User Profile

To say I was excited to get an early copy of this book would be an understatement! McHugh has rapidly climbed to the top of my ‘most anticipated’ list and he’s yet to disappoint.

This book takes up the story a few months after the end of Sorcery Reborn and continues with the split perspective, this time adding Mordred’s perspective to Nate’s and Layla’s. Despite there being three perspectives the book never feels too busy. All three characters have a distinct ’voice’ and it’s easy to distinguish which story we’re following (if you somehow miss the chapter headers where it tells you who it is - I’ve been surprised at how difficult people seem find keeping up with split perspectives in books, even with clear headings to guide them!). Once the action starts it’s pretty much non-stop, with new and intriguing uses of powers, and of course swearing - thanks mostly to Remy, who never ceases to amuse (read his novella Hunted to get more Remy goodness). It’s violent, but if you don’t want violent don’t read books about former assassins and wars, and it’s funny. It’s also heartbreaking at times, beloved characters are in peril, as are their loved ones, as they battle Avalon.

Again I’m impressed and happy that McHugh manages to be inclusive, with sexualities represented well and not used simply for titillation and fetishisation. He’s one of the best male writers with regard to female characters. They aren’t described or valued by their physical and sexual attributes- case in point, Aphrodite. She’s a succubus and is described as beautiful, but that’s it. No epic paragraphs about her body. It’s amazing how many male (and to be honest, female) writers are incapable of creating strong, competent and smart female characters without reducing them to a bra size. There are so many strong and powerful women in this universe, who get the respect they’re due. Even better than that, in some ways, McHugh isn’t afraid to create terrible women, and he isn’t afraid to treat them in the same way he treats his awful male characters. How sad is it that in 2020 it’s still so unusual to see true equality??

The amount of story threads that McHugh has had to weave together is staggering, and he does it masterfully. This trilogy is the culmination of 10 previous novels, over two series, with a huge cast of characters with a lot of plot to cover. Lesser writers would have stumbled many times, leaving loose ends galore, but other than a few things lost in editing - which he’s explained in various places - McHugh manages not to fumble.

I’d highly recommend reading all of McHugh’s books, this is a great universe to get lost in and is somewhere I return to regularly as I reread often. Unforgettable characters, continuous action, masses of humour and a great story.....what’s not to love?!

I managed to get an ARC of this book, which is due for release in October 2020. Despite the fact that it didn’t seem like the usual sort of book I’d read - I tend to stick to urban fantasy or crime and this is a strange twist on A Christmas Carol, Sliding Doors and Groundhog Day - I really enjoyed it.

This is a book that is about those moments in life which actually turn out to be more important than you ever imagined. About decisions we make and how we see the world and why. Would we make the same choices again? What if there was something that we missed at a certain point which may have made us view something differently? How does our view of ourselves match up with reality and do we like either?

Ben is wallowing in his mistakes - teetering on the precipice of an even larger one - in what he thinks are missed chances and opportunities. What would have happened if he’d made a different choice on the night he met his wife Daphne? Should he have he acted on the frisson he felt for his old university friend Alice? Which woman was right for him? Are his marital issues with Daphne because they were never right for each other all along, and would his life have been better with Alice?

He meets an old man selling knock off Rolexes in the pub on Christmas Eve 2020, after yet another tense discussion with Daphne. He’s supposed to be decorating the Christmas tree and wrapping the presents while Daphne attends her works do alone, because he doesn’t want to make the effort with her workmates, but has decided to get drunk with his best mate Harv instead, as self pitying man babies like to do. While he is toying with the idea of telling Harv all about his emotional issues and marital woes, the old man offers to sell him a watch. He refuses, but the old man insists and ends up gifting him a - broken as it turns out - watch. After doing some wallowing and not talking about his feelings, he goes home and decides to crack open the expensive bottle of red wine that Daphne has bought for Christmas Day with her family rather than fulfil his promise to get the house ready. He eventually decides to take himself off to the attic for the decorations and stumbles, quite literally, upon a box of Daphne’s possessions from the play they were doing when they met at uni. Inexplicably angered by this proof that his wife loves him, he ends up passing out in the attic.

When he awakes he finds himself back in his dorm room from his first term at uni, on the day of the play, which is the night he meets, and kisses, Daphne for the first time. He stumbles through the evening, somewhat in shock, as you would be had you travelled back in time 15 years and were a gangly 20 year old again. He experiences his first encounter with Daphne again, and relives the excitement and joy he felt back then. He remembers how the night didn’t go exactly as he’d always pictured it. He’d believed that his kiss with Daphne had been fate, that he could easily have ended up kissing Alice that night, but he realises that he actually knowingly made a choice which would lead him to kiss Daphne. Afterwards, rather than awkwardly leave, as most 20 year olds would, he manages to prolong the evening until they innocently fall asleep in each other’s arms in his dorm room.

When he awakes he’s in his childhood bedroom, on Christmas Eve the next year, the day that Daphne and his mum meet. In the present Ben has lost his mum, and is guilt stricken at the circumstances and how he’d treated her beforehand, so he’s ecstatic and emotional to see her again. The pain and joy is palpable, as he sees this memory through more mature eyes, as he starts to recognise his failings and how they have contributed to the problems he has faced over the years. When he’s sent on an errand by his mum he stumbles across the ‘watch seller’, who urges him to return home. As he returns earlier than he had in reality, he overhears an anecdote from his mother which starts to offer an alternate perspective to his past. He takes the opportunity to really talk to his mum, ask her questions about her life, her ambitions, and he begins to see her as a human being with her own hopes and aspirations, along with her own disappointments. He had lived most of his life without his father, who had cheated on his mother and left them, and he feared that he was predestined to make the same mistakes, due to some hinted indiscretion with Alice, and the plan to meet up for further mistakes. He failed to ever really consider his mum’s feelings about her marriage, and her feelings as she watched her son desperately struggle for a relationship with an absent and uncaring father, one who just happened to be a successful playwright to whom Ben desperately wishes to live up. He spends the evening truly learning about things he’d never even considered, and dreads 11.59pm arriving as he knows that’s when he will jump to the next point in his history.

Ben jumps to other moments from his life, where he either sees things more clearly, or from a new perspective, and he begins to see that the issues he feels have plagued him are entirely of his own making. His selfishness and self pity, his fear of turning into his father, yet his desperate need to live up to the man who had never really shown him anything to live up to, leading him to dwell in his own misery and ignore other people’s pain and triumphs. He realises that he didn’t even know some of Daphne’s successes as she was too busy helping him through his perceived tragedies, and that he never even considered her pain at losing his mum despite knowing how much she loved her. He starts to realise how he has pushed her away, how he has withdrawn into himself and wallowed in his self pity and it is actually that which has caused him the most problems.

He also relives the night that he slept with Alice while he and Daphne were spending time apart, due to his reluctance to get married after nine years due to his fear of turning into his father. He finally realises the excuses he made for his choices, and how his fears became a self fulfilling prophecy. He thought he would become like his father, so he did - despite not really knowing the man in any meaningful way. He finally realises that Daphne is the one for him, that she always has been and always will be. That she was there for him whenever he needed her, but he was never there for her.

When he wakes up on Christmas Day 2020 he thinks he has another chance to make things right with Daphne, but he’s still in the middle of his lesson. Despite finally starting to make an effort, it’s all thwarted when Daphne finds his phone, and sees the chain of messages between him and Alice, she is heartbroken at his betrayal and asks him to leave.

In his next jump he gets to see the future he seemed to want. He’s engaged to Alice, with a successful career at her dad’s firm, and living in a swanky flat. By this point though he has already realised what he truly wants, and it’s not this sterile, bitter and loveless existence. He wants Daphne. Unfortunately she is now with somebody else, and it seems that his fate is sealed.

Luckily for Ben (debatable about it being lucky for Daphne) he wakes up back in the attic in 2020, with Daphne asking him why he’s sleeping in the attic - perfectly valid question. He takes the opportunity to tell her everything that has held him back for years, his feelings about his mum and the awful things he said to her before she died, how he felt about his dad and his failed career, and about Alice. Predictably Daphne does not take this news well and the couple spend time apart while she decides what she wants - which for once Ben actually cares about more than his own desires.

I won’t tell you how it ends, suffice to say it’s a very satisfactory conclusion, if a little predictable, but this book was never meant to break new ground. It’s a great modern spin on an age old tale and idea, of getting the chance to see your life and your choices, good or bad, mistakes and triumphs, through new eyes. What would you do if you could change things? Are you as happy as you ever could be or is there more that you missed along the way? I have to say as someone who was cheated on I wasn’t expecting to like Ben at all, and at times I found his self pity to be irritating beyond belief, but I like the fact that he started to own his mistakes and his feelings, and stops putting his own needs first and, well, only. Daphne isn’t especially prominent despite her large role in the story, but I actually like that tactic, because at the root of it this is about Ben finally standing on his own two feet and living his life without relying on everyone else to carry him through. Daphne is important, as are the other characters, and we see enough of her to know she deserves much better than she’s endured with Ben for 15 years, but the focus is very much not on her actions but his. We see a similar amount of Alice, just enough to contrast her with Daphne to see Ben’s choices, but again, this story isn’t about Alice and her good points and bad points. It doesn’t really matter because Ben is the person who really needs to figure things out for himself. The fact that he starts to see both women more clearly, and doesn’t romanticise a possible flame anymore, is exactly what’s needed to help him move on from his long lists of ‘what ifs?’ to realise that the problem has lain with him all along. He would never have been happy with Alice for the same reasons his relationship with Daphne was failing, his own issues and unwillingness to open up to the people he loves.

This is a book which manages to juggle light hearted pop culture references with some quite heavy themes, all sprinkled with the light and hope of Christmas, the backdrop to so many successful stories. It’s really a perfect setting for a stories about hope and despair, about finding the right path and the light at the end of the tunnel, and yes, the pain that we feel missing loved ones at this time for family and love. Christmas can be a lonely time, but it can also be a time of hope and this book really encapsulates that.

This doesn’t feel too heavy, it’s a nice read and provokes some questions without being preachy or making excuses for its protagonist. I’d highly recommend giving it a read and letting yourself answer the questions it poses, and seeing if you fall into any of the traps that Ben does. I’d bet we all have at some point in our lives!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC

I’ve been beside myself with excitement for months because I NEED more Nate! Glad to say I’m not at all disappointed, if anything it was better than I thought it would be!

I worried that having Nate without powers for a large portion of the book would make for a boring story but it was anything but. (Spoiler alert, he regains them at around 64%, along with his father’s identity) It proves how good of a writer McHugh is because it’s still gripping and a beautifully woven story, with a protagonist who could be rather flat in the hands of a different author. Despite being human Nate is still utterly kick ass and it was still believable that he could take down those who actually had powers whilst he was mortal and sans power. It also shows that he’s the same good, kind, loyal man without magic, the magic doesn’t make Nate a hero, NATE makes Nate a hero.

The basic premise is that 2 years on from Nate’s ‘death’ at Mordred’s (still one of my favourite characters! Not enough of him and his game tunes though!) hand, Nate is living in Clockwork (great town name), Oregon (although I do keep calling it A Clockwork Orange in my head, but that says more about my intriguing brain than anything else) awaiting the return of his powers so he can help save the world. There’s a slight worry about his powers being a few months late, but he’s created a relatively nice, quiet life and managed to stay out of trouble....until some Nazis turn up - dontcha just hate that?! - and start harassing a family he is friends with. In fact two members of the family are some of the few who knows Nate’s backstory, so there is a definite worry that Avalon are about to stumble onto the man they were so relieved was dead. Sucks to be Avalon!

Robert, the cockwomble in charge of the Nazis, is the ex of one of the granddaughters of Nate’s friends, and he has the exact type of fragile masculinity that makes you just want to him kick in the area his balls should be, if he wasn’t such a little bitch. He disliked the fact that his ex Jessica, left him for another man due to his aforementioned cockwombling fragile masculinity. He’s trying his level best to destroy Jessica’s life by claiming her son as his, despite the impossibility of dates (and his lack of man parts, hence his over compensation - ok the lack of male genitalia isn’t actually IN the book, but having known a few like him, that’s what’s happening in my head) and generally making a nuisance of himself. Having his Nazi buddies harass her and her boss means Nate has to get involved, cos, well it’s Nate, and shit truly hitteth the fan. Turns out they’re working with Baldr. Who really does not like Nate, and has a mummy complex.

