Review: Unraveled: The New Adventures of Dr. Matilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist by Cynthia St. Aubin

Get your copy of  Unraveled: The New Adventures of Dr. Matilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist by Cynthia St. Aubin here!

Dr. Matilda Schmidt is not having a good morning. A stained blouses, messy toddler, and marital tension collide to form a perfect storm of self-doubt. 

Were the life choices she'd made the right ones?

A mysterious new supernatural patient is about to make the good doctor face those choices head-on, and give her a chance to stand on the other side of the fence. But is the grass really greener, or is it just a weedy mess of murder and hot sex?

"Before I had switched to non-human clientele, I had counseled women in my position by the dozen. Exhausted. Overwrought. Attempting to balance new motherhood with a career and a family. Of course, most of those women hadn't been married to hit men, nor did their careers involve interfacing with non-corporeal beings that could potentially end all life as we knew it. That probably meant something."


Once again, Cynthia St. Aubin is able to marry the absurdity of events with unexpected emotional depth.

On the surface, this is a post-script chapter to the Disordered series; one more crazy supernatural patient to twist our post-partum doctor in the winds of her own psyche. As a faithful reader of the series, (and admittedly, fervently Team Crixus! MatiXus 4evah!) I loved this nod to those of us that wondered, "What if...?"

The HEA we all imagined met with the reality of day-to-day life of a married couple. Matilda and Liam have their share of frustrations balancing life with work - natural / supernatural therapist and hit-man-with-a-conscience, respectively. Add a toddler to the mix, and Dr. Schmidt's frustration, resentment and lowered self-image become relatable. Doesn't everyone wonder if the choices they've made are the right ones, especially in moments of self-doubt?

Short but unerringly sweet, and funny on levels ranging from slapstick and sarcasm to wry and thoughtful, this glimpse into Dr. Schmidt's version of "What if...?" carries all the hallmarks of the previous books. The same strings that tug on your heart pull your lips into a grin, and yank a laugh from your core. St. Aubin's effortless prose brings every scene a depth of mental images that feel like you're watching in Hi-Def 3D (is that a thing?).

In a world of run-of-the-mill supernatural beings, St. Aubin once again presents us with a surprise. Her signature character-cum-plot-device, who is mysterious, yet oddly whole, blends science theory with fantasy in deft exposition that doesn't leave your mouth dry and your brain twitching. It does, however, cleverly offer Dr. Schmidt an opportunity she's not given a chance to pass up.

For reasons of personal character fandom, it did make me a little sad, but that is all my own, and has nothing to do with the quality of the work.
I love this series for its masterful blend of humor, emotion, and intelligence. And I'm happy to say, this book didn't disappoint!

Cover Reveal And Author Spotlight: Unexpecting by Cynthia St. Aubin, out December 19th.

In honor of the beautiful cover reveal for the final chapter of The Case Files of Dr. Mathilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist: Unexpecting, I've featured Cynthia St. Aubin as my first author spotlight post.  (The orange links in the post are direct to the referenced material but, the blue are advertisements not placed by me.)

Unexpecting by Cynthia St. Aubin:
coming December 19th!

Cynthia St. Aubin has had one hell of a year as a debut author.

In less than twelve short months, she's completed seven novellas in The Case Files of Dr. Mathilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist.  The first three of the series are available in a paperback collection called Dysfunctional.  Each of the six chapters are also available separately, in a rainbow of paperbacks with fresh, original covers.  The last of which is due (pun intended) on December 19th.

In October, she and three other writers released a tightly written collaboration called Which Witch is Which?  "Anthology" is not a term that applies to this book. Hours upon hours must have been spent with her fellow writers to create such a seamless flow from one author's portion of the book to the next.

Cynthia St. Aubin

Since February, St. Aubin has garnered a very loyal following on Facebook. Her author page is rolling up to the 3000 likes mark.  And her street team, Cyn's Minions is an impressive ten percent of those "likers", at almost 300 members.

Three must be her lucky number. Recently, a popular blog held a reader's choice competition.  Cynthia St. Aubin's books outran one author by 300% of the votes, and came in second only to J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood® series. Even that defeat was a win...she had fully half the amount of votes that Ward did. Toe to toe with the accepted (and beloved) Queen of the Paranormal Romance Kingdom, and St. Aubin came away with more than a respectable number of votes.

Cynthia is a very reader-friendly author. Her on-line accessibility is welcoming -  exuding warmth and graciousness to her Minions and fans.  Her gratitude for their purchases and participation in events is sincere, and sparkles with true delight at readers' responses.

Cynthia has a sharp, and smart sense of humor that is couched in silliness.  She often posts about things occurring around the books, and sometimes, about her life. The overlying humor makes just about anyone giggle with the picture she paints.  Once you've stopped laughing, take a deeper look at what's written.  The verbiage, analogies, and structure of her posts reveal comedy genius at work.

At such a pace, her books should have had some lag. However, neither the writing quality, nor the plot lines suffer from any inconsistencies.  St. Aubin is deft with character arcs, mood changes, and the ability to give just enough information away to raise more questions.  All of this would be enough to solidify her name as a "must-read" in the genre, but St. Aubin gilds the lily with vivid analogies, and highlighter worthy prose.

Unexpecting is the last chapter of this wild ride.  Already, Cynthia St. Aubin's fans are lamenting the loss of Dr. Mathilda Schmidt and her adventures.  On social media sites, St. Aubin has hinted at a new writing project for 2015.

If you haven't read her books, truly, you're missing out on a ground-floor opportunity to witness the growth of an author that has enough talent and savvy to take her career to best-seller status.  

Review: Dysfunctional by Cynthia St. Aubin

Click Here to buy Dysfunctional by Cynthia St. Aubin

Dr. Matilda Schmidt, Ph.D Psy.D - is a pretty, analytical, mentally moderate virgin. Her orderly days get a sudden hitch in their giddy-up when the sexy demi-god Crixus repeatedly brings her supernaturals in need of mental healing.

Our good lady-doctor seems to be having a run of supernaturally odd days:
1) Kidnapped by a sexy bounty hunter to be called on the carpet by a Vegas mob boss for a gambling debt an impostor racked up while dealing with Cupid's depression and lack of work ethic makes for a crazy road trip.
2) Fighting off angry tubers with a penchant for crotch shots while looking for a stash of gold and harboring a confused leprechaun can ruin anyone's good time.
3) Trying to help a suicidal Easter Bunny while being blackmailed by a ferret-like photographer AND avoid being the victim of the jealous rage of two goddesses can really ruin a bake sale.

Every time the pendulum of life starts to swing toward "normal", it whips back at Matilda bearing more crazy, and higher stakes.

"Where are we going?" I asked.
"One of your favorite places." Only a tourniquet could stop the false brightness bleeding from his voice.
"Whole Foods?" Hope floated my voice to a pitch too eager to respect.

The first installments in The Case Files of Dr. Matilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist series are a very quick read. What they lack in length is more than made up for in fun. Cynthia St. Aubin's writing instantly charms with vivid clarity and color. The range of humor flows naturally. It streams along the spectrum from dark to silly, harmonizing with each situation.

Matilda reacting to her orderly world being upended in a fantastical way is quite amusing. She pinballs from analytical curiosity to irritation and fear to lustful abandon. She's very quixotic, but not in a way that makes her unbelievable. As a character, she's surprisingly rich, and she stays within the boundaries St. Aubin has given her.

Crixus is a demi-god of whom I've never heard. He's got the arrogance and impatience of an immortal but it's implied he has a kind core. The irreverent tossing of Cupid into Matilda's professional care is out of concern for the love god. He's got some intriguing teleportation skills, and flirts unrepentantly with our heroine. Crixus may have deeper feelings for Matilda, but he hides them well with incorrigible innuendo and the repeated seduction of her assistant.

Liam/Luigi Whatshisname is another character that St. Aubin writes very well. He's an alpha-male, a little broken, but he stoically does what he has to do. He doesn't really pull any punches with Matilda's capture. There's not an instant, gooey-eyed intimacy that prevents him from harming her. He doesn't truly hurt her, but is somewhat blase about keeping her unconscious and in less than comfortable physical conditions during much of their journey. He pops up repeatedly, always finding himself mired in the supernatural debacle of the day. Liam and Crixus have a macho rivalry that is quite amusing, especially since Liam does not seem bothered at all that Crixus could squash him like an ant.

The patients both supernatural and human that grace Dr. Schmidt's couch are all very colorful and quite funny. What would seem to be a boring job suddenly becomes a minefield of neurosis. It's a good thing Matilda is a fast thinker and very good at her job. She uses her training to neutralize her would-be enemies rather than brute force. Her quick thinking is both sharp and nimble - Dr. Matilda Schmidt is a mental health ninja.

The stories move at a brisk pace, but don't lose too much due to the lack of length. The "rules" of the paranormal are joyfully bent - no lengthy exposition, fresh ideas of what the para characters can and cannot do, etc. While they could each easily be stretched out into full-length novels, part of the charm is that they're all a quick read. The reader gets a good introduction to the characters, a roller-coaster of a plot, and a silly but well-devised resolution - just before being efficiently teased with the next chapter of Dr. Schmidt's adventures.

There's not really many problems here. Liam's character seems to gravitate toward Matilda's quite quickly, despite Cupid's assertion that the attraction should be only physical. There is one missing "hour" - the contents of which were teased by our heroine's musings. These memories were interrupted and not really brought to a conclusion. However, I could not tell if this was a plot hole, or if the author meant to tease and distract...time will tell as the chapters unfold.

On a side-note: I have a very major pet-peeve about typos and editing errors. It's a compulsion and something that will yank me right out of a story. This book was beautifully edited and formatted.

This series became a fast and heavy addiction. I've read it three times already, and I am looking forward to seeing what new characters and shenanigans will ensue.