Category: M/M Paranormal Fiction

Review: Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles (Jon’s Mysteries Case Book 5) by A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 4.75🌈

A crossover story with Sherwood’s Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations series, Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles is a great entertaining, somewhat terrifying white knuckle thriller of a murderous paranormal mystery story.

That it contains laughs, some kinky sex, cats, yeeted tombstones, multiple characters we’ve come to love between two series, and ghosts out the wahzoo! You should sort of expect that.

It all starts with Grant (who does get a story, see below) being called in to find a missing teenager, only to discover that she’s dead.

That leads to a phone call to the Psy gang , that includes Reader extraordinaire Jonathan Bane, his fiancée and anchor Donovan Havili , computer genius Cho and more.

Sherwood quickly turns a simple murder case into something that keeps building up into a chilling conspiracy of hate and violence. One body at a time. It’s a great element and storyline.

And it makes perfect sense to bring in all the other characters, like FBI medium MacKenzie Lafayette and his anchor and partner in every way,

Brandon Havili, to help with the cases and ghosts.

More familiar faces arrive to assist as the suspects, anxiety, and sheer body counts ramp up. So does the danger to our group.

The final chapters are really impressive in building to a narrative climax,making a high action, suspenseful, screaming banshee type of last play before everything is solved and the good guys can go safely home and enjoy their lives.

In other words, a fabulous tale.

Sherwood has mentioned she has one more book in each series and then they each are done.

So I’ll treasure this and wait for that.

And highly recommend the series. Read them in the order they are written.

Jon’s Mysteries Case series:

✓ Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case #1

✓ Jon’s Crazy Head-Boppin’ Mystery #2

✓ Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum #3

✓ Jon’s Boom Shaka Laka Problem #4

✓ Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles #5

Buy Link:

Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles (Jon’s Mysteries Case Book 5)

Description:

It’s like a bad game of Telephone.

Grant locates a murdered teen in McMinnville. He calls Jon.

Jon locates the girl’s ghost. He calls Mack.

Mack talks to the ghost who leads them to more ghosts. Who lead them to even more ghosts.

And why are all the murder victims buried under trees?

The boys are ready for this game to end, please. (Donovan especially.)

Tags:

Jon’s World crossover, hail hail the gang’s all here, oh look we meet Grant, trees are not to be trusted, according to Donovan, ya’ll pray for Donovan, there’s so many ghosts, the ghosts have some WORDS to share, car sex, bondage sex, Mack has plans, so of course they get ruined, BAMF female cops, Jon and Mack are ready for this case to be over, please and thank you, serial killer(s)? running amok, people get tombed, literally, Eli’s mad she missed the fun, Mack would like to say: Don’t use Jon as a battery, seriously don’t do it

Related series/books:

Alan’s Utterly Accidental Dream-Cute: A Jon’s Mysteries Side Story (Jon’s Mysteries Case)

Review: Violent Mistake (Blackrose Brotherhood #2) by Ariana Nash

Rating: 4.25🌈

We met Kazi, aka Kazimir Skokan, vampire, who’s public face is that of a international internet sensation, a interesting facade for a member of a secretive society of powerful paranormal beings.

That’s the Brotherhood, a group of vampires hunting another equally ancient faction of vampires with a different allegiance towards the gods and the human race. It’s control Vs Chaos basically.

He’s on a kill mission when the story opens. His target a true crime reporter, Felix Quaid, with his Unexplained in Maine podcast, who refuses to stop digging into the affairs of the Brotherhood. Felix has to go.

Only the enemy intervenes.

Nash builds a story much like a traditional Smith Island cake, just one layer after another, until you have a thin, multiple level wonder. You may not be sure of what you’re getting until you’ve cut into it, grabbing that slice of scrumptiousness, finished it, and savoring all the ingredients.

That’s how I feel about all the many, many elements Nash introduces here and in the previous book. It’s like I’m staring at the cake but don’t know how it’s all going to work out yet.

