Review: The Little Shop of Curiosities The Music Box Part 2 (Crawshanks Guide to the Occult) by Vawn Cassidy

Rating: 3🌈

I’m going to talk about some of the plot points so if you don’t want any spoilers, stop reading.

I will start with saying I love the origin series with Dusty and Tristan and that entire cast and journey. Thought it is fantastic, right down to the fabulous side stories with The Grim Adventures of Death and Chan. My favorites too.

So I was really excited for some of the other characters to get their stories as well. But while the story is pretty good, I just can’t with the character of Harrison. He’s everything that makes a DNF book for me.

Sam, the paranormal PI is well done. He’s a layered personality and a good reason for being connected to the storyline. However, he’s also plays a powerful role here along with the other members of the original group, to keep me from engaging with Harrison.

A major reason for me not to buy or read a book is for an author to have written a main character who has major communication issues. Someone who, like Harrison here, has a secret or knowledge about the main mystery/storyline that’s threatening him and everyone else and is knowingly lying about it or/or refusing to tell anyone about it.

His dads and grandfather know and tell Harrison to reveal it to those who need to know, his friends and boyfriend, Sam. At one point, he lies to his parents and says he has. But no, he doesn’t, endangering his “boyfriend” Sam and his friends by withholding his all “central to the case” knowledge. As well as himself.

And once you think he’s learned something, and it’s over. It’s not because, wait for it. There’s one more potentially dangerous secret and another awful event that Harrison is responsible for.

This happened for the entire book. FFS and SMH

If you think that got old fast, you’d be correct. And it ended up with a cliffhanger where at this point I really didn’t care what happened to him. That’s a what a TSTL character reads like. Too bad about Sam.

And for my final spoiler, the author brought in characters from an unrelated series to save the day. So if you’re not familiar with them, it’s a huh, who are these people moment.

So, no not continuing further with this side series. I just don’t care about the main character and Tristan is made out to be whiny and weak , a characterization different from the other series.

Disappointing.

Cover design by Natasha Snow

Crawshanks Guide to the Occult (2 book series):

The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1 The Music Box

The Little Shop of Curiosities The Music Box Part 2

Connected series:

The Dead Serious Universe,

Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed (6 book series)

Crawshanks Guide to Mischievous Spectres & Spirits(2 book series)

The Grim Adventures of Death & Chan Vol 1-3 (on the author’s website)

Buy link

The Little Shop of Curiosities The Music Box Part 2 (Crawshanks Guide to the Occult)

Blurb

The Music Box – Part 2.

Strange things are happening in London, with a murder investigation underway into his biological mother’s murder Harrison is trying to find answers about the mysterious and powerful bloodline he’s descended from. Plagued by terrifying dreams of one of his ancestors and trying to keep his friends from discovering his true identity is exhausting. But his growing feelings for Sam cannot be ignored and sooner or later Harrison knows he must tell him the truth.

Having returned to London after fulfilling his own family obligations Sam begins to realise the cases that he’s investigating as a PI are all paranormal in nature. As he delves deeper he begins to suspect they are connected to the Crawshanks family and somehow to Harrison, himself, the man he’s falling in love with.

But as the murder investigation comes to a frightening conclusion and the killer is revealed, Sam and Harrison begin to realise that this is only the beginning.

Now they find themselves facing their most terrifying challenge yet.

Underside Press

Publication date

August 19, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

314 pages

Book 2 of 2

Crawshanks Guide to the Occult

Review: Ebony Gate (Phoenix Hoard #1) by Julie Vee and Ken Bebelle

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Ebony Gate (Phoenix Hoard #1) by Julie Vee and Ken Bebelle is one more recent discovery where it’s a combination of both great new book and great new writers. Win and winner. And finished series! Be still my heart! I hit the reader’s trifecta!

Yes, I’m absolutely thrilled with this book. It was another 3am finish and I had to stop myself from getting the second and immediately diving back into this incredible universe and character.

