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

Buy link

        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

Review:  Dreams and Reptiles (Foggy Basin Season 3) by R L Merrill

Rating: 3.75🌈

Dreams and Reptiles (Foggy Basin Season 3) by R L Merrill is a sweet contemporary small town romance. It’s one of a multi-author series now in its third called Foggy Basin, set in a California small town.

Dreams and Reptiles is an age gap, hurt/comfort, multicultural romance that includes characters who have been through many traumatizing experiences, including work place assault. 

There’s a lot to like about this story. The characters are engaging. Francis, who has been through a traumatic experience with his work and his father, has bought a new home that will allow him to live his dream of a having artists retreat. 

Next door is an older firefighter, Kendall, who runs a reptile sanctuary. Kendall’s a divorced father, who is trying to deal with his own family issues of a daughter in college, a demanding job and a sanctuary full of animals needing him.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters of Francis’s mother and aunt, and his cousin, Derek, the real estate agent who is soon to be involved in a throuple storyline in the next book. 

Things that I would have liked to have seen more exploration here was the traumatic event that sent Francis to Foggy Basin and the aftermath with  his father. That resolution was over in a couple of sentences. Plus the fact that the father continued to call Francis’ mother “his wife “ despite being divorced, that was a big flag here.  Nothing about that aspect of the story felt particularly satisfying. 

And to be honest, the entire relationship felt rushed between Francis, who was trying to set boundaries because of his trauma, and Kendall, who didn’t really deal well with his daughter’s return from college. 

So, while the animals were adorable. The relationship between them sweet, I was left with a HFN and a timeline that sped forward without answering questions. 

It’s was good reading. But not anything I’d revisit. 

Foggy Basin Season Three (11 book series)

Keystrokes and Kittens by Gabbi Grey

Boss and Brat by Brina Brady

Silk and Honey by Kota Quinn

Fruit and Flash by R.A Frick

Dreams and Reptiles by R L Merrill

Flights and Sights by Riley Long 

Bales and Brawn by Jem Wendal

Fibre and Ink by Jamie Sands

Herds and Hooves by B L Maxwell 

Hammer and Hops by Lynn Michaels

Nicks and Cuts by TJ Nichols 

Buy link

 Part of: Foggy Basin Season Three (11 books) 

        Dreams and Reptiles: A Small Town MM Romance

    

Blurb 

From the award-winning author of Under His Sheets and Once Upon a Goth Dog Solstice comes an age-gap, hurt/comfort romance between two men with bruised and battered hearts ready for a second chance at happiness in small-town California.

Francis

I refer to the events of the past year as My Demise, and now that I’ve received a significant settlement, I’m ready to move on with my life. While visiting the town of Foggy Basin for their Pride Festival, I fell in love with the vibe. Lots of folks move there to start over, so why shouldn’t I? My cousin Derek shows me a quirky property for sale just outside of town, and once I see it, inspiration hits. Why not create a retreat where folks can make their dreams a reality? I ignored mine for way too long, but not anymore, and if I happen to run into the hot firefighter I shared a kiss with at Pride, well, I’ll take it as a sign.

Kendall

My entire adult life, I’ve taken care of others, and now I’m ready to start the next phase of my journey in California. I’ve spent years learning about various species of reptiles, and it just so happens that Grandma left me the perfect place to build a sanctuary. Only, I soon discover that my passion project is a bit trickier than I thought it would be. My spirits lift, however, when the saucy young guy I met at Pride moves in next door to me. At first, I worry perhaps he’s one of those wealthy people who come to town and throw their money around, but when I learn the truth about his past, I’m determined to make him see just how deserving of love he is.

For Mature Readers due to sexual content, frisky aunties, reptilian escape artists, and meddling polyamorous firefighters.

Welcome to Foggy Basin. Nestled at the base of the foothills in Northern California, this small town is full of characters just waiting to tell you their story. Whether you’re just passing through or you decide to stay a while longer, you’ll always find a warm welcome from the townsfolk. From farmers and animal rescues to artists and small business owners. Foggy Basin has it all.

