Hidden

Hidden by Melody Grace Hicks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is likely somewhere around a 3.5 for me. It is a big, bold introduction to a world that combines modern times with mythology in a fun, unique way. There’s all manner of mythological being thrown in that had me searching my brain for my college classes on gods and goddesses.

Shannon is a woman who is passionate about her career. She has just somewhat recently escaped from an abusive relationship and is eager to get away to an international conference. On the plane she meets a famous lead singer and they hit it off in very sexy ways. It turns out that this lead singer is actually Loki in a disguise and he is absolutely smitten with Shannon. He, of course, reveals this is in the worst possible way, resulting in oodles of misunderstandings, fear, and some god-like revelations. This whole plot line would be enough for a single book, but this one doesn’t even begin to stop there!

Shannon needs to learn to live with one foot in the human world and one in the world of the gods. Loki, for his own part, is starting to regret all his childish decisions to upset or create enemies of other god-like beings, which ends up putting a big target on the back of anyone he shacks up with. There’s grudges, revenge plots, family lineage reveals, bad best friends, even worse sisters, dragon beings, babies, and kidnapping to round this big introductory book out. By the end I was hoping Shannon would be able to just take a breather, but we end on a cliffhanger, unsure where her life will end up!

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Promise the Moon

Promise the Moon by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, it’s totally on me that I didn’t realize this was not going to be Cam narrating anymore. I blindly added the entire “Gemini” series on my phone and have been plowing my way through them. After the third book in the series and then the short story that bridges, I was shocked to find us in Dell’s head.

Maybe with more warning I could have been prepared, but this Dell seems very different from the fun and quirky girl we met with Cam. Dell fought to become beta of the Lorimar pack and found herself in a one-sided relationship with her mate, Isaac. Since the narrator at the time didn't know much about their relationship, it is a little hard to start this book understanding the heartbreak Dell went through. Without the backstory or all the details, this first book in the series had a bigger hill to climb than the other books so far. Isaac left, so what? Convince me why they are this wonderful love story. At the start, we know more about her witch friend who still pursues her than Isaac.

What I really liked about this book was Dell’s friends. I could take or leave the love triangle dudes, but want to see more of Dell leading, having supportive friends, eating cupcakes, etc. Even when Isaac does show up, I am still not getting the romance vibes at all. It’s like fated mates but without the love story at all. Weird. I’m forgiving it because I do really enjoy Dell and this story with all its weird fae was interesting.

The larger story (and better, really) was about how the pack is protecting the new entrance from faerie to Earth and hunting down whoever is stealing away folks in town. I liked watching Dell find her footing with the accidental alpha position she’s got here while her true alphas are off trying to solve big fae stuff. While we do get another cliffhanger, it wasn’t as much painful as it was out of left field. This author has a thing for stopping the story mid-stride, so I am somewhat used to it.

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Fish out of Water

Fish Out of Water by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m doing my best to read all the Gemini stories, so of course I dove into this one (pun intended) to see what on earth happened to Harlow!

I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t even sure I liked Harlow, so this could have been a very long read if being in her head was terrible. We met her briefly, through Cam, then she’s taken, and at that point I hadn’t quite formed an opinion on her character other than “needs to be rescued.” So now that she’s been saved, she obviously has some baggage to work through, which is why she’s in the paranormal mental institution.

Turns out, I like Harlow. She’s tough and determined to do what’s right when she ends up stumbling upon a body in the middle of the night. She’s got help, too, in the form of Carter, the guy who can magically whammy women (who we met when Cam visited). I absolutely LOVED that these two misfits ended up forming a bond, despite their best intentions. I also really enjoyed having some resolution on not only for Harlow but Bianca too. Turns out, the mental institution is the place for epilogue stories. The murder get solved and I think we are well on our way to a much deserved HEA for Harlow.

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A Very Fairy Funeral

A Very Fairy Funeral by A.N. Sage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an adorable start to a cute paranormal mystery series! We’ve got all manner of supernatural jammed into this small town, all doing their best to navigate human life.

