Review: Ride or Die (Food Truck Warriors #6) by Beth Bolden

Rating: 5 🌈

Ride or Die wraps up Beth Bolden’s Food Truck Warriors series. It’s a outstanding way to say goodbye to a great series and group of men and their partners.

Part of a interconnected universe that includes Kitchen Gods and Star Shadow, it’s hard to say if this is a complete goodbye as Bolden’s characters have a way of popping up in future stories. But if we don’t see everyone again, this is a remarkable sendoff.

Ren Moretti, the gorgeous chef of the one night stands, has met his match in Seth Abramson, security and former soldier, who’s looking for a long term relationship, not a hookup. No matter how hot the chemistry between them.

A two person pov means the reader is in Ren’s increasingly frustrated, and stymied head as he’s confronted with someone he wants who obviously wants him back but won’t have sex with him. It’s never happened before.

As the steam builds within him, so does the hurt and questions. Ren’s entire ability is shaken.

I love Bolden’s writing and characters because she’s able to make us feel that we’re there in their world with them. And when things , their perspective is being given a good toss up, we are there looking over their shoulder, a part of every minute of their growth and baby steps forward.

Seth has his own issues to work through. It’s not just how to reach a man seemingly committed only to not being committed to anything but his cooking but there’s something lurking in Seth’s history too.

How these men work through their individual issues to have a relationship that works and is one we all celebrate is a wonderful story, full of romance, laughter, and some angst.

At the end, Bolden pulls everything and everyone together for one huge anniversary party. All our couples. No loose ends. We get a marvelous and fantastic way to see everyone and say our goodbyes.

What a great run this has been. I’ve loved every story, each couple and romance. Hard to believe it’s over.

Ren and Seth are a great couple and their story makes for a fantastic finale.

I’m highly recommending Ride or Die and this series.

Food Truck Warriors:

✓ Drive Me Crazy #1

✓ Kiss & Tell #1.5

✓ Hit the Brakes #2

✓ On A Roll #3

✓ Full Speed Ahead #4

✓ Wheels Down #5

✓ Ride Or Die #6

https://www.goodreads.com › showRide or Die (Food Truck Warriors, #6) by Beth Bolden – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Can Ren’s bad boy heart be wooed and won?

Ren Moretti likes his life—and his hookups—just the way they are: fast and loose.

He only ever hooks up with someone once, and relationships? Forget it. Never gonna happen. No guy has ever persuaded him to bend, break, or alter his one date and one night rule.

Until Seth Abramson.

Seth has always tempted Ren—but it’s not a secret that Seth won’t settle for just one night. A few dates won’t cut it, and he’s not interested in playing around. He wants it all, and he intends to win Ren’s heart.

But that’s the one thing Ren’s never given up. He guards it closely and fiercely, until one day, when he realizes it’s no longer his to protect, it’s belonged to Seth all along.

Review: How To Vex A Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes #1) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5 🌈

As far as I can tell, VRC: Vampire Related Crimes is a four book series with book 1 and 2 centered around Finn and Marcus, book 3 Is another pair, and book four still another.

All members of the VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Unit and with close ties to each other.

How To Vex A Vampire scores high just on the character of Finn alone. Finn has a number of unusual elements to his character you don’t normally find in romances, supernatural or otherwise. He’s a double amputee to start off with. He’s missing a leg and arm. How he came to lose both is part of the story and won’t be gone into here.

However, his issues with self image as a amputee are dealt with here realistically. So are the problems that occur with prosthetics, over use, accidents, and the perceptions held by others about amputees. It’s all here. Inside Finn’s head and outside, in the Department and people he’s associating with.

Winters has written a fascinating character with a physical disability in a way that’s realistic and believable. Even though there’s other aspects with supernatural elements to factor in. Finn asks to be treated as a equal , and we come to regard him as much more.

Marcus, the true vampire, who’s adamant that humans not be a part of the unit, is the one who falls for Finn. After Finn, everyone is less layered, but I like Marcus, and thoroughly enjoy their chemistry and relationship.

Winters has created a horrifying plot and a terrifying villain. Both of which are fully revealed in the next story. Here we are just beginning to get the chills and frightening idea of what’s ahead.

That is the thing, along with your total affection for Finn, that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Excellent job!

