I was excited to see a book by Kim Fielding published by Tin Box Press, which meant I would be able to read and review it. Unfortunately, this fantasy tale is a bit of a mixed bag.
There’s so many potentially interesting elements here, ranging from the main character’s adopted family and it’s magical “castle” ancestral home to the lore that Fielding’s narrative inhabits so well.
But the issues start immediately with the main characters. One, Miles Thorsen, adopted son of the strange Nordic Thorsens, is not particularly likable. From the beginning he’s a bit self centered, passive, and the minute he arrives home, rude and disrespectful. So, not someone I really wanted to spend time with.
The next was Remy. Fielding made such a odd choice here regarding an aspect of his character . It’s hard to tell you all what my issues are with him without major spoilers but it’s so not in keeping with the idea and mythology that Fielding is building here to mix into her climatic point at the end. Not that we hadn’t already guessed by then. It had been telegraphed heavily by so many bluntly written clues. You are left wondering how and why he fits into this exactly . Why this form? Why not something Scandinavian? From Odin’s mythology? Just doesn’t add up.
True Fielding’s mixed Paranormal beings, beliefs, and myths before to a successful storyline but here it’s just weird. Off putting.
The story winds up as a HEA but we are left asking questions, or at least I was. Just too many holes and ill fitting narrative pieces for this to fill like the Fielding story gems I look forward too and love.
Miles Thorsen’s adopted family is… unusual. But that’s not why he fled after graduating from college. Now, after ten years of restless wandering, he returns home for the winter holiday celebration. The solstice is a time of change, and perhaps it’s time for Miles to face who he is, who he loves… and who he’ll become.
I’m so enjoying this series. I believe I found Redeeming Nick even more my favorite because of the characters and chemistry Jacobs creates here.
One caveat, a reader must bring a certain amount of information about the universe and characters history with them into each story. If you are new to Jacob’s’ werewolves world (and connected series), you will feel a bit lost or without a good foundation for the magic, politics, and overall series arc. That includes the Fae Realm.
That’s hugely important here when one of the main characters is a Fae guard, Dathal. Dathal is charged with the investigation into how such a rare powerful, lethal substance from the Fae Realm was smuggled through a portal into the human one, with deadly consequences.
Those events began in Claiming Rys Book 1 and the investigations continued here as it becomes apparent there’s a more complex plot behind the smuggling operation.
Dathal, cousin to Axel, a sexy, gorgeous Fae who’s been a part of the series from the beginning, is a great character. More serious, less aware or knowledgeable of the human world than Axel who lives here, Dathal’s personality and viewpoint is both humorous and fascinating. He’s definitely Fae, whereas some of the other Fae characters have softer “edges” to them from living in the human realm.
One of a two person POV format, Dathal’s perspective is distinctly Fae, with a genuine focus for his work and love for his realm, which contrasts well with that of Nick, a witch whose magical abilities hold a secret from his past.
Nick is also a terrific character. He’s demonstrated personal growth and courage in the course of this investigation as well as betrayal. He’s greatly invested in how the scheme has been implemented and who’s responsible.
When the two come together, the physical and emotional charge is remarkable. Jacobs does such a fantastic job in making this almost instant connection feel hot and genuine . That they fight it and fail comes across as absolutely believable.
I could have done with even more of their relationship but there did need to be some kind of storyline to move the smuggling theme forward and it does. Onto the next book. It’s turning out to be a very interesting and layered affair.
Next up is Axel’s story, hints of which we get here in this book. I can’t wait to read it.
Due to the series arc and story structure and character development, the books should be read in the order that they were written.
I’m highly recommending this series and book for all lovers of paranormal and fantasy fiction and romance.
A witch with a secret, a fae guard with a job to do.
Nick As the new manager of paranormal club, Midnight, Nick Parker has his hands full. What he doesn’t have time for is an inconvenient attraction for the mysterious fae with violet eyes and the kind of magic that Nick yearns for.
