Review: Magick For Hire: The Complete First Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy PI Thriller (Knightstorm Arcane Investigations) by G. J. Ogden and Sabrina Vale

Rating: 3.5⭐️

I thought this would be a complete trilogy but it’s not. It’s just the first 3 part section to a longer multi sectional storyline arc. 

The three books included here are

Shadowed Relics #1

Twisted Fae #2

Infernal Gate #3

Astrid Knightstorm is a powerful earth mage who is called on to solve paranormal mysteries around the world. Her familiar is a brain of an ancient dark sorcereress in a jar and her assistant is a Fae who does her researches and handles all inquiries for her small business. 

It’s a good premise and works well for the most part. The beginning novel is terrific, has interesting characters and gives you a good idea of what Astrid’s life is like. 

But it starts to go off by the second novel. The issue primarily falls into the relationship between Ember, her Fae assistant, who takes zero responsibility for her own actions in and out the Fae Realm, and Astrid. Astrid seems to feel she is responsible for everyone’s problems and actions, even though they are not only adults but perhaps beings older than she is.  Accountably exists nowhere really here and that’s extremely difficult to accept as a reader. 

This carries over to her unpleasant brother who remains a character who is someone who is underwhelming and one-dimensional. 

That’s the biggest issue with the trilogy. It’s a fast paced action adventure urban fantasy. But low on character development and any real believable character growth and interactions. 

Elements thrown in for plot twists but given little narrative depth or explanation. 

So read it for the action sequences and adventure scenes. Not for the characters. Or if you follow the authors. 

Buy link

 Collects books from: Knightstorm Arcane Investigations 

Blurb 

Astrid Knightstorm is a wizard private investigator who handles the cases no one else will touch. Her clients include fae, werewolves, vampires, and creatures that slip between worlds. Being a tough Texan helps, but it’s her wits and command of Earth Magick that keep her alive in a world where supernatural threats lurk in every shadow.

When ancient artifacts fall into the wrong hands, demonic forces tear at the edges of reality, and fae politics ignite dangerous rivalries, Astrid is pulled into conflicts that reach from Austin to the Vatican to realms most mortals never survive. Each case draws her deeper into a hidden war involving dark alchemy, unstable boundaries between worlds, and a power determined to unravel time itself.

With unlikely allies at her side, including a fae assistant, a werewolf, and the family she thought she lost, Astrid must confront monsters, destiny, and the secrets of her own past.

Some cases test your skills. Some threaten the world. And some force you to face the truth about who you are.

Magick For Hire: The Complete First Trilogy brings together the first three novels of the Knightstorm Arcane Investigations series, this action packed urban fantasy saga delivers a snarky wizard detective, supernatural mysteries, and a world where Magick hides in plain sight.

Ogden Media Ltd

Publication date

January 6, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

807 pages

Review: The Dusk Reapers (Cursebreaker #1) by J. T. Lawrence 

Rating: 4⭐️

The Dusk Reapers (Cursebreaker #1) by J. T. Lawrence is the first book in her urban fantasy mystery series about a witch assassin in South Africa.

The location is one of the better elements, an unusual one that I don’t run into often. This first book is also features amnesia storyline around the main character. It’s resolved here by the end of the novel.

Asha Rook wakes up in a hospital. She’s been the victim of a horrific attack, suffered a significant brain injury and has amnesia. No idea who she is other than her identity from her identifications and driver’s license. 

And the idea she’s in danger as well as the fact that she’s implicated in a murder, has her fleeing the hospital for answers. 

Lawrence does an excellent job building the character of Asta, a woman scrambling to discover who she is in the middle of a murder investigation, and layout the structure of a urban fantasy world of witches, mages and spirits and dark realms existing within the city of Johannesburg.

A fluctuating pov that didn’t always work because the reader wasn’t sure whose perspective we were in made things confusing or complicated. Nicola or Asta? Sometimes we had no clue. 

I don’t mind unresolved plot lines, especially in a first book. Usually they will carry over through the series. Here it’s the case of missing children left hanging as well as who was behind the original attack. 

The character of Sam, the police officer, the maybe romantic interest, is ok. Perhaps he will be more fully developed as the series progresses. 

Overall, a good start with some interesting elements. 

If you are interested in something new, give it a try. 