Winters’ marvelous characters, fantastic plots, and dialogue make VRC: Vampire Related Crimes and How To Vex A Vampire both must reads!

And the dogs? Adorable!

Buy it on Amazon

VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Series:

How to Vex a Vampire #1

How to Elude a Vampire #2

How to Lure a Hunter #3

How to Save a Human #4

Synopsis:

Finn
Getting into the vampire-only detective unit was the easy part; what’s going to be more difficult is dealing with my new partner, an ancient vampire who keeps threatening to eat me. The unit has never had a human in it, and Marcus—or as I like to call him, Fangy McFangface—would really prefer to keep it that way. He’s grumpy, short-tempered, and broody, but I have a way with words and I know he’s starting to like me, even if he swears he’s not. But what he doesn’t know is that I didn’t join the unit because I was tired of being a homicide detective, I joined because there is someone after me. They’ve already taken enough from me and I’m afraid they’re going to take all of me if I don’t find someone to help. That’s all Marcus was supposed to be, but now, he’s so much more and I can’t imagine my life without him.

Marcus
The moment the pesky human walked through that door, I knew I had to get rid of him. He’s charming and almost everyone else instantly loves him, but he doesn’t understand how risky it is being part of this unit as a human. But as I get to know the stubborn man, I learn that perhaps he’s not as naive as I once thought. And maybe he’s what I needed to realize there is more to life than just work and my dog. A group arises who is threatening to disrupt the alliance between the humans and the vampires, but Finn is the one who shows me how strong that alliance can be and reminds me why it’s worth protecting. When threats hit closer to home, I realize I would do anything for Finn because he’s brought so much joy to my life—and because he’s mine.

This 105k word book contains: A creative use for undergarments, unintentional splits, a wolfhound who just wants to be a part of things, a vertically challenged human who still manages to wrap every vampire he meets around his little finger, the best date ever, possessiveness, really awkward dancing, some workplace revenge, and just a bite or two. Or three.

How to Vex a Vampire Blurb

Review: Loving Layne (A Hockey Allies Bid #2) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.25🌈

Hockey, V.L. Locey, age gap…done well and hot? Plus an intelligent nerd with a thing for great hats, Mel Tormé, and a classic car? I’m all in!

Part of a 6 book-series, Hockey Allies Bid M/M Romance Collection from six different authors, Loving Layne is V.L. Locey’s addition to this terrific series.

A fan both of the game, the players, and LGBTQIA+ hockey romances, I loved a series about a group of Hockey Allies at a charity event and the romances that sprang from it.

Locey didn’t disappoint with two amazing characters here.

Roman Kennedy, a journalism major, who’s very background oozes ink for the presses, is on a mysterious road-trip with his college roommate and best friend to Chicago.

Ah , Roman. He’s the one with the beloved newshound grandfather in his past. The one who left him the stylishly older fashioned hats Roman wears, the music tracks and vinyl of music he listens to, and the classic car Roman inherited that he drives. Roman is that character you adore immensely.

The other main character is Layne Coleman, NHL hockey player, one year away from retirement. A ten year age gap but actually mentally and emotionally… no separation. They click! Like two pieces that immediately get each other.

Locey writes them as two souls who as they talk , it’s not just physical chemistry, but a meeting of two like minds… and hearts. So the reader is so on board with their romance and relationship.

Roman and Layne are great together. I love their section of this story.

There’s a drama that plays our quickly and a mystery that most will have figured out almost immediately.

The elements that I find , well if not likable, but then perhaps less dimensional, are Dillon, Mrs. Coleman, and Mrs North.

Maybe they have just less “page time” but whatever the reason they come across as less fleshed out then the main couple. Especially Dillon. He’s nothing but action and emotion. There doesn’t seem to be any real depth to him.

Which was fine, it was Layne and Roman I really cared about and they had a wonderful ending. I could even do with another story about them. I liked them that much!

Here’s another hockey romance winner from a author who’s great at both writing hockey and romance.

Grab it up and enjoy!

Here’s the entire series:

Hockey Allies Bid M/M Romance Collection:

◦ Guarding Garrett #1 by R.J. Scott

✓ Loving Layne #2 by V.L. Locey

◦ Keeping Kyle #3 by Jeff Adams

◦ Scoring Slater #4 by Susan Scott Shelley

◦ Absolving Ash #5 by Chantal Mer

https://www.goodreads.com › showLoving Layne by V.L. Locey – Goodreads

All Buy Links

Sometimes the last thing you expect to happen might turn out to be what you needed all along.

