With any Kim Fielding tale there’s sure to be a hint at least of darkness, a layering of sadness or brokenness threading throughout the narrative.
But in Fire Stones it’s sheer horror, terrifying pain, and unescapable terror that lies waiting for the reader and main character.
Little match girl or fellow indeed.
In just 35 pages, in the typical Fielding way, the author brings us believably, heartbreakingly, into Brand’s cold, barely surviving life as an indentured servant to an mediocre magician.
In one terrifying night everything changes for him. In the worst possible way.
If you’re not a fan of horror fiction, this isn’t the story for you. It gets ever more quietly frightening for Brand, gut wrenchingly terror-stricken by the circumstances of his situation.
It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. The ending, is at best, happily bittersweet . Completely Fielding.
There’s a slender romance, that we don’t have much of a framework for. Had that been a little more firmly established, this would have been a 5 star story.
As it is, Fielding’s given us pure chill-worthy Fielding. And that’s plenty great.
Born with a deformed foot and abandoned as a young child, Brand spent his youth in indentured servitude to a mediocre wizard. Now Brand is grown, but with no other prospects to support himself, he remains in his master’s employ, doing small chores and selling firestones on the bleak streets of Greynox. Until one bitterly cold day.
In this dark take on a classic fairy tale, Brand encounters the most sinister of magics. With his firestones gone, can he find his way to the light?
The Grim Reaper ,that personification of Death, has always been a popular character for so many authors. Doesn’t matter the media, format, culture, or even era, the popularity and mythology even mysticism, makes the Reaper a being of power and fantasy.
For many, even romance. How many have posited what could happen if Death fell in love? It’s a fascinating theory.
Kiki Clark and E.M. Lindsey have a new series that focuses on that question. Their world building gives us a multitude of Reapers, each with their back history of becoming a Reaper, a Afterdeath universe complete with its set of rules and structure, and, an ability to soul bond with a human.
The authors do a terrific job with Tristan, the eldest son and heir of a ne’er-do-well Victorian landowner. Tristan, who realizes early he prefers the company of men, can’t bring himself to wed. In a short time, the authors paint him to be a tortured, kind, empathetic man, in a era that would certainly see him imprisoned. But fate and his family’s poor genetics have other ideas. In a raw scene, we are present as he’s transformed into a Reaper.
If death is a element that makes you uncomfortable, then this is not the story or series for you. Because people die here. Some are angry, some bewildered, others full of pain at those they are forced to leave behind. With no guarantees they will ever see them again.
No Aunt Minnie is waiting for you on the other side. It’s not that universe. At least not in this book. FYI.
Which brings us to Elias, a medium. He sees ghosts and tries to help the living make peace , along with their departed, of whatever issues remain between them. Elias has many troubles of his own, including a family that despises him due to his sexuality, as well as his “oddness”.
Elias is engaging and believable, moving about his little shop, a kitchen witch , with a kind, albeit unstable heart.
Their romance is remarkable. Especially considering one is a virginal Victorian non corporeal Reaper and the other a weak, delightful, human, who teeters constantly between the living and those who refuse to move on.
There’s several obstacles between their HEA, and it feels a bit rushed towards the end.
There’s also already several Reaper/human soul bonds that have happened prior to this story. Some of those couples make appearances here.
I believe they are Free Stories out there. See the list below.
At any rate. Until His Last Goodbye (Scythe #1) by Kiki Clark and E.M. Lindsey is a terrific story that needs just a tad more world building and length to be outstanding. Tris and Elias have such promise to their future and their relationship growth.
I really look forward to seeing what more these authors and this series has to offer.
Cover note. Am I the only one getting tired of seeing this same color variation. style, layout format everywhere? If it’s fantasy, it’s purplely, green, swirly, cover, it’s too too much. Rant over.
Synopsis:
When Death is your soulmate, finding love has never been so heart-stopping.
Having been a powerful medium for as long as he can remember, Elias knows his fair share about the afterlife.
Spirits are pushy.
Spirits are needy.
And they don’t respect personal boundaries.
Being a conduit between the living and the dead is exhausting but ignoring his gift isn’t an option. Even though embracing his calling has ruined nearly every relationship he’s ever had, Elias has learned to offer what comfort he can to those left behind, knowing his own time is limited.
So the day Death comes knocking,
Elias is resigned.
Then intrigued.
And then enchanted.
