Category: Shifters, Weres

Review:  Last Witch Effort (Smokethorn Paranormals #5) by C. P. Rider

Rating: 4.25⭐️

I believe this is the penultimate story of the series. There’s so much to it, tons of new characters, plot developments, and layers of to the storytelling here to absorb. 

I was happy to see a brief recap of the dramatic scenes from the last book included in the beginning as it’s been a while now since its release. I needed the reminder of how we left those characters and how that book ended. 

Betty Lennox grapples with her new responsibilities as the Alpha of the pack, as well as her own personal feelings and fears about her mixed demon/earth witch bloodlines and powerful abilities. 

Unfortunately, Betty’s inability to handle this comes off as being whiny and often incapable of growing up. Time and again, the author has Betty refusing help or not facing the dangers that put her friends and “found family” members in situations that could have been avoided. 

Instead of feeling connected or invested, if you’re like me, it just frustrates you as a reader and puts you outside of the narrative. 

Things that save it are new characters and elements that do show Betty’s best qualities as she works to protect and pull the community together after such a heinous leadership. And that new shifter clan introduced? Intriguing and left me wanting more. Also that new lone cat shifter too. Plus’s also for the fabulous Cecil, Fennel, and Ida! 

The good and now the so so. That’s Ronan, the problematic MMC. He’s still basically one note, one that’s remained unchanged since book one. He wants to be alpha, he’s not the alpha. His wolf is unhappy. He says it’s his problem not hers. Flags anyone?

And his solution at the end? A major issue for me. And if the author is writing this as a real solution for the couple, then I have a problem with her as well as with the storyline. 

Because the fact is that she’s a better Alpha. The pack and community is healing and she’s willing to see and address issues he doesn’t understand and/or see . But he wants to be Alpha. And she’s (as the author is writing this), seems willing to give in because he’s whining about it. Wolf sad . Pls make me Alpha. Boohoo.

Stop, just stop. She’s great as a leader. He’s a good fighter, doesn’t mean he is a leader. Deal. Make him a second. 

Well, let’s see how the last book plays out. But it’s going to take 2 years until we can get the story. Yes, 2028.

See you then. 

Cover design by The Book Brander

The Smokethorn Paranormals Series (6 book series) :

Strike It Witch #1

Any Which Wolf #2

Wicked Witch of the Wolf #3

The Wolfing Hour #4

Last Witch Effort #5

Big Bad Witch #6 – February 29, 2028

Buy link 

 Book 5 of 6: The Smokethorn Paranormals Series 

Blurb 

“Believe this: I’m not just a demon. I’m their demon.”

Betty Lennox thought surviving Alpha Floyd and merging her volatile earth and demon powers meant she’d finally earned some peace in Smokethorn, California. But keeping the peace in a desert town full of opinionated paranormals is never easy—especially when you’ve accidentally become the de facto leader of a newly fractured wolf pack.

When ruthless demon hunters from The Org and rogue necromancers descend on Smokethorn to threaten her people, Betty finds herself facing her most dangerous battle yet. Enemies are closing in from all sides; she can’t afford a single misstep.

To save her town and keep her soul, she’ll have to lean on her ever-expanding family of friends—her partner-cat Fennel, Cecil the homicidal garden gnome with an explosive streak, her octogenarian necromancer best friend, the local witches and wolves, and the wolf shifter who won her heart.

In a place where paranormal enemies are around every corner, Betty is about to prove that taking care of her people isn’t just a duty—it’s a promise.

For fans of urban fantasy with a side of slow-burn romance.

VC Group, LLC

Publication date

September 29, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

327 pages

Review: Hammered (Legacy of Magic #1) by Lindsey Buroker

Rating: 4⭐️

This author is a favorite of mine so when I saw this series, I automatically grabbed up the first story in this urban fantasy series.

The draw for me? The main character, a magical hammer-swinging half dwarf, Matti Puletasi, a Seattle native who runs a house renovation company. She’s unique in her personality and characteristics. No swords or lithe body. Instead she’s got an extremely strong, sturdy body, one that swings both that huge magical dwarf weapon or a heavy construction tool with ease. 

Shes happy flipping houses with her other paranormal besties until the latest project house comes with a dead body, a mysterious object in the basement and new enemies. 

Matti is interesting in her background and,definitely her character makeup. The design that the author gifted her with separates her from so many other fae or otherworldly main characters I’ve read lately. 

But this is missing something. Chemistry or energy from the narrative. There’s no real spark between Matti and the elf assassin, who I really had trouble getting into. 

And the story dragged, feeling more “as told to “ than an actual action adventure plot thread. 

This book and series take place within the Death Before Dragons universe and the characters from that series have roles here.

Have I read it? No, maybe it would have made a difference. Because I didn’t connect with those characters either or know what their agenda was. It felt as though they were strong arming Matty unfairly here. 

The And there’s multiple storylines that popped up out of nowhere. And without much grounding laid out for it, it was just one more thing that was missing layers here.

Best part of this? Definitely Matti Puletasi. Loved the idea of her being a house flipper in Seattle, as well as a part powerlifting dwarf who wields a hammer (extremely proficiently) instead of the usual sword and spells. 

More like her please! And great cover!

Legacy of Magic (8 book series)

Hammered #1

Betrayed #2

Trolled #3

Tested #4

Wrenched #5

Fused #6

Wanted #7

Cursed #8

Buy link

        Hammered (Legacy of Magic Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Seattle native Matti Puletasi has the strength of a bear, the stamina of an ox, and a magical hammer inherited from her dwarven mother.

She’s happy renovating homes and occasionally thumping bad guys until she learns of a mysterious artifact hidden under the house she’s working on. Everybody from humans to orcs to werewolves wants it, and they’re willing to kill to get it. Things go from bad to worse when someone frames her for murder.

The only person interested in helping her is a haughty elf assassin from another realm. He’s handsome, powerful, and deadly, but he’s got an agenda of his own. She dare not trust him—or be attracted to him.

But if she can’t clear her name, the assassin will be the least of her worries.

~

Set in the same world as Death Before Dragons, the Legacy of Magic series is perfect for urban fantasy fans who enjoy adventure, snarky humor, and slow-burn romance with badass elves who should not be trusted. Pick up Book 1, Hammered, today!

Lindsay Buroker

Publication date

November 9, 2022

Language

‎English

Book 1 of 8

Legacy of Magic

Review: Fastening the Grave (Kali James Book 1) by L.A. McBride

Rating: 3.5⭐️

It’s the introduction to Kali James, a setup novel and it takes its time getting there. Specifically, spending so much time on the fact that she’s a costume designer and wears vintage styles and expensive clothing. So instead of building layers of world foundation or setting, we get clothing. A little bit would have been fine. 

Kali is unaware of the fact she’s a necromancer, so the whole ghosts following her everywhere or asking for help while she ignores them, seems a bit ludicrous. That it takes a witch to say basically “ hey, hon, you’re a necromancer” feels far fetched . 

There’s a murder, mystery and a goat shifter who gets her own series. For me , I find her annoying because she’s got little history but takes zero responsibility for her actions. So the author doesn’t give us much reason to connect with her.

I’ll give it another book but there’s so many more out there that read similar to this that it’s not a standout in my opinion. 

Reluctant paranormal finds out there’s a whole different world out there. Plus she’s got a goat shifter bff. Investigates murder mystery. And ghosts!

Them’s the facts. Check it out if you’re game. 

Cover Artist: Original Book Cover Designs

KALI JAMES SERIES 

Book 1: Fastening the Grave 

Book 2: Threading the Bones 

Book 3: Stitching the Talisman 

Book 4: Gathering the Dead

Buy link 

        Fastening the Grave (Kali James Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Two things are impossible to walk away from: death and vintage clothing. Trust me. I’ve tried. 

Moving across the country and opening a costume shop was supposed to be my chance for a normal life. What I wanted was a fresh start, one where the biggest danger would be a carelessly wielded sewing needle.

What I got was the ghost of a murdered reporter demanding justice, a stony-eyed enforcer I’m not sure I can trust, and a power I can’t control. Oh and my new goat shifter BFF? Hell-bent on trouble.

Now, my hunt for the killer threatens to expose a supernatural community determined to safeguard its secrecy at any cost. My only chance to survive is to embrace the legacy I’ve spent my life running from.

Fastening the Grave is the first book in the completed Kali James series, featuring a reluctant necromancer who finds herself in a world of werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. If you like your urban fantasy with quirky characters, a side of supernatural mystery, and an opposites attract slow-burn romance, this is the book for you.

Review: Resting Witch Face (Journals of Forbidden Witchery #1) by Maya Daniels 

Rating: 4⭐️

I picked this up because I thought the title was clever. The rest of the series are also terrific word plays. 

Maya Daniels’ book introduces Hazel Byrne, a witch from the prestigious Byrnes family, the only one who doesn’t have any powers. Maya is the last of her powerful line, her parents deceased, and she’s been brought up by her grandmother, the head of the political magical coven in charge. 

Hazel is a tough character to connect with. She’s young, quick to act and quicker to anger. Impulsive, clothed in the latest high fashion, the author wants the reader to see her as an engaging personality but often portrays her in scene after scene whining and acting like an entitled child. So just the opposite happens. 

We’re told she and her best friend Sissily, were bullied horrendously as children by others in the coven, which resulted in Hazel’s current attitude. But we don’t see enough evidence or any of the dynamics to make it real. 

The grandmother’s relationship with Hazel doesn’t ground the reader either. 

There’s enough fast paced drama and action that the story moves quickly. And new elements are layered in to keep the reader’s attention going.  

The character development will be key here in this series. Hazel is going to have to grow past this stage she’s in here to remain a relatable character imo. 

Check it out if you like urban fantasy mystery and young woman main characters with witchcraft elements. 

Chronicles of Forbidden Witchery (4 book series)

Resting Witch Face #1

Pitch A Witch #

Witch Please #3

Payback is a Witch #4

Buy link

 

        Resting Witch Face: An Urban Fantasy with a snarky witch too powerful to hide (Chronicles of Forbidden Witchery Book 1)

    

Blurb 

I didn’t mean to unleash hell. But here we are.

I was born into the Byrne bloodline—pure witch royalty. Too bad the universe skipped me when it handed out actual powers. No spells. No spark. Just attitude, fists, and a resting witch face sharp enough to cut glass.

With zero spells to my name, I became the coven’s best demon-slayer just to prove I wasn’t useless. Spoiler: no one was impressed.

My grandmother looked at me like I was a broken heirloom. The other witches either pitied me or wanted me gone. Only Sissily—my loud, loyal, batcrap best friend—stuck by me.

I’m Hazel Byrne, and magical disappointment was kind of my thing.
Right up until I blew up the coven library.

That little disaster woke something inside me. Turns out I wasn’t powerless—I was sealed. Bound by blood pacts and buried secrets. And now that my magic’s out, every supernatural creep with a grudge wants a piece of me.

Now demons are circling, the coven’s in chaos, and I’m not sure if the magic inside me will save us—or tear everything apart.

If fierce witches, feral magic, and unhinged best friends are your thing, you’ll love Resting Witch Face. It’s the explosive first book in the Chronicles of Forbidden Witchery, a paranormal women’s fiction and urban fantasy series packed with chaos, heart, and hexed high drama.

Vinci Books

Publication date

June 9, 2021

Edition

1st

Language

‎English

Print length

236 pages

Book 1 of 4

Chronicles of Forbidden Witchery

Review: Magick For Hire: The Complete First Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy PI Thriller (Knightstorm Arcane Investigations) by G. J. Ogden and Sabrina Vale

Rating: 3.5⭐️

I thought this would be a complete trilogy but it’s not. It’s just the first 3 part section to a longer multi sectional storyline arc. 

The three books included here are

Shadowed Relics #1

Twisted Fae #2

Infernal Gate #3

Astrid Knightstorm is a powerful earth mage who is called on to solve paranormal mysteries around the world. Her familiar is a brain of an ancient dark sorcereress in a jar and her assistant is a Fae who does her researches and handles all inquiries for her small business. 

It’s a good premise and works well for the most part. The beginning novel is terrific, has interesting characters and gives you a good idea of what Astrid’s life is like. 

But it starts to go off by the second novel. The issue primarily falls into the relationship between Ember, her Fae assistant, who takes zero responsibility for her own actions in and out the Fae Realm, and Astrid. Astrid seems to feel she is responsible for everyone’s problems and actions, even though they are not only adults but perhaps beings older than she is.  Accountably exists nowhere really here and that’s extremely difficult to accept as a reader. 

This carries over to her unpleasant brother who remains a character who is someone who is underwhelming and one-dimensional. 

That’s the biggest issue with the trilogy. It’s a fast paced action adventure urban fantasy. But low on character development and any real believable character growth and interactions. 

Elements thrown in for plot twists but given little narrative depth or explanation. 

So read it for the action sequences and adventure scenes. Not for the characters. Or if you follow the authors. 

Buy link

 Collects books from: Knightstorm Arcane Investigations 

Blurb 

Astrid Knightstorm is a wizard private investigator who handles the cases no one else will touch. Her clients include fae, werewolves, vampires, and creatures that slip between worlds. Being a tough Texan helps, but it’s her wits and command of Earth Magick that keep her alive in a world where supernatural threats lurk in every shadow.

When ancient artifacts fall into the wrong hands, demonic forces tear at the edges of reality, and fae politics ignite dangerous rivalries, Astrid is pulled into conflicts that reach from Austin to the Vatican to realms most mortals never survive. Each case draws her deeper into a hidden war involving dark alchemy, unstable boundaries between worlds, and a power determined to unravel time itself.

With unlikely allies at her side, including a fae assistant, a werewolf, and the family she thought she lost, Astrid must confront monsters, destiny, and the secrets of her own past.

Some cases test your skills. Some threaten the world. And some force you to face the truth about who you are.

Magick For Hire: The Complete First Trilogy brings together the first three novels of the Knightstorm Arcane Investigations series, this action packed urban fantasy saga delivers a snarky wizard detective, supernatural mysteries, and a world where Magick hides in plain sight.

Ogden Media Ltd

Publication date

January 6, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

807 pages

Review: The Dusk Reapers (Cursebreaker #1) by J. T. Lawrence 

Rating: 4⭐️

The Dusk Reapers (Cursebreaker #1) by J. T. Lawrence is the first book in her urban fantasy mystery series about a witch assassin in South Africa.

The location is one of the better elements, an unusual one that I don’t run into often. This first book is also features amnesia storyline around the main character. It’s resolved here by the end of the novel.

Asha Rook wakes up in a hospital. She’s been the victim of a horrific attack, suffered a significant brain injury and has amnesia. No idea who she is other than her identity from her identifications and driver’s license. 

And the idea she’s in danger as well as the fact that she’s implicated in a murder, has her fleeing the hospital for answers. 

Lawrence does an excellent job building the character of Asta, a woman scrambling to discover who she is in the middle of a murder investigation, and layout the structure of a urban fantasy world of witches, mages and spirits and dark realms existing within the city of Johannesburg.

A fluctuating pov that didn’t always work because the reader wasn’t sure whose perspective we were in made things confusing or complicated. Nicola or Asta? Sometimes we had no clue. 

I don’t mind unresolved plot lines, especially in a first book. Usually they will carry over through the series. Here it’s the case of missing children left hanging as well as who was behind the original attack. 

The character of Sam, the police officer, the maybe romantic interest, is ok. Perhaps he will be more fully developed as the series progresses. 

Overall, a good start with some interesting elements. 

If you are interested in something new, give it a try. 

Cursebreaker: An Epic Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (6 book series)

The Dusk Reapers #1

The Haunted Portal #2

The EverShade Ring #3

The Obsidian Castle #4

The Pick Pocket’s Curse #5

The Eternal Betrayal #6

Buy Link

Source: Amazon.com The Dusk Reapers: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Cursebreaker) – Amazon.com

Blurb 

Her heart was flatlining. Her magic wasn’t.

Asha wakes up in the hospital with thirty-six stitches in her head and no memory of the attack that put her there. The damage to her skull was catastrophic, but she surprises the medical team with her lightning-quick healing—and by inexplicably sending their equipment flying across the room.

She soon learns that she is Asha Rook—The Cursebreaker—and she’s just become the prime target of every ruthless bounty hunter wizard in the Realm of Magic & Mayhem.

To add to the high stakes, a curse has landed an innocent woman in a terrifying asylum, and it’s Asha’s job to save her.

Asha must rely on her eccentric found family, finding belonging and banter with allies who accept her complex and dangerous nature. This includes an unnervingly attractive and steadfast cop (an epic slow burn), a sassy goblin who trades portal magic for tacos and lime milkshakes, and her beloved steampunk dwarf godmother, who is equally talented at roasting perfect potatoes as she is at creating magitech weapons.

Join Asha and her ragtag team as she embraces her destiny, navigating pocket realms and battling evil to break the ultimate curse. With more twists and turns than you can shake a wand at, this is a dark magic mystery with humor, adventure, and a whole lot of heart.

Fans of Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, and Ilona Andrews will burn through this totally addictive urban fantasy series.

Read the complete 6-book series now!

TROPES:

• Curses and curse-breaking

• Kick-ass female protagonist

• Amnesia

• Hidden Magical World

• Gritty Urban Setting

• Diverse Supernatural Creatures

• Haunted houses; ghost children

• Secret Societies and Organizations

• Found Family: banter and belonging

• Slow burn deep connection romance

• Huge, satisfying happy ever after

Fire Finch Press

Publication date

August 28, 2024

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‎English

File size

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468 pages

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Cursebreaker: An Epic Urban Fantasy Action Adventure

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

Rating: 4.5🌈

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A winner. 

Buy link

        Cold Fury: Frost Mage Book 1

    

Blurb 

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

The supernatural runs the world.
Mages keep the balance.

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

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

Then the murder turns personal.

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

It was planned.

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

Good thing she’s angry.

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

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

Rating: 4.25⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cover and Illustrations by NMT Design Studio

Alchemy of Witches (2 book series)

Inferno Bound #0.5 prequel 

Fire Marked #1

Blaze Born #2 – Jan 27, 2027

Buy link

        Fire Marked (Alchemy of Witches Book 1)

    

Blurb 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 10, 2026

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File size

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302 pages

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Alchemy of Witches

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

Rating: 5⭐️

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That continues to be the next novel’s theme. 

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

Heartbreaking, well written, detailed and beautifully executed. 

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

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

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

Cover Design by Christian Bentulan.

The Portlock Paranormal Detective Series with Jilleen Dolbeare : 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buy link

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://geni.us/GhastlyGolem

Blurb 

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

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

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

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

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

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

And red eyes are always bad.

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

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

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

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

Preferably without anyone else turning up dead.

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

Don’t miss the rest of the Portlock Adventures!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 4⭐️

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

So close. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aren’t we past that yet?

The Soul and Soil Trilogy, complete:

The Wild Awakened #1

The Wild Divided #2

The Wild Unbound #3

Buy link

 Book 1 of 3: The Soul and Soil Trilogy 

Blurb 

BOOK 1 OF A COMPLETED FANTASY TRILOGY ⭐

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

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

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

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

And somehow… it all leads back to me.

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

And I may not like who it chooses.

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

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

February 16, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

315 pages

Book 1 of 3

The Soul and Soil Trilogy