Dathal A fae guard with an affinity for seeking out the truth, Dathal has one purpose—to catch those responsible for smuggling a deadly plant out of the fae realm, and then return home. Falling for a witch isn’t on the cards, but something about Nick calls to him in a way he’s powerless to ignore.
Their paths cross as Nick is drawn into the investigation, and their connection is inevitable, but the consequences of being together are something neither of them could have foreseen.
Redeeming Nick is an MM paranormal romance featuring a hot, tattooed witch with attitude, and a silver-haired fae with a disdain for human rules. Full of magic, mystery, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.
* For maximum enjoyment, the series should be read in order.
Rarely have I seen a series tumble downhill this fast. While there were hints with the author’s treatment of the main character of Prince Thais by King Xa’din of Ha’tezan, issues within their relationship dynamics, I overlooked it in favor of the richness of the world building and series arc.
I shouldn’t have. The humiliation the King inflicted upon Thas, the pain and lies built into the relationship between them, brutality versus integrity and knowledge? I had problems with Thas ending up with the King when there was clearly a better, imo, bond for him.
But the author has an affinity for those elements because they appear here and in much more powerful forms and abusive details. And while Thas was a highly respected and intelligent philosopher, he was also taken advantage of and expected to become ok with choices that he made not knowing all the facts about.
But Sora? The man swapped out for Thas? So Thas could have his life? A complete innocent in every sense, virginal and someone whose life has been one of constant threats, struggles, being threatened by his siblings, and looked down upon by his father. A man almost forced onto his path, no matter how the author wants to spin this.
So yes, as created by the author, a totally pure soul is the one she uses for a narrative chew toy for a petty, oversexed, revenge filled God. Make that times two. With no notice for a reader for whom DA is a trigger.
Karadas,Dragon God of Water and the Moon, has his new companion in Sora, his Sacrifice, once he decides to accept him after an elaborate affair where he’s attended to and anointed by Thas just as Thas had to undergo. Yes Thas was humiliated then and tries to be kind now as Sora undergoes a similar ritual.
Does the reader feel like a voyeur? Yes because there a third person hiding there in the room, in someone’s head.
The lies have started. So does the manipulation. It’s an emotional, sexual, mental push you, pull you that’s so hard to read.
Sora quickly realizes he’s going to be hurt and when he runs and is brought back (yes this), knows he has no recourse. The pattern is set. Show him how to please Karadas sexually, then the God gets upset over something Sora in his innocence can’t understand, he’s punished, he’s hurt, his God apologizes … well you get it. This continues nonstop until the book is almost unreadable.
At 73% it’s still all about Karadas. He’s spent the majority of the book emotionally, mentally, and physically abusing Sora, a person who was a innocent in every aspect to the “relationship” to the extent we’d classify it as a case of severe domestic violence in a contemporary context, and he’s still got himself as the focus.
Here he is explaining to Sora how he’s feeling about treating Sora badly, after having a orgy, forcing Sora against his will to have sex, making Sora sick and angry so Sora fled the still ongoing sex scene:
“No. I watched them fuck each other. I touched them and let them touch me. I accepted masturbation from them, but I couldn’t stand more than that. Every time I got one of them beneath me, I saw your face, and I knew it would only bring me misery. So I took my giant form when I was with them. I didn’t want any of them attempting to take me into their bodies. It would have enraged me and that wouldn’t have been fair to them. I am ruined, Sora. Ruined for all but you.”
He’s not worried about how hurt Sora would feel. Yes , Sora has expressed himself about that. No he’s withholding his magnificence so they , quite unfairly to the men, can’t have sex with him.
True, he’s a god and like most omnipotent beings, a narcissistic personality. But narcissism alone doesn’t account for the fact he was extremely abusive , let alone for Sora’s well being, his rationale being it was for Sora’s benefit. That he planned it as a way to make Sora a better man. To bring out the real person
A textbook example of DA apology, btw. Karadas also repeatedly states his abusive behavior is unlike him, erratic, something he doesn’t understand, and won’t be repeated in the future.