Set in contemporary San Francisco, the main character is Emiko Soong, oldest child of the magical Soong Clan, a dragon people who fled the destruction of their world to the human realm. One of eight powerful magical families, each with their own abilities and agendas, Emiko has removed herself to San Francisco after a long, bloody history with her family as their assassin.

Of course her past, her family, and clan politics dictate that she is soon pulled back into the magical family life and world she’s trying to escape.

I couldn’t put it down. Emiko’s past is bleak, filled with memories that invade narrative with bodies and vague scenes of her parents and blood. That her parents haven’t been totally honest about Emiko’s past or talent is clear throughout the story. And it’s a thread that will not be revealed here.

She’s a haunted, martial arts master, The Butcher of Peking, who now lives in San Francisco, remaining apart because of her past experiences and her secret life as a dragon clan.

I think interesting aspects of her life, the lower families, those outside of the clan’s protective influence that she’s become friends with, but the delicate relationships that are always present within the “invisible social structures“ that must be adhered to, that’s all perfectly defined by the authors. That balance of power and cultural strictures of both Asian and their Dragon magic is wonderfully crafted and laid out.

That scene alone in the library is everything.

Emiko’s mother, who is absent physically but whose impact is enormous here, is a character I can’t wait to meet. It’s because of her that Emiko’s presence is required by a shinigami. Absolutely terrifying and fascinating aspect of the story.

There’s a mission to save the City, herself and much more. It’s exciting, action packed and thrilling.

My only issue with it was that the Sentinel aspect took longer than I thought it should. That felt too drawn out.

Now onto the next book and some new exciting characters (like parents to meet) and locations.

Highly recommended and thrilled to share.

Buy link

Book 1 of 3: The Phoenix Hoard

Blurb

A CALIBA 2023 Golden Poppy Book Award Finalist

Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle’s Ebony Gate is a female John Wick story with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Emiko Soong belongs to one of the eight premier magical families of the world. But Emiko never needed any magic. Because she is the Blade of the Soong Clan. Or was. Until she’s drenched in blood in the middle of a market in China, surrounded by bodies and the scent of blood and human waste as a lethal perfume.

The Butcher of Beijing now lives a quiet life in San Francisco, importing antiques. But when a shinigami, a god of death itself, calls in a family blood debt, Emiko must recover the Ebony Gate that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi underworld. Or forfeit her soul as the anchor.

What’s a retired assassin to do but save the City by the Bay from an army of the dead?

The Phoenix Hoard

#1 Ebony Gate

#2 Blood Jade

#3 Pearl City

Review: Philippa Flynn’s Year of Panic and Piracy by Jacqueline Firkins

Rating : 4.75⭐️

I’ve had a great run of recommendations lately that have resulted in not only some fantastic stories but also discovering writers I’ve never read before.

Philippa Flynn’s Year of Panic and Piracy by Jacqueline Firkins is one of these, a beautifully written, heartfelt contemporary story about a woman’s journey to reconfigure her life after a typical bike ride into work nearly turns tragic. It shocks her into rethinking her current career and life.

And she makes a sea change. One that comes with disapproving parents, realistic struggles, and emotional difficulties. Financial issues too.

Philippa Flynn is so relatable. Intelligent, the one sibling who is the outlier in her uber successful family in her career choices as a history professor and her single life. And an unexpected event is about to happen to shake her life up in ways no one would have imagined.

Except perhaps for her grandmother, who left her a storied house, its contents, and a pirate ship by the sea.

As well as a surprise inside the house in the form of a tenant.

Firkins’ characters are so realistic and richly emotional. Their histories and their struggles with their families and their current situation. Just their initial impressions, and awkward conversations, funny and so beautifully crafted in its raw language and realness.

And as Philippa and Dylan navigate through their slow journey to a romantic relationship and partnership, fighting family and fears, the reader has become entrenched in their lives, rooted into their journey and emotionally invested in the outcome.

I loved the story. And could have stayed with them for longer.

And I’ll definitely be seeking out more of this author’s work.

Highly recommended.

