Shifting Shadows

Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this via audible instead of reading and I find that’s my preferred mechanism for short story anthologies. Some of these stories are a little long to fit in that designation, but they were all interesting and enjoyable in their own way.

Of the stories in this book, I believe only 4 are new, but several I hadn’t read in previous iterations. Overall, they were very nicely introduced and strung together in chronological order, which I very much appreciated. I can’t say I recall the happenings of the books in between since it has been many many years, but it was nice to hear.

These books have a wide range from silly/fun to depressing/serious. If that’s not your jam, then this may not be the right set for you. If you’re a completionist and this series is your jam, it will be worth it. I like the layers we see, especially with some of the “quieter” characters we get in the series. Short stories in here offer a unique glimpse into their inner workings and made me appreciate them even more.

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From Blood and Ash

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know, I’m usually not one to read books that have a very historical feel to them, but as part of book club we decided to dive into this series as a group read. I’m glad I did, because this book clearly set the stage for some good future books. That’s not to say this book was bad, but it had a lot of building to do, which stacked the good stuff at the end.

Poppy is “the maiden,” which is a very rare designation in their society, but involves her wearing a veil to disguise herself and keeping away from most everyone else. She’s still got a friend in her sort-of-servant, but she thrives on adventure, most of which is denied to her. Does that stop her? No. She makes some pretty terrible choices most of the time, but at least her guard has trained her in combat and archery (that comes in later). At the very start of the book we meet Hawk, a new guard assigned to the castle and of course he ends up becoming her guard after one of her others gets killed by assassins.

This whole society was a really intersting spin on your standard paranormal stuff. We have the ruling class, who hides from sunlight after “ascension” and keeps said ascension ceremony secret. They require citizens to send their second and third born children to a temple, never to be seen again. Also, this whole world is hiding and protecting themselves from an evil horde that infects with a bite or scratch. The other big bad here is this dark lord that is said to be the true ruler. All of this becomes important in what I thought was a super obvious way, but was informed it may not be as obvious as I thought. That being said, this book doesn’t shy away from violence, killing off characters, and some good smut. We end up on a road-trip like adventure, so I’m very interested to see where Poppy ends up moving forward. Here’s hoping she gets her adventure and growing up all in one.

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A Demon Faerie Tale

A Demon Faerie Tale: A Rifter Novella by L.R. Braden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mira and Ty are up to adventures again in this short story. It’s got a fast pace, a mystery, and maybe some nudges in the right direction for this reluctant partnership.

Mira and her internal partner are actually starting to get more in sync in this installment. While they may differ in their opinion on how to go about romancing Ty, I do think Mira has begun accepting her attraction to him. Ty is still the uptight agent that he has been in previous books, but he is certainly challenged when he inadvertently ends up the victim of a fae item of power. After being assigned the case where a handful of folks ended up killing themselves or almost doing so by going after the object of their desires, a quick touch of a coin puts Ty in danger.

Mira and Ty try to work through his obsession and still solve the mystery of where it came from to free Ty. There are a few challenges but nothing a random romantic assault won’t cure, right? I can’t wait until this pair becomes a real couple! Of course, they manage to sidestep any romantic stuff and solve the mystery without anyone else becoming the coin’s victim. This was a fun read.

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Fangs for Nothing

Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my gosh, what a fun and wonderful read! This book had all the romance, vampires, family drama, and HEA you could ever wish for and it also gave all the feels!

Alaric is a bit of a reclusive vampire. He doesn’t feed directly from humans and is sustained by his hobbies. Said hobbies, however, have proven to be a bit of a challenge when his vampire mother insists he host a ball in his overly cluttered estate. Winnie is a professional organizer and anti-clutter enthusiast. She’s created a system (which her partner has taken co-credit for with very little actual work) and she’s always eager to apply it to just about everything. When her boyfriend leaves her for her best friend, she may have begun to spiral into over organization land, which is why she jumps at the chance to get out of town and help someone de-clutter.