How many flags are flying in this narrative? A boatload.
And it’s a put a ring on it and all is forgotten and apparently forgiven, even if he doesn’t sound very sincere.
It just get worse and worse. What a narrative dumpster fire.
So the next story will revolve around a rock star in our world but human (the lowest of the low in this universe) being magically delivered to the dragon universe. Yes, I think we can see what the author has in store for this poor man. It’s not going to be pretty.
So I’m quitting. Done.
Perhaps none of this bothers you. But it’s all a solid no for me, including not alerting readers to the elements of Domestic Violence with trigger warnings.
For as long as I can remember, and even further back than that, the Dragons of Serai have worshiped a goddess and only her. But everything has changed. A god has risen. He has returned long-lost magic to my people and balanced the Fire within us. Those who could, made the journey to Ha’tezan, where the God’s temple was unearthed. I am fortunate enough to be one of those Dragons.
Shortly after my arrival, Karadas, the Dragon God of the Moon and Water, demanded a sacrifice—a man willing to give himself completely to our god and serve him in every way. Although the Sacrifice would be a servant to the God, he would hold a status even higher than that of a king. Dragons vied for the position, lining up every day at his temple to be considered. I did not go. I knew there was no chance of the God choosing me.
And yet, that’s exactly what happened.
Karadas chose me. I’m honored and overjoyed to be chosen. I know that serving him will bring me undreamed of pleasure. It will free me from my family and give me a chance at a new life. But I’m not a fool. I also know that his interest will wane, and he will eventually choose another. He’s my god, the most beautiful being I’ve ever seen and more powerful than anyone on Serai. I will surely fall in love with him. And he will, just as surely, destroy my heart. Pain is coming, a lot of it, but that’s nothing new for me. I will glory in the pleasure and not think about the agony that will come when I cease to be the Dragon God’s Sacrifice.
Prince and Pawn charts the course of romance for the third and oldest Sandrelle Prince and the current heir to the Kingdom, Audric.
This book differs from the others in that the younger brothers , widely considered vying for the throne themselves outside of inner circles, each traveled to find their own mates. Audric’s story takes place primarily at home.
This plot feels less complicated or perhaps less well explained with its backstories, while being more kinky within their personal relationship than the others.
This is a BDSM D/s relationship with pain play, even involving some interesting use of Audric’s plant magic , think tendrils , during sex. That aspect of their relationship comes into play quickly and with little discussion at first meeting. Only the timing and details surrounding that event keep me from bringing up more questions here.
Lark makes each man’s resigned, reckless emotional state a factor in their actions that night, both sides dismissing talk for sex. So the reader gets it.
What is more noticeable during the narrative is the lack of depth given to the details of Corin’s magic. There’s no information or hints as to the background for this type of magic. So it lessens in many ways the impact of Corin himself, at the end and throughout the storyline.
Whether it was Whisper the assassin in Prince and Assassin #1 (my favorite) with his believable tortured adolescent or the betrayed enemy dragonrider, Rakos, of Prince in Disguise #2, (a tight second), those strong personalities with their complicated pasts elevated their romances, built barriers to their relationships, and ultimately created a superior narrative for their storylines.
I wish I could say the same about Audric and Corin’s romance but something just feels lacking. Less depth, less focus on details about history and magic, more about their sex life.
Maybe that’s intentional and will be addressed in future books. I don’t know.
But as of now, Corin’s a bit of a weakness and not because he’s a submissive but because he’s existing in a bit of a narrative vacuum. And by hooking Audric to him, it pulls him into that as well.
The next book takes us away from the royal family of Sandrelle and to another Kingdom entirely. One we visited in Rakos’ story, and a Prince and bodyguard we met there. I can’t wait.
I’m highly recommending this series. This story moves the series arc forward and I believe that we will get more of the missing parts later on as the entire series is a complex one whose unique world is being explored book by book.
