Category: Dark Fantasy

Review: Neverthorn (Of Quirks and Curses Book 1) By Shannon Mayer

Rating: 4⭐️

Shannon Mayer is a hit or miss writer for me. Some stories I think she writes are just wonderful, well plotted with amazing characters. Then there’s those books I find have terrific points and elements but include one or two aspects of the story that make me put it down, permanently.

Neverthorn, the first book of Of Quirks and Curses series by Shannon Mayer, is a bit of both. Mayer’s previous dark urban fantasy academy thriller, Shadowspell (2021) is amazing. Now comes Neverthorn, Of Quirks and Curses, it’s not a YA novel although there’s some similarities. 

It has some really interesting elements about it. Starting immediately with Harlow, a 29 year old magical thief, who, along with her younger non-magical sister, is dragged unwillingly back to Neverthorn Academy, a place she left and swore never to return to. 

As with these urban fantasy academy mystery series, the main character gathers together a group of misfits around her. This time it’s another group of older people, thrown together into a magical House, who’ve come from a variety of normal lifestyles outside of the magical life because they sucked at magic.

This is a great element. A group of adults brought back to an academy for purposes unknown, most of them with “weak magic “, who were bullied when they were younger there. 

I loved watching them gell as a group, definitely a “us vs them” atmosphere. But with such a fantastic plot element, Mayer has a hard time hanging onto the characters ages and writing them as credible adults of 29 and older.  More and more, their personalities start to present as younger than they should be.  They soon feel like early 20’s, if that. And an interesting plot idea is being lost.

The School is certainly harsh as is its situation. The scenes are laid out in rich detail and the darkness of the magic of the villain is spookily drawn into the narrative. Very well executed. 

However for every nice twist that’s revealed, there’s a major plot or storyline that’s been easily telegraphed by Mayer’s execution so that the reader can see who is actually the villain (wink, wink) and how the entire series will play out without needing to read it. It’s just that heavy handed.   

I’m going to because I’m sure there’s some interesting twists along the journey. But yes, I have to say I have a good idea of how it will go down. And if you have read enough of these books, you’ll see it too. 

It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. 

And the second book is out so the reader can head immediately forward to the how it’s resolved. 

I’m recommending it because it’s still enjoyable to read. 

Of Quirks and Curses (2 book series)

Neverthorn #1

Heathermoor #2

Buy link

 Book 1 of 2: Of Quirks and Curses 

Blurb 

In a realm where magic reigns, a legendary Hero once stood against the encroaching darkness. But with his death, hope dwindled, and the best the world can muster is Harlow Daygon—a thief, magic school dropout, and notorious troublemaker.

At nearly thirty, Harlow can’t even cast a simple rune without blundering it. So why does anyone think she can take up the mantle of Hero? Reluctantly, she’s dragged back to Neverthorn Academy with seven former classmates, tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world.

But the challenges are stacked against her:

Professor Hot-As-Sin makes it clear she’s a failure.

Professor Used-To-Be-A-Mean-Girl has a vendetta.

And lurking in her past is a secret so dark it could reveal she’s not the Hero the world needs—but the next Villain.

With fate hanging in the balance, can Harlow embrace her destiny before the shadows claim her?

Hijinks Ink Publishing

Publication date

July 22, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

529 pages

Review:  Shifting Allegiance (Shifter Lords Book 11) by S. E. Babin

Rating: 5⭐️

I’m not sure how each of these stories manages to get increasingly complex and more devastating by the book but with Shifting Allegiance, Shifter Lords Book 11, Moira’s journey takes a truly dark, intensely horrifying turn of events which ends with a terrifying cliffhanger. 

Babin has created for her Shifter Lords series a case of remarkable characters, including a group of women , goddesses, faes, vampire, otherworldly beings who have close ties to each other through family bonds or friendships that are now so tightly woven together that they are a force of nature and magic. Each woman comes with her own unique identity, often traumatized past and depths of character. The series may have begun with Evie’s journey but these same women have grown and developed over time and as events has changed them all. 