Cursebreaker: An Epic Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (6 book series)

The Dusk Reapers #1

The Haunted Portal #2

The EverShade Ring #3

The Obsidian Castle #4

The Pick Pocket’s Curse #5

The Eternal Betrayal #6

Buy Link

Source: Amazon.com The Dusk Reapers: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Cursebreaker) – Amazon.com

Blurb 

Her heart was flatlining. Her magic wasn’t.

Asha wakes up in the hospital with thirty-six stitches in her head and no memory of the attack that put her there. The damage to her skull was catastrophic, but she surprises the medical team with her lightning-quick healing—and by inexplicably sending their equipment flying across the room.

She soon learns that she is Asha Rook—The Cursebreaker—and she’s just become the prime target of every ruthless bounty hunter wizard in the Realm of Magic & Mayhem.

To add to the high stakes, a curse has landed an innocent woman in a terrifying asylum, and it’s Asha’s job to save her.

Asha must rely on her eccentric found family, finding belonging and banter with allies who accept her complex and dangerous nature. This includes an unnervingly attractive and steadfast cop (an epic slow burn), a sassy goblin who trades portal magic for tacos and lime milkshakes, and her beloved steampunk dwarf godmother, who is equally talented at roasting perfect potatoes as she is at creating magitech weapons.

Join Asha and her ragtag team as she embraces her destiny, navigating pocket realms and battling evil to break the ultimate curse. With more twists and turns than you can shake a wand at, this is a dark magic mystery with humor, adventure, and a whole lot of heart.

Fans of Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, and Ilona Andrews will burn through this totally addictive urban fantasy series.

Read the complete 6-book series now!

TROPES:

• Curses and curse-breaking

• Kick-ass female protagonist

• Amnesia

• Hidden Magical World

• Gritty Urban Setting

• Diverse Supernatural Creatures

• Haunted houses; ghost children

• Secret Societies and Organizations

• Found Family: banter and belonging

• Slow burn deep connection romance

• Huge, satisfying happy ever after

Fire Finch Press

Publication date

August 28, 2024

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Language

‎English

File size

2.9 MB

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468 pages

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Book 1 of 6

Cursebreaker: An Epic Urban Fantasy Action Adventure

Review: The Nameless Land  (The Witch Roads #1) by Kate Elliott 

Rating: 4⭐️

The Nameless Land was a good conclusion to The Witch Roads. Overall I kept wanting a third book to resolve the plot lines that were left hanging and the main characters that were just sent off with no real ending to their journey. 

Elen herself has a dangerous mission that she’s agreed to go on at the end of the book, and it’s left open for her to do so in the future. 

So while there’s so many terrific elements to this story, magical moments and great scenes, it’s balanced with equally nebulous ones of that need more depth and more explanation to them to give the characters and scenes satisfying foundation and framework. 

It’s like ooh the snake coming out of Elen’s arm and poisoning that person is fantastic but ok where’s the backstory and magic coming from? Things like this that both make and break the plot and scenes. We like it but we’re spending too much time outside the narrative questioning the storytelling fabric. 

The emotional payoff here, which the reader can see coming, is a good one. Does it also leave us with a lot of questions? Yes it does. 

As a duology it’s lacking. As a trilogy that adds in that final story and missing knowledge, it would be more satisfying. 

Still i liked reading it. 

 

Beautiful cover. 

Cover art by Raja Nandepu

Cover design by Jess Kiley

The Witch Roads Duology :

The Witch Roads #1

The Nameless Land #2

Buy link

Blurb 

Surprising betrayals, surprising alliances, and surprising discoveries of heritage abound in this energetic sequel to The Witch Roads.

When the royal party finds themselves in a land they never believed they could access, it will take all of Prince Gevulin’s (admittedly impressive) diplomatic skills to forge a coalition with an unlikely group of would-be allies.

Meanwhile, as Elen mourns her lost love, an unwelcome visit to the land of her birth brings back the traumatic memories of the childhood she shared with her sister.

And a surprise visit from an unwelcome family member threatens to derail the plans of multiple opposing factions.

Loyalty cannot be demanded, only won.

Tor Books

Publication date

August 25, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

416 pages

ISBN-10

1250338662

ISBN-13

978-1250338662

Item Weight

‎1 pounds

Dimensions

5.38 x 0.98 x 8.25 inches

Book 2 of 2

The Witch Roads

Review: Ale Storm (Tales from the Dragon Diner Book 4) by Lindsey Buroker

Rating: 4⭐️

Ale Storm picks up right after Rylana and Jildarin have decided to take their relationship to a different stage, a date and maybe more. 

Plus there’s that pesky dwarf hunting horn that Rylana was given during the last story, one that glows blue on mysterious occasions, that she has to find out where it’s from before it causes her trouble. 

Ale Storm predictably features a meal with ale, a special menu, and multiple storylines, all really interesting and involving the characters that live in and around the community. 

It also has many dragons, ones who don’t seem to take no for an answer. 

I enjoyed it. Found Jildarin somewhat less appealing, especially when he continues to be non-communicative about his plans and ever  eager to repeat his mistakes when dealing with the other dragons. That’s getting old. 

But her bestie the assassin elf? The dwarf baker? Love them. More of the community please. 

Still a terrific series. 

Tales from the Dragon Diner (5 book series to date)

Calculated Whisk #1

Knead for Speed #2 

Morel Dilemma #3

Ale Storm #4 

About Jam Time #5 – Nov 30, 2026

Buy link

Blurb 

Now that her business partner, the dragon and award-winning chef Jildarin-grozanarav, has realized he has feelings for her, Rylana’s looks forward to going on a date with him. The elven queen has departed and the troll-god curse has been resolved, so it’s the perfect time for a moonlit walk and a kiss.

Or so Rylana thinks.

But dwarven thieves show up, ransacking the diner and looking for an antique hunting horn she recently found. Even worse, Jildarin has unearthed a centuries-old book on the proper protocol for courting a human woman. Now, he’s determined that he needs permission from Rylana’s father before they can go on a date. Lastly, the female dragons that want Jildarin to mate with them have returned and are threatening Rylana.

Why can’t life ever go according to plan?

Lindsay Buroker

Publication date

September 25, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

318 pages

Book 4 of 5

Tales from the Dragon Diner

Review : Tea and Tarot: Crossroads Queen Side Quest (A Cozy Urban Fantasy Novel) by Annabel Chase

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I absolutely love this story. Tea and Tarot is a side story in Annabel Chase’s completed and fantastic urban fantasy Crossroads Queen series. 

It does help to have read that series to have a firm understanding of these characters and a foundation for their histories , the town and world building.  Honestly, this makes me want to pick up that series and start over again. 

That said, this is a wonderful story. We dive right back into the town and characters by way of the wonderful Tarot Mages we got to know in the Crossroads Queen series.

The fabulous cousins Camryn Sable and Gunther “ Gun” Saxon, and Indigo Briggs, all three former members of La Fortuna, a secret and ancient society of mages skilled in the art of tarot magic. Now along with Claude, the revenant, they are residing in Fairhaven. Cam and Gun are private investigators and , the focus of this story, Indigo, is trying to open a tea shop. 

But Indigo is having trouble getting started launching her business. Then another mage appears with a surprise business proposal. Boone Fincher needs a fake fiancée that his strict ill father will approve of so Boone can get his inheritance. 

Yes, it’s a fake fiancée trope storyline. And it works so well here. Chase has crafted a wonderful narrative with a great relationship between Indigo and Boone that’s got chemistry, vulnerability and shared background damage. 

There’s also a side plot about Indigo’s past history, a dramatic event that comes back to haunt her and how that involves many other important characters from the Crossroads Queen series that just makes this even better and adds layers to Indigo’s story and her future adventures.

I really hope this is just the beginning of more stories like this in the Crossroads series universe. I adore the characters so much. 

Highly recommended. 

Crossroads Queen (9 book series)

Tea and Tarot: Crossroads Queen Side Quest 

Cover design by Jenny Zemanek

Buy link

amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comTea and Tarot: Crossroads Queen Side Quest: Chase, Annabel – Urban Fantasy Novel

Blurb 

She walked away from the life she was born to live. Now she has one chance to build the life she’s always wanted.

Indigo Briggs was one of the most feared tarot mages in the business—until a job went wrong and she walked away from it all. Now she’s in Fairhaven, a quirky supernatural town with secrets of its own, trying to build something quieter: a tea shop, a fresh start, and a life she might actually deserve.

The only problem? Her new venture needs funding she doesn’t have.

Enter Boone Fincher—charming, infuriatingly handsome, and in desperate need of a fake fiancée. His father’s will requires him to marry a mage with a powerful lineage, and Boone is running out of time. The arrangement is strictly business: Indy gets the money she needs, Boone gets his inheritance, and when it’s over, they part ways.

Simple.