He has no business falling for an immortal collector of souls. No matter how kind and surprisingly innocent he is. Or how the Reaper’s gentle nature soothes the hollow ache inside his chest.
There can be no way forward when you fall for Death…
…unless you join him.
Until His Last Goodbye is the first installment in the epic Scythe trilogy by E.M. Lindsey and Kiki Clark. It features an uptight Victorian reaper, a medium eager to corrupt him, witchy best friends willing to hex anyone who hurts the people they love, and a former Spanish pirate who doesn’t have time for other people’s nonsense.
What a amazing story. Set in the western Australian outback mining town , Pannalego, Davo by N.R. Walker delivers a romance to delight the heart as well as a story that embraces the harsh environment to show the reader why the people who live there come to love it so.
Through the arrival of red-haired, Fergus Galloway, there to for a 4-week stay to conduct research for his company, we experience the extreme body shocking heat, the red dust that immediately covers every surface, and the living conditions that will make Sydney so very far away as to be on another planet.
Fergus is such a lovely open character. Through his eyes we meet an incredible assortment of individuals who make Pannalego their home and a working community of 20 year-around citizens in one of the world’s harshest territories. All employees of the mine.
We come to cherish each one, feathered Hooker included. But none as much as we love Davo, the skirt wearing, charming manager and mining engineer who immediately captures both Fergus’ and the readers hearts.
It’s Davo who shows Fergus just how welcoming that small community is and how quickly is can feel like home.
You’re a companion as they walk to see the remarkable landscapes, the sunsets, and more that makes that country so unimaginably gorgeous.
Before long it’s magic and Davo have won Fergus over, in a short amount of time. And that feels absolutely perfect and believable.
I love Davo. Even the drama was a realistic slice of life that communities like these live with and under. It’s part of the lifestyle.
I have to admit as I was reading it , the environmental damage of such a constant extraction, of such a enormous cavity being dug over and over, then discarded, left me a little ill. Surely the cost of this , like all the rest is coming.
But this is a romance. Not one about climate change. So I’m going to leave it at that. NR Walker’s descriptions were very real and thought provoking.
I’m highly recommending Davo for any number of reasons. The excellent characters, the beauty of the landscape of the outback, the heartwarming charm of this small community, and the outstanding ending. Plus that romance.
When Fergus Galloway takes on a research trip to a tiny mining town in the far Western Australian outback, he’s as far from Sydney as he can get.
Which is entirely the point.
He arrives in Pannalego totally unprepared for the baking heat, unprepared for the people who call it home, unprepared for the craziness and the laughs. And absolutely unprepared for the man he meets there who steals his heart.
Davo is a mining man, as rugged as he is gorgeous. Loves his found family, loves where he lives, and loves his life. He also loves the feel of soft fabric on his skin.
What was supposed to be a short field trip changes Fergus’s life. Going to a place many call uninhabitable might turn out to be the only place he wants to live.
Cowboy Haven by B. A. Tortuga is another one of this author’s kids n’ cowboys stories that she has been writing lately, some with author Jodi Payne. And Cowboy Haven is one of my favorites of the trope she’s calling cozy cowboys.
It’s located in New Mexico, on a ranch. One of the main characters is a former rodeo champion, with an enormous family of mixed heritage. All of whom live in and around him. So we gets lots of local foods, easy family interactions that feel free and believable, and ranch life, up early, coffee on… ranch hands in for food between duties. Tortuga has this down perfectly.
The other? A Texan, damaged past history, painful divorce, and now single father with 2 month old triplets.
How he got to his present situation is also made to feel extremely realistic and desperate. Heath Barron has our attention and empathy from the get go, as they say. Plus the babies, each as individual as Tortuga could make 2 month olds, are adorable.
Kolt Cordova, former rodeo champ and rancher, with his extended family, is believable as both rancher and rodeo cowboy who, with all the wear and tear , knew when it was time to quit. He was ready for something steady and a home. He’s a very well defined person and when he’s rescued Heath and the babies, the fall into a relationship and love actually feels like the next step.
Ever know someone who decides they are ready to settle down? Then next thing you know you hear their engaged , then married? Happily so?
It happens that way sometimes.
Here Tortuga makes that into a excellent romance. With a drama inserted for that extra oomph.
Heath is a terrific character that you just enjoy reading about as is his love for his children. They, all three, are an absolute delight. The romance, including all the Cordova family and one terrifying mule, make this story.
