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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Hell or High Water

Hell or High Water by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book definitely doesn’t feel like the end of this story (and it isn’t) but it is the end of the trilogy in Cam’s head. I know we are supposed to be rooting for the bad guy to get caught and killed here but this felt a little anticlimactic after all the twists and turns we’ve gone on in the larger story. That being said, we do get full resolution, even though I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I will obviously continue on in this world because - of course!

Cam and her mate have a lot of obstacles in their path. Support form the pack, the looming big bad, competition for her mate, and saving her lost friend, among other things. Oh, and we get an extra dose of surprise in the form of her missing family. Wow - that was a true shocker here. All of that ended up taking up the majority of the book, with the big bad angle getting only a smidgen of attention that felt almost rushed at the end. Also, we start to see the inklings of spinoff potential, and connection to a previous series I didn’t realize I should have read prior to this. This is a long way to say that as the final book in this trilogy, it probably has similar pacing to the other books, what with a not-quite-cliffhanger epilogue at the end. Was I satisfied? I guess. I still have so many questions!

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Secrets, Lies and Fireflies

Secrets, Lies and Fireflies by Angie Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a heartwarming book! This installment really pulled at my heartstrings from start to finish.

Verity and Lucy begin the book with a most important task - proving that skunks are just as good if not better than dogs. Things are looking up until they spot smoke coming from the town library where Verity’s sister is volunteering. That’s where this book’s mystery begins - with a body and potential arson. One unexpected bright spot in this craziness comes in the form of a new ghost - Verity’s grandmother! She is critical in getting Verity and her sister out of the flaming library, but also in identifying a clue to be used in this mystery.

There’s a bit of tension between Verity, Frankie and the new ghost in town, but all of that is almost to be expected in the Frankie/Verity dynamic. It doesn’t matter though, because everyone comes together (both living and dead) to crack the case and bring justice to the wronged. I love the insane yet somehow down to earth feel of these books, the characters, and the genuine relationships showcased within. I know we are supposed to root for Frankie eventually getting freed from Verity’s property but I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t know I could pick up another book about their antics.

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Head Above Water

Head Above Water by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that is probably more filler than content, but it was definitely necessary after a bit of rushed relationship in the previous one. This book gives us a lot more of Cam’s family dynamic, more backstory on her powers, a lot more pack lore/beliefs, and some overdue courting between Graeson and Cam.

We join this story already in progress from the end of the last one. Graeson invited Cam’s family down to his pack land for a few reasons, but definitely under false pretenses. Cam begrudgingly follows and joins them all as they set up camp. The pack, however, is not as welcoming as maybe Graeson assumed. There are exceptions, of course, but ultimately they end up attacked and unwelcome from the moment they “trespass.”

I reluctantly became more and more onboard with Graeson, despite his questionable understanding of consent. He tells Cam almost nothing and expects her to be the docile little flower he imagines, only to be shocked that she can defend herself. This whole book ends up being about their budding relationship and trying to find their mermaid friend. The big bad in this book is still the same as book 1, but they do make some progress. As expected from all the other books from this author, we don’t get a concrete ending and even have cliffhanger-like situations presented.

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Malcolm

Malcolm by Margo Bond Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is the first in the spinoff series from the Moonstone pack books. I think you can start here, but you’ll certainly be missing the earlier story that led this pack into the current position it is in.

Larissa and Malcolm have been frenemies for their whole life. Larissa is the more studious, steady type of leader. Malcolm is the punch first, ask questions later type of leaders. At the start of this book it becomes clear that they both are interested in becoming alpha, once Nick steps aside. The background here is that the pack was previously led by an evil tyrant who Nick, upon returning to his original pack, took out with the help of the majority of the pack. The small group of dissenters left after being confronted with the previous alpha’s deeds, were either killed or ran away. It’s the duo of runaways that ends up pushing the pack into even more turmoil.

