This is the second series I’ve read by Jessie Mihalik and I find I’m actually enjoying it better. The world building is excellent and well laid out, it’s less Regency in space and more galactic exploration/ based, which suits me.
And while the “alien race “ isn’t all that alien, Mihalik has given a “theory” that’s accepted for the similarity of physicality of species.
This series takes place after a horrific galactic war between two species, humans and Valoffs. The main characters, Captain Octavia “Tavy “ Zarola, Eli, and Kee are all that’s left of their special military team , now living aboard their spaceship.
As veterans, each carrying their own nightmares, PTSD, from the war, the characters are engaging and relatable as a found family unit. Especially with their burbu, the animal they rescued while deployed.
When their former enemy comes in need of their assistance for a mission, old memories return as well as new relationships that are forged.
The Valoffs aren’t as strong an element as a whole. We don’t get a cultural or historical background on them, so as a people they are hard to grasp. Individually, they are characters that grow as events happen and relationships develop.
The stories are strong, the characters greatly expand into new areas of growth and it’s a fast paced series that’s entertaining and romantically a little spicy.
Tavy and Torran’s story is filled with adventures and battles and great moments. I love it.
Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire
someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.
With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.
But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.
After enjoying Hidden Storm, the first book in The Witch’s Bestiary by Evangeline Hunter, unfortunately, I found Midnight Storm suffering from second story syndrome.
It just doesn’t carry through on the potential from the original story. Many of the interesting elements, the Bestiary itself are relegated to just barest scenes and the fact that Alicia Stormwell is a powerful rescuer and ally of exotic species is an inconsistent aspect of this story.
The werewolf shifter she helped and is now her assistant, Kyle Matthews, is the most problematic character here. He’s still in search of his missing sister and wants Alicia to continue to help him find her. No issue here.
However, his behavior is extremely immature. For a grown adult. When they run into dead ends and Alicia, reasonably wants to enlist all the assistance they can get, police aid included, he objects. Whining, throwing tantrums.
As a reader, I both want to stop reading or put that character in a timeout. He’s that childish.
Only the author wants us to continue to connect with him and accept that this intelligent,highly powerful woman is attracted to this toddler? Just no.
And the storyline is further proof that the series has lost its original path when during the last section where the sister, just as irritating as her brother, has been located, it’s among the very abused exotics Alicia’s life is focused around.
But that’s hardly mentioned except for a sentence at the end of the story.
It should be a huge deal but it’s not. And even the sister doesn’t mention her role in their damage. It’s all about her.
I’m surprised I finished this. And I’m debating going forward. The only reason why I would is that wolf boy isn’t in the next book . A plus.
A brutal tournament, a missing sister, and a witch with nothing left to lose.
I’m Alicia Stormwell, a witch who spends her days rescuing fantastic creatures and my nights battling the dark underworld of magical animal trafficking. But nothing prepares me for the mess I’m about to walk into.
When my hunky werewolf friend, Kyle Matthews, asks for my help in finding his missing sister, Sabrina, I’m all in. Our search leads us to the Velvet Claw, a shadowy organization running a supernatural fight ring where lives are currency and losing isn’t an option.
As the tournament reaches its sinister climax, I must race against time and use every ounce of my magical skill to rescue Sabrina before the Velvet Claw gets its claws deeper into her life, Kyle’s, and mine.
The Witch’s Bestiary includes:
· Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires
· Hidden magic and a magical underworld
A slow-burn / RH romance
· Fantastic creatures
· A badass female main character with snark and humor
The daughters of the House of High House von Hasenberg fall in the order of Hannah, Bianca, Ada, and youngest daughter Catarina. There are two brothers, the oldest brother and heir, Ferdinand, and Bianca’s twin brother, Benedict.
All the siblings have roles here in Aurora Blazing, the second book in The Consortium Rebellion series. The main focus is on Bianca con Hasenberg, her traumatic experiences upon her wedding Gerald at the command of her father, and its recuperation afterwords. And her frenemy, Ian Bishop, the director of House von Hasenberg security.
Through Bianca, we learn, what a horror it is growing up under their father’s absolute control and authority. While the reader has been given a hint of the abuse the siblings have suffered, here through a horrific memory recalled, we get the picture of a cold blooded man who sees only submission or brutal punishment for those who don’t obey. No feeling only fear.
Then once married, Bianca ended up suffering as a non consenting experimental subject to her own husband’s scientific experiments suffering greatly. Only after his death was she able to return home, permanently changed for life and hiding what he’d done to her.
The revelations are shocking and constant here. The author is filling in family and characters backgrounds as well as world building with the major Houses.
And it comes with another heartbreaking crisis for the siblings. Ferdinand is missing.
Because of their upbringing, they are close to each other, knowing that they are their only source of support and love. That’s beautifully written and illustrated in every aspect of their dynamic.
Bianca is a layered, well defined woman who’s still dealing with the trauma of her marriage and the damage done to her body and spirit. She’s now carries unheard of abilities in her mind, ones only she knows about. But they come at a high physical cost which she must monitor and explain away.
It’s all folded into a high level suspense filled with, action packed story, one that carries emotional baggage and endless painful moments to fill a starship.
There’s also a slow burn relationship between Bianca and Ian Bishop, where frisson, lack of trust and their own past makes them work against each other at every step.
While I enjoyed Polaris Rising, I feel that Aurora Blazing was the better book. More layers and character development.
A third sister has the next story. That’s Catarina. Im headed there.
A definite winner and another recommendation!
Oh, and Aoife and Alexander ? Love them both and they are featured in Chaos Reigning!
To save her brother and protect her family’s future, a powerful princess must join forces with a dashing man from her past in this thrilling space adventure, the second novel in the Consortium Rebellion trilogy.
As the dutiful daughter of High House von Hasenberg, Bianca set aside her personal feelings and agreed to a political match arranged by her family, only to end up trapped in a loveless, miserable marriage. When her husband unexpectedly dies, Bianca vows never to wed again. Newly independent, she secretly uses her wealth and influence to save other women stuck in dire circumstances. Information is power and Bianca has a network of allies and spies that would be the envy of the ’verse—if anyone knew about it.
When her family’s House is mysteriously attacked, Bianca’s oldest brother, the heir to House von Hasenberg, disappears. Fearful for her brother’s life, the headstrong Bianca defies her father and leaves Earth to save him. Ian Bishop, the director of House von Hasenberg security—and Bianca’s first love—is ordered to find and retrieve the rebellious woman.
Ian is the last man Bianca wants to see. To evade capture, she leads him on a merry chase across the universe. But when their paths finally collide, she knows she must persuade him to help her. Bianca will do anything to save her sibling, even if it means spending time alone on a small ship with the handsome, infuriating man who once broke her heart.
As the search takes them deep into rival House Rockhurst territory, Bianca must decide if she can trust Ian with the one piece of information that could destroy her completely . . .
Bound By Fate (Blind Fury Book 1) is a new series by Annabel Chase and the first book is a terrific one.
I absolutely love the premise of a paranormal retirement community, along with the attendant issues of its otherworldly residents in their “later, much much later years “ of existence. Witches, vampires who have lived extremely long and rich lives and now live out their lives together. Some lively souls, enjoying their ancient lives while others exhibit significant signs of dementia.
It’s a familiar setting and group made fantastical in a complex and intimate story. One that will flow together with a weekly meeting of cardsharp players and fanatical cliques of pickleball teams. All beautifully written and believable.
Chase treats them with kindness, respect and compassion. These people are layered with degrees of history and poignancy of life at its for some.
The assistant head of their security team is an enigma, Maya August, an intriguing figure herself. She’s in hiding on this retirement island off of Savannah,Georgia. She’s been personally isolating herself from everyone. And that gives Chase ample room for her to develop Maya’s personality and reveal bits about her background as events happen.
And, wonderfully, Chase does this by bringing Maya into the community. She finally fully acknowledges her role as protector and part of them. We are enveloped by their presence as well as Maya’s ability to make her own choices for herself.
But there’s also mystery, murders, and outside forces of power here. One of those includes a person called Zale, someone who will figure into the series.
I love everything about this. The many characters, types of beings, the various mythology the author is introducing (she’s excellent at it), but above all, this realistic yet not retirement community of powerful paranormal beings. All who have issues we can identify with but on extraordinary levels.
I really can’t wait for the next story to arrive.
Btw, HOA’s are still awful no matter what the setting. FYI.
Most people move to a magical retirement island for peace and quiet—and pickleball.
Maya August moved there to disappear.
As the assistant director of security for Evermore Island—a secret community where elderly paranormals fade into obscurity—Maya has built the perfect hiding place. Her days consist of magical mishaps, avoiding the clothing-optional tennis courts, and definitely not getting attached to the island’s strays (feline or otherwise).
Then her boss vanishes. A resident turns up dead. And Maya’s carefully constructed refuge begins to crumble.
She could handle a murder investigation. She’s handled much, much worse. What she can’t handle is the HOA president forcing her back to the mainland after five years in self-imposed exile to meet Vale, the mysterious and powerful figure who’s claimed jurisdiction over her case.
But Maya isn’t interested in playing by his rules or anyone else’s.
Because if Maya can’t solve this case and keep her past buried, there are fates far worse than letting a killer walk free.
Perfect for fans of morally gray heroines, slow-burn tension, and retirement home chaos meets magical noir, Bound By Fate is the first book in the new Blind Fury-urban fantasy series.
What a fantastic piece of fantasy storytelling! This is one of my favorite series and Fabiano has become a autobuy based on the superiority of his work on this series.
It’s not often I find myself reading novels that I find just so satisfying on multiple levels that I can recommend to many ages of readers, but this author and series is one of them.
I mean how often do you hear someone say that a writer has made math, precision, economics, and the basics of trade absolutely gripping and part of a fascinating magical system and storyline? Fabiano does this time and again here and throughout the series.
He’s building systems and exploring new areas just like his characters, Marcus and Felix, have been building up in skills and abilities for their craft and innovation.
And as with new areas, new challenges and opportunities for growth and innovation.
Drama too. With Prince Adrian and his two bodyguards, a mysterious Kingdom and its ruler of a nearby country in need, and a political crisis that needs the help of our two Glyphwrights, this is a quietly mesmerizing tale.
I did think the ending resolution was either exactly right or too quick. I’m thinking about it still.
I do love how each book ends with every one returning home, watching as their beloved small town comes into view, knowing that each one they love will be waiting for them. And a new future will emerge.
It’s lovely and warmhearted. Exactly what we want for these characters we’ve come to care for.
None of these stories are standalone books but build upon the one before.
I highly recommend reading them all. Excellent work and fantastic storytelling.
A highly recommended read. Just amazing work by the author.
Marcus thought infrastructure work was complicated. Then someone made it political.
The Northern Kingdoms ask for help with their failing ward networks. Prince Adrian volunteers Fairwind & Penwright for the job: redesign everything to work with local materials instead of expensive imports. Except the imports aren’t expensive by accident. Someone’s price-gouging essential supplies, and they don’t want competition.
Marcus’s merchant instincts see the pattern: economic sabotage wrapped in a supply chain monopoly. When Prince Adrian gets kidnapped, the technical work becomes the easy part.
One job. Two skill sets. And finally, a payout big enough to buy their own shop.
A cozy fantasy with LitRPG progression, economic intrigue, unexpected rescues, and the discovery that sometimes your merchant skills matter just as much as your magic.
Pour yourself something warm, settle into your favorite reading spot, and discover that sometimes fixing the magic is simpler than fixing the people.
I’d heard Jennifer Estep’s novels and series recommended highly and decided that her Crown of Shards would be a good place to start exploring her writing. It’s more recent release than some other series. It’s a magical fantasy universe. Unlike her earlier contemporary action thriller series that began in 2010 where elements of that social era seep into narratives of the time.
I liked Kill The Queen. It has great drama, with the Queen, the Royal family and court being massacred at the start of the novel. No spoilers. That’s part of the description.
The surviving royal family member, a former nondescript woman of no magical powers, Evie Blair, fled to the gladiator troop run by a old friend of the betrayed Queen. There she finds herself with a found family, training and the skills she needs to survive and revenge the massacre of her family.
It’s a terrific story with lots of action and interesting characters. The gladiator group is very believable and engaging. And their outfits are imaginative.
But it has its issues. The magical system isn’t really given much of a structure. It’s just “there”. One person can shoot lightning sort of thing.
And the romance aspect is really flawed. It’s a instalove relationship but without any chemistry or foundation. Estep wants the reader to believe that Evie, who’s been through a traumatic childhood, then an even more devastating loss of family by massacre, then survival by gladiators now finds herself in love with someone she barely knows. She trusts no one really. But this?
It’s not credible and loses much of its appeal for strength of the character.
She’s also supposed to be driven by a cold rage that dominates her personality, an aspect of her character we rarely see here.
I did find her and her journey entertaining reading but remained aware of the issues of the narrative. Something that doesn’t happen when I’m fully engaged in the storyline.
I’ll probably pick up the rest of the series eventually. For me, this was good but not great.
Btw, the description say Gladiator meets Game of Thrones which had me laughing. These over the top blurbs really need to stop with this type of thing. Just describe your story and leave it at that. Cause no. It’s not.
Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series—an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.
In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.
But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.
Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.
But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.
Ada von Hasenberg, middle daughter of the powerful main House of Hasenburg, is the best reason to read this book. Mihalik has created in Ada a main character who’s versatile, highly intelligent, skilled in manipulating people and spacecraft, layered emotionally and physically adaptable. The reader automatically understands and connects with her. We’re on her side every step of her journey.
And what a dangerous journey it is. She’s escaping an arranged marriage, typical of the Houses that marriages are political contracts of ownership and exchanges of money and property (this is better explained in book 2). She’s using every single bit of knowledge and experience to make her escape. Unfortunately, both her father and fiancée have offered a substantial bounty for her return.
Marcus Loch, a notorious criminal has been arrested and is in chains in his cell in a space ship when he gets a new cell companion, Ada von Hasenberg. She’s a prisoner to be released back into the custody of her family.
The dramatic story that picks up shortly afterwards is fast paced, action packed with well written suspense filled sequences and high intrigue.
As Ada and Marcus flee across the galaxy, they fill us in on their own stories and current lives. While hiding truths from each other. No instant love, although they appear to appreciate each other’s physical appearance. All good things.
And Ada gets better with every event and disaster that passes. Marcus is not as multidimensional as Ada. He’s more formulated along the lines of many other similar MMC without the author expanding on the traits she’s hinting about. Missed opportunity unfortunately.
And for ADA and her siblings, a big part of the problem with the series is the lack of background and childhood experiences. We get only one memory in Book 2 but with their own respective resources and brilliance, it’s their own House they should be turning on here given how it’s treated them. Such loyalty makes little sense.
Really, you’d think all the younger people in all the Houses would be training to take their own Houses out given how disposable they are to them. Where’s that rebellion?
Among the items that struck me as I read were:
Universal Time as a galactic time zone reference for the characters to keep readjusting to just wasn’t credible imo. As though there wasn’t, with all the other future incredible technology available, a way for everyone to have the time adjustment made automatically? Made no sense whatsoever.
Side characters arm runner Rhys and stolen goods fence Veronica are both interesting people, with Veronica having the most intriguing backstory. However she’s also the one with the most under explored or dropped storylines in her thread. She’s got a small child , an extremely important one. Who disappeared from this book and the next book with no real explanation. SMH
Earth was depleted of resources (but now looks amazingly good and is the headquarters of the Houses), so humans took to space. Instead of governments, humans created royal Houses, main and lesser houses of families with similar social structures. The Houses formed a Consortium to rule and regulate their respective countries and planets.
