Category: Shifters, Weres

Review: Taken Under Fire (Paranormal Investigative Service Book 3) by Cassidy K. O’Connor and Sheri Lyn

Rating: 4🌈

It’s been 6 months since I read Stitched Under Fire, the 2nd book in this series, so it took me awhile to remember what had happened to the characters and were we were in the various investigations.

Turns out Taken Under Fire it’s a very politically and racially charged atmosphere where xenophobia is ramping up, fueled by the revelations that the paranormal body parts could heal humans. Black market for paranormal body parts is off the charts.

Agents Maddox and Tristan have settled into a happy relationship, both personally and professionally. Tristan is still exploring his new, rare shifter identity as a Phoenix paranormal because no one is exactly sure what that means, and the P.I.S. (Paranormal Investigations Service) and the Police Department are coming together to try and figure out why their missing persons cases are overlapping.

The authors have so many storylines threading through their series and the above details don’t even include the personal aspects of Maddox’s and Tristan’s lives. Those are woven into the story too and will, obviously, have enormous impact on the main plot and main characters as the investigations and revelations continue.

And yes, there’s some whoppers as far as both shocking revelations and heart wrenching drama collide here at the end.

I love the universe that O’Connor and Lyn have created here that feels so very current and still so unearthly at the same time. Racism, or any ism appears , historically to have no ending time frame. That Xenophobia might be universal is an idea the authors are working with effectively, but also building in a horrific mystery/conspiracy that will continue forward into the next book.

It’s laid alongside the romance relationship of Tristan and Maddox, which takes a traumatic hit.

My issues with the story are that it’s so packed with drama and plot lines that the ending just stops. It doesn’t try to tie up anything but sets a path for the characters to move to the next stage in the investigations. Investigations that are getting murkier, higher up, and with greater danger for everyone involved.

So if that’s the sort of finish that leaves a reader a little frustrated, especially with no new book in sight, then perhaps you might want to consider waiting until the series is complete and binge reading it at that time.

This is a jam packed terrific paranormal thriller but it’s hard to consider it totally satisfying because of the ending. Love the characters, the shocking twists and emotional scenes. But it wasn’t enough. Close but no.

So I’ll wait for the next one to be released. And ponder my own reading decisions.

I love the series and will recommend it. You decide how to read it.

Paranormal Investigative Service:

✓ Faeted Under Fire #1

✓ Stitched Under Fire #2

✓ Taken Under Fire #3

Buy Link:

Taken Under Fire (Paranormal Investigative Service Book 3)

In a city divided, Agents Maddox and Tristan must protect the paranormal, unearth the truth, and prevent darkness from claiming all.

In the aftermath of the devastating destruction that befell the city six months ago, an ominous shroud now looms over them. Paranormals are vanishing at an alarming rate. As fear and suspicion cloud the minds of the city’s inhabitants, calls for drastic measures grow louder, igniting tensions between supernatural beings and humanity.

Maddox and Tristan receive a mysterious visitor who unveils a hidden truth: the supernatural realm they were told had been obliterated is not only intact but still has people living there. As the agents delve deeper into the enigma, they find themselves being threatened by an unknown opponent.

With the city teetering on the brink of an all-out war, the agents must act swiftly. They form an unprecedented alliance, uniting humans and paranormals in a new task force, breaking barriers that were once thought insurmountable.

Can they untangle the web of deception and find the missing paranormals before it’s too late? Only time will tell if their

courage and resilience will be enough to save the city and prevent a catastrophe that could alter the fate of both realms forever.

Books in the series:

Faeted Under Fire

Stitched Under Fire

Taken Under Fire

Review: Wild Fire (Drake Security #3) by Mika Nix

Rating: 4.75🌈

This series just got immeasurably better. Wild Fire, the third in this series about a clutch of dragonshifter brothers finding their fated mates, is my favorite to date.

It’s not that I find the authors, K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe, have just written two really fascinating characters, it’s that I don’t remember reading anything that resembles them in another book before. And that’s even more compelling here.

A dragon who’s uncaring about assembling his own hoard , and thrives in the cities and masses away from the smothering isolation of his brothers. And a wolfshifter who has a compulsion to amass a hoard , who needs his space away from his pack, who’s more interested in his own world than his pack’s. A yin looking for their yang.

This switch in characteristics is unexpected and so narratively rewarding.

