that attendees will be able to live free of their “sinful past”. Rose has no memory of attending Camp Damascus, but she has been seeing weird creatures and flashbacks from the camp. Will she be able to figure out what is causing the creature to follow her?
The novel is marketed as an adult horror novel, but I thought this would have been more appropriate for young adults. The gore and some scenes might be too graphic but, the protagonist acted more like a teenager than an adult at times. The writing felt stilted and awkward at times. And some of the behaviors of some characters were confusing. I thought the camp would have a heavier focus in the novel but, it was mostly the after-effects of attending the camp. The novel was an interesting read, and I would be open to reading more books by the author.
Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen is about two opposite people who fall in love. Rooney Gao believes in signs, especially when it comes to love and art. She is an adamant believer in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their true love by the red string of fate. She believes that if two people are meant to be, they will find a way to be together even if their string gets tangled along the way.
The legend has not only influenced her love life but also, her art. She is also known as the anonymous Red String Girl. She creates large-scale art installations using red string. Rooney is sent tumbling into artist’s block when one of her latest installations doesn’t work out as she expected it to. She feels unmoored and begins to question everything. When she least expected it, she crossed paths with the perfect guy.
Jack Liu is the perfect person for Rooney. He is smart, successful, driven, and handsome. After running into him twice on the same day, the pair decided to spend some time together before Jack heads back to California. They spent a wonderful evening together and they just didn’t want to part ways. Rooney finds herself drawn to Jack and believes fate brought them together. However, Jack is skeptical and believes that it was random luck. After their magical evening, they lose contact with each other until they are given one more chance to reconnect. Rooney is desperate to prove to Jack that they belong together. Will she be able to change his mind?
The book was an okay read. I didn’t notice a spark between the characters when we were first introduced to them. Their interactions and jokes seemed a bit weird. However, as the book progressed, I could see a better bond building. I didn’t understand why Jack was so hesitant, at times, to date Rooney when it seemed that they got along so well. I felt like it was his hang-up with his parents that was introduced later but it seemed more like an excuse than a reason, especially since he admits that he likes Rooney and finds himself changing around her. Overall, it was a cute slow-moving rom-com, and I would be open to reading more books by the author.
Swords, sorcery, and mad science square off as the
cult-cinema hero DEATHSTALKER bursts into comics with an all-star lineup of
creators featuring SLASH (Guns N’ Roses) in this action-packed adventure!
The cult-cinema hero Deathstalker bursts into comics from an
all-star lineup of creators including Slash (Guns N’ Roses),
writer-director Steven Kostanski (The Void), Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) and
Jim Terry (West of Sundown).
Hired to escort a perfect priestess and her to a celebration of purity,
Deathstalker’s journey doesn’t go as planned (damn those good looks and big
sword). Once again, Deathstalker is on the run caught between forces larger
than himself, including the virgin-worshipping cult, a sorcerer hell-bent on
saving the world through mad science, and the pissed-off army of the Abraxeon
kingdom…not to mention his ex-lover, Princess Evie.
Monsters, magic, and mayhem abound!
Can’t a guy just swing his sword anymore?
Slash Presents: DEATHSTALKER: The Damned Blood
Written by Tim Seeley (Vampire: The Masquerade, Money Shot, West of Sundown,
Hack/Slash, Revealer), Steven Kostanski (writer/director of The
Void and Psycho Goreman), and Slash (Guns N’ Roses).
Illustrated by Jim Terry (West of Sundown, Heavy Metal, Come
Home, Indio)
Cover Art by the legendary fantasy artist Boris Vallejo and modern master
Nathan C. Gooden (Barbaric, Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One).
The Deathstalker Kickstarter (for exclusive hardcovers)
was fully funded in less than 12 hours, sported the much-coveted “Projects We
Love” label, was a “Featured Project of the Day!,” and overfunded 150%!
The DEATHSTALKER: The Damned Blood trade paperback
is the prequel to the upcoming movie reboot of DEATHSTALKER (by
director Steven Kostanski) and includes the entire 3-issue miniseries and
the BARBARIC vs. DEATHSTALKER crossover one-shot (written by
Michael Moreci (Barbaric, Wasted Space, Revealer, The Plot, Spree) and
Tim Seeley, illustrated by Nathan C. Gooden)! The super special one-shot
features the cursed barbarian Owen and the warrior- king Deathstalker as the
two most reluctant heroes of all time to square off in a clash of steel. It’s
Axe vs. Sword in this epic crossover!
For fans of:Conan the Barbarian, Barbaric, theDeathstalkermovies, Head
Lopper, Rumble, Spawn, Hellboy, God is Dead, I Hate Fairyland, Red Sonja,
Little Bird, Hack/Slash, Queen of Swords: A Barbaric Tale,and Dark
Knights of Steel.
Slash Presents DEATHSTALKER:
About Slash:
Slash is a founding member and guitarist for legendary Rock N’ Roll Hall
of Fame rock band Guns N’ Roses, as well as the
supergroups Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, and Slash
featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. He is considered one of the
greatest guitarists of all time and has stars on the Rock Walk of Fame, as well
as the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Slash is a self-described “film buff” who is a
fan of horror movies. He is a co-founder of Slasher Films, a film production
company specializing in the horror genre.
TIM SEELEY is one of those “slash” people…a writer-slash-artist.
He has drawn a number of different comic book series including G.I JOE,
HALLOWEEN, WILDCATS and ANT-MAN & WASP. His
writing work include NIGHTWING, MONEY SHOT , INJUSTICE v. MASTERS OF
THE UNIVERSE ,the critically acclaimed REVIVAL, and
the NY TIMES bestselling HACK/SLASH. He
resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife, daughter and 80s action figure
collection.Hometown:
Chicago, IL
JIM
TERRY is a
Native American comic book artist who’s memoir Come Home, Indio was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and the
Ignatz, as well as the artist on such titles as THE CROW, HACK/SLASH,
HEAVY METAL and more. He is currently working on WEST OF
SUNDOWN from Vault Comics. He lives in Chicago with his 4 cats.
Steven Kostanski is a writer / director / producer/ creative special FX
wizard /makeup artist who is best known for his work on the horror movies The
Divide (2011), The Void (2016), and Psycho Goreman (2020).