Lyra is a fairy who escaped a forced marriage by fleeing to the human world. She’s developed a career as a funeral director in a creepy old house, complete with her snarky cat/changeling companion. When an unclaimed/unidentified body shows up at her door, she can’t resist the mystery of it all. Following a random visitor ends up introducing her to the “grim wardens” who are a group of funeral directors or mortuary workers who investigate mysteries that nobody wants to take on.

While Lyra is usually a loner in the human world, she finds herself falling quickly for this group of misfits and the mystery they offer. It doesn’t hurt that Finn, her mysterious visitor, is an attractive member of this group. I loved meeting all these characters and coming along on their journey, solving a case that would likely not have been dealt with had they not taken it upon themselves to work for the deceased.

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Blood Skye

Blood Skye by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are definitely building toward the big showdown, but this book in particular felt a bit more like a small piece of the puzzle to that end.

Carlyle is the Knight who has gone off to try to rescue his father from the evil London group. He has done is best to not risk anyone else on his mission, but ends up with the most unlikely of allies in his fight. Devon (aka “Song”), the woman who delivered the news about his father, ends up under attack when Carlyle approaches her, and they end up on the run together. Reluctant allies, as usual, end up more than friends, but it is a very very slow burn there. They build more trust and friendship along their journey, finding out they share similarities in their situations.

As I mentioned at the start, I feel like we don’t really get true resolution in this one. For a relationship, sure, but anything else? Nope. Song may end up being a powerful ally in their bigger fight, but all the chess pieces are still in play and nobody has been eliminated in this particular installment. If anything, they have introduced more characters that may or may not be new enemies in this fight.

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Cursed in Love

Cursed in Love by Emily Colin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved EVERYTHING about this paranormal romance. It had an adorable meeting, friends turned lovers, oodles of rich townsfolk character development, and so much more!

Rune has been cursed to have premonitions of death that nobody will ever believe. This has led to many arrests, very few true friendships, and difficulties in life in general. She has somehow made it work, becoming a successful graphic designer who works from home (WFH because, ya know, the unplanned visions). It’s a small town, where everybody is in each other’s business, so it’s somewhat amazing that she’s doing so well here even after her turbulent childhood in foster care. Her boss throws a wrench in all this when he forces her to partner up, in office, with someone she has deemed “sex spreadsheet guy” for his uptight/antisocial personality. Her reluctance is proven correct when their first day working together involves a car crash, finding out Donovan (“sex spreadsheet guy”) has a brother who arrested her earlier that day, and then becoming the headline news of their town’s gossip page.

I loved the chaos vs order opposites attract vibe between these two, with or without paranormal elements at work. Said paranormal elements appear to be all over the place, hiding in plain sight in this small town. Did I mention how much I loved all of the characters we meet? Because they are all WONDERFUL! All of their genuine nature made the outlandish magic we interact with later in the story all the more believable. I won’t spoil the big bad or any twists and turns here, but Rune and Donovan certainly have to overcome some obstacles to find their HEA. Do we get more books in this universe? I hope so!

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My Funny Demon Valentine

My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This first of what I assume is a several book long series does a great job world-building, introducing somehow “nice” demon “brothers,” and starting what is likely several fated mate stories with Eva & Ash.

Ash is a demon who has been cursed. He’s made some mistakes in the past, which sent this lust demon into invisible territory. Any women who may want him find him uninteresting or essentially not there, except for Eva. Eva spots Ash on a night when he and his brothers have escaped from hell and can’t seem to get him out of her thoughts. Ash, on the other hand, assumes she is just interested in his brothers, as usual. When a shootout/turned paranormal fight breaks out, Ash saves Eva but unfortunately exposes her to his world.

Eva, through some twist of fate, has been predisposed to weird beliefs by her atypical parents. This, plus her undeniable attraction to Ash puts here firmly in like with him, with or without a second form she may have seen. These two sizzle as they dance around trust issues and other baggage. This story definitely had me rooting for the bag guys, which is a fun and new way of framing a love story. I enjoyed the HEA standalone nature of the story, but also liked the additional characters introduced here (I assume they all get paired off in the future).

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