Well , what an unexpected surprise! Part murder mystery, part Groundhog Day twists, and all around suspense adventure, this was a fantastic read.
Harper expertly weaves an important element from Infernal Enchantment (book 2) into the narrative here, one that sees Emma racing through time to prevent the worst possible scenario from happening.
It’s clever, moments of heartbreak, and stupefying humor. New characters make impactful entrances, and Emma’s romantic relationship with her vampire lord moves forward, eventually.
I was sure that this was my favorite, then I read Scorched Heart. But this is definitely among my top books of the series. Fabulous.
Supernatural Squad might be small, but we’re growing in power. The vampires and werewolves of London are beginning to respect me more and I feel like I know what I’m doing – even if I don’t yet understand what I truly am.
Unfortunately, there might be a few snags to deal with. I’m trying to avoid Lord Horvath, the black-eyed vampire leader who seems intent on a more intimate relationship. There’s also Devereau Webb, who runs a small criminal syndicate and has offered me a mysterious gift that I’m certain I don’t want. And across the span of one single day, supernatural hell breaks loose across the city of London.
A suicidal vampire has climbed up the London Eye.
Three werewolves have hijacked a tourist bus.
This might prove to be the longest day of my life.
Midnight Smoke is the third book in the thrilling Firebrand urban fantasy series.
While Inviting Bedlam #2 (Nix and Ivan) remains the highlight of this series for me, Unleashing Mayhem is a terrific way in which to wrap up the Demon Bound quartet.
As each book has had as its main focus one of the four demons sealed away together, repeatedly summoned until finally they find themselves getting with their mates who summoned them. From a book that ends up in the hands of a Russian American mafia family.
Here in the finale, it’s an emotionally and physically damaged Matty, a young man rescued by the Koslovs and their mates, escaping from his barbarically disturbed own criminal family. Matty has been living (hiding) in Sascha’s and Kai’s home.
But he’s plagued by his past , PTSD and nightmares. Until the demon Nightmare comes to view him. And makes plans of his own.
This was a wild, incredibly satisfying story and great way to end the series. By bringing the final demon into the world and giving him his own mate, Matty, in a highly unusual and unique manner, it gives Matty and the reader the resolution to the story we were waiting for. And in a way that’s emotionally powerful and satisfying.
Everyone gets their HEA, the real villains are foiled in a manner that is befitting their crimes, and we get to see Matty in a new perspective, and supported. By his demon, Nightmare.
And while, Ivan and Nix will remain my favorite characters here, this is a fantastic ending to a demonic quartet and their mates!
Definitely a winner.
Cover designed by MiblArt.
Demon Bound:
🔹Wrecking Havoc #1 (Kai and Sascha)
🔹Inviting Bedlam #2 (Nix and Ivan)
🔹Calling Chaos #3 (Chaos and Cooper)
🔹Unleashing Mayhem #4 – finale (Matty and Nightmare)
Matteo’s been running scared for so long he’s forgotten what it’s like to feel safe. Or maybe he never knew in the first place. Raised by a cruel man, tormented by an even crueler one, and recently rescued by a demon, Matty’s still jumping at shadows around every corner. When he sees a familiar face from the past and realizes his ghosts really have come back to haunt him, Matty does the only reasonable thing he can think of.
He summons someone even worse.
Nightmare is a solitary demon by nature. He’s never needed a companion or a lover or a friend, and he’s never minded being feared by others of his kind. But one taste of Matteo’s sweet, terrified soul and Nightmare needs more. When he’s finally summoned to Matteo’s side, Nightmare finds himself exactly where he wants to be. Now it’s only a matter of patience, seduction, and convincing his little human that one contract isn’t enough.
What they really need is an eternity.
UNLEASHING MAYHEM IS A HEATED MM PARANORMAL ROMANCE WITH A HEA AND NO CLIFFHANGER. IT CONTAINS A SWEET HUMAN AFRAID OF EVERYONE BUT THE MONSTER AT HIS SIDE, A DEMON SO POSSESSIVE EVEN OTHER DEMONS RUN SCARED, A FOUND FAMILY MADE OF MOBSTERS AND MONSTERS, AND A SUMMONING GONE RIGHT (FOR ONCE). WHILE EACH BOOK FOCUSES ON A DIFFERENT COUPLE, THE SERIES IS BEST ENJOYED IN ORDER.
Another great story in The Portlock Paranormal Detective series! Bunny and her found family of supernatural characters in this small town in Alaska are getting closer to the end of the series. And the authors still have plenty of mysteries, drama, and dark cases to unravel before that happens.
There’s an emotional case of missing teenagers that’s hitting the small town police department of supernaturals hard, especially since it looks like both girls are from the supernatural world.
Bunny is dealing with the investigation, while Connor is facing his father threatening to come to town. With all the drama and fear that comes with it.
