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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Cursebreaker: An Epic Urban Fantasy Action Adventure

Review: Cold Fury (Frost Mage #1) by Ryan Attard

Rating: 4.5🌈

What an unexpectedly great find. Different on so many levels, Ryan Attard is another new writer for me and his main character is a powerful Frost Mage. Shes just also happens to be bisexual, angry and lonely. Freydis, Frost Mage and town Executor, carrying out justice for the supernatural world in Vigrid Falls. When she’s not going to college.

Freydis, Frost Mage, is a conflicted character, whose backstory is slowly revealed over the course of the story as events unfold. Incredibly and unashamedly strong, she works out to maintain her physique, which is intimidating to match the reputation she’s gotten as someone who is cold and emotionally hard. Which is far from the truth.

Attard lays out the complex universe and supernatural politics of Vigard Falls where underneath the beautiful town and college campus where the wealthy students attend to their university studies, is another otherworldly city, complete with transportation systems.

It’s there where Freydis operates and reports to her boss on her daily enforcement of the laws and takes on whatever missions she’s given.

It’s werewolves against mages, against vampires with other fae or mythical beings thrown into the narrative.

Including small side stories of romance or crushes (Freydis is bi so while most of her romantic interests are women in this book I wouldn’t rule out that she might have a vampire in her life in the future. Romance really isn’t a main aspect of the book, it’s primarily about a larger supernatural suspense or intrigue element that is going to continue throughout the series. And how Freydis’ developing powers fit into this.

I absolutely got into the characters and the various aspects of the town and world building.

Can’t wait to see where the author takes them next.

A winner.

Buy link

Cold Fury: Frost Mage Book 1

Blurb

Vigrid Falls looks peaceful — until you look beneath the surface.

The supernatural runs the world.
Mages keep the balance.

Until a shifter is brutally murdered — and the victim’s family wants blood.

Enter Freydis, Frost Mage and town Executor. She’s young, brash, dangerously stubborn… and a college student trying to survive midterms while enforcing magical law. Keeping her double life separate is hard enough.

Then the murder turns personal.

What should have been a routine investigation spirals into something darker. This wasn’t random. It wasn’t simple.

It was planned.

As vampires quietly pull people off the streets, shifters call for open war, and the Mage Council hides behind ancient arcane law, Freydis uncovers a conspiracy that could tear Vigrid apart. In this city, secrets are currency. Trust is weakness. And magic is a weapon.

Good thing she’s angry.

Cold Fury is the gripping first book in the Frost Mage series — a sharp, noir-tinged urban fantasy packed with supernatural politics, deadly alliances, and a heroine who hits back harder than she’s hit.

Review: Fire Marked by (Alchemy of Witches Book 1) by L.A. McBride

Rating: 4.25⭐️

I really enjoyed this urban fantasy story. There’s apparently a prequel out there that fills in the background for the main characters here and how she arrived at her current situation. As well as all the other secondary characters interacting with her that come from that prequel.

However , the author gives us enough information about that time period so we’re not at a disadvantage here as the story goes forward.

Olivia “Liv” is a retired fire elemental assassin who at the age of 16 was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. As a result Liv was forced to work for as a Shadow for the Conclave (magical ruling body) for a decade.

Now she’s free, name cleared and she’s back in Kansas City where she’s opening a magic shop. Until her old life comes back to interrupt her new start.

I love so many of the characters that McBride has created for her book and series. The older group of witches, including Liv’s aunt are fabulous and among my favorites. From their environmental battles with toxic gardeners to their hula hoop classes, every scene memorable and often hilarious. They’re real, intelligent people who care about Liv, going about things in their own ways.

Rafe, a werewolf black op who is the enemy to lovers maybe aspect of the story and series, is suitably flawed, and mysterious in his own ways. Where he fits in is left open-ended, which works.

There’s an ongoing storyline that starts with the reason Liv was framed, but eventually moves on into a much larger, more complicated plot that involves demons, hell fire, and prophecy at the end.

The end book leaves the reader immediately wanting the next story to see what happens with the characters and their lives. I am thoroughly hooked.

I had certain reservations about why Liv was so determined to do something on her own but later on, she answered that during a heartfelt conversation with Rafe. It was the answer that I wanted to see her grounded in the reality of the dangers of her situation. That one scene made all the difference.

I now need to track down Inferno Bound for the history of this series and main character while waiting for the next one to be released.

New author discovery and series unlocked. Fantastic! A winner!

