Psycho Fae

Psycho Fae by Jasmine Mas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poor Sadie has been through an awful lot in a short amount of time, and now she’s been betrayed by someone she trusted (along with the rest of her alpha-squad). They are forced to participate in something like the hunger games but for alphas, fae, and all manner of other being. Oh, and even queen’s guard and Sadie’s BFF get to stay main characters in this one!

First, I have to acknowledge that if you don’t want to read about bloody fights, failing at running, descriptions of… everything that is part of anyone’s anatomy, and so much more weird stuff - step away now. There’s nudity, which involves lots of description, there’s sexual frustration, which also involves lots of description, and so many combinations of alphas that… well, you get the hint. For the “larger story” we do make A LOT of progress, especially at the end of this book. We get answers to a lot of the open questions and I’m sure there is even more in the next book, based on how this book teased it. I’m not sure I want Sadie’s reverse harem to grow any more, but I would love to see how this all pans out.



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The Children of the Isle: Bloodlines

The Children of the Isle: Bloodlines by L.H. Davies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that this is clearly book one of what seems like many books. The ending happened very abruptly (for me) so warning those who are incredibly allergic to cliffhangers or unresolved issues.

Connie is a teenager who is set a bit adrift after the loss of her mother and her father remarrying. While her father is off on holiday, he has arranged for Connie to stay with her aunt and family, who just so happen to be witches. It turns out that Connie has some abilities they can work to further grow, made specially easy because her aunt is the leader of the local witches. Her cousin takes her out on her first night in town and Connie somehow attracts the attention of the town recluse/mysterious hottie. Said hottie is called Rhys and hails from a powerful Druid group who can shapeshift. Sounds like too much, right? Folks in this book seem to get annoyed with her reactions/temper-tantrums but I think she is holding it together nicely with all this change.

Connie and Rhys have almost no romance - going from strangers to in love in the blink of an eye because they are destined to be and/or are reincarnated souls of lovers from centuries ago. Either way, I did struggle with this a bit, especially with their age differences. To help this along, they do end up spending a lot of time reliving their shared past and learning about one another that way. Just when we were getting to some dramatic historical events, the book ends, leaving me wishing I got to see the outcome, how Connie and Rhys begin life together, Connie’s shapeshifting maturing - any number of other things, but I guess that’s where future installments will play.

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Garters, Ghosts and Wedding Toasts

Garters, Ghosts and Wedding Toasts by Angie Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely adore this world, the characters, and all the hijinks they get up to. Of course, Verity’s life is not simple or easy, so why should her sister’s wedding be any different?

So, for good or bad, Verity’s sister is in love with someone who used to be Verity’s arch-nemesis. While he may still be skeptical of her ghost business, I believe he’s finally bent enough to fit into Verity’s life. On what seems like a normal day for Verity, her sister surprises her by agreeing to get married in a few days out of town and at a historic location. Historic obviously means haunted, but this crew is used to managing mayhem.

As usual, Verity brings her ghost, her detective skills, her supportive boyfriend, and hopes to give her sister the perfect day. When they arrive, things are not looking so hot. There’s angry ghosts, murder, missing jewels, lots of gangsters, and way too many suspects. I definitely did not guess any of the mysteries, so bravo there! This book somehow manages to blend this genuine feeling of family, romance, and a really engaging murder mystery. After the rollercoaster ride of a wedding, we also get a super fun ending with all the feelings. This book was such a treat to read, and I can’t wait to see more from Verity and crew!

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Enchantra

Enchantra by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I honestly read the previous book under the incorrect assumption that it was a standalone, so imagine my delight when I realized there was a book that had Genevieve, the sister we spent too little time with, had her own book!

While we got a brief intro and look at Genevieve in the previous book, we really get to dive into her own history and personal trauma. We knew she had been more in-the-know about their mother’s secrets than Ophelia was, but in this book we learn that Genevieve had secretly been corresponding with one of her mother’s close friends. While she is on her little adventure, she ends up getting hit with a hex as a result of her not visiting the mysterious estate where she meets Rowin. After he promptly slams the door in her face, he had pretty much guaranteed that the stubborn sibling would dig her heels in.

Genevieve’s first stubborn act ends up putting her on the path to participation in a murderous game of hide and seek, run by a Devil, and ultimately to save Rowin’s mother. As she can’t leave and can’t play on her own, she winds up married to Rowin so she can compete. I’m not really sure how to sum up all that goes on, but there's a lot of sizzle, secrets, murder, and even some relationship building. There was enough of a trauma bond by the end of this that I was rooting for these two to build something real. Everything is tied up neatly at the end, but maybe we get more in the form of books for the other siblings? One can hope!

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Twelve Months

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gah, this book was SO DEPRESSING. It was genuinely tough to get through and I cried a few times during some of the particularly hard parts. That being said, this was a necessary installment in Harry’s world, giving us more than just the beat up wizard. We got to see Harry as protector, father, friend, knight, and, of course, wizard.

So, ya know, there was this big battle where a lot of people, namely Murphy, died. Harry is barely holding it together, essentially giving us all a great example of how you can’t pour from an empty cup. He is really trying, collecting strays for his castle, going on “dates” with Lara, taking on a new apprentice, and so much more. The amount of stories and issues going on made me exhausted, but I know that is part of us experiencing what Harry is going through.

This book, as I said, was tough and I struggled at a bunch of points in the first half of the book. It was really important for us all to go through that because I found myself appreciating the relationships and even the big battle more because we were in the “muck” with Harry earlier in the book. There are so many machinations going on that I couldn't even begin to talk about them all. Tough choices are made, bad guys are maybe not as bad as you think, etc. etc. etc. The end of this book reminded me why I keep coming back to this series, no matter how bad it beats me up.

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Magic Uncorked

Magic Uncorked by Annabel Chase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book felt so real, even with the witchy elements. The story is built on characters who were unique and believable, not flawless or perfect.

Libbie has a pretty OK life at the start of this book. She’s got two great kids, a standing cocktail club gathering every Friday, a job, a boyfriend, and a very supportive ex-husband. She might not speak up as much as she should, but she gets by. After the organizer of the cocktail club ends up passing away suddenly, the girls all need to accept the fact that they have inherited witch powers. Libbie is the first to “receive” them, I’m the form of some magical cocktail recipes. The first one ends up giving her the confidence to stand up for herself and shaking her life up.

On Libbie’s journey, we get to watch her grow into a confident woman, not afraid to go after what she wants and have greater control over her life. While I am usually only reading smutty paranormal romance books, this one was noticeably absent of smut. I have to admit, though, that I didn’t miss it, especially because Libbie has an opportunity to go down that path and decides instead to focus on herself. I see that there are several more books in this series, so I will add the next one to my to-read pile right now!

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Banshee Power

Banshee Power by Jen Katemi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book landed somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, so I rounded up. Admittedly, I took a very long pause between book 2 and 3, so I had a bunch of catching up to do, but I still enjoyed this world. Are there tons of family issues in this one? You betcha! But do we get to a happy ending? Sure do!

Maewen is only half banshee, but she uses magic to suppress even that smaller part of herself, leaving her essentially human. She works for what amounts to the supernatural cops and is currently focused on trying to track down the big bad who is destroying the human and fae worlds. It’s this mess that prompts Rho, the prince of the winter court, to insert himself into Maewen’s investigation and life.

Maewen’s sisters have all already had their big heroic moment with their magic, but she continues to keep her magic bottled up the same way she is treating the baggage she has around her mom. It takes a very stubborn prince to open her eyes and convince her that her magic, while inconvenient at times, can be a gift. There’s sizzle and pop throughout, though a bit more along the lines of fated mates rather than romance and flowers. I thought this was the end of this story but now it looks like there is a book 4 out there somewhere that I will likely pick up.

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