Nick

Nick by Margo Bond Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We were briefly introduced to the Nick/Sarah drama at the end of the previous book, but I’m pretty sure you could start here and be just fine. There is so much hidden backstory that we are all moving through this missing pieces of their past.

Nick is a member of a healthy, happy pack, having run away from his previous one after being betrayed by his mate, the woman he trusted most. The book is a little light on the details, but somehow she convinced him he needed to leave, so he left and actually is in a safer pack now. When Sarah shows up at his table he knows he shouldn’t get involved, but agrees to help her deal with their toxic alpha, Vincent.

It’s always a little tricky with books that start without the backstory playing out for the reader. I know we are supposed to believe these two loved each other wildly and passionately before but all we know is that Sarah betrayed him. When Nick arrives back on pack lands again, he quickly realizes just how much she was hiding from him. Somehow he manages to set all that aside and rekindle their relationship, all while plotting to overthrow the current alpha. It all ends well, but felt very rushed. Don’t worry, though, because we get a HEA and a low key intro do the next book.

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My vampire plus-one

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oops, I dove into book 2 without reading book 1! I don’t think it really hurt me at all, but wanted to disclose that at the start. I found Reginald to be just weird enough to be lovable and Amelia’s organized life offered a wonderful balance to the chaos he lives in.

Amelia is a workaholic accountant focused on advancing her career and finding satisfaction there. The rest of her life has been a bit neglected, to the point where her family is very concerned about her perpetual single status. When yet another of her cousins gets engaged, she hastily lies about having a boyfriend to avoid the topic and is then somehow tasked with finding said imaginary mate. Reginald is on the run from eccentric vampires who believe he murdered their founding members. He’s also a vampire, but that doesn’t exempt him from their vengeance. While on the run, he literally runs into Amelia and thus begins their unlikely courtship.

These two are adorable and clueless in different ways. It was fun watching the sparks and insanity somehow lead us to a HEA. It was fun and sweet and sexy, too! All in all this was an entertaining introduction to this world. I might even go back and read book 1.

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Wicche Hunt

Wicche Hunt by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These book are a rollercoaster of emotion, in a good way. The larger storyline gets some nudges forward, but the character development is where it’s at. With such incremental progress, I wish the whole series was out so I could binge my way straight through. I’ll have to just keep chipping away at the author’s pace, though.

Arwyn and Declan are doing the new couple thing in this book. He’s decided to stay, for all the drama it will bring to his life, and Arwyn is supporting him as best she can while also trying to open up her gallery. Having just officially joined the Corey Council, she’s also got that on her plate. Oh, and her detective friends still want her help solving cases that may or may not be tied to the Corey big bad or her cousin’s murderer. So many loose ends!

This book does give us some resolution in the form of her cousin’s killer, but a few more people have to die before they connect all the dots, which means a hellish couple days for Arwyn. On the family front, there is progress made in the mother-daughter bonding arena, but still oodles further to go. I absolutely can’t wait to see the father-daughter-mother dynamics play out in future books! With all the new characters and crazy times, it’s no wonder that we just keep getting nudges forward on the big bad resolution, but I’m still hoping that gets shut down sooner rather than later.

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Shifting Shadows

Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this via audible instead of reading and I find that’s my preferred mechanism for short story anthologies. Some of these stories are a little long to fit in that designation, but they were all interesting and enjoyable in their own way.

Of the stories in this book, I believe only 4 are new, but several I hadn’t read in previous iterations. Overall, they were very nicely introduced and strung together in chronological order, which I very much appreciated. I can’t say I recall the happenings of the books in between since it has been many many years, but it was nice to hear.

These books have a wide range from silly/fun to depressing/serious. If that’s not your jam, then this may not be the right set for you. If you’re a completionist and this series is your jam, it will be worth it. I like the layers we see, especially with some of the “quieter” characters we get in the series. Short stories in here offer a unique glimpse into their inner workings and made me appreciate them even more.

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From Blood and Ash

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know, I’m usually not one to read books that have a very historical feel to them, but as part of book club we decided to dive into this series as a group read. I’m glad I did, because this book clearly set the stage for some good future books. That’s not to say this book was bad, but it had a lot of building to do, which stacked the good stuff at the end.

Poppy is “the maiden,” which is a very rare designation in their society, but involves her wearing a veil to disguise herself and keeping away from most everyone else. She’s still got a friend in her sort-of-servant, but she thrives on adventure, most of which is denied to her. Does that stop her? No. She makes some pretty terrible choices most of the time, but at least her guard has trained her in combat and archery (that comes in later). At the very start of the book we meet Hawk, a new guard assigned to the castle and of course he ends up becoming her guard after one of her others gets killed by assassins.

This whole society was a really intersting spin on your standard paranormal stuff. We have the ruling class, who hides from sunlight after “ascension” and keeps said ascension ceremony secret. They require citizens to send their second and third born children to a temple, never to be seen again. Also, this whole world is hiding and protecting themselves from an evil horde that infects with a bite or scratch. The other big bad here is this dark lord that is said to be the true ruler. All of this becomes important in what I thought was a super obvious way, but was informed it may not be as obvious as I thought. That being said, this book doesn’t shy away from violence, killing off characters, and some good smut. We end up on a road-trip like adventure, so I’m very interested to see where Poppy ends up moving forward. Here’s hoping she gets her adventure and growing up all in one.

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A Demon Faerie Tale

A Demon Faerie Tale: A Rifter Novella by L.R. Braden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mira and Ty are up to adventures again in this short story. It’s got a fast pace, a mystery, and maybe some nudges in the right direction for this reluctant partnership.

Mira and her internal partner are actually starting to get more in sync in this installment. While they may differ in their opinion on how to go about romancing Ty, I do think Mira has begun accepting her attraction to him. Ty is still the uptight agent that he has been in previous books, but he is certainly challenged when he inadvertently ends up the victim of a fae item of power. After being assigned the case where a handful of folks ended up killing themselves or almost doing so by going after the object of their desires, a quick touch of a coin puts Ty in danger.

Mira and Ty try to work through his obsession and still solve the mystery of where it came from to free Ty. There are a few challenges but nothing a random romantic assault won’t cure, right? I can’t wait until this pair becomes a real couple! Of course, they manage to sidestep any romantic stuff and solve the mystery without anyone else becoming the coin’s victim. This was a fun read.

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Fangs for Nothing

Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh, what a fun and wonderful read! This book had all the romance, vampires, family drama, and HEA you could ever wish for and it also gave all the feels!

Alaric is a bit of a reclusive vampire. He doesn’t feed directly from humans and is sustained by his hobbies. Said hobbies, however, have proven to be a bit of a challenge when his vampire mother insists he host a ball in his overly cluttered estate. Winnie is a professional organizer and anti-clutter enthusiast. She’s created a system (which her partner has taken co-credit for with very little actual work) and she’s always eager to apply it to just about everything. When her boyfriend leaves her for her best friend, she may have begun to spiral into over organization land, which is why she jumps at the chance to get out of town and help someone de-clutter.