Nate defends the family and gets them to supposed safety in Portland, to Medusa (yes the snake lady, who in true McHugh style, is actually a goodie and the myths surrounding her were created by her enemies. Nice comment on history being recorded by the winners) and Isis who are protecting Baldr’s mum Frigg. Unfortunately, Jessica and her grandfather end up kidnapped by Bob and his merry band of bellends, leaving a swathe of unexplained bodies behind. Nate and Brooke, a deputy of Clockwork, set off to find them but are captured (and at this point the fate of the Aston Martin becomes uncertain, but if it’s destroyed I’ll be miffed) and taken back to Clockwork to hear Bob’s master plan. They’ve been using the blood of an intelligent creature called a grendel to power up humans, and are planning on releasing it at a mass protest against Avalon. The humans would then go beserk and Avalon would have leverage to force through legislation to ‘protect’ the world from these ‘terrorists’. Luckily, Nate’s friend/handler Chris (who is not Chris, but is actually another supposed mythological being - who picked his name of ‘Chris Hopkins for a VERY fun reason!) turns up to get him out, but it’s sadly too late for Brooke who is killed by her estranged grendel-fuelled twin sister Addison, who was pally with one of the Nazi boys. Nate and ‘Chris’ free the grendel but as they’re escaping Nate is shot - and he’s still human

To my complete and utter lack of surprise, Steve McHugh has done it again.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for MONTHS. I love The Hellequin and Avalon Chronicles so was desperate to find out what happened to these wonderful characters next.

Having post a spoiler filled review on Goodreads, I won’t repeat it here, but I’ll give my overall thoughts.

I worried that the story would feel a little slow or disjointed as we join the lead character, Nate, 2 years after the end of The Hellequin Chronicles, powerless and human while he awaits the return of his magic. My worry was totally misplaced however as McHugh is such a talented writer. He manages to keep the story interesting and cohesive, even when the main character doesn’t have access to the powers that form a rather large chunk of the storylines. Human Nate is the same hero as sorcery Nate, he still fights for the vulnerable and those who need him, even when he is technically outmatched in power. He’s a truly great protagonist, with buckets of humour and bravery, but never falling prey to the Superman character danger, where someone becomes a bland cliche ridden caricature - he isn’t a boring, purely good hero, he has his darkness and has made mistakes, but he always tries to own his s*** and keeps fighting for what he believes in.

The story starts to come back into line with Hellequin and Avalon at around 64% in, but it doesn’t feel like a slog to get there, and the remainder of the book doesn’t feel rushed. Lots of threads are woven together, including a small amount of split perspective, but even that doesn’t really affect the flow and pace. With such character heavy books it would be easy for it to feel too busy, but McHugh never allows himself to be bogged down. He has created wonderfully rich characters, who, even when only briefly appearing in a book, still manage to shine and steal scenes - Remy, Mordred, Tommy, Diana are some of these beloved characters, that, yes ok, I’d love more of, but their scarcity doesn’t hurt too much as the rest is so well done.

McHugh is definitely a ‘show not tell’ author which I greatly appreciate, and he is descriptive without becoming too flowery and over the top. I can’t stand writers who repeatedly wallop their readers over the head with descriptive passages, and I appreciate the fact that descriptions of characters aren’t repeated ad nauseum, which a lot of writers seem to do, not just in each new book in a series, but several times in a book. McHugh only briefly references Nate’s appearance, same with other characters that have been described in the previous books, and it makes for a much more pleasant experience. I also appreciate that he can actually write female characters, without reducing them to their cup size or their other sexual attributes, of which far too many writers seem incapable. His female characters are not weak, they don’t need to be rescued by their menfolk and his male characters (at least the good guys) treat women with respect. It never reads like tokenism, and he is very inclusive, there are plenty of LGBT characters, and none are used cheaply, nor is their sexuality used to labour a point.

