A Beast Within by Aidan Lucid

The Boyd family has a terrifying experience that leads to an unknown future.   Jeremy is an ex-con who can’t catch a break.  He encounters his childhood best buddy Stephen who is accompanied by Natalie his girlfriend.   The encounter leads to action and mayhem.

Lucid, paints Jeremy with compassion.  Lucid seems to see the challenges of the incarcerated population reintegrating with the normal populace.  He shows how both intentional and unintentional cruelty, even if verbal, can cause major injury to someone trying to change.

The Boyds have their morality play to contend with.   David, their son, requires morally questionable or even abhorrent help to survive.   Their solution has its own forboding knell.

Lucid provides scenarios that make you ponder on what your response might be in a similar situation.

A thought-provoking book that provides an entertaining read.

 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Kakistocracy by Alex Shvartsman

Conrad Brent is a mage without magic.   A middling or possibly a god-in-waiting with an abundance of ethics and morals.   His power is in his out-of-the-box thinking.   He successfully offends a segment of the fae and comes home to discover that a wealth of enemies has invaded his city.  

Shvartsman has come up with a highly likable character who recognizes that occasionally it is imperative to be ruthless.  Kind-hearted and yet filled with righteous indignation over any kind of mistreatment of “his” borough citizens, Conrad gets his butt kicked but bounces back.

I’d hoped for a rapprochement with Herc would happen but perhaps in the next book.  Moira O’Leary has grown into a full-blown character.   She may be my new favorite with her skewed understanding of karma.

God, fairies, trolls, guns, spells, battles what’s not to like?

I recommend the book and the series!

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned