Category: Fantasy, fantasy horror

Review:  The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson

Rating: 4.5⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cover: Charlotte Sloggers

 Case Cover: Alice Blake 

Maps: Shepengul . Great maps!

From the author:

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

Buy link

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

Blurb 

To err is human. To avenge is Divine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 3, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

668 pages

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

Rating: 4.5⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But that again is pure Kingfisher. 

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

Buy link

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

Blurb 

   

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

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

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

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

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

Tordotcom

Publication date

January 20, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

160 page

Review:  Bayou Born (The Foundling Book 1) by Hailey Edwards 

Rating: 2.75⭐️

Hailey Edwards has written several books I’ve enjoyed but this isn’t one of them. Bayou Born frankly isn’t worth the $0.99 cents I paid for it, which surprised me.

Edwards has taken elements from every trope, and types of tropes themselves and mashed them together into Bayou Born, the first book in The Foundling series. 

Now while other writers have done this, here none of these elements and tropes are well defined or written. It’s a grab bag of ideas, details, plots and tropes loosely defined and stuck together. And that’s about how well it works. 

It’s a supernatural, paranormal, urban fantasy murder suspense demonic thriller. Probably romance, not sticking around to find out.

Edwards layers in with her initial wild swamp female child/now adopted police detective a weird story about demons and dragons and hellish shifters in a setting in a swamp like location. That’s just the beginning.

Luce Boudreau, a mud caked child who stumbled out of a Mississippi bayou without a memory, grew up with the police officer who found her. Luce is now a police officer herself. And here’s a major problem. She’s supposed to be a “badass”, however she’s in no way credible as a law enforcement officer. And starting immediately, in almost every scenario, she’s “saved” by the new imposing Alpha security guy who’s stalking her, her dad or “Uncle” , both officers. She needs a lot of help and saving. 

It’s one eye roll after another here. 

A rotary phone that rings on her birthday in the attic but it’s not connected. Wooooo.  Just silly little things. A voice on the phone that she never bothered to track down, even though she’s an officer. 

It’s almost like she has zero common sense or understanding of how to research anything. 

Really, things get worse with unbelievable animals in the swamp, missing people, and the absolute worst or most incompetent investigations ever conducted. 

Trust me when I say that if you stick around by 60 percent, you’ll be flipping pages to get through this. 

And that’s ending just calls for a villain standing around or up a tree rubbing his hands or claws together, and laughing maniacally. 

Do yourself a favor and say no. 

The Foundling (5 book series)

Buy link

 Book 1 of 5: The Foundling 

Blurb 

Her beginning may be our end . . . 

Deep in the humid Mississippi bayou, a half-wild child is dragged from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in mysterious markings. Adopted by the policeman who rescued her, Luce Boudreau follows him onto the force, determined to prove herself in the eyes of those who are still suspicious.

However, there’s more of a battle ahead than Luce could possibly imagine. She may be an orphan without a past, but no one – including Luce herself – could ever be prepared for the truth of her dark, powerful destiny .

Piatkus

Publication date

October 17, 2017

Language

‎English

Print length

336 pages

Book 1 of 5

The Foundling

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

Rating: 4.75⭐️:  

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

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

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

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

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

And it’s worth reading. Absolutely. 

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble #3

A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go  #4

And He Walked A Crooked Mile #5

Deck the Halls: Holiday Special #6

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

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

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

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

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Buy link 

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

    

Blurb 

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

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

Read and Listen to THE HOUSE OF GRAVES Book Series

Book 1: THREE LITTLE GRAVES & THE BIG BAD WOLF

Book 2: OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS

Book 3: FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE

Book 4: A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Book 5: AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE

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

Rating: 4.5⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY On-going Series Titles

Book 1: HIDDEN

Book 2: COUP D’ÉTAT

Book 3: RUTHLESS

Book 4: INSTINCT

Book 5: ROGUES

Book 6: EMPIRE

& More…

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

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

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series plus )

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

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

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Hell To Pay #1

Length of Days #2 – Sept 6,2026

Reckoning #3 – Tbd

Buy link

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

    

Blurb 

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

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

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

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

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

May 14, 2021

Language

‎English

Print length

265 pages

Book 1 of 21

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series

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

Rating: 5⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Highly recommended. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

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

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series plus )

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

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

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Hell To Pay #1

Length of Days #2 – Sept 6,2026

Reckoning #3 – Tbd

Buy link

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

    

Blurb 

Even the dead need a hero.

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

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

March 4, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

357 pages

Book 1 of 2

Ghost Guy Series

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

Rating: 4.75⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An additional point about the many series and stories. 

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

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

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

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

Fantasy horror indeed. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

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

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

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

Blood Oath #1

Blood Ties #2

Blood Feud #3

Blood Lust #4

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 4: Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series 

Blurb 

How far would you go for revenge?

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

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

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

November 3, 2024

Language

‎English

Print length

332 pages

Book 1 of 4

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series

Review:  Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble (The House of Graves Series Book 3 by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Another great story. Angst and action filled as the Patron continues to strive for control over Tessa Graves’ mind and body. 

Each book ups the suspense and emotional tension as Tessa and those around her search for answers to the magical bindings within her mind and the Patron’s identity .

Crumley excellently crafts such a heartbreaking, complicated story that pulls the reader intimately into Tessa’s mind and heightened state as she reaches out for help to witches with her longtime bindings created by her father and the Patron 

As the helplessness grows and her other cases continue, the reader becomes even deeper immersive into her life and the dark world she inhabits .

Incredible storytelling and a  memorable character who I’ve taken to heart. 