It makes for a sensational journey or hunt when both Arson Drake and Draydon start on their remarkable continental quest for art treasures and find themselves falling into a surprising relationship with each other. One that carries definite overtones of Romeo and Juliet, as dragons and wolves are enemies up to this stage.

The two person perspective works so well as Arson and Draydon fight the attraction that pulls them together from country to country, their inner beasts empowering their decisions as well. The authors writing as Nix have given the reader two powerfully defined beings that are unique and unable to stay apart. And are trying to explain to themselves why, and if it even matters anymore.

Anything outside of that narratively has to come across as being less interesting because of how rich and powerful these two are.

The elements with the vampires are necessary for being the tool to bring the Montagues and Capulets together, I mean , dragons and wolves , but it comes across as just that. A narrative tool.

Could have been anything, unless it’s going to be included in another story.

Which is set up here by bringing in a new character and younger brother from another “clutch” who’s in trouble.

Interesting but there’s still a couple of unmatched brothers from the original group needing mates. Guess Lord and Tino will have to wait.

Anyway, Wild Fire (Drake Security #3) by Mika Nix is a sure fire winner. Fabulous characters, marvelously plotted romance, and twisted personality traits I really appreciated.

It helps to read the series in order to understand the characters, the events, and the relationships. Lake especially. He’s so over the top divine!

Highly recommended!❤️

Drake Security:

✓ Hot Head #1

✓ Smoulder #2

✓ Wild Fire #3

Buy Link:

Wild Fire (Drake Security Book 3)

Description:

He’s my nemesis, my rival, and the man I can’t get out of my head. We may be star-crossed but there’s enough heat between us to start a wildfire.

I’ve never been one to follow the rules, but sleeping with a wolf shifter might be over the line, even for me. So, why can’t I get him out of my head? Or his scent out of my nose. Even on the other side of the world, I swear I can still smell him.

Everyone has a hobby, mine just happens to be stealing from the rich and powerful to give back to the rightful owners. A native art exhibit in Sydney is the last place I expected to see Draydon again. I can’t shake the feeling that he’s here for the same reason I am… and here I thought larceny couldn’t get any more fun.

I’m a dragon without a proper hoard and he’s too jaded to even trust his own pack. But we’ve already lit a fire that’s getting out of hand.

Stealing Draydon’s heart might be my most impossible heist yet.

Review: Cypress Ashes (San Amaro Investigations Book 7) by Kai Butler

Rating: 5+🌈

Well that was as close to absolute perfection as I can remember reading in a series finale, especially one as intense, as incredibly complex as well as mentally challenging at times to read as this one.

I will miss this universe and characters so.

And it starts where Saffron Wilds ends, on that heartbreaker of a cliffhanger (spoiler alert for that novel) with the God Darkness having lodged itself firmly within the body of Nick King , San Amaro police detective/alchemist and now husband of Fae Parker Ferro, the Windrose of the Fae Courts.

But Kai Butler has created over the course of seven books a fascinating, magnificent labyrinthian plot that involves a World Tree with ties to worlds and thousands of realms outside of that of Earth, the Fae Courts and its duplicitous politics that extends beyond into eras long ago and the murderous schemes of the Gods, which can mean the end of everything.

And what Gods and power struggles Butler’s has thrown at us! Most are ones we have some knowledge of, even with the author’s twists and unique perspective on one’s such as the Mother, the Sun, Darkness, the Trickster (my personal favorite), and Santa Muerte, among the main gods.

Cypress Ashes offers up the most imaginatively beautiful to think about scenes and elements, one’s I’m still trying to wrap my mind around. Magical test battles between two great spirits, Reality and Distance, with one a titch drunk on the power being offered up. It’s witches, alchemists, Laurel (if you know you know), Nick, and Parker, trying to figure out a meaningful way to fight the Sun God and what that’s means to everyone’s moral compass and mental health. Huge questions the author is asking on multiple levels.

That’s only a tiny fraction of what this story has to offer up in terms of elaborate narrative design and exciting storytelling.

There’s Sugar, the incubus, Runt, the not cat, Prometheus, the demon not dog, all the great brownies characters from the garden, the blade Tremble that can bring lightning, the Five Dragons, every important element and character, and maybe quite a few that slipped under a reader’s notice from previous books. All have important roles to play here. Some villains even find a surprising redemption.