Except nothing about this is simple. Between a blind vampire with unsettling insight, a revenant who likes to lend a hand, a mysterious bone monster that wanders through the crossroads, and a ghost from her old life determined to unravel everything she’s built, Indy is starting to suspect the universe has a plan she didn’t envision.

Then the past she thought she’d escaped comes looking for her, and Indigo must decide whether she’s willing to risk everything for the future she’s finally begun to imagine—one that includes a love that was never supposed to be real.

Tea and Tarot is a Crossroads Queen Side Quest Novel—an enchanting cozy urban fantasy standalone with fake dating, witty banter, found family, and the slow-burn realization that happily-ever-afters are worth believing in.

Red Palm Press LLC

Publication date

September 17, 2026

Accessibility

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Language

‎English

File size

1.5 MB

Screen Reader

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Print length

240 pages

Check out the new Release “Search for the Lost“ by J. Scott Coatsworth & Kim Fielding (tour and excerpt from Other Worlds Ink Tours)

Search for the Lost - J. Scott Coatsworth & Kim Fielding

J. Scott Coatsworth and Kim Fielding has a new MM romantasy book out, Chaos and Order book two: Search for the Lost.

SOMETIMES ORDER BECOMES CHAOS…

Leopold Lane—after being “collected” for the Office of the Lost by Crispin Eladrin Moss’caladin—is tucked away cozily with his beloved office fae in their treehouse. Happily ever after, right? Not so fast.

Before Leo can even get settled, Crispin’s mother disappears, leaving Crispin in charge and his brother Aspin in a panic. As Queen of the Fae, she has also left them a little surprise: a bit of oxymoronic magic that turns their world upside down.

Crispin and Leo set off in search of the queen and a solution to their predicament. Aspin tags along, with some less-than-helpful friends. On the way they will discover important family secrets and learn new things about each other… and themselves. Nothing is simple when Chaos and Order get involved. Besides, it wouldn’t be a proper quest if it was straightforward, would it?

Series Blurb:

Crispin and Leopold are poorly matched. They’re nothing like one another – Crispin is Order personified, while Leo’s nothing but Chaos. So of course, they are perfect for each other. Now they just have to figure out why the Universe has thrust them together – and how not to get themselves killed (or murder each other) in the process.

Note: Book One is on sale everywhere for just 99¢ from October 1st-31st.

Universal Buy Link


Excerpt

Search for the Lost Meme

A sharp banging at the door brought Crispin back to the present. Or rather, to the past, when Leo had been taken away from him by Juzir and Qyl.

They shared a look. Leo was clearly thinking the same thing.

Wordlessly, he gathered up his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom, snicking the lock closed.

We have a bathroom lock now? Crispin brushed away the thought. “Coming!”

He hoped Leo wasn’t in trouble again. After all, they’d fixed everything. There were no more flattened citizens aimlessly lying about. Well, except on Tarkon, where most of the wildlife and half of the people were naturally pretty flat. And they’d thrown a big party to smooth the waters with all their new friends, including the Mucklins, even though Molly the moth-woman had planned to feed Leo and Crispin to her children. But that was all in the past.

He opened the door, half expecting an angry mob. Instead it was his annoying older brother, Aspin, staring at him forlornly. “Hey, Elly….”

The old much-hated nickname—derived from his middle name, Eladrin—brought a rebuke to Crispin’s lips, but it died when he realized how dejected Aspin looked. “All clear!” he called over his shoulder. Crispin made way for Aspin to enter. “Come in. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Aspin nodded, looking as if he’d eaten a canary—or Minkis, Crispin’s pet squirrel.

“Who is it?” Leo had appeared, dressed formally for company—which for him meant flip-flops and a loose white T-shirt that he’d made a half-hearted attempt to tuck into his jeans. His hair, which usually stuck straight up, was slightly more tamed. “Oh, hey Aspin!”

Even though Aspin clearly despised him, Leo never held a grudge, one of the many things Crispin loved about him.

Aspin threw his arms around Crispin. “She’s gone, Elly. She’s gone.”

“Who?” But then it dawned on him: Aspin had only one her. And Aspin confirmed it with a single word. “Mother.”

Crispin stiffened. “Mother is dead?” Oh sordid heavens. I’m not ready to take over yet.

Aspin ended the embrace, returning to form. “No, you idiot. I said she was gone, not dead. Three days ago, and no one knows where she is or if she will come back. You have to help me find her.”