While Larissa and Malcolm battle it out for the alpha position, the returning dissenters begin planting seeds of discontent amongst the pack members. All of this comes to a head just when Larissa and Malcolm come to the conclusion that they are better together than apart. This book had some action, some fated mates romance, and ended up taking longer for the main characters to realize things than the reader. This was a quick read, making for a fun installment to join this pack with.

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Dead in the Water

Dead in the Water by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is part of a spinoff? Oops. I randomly chose the first book in another series by an author I have enjoyed and here we are.

Cam is a member of what amounts to the fae FBI, investigating big bads with her special Gemini gifts. What’s a Gemini? Well they are traditionally loners and wanderers who can borrow the powers of others they “sample” and are always twins. What makes Cam especially broken and more easily manipulated is that she lost her sister at a young age due to a water related incident. It’s this combination that put her on the path of a water related killer fae.

On one murder scene, she meets up with a mermaid and a shifter. Said mermaid ends up becoming a friend to Cam, almost accidentally. The shifter, Graeson, ends up a mix of stalker/love interest/manipulator, all in the name of finding his sister’s killer. I was not and am still not really on team Graeson because he seems a little too comfortable with questionable consent. We do, however meet someone I think I might like more through Graeson, so that redeems him a teeny bit.

The mystery in this one is sort of resolved at the end - we manage one threat but the bigger one is still out there. The ending is also a bit of a cliffhanger, which is frustrating, but this author seems to go for the “to be continued” angle, stopping books wherever. Having been prepared for this, I immediately plan on diving into the next book.

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Never Been Witched

Never Been Witched by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I kind of wasn’t expecting the series to end so quickly, but I guess this is the “end” (although it certainly feels like only a midway point based on the epilogue).

Alice has been the quiet, conservative part of the witchy group up until now. Right out of the gate we learn a gross thing that she’s been hiding from her friends for some weirdo reason. Oh, and she gets to meet Collin, the new owner of the hotel down the street. They are both flawed characters and it was a teensy bit frustrating watching them both get steamrolled by people that are supposed to be friends/family. The larger storyline of the locks does get wrapped up here in a truly bizarre twist, but don’t worry - we still have the house and some haunting guests at the end.

So, back to the romance - Alice and Collin are a good match in their timid natures, but it is kind of hard to find other good interactions, especially once Collin’s ex shows up. Perhaps there was too much fast forwarding in their shopping trips to truly appreciate the building bond, but I found that a little lacking here. There was a bit of insta-forgive, too, which frustrated the feminist in me. While I’m glad we get matches for all the coven girls, this one was not super satisfying. I was more interested in the youngest coven members, and that says a lot. I definitely ended this series more interested than when we started, but it may have peaked at book 2. Will I still read another book by Molly Harper - you betcha!

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Cursed

Cursed by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very quick and easy read, told from Alessia’s perspective, as she navigates a brand new fantasy world.

Alessia is part of a wealthy family, paired off with a soon-to-be husband who controls anything her parents don’t, and she’s completely unhappy. While wishing to escape her over-the-top wedding, a mystery person shows up. Silas is the mystery man, and he transports her to a magical island. It’s on this island that Alessia learns about her true nature and discovers her calling. The romance between these two feels more like fated mates due to how quickly things progress, but it wasn’t too fast for me personally.

Their love story is a bit of a secondary tale to what truly needs Alessia’s attention - the curse that has descended upon the island. A magical curse has begun to take down the many varied paranormal inhabitants. Lucky for them all, not only is Alessia a trained doctor, but she also has some magical abilities that you can quickly figure out the source of. Couple this with Silas and the rest of the island’s support, and you get a rather quick resolution to what could have been a world-ending plague. I see this is listed as book#1 so I assume we get more adventures for this world and if they are all as quick and satisfying as this one, I will eagerly sign up!

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The Twice-Sold Soul

The Twice-Sold Soul by Katie Hallahan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was definitely something different than my usual read. Sure, it’s in the paranormal romance genre, but it is told in a sort of “joining a story already in progress” sort of way that had me on my toes.