Celie Bay Publications LLC

Publication date

August 13, 2026

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

File size

4.8 MB

Screen Reader

Supported

Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

X-Ray

Not Enabled

Word Wise

Enabled

Print length

290 pages

Page Flip

Enabled

Part of series

Foggy Basin Season Three

Review: Twice Bitten (Fangs and Fur Book 1) by S.E. Babin

Rating : 4⭐️

I’m a fan of this author so I immediately picked up Twice Bitten, the beginning of S.E. Babin’s Fangs and Fur series. A paranormal tale about a hedge witch who gets mixed up with the politics of the vampire/werewolf conference by way of a traumatic encounter is off to a good start here. 

Babin is excellent at establishing a complex plot that will keep expanding into ever greater detail and often wilder realms and storylines. I can definitely see this happening with Fangs and Fur and the main group of characters Babin is starting out with.

Hint. Thankfully, this author can take the main female character on quite the twisted path with regard to her final romantic partner, so just know it might not be one of the top two atm.

First there’s Alex, a hedge witch working as a barista with a black market apothecary business on the side. She’s an orphan with a “missing” mother and a father of unknown origin. 

Alex becomes the object of an obsessive vampire, Beckett, and ends up in the middle of a mysterious species turf battle between vampire and wolf shifter. That brings in the next major characters and conflicts.

Alric, the Vampire Prime and Silas is the Wolf King, both working on an inter species conference. Until a traumatic event with Alex upsets everything.

I’m not a fan of Alric. He’s got major non consent issues, and frankly red flags plastered around him everywhere. And smacks heavily of another MMC in another series I despised. 

Silas is running a close second. 

Like Leo the chauffeur/bodyguard for Alric. He’s got great potential going forward. 

And Babin, if she’s going to be as consistent as she has in her previous series, will make this an elaborate and exciting journey for Alex, magically and romantically. 

So I’m not going to assume who it might be from the characters at the first story. 

 Very entertaining and a great start to this series. 

Fangs and Fur:

Twice Bitten #1

Bite Club #2 – Jan 11,2027

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 2: Fangs and Fur 

Blurb 

I was bitten by a vampire AND a werewolf. Now everyone wants a piece of me.

I never wanted to be a powerful witch. I’m happiest pulling espresso shots at the Three Beans café and keeping my magic secret.

But trouble is brewing…

When a turf war between vampires and shifters erupts outside the café, I get caught between the irresistibly charming Vampire Prime and the ruggedly handsome Shifter King. As these two apex predators blindly tear into each other, I am bitten, clawed, and left for dead.

My magic flares just in time to save my life, but there are… side effects. Suddenly, I find myself staring at customers’ necks. And feeling suspiciously twitchy before the full moon.

It’s impossible but… am I transforming into a vampire and a werewolf?

The Vampire Prime finds me immediately. Captivated by my scent, he tempts me with danger and luxury. The Shifter King is equally obsessed, and determined to claim me for his pack.

I am caught between them once more—but this time it’s me that they’re fighting over. And since my new blood brings strange new powers, it won’t be long before I’m the most wanted prey in town…

Second Sky

Publication date

August 10, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

326 pages

Book 1 of 2

Fangs and Fur

Review: A Labyrinth of Honeybees (Magic & Mystery collection) by Heather Fawcett

Rating: 4.5⭐️

A Labyrinth of Honeybees (Magic & Mystery collection) by Heather Fawcett is a fabulous short fantasy story and audiobook book, one of seven in the Magic & Mystery collection being offered by a selection of authors.

Heather Fawcett is another new discovery for me and this story delivers a richly crafted tale of hidden identities, a King whose throne is in peril, feuding gods and a beautifully executed universe. And the priestess who waits at the gates for the King’s Inquisitor to arrive.