“Gone.” Crispin eased himself down onto their newest piece of furniture, the hideous old couch from Leo’s Earth apartment. Leo stared at him, blinking, then sat on the cushion next to him. “She’s gone. So that means….”

Aspin sank down onto one knee. “Hail to Crispin Eladrin Moss’caladin, King of the High Holy Fae.”

Oh flack. If there’s one thing that Crispin was positively absolutely emphatically five-thousand-percent not ready for, it was to take his mother’s throne. He had no aspirations to power, and he certainly didn’t share his mother’s proclivities for seducing mortals. Well, maybe just the one.


Author Bios

Scott lives with his husband Mark in a small Italian villa outside of Sacramento, California. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.

He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, Liminal Fiction and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and was the committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for almost three years.

Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com

Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth

Facebook (author): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworthauthor/

Mastodon: https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@jscottcoatsworth

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jscottcoatsworth.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jscottcoatsworth/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392709.J_Scott_Coatsworth

QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Liminal Fiction: https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-scott-coatsworth

Kim Gielding

Kim Fielding is very pleased every time someone calls her eclectic. She writes fantasy, mm romance, science fiction, horror, and whatever else her muse demands.

Winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize for Fiction, a Lambda Award finalist and Foreword INDIE finalist, she has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and now lives in Oregon, where she will never have enough bookshelf space.

She’s a university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full time. She also dreams of having two daughters who fully appreciate her, a husband who isn’t obsessed with football, and a house that cleans itself. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others.

Website: https://www.kfieldingwrites.com

Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/pgerstenfeld

Facebook (author): https://www.facebook.com/KFieldingWrites

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kfieldingwrites.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfieldingwrites/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4105707.Kim_Fielding

QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/kim-fielding/

Other Worlds Ink logo

Review: A Tale of Secrets and Sorcery by Vanessa Nelson 

Rating: 3.75⭐️

I enjoyed this new fantasy adventure novel by Vanessa Nelson and feel it’s got some wonderful elements to it. 

But after reading it, it feels very much like a prequel or half of a story for a larger version. The characters, the concept and overall powers here as laid out are intriguing. But in the scenes where,especially Evie’s magic is revealed in marvelous detail, the promise of increasing potential for her as “the most powerful sorceress” that he’s known to have any impact here never happens. 

Even those gremlins, a fantastic asset to Evie and a element that I wanted to know more about, from their magical abilities to their backgrounds, their futures were left unanswered by the ending, a rushed finale that begged for a sequel. 

But back to the main characters, Evie the magical librarian and Lord Fentemann, Barnaby, on a secret mission from his Queen. Evie’s got a great backstory and she’s totally believable in this fantasy. My issue here is that we get constant scenes where we’re watching Evie, along with the gremlins, bring alive fantastical legendary landscapes from descriptions in ancient tomes she and Barnaby are researching from . Where’s more of this in the story? More of her powers and her abilities here? This is what I want as a reader. 

Even Barnaby, who is supposed to be a high level magician, isn’t shown any of the scenes to be that powerful. The characters are interesting enough but not entirely credible. Except for Evie and the gremlins. 

The plot is very good. And its elements of an ancient earth based religion that’s been upended holds more promise than was satisfied by the storyline’s ending. Again, no real finish to the multi plots and characters. 

It just ends with everyone just leaving to different paths with no resolution to the many different journeys of this novel. What happened to the Druids? The gremlins? The enemy? 

And spoiler, that rushed romance and instant marriage felt less like a real believable event between two people and more like a plot device needed to bring the story to a close. 

That is a shame. Because the beginning of this book is very different, layered and well done. Unlike the ending which feels rushed, unbalanced and unsatisfying. 

So much potential for a sequel to set this right. 

Interesting though. 

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comA Tale of Secrets and Sorcery eBook : Nelson, Vanessa

Blurb 

One librarian, one sorcerer, and a whole lot of trouble.

Evie has been doing her best to lead a quiet, unremarkable life, working her job as a librarian at one of the largest libraries in the world amid a collection of magical books and magical creatures that delight in causing mischief. She dreams of adventure even as she struggles to hide her magical abilities in a kingdom that executes rogue sorcerers. When a chance encounter leads to her secret being uncovered, Evie finds herself in the middle of a greater adventure than she could ever have imagined.