It’s a lot and very ambitious. Here we have Kazi and Felix, their story and relationship. It veers off onto another continent. Picks up Felix’s history with his family. Picks up Kazi’s bloody backstory. What does get sidelined is the manner in which Felix “ lost” everything, his podcast, etc. That’s a fairly important thing to lose track of. But we do get a tiny glimpse into Felix’s family life. Kazi’s journey is rooted in history and location. Nash was outstanding in both.

But Nash has a lot of narrative ground to cover. We have to establish a meaningful relationship between two former enemies, bring about a change of heart within Kazi about humans and their role in the world (as well as with himself). Nash also has the enemy there to expound on their own destiny, mission, you know how a big bad absolutely MUST make speeches about themselves. It’s in the Evil Handbook. All the while, moving the storylines forward with enormous amounts of drama and angst.

There’s several really great twists, one that’s going to bring the sniffles out as well.

But the author isn’t finished. Smith Island Cake remember? There’s genetics, explosions, betrayals (sorry, but everyone will see who the baddie is in this instance), and more loose end mysteries. All that isn’t revealed or relayed in any satisfactory manner in the story other than bare minimum at the end.

At the end, I just had way too many unanswered questions to the unresolved aspects of this story to feel satisfied. I really liked it, but didn’t love it.

And really know one is talking about Mikalis to each other?

There’s no mention yet of the next installment. I’ll be waiting for an update.

I find the elements and promise here fascinating. If you’re a fan of this author and paranormal fiction, you decide whether to wait until more of this series is released to read the stories or read along as they are published.

I’m recommending it because I’m just as curious as the rest of you.

Blackrose Brotherhood series:

✓ Violent Desire #1

✓ Violent Mistake #2

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showViolent Mistake (Blackrose Brotherhood #2) by Ariana Nash

Description:

Internet sensation Kazimir Skokan, is loved around the world for his luxury photoshoots and envious lifestyle. But Felix Quaid has never hated a man more. Ex-investigative journalist turned true-crime podcaster, Felix knows something is off with playboy Kazi. From the late-night back-alley meetings to the people around him who later vanish, behind Kazimir’s flashy smile, he’s rotten to his core. Not to mention rumors of darker, dangerous, some-say supernatural occurrences around Kazimir. Felix even has photos to prove it.

But the last time he tried to expose Kazimir Skokan, his story was inexplicably shut down, taking Felix’s career as a journalist with it. Kazimir owes him the truth. And Felix is going to make sure the whole world knows it.

*

Kazi has new orders. Kill Felix Quaid. The Blackrose brotherhood leader, Mikalis, is never wrong. But in this, Kazi disagrees. Sure, Quaid is a pest, perhaps even a stalker, but no more than any other overzealous fan. Still, what Mikalis wants, Mikalis gets. And what’s another dead meat-bag to Kazi anyway? He stopped caring who lived and who died long ago.

Making Quaid disappear should have been easy. But in Quaid’s final, crucial moments, a pack of cult members kidnap them both, mistaking Quaid for a member of the brotherhood. Now, trapped together, their time running out, Kazi must work with Quaid if they’re to survive the insane Nyx-worshipping acolytes.

But as soon as they escape, Mikalis’s orders will still stand: Quaid must die.

Kazi thought he’d long ago given up on caring who lived and who died. Apparently, he was wrong…

*

Sparks fly in the second book in the all-new gay vampire psychopathic romance. Please note these books contain morally grey characters, unlikable heroes, enemies to lovers, and all the Ariana Nash angst you didn’t know you needed.

Each book in the series follows a new MM couple and ends in a HEA/HFN. This series is fast burn.

Review: Violent Desire (Blackrose Brotherhood #1) by Ariana Nash

Rating: 4.25🌈

I’m a fan of Ariana Nash’s books. This author’s highly imaginative ability to create exciting stories and interesting , layered characters in urban fantasy or paranormal worlds just captivates me.

Violent Desire sees Nash plunging into the world of chaos and darkness by way of warring factions of vampires, unknown to the human population. It’s a campaign that spreads across the globe and has been ongoing for centuries. Perhaps since the beginning of creation.

Nash starts In immediately with the dark elements. It’s that sort of story that comes with trigger warnings at the beginning.

