As author Hailey Turner says, this is an absolute treasure of a gift to her fans, those who love and have followed the long journey Patrick Collins and Jonothon de Vere from their original book and meeting to this their final chapter where they get married, their happy epilogue.
Many of the favorites are also in attendance and we get a quick drama before the ending.
It’s been incredible and for me it’s a series I’ll be rereading.
Patrick Collins earned the peace he’s found in New York City with his pack through sacrifice. Six years out from the end of the world, he’s satisfied with the life he’s built and doesn’t think about what else the future might hold until he stumbles his way into a hostage situation he didn’t ask to be part of.
Jonothon de Vere would like nothing more than to wake up each morning with the love of his life and never deal with trouble again. Except Patrick has always been a magnet for such crises, and Jono isn’t one to stand idly by when his lover could use some help.
It feels just like old times when that’s the last thing they want, but maybe it’s also the reminder they need that the future isn’t set in stone. Maybe, just maybe, Patrick and Jono are finally ready to take the next step and walk down the aisle together.
Born to be Legends is what fans of Hailey Turner’s best-selling Soulbound series have been waiting for.
Another excellent book, another unusual mystery and murder investigation!
This murder investigation finds Ember assigned to cover the reemergence of retired Creature Hunter Winston York who comes to Starry Hollow to discover an elusive creature who’s there to lay her egg and then disappear into the ocean.
Things immediately turn dark when York is found murdered and his fame hunters are all in town seeking the same creature.
There’s plenty of storylines here to dive into, from the creature herself and the nature vs exploitation angle, to Ember’s self confidence and the Ivy Rose history/magic aspect of the series that’s getting ever stronger and darker.
Plus the romantic element of Ember’s life is getting more interesting, and coming under a more realistic scrutiny than previously dealt with by Ember.
All done with great dialogue, full on action and lots of magical moments.
Fabulous series and storytelling.
A highly recommended book and series to be read in the order they are written in.
Welcome to Starry Hollow, where spells were made to be broken.
Starry Hollow is abuzz when the famously reclusive Creature Hunter, Winston York, emerges from retirement after a rare sighting of an endangered magical creature and Ember Rose is assigned to cover the story. Florian and Aster are thrilled with this development because a new documentary by York would mean an influx of tourists to the magical seaside town. Excitement quickly turns to horror, however, when York dies during filming. What seems like an unfortunate accident starts to look more like murder to intrepid reporter Ember.
Can Ember solve the crime before the killer renders her extinct?
Magic & Monsters is the twelfth book in the Starry Hollow Witches paranormal cozy mystery series.
What a fully immersive and jammed packed story The Wolf Vs The Monster turned out to be. I was thinking this might be the last book but instead Hignett ramped up the suspense, the plot lines, gave us high action, white knuckle anxiety for our main characters, including multiple anonymous villains, unforeseen events and situations, magical powers and creatures, and a new teenage vampire I absolutely fell in love with.
This book is a fantasy Toad’s wildest adventure ride with a cliffhanger ending and every single part of the story is fabulous.
Plus a certain character gets a long overdue comeuppance.
And other things, huge plot points are revealed here too.
So it’s absolutely satisfying and that cliffhanger will lead to an amazing story. So I’m excited to read this next book.
The Wolf Vs The Monster: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth by Lauretta Hignett might be my favorite story of the series so far. It’s extremely well written, the characters and tightly packed narrative is perfectly balanced, and that ending really adds to the overall momentum here.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell who the real monsters are…
A strange creature attacked Romeo last night. A huge beast unlike anything anyone has ever seen in Philly before – an alien monster with natural armor, organic high-tech weaponry, and poison dripping from its limbs.
My intuition is screaming at me. It’s telling me the monster is not here for Romeo.
It’s here for me.
The Wolf Vs The Monster is book five in the Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth, a hot new Urban Fantasy series by bestselling author Lauretta Hignett.
And with a literal turn of the page, Mae has landed us in the fairy tale world of Peter Pan, Tinkerbelle, and Captain Hook with this second book as Harmony Fallowell, best friend Molly, and falcon Fetch leaping out over the edge of the page of the Kingdom of Alabaster just as the darkness was closing in.
It’s a splashdown into some familiar territory with wonderful creatures and fantastic twists!
Mae keeps moving the overall theme of getting Harmony back to her original kingdom in time to save it from the evil sorceress, letting her required knowledge and skills return as this journey continues. She is getting magically more powerful as she gathers the necessary items to complete her quest. ,As is Molly who’s undergone devastating events and is emerging from them a different, stronger woman, shifting into her own style and strengths. And there’s Fetch,Harmony’s feathered companion to add excitement to each adventure and adversarial moments.
It’s hard to say anything more about the characters due to their unique roles in this book. And the many twists in this storyline.
Onyx: A Twisted Fairy Tale (Inkbound Book 2) by Shannon Mae is the middle book in this trilogy so the author starts tying up a few of the characters stories. This aspect of Onyx makes for a really satisfying read and leaves one feeling great for several reasons, while still leaving the reader with the impression of suspense and excitement as Harmony is left with a companion tumbling off another page into the next kingdom and trilogy finale.
If you are a fan of these amazing covers like I am, you will have peaked at the last one, Inked in Emerald, and know exactly where she’s landed! Absolutely perfect.
I can hardly wait for this one to be released!
See you there. Clicking my heels.
Highly recommended. But they must be read in the order they are written.
One fairytale down, one pirate-infested nightmare to go…
Molly, my ever-loyal falcon, Fetch, and I barely survived evil wizard Relyk and escaped Alabaster, only to get cannon-bombed into our next story.
Literally. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell swoop in with a rescue, whisking us off to Neverland. At first, it’s all glitter and good times on an island straight out of a daydream…until they mention a magical clock they’ve been hunting.
The same clock I need to fulfill my destiny.
So we do what any desperate main characters would do—we steal their boat and vanish into the night to get a jump on finding the clock. Too bad we sail straight into the hands of pirates.
And here’s the real kicker: Their captain is the man I’ve been dreaming of since childhood.
The twist? He’s not charming. He’s not kind. He’s not even remotely sane.
He’s the most dreaded pirate of all time.
And he thinks I’m a boy.
Now we’re tangled in secrets, trying to blend in, plotting yet another escape—until I find out the man of my dreams is after the same enchanted clock. The one he stole from Peter Pan a decade ago and lost to a massive, man-eating crocodile…along with his hand.
With reluctant alliances, sea monsters, and an unholy attraction to an even unholier pirate, this story might end with a bang or me walking the plank.
I’m absolutely entranced by Annabel Chase’s completed witchy series Starry Hollow about a widowed woman with a young daughter, struggling to keep them afloat in New Jersey whose life changes forever when her repo job goes wrong.
I’ve read multiple books by Chase but after reading, ok binging ten books here, I can say that no voice is as memorable, as regionally vibrant and hilariously true as this Jersey mom, Ember Rose. And of course, that holds true as well for her anxiety prone, hyper aware and uber intelligent 10 year old daughter, Marley, and her ancient irascible Yorkie , PP3 , the three of them who are make up the small family that’s transported magically into the hidden SC town of Starry Hollow, their new home and future.
Each book is a quick, highly entertaining grand tale! From meeting this widowed New Jersey mom grappling with her mounting bills and a daughter too smart for her public school, a aging terrier and a job that has a lot of risk associated with it as a repo person, we immediately connect with her. And if I could hear that Jersey accent and imagine a bit a Marisa Tomei. The colloquial voice is pretty great as is her sense of humor and physicality.
Can you tell I fell in love here?
Then Chase contrasts this “fish out of water “ Jersey family in every aspect with their new found relatives that are powerfully magical, wealthy and look like the American version of the Targaryens, with all their various dynamics and layers of love and relationships.
The town itself, which expands in every book with new shops, fantastic areas and community citizens, is a fully developed and unique character in its own right.
Ember herself is a woman who has suffered great loss in her life. While she never knew her mother, her father raised her and she was devastated by his death. Then by her husband’s death in a car accident 5 years ago, a man she’d known for her entire life.
These losses are a huge part of her personality and as the story is from her perspective, Chase uses the conversations and insights from other characters to show the readers how much hard it is for Ember to move forward from the tragedy of her past, that she herself isn’t dealing with it.
These losses and Ember’s journey through her new world, that of navigating the new one of magic (often with hilarious moments) and that complex world of coming together with an extended powerful family of expectations and responsibilities you never knew or imagined existed.
These storylines are both light and powerful, funny and poignant. They are full of surprises and unexpected scenes that, while fleeting, make quite the emotional impact and connection.
And they make you think and feel good, especially before going to sleep.