Cover design and illustration by Philip Pascuzzo

Cover image: MarinaDreams / Getty

Other Books by this author:

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things

How Not to Fall in Love

Marlowe Banks, Redesigned

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch

The Goode Girls of Maple Lane

Buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/Jacqueline-Firkins/e/B07SSJGYWW/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Blurb

An introverted history professor and a former romance cover model collaborate on a life-changing endeavor in a witty and swoonworthy novel about new beginnings in unexpected waters.

When a sinkhole nearly swallows her whole, burned-out history professor Philippa Flynn takes it as a wake-up call. Leaving her carefully planned but unfulfilling life behind, she moves into an old seaside house she inherited from her grandmother, a bestselling author of swashbuckling romances.

Philippa expects the clutter, disrepair, proximity to the family she deliberately moved away from, and reclusive writer she’ll be sharing the house with. She doesn’t expect that writer to also be the cover model who personified Iris Flynn’s bare-chested, cavalier-booted pirate king.

While navigating their awkward cohabitation and searching for creative inspiration, the pair discovers the outlines for six more novels they could work on together. But Philippa’s used to facts, Dylan has writer’s block, and neither can craft a love scene while real sparks are flying.

To write the story on the page, Philippa will have to embrace the one she’s living, even if it means swapping tenure for treasure maps and plans for pirate kings.

Review: Tides of Betrayal (Witches of Willow Cove Book 2) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4⭐️

Tides of Betrayal, the second book in the Witches of Willow Cove, is another excellent read. It has a great magical mystery that involves the community, increasing nightmares and possible curses.

Rowan Page, her familiar, Moss and all the other Willow Cove inhabitants who are starting to become involved with Rowan in her inherited bookstore, Quill & Tide, are really developing their own roles and engaging personalities. With their unique backgrounds and their involvement in the community as each new disaster unfolds.

I enjoyed this mystery and most of the magical aspects surrounding it. There was a few twists and the villain, while being blatant, was truly cold about the ramifications of their actions, not a morally grey character. Unusual for this kind of story.

My slight issues are with the Cal, the Sheriff who, had a history with Rowan’s aunt. Now he still figures only minutely into cases that have a high impact on the community. Cal has a strong sense of something extraordinary going on but leaves it alone.

Then there’s the librarian, Jude, whose personality is as problematic as his name. I find Jude unlikable. He’s that person that makes you think, hmmm, he’s was voted the last person picked for just about everything. Justifiably so.

I thought leaving the story with an even bigger mystery was a great idea. Loved it and can’t wait for the next book to come.

Witches of Willow Cove (2 book series)

A Novel Death #1

Tides of Betrayal #2

Buy link

Tides of Betrayal (Witches of Willow Cove Book 2)

Blurb

Rowan Page would like to believe things at Quill & Tide are finally settling down, but the books have other plans. When a prominent local collector dies in what looks like a tragic sleepwalking accident, Rowan notices something the police can’t explain.

People all over town are having nightmares.

Moss wants nothing to do with the cursed books turning up across Willow Cove, Aunt Oona’s ghost is more cryptic than helpful, and the closer Rowan gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that some old betrayals were never buried.

They were shelved.

July 20, 2026

Accessibility

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Language

‎English

File size

648 KB

Screen Reader

Supported

Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

X-Ray

Not Enabled

Word Wise

Enabled

Print length

261 pages

Page Flip

Enabled

Book 2 of 2

Witches of Willow Cove

Review: Morel Dilemma (Tales from the Dragon Diner Book 3) by Lindsey Buroker

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Things are getting complicated in the small town of Tranquility. The Dragon Diner is extremely busy, trying to expand with its roof elf designed garden dining area and new magic mushroom recipes.

But first, the Elf Queen is coming to town, Rylana’s best friend, the elven assassin Sylin is being hunted down by elves, Rylana and dragon chef Jildarin have just been informed that they are going to be evicted from the place where the diner is by their landlord and magical mushrooms need to be found.

All in a day’s work for this group.