Everyone here is a murderous sort of person. The body count is extremely high. These aren’t your sparkly vampires. Even the “good guy “ vampires aren’t especially good. All are killers, just with more rules.

Nash threads the world building with more myths and mysteries than actual facts which is a bit frustrating but probably speaks towards the plots coming in the future stories, if I’m picking up on the hints here.

Trust no one. Got it.

Det.Eric Sharpe is a grieving, determined man on a course of revenge when we meet him. That’s the first layer, which when pealed away when a plan goes so wrong, reveals the brutalized, traumatized man his broken mind has tried to forget.

Nash does this type of character so well. Someone who’s undergone immense trauma, undeniable pain and suffering, been brutalized and is still struggling with the mental and emotional effects. In Eric’s case, it’s even more complicated because his is has its origins in something so monstrous no one believed him.

It’s such a great hook. As one of our narrators, it pulls you in emotionally and you stay connected, even as he struggles through the darkness of his past. FYI, trigger warnings.

The other narrator is a vampire. Honestly, I found him less compelling, at least until towards the end. Zaine, one of the Brotherhood. It’s hard for Zaine, even as a vampire, to match up with the pathos and complexity that is Eric. We just get bits and pieces of Zaine’s history, a lot of posturing at Atlas, the headquarters of the Brotherhood, but not a ton of depth.

The hunt is focused around a old vampire named Sebastian, who has ties to Eric. So the story’s narrative “dance” remains in many respects on Eric and Sebastian, not Eric and Zaine. And the boss of the Brotherhood. Hmmmmm.

Plus there’s so many twists that Nash is weaving into the series and story that have no solution here. Fascinating mysteries that will flow all the way through the series and probably other characters, as has happened with other series.

So I’m recommending this book and I’m onto the next.

It features another couple. That should be interesting. I’ll let you know. I always am up for new takes on the paranormal and their origins. Should be quite the ride!

Blackrose Brotherhood series:

✓ Violent Desire #1

◦ Violent Mistake #2

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showViolent Desire (Blackrose Brotherhood #1) by Ariana Nash

Description:

Twelve immortals, twelve outcasts, one mission.
To kill their own kind, before it’s too late.

Detective, killer, vigilante. Eric Sharpe is tired of watching criminals walk free. When a lowlife drug dealer kills his partner and escapes justice, Eric plots his own revenge. His plan is faultless but for one thing: the handsome, mysterious man who arrives moments before Eric’s plan comes to fruition. Not only does the mysterious man know Eric’s an undercover cop, he knows exactly what Eric did fifteen years ago—an event so traumatic Eric has been trying to bury it ever since. And the mysterious man? Fifteen years ago, Eric killed him.


Now he’s back to reclaim what’s his: Detective Eric Sharpe.

Immortal, predator, vampire. After betraying himself and the Blackrose Brotherhood fifty years ago, Zaine can’t afford another mistake. There’s one rule above all others the Brotherhood stand by. One rule that can never be broken. Never, ever care. All Zaine has to do is hunt and kill the savage nyktelios vampires and keep his head down. And he was doing just fine until he saved Detective Eric Sharpe from a vicious vampire attack. He can’t stop thinking about the intelligent, handsome, haunted man. Walking away is the right thing to do, but the detective and Zaine are hunting the same killer—a vampire who knows more about both of them and the Brotherhood than anyone realizes.

A vampire seeking to bring down the Brotherhood for good.

Zaine can’t walk away. Eric won’t walk away. The vampire must be stopped, Brotherhood rules be damned, and they’ll go down fighting together to end him.

***

Violent Desire is the first book in an all-new fast-burn MM paranormal romance series. Each book features a new gay couple ending in a HEA/HFN.

Content notice: These are adult books with dark content. These vampires do not sparkle. They’re relentless in their mission. They do bad things for good reasons, and some do good things for terrible reasons. They DO NOT CARE. The members of the brotherhood have been described as psychopaths with fangs.

For content warning, see the paperback copyright page.

Review: Twice Bitten: A Blood Bonds novella (Mismatched Mates Book 9) by Eliot Grayson

Rating: 4.5🌈

Twice Bitten is a great example why I enjoy the writing of Eliot Grayson. Its well written, snarky, it’s characters have great back stories and layered personalities.

