Blood Stones

An Uncanny Kingdom Urban Fantasy (The Dark Lakes Series, Book 2)

By: M.V. Stott, David Bussell

Narrated by: Dave Jones

Life was a whole lot easier back when Joseph was an oblivious idiot.

Up until a few days ago, the worst thing Joseph had to deal with was mopping up vomit in the hospital he works at.

Now he’s discovered that monsters exist, and he’s expected to mop those up, too.

Joseph is a warlock, or so he’s told, yet he can barely pull off a convincing card trick, let alone magic away evil.

Which would be fine if he didn't have to contend with the ghost of a dead sweetheart, debt-settling demons, and murderous standing stones.

Can this clueless warlock be counted on to save the day, or is this a mess he can’t clean up?

Mystery, scares, and fast-paced action collide in this thrilling urban fantasy series. Listen to Blood Stones now for a tale you can't pause.

©2019 M.V. Stott & David Bussell (P)2020 M.V. Stott & David Bussell

Unique Story & Series -- So Much Fun

Blood Stones by M.V. Stott is Book 2 in The Dark Lakes series. Joe has discovered he is a warlock and from Eva Familiar that he has not always been a nice person. He, Eva, and Maya Myers are now on a new case where several Uncanny community members have been brutally murdered by sucking their life out. There are plenty of twists/turns, snark, humor, and marvelous characters that will keep you involved and enjoying this book. This is an exceptionally well written, original, fun story and series. Dave Jones excelled in his narration and made the story come to life. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary review.

Wickedly fun sequel!

Blood Stones is the second book of The Dark Lake Series and it continues the exciting, often dangerous and frequently hilarious story of Joseph Lake. Joe is an amnesiac and a somewhat bumbling yet lovable hospital janitor/handyman with a singular snarky wit and an endearing self-deprecating sense of humor who has discovered that he is, to his utter surprise, a witch (or warlock if you prefer a more manly moniker). Still reeling from a heart-breaking loss in the first book, he and his paranormal peacekeeping posse, the magic-wielding Eva Familiar and the non-magical Detective Maya Myers, are presented with a new case involving the brutal slayings of several members of the Uncanny community. Joe is feeling stressed and overwhelmed when yet another issue presents itself that requires his attention and unique brand of clumsy heroism. Much to his detriment, Joe possesses the gallant heart of a knight and finds himself reluctantly, yet inexorably, drawn into a dire damsel in distress situation that places both his mortal body and his immortal soul in the direct path of imminent peril. If only he could figure out how to call his magic into use when needed, he and his car (the Uncanny Wagon) might have had a much less traumatic experience in this book. This story will hold your attention from start to finish with all the twists, turns, and unexpected Uncanny surprises along the way. I highly recommend this book as I have genuinely enjoyed every second spent exploring the Uncanny Kingdom with these wonderful and whimsical characters in this exceedingly imaginative, wholly original, and outrageously fun series.

I chose to read along as I listened to Dave Jones reprise his role as narrator in this delightful tale. Mr. Jones, once again, offered the listener a perfect performance utilizing pace, cadence, tone and inflection to brilliant effect in bringing this story and its awesome characters to life. I loved this book the first time I read it and Dave Jones made it even better this time with his perfect voice, accent, and personality.

While I did purchase a copy of this book, I was provided with a complimentary copy of this audiobook and I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.

Amazing!

This is the 12th book in the Uncanny series I have listened to, and I'm running out of things to say in my reviews! The authors' ability to keep things fresh and exciting after listening to so many of their books never ceases to amaze me! Highly recommended to urban fantasy fans.

dark urban fantasy peppered with British humour

Joseph Lake is a bit of an anti-hero, except he is a good guy now who doesn't remember much about anything prior to the last 10 years other than he was apparently a total wank. He is surrounded by quite the interesting bunch of women who all seem more trouble than not. From foul mouthed Eva Familiar who can't remember the last time she was sober, to a client who might actually trump him on the clueless side, to an ex-girlfriend who shouldn't be there at all, to the Red Queen with plans all of her own. And yes, the talking roman armor clad fox is still making appearances. How all this relates to death of uncanny people and sentient stones is a story you just have to read for yourself.

This is a modern urban fantasy story that doesn't take itself too seriously. Joseph's narration of the tale is full of self-deprecating jokes, sarcasm and liberal use of litotes. The sardonic British humor manages to add levity to what based on the subject matter is a very dark story full of murder and demons. Most of the characters are not terribly likeable, but they are recognizable and come together to tell an enjoyable story. Recommended for adult audiences, no romance.

Book 2 of 3 in the Dark Lake series, this book picks up a few days after book 1 ended and contains serious spoilers for book 1. There is enough backstory from book 1 that this book can be read enjoyably as a standalone by readers who have not read The Magic Eater but I highly recommend reading them in order for best experience.

The narration by Dave Jones was expertly done, one of my favorite readings to date. He really brings the characters to life and captures Joseph Lake's self deprecating humor beautifully.

This is an honest and voluntary review of an ARC