It’s a story full of tangled feelings, a few mysteries (mostly about family), mushrooms and things that glow, and a slow burn romance that might finally get a tiny bit more heat. But not much.

And it’s a cozy fantasy so everyone knows that it works out well.

Adorable and still very interesting. Love the characters.

Tales from the Dragon Diner (5 book series to date)

Calculated Whisk #1

Knead for Speed #2

Morel Dilemma #3

Ale Storm #4 – Oct 14,2026

Buy link

Morel Dilemma (Tales from the Dragon Diner Book 3)

Blurb

Retired mercenary Rylana and the dragon chef Jildarin are on the hunt for enchanted morels in the hope of enticing the visiting elf queen to their diner. But more than a desire for mushrooms has brought the queen to the city of Tranquility.

For some reason, she has her people searching for Rylana’s best friend, the elven assassin Sylin.

Even as Rylana worries about her comrade, a new problem thrusts its way into her path. Despite the Dragon Diner’s newfound success, their landlord has decided to evict them. After all that Rylana and Jildarin have built together, will they be forced to close the business?

Review: The Spellshop (Spellshop #1) by Sarah Beth Durst

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I found this writer through a marvelous fantasy short story and shortly thereafter this incredible fantasy series.

Starting with the richly crafted universe of librarians fleeing a newly fallen Empire and the mythical creatures that either accompany them or welcome them into their new lives, The Spellshop begins our adventures with a revolution and librarian Kiela, her companion, the sentient spider plant Cas, and as many magical books as she can carry, fleeing the Capital.

For a cozy fantasy adventure, I love that the author has given us a main character who’s personality isn’t automatically endearing. Kiela has spent the last years of her life withdrawing into her job, her cubicle and all the books she’s in charge of in her sector, Cas being her only companion and daily interaction.

Then, in a horrifying moment, they have to flee for their lives.

I’ve often wondered what it must have been like for the great libraries of Alexandria to have burned and my heart hurts. It’s no less painful to feel what Kiela and Cas go through here.

Durst’s emotionally rendered scenes and vivid moments are so well done that I could visualize them myself.

Once Kiela decides that she and Cas will be safe on the faraway island that was once home, the character development grows stronger as she learns to deal and become part of the otherworldly community she originally came from.

It’s found family, magical creatures, slow burn romance and just a fantastic story about friendships, finding home and family if you let yourself.

I love the characters and story. The universe is one I’m thrilled to share and happily ready to continue with the next novel. It has to do with Cas, so it’s important that this book be read first.

Highly recommended.

And that beautiful cover. So incredibly well designed.

Richly gorgeous cover by artist Lulu Chen and designer Esther Kim

The Spellshop series

The Spellshop

The Enchanted Greenhouse

Sea of Charms

The Magical Cheese Emporium

Buy link

Book 1 of 4: The Spellshop

Blurb

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER!

A #1 LibraryReads pick!

An Indie Next pick!

The Spellshop is the romantasy debut by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.

“Sarah Beth Durst is the hidden gem of the fantasy world.” —Book Riot

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.

The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island’s first-ever secret spellshop.

Her plan comes with risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

Expect:

Standalone romance

Grumpy x sunshine

Magical creatures

Small town cozy

Bramble books by Sarah Beth Durst

The Spellshop series

The Spellshop

The Enchanted Greenhouse

Sea of Charms

Review: A Novel Death (Witches of Willow Cove Book 1) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I love Sara Bourgeois’s many different paranormal murder mystery series, whether it’s situated in the Arizona desert mountains or in a small NW Pacific coastal town. Whether a woman has inherited a ghost filled desert ranch or a seaside bookstore or witchy herb shop that’s accompanied by a cat familiar, whatever the location or inheritance, the characters and community are intriguing, plot and character development well written, and the series one that expands into a ever deeper layered narrative and leads to wonderful relationships and even more mysteries.

This is our introduction to Rowan Page, her inherited bookstore, Quill & Tide, the familiar, cat Moss, and the very interesting seaside town of Willow Cove, where things are brewing. Murder and plenty of mystery to go around with the charm and quirky community.