Lord Fentemann – Barnaby to his few friends – has been charged by his Queen with a special, dangerous and vital task. Already annoyed at having to travel to the kingdom to carry out research in the library, worse is to come when he is forced to go on the run. Someone doesn’t want Barnaby to succeed in his mission.

Thrown together, Evie and Barnaby realise that their best chance of survival is working together.

Can Evie and Barnaby work together to stay ahead of the Queen’s enemies and complete the mission not just for the Queen but possibly the whole world?

Review: A Killer Heart (The Cat Lady Chronicles Book 5) by Helen Harper

Rating: 4.75⭐️

I just love Helen Harper’s The Catherine Lady Chronicles and this might be my favorite book of the series so far. 

In A Killer Heart we finally get to explore more of cat sith Kit McCafferty’s history, both her dangerous past and her current life’s work with MET, the Magical Enforcement Team,besides Captain Montgomery.

Kit’s past history as an assassin has often been referenced in other stories but here it’s an integral part of the book. The EEL, or Eagle Enforcers and Liquidators where Kit was employed and later retired from after 20 years as an assassin, is under attack. 

And whoever is targeting the people who work or worked there are harming others around them, innocents, as well as. Kit is immediately involved, both as a secretly retired assassin and as someone who is working with the MET, who is investigating the attacks. 

This is a great story. Kit is trying to balance her life, her past family as a EEL assassin and her new life in the Coldstream community which she’s embraced. Along with her new lone wolf boyfriend. 

Harper is terrific at showing Kit in her multiple identities, cat sith, dangerous assassin , an older woman who’s body is being uncooperative when she needs it most, and the “harmless cat lady “ persona she uses when she’s trying to make herself look like a helpless woman.  It always feels credible to the reader, valid and occasionally hilarious. 

The cats remain as cat like as ever, intriguing and mysterious. I love them. 

The investigation is a good one. And ends satisfactorily. 

The book ending however, oh my. An hilarious cliffhanger of sorts. It’s not fair to have to wait until next year to see the outcome of this one! 

An absolute delight of a book. Highly recommended. A romantic relationship with no spice is included. 

Book Cover created by Covers By Juan

The Cat Lady Chronicles (6 books)

Waif and Strays #1

The Dark Hiss of Magic #2

A Skirl of Sorcery #3

Night Maze #4

A Killer Heart #5

Kith and Kin #6 – April 30, 2027

Buy link

        A Killer Heart (The Cat Lady Chronicles Book 5)

    

Blurb

What happens when the hunters become the hunted?

Kit McCafferty is an upstanding citizen of the magical city of Coldstream.

She’s a good neighbour. She has a fabulous partner, an occasionally tidy home, and only a moderately alarming number of cats. Her days as a professional assassin with Eagle Enforcers and Liquidators are behind her. Or so she thinks.

When Kit volunteers to assist local law enforcement with crowd control, she comes face-to-face with her former life. Someone is trying to destroy EEL — the discreet but deadly firm of assassins she once called home — and they’re not concerned about collateral damage. They’re willing to raze Coldstream to the ground to finish the job.

Whoever is targeting EEL knows its inner workings and its secrets. Kit’s old friends and colleagues, as well as the citizens of Coldstream, are at risk. To stop blood from spilling onto the city’s glittering streets and shadowed alleyways, Kit must decide who she is now – a heroic citizen determined to protect her city or a stone cold killer.

Walking away from her past might not be an option.

This is the fifth book in the urban fantasy series The Cat Lady Chronicles. Expect magic, adventure and a whole lot of cats.

September 18, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

288 pages

Book 5 of 6

The Cat Lady Chronicles

Review: Crimson Moon Falling (Riley Blackthorne #3) by J.L. Brannick

Rating:3⭐️

Crimson Moon Falling finishes up the Riley Blackthorne series with a story that’s just remotely better than the dreadful second book. 

It’s got Riley dealing with her sentient implant which is depressing her emotions. And it’s scientist/creator stalking her to get her back. Along with the investigation into the abductions of other supernaturals, her father’s disappearance and government corruption, there’s no let up on the dangers to herself and those around her. 

Once again Conall, his brother, who has been a dangerously out of control element for 3 books and remains one here, are among the worst of the storylines. In a pack where the Alpha is the final boss, here Conall consistently has let his brother undermine his authority, his ability to rule, and even his choices. Without a single real confrontation or consequence. Yes, let’s believe that. 