That’s the basis of the universe building. Three main ‘power is mine’ Houses and a bunch of ‘scrambling for power’ lesser ones. Contracts are everything, including marriage. But other than that? Knowledge is only slowly filled in, in certain circumstances where an absence in the narrative for lack of foundation is felt by the reader.
The story is a power house of a space opera! It rocks right along, with action, bloodshed, space fights, prison cell battles, and intense conflict between families.
The science fiction doesn’t always science. There’s holes in the fiction. But the relationship between the main characters works and there’s a resolution at the end that’s satisfying.
The next story picks up with another sister and a hunt for a missing brother. It’s an excellent story.
A definite pleasure to read. If space opera is your thing, here’s a series to connect with.
Polaris Rising is space opera at its best, intense and addictive, a story of honor, courage, betrayal, and love. Jessie Mihalik is an author to watch.”–Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.
In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.
Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.
When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.
But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .
This was a DNF but I read enough to rate it for creativity of premise and the main character’s backstory.
Rating : 3🌈
I like Jenn Burke as an author which is why I bought this book but immediately the character of Wes Cooper, the “not ghost” who died and was resurrected but in a different state, one where he’s not exactly alive, is the issue.
What sort of person is Wes? Has Wes used the opportunity for a new life, no matter what form, to progress in his development as a person? Matured or at least, become grateful to those who saved him, given back, or in any way done anything that would make the reader not immediately write him off as a waste of our time?
Nope. He’s cowardly, content to do as little as possible to get by and maintain his life, such as it is.
For me, every interaction with Wes was a constant fight not to just not quit the story right there. He’s that much of a reminder of everything that I avoid in RL atm.
The story is short. Extremely short. There’s no realistic scenario where Wes decides that years of stagnation and avoidance is overcome and he accumulates all the missing assets and pieces in that time period.
Unfortunately this is a no go for me.
Burke has other excellent series and characters to explore. This isn’t one of them. Wes and Hudson, his “silver fox” police detective are underwhelming in their dynamic and chiefly the reason it’s a DNF.
NOT DEAD YET (book one)
GIVE UP THE GHOST (book two) GRAVEYARD SHIFT (book three)
Don’t miss this thrilling and suspenseful second chance romance, book one in a fan-favorite supernatural detective series from Jenn Burke.
Dying isn’t what it used to be.Wes Cooper was dead. Then he wasn’t—though he’s not exactly alive, either. As an immortal not-ghost, he can transition between this world and the otherplane, which makes him the perfect thief for hire. For seventy years he’s made a “living” returning items to their rightful owners, seeing his fair share of the bizarre in the process. But he’s never witnessed murder. Until now.
His latest mission brings him more than he bargained for: a very-dead actor who is definitely going to stay that way. It’s just Wes’s luck that his ex-boyfriend, Detective Hudson Rojas, is assigned to the case. Hudson broke Wes’s heart years ago—and could again, given he’s rocking a hot silver-fox look that shouldn’t be legal.
As they work together to track down the murderer before anyone else gets hurt, it becomes clear Wes and Hudson have unfinished business. And when a secret Hudson’s been keeping threatens more than just their happiness, it might mean the end of their not-life together—permanently.
My reading stars have been aligned lately because There Be Dragons Here by S.L. Rowland is the third stellar book by an undiscovered author in a fantasy genre that I’ve read in a row and I’m just overjoyed to with my reading lucky stars.
This is a side story to the Tales of Aedrea series of four fantasy novels, so I also have an additional world to meander through. I’m so excited.
But let’s start with this book, an amazing emotional journey of friendship, loyalty, and rediscovery of one’s inner fire.
Hilda Rockfall, 182 years old, grandmother, mother, beloved wife. But once, for 70 years she was renowned throughout the world as a Ranger in the Stone & Splendor adventurer group, a tight found family of four beings, who fought and explored together. Until she retired and married, putting that life behind her.
Now a funeral calls her away from home and leaves her the last remaining member of her group.
I love this book and Hilda so much. Her grief in losing her old friend, the journey his last quest takes her on. The stories that she tells, the people who she meets, and the inner person she rediscovers along this tortuous path, so inspiring.
And yes, there be dragons.
So many fantastic stories here. Memorable scenes, heartbreaking moments. And there’s war goats. Amazing!
This is one that’s both shiny and beautiful, a gem to treasure.
At 182 years old, Hilda Rockfall thought her adventuring days were long behind her.
For over seventy years, she roamed the realm as a ranger with the adventuring party Stone & Splendor—taking quests, slaying beasts, and collecting monster teeth like trophies from the boundless sea to the edge of the wilds. But for the past eight decades, she’s traded her sword for slippers, living the quiet life of a proud grandmother nestled in the mountains, telling tales no one quite believes and baking a mean honey crumble.
That peace is shattered when an old friend—and former party member—passes on and leaves Hilda one final quest: scatter his ashes at a secret location marked on a map they looted back in their glory days.
Hilda figures it’ll be a nice little hike. Maybe a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
But then she opens the map.
And scrawled across the bottom in faded ink are four unsettling words:
There be dragons here.
About the Series: Welcome to the enchanting world of Tales of Aedrea, where small-scale stories, low-stakes adventure, and cozy fantasy come to life within an epic, high-fantasy realm. Each tale can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.
There Be Dragons Here is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy of family dynamics, friendship, and proving that it’s never too late to find adventure. Perfect for fans of The Hobbit and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
Turns out I’m a magpie reader. Find an author that I like and I dive right into their catalog of books and series.
That’s both a blessing and a curse for certain prolific writers like S.E. Babin, in the middle of writing a terrific urban fantasy thriller. She’s got a couple of series that haven’t seen new releases in a while, fabulous ones. Something I should probably check when picking up a book from her.
But Bubble Gum and Blackmail (Cadie Sharp #1 by S. E. Babin was just too shiny! I absolutely love the premise of a military black op, forced into retirement, who turns candy maker in a small town in Tennessee.
She’s the antithesis of fitting in, with her pink hair, pink delivery van, and attitude that’s just a bit more than a mere candy shop owner. Especially when a favorite elderly customer’s son is murdered and she’s asked for help.
The characters are tightly crafted, the town’s spot on for its location, all the residents and the community interactions feel real for that small town dynamic.
Even that Sheriff with his suspicions, isn’t a one dimensional character. There’s layers to him, some funny.
It’s a short novel, which had me crying. Because it ended on a surprise note. Which had me checking out the release date. 2021. And no mention of future stories as yet.
So are you a magpie reader like me? Cause this is so so shiny! I’m not sorry I collected it. Even if there’s nothing more.
But if not maybe find something else to read that will bring closure to the characters and check on this every now and again.
Part Stephanie Plum, part Brooklyn Nine-Nine, readers will adore this novella length introduction to Cadie Sharp and her merry band of misfit friends.
Military vet, former assassin … candy maker?!
All Cadie Sharp wants is a quiet life. After a case gone wrong, she leaves the military and heads to small-town Tennessee, far away from the dangers of her former life, and opens up a gourmet treats shop.
But just as she begins to settle into her new role as a shop owner, the bodies start dropping.
During a routine candy delivery, Cadie stumbles over the lifeless form of one of her best customers. She’s trained to handle situations like this, but her former superiors have given her one rule for her new life.
Do not do ANYTHING to draw attention to yourself.
Faced with a moral dilemma, Cadie tries to quietly investigate without blowing her carefully crafted cover. With her newfound friends and a slobbering dog who won’t leave her side, Cadie finds herself drawn into a mystery – one with dire consequences if she fails to discover the murderer before they discover her.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 