The Cinnamon Spellbook Bakery

The Cinnamon Spellbook Bakery by Ella Cook
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was another surprise to me. Typically your magical discovery story takes place from the woman’s perspective but here we get to see Aiden, a bad boy on a motorcycle, discover he has magical baking abilities when his bike breaks down in a magical little town.

While Aiden is going through all of that, Mia is on the hunt for her magical romance. She grew up in town but is not magical and doesn’t get to see all the magical happenings in town. After some disastrous attempts at dating, she and Aiden end up with an arrangement of the hookup variety. They hide it from their shared friends, but they are obviously meant to be together. We have to jump through many hoops to get our happy ending with this one, but we do finally get there (magic and all!).

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The Mermaid in the Shot Glass

The Mermaid in the Shot Glass by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rian and Ana’s relationship is slowly building as she starts to find her own footing, but this book was very short so didn’t make much progress. There was still a storyline - Ana gets to try out some of her fledgling dragon skills but there is something troubling going on in the pack. Oh, and there’s some polar bear stuff that happens that is both alarming and cute. Since these are like small novellas, I don’t want to over share any details. The characters are still growing and developing, but I enjoy this world.

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The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are all great. This one had me shaking my head at Carl more than previous books, but I am sure that we will all end up OK in the end. He takes so many unnecessary risks!

Hitting on the highlights here - Samantha is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. Don’t worry, Donut is still excellent and the way they are gearing up for Faction Wars is just… perfection. But that being said, we spend a lot of time in dark areas doing dark things or learning dark secrets in this one. We, once again, surprisingly address the looming big bad in a really fast couple of chapters. I thought for sure the sunrise at the end of the last book would linger and begin to slowly erode at the team’s dynamic, but no - almost right away it gets brought to light. These gods, though - I’m sure there is a lot building for future floors there. I was happy to learn a little more about the drama between Odette and Mordecai.

I have to say that I really did not like the card game of this floor. I was channeling donut for most of the rule descriptions where my brain would just shut off. I don’t think you need to understand it all because the AI or the showrunners end up screwing with things along the way. We also began to learn more about the AI and the drama there that’s building. These books somehow make me cry one moment and then laugh out loud the next. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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The Butcher’s Masquerade

The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did myself a huge disservice by not reviewing this before starting the next book. Now everything is merging together so I’ll just hit the highlights. Since I am blowing through these books at a rapid rate, I am obviously enjoying them. Maybe this book is slightly better than the last one? They are all excellent.

One thing these books do is surprise me, all the time! While I know I am signing up for good witty banter, and lots of twists and turns, Carl never does what I expect him to do. Also - we deal with a lot of things that I thought would derail everything (no reference to the iron tangle), but instead are over in a flash (see: Odette’s program “surprise”). I love all these characters so much that I want to throttle Carl when he does reckless things.

A surprise star in this book was Mongo and his, uh, relations? I was surprised at how much progress is being made with Carl’s focus on the NPCs and cannot wait to see how it all ends up playing out. The ending is, again, filled with all sorts of surprises that give the next book even more to address. Oh, and Wonderwall.

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Bloodlust Storm

Bloodlust Storm by Luanne Bennett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wait - what? Is this the last book in this series?!?! I’m not ready to leave this world and I definitely don’t want to leave things this way!

Charley and gang have their big showdown with the big bad vampire that has been trapped under the witch’s house for a while. The closer he comes to freedom, the more the vampires in town begin to lose their minds, as seen by the previous book and Charley’s split with Samuel. I wish I could say it gets better, but it gets much darker and worse before this is all over. I’m very conflicted about the events and ending of this big story, though we do get to address Charley’s magic and her acceptance of her abilities.

So, this big bad vampire, it turns out he’s related in vampire terms to a group that attacks the bar. Charley is able to rally the troops to fight back but we are unfortunately missing Samuel, who was such a fixture in this series. I’m not sure if I can get over the abrupt ending of their relationship, honestly. All that aside, Charley shows the town that she is truly a power to be feared, and we get to turn the page on to… spinoffs? Please?



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Reaper’s Quest

Reaper's Quest by Debra A. Kristi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When you begin a book about reapers, I’m not sure what you conjure up, but this book will surprise you. It throws you headlong into a complicated, political world and then take you on a train to what feels like the zombie apocalypse.

Raven is the daughter of a famous reaper family with all the pressure that comes along with it. Chace, similarly, is from the corresponding feuding reaper family. They have been told to avoid one another, but Chace seems to have had the harder life overall. They are, of course, paired up on a secret mission that spirals out of control rapidly. They have to travel to a place that is secretly somehow able to avoid all readings. Why? How? That’s what they have been tasked with solving.

Things go right off the rails from the start when the train they are on is attacked by winged creatures. From there, they are denied entry and have to sneak into the kingdom that essentially traps them. Because Raven and Chace are forced into an adversarial relationship, neither fully trusts and that is ultimately their undoing. Secrets mount, horrible things and magnificent things happen, but don’t expect this book to give you all the answers. This is very clearly part of a series that must be completed to get resolution.

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A Witch and Her Vampire

A Witch and Her Vampire by Emberly Wyndham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oops, I started this book series at the end, here, with Maeve and Severin. I think I was able to catch up along the way, but I probably should’ve started from book 1.

This book, oddly like others I’ve read lately, is about the naughty relationship between teacher and student. While sometimes there is a could years of age gap between teacher and student, when we introduce the fact that Severin is a vampire, it makes for a little bigger gap. Maeve is a rebel and is unwilling to accept that her hot teacher is off limits. They almost immediately break all the rules, but the relationship is more of a slow build. Maeve is determined to control her rather uncontrollable storm magic and Severin is assigned to teach her some of his restraint. Ironic, because they both end up wild and free by the end.

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An Arcane Education

An Arcane Education by Lyla Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not sure what combination of elements led to me absolutely devouring this book, but I couldn’t put this thing down! There’s some naughty student/teacher romance, really great wizard school vibes, and a world I want to get to know more.