I didn’t love this like I did with the others but it was entertaining.
Read them in order for event, character, and relationship development. Just marvelous!
Be obedient. Be grateful. As the neglected illegitimate son of a powerful family, Corin is expected to follow his magic-gifted brother to the palace as a servant. He’s unwilling but resigned—and allows himself one night of distraction in a stranger’s arms.
Corin never knew pleasure and pain could be so exhilarating. So comforting. Corin only regrets he’ll never again see the anonymous man who ruined him for anyone else.
Until the next morning, when Corin meets his brother’s new arranged fiancé.
Prince Audric doesn’t want a loveless political betrothal, but he’ll do anything for his kingdom. His last night of freedom is a rare indulgence—and a terrible mistake. Corin is sweet, beautiful, and sees Audric like nobody else does.
He’s also Audric’s fiancé’s younger brother. Audric’s arranged betrothal might be a relationship in name only, but he can’t touch Corin again.
Constant proximity hurts when they can’t be together. But avoidance is impossible when Corin might be the key to unraveling the conspiracy behind Audric’s betrothal—
And when Corin keeps fainting into Audric’s arms.
Prince and Pawn is a high fantasy gay romance with hurt/comfort, forbidden pining, inappropriate use of vines, and more magic tigers. The Perilous Courts series is best read in order, but each book follows a different prince and his Happily Ever After.
With The Wandering Prince, H.L. Day finishes up the incredible fantasy adventure series of 13 Kingdoms. I’m so so sorry to see this journey come to an end for us and for the loving, magical, and wildly messy relationship that is the couple, Jack and Sebastian.
I love a author who gives a nod to the beginnings of the series and the couple when plotting the finale book as well as solving most of the narrative mysteries created and ending it with a bang up celebration that brings so many great characters together.
The story opens in Jack’s farmhouse with the unexpected arrival of a Queen, the shattering of trust, and the sudden need for a imminent journey to help a dying King.
All that began at the very end of The Stubborn Apprentice in a shocking way.
So we’re prepared somewhat for the emotional fallout that begins this story.
Day’s characterizations are so well written. We’ve come to believe in these men, their strengths and their weaknesses. Especially Sebastian’s inability to face his responsibilities or the consequences of the lies he’s told . Especially the lies or in this case, the truth he’s kept from Jack.
So much here is Jack and Sebastian working their way back into the trust that was shattered and building a better relationship foundation, while dealing with royalty, rogues, monsters, Sebastian’s feelings of inadequacies with his family, and Jack’s fear of the sea! Not a quick or easy fix.
For The Wandering Prince Day has written many complicated narratives and then whipped them together so beautifully that you both want to slow down because you are sure you’re missing something and speed up because there’s something, some element so exciting coming at you just paragraphs away!
Run! No come back!
New and old characters appear to make you want at least 2 more books to this series, so rich and lush are the locations and wonderfully detailed the characters.
Earl and the Prince need their own story. Who says Troy needs a princess? I have questions!
Yes, it ends splendidly. But you just know the two of them will be off on another greater adventure soon. It’s part of them. Let us be a part of it too.
I adored these books and series. Those rich, glorious covers are everything.
I’m naturally highly recommending them, just read them in the order they are written.
An ailing father. A missing healer who might have the cure. Now would be a really bad time for Jack and Sebastian to be at loggerheads.
Jack never saw the truth coming. And knowing Sebastian has been lying to him changes everything. Yet, despite his misgivings over whether their relationship can be repaired, he finds himself on a ship to Padora, Sebastian’s homeland. Awkward isn’t the word. And peril, as ever, is just over the next wave.
Sebastian’s whole world is falling apart. His magic is broken. His father, the king of Padora, is dying. And Jack… Well, Jack hates him, and not in the usual Jack way. He’s really messed up this time, and doesn’t know how to put it right.
Can Jack and Sebastian survive to save the day once more? And if they do, will it fix what was broken between them?