The power of family and love, whether it’s on a small or infinitely universal and complex scale is also a key here. Where Shannon, Parker’s foster mom is now a God, Mother , to be exact, the nurturing aspect of her being that saved Parker now becomes the element that helps save everything. And Parker’s love for Nick and San Amaro.

There’s so much that Butler pours into this finale , all the narrative threads that needed pulling together, the interwoven storylines of all sizes that we needed to know how they evolved and ended. We got it, as much as we could when gods are involved.

I expect Butler is ready to move on. But I’m not. So I’m diving back in, to experience this again and see what I missed out in the first reading.

What a wild ride, what a magnificent journey this has been! Don’t miss out!

But the books absolutely must be read in order for the characters growth, the revelations, and plot details to make sense. Enjoy the books and the ride! I’m highly recommending the series and this finale!

I’d rate it higher if I could.

San Amara Investigations Series:

◦ A Haunting at Midnight #0.5

◦ A Debt Unpaid #0.75

✓ Wormwood Summer #1

✓ A Belated Burial #1.5

✓ The Oak Wood Throne #2

✓ A Gilded Iron Blade #3

✓ A Shattered Silver Crown #4

✓ The Heart’s Blood Arrow #5

✓ Saffron Wilds #6

✓ Cypress Ashes #7 – series finale

Buy Link :

Cypress Ashes (San Amaro Investigations Book 7)

Description:

Parker Ferro is not okay.

In the heart-pounding conclusion to the San Amaro Investigations series, Parker faces down enemies on all sides, including one within his own family. With his city under lockdown, Parker is fighting for everyone and everything that he cares about.

The fate of the thousand realms rests on his shoulders. What’s a local PI to do?

Review: Beefcakes (a Culinary Creatures novella) by L. Eveland

Rating: 4.75 🌈

A sequel to Brimstone, Beefcakes expands on the original by making the focus the short notice celebrity wedding of the famous chefs of the first novel. But while we get those characters and the event, they are peripheral elements here.

Our new characters and romance are fantastically , in a twist, in the “supporting” roles to that event. Ones the wedding planner and the other the wedding baker.

L Eveland really goes all in here with Beefcake and gives us a romance of surprises, depth, and remarkable storytelling. It’s cupcakes, minotaurs, anxiety, porn, kink, and true love. Really, the elements contained within this storyline should overpower each other but instead Eveland uses them to enhance each character’s depth of personality.

The author also uses them to chart the relationship development of Ezra Higgins, highly anxious human wedding planner, and exuberant Minotaur Matteo Reyes, wedding baker.

I absolutely loved these two characters, so completely different, disregarding their species for the moment, but matching in their emotional needs for each other and in their chemistry.

Eveland has two areas of special significance here. One is the treatment of Ezra’s social anxiety disorder. We get to see its origins in his mother’s death, how it took over his life, and how with the help of his therapist, he has been able to get back to running his business. It’s a sensitive subject and the author does a terrific job in giving the reader a small glimpse of what it might be like living with the disorder.

The other element is Matteo’s kink that involves cooking and voyeurism. I really won’t go further with the explanation except to say I was wondering how the author would resolve this situation between Ezra and Matteo myself. What a fabulous solution! I loved it!

I throughly loved this entertaining tale of paranormal romance and a stressful wedding to end all weddings. The only reason it didn’t hit the 5 rating was that while all the other characters were passionate about their careers, Ezra wasn’t about his. He was only doing what was expected of him. And at the end , he was extending his time with Matteo without saying exactly what he was doing.

That left a great an impression of things being unsettled a bit . I wish Eveland had been a tad more finished here. But maybe that because there’s a third book in the works. Bluz, is coming. Werewolf BBQ anyone?

So I’m happily awaiting the third in this wonderfully wacky culinary series. Definitely recommending this and the one prior. Read them in order to understand the characters, relationships, and universe.

Culinary Creatures:

✓ Brimstone #1

✓ Beefcake #2

◦ Bluz #3 – December 31,2023

Note: don’t miss out on the recipe at the end!

Buy Link:

Beefcakes: A High Heat, Low Stakes MM Monster Romance Novella (Culinary Creatures Book 2)

Description:

Wedding planner Ezra Higgins is having a bad day. He’s lost his phone, he’s got six weeks to plan the biggest wedding of his career, and now the minotaur baker won’t stop flirting with him.

It’s enough to make anyone’s anxiety spike.

