Majanka Verstraete's Blog, page 12

Board Game Review: Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Case 1: The Munitions Magnate

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a solo or co-op board game that is ideally played by 1-4 players. It takes place in Victorian London (the 1880s-1890s) and you are trying to solve mysteries alongside Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson. The goal is supposedly to beat Holmes – solve the mystery with fewer clues than he does – but the real fun is if you follow all the clues, and get a picture of the entire mystery, including the parts Holmes doesn’t touch upon.

I wasn’t hooked on the first case. It was atmospheric, I liked the historical tidbits interwoven in the mystery (you do get to meet real historical figures while you try to solve these cases), and the use of The Times with potentially helpful newspaper articles was a nice touch, but the case didn’t win me over. Maybe it was because I was still getting used to the playing style, or just because this case wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, but I found a lot of other cases in this base game that I liked a lot more.

Anyway, on to the first case: The Munitions Magnate.

The first case has one of the longest introductions of all the cases. We meet Mr. Richard Allen, brother of the late Courtney Allen, president of the Grant Arms Company. Courtney Allen was apparently shot to death, and this is the case you have to get to the bottom of. The police are convinced Courtney’s death is the result of a robbery gone wrong, but Richard suspects other motives were behind his brother’s murder.

This is one of the few cases where you’ll start off with more clues than you can reasonably follow. Even the introduction already gives five or six leads that you can check out: visit the arms’ company, you can visit Captain Egan, the cigarette found at the crime scene, the plant, and lots more. There’s certainly an abundance of clues to be gathered from the introduction alone, and soon enough, you’re thrown in the middle of Victorian London, rushing from one clue to the next, trying to solve the mystery.

Be aware though that you don’t let yourself get caught chasing a red herring. Sometimes the answer is rather straightforward, even if it’s a Holmes-inspired game.

Some downsides to the game were immediately apparent:

Not all leads go where you expect them to. If, for example, you are looking for a particular person, it’s possible that they are at home, but they might as well be at work or hanging about somewhere else. This can be frustrating because you’re wasting two leads.
Sometimes you have to make some assumptions, and the evidence isn’t always 100% crystal clear.

I will not spoil the answer for you, but after circumventing some red herrings, we managed to come up with a solution to the questions asked in the back of the booklet. Opening the solution showed that Holmes had come to the same conclusions, except he had done so by taking some major leaps of faith.

Holmes may be fast, but the man is far from thorough.

This first case is an interesting foray into the world of Sherlock  Holmes, but compared to the other cases in the box set, it’s rather mediocre.

If you like Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, then I recommend…
A Study in Shifters (The Adventures of Marisol Holmes Book 1)

“The game is afoot.”

Seventeen-year-old Marisol Holmes wants to live up to the family legacy; after all, she is the great-great-great granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes. What’s more Holmesian than a grisly murder? The Conclave, an underground organization of detectives solving supernatural cases, is giving her just one chance to catch a killer and join them. After all, as a half-blood jaguar shifter, Marisol is uniquely qualified to solve this murder—since every scrap of evidence points toward the culprit being a fellow jaguar shifter.

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”

There’s more to this than just evidence. Is one of her own people really involved, or is this all a ploy to kick Marisol’s mother off the shifter throne?

When Marisol discovers her handsome best friend, Roan, is missing, she realizes Roan may be the killer’s next target. The stakes just got higher than political intrigue.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Just when things couldn’t get worse, Marisol’s ex-boyfriend-turned-nemesis, Mannix, starts leaving sinister clues for her. In her last case, Mannix broke her heart and ruined her case, and Marisol isn’t sure which is worse. Marisol fears this case too might be far more personal than she could’ve imagined.

“Elementary.”

It’s time for Marisol to prove her worth, or her people could fall into chaos while her best friend loses his life.

This book is perfect for fans of: shapeshifters, steampunk, paranormal, high school drama, teen romance, Sherlock Holmes and deadly intrigue.

Purchase from Amazon.

Sims 4: Triplets Bedroom with Bunk Beds (no cc)

Looking for a bedroom for your sims triplets? Are you looking for a room that saves space but has tons of functionality? Look no further!

This bedroom offers bunk beds for three sims (one high, mid-level, and one on the floor), using the new platform functionality of the Sims 4. This is a perfect room for three kids or teens, and also includes a bookcase, desk, set of drawers, and a crafting table.

