Synopsis:
Lingua Magika is Kat’s latest series, a fast-paced Western steampunk fantasy with a dash of romance and adventure! A Feast of Phantoms is Book #1, with at least two more to follow.
THE JOB
It was supposed to be simple.
Help Marshal Sebastian Hardin escort his prisoner one stop on the railway to Charter Oak.
Just one stop.
But when that prisoner is a savant who talks to ghosts, even the simplest plans have a way of falling apart.
THE LAW
Sheriff’s Deputy Ruth Cortez always does the right thing. Lucky Boy is a company town, dependent on the rich and powerful Carnarvon family. Besides which, the charismatic Sebastian Hardin isn’t an easy man to say no to. When his transport derails in the middle of the prairie, Ruth begins a relentless manhunt that leads straight into the dark heart of the Carnarvon empire.
THE FUGITIVE
Lee Merriweather favors sharp suits and fast trains – especially when he’s stealing them. At the ripe old age of 18, he’s managed to become the most wanted criminal in three territories. Lee can’t resist playing cat and mouse with a small-town deputy, but what starts as a game becomes deadly serious.
THE FIXER
Sebastian Hardin is the Carnarvons’ right hand, loyal to the death and willing to keep any secret to protect the family. They want Lee alive, but with the young savant’s disturbing abilities it won’t be an easy proposition. Whoever catches Lee gets the keys to the kingdom and the Carnarvons aren’t the only ones hunting him down. Sebastian has enough problems without falling for Deputy Cortez – but you can’t always choose who you love.
THE PHANTOMS
They terrorized the settlers until Calindra Carnarvon learned to speak their language. Her empire relies on controlling their telekinetic powers, but Lee Merriweather could destroy it all. And not even Lee suspects the shocking truth of the phantoms’ real nature.
Book details
A Feast of Phantoms
by Kat Ross
(Lingua Magika, #1)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: February 18th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk
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My Review
I am a HUGE fan of Kat Ross’s Gaslamp Gothic books, so when the chance came to try out her new series, I almost literally jumped at the chance.
This is a freakin’ amazing Western steampunk fantasy full of adventure.
Ruth Cortez may be young but she’s determined and does things by the book.
She’s such a great character, full of southern drawl and quick draw action. The fact that she also has a phantom in her gun just makes it all ten times more enjoyable.
Cortez is so straight law that it is actually almost adorable but that doesn’t make her any less formidable. She’s a brilliant character.
Another thing I loved about Cortez is that she loves her small town, she’s loyal to the people she serves as deputy. But still, duty takes her elsewhere and Cortez leaves home to go hunt down a convict.
Except, the convict may not be what he seems and neither are his crimes.
Ross does such a great job with world-building in this, and I am dying to know more about the phantoms and to see more of the world as we saw only a slice in this first book.
The romance is there, it’s hinted at but it’s not the main focus. The main focus of this is catching bad guys and figuring out how to stop him before he can ‘bid’ the phantoms to destroy everything in their path.
All her characters are fleshed out as beautiful as always, even Ross’s secondary characters are full of life and personality and though I love Cortez, I have a sincere soft spot for Doc, her gun phantom.
There’s Lee Merriweather the one they’re after, and Hardin is a such a curious character for me! I sense some serious complexity and I need to know more about both men.
With so much action in this book, I can’t wait to see what happens in book two, let the chase continue! Will Justice be able to prevail? And who is the bad guy and who is the good guy?
I DON’T HAVE THE PATIENCE TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER FOR BOOK TWO!
Thank you SO much to Acorn Publishing and Xpresso Tours for an eARC in exchange for my honest review as part of this tour!
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.
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