But the minotaur owner of Beefcakes bakery, Matteo Reyes, has an oddly calming effect on Ezra, and he can’t stop thinking about him, no matter how hard he tries.

Matteo is sweet as salted caramel and twice as hot, but he’s off limits, especially since they have to work together.


Pulling off a televised celebrity wedding in less than ninety days? Doable. Resisting Matteo’s candy-coated charm in the process? Ezra can’t have his cake and eat it too…or can he?

Review: Guarding Axel (Dark Forest Pack #3) by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 3.5🌈

Guarding Axel is the penultimate book in Jacobs’ Dark Forest Park series, so the series arc themes, which are plentiful, need to start coming together.

Axel Molhieth, a tormented Fae with full of secrets and a dark past has been a great source of mystery and interest for me and I think most people. Especially when it comes to the complicated relationship he has with the wolf shifter Talis.

Best friends until the enemy captures Axel , Talis, and others with a toxic Fae plant . The fallout from that traumatic event, destroys their close relationship, and sets the pack to guarding Axel against an old betrayer from his past.

I was looking forward to this story because of the hot chemistry between the were Talis and the Fae Axel but something happened and along the way, it dissipated under the weight of Axel’s overly complicated “secret “ and inability to trust within the storyline.

While Talis remains the tormented soul, denied his bond by Axel, by circumstances, hurt by the close proximity of Axel, Talis is the strongest character in the story. The most compelling.

That’s partly the reason why the story doesn’t work out as well. Both main characters need to balance out each other and, for me at least, they don’t.

Jacobs builds up this enormous amount of narrative suspense and anticipatory anguish around a secret that Axel’s been holding onto. It’s the one keeping him from having a relationship with Talis, why he’s causing so much drama and damage within the pack structure, so it should be something so earth shattering, so emotionally and physically traumatizing to makeup for all the harm the reader sees him causing for us to make sense of it all.

It’s one his cousin knows about. Btw.

But when it’s revealed, I kept waiting for the rest of the reveal. Thinking surely there’s more. There wasn’t.

And when his own cousin and the mate of the Alpha both tell Axel , the equivalent of “snap out of it” because you know better, this has been going on for too long, then either the secret wasn’t written well enough or this element was executed in a way that made Axel a character I just couldn’t connect with.

There’s far too many loose ends. I’m sure Jacobs will pick them up in the next book. But this just didn’t have the same feeling as the previous stories, at least as far as the main couple. I didn’t feel like Axel had a great relationship with either the pack or Talis, given his actions and inability to understand how they impacted those around him.

Usually Annabelle Jacobs does a great job explaining the dynamics behind those decisions and how the character comes back into balance. Here I never thought that happened.

I’m looking forward to Loving Jake, the series finale. And to seeing how everything plays out.

Dark Forest Pack series:

🔷Claiming Rys #1

🔷Redeeming Nick #2

🔷Guarding Axel #3

🔷Loving Jake #4 – Sept 28, 2023

Buy Link:

Guarding Axel (Dark Forest Pack Book 3)

Description:

A silver-haired fae with a shattered heart—a green-eyed shifter with enough love to heal him.

Axel

Burnt by a past betrayal, I’ve learnt the hard way to keep my heart locked up tight. As tempting as Talis is, all I can offer is friendship, because trusting someone again is a risk I can’t take. Love means sharing the true nature of my magic, and the last time I did that it almost cost me my life.

Talis

I want what every shifter wants.

A mate, a partner. Someone I can call mine.

Axel Molhieth, beautiful and free-spirited, makes it crystal clear that isn’t him. Will never be him.

I know it’ll end badly for me, but I want him anyway.

One night is all it takes to ruin their friendship, and avoidance is the easy way out. But when Axel’s past catches up with him, putting his life in danger, they’re forced to finally face the consequences of their night together.

Guarding Axel is an MM paranormal romance featuring a protective shifter desperate for love, and a beautiful fae afraid to trust. Full of magic, suspense, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.

Review: In Death Together (The Undead Detective Agency #3) by Shelby Rhodes

Rating: 4.75🌈

In Death Together is everything I expected it to be and yet it’s more!

I’ve come to have high expectations for this series. Rhodes has layered in a chilling storyline of a psychological horror thriller that has elements of pathological violence and stalking, abuses and non consent, obsession and death.

