Review: The Jasper Soul by Bailey Bradford

An ancient evil stalks the earth, seeking to finish what it started… 

Matt Callaghan is pretty sure he’s just an average guy. His tragic past haunts him, and the only comfort he finds is something he’s not willing to explain to anyone else. The jasper stone he found as a child had been with him for over half his life, and he can’t be parted from it.

There’s more to the stone than Matt knows. Thousands of years ago, one man, the last of his people, was cast into the stone, his soul protected when his body could not be saved.

The evil that hunted him is still alive, still waiting for a chance to destroy the jasper stone.

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence and physical assault.

The premise for The Jasper Soul is a set up for a great story and the author delivered with the characters, but the world building was lacking for me. When you’re talking about paranormal worlds and a time traveling plot, the world building has to be tight from the beginning. The Jasper Soul started that way and quickly sucked me in the Matt’s world. Unfortunately, once all the characters were revealed the story lost its focus.

We first meet Matt, an average guy with a tragic past (that we don’t learn about for a while, but we know it’s there) getting by but not living his best life. After a near drowning when he was younger he found a jasper stone that has been his most prized possession throughout his life. He had no real reason to be so attached, but his draw to the stone was undeniable. I liked Matt a lot, he’s a sympathetic every-man with a fun sense of humor that kept him relatable when he could have been a depressing hot mess.

Matt’s connection with the stone becomes stronger when he meets the man whose soul resides there. Andulin’s people were slaughtered by Evil millenia ago and he’s been trapped in the stone every since. Basically there’s a bunch of magical shenanigans that happen and we learn about the gods and goddesses that are at the root of all the trouble that happened way back when. This is where the story lost me a bit. There are soooooo many gods and goddesses and then there are layers of them and holy cats, it was a lot.

The overcomplication of the backstory took away from Matt and Andulin’s time so I had trouble buying into their relationship as much as I wanted to. I could see why Andulin would be in love with Matt, he’d “known” him most of Matt’s life. But Matt doesn’t know Andulin from a magical rock, so the insta love was tough to believe. I would have loved to have more page time with them connecting and a healthy reduction in gods and goddesses that bickered their way through the story.

The Jasper Soul is an overall enjoyable read with likable MC’s and an interesting story arc. While it got in its own way a little too often, I still liked meeting Matt especially and his HEA was hard won and satisfying in the end.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Audiobook Review: Willow Man by John Inman

Woody Stiles has sung his country songs in every city on the map. His life is one long road trip in a never-ending quest for fame and fortune. But when his agent books him into a club in his hometown, a place he swore he would never set foot in again, Woody comes face to face with a few old demons. One in particular.

With memories of his childhood bombarding him from every angle, Woody must accept the fact that his old enemy, Willow Man, was not just a figment of childish imagination.

With his friends at his side, now all grown up just like he is, Woody goes to battle with the killer that stole his childhood lover. Woody also learns Willow Man has been busy while he was away, destroying even more of Woody's past. And in the midst of all this drama, Woody is stunned to find himself falling in love - something he never thought he would do again.

As kids, Woody and his friends could not stop the killer who lived in the canyon where they played. As adults, they might just have a chance.

Or will they?

Listening Length: 12 Hours 49 Minutes
Narrator: Austin Rising

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of John Inman and his words in all their incarnations. I can’t get enough of his love pollen in the Belladonna Arms, his charming slapstick in Shy and his ventures into the dark side in Sunset Lake. Willow Man is definitely filed in the dark column and man did I love every heartbreaking moment.

I was born and raised in San Diego where Willow Man takes place and I remember the crash that is the catalyst for Willow Man well. I was a kid at the time and my mom worked in the area. I remember the panic and the fear as we waited at home for news. This was before you googled for news so we waited. And waited. And waited. Mom came home, all was well with us personally but San Diego was shell shocked for quite a while after. I know the canyons the author writes about and every little detail hit home for me. So, needless to say, I connected with the story from the beginning.

You can draw parallels to Stephen King’s horror masterpiece, IT, as mentioned in reviews here and there, but Willow Man is not IT and is its own horror masterpiece. The flavor is similar enough in that, if you love coming of age stories and you love the classic battle of good vs. evil; you can’t get enough bittersweet love and second chances and most of all you LOVE an epilogue that throws everything you found comfort in out the window, then Willow Man is for you just as much as IT.

Woody, Bobby, the twins Jeremy and Chuck and the total badass that is Cathy are inseparable childhood friends and the author nails the dialog and interactions in this group perfectly. And that is what elevates this to a classic for me. It’s so easy to make kids and preteens terrible, unreadable, but to make them real and to root for them as hard as I rooted for this group is impressive and the connection between their childhood and adult selves is flawless.

This is the first audiobook I’ve listened to with Austin Rising as the narrator and I need to hear more from him ASAP. There was a huge range of characters to cover in Willow Man and he got them all just right. Every bit of terror and every word of love was so organic I got caught up in the story from the first line to the last listening to him read the authors words.

Willow Man is evil incarnate. The amount of detail and backstory for him was just enough to make sure all his motivations were understood, and he’s just subtle enough to keep you extra off center while you’re listening. There’s no question of his terrible words and deeds and good gravy he’s a villain to beat all villains, but he never gets campy or overdone, he made my skin crawl with what was implied as much as what was described.

The kids though. Every one of them made this story. Sure, Woody and Bobby are the cornerstones of their younger years, but nothing would have worked without all of them together. The dynamics were perfect and the transition from childhood to adulthood was seamless considering the years they missed together.

The relationship between Woody and Bobby was, in a word, beautiful. Sure, they were young, but the love they felt for one another was so, so pure. It made my heart so happy and also filled me with more dread than I should ever feel! It’s a horror story, bad things are coming, I know this as I’m listening, but dammit, it didn’t make ANY of it any easier.