Nothing comes easy, relationships, magic lessons, cooking. It takes time, work and patience.
Turns out 19 books might not be enough for me. Ten definitely was not
Some relationship but not real spicy as they say. More emotional towards working things together.
Highly recommended. I love them , this universe. And read them any way you want. As singular books or as I did , one reading through the box set books 1-10.
Covers are very cute.
This collection includes the first 10 books in the 19-book cozy fantasy series:
Welcome to Starry Hollow, where spells were made to be broken.
If you’ve ever dreamed of being whisked away to a charming town where the stakes are low and the magic is high, this enchanting series is for you.
Ember Rose is a feisty young widow who’s transported to Starry Hollow, along with her teen daughter and ancient Yorkshire terrier, and discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches. She also lands smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation, and the sexy werewolf sheriff isn’t falling for her charms…yet.
This collection includes the first 10 books in the 19-book cozy fantasy series:
This book is my first experience with this author and I’m so very excited to have found Mel Todd. What an incredible immersive experience and magnificent tale Lady is.
Set in the Ternion Universe, same world as Todd’s Twisted Luck series (which I haven’t read and this is a prequel to), it’s an alternate timeline in Victorian England. Magic has just started to appear, Prince Albert never dies, Disraeli stays in office longer. And Victoria never retires because she never falls into grief and mourning, but remains a strong monarch.
So much feels believable and powerful in its depth of detail because of the incredible characters, the emotion and pull of the storylines, and the magical power that is being created.
Especially when it comes to the Lucks. Each of these is focusing on a specific Luck sibling. The stories run concurrently with each other so we see many of the same events from different perspectives and where they were, if missing from the other person’s narrative at the time.
Miss Emmeline Luck, the youngest of the Earl’s children and the one the Earl favors the least, gets the first story.
Emmeline’s journey from a powerless object to be bartered by her father to a striking woman who has magical abilities and a sense of her own power to direct her life is gripping and incredibly satisfying.
It’s wound through with the political drama of that day, court proceedings and battles that mark the disparity between races, status and gender of Victorian times.
Emmeline’s development, however, includes her own family as well as new members who have the power to train her magic and influence her own destiny.
As she says herself:
“I wanted to be Emmeline Luck, someone that was irreplaceable and in control of her own destiny, not pawned off or used to further someone else’s.”
I started rooting for her and remained so inspired and invested in her life that the pages flew by.
There’s no romance but very stirring moments as she fights for her control over her destiny.
Fantastic side characters that I would love to see more of, including her dress designer, Diante, a fascinating person whose history I’m dying to read.
I’m quickly heading to Lord which is Duncan’s book.
What a fantastic book and find. It’s one I’m highly recommending!
I adore the covers. Each and every one. Detailed to fit the character.
Miss Emmeline Luck has always strived to be a dutiful daughter, but thinking for herself has never won her favor with society—or her domineering father.
When Earl Luck announces her engagement to a slimy man unfit to be left with a scullery maid, she tries to comply. But the reality of the despicable nature of her fiancé reveals a power buried deep within her: Emmeline is a mage.
Magic is a new and controversial force in Victorian England; its emergence stirring unease while the Queen remains silent. Desperate for training, Emmeline turns to Miss Antoinette Carlton and her mentor, the Bengali mage Rohan, who has a familiar. As Emmeline delves into her training, she realizes magic could upend her family—and threaten the security of Britain itself.
When her father kicks her out, Emmeline faces an impossible choice: conform to a life without freedom or carve a path on her own terms in a society that deems a woman without a man worthless. Armed with magic, intelligence, and the law, she sets out to challenge her father’s tyranny. But with powerful forces seeking to use her as a pawn, Emmeline must summon all her strength and cunning to claim her own destiny.
In a world where magic is both feared and coveted, can she rewrite the rules—or will she remain at the mercy of others?
I love stories where the author has twisted known fairy tales into their own interpretations of these beloved characters and takes on their universes and themes.
Inked in Ashes is author Shannon Mayer’s first novel in her new Inkbound series about a princess hidden in a book of Fairy Tales until the time is finally come for her to make her way back home and save her kingdom.
From such a simple sounding premise comes an incredible story, starting with a devastating scene of sacrifice, death , and the magic that sends a toddler princess into a book of fairy tales just as her father’s enemy destroys everything around her. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying as any a prologue.