There’s a fabulous found family of paranormal beings headed by an ancient vampire who’s unlike any I’ve met in other works of fiction. Octavius and his human lover , Turney’s path to a forever relationship has been eventful and , here, shockingly horrifying. I shed so many tears. Why I didn’t think I would, I honestly don’t know. But I was as shattered by the first part of this story as was Octavius. It’s that Rhodes has done such an exemplary job in making us care for Turney that the events at the end of Keep It Together, those that double as the beginning of In Death Together, are emotionally draining and so full of pain even as they are expected.

The author’s skillfully wrought dynamic that’s so outwardly sexy and humorous between these two characters gets peeled away at the most powerful moments to reveal the depths of feeling and love that truly exists within their bond. One that death cannot break. Although it tries.

There’s other characters, and romantic relationships. Most within the found family. Some are promising, some are tragic, and one is unexpectedly lovely. The last is an explicit F/F romance. If this is an issue, skip over it, or this isn’t the book for you. I adore the couple.

There’s a battle unlike any other. But as Octavius is involved in the planning, wild things ensue! And horrible things as well. Rhodes’ narrative balancing act between comedy and pathos/horror teeters delicately even when bones are being smashed, and explosions are going off.

The ending is a cliffhanger. It sets up the final book , Forever Together.

I love In Death Together. I wept throughout all that excellently executed horror, and expected moments of untold emotional agony and guilt. Rhodes has given us , with Octavius and Turney , romantic relationships and deep love, hilarity and glitter, sexual hijinks and role playing moments that are so memorable they need bookmarks!

And a found family full of characters to treasure and journey with to their own destiny with happiness and love.

We have but one more book to see that happen.

I’m highly recommending In Death Together (The Undead Detective Agency #3) by Shelby Rhodes but make sure to read all the preceding books first. They must be read in the order that they were written.

I also love the covers.

The Undead Detective Agency:

✓ Get It Together #1

✓ Keep It Together #2

✓ In Death Together #3

◦ Forever Together #4 TBD 2024

Buy Link:

In Death Together (The Undead Detective Agency Book 3)

Description:

You’ve returned… good! Octavius Evander here, your lovable vampire detective. So, where we ended things last time, everything had gone horribly wrong. What can really be said, besides that change is a fact of life, and unlife. Turney, my love, my heart—unfortunately, he has much change to deal with. No matter, we will all get through it together! Some of us will be getting through it together, much closer than we ever expected, if you know what I mean.

But, enough about that. On to the cases! We will have a new one come up, one with love and questionable family relationships, and even a murder! We don’t get to witness the murder, but we can’t always get what we want. Either way, it’s going to be fun.

Lastly, I suppose there is also the old case looming over us. The ‘pain in the ass’ case. Prepare yourselves for pain, blood, betrayal, glitter, and devastation. No, hint’s as to whose…but remember, this is a love story. Stop worrying, you silly humans. It will be fine.

CONTENT WARNING: This is an M/M paranormal romance book, with a little F/F on the side. There will be blood, violence, gore, mention of SA (no on-page details), and death. Please do not read if you find any of the previous situations triggering.

Review: Loki and his Master (Demon Gods Book One) by Rhys Lawless

Rating: 4.5🌈

Rhys Lawless has gotten to be a must read for me so I picked up this latest book not realizing it’s part of a much larger world of two , now three , connected series, set in the Cursed Hearts universe.

I haven’t read those but found it didn’t handicap me as much as I expected in terms of background. Lawless fills in much here in terms of foundation for the story’s structure so it’s easy to mentally files bits and pieces away as the tale progresses.

And what an entertaining story it is.

Combining various mythologies, particularly Norse, Polish, and adding in twists and mashups to the story narrative makes this fantastic storytelling.

Creating a fantasy landscape of demon gods, witches, and a host of other paranormal beings to use as characters is exciting, imaginative and dangerous while still being a titch familiar for grasping that being’s history. And that works for the reader in every aspect of the storyline.

Especially when the book opens upon a tragedy of immense personal pain and suffering. The loss of one young witch’s entire family by a brutal attack.

Tomasz, a young witch who’s never been able to utilize his powers, is filled with the need to find his family’s killers and get his revenge. But how?

Here comes along a central character who’s a bridge between every book. A ancient witch who lives under a bridge with the answers.