Now they circle and surround Moira as her evil witch mother returns to reclaim her daughter and seed her revenge against her own daughter who escaped from her mother and the tortured life she inflicted upon her. 

I’ve loved Moira from the beginning of the series. She’s been a great character, true friend, one who not only told Evie the truth about her relationship as the toxicity with Caelan was increasing but stayed true to support her. Even though her own issues. 

My heart breaks for Moira here over and over. Especially when Ethan’s past is revealed in the harshest, most tragic way.  And let’s not for Cerunnos’ and his own personal reasons for being in Moira’s life.

Layer upon layer, Babin builds a narrative that is dramatic, deeply rooted in family, trauma, love and devastation. There’s past child abuse mentioned as well as torture. Truly tragic and dark. 

But for all the characters who aren’t redeemable, Babin gives us those who are. Like the goddess Cliome, Evie’s mother, who started off the series in the role of villain and now is a permanent part of the inner circle that surrounds her daughter and friends. And, even Caelan, who I absolutely despised, has made a tremendous turnaround here. 

That’s why this is so incredible and the writing so fascinating and well executed. 

But now I have to wait, probably for another cliffhanger too. It’s just the way this series is rolling. 

And it will probably be one of my favorites. 

It’s one I highly recommend reading right now. 

Cover design by Covers by Christian

Shifter Lords (14 book series):

Shift of Heart #1

Shift of Morals #2

Power Shift #3

Shifting Winds #4

Shifting Resolve #5

Shift of Rule #6

Shift of the Wild #7 

Goddess Shifting #8

Final Shift #9 – finale to Evie’s story 

Moira’s story begins 

Shift Happens #10 

Shifting Allegiance #11 

Shift of Shadows #12 – Nov 17,2026

Karmic Shift #13 – Dec 15,2026

Shift of Fate #14 – March 2,2027

Buy link 

 Book 11 of 14: Shifter Lords 

Blurb 

Moira has spent years outrunning her past. Now it’s finally caught up with her.

What should have been a routine job with Soren goes disastrously wrong, forcing Moira to come face-to-face with the one person she never wanted to see again. As old wounds reopen and long-buried secrets claw their way to the surface, the vampire hybrid must confront the darkness she’s spent a lifetime trying to escape.

Then Ethan becomes the target of a devastating spell.

Overnight, every memory of the connection growing between them vanishes, leaving Moira as little more than a stranger in his eyes. Worse, the magic continues to spread, twisting Ethan’s thoughts and reshaping his reality one lie at a time.

Determined to save him, Moira hunts for the source of the dark magic before it consumes him completely. But the deeper she digs, the more she uncovers a conspiracy tied to her own past—one that threatens not only Ethan’s future, but her very existence.

With time running out and enemies closing in from every side, Moira faces an impossible choice: walk away and save herself, or sacrifice everything for the man who no longer remembers her.

Because some monsters can’t be outrun.

And some futures are worth dying for.

Oliver Heber Books

Publication date

July 7, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

246 pages

Book 11 of 14

Shifter Lords

Review:  The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I don’t read much romance books lately but this one totally grabbed my attention, starting with the description. 

By the way, there’s a long list of trigger warnings by the author who put them at the beginning of the book and I’ve listed them below for you to read. This is a dark fantasy novel, FYI. 

Every part of me wants to say “In fair Verona there lived two families…”.  So close. 

Masterson’s world is narrowed down to two small completely walled-in towns, twenty miles away from each other. Separated by a grim woods and landscape. Those woods are filled with monsters, the Drained,  who attack the city walls with increasing frequency.

Each city/town is ruled by one family. The city of Lunameade is ruled by the Carrenwells, of which Harlow Carrenwell is the youngest of nine siblings in powerful political magical family. 

The other, Mountain Haven, is ruled by the Havenwood family.  Its surviving heir, after a Drained massacre nearly destroyed everything and everyone, is Henry Havenwood.  Now they’ve rebuilt.  And they have new goals.

When the story opens, Harlow is already a widow, having poisoned her husband, per her family’s request, and has been ordered to attend the family’s dinner. 

Each family member has its own personal power, but they act as a team unit, ordered by their father. For the “good” of the town. Harlow also has her own plans she’s been acting on. 

Of all her siblings, only one does she care about, her sister Aidia. The one who is almost her twin, and as we learn, is in a severely abusive DV relationship with her mayor husband. That no one is doing anything about in the family. 

Violence, stark physical horrific abuse is a constant thread here. And there is a real danger of mental abuse/non consensual abuse as well, as one of the powers is the ability to control people against their will. 

Harlow uses her poisonous powers against those who she sees as abusive, especially when she feels helpless to aid her sister. 

This narrative starts dark and then turns violently darker as Masterson introduces Henry with his competing abilities and agendas to Harlow, who has her own secret plans and aspirations. Two houses, a forced political marriage with so many hidden agendas. 

It’s instant hate, passion, murderous rages, and the start of the author’s taking Harlow and Henry on a journey through a complexity of storylines of about heinous abuse, abject pain, deep loss , despair and suffering. 

And yes, lots of blood and death.  And sex. With a wolf thrown in. If that feels random, it feels like it in the story too. 

There’s so much I feel is fantastic here and well done. The religious and magical system is entwined with the city’s history and culture in a powerful role.

The Seven Divine, their gods of Pleasure, Fortune, Stars & Darkness, Endings, Malice, Protection, and Strength, are the ones that provide the families and others with their magical powers.  How that’s achieved is a defining feature of the story, and an extremely dark element. If you look at the maps, and really you should, you will see that Blood Well in the middle of the city of Lunameade and realize things aren’t quite right there. Take a clue.

Still won’t prepare you for what’s coming.

And that’s the other thing, the author has some wonderful/shocking revelations towards the end of the book, twists that come out of nowhere. Perfect! One especially outstanding!

What keeps me from raising my rating is the lack of foundation for certain plot lines in the last quarter of the book, that mostly centered around Henry and his actions.

One is that I don’t believe that the author allowed her story enough time to explain the Drained history and recent events to develop it into the aspect that emerged. That needs further exploration. Trying hard for zero spoilers here. 

The other thing that bothers me is about Gaven. I won’t go into detail. I just thought it was handled in a way that was unnecessary in the story (for me at least) or underwhelming, especially for Harlow. 

My overall experience with this story is that it’s fantastic. I love the dark atmosphere, Harlow is a memorable character and the magical system is so well crafted that I wanted to explore it further.  The weaker, lesser known elements are the Havenwoods. They don’t have enough page time or orcas well defined. 

The stronger, best defined elements are the most heinous , the Carrenwells. We get to know them and see how they operate together. Usually for the worst. 

I recommend spending time with them both. But definitely read the trigger warnings first.

Cover: Charlotte Sloggers

 Case Cover: Alice Blake 

Maps: Shepengul . Great maps!

From the author:

THE POISON DAUGHTER deals with some difficult subjects including ableism, violence, murder, blood, references to sexual assault, poisoning, death, references to domestic violence, child abuse and neglect (historical), grief, depression, PTSD, brief suicide ideation (historical), primal play, voyeurism, and explicit consensual sex. I’ve attempted to treat all sensitive topics with the utmost care, but this content might still be challenging for some readers. Please take care of yourself.

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Poison Daughter: Masterson, Sheila: 9781638935971

Blurb 

To err is human. To avenge is Divine.

Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.

Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.

But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents’ whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.

Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.

Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.

Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.

Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.

The Poison Daughter is a standalone dark fantasy romance that combines the vigilante justice for abusive men of Promising Young Woman with a romantasy arranged marriage and a dash of vampires.