This is set in the same universe as another of L.A. McBride’s series but as it’s the first book I’ve read of hers, that’s a series for another time. But the characters do crossover.

Cover and Illustrations by NMT Design Studio

Alchemy of Witches (2 book series)

Inferno Bound #0.5 prequel

Fire Marked #1

Blaze Born #2 – Jan 27, 2027

Buy link

Fire Marked (Alchemy of Witches Book 1)

Blurb

Ten years as a supernatural assassin did not prepare me for customer service.

Once I was called the strongest fire elemental in a generation. All that got me was sentenced to serve as a supernatural assassin for a crime I didn’t commit. Now that my name’s been cleared, the powers-that-be cut me loose.

Their only rule? Keep my head down and leave missions to other Shadows.

Sinking my blood money into a magic shop, I try to be a good little witch. I run my shop, join a geriatric coven, teach fire hula hooping classes on the side, and adopt a klepto packrat as my familiar. Avoiding Rafe Blackwell, the golden-eyed lone wolf charged with keeping me in line, is harder. And ignoring the vampires attacking witches in Kansas City? Impossible.

When bodies turn up with veins full of the same blood additive that landed me that ten-year sentence, I can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. Going rogue risks my newfound freedom, but the alternative is a city overrun with demons and Nectar-addicted vampires in a feeding frenzy. When my fire magic fails, it’ll take every skill I earned as a Shadow to take down the Nectar ring despite the enforcer determined to keep me out of it.

But if running a witch shop has taught me one lesson, it’s how to face anything with a potion bomb and a smile.

Fire Marked is the first book in the Alchemy of Witches series. If you love fast-paced urban fantasy with a witch ready to burn down the establishment, quirky found family, and a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, this series is for you.

September 10, 2026

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Alchemy of Witches

Review: The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem (The Portlock Paranormal Detective #8) by Heather G. Harris and Jilleen Dolbeare

Rating: 5⭐️

It had been a while since this terrific series has been updated and through author’s comments at the end, I found out that, sadly, her long-time friend and co-author, Jilleen Dolbeare, had passed away last October 2025 from cancer.

Jilleen Dolbeare wrote many great urban fantasy series as well as the wonderful collaborations with Heather G. Harris. She’s going to be deeply missed by so many. My sympathies to her family and friends.

I’ve loved this series from the beginning when Bunny first arrived in hidden paranormal town of Portlock, Alaska. She was a newly turned (against her will) vampire with a rescue German Shepherd in tow, and became a part of the town and small Sheriff’s Department, solving mysteries and magical crimes in a very different way, involving mythical creatures and fantastical monsters.

And finding love and a mate along the way with a vampire Prince.

The characters are beautifully written, the mysteries are often heartbreaking and complicated, and stretches over multiple books. Even the smallest of roles and characters can become endearing, and pop up later to fill in narrative holes left by characters who have been lost. It’s done well, emotionally satisfying and makes the story feel more like a real community.

The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem is a great story. Full of loss, grief, high suspense, mystery and multiple storylines. Bunny and her co-workers and friends face one murder after another. These are people who have deep roots within their community. Harris makes the reader feel that loss, the impact just as deeply.

As the hunt for the killer continues, along with the investigation, there’s another important plot line happening. Connor’s father’s coming to the town. He’s got major plans for Connor, maybe for Bunny too. None of them good or in keeping with what either one wants.

That continues to be the next novel’s theme.

Who the villain is surprised me. And the outcome left other questions in place to be answered by the characters and story further down the series itself.

Heartbreaking, well written, detailed and beautifully executed.

I’m so sorry for Heather G. Harris for having to go on with this series without her friend and writing partner. But she wrote a very wonderful story that felt like both of them were very much together here in every part of the story and character.

Highly recommended. And go check out the other books by Jilleen Dolbeare as well as the charity that’s been set up in her name for Indie Fantasy authors .

Heather G Harrishttps://heathergharris.comWelcome to the Jilleen Dolbeare Scholarship for Indie Fantasy Authors.

Cover Design by Christian Bentulan.

The Portlock Paranormal Detective Series with Jilleen Dolbeare :

The Vampire and the Case of her Dastardly Death – Book 0.5 (a prequel story),

The Vampire and the Case of the Wayward Werewolf – Book 1,

The Vampire and the Case of the Secretive Siren – Book 2,

The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee – Book 3, The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine – Book 4,

The Vampire and the Case of the Perilous Poltergeist – Book 5,

The Vampire and the Case of the Cozy Christmas – Book 5.5,

The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag – Book 6,

The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid – Book 7; and

The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem – Book 8.

The Vampire and the Case of the Raging Revenant – Book 9 ,December 9, 2027

Buy link

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FF3JYSK2

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FF3JYSK2 

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FF3JYSK2 

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FF3JYSK2 

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0FF3JYSK2 

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FF3JYSK2 

https://geni.us/GhastlyGolem

Blurb

bodies are bad. Dead bodies that break the laws of magic are worse.

Finding a dead fox in someone’s garden isn’t normally a police matter. Finding a dead fox shifter who should have turned human the second he died? Yeah, that’s more my department.

Remmy has no wounds, no blood and no obvious cause of death. He’s simply dead, trapped forever in his fox form. Apparently there’s only one thing that can do that to a shifter: drain every last drop of magic from them.

Great. Because what Portlock really needed was another magical murderer.

I’ve got an eidetic memory, a badge and two extremely questionable sidekicks. One is a traumatised werewolf who prefers being a German Shepherd, and the other is an ever-growing lynx with a criminal disregard for personal property. Between us, surely we can crack one impossible murder.

Then some local teenagers report seeing a huge creature stalking through the woods, covered in branches and leaves with blazing red eyes.

And red eyes are always bad.

I’m starting to think our mysterious monster and our dead shifter might be connected, which means I need to find whatever is prowling Portlock before anyone else ends up magically drained.

Unfortunately, murder isn’t my only problem. Connor’s father, the Vampire King of the US and an all-round arsehole, has announced he’s coming to town. And he’s bringing the other vampire leaders with him.

So now I have a supernatural killer to catch, a creepy forest monster to find and the most powerful vampire in America heading straight for my home.

Portlock has survived murderous shifters, deadly conspiracies and more supernatural disasters than any tiny Alaskan town has a right to. Hopefully we can survive this too.

Preferably without anyone else turning up dead.

Dive into this fast-paced urban fantasy series if you love mystery, humour, found family, and a slow-burn romance.

Don’t miss the rest of the Portlock Adventures!

The Vampire and the Case of her Dastardly Death, a prequel.

The Vampire and the Case of the Wayward Werewolf, Book 1.

The Vampire and the Case of the Secretive Siren, Book 2.

The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee, Book 3.

The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine, Book 4.

The Vampire and the Case of the Perilous Poltergeist, Book 5.

The Vampire and the Case of the Cozy Christmas, Book 5.5.

The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag, Book 6.

The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid, Book 7.

The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem, Book 8.

Review: The Wild Awakened (The Soul and Soil Trilogy Book 1) by Portia Pierce

Rating: 4⭐️

The Wild Awakened (The Soul and Soil Trilogy Book 1) by Portia Pierce is a book I wanted to love so badly. From the description to many of the really interesting, well done elements in this story, I kept thinking it’s going to come together in a positive, and well crafted narrative at the end.

So close.

One thing immediately that tells us about the story and removes a part of the mystery it’s that the prologue gives away that the Fracture was a “manufactured” and not naturally occurring environmental disaster. A recent one of only 20 years past that civilization is still dealing with the consequences. That could have been left out.

Because the villain, a man, is a huge part of the story and series as we will soon find out.

The elements I enjoy, the characters, including the animals like the Nyx, cat and Bram, the GSD dog, both sentient, who interact with Vivien “Viv”, Calder, the veterinarian with special abilities ,

There’s werewolves, vampires, witches, and of course, the “human race only government/enforcement group, the Concord. The author hasn’t solidly laid out a foundation for all of these various elements so as a reader encounters them in the book we don’t have a definitive explanation for them.

It’s a good plot and a not uncommon one where we see nature rebalancing itself against technological advances. However in this case, clearly a man has decided he’s going to be the one to make the decision to fracture the world and start the process. He’s “right” in his position. A decision that will play out over the course of the trilogy.

Which brings me to what I believe works against the narrative and characterizations here. The foundation and theme are interesting. The animals are engaging. It breaks down where the main characters are concerned.

That’s power use and gender roles. Viv has powers that she’s afraid to use. There’s a big backstory here about her childhood and parents but time and again, she refuses (and the author is telegraphing her pattern here with Viv) to make her decision to use her full powers but instead withholding or opting for a lesser use of them. Which gives her opponents the upper hand every time.

It’s a tiring game of Viv saying “oh no I can’t do that” and not using her powers for whatever reason. And the male villain retaliating by saying “ yes, you are exactly like every ineffectual woman in your family , unable or fearful to use your own powers”. Repeat.

