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The Medford Family Chronicles #2
Capricious Deities
Urban romantic suspense. After secretly being ousted out of Chicago to Australia, the infamous Eric Robinson is at it again. There's no telling what meticulous tricks he'll use this time to get Angelique. Eric failed to realize that the one person who could stop him is Angelique's husband and manager, who once again must rescue her while on her tour in Australia. Or, will Eric's antics get the better of them both?
292 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 11, 2016
Capricious Deities is the second novel set in the multiverse of the Palamaran Dimension. Before going any further, gentle reader of epic fantasy, if you haven't read John Paul Ried's first novel in this setting, RECKLESS AMBITIONS, please do so to maximize enjoyment of this book.
As the story opens, the Palamaran Empire is embroiled in a civil war. The Imperial Palamaran Grand Army is marching south to do battle with the enemies of Emperor Thomas IV, namely Arch Cleric Simon Samelek and Prince Philip Camelon who are leading the Crusader Army for the Liberation of Palomar. The civil war also causes a lot of drama in the background, what with riots caused by criminal organizations in the capital, assassinations and sacking of various noble family estates who happen to be on the wrong side of the conflict.
Ried makes very good use of subplots and really fleshes out his major characters. In perhaps the most persistent subplot, Emperor Thomas IV has become fully aware that his daughter Christina has fallen in love with Colonel Nick Armand, a man of common birth. The Emperor wants his daughter to marry a highborn noble and ensure the future of his dynasty, so he orders Field Marshal Paul Tenisal to have Armand killed. What happens? Read the book and find out! For me, it was most satisfactory.
In the climactic battle between the two armies, Arch Cleric Simon is able, through the death of thousands of soldiers, to cast a spell that gates in Fire God Zemelon to fight for the Crusader Army. Just as it seems all is lost, Professor Enalan, now Supreme Sorcerer for the Palamaran dimension, gates in and engages in an epic battle with the mighty Fire God. Who wins? Read the book!
Anyone who enjoys reading epic fantasy is going to really like this book. It is filled with twists and surprises and it is hard to put it down. If you are like me and a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, then you will REALLY like this book. I can hardly wait for Book 3 to come out. Read this book, you won't regret it.
As the story opens, the Palamaran Empire is embroiled in a civil war. The Imperial Palamaran Grand Army is marching south to do battle with the enemies of Emperor Thomas IV, namely Arch Cleric Simon Samelek and Prince Philip Camelon who are leading the Crusader Army for the Liberation of Palomar. The civil war also causes a lot of drama in the background, what with riots caused by criminal organizations in the capital, assassinations and sacking of various noble family estates who happen to be on the wrong side of the conflict.
Ried makes very good use of subplots and really fleshes out his major characters. In perhaps the most persistent subplot, Emperor Thomas IV has become fully aware that his daughter Christina has fallen in love with Colonel Nick Armand, a man of common birth. The Emperor wants his daughter to marry a highborn noble and ensure the future of his dynasty, so he orders Field Marshal Paul Tenisal to have Armand killed. What happens? Read the book and find out! For me, it was most satisfactory.
In the climactic battle between the two armies, Arch Cleric Simon is able, through the death of thousands of soldiers, to cast a spell that gates in Fire God Zemelon to fight for the Crusader Army. Just as it seems all is lost, Professor Enalan, now Supreme Sorcerer for the Palamaran dimension, gates in and engages in an epic battle with the mighty Fire God. Who wins? Read the book!
Anyone who enjoys reading epic fantasy is going to really like this book. It is filled with twists and surprises and it is hard to put it down. If you are like me and a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, then you will REALLY like this book. I can hardly wait for Book 3 to come out. Read this book, you won't regret it.
January 7, 2026
This story jumps the shark when U.S. Civil War names and speech are used. Laughed out loud several times at the poor quality of the author's writing. This book needs a professional edit.
October 25, 2016
John Enfield’s Review of Capricious Deities by John Paul Ried
“It is amazing how when children act like adults, everyone claps and cheers. When adults act like children, sometimes many people die.”
If you haven’t had the privilege of reading John Paul Ried’s first book, Reckless Ambitions, check out my review of it elsewhere on this site, then get the book. Should you find yourself picking up this, his second book, before you find the first one, he’s kind enough to summarize the story so far in the introduction so that you have an inkling of what is going on, but it doesn’t spoil all the surprises you’ll find in the first book. It’s rather like seeing the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie, only a bit longer and more detailed. It’s a nice touch as I have often avoided starting a book series until I can find the first book, sometimes winding up never reading the series at all due to forgetting about it later on before I do find that first book. In this case, you can jump into book 2 without feeling as if you have no idea who these characters are nor what is going on.
Capricious: Adjective. Governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. From the Italian ‘capriccio’ meaning ‘hedgehog head’ as the word once referred to a sudden shudder of fear that made one’s hair stand on end – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once again, John Paul Ried has named his book perfectly. Just as with his first book, which was about the risky attempts to gain more power or influence of many of the main characters and the consequences of their actions, this story is about impulsive, unpredictable, indeed, immature behavior of both the gods and goddesses of his story world and the mortals as well. Ambitions are still high, to be sure, but now, he has upped the ante by adding meddling deities and even more mischief by succubae disguised as lovely ladies. You’ll also meet new fantasy creatures who have come to Palamar from the unexplored North to stir up even more trouble. As with those in book 1, they may seem familiar to veterans of fantasy books and games, but again, John brings his own unique spin to them, making them almost as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the citizens of the empire who have thought them to be only myths.
As with any good sequel, some detestable villains we’ve come to love to hate from the first story get their just desserts here in this one, while others are up to even worse tricks and new foes are introduced as well. We also have the payoff of more positive moments from the first book with triumphant parades, lovely weddings and underdogs earning much deserved success and recognition. John Paul Ried manages to do the nearly impossible these days, given how many fantasy books are out there, by setting up plot threads that one thinks one can predict the outcome of easily, but then resolving them in totally unexpected ways. While this and book one are very much in the same vein and genre as the more well-known European medieval flavored high fantasy stories out there, he still manages to establish a rather unique identity for them with clever use of twists on actual events from our own world history and pop culture and by coming up with a winning blend of just the right amount of humor and whimsy to keep things from being too serious without letting the book become a farce or satire.
It is possible to enjoy Capricious Deities as a stand- alone story, but it is even better when you read Reckless Ambitions first. I recommend this series for fantasy and even historical fiction fans (as it’s just gritty and detailed enough to appeal to that genre as well) of at least a somewhat high level of maturity. It is fun, to be sure, but there is just enough graphic content to make it not something for kids.
“It is amazing how when children act like adults, everyone claps and cheers. When adults act like children, sometimes many people die.”
If you haven’t had the privilege of reading John Paul Ried’s first book, Reckless Ambitions, check out my review of it elsewhere on this site, then get the book. Should you find yourself picking up this, his second book, before you find the first one, he’s kind enough to summarize the story so far in the introduction so that you have an inkling of what is going on, but it doesn’t spoil all the surprises you’ll find in the first book. It’s rather like seeing the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie, only a bit longer and more detailed. It’s a nice touch as I have often avoided starting a book series until I can find the first book, sometimes winding up never reading the series at all due to forgetting about it later on before I do find that first book. In this case, you can jump into book 2 without feeling as if you have no idea who these characters are nor what is going on.
Capricious: Adjective. Governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. From the Italian ‘capriccio’ meaning ‘hedgehog head’ as the word once referred to a sudden shudder of fear that made one’s hair stand on end – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once again, John Paul Ried has named his book perfectly. Just as with his first book, which was about the risky attempts to gain more power or influence of many of the main characters and the consequences of their actions, this story is about impulsive, unpredictable, indeed, immature behavior of both the gods and goddesses of his story world and the mortals as well. Ambitions are still high, to be sure, but now, he has upped the ante by adding meddling deities and even more mischief by succubae disguised as lovely ladies. You’ll also meet new fantasy creatures who have come to Palamar from the unexplored North to stir up even more trouble. As with those in book 1, they may seem familiar to veterans of fantasy books and games, but again, John brings his own unique spin to them, making them almost as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the citizens of the empire who have thought them to be only myths.
As with any good sequel, some detestable villains we’ve come to love to hate from the first story get their just desserts here in this one, while others are up to even worse tricks and new foes are introduced as well. We also have the payoff of more positive moments from the first book with triumphant parades, lovely weddings and underdogs earning much deserved success and recognition. John Paul Ried manages to do the nearly impossible these days, given how many fantasy books are out there, by setting up plot threads that one thinks one can predict the outcome of easily, but then resolving them in totally unexpected ways. While this and book one are very much in the same vein and genre as the more well-known European medieval flavored high fantasy stories out there, he still manages to establish a rather unique identity for them with clever use of twists on actual events from our own world history and pop culture and by coming up with a winning blend of just the right amount of humor and whimsy to keep things from being too serious without letting the book become a farce or satire.
It is possible to enjoy Capricious Deities as a stand- alone story, but it is even better when you read Reckless Ambitions first. I recommend this series for fantasy and even historical fiction fans (as it’s just gritty and detailed enough to appeal to that genre as well) of at least a somewhat high level of maturity. It is fun, to be sure, but there is just enough graphic content to make it not something for kids.
October 25, 2016
John Enfield’s Review of Capricious Deities by John Paul Ried
“It is amazing how when children act like adults, everyone claps and cheers. When adults act like children, sometimes many people die.”
If you haven’t had the privilege of reading John Paul Ried’s first book, Reckless Ambitions, check out my review of it elsewhere on this site, then get the book. Should you find yourself picking up this, his second book, before you find the first one, he’s kind enough to summarize the story so far in the introduction so that you have an inkling of what is going on, but it doesn’t spoil all the surprises you’ll find in the first book. It’s rather like seeing the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie, only a bit longer and more detailed. It’s a nice touch as I have often avoided starting a book series until I can find the first book, sometimes winding up never reading the series at all due to forgetting about it later on before I do find that first book. In this case, you can jump into book 2 without feeling as if you have no idea who these characters are nor what is going on.
Capricious: Adjective. Governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. From the Italian ‘capriccio’ meaning ‘hedgehog head’ as the word once referred to a sudden shudder of fear that made one’s hair stand on end – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once again, John Paul Ried has named his book perfectly. Just as with his first book, which was about the risky attempts to gain more power or influence of many of the main characters and the consequences of their actions, this story is about impulsive, unpredictable, indeed, immature behavior of both the gods and goddesses of his story world and the mortals as well. Ambitions are still high, to be sure, but now, he has upped the ante by adding meddling deities and even more mischief by succubae disguised as lovely ladies. You’ll also meet new fantasy creatures who have come to Palamar from the unexplored North to stir up even more trouble. As with those in book 1, they may seem familiar to veterans of fantasy books and games, but again, John brings his own unique spin to them, making them almost as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the citizens of the empire who have thought them to be only myths.
As with any good sequel, some detestable villains we’ve come to love to hate from the first story get their just desserts here in this one, while others are up to even worse tricks and new foes are introduced as well. We also have the payoff of more positive moments from the first book with triumphant parades, lovely weddings and underdogs earning much deserved success and recognition. John Paul Ried manages to do the nearly impossible these days, given how many fantasy books are out there, by setting up plot threads that one thinks one can predict the outcome of easily, but then resolving them in totally unexpected ways. While this and book one are very much in the same vein and genre as the more well-known European medieval flavored high fantasy stories out there, he still manages to establish a rather unique identity for them with clever use of twists on actual events from our own world history and pop culture and by coming up with a winning blend of just the right amount of humor and whimsy to keep things from being too serious without letting the book become a farce or satire.
It is possible to enjoy Capricious Deities as a stand- alone story, but it is even better when you read Reckless Ambitions first. I recommend this series for fantasy and even historical fiction fans (as it’s just gritty and detailed enough to appeal to that genre as well) of at least a somewhat high level of maturity. It is fun, to be sure, but there is just enough graphic content to make it not something for kids.
“It is amazing how when children act like adults, everyone claps and cheers. When adults act like children, sometimes many people die.”
If you haven’t had the privilege of reading John Paul Ried’s first book, Reckless Ambitions, check out my review of it elsewhere on this site, then get the book. Should you find yourself picking up this, his second book, before you find the first one, he’s kind enough to summarize the story so far in the introduction so that you have an inkling of what is going on, but it doesn’t spoil all the surprises you’ll find in the first book. It’s rather like seeing the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie, only a bit longer and more detailed. It’s a nice touch as I have often avoided starting a book series until I can find the first book, sometimes winding up never reading the series at all due to forgetting about it later on before I do find that first book. In this case, you can jump into book 2 without feeling as if you have no idea who these characters are nor what is going on.
Capricious: Adjective. Governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. From the Italian ‘capriccio’ meaning ‘hedgehog head’ as the word once referred to a sudden shudder of fear that made one’s hair stand on end – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once again, John Paul Ried has named his book perfectly. Just as with his first book, which was about the risky attempts to gain more power or influence of many of the main characters and the consequences of their actions, this story is about impulsive, unpredictable, indeed, immature behavior of both the gods and goddesses of his story world and the mortals as well. Ambitions are still high, to be sure, but now, he has upped the ante by adding meddling deities and even more mischief by succubae disguised as lovely ladies. You’ll also meet new fantasy creatures who have come to Palamar from the unexplored North to stir up even more trouble. As with those in book 1, they may seem familiar to veterans of fantasy books and games, but again, John brings his own unique spin to them, making them almost as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the citizens of the empire who have thought them to be only myths.
As with any good sequel, some detestable villains we’ve come to love to hate from the first story get their just desserts here in this one, while others are up to even worse tricks and new foes are introduced as well. We also have the payoff of more positive moments from the first book with triumphant parades, lovely weddings and underdogs earning much deserved success and recognition. John Paul Ried manages to do the nearly impossible these days, given how many fantasy books are out there, by setting up plot threads that one thinks one can predict the outcome of easily, but then resolving them in totally unexpected ways. While this and book one are very much in the same vein and genre as the more well-known European medieval flavored high fantasy stories out there, he still manages to establish a rather unique identity for them with clever use of twists on actual events from our own world history and pop culture and by coming up with a winning blend of just the right amount of humor and whimsy to keep things from being too serious without letting the book become a farce or satire.
It is possible to enjoy Capricious Deities as a stand- alone story, but it is even better when you read Reckless Ambitions first. I recommend this series for fantasy and even historical fiction fans (as it’s just gritty and detailed enough to appeal to that genre as well) of at least a somewhat high level of maturity. It is fun, to be sure, but there is just enough graphic content to make it not something for kids.
August 2, 2016
“It is amazing how when children act like adults, everyone claps and cheers. When adults act like children, sometimes many people die.”
If you haven’t had the privilege of reading John Paul Ried’s first book, Reckless Ambitions, check out my review of it elsewhere on Goodreads, then get the book. Should you find yourself picking up this, his second book, before you find the first one, he’s kind enough to summarize the story so far in the introduction so that you have an inkling of what is going on, but it doesn’t spoil all the surprises you’ll find in the first book. It’s rather like seeing the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie, only a bit longer and more detailed. It’s a nice touch as I have often avoided starting a book series until I can find the first book, sometimes winding up never reading the series at all due to forgetting about it later on before I do find that first book. In this case, you can jump into book 2 without feeling as if you have no idea who these characters are nor what is going on.
Capricious: Adjective. Governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. From the Italian ‘capriccio’ meaning ‘hedgehog head’ as the word once referred to a sudden shudder of fear that made one’s hair stand on end – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once again, John Paul Ried has named his book perfectly. Just as with his first book, which was about the risky attempts to gain more power or influence of many of the main characters and the consequences of their actions, this story is about impulsive, unpredictable, indeed, immature behavior of both the gods and goddesses of his story world and the mortals as well. Ambitions are still high, to be sure, but now, he has upped the ante by adding meddling deities and even more mischief by succubae disguised as lovely ladies. You’ll also meet new fantasy creatures who have come to Palamar from the unexplored North to stir up even more trouble. As with those in book 1, they may seem familiar to veterans of fantasy books and games, but again, John brings his own unique spin to them, making them almost as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the citizens of the empire who have thought them to be only myths.
As with any good sequel, some detestable villains we’ve come to love to hate from the first story get their just desserts here in this one, while others are up to even worse tricks and new foes are introduced as well. We also have the payoff of more positive moments from the first book with triumphant parades, lovely weddings and underdogs earning much deserved success and recognition. John Paul Ried manages to do the nearly impossible these days, given how many fantasy books are out there, by setting up plot threads that one thinks one can predict the outcome of easily, but then resolving them in totally unexpected ways. While this and book one are very much in the same vein and genre as the more well-known European medieval flavored high fantasy stories out there, he still manages to establish a rather unique identity for them with clever use of twists on actual events from our own world history and pop culture and by coming up with a winning blend of just the right amount of humor and whimsy to keep things from being too serious without letting the book become a farce or satire.
It is possible to enjoy Capricious Deities as a stand-alone story, but it is even better when you read Reckless Ambitions first. I recommend this series for fantasy and even historical fiction fans (as it’s just gritty and detailed enough to appeal to that genre as well) of at least a somewhat high level of maturity. It is fun, to be sure, but there is just enough graphic content to make it not something for kids.
If you haven’t had the privilege of reading John Paul Ried’s first book, Reckless Ambitions, check out my review of it elsewhere on Goodreads, then get the book. Should you find yourself picking up this, his second book, before you find the first one, he’s kind enough to summarize the story so far in the introduction so that you have an inkling of what is going on, but it doesn’t spoil all the surprises you’ll find in the first book. It’s rather like seeing the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie, only a bit longer and more detailed. It’s a nice touch as I have often avoided starting a book series until I can find the first book, sometimes winding up never reading the series at all due to forgetting about it later on before I do find that first book. In this case, you can jump into book 2 without feeling as if you have no idea who these characters are nor what is going on.
Capricious: Adjective. Governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. From the Italian ‘capriccio’ meaning ‘hedgehog head’ as the word once referred to a sudden shudder of fear that made one’s hair stand on end – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once again, John Paul Ried has named his book perfectly. Just as with his first book, which was about the risky attempts to gain more power or influence of many of the main characters and the consequences of their actions, this story is about impulsive, unpredictable, indeed, immature behavior of both the gods and goddesses of his story world and the mortals as well. Ambitions are still high, to be sure, but now, he has upped the ante by adding meddling deities and even more mischief by succubae disguised as lovely ladies. You’ll also meet new fantasy creatures who have come to Palamar from the unexplored North to stir up even more trouble. As with those in book 1, they may seem familiar to veterans of fantasy books and games, but again, John brings his own unique spin to them, making them almost as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the citizens of the empire who have thought them to be only myths.
As with any good sequel, some detestable villains we’ve come to love to hate from the first story get their just desserts here in this one, while others are up to even worse tricks and new foes are introduced as well. We also have the payoff of more positive moments from the first book with triumphant parades, lovely weddings and underdogs earning much deserved success and recognition. John Paul Ried manages to do the nearly impossible these days, given how many fantasy books are out there, by setting up plot threads that one thinks one can predict the outcome of easily, but then resolving them in totally unexpected ways. While this and book one are very much in the same vein and genre as the more well-known European medieval flavored high fantasy stories out there, he still manages to establish a rather unique identity for them with clever use of twists on actual events from our own world history and pop culture and by coming up with a winning blend of just the right amount of humor and whimsy to keep things from being too serious without letting the book become a farce or satire.
It is possible to enjoy Capricious Deities as a stand-alone story, but it is even better when you read Reckless Ambitions first. I recommend this series for fantasy and even historical fiction fans (as it’s just gritty and detailed enough to appeal to that genre as well) of at least a somewhat high level of maturity. It is fun, to be sure, but there is just enough graphic content to make it not something for kids.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews