Review:  Spirits of the Saguaro (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 3) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Spirits of the Saguaro, the terrific third book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, sees the small Arizona desert town of Perdito Springs still trying to recover from the death of bank manager, Robert Harrison. Harrison was a man who was hated by the town’s residents for his crimes and cruel treatment.

Now a well known artist is coming to town and several people are hoping that her popularity will help them recover their losses and rebuild.

But artist Aurora Brightwater brings more than popularity, she brings antagonism, old hatred’s and divisions with her. And that leads to murder. 

Spirits of the Saguaro is a fabulous book. The story went in different directions than I had anticipated, the characters were very well drawn and the side plots are great. 

There’s a side story about a filmmaker as well as the plot that’s following the slow burn romance between Claire and Sam. 

The entire community, the shops and their owners are very involved, and we’re getting to know each one better as the mysteries play out. 

The mystical world of Perdita Springs, which includes the Fox guardian, the ghosts of the ranch, and the mysterious past of the area and mines  is a developing element.

This excellent story and series is one I’m very excited about. And one that’s hard to stop reading once you’ve started. 

Highly recommended! A real winner. 

Cover by Book Covers by Melody

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries (8 book series)

Death Rides The Desert #1

Bones and Cactus Blooms #2

Spirits of the Saguaro #3

Tombstones with a View #4

Body Beneath the Wither #5

Death Waits at Dead Rock #6

Skulls and Sunlit Secrets #7

The Bone Charm #8

Buy link

 

        Spirits of the Saguaro (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Claire Caldwell has finally settled into her strange new normal. Two months after the Robert Harrison incident, she’s learned to trust her spirit fox’s warnings and Rosa’s ghostly advice as she runs her animal sanctuary in the desert.

But some visitors bring their own darkness to Perdido Springs.

When famous artist Aurora Brightwater arrives to paint the “desert spirits,” she brings more than just her canvases and her sparkling laugh. She brings grudges, theft, and a cruelty that hides behind flowing scarves and talk of universal energy. 

Then Aurora turns up dead in her studio, a palette knife through her heart, and everyone she’s wronged becomes a suspect. The artist who steals others’ work… dead. The documentary filmmaker who seems cursed… filming everything. The exhausted ex-husband she abandoned… watching from the shadows.

As Claire investigates with her veterinarian boyfriend Sam, she discovers Aurora left a trail of destroyed careers and stolen dreams across the Southwest. But in a town where the dead talk, the dolls in the motel have their own agenda, and something that used to be human roams the desert at night, finding the truth means distinguishing between those who wanted Aurora gone and whoever actually made it happen.

In Perdido Springs, the veil is thin, the spirits are watching…

Welcome back to the desert, where inspiration can be deadly.

December 15, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

315 pages

Book 3 of 8

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries

Review:  Witch At Heart: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 1) by Juliette Harper 

Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

I thought Witch At Heart: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 1) by Juliette Harper a step above the rest of the stories I’ve read in this trope of books.

There’s an entire genre of books and series based around a woman who inherits a store from a relative, usually an aunt who turns out to be magical. There’s a mysterious animal included, hers, the relative’s or the store’s, normally a cat. And it’s a cozy mystery. 

On the whole, they are pretty good. Similar but each different enough in their elements to be entertaining. 

But the ending here, elevates this one into something more interesting. Takes the characters, their pasts, and the entire community and suddenly gives it an edge, an entire new layer.

Wasn’t expecting that. 

For 3/4 of the story, we get the typical plot of small town, Jinx Hamilton quits her waitressing job when her beloved crazy aunt dies the next town over and leaves her with her shop and belongings.

She also bequeaths Jinx her magic and a mysterious death to investigate.

The shop, its contents are slowly revealed as is the community of the small town that Jinx is now a part of. It’s a small village where Jinx has been a member of, along with her childhood friend, who quickly becomes a part of the story.

There’s ghosts, an adorable rat named Roderick, and a killer to find and murders to solve. And a new magical role to accept.

It’s charming, the characters are engaging and interesting. And the potential for a very intriguing world is just getting started.

It’s a quick read and the series is complete. Another win! 

I love a terrific cozy story and mystery. No romance, although there’s a slight attraction between Jinx and the cobbler. 

I’m recommending this one!

The Jinx Hamilton Series (16 book series): complete and all released. 

Witch At Heart #1

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 16: The Jinx Hamilton Series 

Blurb 

Magic begins in the heart.

Jinx Hamilton is ready to trade in waitressing for becoming her own boss. The shop she inherits from her eccentric aunt in Briar Hollow, North Carolina, seems like the perfect fit. As Jinx handles the enchanted inventory and the unruly clientele, she discovers her aunt also willed her magical powers without an instruction manual.

As if that weren’t enough, she’s forced to deal with four cats, several homeless ghosts, and a potential serial killer.

With a little help from her best friend and a dreamy new neighbor, Jinx must keep the business afloat and the murderer at bay. And it’ll take more than clever bookkeeping and spellcasting to keep the store…and herself…from going under.

*Note: This is a republished version of Witch At Heart

Publisher

Cabot Publishing Group

Publication date

September 4, 2025

Edition

2nd

Language

‎English

Print length

227 pages

Book 1 of 16

The Jinx Hamilton Series

Review:  Chaos Reigning: (The Consortium Rebellion Book 3) by Jessie Mihalik

Rating: 3⭐️

Spoilers here. 

Chaos Reigning is the last book in The Consortium Rebellion’s trilogy and the youngest High House sibling, Catarina von Hasenberg ends the House drama and galactic empire political thriller. 

I feel that Chaos Reigning has some interesting ideas and potentially wonderful characters, especially strong women characters in major political roles.  But on the flip side, curiously, it qualifies an horrifically abusive and controlling father, one who has treated his children as subjects for trade or experimentation, as a mere “asshole”. The author’s repeated term.

Not once, through three books, has the author addressed the subject of the severity of the patriarchal father’s damage to all the siblings of the von Hasenberg line. Not that the mother is without any responsibility. We just don’t know enough about her. 

We know the brutality and violence and horrors inflicted upon each child. That Ada alone fled. But to continue to address this monster as merely a “asshole” and then use an anonymous method to end him instead of a honest airing of feelings while together feels cheap.

It’s not only emotionally odd but strangely off putting. It’s continued avoidance of their true feelings amongst themselves. The author moving around the issue as well.

Like Cat, herself a prime example. It’s the “oh yes, I’m wealthy but feeding a few poor people” (she’s doing and saying this btw) but ignoring a whole bunch of major issues over in that corner of the narrative by actually considering marrying a problematic man old enough to be her grandfather because her father wants her to. 

Yes, there’s a HFN for the siblings but, and here’s an enormous BUT, both male villains, truly evil men (one even cut out the tongue of the older beloved brother) are left without really being held accountable for their actions and crimes. 

One, a traitor, gets away completely. And a heinous criminal, a sadist, nothing happened to him. He’s caught but they won’t do anything to him.  A win actually for them both. 

How’s that for an ending? Didn’t feel satisfying to me.  Actually so many traitors were still alive and on the streets. Yeah no. 

That 3 rating is being generous. 

I read it to finish the series. That’s it.

Now you can decide if you want to.

The Consortium Rebellion (3 book series)

Polaris Rising #1

Aurora Blazing #2

Chaos Reigning #3

Buy link

        Chaos Reigning: A Sci-Fi Novel Featuring a Clever Spy and a Gorgeous Bodyguard Uncovering Treachery in Space (The Consortium Rebellion Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Interplanetary intrigue and romance combine in this electrifying finale to the Consortium Rebellion series.

As the youngest member of her High House, Catarina von Hasenberg is used to being underestimated, but her youth and flighty, bubbly personality mask a clever mind and stubborn determination. Her enemies, blind to her true strength, do not suspect that Cat is a spy—which makes her the perfect candidate to go undercover at a rival House’s summer retreat to gather intelligence on their recent treachery.

Cat’s overprotective older sister reluctantly agrees, but on one condition: Cat cannot go alone. Alexander Sterling, a quiet, gorgeous bodyguard, will accompany her, posing as her lover. After Cat tries, and fails, to ditch Alex, she grudgingly agrees, confident in her ability to manage him. After all, she’s never found a person she can’t manipulate.