Roman Kennedy’s first trip to the Windy City isn’t going quite as planned. Mysteries intrigue him, and his best friend Dillon seems to be sitting on a whopper. So, with his grandfather’s favorite hat on his head and his notebook in hand, the journalism major starts digging. Sadly, getting his bestie to spill the beans on what the secret is isn’t as easy as Roman had hoped.

Now, through no fault of his own, he’s stuck in an expensive hotel attending a bachelor auction of all things. He’s surrounded by lumbering jocks who, he’s sure, are just waiting for the chance to poke fun at the skinny, gay Jewish guy. Imagine his surprise when one of the big lugs sits down with him and talks Bernstein and Woodward.

Layne Coleman is sexy as sin, smart as a whip, considerably older, and has the same passion for investigative journalism as Roman does. His deep blue eyes and dark hair make concentrating on anything but the soft kisses they’re now sharing difficult. Roman’s keen instincts are understandably clouded by romance, so when Dillon reveals his secret in a highly public way, it’s hard to say who is more stunned—Roman or Layne, the man at the center of it all.

Review: The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot (The Hitman’s Guide #3) by Alice Winters

Rating: 5 🌈

I have loved this series from the beginning. It’s full of outrageous humor, over-the-top action, and, frankly, just plain hilarious dynamics between two widely different yet charming characters who oddly fit each other perfectly.

Now it’s coming down to their wedding so of course someone wants to murder one of them.

And while the expected zaniness is enthusiastically embraced, narratively speaking , what was less apparent was that this novel was going to be emotionally moving and explore just how damaged Leland’s past has truly left him.

That’s erupts out here in the most traumatic way imaginable.

This aspect of the story allows us to see other depths of characters personalities not yet portrayed as well as bringing another warmth and element of humanity to Leland.

Is this my favorite story. I think so. It’s added Sarge as well. Adore that dog. And that whole out of control element. Hilarious.

We get to delve into Jackson’s past and his character further then before which is another fantastic situation here. Jackson has never had his past history given more than a few mere mentions here and there. Now we get a solid look at Jackson, the complete and complex man who’s the match for Leland.

Outstanding.

The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot is a tremendous way to send these two off to get their wedding vows. If there’s not another story, while I’ll be sad, this is still a great way to go out!

I’m highly recommending this story and series. But read them in the order they were written in to understand the progression of relationships development and characters personalities.

Definitely one of my favorite series of this author’s. So well written, great plots, sharp dialogue, humorous, moving, and characters to , well, almost die for.

Love it and them.

The Hitman’s Guide series:

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love #1

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Staying Alive Despite Past Mistakes #2

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot #3

Side Story:

😎The Former Assassin’s Guide to Snagging a Reluctant Boyfriend

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot by Alice Winters

Leland

Is a nice little wedding with Blow-up Randy and Jackson My Love too much to ask for? Clearly, because someone’s trying to kill one of us… again. Generally, this would be my thing and I would jump right in singing my murder song, but they want Jackson dead and I will do anything (and I mean anything) to keep him alive—including and not limited to: ten Dobermans, bulletproof glass, and dragging Cassel in with the promise of more Jerebear. These people have no idea what they’ve done targeting the man I love because I’m coming after them. But when it feels like everything might be lost, I start to understand that I have a family now who will stand by my side and do everything they can to make sure we end this on our terms.

Jackson

When someone attacks me, it’s clear they want something from me. The issue is that I have no idea who they are or what they’re after. And if I don’t figure it out soon, I’m afraid Leland is going to smother me with his overprotectiveness (or put me in a bubble at the top of a tower). The issue is that time is ticking and with the price tag on my head, there’s no telling who is coming for me or when.

Together, Leland and I have to decipher who is telling the truth in this game of life or death because I have plans to marry the man of my dreams and no one is going to stop me—especially with Leland by my side.

This 100k word book contains humor, action, romance, bad behavior on a golf course, sort of abducting a child who lacks kung fu power, enough car chases and shooting to make even Leland happy, and spontaneous singing.

Review: Sugar and Ice (Arizona Raptors #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.25🌈

I don’t know how I missed this the first time it was released but I’m all caught up now on a new favorite pair within the Arizona Raptors. That’s Tate Collins and Captain Vladislav Novikov. I do love me a Russian goalie ! If not Stan than definitely a Vlad!

Vlad with a potty mouthed parrot and a need to dominate? So hot. The scenes with Tate just about fog up the room. This is a couple who’s chemistry is wildly successful and off the charts because they are able to connect emotionally too.

Sugar and Ice is a story that I wish was actually longer in length because both characters have issues that could use deeper scrutiny as well as I just wanted more time with them.

For Vlad, he’s got a twin who plays professionally who’s as talented a hockey player as he is in Russia, along with the rest of his family. For a gay Russian , it’s safer politically, legally for his family in Russia for him to stay closeted. A sad and painful state of affairs.

For Tate, it’s a ex wife with mental health issues who’s determination to hurt him in the media that’s damaging him and his future.

Neither issue is examined to the extent it could be or as it was with Stan. With Tate , in fact, it was resolved extremely quickly. Both aspects of their pasts and story deserves a more detailed explanation.

However, this pair and their romance is so amazing that you take them to heart. I’d love a follow up novel after Vlad’s retirement. Or whenever. They are just that couple.

Colorado is a big character here and that’s because the next story is his. What a flamboyant, adorable man he is! Emu’s indeed!

Sugar and Ice (Arizona Raptors #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey is a terrific story with an incredible couple at its center.

It’s one I’m definitely recommending!

Arizona Raptors series:

✓ Coast to Coast #1

✓ Across the Pond #2

✓ Shadow and Light #3

✓ Sugar and Ice #4

✓ School and Rock #5

https://www.goodreads.com › showSugar and Ice (Arizona Raptors, #4) by R.J. Scott | Goodreads

Synopsis:

When love is on the line, the worst decisions can end up having the best endings.

Tate Collins, an all-American hockey phenomenon, was the highly marketable face of Dallas hockey. Loaded down with endorsements and playing his best game, he was a superstar and a household name. No one ever expected him to fail, but overnight, after the worst decision of his life, everything spirals out of his control. Abruptly, his reputation is in tatters, and he’s traded to the Arizona Raptors in a shocking move. Brushing off the wild and unfounded accusations that he faces on social media, and stuck on the second line, he keeps his head down and works hard to earn his spot. Tate knows he can make a difference if only his teammates would let him. Something has to change for him to earn their respect, but falling for the captain might not be his best move.

Vladislav Novikov has been called many things over his long and illustrious career, but the new nickname of Iceberg seems to fit best. Perhaps it’s due to his icy blue eyes, or the way he rams into opposing players as he defends his goalie. Or maybe it’s because of his cool demeanor when not playing the game he loves. Whatever the reason, it’s why he’s the perfect team captain for this wild bunch of puck-pushers. His perfectly controlled life is smooth as ice until Tate Collins rides into Tucson with his apple pie ways and those damn dimples. The young superstar immediately catches his eye. Despite knowing better than to start something with a teammate, the big, bad Iceberg is about to have that chilly veneer around his heart melted away by Tate one sweet kiss at a time.

Review: Logan (Chosen Champions #1) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4.25 🌈

Once again I seem to have stumbled onto a new author and new series with quite a few established characters, and a solid fantasy foundation set in place by multiple series that were released prior to this one. It’s a prospect that’s full of potential for a long and happy reader relationship if I love what I find here.

Turns out I do.

Blake gives her readers the essentials of her world building here at the beginning. The magical seal, the now divided realms with the human realm now hosting, without humanities knowledge , a wide spectrum of supernatural beings caught unawares when the door home “slammed shut”as it were.

It’s how those are doing here and who’s monitoring them that’s the series. And the prior ones as far as I can tell.

Blake breaks down her different series into factions dealing with this huge closure between worlds. I’m still a little vague on the Chosen Champions thing and how they factor into the big picture. Maybe that’s coming.

Logan starts the beginning of the Chosen Champions. Each of the supernaturals who are already a secret police team are individuals that have made appearances elsewhere in other series.

Since I’m new to it all, I can say it doesn’t make a huge difference not to have read those stories prior to this one. It’s other parts of each man’s/beings past that will become a pivotal storyline in each novel.

For Logan, it’s his pack-less status, the history behind that, and his lack of mate. Those huge issues drive him emotionally, including denying his instincts as a Alpha to form a pack.

Macy Blake has a interesting group of supernaturals as Logan’s friends and team. From a dragon, a griffin, a vampire, a wolf from another family, and an enigmatic boss who’s only heard but never seen, it’s a tight knit grab bag of talents and history.

Bailey Cairn on the other hand is all human, a talented chef, exhausted student about to graduate with a business degree, loyal friend, and a bit insecure about himself.

Blake’s characters are well crafted, and relatable, whether they’re human or supernatural. Bailey comes with a small close group of college friends who’ve formed a found family amongst themselves with Bailey as the centering force. We soon find ourselves as familiar with this small human “family “ as we are with Logan’s team.

A linked series of horrific attacks pull both groups together.

A two person pov format works very well , especially in a story with a suspense element. Blake gives each character plenty of narrative time to explore their personality, history, and current situation before moving to the other person. It moves between them as needed while remaining balanced.

Blake does tackle the damage past trauma inflicts on a person and the continuing pain it carries. I appreciate that’s an element the author carries from one story to the next. These men understand how attacks this brutal traumatize people and bring up therapy to try to heal the pain within.

There’s humor to allay the suspense, sexy heat to go along with high action. Logan is an exciting, fast-paced supernatural romance. I enjoyed it immensely.

Moving now to Gideon! That’s the sexy vampire in Logan’s pack….

I’m thrilled to find a new series and author! I’m recommending both

Chosen Champions series:

✓ Logan #1

◦ Gideon #2

◦ Aleron #3 – coming March 22, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showLogan (Chosen Champions #1) by Macy Blake – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Logan Moore is a leader without a pack…

And after the rejection he faced from his last pack, he’s not sure he wants one. But when a mysterious benefactor he nicknames The Oracle offers Logan the chance to use his military expertise to lead a group of misfit shifters to protect the creatures of the magical realm, Logan’s wolf won’t allow him to say no.

Bailey Cairn is a man without a protector…

And for the entirety of his very human life, he hasn’t needed one. But when his friend is attacked at a bar, sweet, caretaker Bailey is drawn into a world he hadn’t known existed. A world full of secrets, and magic. A world full of danger… and gorgeous, protective Logan.

But if Bailey and Logan want to break the chains of the past, they’ll have to learn to trust each other and themselves, and start to believe in things that are bigger than they are…

That magic exists.

That packs are about more than blood ties.

That sometimes true love is a matter of fate.

And that heroes aren’t made…they’re Chosen.

Review: Ghost of Truth (Medium Trouble #2) by Alice Winters

Rating: 2.5

It’s always the second book that seals the deal one way or the other. In this case , it the flag that tells me go no further.

I like Alice Winters. Her books are normally characterized by such great elements like well-developed complicated plots, multi dimensional characters with great chemistry , and snappy intelligent dialogue.

None of which is on display here.

Based on the two books I’ve finished, the series reads like something scribbled off while completing other high priority books. The storylines are plodding. The culprits spotted easily and immediately. And any supposed mystery is so far from some being a surprise that it’s less a revelation, more a eye roll.

But the real issue lies with the main characters.

I had an issue with Hiro in the first story but thought that his lack of communication with his partner and friends had been worked through.

No. Hiro is, apparently, what I term a TSTC character. That’s a To Stupid To Communicate character. A type that’s right up there with the TSTL characters, often they are the same .

Aspects of their personality include a inability to tell anyone around them major plot points that they need to know, often to survive, even though every rational person would do so immediately.

Especially the person closest to them, which proceeds to put that person (and others) at the greatest risk. Duh.

Other elements include running into danger ; for example when you suspect a person , someone who has been acting VERY differently ( like pulling a gun on you) , then asks you to get in the car. You know things like that. Then… not telling or communicating that to anyone!

Yep. TSTC. That’s Hiro. For the entire book.

What does poor Maddox do? Spend the book angry and chasing after him. Plus wondering where he is, because, you know, no communication.

Even the ghosts are irritated with him.

I get that.

At the end, with a miserable sort of pulled together finish to their case which gives no one any satisfaction, the author tries to offer up a hint of a mystery about the final days of a major character. But , to show you how bad this series is, you can already guess the answer and who exactly the bad guys are.

Before that third book is even out! Because everything here is one dimensional, even the mysteries. Nancy Drew would have passed on this one as being too easy.

So if you’re like me and you like this author, I’m not recommending this book or series. There are , imo, far superior series and novels in her library.

Instead head over to her Hitman’s Guide or the fantastic VRC: Vampire Related Crimes series. Her character , Finn, a double amputee, is as engaging and complex as they come.

Medium Trouble series:

✓ Ghost of Lies #1

✓ Ghost of Truth #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showGhost of Truth (Medium Trouble, #2) by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Hiro
When I first realized that I could see the dead, I never imagined that it would allow me to help save the lives of others and pull me into Detective Maddox Booker’s path. Through my ability, ghosts have become some of my greatest friends and allies.

But now, someone’s dead and his ghost is gone. Ghosts have sought my help for my entire life, wanting to be heard, but something is keeping them quiet, almost hostile as our search for the ghost of the dead man leads us to a small village. Even though everything looks normal on the outside, I’m starting to wonder what’s happening on the inside.

Maddox
Life is better than it’s ever been. Hiro’s by my side and has brought my best friend Reggie back into my life—if we can consider Reggie’s harassment (even as a ghost) a positive. And even Hiro’s horde of ghosts won’t keep me from asking him to move in with me. The only issue is that work is never quiet, especially when Hiro is able to dive into a whole new side of a case by speaking to the victims of the dead.

But when someone takes Hiro from me in the middle of the night, I know that I will do absolutely anything to get him back, and I will make them pay for what they’ve done.

Ghost of Truth is full of action, mystery, humor, and romance. Though more is planned for this couple, the mystery is solved and there is a happy ending.

Review: Misfit Mage (Fledgling God #1) by Michael Taggert

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Misfit Mage, the first book in the Fledgling God series by Michael Taggert , is a brutal, vastly entertaining, and imaginative introduction to this new to me author and great universe.

A world where the supernaturals are ruthlessly hunting for power or power sources, with methods brutal, cruel, and often final, those recently awakened to those powers don’t have long to grow into them. Often too weak to survive, they are easy prey , power fodder for those stronger then themselves.

But the mundane world hasn’t a clue such viciousness exists.

Taggert creates one young man about to find out in the worst manner possible, exactly how close the magical world exists to his.

Jason Cole is a survivor. He’s also inventive, amusing, kind, and emotionally a walking soul bruise. His past has left him damaged but scrappy. In short, Jason is someone we can easily connect with.

And we do. Especially as Jason is put through rather a lot. Physically and emotionally. But mostly physically. When I say parts of this book are brutal, I mean it. Jason is attacked and the descriptions are harsh and raw. He takes a real beating. More than once. On the page. So if this is a issue or trigger , be prepared to skip over this section.

What you will delight in? The magic here. Taggert doesn’t just have a character wave a hand … and then there’s magic. Nope!

This author decided to go into the mechanics of his magic, which is fascinating. It’s on a cellular level plus there’s another element that’s tonal. So many outstanding magical threads here. Plus Taggert does so without taking away any of the wonder and awesomeness that makes a urban fantasy so unforgettable.

Taggert gives us matrixes, dancing pink cells, magical flying Grannies with Dustbusters, zooming Red energy Dots with feathers, Miniature Magical Miners, and so much more. It’s incredibly entertaining, vastly amusing, and so inventive that as a reader I’m just waiting to see what Taggert and his characters come up with next!

There’s a found family being established within a sentient House, a foundation of magic and history that’s slowly being rolled out too.

Oh there’s cats and kittens. Kittens are Life. And hugely important as characters. You will adore them, especially one.

It’s almost as though we get a magical cultural smorgasbord in some respects to entertain us. For me it absolutely works. I can envision it and it makes me laugh.

Misfit Mage is primarily concerned with Jason’s intro into his new world and the people that will become his found family. It’s also his first real look at its realities and the enemies he and his friends face.

A harsh new yet amazing world. One that gets steadily better as we advance into the next installment, Melee Mage.

I’m steadfast in my love for this small group of people who are still revealing themselves and growing their powers. So it’s a winner and one I’m definitely recommending!

Fledgling God series:

Misfit Mage #1

Melee Mage #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showFledgling God #1 – Misfit Mage – Goodreads

Synopsis:

He went searching for a fresh start. He didn’t expect to find unusual friends, fierce enemies, and primal powers.

Jason thought that it was the end of his life after being hunted and attacked by a band of ruthless thugs. Instead, he tapped into the source of creation and emerged from his Death Experience with magical powers.

As a new mage, Jason finds himself part of a wonderful – and dangerous – new supernatural world. He also finds himself in the middle of a mage war as he becomes part of an unlikely group of protectors who are defending a mystical mansion from those who want to destroy it.

Jason has little power, and the band of misfits are on the losing side, until he discovers he can see and manipulate magic at a remarkable level. What he detects begins his journey into discovering how his new powers really work, and just might be the edge that they need to survive.

If you like witty dialogue, diverse characters, magic that feels real, and intense action, then you will love this LGBTQ urban fantasy. Buy Misfit Mage today and step into a new enchanted world.

Review: Never Stay Gone (Big Bend Texas Rangers #1) by Tal Bauer

Rating: 4.5 🌈

I’ve been so busy with fantasy and contemporary romances that I’ve neglected one really great action suspense author. Tal Bauer.

Tal Bauer writes just amazing stories. Ones that might include such elements as government agencies and military spies, secret missions, and any number of inside sub terrorist organizations to deal with. Along with folding in a wonderful romance to boot.

Never Stay Gone is the author’s first story in his new Big Bend Texas Rangers series and it’s great. Jam-packed with so many of my favorite tropes, it’s a fast paced murder mystery and a second chance at a revived passionate relationship as two men race to find a killer. All throughout the unforgettable location of Big Bend Texas.

It’s starts with a terrifying find of a body dump by Deputy Shane Carson out in the desert wilds of Big Bend country Texas. It’s our initial introduction to the murder victims and one of the main characters.

Shane Carson is a small town’s native son who’s never lived up to its and his family’s huge expectations for him. He carries the years of his “failures” heavily. But Bauer’s created a more damaged man then evidenced on the outside.

Only by flashes of his past and glimpses into bits of his relationships with those outside of work does the reader realize Shane’s floundering there too.

It’s a realistic, painful portrait of a man deeply in trouble.

The reason why appears in the form of Texas Ranger Dakota Jennings, who’s been pulled by the Governor herself to handle the investigation into the multiple murders.

One reason? His history with the region and people. Second? One of the bodies worked for the Governor.

Dakota Jennings is as complex a man, albeit in a completely different way then Shane. Each man was damaged by their past with each other. Neither has ever moved forward.

How Shane and Dakota handle their reunion amidst murder, multiple investigations, heartbreak, forgiveness and redemption is a remarkable story.

It’s so compelling from just the personal elements alone as each man grapples with the past and the trauma it’s done to them. Add to that the police work as they track the killer and trace the identities of each victim. So gritty and tough.

This has first/only love, coming out, lovers reunited, second chance at love, hurt/comfort…all set in the dry open spaces of Big Bend country in Texas as a murderer tries to escape justice. It’s thrilling, heartbreaking, and an amazing suspenseful read!

I can’t wait to see where the series takes us!

If you’re not familiar with Tal Bauer, this is a wonderful place to start. I’m highly recommending this!

Big Bend Texas Rangers series:

Never Stay Gone #1

https://www.goodreads.com › showNever Stay Gone (Big Bend Texas Rangers #1) by Tal Bauer – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Six bodies in a single grave… in the same West Texas country where Dakota left everything behind.

Every beat of my heart belongs to you.

Thirteen years ago, Dakota Jennings thought he’d found his forever when he fell in love with Shane Carson. But one afternoon shattered their love story, and both Dakota and Shane left Rustler, Texas, with broken hearts. Even now, Dakota is still feeling the agony of losing Shane. Sure, he’s a Texas Ranger, but that’s not how he wanted to live his life. All he ever wanted was to love Shane.

Loving you is the only time I feel alive.

Shane’s life was supposed to be different than this. There’d been a plan, ever since he was knee-high to his father. But falling for Dakota spun Shane’s world upside down, and for years, Shane has had nothing but the memories of all that he lost: Dakota’s gentle touch, and the sweetness of his lips, and the star-strewn nights they spent wrapped in each other’s arms.

West of the Pecos, there is no law.

When the Rangers get the call about six bodies being pulled out of a mass grave in West Texas, the governor sends Dakota to run the investigation. Dakota heads back to his hometown and comes face-to-face with the last man he ever expected to see again: only now, he’s Deputy Shane Carson… Dakota’s local partner assigned to the case.

There’s nothing Dakota wants more than a second chance with Shane, but so much is stacked against them: six corpses, a murderer on the loose, and history that refuses to stay buried. And the bodies keep piling up as Dakota and Shane try to run the killer down across the West Texas plains.

In a moment, everything changes: the hunters become the hunted, the past fractures, and all Dakota thought he knew comes tumbling down. Secrets break wide open as Dakota remembers–

This is West Texas, and out here, nothing is as it seems.

Big Bend County is a place of beauty and desolation, of secrets and small towns. Where the past and the present collide, and where nothing stays hidden forever.

This MM romantic suspense is the first in the new Big Bend Texas Rangers series. Come along for the West Texas sunsets, the heart-pounding thrills, and the hard-won Happy Ever Afters.

Review: Fluke and the Faithless Father (Fantastic Fluke #2) by Sam Burns

Rating: 5 🌈💫

After reading The Fantastic Fluke I had to immediately go to the next in the series to see what happens next. Imagine how surprised I was to find this (and probably all the other books) flow seamlessly from one to another.

The beginning here is exactly the last paragraphs of the ending of the first book so the narrative continues perfectly, picking up where the events left everyone evaluating how to go forward.

All the characters I have gotten to love, and a few I despise, are back. The interpersonal relationships are deepening. And the character growth and magical revelations just connect me even more closely with mage Sage McKinley, and his incredible found family that includes his cowboy mage (former ghost) boyfriend Gideon, his fabulous mage grandmother Iris McKinley and her staff/family as well as Rufus her familiar, Sage’s BFF and store partner Beez, Freddy, and last but never ever least … the amazing familiar Fluke the fox! Unfortunately there’s still Sage’s dads who are both a huge part of this story.

Both of them had enormous roles in damaging and traumatizing Sage, a element that has continued into the present. His biological father has remained in the bookstore Sage inherited, albeit in ghostly form, to taunt him daily, not content to have been just a miserable, horrible father to Sage while living.

The man Sage had loved and thought of as his real father and family, until he watched him murder his mother, is behind bars, convicted of the same murder that almost took Sage’s life too. And left him traumatized.

Both men and Sage’s past return here with real emotional impact.

I love found family stories and Burns is building a remarkable one while crafting a urban fantasy arc full of magic and mystery and quite a few murders.

Throw in how much damage a parent can inflict on a child’s personality by abuse, neglect, or, stunningly, unforeseen betrayal and murder, as Burns gives us a heartbreaking portrait of damaged adolescence and survival. And not just Sage’s.

Fluke and The Faithless Father is such a great story because of perseverance and strength and even grace shown by those under such awful conditions here. And the way in which they all triumph as they head to the next challenges.

It made me want to go back to the beginning and meet them all again, to see what I may have missed, recapture their wonderful spirits, before we head onto the next step.

I can already tell this is a journey I’ll want to take again with this remarkable family.

I’m highly recommending this book and series.

Again, a glorious cover.

The Fantastic Fluke Series:

✓ The Fantastic Fluke #1

✓ Fluke and the Faithless Father #2

◦ Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco #3

◦ Fluke and the Frontier Farce #4 – coming in 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showFluke and the Faithless Father by Sam Burns – Goodreads

Synopsis:

After escaping a murderer and resurrecting his boyfriend, Sage figures he deserves a little time to recover.

Unfortunately, life is rarely fair.

So instead of a break, he gets to deal with a magical law enforcement rookie asking uncomfortable questions about his brush with death. The quaesitor is acting downright suspicious. Or is it suspiciously?

Things go from awkward to dangerous when the man who murdered Sage’s mother is released from prison, and soon after there’s a break-in at the bookstore. The situation escalates so fast that Sage is afraid he’s going to end up with whiplash. Or worse, end up dead. He wanted a break, but not a permanent one.

Fluke and the Faithless Father is a direct sequel to The Fantastic Fluke, and should not be read first. It is an ~85k word novel that follows the continuing adventures of Sage, Fluke, Gideon, and their whole family, found and otherwise.

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