Ruthless Ends

Ruthless Ends by Katie Wismer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Did we wrap things up? I guess we did, but there is also the promise of a spinoff series in the future, thus explaining why we shoehorned a new character in here at the last minute. I think we spent more time with Anya than Beth, who was apparently Valerie's BFF growing up?

Ugh - shadow realm Valerie is the worst. The world is falling apart, her evil dad is really evil, somehow we are not supposed to hate her mom anymore, and I guess there is some sort of love triangle happening? I'm over it all but here for the big showdown to happen. After all this craziness, at least we get some good resolution for a lot of the characters. And I know I'm not supposed to be excited but some actually die - which is a change from the previous books. In this final installment we get lots of sacrifice and revenge, and it doesn’t shy away from the darkness. The ending is satisfying, though I wouldn’t have minded a few more answers to lingering questions.

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Bloodless Ties

Bloodless Ties by Katie Wismer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valerie Darkmore is back in book three of The Marionettes series, and things are darker than ever. After sacrificing everything to save those she loves, Valerie finds herself in enemy territory with dear old dad. She doesn't last long with that crew before getting throw to the wolves - literally. Can I say that I hated Cam? I hated Cam. I am anti-Cam. I can't stress this enough because the yucky, gross, dirt and blood-covered conditions that Valerie finds herself in for most of this book really colored how I viewed all of the happenings in this book.

It takes a while for all of our characters to meet back up and, surprise, there's even more betrayal, blood, and grossness that occurs. That doesn't even begin to explain why we are still meeting new characters at book 3 of 4, but here we are. Heavy sigh and whatnot - I'm still going to continue and still do enjoy this world, but it can get a little frustrating when our tough main character is always getting saved or making truly terrible decisions. It also very much feels like nobody actually dies or is actually in danger throughout, so I'm struggling to lean into the story.

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Immortal by Morning

Immortal by Morning by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, we are a book# 37 in this series, so if you aren't sure what you've signed up for, I suggest you go back to the start of this series. Having read allllll the books up to now, I'm happy with this comfortable world, even when it's filled with murder.

The immortal we get to watch get paired off in this book is Crispin, a homicide detective in a town that doesn't really have homicides. He's tasked with identifying rogue activity so enforcers can put a swift end to it. His world gets a lot more interesting when Abril finds human bones in her boss's garden. She is, of course, his life mate. Surprised? No, but she is a good kind of tough main character that I appreciate in this series. She likes to be in charge and when the enforcers descend upon the house she is watching, it rapidly escalates into the whole "tell her about Atlantis" thing.

Overall, this one delivers in the ways you'd expect, except with maybe less smutty goodness. It ended up feeling a little rushed to conclusion - what happened with her boss? Where do they end up? I hope we get to revisit these two in a future book somehow so I can get some resolution.

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Wicked Never Sleeps

Wicked Never Sleeps by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a really fun world with such a unique blend of gritty sci-fi and paranormal romance! This is the first of the series and I'm hooked on it already. I'm glad I got the box set!

Wicked is the secret hidden paranormal sixth borough of New York. Our main character is Dani DeMarco, a former detective turned pizza shop owner, who’s pulled back into the detective life when the mayor is murdered. The case is tangled with magic and secrets, and Dani’s unique abilities make her the only one who can help them solve it. Our other main character is Matthew King, the only vampire in the borough and also the captain on the police force that Dani is helping. Oh, and they used to date, of coruse. With all that some unresolved romantic tension, a murderer on the loose, and wolves literally banging down the door, and you’ve got a fast-paced, twisty ride. The world-building is rich, the mystery is compelling, and I really want Dani and Matthew to be a thing again. This book had just the right amount of police procedural, paranormal romance, and witchy goodness. On to book 2!

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The Wrong Witch to Hex With

The Wrong Witch to Hex With by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is the first in the new Molly Harper series, a spinoff of a previous series I finished up. I don't think you need to have read that one to appreciate these, but it helps to know some of the key players on the island.

Linney Seaworth is the youngest of three sea witch sisters, and she lives a quiet life on the magical island of Starfall Point. She, of course, does not follow her eldest sister's wishes to keep them apart from the rest of the island, and sneaks out whenver she can. It's on one such escape that she meets Gray, a pretty terrible ghost tour guide who doesn’t believe in ghosts. Their interactions are delightfully chaotic and adorble, filled with oodles of banter and fun. Linney and Gray’s chemistry is instant and charming, and watching Gray come to terms with the very real paranormal world he’s been misrepresenting was fun the watch.

As the first in a series, this is the introduction to the looming threat that forces the sisters to face their fears of the outside world. There's tons of new witch powers introduced in this book, and even more characters just waiting to be paired off! I was a little reluctant to pick this one up, having been very satisfied with how the original series ended, but I'm happy I took the leap. I can't wait to see who gets to be paired off next!

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Gray Dawn

Gray Dawn by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book really wrapped things up so nicely - I am 100% happy and pleasantly surprise. After all the twists and turns along the way, we worked for this one.

So, the last book left two of our favorite team members kidnapped (each in their own way). Rue is, understandably upset and angry at whoever activated the kidnapping. When we finally discover who did that, it seems obvious, but I was with Rue on that one. With hope for rescuing her cousin, Rue is still driving to find him so she could have a trade. To do that, though, we end up going on A LOT of side quests. Oh yeah, and “the hunk” has a definite expiry date for Rue so we also have to manage that threat.

Where do we end up? Well, we get resolution on EVERYTHING. Rue and Asa finally get alone time. Clay ends up getting his HEA. Colby gets more video games, I assume. Lastly, and most importantly, we get a flash forward - thank goodness! This was wonderful and I devoured every moment. This series was so good!

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Gray Days

Gray Days by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Catching up on my reviews, so this is done after the dust has settled on the series, which I can report is all worth it for this cliffhanger.

Rue is now, I guess, the Director of Black Hat after the whole compound blew up in the last book. Using horror movie logic, though, nobody believes the Director is dead until they find a body, so searching they go. Aside from this nonsense, they still need to find Luca, Arden randomly shows up and wants back in Rue’s life, and Rue is trying to establish a “normal” relationship with her parents. Oh, almost forgot about “the hunk” but that’s got a ticking time bomb attached to it, too. Lucky for her, she’s got an amazing support system, especially with her newly reformed Arden connection.

Unlucky for the rest of the world, there’s poisonings that are impacting humans and supernaturals which somehow ties to Luca’s big plan. This is definitely a bridge book to the final showdown, but we get a lot of big power moves in this one that I appreciated. That ending, though, oof.

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