But Alex proves more difficult—and more desirable—than Cat anticipated. When she’s attacked and nearly killed, she and Alex are forced to work together to figure out how deep the treason goes. With rumors of widespread assaults on Serenity raging, communications down, and the rest of her family trapped off-planet, Catarina must persuade Alex to return to Earth to expose the truth and finish this deadly battle once and for all.

But Cat can’t explain why she’s the perfect person to infiltrate hostile territory without revealing secrets she’d rather keep buried. . . .

A Sci-Fi Novel Featuring a Clever Spy and a Gorgeous Bodyguard 

Review:  Brutal Justice (The Other Detective Series Book 4) by Heather G. Harris

Rating:  5⭐️

Just outstanding.  According to Harris, the author had originally intended Brutal Justice to become the finale for the series but this amazing character’s journey has become so complex and layered that one last novel was needed. 

Harris with her goal of making this the penultimate narrative, fills this incredible story with so many shocking moments, absolutely stunning twists to the plot that makes sense once you see it but still makes the reader gasp in appreciation and shock that we didn’t see it coming.

This storyline brings Evie back to the trauma that set her on the path she’s taken in life, back to her kidnapping and torture. 

Now she’s supported by Robbie, her fiancée and King of Orcs, her staff (and friends) through this journey. 

It’s several investigations, and includes one of the most heinous criminals created, Jude Jingo.

The relationship between Robbie and Evie continues to be a very strong one, building on acknowledgement of their roles as well as their commitment towards each other. I love their dynamic.  

Other crossover characters play important roles here as well, Amber and Bastion for example. 

There’s thrilling, heartbreaking moments, scary battles, and shocking twists. None of which I’ll spoil. I hope no one else will either. 

This and the characters are my favorites in this universe. I’ll be so sad when it’s over. But I still have one more novel to go. 

What a thrilling read this is! Five stars!

Cover design by Christian Bentulan. Published by Hellhound Press Limited.

The Other Realm Universe: Should be read in order to understand the world and characters .Events and relationships build upon each other.

The Other Realm series 

⭐️Glimmer of Dragons- Book 0.5 (a prequel story), 

Glimmer of The Other- Book 1, Glimmer of Hope- Book 2, 

Glimmer of Christmas – Book 2.5 (a Christmas tale), 

Glimmer of Death – Book 3, 

Glimmer of Deception – Book 4, 

*It is recommended that you read The Other Wolf books 1 to 3 before continuing with

Challenge of the Court– Book 5, 

Betrayal of the Court– Book 6

 Revival of the Court– Book 7. 

⭐️The Other Wolf Series 

Defender of The Pack– Book 0.5 (a prequel story), 

Protection of the Pack– Book 1, Guardians of the Pack– Book 2, Saviour of The Pack– Book 3, Awakening of the Pack – Book 4, Resurgence of the Pack – Book 5; and Ascension of the Pack – Book 6. 

⭐️The Other Witch Series 

Rune of the Witch – Book 0.5 (a prequel story), 

Hex of the Witch– Book 1, 

Coven of the Witch;– Book 2,

Familiar of the Witch– Book 3; and Destiny of the Witch – Book 4.

⭐️The Other Detective Series❤️

  •  Frustrated Justice – Book 0.5 (a prequel story), 
  • Veiled Justice – Book 1
  • Mystic Justice – Book 2
  • Arcane Justice – Book 3 
  • Brutal Justice – Book 4
  • Ruthless Justice-Book 5 , Oct 14,2026 (finale)

Buy link

        Brutal Justice: A Supernatural Crime Thriller (The Other Detective Series Book 4)

    

Blurb 

Death has changed bodies… and justice is about to get personal.

A dead dryad on my medical examiner’s lawn wasn’t how this week was supposed to start. But when I discover the victim was merely the latest body worn by the Other realm’s most notorious criminal, I realise this isn’t just murder.

It’s a possession.