And always their friend, mer Sidnee kidnapped boyfriend is on their minds. As well as Reggie, who spends most of his time as Fluffy.
Just amazing with an incredible plot or multiple plots, tons of suspense and the potential for heartbreak. And my fav hag, Matilda’s role is growing.
So hard to wait for that penultimate book to come this winter. Another fantastic book and recommendation.
Cover design by Christian Bentulan. Published by Hellhound Press Limited.
The Portlock Paranormal Detective series:
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 Poltergiest, Book 5
The Vampire and the Case of the Cozy Christmas, Book #5.5
The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag #6
The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid #7
The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem #8 – Jan 29,2026
After everything that went down in Chrome Mine, I’m starting to fear that I may never see my Sidnee again because the Sidnee I’ve been left with – well, she’s downright scary.
Just as we try to catch our breath, calamity strikes again: the mayor’s son-in-law is murdered. Suspicion is being thrown around like confetti, and those in the frame include the mayor himself and the usually mild-mannered Sidnee.
To make matters worse, a couple of teenage girls have vanished – no clues, no witnesses and no explanation. And it appears they might not be the first to be snatched.
As if I needed one more thing to juggle, Connor’s father, the Vampire King of America, sends a team to interfere in our investigation. One of the girls is a rare, born vampire and the king has given us an ultimatum: find her … or he’ll come knocking. I am absolutely not ready to meet the in-laws, especially not the terrifying, homicidal sort who sees hybrids like me as something to exterminate.
Connor is falling apart, the case is slipping through my fingers, and our happily-ever-after is looking further away than ever…
Dive into this fast-paced urban fantasy series if you love mystery, humour, found family, and a slow-burn romance.
This had so many wild elements to it. It also introduced new important characters to the series as well as moved Emma’s role as the main Supe Detective in a more matured, and more complex personality. She’s settling into that world, and shifting her perspective.
The respective wolf shifter houses, the vampires remain otherworldly, with aspects of their lives and histories still hidden and evolving here.
Infernal Enchantment is a fascinating aspect of the story. And I don’t think the author is through with it, even though the book is over.
A gruesome case of grave robbing lands on Detective Constable Emma Bellamy’s desk. But is there more to it than meets the eye?
Being the sole police detective in London’s Supernatural Squad is no easy task. I have to navigate my way through a world teeming with supernatural creatures, from vampires to werewolves and everything else in between. My inexperience might count against me but my own shocking supernatural abilities will stand me in good stead – especially when I’m confronted yet again by the gruesome spectre of death…
A vampire has been mysteriously killed in the centre of the city.
Werewolf graves have been plundered for their bodies.
And I think I might be developing an ill-advised crush on a certain black eyed vampire Lord.
Infernal Enchantment is the second book in the thrilling Firebrand urban fantasy series. If you like dark twisty mysteries, smart heroines, and the faintest touch of slow burn romance, then you’ll love Helen Harper’s mystical adventure.
I’m a real fan of author Helen Harper and her female main characters. She writes layered fully realized women who often have painful pasts and trauma to work through. And often, whether it’s naturally occurring or something that happens within the story, they become magical, for most of Harper’s series are paranormal or urban fantasy thrillers with some slow burn romance elements.
Brimstone Bound, the first in the 7-book complete The Firebrand Series by Helen Harper, is a splendid example exactly why I enjoy this author’s style and writing so.
Emma is a young police officer in the UK just completing the course work to become a Detective when she’s assigned to the Supernatural Squad for her final assignment.
Emma’s a character who will grow exponentially as each book and story see different challenges and new revelations about her and those characters around her.
But this is the beginning. Where she dies. And wakes up soon after. And doesn’t understand why.
There’s mystery. Plenty of world history and building going on. And foundation is laid for her new journey here.
Each story is about 20 or so chapters, a great length to easily binge which is what I’m doing.
Highly recommended! Have fun meeting a new character and series!
A werewolf killer. A paranormal murder. How many times can Emma Bellamy cheat death?
I’m one placement away from becoming a fully fledged London detective. It’s bad enough that my last assignment before I qualify is with Supernatural Squad. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next.
Brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, I wake up twelve hours later in the morgue – and I’m very much alive. I don’t know how or why it happened. I don’t know who killed me. All I know is that they might try again.
Werewolves are disappearing right, left and centre.
A mysterious vampire seems intent on following me everywhere I go.
And I have to solve my own vicious killing. Preferably before death comes for me again.
Brimstone Bound is the first book in the thrilling Firebrand urban fantasy series. If you like dark twisty mysteries, smart heroines, and the faintest touch of slow burn romance, then you’ll love Helen Harper’s mystical whodunnit.
Ideal for fans of Annabel Chase, K.F. Breene, Shannon Mayer, C.N. Crawford and BR Kingsolver.