Tomasz needs help and gets it in the form of a demon mate. In this case, it’s Loki, the master trickster! They are sealed together in a master/slave relationship that’s a complicated forced binding.

It’s explored on several levels here by Lawless. The guilty feeling it causes in Tomasz that he’s forcing/must force Loki into the position of having no will, no say , complete servitude. It’s an anathema, especially as their affection grows stronger towards each other.

With Loki, a slave status or that of being forced into a submissive relationship, fills him with rage. He’s a god on a personal mission. It also will turn out that this element will have further philosophical implications, as certain plot points are revealed , that Lawless could but doesn’t fully give narrative voice or space to all the deeper issues it brings up.

Things like if a god has been forced into servitude for all the wrong reasons but it still has ended up being the right thing to do, should it have happened? Does one have the right to take away someone’s freedom for the greater good?

That’s not sufficiently clear or explored here despite being raised several times by more than one person and in more than one way.

However, there’s so many other plot threads to deal with that things like this get overlooked or handled in a way that doesn’t quite have the necessary support for such heavy questions.

The plot lines converge swiftly towards the end, leaving the climax feeling a bit too rushed for all the characters and great plot twists involved. I hope to have more of the children and a certain “not cat “ in future stories. They were fantastic.

Lawless sets us up for the next pair and development in this series. I guess I’ll be spending some of the time looking into those preceding series.

I’m recommending Loki and his Master (Demon Gods Book One) by Rhys Lawless for the levels of detail, the mythology, the characters, and the fast paced, highly entertaining story. Oh and the kinky sexy storyline.

That too. D/s hurt/comfort anyone?

Demon Gods:

✓ Loki and his Master #1

◦ Hades and His Witch #2 – TBD release date

Buy Link:

Loki and his Master: A contemporary fantasy romance (Demon Gods Book 1)

Description:

The trickster god is free and he’s under my command.

When I asked the old witch under Camden Lock for help with avenging my family’s murder I didn’t expect her solution would be to invoke a powerful god.

Loki is big, strong and pissed!

Thankfully he’s bound to me so he can’t hurt me.

But the only way he’ll ever help me get my revenge is if I help him find someone really important first.

The problem is the more time I spend with him, the less I’m able to resist him.

But I can’t let my guard down.

He might say all he wants from me is to punch my V-card and end the people that killed my family, but I know he wants something more.

And I’m scared it has the potential to destroy everything.

How can a young, meek little witch like me tame a god like him?

Loki and his Master is the first book in the Demon Gods series, a spin-off series set in the Cursed Hearts universe.

Demon Gods is a contemporary fantasy MM romance/urban fantasy MM romance series where mythical gods are re-incarnated into the 21st century and let loose to destroy, avenge and fall in love with young little witches. Written in British English with US spelling and grammar.

Tags:

mythical gods modernized, witches, demons, master/servant, Ds, age gap, punching his v-card, hurt/comfort, forced co-operation, beauty and the beast vibes, alpha protector, tragic past, big/small pairing, lover in peril, trouble magnet, I don’t know if I can trust you, urban fantasy world, morally gray main characters, Polish folklore, Norse mythology

Review: Soul Bound by Cari Z

Rating: 4.25🌈

Soul Bound is a moving fantasy tale, a short story that just begs for a sequel because of the intriguing universe and fascinating characters.

Two desperate men, each in need of a magical solution to a horrible fate. They meet on the road to enter The Marvel, where the person chooses to undergo a series of trials to earn the right to a prize of their asking. However, the chances of being awarded the right to enter are limited and even less are those who survive The Marvel and exit to win the prize.

Cari Z’s story drew me in for many reasons. She did a wonderful job creating a world where magic had gone, or was disappearing. What was left was a world of the mundane, the suffering, poor people, the powerful and the rich. We understood the characters, especially that of the warrior Caz. A scarred mercenary hiring himself out to help where needed, how he became cursed immediately puts us on his side. As does his actions every day. He’s a good hearted man, weary of being a warrior.

The other one wishing to enter The Marvel is a courtesan, Lias. Lias is traveling with a tiny bird companion on the way to the Marvel when they meet. His history is revealed slowly through out the story and conversations with Cas.

Of the two characters, for me , even when important details are revealed about their lives and reasons for the need Marvel trails, Cas remains the more sympathetic personality. I can see clearly how Cari Z’s story will play out, although not the minutiae.