Her aunt’s presence is still there, and magic is winding its way into Rowan’s life.

Bourgeois has, through her other series, kept her characters layered, even the murder mysteries, from victims to villains, have dimensions that have a reader feeling about them from multiple perspectives. There’s a sense of realness in their behaviors that makes us able to understand them, if not condone their actions.

Even for a urban fantasy or paranormal murder mystery novel, having the author write characters that a reader would find engaging and relatable, even while we laugh at the “nosiness” make this a series I can’t wait to continue.

Plus I want to visit any bookstore with the name Quill & Tide. I’m sold.

Another winner I’m happy to share.

Witches of Willow Cove (2 book series)

A Novel Death #1

Tides of Betrayal #2

Buy link

Book 1 of 2: Witches of Willow Cove

Blurb

Rowan Page has a plan.

It is not a good plan, but it is technically a plan. She’ll come to Willow Cove, sort out the seaside bookshop her late aunt left behind, sell the property before the money runs out, and move on with her life.

Quill & Tide has other ideas.

The shelves are beautiful but impossible to navigate. The bathroom mirror keeps leaving messages in her dead aunt’s handwriting. And Moss, the sea-glass gray cat who came with the building, keeps glowing every time someone lies.

Rowan would love to pretend all of that is normal.

Unfortunately, denial gets harder when a bestselling thriller author drops dead at the town’s Masques & Manuscripts festival, right in front of half the waterfront.

The police have a suspect. The town has gossip. Moss has strong feelings about everyone involved, most of them unflattering. And Rowan has questions she really should stop asking, especially once they lead to a stolen grimoire and secrets Aunt Oona apparently took to the grave.

Willow Cove is charming, magical, and very bad at minding its own business.

Rowan was supposed to sell the bookshop and leave.

Instead, she may have inherited a murder mystery and one extremely judgmental cat.

Publication date

June 15, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

213 pages

Book 1 of 2

Witches of Willow Cove

Review: A Match Made in Slumber (Marriage Market Misadventures) by Kasia Bacon

Rating: 4🌈

Part of a mult-author fantasy series centered around a Marriage Market and “forced marriage” trope, I picked up A Match Made in Slumber because of the author and the description, which seems to have found a good way around the forced proximity aspect in the series that’s just not my thing.

Bacon doesn’t disappoint here with a charming tale of two totally different men who have been haunting each other’s dreams each night. Each man from a different world or realm, although they’re both Elves. And each one differs in their lifestyle and personality. Except for the fact they appear to be fated for each other.

Commander Keălhem Reñyés is about to storm the castle with his men, a bloody battle sure to ensue. He’s been in a war for a long time and only his nightly dreams have kept him sane.

Elian Fountenblym, is an imaginative genius who creates wondrous things with his magical matchsticks. But his nightly fantasies and the dream man who haunts them are keeping him up and from being productive. And when his magic goes wrong, it’s Keălhem who suddenly appears before him.

Bacon does a terrific job of characterizing the various backgrounds of each man while making the chemistry between them feel absolutely believable.

And being able to see Keălhem find his own way into Elian’s life and the marketplace, using his own strengths and skills is such a great pleasure and part of the relationship and storyline.

Even the “forced proximity/marriage” aspect loses the “ick” factor for me when the author builds such a strong case for them being fated partners being pulled together.

There is a happily ever after for the couple and the ending is very satisfying.

For those readers like me who are a fan of the author, this Shared world universe stands outside of Bacon’s Order Universe. FYI.

Highly recommended.

Cover Art: Cormar Covers

Logo Design: Marek Frankowski

Map Design: JS Harker & Katey Hawthorne

Marriage Market Misadventures – 8 books

Romancing the Throne by Lisa Henry and Sara Honey

Berries and Blades by Katherine McIntyre

Quills and Starlight by Kota Quinn

The Rake and the Cake by Katey Hawthorne

Love and Clockwork by Essie Sloane

The Love Schematic by JS Harker

Tossing the Caber by jem zero

A Match Made in Slumber by Kasia Bacon

“Each book explores queer pairings across the gender spectrum (M/M, F/F, F/X) through light-hearted mishaps and shenanigans. Romance tropes include fake engagements, forced proximity, opposites attract, marriage of convenience, and grumpy/sunshine dynamics.”

