In the Shadow of Death: Urban Fantasy Short Story

Urban fantasy short story In the Shadow of Death coming out August 15th!

“She said she’d walk to hell and back for me. Little did I know she meant literally.”

Robin and Jamie have it all: a loving marriage, a beautiful home, and a successful pottery shop. But when Death snatches one of them to the Underworld, they are faced with a heartbreaking decision that will change their lives forever. How far are they willing to go to save each other?

Inspired by the myth of Castor and Pollux, this urban fantasy short story explores the themes of grief and loss—and love’s power to conquer everything.

In the Shadow of Death is coming out August 15th, 2024. You can preorder the short story here (*affiliate link. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases). 

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Book Title: Pride and Prejudice (*affiliate link)
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: classic
First published: 1813
262 pages
My rating: 5/5

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

The Bennet family has five daughters and only a moderate amount of money to share as dowries to them. It is no wonder that Mrs. Bennet’s dearest wish is to see her daughters well married – preferably to men of good fortune. Her second daughter Elizabeth, however, believes in first impressions and is determined not to marry just anyone. So when the rich but extremely proud and disagreeable Mr. Darcy slights her, she knows exactly what to think about him. But appearances can be deceiving, as Elizabeth is forced to acknowledge after Mr. Darcy becomes captivated by her lively manners, bright eyes, and sparkling wit.

It’s odd to write a review of a book I’ve loved ever since I read if for the first time 25 years ago and have read multiple times afterwards. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Jane Austen novel, and although it was not the first Austen novel I read (that honor belongs to Mansfield Park), it was the book that made me binge-read everything else Austen had written. The humor, the wit, the characters, the historical setting, and the world and the people Jane Austen so accurately describes and at times ridicules are all features that made me fall in love with her writing, and Pride and Prejudice is a perfect example of Austen’s style.

Book review: Much Ado about Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

Much Ado about Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

Book Title: Much Ado about Nada (*affiliate link)
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Contemporary romance
Published: June 13, 2023
313 pages
My rating: 4/5

“Nada had tried forgetting. She had buried her secrets and regrets in a small bundle she kept hidden in a floral hatbox inside her closet. It hadn’t helped; even years later, they kept bubbling to the surface, magma that threatened to erupt in a dramatic volcanic explosion, obscuring her emotional atmosphere and making progress impossible.”

Twenty-nine-year-old Nada Syed is stuck: unmarried, living with her parents, and mourning the failure of her start-up company. Her best friend Haleema is determined to bring her out of her shell once more and forces her to attend a giant Muslim convention at the heart of Toronto. And Haleema knows the perfect man for Nada to spend her time with: her fiancé’s brother, Baz. What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a very long and very secret history.

June Wrap-Up and July Goals

June reads

June Wrap-Up

• Finished: 10
• Total pages read: 2,475
• Average rating: 4.33

Over two thousand pages read again this month, but to be honest, I read four atlases which were mostly maps and other pictures. I finished ten books in June. I usually try to read at least one contemporary novel, but this time I didn’t read any. But I did read two classic novels, two ancient classics, and a few non-fiction books, including one memoir.

As I mentioned, I read four atlases. Two of these were my mother’s old schoolbooks, a historical atlas and her school atlas. Two were “modern” atlases, both of which also had interesting articles about Earth, space, and geographical features. But mostly all four were maps of the world and different countries. Not really something that you need to “read,” but I found it fascinating to flip through the books. I also had time to squeeze in another non-fiction book about ancient literature and its impact on later literature.