Review: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #2

Publication date: January 6th, 2021

Pages: 371

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

"The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin."

The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it's anything but a game.

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Story:

When I finished the first book in the series I knew I was going to have to read the rest of the series. The author did such an amazing job in creating this world for Carl and Princess Donut to live through that it was edge of your seat action coupled with side-aching comedy. The author took something predictably common as post-apocalyptic and made it current with adding video game and reality TV themes. I loved every aspect of the main characters' growth as well as all the side characters that give the story more involvement with the world that was being created past the readers' initial love of Carl and Donut. The first was your standard starter floor but the second takes it a step further. This one involved quests which create a little side stories within the main one to pull a reader's intrigue in. It seems like this edition of the Dungeon Crawler Carl Series brings a little murder mystery aspects into the story and gives Carl and Donut a purpose outside of trying to find the stairs to the next floor. I dare say it was even better than the first book! It even introduces a new main character into the crew that I am anxious to see more of.

Character(s):

• Carl - As always Carl proves he is a danger to the production team as he once more takes everything in stride. He seems to only have the problem of caring too much. He sees NPCs as more than what others do. They are creatures just like him forced into situations that they never would have be involved with before entering the dungeon. He is a master of coming up with ideas on the fly and never asking any of his partners to do anything he wouldn't be willing to do himself. He has a big heart and apparently very scrumptious feet according to the AI. I like seeing him using his brain even more than he already did in the first book. He showed he was good at problem solving as well as social deduction.

• Donut - Who can say anything negative about Donut? In this installment I got to see a softer side of Donut. She showed how much she cared about Carl and the same could be said for Carl. She is possibly the smartest sentient feline I have ever seen in literature; I am not sure how vast that pool is to be honest. She has sass for days but in this one, just like Carl, she showed a lighter side to herself. Donut cares about people past the initial selfish attitude she seemed to have at the beginning of the series.

• Katia - Katia is introduced about midway through the book, but she became a part of the crew so I felt I should include her here. She is the most boring character the author could create, however, that is exactly what the author wanted her to seem. There is more to Katia than meets the eye I feel but this was our first introduction to her. I think she will become very important to Carl later in the books but that might be just a hunch.

Writing:

Matt Dinniman has a way of combining adventure, fantasy, comedy and now he is adding in a dose of mystery? The way he executed this book was the best I have seen in a long time. He writes like he knows exactly where he wants to go with the characters from the very moment he puts pen to paper which is incredibly impressive. There are times when I will be reading the story and I will have no idea where it is going to go and then Dinniman lifts the veil and I am blown away. How does he come up with some of the things he does?

Overall:

Another insanely suspenseful and beautifully done installment in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I don't know how Dinniman is going to top this one but I imagine he'll find some way to expand his characters, confuse his readers, and delight the masses. Go out there and kill kill kill, Dinniman!

 

Release Blitz with Teasers: A Simple Mistake by Lacey Black @AuthLaceyBlack @GiveMeBooksPR

A Simple Mistake by Lacey Black

Series: Cooper Town Boys #3

Publication date: June 23rd, 2026

Synopsis:

Quinn

I have a thing for my best friend's sister. Charli Miller has always been the woman to own my heart, despite the fact she doesn't feel the same way. We're oil and water, fire and ice. We butt heads at every turn, but I'd still do anything for her.

I wouldn't deny her anything.

Which is why I don't put a stop to the little arrangement we seem to fall into. Spending the time with her is better than anything I've ever experienced, but unfortunately, it makes me crave more. I've always wanted Charli, but now, I'm a determined man. Especially when she shocks me with big news.

She's scared, but I'm ready to fight. Fight for us.

Charli

No one pushes my buttons like Quinn Garrison. He might possibly be the most infuriating man on the face of the planet, and since he's my younger brother's best friend, I can't get away from him. He's always there, and even when he's being sweet and supportive, it just grates on my nerves.

Until one day, that irritation explodes.

What happens next wasn't planned. It's raw and fueled by years of emotions, and even though I swore it wouldn't happen again, it does. I let him into my bed and, as time passes, I'm unable to keep him out of my heart. I want everything I didn't even know I needed, and there's no going back now.

Especially when I see those two pink lines...

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To be Released: September 1st, 2026

A Simple Regret (Cooper Town Boys #4) -

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USA Today Bestselling Author LACEY BLACK is a Midwestern girl with a passion for reading, writing, and shopping. She carries her e-reader with her everywhere she goes so she never misses an opportunity to read a few pages. Always looking for a happily ever after, Lacey is passionate about contemporary romance novels and enjoys it further when you mix in a little suspense. She resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband, two children, and three rowdy chickens.

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Giveaway: Camp Shifter Series by D.J. Jennings @XpressoTours

Owl Be Bear For You by D.J. Jennings

Series: Camp Shifter #1

Publication date: August 15th, 2017

Synopsis:

Hot summer fun where you'll change... in more ways than one.