I would love for a sequel sometime down the road!
If you love cowboys and children, absolutely lovely romances, then Cowboy Haven by B. A. Tortuga is one for you.
Note: There are some typos that should have been caught by the editor. But not as many as I’m seeing in lots of books these days.
Synopsis:
When Heath Barron leaves Texas for Northern New Mexico, he thinks he’s getting a luxury house rental for a steal, getting away from his ex, and finding a home for his newborn triplets. What he finds is a broken down trailer, a freezing winter, and the feeling that he’s at rock bottom in his life. Again.
Former rodeo champ Kolt Cordova has a good life. He has a ton of family, good land for cattle, and if his joints hurt when it’s cold, then so be it. But when he finds Heath living in an abandoned place on the place next to his, he knows his life is about to change. He just has no idea how much.
Heath feels like Kolt is offering him everything he’s ever wanted when he invites Kolt to come and stay, and Heath gives Kolt a sense of belonging, but as they get to know each, and maybe love, each other, danger from Heath’s past rears its head to try to harm them all. Can they find a way to face their fears, and this threat, together?
This book is a gay cowboy romance and has an ex-rodeo cowboy, baby triplets. a nosy family, and a loving freelance writer with a past.
Dead Over Heals gives us another unusual pairing and storyline. The local sheriff, a werewolf, has been in several of the stories, especially the last couple that have involved hate groups against Otherlings.
Now Sheriff Vander Hale finds his mate when Fritz Tolliver is sent over by Skye Maddox to inquire about the open position there.
Fritz is adorably bumbling, as well as astonished to find that the silver haired werewolf is claiming to be his fated mate. He also sees dead people.
Unfortunately, moments later he’s also being haunted by a nasty ghost who seeks to undermine their relationship and his positivity.
Fritz was a harder character for me to connect with. I’m not sure I understood the mate bond here between the two as I kept expecting Vander Hale to sense the ghost and at least realize his mate wasn’t communicating everything that was happening.
Either way, this just was a odd story with most of it dealing with Fritz and his ghost, then eventually the resolution of removing the ghost and the romance.
There was a funny aspect to the ghost where he was mistakenly moved to another, but it was short lived.
For me, this was the story that misses the mark. And that could just be my perspective.
Read it because you’re reading the series and you’re curious as to who the Sheriff got as a mate.
It’s been twelve years since the Awakening. Otherlings are out of the paranormal closet. The whole world knows that creatures like vampires, werewolves, and witches exist. So, seeing dead people barely even rates on the freaky scale. Right?
Wrong.
Fritz Tolliver figures he must have done something terrible in a previous life to be afflicted with such a curse. In fact, every bad thing that has ever happened to him can be traced back to his unwanted ability. So, when a stupidly hot werewolf who’s way out of his league claims to be his mate, he should be thrilled. And he probably would have been if he hadn’t gone and gotten himself haunted by a nasty spirit on the same day.
When a human male strolls into the station asking for a job—and promptly spills an entire Americano on him—Sheriff Vander Hale has a feeling it’s going to be a bad day. Then, the door opens, the wind shifts, and suddenly, his whole world changes. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his mate, no battle he wouldn’t wage, even if his enemy is technically already dead. Unfortunately, there’s just one problem with his plan.
He’d go to hell and back for Fritz, but how is he supposed to fight something he can’t see?
I really debated about that rating because this is an fantastic series and , from a overall perspective, it deserves a 5 rating.
However, this collection has a few elements that, as a group I feel tended to take away from the anticipation and potential of a powerful finale.
Give Him Hell, Hellhound Champions #3, is actually my favorite of the three. Nick’s story has it all. A traumatic adolescence, a damaged man who’s history has given him a mission in life that’s as much mystery as he is. It’s full of found family, magical beings, a great relationship, and , really, a huge amount of character growth.
Nick and Hellhound Jedrek are perfection. And now I understand all Nick’s Alpha appearances in the other series. This book is that foundation.
Now to the rest.
Nothing Gained and Stop at Nothing are the two books that essentially tie up Sawyer’s Chosen One storyline. Sawyer needs to complete his circle of Guardians, get his guide, figure out how to defeat his brother , and win the war.
So huge! Right? There are some fantastic elements here. Ones that mix mythology, spirit animals and communication, even past lives to a very fascinating degree. How does someone correct past mistakes if past knowledge has been purposefully erased… by them? Interesting , deeply complex questions. With equally labyrinthine answers. That takes two books to unravel.