Vivian has always been the grown up in the house, taking care of her younger brother, working to help the family out, giving up all her free time to make ends meet for them all. During one of her rare moment alone, she ends up getting attacked and surprised when she suddenly can control the plants around her. She’s not like poison ivy - she’s somehow exactly how I’d expect a plant nerd to be gifted magical abilities. From there, she gets invited to a magical graduate program and the rest is both amazing and terrible. She gets to go through the awkward roommate bit, only her roommate is a vampire. She makes wonderful, magical friends, and she also accidentally hits it off with her instructor. That ends up working out because the sizzle is off the charts!

So what’s the larger story about? Other than Vivian trying to “catch up” to her fellow classmates who have known about magic their whole lives, she is also trying to piece together the mystery of her deceased father. Turns out, he also went to school here and had both friends and enemies. Oh, and there are some weird plant happenings going on in the forest. When bodies start showing up, the administration gets involved in a not so expected way. We still manage to get to a happy ending, but I need more! When is the next book out?

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Fury Bound

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

Meryn just can’t get a break here! This book is full throttle the entire time, leaving me feeling like she just needs one moment to breathe and all of this would become clear. Poor girl who is now somehow queen?

At the end of the last book we saw that her sister had been transformed and that’s obviously bad news. She and her inner circle have to keep it quiet while also magically using the necklace from her mother to control some of the darker urges and links to her evil ex boyfriend. You know who ends up being an unshakable ally? Stark, the big bad alpha who was such a thorn in her side. This book, while about destroying her ex, is also somehow about these two getting together.

Oh sure, there’s other things that happen (exploring the vampire territory, making alliances, betrayal, so many secrets, and shocking loss), but the most important part, and apparently terrible decision at the end, is shacking up with Stark. Throughout all the side quests and searching, I began to doubt that this was a trilogy and instead headed towards wrapping up in two books, but no - the ending of this very clearly leaves us with a cliffhanger.

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Paranormal Payback

Paranormal Payback by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a great and diverse collection of payback stories! This book had all sorts from horror to mystery and everything in between. We even get a little teaser from the Hollows thrown in for good measure.

I won’t go in to all the stories, but rather review as a collection. This was the perfect book to bring to the beach - each story was a different length giving you the flexibility to start and stop easily while still carrying through the theme. I was completely sucked in for each story, easily caught up on the characters, the world, and of course the payback in question. I admit - my favorite was probably the Jim Butcher one, but I’m sure my own preferences have something to do with that. If you’re looking for a great collection to chip away at - I’d recommend this for any type of reader.

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The Goblin in the Sink Drain

The Goblin in the Sink Drain by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We join back up with this story immediately where we left it. Ana’s life has been upended and she now has to question everything she ever learned. At least she’s got her new bestie and the Walsh clan to help her navigate this world.

There are a few points I have issue with in this world - it is apparently one that has supernaturals kept secret from humans, but there is an awful lot of dragons about to make that a reality. I don’t know, but it bothers me and takes me out of the story because of the inconsistency. It obviously didn’t stop me, though, because I’m plowing through to book 3 right after this because you can’t leave me hanging! I need to see Rian and Ana get together, or at least kiss!

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The Vampire in the Potting Shed

The Vampire in the Potting Shed by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this book is somewhere around a 3.5 but I continued on either way! How can you not? This book definitely does not wrap anything up and I was left wanting much more. This is a very short read, so be prepared. As someone who is now on book 3, it’s starting to pay off now.

This book introduces us to Ana, the latent daughter of a wolf pack leader. She’s never shifted, but has been treated like a pampered princess (with some wolf pack fighting thrown in - even with her inability to shift) her entire life. Her mother left her when she was a baby, so she’s never known anything but the overprotective and smothering she’s had her whole life. When a mystery dog shows up at the grooming shop she owns, her entire life changes.

We don’t get to know much in this first book, but we do get to see loyalties tested, some secrets revealed, and a not-vampire in a potting shed. There are the first inklings of romance potential, but there are years and years of trauma and lies to cut through first.

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The Gate of the Feral Gods

The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love everything about these books. The ending of this one, though - that was a lot and I’m sure we are in for it with the next installment.

Flying gnomes, balloon airships, evil-ish children, and so much more end up hunting and hurting our crawlers in this book. Looking back, it seems like a chaotic situation, maybe even more so this time around than the previous levels, but that could also be because there was a big time out in the middle of it all because Carl is a genius. Without spoilers I was especially proud of how Carl has been sneaking in tidbits from the cookbook in the most dramatic ways possible. I did feel like Donut took a little bit of a back seat in this book, which was disappointing, but it allowed for Carl to work with the rest of the core crawler group in a way that may be setting up the guild features in future levels.

I’m sure there will be repercussions from the way Carl ended up saving himself and everyone else, but another jaw dropping moment that shocked me to the core. There are so many things that we haven’t seen pan out yet that I’m so worried about - the ring, does Carl know anyone who wrote in the cookbook, what’s he doing with that head, etc. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

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The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am flying through these audiobooks one after the other so forgive me if this review is a little light. I forgot to come back and review immediately following so I’m already done with the book after this one at time of review.

I hear some people don’t like this one for some reason but this saws a bit of a turning point for me with Katia. I really did not like her in the previous but this one sold me on her as a solid addition to the ever evolving group of characters that orbit around Carl and Donut. There were some genuinely jaw dropping events in this book that had me completely shocked. There are also, as maybe more expected, a huge number of laugh out loud moments (some very gruesome involving Mongo).

I don’t really know how to review these books other than in very broad strokes - we get a lot of trains and we learn a lot about how Carl will be using the cookbook. Maybe it’s my own experience in other series, but I found myself worried about every decision this crew made with the spaces, prizes, and teaming up to save so many others. I shouldn’t have worried, though, because Carl is the best. This book is also a bit of a turning point for the NPCs and how they are used or manipulated both by the crawlers in this case and the evil corporations. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the beautiful moment with the hats. These books are like wonderful candy for my brain so I’ll continue reading them until I catch up.

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Second Time's a Charm

Second Time's a Charm by Taylor Epperson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that takes place at an indeterminate time in history where magic is about but we still use carriages and wear bulky dresses. That, coupled with this small town vibe, make this a unique world that I’ve not encountered before.

