Monday Review by the Book Dragon: A Brand New Steampunk Full of Heart!

The Book Dragon has just finished reading Heart of the Curiosity, H. L. Burke's brand new YA fantasy steampunk, and gives it five claws!

My review: Having read several of Ms. Burke's novels and especially liked her steampunk series, I was excited to read her latest, which is set in the world of theatre using an interesting concept of magical "knacks." The MC is Leodora, or Leo, who has had a rough upbringing in a traveling circus where unspeakable things happened to her. This causes her to run away with her younger sister Muse, not only to protect her but to help her reach her dream of being a dancer. At The Curiosity, an old family theatre with dark secrets of its own, they meet a fellow teen named Paxton who has a mechanical arm and a kind heart. Leo and Muse find a home and a family, and all is well for four years. But conflict is the heart of fiction, so of course, things don't stay safe. Someone else wants to uncover the secrets at the Heart of the Curiosity, and destruction and death ensue.

This wonderful story is part magic, part mystery, and part coming-of-age while dealing with serious subjects in a very effective way. The details are so much fun to read, from the smells and tastes of the local "coffee shop" to the adorable snail circus and the chilling, sometimes dangerous secret passages in the old theatre. Recommended for older teens and up, since there is a murder, two self-defense killings, mild swearing, and the effects of rape, but all are dealt with in a sensitive way.

More about Heart of the Curiosity (and a better pic of the intriguing cover):

The secret lies with the Heart.

Born with a magical knack for manipulating emotions, Leodora's only dream is to ensure her talented little sister dances on the biggest, brightest stage in the Republic: The Curiosity, a grand old theater of tradition and innovation. After escaping a cruel carnival, Leo secures her sister a place in the Curiosity’s chorus line, and herself a job as a professional audience member, swaying the crowd's mood with her magic. The girls have a home for the first time in their lives.

Then a tragic accident darkens the theater. A greedy businessman begins blackmailing Leo, and financial woes threaten to close the show forever. The Curiosity's sole hope lies in a mythical power source hidden beneath the maze-like passages and trapdoors of the theater—the Heart. And Leo’s only friend Paxton, nephew of the theater's stagemistress, is the key to finding it.

While Leo and Paxton hunt for the Heart, the blackmailer’s threats loom larger. Mysterious figures, cryptic clues, and deadly traps hinder the search at every turn. If the friends cannot recover the Heart in time, Leo and her sister will be cast out of the only home they’ve ever known, and the final curtain will fall on The Curiosity.

Enter a world reminiscent of The Greatest Showman, with a puzzle worthy of Sherlock Holmes and National Treasure, in this new Steampunk Fantasy from H. L. Burke.

Where to find the book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Curiosity-H-L-Burke-ebook/dp/B07S58N3P5/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-the-curiosity-h-l-burke/1131668257

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1464838020

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heart-of-the-curiosity

Autographed paperback: https://uncommonuniverses.com/product/heart-of-the-curiosity-autographed-paperback-pre-order/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45944020-heart-of-the-curiosity

About the author (if you haven't read any of her books, you NEED to!)

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

Social Media Links:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hlburkewriter/

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hlburkereaders/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hlburkewriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burkesdragons/

Website: http://www.hlburkeauthor.com/

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: Witty alternate history fantasy

The Book Dragon has read Kyle Robert Shultz's Horseman, the first book in the Crockett and Crane series, and gives it 5 claws!

My review: 4.5 stars for a quirky, witty, and fun alternate history of the US, where magic and monsters are real. The setting is the Wild (very wild) West, and the main character is a part-time centaur on the cover who sells potions like an old-time traveling snake-oil peddler. I didn't like him at first, but kept reading because the story was so unusual. All the characters are memorable and easy to visualize, and my favorite is Julio. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, because that's the fun part of reading this book, but if you like quirky characters with witty banter, this book is for you! WARNING: This is the first in a series, so not a stand-alone. I personally get aggravated when a story doesn't have at least some kind of ending, but I know other readers enjoy reading "serials."

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: Suspenseful and poignant sci fi sequel

The Book Dragon has read Nadia's Tears, Book 2 of Devya's Children by Julie C. Gilbert and gives it 5 claws!

My review: "This book continues the suspenseful story of Gifted children genetically enhanced by scientists who claim to have the motive of doing good in the world by these children. The head scientist, Dr. Devya, seems heartless to me and I definitely don't like the way he treats these children more as property than as individual human beings.

