Dragon Blood Curse was an exciting, immersive experience all around, as Butlerās penultimate story brings more mythical characters and magical regions into play with this fantasy action adventure.
Prince AirĆ³n and King Tallu have multiple schemes at work and not all are going according to their intended intentions. With their enemies bringing larger powers and armies against them, AirĆ³n and Tallu race to find a cure for the deadly curse that affects both brothers. And their own council falls into chaos and loyalties are divided as the enemy attacks.
Itās high politics, subterfuge, magical terrorists, and wars between enemies being waged across their borders and territories, and everything and everyone suffering.
Of course, thereās a prophecy or two, sacrifices that figures mightily in the coming novel, angst and some really great layering of information and people (look to the North) that just ups the stakes here.
No spoilers but this just grabs the reader from start to finish. For me, the relationship between AirĆ³n and Tallu is the least compelling element here. So many other great aspects of the series and story to focus on.
Great job. And I love the Spider. Awesome.
Cover by Hannah Latham at oexasart Lettering by Laura at Covers by Aura
The generals that once served Emperor Tallu now pursue us across the continent. General Bemishu and Kacha have made their move and we find ourselves trapped by the role Tallu has been playing his entire life. As we search for allies, the rules of imperial politics force Tallu to act more and more like his deranged father.
Still, we have a hint of hope: somewhere in the dangerous Tavornai swamps, another animalia spins her webs and rearranges fate to her own desires. Can she change ours?
We have one chance to save our lives, one hope at a future that we both so desperately want. With new allies and old nemeses, we have to risk our lives to create a world for our love.
āThe Lunetti Pack is a steamy MM Enemies to Lovers Paranormal Romance series set in New Trinity, a city ruled by three crime families: the Lunetti Pack of mafia wolf shifters, the vampire mobster Cruor Coven, and the witch Elemental Mayhem MC. It features knotting (and other paranormal fun) but no mpreg.ā
His Mate By Defiance is the penultimate story in Mel Aitchessā paranormal mafia crime fated mate series. The Lunetti Pack has followed several top level members of this criminal wolf shifter pack as they fight to keep their place and power in the trinity of politics thatās New Trinity City, a dark horror of a city where itās divided into sections ruled by witches, vampires or shifters, depending on the territory.
This is Rafe, the pack doctorās romance, one that starts years prior with his first encounter with a badly injured young jaguar shifter in an underground fighting ring.
This meeting is recapped here and then we come forward to present day, where the jaguar shifter, Adrian ,aka Adri, is still part of the fight scene.
The author does an excellent job explaining Adriās background and meshing that with the natural history/instincts of the jaguar to give Adri a distinctive personality and outlook from that of the other shifters.
And Rafe, as someone older and with different skill sets, has a perspective on what their relationship and how it might develop than Adri has.
Their dynamic is excellent and is the best thing about the story.
Thereās also another aspect of the book, a continuation plot thatās not resolved here but will continue into the final story. It sets up the last fated mates match.
But the lack of at least some sort of completion to some aspect of this complicated conspiracy left me frustrated.
The romance was certainly completed but itās a HFN, and far too many people were hurt and issues left unresolved.
I am certainly looking forward to the last book to see how it all wraps up. If you like to binge, wait until itās finished, and read right through.
A definite winner.
Lunetti Pack (5 book series) :
His Mate By Vengeance #1 – Angelo and Vin
His Mate By Resistance #2 – Luca and Cal
His Mate By Allegiance #3 – Rocco and EmilioĀ
His Mate By Defiance #4 – Rafe and AdriĀ
His Mate By Dominance #5 – Alpha Marco and Sethās, the finale. Feb, 21,2027
āFor you? I will take it all. All your pain. All your desire. Everything. Itās all mine.”
Rafe is done giving Adri space. For thirteen years, he’s waited for his jaguar shifter mate to be ready to acknowledge what’s between them. Thirteen years of tracking the pack’s fighting ring and racing to respond whenever they need a doctor. The night he turns up to find Adri brutalised by a feral shifter in the ring, he knows he’ll never let him go again. Especially when shifters start going missing.