But she’s such an empathetic writer, that, even knowing how it will most likely proceed, I’m still invested in the characters, their emotional state, and their relationships.

I like the world, the people and want them to succeed.

Was I ever fully on board with Lias? Probably not. Was I still satisfied with the ending? Yes. Sometimes that’s the way it happens.

I’m recommending Soul Bound by Cari Z for its sympathetic characters, moving scenes, emotional depth , and fascinating themes.

Check it out!

Love the cover.

Buy Link :

Soul Boundby Cari Z

Magic has faded out of everyday life. Only in the darkest corners of the world, or the richest coffers, does the power of magic endure.

Everyone says it’s for the best.

When rogue magic lashes out, though, there’s only one place the afflicted can go to solve their problems—the Marvel.

Whoever is chosen to enter the Marvel has to endure a trial unlike any other—a trial that most people fail, leaving their hopes and their bones behind to feed the wild magic of the place.

When two people are chosen, soul bound, to endure the trial simultaneously…well, either the gods have a sense of humor or the magic is angling for a feast. Can warrior Caz and courtesan Lias, men with wildly different magical problems, survive the trials if they work together?

Or will the magic feed on two souls instead of one?

Review: Asher (Demons-In-Law Book 1) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4.5🌈

Asher, the first in Masters’ new Demons-In-Law series about the fabulously wealthy Bailey clan of demons, see Gideon now mates to Lucifer Sam in the connected Hidden Species/Here Be Dragons series.

It all happens in the very isolated picturesque village of Hortplatz, high in the snowy, very snow mountains of Switzerland, where it has housed an entire settlement of demons.

After a visit by a verified surprises Lucifer Sam , there to meet his bf’s family, it becomes a mission to help them understand the world they live in, it’s diverse paranormal activity and species.

Enter Garrett Smythe! Masters excels at the instant connection, the chemistry that also brings a personal bond. The sex and the emotional touches that come from that first night between Garrett and Asher set the tone for what follows.

They are magic together. Absolutely believable as a couple bonding and in love.

The formidable Bailey family is led by Damaris, the family matriarch. Warrior, politician, all around scary person who adores her family, I love this character! The many Baileys , all the cousins to grandchildren are beings you want to spend time with. I enjoy the species history and physical biology that Masters has written that makes this and them so fascinating.

The other half is, of course, Hellhound. That’s Garrett. And his cousin Alastair. His cousin is a well known character, part of several books. As much as I love him exuberance and way out there actions, here Alastair was actually too much. He had lost some of his charm and veered into being a bit of an irritant. He’s just getting used too much without the necessary underlying depths that made him a better person.

Garrett has those qualities and it makes him a fully dimensional Hellhound. And teacher, anthropologist, and loving new husband.

The relationships between the many characters, teachers to students, children to their large families, families to their community, it’s real protective, and loving. I smiled through the entire read.

This story is funny, surprising, sexy, and has a great twist at the end to bring in familiar faces and a bridge to the next book.

I’m only sorry I can’t go directly onto the next book. But I’ll wait and perhaps reread some of the stories from the two previous series. It’s a great universe!

This is one I’m highly recommending!

Demons-In-Law series:

✓ Asher #1

◦ Micah #2 – September 2023

◦ Zac #3 – TBD early 2024

Buy Link:

Asher (Demons-In-Law Book 1)

Description:

When your imaginary boyfriend turns up in your hometown, marriage is the only option.

I’m not anti-relationship, but my life is good right now, and love is not a priority. Too bad my grandmother disagrees. People say she’s scary, and sure, some of her enemies went missing under mysterious circumstances, but she loves me and wants the best for me… which, right now, is marriage. The matchmaking is a lot, and she’s not letting up. What’s a demon to do except invent a long-distance boyfriend?

That backfires hard when the one-night stand I based my fake boyfriend on arrives in our tiny village. Garrett’s here to help our cut-off town assimilate with the rest of the Community of Species. He’s not expecting to find he has a boyfriend he knew nothing about.

It doesn’t take me long to convince him to agree to my new plan. I need the matchmaking to stop; he needs our insular little community to accept and trust him. The perfect solution: marriage. A business agreement with a time limit.

Just business.

Until he demands more. A sexy, nerdy hellhound in my bed isn’t a deal breaker.

But as we get closer to our end date, it gets harder for me to imagine life without him. And when my little cousin goes missing, it’s Garrett who saves the day… and reveals secrets the village didn’t know we had.