Jude Jingo doesn’t kill the usual way. He steals lives from the inside out, jumping from body to body and leaving corpses in his wake. And now he’s wearing a face I recognise.

A face that’s getting dangerously close to someone I care about.

Officially, I’ve been ordered to close the case. Unofficially? I’m digging deeper. Because when a vampyr tries to gut me in the street and whispers about “orders”, I know this goes far beyond one dead dryad. Someone powerful wants this buried.

But I don’t bury murder.

With my rookie partner covering my back, my bonded bird raising hell, and an ogre king who takes threats against me very personally, I’m stepping off the books to hunt a body-stealing killer hiding in plain sight.

If I’m wrong, I’ll destroy an innocent man.

If I’m right, I’ll have to stop a monster wearing borrowed skin… without killing the man trapped inside.

No pressure.

Immerse yourself in The Other Detective Series – perfect for fans of supernatural crime, featuring a fierce heroine, political intrigue, brutal magic, and a slow-burn romance.

Written in British English.

The Other Detective Series

Frustrated Justice – a prequel story

Veiled Justice – Book 1

Mystic Justice – Book 2

Arcane Justice – Book 3

Brutal Justice – Book 4

Ruthless Justice – Book 5

Publisher

Hellhound Press Limited

Publication date

March 5, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

324 pages

Book 4 of 5

The Other Detective Series

Review:  Bring the Heat (Dragon Kin Book 9) by G.A. Aiken

Rating: 4⭐️

Bring the Heat is the finale of the series, bringing most but not all of the major plot lines to a conclusion. 

And the issue is that there’s far too much drama and too many elements to pull off for one book for that to feel completely satisfying. 

I absolutely love books 7 and 8, which featured the sisters of the Riders of the Steppe, Elina Shestakova and Kachka Shestakova. Each have their own unique story and voice that still resonates with me. I mean I woke up at night giggling madly thinking about them. Still do.

Then comes this book which tries to capture the relationship development between Aiden and Brannie but that’s overshadowed by a multitude of plots that Aiken is trying to create and then resolve by the end. 

Think of a juggler with a number of different balls in the air, each vying for the attention of the audience. Each is important for the act’s success but you can’t concentrate on each individual piece too long because the next is taking its place.

That’s what happens here. 

The reader can’t concentrate or connect with any scene or character because just as we get started, Aiken switches to another location, characters and drama. Something totally different is going on, removed from what we were just reading about.

The final battles to win against the Eyeless God and his priests has started. But this book is all over the place. An enormous cast of characters, on all sides and we get their POV’s, so multiple perspectives. 

Changes in realms, locations, new kingdoms. 

Keita the Viper is off on a covert rescue/assassination mission with Brannie and Aiden and a few of the Mi-runach who are sort of goofy, Queen Annwyl is missing ( huge section here in a new different location), then we’re back with scary Dagmar and her weird family, then the Abomination trio making plans for battle with the Dragon Queen, then Katcha and her crew. And the one-eyed King Gaius, and more. So many more. 

I will admit to flipping through a couple of pages because I couldn’t figure out who some of these people were. 

The final battle was predictable enough but still satisfying. And there was, as I said, still lots of loose ends about the children, that should the author ever want to revisit this universe she could easily pick up their stories. 

My favorite books might just be those about the Riders of the Steppe. A fierce matriarchal sisterhood. Maybe that’s a series we should have. Amazing characters and stories. 

And for now, it’s at an end. What a wild fabulous ride!

Highly recommended the series which should be read in the order it is written. 

Dragon Kin – 9 books complete series :

Dragon Actually #1

About A Dragon #2

What a Dragon Should Know #3

Last Dragon Standing #4

The Dragon Who Loved Me #5

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy #6

Light My Fire #7

Feel The Burn #8

Bring The Heat #9

Buy link

        Bring the Heat (Dragon Kin Book 9)

    

Blurb 

HE SAYS . . .

I, Aidan the Divine, am, well divine. My name was given to me by the Dragon Queen herself! I’m a delight! Cheerful. Charming. And a mighty warrior who is extremely handsome with a very large and well-hidden hoard of gold. I am also royal born, despite the fact that most in my family are horrendous beings that don’t deserve to live. And yet, Branwen the Awful—a low-born, no less—either tells me to shut up or, worse, ignores me completely.