Reece doesn’t have great control over her witchy powers, and a bit of a slip up led her to run away from home (as an adult). When her dad leaves her in charge of their magical animal rescue to go on walkabout, she reluctantly returns only to find that it is deeply in debt. Oh, and the boyfriend who ran away from her (before she ran away from home) has for some inexplicable reason been running the rescue in her absence. Things only get weirder from there.

Laken, said abandoning boyfriend, ends up confessing that he’s a secret assassin now and other bad guys are after all the magical creatures she is protecting. There’s even more surprises, but this story also somehow maintains the heart of it all - concluding with a lovely reminder that support might show up where you least suspect it.

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All's Fae in Love and War

All's Fae in Love and War by Lee Nichols
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book really there me for a loop - in a good way! It’s got magic, romance, a lot of mayhem, and a solid happy ending. I was a little worried that as part of trilogy it would leave me hanging - but have no fear!

Pandora comes from a magically gifted family who lives on the isle, but she has yet to come into her powers. There is a time limit on these things, and if she doesn’t find her calling by the end of this year, she’ll be forced to forget all about magic and be relegated to the sidelines for all things magical. Sounds scary, but she has leaned HARD into the camp of not wanting a gift after her high school love, Leo, made an off handed remark about not being able to picture himself with a non-magical woman. So, they ended rather catastrophically and went their separate ways after high school, but of course magic has brought them together for what could be Pandora’s last magical summer.

Leo, of course, found his book related powers while he was young, and it’s those powers that push him back home and right into Pandora. The sizzle is strong between these two and it all explodes in a rather chaotic way, shifting the book from romance into life-or-death battle by the end of it. I don’t want to spoil anything, but of course Pandora searching/not searching for her powers ends up yielding the biggest magical upheaval in their history. Loved this one - can’t wait for the next!

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Wicked Wicche

Wicked Wicche by Seana Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Arwyn and Declan are having a baby! This is usually where my interest in a series begins to wane but this world has kept me hooked.

After the defeat of the last Corey sorcerer I thought we might have a bit of a lull for Arwyn and Declan to catch their breath. This book, however, tugs on the loose ends left from the previous installments. An evil, “rival” faction is out to get them and is under some sort of weird assumption that the Corey family is weak. Oh, and there is, of course, a police case that tests Arwyn’s abilities and her tolerance for sharing the victim’s pain.

This book definitely felt like a pivot in the series - we are moving away from the larger storyline and into more of the day-to-day drama that is Arwyn’s witchy life. Her father is a help and a hinderance in equal parts here, but will hopefully mellow out with time. I guess the same could be said about Declan, who is in full overprotective alpha mode this entire book. It was nice to visit with some other familiar characters from the other series, and I’m interested in where we will go now that this latest big bad is put away.

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Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely plowed through book 2 in a few days - and continuing on to book 3 is a no brainer here. While I do keep waiting for something terrible to happen most of the time, the game aspects allow me to plug in without thinking too much about it.

In this one we get to a sort-of outdoor level, which is a change from the more claustrophobic descriptions of the previous ones. We get to go to the circus, in the worst away, and we get to meet more species in the dungeon. Carl still doesn’t have pants, the AI is still playing games with them, and we learn a lot more about how these two act when they think they’re going to die. I’m really enjoying the moments of true connection that are sprinkled in with the mayhem and madness that is the dungeon.

This book may not be 100% as good as the previous book, but it feels like it is still finding the right balance of detail with action with sentimentality. I found myself particularly checking out in the extra long big bad monologue, but right after that it is a race to the finish so I forgave the random slowdown that derailed my enjoyment. I’m not sure how I feel about the party growing - I know we will likely see all the goodness that Carl has championed pay off eventually, but I don’t want anything to mess with the chemistry and dynamic between Carl & Donut.

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Kieran

Kieran by N.J. Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally we get to the third brother in the trio - Kieran! I’m a little conflicted because I have really enjoyed each of the stories and this world in general, but the ending is very satisfying.

Kieran is determined to “save” his brothers, or at least save them from what his father tells him is a danger to them all. He ends up in that same small town as the previous books (you probably don’t need to have read them to enjoy this story, though). He’s got to reap the souls that were “missed” and resulted in his brothers losing their immortality. It seems very easy to him - just reap the soul his father expects him to reap and they should all be back to “normal.”

So, you obviously know that he will fall head over heels in love with his assigned target - the bakery owner he ends up working for. Georgia is a good character who falls into the expected rhythm of women under the Blackwell spell. The brothers and their women try their best to get these two off the path to destruction and pain, but they are just too stubborn to see it. We get a nice end of book and end of trilogy wrap up that ties things up neatly, which was a good addition. I enjoyed Georgia and found the finale to be just as satisfying as the previous ones.

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Dungeon Crawler Carl

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those instances where the cover really didn’t appeal to me and so I ignored this particularly trendy book for way too long. I’m usually a strict contemporary paranormal romance reader, but this book really connected with my roleplay roots in a fun way and had me hooked. Also, I did this via audiobook and the narrator is AMAZING.

So, where do we begin? Carl is cat-sitting his ex-girlfriend’s show cat, Princess Donut, when the world essentially ends. Some political and resource related issue with an alien species ends up smooshing all building into nothing, so only those folks outside at the time of the collapse end up with a choice - enter the “dungeon” to try to survive or stay above ground where most everything is gone. Since Carl is caught in his underwear and ill fitting crocks in the subzero temperature, anywhere warmer seems like a solid choice. This starts the whole series, with Carl and Princess Donut entering the player area.

From there, well, it all becomes like a video game with stats and weird races out to get you, skills to learn, gear to acquire, and they also get a guide with his own set of issues. Worried about the cat? Don’t be, because she rapidly adapts to player life with a weird dungeon spin. In order for the human race to survive they’ve all got to “kill kill kill” the enemies, or other “crawlers.” It’s funny how quick that went from sounding weird to a normal day-to-day experience. There is also the hint of Hunger Games-like sponsors at some point in the future, if they get enough view and follows. Needless to say, I’m hooked and will try to catch up in the series as quick as possible.

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Blood Hunter

Blood Hunter by Morgan Quaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in what looks to have been a long series by the time I picked up this one. There is a ton of world building and character introduction that has to happen in a short amount of time here, so I’m sure future books can settle further into the story.

