Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco

SERIES: The Fantastic Fluke Book 3

AUTHOR: Sam Burns

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 188 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 5, 2021

BLURB: 

When an earthquake shakes up Sage’s night, his instinct is to forget about it. They live in California—quakes happen. But this one sends the consciousness that lives in the ley lines running to him in fear, so he and his gunslinger boyfriend set out to investigate. What they uncover is a century-old plot to destroy not only the ley lines, but the city of Junction itself.

Now, they’re in a race against an unknown adversary who wants to annihilate everything they love, and the only man with the answers is Sage’s long-dead Uncle Jonathon. Good thing they only have to read his journals, not deal with the insufferable jerk in person.

Between a heist to steal a magic artifact, Uncle Jonathon’s bigoted ramblings, and one surprise after another from his allies, can Sage find what he needs to save Junction?

Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco is third in its series, so if you haven’t read a Fluke book before, you should definitely start with book one, The Fantastic Fluke. The Faultline Fiasco is a 65k word novel that follows the continuing adventures of Sage, Fluke, Gideon, and their whole family, as they try to save the world. Or at least Southern California.

REVIEW: 

Sam Burns continues to exceed expectations with each successive book in the fabulous The Fantastic Fluke series. Her latest installment, Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco, creatively and effectively combines paranormal goodness, romantic swoony coupley stuff (including Gideon in a tux *happy sigh*), mystery, action, lots of snark, witty banter, and of course Sage’s adorable furry fox familiar Fluke.  What more could you ask for?

Like the two prior books, The Fantastic Fluke (Book One) and Fluke and the Faithless Father (Book Two), Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco provides a refreshingly different captivating plot, sharply written prose, endearing multi-layered characters, and the expansion of the established relationship between Sage and Gideon.  I loved their interactions and Gideon’s adorable jealous grumblings about Sage’s cousin Freddy.  Additionally, Fluke continues his altogether awesomeness with his amusing antics and dedicated protectiveness of Sage – all in his loyal, furry, foxy way.

And speaking of foxy, Sage and Gideon are both easy on the eyes.  They make a gorgeous, if unusual, couple.  Ms. Burns’ descriptions are detailed and vivid so we have a solid picture of both characters in our mind’s eye.  Further, while the steam factor is low, the romance between Sage and Gideon simmers in a way that is simultaneously sexy and heartwarming.

In this book, we see Sage, Gideon and Fluke, and all of our other friends from the prior books.  This includes Sage’s BFF Beez and his Grandmother Iris.  We also see more of recently added characters such as Anson, the Dominus of the Junction and Iris’ apparent suitor, and Freddy, who really shines in this story.  As an added bonus, Iris’s dog familiar, Rufus, and Gideon’s horse familiar, Marron, appear.  Their interactions with Fluke are, to quote Sage, “sickeningly adorable”.  

The Fluke stories are magical and best read without knowing much about what happens or what to expect.  The blurb really tells you all you need to know going in.  However, the expectation is that you’ve read the prior books.  It is a continuous storyline. Each book builds on the prior ones, so you must read them in order.

Rest assured, Sage’s propensity to get into trouble continues unabated in this book.  To put a finer point on it, trouble continues to find Sage and, again, quoting Sage:  “No one could deny that lucky avoidance of horrible situations wasn’t really my thing.  I was more the lucky to avoid death at the last possible minute kind of guy.”

Simply put, Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco is unputdownable.  As is the whole Fluke series.  While not heavy on romance, the relationship between Sage and Gideon, which was established in Book One, threads through all the stories.  It’s exceptionally well done even amidst a plot that’s more focused on a magical mystery and suspense.  The highlight derives from Ms. Burns’ development of found family – which expands with each book – and the love and loyalty between the characters.

I highly recommend you grab this series.  In its subtle, understated way, The Fantastic Fluke books have become one of my favorite reads of the year.

🦊  🦊  🦊

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

Amazon