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Dwarf For Hire #1
Rune Service
A prince in danger, an epic quest, and a cup of coffee, all at your local Easy-E-Mart!
When Mary Stone started her overnight shift at the convenience store, she never expected to run into an elf begging for help because she is supposed to know magic. Key word, supposed to.
Now she’s caught in a world where dragons are real, wererabbits are a thing, and the creatures that go bump in the night really do hide under beds.
And all of them are after her.
Worse, if she doesn’t find a way to master her powers and save the elf who turned her life upside down, she may never find out the one thing she’s been after all these years. The truth about who she really is.
When Mary Stone started her overnight shift at the convenience store, she never expected to run into an elf begging for help because she is supposed to know magic. Key word, supposed to.
Now she’s caught in a world where dragons are real, wererabbits are a thing, and the creatures that go bump in the night really do hide under beds.
And all of them are after her.
Worse, if she doesn’t find a way to master her powers and save the elf who turned her life upside down, she may never find out the one thing she’s been after all these years. The truth about who she really is.
- GenresFantasyUrban FantasyFae
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2017
130 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Garner
22 books65 followersTalented top flight author and editor Jamie Beth "J. B." Garner has written over twenty novels across multiple genres and edited hundreds more. J.B.’s seen and done many things in her life, from honors student to factory worker to garbage collector to construction worker. In addition to doing so many fascinating things, she's lived in the wonderful cities of Baltimore, Atlanta, and Pensacola, before landing in the beautiful city of Chicago.
She's an avid gamer, particularly Pathfinder and Final Fantasy XIV, an enjoyer of comic books, anime, and movies of all stripes. She guests, exhibits, and panels at cons across the U.S., large and small, fueled by a love of fandoms and the desire to connect with readers and fans. Through it all, her true passion has always been the written word.
She writes fantasy, sci-fi, and pro-wrestling epics, among other things, and is always out to entertain and amaze.
She's an avid gamer, particularly Pathfinder and Final Fantasy XIV, an enjoyer of comic books, anime, and movies of all stripes. She guests, exhibits, and panels at cons across the U.S., large and small, fueled by a love of fandoms and the desire to connect with readers and fans. Through it all, her true passion has always been the written word.
She writes fantasy, sci-fi, and pro-wrestling epics, among other things, and is always out to entertain and amaze.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 6, 2020
“Rune Service (Dwarf For Hire #1)” provides excellent narration, a great picture that was a terrible cover choice for the audiobook, and a mildly entertaining story that was much too YA for me.
The cover was wrong, because MC Mary Stone tells us about a billion times about her beard, and that if she cuts it off it grows back in an hour. Also, she describes herself as no beauty. I suppose that if the cover featured a gnarly bearded woman the book might not attract as much attention, but I dislike covers that don’t match the characters.
The story has some cute moments, but I think a 14yo would have enjoyed the story more than I did. Mary uses the word “lust” a lot, but there’s nothing explicit in the story as she lusts after a male elf, and frequently ogles the female wererabbit and a female elf. It’s all very PG romance.
Much of what makes the book very YA is that the Elf, a noble, wants to be called “Elfie”, the fearsome bounty wererabbit bounty hunter Riba is called “Bunny”, and the nasty villain is called “Snakey”.
Elfie is pretty annoying, but Mary and Bunny are pretty entertaining, as are the two dimwitted henchmen sidekicks. The story features Mary learning she’s a dwarf, and learning of the paranormal world as she tries to get Elfie out of trouble with his father and gangsters. Nothing really much to say about it.
Despite the terrific narration, I’m rating this as 3* - meh, and would only recommend the book to a young tween or teen.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
My rating and my review was not in anyway affected by my having been provided a review copy.
The cover was wrong, because MC Mary Stone tells us about a billion times about her beard, and that if she cuts it off it grows back in an hour. Also, she describes herself as no beauty. I suppose that if the cover featured a gnarly bearded woman the book might not attract as much attention, but I dislike covers that don’t match the characters.
The story has some cute moments, but I think a 14yo would have enjoyed the story more than I did. Mary uses the word “lust” a lot, but there’s nothing explicit in the story as she lusts after a male elf, and frequently ogles the female wererabbit and a female elf. It’s all very PG romance.