The Wandering Prince is a 101k finale to Jack and Sebastian’s humorous MM fantasy adventure that started with The Reluctant Companion and continued with The Stubborn Accomplice. Travel with Jack and Sebastian as they encounter old friends, sea monsters, a future king who needs babysitting, dastardly pirates who have been polishing their plank, a double-crossing brother, and perhaps even a missing sister.
“THE TAVERN WAS LITTLE more than a waxed canvas tent, tilted towards the south by the wind that rushed headlong down the mountain. The woman who tended the makeshift bar had a thin wispy mustache styled into pointed wings over her lip, and Chih took down her family history while the mammoth scouts argued outside.”
So begins Nghi Vo’s When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, second novel in the impressive series, The Singing Hills Cycle. With the wandering cleric Chih as our primary narrator, we venture into the frozen northern part of the realm where there’s an entirely different culture to explore. One we’ve heard of before.
Mammoths and their riders played an enormous role in the Empress of Salt and Fortune. Here we get a better understanding of the animals themselves and the culture that surrounds them.
Chih requires aid through a pass and it’s a mammoth and it’s rider that will escort them. Chih is genderqueer, pronouns of they/them. Whether it’s due to being a Cleric or by a personal preference isn’t made entirely clear. It just is. Sexual orientation and gender identity isn’t a issue in the stories. It’s part of who someone is.
The ride, which as with everything Chih experiences, turns into a learning (recording) journey with the mammoth rider Si-yu, an irrepressible force and her special mammoth Piluk.
Then comes the tigers.
Who turn into people who are very much still tigers. Hungry ones.
And it’s Chih’s remembered story, a particular story, that ends up being told from different perspectives, that saves the day. So to speak.
It’s a fascinating concept, and an even more intriguing story. Or stories. As it changes from human perspective to tiger and back again.
One that involves grief, hunger, ghosts, poetry, betrayal, and love.
So textured and beautiful.
I found the ending almost abrupt for all that went into this richly detailed piece and needed to know more past this ending.
And no Almost Brilliant wasn’t in this. Hopefully in the next.
Vo’s stories reminds us that in every tale there’s another perspective other than the one we’re currently listening to. And that for every hunter, there’s a path when they may become the hunted. Nothing is one-dimensional, every being is more than it seems.
I’m highly recommending When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle #2) by Nghi Vo for all lovers of fantasy fiction and magical writing.
No romance herein except in the story that’s being told between the Cleric and the Tigers.
From Locus and Ignyte finalist, Crawford Award winner, and bestselling author Nghi Vo comes the second installment in a Hugo Award-winning series
“A stunning gem of a novella that explores the complexity and layers of storytelling and celebrates the wonder of queer love. I could read about Chih recording tales forever.”―Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
“Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful. . . . The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling.”―NPR
The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and her scholar lover―a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty―and discover how truth can survive becoming history.
Nghi Vo returns to the empire of Ahn and The Singing Hills Cycle in When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, a mesmerizing, lush standalone follow-up to The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
I’m not sure how I came across this incredible author and series. Perhaps it was that amazing cover or the hints of cultural magic mixed with references to strong women within an ancient history fantasy setting in the description. The Hugo award helped.
Doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t prepare a reader for the sheer beauty, the quiet cruelty, and vastness of the world found here. Love. Passion, rage , revenge. Lakes that seem benign until the sun lowers and start to glow an ominous red.
Everything revealed in the most powerful and astonishing way.
Our first narrator is the Cleric Chih. Pronouns they, them. Chih, is something of a prodigy within the Abbey, which from the occasional conversational mentions isn’t always easy or welcome. Their job along with the hoopoe, their companion Almost Brilliant is to record everything. The hoopoe , a neixin, is a being able to remember everything, store and then regurgitate the information to a “hive species brain” the entirety of all memory.
Almost Brilliant is a fascinating character with a history of devastating loss. Together they are instructed to catalog, by brush, or by memory, every detail, heard, seen, and more, which will then sent back to their Abbey for logging and recording for all time. They hold the world’s knowledge and secrets, no matter the size. Something not all leaders are easy with.