SHE SAYS . . .

I’ll admit, I ignore Aidan the Divine because it annoys him. A lot. But, we have so much to do right now, I can’t worry about why he keeps looking at me like he’s thinking about kissing me. We have our nations to save and no time for such bloody foolishness . . . no matter how good Aidan looks or how long his spiked tail is. Because before this war destroys everything we love, we’ll have to face our enemies together. But if we make it out alive, who knows what the future will hold . . .

Zebra Books

Publication date

August 29, 2017

Language

‎English

Print length

414 pages

Book 9 of 9

Dragon Kin

Review:  Bones and Cactus Blooms (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 2) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Bones and Cactus Blooms , the second book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, is exactly what I hoped for in the series. It’s the potential I saw in the first book fulfilled and more.

The author has a fantastic mystery and story here. Shes developing Claire , the ranch which is now a thriving animal sanctuary and those who are a part of it, as the mystical heart of Perdita Springs. Or maybe the land upon which all of it stands. 

The beleaguered citizens of the town, under siege by developers and the bank, have our sympathy and emotional connection. Each one feels believable and raw. And Claire, as she continues to make her way into this town and its pain, is an interesting empathic woman who wants to make things happen. In their lives and her’s.

So of course, there’s a murder.

It’s a complex story with lots of interesting elements around the person who is killed. 

And the side stories, especially the one about Claire and Sam Redhorse, the vet, is very well written . Slow developing with stumbling blocks that, again,  are ones that any person can easily understand and relate to. 

It is wrapped up emotionally with layers that are so powerful. Sad but necessary. And the author adds an extra twist that shows another layer of the story and series going forward. 

Fantastic work and highly recommended. 

I’m onto the next.

Cover by Book Covers by Melody

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries (8 book series)

Death Rides The Desert #1

Bones and Cactus Blooms #2

Spirits of the Saguaro #3

Tombstones with a View #4

Body Beneath the Wither #5

Death Waits at Dead Rock #6

Skulls and Sunlit Secrets #7

The Bone Charm #8

Buy link

        Bones and Cactus Blooms (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Claire Caldwell has finally found her footing. Six months after solving her first murder, she’s turned Whispering Saguaro Ranch into a thriving animal sanctuary and embraced her ability to see the dead.

But the desert has more secrets to reveal.

When volunteers preparing for the Cactus Bloom Festival unearth human bones that have been hidden for thirty-five years, the whole town starts whispering about old scandals and vanished souls. Then one of the most powerful man in Perdido Springs turns up dead in his office, and everyone Claire knows had a reason to want him gone. The man who foreclosed on half the town… dead. The festival meant to save local businesses… in chaos. The ghosts in Claire’s kitchen… warning her that death isn’t finished yet.

As Claire digs into both the old bones and the fresh corpse, she discovers the two deaths are connected by threads of family, loss, and long-buried grievances that someone would kill to keep hidden. With her fox, Rusty, bringing ominous warnings, the ghost of a long-dead librarian helping her research, and her relationship with Sam strained by family obligations, Claire must navigate a town full of desperate people harboring deadly secrets.

In Perdido Springs, old wounds never heal… and some debts can only be paid in blood.

Welcome back to the desert, where the past never stays buried.

November 10, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

282 pages

Book 2 of 8

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries

Review: Review: Shifting of the Wild (Shifter Lords Book 7) by S.E. Babin

Rating: 4.75⭐️

“In-hiding hedgewitch florist by day. Powerful demigoddess by blood. Shapeshifting immortal by accident.”- book 1 hook

Well, it’s taken seven books to get here but Shifting of the Wild is the story I’ve been waiting for and so, so satisfying. 

In all my reviews I’ve made it clear that the character of Caelan has been one I consider a being I’m absolutely not a fan of, especially in the toxic relationship he’s had with Evie. He’s been the epitome of a controlling, dangerous, narcissistic personality who’s only interested in power and dominance. 