October 3, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

668 pages

Review:  Stir Crazy: Maya’s Blogs: Book 6 by Lara McKenzie 

Rating: 4⭐️

Stir Crazy is book 6 is Maya’s Blog, one of my all time favorite series. 

Lara McKenzie has taken her main character on a tremendous personal journey of self discovery and growth. She’s gone from someone who fled a strict religious home environment that was destroying her sense of self and wellbeing to finding a new place where she slowly became a woman who through a new life, barista job and found family of paranormals, who she is today.

Someone who has undergone an enormous transformation into a paranormal herself, found a mate in a battle demon, and now has a family, that includes a demon merchild, Sabine, and a ghost mantis shrimp, Genevieve. And a blog of millions of followers.

It’s been a great journey.And it’s not over yet. 

After Little Bean, the birth of her baby, the battle with the Project Purity people who threatened their lives, now comes the fallout. 

And how she, Scorpion (her husband and mate) , Sabine the baby, and the rest of the household are doing after the fighting is over and the ramifications is setting in.

Not well. Especially for Scorpion as Dax, his best friend and co-hort in the field, left for the Rift over his own actions. And nothing has been the same. Tension is high and effecting everyone around him.  Leaving Maya to try and figure things out.

I thought this was a good book but not the strongest one in the series. Several things I found works against it for me. 

Genevieve, the ghost mantis shrimp, is a unique character and voice. But here  McKenzie makes the decision to give Genevieve a larger audience and role in Maya’s blog. Which is the book’s format. So we get Maya’s perspective and her story about what she’s going through with trying to fix the torn dynamic between Scorpion and Dax. 

Then it’s switched to Genevieve and her new sidekick Myrtle the Turtle, and her new PI business she’s setting up. Then the cases she and Myrtle actually take. 

Then we start to see alternating blogs for Maya and Genevieve, which I found a less interesting and enjoyable format. Genevieve is fine in small doses but doesn’t work for me here in a larger capacity. Unlike Charlotte who got her own story, and it was outstanding. 

There’s a few things left open, like the sentient car who left Maya because she felt unappreciated/unheard. This was another element that I found underwhelming. It came out of nowhere.

Maya was quick to blame herself for not listening but the prior circumstances, a desperate battle, constant fighting and threats, a demolition of her home, none of which seemed to be taken into account by the car. Was no one else around her who could have intervened (friends/family) or even the car talking to someone about it? To say an intervention was needed? To a mother overwhelmed with her current circumstances? 

Seems like a bit unfair to me. That Maya is the only one able to hold everything together. New mom to a child whose very vocal cords can shatter buildings who’s starting preschool ? And a husband who is having trouble with his rage and frustration that he’s scaring people? And a ghost shrimp who wants to start a business and bring in a turtle? So let’s add an unhappy car to that. 

So yes, I found that Stir Crazy was good but not fantastic. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what happens next. 

Absolutely don’t miss out on Charlotte’s book Kiss My Ash, it’s incredible. 

I listed them all below.,

The series is highly recommended!

Maya’s Blogs (6 book series):

Espresso Yourself #1

Brew Diligence #2

Uncharted Grounds #3

Flat White Flag #4

Little Bean #5

Stir Crazy #6

Kiss My Ash: An Umbrafore Standalone Novel

Buy link 

 Book 6 of 6: Maya’s Blogs 

Blurb 

After Scorpion and Dax’s devastating fallout over Project Purity, Maya finds herself walking on eggshells around the shadow demon she loves. The bond between them is strained, and Ashvale Nocturn is feeling less like a sanctuary and more like a pressure cooker.

Meanwhile, Dax is carrying secrets, guilt, and enough emotional damage to destabilise the realms, while Genevieve launches Claw & Order into full investigative chaos with ghost shrimp professionalism and no ethical restraint.