Our journey starts with Chih and Almost Brilliant on the way to the Capital when they decide on a side trip to the old Empress’s place of exile, the Lake Scarlet with its mysterious red glow and Thriving Fortune, the estate of the barbarian Empress In-yo, recently decommissioned.
There by the shores of Lake Scarlet, they meet an elderly woman, Rabbit, who leads them to Thriving Fortune. As Chih and Almost Brilliant begin to catalog the world of Thriving Fortune, that which remains, a second perspective and tale begins.
Against an almost poetical list of the contents of once alive dwelling, the intricate, powerful story of the Empress of Salt and Fortune, In-yo and her handmaiden, Rabbit, unfolds.
I don’t believe there’s a way to bring the depths, secrets, and power of this story into a review.
It will leave you with many questions about Chih, the Singing Hill Abbey and Almost Brilliant too. I’m hoping that the next books will supply some more information.
Is this a romance? No. Are there love stories? Yes. But not all in the manner of romantic love, although there are some. But this isn’t a book which lends itself to easy descriptions, or narrative boxes.
Much like the characters who defy description themselves.
I highly recommend The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle #1) by Nghi Vo. It will stay with you, leave you with images and characters long past the ending.
I can’t wait to meet up with Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant once again.
Reviewer’s Note: I find this so simplistic and the description actually leaves so much of the series foundation and story out. It’s a shame, because the gender neutral character of the cleric of the Singing Hills Abbey is the one that ties all 3 books together and is such an amazing character on their own.
——
Description
With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo’s The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women. A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor’s lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for. At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She’s a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.
I enjoy a retold Fairy Tale. I like a new twist or two if a author can manage it. Especially a fantasy writer who’s work I admire.
However, Froggie Went A Sailing (Fairy Tale Retellings) by Sam Burns, a sweet story about a prince who learned via a curse how to be a nice king, ambles thematically along while not reaching very high. Narrative levels, that is.
Nothing much unexpected happens. There’s the usual witch, a curse, some not very bad behavior although he’s a bit of a pity puss in the beginning. There’s a gorgeous guy who’s crushing on the Prince, with all types of excuses for his actions.
We get no idea what the Kingdom thinks of him until the end, and then it seems unlikely they have such kind thoughts. I mean he is known as Grumpy Gus and Froggie.
Nick, who was “wrongly accused “ of course, decides a really ugly frog is the bestest thing ever. But Burns gives the reader no relationship development, and it honestly makes zero sense.
Most of the events here have no foundation or layers and everything happens quickly. He’s a frog, he’s on a ship (why in a starving kingdom no one spears and eats him is never explained), he’s a man! Oh he’s in love.
It reads more like a Improv sketch that someone was told they had to write while in a competition with others.
Jasper Ferguson Conrad, much to everyone’s consternation, is the crown prince. He wasn’t raised to be king, and no one is sure if he’s up to the task, including himself. He certainly doesn’t want to be the kind of demanding, arrogant king his father has always been.
When a witch turns him into a frog and he finds himself on the run, he has to count on a near stranger—a man he may have wronged in a fit of pique—to protect him from a huge, frightening world.
He needs to break the curse and find his way home, but who can he truly trust to help him get back where he belongs, especially when his own future subjects may be plotting his death?
Demon Gideon Bailey decides it’s time to introduce Sam to his family. Long overdue but all the potentially world shattering events have kept them busy, including Sam finding himself the new Lucifer, head of the Community of Species Government. For their full story, see Demons Do It Better, first in Masters Hidden Species series.
In Reunion, a informative and entertaining prequel to Masters new connected series, Demons-In-Law, we get our first view of the family dynamics that make up the Bailey demon dynasty.
Turns out the exceedingly frightening Gideon comes from a hugely wealthy, influential demon family, one with a matriarch of nightmarish proportions, scads of relatives, uncles and aunts, and cousins, it turns out he’s close to.