Harmony Fallowell is the young woman we meet in a slum town, Hollow, along with her best friend, Moll, trying to get her friend out of going to the ball. Harmony’s got a stepfather, stepmother, and her kids. Yes, she’s not been treated well as an extra mouth or adopted sibling.
Things go badly at the ball for Moll and then Harmony who is there for her.
Mayer beautifully pulls in many of the familiar themes and fairy tale staples here, ones that will make the reader nod in acknowledgment. But those are just a fantastic framework for a deeper story.
One that has inspired characters, including falcons, violence, gore in action scenes, and some detailed deaths. There’s also an off the page mention of a SA.
So think Grimm’s instead of Disney and you would be more prepared for the type of characters and scenarios found here.
The journey that propels Harmony throughout this book is so well written. It combines a number of different elements, all perfectly executed to give the feeling of multiple layers being utilized at the same time to help her develop and become the person needed at the end of her journey. The one needed to save her kingdom.
How I love this book and characters. Absolutely amazing.
I’ve spent twenty-five years in the Hollow, poor as dirt, cursed with a stepmother who hates me, and dreaming about a faraway land that I don’t understand. Only two things that make life worth living are my falcon, Fetch, and my best friend, Molly.
But when Moll’s plot to land a royal husband at the palace ball goes horribly wrong, I find myself staring at a king with a glass stiletto buried in his chest and a blood-covered Molly standing over him. We’ve got to move…and fast, or we’ll both wind up swinging from the hangman’s noose.
Worse? The palace sorcerer is using everything he can to find the culprit including raising the dead.
More complicated? Duncan…brother to the King, whose eye I’ve unintentionally caught, a man whose secrets might be deadlier than the undead soldiers breathing down our necks, is making me second-guess everything I’ve ever known.
With revolution brewing and a mysterious man calling to me from my dreams, I have no choice but to embrace my fate…
But what if my fate is beyond anything I could ever imagine? What if the only land I’ve ever known isn’t home at all?
What if I’m trapped inside a fairytale, and the only way out…is through?
I really thought this was the series finale but was so thrilled to see I was wrong. There’s at least one, perhaps more to this fantastic, compelling series coming before it finished.
This picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending of Midnight Auto Parts, where Frankie and friends found that Matty’s soul is missing from his body. To discover what happened to his soul, Frankie, boyfriend Kierse, and several otherworldly traveling companions head to New Orleans where souls are going missing too, including another one who is incredibly close to Frankie.
Edwards absolutely brings it here in here narrative. The characters are, throughout this story and events that occur, grow their magical powers, in storylines that build a new depth of emotion as well as a connection to each other. Edwards moves from really complex, stressful situations to hilarious moments and back to heartbreak with each new scenario and often frightening suspense filled scenes.
Yes, there’s another cliffhanger. And all the characters are pulling together, just as the mythology and world building is expanding even further. Totally amazing and highly imaginative elements that grab you!
This is one of my must read series. It’s a series low on sexual content but highly recommended for excellent writing, great characters and fantastic world building.
Matty has lost his soul, and it’s up to Frankie to find it before his body gives up the fight for survival. But soon his isn’t the only life at risk from the soulless condition. The affliction is spreading from Thunderbolt, Georgia, into the beating heart of the French Quarter and right up to Madam Vionette Fontenot’s front door.
When Frankie returns to New Orleans in search of answers, she finds herself at the mercy of a god who covets her newfound powers as the guardian of the Alcheyvāhā. He makes it clear he’s willing to do whatever it takes to wield her for his own benefit. Even if it costs Frankie everyone she loves.
What an outstanding series and way to read this series/collection! I was able to watch the characters develop their powers, continue to work through deep personal issues and deal with betrayal and shocking twists in their lives through all the stages in their journey. Without stopping.
All the stories flow together seamlessly and reading them becomes a joyful marathon experience, shortened only because my dog has needs and I wanted coffee.
I don’t want to give away more of the many plot lines described than are listed in the blurbs because Harris delivers characters that are so much more complex and interesting than they initially appear to be.
We get a long overdue visit and meeting with the Dragon Court, complete with locations, lots of politics and historical or just ancient beings.
Trials, mysteries, and more importantly , engaging new characters and threats to Emory and Jinx’s relationship and lives, as well as the status quo of the otherworldly beings by the anti-beast faction.
This has everything one could want, and written so fantastically. Action, suspense, mystery, romance, and much more.
And the ending is so satisfying I was left grinning with deep delight.