And that Riley’s decision to constantly forgive those actions makes sense. Because yes, being a passive doormat in a relationship where you’ve been the constant victim but made to be the one who has to give in is healthy. 

That’s the overriding dynamic here. Three books of it. 

There’s an open ended aspect of this where the stalker is still out there, still writing to her, she’s still in contact with him. Yeah, that’s great. Should talk about that too. 

That great young woman who wanted to finish her degree? Wanted nothing to do with the Alpha? I liked her. Too bad she’s completely lost at the end.  Vanished under a sentient brain implant by a male doctor that has its own agenda and a bond with a selfish Male Alpha who can’t or won’t communicate. Don’t even recognize her. 

Too bad.  I’m done anyway. 

No recommendations. 

Cover designer Maggie G. Jackson

Riley Blackthorne series:

Black Moon Rising #1

Cold Moon Burning #2

Crimson Moon Falling #3

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Blurb

Silent frost creeps through me as my new mate bond slowly dies.

The implant embedded in my cortex at Roswell suppresses my emotions while sharpening my intellect.

At the cost of my mate bond.

When another park ranger goes missing in Yellowstone, I come full circle to my father’s disappearance. 

My troll partner and I uncover a conspiracy so dark that only the most cunning and ruthless will survive.

And my agonizing choices will help keep the supernaturals safe, but the aftermath could haunt the Alpha and Pack for years to come.

If I stay alive long enough to make it back to them.

Book 3 in the Riley Blackthorne thriller urban fantasy romance trilogy, where an Alpha and his mate work to uncover a corrupt government’s insidious plot before war erupts.

Review: Storm’s Reckoning (Storm Herald – An Epic Urban Fantasy Series Book 2) by Sean Cunningham 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I love it when the second book is better than the first and that’s certainly the case with Storm’s Reckoning by Sean Cunningham.  

The next novel in his Storm Herald series, it picks up directly from the end of Storm’s Edge and Vanessa trying to decide what she wants to do next. Try to stay low key or resume her high risk courier jobs that are making her more noticeable to those of power and influence. The very ones she has been avoiding. 

But working full time for Odd’s Transport and doing a new job for the mysterious Edric seems to be her next step forward towards her new path. 

Storm’s Reckoning takes her and Leo on a new mission for Edric and straight to a location where there’s a divisive battle taking place for dominance among a powerful werewolf pack as its current Alpha is in poor health. 

Cunningham’s story always includes multiple strong plots layered into the main investigation and mission for Edric. Vanessa’s powers continue to grow without her understanding how that’s possible and Leo’s seeking knowledge about himself and his own magic and background. All while they face dangerous situations and new challenges. 

Vanessa and Leo, a non romantic main character duo, are new favorites. Both complicated characters with personalities that are changing and developing as the series and circumstances demand more from each of them. 

The action sequences are fierce and powerful , magically charged and full of emotion. Mostly blinding rage. 

The secondary or new characters are just as strong as the established ones. Which makes both the narrative richer and their occasional loss during the story more realistic and raw. 

The backgrounds and mysteries of Edric, Vanessa and even Leo continue forward to the future stories. I can’t wait to read more. 

Highly recommended. 

Cover art © MIBLArt.com 2025

Storm Herald – An Epic Urban Fantasy Series (3 book series)

Storm’s Edge #1

Storm’s Reckoning #2

Storm’s Awakening #3

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 Book 2 of 3: Storm Herald – An Epic Urban Fantasy Series 

Blurb 

She’s not hiding anymore. Neither is what’s inside her.

Vanessa Montiero has a new employer, a vampire partner, and a job that should be straightforward: negotiate with one of England’s most powerful werewolf dynasties for access to the ghost of a witch, one they’ve kept secret for a century.

Behind the manicured hedges of the Godwins’ country estate lies a succession war sharp enough to draw blood, a string of mysterious murders, and something in the forest that doesn’t leave survivors.

She’s faced monsters before. She’s been one.

But the Godwins are a family of predators – and whatever hunts their forest is worse. Getting out alive will require everything she has, and possibly everything she’s been trying not to be.

Storm’s Reckoning continues the brutal, emotionally charged Storm Herald series. Perfect for fans of Alex Verus, Kate Daniels, and The Dresden Files.

Falconbrook Press

Publication date

April 15, 2026

Language

‎English

Screen Reader

Supported

Print length

326 pages

Book 2 of 3

Storm Herald – An Epic Urban Fantasy Series