And the sad, damaging nature of this relationship has been one of the worst aspects of the series. Domestic violence and abuse are front and center here. Cheating and humiliation as well in the previous story. 

So this book is where Evie begins with her healing, her understanding of her past relationships , of Caelan, their abusive dynamic , and slowly starting to change and move happily forward. 

Shes in Rowan’s territory after the last battles and ordeals suffered in the previous story. The damage incurred is devastating. Physically and emotionally.  She’s needed space and time to heal and recover. 

And yes, Rowan has been a great favorite of mine. What a great and well balanced character, including his own secrets and powers. 

This narrative has multiple layers, including a new huge threat to the world from unknown sources. And Cernunnos and Moira are setting up a new plot and role for Moira with her new powers. 

I just love this story, and really want the trajectory of Evie’s new relationship to continue. Fantastic work and series.

Highly recommended!

So well written and beautifully executed. 

Cover design by Covers by Christian

Shifter Lords (11 book series):

Shift of Heart #1

Shift of Morals #2

Power Shift #3

Shifting Winds #4

Shifting Resolve #5

Shift of Rule #6

Shift of the Wild #7 

Goddess Shifting #8 – April 14, 2026

Final Shift #9 – Aug 26,2036

Shift Happens #10 – 8/26

Shifting Allegiance #11 – Oct 6,2026

Buy link 

        Shift of the Wild (Shifter Lords Book 7)

    

Blurb 

When Mother Earth comes calling, you’d better answer the door…

Evie has asked for sanctuary with Rowan, and he’s accepted, allowing her into his territory to lick her wounds and heal. Things are good for a while, until strange occurrences start happening when Rowan and Evie are together.

With similar magic, Evie feels like she’s found a kindred soul in the Shifter Lord, but other forces are about to shatter her rest and respite time and plunge them both into a type of danger they’ve never experienced before.

Someone is poisoning Rowan’s land and attempting to wrest his territory away from him. This time, the Lord isn’t powerful enough to win. But the enemy never counted on the fae heir and Floromancer’s visit, and one thing Evie is very good at is fighting for her friends.

Complications arise when Caelan figures out where she is and attempts to bring her home. But Evie never abandons a friend, and certainly not for a man who wouldn’t fight for her when she needed him to. Between fighting Caelan and fighting for Rowan, Evie is mentally and physically exhausted, something the enemy jumps on.

When the chips are down and the future looks grim, Evie will have to muster all her strength and power to fight back for Rowan, for herself, and to save Mother Earth from total annihilation.

Even if she loses herself in the process.

Oliver Heber Books

Publication date

March 3, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

249 pages

Book 7 of 11

Shifter Lords

Review:  How Not to Kill a Hellhound (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls #5) by Shannon Mae

Rating; 4🌈

How Not to Kill a Hellhound  is the fifth book in the Hellhounds of Paradise Falls series by Shannon Mae, a fated mates paranormal/urban fantasy series set in Paradise Falls, a location where several of her interconnected series take place.

Mae’s actually working towards an overall universe storyline that encompasses all her series and characters I’m guessing, and one of the ultimate main characters has an impactful role here.

I appreciate that it was left to Sebbie , mostly, to decide when he was emotionally ready for the next step in his quest to remember everything that happened and move forward. This is 90 percent Sebbie’s journey. Who he is, the past and how those characters around him support this journey. He’s a sweet, engaging person and I loved reading his story.

It’s a good tale with many creative elements, including mythological aspects, but leaves the Hellhounds mostly removed from this even as Corbin is a major player as Sebbie’s fated mate and Hellhound.  The Crow familiar is on the same level with Corbin here. Except for the many sex scenes with the emphasis on Sebbie’s appendage size being “cute”.  

I ended up wanting more exposition, less sex, more exploration of their developing relationship and each person’s history as opposed to their body parts. 

When things get interesting, things get misty.  I did like the interpretation of Charon and the boat ride. Amazing.

And loose ends were tied up finally from Aiden’s story while setting up Jude and the Sheriff for their fated mates romance. That should be interesting!