Located in Grayson’s Blood Bonds series universe, Twice Bitten is the story of two bitter Paranormals , one a vampire enforcer with a secret. The other a werewolf Alpha seeking a wayward mate who’s caused unbearable damage in his wake. They cross paths when the Alpha, Jack comes looking for aid outward his own territory in locating his mate and finds Angelo, the high ranking enforcer for the Vampire whose territory he’s in.

Grayson’s tale then starts revealing all the details about the paranormal politics surrounding Jack’s arrival in their territory, Angelo’s past and current emotional struggles with mates and mating, and the secrets that lie behind the scenes.

All that drama, and it’s not without humor. There’s some wonderful moments of comedy.

The two person POV works to give the reader advantage as to the characters secrets and struggles before they reveal them to the other person. So we get a better understanding of their motivations for their actions and emotions.

I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the other Blood Bond stories but it’s not necessary to read them to understand this.

My only slight regret is that I felt that Angelo’s issue was handled, off page, too quickly and conveniently, for the powerful aspect that it was to his character. I felt it should have been a bigger part of the ending.

That aside, I really enjoyed the story, this couple, and their journey towards a HEA.

I’m highly recommending it. And check out the Mismatched Mates series too if a Paranormal romance is your thing!

Mismatched Mates series:

✓ The Alpha’s Warlock #1

◦ Captive Mate #2

✓ A Very Armitage Christmas #3

✓ First Blood #4

◦ The Alpha Experiment #5

◦ Lost and Bound #6

◦ Lost Touch #7

◦ The Alpha Contract #8

✓ Twice Bitten (A Blood Bonds Novella) #9

Description:

A werewolf walks into a vampire bar… ouch.

Vampire enforcer Angelo has enough problems already, and a tall, dark, and irritating alpha werewolf is the last thing he needs.

With his cheating, murderous mate on the run, Jack’s looking for help from the local authorities—who assign Angelo to solve the problem quickly.

They don’t have anything in common on paper, but sharing magical compatibility, a sense of humor, and a common goal can build a bond—whether mundane or otherwise. Even when another bond’s impossible…

Warning: Contains magical attack scorpions, knotting, and a vampire who’s desperate to avoid ruining his suit, falling in love, or other catastrophes. Spoiler alert: He falls in love. Does he ruin his suit, though? Read and find out! Happy ending guaranteed.

Review: Cat’s Chance in Hell:(Charm City Chronicles Book 2) by Meghan Maslow

Rating: 4.75🌈

It was so easy to fall back into Meghan Maslow’s rich paranormal universe of Charm City Chronicles. Baltimore or if you’re local then it’s “Bawlmer” or “Bawl-ah-mur.” A city so rich in varied cultures, a startling variety of architectural styles, and history that it’s a place to overwhelm your senses. In good and, *cough* bad ways.

Maslow’s setting is both a love letter and an acknowledgment of the reality of life in every aspect and area of that old (by American standards) city. Resting place of Poe, birthplace of the nation’s anthem, with the wildness of the Bay at its side, surely magic must exist there.

As it does in the series. Vampires, werewolves, shifters, and a Demon! Oh my!

In Demon’s In The Details, our initial introduction to the Demon Tommy Tittoti and his mate, the Raven shifter, Poe Dupin, we met Tommy’s assistant, Carter Strike.

Sassy, snarky, sexy Siamese shifter, Carter Strike. Exceptionally gifted when it comes to gathering information about Tommy’s enemies, he’s not afraid to take risks to get what he’s looking for.

We instantly adored him. And wanted more.

We get it when he runs through and smack into Bengal Damon-Cowles, the Roger or head of the South-West Baltimore territory. That starts an explosive relationship between him and Damon-Cowles, a Rakshasa, a powerful being of secretive origins.

Maslow’s story has launched a new storyline with this book that’s full of mystery, packed with potential dread and suspense for all our favorite characters going forward, and yes, there’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end.

There’s just no way to go into any aspect of this book without giving away some secrets or important information that would spoil something for the reader.

I will say I wasn’t expecting the romance elements and that turned out to be so very satisfying.

