Splickety HAVOK: Fairy Tales Unfettered

April 2016 issue

From the April 2016 issue of Splickety Havok:

Everyone loves a good Fairytale. Most of us grew up hearing them as bedtime stories, and now they’re back, better than ever, in movies and TV and books. And this issue of Havok is on board with that.

From the Old World to the New, from classics reworked to originals, Fairytales: Unfettered does not disappoint. There are stories that will make you shudder, stories that will make you smile, and everything in between, so curl up somewhere comfy and get ready to lose yourself in a world of magic where dreams come true... but sometimes they kill you.

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For those who aren't familiar with Splickety, it is a flash fiction magazine (also available digitally), full of short stories 1,000 words long or less. Each issue is on a specific theme, and stories can be submitted by anyone and are hand-picked by the editors.

"Twelve Dancing Co-eds," a Roaring Twenties retelling of the classic fairy tale "Twelve Dancing Princesses," was my first story ever published with Splickety, in what I think is one of the most fun themes they have ever done (but then, I love fairy tales). My favorite story in the issue is the 100-word "Diamond Cabbages," by Nemma Wollenfang. She has created one of the funniest--and shortest--stories I've ever read.

"Dead Drift" by Dani Pettrey

Private Investigator Kate Maxwell never stopped loving Luke Gallagher after he disappeared. Now he's back, and together they must unravel a twisting thread of secrets, lies, and betrayal while on the brink of a biological disaster that will shake America to its core. Will they and their love survive, or will Luke and Kate become the terrorist's next target?

The final book of the Chesapeake Valor series is just as fast-paced and suspenseful as I had expected and hoped.

I'm not sure how I feel about the two different cases going on at the same time; part of me was expecting them to intersect somewhere, though it would have been a real stretch to make it work. They are both continued from the previous book, so it was good to reach a conclusion on them, and I enjoyed that we continued to follow more of the group than just Luke and Kate. However, I was drawn a lot more to the mystery of Jenna's killer (since it was so personal to the group, particularly Griffin and Parker) than I was to the terrorist plot, though the terrorist plot was the larger portion of the story.

As disparate as the cases were, they were balanced nicely in the book, with constant progress and danger to keep the reader's attention as it flips between them.

The book makes a great conclusion to the series and gives us more time with the entire gang, but I did enjoy the other books a little more.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Chesapeake Valor
1. Cold Shot
2. Still Life
3. Blind Spot
4. Dead Drift

"A Defense of Honor" by Kristi Ann Hunter

Forced to run for her life, Kit FitzGilbert finds herself in the very place she swore never to return to--a London ballroom. There she encounters Lord Graham Wharton, who believes Kit holds the key to a mystery he's trying to solve. As much as she wishes that she could tell him everything, she can't reveal the truth without endangering those she loves.

Ever since A Noble Masquerade, I have expected great things from this author, and goodness, if she hasn't surpassed expectations! It has all the humor and touching message I expected, but the story is so tender, so compassionate toward and passionate for unwed mothers and their children. I confess my eyes were not quite dry on more than one occasion.


Graham is completely charming: smart, funny, compassionate, and great with kids. Utterly adorable. Kit, on the other hand, is more complex and ever so human. I worried she would be pretty hardened, given her blackmailing and guilt, but there is still softness to her. And who doesn't try to control their own lives? It's really hard to let go of control and trust that God has your back, especially when evidence of hardship and pain is all around you. I liked her a lot, and it was so wonderful to see her transformation when she finally lets go and embraces the freedom of trusting God when everything else seems to be falling apart around her.

I loved that Jess from the Hawthorne House books made her way to Haven Manor. I hope--no, I expect! one of the upcoming books will be devoted to her so we finally get her whole story. It will be a good one.

This is Christian fiction at its best.

Thank you Bethany House for the free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Haven Manor
0.5: "A Search for Refuge" (free prequel e-novella)
1. A Defense of Honor

2. A Return of Devotion
3. A Pursuit of Home
3.5: "Legacy of Love" (published in The Christmas Heirloom novella collection)

Related Series (takes place chronologically before Haven Manor):

Hawthorne House
0.5 "A Lady of Esteem" - a free novella introduction to the Hawthornes and friends!
1. A Noble Masquerade
2. An Elegant Facade
3. An Uncommon Courtship

4. An Inconvenient Beauty

Related Series (takes place chronologically after Haven Manor):
Hearts on the Heath
1. Vying for the Viscount
2. Winning the Gentleman

"The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond" by Jaime Jo Wright - delightfully eerie

When Annalise Forsythe unexpectedly inherits the dilapidated trailer from an old recluse, it's a shock to everyone that it is filled with pictures of her--even pictures from the hidden, secret part of her life. Along with those photos are clippings, photographs, and obituaries from a century before: obituaries that had been delivered to the news office where Libby Sheffield worked hours before the subject had even died . . . As Annalise delves into Gossamer Grove's dark history from the present and Libby works to unravel the mystery from past, both young women find themselves in danger from those who don't want the secrets of Gossamer Grove's inhabitants revealed.

I'm not a fan of horror stories, but I do enjoy the occasional eerie, Gothic-style tale, and this book was marvelous. I loved the premise of the obituary arriving before the death takes place. It's a sign of a good dual timeline book that neither the past nor the present story overwhelms the other; I was constantly hooked on whichever timeline I was reading at the time, which is definitely not always the case in this style of book. I did like the plot of the past timeline a little better (it's that Gothic thing), but the highly emotional relationship development of the present balanced it out. Equally captivating, just in different ways.

There is a lot of depth to both stories, and they are heavy with themes of guilt, grace, and forgiveness, but instead of slowing down the suspense of the story, they add to it, being so intimately entwined with the characters and the dangers they are facing.

Hats off to the author for developing such a complex, well thought-out tale; I don't know how she kept track of details to keep the mystery(ies) so well balanced between the two timelines, peeling them back layer after layer until all connections are revealed, but it was impressive.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

"The Hope of Azure Springs" by Rachel Fordham - a tender story of love and loss

Found half-dead after her guardian is murdered, Em is thankful to be taken in and cared for by a kind family, but her heart yearns to find her sister, separated on the orphan train seven years before. Sheriff Caleb Reynolds hates a puzzle he can't solve, and Em is one. With her help, he plans to track down the murderers, but not even he can anticipate the effect the strange young woman will have on his heart.

One of the best (and worst) things about reading a book by a new author is that you have no idea what to expect. There was more danger and excitement than I would have pegged from reading the back cover copy, with sprinkles of humor and fun, but my overall impression is one of overwhelming tenderness. There is a lot of loss in the book (though most happen before the story actually takes place), and grief to go with those losses. But, most important, there is healing.

I really enjoyed Em and came to love Caleb more as he learned to appreciate her. I still sometimes wanted to wallop him over the head for being slow, but I loved the message that he receives--that beauty is not dependent on outward appearance. And how we perceive outward appearance can change based on how we feel about the person inside. The ending was more bittersweet than I expected, but it was good--quite possibly better for it. I will gladly read more books by this author in future!

Thank you Revell for the free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.