It’s a eye opener. For the reader and his beloved Sam.
Of special importance is Gideon’s thoughts on how others, other species especially, mentally and emotionally translate his species facial expressions. Huh.
I’ll leave that bit of information to the story. Fascinating as one would say.
Reunion sets up the start of the next book but honestly I wasn’t ready to let this go yet. Sam’s interaction with the entire Bailey clan and his observations just kept spinning and sparking the story further into more paths and interesting layers.
More pls!
I’m recommending this and the Hidden Species series it has as its foundation.
Description:
I love Gideon. But do I have to love his family too?
Finally, Gideon is taking Sam home to meet his family… including his scary grandmother. But this reunion has some surprises in store.
It was so easy to fall back into Meghan Maslow’s rich paranormal universe of Charm City Chronicles. Baltimore or if you’re local then it’s “Bawlmer” or “Bawl-ah-mur.” A city so rich in varied cultures, a startling variety of architectural styles, and history that it’s a place to overwhelm your senses. In good and, *cough* bad ways.
Maslow’s setting is both a love letter and an acknowledgment of the reality of life in every aspect and area of that old (by American standards) city. Resting place of Poe, birthplace of the nation’s anthem, with the wildness of the Bay at its side, surely magic must exist there.
As it does in the series. Vampires, werewolves, shifters, and a Demon! Oh my!
In Demon’s In The Details, our initial introduction to the Demon Tommy Tittoti and his mate, the Raven shifter, Poe Dupin, we met Tommy’s assistant, Carter Strike.
Sassy, snarky, sexy Siamese shifter, Carter Strike. Exceptionally gifted when it comes to gathering information about Tommy’s enemies, he’s not afraid to take risks to get what he’s looking for.
We instantly adored him. And wanted more.
We get it when he runs through and smack into Bengal Damon-Cowles, the Roger or head of the South-West Baltimore territory. That starts an explosive relationship between him and Damon-Cowles, a Rakshasa, a powerful being of secretive origins.
Maslow’s story has launched a new storyline with this book that’s full of mystery, packed with potential dread and suspense for all our favorite characters going forward, and yes, there’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end.
There’s just no way to go into any aspect of this book without giving away some secrets or important information that would spoil something for the reader.
I will say I wasn’t expecting the romance elements and that turned out to be so very satisfying.
Now I need that all important next installment. Asap!
I’m definitely recommending this. But if cliffhangers make you crazy, you decide if you want to wait until the next book is released and then read one after the other.
When a feline fatale meets his magical match, Baltimore might just go up in flames.
I, Carter Strike, Siamese shifter extraordinaire and a powerful demon’s right-hand cat . . .er, man, have a job to do. My boss’ boy toy is in the crosshairs of an unknown assassin. And when my boss is unhappy, all of Charm City burns.
That’s where I come in. Intel is my specialty and leads me to the doorstep of one drop-dead gorgeous but annoyingly secretive Rakshasa.
Bengal Damon-Cowles—even his name is obnoxious—runs South-West Baltimore and is nothing if not frustratingly contrary. I don’t care if he is a demi-god among shifters, I don’t need the complications from a sexy as sin Rakshasa with the utter gall to turn down a fine piece of feline-fantasy like myself. Especially when we’re forced to work together. Except, every day we spend in close proximity turns up the heat between us.
A roomful of secrets, a looming Nor’Easter, and friends with questionable—or nonexistent—morals, add gasoline to the blaze. As the stakes climb ever higher, and people start dying, I’ve got a cat’s chance in hell of coming out of this one unscorched.
Cat’s Chance in Hell is a 113k snarktastic, size difference, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, car-careening-out-of-control romance with a guaranteed happy ending and lots of steam. Shenanigans include: a catnapping gone very, very wrong, a hot pot incident that will go down in infamy, and a Rakshasa with more layers than a Smith Island Cake.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 