Great stuff.
Other beautifully crafted sections? That regarding the wounded, wary Guardian Dakota. He was so well written, so intriguing that you wanted more. Of his history and that of the family we got introduced to. They were all so interesting and unique.
And that was a issue with the last Guardian. All the other great Guardians had powers, some had wounded backgrounds, fascinating personalities, and, honestly, a visible reason to be a part of the Guardian circle. And not just because each represents a Element. The last missing Guardian? Cute as a button but made no sense other than as a “plug-in “ storylight character, who’s aspect could go comedic “high maintenance twink” or “adorable boy toy”. No history. No layers.
Even his “animal “ had me scratching my head in the manner he called it/them.
But even that part , as one dimensional as it is compared to all the other Guardians, doesn’t seem as overdone as all the ongoing multi-partners sex scenes.
When they started, it was sexy and a way to cement the polyamory relationship between Chosen One and his Guardian mates. It made sense.
But here, as the danger grew overwhelming, the partners were wounded, tired, even hospitalized, the orgies never abated. Research continues around them, or on top of them. People get called away from them and return to them.
It makes them less sexy. More like slot A into Slot B type of activity when the amount of sexual activity exceeds story plot. It was almost at that level. A “really.. again?” type of sex scene.
A lightweight major character , too many sex scenes seemed to slow the narrative’s forward motion as it moved towards its tumultuous and scary series finale.
Blake does a outstanding job with formatting that momentous battle into something truly heart stopping and highly suspenseful. From that battle onward it’s a careening, wild ride to the finish. A very satisfying one too.
The epilogue is the only aspect, that has , again, just a few things that bothers me. The Guardians and Sawyer have their happy ending. But a character, who’s played a huge part in this series, and was involved in a traumatic incident, gets written off with a sentence. That struck me as all sorts of wrong and , frankly, undeserved, given his status within the group. More about his situation was definitely called for. The reader was invested in him. As was Sawyer and the group. I don’t get it.
Other characters also just disappeared. I don’t know if it’s Into future storylines and novels but precious time was spent here getting us involved in them so don’t we deserve to know more?
I think what was missing overall in the last Chosen One stories is a sense of narrative flow and emotional balance. Sex scenes over plot and character resolution. A rush story wise because so much went forward quickly , narratively speaking.
And this is why I had issues with the rating. I read them together, and whether that made the issues I had more glaring or not, I won’t know. The whole series is incredible. The maxed out battle and finale absurdly fantastic! A true “I’m crying, hold your breath “ battle!
Then there’s Sweet Spot.
The fourth is a standalone novella , about Guardian Eduard’s widower father, Augustus, and the young man he meets on a island getaway. It’s a second chance at love, age gap sweet story with a slice of kink. I love it.
I’m highly recommending this series. You would be reading the last Chosen books in the order anyway so you might as well read them in this collection and get the wonderful other books as well.
The other series in the Chosen One Universe are ongoing which I’m thrilled about. That’s Magical Mates and Chosen Champions. Stay tuned for more Chosen goodness.
For the first time, Macy Blake’s two bestselling paranormal fantasy series are being published in a three-volume mega-verse box set!
Each volume will feature three full-length MM novels with dragons, hellhounds, vampires and more, with never before published bonus material. All in reader-requested chronological order.
Volume Three:
Give Him Hell: Hellhound Champions Book Three
Nick Smith is a man with a mission: find the place where he’d been held captive as a child and discover what happened to the kids he left behind. He needs answers, especially since he discovered he can shift into a lion. Instead he finds a huge Viking of a man with flaming eyes who threatens Nick’s shaky hold on his control. When Nick’s past collides with a powerful, evil force causing havoc in the supernatural world, Nick races to find who is responsible for the current rash of dark magic. With a hellhound at his side, what could go wrong?
Nothing Gained: The Chosen One Book Four
With the truth finally revealed that Sawyer is the son of a powerful goddess, Sawyer must find the strength to fix the broken magic in his world. There’s only one problem: he has no clue how to do it. Even with six of his eight mates at his side, Sawyer doubts he has what it takes, especially as he is growing weaker by the day. With his newest guardian hiding in the shadows, Sawyer has to find the answers before it’s too late, for both him and his mates.