The outer walls were added because otherwise when using platforms to the side of the room, The Sims 4 does not allow the room to be saved as a single room (rather, it counts all the platforms as different rooms).

This has been play-tested with sims on each level of the beds. It’s possible that the highest bed will not be accessible to teens because of the walls not being high enough, but for kids sims it worked just fine if the wall size is put on normal.

If the stairs disappear when adding to your lot, you can easily re-add them.

Value: 12.554 Simoleans

Lot size: 7 x 9

Uses the following packs:

How to install:

Download here or search for my ID on the Gallery: ETERNALISED and download from there.
Use bb.moveobjects on before adding the room to your lot.

Have fun!

TV Series Review: The Mess You Leave Behind

The Mess You Leave Behind is a Spanish thriller that is available for streaming on Netflix and consists of eight episodes.

Raquel arrives at a new high school to teach literature to a group of students who are, without exaggeration, the worst behaved teenagers I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. They interrupt class, they have zero respect for their teacher, and they even go so far as to blackmail their teacher, all in the course of little more than an episode. Poor Raquel, who was already struggling due to her inability to cope with her mother’s death, and who is estranged from her own husband, now has to figure out a way to teach this unruly bunch anything.

It is revealed that Raquel is taking over classes from Viruca, a passionate literature teacher who looks surprisingly similar to Raquel: both are slim, have brown hair, similar facial structures. Viruca allegedly killed herself, but rumor is that her death was not a suicide but a covered-up murder. At least, that is also what Viruca’s ex-husband believes, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to convince the police to take another look at the case and uncover the truth.

The series has some good elements: the nightmare-scenes in which Raquel is visited by her dead mother, are startingly well done. The double timelines work rather well, showing us flashes of Viruca’s life intermixed with Raquel’s life. I especially liked how in one of the final episodes, we get to watch several scenes again, now knowing the hidden meaning behind what the characters are saying, and which the viewer has no idea about yet when these scenes first air in the first episode.

Unfortunately, the good elements come with a large bag of bad elements. The mystery is predictable, and without spoiling anything, I figured out the ending somewhere between episode two or three. I constantly hoped for more to be unveiled, and for the ending not to be so predictable, but alas. However, what irked me even more than the predictable ending, is that everyone in this series, without any exceptions, is an asshole. Excuse the language, but it’s the only way to describe it. Spoilers ahead; if you want to go into this series unbiased, I suggest you stop reading here.

If you don’t mind spoilers, well, here goes. Vircua and her ex-husband are still together, but their divorce is part of a complicated ruse to extract money from the father of one of Viruca’s students, Iago. Viruca is also in a relationship with Iago, and of course he goes bananas when he finds out the object of his obsession is also messing around with his father. Iago’s father is a horrible monster of a man, who did terrible things to his own son, and who deserves to rot in hell, but Viruca is no angel either. If she truly cared about Iago – even if not romantically, but just as a student – then she shouldn’t have used the material he gave her to blackmail his father, but instead should’ve gone straight to the police. She’s definitely not teacher-of-the-year-material.

Raquel isn’t much better, though. She had an affair behind her husband’s back, and she jumps the bones of Viruca’s ex-husband, practically the first chance she gets. I felt sorry for her husband for a brief amount of time, until I learned that he’s killed Raquel’s mother – ‘helped her’ because she wanted to die – and he’s been snorting coke behind Raquel’s back.

Viruca’s ex-husband killed Raquel’s dog, and then went on to seduce Raquel without telling her of this, so he’s both an animal murderer, a liar and a scumbag.

In the end, the only person somewhat redeemable is Iago, and that is solely by the fact that he’s still a kid, and all the adults in his life have failed him. The fact that he managed to somewhat stand up to his father in the end, showed that he may still be redeemed, but I don’t even want to consider how many hours of therapy he’ll need for that.

If you want a feel-good show, or a thrilling mystery with at least some good guys you can root for, this isn’t it. If you want a TV series that’ll drench you in misery and let you wallow in it, where even the good guy is a villain in disguise, and everyone is hiding something, then try out The Mess You Leave Behind.

If you like The Mess You Leave Behind, then I recommend…
Murder in Mind

Since witnessing the grisly murder of her parents in 2096, sixteen-year-old Rey has been locked up in a psych ward. Society measures psychological markers to predict violent criminal behavior, and with psych-levels well over 100, she is a danger to the public. In a world with cameras and drones around every corner, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to get away with murder, but the person who slaughtered her parents did.

Rey has spent the last ten years immersed in the self-study of criminology, obsessed with finding the monster who changed her life forever. She’s learned to live with the fact her psych-levels will most likely never go down, and her chances of seeing daylight again are slim.

But then her sister Leiah shows up with news that another couple has been murdered in the same way as their parents, leaving behind another young victim. Leiah and her team of police request Rey’s help to solve the murder, catch the predator, and bring justice to this family and their own.

The answers are buried inside Rey’s mind, but to find the truth, she’ll be forced to remember the night that changed her life forever. And if she believes what society wants her to, then she’s only a small step away from becoming a monster herself.

Purchase from Amazon.

Why is it perfect for fans of The Mess You Leave Behind?

The story of Murder in Mind takes place in two timelines: we have the story of grown-up Rey and Leiah trying to figure out what happened to their parents, and we have the flashbacks Rey is suffering concerning the murders.
Both stories are murder mysteries that also focus a lot on the characters and their motives.
The Mess You Leave Behind tries to uncover the motive of why someone would kill Viruca; in Murder in Mind, the underlying question posed time and again is why anyone would commit murder in general. What drives a person to commit such heinous acts?
Both stories are bleak and dark, and perfect for a rainy weekend indoors.

New Year’s Resolutions 2021

How is it possible that it’s already 2021? Yesterday, it was March 2020 and the COVID-lockdown had just begun in Belgium… and now suddenly, the year has passed and a new year comes knocking on the door.

I sincerely hope that 2021 will be a better year than the last year. That everyone’s family and friends will remain healthy, that we will all be able to spend time with our loved ones again, travel, and enjoy life.

On a personal level, I did hit some major life goals in 2020. First of all, I got engaged on the 17th of July 2020, in the ruins of a castle in Luxembourg – of course, where else? Is there a place more perfect for me to get engaged in than the ruins of a castle? I think not! Secondly, we moved to a bigger house – hopefully our forever home – and we’ve been settling in nicely here.

Writing-wise, 2020 was not too bad either. The Wolf of the Baskervilles released in March 2020, the third book in The Adventures of Marisol Holmes series. The Soul Thief was re-released with a gorgeous new cover.

See All Evil, the first book in the Academy of the Wicked series released in July 2020, followed by Queen’s Fall in August 2020.

I also participated in a bunch of anthologies / author collections. The following are still available at time of this posting:

Magic & Mischief (featuring my story Gatekeeper, and set in the Mirrorland universe)
Aftermath (featuring my story Princess of Dreams , basically Sleeping Beauty meets Starwars)
Forest of Fear, a short story collection
Harvest, a short story collection
Fairytale Christmas, featuring my story The Snow Queen’s Daughter )

I also participated in a charity anthology, Happily Furever After, featuring my story The Monsters of Pandora, and in the anthology A Cursed All Hallow’s Eve, featuring my story All Hallows Academy: Season 1 – Episode 1. Episode 2 is currently available for pre-order.

For 2021, I want to get more serious about marketing my books. I always write new books, which is great, but I know I could do better at marketing my books, especially with targeted ads like Facebook, Amazon, and so on. Of course, I also want to write new books, but I want to focus on marketing more. Anyway, here are my goals for 2021:

Draft one book per month. This includes re-drafting / re-writing books I have written in the past, so technically this should be doable – technically being the keyword.
Write 2k per day, for at least 3 days a week. Related to the previous goal. This year, I often had to catch up on deadlines and write 10k a day just to make a deadline, pushing myself to the limit (especially with my day job as well) but this year, I want to avoid a hectic writing schedule and instead work on consistency.
Write one short story a month. I already started out strong with one short story already finished (wow! but I had no choice, the submission deadline was today), and I want to write at least one short per month.
Work on finalizing my current WIPs. I have a lot of books that are halfway finished that I need to finish and release, including (but by no means limited to, I have a lot of books in this category!): The Sleeping Kingdom, Symphony of the Departed, Allegro Academy #2 , extend Wicked Blood, A Monstruous Beauty, Princess of Dreams, Queen’s Fall, The Heir to Wonderland, The Revenant, The Monsters of Pandora , and more!


Write T he Conclave of Fear , the fourth book in The Adventures of Marisol Holmes Series.
Release Demonic Pact , the second book in The Angel of Death Series.
Write Angel Assassin , the third book in The Angel of Death Series, and the yet unnamed fourth book.
Blog at least 2 times a week.
Re-release Murder in Mind (my current publisher closed end of 2020).
Write the sequel to Murder in Mind and release it.
Keep this website updated with new and upcoming books.
Write 2 more books in the Sally Sleuth Series and get them published.
Write the first book in the YA warlock series I’m planning.
Write the second book in the Blood Witch series (sequel to Wicked Blood ) and get it published.
Write books/novellas for the box sets I’m participating in (I think 3…or 4… I’ve lost track since I signed up like crazy! I love box sets).

 

Apart from the writing-related goals, I also have some other goals:

Review more books on I Heart Reading (last year I barely reviewed any books, although I love reviewing!)
Exercise consistently (at least 3 times a week).
Meet my daily walking goal at least 5 times a week.
Focus more on healthy meals and home cooking.
Release a new adventure / story on the Sims 4 (Victorian / Regency setting) and update regularly.
Get our attic finalized: we’re currently working on the attic of our new home, making closets, finishing up the walls, and so on. I want to get this project finalized by the end of 2021.
Finish the diamond painting I received for Christmas as a gift.
Be less stressed at work, and focus more on things that make me happy rather than stressed.
Quality time with friends and family! This is my most important goal for the new year.

 

Did you make any resolutions or set any goals for 2021? Feel free to share them in the comments section!

I wish you all a wonderful and healthy 2021!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays! After fumbling for half an hour, I finally managed to take a picture of my two cats, Snoebels and Teigetje, in front of the Christmas tree. Of course, they’re not looking at the camera, but at the cookie I was dangling to the left, but still, at least I managed to get both of them in one picture!

I got a bunch of amazing presents for Christmas. The first present I received was a diamond painting featuring – you guessed it – cats. I’ve wanted to try out diamond painting for a while, but never got around to buying one, so I’m stoked that I got this as a present this year!

I also got two boardgames in the Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective series. I love these games. Each box contains ten mysteries / cases to solve (usually murder mysteries), a map of London, and a few booklets with the names of people you can interrogate and places you can visit. Last year, I received the second box set as a gift, and these two are numbers three and four in the series. It will still be a while before I can get around to playing these (have to finish box set number two first) but I’m already looking forward to it.

Isn’t this the perfect gift for the author of a book series focused on the great-great-granddaughter of the famous detective? I think it is!

Oh, and I also got this cute tea dispenser shaped like a cat. I love it!

How were your Christmas holidays? Did you get some presents? Were you able to spend some time with your family?

 

Short Story Acceptance: Imperial Decives Anthology

Last Thursday, I woke up to the news that my story Arabella Blake and the Secret Vault was accepted for publication in the IMPERIAL DEVICES anthology of Dragon Soul Press. 

The theme of this anthology is steampunk, and my story can best be described as Tomb Raider meets Steampunk, complete with talking cyborg cat, underground vaults and creepy automatons.

I’m so excited, as this is my first time submitting to Dragon Soul Press, and I’m thrilled to get accepted for an anthology right on my first try! This press has some amazing covers and themes, so I will likely be submitting to them again in the future.

Available for pre-order: All Hallows Academy Season One: Episode Two

The second episode of All Hallows Academy: Season One is up for pre-order and will release on December 22, 2020.

Episode One is exclusively available in the A CURSED ALL HALLOW’S EVE box set.

All Hallows Academy is one of the most prestigious universities in the world for witches and wizards and being accepted into All Hallows is an honor Lavinia Bloodbane and her best friend Jensen have been dreaming of for years.

The academic year at All Hallows starts with its most renowned tradition: Thirteen Days of Halloween. Each day of the thirteen days leading up to All Hallow’s Eve, a famous witch or wizard from the past is called upon and asked to reach through the veil separating the living from the death.

Lavinia wants nothing more than to fit in at All Hallows, but when something from beyond the veil reaches out to her on the First Day of Halloween, fitting in at the academy will be the least of her concerns…

On the Second Day of Halloween, Lavinia has to navigate between new-found friendships, a wizard hell-bent on getting her into trouble, and the overprotective older brother of her best friend, all while trying to keep quiet about the spirits trying to contact her from beyond the grave.

Pre-order the second episode on Amazon.

New Release: Notorious Minds Boxset

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year, but at the same time, these long, rainy nights can also make me feel a little down. Combining that with a global pandemic, is not good for the soul. A good book can help distract from the burden and stress of day-to-day life.

The Notorious Minds Boxset is available for just $0.99 and features some of the best voices in mystery / thrillers of the year. My story, “The Phantom Puppeteer”, is also included in this set, featuring mind-boggling murders, a wicked copycat killer and a detective haunted by a dark past. Perfect to read on these autumn nights, tucked under a blanket on your couch.

Grab your copy of Notorious Minds on Amazon, iTunes or B&N.

Notorious Minds

What does it take to commit the perfect crime?

Delve into these dark and twisted tales by nineteen USA Today and International Bestselling Authors.

No matter what kind of crime story typically catches your imagination, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

Conspiracies, political plots, and yes, even murder, are just a few of the crimes waiting inside this box set.

Discover a narcissistic grandmother running an underground syndicate, or a support group bent on murder…and even a serial killer who turns his victims into fairytale creatures.

Uncover the passion, jealousy, and fear lingering in every tale.

This box set is packed with thousands of pages that will hold you on the edge of your seat, crying for answers.

Definitely a must for fans of Patterson, Lee, and Grisham. One-click to pre-order today!

Author Line Up

Judith Lucci – USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Carlyle Labuschagne – USA Today Bestselling Author

Lena Bourne – USA Today Bestselling Author

Karen M. Bryson – USA Today Bestselling Author

Inge-Lise Goss – USA Today Bestselling Author

Karen Randau – Award Winning Author

Eric J. Gates – Award Winning Author

Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid – International Bestselling Author

Sian B. Claven – Award Winning Author

Brandy Nacole

Kelsey Reed

N. Gray

Majanka Verstraete – International Bestselling Author

Thomas J Eyre

Adam Alexander

DL Jones

KL Lamar

D.J Grayson

Judith Holstrom

New Release: The Soul Thief (The Angel of Death Series #1)

While I shared the re-release of The Soul Thief just about anywhere on social media, of course I forgot to post about it on my blog. Typically me.

Anyway, The Soul Thief had a major book cover make-over and got released again through my current publisher, Firefly Hill Press, on May 26, 2020!

About the Book

When seventeen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death.

Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them from dying.

The Angel of Death Series

1. The Soul Thief

2. Demonic Pact (Release Date TBA)

Check Out The Adventures of Marisol Holmes Series also by Majanka Verstraete

1. A Study in Shifters

2. The Sign of the Serpent

3. The Wolf of the Baskervilles

Get your copy of The Soul Thief here.

Cover Reveal: See All Evil – Academy for the Wicked Book One

Title: See All Evil

Series: Academy for the Wicked #1

Author: Majanka Verstraete

Genre: New Adult Reverse Harem / Academy / Paranormal Romance

Release Date: June 2, 2020

On my eighteenth birthday, a zombie-like version of my mother told me I was invited to join the Academy for the Wicked.

Hours later, the diner I worked at was overrun by creatures that shouldn’t exist. Alec, a warlock, who appeared out of thin air and made a glass levitate – which is probably the least of his powers. A demon named Christian, the culprit who was behind my mother’s zombie-like episode this morning. Damian, the vampire, who promptly killed my manager, and Tristan, a necromancer who could summon the dead, and the most mysterious one of them all, a mesmer called Ronan.

All of them swore they would protect me from the nightmare that has haunted me for years: the red room, the throne of blood, the Queen of Maggots. I have had the same horrible nightmare for years, but now it seems the Queen of Maggots is no longer confined to the world of dreams…

With five gorgeous guys eager to protect me, I should feel safe, but the Academy is unlike anything I’ve ever had to endure. The students and teachers all keep secrets, and the Academy itself is a deadly trap.

To survive my first semester at the Academy of the Wicked, I will need to figure out who and what I truly am, and why the Queen of Maggots wants me dead…

Pre-order SEE ALL EVIL here!

Add on Goodreads

 

Giveaway

Win an eBook copy of SEE ALL EVIL upon its release!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Free Prequel Novella

Download the Prequel Novella to Academy for the Wicked for FREE!

Two ways to get your free novella:

Join my mailing list by going here to my blog, and signing up in the sidebar! All you need to add is your email address. As an added bonus, you’ll get monthly updates about my latest releases.
Go here and download immediately!

Happy reading!