It’s 44 pages of amazing characters, mysterious magical mazes, old and new gods, and a fabulous twist at the end.  So so great and satisfying. 

That you get both the ebooks and audio at the same time is a real bonus. 

I grabbed this one first because of its description and that marvelous cover. Now I’m going back for the rest of this collection. 

You’re going to want to as well. Highly recommended.

Cover illustration by Danny Schlitz

Magic & Mystery collection – 7 books (ebook & audio):

Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree

The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst

The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Labyrinth of Honeybees by Heather Fawcett

The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious by Scott Lynch

Battle of the Round House by Tananarive Due

The Cairndale Orphan by J. M. Miro

Buy link 

 Book 4 of 7: Magic & Mystery 

Blurb 

New rulers meddle with the whims of the old gods in a lush and twisty short story of devotion, intrigue, and murder by the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series.

At a remote mountain temple, an inquisitor arrives to question a priestess about a pair of murders. The keeper of the sacred garden, its bees, and its ever-changing hedge maze does have her secrets. But what will protecting them cost her as she uncovers layers of conspiracy on both sides?

Heather Fawcett’s A Labyrinth of Honeybees is part of the Magic & Mystery collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors. They can be read or listened to in one enchanting sitting.

Amazon Original Stories

Publication date

July 28, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

44 pages

Book 4 of 7

Magic & Mystery

Review:  Found Objects by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

Found Objects is the latest urban fantasy romance by Mary Calmes and it’s exactly what we expect from this author. The old,settled rich location of a small town high in the mountains of West Virginia, an intriguing group of found family of town,  and a great setup for a slow paced romantic journey.  

Calmes’ plot lines includes a newly arrived werewolf pack that has brought with them to the town, pack dysfunction, mystery and loads of action packed moments.

I love Merritt Baker and the mystery that Calmes builds around his character. Merritt is the owner of the town’s restaurant, and a central figure in the community. A friend and someone who acts as a shield or protector when needed. 

When a new shifter pack arrives in Coille, West Virginia to establish themselves in a new territory , they bring with them old problems along with a dysfunctional pack and history. And Cole Swann and his younger brother, Evan, nephews of the Alpha of the Swann pack. 

The way this author blends the well known Appalachian mythology with other lore is intriguing and well done. It works well for the many other characters here and for adding some really great layers to this story. 

It ends with a HFN, given the specific species of each character. And known life spans. 

I will admit to hoping that Calme revisits this town and special community as I really enjoyed them and didn’t get enough of several of their storylines. 

A definite winner and one I’m happy to recommend. 

Cover art: Reese Dante

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comFound Objects – Kindle edition by Calmes, Mary. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Blurb 

Merritt Baker is older than he looks. Quite a bit older, in fact. He knows all about the woods and where one should never wander at night, but the fact of the matter is, sometimes men are the scariest creatures of all, and Merritt makes it his business to protect the innocents caught in their wake. In the small town of Coille, West Virginia, where he makes his home, he takes care of quite a few people, and that’s always been enough. Or has been. Lately though, he’s felt a bit lost, as though he’s forgotten what it means to really live rather than simply exist.

Change arrives when a pack of shifters buys the land that borders his. He doesn’t think twice about them until his simple rules are ignored, and suddenly there’s conflict. One of the wolves, Cole Swann, is very interested in him, and surprisingly, Merritt can’t seem to get the man out of his head. But things aren’t what they seem, and between other packs, ghosts, and worst of all, love, Merritt might be in over his head. That’s the thing about being lost—it can be wonderful when you’re finally found, but is it worth the risk of losing yourself?

Mary Calmes Books, LLC.

Publication date

July 30, 2026

Edition

1st

Language

‎English

Print length

268 pages

Review: Nemesis, Inc: Alpha Team  Collection 2: by Bella Stone 

Rating: 4 ⭐️

This is Arabella Stone writing as Bella Stone, who is so prolific in military and action romances. I honestly don’t have the space to list all her many series and related excellent books here. 

