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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