Stop at Nothing: The Chosen One Book Five
Rising forces of darkness are attacking faster than Sawyer and his mates can mount a defense. It’s time to fight, but Sawyer has too much to lose to risk disaster. The final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, but they leave him with more questions than answers. He heads into the final battle without the knowledge…or the power…to win. Sawyer only knows one thing: he will stop at nothing to keep his mates safe.
Includes bonus short story:
Sweet Spot
When the goddess tells Augustus Eastaughffe to go to the mountains to find what he needs, he’s more than happy to comply. The billionaire griffin is in the midst of a deepening mystery and expects to find some of the answers he seeks. Instead, he finds a captivating human who proves to be sweeter than any he’s ever met.
The second volume of Chosen One books is where I realized they weren’t being grouped according to series but in a reading order.
Series broken up and interspersed with each other, along with single stories, to give the overall Chosen One plot arc a flow with the characters, relationships, and events as they occur inside each novel.
So with Volume Two we get:
🔹Hell On Earth: Hellhound Champions #1(already reviewed)
🔹Next to Nothing: The Chosen One #3
🔹Hell to Pay: Hellhound Champions 2
🔹Double or Nothing- extra bonus about Sawyer’s brother, Mikey.
All four books, in that order, keep setting up the reader and the characters for the ever developing arc and multiple relationships of the Chosen One and the battle he’s facing.
We get new Guardians, new mates for characters who will , if they aren’t already, hugely important to the safety of the Chosen, and his mission to find that being responsible for all the black magic and devastating events his evil has caused.
Blake’s writing brings us into multiple lives here. Those of the severely damaged children, of the traumatized adults that still carry all the pain and damage within and on them from those years of captivity. Damage that’s carved into them and is able to make us empathize with them completely.
When bear shifter Ben cries out, it’s not just his siblings that feels his anguish, but us too.
There’s fierce battles, high suspense, and lots of very hot sex , with mates who can’t get enough of their men.
There’s also some very funny elements as well. Need those to mitigate the dark moments that are becoming faster and more severe.
All the characters are amazing as is the multi storyline development. It’s getting increasingly complicated. Blake is upping the game, adding in mythology as well as new beings, layers of history as well as new people and their mates . It’s a lot to track as each is so important to the overall picture but it all meshes.
I hadn’t anticipated this type of collection but it’s great. It makes sense and stops a person from having to jump around from series to series. Love it!
So onto Volume Three! I’m picking up speed here! This is a binge reader’s paradise!
For the first time, Macy Blake’s two bestselling paranormal fantasy series are being published in a three-volume mega-verse box set!
Each volume will feature three full-length MM novels with dragons, hellhounds, vampires and more, with never before published bonus material. All in reader-requested chronological order.
Volume Two:
Hell on Earth: Hellhound Champions Book One
As alpha of the hellhounds, Meshaq is tasked by his goddess to be the police of other creatures. When he meets the mysterious Drew, a human on the run, Meshaq is drawn to him in a way he doesn’t understand. His duty is clear, but his feelings for Drew have him longing for things he can’t have. Magical forces collide, beginning a battle that will require all of Meshaq’s skill as the goddess’s champion. He may be the enforcer of the supernatural world, but Meshaq is in danger of losing his heart.
Next to Nothing: The Chosen One Book Three
Sawyer is closer than ever to fulfilling the ancient prophecy of the Chosen One, but the bonds between him and his newest guardians are giving him doubts. With his reluctant hippocamp and an egotistical fae prince, Sawyer has his hands full in more ways than one. The rules are changing, and Sawyer has to adapt quickly if he’s going to keep up, especially after he’s whisked away to the land of the fae, a place with cryptic customs. One misstep could very well lead to his death.
Hell to Pay: Hellhound Champions Book Two
Hellhound beta Solomon has no complaints. Life is fine. His pack and his goddess-given duties as a protector of the human realm are enough. So what if he’s a little bored and a smidge lonely? His scheme to get to know his human pack mate comes at the worst possible time, especially as Cody is convinced he works for a group of elite mob enforcers instead of the protectors of the supernatural world. When a magical attack draws Cody into the supernatural world, can Solomon convince Cody to join them in a dangerous mission to defeat a terrifying creature bent on raining destruction on them all?