Another of McHugh’s talents is social commentary, without crossing into preaching. A theme I see him repeat is history being written by the winners, or propaganda being used to smear people for ulterior motives. In this political era that’s all too relevant. The progressiveness never feels forced. His attitude towards racism and all discrimination is pretty clear without ever entering the ‘snowflake’ (gods I hate that term) territory, his points are valid and well stated.

This universe is truly one that I’ve fallen in love with. I’ve got my husband, father, and potentially, my aunt reading McHugh and they all love what they see. These books would make great TV or film, if in the right hands (Whedon I’m looking at you), but hopefully anyone who does choose to pick it up loves the universe as much as McHugh so they can do it justice.

To sum up, read it. Read all of The Hellequin Chronicles. Read all of The Avalon Chronicles. Read the novellas. Follow McHugh on social media (lovely man, very nice to his readers) and support him by preordering his upcoming works. You won’t regret it.

We finally have our Dani and Diesel story! I’ve been wanting this story since Diesel first laid eyes on Dr Dani and I’m not disappointed!

If you’re unfamiliar with Karen Rose she writes romantic suspense (which I always find to be a rather sneering descriptor of books that tend to be quite heavy on violence and terror, but because they also include love stories and sex they’re shuffled into ‘romantic suspense’) books which all take place in the same universe. If this is your first dive into Rose’s world you won’t be lost, the story can be read alone, but for a deeper understanding and love of the characters it’s well worth reading others, at least the rest of the ‘Cincinnati’ series. There are a few series dotted around the US, and they do interact, so it’s an enjoyable world to get lost in if it’s up your alley.

As mentioned, this is the latest instalment of The Cincinnati Series, and tells the story of Dani and Diesel. These characters have featured in previous Cincinnati books and are beloved by most readers, who have been asking for their story for a while now! Karen Rose is a master of psychological thrillers, the kills tend to be gory and disturbing, the motivations clear. Now, as we’re in romantic suspense territory, obviously we know that any danger our heroes are in (and there always tends to be some, shot or kidnapped etc) will be resolved and we’ll get our happy ending. That’s not to say that everyone survives or has a fun time, because there are a fair few deaths in these books, but there will always be a happy ending for the main characters, which is a large part of why I enjoy them, as it’s nice to have that certainty to retreat to when life gets tough. Adult fairy tales could be a good descriptor!

The storyline here revolves around some deeply disturbing issues. Human trafficking, child sex abuse, parental abuse and neglect, disability and chronic illnesses. Dr Dani Novak is a woman who has quite a chunk of stuff to deal with, that I won’t go into here for fear of spoiling this and previous books, which means she’s been keeping Diesel at arms length for quite a while. That gets blown out of the water when Diesel brings two brothers to her clinic, that he knows through his job of coaching football (I’m British, it’s NOT soccer!) for children. The elder sibling has apparently taken on the majority of the responsibilities for caring for his baby brother, but is apparently injured and very scared. There are some very harrowing moments where the truth of what has happened to this poor child are revealed, but luckily for him he has been taken in by the family that has been created over previous books, encompassing police, FBI, journalists and doctors, and they set to work unravelling the crimes that this child has witnessed and experienced.

It’s not always an easy read. I’d imagine it would be quite triggering (in the true psychological term) for some people, as there are some very unpleasant, yet very realistic, topics tackled. If you want true realism though Karen Rose may not be for you, as the characters are all so very GOOD. They really are the sort of people you’d find in a fairy tale, where the heroes are just and true, and good always prevails in the end. It’s wonderful to lose yourself in that world, but if you have enough experience with the real world you’ll know how sadly unrealistic it is to find so many genuinely good people, who are all connected. That doesn’t detract from what Rose creates, just suspend your disbelief for a while and read about people who always do the right thing and always get their happy ending eventually!

(There is some sex, but it’s in no way excessive and doesn’t approach some other books in this genre. There’s just enough to get the point across, but not enough to make you want to tap out of the book entirely!)