Librarian Mara Scioto lives a nice, neat, orderly existence--except when she's being attacked by uncontrolled male shifters who need to mate.

Pesky little detail, right?

Raised by a grandmother who hates all shifters, she has one wish: to make it past the age of twenty-five without experiencing The Morph that tells you you're one of them.

And then the letter from Camp Shifter arrives with her name on it...

Orthopedic surgeon in training Jack Karsten is waiting to see if he'll follow in his shifter brother's footsteps. Being a shifter won't be so bad, if that's his destiny, but when he meets Mara, he realizes that fate and love don't always align.

But love always wins.

It can be a bear of an ordeal sorting it all out, but if anyone can help, it's the staff at Camp Shifter. While they'll train Jack and Mara on the ways of shifter life, there's one thing they can't teach them:

How to get out of their own way and let love leave them changed.

Forever.

You Shook Me Howl Night Long by D.J. Jennings

Series: Camp Shifter #2

Publication date: March 7th, 2019

Synopsis:

Eliot "Pole" Elianzo is a god in college football, and he knows it. Too bad he's also a polar bear. The Morph happens on national television, right after a pro team picks him in the draft. It's official--Pole is a shifter. And boy, is he livid. He can't choose practice over his mandatory stay at Camp Shifter, but he sure can make camp a nightmare for everyone. Especially the hot ash blonde who's teaching Undressed in Public 101 classes. Risa Devaneau can't believe Pole's in her class, in the first row, and very, very undressed. The former sportscaster and wolf shifter ran away from her testosterone-filled career for the quiet peace of Camp Shifter. Sure, teaching people how to be undressed in public isn't exactly the most prestigious job, but it got her away from the city. From her overly controlling politician father. From her past. From Pole. And here he is, smirking at her, front and center. In his birthday suit. 

You Shook Me Howl Night Long is book 2 in the Camp Shifter series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not enjoy them all?

DarkNight of the Moon by D.J. Jennings

Series: Camp Shifter #3

Publication date: July 9th, 2020

Synopsis:

He lurks in shadows and mystery at Camp Shifter, coming out only during DarkNight, the wild, bacchanalian free-for-all where anything goes. Anything. No one has seen him in the daylight, no one knows where he lives, no one knows his name--and the shifter nicknamed DarkLover by women, DarkDude by men, will do anything to keep it that way.

Andie Cumbington has been waiting her whole life for The Letter. One of the few shifters who is ecstatic about her newfound status, the chestnut-haired ballerina bear shifter arrives for her month at Camp Shifter with unbridled excitement. On her first DarkNight, she finds wild passion and--to her surprise--so much more, with a stranger who touches her heart as much as he lights up her body. And then he's gone, back into the shadows, hidden. Exactly where he wants to be.

Craving his touch with an insatiable desire, Andie can't let go. She always wanted the roll in the hay, but she never imagined the passion would be so intense. Fate drives her to find love. Then a simple errand turns into mortal danger for Andie, and an impossible choice as DarkLover must overcome his biggest fear in order to save the woman he loves. But will it be too late?

Welcome to Camp Shifter, where you're about to change... in more ways than one.

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FROM OWL BE BEAR FOR YOU

The sudden kiss took Mara by surprise, Jack's mouth slanted against hers with a determined passion that she matched without words. For the past forty minutes all she could think about was his face, his body, his eyes, those lips. She reached up and tore her glasses off, tucking them haphazardly into the outer opening of her purse, smashed between them as passion's frenzy took hold.

Now that she was in his arms, his thighs hard against her belly, his arms warm against her shoulders, she was nothing but pink fire and molten blood.

A beat pounded between them, as if their hearts were in sync, his tongue dividing her mouth and tickling her teeth, the kiss as dangerous as it was unnerving.

Dangerous because Mara felt herself falling for a man she barely knew.

Unnerving because it all felt so right.

She was supposed to argue with herself, fight against this tidal wave of emotion, tell herself she was being reckless and foolish.

Those words weren't there.

Instead, there were only fevered kisses and touches that made her sigh for more. Now that she was in his arms, she wondered how she would ever live anywhere without being touched by him.

Breaking the kiss, she said breathlessly, "I'm so sorry I never answered your text."

"You can make it up to me with another kiss."

And before she could say yes, her tongue was in his mouth, dancing against his, their lips enjoying each other with an abandon that bordered on criminal. 

"Get a room." Two different voices, one male, one female, said the words in unison. Mara broke away from Jack and stared at Sharon and Jim. The two were laughing and nudging each other. Given Mara's reputation as the prim and proper librarian who never dated, she could only imagine what they were thinking as she totally lost it in front of them.

"I'm--I--oh, I'm so sorry!" Mara stuttered, struggling to catch her breath and gather her wits at the same time.

Jack remained in place, his face suddenly serious, his arm remaining protectively around Mara's waist.

Without a word, he guided her to the main door and outside.