"One of the children, Nadia, has gone into a coma, and Jillian, who has escaped Devya's lab to live with her adopted family again, is enlisted to return to the lab(!) and help revive Nadia, if possible. In a parallel story that merges with Nadia's tale by the end, Jillian's babysitter Danielle is drawn into danger while trying to help a friend.

"Again, I'm glad the author chose to tell the story through journal entries, as it helps blunt the terror (but not the suspense) of children in grave peril, which would make it hard for this grandma to read. Since the reader is learning the story as the psychiatrist would learn it, it also makes the reader think about the story in a different way, imagining the psychological effect all of this would have upon the children.

"I recommend this story to anyone who likes to read thought-provoking and sometime mind-bending science fiction about important moral issues. I am anxious to continue the story of these remarkable children, and I only wish I could give each of them a hug. They all could use a lot of them!"

My favorite quote from the book, which really resonated with me as a cancer survivor affected at times by survivor guilt: "Living is the harder road, but it is by far the better one. Never be ashamed to survive."

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: A heartwarming story set on Sage Valley Ranch

The Book Dragon has read Bree Livingston's Inspired by the Creative Cowboy, Book 5 in the Sage Valley Ranch series and gives it 5 claws!

My review: "There wasn't as much action in this final installment of the Sage Valley Ranch series (compared with the other two I read), but on the strength of the two main characters, I'm giving it 4.5 stars. Summer's personality is like her name, yet she has many layers of depth and conflict and makes me want to give her a hug! Julian is not your typical artist, and has such a good heart, I was really rooting for him!

"Having all these books set in the same location is a great idea. It makes the locale and some of the people familiar, and makes this reader wish there was a real Sage Valley Ranch so she could visit!"

My favorite quote from the book (when Julian first meets Nanna, Summer's grandmother): "She had that Texas-grandma feel. The one where you knew you were safe and loved and never an inconvenience."

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: A super sweet Texas romance!

The Book Dragon has read Charmed by the Daring Cowboy, Book 4 in the Sage Valley Ranch series, by Melanie D. Snitker and gives it five big claws!

My 5 star review: After being introduced to Sage Valley Ranch in book 3, I downloaded #4 in the series (also works as a stand-alone), since I've loved everything I've read by Ms. Snitker, and this one does not disappoint! The story is sweeter and a little tamer than #3 (no bull riding), but the main character Alyssa is a landscaper and good with plants, so it demands a different story. Ms. Snitker is masterful in creating her realistic and totally sympathetic characters. I feel as if I've made new friends in the struggling young widowed Alyssa, her precious son Noah, and Dare the knight-in-shining-armor cowboy, who the reader can't help but love and root for! If you love clean romance with all the feels, you MUST read this book! Then, you'll want to read more of the stories set at Sage Valley Ranch, as well as all the others by Ms. Snitker.

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: A nail-biting survival story featuring dinosaurs!

The Book Dragon has read Corinna Turner's DRIVE! (first in the unSPARKed series) and gives it a roaring 5 claws!

My 5 star review: Wow! What an exciting story! Wish this had been around when I was younger, but I've never outgrown my interest in dinosaurs, so it was worth waiting for!

Widower with two teens remarries, and they travel together to bring home the new wife and stepmother. Simple plot, you say? Not when the family lives on a farm surrounded by electric fences to keep out the new top-of-the-food-chain predators in this amazingly detailed future United States. This is short and a quick read (and so suspenseful you won't be able to put it down). Thankfully, it's not the end, though this story can stand alone.

I can't wait for the next installment in the unSPARKed series! (The electric fences protecting cities and farms are so important, they are capitalized as SPARK.) Recommended for anyone who loves dinosaurs and adventure/survival stories!

(This book and others by the prolific author are featured on the Catholic Teen Books site.)

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: Exciting Christian mystery!

The Book Dragon has read Fallen Leaf by Julie B. Cosgrove and gives it 5 claws!

My review: 4.5 stars for a Christian mystery with more than one heart-stopping event! Great characters, realistic setting and situation, and lots of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing and anxious for fictional characters who feel more like new friends!

I first met Jessica, Bailey, and Shannon in book one of this series, One Leaf Too Many, but this one can stand alone. book one focused on Bailey and her genealogy search, and book two begins when blond, blue-eyed (and adopted) Jessica gets a DNA test and discovers a complete surprise--she is half Cherokee! I don't want to inadvertently give away spoilers, but the way this story becomes a murder mystery is compelling and suspenseful! I can't wait for book three, which should belong to Shannon.

Recommended for all readers of Christian mystery, and if you aren't into genealogy before you read this book, you'll want to explore your own family's secrets.