Packed with brutal honesty, dark humor, and the messy reality of forgiveness, Stir Crazy is the sixth instalment in the Maya’s Blogs series about love, loyalty, rebuilding trust, and what happens when emotionally repressed warlords finally start talking.

May 29, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

327 pages

Book 6 of 6

Maya’s Blogs

Review: Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and High Mischief by T Kingfisher 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I thought this was funny and engaging, if you can find a book about war, losses and the fallout. Maybe parts of it. It’s T Kingfisher so the story is completely a mix of all of these, the horror and the humor that can be found among the misery.

Starting with that amazing artwork on the cover,this tale of an army unit of nine goblins, who go missing in the middle of a battle is fantastic!

Every phase or paragraph sends a clear picture of the current situation and these beautifully detailed characters right into your mind and emotions.

Every single detail, every situation captures the rich range of detail and the seriousness of their lives and current situation.  It incredibly sad as the race of goblins has been pushed out of all their lands by humans until they exist at the edges, on the barest minimum needed.

Eventually they pushed back and it escalated into a war that involved other races. A war goblins themselves aren’t well suited for. And they’re losing.  

This grab bag of personalities of nine goblins, led by unexpectedly competent (for a goblin) Sergeant Nessilka , find themselves behind, far behind, the human enemy lines, and then must try to find their way back. 

So many great elements of this story. It’s the elf who they meet, the wizard (not the wizard you are expecting) who brings them into the situation, and more Elves along the way. And a war torn teddy bear who’s very necessary here for many reasons. And a genius goblin mechanic named Murray who’s looked down upon because his creations actually worked.

And the main characters of Sarge Nessilka and the elf animal rescuer Sings-To-Trees, who has none of the prejudices of his own race towards goblins or any other race for that matter.   With his interactions with the goblin troop and his own small group of injured animals, we get a glimpse of the tensions that exist between all the other species/races , the most important being over the loss of the land and how much of the land is being destroyed by humans. 

There’s trolls, and elf guards and some very dark scenes here, absolute carnage, that will continue to bring up the ramifications of war and its costs. 

 My only regret is that we leave the goblins too soon. It feels unresolved in some ways. We know that they will be going home. But nothing much has changed,just given a little bit of hope.

But that again is pure Kingfisher. 

Excellent and dark with a tiny bit of light at the end. 

Buy link

amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › fantasy › booksNine Goblins T Kingfisher – Amazon® Official Site – Fantasy Series Await

Blurb 

   

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Nine Goblins, a tale of low fantasy and high mischief.

DELUXE EDITION―a gorgeous hardcover with endpapers illustrated by the author and a foil case stamp

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in “cowardly” and “lazy” too for good measure.

But goblins don’t go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece.

Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures…a human being.

Tordotcom

Publication date

January 20, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

160 page

Review:  A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go (The House of Graves Series Book 4) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.75⭐️:  

Crumley continues with the shocking events of the past book with Tessa Graves’s re-emergence after her kidnapping, torture and brutal handling by the Patron. 

This is pretty brutal with the ramifications for Tessa and the state of her physical health going forward. 

It’s hard for everyone involved, her past memories psychologically compromised by the constant brainwashing of them and the torture/ trauma that she endured over the years. It’s all added up. 

Now with a more nefarious plot they have uncovered, the need to find the Patron and finish him off is more dire than ever.

This and the others are dark books. It amazes me to see them described as horror comedy. No, they really aren’t. They are horror fantasy fiction . It’s death, psychological torture, pain and brutality wrapped in fantastical characters and plotting. 

And it’s worth reading. Absolutely. 

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble #3

A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go  #4

And He Walked A Crooked Mile #5

Deck the Halls: Holiday Special #6

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book to date series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Buy link 

        A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go (The House of Graves Series Book 4)

    

Blurb 

The House of Graves has lost the fight; will they still be able to win the war?