Adri told the doc he didn’t need saving over a decade ago, and nothingās changed since. The last thing he needs is Rafe’s overbearing protectiveness when he’s trying to save his friends from a new unsanctioned fighting ring and whatever bioweapon is at play. Waking up in Rafe’s bed wasn’t in the plan. As soon as he’s healed, Adri’s out of there.
His Mate by Defiance is an MM paranormal romance with a bite. It features age gap, fated mates, and hurt/comfort
I enjoyed Witches With Benefits (A Nightshade Detective Agency Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Amanda M. Lee but itās a novel that, once you finish it, you realize, it doesnāt really have a lot of substance to it.
Itās like a bag of diet popcorn. You eat it. You enjoy eating it. You finish the bag. Then you think about the flavor thatās missing, the butter and the salt. All the ingredients, the great āstuffā thatās the reason why you eat popcorn. And then you realize you probably wonāt be eating that brand anymore.
This is exactly like that.
Itās moves swiftly along with an interesting plot, on the surface. But then again, thereās no depth to anything. To the characters, the world building, the arc, the battles and especially the magic.
The missing sister aspect of the story? The one that is supposed to be the most traumatic and polarizing? Itās also the most inconsistent. We know nothing about the sister. And to pull the reader into this familyās tragic story,we should be able to see how much that sister and the family dynamic were real and believable. But we get nothing. No understanding of anyone or any kind of relationship other than briefly superficial.
In the following years, the father , parents are understood to have let the sister disappearance go. But Freya is said to both have become a detective to continue looking for her and also considers her sister dead. Itās a 50/50 thing depending upon what page you are on.
The characters around her have no discernible layers. That includes an alligator shifter who works with her , and a rich girl best friend whoās extremely irritating. Itās sheās rich and heās a good old boy gator shifter from a large New Orleans family. Thatās pretty much it. And the main character isnāt better developed.
Freya Holmes, a witch/vampire woman who has a hugely powerful vampire father (but only because we are told he is, no actual actions or abilities we see) and a powerful witch mother who is largely unknown. She has unique powers ( weāre told) that she āactivatesā the way that the Power Rangers do. As in āIām going to be actively using my more powerful vampire powers nowā. SMH
Then whoosh or whatever that powers are, it just happens. We donāt know what happens. Itās not written because Freya āblanks ā conveniently out. And any battle scene is over , bad guys are vanquished, and everyone is gazing at Freya in awe. Thatās the scene. Everyone gazes at Freya in awe. Gods included.
I kid you not. Thatās how all the battles are fought. No real fights. No powers for anyone seen or written out. Not even a KaBam. So poorly done.
On top of no magical abilities designed or written, the local gods and powers are shortchanged as well. Itās all mouth work. Iām gonna tell you how bad I am. Not going to show you anything but Iām definitely going to tell you that Iām pretty darn scary. Boo.
They are there but what they do? Not a clue.
Yes, there is a beginning of a romance. But they donāt have an adult relationship and the dialogue reads like 3 year olds in a sandbox. You did it, no I didnāt, yes you did.
No itās not intelligent or particularly snarky.
So Iām leaving this here. Thereās another book that will be published soon. But I donāt think itās something Iām interested in.
You be the judge if this is what you want to read.
Freya Holmes is unique in an already eccentric city.
New Orleans may be a paranormal mecca but even in a world where every type of shifter and witch is commonplace, a vampire-witch hybrid is something to worship ā¦ and fear.
Freya has never been interested in her parentsā opulent world. She finds her power in magic, which is why she formed Nightshade Detective Agency in the first place. Sheās interested in helping people ā¦ even when that help might come at the cost of her life.
Knox Cullen grew up on the poor side of New Orleans. His shifter genes allowed him to climb out of poverty and embrace a certain lifestyle as a paranormal bounty hunter. He can take a punch and throw one. Heās not ready for Freya, though.