We meet Petra at the start of this book, a sort-of assassin consultant for a magical ruling body. She’s got a handler she coordinates her jobs through and a fake life that she uses to hide her supernatural abilities. Her life is OK but definitely not normal. While on one particular job hunting a supernatural baddy, her life gets turned upside down. See is faced with oodles of secrets, betrayal, and begins to form out her little crew of anarchists. They work together to fight back some evil forces, which appears to be only the beginning.

Is this my typical paranormal romance? No - there’s a little attraction maybe here and there, but the focus is truly on the world building elements here. I did enjoy the characters we’ve met so far - they are all fun and interesting in their own ways, but as book one we only get so much revealed to us.

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Generation Hex

Generation Hex by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been eagerly gobbling up all the books that take place on this wonderful island and am so sad to see another one come to an end. This book was a long time coming - what with how Perry and James were sniping at each other from the start. While usually I don’t love the enemies to lovers trope, this one was worth it.

Perry is the responsible older sibling in the Seaworth family and because of this, her personal life has taken many hits along the way. Instead of sneaking out or being rebellious, Perry is the one who wrangles all the other sibling, and ghosts, and now sea monsters. The wrench in this plan is James - the Red Jasper society rep that was assigned to watch over them. At first, he’s a know-it-all non-magical annoyance but he somehow worms his way into Perry’s heart. It’s obvious that these two are meant to be together, but it’s was still a wonderful ride.

James goes on a rollercoaster of his own sort, changing from the uptight guy who is trying to prove he’s worth something to his family into the guy who can talk to sea monsters and ghosts, even stepping up to defend the witches he was tasked with surveilling. Watching his hard exterior crack, much like the sea monster egg, was really satisfying and fun. The ending here is also very well done, leaving me happy but sad to let this group of characters go for now.

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A Paranormal Therapist's Guide to Divorce: And Falling in Love Again

A Paranormal Therapist's Guide to Divorce: And Falling in Love Again by Sylvia Steere
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Where to start with this book? At each turn I had no clue where we were going, but I’m glad I stayed along for the ride.

We meet Maxine, a paranormal couples therapist (paranormals are “out” in this world) is finalizing her divorce from a celestial. While in the waiting area she meets Tom, who is also getting a divorce from someone significantly more combative than her celestial. They trauma bond and go out for lunch after, comparing their abilities to read body language. Tom ends up souring lunch a bit when he yells racist slurs at a dragon race when they walk in the restaurant. File that away for later because Maxine gets sucked into a completely bizarre egg hatching scheme (an egg from the dragon race), but has nowhere to turn but back to Tom.

It was at this point in the book that I had kind of given up on their being any romance storyline for Maxine but was surprised again when Tom and Maxine somehow end up working together to save a dragon egg from evil doers. Yes, the same Tom that hates dragons, who is also a big bad in the dragon world, is teaming up with the soft-hearted Maxine as she risks her life for a random egg. There are even more strange twists and turns, some fade-to-black moments, oh and some not evil, evil, then maybe good (?) cops that make things… better? Worse? Who can tell? I was satisfied with Maxine’s ending overall - she deserved a good life after all that hard work in a matter of days. The book does end with some hints at a future spinoff for a very surprising couple, so perhaps we aren’t done yet with this world.

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Fangs, Fate, & Mondays

Fangs, Fate, & Mondays by Hayley Reese Chow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not sure what I expected from the blurb and cover, but this book really surprised me. It is definitely building a world that feels enormous so we better get some future books to pay this all off!

Dessa left town a while ago to get away from a lot of things - her best friend being murdered, the guilt of having set her friend group on the path for that trauma, and all the ghosts that come from that. After her life implodes, she crawls back to town only to be offered a job at the paranormal office that she swore off when she left. Tasked with leading a very strange team of folks in even more strange and secret vampire, werewolf, and magical investigations, she also ends up with an intern.

Jamison was never in the magical know in town, so was not part of Dessa’s friend circle growing up. His family, however, has been struck with a curse that has opened his eyes. It doesn’t hurt that he gets the intern offer to work with his crush from high school, but he’s more than happy to add value somewhere. He can’t openly talk about his curse (part of his curse) but being surrounded by those in the know lifts some of the burden off him. It turns out he is kind of good at this job, too.

The larger story is a bit of a detective mystery that involves all the paranormal factions, a missing girl, some big betrayal, and somehow a bird, too. All of the excitement definitely bonds Jamison and Dessa, but we don’t get a big HEA so don’t get your hopes up - slow burn all the way. At the end we get a nice step forward but there are enough unknowns to keep it interesting.

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Just my blood type

Just My Blood Type by Katherine Dyson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book can definitely be read as a standalone, because I honestly forgot this was part of a series until part-way through.

Florence is a vampire who works at a lab facility drawing human blood. Clique? Maybe, but it obviously works and is a great source of discard blood to consume. Her immortality has been difficult and she’s still not over her long lost love. Quinn is impulsive and has just gotten out of a marriage that was probably not the right idea for him. He has been spending a majority of his life diving into things with his whole self, but now he’s determined to take a step back and think. That lasts about two minutes before he meets Florence.

For Florence, seeing Quinn is like seeing a ghost of her long lost love. They are related, which is weird, but give it a. Chance. These two begin their friendship determined not to take it anywhere else, but some startling vampire-adjacent news ups the timeline for them taking chances on love again. This book was sweet, sad, sexy, and fun. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and I love that for a good paranormal romance.

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A Curse of Beasts and Magic

A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gosh, this was a really great book. It had all sorts of unique elements and some very familiar dynamics all rolled into a world I want more of.

I knew I should just trust that this author would delivery a fun mix of smutty goodness, dark paranormal characters, and a series that you quickly get addicted to. I can’t believe I have to wait so long for book 2 - but I’m getting ahead of myself. What’s this book about? We start with Raine, a bit of a nomad ever since becoming “infected” with a beast (à la Venom). She’s found a sort of balance by working in the ER and siphoning fear from there into the “beast” but she’s also redirecting some of that power to heal patients to. It’s that activity that has her trolling the streets for bad guys to feed off of when she gets sucked into Remy’s world saving a relative of his.