Tessa Graves’s worst fear has just become a reality. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be ready, and she wasn’t. The patron stepped from the shadows, and she had no choice but to follow him. Will there be any of her left when he’s done, or will she lose everything and everyone she has started to care for?

Read and Listen to THE HOUSE OF GRAVES Book Series

Book 1: THREE LITTLE GRAVES & THE BIG BAD WOLF

Book 2: OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS

Book 3: FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE

Book 4: A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Book 5: AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE

Review:  Final Shift (Shifter Lords Book 9) by S. E. Babin

Rating: 5⭐️

Incredible. Just a stunningly fabulous way to end Evie’s storyline!  With a heartbreaking twist and then fantastic finish for her and family. 

Sort of. 

Babin has 11 books planned for the series but it looks as though the final 2 novels will be about Moira, the fae/ vampire and her journey through her new powers and to her own HEA. 

This finishes up Evie’s journey. And I’ll say I wasn’t expecting how the author would bring this journey to the conclusion. Brilliant and heart stopping.

It’s always been about Evie using her powers.  And here she absolutely does in a way that’s shocking!

This is a final battle between Queen Evie and King Rowan, the Lords, those who, including Caelan who has made peace with Evie, and a group of Fae who believe that they are entitled to the land and rights to all . And have been using poison and other means to obtain it.

It’s ferocious, terrifying, there’s losses, and the ultimate battle is one I wasn’t prepared for. 

The end of the story, includes the ramifications of this war. Some people are still “missing “ from the story, alive but not heard from. The trauma of that final scene still lingers. 

I’ll be interested in seeing how this series plays forward. Moira is seriously changed and the next section is hers.

Again, amazing writing and excellent storytelling. This was edge of my seat, white knuckle scenario stuff and I loved every minute of it.

I loved Evie’s journey and I’ll be so sad when the series eventually ends . But this one was an incredible ride! Highly recommended.

Cover design by Covers by Christian

Shifter Lords (11 book series):

Shift of Heart #1

Shift of Morals #2

Power Shift #3

Shifting Winds #4

Shifting Resolve #5

Shift of Rule #6

Shift of the Wild #7 

Goddess Shifting #8

Final Shift #9 – finale to Evie’s story 

Shift Happens #10 – 8/26

Shifting Allegiance #11 – Oct 6,2026

Buy link 

 Book 9 of 11: Shifter Lords 

Blurb 

Caelan, the Shifter Lord of Texas, is living on borrowed time. 

As the fae seek to spread their influence, Caelan’s land and his people are suffering. Stubbornly refusing to accept Evie’s help, Caelan doubles down to continue fighting a battle he cannot hope to win.

As the other Lords unite, Evie is torn between her duty to her people and doing what is right. But Evie is a child born of gods, raised by humans, and changed by fate. If there is ever a hope to unite everyone, she will have to stand up and command it.

This time, the entire world’s fate hangs in the balance, and Evie can no longer deny who she is.

As she rises to power for one final, cataclysmic battle, one of her found family will rise with her and become either a threat no one saw coming or the hope that will unite them all.

Evie’s journey of heartache and hope finally comes to an end. But the question remains, will she go out with a world-rattling roar or will she succumb to the force that threatens them all?

Review: The Immortal Doc Holliday: Hidden (The Immortal Doc Holliday Series Book 1) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I have been jumping all over this complicated world that M.M. Crumley has created since I first dived into the House of Graves series and got helplessly hooked on her interwoven characters, stories and magical relationships in this dark horrifying universe. 

I knew it originated with the Immortal Doc Holiday, how perfect was that, but others kept calling. And Doc keeps appearing all over the place. 

So I knew that I would end up here eventually. What a treasure it looks to be.

Doc Holliday is one of those people who is well documented in history, his legendary status, through movies and books is such that he’s become a great western figure, a epic gunfighter but also a man with a tragic death and background.

Crumley takes this legendary character and his real life complicated personality and weaves it into something more. A magical immortal who has the same qualities, same personality, same depth’s and abilities but is given choice to be immortal. To cheat death, for a price. 

Doc was a brilliant gambler, loved his women and drink, didn’t mind killing people. Was extremely great at it. But he grew up with a code of conduct and kept it. His lifestyle made him few friends and many enemies in real life. Much as it does here.  And it makes him a character who has to grow on a reader. 

He makes no apologies for what or who he is.  Takes fives years off and disappears, telling no one. Reappears to find a changed place and angry companions. Not exactly sorry. He’s immortal. Five years is nothing. 

That mindset takes time to get used to. But as the story continues and the investigation develops, he’s all in and so is the reader. 

I’ve seen Doc from others perspectives and in different scenarios so this is enlightening. I’m really enjoying it. 

And I’ll definitely continue reading around this series as the others thread through it. 

Absolutely love it. And recommend them all. But these all have a dark side and horror elements to them. FYI. 

THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY On-going Series Titles

Book 1: HIDDEN

Book 2: COUP D’ÉTAT

Book 3: RUTHLESS

Book 4: INSTINCT

Book 5: ROGUES

Book 6: EMPIRE

& More…

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series at any given point in time. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series plus )

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book series to date)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Hell To Pay #1

Length of Days #2 – Sept 6,2026

Reckoning #3 – Tbd

Buy link

        The Immortal Doc Holliday: Hidden (The Immortal Doc Holliday Series Book 1)

    

Blurb 

What would you do with immortality? And could you pay the price? 

Immortal rogue Doc Holliday will stop at nothing to keep his promise and repay the shaman who saved him from death.

But rescuing the shaman’s missing granddaughter and a hidden city of so called “monsters” from being destroyed may be more than Doc bargained for… Can Doc cheat death one more time? Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem to find out now!

Keywords: urban fantasy series snarky wizard detective humor Shifters Dragons male mage private investigator Vampires Mages funny paranormal pi books Witches Wizards Cryptids modern magic mystery male lead Werewolves humorous urban supernatural sleuth Fae Fey Fairies witty druid investigator series occult Demons Monsters

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

May 14, 2021

Language

‎English

Print length

265 pages

Book 1 of 21

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series

Review:  Ghost Guy: Hell to Pay (Ghost Guy Series Book 1) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 5⭐️

I just talked about the fluidity of M. M. Crumley’s series timelines and character appearances in the various series that make up this universe. m playing catchup here with this fantastic character of young boy Nevin Tucker who inhabits the body of TJ Bryant, a police detective who died in the same bomb blast that killed Tucker. 

How that happened and the ramifications are fully explained and remain a part of Tucker’s journey. Crumley is so gifted at characterization that Tucker becomes rawly believable.  So complex and incredibly layered as Tucker is, a young boy/ ghost who, without any real desire or design, wakes up in a grown man’s body and has to adapt.

He’s “seen” by all except those in the “know” as an adult. But mentally, emotionally and for all intents, including knowledge, he’s a kid inside. One who has lost his older sister, and been extremely poor and vulnerable. 

That dichotomy sets up a character driven narrative, a urban fantasy horror story that is fraught with poignant moments and yet filled with humor, albeit unintentionally funny scenarios that a young boy doesn’t understand but a man would. 

Tucker is first introduced in The Immortal Doc Holliday Book 6, a novel I haven’t gotten to as yet. But he’s has been in several books since, and Doc recently introduced him to the Graves family, who play a prominent role in this book.

This fantastic story, and it’s filled with character development as Tucker must look at his own life and think about who he is and what he wants to become, while solving a horrific situation.  And it ends on a heart stopping cliffhanger. 

Oh no. So if you don’t want to read a cliffhanger, wait for the next book to be released, then read through. And check out the Immortal Doc Holiday series or The House of Graves, or any other series listed below. 

Honestly, I need a separate bookshelf just for this author. She’s fantastic. So are these series. 

Highly recommended. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series at any given point in time. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series plus )

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book series to date)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Hell To Pay #1

Length of Days #2 – Sept 6,2026

Reckoning #3 – Tbd

Buy link

        Ghost Guy: Hell to Pay (Ghost Guy Series Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Even the dead need a hero.

Nevin Tucker is a snarky young detective who just happens to be dead. This paranormal PI spends his days (and nights) as Ghost Guy: the only occult detective willing to take cases from clients who can’t pay, can’t be seen, and who really need a hero. But as a ghost in someone else’s body, Tucker has his own issues to deal with, and most of his issues are members of the House of Graves. Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem now! Available in print, eBook and audiobook formats

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

March 4, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

357 pages

Book 1 of 2

Ghost Guy Series

Review:  Janey Falke Saint Killer: Blood Oath (Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series Book 1) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

I’m just enthralled by M.M. Crumley’s multi series universe, one I understand is complex in its plot and character dynamics and timeline fluidity. 

I started with the incredible House of Graves series, backtracking to the first in the Immortal Doc Holliday series (the first of them), and have read around the universe since. 

Becoming more invested and deeper engaged with each character and their respective stories. 

But I don’t think I was prepared for Janey Falke. She’s older, an adult in the other series. But here she’s a child. A terrifyingly battered and abused girl surrounded by her violent family in a wagon train headed west. 

Left behind in the East, a grandmother and the grave of her mother, Janey is a young girl who is brutally beaten constantly by her father and brothers. Told she’s worthless while being knocked about. On a journey west with dwindling numbers of wagons to destinations unknown. 

 That’s a backstory we get after we meet her, bloody and fleeing a massacre of the wagon train headed west.

Janey is a singular voice. Young, scared, rooted in her truth and raw emotion.  A survivor, and her story is told from the prospective of someone who lives in the 1800’s, with all that comes with its history of that era. The attitudes and the way history treated native peoples, women , and children. 

This is a often dark and brutal tale, which encompasses many sorrowful and violent crimes against women, children of all races , as well as those crimes committed against the various tribes of the area. Janey’s revenge is against the criminals here is as violent as theirs. 

It’s also a deeply emotional and psychological journey for Janey as she struggles with her trauma, her memories, her abuse, and the idea of actual magic in the world around her. 

It’s a social upheaval for her as well. That the very people who take her in and care for her are the “Indians “ she was taught were evil. 

It’s a thought-provoking, powerful, and compelling story. Janey is heartbreaking and a girl we take into our hearts. Her strength and struggles become ours. 

I believe she is one of the most memorable characters among many this author has written. 

An additional point about the many series and stories. 

To show exactly how fluid this world is , this universe and series fits in between chronologically, Janey Book 2, that’s the next book, falls between Andrew Book 6 and Andrew Book 7.

That’s the Legend of Andrew Rufus Series, which falls, maybe, after The Immortal Doc Holliday, which also meshes with The House of Graves. So very timeline fluid indeed! That’s the thing with immortality and magic. 

Anyway Andrew (somewhat ) and Janey are set in the Western United States in the late 1800’s and you believe in that absolutely. 

Highly recommend reading this, and those. And this author. But think about what the characters go through. This is a dark universe and these characters have brutal struggles to overcome. 

Fantasy horror indeed. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book to date series)

Blood Oath #1

Blood Ties #2

Blood Feud #3

Blood Lust #4

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 4: Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series 

Blurb 

How far would you go for revenge?

After her family is murdered, young Janey Falke makes a blood oath to avenge them. But as her quest for personal vengeance shifts into a mission of protecting the innocent, she unknowingly draws the attention of a dark god who hungers for her growing power… Dive into a hidden world of dark magic and mayhem now!

Please Note: This series is on-going and additional books will be added to this list as they become available

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

November 3, 2024

Language

‎English

Print length

332 pages

Book 1 of 4

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series