When a local mobster ends up dead and the culprit appears to be a supernatural assassin, both Freya and Knox are on the case. Unfortunately, they have no intention of working together and two hard heads donāt make for a soft landing.
Freya has her hands full. In addition to Knox, who is hiding something big, thereās a paranormal investigation unit seeking a partnership that takes advantage of her hard work and their impressive reach. The Legacy Foundation has quite the reputation, as do the two peopleāCharlie and Jackāwho approach her with an offer she might not be able to refuse. Can she trust them? Can she trust anybody?
The clock is ticking. Freya needs to save the French Quarter. Sadly, she might lose herself in the process.
While a reader could certainly enjoy the richness and warmth of Z.S. Diamantiās Guard in the Garden as the cozy fantasy itās described as, itās also a deceptively well written story about a dwarf warrior, the only survivor of his elite unit who has returned from a long ongoing horrible war. Heās suffered a severe physical injury thatās caused a permanent disability that heās refusing to acknowledge and is at a loss to heal his both his own wounds and deal with his mental struggles with in his new civilian life, such as it is.
For the reader, he represents so many veterans who have returned from similar wars and conflicts, with PTSD, disabilities, and with mental struggles to cope with in fitting into a civilian life and new identities.
The anger, frustration and fear is well documented in Felton Holdum, because heās unwilling to accept that he wonāt be able to get back into his squad and war. That his bonded fantasy winged partner, who perished trying to save him, wonāt be revenged. Its pain, and loss and everything Felton had , now gone. And the writer brings us into Feltonās emotional state and we hurt too.
So while we may seem far away from the war and its consequences, and a small town thatās in a state of recovery, this never quite feels like a cozy place. Thereās a sharp edge that waits around here, for every sweet moment,a raw piece of powerful reality to offset the tiny bits of everyday sunshine joy.
Because Galiumās inhabitants have been through it, and quietly itās a place where, in time, Felton finds his own way through his own recovery by helping others through theirs.
Itās a beautiful, remarkable and powerful story. Rich and well crafted. Full of heart and compassion.
Iām highly recommending this. And will read the rest of the series.
Embark on a wholesome journey of healing and self-discovery. A cozy fantasy tale of forging new friendships and overcoming fears. A quiet quest of family bonds and budding romance.
From dragon fire to garden flowers ā¦
Felton Holdum spent his entire life training to become one of Galiumās elite dwarven warriors. When a bloody battle leaves him injured, he has no choice but to move into his eccentric twin auntsā quaint home in the townās quiet Garome District.
With his life of military service seemingly over, the captain of the city guard gives Felton his only chance at a fresh start in the new life he never wanted.
But when a human woman barges through his front door, the grumpy dwarf starts to wonder if there is more to life than war. The sunshine woman invites him to visit her garden, where Felton gains a new nemesis and a new purpose in life.
Take a walk through the garden and see what magic awaits.
Come enjoy the hospitality of the whimsical Garome District. Meet new friends as you sample new breads at the bakery, play a game of Castle Brick at the tavern, and taste homemade pies during the annual pie baking contest at the Fall Festival.
Death Waits at Dead Rock was actually so different because the reader became familiar and fond of the victim, as did Claire. Which made what follows so personal and upsetting. A very different experience from every murder and investigation prior.
When a invitation to a weekend at a vineyard for influencers and potential clients turns into a murder investigation the story ventures into a new realm of acceptance of Claireās abilities from those closest to her and an investigation into someone sheād grown close to.
Death Waits at Dead Rock ends with a new paranormal mystery rising about the land and Claire, an old mystery solved sort of about the town, and on moment for all that was both moving and bittersweet depending upon what character was the focus.
A wine tasting. A viral treasure hunt. A body at the base of Dead Rock.
Claire Caldwell thought sheād seen every kind of weird the desert could throw at her. Ghosts in her kitchen, omens from a spirit fox, and the occasional town scandal that required a very large cup of coffee. What she did not expect was a swarm of influencers descending on Perdido Springs for a luxury āDesert Vines Weekend,ā complete with ring lights and sponsored smiles.