But collections like these are wonderful ways to get acquainted with her work and characters if you’re unfamiliar with them or to get caught up on her series that you are reading. 

I enjoyed this three books collection and read right through them easily. There was an author’s note about the Christmas story being a present and sort of final kiss to the end of that couple’s story. And that perhaps you should read their journey first. 

I hadn’t and I still loved it. I’ll read about them eventually. And then hit it again. 

Stone can write battles, and weapons and action filled scenarios. Along with terrific characters. 

Read and enjoy. 

 Just some of her related series:

Stronghold (3 book series)

The Four X’s Group: La Spezia (6 book series)

The Four X’s Group: Morocco (1 book series)

Nemesis Inc. Alpha Team (6 book series)

Nemesis Inc. Bravo Team (4 book series)

Buy link

 Collects books from: Nemesis Inc. Alpha Team 

Blurb 

Rory: Taking his mandated leave was supposed to be a fun trip for Nemesis Inc.’s Alpha Team, recon expert Rory *Mokaccino* Costa. Leave which lasts all of five minutes when a phone call from a teammate sends him to Paris to rescue Adalyn Cassidy and her son, Sam. Changing things up on the fly and living life at a hundred miles an hour is typically his jam. He’ll rescue the divorced author and her kid, send them home, and get back to his vacation. A couple of days in the French capital could be fun… right?

Stay Frosty: Dalton and Lina Knight have fought terrorists, governments, the Organization, and themselves for the chance to have a happy ever after with the family they both crave. With the birth of their first child just days away and Christmas on the horizon, fate throws them a curveball, and one of their people goes missing in Syria.

Aria: Aria doesn’t do attachments, and Jasper’s not the kind of man who believes in hopes and dreams. When the final pieces of the Organization surface and King makes his last move, all bets are off—because Aria survived hell once, and she refuses to lose the man who snuck in under her defenses, got on her last nerve, and claimed her heart… Jasper.

Embers Romance LLC

Publication date

April 24, 2026

Language

‎English

Review: The Alpha and The Baker by Roxie Ray

Rating:4

Roxie Ray is a relatively new group of writers for me but I’m really enjoying the books that they write.  The Alpha and The Baker by Roxie Ray is an excellent example.  It’s a paranormal romance about a small town that has two very different pack of shifters with an interesting deep entwined heritage. 

Who will be caught up between them, in a gentle and entertaining manner is a human Asian American baker, Felicia, who is struggling to keep her bakery going after the loss of her mother. 

The authors give us the big exuberant Irish pack of Castiel who runs to Felicia’s bakery in need of cakes for a pack get together. And then an equally lovely and tradition based Mexican pack that lives adjacent to them in town. 

So it’s meet cute, a growing relationship with Castiel and his pack, all of the recipes, Felicia’s culture and background of loss and love, and a divide between the packs that needs to be resolved. 

It’s well written, full of terrific food, great characters, multiculturalism, spicy sex scenes and body positivity. 

Highly enjoyable and recommended. 

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Alpha And The Baker eBook : Ray, Roxie

Blurb 

A grumpy-sweet alpha. A broke but brilliant baker. One emergency cake order that might just be fate.

When Castiel’s pack reunion turns into a frosting-fueled disaster, the last thing he expects is to find salvation in the form of a tiny bakery—and the fiery, flour-dusted woman who runs it.

Felicia’s barely keeping her business alive, her heart is still healing, and she has zero time for distractions—especially not the ridiculously hot country guy begging for last-minute cakes. But with a hundred people waiting for dessert and a cash offer she can’t refuse, she says yes.

One rushed bake. Three ruined ovens. A van full of dreams.

And a connection that neither of them saw coming.

She’s a human with a whisk.

He’s an Alpha with responsibilities.

But when their worlds collide, it’s anything but half-baked.