Alaric hides what he is and how he feels from Winnie for wayyyy too long, but it was adorable to watch. These two dance around each other, each hiding different things - Winnie her history growing up in a hoarder house, Alaric his killing past and vampiric state. The way things play out is ever so satisfying, even if we do get the standard couple chapters of misunderstanding/martyr activities. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the smutty coven that adopts Winnie. There is clearly another series about that, but this book served as a great introduction. I hope there are more books in this series!

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Still of the Night

Still of the Night by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are really building to some gigantic showdown with lots of pieces moving into place along the way. While we don’t get the ultimate battle in this book, we do make strides to uncovering who the key players are. Oh, and Killian & Ariah’s story, too!

Ariah is the local tea maker we have interacted with in various capacities in previous books. She is a member of the core group, but not directly involved in any battles. That doesn’t negate her power, however, which is largely drawn from nature and the forest. She had a brief love affair with Killian, a non-magical man who visited the island years ago, and whom she never thought to see again. He ends up accepting that he can’t live his life without her and shows up on her doorstep just in time for the big bad to turn everything upside down.

I really liked how we got to see Callum through this new person’s eyes. That story really needs to be fully told in future books and I can’t wait for it. Ariah and Killian, though, were fantastic! We ended up skipping over a bit of the romance, but it was still very satisfying. The big strides we end up making in identifying who is working with the big bad(s) were also super satisfying. This was another great installment in the series.

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The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I briefly glanced at the description before grabbing this book and thought it was going to be a fun, paranormal romance based in a coffee shop. That is not this book - it is a slow building mystery with lots of side-trips down sometimes dark and sad side streets. It had a lot more to the story than I expected. Oh, and prepare yourself for more broadway references than you’d expect, too!

Adele is a failing broadway hopeful who suddenly inherits a coffee shop and apartment from a relative she never knew. The only stipulation is that she keeps Ben on as an employee. This coffee shop roasts in house beans, a task which is done by the aforementioned Ben, so it doesn’t really bother Adele that he continues doing the heavy lifting there. When folks start disappearing, though, it gets a little suspect.

The crew of the coffee shop patrons was a highlight of this story. The regulars create a community that, even when Adele is following the suggestions of some random dude she ends up dating, can’t be deterred. Adele really does her best to alienate them, but they persist! I really struggled with Adele, the main character. She clings to this really terrible guy when Ben is right there and knows the store better than anyone else. It was frustrating to read and made for some difficulties in getting through this book. This book also includes a lot more melancholy than I was prepared for. Paranormal? Sure! Mystery? Yes, please! Ending in a bit of a bummer? No thanks. I wasn’t prepared, so make sure you enjoy your romance to come with some truly heartbreaking twists. Oh, and I guess we’re all OK with murder by the end. The paranormal elements were pretty light, but the moral questions truly left me confused. All in all, if you’re OK with sadness rolled into your romance, and love broadway shows, this may be a read for you.

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Perfectly Wicked

Perfectly Wicked by Lindsay Lovise
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a really fun and unique spin on the enemies to lovers standard romance (with paranormal elements thrown in). What an adorable couple we get!

Holly is the eldest sister and is the leader of the “Wicked” apple farm family. They’re a close knit bunch and doing kind of terrible at making a profit, especially with a much more fancy and organized orchard in town. Their cider, though, is known to be the best ever and they’re just barely keeping afloat on that alone. When a paranormal ghost hunting show offers them money to film there, they say no so they can continue to keep their secrets. This prompts Connor, the dreamy host of said show, to come knocking on their door.

Holly & Connor have an immediate love/hate thing going on. Holly, of course, says no, but when the family stresses that they could really use this, she caves. These two are adorably drawn to one another and it was really fun to watch something unique and special develop. This story is definitely more than your typical PNR and I found myself seeing an honest relationship develop instead of just a surface attraction. Definitely a great fall season read!

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Casket Case

Casket Case by Lauren Evans
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book made me sad. There were some shining moments of romance, the typical “I’m over him” time, small town friends and family, but I finished the book just very sad.

I guess I should have known this was coming from the description but maybe I thought there would be more quirky goodness or lightheartedness to break up the truly dark depression scenes. Nora lost her parents and has given up her career to run her family’s local casket business. She is still firmly entrenched in her depression when she meets Garrett, who just so happens to work for Death. It was very much like that show Dead Like Me, where he gets dispatched to help people not die alone. He hides this from Nora, but pursues her pretty intently.

The truth ends up coming out, because, hello, it’s a very small town where everyone knows everything about each other, but when it does, Nora goes back into a tailspin of depression. If you’re following along, that means you will need to trudge through two separate phases where we are in this with her. It was tough. Eventually we trudge to a happy ending, but then we cap it off with a truly heartbreaking ending. The writing was good, but you need to be mentally prepared to go through all this with Nora.

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Dirty Lying Wolves

Dirty Lying Wolves by Sabrina Blackburry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I’m sure I read the other books in this world, it’s been so long that I can assure you starting here is just fine. That being said, this book has a very slow build at the start, but once things start going down, it is pure chaos until the end.

June has a relatively normal life until she tries to save a woman writhing on the ground in a local part. This one action ends up getting her bitten by a werewolf and thrown into a really weird roadtrip with her new “pack.” Dom, the second to the bitey leader who is indisposed for quite some time, is on a mission to bring his pack or sort-of-rogues back to their original pack’s land. Said pack has been led by a bad guy for a while so now that they are fresh off their win in previous books, they decide to push their luck here. June got to represent us, asking all the basic questions, learning how the change happens, how the pack is organized, and eventually detectiving out why everyone tiptoes around the badness in their previous pack history.

This book has some really great characters introduced outside the slow sizzle romance of Dom and June. I would eagerly check-in on a lot of these folks after the conclusion of this story. The pack has obviously gone through a lot, but when the dust settles (or when the truth is revealed) people do the right thing in a crazy battle. I really ended up liking all the characters and got swept away in the HEA by the end. I hope we get to see more from this world.

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Tempting the Black Wolf

Tempting the Black Wolf by N.J. Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am so terribly sad to see this series come to a conclusion but it is a very satisfying one. I’d recommend starting at book 1 if you are peeking ahead. They all build on one another, giving us a great world.

Onyx knows she is one of the fated mates (or traps?) for the one wolf named Dagen because she has been raised in the big bad’s lair. She never knew a normal life, but has taken her time on the run to hone her skills, maybe even enough to take part in the final battle. She’s also been fighting the pull to Dagen as they dance around one another in the search for ways to break this spell/curse/destiny. It was fun to see characters that we have met separately engage directly with one another. As the “fixer” for the other wolves, we also got to see behind that curtain in this book, too.

Dagen isn’t without his own hangups, having hidden but stayed connected to his fellow lone wolves in a way that helps them all for this final showdown. He obviously doesn’t trust easily, so when Onyx’s secrets come out, it tilts his world in a way he can’t manage through. Lucky for them, the draw they feel overrides most misgivings. It’s always great when a series manages to move the pieces around in the previous books to have a great, satisfying conclusion, and this series does just that. As someone who reads a lot of paranormal romance, this had new elements and kept me guessing about who or how many would get out alive. Oh, and there is a healthy amount of sizzle, which never hurts.

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Winter Lost

Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This deep into the Mercy Thompson world, if you don’t know what to expect, just turn around. These books firmly build on one another in both good and bad ways, so there is lore you need to know and baggage you need to be aware of before diving in this late.

Mercy is still very much “broken” from the events in the previous book. She tries to hide it from others but is kind of terrible at it. Also, there’s a big bad vampire out to kill Mercy & Adam, but not in this book, so moving along. This book is about Mercy’s family (sort-of) and how Adam and Mercy need to stop the end of the world. It seems like that’s an almost regular occurrence, but this time it happens during winter, involves family, and forces Mercy’s injury to become a big thing.

As a road trip-type book, we don’t get a ton of time with our favorite supporting cast, but it was nice to see Mercy and Adam be with new folks, doing their thing and just being plain awesome. Would it all be more awesome if Mercy could stop hiding things from Adam? Sure. Will that ever truly happen? Probably not. This story had a lot of really interesting elements of Norse mythology that I enjoyed and it’s never a bad time with this gang. There was sadness, love, joy, action/adventure, and everything you’d expect from Mercy’s crew. The storytelling jumps around a bit, but you get used to it by the end. It probably says something that I wasn’t willing to leave this world after this book concluded and dove into the short story anthology that follows.

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Hot Hex Boyfriend

Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was sweet and adorable, complete with animals and Halloween vibes.

Delia was raised in a family of weirdos. They all believe that they are witches who are under a hex preventing them from successfully practicing magic. Delia’s mom manages to pull off a normal career as a realtor, but the rest of the family is determined to double-down on the witch stuff. Even Delia has had an endless string of failed businesses prior to her current interior design gig. As the member of the family who has been deemed the “blue witch,” it is expected that she break the hex using what she refers to as a soup recipe.

It’s in the days leading up to the expiry of her hex-breaking window that Delia meets Max. Max is a real witch but certainly can’t tell anyone that. He has been assigned to make sure that Delia does not break the very real hex that his family placed on them. As a witch who values logic over love, he is determined not to fall for the hexed witch who could cast love spells if given the power. Of course these two fall for one another in the most adorable way. It was heart-meltingly cute and, yes, there were oodles of challenges in their way. That’s what makes the ending of this book so very satisfying. What a great read!

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Hate Hex

Hate Hex by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, this book was so much fun! It had it all - romance, magic, vampires, action, and sizzle!

Trixie is a witch who has decided not to practice. Bad news for her - if she doesn’t start to vent her powers somehow, she’s going to explode/die/somethingbad. She’s got a very mediocre job as a supernatural Uber driver but luckily has a great roommate to split the utility costs of her apartment that her family owns outright. Things start to veer into bad and weird territory when she has a very off-putting encounter with her building owner in the alley behind said building. It gets worse when she somehow gets nominated for a very prestigious supernatural position. This comes with a whole bunch of campaigning and politics that she is eager to ignore.

Dom, the guy who owns her building, is a vampire and he is also head-over-heels for Trixie. His name gets drawn for the same position and their worlds collide even further. Don’t worry, he does his best to mess things up at every turn, but it was fantastic (fang-tastic?) fun to watch. This paranormal romance had the best banter, silliness, but still pulled off a serious edge. If this is my introduction to this world, I absolutely can’t wait to spend more time in it! While we get happy endings for Dom and Trixie, I’d keep coming back to watch more folks find happiness.

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Last Sacrifice (re-read)

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Original review: One thing I will say for Richelle Mead, she knows how to satisfy readers with an end to a series. I felt the same way about the Succubus series. While I am still on team Adrian, she found a way to make me appreciate Dimitri again too. I would probably just throw myself right into Bloodlines if the book wasn't overpriced. Maybe later I will miss Adrian enough to buy it, but for now, I am happy to leave the series where it is.

Updated review: Maybe it’s because I know where Adrian ends up, maybe it’s because many years have passed, but this book is less satisfying to me now on re-read. Is it a surprise where Lissa ends up? No. And that’s not just upon re-read. What was still shocking to me is how Rose ends up burning up her time-killer relationship with Adrian to hop back with Dimitri. Are they meant to be together? Yeah, sure, but… jeez. Rose has definitely left a wake of destruction in her path here.

What else? I get that we had to tie up a bunch of loose ends but somehow this roadtrip book ended up feeling rushed and a bit thrown together. All the endings for folks felt less satisfying than they did the first time around. The saving grace here is that we get the spinoff to set things more right than here. I highly recommend hitting those!

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Bond of Passion

Bond of Passion by Larissa Ione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is yet another story in the 1001 Dark Nights anthology. I’ve been popping in and out of these when they align with series I am familiar with and how could I resist another Demonica book?

This book picks up with Tavin’s story (and backstory) in fun and smutty ways. Tavin, while working as a slave assassin, was tasked with hunting down an evil demon. At least, all the other members of this particular race are super duper evil. This one, however, is somehow nice and… sweet. He ends up falling for her instead of completing his mission. I mean, he does eventually do it, but it ends up leaving him pretty messed up and atoning for his sins at Underworld General. It obviously messes up the love of his life even more because he never actually told her he was an assassin.

Deja is the reincarnated version of Tavin’s lady love. It’s a long story, but all the dead demons ended up getting freed due to world ending stuffs. Deja, however, ended up in the body of a much less evil demon. It is never explained to her, so she just dons a disguise and enters her vengeance era. Somewhere along the way she ends up in a life she loves, so things get less clear for her when she finally meets Tavin again. Sparks fly (kind of literally) and the best planned vengeance ends up as a HEA. I really had fun with this one.

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Potions and Proposals

Potions and Proposals by Kate Callaghan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a cute romance that starts out with rivals and ends in HEA. I kept waiting for some horrible reveal or unexpected twist, but this book delivers solid romance throughout.


Lucy and Benedict have been rivals since forever. They went to school in this small town where most residents are magical but they still mix with regular humans. That being said, they still managed to play magical pranks on one another all through their formative years. This let to a big buildup of resentment and probably a lot of misunderstandings. Lucy is in line for becoming essentially queen witch but all that goes up in smoke when a prank ends up smearing the town’s name in a bad way. Now she somehow she and Benedict need to accept an arranged marriage and co-lead. I know - it kind of forces the rivals to lovers to new speedy places.

These two (as expected) have had feelings for one another for a long time and now they just have an excuse to explore those feelings, especially when Lucy’s family ends up accidentally swapping their powers. These two have good chemistry and we get good payoff in the end, leading to a satisfying autumn themed romance read. There are enough fun paranormal introductions to build a world worth more books, but this one was pretty expected.

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Bond of Destiny

Bond of Destiny by Larissa Ione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, it’s been a minute since I read a Demonica novel so I will admit to not remembering *anything* about the characters in this book. It is closely linked to the horsemen of the apocalypse but also has guest stars from UG. Dribs and drabs came back to me along with way, but I think if you have a general handle on paranormal romance, you can dive in here with no backstory.

Stacey is on her way back in a terrible snowstorm when she wrecks near her friend’s house. Said house is being taken care of by Tracker, a werewolf with a slave bond to her friend (long story). When he spots her, half-dead and headed through miles of snow, he jumps into action and revives her. These two apparently had a bit of a crush on one another which makes it less creepy when Stacey wakes up in his bed without clothes. While I admit to not enjoying the whole “slave” angle here, it was a good sizzle and payoff, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing how it will end up.

Surprise - it ends happily because all these stories do. It even gives little glimpses of where their future could be headed in this new life together. All in all these books are quick and fun without the needed commitment of the entire series, so I’ll keep gobbling them up.

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Spell Bond: More Tales From the Old World

Spell Bond: More Tales From the Old World by Melissa F. Olson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book dead last in the series. Was that the right choice? Who knows, but it worked for me. Maybe you could read it before old world war so you get that as your closing book and it works better. Either way, as a completionist this was on my list.

I’m not going to individually review all the stories but there is a good mix. There’s a romantic one, a family one, and all the feelings in between (including COVID times anxiety for those of you who may be triggered by that). You get to see “behind the scenes” for some things, resolve some unresolved things, and ultimately come out with a more complete picture of all the characters we’ve come to know and love. I don’t think it’s necessary, exactly, but was a fun way for me to wrap up the series completely (for now).

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Old World War

Old World War by Melissa F. Olson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this world so much. All of the characters are so well developed at this point that even with a big break in reading the series, it was like coming home again.

This book (shocker) revolves around the brewing of an old world war. An attack is made on nulls in general and Scarlett in specific. This obviously upsets their world and sets off a chain that ends with a big gathering of sorts. Let’s call it a trial, but it’s almost like a convention/reunion/something better. Scarlett really gets beat up in this one, so that’s a little tough to read but she is a fighter and that also doesn’t stop her from running her wonderful mouth. The banter is strong with this one, and made more so by Lex teaming up with Simon.

Lex is obviously involved in null attacks because of her niece. She springs into action while simultaneously beating herself up for not somehow predicting this particular scenario. Turns out that some big bads from such installments like “killing Scarlett’s baby daddy” or “messing up Eli” come calling in the form of even worse daddy issues in the vampire community. The vampires are justifiably angry and decide to try out their new judgement system by trying these bad guys. To be fair to all involved, there’s not only a supernatural bad guy but also a human bad guy, complete with tactical training to rival Lex’s. This felt like more even odds, which also made me sit on the edge of my seat for most of this book. The battles are great, the banter is great, and we even get some much needed resolution in a few different areas. Overall, this book was a wonderful read and gave some nice closure to this series.

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Spirit Bound (Re-Read)

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My original review: This might be my least favorite of this series. It was full of angst and unresolved plot lines.

Knowing where we go and how things end up for all these characters, I think I appreciate this book more. I love getting to see Adrian in a different light and having a view to his future. That maybe made it better to get over the way that Rose treats him, especially after all the mayhem that happens in this book. How to summarize? I guess the description tells that Rose is trying to cure Dimitri under the guise of doing good for the world. It’s reckless and selfish and of course her BFF is on board. If that ends up getting everyone to a better place (except Adrian) then I’m all for it, but it is like watching a train wreck happen in slow bursts.

There are an insane series of events that have to take place for the ending of this book to resolve and while we get there, it requires a lot of leaps of faith. So many people also have to die for Rose to get closer to a HEA, which is something she will have to live with I guess. This is certainly a filler book because we needed these actions to take place before true change can happen, but it feels like this book ends at a random stop, with all the characters dangling. If I had read this in real time I would have been very angry to have such a cliffhanger.

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Bloodlust Bites

Bloodlust Bites by Luanne Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a continuation of the previous one, so I’d recommend you start there if you somehow ended up on this book review. This is a world where vampires, shifters, and witches are a regular occurrence and there is a little sizzle thrown into this book making it even better than the last.

Charley is still working on getting control of her powers here. Having just narrowly survived the last big bad, turns out they are still looking for the vampire who is murdering town members and stirring up conflict in a town here supernaturals are “normal.” Crimson, the town, has been terrorized by this killer and it seems to be getting closer to Charley, even framing her bartender. Surprise visits in the form of a lone wolf and the ever growing mystery of the vampire love interest for Charley all end up popping up in good and bad ways in this book.

It’s clear that Charley is still trying to figure out her path in life and while we get some resolution in her world, there’s oodles of growth still to come I’m sure. I am both confused and enamored with the witch support system she has as well as her misfit employees. For someone who tries to do so much good for the town, even jeopardizing her own safety, she somehow manages to fly under the radar for the most part. I hope the next book puts her in more of a position of power that she truly deserves.

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Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact

Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact by Liz Wiseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of a professional associate book club and I’m glad I did. It’s been a while since I read “for work” and it’s always good to keep an open mind to developing skills.

This book is jam packed with advice and I admit that it was at times overwhelming. Where do I start? Can I do all of this? Luckily the author does have some associated materials and key steps to take related to where to start. I don’t think you can really summarize the “plot” like I do for other reviews, but the storytelling aspects of this book helped keep me engaged throughout. I was truly invested in the case studies along the way, giving insight into the different industries this can apply to. If you’re looking for a relatively easy read that you can grab a few good professional development nuggets from, this book delivers.

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Blood Promise (Re-Read)

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Original review: This book was really not what I was expecting-in a good way! I thought this would be a mopey and depressing book, but it was really good! Nice cliffhanger that I kind of saw coming. I am still on team Adrian.

Re-read review:
I completely forgot how great this book was. Going into it, I had the same expectation as first time around. We know that Rose has to grieve and go through all the emotions while she hunts down Dimitri but the unexpected part of this book is really about Rose’s growth. She gets to be on her own for the first time in her life and truly gets to make life-changing decisions for her future. While she was intent on hunting down Dimitri, her journey had very little planning involved. In typical Rose fashion, things end up working out, though. Another bright spot in this book? We get to meet Sydney. Having read the other books in this world, I appreciate this even more.

So while it takes a while to get there, this book is truly about Rose’s hunt for Dimitri. Another storyline is what happens at school while Rose is away. Lucky for us, Rose’s power gives us special insight into the happenings there. I loved this way of storytelling and it’s a great part of this series. It’s been so long since I read this book the first time, I was on the edge of my seat as it all played out. While this book does end with a cliffhanger of sorts, it also ends in a very satisfying way. After the journey Rose is on, getting there also manages to not feel as rushed as the previous books.

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Bewicched

Bewicched by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As an avid reader of the Sam Quinn series, I knew I would circle back to this one at some point, having met Arwyn in that story. We join Arwyn in her own element here. She’s a touch psychic, but can also see vision of the future and/or the current time (the rules appear to be evolving). Having avoided her family obligations and followed her guts for this long, when a lone werewolf shows up on her door and no alarm bells ring, she goes with that too.

I really liked the Arwyn/Declan show here. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and while there are twists and turns, it was immensely satisfying that this book didn’t take the typical path of a paranormal romance. There are a few parallel stories going on in this book. There is the family drama, where Arwyn needs to manage the expectations they have of her, while still managing not to lose her mind through overuse of her gift. There’s the ask that a police detective has of her, to help track a child murderer down. There’s some mystery around who her dad is. Lastly there is an evil sorcerer afoot, which luckily means we get to see a very familiar demon show up.

Overall, this was a wonderful introduction to the very complex world that Arwyn lives in. She is immensely gifted and has wonderful support (including some awesome sea life), but she struggles to trust. It was really great watching that reluctant trust build between her and Declan and I absolutely cannot wait to see where their relationship goes.

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Easy Bake Coven

Easy Bake Coven by Liz Schulte
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really like the cover and title, which left me wondering why I haven’t read this series before. I love a good paranormal romance and this looked like something I’d be into. I dove in without even reading the description, which might have been a mistake on my part. All the reviews will tell you that this is not about a coven or witches, but big bad elf politics.

Selene is a witch, so that much is true. She owns her own yoga studio, has a tight knit group of friends that are also in her coven (they have powers, too), and has some family drama. Oh, and she’s also in a relationship at the start with what seems to be the perfect guy. All of that blows up when Cheney shows up in her yoga studio to harass her. He really started at a defecit for me, and it took a while to get behind his story.

Turns out, Selene’s life has been a lie. She’s a changeling and things only get stranger from there. There’s powers, drama, politics, and rigorous training that all needs to come back to her in order for her to support this stranger/forgotten person in a big maybe war. It just seemed like the drama and complications for poor Selene just never let up. She took it in stride for the most part, but this book definitely doesn’t end in any sort of solid resolution here. I am not sure I would call it a cliffhanger, but we don’t end this book with all the answers or even in a “happy” place. I’m not sure I’ll continue, even though I’m that type of reader. Something about the character dynamic gave me the creeps, but that could just be my take.

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Born Magic: The Diary of Scarlett Bernard

Born Magic: The Diary of Scarlett Bernard by Melissa F. Olson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, I took a bit of a long break between the previous book and this one, but knew I would circle back eventually. I ended up picking this up in audiobook format which I found really entertaining. I did scroll to a few other reviews to she how folks who powered through the whole series found it, and I guess I’m in the minority?

Diving right back in to Scarlett’s life was relatively easy. I completely forgot just about everything about this world, but the diary format of this made it easy to weave in summary info for folks like me. Scarlett’s narrative voice is great and very relatable. While I can’t relate to the whole new mom vibe, she just seems… authentic. Her and Jesse trying to navigate living together (with vampires), figuring out their careers, next steps, family drama, etc. was really entertaining. When I found the book winding down I was so sad to see it wrap up for good. I loved being in their world.

So, other than baby stuff, is there a big storyline? I guess it’s a series of mysteries that, of course, end up all being tied together in a supernatural way. If I had come straight into this book from the previous one, maybe I would have been dying to see where everything ended up, but for me this was almost starting fresh and that was nice. I think I am going to need to look up other books by this author!

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Dragon Born

Dragon Born by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After so many books, I wasn’t sure we’d ever get to see Henry’s story fully told, but here we are!

Henry is a human in a world full of magic. He doesn’t fault them for it, but he also doesn’t feel completely part of their universe. When he meets Melisse, a bit of magic is created in the form of some unexplainable bond between the two of them. She does her best to push him away and he does the same, leaving them both unhappy. Now that Henry can sense a dangerous Druid in Zora, where he knows Melisse is, there’s nothing that will stop him from going rogue and diving into trouble.

Melisse has also been a bit of a loaner, what with being dubbed the most dangerous weapon and kept locked up for ages. She doesn’t fit the title of King, but also doesn’t really seem to be a “normal” dragon either. Through a determination to save a small child and prove her worth to the dragons of Zora, Melisse ends up wandering into a magical area and getting rapidly captured in a labyrinth-like setting. There is, as always, more in the works than you think, so it’s not a simple thing to get in and out, saving the many captured dragons. Henry and Melisse must get over their misunderstandings and hesitations to work together and save each other.

This book was a lot of fun to read, even with all the dangerous twists and turns. Henry really deserves his own tale and this was a very satisfying ending for him and Melisse. It was also great to see all the recurring characters crop up in fun ways, adding their own special abilities to the fight.

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Deadly Little Secret

Deadly Little Secret by Sierra Dean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, first off - this book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, but I hope that can be expected if you know the next book is the last of the series. We have to build to something big!

This book picks up where the previous on left off. Secret is now a werewolf and is unfortunately stuck with Lucas as a third in her counseling sessions. Having two husbands is complicated. Also complicated, navigating the politics of a bunch of rogue wolves threatening you on the way home. Said rogues end up stirring up some history that Secret was not privy to before now. On top of this, Secret ends up on a wild goose chase for the council to find her friend.

Both these things end up coming out a head right around when Secret is going to make her first full moon shift with the pack, so I give her a pass for the very emotional way all of the parallel stories went down. While the outcome of that council endeavor ended up screwing up what could maybe/hopefully be her happy ending, good on her for standing up for herself. Also, I am really rooting for werewolf divorce (from Lucas). Fingers crossed we get that in the next book, too!

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A Wicked Secret

A Wicked Secret by Sierra Dean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are so fun and comfortable. Will Secret make terrible decisions that put her in grave danger? Yes. Will her love life be trouble? Yes. Throw in a wild paranormal adventure and you’ve got a formula I love.

