Book Review: Etiquette for Lovers and Killers

It’s 1964 in the tiny town of Eastport, Maine, and Billie McCadie is bored to death. She’s surrounded by dull people with more manners than sense, and no sign of the intrigue or romance that fills her beloved novels. That is, until an engagement ring and cryptic love letter turn up, addressed to 'Gertrude'. Until she meets yacht-club handsome Avery Webster. Until the unsettling phone calls and visits from a man in a fedora begin. Until she's one of the last people to see Gertrude alive... and the first to see her dead.

Book Review: A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace

On the eve of the battle that will decide the realm of Telrus’s fate, Katrien takes a hard look at her prospects. A mere legionnaire, she and her spear will be at the fore in the morning, facing off against the Demon Lord and his wretched army, and it’s all but certain she’ll perish in the fight. But if the end of the world is mere hours away, there’s no reason not to hook up with her handsome, dedicated battle partner, Emory—despite any antifraternization policies their centurion may have in place.

Only the world doesn’t end the next day. Instead, an insufferable prince raised in hiding comes out of nowhere with a plucky band of heroes, defeats the Demon Lord, and seals the rift to the hellish plane. The realm is saved. The war is over. And Kat suddenly has a lot more future than she knows what to do with. It’s a future that could include Emory. . . . if only he weren’t so set on staying enlisted in the very army Kat was unwillingly drafted into.

Book Review: Kill Your Darlings

Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years. They live in a beautiful Victorian on the north shore of Massachusetts. Wendy is a published poet and Thom teaches English literature at a nearby university. Their son, Jason, is all grown up. All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband. What happens next has everything to do with what happened before.

The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, moving backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago. The secret, that has kept them bound together, has each wondering if they would be better off making sure their spouse carries it to the grave.

Book Review: Killer Deals at Mayview Mall

For childhood actor turned private eye Paul Washington, investigating a theft at his childhood mall was a dream come true. But when a body turns up the second day on the job, the case turns into a whodunnit. With his dream girl as the prime suspect, can the pop-culture-obsessed detective crack the case and clear her name before it's too late?

80s and 90s kids unite - this cozy mystery is ready to take your Gen X and Millennial hearts on a fast paced adventure through your childhood.

Killer Deals at Mayview Mall by Steven Templar will be published June 3, 2025. Mysterious Ink Publishing / Victory Editing provided an early galley for review.

Book Review: The Witch Roads

When an arrogant prince (and his equally arrogant entourage) gets stuck in Orledder Halt as part of brutal political intrigue, competent and sunny deputy courier Elen—once a child slave meant to shield noblemen from the poisonous Pall—is assigned to guide him through the hills to reach his destination.

When she warns him not to enter the haunted Spires, the prince doesn’t heed her advice, and the man who emerges from the towers isn’t the same man who entered.

The journey that follows is fraught with danger. Can a group taught to ignore and despise the lower classes survive with a mere deputy courier as their guide?

Book Review: Stupid TV, Be More Funny

The Simpsons is an American institution. But its status as an occasionally sharp yet ultimately safe sitcom that's still going after 33 years on the air undercuts its revolutionary origins. The early years of the animated series didn't just impact Hollywood, they changed popular culture. It was a show that altered the way we talked around the watercooler, in school hallways, and on the campaign trail, by bridging generations with its comedic sensibility and prescient cultural commentary.

Book Review: Pop Kill

Award winning creators Jimmy Palmiotti and Dave Johnson deliver an all-new graphic novel about what happens when the top two cola comapnies declare all out war on each other!

Imagine a world where the two dominant and competing Cola companies, each worth billions, are owned by former conjoined twins who are now separated and have grown to hate each other so much they hire assassins, saboteurs, and espionage personnel to meddle with each other on a daily basis. This is the story about brotherly love run afoul, and the people they enlist to do their dirty work.

Pop Kill by Jimmy Palmiotti, Dave Johnson and Juan Santacruz will be published August 19, 2025. It collects issues 1 to 4 of the series. Mad Cave Studios provided an early galley for review.