Review:  Bargain With Fate (Blind Fury Book 2) by Annabel Chase 

Rating: 2.5⭐️

Blind Fury series has so many interesting aspects to it. A upscale hidden retirement island for paranormal beings, many of them ancient, off the coast of Georgia. 

The retirees, a fabulous, entertaining and mythically rich group of beings keep themselves busy with nude pickle ball, gossip and a wealth of activities that often include murder and mystery. 

They are, even as supporting characters, the very best thing about this series. 

Unfortunately, it’s the main character (and her MMC) and the author’s treatment of a potential relationship that just doesn’t work for me. 

Bargain With Fate is book 2 and the main character of Maya August hasn’t shown much in the way of growth or progress in her development since her boss died and left her in charge of Security for the Island and its inhabitants. It’s a responsibility she avoided as much as possible when she was hired as his assistant. And now she’s Acting Director of Security, she’s not changing anything in regard to her role or actions.  Unless absolutely necessary or pushed by her boss, she avoids any sort of accountability. 

She’s whiny, borderline rude, and honestly, taking advantage of her job. Given her constant internal refrain/insistence on her being in isolation for her “unknown dangerous past” and that only the island is safe for her. Not being an adult about her role and job (she complains about her hours, being needed etc by her elderly residents) in return for safe haven? Makes her singularly unlikable.  Don’t get me started on the cat. 

Then there’s the potential romantic relationship with a paranormal boss who doesn’t seem to take no for an answer. She repeatedly tells Vale, a Demi god and supernatural boss of the area, that she’s not going to have a relationship with him, and that she’s got extremely good reasons not to reveal her past to him. Discussion after discussion. 

He agrees, then he starts pressing her for more information and yes, a date. Against everything they had just discussed. Because obviously no means yes. To him and his men, one an elf she’s fond of, who talk to her about why she’s rejecting such a great guy. 

All of this is supposed to be straightforward storytelling, no manipulation, which is even more toxic. Because she starts to waver even though she doesn’t want to. She continues to say no . 

And so, even with a neat plot and interesting cliffhanger, I’m saying no to that relationship and main character. And this type of toxicity. 

Cover design by Trif

Blind Fury:

Bound by Fate #1

Bargain with Fate #2

Cursed with Fate #3 – Dec 21,2026

Review: Night Owl Books (A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche #1) by Seanna Kelly 

Rating:  4⭐️

Both books in this mini series are excellent introductions to the author and Sea Wicche universe, which the majority of the characters are a part of. 

At 89 pages, Kelly quickly lays out her intriguing main female character of Orla, an extremely rare Eurasian Eagle Owl Shifter. Shes settled in Monterey, California, after the deaths of her parents, her background and theirs remains unclear except for certain elements. 

She’s been raised in relative isolation due to her nature as an owl shifter as well as her needs determined by being autistic.  She’s happiest surrounded by  her enormous personal and ever growing library that she turned into a bookstore. A old huge Victorianhouse/bookstore, Night Owl Books, open only from 8pm to 6am, that rarely sells any books or sees any customers, but allows Orla plenty of time to read or fly around all the territory she owns around the house. 

Orla is fascinating, and on target as shifter where the author has done an excellent job in incorporating the physical and natural history species details into the character. She’s throughly believable in her role as both a woman happily withdrawn from the world and an owl soaring through her territory. 

 The invasion into her home by outsiders is both realistic and shocking in its own right. Upsetting her carefully constructed calm existence in multiple ways. 

I would like to have had more pages to explore the storyline , the actual villain’s identity, and all the new characters, who are actually crossovers with the other series. 

The side characters, small portraits of a few wonderful people who are returning customers of Orla’s and her relationship with them, that’s a dynamic I’d love to see more of. 

Overall, charming, interesting and over way too soon. 

Interconnected series:

Beginning with:

Sea Wicche (5 book series)

A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche (2 book series)

Night Owl Books #1

Night Owl Bridge #2

Buy link

        Night Owl Books (A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Orla is an owl shifter, so her bookstore Night Owl Books is only open from 8pm to 6am. She gets very few customers—other than a couple of insomniacs—and that’s the way she likes it. Customers tend to interrupt her reading. All of that changes one night when a terrified woman runs into the bookstore, followed by two bear shifters, a werewolf, and a psychic wicche. Poor Orla’s night is about to be far less quiet.

Publisher

NYLA

Publication date

March 4, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

89 pages

Book 1 of 2

A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche

Review:  Hat Trick (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 4) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4.75⭐️ 

Well, if that wasn’t just an excellent book.  The mystery was one where you knew who did it after a while. But the investigation takes Blythe and her familiar, along with Anya, on a path that leads towards many places and players. So the plot winds up being poignant, character driven and layered with smaller pieces of other mysteries . 

The author meaningfully scattered bits of information about the community throughout in new ways that knowledge of who did the murder early isn’t as key as you think. 

And there’s another stranger mystery brewing that will lead to the next book in the series. 

Sara Bourgeois is another autobuy/autoread for and this series is a great example why. 

Highly recommended. Love the author.

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4 

Bear Many Hats #5 – July 21,2026

Buy link

        Hat Trick (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 4)

    

Blurb 

Blythe Fairfield is finally getting the hang of her weird new life.

She owns a tea shop on Main Street. She’s dating the sheriff. Her late great-aunt’s notebooks are slowly teaching her what kind of witch she is, and her familiar has mostly stopped acting like tolerating her is a personal sacrifice.

Mostly.

Then the Cauldron Hollow Fall Festival rolls into town, and a dead body turns up behind the vendor trailers before the booths are even open.

The victim was a quiet leather worker traveling with the festival vendors. No enemies. No debts. No obvious connection to anyone in town.

At least, that’s the story everyone wants to tell.

As the festival barrels forward with tourists, bear sightings, and town gossip, Blythe starts tugging at threads nobody else seems to see. And somewhere between the funnel cake, fake smiles, and festival chaos, someone decides Blythe needs to stop asking questions.

Permanently.

It doesn’t help that Sheriff Paine is pulling away for reasons he refuses to explain. Or that Pippin keeps insisting being a Tallowmere should be enough to solve every problem, intimidate every enemy, and possibly improve Blythe’s posture.

But Cauldron Hollow has secrets it doesn’t show the tourists, and this one has been waiting twenty-four years to come due.

Blythe is about to learn there’s a big difference between a man running from his past and a man waiting for it to find him.

Sometimes the trick isn’t what’s in the hat.

It’s what’s been hidden in plain sight all along.

May 18, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

218 pages

Book 4 of 5

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow

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:  The Amber Hops: A Retired Paladin’s Guide to Magical Brewing (A Cozy LitRPG Adventure) (The Green Sanctuary Book 2) by Beatrix Penrose 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

The Green Sanctuary series is written by Beatrix Penrose, an author who has become a favorite of mine recently. 

This cozy LitRPG fantasy series is engaging and fun, each book short and satisfying. 

In The Amber Hops, our retired Paladin, Sir Alaric Thorne has managed to save the day but more drama awaits him and his newly established farm. 

It’s magical hops, inter dimensional visitors and tax drama on the horizon! All great fun woven together with new characters and light suspense. 

It’s highly enjoyable, well written and easy to pick up and read through. 

A terrific story and absolutely my recommendation!

Love the cover and wish I knew more about the artist. 

The Green Sanctuary (8 book series)

Smite the Soil #1

The Amber Hops #2

The Wandering Grove #3

The Winter of the Void #4

Smite the Soil: The Seed of Generations #5

Smite the Soil: The Roots of Rebellion #6

Smite the Soil: The Ashen Harvest #7

Smite the Soil: The Sky-High Vineyard #8

Buy link 

        The Amber Hops: A Retired Paladin’s Guide to Magical Brewing (A Cozy LitRPG Adventure) (The Green Sanctuary Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Sir Alaric Thorne saved the farm. Now, he has to save the party.

After successfully smiting the blight and telling the Empire to shove their taxes, Alaric just wanted a quiet season to watch his World-Tree grow. But the tree has other plans. It’s produced a crop of Amber Hops—glowing, vibrating cones of starlight that make a beer so good it literally attracts tourists from other dimensions.

Welcome to the Root & Radiance.

With a grumpy Dryad as his brewmaster and a crew of Dwarven masons building a tavern out of Deep-Earth marble, Alaric is no longer just a farmer. He’s a publican. But running a sanctuary isn’t all sunshine and sourdough.

Between an Imperial Auditor looking for an excuse to salt the earth and a Fae Queen who wants to “borrow” the World-Tree forever, Alaric is going to need more than just a legendary spade.

He’s going to need the perfect brew.

What to expect in Book 2:

  • Tavern Management: Watch the Root & Radiance grow from a dusty barn to a multi-dimensional hub.
  • Advanced Crafting: Deep dives into magical fermentation, Void-forging, and “Soil Editing.”
  • New Allies: Meet Iron-Side the Pacifist War-Golem and Vex the Shadow-Miner.
  • Goliath being Goliath: Our favorite teleporting goat has reached Level 5 and developed a taste for temporal pancakes.

Grab your mug and pull up a chair. The harvest is just getting started.

January 31, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

58 pages

Book 2 of 15

The Green Sanctuary

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:  What the Spell?: Spellbooked Magical Cozy Mysteries No. 1 (Spellbooked Mysteries) by Elle Wren Burke

Rating: 4⭐️

Kinley Paigewright, orphan, product of the foster system, suddenly finds herself not only a jilted bride, but someone who has magical powers. Abilities that were unlocked when her ex dumped her on her wedding day and caused a magical explosion of emotions and power. And that caused a very nice paranormal policeman to come wisk her away to Sea Breeze Island, one of the hidden places where magical beings can live in safety and a place she and her family once called home . Not that she remembers. 

This was a terrific story. Kinley is a character a reader can empathize with, coming from a foster care system that had her moving multiple times, to the unknown factor that is her history and the mystery of her parents . And who locked her magic?

Those are questions that I expect will be asked throughout the series.

Kinley’s introduction to her magic, the island and the sentient store and all the inhabitants is entertaining to read about .

There’s a mystery. That’s good but it makes little sense for Kinley to investigate and withhold information about what she finds out from the very person, the officer who has gone out of his way to help her along with his familiar. Why doesn’t she just work with Ryland, he and that tiny dragon don’t have an issue with it when they do start communicating.  So not doing it to begin with just seems poorly thought out. Especially when you consider she’s new to the island and the magical community .

But it’s got just enough depth to the characters and world building to stand out from the crowd. And the story is interesting so I’ll be picking up the next book in the series 

Spellbooked Mysteries (3 book series)

What the Spell? #1

Spell to Pay #2

For The Spell of It #3 – March 15,2027

Buy link

 Book 1 of 3: Spellbooked Mysteries 

Blurb 

Unfairly dumped right before her wedding, can this heartbroken bookworm come to terms with her witchy heritage without getting locked up for murder?

Kinley Paigewright is reeling. But she tries to roll with the punches when a paranormal policeman claims the odd energy that just destroyed her bridal suite means she’s a witch and whisks her off to an enchanted island. And when the jilted bride learns she’s supposed to inherit a snarky sentient bookshop, things seem like they’re looking up…until her obnoxious new upstairs tenant joins the dearly departed.

Pretty sure she doesn’t want to stay at the top of the hunky magical cop’s suspect list, Kinley struggles to find proof of her innocence in a town overrun with puzzles and potions. But unraveling the truth means digging into her absent family’s past, mastering her explosive talents, and trusting an exuberant feline familiar to help rewrite her future.

Can Kinley crack the case before her second chance at happiness vanishes for good?

What the Spell? is the whimsical first book in the paranormal Spellbooked Magical Cozy Mysteries series. If you like immersive settings, charming cats, and twice-hexed mischief, then you’ll love Elle Wren Burke’s enchanting tale.

Buy What the Spell? to conjure up a fresh start today!

Soaring Moon Books LLC

Publication date

June 11, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

282 pages

Book 1 of 3

Spellbooked Mysteries

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?

Review:  Hat Out of Spell (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 3) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4.5⭐️ 

Hat Out of Spell took the main character of Blythe Fairfield, her family history as well as the paranormal nature of the community of Cauldron Hollow to new levels. 

The author does this using the complicated murder of a recently returned and detestable man, using the investigation to examine darker, more intriguing areas of Blythe ‘s ancestry, that of the cemetery she’s renovating, and in-depth interviews into the community of witches and craftsmen who support them.

It’s small town dynamics but powered by a strong paranormal force, The Veil and old laws that Blythe has no understanding of. 

I just love this story, all the many complex plots threaded together, some resolved, but many more intense storylines that are just getting out there for Blythe to think about and accept. Like her Aunt Moira, and what her future might look like. 

Now to wait for the next book to be released. 

 What a fantastic series and group of characters. 

Just terrific. Great storytelling. 

Highly recommended. Love the author.

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4 – June 23,2026

Bear Many Hats #5 – July 21,2026

Buy link

        Hat Out of Spell (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Blythe Fairfield was just starting to feel at home.

She has a job at the local grocery store. A talking cat who insults her daily. A date with the sheriff that actually went well. And a cemetery full of dead relatives she’s been restoring one headstone at a time.

Then one of those headstones gets a new neighbor.

Griffin Midnight, a witch with more charm than sense, came back to Cauldron Hollow after breaking Blythe’s best friend’s heart. Now he’s dead in the Tallowmere family cemetery with a bottle of wine and two glasses, and the whole town is looking at the two women who had the most reason to want him gone.

One is Anya, Blythe’s best friend, who screamed at Griffin in public. Twice.

The other is Blythe, whose family graves someone turned into a crime scene.

Between a grandfatherly tea shop owner hiding a secret, a council member with a grudge against her house, and a killer whose magic is so subtle nobody knows it’s there, Blythe is running out of time and suspects. Pippin says the answer has been in front of her the whole time. Pippin says a lot of things.

But when Blythe opens her great-aunt Moira’s notebooks, she finds more than clues. She finds a secret that will change everything she thought she knew about her family, her best friend, and the familiar who’s been keeping his mouth shut since the day she arrived.

Some spells you cast. Some spells you inherit. And some hats are harder to take off than they are to put on.

April 27, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

211 pages

Book 3 of 5

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow

Review: Blue Blood, Black Magic: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Ella Bloom Mysteries Book 3) by Sarah Noffke

Rating 2.5⭐️

It looks as though Blue Blood, Black Magic is where I leave the Ella Bloom Mysteries behind. 

The premise is interesting, some of the elements are good but the author’s characterizations, especially when it comes down to the dynamics between the main female character and the prominent male characters in her life have me so irritated that it takes away from the rest of the narrative. 

At approximately the 50 percent point, Ella and Malcolm decide to leave the murder mystery investigation in town (and ongoing drama surrounding the inheritance) and head off to look for a mage in the mountains.  

Part of the mysteries in the series is who and what is Ella and what happened to Malcolm and his wife when he closed the Gloaming. Ella’s mysterious past is deeply personal and caught up in the death of her mother as well as her years in foster care. 

But when Tyler, the farmer whose mother is running his life, get furious at Ella, yelling at her, insisting he had the right to information about her , her powers and origin, without any reason or relationship . And Malcolm? Who Ella would reasonably expect to have her back, would defend her? He, without her consent, quickly tells Tyler all about Ella’s life, her secrets and unknown past. To her absolute shock. 

But how does the author have Ella handle being yelled at by basically someone she’s not in relationship with over withholding extremely private information, which is then freely shared by her trusted friend/associate?

“You two are the worst,” I muttered, realizing that they were ganging up on me.”

That’s the extent of it. 

Noffke leaves Ella in the wagon, accepting that she’s got no choice, no secrets, and the author still hints that “red flag” Tyler is the romance guy for her.

There’s no apology from the men for their behavior or actions. Instead the expectation, narratively, that the men know better than she does what is good for her. This from a man who has let his mother run his life and another with a faulty memory. That’s two for the Patriarchy column here . Although the story is disguised as a woman’s story. Um no. Not imo. 

I’m so irritated at the author at this point, that skimming through to the end is the only option. 

So I’ll find another author and series. There’s plenty more out there.  But here’s where I stop. 

🛑 After Note: I had wondered if I’d been harsh in my evaluation so I jumped ahead to book 6. There I found that the dynamics I disliked and discussed here are still very much in full swing in the story. 

Malcolm still has zero reservations about telling anyone , here gnomes, Ella’s “deeply held “ secrets about her magic and origin. All without obtaining any consent beforehand (which she’s very vehemently opposed to). But not once does she find a spine and ask him to obtain prior permission or tell him how uncomfortable or unhappy she is with him doing this. Multiple times. 

Spoiler:

Worse later in the plot, Malcolm turns out to be a coward, imo. His wife makes an ultimate sacrifice, believing he can find a way to bring her and The Gloaming back. But instead, acting on baseless assumptions, he commits an act of utter cowardice, that causes him to abandon her and makes him lose his memory .

Not once does Ella think that there was anything wrong with his actions.  

It’s a pattern here of excusing the questionable male behavior (Tyler’s, Malcolm’s to name two important characters) throughout the series while having Ella repeatedly telling people that her role in the investigations and relationships is always secondary, less important. 

So yes. Right choice to leave the series and author behind. Just no. 

Ella Bloom Mysteries (10 book series):

Dying For Magic #1

Magic Can Bee Deadly #2

Blue Blood, Black Magic #3

Verses and Curses #4

Raining Cats and  Curses #5

Half-Baked Curses #6

Signed, Spelled, Delivered #7

Murder Spelled in Thread #8

Spelled For Choice #9 – June 19,2026

Born For Magic #10 – July 24,2026

Buy link 

        Blue Blood, Black Magic: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Ella Bloom Mysteries Book 3)

    

Blurb 

One-Twenty-Six Press

Publication date

November 18, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

276 pages

Book 3 of 10

Ella Bloom Mysteries