The big gimmick is supposed to be harmless fun. Collect the special labels, piece together the artwork, and you get a treasure map to a legendary stash hidden near Dead Rock.
Content gold. Tourist bait. Everyone wants in.
Then the weekendās headliner turns up dead at sunrise.
Claire would love to let law enforcement handle it, but Buster is… Buster. Rosaās ghost has opinions, Rusty is tracking something no living person can smell, and the closer Claire gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that the ātreasureā isnāt just old wine and a cute story. Someone in town has been protecting what Dead Rock is hiding for a long time, and theyāll do anything to keep it buried.
Now Claire has to sift through secrets, suspects, and a trail of clues disguised as a party favor, before the killer strikes againā¦ and the next toast becomes a death sentence.
Body Beneath the Wither brings several things to a head in Claire and Samās relationship thatās needed to be resolved, the fact that sheās been hiding so much of herself and what actually happens around the ranch from him.
That definitely becomes a factor when a podcaster comes to town chasing ghosts and ends up being his own story, among other mysteries on an ominous ranch hiding many secrets.
I liked that this eventually moved Claire and Samās story forward. Plus the darkness of the Wither is one that seems to be one thatās not fully resolved for a reason.
The author always has multiple storylines going on and each one is different and weaves fully into the narrative and series arc.
The animals are great characters and the desert is so beautifully written that itās feels as though you can step into the town and find each place without hesitation.
Beneath its dead branches lies Craig Dooley, better known to his listeners as Stone Coldwell, the loudmouthed host of The Cold Files. He came chasing ghosts, chasing fame, chasing the thrill heād lostā¦ and now he is the newest spirit the desert refuses to forget.
His unhinged ex turns up screaming and clawing at the body, a will is found in the dirt, and two siblings are suddenly at each otherās throats over a secret fortune that should have died with their father.
Then the whispers start.
A grieving woman in old fashioned clothes begs Claire to help the man she has waited a hundred years to see, and the Witherās shadow seems to sink into everyone nearby, feeding paranoia, greed, and old resentments until even the living feel haunted.
Claire has solved murders before, but this one is differentā¦ because Sam is watching, and he is finally noticing the things Claire has been hiding.
To catch a killer, Claire will have to face what waits under the Wither.
Tombstones with a View is great and really expands on the series with several new characters and insights into established ones. I absolutely loved it.
Weāve met Mavis, owner of the Desert Rest Motel before. Primarily because that place is full of Mavisās antique doll collection, hundreds of dolls everywhere throughout the motel, in every room. Staring at you. In prior stories.
Here Mavis is the center of the story. Her dolls too. Which makes for a unique investigation when Mavis goes missing. We and Claire learn about her in her absence.
Claireās long time friend, Sara, a journalist from Chicago ,arrives to spend time together. Thereās someone who is cutting fences and leaving threatening notes at the Sanctuary. And Samās still trying to propose.
Tombstones with a View accomplishes several things along with a terrific mystery. It brings in a new, actually 2 new connected characters and develops an established minor character into one who looks to become one of the found family that Claire is forming around herself.
This also gives Buster, a deputy Sheriff whoās normally shown as useless, a chance to demonstrate extra depth, something I appreciate.
The ending not only ties up all the various plot threads giving us a couple of interesting elements and terrific surprises, but a lovely note for Claire and Sam.
Sara Bourgeois continues to give us a realistic sense of the beauty and atmosphere of the Arizona desert while layering it with the most interesting of mysteries and engaging characters. This series is a real treat!
Claire Caldwell learned that the hard way in Room 7 of the Desert Rest Motel. But now their owner has vanished, and those glass eyes might be the only witnesses to what happened…
Sheriff Dobson isn’t concerned. “Woman finally got tired of those creepy dolls and skipped town. Can’t blame her.”
But Claire knows Mavis would never abandon her collection. Those hundreds of Victorian dolls aren’t just decorations… they’re her life. Her family. Her obsession.