My bookshelf is groaning in anticipation because I’ve already decided I need these in hardback.
Love, love, love this and the preceding omnibus too. Grab these up!
I’m supposed to be meeting with Emory’s dragon Court and amazing them with my suave wit and shining intellect. Instead I’m on the trail of a kidnapper. Someone has stolen away a centaur teenager, Alfie, from a magical circus. The circus master has hired me and Gato to find out who took him – hopefully before Alfie swims with the fishes.
The problem is, no one in the circus is who they say they are. The Other Circus is a front for a magical underground, helping those that want to leave their magical lives far behind. They’ve spent years keeping their heads down and their mouths shut and it’s going to take more than asking nicely to get this bunch to crack.
The clock is ticking, not just to find Alfie, but also for me to impress Emory’s dragon Court. When I finally meet them, I’m going to have to pass through a series of consort challenges before they’ll recognise me as Emory’s intended mate. Oh, and they won’t tell me what’s a challenge, and what’s not. Nothing is what it seems, but luckily I come with an inbuilt lie detector. I’m itching to prove to the standoffish dragon-shifters that I’m more than a pretty face but finding Alfie has to come first.
I’m juggling things as best I can, but all it will take is one wrong move to bring everything crashing down on my head …
Burn through this fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud mix of urban fantasy and mystery.
This collection contains the following books:
Challenge of the Court
Betrayal of the Court
Revival of the Court.
These are books five to seven in The Other Realm series. It is strongly recommended that you read Books one to four first, starting with Glimmer of the Other.
If you like humour, heart, a strong heroine and a slow burn fade-to-black romance, check out The Court Series – the addictive urban fantasy series by internationally best-selling author Heather G. Harris.
Don’t miss all the books set in the Other Realm!
The Other Realm Series
Glimmer of the Other
Glimmer of Dragons
Glimmer of Hope
Glimmer of Christmas
Glimmer of Death
Glimmer of Deception
Challenge of the Court
Betrayal of the Court
Revival of the Court
The Other Wolf Series
Protection of the Pack
Guardians of the Pack
Saviour of the Pack
The Other Witch Series
Rune of the Witch
Hex of the Witch
Coven of the Witch
Familiar of the Witch
Destiny of the Witch
Written in British English.
For the maximal reader experience, it is recommended that you read The Other Wolf series before you read The Court series, though the events in The Other Wolf series are explained if you prefer to dive right in.
This outstanding series continues with Bet on the Waif, a story that continues with Merritt’s journey towards discovering more about their own species. This storyline has become a deeply compelling one, especially in a scene here. It also makes its way into the narrative through Merritt’s interactions with an older reclusive baker, an absolutely emotionally memorable part of the story.
The baking and recipes will make you drool, so have snacks handy. Just letting you know.
There’s new characters to embrace, moments of joy, grace, gratitude and ferocity.
Bet on the Waif shows Merritt developing trust and confidence in those around them and in the fact that, finally, Merritt might be home.
Merlin, who I have wanted to smack more often than not for his abrupt treatment of Merritt somewhat redeems himself here. I get it, he’s all powerful but that’s a traumatized child he’s been dealing with for years in a manner that’s borderline dismissive.
Sigh. Anyway. Love the characters here, and the growing community. So I’m heading directly to the next book in the series.
Another great cover.
Highly recommended for all lovers of fantasy fiction and fantasy adventures.
Outstanding covers and artwork. One of the things that drew me to this book.
Magic thrives in the heart of the city… and so do its dangers.
Merritt Vale is the last of her kind, a Leshbolg trying to carve out a new life in Little Avalon, the paranormal haven hidden in Brooklyn. Baking by day and embracing her magic by night, she longs to belong in a world teeming with fae, werewolves, and ancient mysteries.
When an old legend resurfaces—a relic of King Arthur’s time—Merritt is drawn into a tangled web of secrets and power. Friends stand by her side, yet shadows lurk in the alleys, and unseen forces plot in the dark.
The city hums with magic, but not all of it is kind.
To claim her place and protect those she loves, she must step beyond the safety of the life she’s built. The path ahead is uncertain, the enemies are relentless, and the cost of failure is more than she can bear.
Will she unlock the truth of her past and wield her magic before it’s too late? Or will the forces hunting her snuff out her light forever?
Dive into Bet On the Waif today and uncover the magic, mystery, and danger waiting in the shadows of New York City!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 