Includes bonus short story:
Double or Nothing
Mikey Smith lives with what he calls his “flickers”. When he’s out in the world, sometimes other people flicker and change into something terrifying that no one but him can see. He’s been diagnosed with epilepsy, but part of him knows what he sees is real. When two men walk into his coffee shop, his world is turned upside down when they transform into something else… and they know he can see them. Asher and Quillon aren’t expecting to add a third into their mix… but neither of them are opposed to the idea either. When they meet Mikey, they’re drawn to him from the first moment. He’s a human exposed to their world, though, and the consequences are severe. Can Asher and Quillon protect their new human mate from the forces that threaten him?
When I was skimming through various titles, looking for a new author and quick story to read, I came across My Dragon Mate by Stella Rainbow, listed as a standalone Bi-awakening Fated Mates Romance. No reference to a series. Not in the title I was looking at.
New author, fantasy romance with a found family. I’m in.
What I noticed immediately is the author’s note , inside, that says this story is part of a connected series and should be read in order and as part of that universe.
Hmmm, ok. That needs to mentioned in the description. Because it’s absolutely true. For several reasons.
The child, Cam, is one of the three POV narrations here, and recovering from cancer. Her storyline is a major element we don’t completely understand as it’s part of the last series. Here she’s done, apparently recovered. All good except for a dad who isn’t recovered from that.
We aren’t given her history of her illness, her recovery, or what happened to her mother. All in the other series and necessary reading. It’s assumed we know it. Pop up characters? No idea who they are. What they are. What their relationships are.
It is obvious that this story alone can’t be enough to form a idea of what Stella Rainbow is as a author in terms of writing, although a reader gets a definite understanding of her preference for low angst and very happy, sunny romances.
There’s absolutely nothing as far as real emotional drama. Anything that starts to swerve into that territory is then quickly taken back into the comfort, sweet zone. A slight argument between the adults is remedied by the adorable daughter and dragon and father are back , happily, on the path to HEA.
Sweet, low angst romances with a found family element, such as a Interfering child, make for endearing stories. My Dragon Mate is that short Bon Bon of a tale, with several things that will make you seek out its previous stories.
Honestly, though, that description needs revising. Not a standalone by any standards.
If you’re a reader who wants a quick tale of love and family with a fantasy take? Try this. If you’re looking for lots of depth or storylines with complexity, this probably isn’t for you.
You know which reader you are.
Note: There is one element at the end with regard to Cam. I won’t go into it here as it’s a spoiler. But I’m still trying to decide if the way it’s handled (very much in keeping with the happy, poof, anything that’s realistic or anguish causing is eliminated manner) is disrespectful to those who make that life changing decision or something they would wish they had the ability to do themselves. I really don’t know.
Probably tells me stories like this are too sunny for me and even my fantasy books needs a darker element.
A human single father. A 2000-year-old storm dragon. A nine-year-old who wants them as fathers.
William When I stopped the gray-eyed investor from leaving my home in the middle of a storm, I had no idea I was playing right into Fate’s hands.
Raiden When I stepped into William Hawthorne’s house for a meeting, I did not know I was stepping into the home of my fated one.
Camille When my dad rejected his fated mate—a man who didn’t just seem like the sweetest person I’d ever met, but was also a dragon—I knew I needed to take matters into my own hands.
Tags: William is a single-dad, Raiden is way too old for first love flutters, we’re talking like 2000 years too old, Raph calls William an idiot (He’s a DRAGON, Will!), Cam is a little matchmaker, Raiden can be anything you want baby,_ Bi-Awakening, dragons are SO COOL, age gap for days, fated mates, Raiden makes the sky go boom, low angst, lots of fluff.
My Dragon Mate is a 24k words novella starring a slightly confused human; a sweet, 2000-year-old dragon; and a nine-year-old girl who’s determined to make sure they get their happily ever after. It’s a spin-off to Stella Rainbow’s Mages of Ravenshire series, and can be read as a standalone.
Note: Revised in Dec 2021. No new content was added.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I’m enjoying these adorable supernatural romances by Arden Steele. They go by so quickly and smoothly. Although each is a fated mates trope, Steele manages to put such a interesting spill on every new couple’s story and matchup, that I eagerly anticipate what I’ll find with the new tale!
Emerys Whitehill, part pixie and part Fae, has been a staple of all the stories so far. He’s a gorgeous, genuinely happy , blue-haired, bartender with a mysterious predilection for anticipating the future. I love Emerys!
So great he’s getting his mate, especially when he was part of a mystery in the last storyline. It’s resolved here , btw.
That’s when his mate shows up in a totally unexpected role. Cyrus Rathbone, Hellhound and employee of the MOA. That’s the de facto Otherlings Judge/Jury/Jail/Execution Organization who handles all the affairs between species and races.
Seems sweet, adorable Emrys has been accused of multiple murders and his newly revealed mate is there to take him in.
Delicious.
It’s a fabulous story. Exciting, romance on the run, a relationship that’s growing through communication and discovery of remarkable talents. Steele incorporates characters from Grin and Bear It, as well as our usual beings.
Pixie Little Liar is one romantic entertaining, engaging romp. I adored every bit of it.
This series and characters are a real joy.
Meet Emrys and Cyrus. Enjoy their romance and relationship! I’m highly recommending them!
There’s a heaviness to the air, the kind that makes the hairs on the back of Emrys Whitehill’s neck stand on end. Something is going to happen. Something big. Something that will change him forever. Despite his powers of precognition, however, a hellhound walking into the hotel to arrest him for a crime he didn’t commit is the one scenario he never saw coming.
As a seasoned bounty hunter, Cyrus Rathborne thought he had experienced it all, but realizing his most recent target is his mate throws him completely off his game. While he can’t deny the connection, Emrys is wanted for the murder of a royal, and he won’t let those big innocent eyes deter him from doing what is right. Yet, the more he gets to know the sweet pixie, the harder it is to shake the feeling that the guy might actually be telling the truth.
He should have trusted his instincts.
It soon becomes clear that someone is determined to make Emrys disappear—permanently—and the only thing standing in their way is him. Transforming from hunter to protector, Cyrus will risk everything to keep his mate safe, because what started as just another job is now the one mission he can’t afford to fail.
Once again S.E. Harmon’s spectacular series has managed to ride that edge of horror, scaring the ever loving crap out of me, while providing me (and her magnificent characters) with so many witty, hilarious conversations and sayings that sellers out there in Etsy should be pounding at the author’s proverbial door asking for the right to put them up on crafting projects.
Rain Christiansen and fellow detective, Daniel McKenna, are finally getting married. They’ve set the date. Now if they can wade through all the wedding planning mountains of decisions people made for them, and wedding agenda items that have gotten so out of their control. Then they just might make it to wedded bliss.
I love this series and the characters. The author gives us an established couple that’s recovering from the traumatic events of Spooky Business, rebuilding their house, and trying to move forward with their future, in all its quirky, exasperating, and often murderous aspects.
Even in the most mundane periods of Rain’s and Danny’s life, ghosts are bound to make an appearance. As they do when Rain and his future MIL are touring a possible wedding venue.
This ghost and her request will lend The Spooky Life a fascinating, multilayered paranormal investigation that will eventually have major horror overtones. Just a fantastic element. Gives me the chills still thinking about it.
As to the rest? It’s witty, sarcastic, full of the found family that has been gathered through the paranormal crime unit , Rain’s hippie parents, his sister, Danny’s family, their aging GSD, and all the rest. Each adding memorable scenes, warmth, and often gentle hilarity to the mixture.
I would love to see another story, with their kids they are planning for. But if this is the last one, I’m content.
The author is leaving them at a wonderful place .
The Spooky Life (The Spectral Files #4) by S.E. Harmon is a outstanding story in a great series. It’s got fabulous characters and complicated plots. Read them in the order they are written for character and relationship development.
Rain Christiansen isn’t sure he’ll ever fully understand the supernatural. But he’s finally finding his groove as a reluctant medium and cold-case detective. That’s not to say everything is going smoothly—there’s a wedding in the works, after all. He’s finally taking that enormous step with fellow detective, Daniel McKenna, and he couldn’t be happier…about the marriage. Not so much the wedding. The hoopla is enough to make him wish for a quick flight to Vegas and an Elvis officiant.
At least work is keeping Rain and the PTU plenty busy. Their latest case involves Hannah Caldwell, a silent ghost who can’t—or won’t—speak. She still manages to request that they find her dear friend, Cherry Parker, so that she can say goodbye. Piece of cake. Finding people is pretty high on the list of things that Rain does best.
But when it comes to ghosts, nothing is ever quite what it seems. Before long, his simple missing person’s case takes a dark and twisted turn. And Rain realizes he’s been so busy trying to protect Danny that he forgot to protect himself.
If he doesn’t turn things around—and quickly—his spooky life might be cut short for good.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 