With the sheriff refusing to investigate, Claire finds herself drawn into the dusty rooms of the Desert Rest, surrounded by glass eyes that follow her every move. The dolls saw what happened to Mavis. If only they could talk.
Meanwhile, someone is stalking Whispering Saguaro Ranch. Cut fences. Threatening notes. A shadow in the barn at midnight. Claire’s made some enemies, and one of them wants what she has… no matter the cost.
As Claire searches for answers, she discovers that Mavis has secrets of her own. The Pioneer Cemetery behind the motel holds more than old bones. The dolls hold more than sawdust and porcelain. And the eccentric woman everyone dismissed as harmless may have been hiding something worth killing for.
Spirits of the Saguaro, the terrific third book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, sees the small Arizona desert town of Perdito Springs still trying to recover from the death of bank manager, Robert Harrison. Harrison was a man who was hated by the townās residents for his crimes and cruel treatment.
Now a well known artist is coming to town and several people are hoping that her popularity will help them recover their losses and rebuild.
But artist Aurora Brightwater brings more than popularity, she brings antagonism, old hatredās and divisions with her. And that leads to murder.
Spirits of the Saguaro is a fabulous book. The story went in different directions than I had anticipated, the characters were very well drawn and the side plots are great.
Thereās a side story about a filmmaker as well as the plot thatās following the slow burn romance between Claire and Sam.
The entire community, the shops and their owners are very involved, and weāre getting to know each one better as the mysteries play out.
The mystical world of Perdita Springs, which includes the Fox guardian, the ghosts of the ranch, and the mysterious past of the area and mines is a developing element.
This excellent story and series is one Iām very excited about. And one thatās hard to stop reading once youāve started.
Claire Caldwell has finally settled into her strange new normal. Two months after the Robert Harrison incident, she’s learned to trust her spirit fox’s warnings and Rosa’s ghostly advice as she runs her animal sanctuary in the desert.
But some visitors bring their own darkness to Perdido Springs.
When famous artist Aurora Brightwater arrives to paint the “desert spirits,” she brings more than just her canvases and her sparkling laugh. She brings grudges, theft, and a cruelty that hides behind flowing scarves and talk of universal energy.
Then Aurora turns up dead in her studio, a palette knife through her heart, and everyone she’s wronged becomes a suspect. The artist who steals others’ work… dead. The documentary filmmaker who seems cursed… filming everything. The exhausted ex-husband she abandoned… watching from the shadows.
As Claire investigates with her veterinarian boyfriend Sam, she discovers Aurora left a trail of destroyed careers and stolen dreams across the Southwest. But in a town where the dead talk, the dolls in the motel have their own agenda, and something that used to be human roams the desert at night, finding the truth means distinguishing between those who wanted Aurora gone and whoever actually made it happen.
In Perdido Springs, the veil is thin, the spirits are watching…
Welcome back to the desert, where inspiration can be deadly.
I thought Witch At Heart: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 1) by Juliette Harper a step above the rest of the stories Iāve read in this trope of books.
Thereās an entire genre of books and series based around a woman who inherits a store from a relative, usually an aunt who turns out to be magical. Thereās a mysterious animal included, hers, the relativeās or the storeās, normally a cat. And itās a cozy mystery.
On the whole, they are pretty good. Similar but each different enough in their elements to be entertaining.
But the ending here, elevates this one into something more interesting. Takes the characters, their pasts, and the entire community and suddenly gives it an edge, an entire new layer.
Wasnāt expecting that.
For 3/4 of the story, we get the typical plot of small town, Jinx Hamilton quits her waitressing job when her beloved crazy aunt dies the next town over and leaves her with her shop and belongings.
She also bequeaths Jinx her magic and a mysterious death to investigate.
The shop, its contents are slowly revealed as is the community of the small town that Jinx is now a part of. Itās a small village where Jinx has been a member of, along with her childhood friend, who quickly becomes a part of the story.
Thereās ghosts, an adorable rat named Roderick, and a killer to find and murders to solve. And a new magical role to accept.
Itās charming, the characters are engaging and interesting. And the potential for a very intriguing world is just getting started.
