Book Review: Tyranny of the Fey: Adventure Waits for No One. by Terry Bartley

Tyranny of the Fey: Adventure Waits for No One by Terry Bartley is a short story collection set in the original fantasy world of Galevyn. A famed Elven researcher is worried about her home. When she discovers a new realm with massive magic potential, she believes she has found the answer. Will the Seasonal Fey Courts allow her to continue her research without interference, or do they have more nefarious plans? An Elven princess runs away from her arranged marriage to a parallel world. Will she be able to find the adventure she seeks? While she is in search of battles with dragons and quests to obtain sacred artifacts, she finds that what she was looking for may have been a true connection with someone that understands her. Two childhood friends, an orc and a goblin, have long dreamed of adventure. When a magic school dropout stumbles into their lives, they jump at the chance to realize their ambitions. This found family realizes the world of Galevyn is a much bigger place than the jungle they grew up in.

Tyranny of the Fey is an entertaining collection of short stories. There is just enough world and character building to keep the reader from feeling lost without getting them bogged down in the magic theory and history of the world. There was a little bit of everything in the collection, friendship, adventure, romance, grief, and more. I do have to admit that I thought this book was part of a series I had already started when I requested it, mainly because of the cover art, which left me a little confused in the beginning, but the story still entertained me. I would have liked some more of a solid connection between the short stories, since there were the stories with different sets of characters all in the same world- there could have been a bit more of a thread tying them together. I would have really enjoyed that kind of connection between the sets of characters. I would have also liked to see the final set of stories end with something of a conclusion that did not leave me sad that I turned the page to find the acknowledgements rather than a last chapter to wrap things up a bit.

Book Review: In the Mood Fur Love by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, Kate Baxter

In the Mood Fur Love is a collection of three romances by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, and Kate Baxter. Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais follows Becka who manages to escape her kidnapper and finds herself asking help of the man with the nice brown eyes. Stavros can’t say no, not when he knows Becka is his mate, but he does have one dilemma when it comes to claiming her. He'll have to find a way for her to bear his touch. Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden is a story about a desperate woman trying to save her family, as a wolf is desperately looking to convince her to give him a chance. Looking for a mate to bring to a party? Wedding? Holiday gathering? Mates Fur Hire is right for you? But what happens when your fake mate ends up being your real one, from New York Times bestselling author Milly Taiden! The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress by Kate Baxter follows and witch and a wolf. For centuries, Lowman, Idaho has been Ellie Curtis's prison. A vengeful witch cursed her with immortality and locked her within the confines of Lowman's borders, sealing Ellie off from most of civilization for eternity. She's learned to make the most of it. But when she meets a cocky werewolf who's part of the elite supernatural law enforcement group, all bets are off. Colin instantly knew that Ellie was his mate, but when he discovers her secret, he's determined to help set her free. But in doing so, he might just lose the one thing he knows he can't live without. 

Often one story sticks out as better or less of my taste than the others in collections like this, but this felt pretty even. In Bearing His Touch I really enjoyed the characters and how the world and character building was paced through the story so that I never felt inundated or missing something important. I like that it had a good blend of danger, humor, and sweetness. I really liked Becka and her blend of vulnerability and strength, and how smart and determined Stavros is. A good story all around, and I will be looking for more from the author.

Fake Mated to the Wolf was also an entertaining read. I thought the depth of Shawna's love for her family and the trouble she found herself in could have used a little more building, but I understood the space constraints and how hard it is to get everything in a short story. I liked the determination of all the players, and how everything was resolved. There were some unanswered questions for me, some oddities that happened in the story that could have been part of the larger plot but just rather became brushed away, but I still enjoyed the read. Unfortunately the dating app or website thing has been done before. I have read some great series that use this, and have for quite awhile, so while a small part of the story here, and well done, this just did not feel fresh to me.

The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress is another fun and flirty story. I liked the balance of Colin and Ellie trying to solve their separate issues, while trying to figure out the mate situation. I liked Ellie's personality and her combination of sweet and strong. I thought Colin was a little weaker of a character, but still very well fleshed out. The combination of werewolf and witch's curse was cool, and I like how everyone seemed to handle the revelation of additional paranormal issues. I think I might have read something from this author before, or something similar. There were moments that seemed familiar in writing style and world building, but not in a bad way. Rather like I might have read something in a related series and I was reminded of those characters.

In the Mood Fur Love is a thoroughly enjoyable read with a touch of sweet, a touch of heat, and a whole lot of fur. I think this is a great collection to meet three authors I do not remember having read before, but hope to read again.