The Monsters We Defy. Leslye Penelope. 2022. Redhook. 384 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] The Monsters We Defy starts with a birth at crossroads; this is an apt foreshadowing of what’s to come for the baby born at the turn of the twentieth century. Clara Johnson was born in a caul and yet, her life comes with none of the fabled luck of being born in her “veil.” Instead, she’s had a life filled with heartbreak and strife. Where she’s unlucky, she is equally headstrong and can be a fierce advocate or enemy. Despite this strength, she’s often at odds with her gift of connecting with the spirit realm. This ends up being the key challenge in the story — Clara’s interactions with the spirits drop a burden in her lap that she can’t afford to ignore but can’t resolve on her own. In her attempt to free herself from a bad deal she made with a particularly powerful spirit, she finds other wayward souls who carry their own burdens and seek their own versions of freedom. There’s her roommate Zelda, an albino pickpocket; Aristotle, an actor whose skill overshadows…

Lovecraft Country. Matt Ruff. 2016. Picador. 330 pages. [Source: Personal Copy.] I was late to the party on this one. I saw advertisements for the HBO series prior to its release and knew I’d check the show out on the strength of who was connected to it. I was not, however, committed to reading the book until I actually saw the first episode. Now I’m pretty invested. Lovecraft Country is centered on Atticus, a young Chicago native who’s returning from military service at the request of his father, Montrose. Montrose has long been obsessed with understanding the family history of Atticus’ late mother. Things take an odd turn when Montrose sends a letter that compels Atticus to meet him in Ardham, Massachusetts. It’s the heart of Lovecraft Country, a literary world made famous by the author of the same name. It’s filled with evil creatures, but Atticus finds that not all monsters are figments of imagination. What struck me most about this book is how deeply it looks at racism in America. Some examples are glaring — sundown town, anyone — but many are insidious, like the lies than are easily told about “the help” that cost them their livelihoods….

Coveted. Christina C. Jones. 2019. 107 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I am so pleased that Christina C. Jones is back with the second installment in the “Eternally Tethered” series, Coveted. With this book, she focuses on younger sister Ancelin and further explorers the ties between her and Nasir that were introduced in 2015’s Haunted. Ancelin is known as a bit of a wild child; her reputation for hedonism is well-known. She, like Khalida in Haunted, is loath to commit to one person for fear of getting hurt or making the wrong choice in partner. However, when a series of odd and forboding coincidences keep occurring in relation to Ancelin, she’s forced to accept Nasir as a bodyguard. As Aram’s right-hand man, Nasir is unquestionably loyal to Ancelin and will guard her life at all costs. The reasons run deeper for him, but Ancelin takes a while to get to a point of truly understanding his motivations. Along the way, though, the two have a deliciously tense chemistry that has Ancelin doing all she can to tempt Nasir. I enjoyed Coveted even more than Haunted, which I was a bit shocked to realize. I’m still not into paranormal, so these two…

Haunted. Christina C. Jones. 2015. Warm Hues Creative. 175 pages.  [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Don’t tell CCJ this, but I danced around Haunted for over a year because I could not wrap my head around how she could possibly write a paranormal romance that I would enjoy.  I devoured everything else she wrote with no question, but just couldn’t motivate myself to touch this one.  It wasn’t until she had a holiday special that I decided to give it a go … Now, I’m mad at myself. I could have enjoyed Haunted so long ago!  This is both a credit to the author for being versatile and to the story itself.  I literally could not put this down – I’m talking standing in the checkout line at the grocery store to figure out what happened next! Khalida is content with her career managing a nightclub inside a trendy hotel.  She’s successful in her role and has the enduring love of her younger sister.  But something’s been off around her, and what started as the odd reflection of a man’s eyes in her windows at night are instead the start of her journey in unveiling of the truth about her identity.  The mysterious man whose presence she…

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy. Karen Foxlee. 2014. Knopf Books [Source: ARC provide courtesy of NetGalley] Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy came my way as a pre-approved book on NetGalley. I’d never heard of it and I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I absolutely loved reading this. It’s a substantial read and its plot and style are engaging throughout. While I found the plot enjoyable, the themes in the book were mature enough that I could appreciate them as an adult. The story follows Ophelia and her older sister Alice while they accompany their father Malcolm as he facilitates the opening of an expansive sword exhibit at a museum. All are still coping with the death of the girls’ mother, Susan, three months prior. Ophelia is a timid girl who views everything through a scientific lens, which makes it so difficult for her to process the experience she has in the museum after she finds the Marvelous Boy in a locked closet.