Buy link

A Match Made in Slumber

Blurb

Kidnapping an interdimensional warlord is a crime. Marrying him is a get–out–of–dungeon–free card

Commander Keălhem Reñyés is mid-swing—about to storm a fortress—when the battlefield dissolves into the scent of candyfloss. Instead of headbutting an enemy, he crash-lands face-first into a heap of silk ribbon talismans, yanked across dimensions to Everend by an alchemist desperate for some shut-eye.

Elian Fountenblym, a genius matchstick maker with a cataclysmic track record of magical mishaps, is plagued by sensual dreams of a mysterious soldier. Every night, they leave him randy, pining and knackered—all in the run-up to the Great Midsummer Market—the busiest event of the year. To kill the longing once and for all, he invents the Match of Tranquillity, only to unwittingly trigger a forbidden summoning enchantment that delivers his dream man straight into his waking world. That’s one more whoopsie he could’ve done without.

With High Arbiter Cholerius—Elian’s former Academy rival—sniffing around for unauthorised magic, the stakes are high. Bound by the volatile constraints of the spell and forced to share a bed to keep Keălhem from flickering out of existence, the pair must turn to an ancient legal loophole to save Elian from a one-way trip to the dungeons on interdimensional kidnapping charges.

Navigating a fake marriage that begins to feel dangerously real, they have until the Midsummer Moon wanes to decide: part ways or let the flame of their accidental match burn forever?

A Match Made in Slumber is a low-angst, marriage-of-necessity, forced-proximity story featuring fated mates, accidental kidnapping and a stoic/chaotic dynamic. It is part of the Marriage Market Misadventures.

Marriage Market Misadventures is a light-hearted series of standalone queer romances where elves from all over the realm gather at the Everend Midsummer Markets to meet, match, and marry—with plenty of shenanigans along the way.

August 14, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

224 pages

Part of series

Marriage Market Misadventures

Shared world universes

Review: Wolf Blood (At First Bite #2) by Lola Glass

Rating: 4⭐️

Wolf Blood, the second book in this series, is one I feel is the better story here.

It’s still an interesting take on the vampire species although I’m not entirely sold on the idea that vampires are a weaker species than werewolves which they are here.

Walk about in daylight? Check. Drink blood from bags, but not often? Check. Move swiftly and gracefully? Check. But strength? That’s not really certain what it is. So they’re very pretty, model like species who drink blood and are reviled by everyone else for their actions in the previous war.

Here it’s Harper, Bloom’s best friend, who’s bitten and turned against her will (from the first book). She also in her violent feeding frenzy, attacks a coworker that launched a main plot of that story.

Wolf Blood deals with the ramifications of her becoming a made vampire, and her new quasi relationship with Rhône, the beta of the wolf pack that Bloom is now a member of.

The issues raised of her even wanting to be a vampire, if she can remain stable, and the struggle for herself to separate herself from Bloom’s future and find a new life for herself. All good elements.

And the relationship dynamics that she has with Rhône are far stronger and more complex than the one that Bloom had with the Alpha.

That said, this is another tiny woman/ huge man storyline that I could have done without. I do like that she created a new persona for her new role and lifestyle.

The issues she had with her mother and vampire Council were resolved with a sentence. After a lifetime of abuse, that was not enough explanation for this situation.

I liked the couple and characters much better than the first two. But I really never bought into the species interpretation of the author’s here. It just didn’t work for me and that maybe because it needed more explanation.

It was an entertaining read and I recommend it if you’re looking for something different.

Cover by Francesca Michelon

At First Bite (2 book series):

Sweet Blood #1

Wolf Blood #2

Same universe:

Wildwood (3 book series)

Buy link

Wolf Blood (At First Bite Book 2)

Blurb

The werewolf who’s been keeping me alive with his blood for the last few months just declared me his.

