Phantasma

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow - what a way to end my year of books! This book had me completely hooked and I plowed through it in little over one day. It had all the things I wanted - paranormal mystery, romance, exciting twists, and smutty goodness. I am usually not one for historical stories (yuck to corsets and whatnot), but this book had me overlooking the time period because of the addictive story.

This book takes place in some sort of olden time, where cars are not common, women wear corsets, and showers are not a thing. It seems like the paranormal is commonplace here, but this takes place in New Orleans, so who knows. Ophelia and her sister have just lost her mother, and Ophelia is forced to take over her mother’s powers to continue the family line. She collects her mother’s locket, her powers, and, apparently, a ton of debts that will take their house away from them. It’s this, that her sister had kept secret from her, that send them into a fight that ends with some rash decisions. While their family drama is playing out, there is a roaming competition appearing. This game at Phantasma signs up contestants to compete for a devil’s favor. It’s this game that Ophelia ends up following her sister into.

As a necromancer, Ophelia may be uniquely qualified for this competition, because she’s already met one of the house’s haunts and ends up being approached by him again with a deal. After a night of horrors, mystery doors, and not knowing who to trust, her locket seems to be urging Ophelia to strike a bargain with the mysterious Blackwell. These two partner up (also in smutty ways) to navigate this hellscape (sort-of literally) and end up breaking some rules (like don’t fall for anyone in the house).

There’s a lot of secrets and near-death scenes all thrown at you one night after another, which had me rapidly flipping pages and on the edge of my seat. It felt like a fools bet to hope for a happy ending through all this gore and chaos, but I couldn’t help myself. Also, I didn’t realize this was part of a series, so figured I’d have to get some solid resolution at the end for a stand-alone read. Thankfully, that happens, though this is apparently one of a few in this series. While I figured out the mystery a bit earlier in the book, it was still great to watch it play out - even better than I imagined. Great read!

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A Twist of Amethyst

A Twist of Amethyst: A funny, feel-good contemporary romantic fantasy by Essie Foxford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was definitely not your typical genie book and took me on bunch of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Amethyst has recently returned home after yet another failed adventure. Things rapidly take a turn for the worst when first her brother disappears, then her father, then her mother, leaving Amethyst suddenly the head of the household. She tries taking on her mother’s cleaning jobs for some extra cash for overdue bills, but then ends up finding a full time job at her dad’s old work. This particular work, however, ends up involving a talking/sentient library, magical places built out of nothing, and wish-granting gone wild.

Amethyst ends up following clues around to ultimately connect the dots, but not without loss along the way. This book was a weird puzzle, filled with random twists and turns, lots of misdirection, and then I guess we finally get to a sort-of tied up ending that seems happy enough. We did end up losing folks along the way, but the big bads end up punished by their own devices, so that’s satisfying. I can honestly say that I’ve never read a genie story like this one before.

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The Ministry of Witches

The Ministry of Witches by Dael Astra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh, I simply fell in love with this! It feels like a Harry Potter book mixed with a cozy romance all rolled into a “we need to save the company” type mad dash.

The world this takes place in is one where the city of New York’s government elite knows about witches, but the rest of the city does not. They keep things running without much thanks or money to show for it. The previous head of the ministry was running the place into the ground, however, and that’s where we join Aleda, a plant witch who has been sent to the governing floors of the building to fetch a seed from the archives. On this journey, however, the council, after dismissing the last minister of witches, invoked a fail safe clause that the next person who walked into the chambers would be elected. Congrats to Aleda!

Aleda, luckily, has a mostly supportive staff behind her. The exception is Juliene, the archivist, who has a reason to be skeptical of the untrained witch. These two are like fire and ice for the first part of this book, but you should know by now that this usually ends up great for everyone. Aleda and Juliene are forced to work in close quarters to come up with a unique solution to their latest audit issues, which leads to more than just thinking outside the box. The entire ministry and their lives are thrown into a sort of lovely chaos by the end. I absolutely loved every chapter of this book, even with the bumps and bruises Aleda gets along the way.

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Truly Eternally Mine

Truly Eternally Mine by Stormy O'Hara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book takes place in a universe that feels fully formed, complete with others characters I am already building future mate-matching stories with. This book centers around Max, who started his life as Leo many years ago, before a secret order of vampires (and one particularly obsessive one) ends up turning him into an immortal.

Poppy is from a small town and has ended up in Hollywood because her brother has gone missing. He fell in with yet another secret order, this one that wants to kill vampires. On the side, they run a house cleaning business, so that’s where Poppy is hired on, determined to follow any clues to her brother’s whereabouts. When this secret society tries to infiltrate Max’s mansion, Poppy is one of the only people hired, so they put extra pressure on her to find proof he’s a vampire OR ELSE. She didn’t really buy into the whole vampire thing, but figures it’s worth looking into.

Max and Poppy hit it off from the start, sizzling the pages and making this a super easy read. There are a few twists and turns, some obligatory misunderstandings, and bad guys getting what they deserve (I hope). All in all, this a was a super fun and exciting world to get to know. I can’t wait to see what happens with Trix on her adventure!

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An Unlikely Coven

An Unlikely Coven by A.M. Kvita
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oooh this felt like great first book of many in a series! We got to get introduced to this wonderful witchy world filled with vampires, fae, and everything else that goes bump in the night. Oh, but don’t worry - there’s still enough family drama to be relatable.

Joan has graduated with a degree in architecture, which she pursued despite her witchy parent’s urging to follow in the family footsteps. She has always been a bit of a black sheep because, while she can absorb magic, she can’t control it to cast it. This makes her a magical anomaly, but not very useful in witchy society. It’s clear where she ranks in her family when nobody shows up to pick her up from the train, leaving her to catch up with her vampire BFF, CZ. CZ is a highlight of the book for me, showing true misfit-type friendship and a willingness to put himself in harm’s way for Joan in every instance.

Joan’s arrival happens to coincide with a magical shocker - rumors abound that someone has transformed a human into a witch, something that has never been successfully done before. How Joan should be helping with this particular issue was unclear, but she ends up getting dragged in anyway when CZ ends up sort-of kidnapping the new-ish witch. Things spiral from there, with lots of family lies, fights, betrayal, and ultimately the forming of a little rag-tag bunch of witchy misfits. I loved the slow burn romance/attraction, loved that the stakes were real, and especially enjoyed watching Joan step into her power. What a great start to a series!

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Road Trip with a Vampire

Road Trip With a Vampire by Jenna Levine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was an adorable romantic comedy where two damaged supernaturals manage to find love. I started this book series at book 2, so I’m sure if you wanted to, you can start the series here, but you’d likely get more out of it if you didn’t follow my example.

Zelda abandoned her life as one of the most powerful witches in the world after one of her infamous pranks goes horribly wrong. She leaves her BFF, Reggie, a vampire, behind without any note and it wasn’t until the end of the previous book that she broke her silence to him. It’s this connection that has him sending a vampire with no memory her way. Peter, the amnesiac vampire in question, shows up at Zelda’s yoga studio with little more than a handful of clues to follow. Zelda herself could use a little bit of a break from the yoga life to dig deeper into why her magic is acting up, so she hastily agrees to (as the title tells us) a road trip with a vampire.

Peter doesn’t seem like a mean guy, but with every clue they follow, it seems more and more likely that he was not a nice man before he lost his memory. Also, it appears his previous employer is following him and determined to get “what they paid for.” All of this obviously ends up coming to a head in the most timely fashion, when the road trip is at its end. I was rooting for these two reluctant love birds the entire way and it was a truly satisfying ending.

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Dog with a Bone

Dog with a Bone by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK, so I am definitely reading all these books in the wrong order, but after being introduced to Thierry in a much later series, I figured it would help me to understand her backstory a little more. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. I’ve already bought the rest of the series, so I’m in for it, whether this one wowed me or not.

Thierry is young, and it is very, very obvious. She’s pretty irritating, but I guess that should be expected, when you are the son of a god-like being and entering a training program for supernaturals. She’s got pretty cool powers, but unfortunately they appeared when she was unable to prepare herself, and managed to kill all her young friends. She is found by Shaw, an incubus, who offers to train her, as their powers are similar. I’m a little icked out, because we join them after they’ve been training together for a while, and it is very clear they have some Mulder/Scully attraction going. I’m not ready to get over the fact that we have some vampire-romance-level age issues going on here.

So - as I said, we join Thierry as she is in training, on the cusp of becoming a “real” agent in a supernatural-type agency. She is partnered with Shaw for on-the-job training on what should be a straightforward case but ends up getting oodles of folks killed and almost takes them both off the job permanently. As an introduction to these characters, it was ok, but I am still struggling to find the dynamic between these two. Here’s hoping a longer story up next will let us delve in further.

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Jingle Spells

Jingle Spells by Emily Grimoire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oak Haven is a hidden town full of witches and magic. There’s a spell that keeps anyone who visits accidentally from remembering anything about their time there. This seemed like a protection but now feels like more of a punishment to the witches we’ve met so far. I read book #1 but I’m pretty sure you can dive in here if you want.

Delilah was always the responsible sister, running the inn their family owned even after their father tragically died. It seemed like everyone else got to deal with their feelings in a more natural way, but Delilah has now taken to running away with her spell-learning-obsessed sibling. It’s here where we meet up with her, trying to recover from the last magician attack on the town, only to now be pulled back to manage yet another attack.

Jasper is a very organization, methodical history-obsessed record keeper. He can’t resist following a mystery to Oak Haven, where he has already been put through the memory eraser spell several times. On this most recent time, however, he ends up getting drawn into the Oak Haven fight against magicians and falling for one certain witch. This love story is tragic and so wonderful. The journey we go on with them both is so not what you’d expect that it surprised me at every turn. The ending, while not traditional, was also very refreshing.

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The Mermaid’s Bubble Lounge

The Mermaid’s Bubble Lounge by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would read 100 of these books set in Sam’s world. It’s so cozy and fun - all the characters are great, and we’re even starting to scavenge some crossover characters, too!

Coming off Sam’s inadvertent destruction of pretty much the entire vampire guild in the last book, Clive and some of his closest guild vampire friends are trying to figure out how to fill the gaps. It might sound like that’s the big plot here, but it totally is not. Instead, Sam doesn’t get a break because there appears to be a string of supernatural murders happening at the bubble lounge and of course she’s pulled into it.

This book managed to tie together some previous loose ends while also getting to show Sam being the strong heroine she is. We get to learn a bit more about random fae stuff, have fun and not-so-fun in the folly, and spend quality time with Clive. This book felt very quick and easy, with not huge leaps in the larger plot, with a lead in to the next adventure at the end.

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The 5-Time Rejected Gamma & the Lycan King

The 5-Time Rejected Gamma & the Lycan King by Stina's Pen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked this book up. I’m used to longer books, but this might be the longest one I’ve read this year! For such a somewhat straightforward storyline, I didn’t expect to be 200+ chapters in by the end. That being said, if you’re looking for a book you can really really settle into - this is one for you.

Lucy is the 5-time rejected gamma from the title. She has had a lot of ups and downs in her life, but her unique standing and her unmatched fighting abilities have put her in a position where she is at the big gathering of werewolves and lycans. In this world, both are “out” in the public and there is a definite class system where lycans have been the ruling class for a long time. Xandar, the king of both species, has set about to change that, and has just now realized that by doing so he has met his fated mate.

Lucy, having gone through this several many times before and been burned each time, almost immediately rejects the king. Lucky for us all, she ends up giving him a chance and that’s the story we get. It is filled with lots and lots of political machinations, rogue attacks, death, love, romance, and yes even some smutty goodness. Lucy ends up having some even more extraordinary talents by the end, and it was super satisfying to watch all the bad guys get their punishment. All in all, a very satisfying universe, but it certainly took many many chapters to take us there.

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Atlanta’s Guide to Cryptids

Atlanta's Guide to Cryptids by Kevin A. Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was one of those that starts with a full backstory for all the characters, but we only get to learn little tidbits throughout. While it forced me to confirm that I was indeed reading book #1 of this series, I liked the feeling that all the characters had so much more to tell us.

Kristen is a witch who thought she was being recruited to the FBI, but was actually recruited to the Department of Realm Containment. Her team leader is a dragon, and the rest of her crew is made up of another witch and a vampire. They are tasked with containing the x-files-like cases that come across their desk, or copier as the case may be.

I’m not sure how this book ended up on my to-read list because there is exactly zero romance in here, but it is a very interesting police procedural, with a bunch of twists and turns, but a solidly solved case at the end. The characters were interesting enough that I would give book 2 a shot. This one was queued up in my audible because I was limping along with free books until my credits replenished, but it was well worth the time.

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Dealing with a Desperate Demon

Dealing with a Desperate Demon by Charlotte Stein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am not usually one for a retelling of a classic story (like Beauty & the Beast), but somehow the self-awareness of this story had me giving it a pass at every turn. I also didn’t read book 1 of this series, but did not have any trouble diving in to this small town and all the oddities.

Nancy is a bookstore owner and she finds herself stunned when the town loner and jerk (who eagerly hates on books) shows up in her shop. When trying to have a conversation with him, he freaks out on her and leaves, departing before buying the book he was looking at. A nice thought on her part, just dropping the book off at his house, ends up upending both their lives. Turns out that Nancy has been hiding her past, having already been exposed to the supernatural but shoved it down hard.

Jack, her new rather reluctant BFF, has a bit of a hidden side too - a much darker one than Nancy. He is tiptoeing around a devil’s bargain put on him, while trying to navigate “normal” human life as a man. I didn’t want to enjoy what was very obviously a blind spot for Nancy, but I really did. This book is dirty in a great way, but also heart-warming. What a great not-fairytale!

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Seizing Fate

Seizing Fate: A Gargoyle Order Novel by Tracey Kyler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book felt like an installment in a larger series with the Gargoyle Order, but either I dove into the series already in progress, or there is a lot more to learn about this world.

Cora has led a life filled with tragedy and loss. The world is now something completely different after some big catastrophic event. Now things have gone back to basics, which means Cora can hide away from life in a much needed library, missing the technology they used to take for granted. Arik, a member of the “Gargoyle Order,” has a bit of mixed heritage. He is part of the order, but comes from a line of evil demons. It’s some of those that end up attacking Cora, but Arik has already realized that she is his fated mate, so is there to rescue her.

This seemingly random meeting ends up setting off a series of events where the demons are only a step away from getting Cora a few times. One of these times, however, after Cora and Arik have already become a true couple, they have used up all their good fortune. Arik has to risk it all to get back the woman he loves.

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Wolf

Wolf by Rebecca Zanetti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I ran out of audible credits and was perusing the included titles with an audible membership when I saw a familiar author name. I’ve read a lot of Rebecca Zanetti’s work but hadn’t see this series pop up. As the start of a series, this was unique enough, but could also certainly be read standalone.

Mia is a woman who has recently gone through a trauma. Acting as a profiler, she attracted the attention of a killer, who ended up holding her mother hostage. While she and her family recover, Mia has taken a temporary gig helping her friend, the local sherif, in a mining town run by one particular family. Seth, a member of said “ruling family” ends up holding her attention and he seems just a smitten. Of course, there’s a secret that keeps him away from her - as you know from the title.

Mia, not an idiot, ends up uncovering one too many clues and is rapidly thrown into the deep end of werewolf drama. The big mystery of this book ended up completely surprising me, which is such a rarity! I was on the edge of my seat until the very end, and would be willing to give book 2 a chance.

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Hollow Heathens

Hollow Heathens: Book of Blackwell by Nicole Fiorina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Our book club picked this book up, I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. We were looking for a spicy paranormal romance and this was certainly way more world building than typically included in a “simple” book club read.

Fallon is a girl who has always been strange, seeing ghosts, being raised by her mother’s friend after she lost both her mother and her father. Just when she thought she had lost all her family, a letter arrives from her grandfather, who happens to be ill and living in a faraway town. This all sets Fallon on the path to a magical town where one faction wears masks and another is even more nefarious. There’s a lot of backstabbing, magic, mystery, and tragedy all in this story.

Julien is the required bad boy, one of the “hollow heathens” who can’t remove his mask without tragedy. He and Fallon are a bit of Romeo & Juliet in this story, with a MUCH darker spin. Like I said, there’s tragedy, but there’s also some questionable consent, murder, some very tragic death, and so much more. This book really took the long way to get to a HEA for our main characters. The world building was definitely interesting, but something about the pacing kept me from truly diving in. That being said, while there is another book in the series, we decided to stop here.

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Save a Vamp, Take a Crown

Save A Vamp, Take A Crown by Sedona Ashe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book (which is maybe the last?) felt very rushed in a not-so-great way. While I’m OK with the monster (haha) amount of smut jammed into this short book, we ended up skipping over a lot of relationship building and friendships along the way.

We join Journee and Zyon as they are forced to endure the whole matchmaking thing that the queen set up. It obviously goes horribly and, surprise, the stalker we thought was dead is not dead because Hunters are magical. We learn a bit more about Hunters in this one as it becomes clear that Journee is one and the endeavor to keep it a secret from everyone else. Things around that end up going catastrophically bad. I guess we count this as a HEA since there is the whole wedding thing, but jeez, the forced plot twist at the end really made me mad. Really? Ugh - I guess if we left it where it ended that’s OK but it felt like this book spent a lot of time repeating things and not giving us new explanation or world building.

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Save a Life, Tell a Lie

Save A Life, Tell A Lie by Sedona Ashe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I blindly picked this book up because it was included in my audible membership and I was out of credits. It had good reviews and was in paranormal romance, so I figured what’s the harm. It has a few interesting twists on what you’d expect, so I think it exceeded my expectations here.

Journee (did not realize that’s how you spell it because I audiobooked) is being stalked. This new world exists where vampires rule over humans from castles but somehow crime is not obliterated. She doesn’t want to go to the cops or alert anyone to her increasingly creepy stalker who has been breaking into her place and leaving gifts. When she sees him waiting at her car, she bolts and ends up making some terrible decisions that end up with her forcing Zyon to pretend to be her fiancé.

Zyon is prince of the vampires, but Journee appears to be unaware of that fact. She knows he’s a vampire and somehow knows he will protect her from her stalker. He does, but her throwing herself into his arms triggers some sort of vampire mate instinct that has him officially claiming her as his. Not official enough to put his grandmother off a big matchmaking thing later, but still binding.

These two have sizzle and we eventually get to big bad monster stuff, but there is a lot of awkward before then. Journee appears terrified and hiccup-ridden when around vampires, which makes her new situation pretty terrible. Zyon has also already committed to this matchmaker thing which will come to bite them (haha) in the next book. The way this book ends is silly and sexy and also kind of obvious. I don’t love being in bad guy POV, but it was probably necessary for storytelling in this one.

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Hex Around and Find Out

Hex Around and Find Out by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are so enjoyable - filled with magic and romance, but also a wonderful family element. Oh, and sea monsters. Or maybe just one sea monster.

Coming out of the events of the last book, Cora is enjoying her newfound freedom in town when she is bum rushed by a dog. Owner of said dog, Iggy, has been a background character in a bunch of these books so it was nice to see him get a starring role here. At first, I was really on team “Iggy is the worst.” While it seems like the intention is there, he came across as flakey and unreliable. That did not seem like a good match for Cora at first, either. I should also probably warn you that if you dove in here, you might appreciate the character growth in this one more if you started from the beginning of the series, at least.

This book was like one big redemption arc for Iggy. He is such a bright spot in the ugly business that Cora and her family are going through with the whole society oversight and never ending war with the rival family. The way he is with Cora really turned me around on the whole Iggy thing. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that I am slowly coming on board with our favorite stuffy character being the love interest for the eldest sibling here. We shall see. So - back to the story - we get some really big reveals and twists in this one, especially with the egg. The stakes felt sufficiently high here’s too, so I was unnecessarily worried for the sisters and Iggy. Oh, and I am here for all the ghost and maybe god-dog relationship building, too.

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Wicching Hour

Wicching Hour by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was so worried with the way this book wrapped up that it would be the last in the series, but happily it continues! We get big resolution here, so buckle up, because there is a lot for Arwyn to do here.

First up - her studio finally opens! After all the hard work, it was very satisfying to see her succeed and be able to “own” that part of her life. Don’t worry, though, because there’s more than enough other stuff she needs to deal with to various degrees of success. First, she’s working on a relationship with her father. She’s also trying to convince him that killing people that threaten her is not OK - not sure she was really successful here. Then there’s the growing rumblings in the pack which is likely related to the evil lurking nearby still. Declan is strung out trying to pull the troubled pack back together while still being the excellent boyfriend AND do renovation work on his place.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, we still have the lurking sorcerer threat that they have been trying to track down for the last few books. We get major breakthroughs here but not without some losses along the way. Throughout all this, we still get Arwyn’s visions saving the day in random ways, sometimes with the police and sometimes just during her regular chaotic life. All in all, this book found a way to take a story about so many paranormal elements and boil it down to family.

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Dirty Lying Sirens

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

This book took me on a whirlwind adventure from start to finish - I didn’t know what to expect but this was a wild and crazy ride.

Maddie grew up with her adopted parents until she was old enough to head towards the ocean. She had always been drawn there, but, unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of financial stability she can find near said ocean. As she slowly loses her job, her apartment, and finally her car, she finds herself drawn to a mysterious stranger, Caspian. She literally runs into him at her favorite coffee shop and again when she needed a friend most. Caspian immediately recognizes her as a siren from his home - Atlantis. Yes, that Atlantis.

If you can get over the fact that Atlantis plays a big role in this book, you are in for a true adventure. There’s mystery, sexy romantic goodness, and a very good resolution. I loved this new spin on Atlantis tales and especially all the siren lore. This book was a delight and I’m glad we got to spend time with Maddie and Caspian!

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Witch of the Wolves

Witch of the Wolves by Kaylee Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m not usually a huge fan of historical romance novels (with all the layers and corsets and whatnot), but this book did grab me with the focus less on the time period and more on the paranormal romance.

Cordelia is an independent woman who is used to being the baddest witch around - though in secret. She lives with her aunt until the night a random guy stops her on the street. Her life changes dramatically when she is essentially kidnapped, then told her dad is a werewolf and wants her in his life. What should have been a loving family reunion ends up filled with betrayal, murder, and violence.

Bishop is a somewhat new pack member, navigating the politics that fills their pack home. Cordelia’s father, the alpha, is a force to be reckoned with, but Bishop has been slowly swaying the pack to his side. He just needs to survive all of the drama to finally get control. That really doesn’t end up happening, with a forced arrangement with Cordelia to pair them up to produce strong heirs. I will say, though, their attraction and connection didn’t seem as forced as other types of werewolf romance books. I was rooting for them until the end.

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Witch You Would

Witch You Would by Lia Amador
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved loved loved this book! It was cute, sweet, and filled with magic!

Penelope is a shop clerk in a world where magic is “normal.” She is under appreciated, broke, and crushing on the guy she’s been emailing who came in one day for supplies. Said guy is named Gil, but he’s got his own secrets. Turns out, he has made it big, but as a derpy caricature of a magician, complete with “Presto” in the name. When Penelope shows up at one of his street shows, it is very clear that she is not a fan. This all comes to a head when they are both cast on a magical competition - think a baking competition tv show but for magic. For Penelope, the prize would be life changing and for Gil, it could save his family’s charity.

Gil, unfortunately was not cast on the show - but his alter ego was. This forces him to hide who is from Penelope until the sizzle, the show, some sort of sabotage, and playful nudges from the crew make it impossible. These two were adorable and awesome, both as magic users and as just super cute human beings. I started the book a little reluctant to watch some weird Clark Kent thing play out, but this story was so much deeper than that. Just perfect!

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After Midnight

After Midnight by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was so happy when we got to the Sabryn/Saber(Kurt) book! Sabryn has been the steadfast leader of the Knights, always putting everyone else before herself and Kurt has been much the same. These two are a great match and we also finally get to learn what wounded her so badly.

When we last saw Kurt he was extremely sleep deprived and on the run. When he sees that his brother is the one chasing him, he makes the decision we all hoped for - he heads to Skye. With his brother in pursuit, he assumes his mother has ordered him to bring him back to the fold. When he arrives on the doorstep of the manor, he is obviously not so easily welcomed. It’s through this that we learn about how deeply he wounded Sabryn.

Aside from this storyline, we’ve got a lot of evil still roaming around the isle. With Kurt’s brother about, we find out that we still have the presumed dead sister of our crew mucking about. Also, that weird world that is haunting several members of the team is still up to no good, trying to push into this world. We’ve got attacks on almost all fronts now, stretching even the most powerful of their group to their breaking points. We get some resolution in this book, but don’t hope for all the loose ends to be tied up here. There are pieces still moving around into position, but I can’t even begin to guess how this newly minted fully in-person group of Knights will be challenged next.

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Shift of Morals

Shift of Morals by S.E. Babin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oops, I didn’t read book 1 before starting here. I was able to catch up quickly, though, so no worries other than it sounds like book 1 was A LOT.

We join Evie, florist, flower witch, and secretly infected with evil shifter-ness - oh and she’s also the daughter of some big muckidy muck in the gods universe (which is a thing we interact with, just like shifters, in the real world here). I get the feeling Evie would be happy just being a florist, working with her band of misfits at the shop, but instead she ends up caught up in some sort of scheme involving evil in a wedding bouquet. Also, the shifter lord of the area is getting married and it isn’t to her, no matter how much the pages light on fire when they’re near one another.

In shifter drama news, the lords are forcing this marriage, so there may be hope for Evie yet - especially because she’s working close, having been in hired for the flowers. With gods interfering, some evil dude kidnapping folks and killing others knocking on Evie’s door, she’s certainly got enough problems to contend with. All that being said - I’m still rooting for her love life to take a good swing in the next book.

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Love at First Fright

Love At First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had me feeling all the feels - happiness, sadness, fear, love and so many more! For a paranormal romance with sizzle, it really went to places I didn’t expect.

Rosemary is a highly regarded horror writer and one of her books has been picked up to be made into a movie. Oh, and she can see ghosts. She should be on cloud nine about the movie, right? Instead she is thoroughly upset that the lead has been cast as Ellis - an action movie star lacking the physique she imagined for her character. Having already complained to the studio and anyone who will listen, she packs up her belongings to be on set for the shooting nonetheless.

These two begin as enemies, for sure, but there is also a spark. From that spark, they are able to find common ground and she is even willing to admit that he obviously wants this part. For Ellis, he is so used to hiding that he takes this advantage - starting a more serious career (and potentially dating for real, not for show). The chemistry is great and dirty and unexpected. Oh, and the ghosts are great characters, too. I cried a few times over various ghosts, and yet somehow that works for this type of romance. Thanks for giving me all the feelings!

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Head Witch In Charge

Head Witch in Charge by Avery Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a bit of a different installment than the first, so much so that I had to refresh my memory on the events of book 1 to make sure I was on the right series. That’s all good, though, because this felt fresh and unique - making me love this series even more!

We join Leona earlier than the event of the previous book, where she is simply crushed under the weight of expectations from being the family’s heir. She knows she’s got to choose a husband from her mother’s list of candidates, but also secretly longs for freedom and even to be bad every now and then. On a girl’s trip, she tries to hide her identity so she can cut loose before needing to be “perfect” again. A random stranger ends up encouraging this wild side of her and they get fake married, too!

Unfortunately for Leona, the “random stranger” was actually Erik, the head of a despicable family, and definitely not on her mom’s candidate list. They endeavor to keep the marriage secret until Leona can convince Erik to undo it, magically. Erik, however, is desperate to protect his siblings from his father and take the magic from him. Leona is critical to this plot, so he is definitely in no rush to get their marriage undone. He just needs it to last as long as their impromptu road trip.

That road trip was so much fun. It was filled with mayhem, smutty goodness, and even a true romantic ending. If these books keep getting better and better, I’m excited for what comes next.

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Our Iceberg is Melting

Our Iceberg Is Melting by John P. Kotter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like anyone who works in industry, I’ve definitely heard of this book before. I’m change management certified, but still very much enjoyed the fun, engaging way that the author tells the change story through a different lens. I don’t think I need to go into details here for my review, other than to say that this is very easily consumable but fun, if you’re looking for a way to engage your creative brain while connecting the dots. Quick, applicable, and still relevant - this book should be required reading.

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Dire Bound

Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gah - this book was great but also frustrating. Are there a lot of tropes (like “oops, there’s only one bed available at the inn” and “ooh that bad boy hates me and we definitely won’t have a sizzling attraction”), but somehow managed to subvert them in little ways that had me forgiving the author. Since I’m not usually a historical paranormal reader, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect here but, wow, this was a good way to get me hooked on a new series, antiquated technology or not!

Meryn is a woman who will do anything for her family. She dropped out of school and became a street fighter for money to make sure her mom gets medication and her sister can attend a good school. In this world, vampires are the bad guys and the ruling kingdom employs dire wolf-bound warriors to lead the fight against them, keeping them out of the city. This somehow excludes the kidnappers who steal children from their beds at night. When this happens to Meryn’s sister, not even her handsome boyfriend can convince her to not sign up to take up the fight and join the war.

The path to join ends up coming with a surprise bonding opportunity with some unbonded dire wolves. This, of course, leads to a lot of twists and turns in the intended path Meryn wants to take to get her sister back. I’m not going to spoil anything but there is a TON of world building that happens here. There are a lot of different classes all her fellow chosen recruits end up in, each special in their own way. There is also a lot of betrayal. Layers and layers of it, but not necessarily in the way I expected.

This book was filled with all the good stuff - a rich world that includes so many interesting characters to learn about, customs to see, fights to be had - and it also left us with so many unanswered questions. It is a sort-of cliffhanger scenario at the end, but I can once again forgive this sort of reveal because it makes me want book 2 even more!

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To Kill a Badger

To Kill a Badger by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are insane in the best way. Do you need to have read the previous books? I’m not sure - no matter what the flipping of characters, locations, banter, will all leave you with your head spinning.

This book loosely focuses on Nelle and Keane. Nelle is a member of the honey badger group we have been following. It’s time for her to step up to manage some of the insanity they have attracted using her money and connections. Lucky for Keane, she has sort of adopted him as hers. Keane, however, seems less than enthusiastic about being pulled into the wild and crazy world of the honey badgers. Even having his family surrounded by them has not prepared him for the tornado that is Nelle.

About halfway through the book, you can begin to see through Keane’s gruff exterior to find him falling for the insanity that has come his way. I particularly enjoyed checking in with all (and I mean all) of the familiar faces we know and love. It was especially satisfying to watch our favorite baker step up to resolve some lingering issues. I am loving watching this crew grow and pair off, so keep these installments coming!

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Wicked Ever After

Wicked Ever After by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that wrapped things up! Do I wish that everyone found their mates and it was HEA all around? Sure! But this was a good start.

First - I in now way predicted who the big bad was going to be. With all of the terrible decision making Dani has been doing, it was impossible to predict anything at this point in the series. They’ve got all the hex files people identified, but things are not looking good at the start of the book - Sienna is still missing, Matthew is gone. Enter time for questionable decisions that lead Dani into the dead lands even though she is not dead. So many side quests that don’t appear to connect end up connecting in the end.

Without too many spoilers, this book is like 90% showdown/battle. All the looming badness from previous books all hits in this one for the final hex files curse. I found myself missing the new characters we met in the previous two books a lot, but it was time for the original folks to reconvene. Do we get a separate spinoff for them? I hope so! I was left feeling mostly satisfied, if not a little off put but the amount of big talks that happen in the midst of battle. At least my biggest fear was never realized and for that I can be happy.

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Wicked Twist of Fate

Wicked Twist of Fate by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ahhhh where to begin in a book that ends in such a catastrophic way?

Dani is even more frustrated in her relationship at the start of this book - Matthew continues to be an almost new character, hiding things, being distant, putting the job first, etc. Primrose is the new Willa until even crazier developments pull her away. We spend a lot of time learning about a new place - the Emporium, which is a magical bar filled with potions and secrets. We dive deep into that world because of a murder and because the plot needs us to know about it. I found this book pretty frustrating if my review so far did not convey that.

With all of the parts moving around, I thought we’d feel like things are going to be wrapping up, but instead it feels messier than usual. Her older brother’s reveal also felt SUPER forced and made up for plot purposes. All the characters I’ve grown to love seem so different when I just want them to be familiar. I guess this book accomplished what it most wanted to - put us ill at ease with the coming showdown. Nobody is safe, we still don’t know who the big bad is, and very bad things are afoot.

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Wicked All the Way

Wicked All the Way by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s time for a holiday installment! Lots of things are changing in this installment and it felt like we met a whole new crew, with only Dani remaining constant.

Matthew took his “temporary” assignment outside of Wicked which just felt, weird. What he agreed to was that this assignment would be super easy to pop back from, but what we actually get here feels like a different guy. Where is the guy who gave up his job to be with Dani a few books back? Where is the guy that was willing to fight to be with her? This feels like a huge change in his personality, no matter what hex files nonsense is pulling him away. He is also keeping secrets from her, which feels so out of character that I was utterly confused.

Also, in this book we meet a brand new character, Primrose, who is a rookie assigned to help Dani and get mentorship from her. While she’s a great character, it felt a lot like Willa 2.0. Why did we need her? I don’t know, but I did enjoy her. We see a lot more of the wolf in this one, which I appreciated, but not at the expense of Matthew. Oh, and her brother? Weird random introduction of a brother who was MIA, and that felt a bit like a plot device. Overall, this book introduced a lot of new faces and new behaviors that were a mixed bag. The payoff here was good, but maybe I’d have done with just a little more of the familiar faces in Dani’s life.

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Wicked Moon Rising

Wicked Moon Rising by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I spent most of the first 3 books alternating between cringing at the potential for a love triangle between a vampire, werewolf, and witch, and wondering when we will learn more about the hex files this series is named after. Well, we finally get some answers for one of them!

After the end of the last book, we knew Dani was a target of some evil big bad. This book starts with a big attack (it seems Dani’s apartment is always under threat) and also outs Matthew’s overprotectiveness that is a surprise to nobody except Dani. This book revolves around a bit of a mystery - if Matthew is the only vampire in the borough, who could be responsible for a werewolf murder by vampire except him?

This book appears to be where Dani starts to really dig into the hex files mystery. We learn more about them than just “my ex-boyfriend, who I killed, brought them up once.” For the longest time, I couldn’t really understand what the big deal about them is, but now we see that they are a kind of curse that can either bring in the big evil or big good to Wicked. With 6 people to identify, I’m here for this adventure for Dani and company. For this book, however, we get a good intro to the files, solve the very obvious mystery that points to someone other than Matthew for murder, and tiptoe around the potential love triangle thing (ugh). The big reveal for this smaller big bad starts the ball rolling in the paranoia game. Trust no one, and all that!

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Wolf Girl

Wolf Girl by Alyssa Stadnyk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book feels like a high school romance, but I will simply blame that on the downright juvenile behavior of the main character, Ashton. This had some really unique lore that I did enjoy.

Brayden has moved around her whole life, but college was supposed to be when all that stopped and she could focus on medical school. Instead, her father threw a wrench in her plans by making her promise to do 2 years in business school in the middle of nowhere before transferring to medical school. Her mostly absent parents are still paying her way, so she agrees, but is almost immediately the target of the local bully. Said bully, Ashton, is also the alpha and kid of a very abusive but powerful man in town. His sister and older brother are great, but Ashton is TERRIBLE. I can’t oversell this. It was painful to read how he treats Brayden “to protect her” when he realizes she is his mate.

I was kind of sad that she ends up with him (obviously) because of what kind of story that tells. For the greater good of the pack and the overall story, I get it, but it was still a struggle for me. Other than that, Brayden is a great, tough main character who forms some good relationships in this terrible town.

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Wicked State of Mind

Wicked State of Mind by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jeez, you thought she had to deal with workplace drama when she was just a special consultant? Well now she has to report directly in to her ex-boyfriend after they re-hooked-up *AND* the world’s most annoying coworker is circling her like a vulture.

What should be a relatively routine elf kidnapping case gets infinitely more complicated when a magical secret ramps up the stakes and puts everyone, including Dani, in mortal danger. She is forced to navigate tricky office politics, battle magical threats, and survive some truly terrible big bads. This chaos is starting to become her new normal, though, so she finds a way to mix humor with the ability to solve almost impossible cases, all while delivering a satisfying blend of emotional growth and supernatural shenanigans. Oh, and I’m relatively happy with how we have kept un-triangled so far with the wolf. And I love Willa.

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Connall

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

The Sunburst Pack certainly hasn’t had a moment’s peace since they discovered the larger plot to insert sleeper cells into their ranks. The end of the previous book set up the start of this one, with the introduction of Nadine, who prowled onto Sunburst land and was confronted with Connall, her mate.

Nadine is on the hunt for her father’s killer, who she believes is on Sunburst territory in the form of the twins. All of her plans are blow to shreds when she and Connall are attacked and poisoned. Oh, yeah, and the whole mate bond, which they both of course fight tooth and nail. All during this, we are along for the ride, trying to solve the mystery, identify who in the pack could be responsible (because it couldn’t be Connall) and maybe root for the romance.

There really wasn’t much time for romance in this one, but we have mystery and action a’plenty. I think I suspected everyone by the end and still got it all wrong. This poor pack and what’s waiting for the other packs now! While I was happy with how final the payoff was in Nadine’s story, this larger story is a long way from over. I enjoy that these can somewhat be read standalone but don’t have to wrap everything up.

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Wicked Long Nights

Wicked Long Nights by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dani couldn’t go back to the pizza place to live her “quiet” life and instead got pulled in to solve her friend/backfill hire’s potential kidnapping. Of course, things don’t end up going according to plan and now she’s allllll the way back into the precinct’s drama.

Putting aside that Dani is working with her ex and they still love each other, she’s determined to prove that her replacement was kidnapped and that she didn’t just disappear. Unfortunately, it seems like nobody wants to believe that. While digging into that case, she ends up sucked into a case that ends with 3 disappearing bodies and a lot of drugs.

I gotta say, I was caught off guard by the whodunnit in this one, and was along for this wild ride right next to Dani here. Could she have gone about her detective work without being so paranoid and aggressive? Sure. But I guess that’s who Dani is, so I’m here for it all. I’m also here for the sizzle between her and “Captain King.” I am distinctly NOT here for the forced vampire, werewolf, love triangle I can see coming from a mile away. Here’s hoping that never materializes.

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Bloodlust Shadows

Bloodlust Shadows: A gripping and utterly addictive urban fantasy by Luanne Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After the way the previous book ended, we knew Charley would not get a break. At this point, I’d just tie up any newcomers so that could you preempt whatever terrible thing they are bringing to town. Sadly, that’s not the case here.

This book gives us tons and tons of Samuel’s mysterious backstory, but we need to be faced with impending doom in the form of vampire retaliation for it to come to light. There’s an underground fight club, a poison in the blood commune’s supply, and some very strange developments with Charley’s powers. Throw in some sizzling time in a dungeon and you’ve got yourself a jam-packed installment here.

The gang really rallies together to a greater degree to support their resident bar owner and her boyfriend vampire. Oh - and we get some good development with Charley’s resident waitstaff! All of this made for a pretty satisfying and exciting book. Poor Charley and Samuel could use a vacation though. Maybe next book?

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Bloodlust Curse

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

Another wild and crazy adventure for Charley in this one - complete with enough family reveals to keep you guessing throughout!

Charley once again can’t catch a break. She’s drowning in both magical conspiracies and family drama this time, all thanks to the murder of a local witch and the bigger bad behind it all. The witch crew, of course, rallies behind her, only to get dragged in even deeper. With all the supernaturals on edge, it seems like Crimson might be the next ground zero for a showdown.

While we get some relationship progress, this book is mostly about Charley’s family history and all the things she thought she knew. She is put through even more magical tests here and has to choose between her chosen family and her true one. Oh - and we have oodles of unresolved bar waitstaff issues that I’m sure we’ll learn more about in future books. I love the way this world just keeps growing with each installment and feel a little bad that Charley has to get nearly killed for us to have such an entertaining adventure.

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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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Dragon Forged

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

Are you new here? If you are, please go back at least to book 1 of this series, but maybe all the way to the start of this universe (or set of universes?). This world is rich, filled with lots and lots of characters and baggage we have collected along the way, and you appreciate it so much more when you’ve been along for the ride as long as I have.

Somehow, we are still finding new places on this world, and that includes some secret island now. Hector gets sucked onto it when he breaks the cardinal rule - he touches the flashing thing. Emilia, who has had a vision of his arrival (and the ramifications) tries to get him off the island, but he is a stubborn dragon. This island, though, appears to worship dragons so when he returns and accidentally binds him to the island, they seem to have won a victory of sorts. It all gets worse from there. You can’t really expect to control a dragon and not have things go horribly wrong.

There’s a lot of betrayal baked in here, but what I really enjoyed was the love story here including the introduction of a pseudo-son character. Each of these dragon king books is so unique that I could keep reading oodles and not get bored. This one in particular sets up some good future ones - and as long as we have unmated kings, we have to keep going, right?

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Whispers Among Thorns

Whispers Among Thorns by Cassandra Aston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book built a huge world, complete with all the issues and politics you’d expect where the fae and human worlds have collided. It felt a little bit like The Boys meets a dark fairy tale. As book 1, you know this isn’t where it all ends.

Sav has been exiled to live in the human world with almost no magic. The fae are discriminated against and sometimes attacked just because of what they are, even though they are mostly bound to not harm humans no matter what injustices are carried out. There is a group riling folks up and torturing/killing fae with no punishment and that’s where we meet Jack. Jack is the son of the evil group’s leader. He’s got some mystery around him and has somehow survived this terrible world with his moral compass intact. He and Sav meet after said group carries out a particularly cruel attack.

They fall into immediate love for some reason. This, obviously, complicates matters and is a big wrench in almost all decision making from that point forward. They end up in faerie, bouncing around between folks that all generally want to kill one or both of them. Sav is forced-ish to make some binding decisions to get them both out alive. All of this and it feels like they still didn’t make big progress in saving earth-bound fae. I guess we need to see where book two takes us!

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Psycho Shifters

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

I am a little conflicted over this book - it is dark and sometimes tough but does have some very hot paranormal elements that I usually go for. Oh, and warning - CLIFFHANGERS!

Sadie grew up in a terrible way. In their world, there is a sort of caste system arranged around how powerful you are as a shifter, or if, like Sadie, you have no power at all. She’s abused her whole life by her slaver, all in the idea of protecting her sister from that abuse. It makes her hard, which makes it that much harder when her life is turned upside down and she ends up showing signs of somehow being a female alpha. This puts her on the top of the food chain and forces her to share rooming with the other three current alpha shifters.

On top of the political issues, there’s also the fact that she’s upending a lot of beliefs and getting thrown into some existing relationships (some of a sexual nature - hot). As predicted, however, they all begin to be pulled into her allure no matter how much they try to fight it. It was a good start to what is no doubt a big series if the complete cliffhanger is any indication. It caught me by surprise and made me a little angry that I didn’t get to see some resolution to the utter betrayal. Oh well!

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The Wolf and his Witch

The Wolf and his Witch: A Second Chance Wereshifter Romance by K.E. Turner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, first off, I think this takes place in an established world (or at least feels that way). I was able to “catch up” either way, and enjoy this short book that seems to be A-OK with time travel being a real thing.

Annabelle is a book lover, a powerful witch, and still nursing a broken heart caused 3 years ago in Paris. Gabriel, a shifter security head for his pack, is the one that broke her heart when he disappeared without a trace. These two end up finding one another when Annabelle’s coven tips their hand about heading back in time. I guess Gabriel’s pack is somehow well versed in time travel, as seems to have been hinted at in some of the backstory of the key members we meet. Either way, this time travel thing could screw up Gabriel’s chance at love again when it appears possible that Annabelle could set off the events of his own birth!

Don’t worry, though, because things move quickly and we don’t need to sit with the heartache, the misunderstandings, or the celibacy for long! There are a few twists and turns, a potential big bad that may come back for future installments, and our own time travel “fun.” Lucky for us, things end up very HEA but there are definite breadcrumbs for future books. I’d recommend this for a spicy quick read!

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