Much of what makes the book very YA is that the Elf, a noble, wants to be called “Elfie”, the fearsome bounty wererabbit bounty hunter Riba is called “Bunny”, and the nasty villain is called “Snakey”.
Elfie is pretty annoying, but Mary and Bunny are pretty entertaining, as are the two dimwitted henchmen sidekicks. The story features Mary learning she’s a dwarf, and learning of the paranormal world as she tries to get Elfie out of trouble with his father and gangsters. Nothing really much to say about it.
Despite the terrific narration, I’m rating this as 3* - meh, and would only recommend the book to a young tween or teen.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
My rating and my review was not in anyway affected by my having been provided a review copy.
May 15, 2017
I am always glad when a book does something that surprises me/makes me think deeper about something, and this book fit the bill. Before I address that issue, I’d like to talk about the book itself. I have never read anything by this author before and was pleasantly surprised. The book has a very unique plot, and I always like new takes on the mythology of paranormal aspects. It was well-written, and I really enjoyed the book to the point where I was laughing out loud and had a hard time putting the book down. I do want to mention, however, that the front cover doesn’t really do Mary, the main character, justice. She does not look that way. I didn’t realize the cover influenced me that much until I found myself thinking Mary shouldn’t look that way. Then, I felt really bad about that because she is a terrific character for many reasons and looks don’t matter, so why did I feel that way? That is what really surprised me about this book; the book made me aware how covers can influence the reader (and I’ve read enough that I know covers don’t necessarily represent the contents well) and can sometimes be a bad thing. Anyway, this book is a fun, light, excellent urban fantasy. Give it a try! Highly recommend! Thanks to the author for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed. This same review will be posted on both Goodreads and Amazon.
May 13, 2017
I received Rune Service as a free copy from the author (via Cipriano). The gifting did not determine the review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion. I wasn't sure about this storyline, but I ended up loving all the quirky characters (okay, maybe not the spineless elf, Aelfie, but the rest were great). A wonderful story, unabashedly over the top, but a fun ride. I'll be watching for more by this author, especially in this series-- Mary is a hoot!
May 18, 2017
Loved it! An orphan Dwarf, elves, goblins, and a wererabbit? With a dragon wannabe trying to take over? How could it be anything but fantastic? This is the first book I have read by J. B. Garner, and I will be going back for more, both this series and others.
May 18, 2017
Good story and funny
Love the story. Way too funny just what I was looking for. However it has grammar issues and at times was a bit unwieldy to read
Love the story. Way too funny just what I was looking for. However it has grammar issues and at times was a bit unwieldy to read
September 4, 2017
Very interesting plot. I like this world of magic since it's pretty unique. I would definitely recommend and I can't wait to read more in this series.
January 2, 2018
Witty banter and a brisk pace keep this clever story moving right along. There's plenty of twists and turns in store for Mary, and for readers who'll be wondering what could possibly happen next throughout the story. Fun stuff!
May 8, 2025
This book is very boring. It’s way too much description of people, places, and things. Yet hardly any description of what truly was going on. It started off like the message of the book was to be comfortable in your own skin but then that message got lost. It’s very confusing as it ties into American politics towards the end and I was just lost. The wording is very unique, and sometimes feels like it doesn’t fit too well in the time frame. A MAJOR peeve for me was that the cover did not match the main character at all and the description was vague. The cover made it seem to be a type of witchy book to do with runes not a bearded dwarf lady. Also another peeve was that the whole book the author focuses how the dwarf knows nothing of her dwarven community and then suddenly she’s like figured it all out. I’ve not DNF a book but this was very close.
September 9, 2018
Magic and mayhem
A good read. She has always been an outsider. Short of stature and with a full beard of red hair that matched the locks of her hair. When a stranger comes into the store that she is working the late shift in she doesn't expect the mayhem that follows. Blasts, capture, weres, magic, a master criminal with a grand plan and to be told that she is a member of the Dwarves population. What are they after? How does magic work? Why is a nondescript stone important? Are there any allies? Can love happen in a heartbeat? Wonderful characters that you can visualise and almost touch. Well written and very descriptive. Unfortunately the plot left me cold.