Remy’s public face is one of a successful investor, wealthy hotel owner, and eternal bachelor. Underneath, he’s the Warden of the area and he’s angry that Raine has snuck in under his radar but also thankful she could be the answer to at least some of the mystery around this latest attack. I can’t have loved this dynamic Remy and Raine have more - it was very reminiscent of other paranormal pairs that I also adore. There’s a healthy level of smutty goodness but also some fun hints of something more peppered throughout.

I should note that while the cover seems to make this book out to be high fantasy, it very much fit into my paranormal romance category. There’s a good blending of fantastic worlds and creatures with a very gritty city vibe. This book just barely resolved a messy, bloody, insane feud, leaving us with a lot to dive into for future books. I can’t wait!

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Mermaid Mimosa

Mermaid Mimosa by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very satisfying ending to this 8 book series. It ends with even more world-building in the form of the mermaids, but does manage to tie together all the folks we’ve met along the way.

At the end of the last book we knew Lily’s life was about to get complicated again (or continue to be complicated?). What should have been a relaxing day ended up getting Lily pulled into some mermaid drama. Their king was poisoned and an uprising is brewing - building on some clues from the previous installment. Why can’t Ranger X be the one who fixes all this? Well, it of course requires a single person to eat a strawberry tasting thing to breathe underwater then detective out the type of poison so they can brew an antidote.

Pulling that together with some very random breakup hijinks, while also managing her Liam and daddy issues, Lily does a great job multi-tasking. There’s a lot of pull through from previous books, showing that it was worth it, how we got here. One missing element that bothered me until the very last page? X’s family! We met a powerful spell-maker yet we never use him in any capacity and I can’t tell if they even resolved that divide in the end. Bummer. All the other elements, thought, perfect. Every character gets to help fix the future and build a very satisfying end for them all.

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Magic Julep

Magic Julep by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are such a unique little treat. Each time, they give me something new and exciting - light, but with real issues underneath that make it darker than your usual binge-reading.

In this installment (almost the end?!?!) Lily’s world grows even further. We are introduced to the royal courts when she gets an invitation to dinner with the royal family of one of the courts. It is, of course, just a cover for them to ask for her help. Their kingdom has been cursed into eternal winter and they can’t survive much longer. As if Lily needed more on her plate - isn’t she supposed to be getting married at some point? The mysterious quilter shows up again, sort-of apologizing but also throwing another wrench in Lily’s life plans.

As usual, we get a huge set of new world-building, side quests, misdirection, and mystery rolled into only a few days of Lily’s extraordinary life. Her dad drama sort-of gets mostly resolved in this one in an OK way, Ranger X sort-of gets the talking to he needs to get about his hypocrisy when it comes to Lily taking risks, and we get the mystery tied up in a neat bow. The happy ending here was surprising but I’ll take it. Since we are so close to the end here, I’m willing to forgive some shortcuts to Lily’s HEA.

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Love at First Bite

Love at First Bite by Katherine Dyson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun read. I loved the opposites attract setup here and all the gothy goodness made it even better. It had that light, playful feel that makes a book easy to fall into, but there was still enough going on to keep it from feeling too fluffy.

What I really liked was that it kept surprising me. Just when I thought I knew what kind of story I was getting, it would shift a little and keep things interesting. And that ending was so satisfying, which always bumps a book up for me. This one just left me happy, and sometimes that is exactly what I want from a romance.

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Dragon King

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

I love these bite sized stories that let you spend a little more time in a bigger world without asking for a huge commitment. The romance does move quickly here, but in something this short I can forgive that pretty easily, especially when I already know where the larger story is headed.

What made this one especially interesting for me was reading it with the benefit of knowing where everything ends up. It is always fun to go back and see the earlier pieces falling into place and spot the little things that matter more later. This felt more like an in-between step than a fully standalone story, but I still had a good time with it and was glad to fill in that part of the journey.

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Spelldriver

Spelldriver by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one really leaned into the murder mystery element and had me second guessing myself all over the place. Every time I thought I had things figured out, something would happen that made me rethink everything, and by the time I got close to the end I was basically threatening to throw my Kindle.

Also, poor Lily really cannot catch a break. Every time it seems like maybe she will get a minute to breathe, something else goes sideways. This was twisty, stressful in a fun way, and absolutely the kind of book that keeps you reading just a little longer than you meant to. And with that ending, I genuinely do not know how she is going to keep managing all this drama.

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Amuletto Kiss

Amuletto Kiss by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are so many reveals in this one that I cannot possibly say much without spoiling something, but wow there are some big things happening here for Lily and her family. It really felt like this book kicked everything up a notch, while still keeping the fun energy that makes this series such an easy one for me to fly through.

Poor Lily continues to get handed impossible situations and somehow manages to make the impossible happen anyway. Again. I love that even when things get bigger and more dramatic, the story still keeps that cozy, slightly chaotic charm. This one very much feels like it is setting up some major things to come, and I was more than ready to dive straight into the next installment.

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Legacy of Desire

Legacy of Desire by Larissa Ione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always love coming back to this world, and this book was no exception. There were not really any huge surprises here, but honestly that did not bother me much because I was just happy to spend more time with these characters and see how everything would play out.

The emotional tension and relationship dynamics do a lot of the heavy lifting in this one, and that worked just fine for me. Sometimes you do not need a million twists when you already care about the people involved. The HEA was very satisfying, which is really what I wanted most going in. I will happily keep revisiting this cast in whatever form the author wants to give them to me.

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We Are All Monsters Here

We Are All Monsters Here by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was definitely darker than what I usually reach for and a few of these stories were downright terrifying. I am not usually a huge anthology reader either, but the shorter length of many of these stories made it really easy to pick up, read one or two, and feel like I had still gotten a full little reading experience in.

As with most collections, some stories worked better for me than others, but overall I appreciated how unsettling and unpredictable this was. There is a lot packed into these shorter installments and more than one of them left me sitting there thinking, well that was horrifying. If you are looking for something you can dip in and out of without committing to one long story, this is a great option, as long as you do not mind things getting quite a bit darker than usual.