Alaric hides what he is and how he feels from Winnie for wayyyy too long, but it was adorable to watch. These two dance around each other, each hiding different things - Winnie her history growing up in a hoarder house, Alaric his killing past and vampiric state. The way things play out is ever so satisfying, even if we do get the standard couple chapters of misunderstanding/martyr activities. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the smutty coven that adopts Winnie. There is clearly another series about that, but this book served as a great introduction. I hope there are more books in this series!

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Still of the Night

Still of the Night by Donna Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are really building to some gigantic showdown with lots of pieces moving into place along the way. While we don’t get the ultimate battle in this book, we do make strides to uncovering who the key players are. Oh, and Killian & Ariah’s story, too!

Ariah is the local tea maker we have interacted with in various capacities in previous books. She is a member of the core group, but not directly involved in any battles. That doesn’t negate her power, however, which is largely drawn from nature and the forest. She had a brief love affair with Killian, a non-magical man who visited the island years ago, and whom she never thought to see again. He ends up accepting that he can’t live his life without her and shows up on her doorstep just in time for the big bad to turn everything upside down.

I really liked how we got to see Callum through this new person’s eyes. That story really needs to be fully told in future books and I can’t wait for it. Ariah and Killian, though, were fantastic! We ended up skipping over a bit of the romance, but it was still very satisfying. The big strides we end up making in identifying who is working with the big bad(s) were also super satisfying. This was another great installment in the series.

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The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors

The Little Coffee Shop of Terrors by Hazel Graves
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I briefly glanced at the description before grabbing this book and thought it was going to be a fun, paranormal romance based in a coffee shop. That is not this book - it is a slow building mystery with lots of side-trips down sometimes dark and sad side streets. It had a lot more to the story than I expected. Oh, and prepare yourself for more broadway references than you’d expect, too!

Adele is a failing broadway hopeful who suddenly inherits a coffee shop and apartment from a relative she never knew. The only stipulation is that she keeps Ben on as an employee. This coffee shop roasts in house beans, a task which is done by the aforementioned Ben, so it doesn’t really bother Adele that he continues doing the heavy lifting there. When folks start disappearing, though, it gets a little suspect.

The crew of the coffee shop patrons was a highlight of this story. The regulars create a community that, even when Adele is following the suggestions of some random dude she ends up dating, can’t be deterred. Adele really does her best to alienate them, but they persist! I really struggled with Adele, the main character. She clings to this really terrible guy when Ben is right there and knows the store better than anyone else. It was frustrating to read and made for some difficulties in getting through this book. This book also includes a lot more melancholy than I was prepared for. Paranormal? Sure! Mystery? Yes, please! Ending in a bit of a bummer? No thanks. I wasn’t prepared, so make sure you enjoy your romance to come with some truly heartbreaking twists. Oh, and I guess we’re all OK with murder by the end. The paranormal elements were pretty light, but the moral questions truly left me confused. All in all, if you’re OK with sadness rolled into your romance, and love broadway shows, this may be a read for you.

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Perfectly Wicked

Perfectly Wicked by Lindsay Lovise
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a really fun and unique spin on the enemies to lovers standard romance (with paranormal elements thrown in). What an adorable couple we get!

Holly is the eldest sister and is the leader of the “Wicked” apple farm family. They’re a close knit bunch and doing kind of terrible at making a profit, especially with a much more fancy and organized orchard in town. Their cider, though, is known to be the best ever and they’re just barely keeping afloat on that alone. When a paranormal ghost hunting show offers them money to film there, they say no so they can continue to keep their secrets. This prompts Connor, the dreamy host of said show, to come knocking on their door.

Holly & Connor have an immediate love/hate thing going on. Holly, of course, says no, but when the family stresses that they could really use this, she caves. These two are adorably drawn to one another and it was really fun to watch something unique and special develop. This story is definitely more than your typical PNR and I found myself seeing an honest relationship develop instead of just a surface attraction. Definitely a great fall season read!

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