Fans of small-town shifter romance, soft alpha energy, and banter that melts frosting will devour this slow-burn standalone with found family, first shifts, and the sweetest damn love story this side of the forest.

Special Fiction Books

Publication date

July 25, 2025

Edition

1st

Language

‎English

Print length

466 pages

Review:  Kill the Beast by Serra Swift

Rating: 4.5⭐️

This is an excellent first book by this author. Kill the Beast by Serra Swift, a fantasy adventure novel, is a remarkable tale of revenge, found family and redemption. 

Situated In lands where humanity has  expanded into lands once shared with Fae, the forward movement of humans and their developments have disastrous consequences when they encounter the otherworldly creatures and the monsters that the fae have created and left behind. 

The fae, fleeing from the iron technology of humanity and losses of their forests or just insults to their superior species, ensured their revenge against humans is often deep and brutal. 

For one woman, Lyssa Cadogan, now Lyssa Carnifax, the Fae’s brutality has been incredibly devastating, the loss of her beloved brother who was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast. She made an oath on his grave to revenge him and kill the Beast.  And that’s been her life’s goal and work since then. 

A warrior/hunter consumed by her hatred for the Fae and need for revenge. She is hired by a wealthy, sort of dandy Alderic Casimir de Laurent, who has knowledge of the Monster and hires her to kill it. 

And it’s not just as simple as that.

So many interesting and tragic layers to the story and of these people. Multiple losses, deep emotional scars, slowly bonding with each other and with the scary found family that Lyssa has gained over the years. This includes an enormous bullmastiff called Brandy. 

There’s no romance. A past relationship is mentioned and there is a possibility of a future romance. But this is about dealing with trauma, the tragedy of your past, revenge and forgiveness. And finally being able to move forward. 

An absolutely fantastic book by a first time author. I can’t wait to see what they write next. 

Highly recommended. 

Love the cover.

Cover design by Shreya Gupta 

Cover illustration by Kelly Chong

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comKill the Beast: Swift, Serra: 9781250373786

Blurb 

The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this debut original faerie tale of revenge, redemption, and friendship—for fans of T. Kingfisher, Naomi Novik, and cozy fantasy with a dash of gritty adventure.

The night Lyssa Cadogan’s brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.

Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and—even more surprising—retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.

Alderic is ill-equipped for a hunt and almost guaranteed to get himself killed. But as the two of them search for the rest of the materials that will be the Beast’s undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa’s better judgment, an unlikely friendship begins to bloom—one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa’s quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.

Tor Books

Publication date

October 14, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

309 pages

Review: Soul of Fire (Chaosborn Book 2) by Madeleine Eliot

Rating: 4.75⭐️

“The Chaosborn romantasy series unfolds in a Norse-inspired world where dragon-bonded warriors known as the Drage protect kingdoms from an awakening threat called the Darkness.”

An incredible book that ends with a heart-stopping cliffhanger. What a shocker!

That should be my entire review. 

Because that ending? Absolutely threw me. Didn’t see it coming. 

Everything else leading up? Excellent work, great plotting, wonderful suspense and storytelling. 

I mean I love the characters and how the author has developed both the mythology and the interplay between dragons and their bonded people. Then overlapped that with the political drama that’s impacting their lives. 

But still . Boom! With those twists and unexpected surprises. 

Nope. No, spoilers about what happens to Eise and Arik. 

Madeleine Eliot has crafted an amazing book and series, complete with Norse mythology, language and history as well as Celtic lore and language included. Don’t miss out on her notes for the characters and storylines at the beginning. 

And need that third book right now. Pretty please? 

If you have an issue with cliffhangers (and this is a doozy), maybe wait until the next book comes out and read right through. Otherwise, hang in there with me, and read it right now. 

Highly recommended. 