Cover design by Morningstar Ashley

Hellhounds of Paradise Falls: (Paranormal Romance) 

How to Flirt with a Hellhound #1

How to Hack a Hellhound #2

How to Tame a Hellhound #3

How to Trust a Hellhound #4

How NOT to Kill a Hellhound #5

How To Catch a Hellhound #6 – Oct 1,2026

The Revenge Playlist: A Collection of Afterlifer Revenge Stories (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls)

Linked series:

Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures (8 book series) fated mates romance set in Paradise Falls 

Buy link

        How Not to Kill a Hellhound (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls Book 5)

    

Blurb 

Sebbie 

Life’s pretty good. I love my job, I feed the crows in my yard, and I have some awesome friends. Sure, I was kidnapped by a cult recently, but my friends rescued me, so no harm done. And, okay, people do tend to die around me, but I work in a hospital. That’s normal… right? Death isn’t scary anyway—it’s just another beginning. Unfortunately, most guys I date don’t see it that way. My love life has been pretty empty, but I just met someone new. He’s ridiculously cute and even likes crows. I just hope he’s not scared off when he learns about my job. 

Corbin 

I take great satisfaction in removing hellbound souls from the world—especially the ones who prey on the weak. With my pack and my familiar, Crow, at my side, life is steady and peaceful. At least, it was until Sebbie. The cute, bubbly man is far more than he realizes, and he’s about to turn everything upside down. There’s just one little problem: he doesn’t know the supernatural exists… or that he’s a supernatural being. I want to help him harness his powers, but there’s a catch—if I’m not careful, Sebbie might end up killing me in the process. 

Tags: Crows hold grudges; Death is actually cheerful; Corbin’s as obsessed with shiny things as his birds; The pack shows up to create chaos; Thea is determined to be Sebbie’s new bestie; Jude doesn’t get arrested (or maybe he does?); 

Review:  Death Rides The Desert (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 1) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4.25⭐️

“When a city girl inherits a remote Arizona ranch, she discovers two things: dead bodies keep showing up, and she can see the ghosts who might have witnessed the murders. With a mysterious fox who won’t leave her porch and a handsome veterinarian who keeps stopping by, Claire must solve crimes the living can’t… and the dead won’t rest until she does”

That’s the hook for the book and series and it’s a terrific one. 

Death Rides The Desert is the first book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, a completed paranormal murder mystery series that I just started reading.   

This story starts off strong, as Claire Caldwell, arrives in Perdita Springs, Arizona from Chicago, Illinois. She’s been fired from her longtime marketing job, dumped by a cheating fiancé, and trying to figure out what she is doing with her life. Her deceased aunt has left her a mystical ranch, and lands with some old mines. A legacy she’s has avoided dealing with until now. 

But the story begins as she arrives weeks after the funeral. The ranch should be closed. But that’s not what she finds. 

It’s the beginning of huge development in her character as she learns about her aunt, the supernatural beings , ghosts, and strange happenings , that make the ranch and land home. It includes a spiritual fox with one white paw that glows.

I love the cultural elements the author weaves throughout the story and series . It’s in the families and their food and history. It’s in the town and its traditions and tragedies. All conceptually important and beautifully rendered.

The mysteries that stem from the mines, the past territorial disputes, and the town’s shady developments that impact the region and its inhabitants are inherently dangerous and real. The reader understands these issues and their significance to the people and their families.

By the end, Claire has become a strong advocate for herself and the people of the town. She’s got a vision for the ranch. And this series is really ready to launch into remarkable status.

I loved the ghosts, the animals at the ranch, Luis the young ranch hand and TikTok enthusiast, and,, Claire, who absolutely grew on me. 

I can’t wait for the next book to see what the ranch has become!

If you enjoy murder mysteries with a supernatural or paranormal aspect, this is absolutely charming. 

And it’s completed! What a win!

Cover by Book Covers by Melody

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries (8 book series)

Death Rides The Desert #1

Bones and Cactus Blooms #2

Spirits of the Saguaro #3

Tombstones with a View #4

Body Beneath the Wither #5

Death Waits at Dead Rock #6

Skulls and Sunlit Secrets #7

The Bone Charm #8

Buy link

 Book 1 of 8: The Haunted Ranch Mysteries 

Blurb 

A haunted ranch. A clever fox. Ghosts who won’t shut up.