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Long Isle Iced Tea

Long Isle Iced Tea by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books just keep getting better and better! This book throws on all sorts of new craziness and family drama, yet Lily still somehow manages to not lose it.

Lily is secretly planning a surprise party for her cousin, which is why she is concocting a magical potion that puts folks into the costume they most desire. This, of course, goes way off the rails before it even begins. While her relationship with X is going even better than ever, Lily gets all sorts of curve balls thrown her way. First, wish magic? That’s a thing. Lucky for her, her BFF can give her a crash course in it. The bad part? Wish magic can’t be used right now because the faction has taken over the place that controls it all.

In parallel to that bombshell, there are also the confusing feelings Lily has about her dad still being alive and running the faction. One big good thing in this book? Most of the secrets all come to light and we all survive it. Sure, there are some twists and turns that we go on, mostly with Lily getting kidnapped, again. It wouldn’t be a book in this series if Lily wasn’t taken by some nefarious evil doer. In this case, it comes packaged with some family drama resolution - at least a step in the right direction. I’m not sure I particularly enjoyed where this book ended, but since I’m powering through them at a rapid pace - onwards to the next one!

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Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf

Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf by Isabelle Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a cute, cozy romance with a paranormal twist. Luna and Oliver are an unexpected couple, to say the least!

Luna is supposed to be enjoying a tropical vacation in advance of her wedding, but finds herself sliding out of control on Alaskan backroads. After crashing into a sign, she takes that as a “sign” and checks into the local monster friendly hotel. In this world paranormals are out and have established this town in particular as a nice monster getaway. Luna, a rich and spoiled woman, is certainly out of place in the rundown lodging and Oliver, who is manning the front desk, is also having a bad day of his own. The two clash instantly, which makes what happens next all the more jarring. Oliver ends up availing himself, accidentally, to the ritual bonding alcohol used in werewolf ceremonies, leaving it on the counter for Luna to them experimentally try. This yields a magically bonded werewolf husband and wife.

These two don’t take it too well - Oliver because he’s got his own relationship baggage and is focused on becoming the next alpha, Luna because she’s already engaged (though in an open relationship). Turns out - they are exactly what each other needs. Luna needs a chance to flex her skills instead of coasting along on her families money and clout, Oliver needs someone who pushes him out of his comfort zone. I admit to not liking either very much at the start of this book, but by the end it was satisfying to see the HEA materialize.

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Cursed Debts

Cursed Debts by Claire Castellan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gosh, this book was filled with unexpected twists and turns, oodles of world building, and chaotic bad luck.

Mads has been cursed with bad luck all her life, protected mostly by some very cursory magic and a charm bracelet from her mother. Said mother is locked away in a mental hospital, leaving her to her own devices early on. This, of course, goes badly, resulting in her owing a debt to the fae that are even scarier than bad humans. In this world, she is in the know about the magical community, though lives on the fringes. She works as a courier, same as her roommate, and agrees to take on one of his assignments which spirals out of control.

The other part I haven’t touched on is the Wild Hunt, and its leader, Dara. As this book was largely world building, action, and chaos, we learn a lot all at once. Dara ends up following Mads on one of her terrible idea journeys, rescuing her from certain death with the promise of partnership - for a little while at least. There’s no smut to be found here, so don’t get your hopes up - it is a slow sizzle at most, with some distracting other boys thrown in for good measure. I can’t even begin to explain the convoluted quest we end up on, but there’s layers of reveal and betrayal stacked one on top of another until I can’t tell what’s real and what’s a lie anymore. As book 1, it definitely sets up another book in rapid succession - here’s hoping for more answers and more sizzle!

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Jinx and Tonic

Jinx and Tonic by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s book 3 and Lily is really starting to settle in to life on the Isle. She’s mixing up potions, solving mysteries, and even dating officially now!

Lily and X are settling into dating and it’s a huge relief. While they keep some secrets from one another, it was nice to see that tension relieved. All the rest of Lily’s life is a little crazy, though - there’s an escaped villain type who can control folks on the loose, candidates for ranger are actually dying while competing, and somehow Lily is the only person who can stand up to the blood magic at play. It’s a lot of pressure for her, but she makes it through, though missing some bits of herself. There is such a rollercoaster of events in this book, it’s hard to discuss without spoilers. Onwards to the next book!

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Stupid Spellbound Love

Stupid Spellbound Love by Amy Boyles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oops, I definitely read this book without reading book one in this series - so can confidently say it is OK to start here. This was a book filled with secrets and misunderstandings, but also magic and heart.

Coco lives in a town that has just started to thrive again. There are magical creatures all around them, but for some reason the town discriminates against humans with the same magic as the literal soil beneath their feet. Coco is hiding the secret that she can do a little magic and see magic all around them. It’s what makes her exceptionally skilled for her job with the town, which takes her to meet Stone. He is building a big structure designed to lure folks to vacation in the little magical town. Unfortunately for the town, it is disrupting the flow of magic. Coco, with the best of intentions, tries to convince Stone that he needs to rebuild but without him seeing the magic, it’s hard to convince him.

In truth, it would probably be hard to convince him even if he cared, which it appears he doesn’t. Coco shuts his site down and then secretly works on a potion to allow him to see magic. This, unfortunately, does not go as planned, leaving Stone without his memory. The rest of the story turns into a romance, with these two sparking all sorts of chemistry now that Stone is without his memories. I spent most of the book cringing and waiting for the inevitable fallout, which comes catastrophically. Don’t worry, though, because we get a HEA that makes up for all the drama.

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Kiss of Skye

Kiss of Skye by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like I’ve been waiting for Mason’s story since the first time he was mentioned. Full disclaimer, if you have somehow started the series here - while I think you can do it, you should probably (at least) start at the first book of this series, if not of the whole world building adventure. I’ve read most if not all of the preceding books, and even I have a hard time keeping all the characters straight.

So, Mason - we have heard about him since his sister showed up on Skye. He has been investigating his parent’s untimely death while playing the part of dedicated member of the organization that may just have killed them. He even needs to act the part to his sister and friends, which obviously causes a rift between them. We meet Rowan in this book when she is taking a bit of a forced tour of the meeting they are having. She immediately knows this group is rotten, but can’t seem to escape fast enough. On her way sneaking out the door, she follows her instincts and ends up saving Mason’s life.