Cover clipart by Viktoriia Ihnatovets ArtCreationsDesign 

Map design by Lindsey Staton

Chaosborn:

Heart of Chaos #1

Soul of Fire #2

Buy link

 Book 2 of 2: Chaosborn 

Blurb 

Only a soul of fire can stand against what comes next…

The Rift is stirring, and the Darkness beyond it is no longer content to wait.

As the human king prepares for a war driven by greed rather than survival, newly mated Arik and Eisa are pulled into a dangerous web of politics—one that threatens not only their fragile alliances, but the mate bond that ties their souls together.

When the Darkness breaks free, only a soul of fire born once in a generation can stand against what comes next. And awakening that power may cost more than either of them is willing to lose.

Soul of Fire is the second book in the Chaosborn trilogy, an adult romantasy featuring dragon shifters, Norse-inspired lore, and spicy romance.

August 1, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

425 pages

Book 2 of 2

Chaosborn

Review:  Sweet Blood (At First Bite #1) by Lola Glass 

Rating: 3.75⭐️

Sweet Blood (At First Bite #1) by Lola Glass is the first book by this author I’ve read and it’s got several interesting elements about it. 

The first story in a paranormal fated mate’s romance murder mystery series, it has a different take on vampire and shifters than I’ve seen before. 

Here in this universe, vampires are a much weaker species. There was a paranormal war and werewolves came out on top. They now are the ones that have the political power over everyone, including humans who have the same feelings about the few remaining vampires as they do. 

Those vampires who survived, remain hidden among them by using contacts and other forms of camouflage to prevent them from being “outed” as vampires. 

All very opposite to the norm of the genre. 

The lack of strength, ability to walk in sunlight. That’s not exactly explored here. 

The main female character is a vampire who is, of course, hiding her species identity, while working in a high level job in an important werewolf company. 

Bloom, the vampire assistant to a non paranormal director, is the immediate suspect, when one of the other employees is found dead, a victim of a vampire attack. The king of werewolves, Maverick, has her arrested and held after biting her, determining she is a vampire.

This aspect of the story was something I thought needed more attention. No police, just held and moved by the wolves to a cell and “convicted” until proven innocent. 

Any foundation for this isn’t given until much later. And then there’s still no information about any separation between police and the werewolves themselves. And a real legal legitimate framework. I found that missing totally. 

The base is a tenuous fated mate relationship being established between vampire Bloom and King Maverick. He’s insistent upon it. She’s not so sure. Her family? Absolutely not. His own species? Mixed bag. 

Meanwhile, bodies are falling. There’s a heinous plot to be investigated and Bloom’s best childhood friend is in serious trouble. 

Many storylines. And actually one of the best relationships here is that of Bloom and Harper, her best friend who is featured in the second book and mystery.

It’s not a lack of interesting characters and storylines or elements here but maybe follow through. I found myself flipping through pages of spicy sex trying to figure out plots and story arcs that were under explored and required further development. Only to discover that there wasn’t really any other information. 

Another person mentioned that there’s other books and series about vampire/shifter fated mates from this author that exist in the same universe. Maybe some further world building exists there.

I’m at least going to read the second book.  See how the mystery unfolds there. 

If you enjoy paranormal fated mates romance, here is a different take on the trope. 

At First Bite:

Sweet Blood #1

Wolf Blood #2

Same universe:

Wildwood (3 book series)

Buy link

 Book 1 of 2: At First Bite 

Blurb 

A werewolf showed up to investigate a murder in my office building—then bit me, and accused me of being the killer.

When I’m proven innocent, he admits the truth:

We’re soulmates.

Unfortunately for both of us, I’m a vampire. Our people are mortal enemies, so we have no choice but to ignore the connection we share until it eventually fades.

The only problem?

His instincts won’t let him walk away, and he isn’t trying to fight them.

When I’m nearly offed by the murderer myself, all bets are off.

My werewolf will take out the killer and make me his… or we’ll both die trying.

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

June 24, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

522 pages

Book 1 of 2

At First Bite