“Readers will quickly come to adore the quirky characters, sharp dialogue, and exquisite world building. Combining the urban fantasy stylings of Ilona Andrews with tense British mystery that will put readers in mind of Agatha Christie, this spellbinding series opener promises good things to come.”
Hailey Edwards has a really great new start on a series with her new paranormal novella, The Vampire in the Potting Shed.
The first in the Groom & Doom series, we don’t get much of a world foundation, although I saw mention that it’s set in the same universe as the author’s Black Hat Bureau (10 book) series.
This particular story is tied to one small town and territory, and focuses on Ana Sartori, who runs Gwinnett Street Groomers, a small pet grooming business and has an Alpha wolf shifter as an overprotective father. She herself can’t shift so remains outside of the pack business and affairs.
At 125 pages, Edwards packs a lot of information, interesting characters, and relationship dynamics into her storyline. That includes some neat twists and reveals.
It’s a quick, highly entertaining story and it makes you wish the next book was ready for reading.
There are two things Ana Sartori knows for certain. She can’t shapeshift into a wolf like her father or his pack. And, despite her being a latent, little more than human, he loves her despite her faults. She’s never going to be an alpha like him, but she can still hold her own in a fight. Not that her life is violent. He makes sure of that. Aside from occasionally wrestling pets into a headlock when it’s time to trim their nails at Gwinnett Street Groomers, Ana leads a simple life.
At least that was the case until someone broke into her pet resort and spa, leaving a mystery dog behind in one of the bougie boarding suites. Not to mention there’s a vampire hiding in the potting shed. A very tall, very handsome vampire. He even smells nice, minus the blood drenching his clothes.
Ana could handle those things, probably, but now there’s a new alpha determined to claim the town—and Ana—as his territory. Either she stands and fights for her home, or she runs to her father with her (metaphorical) tail tucked between her legs. Life is a lot of things, but for Ana, simple isn’t one of them anymore.
The Cat Lady Chronicles returns with a fabulously funny and well written book, The Dark Hiss of Magic by Helen Harper.
I fell in love with the fascinating character of Kit McCafferty, retired assassin, now trying to remain low key as a jumper-wearing older neighborhood cat lady, albeit one hiding a very unique trait. She’s a rare cat sith.
The first mystery novel introduced her character, the paranormal town of Coldstream she lives in, and its many characters and supernatural communities that coexist within its boundaries.
But it’s Kit herself that’s so compelling and complex. Kit and her group of cats, that supply a sense of family, comfort, and advise her when mysteries come into her life. From She Without an Ear to He Who Crunches Bird Bones, to He Who Wanders Wide and the others, it’s a feline cast that’s endlessly entertaining and intriguing. Yes, they name themselves.
There’s others too. Thane, a werewolf, with a new demon kitten and neighbor Dave, who I haven’t figured out yet.
Harper keeps us guessing about mainstay characters. Their roles, true identities, and whatever they are really important to Kit in the over arc storyline. And as the various murders and mysteries occur, the investigations roll along, and everyone gets involved, the narrative continues to build into this amazing adventure.
It’s got great dialogue, wild moments, fight sequences, and loads of engaging cats and unusual personalities. And magic.
I wanted the next book immediately. And because I so thoroughly enjoyed this one, will reread it again soon.
Beautifully executed storytelling? Check. Fantastic female main character? Check! Great world building and mystery? Check and check.
Another great book and winner of a series. Check it out now.
There will be no pussy-footing around. Not when Kit McCafferty is involved.
When Kit rescues a wealthy witch from the treacherous, monster-filled waters of the River Tweed, she reckons she’s completed her fair share of good deeds for the day. But when a second anonymous body is pulled from the same river, Kit is dragged into a mystery as murky as the water itself. The corpse has no identification, no personal possessions and no one who cares.
Kit is determined to change that.
At least Thane Barrow, the copper-haired werewolf who sees the world in a similar way to Kit, is happy to also get involved. Together, they navigate Coldstream’s magical streets and mysterious secrets, determined to uncover the truth about John Doe.
Alas, it soon becomes clear that his death was no accident. Kit finds herself investigating a complex crime with more than one victim. She will have her claws full if she’s going to get to the bottom of what’s happened.
One thing is for certain – when death threatens, Kit McCafferty doesn’t back down. She pounces.
While exploring other series with strong FMC’s, a reviewer suggested author Patricia Briggs. Specifically her Mercy Thompson series about a Native American skin shifter, auto mechanic Mercy Thompson.
Mercy Thompson series has so many well developed elements and characters. Set in the tri-Cities area of Washington state, Briggs gives the reader the real feel for the geography as well as the various types of societal levels found within the region. From trailers to gated mansions, it’s written about realistically and descriptively well executed.
Narratively, Briggs gives this same focus to her characters and backgrounds, starting with Mercy Thompson. A auto mechanic who deal primarily with certain types of cars and engines, she’s got a one-woman shop, and as a skin-walker who can change into a coyote, her status, without a pack, within the local paranormal community is a shaky one.
I was quick to invest in the story and the depths of character and hidden community dynamics . Mercy and her skin walker powers, which I believe more will be revealed in the coming stories, is extremely well written and exciting.
So is her changing relationships with the local werewolf pack and its Alpha, Adam Hauptman.
There’s a mystery, several murders to solve, and while this book seems to end as everything is resolved, there’s another mystery coming.
So after reading an excellent book, with a fascinating strong female protagonist, with a highly unusual story, why do I not feel the need to scramble for the next novel in the series? Especially in one where there’s 14 available?
It has to do with how one character, a hugely sympathetic young man, was treated within the story. Basically he’s a throwaway element. And yes, that’s absolutely the author’s right.
But his role here, the reactions to him , the characters and yes, the readers, seem to be at two different levels. How he ended, the characters reacted to his storyline differs greatly from how he impacted on how I felt about him.
Or perhaps how I perceived his character’s role in the story would be, going forward. That’s on me.
But this entire aspect of Moon Called felt so cold emotionally that even with a well written book, I felt disconnected from the rest of the universe and characters at the end.
It’s doubtful that I will go into it further. Might change my mind. But for now. I’m leaving it here.
if this sounds as intriguing as it’s actually written, check it out. It’s a very popular series.
Moon Called is the novel that introduced Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson to the world and launched a #1 bestselling phenomenon…
Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she’s turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.
But Mercy’s two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he’s a newly changed werewolf—on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance.
But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her…
“In the increasingly crowded field of kick-ass supernatural heroines, Mercy stands out as one of the best.”—Locus
So adorable and hilarious. It’s the last one in the series but what a wonderful story to see where our favorite characters are in life and heartwarming story to see them out.
Ivy and Winter are an established couple, settled and happy in their own ways, living together and each having their own unique identity in the Order, he as the Ipsissimus, Head of the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment and she as the head Ghost Whisperer, not the title . Plus their familiars. And all the other great characters we’ve met the other books in this series.
It’s a short story about their pending first Christmas together and the chaos at the Order. And it will make you yearn for more novels about this fantastic woman and her unique universe.
A absolutely wonderful story and a winner for the author and readers.
Cover by Yocla Designs. an accurate representation actually . She’s a fantastic character.
You would think December would be Ivy’s ideal time of year. After all, festivities abound and witches everywhere are encouraged to put their feet up and relax. That’s not quite the case when she has various Order members attempting to finagle her into Christmas activities and a special artefact from the top of the Christmas tree goes missing. Either someone is attempting to sabotage Winter or something very strange is afoot indeed.
Magic & Mutiny (Starry Hollow Witches Book 19) is the finale book of this series by Annabel Chase. And while it started out great, I think it ran on a bit too long.
The characters and themes got repetitive and some of their growth was handled poorly. Or halted altogether.
It ends happily, and there’s an epilogue where we see the characters a couple of years later, and what’s happened in their lives. That’s satisfying.
The ending is fine, with some issues. There’s a murder investigation, which is tied to how will the town of Starry Hollow deal with the return of the very much alive Ivy Rose.
Ivy is the best element here, she’s a sympathetic character and how her situation is resolved is wonderful.
But the person and people responsible and their actions aren’t well written. It fluctuates from a stand of firmness of position (she’s evil) to immediate change in opinion (my bad, she’s not) in seconds. There’s no reason or real constructive character or foundation for any of this. And it undermines the entire storyline.
Then it’s let’s say we understand her motivations. Slap on the wrist. Sigh. It took how many books and this is how Ivy’s story is resolved?
Way too long. A wedding and done.
So it’s nice that each book was a quick read but I’m not sure I’d invest my time reading 19 books again with this outcome. It’s a ok read.
For fans of Annabel Chase I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Welcome to Starry Hollow, where spells were made to be broken.
Ever since the moment her trio of magical cousins whisked her away to Starry Hollow, the town has served as a safe haven for Ember Rose, descendant of the One True Witch. Even the bumps in the roads have smoothed—she’s reconciled with her formidable aunt and is about to marry the love of her life, Sheriff Nash.
All the bumps except the Ivy-shaped one, that is.
Now the entire town is under threat because of a mistake Ember made. Granted, she wasn’t the one who mistreated her ancestor centuries ago, but she was the one who resurrected her.
And now Ivy is ready to exact revenge on the coven that wronged her.
Can Ember stop the mutiny and save her beloved hometown, or will the one-witch rebellion destroy Starry Hollow forever?
Magic & Mutiny is the 19th and final book in the Starry Hollow Witches series, so be sure not to miss how it all ends
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 