He also says he isn’t mine, so that’s fantastic.

At least we’re not soulmates. Yet.

Being a turned vampire has been rough for me, but I’m determined to survive long enough to make sure that my best friend has a support system of some kind when I’m gone.

It doesn’t help that my mother is somehow behind the murders that nearly took her out, though.

Or that the wolf who’s claimed me isn’t willing to let me go.

Somehow, I have to keep myself sane just long enough for everything to fall into place… and I have to do it without falling for a werewolf.

*This is a spicy enemies to lovers romance with a happily ever after

August 5, 2026

Accessibility

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Language

‎English

Print length

399 pages

Book 2 of 2

At First Bite

Review: Dark Matter (Class 5 Book 4) by Michelle Diener

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Dark Matter is fantastic. The Class 5 series is just getting better and better with each new book.

Bane, the AI who decided to remain independent and has been on the periphery of the storylines as a enigmatic character is front and center here. And I’m so excited for this.

Each newly freed AI Class 5 battleship will be eventually associated with a human woman (or more accurately several in its history). Here, Bane was given information by the AI Paxe before Paxe sacrificed himself (yes each “thinking machine” decides to gender identity) that there’s yet another human female being held by the Tehrans. And she needs to be rescued at all costs.

That’s Lucy Harris, who harrowingly escapes from the Tecran science lab where she’s been a prisoner and is on the run for her life on the Tecran planet.

Grih Commander Dray Helvan is traveling to carry out the Council’s mission of punishments for breaking the UC law when Bane informs him of Lucy’s presence on the planet. And the race is on to rescue her before she’s recaptured.

It’s thrilling, suspense filled and action packed with battle scenes and moments of drama and heart-stopping sequences when the reader is right there with Lucy on the run.

Bane is as terrifying as you might imagine and Dray Helvin the next soldier and commander who realistically wants the Tecran to pay for the atrocities that they’ve committed.

Diener expands on her overall universe, answering questions that I had about why only women, and other elements while still exploring the galactic conspiracy and ongoing conflicts involving the women and the Council.

Just a great series and group of characters.

A another winner from an author who’s become an auto read.

Class 5 Series (7 book series)

Dark Horse #1

Dark Deeds #2

Dark Minds #3

Dark Matters #4

Dark Class #5

Collision Course #6

Crash Course #7

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Dark Matters (Class 5 Series Book 4)

Blurb

DARK MATTERS . . . taking matters into her own hands

A time bomb, waiting to go off . . . Lucy Harris is on the run, not sure where she can turn to for help, or if help is even available. But even as her abductors chase her down, she realizes they don’t just want to recapture her, they want to erase her. When your very existence puts a planet at risk of war, there’s no choice but to do everything in your power to stay out of your enemies hands.

A predator . . . waiting for the chance to pounce The powerful AI battleship, Bane, is accompanying the United Council envoy to Tecra to mete out the punishment the Tecrans have earned for breaking UC law. He revels in the power he’s about to have over his old masters. But his mission isn’t only to rain down retribution on the people who kept him chained for years, he’s also looking for a human woman one of his fellow Class 5s mentioned in the final seconds of his life. Paxe admitted to taking Lucy Harris from Earth, and Bane has been looking for her ever since.

A warrior conflicted . . . Commander Dray Helvan thinks the Grih made a mistake in not pushing for war with the Tecran, but he’s had to accept the compromise, that he and the other envoys from the United Council will go to Tecra and dismantle its military from the top down. His mission is not one of his choosing, but when he and his team arrive, he’s handed a very different job. While he distrusts Bane on principle, when the Class 5 tells him there’s a woman running for her life on the planet below, he will do whatever he has to to see her safe. And if that means war for Tecra, well, then it means war.

Note: Dark Matters is book 4 in the Class 5 series.

Eclipse

Publication date

October 15, 2019

Language

‎English

Print length

320 pages

Book 4 of 7

Class 5 Series

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