These two obviously end up in Skye, where they are rapidly brought up to speed on the many various evil doers, big battles, other paranormals, and open mysteries they are facing as a group. While this is going on, Rowan and Mason are both on a journey of magical discovery - Mason thinking perhaps he could be the Water pillar they are looking for and Rowan learning the enormity of her role in this world. Of course, there are smutty good romantic elements thrown in for good measure, with your standard misunderstandings, martyrdom and finally HEA. While the group is still facing about a thousand unknowns and bad guys, this was a good step in the right direction overall.

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The Lone Wolf Paradox

The Lone Wolf Paradox by M.J. Etkind
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was super cozy and filled with your typical romance tropes, with a werewolf twist. Throw in talk of abortion, bisexual wolves, wolves born with incorrect human traits, and you’ve got yourself a nice update on the expected alpha wolf stuff.

Bea owns a farm and is a lone werewolf. She was married but made a decision to own her own happiness and struck out on her own. She has been struggling to make the farm profitable and her latest stop-gap measure is renting out the farmhouse while staying in the guest apartment. Lane has been a bit of a vagabond, but has massively stepped up for his niece and nephew while his sister is trying to find herself. His family is far from perfect, and living in the town he grew up in is not helping matters for the two young wolves. When they get kicked out of school, he makes the rather drastic decision to relocate and take a job in Bea’s town. Which means he also decides to rent her property, without even realizing the landlord is a wolf, too.

It was super fun watching these two dance around each other, navigate life with the twins, and generally grow as humans. Both really struggled to ask for help, no matter how hard life got. This romance was very cozy and satisfying. While I mentioned the topics up top, since it’s just part of the everyday life for them, it’s not treated as anything weird or worth fighting about. I enjoyed that element, too. We get a very satisfying HEA for everybody involved.

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Vagabond

Vagabond by Tim Curry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We listened to this audiobook on a long road trip. I’m a big fan of his, so this seemed like a definite win as far as content. While I learned a bit about him, he does make a big point of saying that he wasn’t going to talk about any relationships he had, and I think this ends up making it feel a little bit less in-depth than other autobiographies I’ve read. For someone so very much responsible for a lot of gender questioning/destroying gender norms, it feels like that doesn’t get enough air time. I also acknowledge that he is obviously not in perfect health, so perhaps he chose his focus areas to be less provocative and more of a documentation of his life. Either way, that’s why I would say this did not quite get the max rating from me that I would typically give a good autobiography.

Now, the content is really interesting - his life, how he ended up acting, signing, performing - and his family dynamic, upbringing, adventures. He addresses his health issues and it is very difficult at times to listen to him narrating - the struggle is very apparent. I ended up finishing this one with a bit of a sigh of relief because I struggled along with him at times. If you’re a fan of his work, you should obviously read this, but I don’t think I learned as much as I expected to.

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Witchy Sour

Witchy Sour by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m starting to sense a theme here - Lily keeps diving straight into trouble and/or kidnapping. This book, however, really raised the stakes and also built out the world of the isle.

So, for her first week on the isle, Lily managed to get herself into quite a bit of trouble. Now that she’s the official Mixologist, she is splitting her time between study and actually serving customers. Gus is still grumpy, but in this book we also get a bit more background on him but not all of it good. We also get introduced to a new secret society or two. One is a small group that is fighting against the Faction (the one that wants to have magical rule humans) and the other is some sort of Hogwarts-like wizard academy where they wear robes and colored ribbons indicating their proficiency in magic. One such robed person starts this book by asking for the Elixir, a potion that kills you, which sets off a number of wibly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff.

As far as the good stuff, Lily and X continue to grow closer, even going on a “non-date.” Her cousins continue to be in various sorts of trouble - Poppy is running out of her vampire potions which require a difficult to find ingredient and Zin is still determined to be the first female ranger. Both things get wrapped up in a nice way with only a little bit of hand waving (it just so happens Lily meets a new person on the isle who can procure hard to find ingredients). All in all, while Lily once again gets battered and bruised, this was a really great second book in this series.

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Hex on the Beach

Hex on the Beach by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m on a mission to read all of these intertwined stories from this author. While I have gotten a glimpse of this world through the side quests of other series, it is nice to fill in the blanks here.

Lily is a workaholic at a marketing job when magic ends up disrupting her career ladder climbing goals. One truly terrible presentation ends up with her fired and at her local bar, the only place where she gets to be creative in the form of mixology. It’s here that her long lost aunts find her and drag her (mostly) to the isle. It’s a magically hidden oasis filled with all manner of magic user. It turns out that her mom was the previous “mixologist” and now it is Lily’s turn to fill this role.

I really enjoyed getting to know everyone, learn about the magical quirks of this world, and see a budding relationship start between X and Lily. There is a mystery and some pretty high stakes, but overall this was a relaxing paranormal read with a little hint of slow burn romance to come.

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Crown of War and Shadow

Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I usually have a rule about not reading books with the same title structure as ACOTAR, but made an exception here because of the author. I’ve read about a thousand BDB books and have only been let down once on a spinoff. I rolled the dice and though this deviates from my typical focus (contemporary paranormal romance) it had enough mystery, sizzle, and interesting world-building to rope me in for more.

Sorrel is an outcast - she treats women with herbs and her own brand of life-saving magic, but is shunned by the same people who have benefited from said magic. She was taken in by a tavern owner, but it is a tenuous relationship at best. She only has one true friend in town and she is also an outcast of sorts. When the town’s hatred of magic comes to a head one night, it is the most unlikely of companions that ends up partnering up with her to help her escape. Sure, she promises to pay him in a manner of speaking, but they are still on a very treacherous adventure together.

“Merc” as she calls him because he won’t share his real name, has some incorrect assumptions about her from the start but they truly build a relationship through their various trials. It all leads to a rather shocking reveal and then follows up with an even more shocking reveal. I was caught off guard by both, and that says a lot. I won’t spoil anything, but this book ends on a sort-of cliffhanger, in that we are fresh off yet another reveal and who knows where this will take everyone in the next book.

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Dark Alpha’s Lover

Dark Alpha's Lover by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read a lot of Donna Grant books, but have managed to miss a few along the way. I have read ahead, so I know how a few of the larger storylines end up playing out, but it was still nice to fill in some gaps in my Reaper backstory knowledge.

The stars of this book are Cat & Fintan. Cat is a halfling (half fae, half human) from a very powerful line of magic users. She, however, is the “dud” of the bunch. Her entire life she’s watched her family wield magic like it was nothing while she never presented any signs of being magical at all. When some big fae stuff happened in books previous to this one, her entire family was killed except her and her grandfather. She protects him but has accepted the fact that she may join her family or be ignored due to her lack of skills.

Fintan is a Reaper, and like all of his kind, he has a bit of emotional baggage around betrayal. He is obsessed with Cat upon first seeing her, but obviously ignores his feelings until they grow to unmanageable proportions. He takes up watch at first, curious why fae are so interested in her, but soon discovers she may have caught the big bad’s attention. Things take a few twists and turns, showing that Cat is both stronger and more powerful than anyone imagined (except, annoyingly, the big bad). I liked this one, showing Cat as less a damsel in distress and more of a power to be reckoned with. We still go through the standards misunderstanding, martyr motions, but it gets tied up nicely at the end.

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Stone-Cold Fox

Stone-Cold Fox by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was way too short for a character who has been so important in the other books! Mai is someone I’ve always wanted to learn more about and see get her HEA. They hint at her testing mates all the time and trying to date goblins because of Labyrinth (which plays a big role in this book) but never get any answers.

This is hopefully the start of a series that uncovers Mai’s “destiny.” It starts at a convention, focused on Mai’s nerdy side, but quickly turns into a kidnapping gone wrong with Ryuu. She and Ryuu have a past that only he can remember, thanks to her father. There is a lot of betrayal, new character introductions, and a swoon-worthy ending jammed into what is an entirely too short book. I hope we get book #2 at some point to build on this storyline - I want to see where this Romeo & Juliet story ends up!

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The Vampire Lestat

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, this is a re-read that we did via audiobook and is, I think the first time that I am circling back to this book. Admittedly, the driver was to “prepare” for the next season of the TV show and refresh my memory. I think I read this book originally in high school, maybe? I’ve got to say, while I remembered the broad strokes of this book, so much happened in the series to the point I read it that I definitely did not recall “this” Lestat at all.

I’m leaving my rating at 4 stars from my original because, yes, this is a good book, but woah I’m not sure current day Carrie would have loved it as much without the film of nostalgia layered on top of it. To start, it takes a while (after the intro) to get to vampires. We spend a lot of time in the past with Lestat as a human. Was this more enjoyable to me the first time because I had only known him from the Interview with the Vampire portrayal? Who can say. I’m very conflicted about not enjoying this bit more.

I won’t do the whole summary of the book thing I usually do, but will say that there is a very short portion at the start in “current day” and then another small portion at the end in the same time period, but the majority of the book takes place before Interview’s events and there is a ton of history. History of all the characters, backstories building out for everyone. The through line here is - Lestat ruins everything. I found it amusing that every single establishment that he stumbles upon he leaves in ruin. Knowing where things meander along the way, it’s astonishing that he “lucks” into so much power and love without even really trying. Are there “Dresden” level of damage taken? Sure, Lestat gets hurt emotionally and physically on his journey, but ultimately he is living up to his spoiled brat image that is how I remember him.

I gotta say that these books feel harder upon re-read. I’m not sure I would have continued without a high schooler’s drive to dive into vampire lore further, or with the TV show making me think back fondly on this series.

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Old Dog, New Tricks

Old Dog, New Tricks by Hailey Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book closes out this series with high stakes, deepening lore, and a heroine who finally steps fully into her own.

Following Thierry as she confronts old wounds, dangerous enemies, and the weight of her legacy, this installment leans hard into emotional payoff and dark magic. The tone is intense and often unsettling, but it’s also rich with character growth and long-awaited answers, making it a compelling (if slightly maddening) stopping point for the series.

We learn *A LOT* in this book. Thierry comes into her power in a way that feels earned, gets meaningful time with her father that genuinely landed for me, and pulls off some surprisingly clever maneuvers to contain the big bad. There’s also long-overdue resolution with Rook that adds emotional closure - even if it also highlights how much more story there could be. That said, the body-horror-adjacent moments (there’s a fair amount of flesh flaying) made me cringe, and while Shaw does appear, he’s conveniently kidnapped for most of the book - A+ decision, still don’t like him. My biggest frustration is that this is where the main series stops - Thierry does get her happy ending, but it feels like it’s only just beginning.

This is dark, emotionally dense, and packed with revelations, even if the ending feels more like a handoff than a true goodbye. I’d absolutely recommend continuing on to the connected spinoffs if you want more resolution and time in this world - they help smooth out that abrupt sense of “wait, that’s it?” Perfect for fans of gritty urban fantasy, complicated family dynamics, and heroines who grow into their power the hard way. Definitely worth the read, just don’t stop here.

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Muscles & Monsters

Muscles & Monsters by Ashley Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book mixes paranormal romance with cozy small‑business vibes in a way that feels both familiar and refreshingly different.

The story centers on an unlikely pairing - a fully shifted shifter hero (yes, very much with a snout) and a vanilla human heroine - whose lives collide through neighboring passions rather than destiny: his gym and her bakery. It’s a playful, steamy romance that leans hard into its monster premise while grounding the story in everyday insecurities, ambition, and community.

What surprised me was the wonderful role reversal. The gym owner may be all muscles, but he’s surprisingly insecure beneath the fur, while the bakery owner is completely at home in her own skin - confident, capable, and unapologetically herself. I’m a total sucker for a bakery romance, and this one delivers: plenty of flirting, great chemistry, and mouthwatering descriptions of baked goods that made me crave pastries while reading. Add in the novelty of shifters who are truly shifted (fair warning if that’s not your thing), and the romance felt fresh without losing that cozy, feel‑good charm.

Overall, this was a fun, flirty, and unexpectedly sweet read that earned a solid four stars from me. Perfect for readers who enjoy paranormal romance with a cozy twist, strong heroines, and a hero who’s more vulnerable than he looks.

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