Could she? Yes. Does she? No. So it lingers on for 3 books of this. While she makes choices that continually frustrates the reader.

All of this a reader can see coming , in the pages in the first book.

I guess I feel this had so much potential to be a better book. The characters started out so well. So strongly. And then it all devolves into a weird little power imbalance gender struggle between Viv and the villain. For the next couple of stories too for those who want to continue.

I really would like to see less characters like this in stories. More well crafted and empowered women. Not one, let alone 3 books of “I’m so frightened of my own powers that I’ll be the footnote in my life “ type of person while the villain (male) becomes the strongest powerful player in the narrative.

Aren’t we past that yet?

The Soul and Soil Trilogy, complete:

The Wild Awakened #1

The Wild Divided #2

The Wild Unbound #3

Buy link

Book 1 of 3: The Soul and Soil Trilogy

Blurb

BOOK 1 OF A COMPLETED FANTASY TRILOGY ⭐

The world fractured twenty years ago. Nature is steadily reclaiming its power and magic has been forced into the open.

I’ve spent my life pretending I’m ordinary. Just a small-town veterinarian with a stubborn garden and two opinionated pets. That is what I told myself.

Then, a wolf dies on my porch and I am suddenly pulled into a deadly conflict that I never asked for.

Now, something is spreading through the Wild: twisting and pushing it, turning predators into weapons. The wolf pack wants answers. The vampires are watching. The Concorde is circling.

And somehow… it all leads back to me.

If I don’t discover what I am, and what I’m willing to become, the Wild won’t just awaken. It will choose.

And I may not like who it chooses.

Perfect for readers who love strong heroines discovering power, animal companions with personality, alpha werewolves with a bite, slow-burn tension, political supernatural intrigue, and nature reclaiming the world.

This book is the first of three in the urban fantasy series ‘The Soul and Soil Trilogy’.

February 16, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

315 pages

Book 1 of 3

The Soul and Soil Trilogy

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: 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: Cold Moon Burning (Riley Blackthorne #2) by J.L. Brannick

Rating:2⭐️

Spoilers. Don’t read further if you don’t want to know.

As much as I liked the first book in the series, that’s as much as I dislike Cold Moon Burning, book 2 of the Riley Blackthorne series.

It’s primarily due to the relationship dynamics between Riley and the Alpha Conall Segerson which imo, worsens here. Starting with his own decisions about strict rules on no contact with Riley within the Pack or himself, having disastrous consequences for Riley’s health and his own. All without any communication on his part about why this happened. One of my top reasons for DNF novels.

The reasons he will give for this decision later are ,honestly, extremely cowardly and irresponsible. He told someone else to do it. Then didn’t follow up. On and on here. The author seems to find this behavior only somewhat toxic, in a SMH way, instead of the enormous truckload of red flags that it represents.

The Alpha Male as set forth here is all important here that his actions are forgiven . Not every Alpha male that I’ve read is written in other books is as selfish or self interested or non communicative as this one.

However, Riley’s character, once an interesting , independent woman is about to be subjected to even more multiple traumatic events. Each reduces her to a man’s obsession and/or object of possession, which honestly she never recovers from. I’m talking about the end of the series as well.

She’s made a horrifying special experiment subject. Brain implants that make her feel like she is less emotionally attached to people and more physically strong. With a mad “maker” scientist now throughly obsessed with his new possession. Who’s seen as this man’s “pet” in his eyes.

But wait there’s worse.

The trigger warnings for this are there at the beginning. Yes it’s a graphic SA scene. But worse? And this sums up for me what’s wrong with the whole book, is that in my opinion, it’s a gratuitous plot element. Not that I ever think that it would be relevant. But here it’s especially heinous in its use.

It happens towards the about the last fourth of the story to Riley who is kidnapped, again. During a scenario where it makes no sense for it to happen.

The reader is “there” while she’s getting assaulted by a doctor and the other doctors are watching. Absolutely no need for it. Yes we know they are evil. But is there any emotional reaction from Riley to this? Any real visceral response that feels believable? No. Anything that doesn’t make it feel like SA porn?

Where’s the rage you want and expect to see come from on the page? Women? No. The men. Her uncle and of course, Conall, because his mate was SA.

If you write about trauma and actual act of SA with your story, then it’s about the real impact, on the victims, the damage and trauma that should be dealt with as well. The aftermath of the emotional damage, the trauma the victim has suffered. Not the men.

Instead it’s Riley who feels like she’s been used as a ploy here, a tool to for the sake of the story.

Do I even need to say more?

Does Riley even get to take revenge against the doctors herself? Like the badass she is? No, that’s up to her Alpha Male. She gets to have a press conference.

Talk about a book that is written essentially focused on a patriarchal system that is supposed to be about a strong woman but uses her as a tool.

This was close to a DNF so many times.

I actually finished the book and the series. The third book is only marginally better.

No recommendations.

Cover designer Maggie G. Jackson

Riley Blackthorne series:

Black Moon Rising #1

Cold Moon Burning #2

Crimson Moon Falling #3

Buy link

Blurb

The Pack Alpha abandoned me to suffer the bond-withdrawal sickness alone.

Conall imposed an interdiction on his Pack and forced me to take the brutal Federal Registration test alone. But when I’m critically injured, he’s the only one who can save me. The truth comes out, but I’m leary of him and his Pack.

When my first investigation takes a deadly turn, I’m compelled to work with the Alpha of the Northwestern States Pack again. Can I trust him to help keep me safe and track down an insidious operation before war erupts? Or will betrayal, deceit, and deadly enemies win?

*The second book in the thriller-urban-fantasy romance trilogy, where betrayal and a deadly plot lead to open war and devastating losses.

Cold Moon Burning is book two of the Riley Blackthorne Series trilogy. For fans of smart STEM FMC’s and urban fantasy romance. The second book in a trilogy and contains power imbalances, a slow-burn romance, spice, and violence.

Review: Swordheart by T Kingfisher

Rating: 4⭐️

Swordheart is one of three books planned in this series by T. Kingfisher, an author whose books I automatically read. I often find them sharply plotted, full of intriguing characters and the narratives can often turn dry, humorous and bittersweet while maintaining a depth of truth and honesty to the situation and storyline.

This carries many of these elements here.

It starts with widowed 36 year old Halla who’s been taking care of her ailing uncle, a collector of oddities in his enormous house. When he dies, to the chagrin of his greedy relatives, it’s Halla who unexpectedly inherits her uncle’s entire fortune. When the relatives decide to force Halla to give up his estate to them, by marriage or by locking her up inside the house, she becomes desperate.

How Sarkis comes into her life and gets her out of the house is a remarkable aspect of the story. It demonstrates Halla’s resilience and gives us a perfect example of her personality.

What I could have done without is Sarkis’s constant remarks about Halla’s physical appearance. And his own reaction to it.

It’s a road trip and a slow burn romance but I could have done with just a road trip action adventure. There’s a lot of stories about Sarkis, the time that’s passed, the current religious beliefs and tensions between the different temples and their territories. And, of course, those who wish to possess magical items, like swords.

And interwoven with all that is Halla needing to obtain her own goals and end game. With Sarkis at her side.

All beautifully descriptive as this is, and as well executed is the world building, I felt that the story was or got too slow, especially around the middle. I had figured out who was the bad guy(s), what they were going to do, and then had to wait pages and pages until the action and drama came into play towards the end. Then it all came together and got interesting.

It felt like it took too long to get there.

One aspect of this I do appreciate is there’s no magical “fix” for Sarkis. No waving of a crystal or anything to undo his magic. Bittersweet and realistic.

That’s T Kingfisher. Recommended.

Swordheart series:

Swordheart

Daggerbound #2

Shieldborn #3 – Aug 24, 2027

Buy link

Book 1 of 3: Swordheart

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comSwordheart: Kingfisher, T.: 9781250400222

Blurb

The delicious bodyguard romance of From Blood and Ash meets the delightful charm of The Princess Bridein this cozy fantasy romance from New York Timesbestselling author T. Kingfisher

Halla has unexpectedly inherited the estate of the wealthy distant uncle she’s been caring for for the past decade. Unfortunately, she is also saddled with money-hungry relatives full of devious plans for how to wrest the inheritance away from her.

While hiding in her bedroom to escape her family, Halla inspects the ancient sword that’s been collecting dust on the wall since before she moved in. On a whim, she pulls it down and unsheaths it—and suddenly a man appears in her bedroom. His name is Sarkis, he tells her, and he is an immortal warrior trapped in a prison of enchanted steel.

Sarkis is sworn to protect whoever wields the sword, and for Halla—a most unusual wielder—he finds himself not fending off grand armies and deadly assassins but instead everything from kindly-seeming bandits to roving inquisitors to her own in-laws. But as Halla and Sarkis become closer, they overlook the biggest threat of all—the sword itself.

Bramble

Publication date

September 20, 2024

Language

‎English

Print length

458 pages

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