We join McKenna years after a very big event that left her on the run, blocking her magic, and essentially playing martyr. You know how we usually have to deal with someone making that martyr decision (e.g., to protect everyone I need to run away without a word!) - well in this book, that decision and events leading up to it have already happened, and now we get to dive right into the ramifications. It’s bad - as expected. McKenna’s ex ends up finding her and trading back a favor to get her back home.

Can we pause a moment to celebrate the truly gender bending demon, Remi. It’s weird and awesome and something complete new, which I love. Does Remi do demon-like things? Uh, yeah, she’s a demon (using she as that is the most common form), but I found myself somehow excited about these two potentially hooking back up, during a high school reunion of all places. We get to meet all the people who used to be McKenna’s close friends in a way that had me more interested than maybe I would have been had we gone through a book 0.5 to set this one up. The big magical story here is about this magical town’s defenses failing and the truth about McKenna’s big traumatic event coming to light.

As an introductory book, this checked all the boxes. We met a wealth of characters, all of which felt big enough to dig into for future installments. We have a complex magical system with all the paranormals you’d expect and then some. You’ve got family drama, owed favors, loose ends, and demonic hierarchies all ready to fill many more installments. While this book started a little slow and strange, by the end I was all in.

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Intense Feelings

Intense Feelings by Nomi Palmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was definitely a departure from your average read. If you could somehow encapsulate a soap opera in a paranormal romance book, this is what you’d get. It is high drama, so much pairing/unpairing up, mystery, twists, turns, and contains oodles of POV swaps. If you would rather not be in each and every character’s head, this is not the book for you.

I don’t think I can even give a good overview because there is just SO MUCH going on in this story. There are two warring families who have bad blood between them, but still are in the same rich person social circle. A lot of dark and tragic things happen that give their feud a little reprieve but it is all stirred up again when an estranged family member returns, hellbent on revenge. It’s this revenge that lures in some big supernatural bads (with some good paranormals too). We’ve got vampires, witches, demons, and so much more I’m sure. I don’t think there was one romantic storyline that outshined the others, but they all had a definite tragic edge. I can’t believe this book has a sequel because I’m not even sure where they can go from here. So much jammed into one book!

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A Bloom In Winter

A Bloom in Winter by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I quit the prison camp series, so I think that I am missing a lot of the backstory here, but was able to dive in with this story of Callum and Apex, among other folks.

While this book gets a 0.5 designation in the overall series numbering, I don’t see this as a short story at all. This is a full length story, complete with many parallel storylines. I think the main story is supposed to be Callum and Apex, but they were definitely overshadowed by the plot line of building animosity against the king, a budding romance between a disowned daughter and a reckless misfit, and even the butler’s guest appearance.

Callum and Apex apparently have a broken past, involving sexual abuse (warning - this book is DARK), and Callum ran away from Apex rather than facing his potential future. They end up “accidentally” running into one another while stranded in a blizzard but it goes much less sexily than you’d want it to. Their romance was very… painful. A lot of hurt feelings, misunderstandings, emotional baggage and all from a romance that maybe never was? Like I said, the Mayhem (probably spelled not like that - I audiobooked) storyline was much more engaging. I was rooting for those two from the start! We do get some good HEA to make the darkness more palatable, but this was a sad romance, so be prepared.

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The Beloved

The Beloved by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ugh, this one is a reluctant four stars, but it kind of hurt. This is where not reading blurbs and instead just downloading the next in a series bites me. I was unprepared for the time hop that we get here and that we would need to spend more time with Nate in his dark, dark world.