Flash forward to second chances and the epic battle between good and evil, and I couldn’t stop listening. How is this going to play out, how do you defeat Willow Man, when you are literally a man down and their nemesis is inhuman? The playout was ideal. I loved how things worked for the remaining friends and the takedown of Willow Man totally worked for the environment he dwelled in and cultivated all his evil.

And the epilogue, damn you John Inman, I love and hate the epilogue sooooooooo much. The part of me that loves the love pollen hated every bit. The part of me that loves good horror reveled in every word. The epilogue had to happen, it had to be there. I had to listen to Austin Rising scare the crap out of me and unsettle everything before it was over. Thanks for that, I mean that both sincerely and sarcastically and I know that horror fans will get that without any explanation.

**a copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**

Review: My Brother's Keeper Trilogy (Books #1-3) by Adrienne Wilder

The My Brother's Keeper Trilogy

The town of Gilford has a Big and Terrible secret hidden in the ground.
Infecting those it touches.
Exploiting their darkness.
Consuming their souls.
It’s hungry. It’s vile. It’s evil.
And it wants out.

Book One: The First Three Rules:

Marshal Jon Foster lost his purpose and his sanity the day he saw the image of his dead brother. The distraction saved Jon’s life but cost the lives of innocent people including his best friend and partner. It was a price for survival Jon couldn’t live with and was sure he’d never understand.
Driven by grief and guilt he tried to escape his past by fleeing to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Only instead of peace, the memories festered.
Then the offer of a stick of gum from a stranger changes Jon’s life and puts him on a road out of the nightmare he’s trapped in.
Ellis Harper has lived the past twenty years isolated from the outside world and sole caretaker for his mentally disabled brother, Rudy. While Ellis loves his brother, he longs for a life he’ll never be able to have.
Shut away, his days consist of chores, endless cartoons, and games of Go Fish. A world that seemed to have no end until an innocent misunderstanding turns Ellis and his brother into a target for a town bully.
It’s a fight Ellis can never win on his own but thanks to a chance meeting with a stranger, he doesn’t have to.
What begins as a new journey in love for both men quickly unfolds into something neither of them could have ever imagined.

Book Two: Rule Four and Five:

A new chance at life comes in many forms: For Jon it’s a family made with Ellis and his brother Rudy. For Ellis, it’s Jon, who has brought the outside world into the protective life he’s built for his mentally disabled brother.
Together they have discovered true happiness and what it means to be loved.
Then one perfect disaster after the other pushes Jon’s resolve to its limit and Ellis over the edge. If they have any chance of saving what they’ve built both men must face their deepest fears.
It’s a test Jon thought he’d already passed and one Ellis never imagined he’d have to face. The journey will forever change who they are and redefine who they were meant to be.
It has to happen.
And all things happen for a reason.

Book Three: The Final Rule :

Ellis and Jon need answers.
What is there to understand?
Why does it have to happen?
And what reason could ever justify losing those you love?
If only there was a simple answer. But the more questions they ask, the farther they must travel into the darkness and the things they see are not human, or even possible.
They are, in fact, Big and Terrible.
The plague is rising in Gilford. To stop it from spreading Ellis will have to embrace his destiny and Jon will have to let him go. Both men must be willing to lose everything in order to save the innocent.
It is, after all, rule number six

(3.75 hearts rounded up to 4)

There was a lot to love about this trilogy - and I will say it is a series where you need to read all of the books and read them in order. Adrienne Wilder's characters are hurt and damaged. Jon, witness to his brother's terrible death as a child has never been able to let it go. As an adult and a US Marshal he has seen more tragedy and evil than any person could hope to deal with. On the precipice of choosing to end his pain it is the chatter of a mentally impaired man, Rudy, that brings him back from the brink. Still not coping with the demons in his head, his life slowly becomes embroiled with that of Rudy's and his brother and carer's, Ellis.

Ellis has been caring for Rudy his whole life. Although Rudy was an adult when they lost their parents Ellis was but a teenager and it was only through the help of, now retired officer, George that Rudy and Ellis were able to stay together as a family. Their life consists of routine. Routine is what keeps Rudy calm and is a life he can relate to. He has rules he has to follow to help keep himself safe and life easy. But one day the temptation to touch the silky hair of the girl in front of him at the supermarket becomes too much and an evil enters their lives.

Ellis is innocent, his life has been spent looking after and protecting his brother. Jon metaphorically crashes into their family and causes unintended mayhem. The two fall in love but it is not without it's difficulties and Rudy's needs must always be taken into consideration.

The My Brother's Keeper Trilogy is a about love and hate. It's about good and bad. It's about trust. The storyline of this book was enthralling, at the end of book two and in the third book it really starts to evolve into the story that's been hinted at all the way through. There is something more in Gilford than meets the eye and Jon and Ellis are tasked with stopping it.

I enjoyed the author's voice, she has a great way with words and it is very easy to envisage this small town and it's problems. Her characters were individuals, and old George, the retired officer, was a particular favourite of mine. Though at times I did wonder how he had so much influence with the police force seeing as he was retired.

The one niggle I had with the book was the sex. It felt gratuitous to me at times and sometimes just inappropriate. When the characters are angry or upset they have sex. Sometimes this is cool - but a lot of the time it took me out of the story I wanted to know about what was happening with the main storyline not about Ellis and Jon bonking. Maybe it's because I found it hard to relate to - with one particular trauma in book two sex would be the last thing on my mind. That said, it could - and is very likely - just a niggle I had. In fact I can imagine the look of horror on the other unicorns' faces when I say my only complaint was too much nooky.

If you like a story with dark undercurrents then this is likely to be a good choice for you.