Her back was against the brick building, his mouth hot and frenzied on hers, before she could even look up at the night sky and spot the moon. Pressing her breasts against his wide chest, she pawed at him, her hands unable to stop touching him.

All the parts that were allowed in public, at least.

Jack's fevered breath poured onto her neck like hot silk. "I have never been like this with a woman before," he groaned, his tongue making warm, wet love to the base of her throat. "You do this to me, though. Only you. It's like--" His abrupt halt gave Mara pause.

"Like fate?"

The author of the Camp Shifter series, DARLA JOSEPHINE "DJ" JENNINGS, is originally from Ohio but now lives in Massachusetts in a household full of people who drive her nuts, but she loves them anyhow. She fills her days with writing, business management, and the never-ending task of herding cats.

Learn more about her in the New York Times bestselling novel, Random Acts of Crazy by Julia Kent, where she stars as one of the main characters. That's right! DJ Jennings isn't real, but Julia Kent sure is. :)

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Camp Shifter Series Blitz

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Book Blitz with Playlist + Teaser + Giveaway: The Wednesday Box by Jonathan Kieran @jkieran_author @XpressoTours

The Wednesday Box by Jonathan Kieran

Publication date: June 18th, 2026

Synopsis:

Some stories begin with "Once Upon a Time..."

This one begins with loneliness.

From the bestselling author of WistWood comes THE WEDNESDAY BOX, an illustrated supernatural horror novel for readers who love the haunting edge of stories like Coraline, The Thief of Always, The Graveyard Book, Neverwhere, and The Nest.

May has learned to survive in a world of shrieking subway rails, soot-stained skies, and apartment hallways where silence, caution, and never asking for too much are simply facts of life.

But when a hulking stranger in a raincoat the color of broken promises begins to haunt her steps--on the train, in the tunnels, at her own door--May realizes that keeping quiet will no longer keep her safe.

Wednesday is the only day May cannot be alone.

The only night.

And when her weary mother leaves her with a new caretaker, May discovers that the tempting contents of an ancient box hold dangers far worse than anything she has ever feared.

The greatest danger, however, is not what hunts her, but the impossible choice before her...

Tell the truth and risk losing the one person she cannot live without.

Or keep silent and face the darkness alone.

Because below the city, something is hunting.

And it knows her name.

"You'll feel for May, just as I did. It's quietly devastating in all the right ways."

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"I was absolutely gripped by how this story manages to be both terrifying and incredibly moving. At its heart, it's a brilliant coming-of-age tale that isn't afraid to get dark, showing the world through the eyes of a young girl dealing with heavy, adult-sized burdens. It feels like a fever dream you don't want to wake up from--part mystery, part dark fairy tale--and the pacing is just perfect. It never rushes; instead, it lets the mystery coil around you until you're completely pulled in. If you're looking for a book that challenges you and lingers in your mind long after you finish reading, this is it."

"From the very first page, The Wednesday Box pulls you into a world of creeping dread and unsettling wonder, masterfully balancing psychological darkness with raw emotional stakes. Thoughtful, tense, and hauntingly beautiful, this is a story whose rich atmosphere and emotional intensity will linger with you long after the final page is turned. You'll fee for May, just as I did. It's quietly devastating in all the right ways."

"With the Wednesday Box, Jonathan Kieran delivers a striking dark fable that effortlessly bridges the gap between coming-of-age fiction and sophisticated adult fantasy. While the story centers on a young heroine navigating a perilous world, its core themes--confronting class divide, deep-seated neglect, and the sheer psychological weight of enduring hardship--track directly with mature, real-world anxieties. Kieran weaves a starkly beautiful tapestry of gothic atmosphere and fairy-tale danger, prioritizing emotional realism over easy genre tropes. It is a sharp, unsettling, and lyrical read that will deeply resonate with anyone drawn to high-stakes psychological tension and evocative, atmospheric storytelling."

JONATHAN KIERAN is an author and illustrator with a passion for world travel and ancient history--and an occasionally bewildered grasp of the present. He lives in a rustic house in the woodlands not far from Big Sur, California, where he awaits the future confidently with plenty of firewood, a new cat named Beezley, mercurial internet access, a magical footbridge (troll-infested and everything), and a reasonable supply of Cabernet Sauvignon. There also appears to be a significant Pinot Noir backup; viticultural shortages are not to be countenanced.

Jonathan's interests and eclectic. He is as likely to regale you with an account of his latest misadventures in the Midi-Pyrenees as he is to ask if you happen to have any spare cookies about the house--and if so, whether you might part with five of them. Nothing piques his interest like a good old-fashioned discussion about cryptozoology, Tuscan cuisine, classical English literature, the perils of pop culture, or the harrowing details of great white shark attacks.

In addition to running up and down various mountainsides to burn off calories accrued from the wanton consumption of baked goods, Jonathan enjoys a good party with people unafraid to laugh, and he veritably lives for bedtime.

He is the author and illustrator of The Wednesday Box, WistWood and the Enchanted Heritage Chronicles, with more adventures to come.

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