Secret and Desmond are still trying to work out the “new normal” of Secret, the ex-vampire ex-werewolf now human, mated up with the New York king of werewolves. Secret is still partnered up with Harry, a demon, and running down the “bad” demons despite her human status. Desmond is still leading the werewolves even though Lucas, the previous werewolf king and Secret’s ex-ish-husband has returned from the dead. Their life is complicated.

Lucas manages to complicate their life even more when he gets captured in another country and another werewolf king’s territory. What should be a “simple” ransom exchange ends up escalating rather quickly into a hunt through the jungle with Secret, Desmond, Harry, and their assigned local liaison running for their lives on the full moon. So much happens that it doesn’t even make it possible to give high level points, but when they leave the jungle (as we all expected, right?) there are some changes that we will address in the next book. I still really enjoy this series, even after the ending/re-starting business, which is more than I can say for other series I have barreled through.

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Soulmates, Doorways, and Other Unruly Magic

Soulmates, Doorways, and Other Unruly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the completionist that I am, I picked up this short bonus story to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first book. This book gives you a flavor of the chaos in Jade’s life and maybe even a “normal” day in the life? What it does not do is give you a huge story with resolution. A happy diversion, just like for the characters.

We join Jade, Kandy, and Kett as they sit around “bored” and waiting for the next crisis. Jade is boredom baking, Kandy is fastidiously ignoring her pregnant state, and Kett is being stoic. As weird as it would be for anyone else, for these three a magical doorway showing up in the middle of the bakery is not too strange. It is, however, an easy diversion. They silently agree to choose danger over boredom and away they go!

There’s a bunch of twists and turns that truly put our main characters in peril, but since this is just a teaser, not too much of major significance occurs. There’s a little bit more understanding among the three, the start of something big, and maybe a new appreciation for boredom by the end.

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The Accidental Sereph

The Accidental Sereph by Maci Aurora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love a quick PNR read that checks all the boxes? I could gobble up a handful of these and still be ready to read more.

This, assuming it’s the first of the “Curran Hollow Fated Mates” series, introduces us to the brothers Black, a group of Serephs who protect a very specific territory from demons. Because they have the power to hide what they do, they basically just look like bad boy bikers who start fights for no reason. It would probably lead to a very solitary existence except for the promise of finding your fated mate, subsequently getting wings, and oodles of sex. Atlas is the star of this particular installment and heads out to see if any demons are swinging by the local pub when all hell breaks loose.

Ivy is on the bus to try to rescue her kidnapped sister when she runs into Atlas and is immediately bowled over by his magnetism. Demons spoil their awkward introduction and Ivy is force to learn things in the moment, which she does miraculously well. It was neat to see the dynamic, learn the lore, and meet all the characters in rapid succession. The book has great pacing and even though we jump into bed quickly, it somehow didn’t seem weird (or weirder than this world expects). There is a nice HEA with enough loose ends to tie up for future books as everyone finds/re-finds their mates.

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The False Pawn

The False Pawn by A.E. Asavi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book pulled me in a few different direction and was very much a world building first installment. There is a ton of lore, character introduction, and surprising turns jammed into this book.

Anthea lives with her two sisters, acting as a pseudo mother to them after their parents died and going to work for a paycheck but not much fulfillment. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t her going to a club and then falling through a portal in to an elf-run world. Once there, she is imprisoned, forced to be a slave (or act as one, it’s confusing and edges close to Stockholm syndrome), kidnapped, tortured, betrayed, and then sort-of/kind-of revered? This book takes you through all the feels.

The overall story revolves around a prophecy and lots of court intrigue. Turns out humans exist in this world but they are a slave race, doing the bidding of the elves (who also have magic). It is quickly discovered that Anthea is immune to magic, so they quickly put her to work. Is there romance? Yes? I guess? Again, she is everyone’s prisoner so how much is her own bidding and how much is questionable consent? It toes a line there, but if you can put that aside, there are more than enough very attractive elves who could easily be in the running for Anthea’s partner.

None of this truly pans out as this is just book 1 and we need to set up a lot of things all at once. I’m not the best high fantasy reader, so admit that a lot of the very similar names ended up blurring together a times, but the author did convince me I should be rooting for our unlikely hero, Anthea. It will be interesting to see what other trouble she gets into in future books.

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Fused in Earth and Stone

Fused in Earth and Stone by Sandy Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books where you spend the whole time worrying about all the things Kennedy has not done. In that worry, you somehow do not predict the even worse things that happen during what she *is* doing. Not sure if any of that made sense, but that’s Kennedy’s insane life right now.

Kennedy, as the reluctant caretaker of the Rain, has begun putting in place her own rules, breaking from the status quo, much to the dismay of the werewolf and vampire leaders. They were used to submitting a list that they had each vetted, taking money from the folks who wanted to use the hotel (and give a little bit to the Rains), and going about their merry way. Now Kennedy wants to control who comes and goes and that is not going so well. When the werewolves show up with tent camps, knowing she won’t let them in, she tries to go around the list again, sparking even more werewolf drama.

On top of this, she’s got friends who are starting to suspect non-human stuff, she’s got a vampire ally who is being tortured and is need of rescue, and she’s still got some mysterious debt to a very bad fae. There’s probably more (oh, like the witch who killed her parents still out there causing trouble) but Kennedy has a knack for swinging for the fences in the chaos department. It feels like she has no real clear plan but it sort-of ends up working out for her. Also - what is up with Christian? I have so many questions and while this book gives us an ending that blew my mind, it certainly did not come close to answering all my open questions here. There better be more to this story!

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Cold Curses

Cold Curses by Chloe Neill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am so incredibly sad that I’ve got to leave this world now. I didn’t realize this was the last book until all the loose ends were tied up! This fantastic world is so fun and filled with interesting characters - I’m left hoping for yet another spinoff.

Elisa and Connor are still a bit of a powerhouse duo. They’re officially engaged and navigating the complicated life of a vampire and a shifter alpha pairing up. Elisa is still actively working on keeping the city safe, but that’s proving particularly hard when demons are essentially taking it over. You’d think after the events of the last book we’d get a break, but news of the demon wards going down appears to have signaled an all clear to any and all demons who want to create mayhem. The larger story here is about a bit of mafia-like demon warring that spills over into the human and other paranormal arenas.

While Elisa is trying to calm down her inner monster about getting it back to the sword, she’s also coordinating ward work with her bff’s parents, calling in cops from the city, supporting Connor in his apex challenges, and trying to figure out the “big bad” who is stirring the pot this time. Oh yeah, and she’s also got to plan a wedding or something. Loves seeing the gang firing on all cylinders here in this last act and particularly seeing Lulu step into her own power. This really did offer a fantastic wrap up and while sad, I’m satisfied where we are leaving things.

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Badge of Honor

Badge of Honor by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book shows up a few different ways online. Sometimes it says this is part of the series, sometimes part of the larger epilogue world, but I’d recommend reading this as a very satisfying conclusion to the POA storyline.