Now I need that all important next installment. Asap!

I’m definitely recommending this. But if cliffhangers make you crazy, you decide if you want to wait until the next book is released and then read one after the other.

I’ve listed the books in the order below.

Charm City Chronicles:

✓ Demon’s In The Details

✓ Cat’s Chance In Hell

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Cats-Ch…Cat’s Chance in Hell: An MM Paranormal Romance (Charm City Chronicles Book 2)

Description:

When a feline fatale meets his magical match, Baltimore might just go up in flames.

I, Carter Strike, Siamese shifter extraordinaire and a powerful demon’s right-hand cat . . .er, man, have a job to do. My boss’ boy toy is in the crosshairs of an unknown assassin. And when my boss is unhappy, all of Charm City burns.

That’s where I come in. Intel is my specialty and leads me to the doorstep of one drop-dead gorgeous but annoyingly secretive Rakshasa.

Bengal Damon-Cowles—even his name is obnoxious—runs South-West Baltimore and is nothing if not frustratingly contrary. I don’t care if he is a demi-god among shifters, I don’t need the complications from a sexy as sin Rakshasa with the utter gall to turn down a fine piece of feline-fantasy like myself. Especially when we’re forced to work together. Except, every day we spend in close proximity turns up the heat between us.

A roomful of secrets, a looming Nor’Easter, and friends with questionable—or nonexistent—morals, add gasoline to the blaze. As the stakes climb ever higher, and people start dying, I’ve got a cat’s chance in hell of coming out of this one unscorched.

Cat’s Chance in Hell is a 113k snarktastic, size difference, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, car-careening-out-of-control romance with a guaranteed happy ending and lots of steam. Shenanigans include: a catnapping gone very, very wrong, a hot pot incident that will go down in infamy, and a Rakshasa with more layers than a Smith Island Cake.

Review: Born This Way by Macy Blake

Rating: 2.5🌈

I didn’t realize it until I read the author’s note but this was originally published under a different pen name in 2012 in a shortened version. It shows it’s older origin in so many ways.

Blake states she revised and edited it before rereleasing it under Macy Blake but it really demonstrates how much this author has grown as a writer from 2012 to now, no matter how much it’s been revised.

There’s no universe building so we’ve no idea the world the characters exist in. Those same characters have no real history related or even chemistry to pull us into their relationship. It’s instant mating drive no matter what one might argue.

We have some rather strange narrative decisions, ones clearly made after the fact. For example, a human lives with a Lion pack as part of the pack for the majority of his life, but the fact they actually have an animal side, do Lion type things unnerves him? No real reason for him being there. It’s so disjointed.

And , a major peeve of mine , a disappearing pet.

As in:

“Dayton snuggled up on his couch surrounded by lots of cushions to support his arm and tried to relax. His cat, Cookie, curled up on his chest and purred.”

That’s the first and only time Cookie the cat makes an appearance. Cookie then goes poof for the remainder of the story. No explanation.

I could make a long list of things that happened narratively that make a reader go “wait, so that happens?” But it would be a page long and that’s more time than I think this review needs.

If you want to read this, do so as a fan of the author to appreciate the work she’s now putting out and exactly how far she’s come since 2012.

Otherwise, if you’re a fan of paranormal fiction and romance, there’s others out there I’d recommend, including books released by this author more recently.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Born-T…Born This Way: A Paranormal Fated Mates Romance – Kindle edition by Blake, Macy …

Description:

Even a human like me knows that to a shifter, pack is everything. So when my best friend asks me to check up on her brother—a lion/tiger hybrid who was been banished from his own pride—I agree…

And find out I’m his fated mate.

Hart’s been through a lot, and I know it. The circumstances of his birth made him an outcast, and those scars run deep. He’s also got a million excuses for why he never came back to claim me the way he says he wanted to.

But when he sees me on his doorstep and suddenly decides to make up for lost time… well, let’s just say I’m not falling for it.

Claiming is a forever thing. And nothing about Hart Sherman with his fancy career and solitary lifestyle says he wants forever with small-town guy like me.

If he wants me to believe he’s serious, he’ll have to prove it. By finding a place in the pride for the amazing man he made himself… and for the liger he was born to be.

Review: Devil May Care ( The Reckless Damned Book 2) by Lark Taylor

Rating: 4.5🌈

I enjoyed the first book, but it didn’t really prepare me for the layered narrative and twists I found in Devil May Care, the second book in the Reckless Damned series.

Moving onto the tiny, vicious Harlow, the brother often underestimated for his small size and flamboyance, Harlow has moved through lovers like a true commitment phobe until he meets the huge human Bailey.

Bailey, best friend of Oscar, brother Cal’s mate, is an enormous man, a complex personality with baggage that includes body image issues, huge insecurities and self worth problems, deep emotional wounds that have plagued him and kept him from any meaningful connections and relationships.

They are what make him run from the sparks that fly when the soul/mate connections hit between Harlow and himself.

Harlow, another great turn, is equally stunned and on the run.

Taylor has the story work to put these beings, with all their secrets and baggage, together.

There’s other plot threads running simultaneously to the tortured path of Harlow and Bailey’s romance. They are of equal importance even as they weave in and out of the couple’s lives.

It’s all part of the twists that will come roaring at you. I really didn’t see it coming.

I suspect the twists also include hints about the other brother’s mate to come and background.

This series just upped its game. And now I can’t wait for the next installment.

I’m highly recommending this story but read the first book before reading this one. Each lays down the groundwork for the next.

The Reckless Damned series:

✓ Devil’s Mark #1

✓ Devil May Care #2

◦ Deal With the Devil #3 – March 1,2023

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showDevil May Care (The Reckless Damned #2) by Lark Taylor

Description:

One life-altering kiss sets our whole world on fire.

Harlow

I’ll tell you what isn’t on my agenda for this century: finding my fated mate only to have him reject me.

In fact, having a mate and tying myself down for eternity isn’t even a blip on my radar. But the moment I meet Bailey, there’s no denying he’s meant to be mine. Everything about the gentle Welsh giant calls to me, consuming my thoughts.

The problem? He doesn’t feel the same way. One life-altering kiss has him running in the other direction, leaving me to watch over him from the shadows.

When the opportunity arises to build a friendship, I grab it with both hands. Surely being his friend is better than nothing, right?

It will have to be, especially with a clan of mages sniffing around and looking for trouble. Not unusual since I am an estranged son of Lucifer. But now that I have my mate to consider, things are a lot more serious. How can I truly protect Bailey when he doesn’t even know I’m a demon?

Bailey

I learned a long time ago that relationships aren’t for me. Nobody wants to commit to a bigger guy, especially one who craves a different role in the bedroom.

When Harlow sashays into my life, I can’t help but wish things could be different. Sure, he seems interested, but history has proven that eventually, everyone leaves me.

There’s no way a vibrant firecracker like Harlow wants to be anything more than friends.

But the closer we get, the harder it is to keep him at arm’s length. He tells me he wants a relationship, but how can I believe him when I know he’s hiding something from me?

Devil May Care is an exciting, high-heat, friends-to-lovers paranormal romance with a guaranteed HEA. It is the second book in The Reckless Damned series, and although it can be read as a standalone, more enjoyment would be gained from reading the series in order. Each book focuses on a different couple and will have an HEA.

——

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: Screwing With A Ghost ( Haunted Love #3) by Morgan Mason

Rating: 4.5🌈

Screwing With A Ghost is the first book I read by Morgan Mason and also the first I picked out of the Haunted Love collection. The description intrigued me and I love the chance to explore a new author.

This paranormal romance has so much to recommend it. A haunting back story for the ghost, a charming personality and engaging character for the young, very much alive man who has returned home to see his mother through yet another failed marriage and emotional struggles.

I’m never sure how an author will handle a love affair that involves a ghost as part of the romantic equation. There’s a certain bittersweet element that’s built into such a relationship seeing as one person is alive and another is dead, physically removed from the other. For them to realistically be fully together, they both should share the same plane.

How Mason resolves this aspect of her story isn’t revealed until almost the very end.

Until then we are treated to an unlikely friendship between a ghost with a well known horrifying past, Andrew Blackwell, and a young artist, Miguel, who buys at a huge discount, the infamous haunted Blackwell farm. Back to take care of his mother, he’s left his friends and a prodigious art studio invitation behind, for a farm that needs lots of work to live in and a barn he wants for his studio.

A two person POV gives us a wonderful introduction to both men, their backgrounds, and in Andrew’s case, his ideas of masculinity and his era’s thoughts on homosexuality, all of which were toxic in the extreme. He gets a shock when he sees Miguel, who loves color and dresses gender free.

Their relationship is woven slowly through wisps of swirling air and leaves, the briefest of chilly touches, and the sheer need to communicate. It’s moving and heartbreaking as they begin a relationship that has become increasingly difficult yet so important to each other.

I wished there was more to the ending and all that was happening there. It wasn’t as layered as the rest of the story but felt a bit rushed.

Still , this is a really interesting and compelling romance and I’m happy to have found a new author to look forward to.

I’m recommending Screwing With A Ghost ( Haunted Love #3) by Morgan Mason and will be diving into the other books.

Haunted Love collection with various authors:

◦ Stargazing With A Ghost by K. L. Hiers #1

◦ Sexting With A Ghost by Ashlynn Mills #2

✓ Screwing With A Ghost by Morgan Mason #3

◦ Gardening With A Ghost by Amanda Meuwissen #4

◦ Baking With A Ghost by R.M. Neill #5

◦ Necromancing With A Ghost by Cari Z #6

◦ Dancing With A Ghost by Alex J. Adams #7

◦ Haunting With A Ghost by B. Ripley #8

◦ Flunking With A Ghost by Baylin Crow #9

These don’t seem to have any order to be read in.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showScrewing with a Ghost by Morgan Mason

Description:

When Miguel decides to move back to his hometown to help his mom and sister, the only home in his budget is the abandoned and haunted estate he used to vandalize in his youth. He’s not exactly worried, but meeting the resident ghost isn’t high on his list of priorities. As Miguel sets about cleaning and converting the old barn into his new art studio, his ghostly housemate demonstrates strong opinions on Miguel’s life choices.

As far as new landlords go, Edward is pleased Miguel plans to restore his deteriorating ancestral home. Miguel’s ludicrous notion that men can wear dresses and sew, however, has Edward rethinking his ex-pastime in hauntings. But as Edward learns more about Miguel and his nontraditional lifestyle, plus the strange connection they seem to share, he can’t suppress his increasingly inquisitive nature or his burgeoning feelings for the one man who truly sees him, despite being invisible.

What starts out as a tentative truce, turns into something more as indignation melts into curiosity, then flirty teasing. Is it totally crazy that Miguel might have the tiniest crush on a ghost? Would it be even crazier to hope his ghost might have a crush on him back?

—-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer

Review: Monstrous Intent (Monsters and Mischief Book 1) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

If you’re familiar with Alice Winters, you know her writing often grounds itself in dark topics like murder, assassination, torture, themes of mass destruction, whether it’s in a contemporary world or that of an alternate reality filled with the paranormal.

Blending snarky, sharp, irreverent humor with moments of serious reflection and empathy, however, brief, the author imbues her characters and storylines with a slightly demented vitality that goes well with her high action packed narrative.

Declan is a former monster hunter for the Department of Research and Defense (DRD). But he became disillusioned with the constant attacks and killings so he left to become a teacher. Now with an increase in Chimeras sightings and killings, the DRD wants its best hunter back and won’t stop until he’s part of the organization again.

Lake, an enigma, works for the DRD , but Declan is instantly aware Lake is much more.

Winters’ complex plot, increasing cast of characters, and series foundation that’s being laid out as the storyline deepens, is a tale guaranteed to hold the reader’s interest and keep them engaged with the characters growing relationships.

Plus there’s fish again. That’s a odd reoccurring trend that’s got me wondering about undercover fish goals and other weirdness. Sort a love it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Monstrous Intent and the open threads it left in this story that will drive the next part of the series.

If you’re a fan of Alice Winters or if this sounds like a tale that’s your jam, it’s one I’m definitely recommending.

Alice Wintershttps://www.alicewintersauthor.com › …Monstrous Intent

Description:

Declan
It’s really hard to pretend like life is normal when you’re staring a monster in the eyes, though he’s both tempting and irritating in his human form. I put my days as a hunter behind me, unable to cope with the death and pain anymore, to become an upstanding citizen and for what? To assist Lake, a man who claims he’s not a monster but keeps talking about me like I’m edible and–even worse–wants to woo me? Between my old organization trying to pull me in and Lake proving that things aren’t quite what they seem, I’m dragged back into this world of fighting the things that humans fear the most.

Lake
The human is exquisite. The first moment he told me he was going to hunt me down, I felt my heart burst. He’s beautiful, sassy, angry, and going to be mine (even if he thinks he can refuse my charms). But what Declan doesn’t know about me is that there’s a reason I’m hiding as a human among monster hunters. And while he definitely doesn’t know why, he’s willing to work with me because the people around us strangely want Declan and me dead at the end of this (I mean, who would want to kill us? We’re amazing).
But honestly… what’s more fun than dragging a hunter off to the dark side?

Warning: This is a chaotic monster and a chaotic human. Stuff happens. People die (but they were bad, so it doesn’t matter, right?) and there’s plenty of humor alongside a budding romance.

AMAZON

GOODREADS

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Find the Jinn (Wilde Contracts #1) by Maz Maddox

Rating: 4.5🌈

Maz Maddox’s latest book in their new series is a great bit of dark storytelling. Told in first person perspective by a assassin/ fish trainer who hunts vampires on the side, we know immediately that the universe is a off kilter one.

Dangerous, filled with beings of all types running a metropolis that swings from swanky to crime ridden and hopeless. Drugs, sex, business as usual.

Our narrator is Dallas Wilde. Sarcasm, dry humor, and an apparent lack of self control camouflage the anguished state that lies beneath a callous, self involved façade. Over time, through scattered memories and distraught scenes, we see a traumatized man, who’s brutal past has never left him and the PTSD that he’s never dealt with.

It’s left, at least in this story, for the readers to start to cobble together the facts that have lead to Dallas’ trauma. It impacts everything that happens here, all his interactions and reactions with the beings and in every event.

I actually enjoy that Maddox isn’t ready to fill in the blanks for us with Dallas’s past history. Especially with all the mysteries and magical plot lines that have their own rabbit holes to go mentally and emotionally down.

Honestly, there’s questions about so many elements here. Fish training? Kevin the beta? Plus those are minor details.

The massive narrative threads, especially those that have a dark turn or twist to them, come with a equal amount of puzzling aspects along with the foundation Maddox is establishing for her series.

I found the book, the characters, and the mind puzzles addictive. I was exceptionally surprised by each turn the story took and how quickly it ended.

It left several items unanswered, as I expected in such a convoluted story, and I’m anticipating the next novel in hopes of seeing the next stages the characters advance to.

There’s public sex, perhaps with a hint of noncon to it, after all moral ambiguities are status quo here. Murder is a job after all.

I’m highly recommending this . Read the warnings at the beginning. It’s dark fantasy or paranormal fiction.

Bring on book two!

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showFind the Jinn (Wilde Contracts #1) by Maz Maddox

Description:

Wilde Contract Killing and Fish Training, how can I help you?

Murder contract? Piece of cake.

Find a jinn? No problem.

New necromancy powers while being followed by an unwanted vampire bodyguard?

Not so much.

Trained to handle even the most fierce undead, Dallas Wilde took out a powerful necromancer without breaking a sweat. Okay, that’s a lie – there was tons of sweat, but he was victorious all the same.

Unfortunately, killing a necromancer comes with some repercussions.

Broody, annoying, vampire repercussions and new abilities to resurrect the dead.

Can Dallas navigate his blood-sucking bodyguard, new powers, feelings for his attractive client and still handle his contract in time to pay his very, very late rent – all while trying not to get super murdered in the process?

Let’s hope so.

Find the Jinn is the first contract in a trilogy of death, pining, dark magic and a grumpy fish named Kevin. 

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer