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What’s going on?

With Pride month in the rear view mirror, I’m getting back to my normally scheduled reads and such. One that I’ve been really excited about is The Great Escape: 15 Tales of Humor, Myth & Magic by Tammie Painter. 

I’ve been a diehard fan of her works for years, so you can probably guess just how excited I was to get my hands on this short story collection. By the way, this book comes out later this month, so stay tuned for a book release announcement on release day, or you can check out my links below to preorder.

Alright, on with the book review!

Blurb

Peculiar pet shops.
Troublesome dream homes.
And robot vacuums that just want to be free.

Looking for a captivating (and quick) escape from reality? These fifteen tales of myth, magic, and whimsy provide just that.

Amongst the award-winning words are stories of vacations gone enchantingly wrong, questionable business practices, worrying parental habits, misbehaving reptiles, and Norse gods in a bit of a bind.

This is the second short story collection by Tammie Painter – author of the humor-filled Cassie Black Trilogy and The Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries. It begins with a brief introduction telling how these stories led to the creation of those fan favorite series. The author then opens each tale with a few words to share the twists and turns of inspiration.

The fifteen stories range from dark (but not too dark) fantasy to beguiling magical realism to laugh-out-loud silliness.

Some stories have a little violence (nothing gruesome) and mild cursing, but no “on-screen” hanky panky (a giant does have some off-screen fun, but I’ll leave you to discover that one).

The stories inside….
The Great Escape
Grave Bargains
Buttercup: Queen of Death
The Drive-Thru Window
Testing the Waters
The Back Room
The Liar of Lilløya
Space Walk
Moonlight Cruise
The Ghost of Arlen Hall
A Case of Mamma’s Love
Dragon Trouble
The Secret Eater
A Feast for Sight
Champ

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve recommended Tammie Painter to friends and family, I’d have, well, a lot of nickels.

This short story collection features some of Painter’s most popular short stories, ranging in genre from scary space adventures to fantastical worlds and creatures.

One thing you can always count on with this author’s works is a whimsical heartfelt experience, and that can be said of each of these gems. Each story flows wonderfully and keeps you flipping pages with each twist and turn.

For the sake of brevity, I’m leaving a personal rating for each story below, but I have a lot of favorites, and I think you will too if you pick this book up. Tammie Painter continues to amaze me with her expertly written stories, and I need more, more, more!

Ratings:

The Great Escape: 5/5
Grave Bargains: 5/5
Buttercup: Queen of Death: 4/5
The Drive-Thru Window: 5/5
Testing the Waters: 4/5
The Back Room: 4.5/5
The Liar of Lilløya: 4.5/5
Space Walk: 5/5
Moonlight Cruise: 4.5/5
The Ghost of Arlen Hall: 4/5
A Case of Mamma’s Love: 4/5
Dragon Trouble: 5/5
The Secret Eater: 5/5
A Feast for Sight: 5/5
Champ: 5/5

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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