Hadley is working on getting the final prep done for her Star Trek themed wedding, while also training for her “final exam” for the POA role she’s essentially been doing this whole time. The vote appears to be in the bag, what with her, ya know, saving the city a whole bunch of times. But there’s a bit of doubt thrown in when a contender is announced with experience being a potentate from another city. While the team (and the city) rally to support Hadley, there’s a lot more at play than just a fair fight.

Midas, of course, has her back 1000%, as does his pack. It was great to see most of the familiar faces resurface to truly put a nice bow around the end of this series. We do finally see a test, the outcome, and even some HEA in Hadley’s future (hopefully). I couldn’t have asked for more in a finale to a great series. This is definitely a must read.

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Shadow Kiss (re-read)

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Adding my re-read notes here:
This book is definitely a turning point in the series. We see Rose, still reeling from the ending of book 2, feeling like an adult but still with training wheels. Lissa is becoming more and more a political figure/pawn in this battle, with less and less insight into Rose’s mental state. Lastly there’s Dimitri, who I didn’t even mention in my few lines review originally (at the bottom). Adrian is really the standout here and thank goodness he gets his own spinoff later.

So - what’s the story? Well, Rose see’s dead people. Or at least 1 dead person. She does the somewhat logical/sane thing and hides this from everyone. While that’s going on, there is the growing darkness Rose is getting from Lissa as she re-embarks on her journey with magic. With her and Adrian working it together often to try to cross train, it starts to add up. Through all this - the “real world” experience part of class is in session. Teachers are fake/real attacking paired up folks and Eddie is really kicking butt, even though he is somewhat reluctantly assigned to Lissa.

The other big thing? Their old nemesis resurfaces with ominous threats and almost blackmail about Rose/Dimitri’s make out session. In my re-read I have to admit that I was way more conflicted about where that all ends up this time around. Maybe it’s the +13 years since my original read through, but it made me feel way more icky. All in all, though, lots happen at the end of this book that begin a whole new journey in book 4.

Original review: Gah! So much happened in this book that I think I need a breather before I start the next one. Ps I love Adrian.

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The Epilogues: Part III: How to Rattle an Undead Couple

How to Rattle an Undead Couple by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We are just blasting through all the important events in Linus and Grier’s new life together. At the end of the previous novella we learned that Grier was unexpectedly pregnant and they didn’t really have time to evaluate what type of powers the kid would get. That’s not their biggest problem, though.

At almost the start of the much awaited baby shower, Linus’s very powerful mother is a no show. There is absolutely nothing short of kidnapping that would keep her from this event, so they all immediately go on high alert. There are hints that our mysterious vampire nemesis might be behind it, but that would be too simple. With all the mysteries going on, it’s no surprise that the reveal caught me off guard. Also, I didn’t expect to have such a “to be continued” ending, but I guess with Grier and Linus there is no such thing as expected endings. I’ll be hopping from this to the novella in the spinoff series.

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The Epilogues: Part II: How to Survive an Undead Honeymoon

How to Survive an Undead Honeymoon by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After that very messy and very chaotic wedding, I was excited to see what they had planned as a honeymoon. With Linus planning, it seemed like a safer bet than something Grier chose. No such luck.

They end up in a remote bed and breakfast that comes complete with a haunted history. Seems like something that should be easy enough to navigate, even if the ominous anniversary of demon sightings is rapidly approaching. Things never go easy for these two, though, so even while on their honeymoon, they get sucked into a bit of a murder-mystery, with cats, demons, and things that go bump in the night. Even a simple trip to the library comes with attempts on their lives.

If you’re worried that this will be a road trip story with no other characters we know - don’t worry. Oh, and it has a super fun ending! I’m loving these little shorts to add on to the main story and would happily read even more of them.

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The Epilogues: Part I: How to Kiss an Undead Bride

The Epilogues: How to Kiss an Undead Bride by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really love that we get to revisit with Grier and Linus post-main series big stuff. Don’t worry, there’s still big stuff here! It’s finally wedding time!

After all the potentate training, long engagement, and other craziness, we get to have a wedding! It is (of course) happening at their home and will be filled to the brim with the required society guests and their chosen families. Now that the important food decisions are winding down, of course that’s when the last seed nobody ever wanted to hear from again seems to resurface. There’s terrible clues pointing to someone hell bent on ruining the wedding, even out to get their vendors!

I loved watching the crew dig into the mystery but I definitely didn’t put all the pieces together in time. The wedding ends up being an affair to remember in a pretty terrible way and I was a little let down at the mood killer. It wraps up okay, but you definitely get to feel all the feels in this reveal.

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Pinky Promise

Pinky Promise by J. D. Blackrose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series has gotten me completely addicted and no amount of bad decisions by main characters can shake me loose. It might go without saying, but you should start at the beginning here - if you somehow picked this book up first, I don’t know what to tell you.

Becs and her big mouth have committed her to somehow restoring Pinky’s powers, that he expended so completely to rescue… everyone. On top of that commitment, her dream walking friend has just informed her that she’s also got to do the one thing she swore to never do again - visit Faerie. She somehow needs to convince the queen to help them repair the connective tissue between Earth and her world, to save them both. Oh, and Becs gets a dog. That’s important.

Also very important is the bizarre love triangle-ish thing happening between a possibly reformed mobster (who started the whole trip to Pinky losing his powers) and Asher, the ex-angel. I completely thought this book was going to be Asher tripping over himself to become powerful again but instead it really surprised me. No spoilers, but it’s a good ride to get there. I can almost support the rationale - almost! I can’t wait for the next book to see how they get out of this messy not-really-a-true-cliffhanger ending.

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Moment of Truth

Moment of Truth by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where do you even begin when you wrap up a 5 book series? This was a very satisfying ending, wrapping up all the loose ends I wanted it too, but still left me wanting lots of epilogues (which I will go into right after!).

Hadley just needs to do one small thing before she can continue to her official role as Potentate - ya know, just save the city from the encroaching evil witches, lock said witches out of their “wardrobe”, and figure out her relationship with Midas. OK, so the last one kind of already worked itself out, but they still have the whole balance between Potentate and the pack to discuss.

Without getting into the details and spoilers, it was fun watching the team work together, play it their strengths, and I also really appreciated the mystery of who was behind this whole thing. There was a lot of time slippage, portal hopping, and *a lot* of “screen time” from our oddly favorite shadow. This book somehow helped me reach a certain appreciation for him and I feel pretty good about how Hadley ends this journey.

She and Midas are a perfect pair and their chosen family is even better. I was sad to say goodbye to someone, but hope they have their own update/spinoff opportunity. As a series, I am happy I took the chance and dove into the world of Hadley, even after not particularly liking her in the original series. I went on the journey with her and was happier for it!

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The Hedge Witch

The Hedge Witch by Colleen Delaney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun start to a series! I wasn’t sure what to expect with this new (to me) sort of hedge witch, but I fell in love with this merry band of sisters.

Laurel is a hedge witch. She’s got all sorts of powers, but she mostly tries not to use them and instead has leaned into her calling as a tarot card reader. Living with her sisters in a house on a relatively remote island, there aren’t huge witch-related issues to worry about until one particularly eventful hedge jump. Having all been warned that the sisters would find their fated mates, Laurel eagerly discovered her soul mate (or a version of him), but that appears to have triggered her past lives-self’s cursed arch-nemesis to resurface.

Owen is the son of a witch but is not particularly powerful. He is a carpenter entering his slow season when he meets Laurel in what he deems a dream. On a quest from a higher power, he ends up adventuring the said remote island and gets quickly pulled into the mayhem that ensues. Don’t worry, though, because there is also romance, sexy times, good conquering evil, and all that jazz. I like the unique blend of powers we learned about and hope Owen’s chaos-loving family comes to visit them soon!

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Proof of Life

Proof of Life by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really thought I couldn’t stomach another book with Boaz in it, yet here we are, with me loving this one despite the stupid big oaf. Hadley has completely converted me and now I can handle anything as long as she and Midas are there.

By the end of the previous book, we got to watch Hadley and Midas make it official, moving in together, being really mates, so all is well in the romance department (if they could only get time to get together alone - that’s another theme in this book). It’s of course at this time that her family (original and new) decide to come visit for some random art exhibit. Seems very shady, but that appears to be legit. At the start of this book, we begin to notice a theme - someone is trying to blow up Hadley and/or her friends and family. They manage to hit a few places, kill a few people, and everyone is still trying to find any clue as to who it could be. Signs point to betrayal, unfortunately.

Addie is maybe one of the best new characters for me, and while I didn’t appreciate her in the Boaz spinoff story, she is a great “big sister” to Hadley throughout. This book really explores all the trauma and terrible time Hadley had growing up, and even unblinds that to her inner circle. At this point, most people also know about her alter ego, her “shadow” and we even get an amped up screen time to that effect. I'm loving where we are heading, with the big showdown on the horizon, but boy oh boy was this a crummy reveal at the end. Well written, kept me guessing, but we have a big mess to clean up in the next book!

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Change of Heart

Change of Heart by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m loving this series, so much in fact that I’m way behind in reviewing because I am gobbling these up as quick as I can! I also have completely determined that this series is better than the original (Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy), though we need to get through that to get to this wonderful place.

Hadley is wonderful. It’s refreshing to be in both her head and Midas’s, which seems to be evening out and I love it. The snark, the laughter, the love, is all just perfection. They also balance each other out in wonderful ways. This book is about the yucky yucky yucky “drug” that is being distributed among paranormals and humans alike. It comes from a truly terrible source, and of course they need to stop it from killing their kind (an “unfortunate” side effect).

Also, coming off the heels of the previous book, they need to collect hearts from the evil coven that’s after them. It’s gross and terrible, but that’s the deal that was struck. This book also unblinds a member of Hadley’s team, which is a nice side-effect of the weird magical interference. I’m happy that we might see everyone pair up and be happy by the end of all this craziness. I do really mean craziness because there is a surprisingly large amount of explosions, damage to the main characters, and fire around. We get to meet more supernaturals, too, and even get a glimpse into Bishop’s background a little more. Loving all this and highly recommend this series!

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Bound by Bloodsong

Bound by Bloodsong by Sandy Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my wishlist since I read the first in this series. I got a little distracted and didn’t circle back until now. This is a series with a rich world and really unique, fun, paranormal bits.

Kennedy is kind of a jerk. I get it, she’s thrust into a life she doesn’t want to pursue and it’s all because her parents were murdered. She’s being told what to do by just about everyone around her and she wants no part in it. And then there’s Blake, a sexy werewolf stalker type who she is equal parts attracted to and scared of. He’s definitely got an agenda, but by the end of this I’m kind of convinced that he just wants in her pants. To add more love interests to the pot, we’ve also got Christian, who knows more than he says and hides all sorts of secrets. He also seems to be sort-of in love with Kennedy.

The big sweeping story of who killed her parents is continued here (and resolved?), but we also get more bits of Kennedy’s past, previous friends, introductions to yet more paranormals out there, and lots and lots of Kennedy saying no to really really powerful people. By the end, I was on her side, but it definitely takes a lot to love her. I will 100% be continuing on to see where we go with all the drama she stirred up at the end of this book.

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Pack of Lies

Pack of Lies by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are really good. Like, maybe even better than the main series that this is a spinoff from. Big plus? No Boaz. Also - Midas is really great. Oh, and Hadley too!

I gotta say, by book 2 I’ve completed gotten over Hadley’s previous “sins” and am now firmly on her team. Her team, too, is awesome, and I love that we get to go there and learn all about them. This book starts with them recovering from making some bad decisions during the “snowball” incident. It’s a teachable moment, but there’s also some strangeness going on with Hadley. She’s waking up in places she didn’t go to sleep and she’s worried Ambrose is slipping the leash. This book also showed Bishop stepping up and being a good friend and I guess partner? Not sure what to call him because he’s not really the leader, but he definitely enjoys unlimited spending on flame throwers.

This book also took a deeper look in the mentor/mentee relationship between Hadley and Linus, which developed “off screen” between the two series. Love it all, and I especially love the blossoming relationship between Midas and Hadley. Don’t really love the Ford mess, or the bugs that are a messy gross thing almost as much. These books are fun, surprising, and I find myself laughing or smiling while listening. I love where they are headed and I’m also glad this book marks the hopeful end of the triangle.

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Frostbite

Frostbite by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m re-reading this series with book club and have a new/old appreciation for them.

While I can see that my original read was a long time ago and has a bit of a nostalgic feel, the re-read is giving me new appreciation for the journey these characters all go on. The big important thing that I took for granted first time around is the introduction of Adrian. He is the best and continues being the best. The main story, though, is about how the bad vampires are ganging up and combining their efforts with humans for hire to take out whole families. In a world where it being daylight out used to mean safety, this throws their fragile world into chaos.

In romantic storyline news, Rose is still filled with the teen angst and I’ve got to say that she is way in the wrong here. Having stepped back from the sizzle, it’s totally not OK for her to hook up with essentially her teacher. Don’t worry, though, they dance around that line a bit in this book. There’s also poor Mason, the rebound, who goes through all the feelings in the span of this one book. Also, making a somehow redeeming appearance is Mia. By the end, you kind of stop hating her as much, and group all these teens in a more traumatized bucket. Overall, this book begins the steady climb to the end of their journey, but they all don’t even know it yet. Still love this series - it’s a super easy read, too!

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