Claire Caldwell came to Arizona to sell her great aunt’s ranch, lick her wounds, and escape back to Chicago.

Then the ranch decided it wanted a new owner.

A copper furred fox starts leaving gifts on her doorstep. Translucent cowboys appear in the barn. A woman who died in 1985 cooks tamales in Claire’s kitchen like she never left. And somehow, the dead all seem to know one thing Claire does not.

She can see them.

When the most hated man in Perdido Springs turns up dead on Claire’s property and the sheriff waves it off as an accident, the ghosts make it clear. Someone in town is lying. Someone is dangerous. And everyone had a reason to want the victim gone.

With a mystical fox at her side, a house full of chatty spirits, and a too handsome veterinarian who keeps showing up just when she needs him, Claire has to solve a murder nobody wants solved.

Before she becomes the next ghost haunting Whispering Saguaro Ranch.

Welcome to the desert, where the dead do not rest and the living keep secrets.

October 3, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

323 pages

Book 1 of 8

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries

Review:  How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin series Book 6) by G.A. Aiken

Rating:  4.75⭐️

Readers of this series have been waiting on Izzy’s story and finally we get it in How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin series Book 6) by G.A. Aiken.

Issabail aka Izzy, adopted daughter of Breic the Mighty and true daughter to his mate Talaith, former assassin, powerful Nolwenn witch, has had a long, dark journey with her mother to get to her current life.  The reader has been able to see her mother and Izzy through much of their later dark years until they came back together under Queen Annwyn.

And we watched the drama happen between friends Izzy, dragon cousins Calyn, and Éibhear become something that ends up tearing apart the friendship and bond between all of them fracturing.

Now 10 years later, Izzy is the terrifying General of the Eighth, Fourteenth, and Twenty-sixth Legions of Annwyl the Bloody’s army. Shes often accompanied by her best friend, Brannie, a Cadwaladr warrior dragon. And Éibhear the Blue? He’s become Éibhear the Contemptible, a ruthless vicious fighter,  part of the feared Mi-runach, a death squad made up of warriors who were problematic elsewhere. 

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy brings Izzy and Éibhear together again for a mission that dives deep into both Izzy and her mother’s past in the Desert Kingdom as well as returning characters, Gaius Lucius Domitus, who is ruling the Quintillian Provinces along with his sister,Lady Agrippina.

The real threat and overall series storyline starts to emerge as new religious zealotry appears. Terrific elements that become even more powerful and threatening as the story continues.

But it’s old relationships to be renewed and damage repaired so that as the adults they are now can have a better chance of surviving and being happy. 

It’s hilarious, action packed, and as Aiken is so fantastic at, believably layering emotional depths that swings from poignancy to anger to fear and finally to authentic uncertainty. Moments so real that it brings the readers so intimately into these characters journey that we feel everything along with them. 

With each story, I always say, this is my favorite, while knowing I’ll feel this way about the next. But I love Izzy. Always have. Branny too. 

And seeing her find her own roots. So amazing. Even if the series doesn’t return there, except to smack down Haldane again, this was truly wonderful. 

Highly recommended as is the series which should be read in the order it is written. 

Dragon Kin – 9 books complete series :

Dragon Actually #1

About A Dragon #2

What a Dragon Should Know #3

Last Dragon Standing #4

The Dragon Who Loved Me #5

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy #6

Light My Fire #7

Feel The Burn #8

Bring The Heat #9

Buy link

        How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin series Book 6)

    

Blurb 

Sanity is overrated in this “captivating, funny, exciting” fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Scarred Earth Saga (Smexy Books).

Some things never go away, like vile enemies, bad ale, and annoying kin. But I thought I was finished with the one dragon I’d have done anything for: Éibhear the Blue, a big, gorgeous, blue-haired beast who thinks the world belongs to him. The world and, apparently, me. 

So if Éibhear wants to play the caring hero and travel into the most forsaken of Gods forsaken lands to protect the one woman who doesn’t need it—namely me—I’ll let him. Because while I’m trying to fulfill a ridiculous