Highly recommended. What a series. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

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

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble #3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

        Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble (The House of Graves Series Book 3)

    

Blurb 

If letting the most powerful witch in the world rip her mind apart is the only way to protect her family, then that’s just what Tessa Graves will do. No matter the cost… As the Patron’s noose tightens down around the House of Graves, Tessa finds herself seeking the aid of Thomas Jury, a witch who’s powerful beyond measure and just as dangerous. But even with Jury’s so called ‘help’, will the Patron’s power prove too much for Tessa to withstand?

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

January 14, 2024

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

Print length

319 pages

Book 3 of 6

The House of Graves Series

Review: Over the River & Through the Wood (The House of Graves Series Book 2) by M.M. Crumley

Rating : 4.75 ⭐️

I really don’t know how I missed this author before, she’s astonishing. 

Over the River & Through the Wood makes Tessa Graves’ situation ever more precarious, the horror and ever present danger that the Patron threatens to her mental and physical state, and those around her is increasingly terrifying. And the hidden files of her father brings the truth of exactly how evil and vicious he and the Patron he as well as all the men of her family have become. 

It is a race to uncover who the Patron is, vs the mental pressure and physical force he’s bringing against her, the files she and Ollie and her grandmother are trying to fix and outside forces who have their own issues.

 

The deepest emotional struggle is that of Tessa, who, with help, has come to realize exactly what her father has done to her and her mind since she was 13. The missing memories, the chunks of her life, in fact, her life and consent, that was removed from her, until now. Grief, rage and loss is there  and the fact that she has no idea has to interact with others. And we are with her, in her head each second of every moment of every heinous act of her struggle to regain control of her mind and body . It’s gritty, raw, and utterly heartbreaking 

At the end I found I couldn’t stop, grateful that this was a finished series and kept going. The suspense, the intensity and, frankly, the building heartbreak, as Tessa lets a small circle of people into her life and heart even as the Patron is trying to dig in further for control, well, tissues are something to have around. Be warned.

Darkness is everything here, laughs a minor thing. The characters are brilliant. 

I absolutely love them. Binging is everything.

Connected Universe and crossover series:

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series)

Ghost Guy Series (2 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE BOOK 3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

        Over the River & Through the Wood (The House of Graves Series Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Tessa Graves’s to-do list: Find her lost memories, kill the Patron, and restore honor to the House of Graves, if such a thing is even possible… 

The Cadwel incident did not go unnoticed, and as a result the Graves gals and Curtis Nash may be up a creek without a paddle. Old clientele are seeking to insure they don’t end up like the Cadwels by removing Graves, Graves, and Graves from the picture, permanently. And the only way to keep the Hidden government off their case is by solving one for the Tetrarch. (Never mind that it’s an unsolvable cold case from before Tessa could tie her own shoes.) If that wasn’t bad enough, Tessa is discovering that her mind is far less her own than she realized and that the most dangerous threat to her family may be her… Can the House of Graves survive as the power of the Patron takes hold? Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem to find out now! Available in print, eBook and audiobook formats, OR read FREE with Kindle Unlimited and listen FREE with your Audible Subscription!

The House of Graves is a new series with all the nail-biting-mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and supernatural action that you’ve come to expect and demand from bestselling author M.M. Crumley. So if you’ve been looking for a fun ride, jump on, because this is the series for you!

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

September 23, 2023

Language

‎English

Print length

326 pages

Book 2 of 6

The House of Graves Series

Review: Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf (The House of Graves Series Book 1) by M.M. Crumley

Rating : 4.5 ⭐️

I honestly dislike when Amazon or the author’s publisher goes overboard in its marketing efforts for a story, needlessly I think, to say things like “laugh-out-loud humor” or “among the best female fantasy books”.

Because first I enjoy making my own impressions, especially if the writer is new to me, as Crumley is here, or it is realistically not true. This isn’t the best female fantasy story ever but it’s absolutely terrific in a horror story, PNR, thriller manner. 

Crumley brings the reader into the story at the funeral for Tessa Graves’ father. Standing at the gravesite, she’s the last Graves now in the powerful, old family firm of Graves, Graves, and Graves. A man apparently mourned but none but herself. 

Turns out with excellent reason. 

Step by harrowing step, the author shatters Tessa’s well constructed, calm and orderly life. Her life and her household, when her “crazy aunt” and her “unstable butterfly” grandmother move back into the family mansion she’s inherited, along with the butler who’s been living there for centuries. 

But the horror arises when evil is discovered. Not one but two villains (one deeply in the shadows) and  the beginnings of the heinous acts they have committed.

There is a series prior to this one, The Immortal Doc Holliday Series , and those characters figure greatly here in this one. And there’s a carryover plot from this series into the Doc Holliday Series in book 17 I believe. 

The writing is detailed, emotionally charged and very terrifying/horrifying in the dark physical and mental trauma that the main character is enduring constantly. To say that I was hurting for her and those who cared for her is saying the very minimum. 

Incredible storytelling and series. Yes I’ve finished it. Binged it in a day. Highly recommended.

Connected Universe and crossover series:

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series)

Ghost Guy Series (2 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOOD BOOK 2

FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE BOOK 3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

 Book 1 of 6: The House of Graves Series 

Blurb 

Working as an investigator for the supernatural elite means living by three simple rules: don’t ruffle feathers, keep the clients (vampires, shifters, witches, etc.) happy, and never give them a reason to want you dead. Simple. Unfortunately, Tessa Graves just can’t seem to follow the rules. And that’s why 300 bloodthirsty wolf shifters are hot on her trail. Adding insult to injury, her newly-retired aunt and feisty grandmother have decided to become her new sidekicks… and roommates… and life coaches whether Tessa likes it or not. Can these three strong-willed women survive each other long enough to avoid being torn to shreds?