A good read. She has always been an outsider. Short of stature and with a full beard of red hair that matched the locks of her hair. When a stranger comes into the store that she is working the late shift in she doesn't expect the mayhem that follows. Blasts, capture, weres, magic, a master criminal with a grand plan and to be told that she is a member of the Dwarves population. What are they after? How does magic work? Why is a nondescript stone important? Are there any allies? Can love happen in a heartbeat? Wonderful characters that you can visualise and almost touch. Well written and very descriptive. Unfortunately the plot left me cold.
May 17, 2017
Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. It was full of odd, querky and shady characters that made me groan and laugh out load. It was just fun to read. It all started in a convenience story during the midnight shift and got sillier from there. I really liked that it was a clean read and everyone was just silly. Well written and scary addicting, I loved it. Full of funny scenes and one liners. I cannot wait to see what happens next. If you like funny fantasy stories, worth reading.
January 13, 2018
It’s not you, it’s me.
Very rarely do I come across a book that I struggle to finish but this one falls into that category. I really really tried to get into this book. I went in with eyes wide open and really tried to connect with the characters. There was so many info dumps and the main character had no depth. Maybe it was the writing style or just the storyline I just could not get into this. I even stepped away and did housework and then tried to get back into the story, it just didn’t work.
Very rarely do I come across a book that I struggle to finish but this one falls into that category. I really really tried to get into this book. I went in with eyes wide open and really tried to connect with the characters. There was so many info dumps and the main character had no depth. Maybe it was the writing style or just the storyline I just could not get into this. I even stepped away and did housework and then tried to get back into the story, it just didn’t work.
April 13, 2023
Small beardy woman discovers she is a dwarf when an elf seeks her help.
Nice background but the whole thing is too much infodumb. Not three sentences till you get your next lecture about the world and its habitants.
For me the author lost the story over the fun of world building. would be nice RPG background material but as novel it fails to immerse the reader into the story.
AddOn: another reviewer already wrote it - it is sad that there is not a picture of a female dwarf on the cover.
Nice background but the whole thing is too much infodumb. Not three sentences till you get your next lecture about the world and its habitants.
For me the author lost the story over the fun of world building. would be nice RPG background material but as novel it fails to immerse the reader into the story.
AddOn: another reviewer already wrote it - it is sad that there is not a picture of a female dwarf on the cover.
May 17, 2017
A Little Bit Goes A Long Way
Mary Stone is an intriguing character. She is a stubborn, creative, smartass. As a dwarf she is very strong. As an orphan unaware of her heritage. However, she gains proficiency with rune magic as she learns more. She becomes infatuated with with the Elvin Prince Aelfie who returns her feelings. Mary makes friends and allies as she powers through obstacles to workable conclusions. I look forward to the next book.
Mary Stone is an intriguing character. She is a stubborn, creative, smartass. As a dwarf she is very strong. As an orphan unaware of her heritage. However, she gains proficiency with rune magic as she learns more. She becomes infatuated with with the Elvin Prince Aelfie who returns her feelings. Mary makes friends and allies as she powers through obstacles to workable conclusions. I look forward to the next book.
June 1, 2017
I hate writing reviews, especially bad ones. I just could not get into the characters. Mary spoke and thought like a school teacher. It was very hard to "feel" what she was going thru because it was all perfunctory. And Aelfie always felt like he was not real....like he was always playing a part in a bad play. I did, however, enjoy some of the lesser characters enough to keep reading. Skipped through to get to the end. Disappointed because I love stories with elves.
June 22, 2019
cute little book. interesting and unique premise, flowing writing, but really odd trope choices in the middle and end ( )
not worth the 25$ it cost me with shipping. definitely a 15$ book.
not worth the 25$ it cost me with shipping. definitely a 15$ book.
January 5, 2018
Rune Service
This is a very entertaining book. Pure pleasurable reading front to back. Can not we for the next book period.
This is a very entertaining book. Pure pleasurable reading front to back. Can not we for the next book period.
March 29, 2018
Not going to continue this series... could feel anything for the characters, just flat and boring.
April 24, 2018
Awful. I thought this book might have some promise but it failed miserably.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews