Book rec- "Hells Belles" by Jackie Kessler

Hell's Belles
Jackie Kessler


Oh, where do I start?

Infernal politics, a twisted sense of humor, a wonderfully fun take on a bureaucratic Hell complete with demonic quotas and weeks of paperwork...
oh, and did I mention a protagonist to die for?

Enter Jezebel, succubus extraordinaire, who has gotten herself into a bit of a tight spot. One bedazzled witch and new, mortal body later, and Jezebel is on her way to evading all the worst hell has to offer. Ending up in NYC, and learning about all the finer pleasures of a mortal body (and coffee) Jezebel has to sort out a way to lay low.

Strip club. Perfect....right?
Not so much on the incognito for an ex-succubus, but definitely fun.
Or it should have been, if Hell could just leave well enough alone.

The story is split between the now, and interjections of the past which work to explain just why Jezebel fled Hell when she did. Instead of being impatient as I usually am with this sort of structure, bits of an explanation being dropped until the whole is revealed, I enjoyed the pace of the book, and just how the reveal was carried out. It was honestly neat to get little peeks into Jezebel the demon's mind, while being intereted in Jezebel the mortal's antics and adventures.

Hells Belles is technically a romance. I mean, there is a romantic interest, and the romance section is where you will find it shelved in a store, but honestly as long as you like urban fantasy, give this one a shot. there was far more plot and less porn than many of the books I have casually snagged out of the fantasy section lately. The protagonist is a succubus, a lust demon, so there is the expected amount of sex and sexual interest, but it all fits and flows splendidly.

Its a damn fun book. I couldnt put it down. I had to resist the urge to run out of the breakroom and make my employees read some of the funnier lines (of which there are far too many to quote here). I read it far too fast and now have to wander into work on a day off and snag the next two books in the trilogy.

Book Rec- "Flesh and Fire" by Laura Anne Gilman

Flesh and Fire
Laura Anne Gilman

 I have never in my life so wanted a glass of a good, dry red to sip while reading so much in my life.

Laura Anne Gilman has managed to create a source of magic that appeals to the gardener in me, as well as the closet lush, and is so original I was just as enthralled with how things worked as what was happening.

Wine. A world with a source of magic that is grapes, in the vintages made with each different strain of grapes. Wait, before you wander off, think about that a minute. Think of how much goes into a bottle of wine, from how the grapes are grown to how each harvest is gathered and pressed and bottled. Then add in a touch of magic along with the flavor, binding an intent with each batch. It made for a phenomenal structure to build on. Each area has its own particular vintage, its own magical specialty.

Laura's descriptions are vivid, and beautiful, and will have you reaching for that wine glass as you frantically turn each page, enthralled and needing to know what happens next.


From the first few pages, the love of the Vinearts, the magicians/vintners, for their vines is a tangible presence, and beautifully communicated to the reader. The wine is their livelihood, but it is also their passion, their art.

The Vinearts are a solitary caste, tending their vines and wines and rarely communicating with each other. The creation myth of the vines themselves is based on this structure of each tending to their own specialty. But as the book progresses, it becomes apparent to one Master that this solitude cannot continue as it is. Something is going very wrong in the vineyards, from pests to plagues out of season, and it drives that Master Vineart to break that solitude and try to gather information before the vines are lost. Monsters emerge, adding to sense of disorder threatening the world.

The threat is very real, and the sense of urgency pulls the reader from page to page. The reader starts following the development of a new apprentice Vineart, where we gain a sense of the Vinearts love for their vines, and the magic that they infuse into their wines. And from there the world widens, as the reader learns of the problems emerging throughout the Vin Lands. Everything unfurls beautifully. No reveal seems forced or rushed. 

Flesh and Fire is due out in October. Trust me when I say it is going to be worth the wait.