Itās a quick read and the series is complete. Another win!
I love a terrific cozy story and mystery. No romance, although thereās a slight attraction between Jinx and the cobbler.
Iām recommending this one!
The Jinx Hamilton Series (16 book series): complete and all released.
Jinx Hamilton is ready to trade in waitressing for becoming her own boss. The shop she inherits from her eccentric aunt in Briar Hollow, North Carolina, seems like the perfect fit. As Jinx handles the enchanted inventory and the unruly clientele, she discovers her aunt also willed her magical powers without an instruction manual.
As if that werenāt enough, sheās forced to deal with four cats, several homeless ghosts, and a potential serial killer.
With a little help from her best friend and a dreamy new neighbor, Jinx must keep the business afloat and the murderer at bay. And itāll take more than clever bookkeeping and spellcasting to keep the store…and herself…from going under.
*Note: This is a republished version of Witch At Heart
Chaos Reigning is the last book in The Consortium Rebellionās trilogy and the youngest High House sibling, Catarina von Hasenberg ends the House drama and galactic empire political thriller.
I feel that Chaos Reigning has some interesting ideas and potentially wonderful characters, especially strong women characters in major political roles. But on the flip side, curiously, it qualifies an horrifically abusive and controlling father, one who has treated his children as subjects for trade or experimentation, as a mere āassholeā. The authorās repeated term.
Not once, through three books, has the author addressed the subject of the severity of the patriarchal fatherās damage to all the siblings of the von Hasenberg line. Not that the mother is without any responsibility. We just donāt know enough about her.
We know the brutality and violence and horrors inflicted upon each child. That Ada alone fled. But to continue to address this monster as merely a āassholeā and then use an anonymous method to end him instead of a honest airing of feelings while together feels cheap.
Itās not only emotionally odd but strangely off putting. Itās continued avoidance of their true feelings amongst themselves. The author moving around the issue as well.
Like Cat, herself a prime example. Itās the āoh yes, Iām wealthy but feeding a few poor peopleā (sheās doing and saying this btw) but ignoring a whole bunch of major issues over in that corner of the narrative by actually considering marrying a problematic man old enough to be her grandfather because her father wants her to.
Yes, thereās a HFN for the siblings but, and hereās an enormous BUT, both male villains, truly evil men (one even cut out the tongue of the older beloved brother) are left without really being held accountable for their actions and crimes.
One, a traitor, gets away completely. And a heinous criminal, a sadist, nothing happened to him. Heās caught but they wonāt do anything to him. A win actually for them both.
Howās that for an ending? Didnāt feel satisfying to me. Actually so many traitors were still alive and on the streets. Yeah no.
Interplanetary intrigue and romance combine in this electrifying finale to the Consortium Rebellion series.
As the youngest member of her High House, Catarina von Hasenberg is used to being underestimated, but her youth and flighty, bubbly personality mask a clever mind and stubborn determination. Her enemies, blind to her true strength, do not suspect that Cat is a spyāwhich makes her the perfect candidate to go undercover at a rival Houseās summer retreat to gather intelligence on their recent treachery.
Catās overprotective older sister reluctantly agrees, but on one condition: Cat cannot go alone. Alexander Sterling, a quiet, gorgeous bodyguard, will accompany her, posing as her lover. After Cat tries, and fails, to ditch Alex, she grudgingly agrees, confident in her ability to manage him. After all, sheās never found a person she canāt manipulate.
But Alex proves more difficultāand more desirableāthan Cat anticipated. When sheās attacked and nearly killed, she and Alex are forced to work together to figure out how deep the treason goes. With rumors of widespread assaults on Serenity raging, communications down, and the rest of her family trapped off-planet, Catarina must persuade Alex to return to Earth to expose the truth and finish this deadly battle once and for all.
But Cat canāt explain why sheās the perfect person to infiltrate hostile territory without revealing secrets sheād rather keep buried. . . .
A Sci-Fi Novel Featuring a Clever Spy and a Gorgeous Bodyguard