This story is kind of like the turning of a page. Could the series have ended with the “death” of the king and started a whole new world with just the next generation? Sure - but as is the common complaint I have of these books, we need at least 5 or 6 parallel stories to tell in a book to make it into the BDB world. In this book we have Nalla, her family, her job, her friends, etc. Then we’ve got Nate, who is just… terrible. Unlikeable and a real struggle to see as a romantic interest for anyone ever. Then we also have the return of the king (ha!) and what all of that means. Then there’s still the lessening war and all the bad guy POV that comes along with it. Side story/teaser for next book also delivers the king’s son and Bitty. Oh and a new adopted kid of the BDB via the tech sector. I’m probably leaving something out.

These books are a tangled mess, but somehow I can’t quit them! There are definitely elements I enjoy, hence the rating, but Nate was pretty painful. I guess he came out as intended, since he is like what you’d get with an angsty teen who can’t get killed. I just kind of wanted something better for Nalla, who already had the burden of being one of the elder second generation. I liked how she stood up for herself, but the HEA is a little underwhelming. Maybe we get to revisit that? Probably not. I was way more interested in the king element and am just tired of the never ending war. I guess we will see where the series takes us with the new generation, but at some point we need to stop adding characters just to complicate the plot.

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The Bloody Ruin Asylum & Taproom

The Bloody Ruin Asylum & Taproom by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gosh, this book was loads of dark, fun, romantic awesomeness. Sam and Clive are just great together and constantly challenge my expectations for what mess they can get into.

This book is all about “the guild,” a super secret group of vampires that essentially polices the nocturnes. It’s invite only, and Clive just so happens to get on the short list of potential candidates. As a supportive wife, Sam comes along to what she only later finds out is a renovated asylum which is lousy with ghosts and general bad juju. Right from the start, things do not go as planned and it is clear there is something going on that is affecting the attendees.

Sam, of course, meets the local werewolves in the worst way possible and ends up making frenemies. It’s through this relationship that we learn some of the local lore that could potentially explain some of the awful things Sam has witnessed both in real life and from the ghosts. Oh, and did I mention Vlad is real in this world and we meet him? Of course he is a part of the guild and he ends up joining our band of good guys to do… a lot of things that I won’t spoil. Don’t worry, though, because even though Sam makes gigantic messes everywhere she goes, thing usually end up better because of it.

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The Nocturne’s Gatekeeper

The Nocturne’s Gatekeeper by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a wonderful surprise this short story was! As someone who reads any and all offshoots of a main series, I knew I had to pick this up before the next Sam Quinn book. I don’t think it is necessarily required reading, but it gives such wonderful insights into what’s going on at the Nocturne now that Sam & Clive are out living another life.

The Nocturne is now run by Russell, with the help of Audrey and Godfrey. Audrey is the narrator of the story and it goes through a somewhat normal night for the crew. They are interviewing for new housemates, troubleshooting supernatural issues, and rescuing kittens (for real). We truly get to see Audrey as she is now, in a rather satisfying way. When we first met her, she was timid, having been under a serious compulsion for far too long to have lots of herself left. She’s since become a force in the Nocturne and I’m glad we get to see Russell appreciate that in all the best ways.

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Grim and Bear It

Grim and Bear It by Juliette Cross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh, I am so sad to let this series end. This is a very well-deserved HEA ending, but stillllllll - I want more of this bunch!

Clara and Henry have been secretly crushing on one another for a long time. Henry is the #1 anonymous fan of Clara’s book blog and she uses this newly gained knowledge to finally approach him with an invite to her book club. Of course, her invite implies a lot more, but a girl’s gotta start somewhere. Henry is already head-over-heels in love with Clara by the time they actually end up hooking up/falling into a relationship so it reads a little like a fated mates romance.

This story has romance, mystery, betrayal, family, love, babies, and happy endings for all involved. I would 100% recommend starting from book#1 and taking the leisurely journey through this wonderful world that the author has built. I will miss these characters so much, but had a great time watching them meet their matches.

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The Uncrowned King

The Uncrowned King by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I shouldn’t have to say this, but as book#2 in a duology, you should reach book 1 before this one. I read these books back-to-back and it was a pretty satisfying way to consume them. If you had to wait for this one, I’m sorry. That cliffhanger!

We join Kora who is desperate to save Derek from his potential brain-wiping fate at the hands of the woman she helped free. She ends up teaming up with dragons and their mates, finding a mutual enemy as the reason she is able to overcome years of hatred against dragonkind. We get to spend some time with familiar faces if you are aware of the larger universe of these stories. They help Kora settle in and ultimately hunt for her mate.

Derek is not so lucky. He has to try to stitch his memory back together from pieces and what the big bad tells him. He is, thankfully, skeptical, and ends up challenging the mission he is put on. This doesn’t stop the big showdown, though, but in a good way. Everyone eventually ends up in the same place, fighting it out, and we even get a grand wedding! This book was a rollercoaster that had me equal parts cringing at what Derek does and rooting for team “good dragons.” While I think you need to have read at least a few books in this world to truly appreciate the big plot work done, these two books, when read together, give a very satisfying conclusion.

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The Bastard King

The Bastard King by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve got a few warnings before I dive into the review. First, this book ends in a cliffhanger that caught me by surprise even though this is a “duology.” If that is not your jam, I understand, and figured a heads up would be appreciated. Second, I am well versed in the Donna Grant world of dragon kings and their related politics/supernatural drama. I mention this because I am not quite sure you could start your journey in this world with this book series. There have been a lot of preliminary skirmishes and buildup to this big showdown that you may not fully understand or appreciate without having at least gotten a taste of this world from one or more previous books.

Now on to Derek and Kora’s story (or the start of it at least)! Kora is a woman alone in the world on a world similar to ours, but in another realm. It is a bit “old timey” in that they don’t have much technology and hot water is a luxury still. The word tunic is thrown around a lot. In this world, dragons are real and are to be avoided at all costs. The humans are slowly being either captured or lured into a city that has a very extreme class system. There is a mysterious ruler nobody has seen and the religion revolves around killing anyone with magic. Oh, and nobody can have kids for some reason, but they magically show up. This is all “normal” and Kora has reached the point where she is ready to put an end to it all.

Kora has a vendetta against the ruler, who is a “star person,” which essentially means a god. They have magic and can only be taken down by one other supernatural thing - a hellhound. Lucky for Kora, she is one and may be the only remaining one because dragons have destroyed her entire race. She hides this and lives a solitary life until she comes upon Derek. Derek is secretly his own type of supernatural, a dragon. Since he can take human form, he can conceal that secret from Kora when they meet. They both have oodles of secrets but manage to find a relationship together, even though it starts as purely physical.

These two go on an adventure that ends up putting them directly in the plot line of dragon kings books. Kora is determined to get revenge, Derek is conflicted because he works for the woman Kora has sworn revenge upon, and all of this ends up coming to a head at the end when some mistakes are made. With so much turmoil, I couldn’t resist and dove right into book 2 at the end, so the cliffhanger did not impact me too badly.



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Death at the Ice Hotel

Death at the Ice Hotel by Angie Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an adorable quick read filled with mystery and friendship! I went into this book blind, knowing that I enjoy reading Angie Fox, so was pleasantly surprised by the whole book.

Leia & Kat have been friends since childhood and somewhat recently lost the third to their group. When a box of their childhood wishes shows up in a package from her parents, Leia decides to start “granting” these wishes as a spur of the moment decision. Kat is game for adventure and probably needs some relaxation time from her full time gig as an emergency nurse. These two pack up their bags and head out to stay in an ice hotel of all places.

What should be relatively simple enough ends up growing into a full blown murder mystery story with ice sculptures! There are some lovely side characters we meet, lots of ice sculpting drama, and many casual interrogations. The dynamic duo of Leia and Kat end up cracking the case, giving justice to the victims all while checking off a childhood wish in the process. This was a fun but still serious mystery that had me guessing all along the way. As the start of a new series, you’ve got me hooked!

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