In this hilarious spin-off from the Hidden Species series, Gideon’s cousins get their time to shine… beginning with Asher and his brand-new hellhound husband.

Review: Paranormal Princes: The Complete Series by Charlie Cochet

Rating: 4.5🌈

Paranormal Princes: The Complete Series by Charlie Cochet is a fantastic way to binge read the series. Three stories, two bridged by a kingly developing tale of romance of its own which will resolve itself with the third series tale, a culmination of all three storylines.

I happily breezed through them, admittedly the first couple still being my favorite. Cochet really outdid herself with Prince Owin, Prince of the Ocelots. If you’ve ever been owned by a cat, known a cat, or just plain observed any, then this character and felid portrayal of an ocelot shifter will ring so true you be laughing. I do every time he makes an appearance here, and in other stories. I heart him so much. Grimmwolf, wolf shifter and bodyguard , as ordered by their king and his advisor, is perfect for him as well.

This is, of course, my favorite story of the three. First and best, imo.

It goes that King Alarick , King (and father) of all Shifters, and the blind immortal Lord Jean Eldritch, king’s adviser , have devised individual quests for the King’s children, the Princesses and Princes to prove they can rule their kingdoms and their people. Theirs is also a developing romance of over a thousand years, with a mystery included.

First quest and book is:

1. The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard

The tale of a very adorable, spoiled persnickety ocelot prince and his quietly smitten wolfy bodyguard on a quest to prove the ocelot prince deserves his crown. Feline purfection! Feline high handed glam versus a canine werewolf sensibility, with maybe a long-standing crush. How they tackle the quest involves a magical bag, a purple orb, and some great crossover characters from a Macy Blake series!

2. The Prince and his Captivating Carpenter

The Prince this time is a deeply grieving bear shifter. Prince Bernd lost his father up on a mountain when they were hiking and he’s never recovered from the tragedy. He’s withdrawn from his people and never leaves his castle. Until time for his quest.

His king and advisor have assigned him a coyote shifter, Saer, who looks very familiar. It’s up to the two of them to survive together and complete a daunting and dangerous task.

Unlike the first story, the second is much less lighthearted, the grim reality of the painful nature of Bernd’s behavior and withdrawal never far from the surface. Saer also has deep insecurities and fears to overcome. This is a darker journey that’s a trend for the series.

The characters are excellent, and I enjoyed their journey immensely.

3. The King and The Vigilant Valet

This story was both the one that had the most goals, the most themes and plot stories to wrap up. I really enjoyed all the twists and plots turns. Considering it’s really the biggest quest of them all , with life and death stakes for all involved, it stands to reason that Cochet has a cast of multitudes here, heroes and villains.

The ending wasn’t entirely satisfying for me as I didn’t feel that the outcome for Jean’s true form did anything but defang him. I kept thinking surely there must have been a more imaginative way to keep him true to his mythical nature while leaving him able to be more himself than before.

Ah well. ‘‘Twas not to be. But it left me with feeling that there could have been more. Especially after the epilogue.

So while I loved the first, really enjoyed the second, the final chapter had issues for me. Still the whole thing was great and a wonderful journey for lovers of Shifter romance and especially those of the feline characters.

I’m definitely recommending this!

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com › Paranor…Paranormal Princes: The Complete Series – Kindle edition by Cochet, Charlie. …

Description:

Let the good times roar! Enjoy the complete Paranormal Princes series.

THE PRINCE AND HIS BEDEVILED BODYGUARD

Prince Owin

Being a fierce predator—not at all adorable, despite my graceful stature—the last thing I needed was a bodyguard. Especially a wolf shifter, whose presence alone was an insult to my princely principles. As Prince of the Ocelot Shifters, I prided myself on my infallible feline instincts, uncompromisable dignity, and flawless fashion sense. If having a canine follow me around at all times wasn’t bad enough, I now faced the most important moment of my entire life. The time had come to prove I was worthy of my crown. If only I could find a way to get rid of the pesky bodyguard.

Grimmwolf

When the King of All Shifters asked me to guard Prince Owin, I admit I had no idea what to expect. Cat shifters tend to be a little intense, not to mention kinda cranky. Owin was no exception, though he seemed crankier than most. Being his bodyguard was proving to be one of the greatest challenges of my life—but not nearly as great as convincing him there was something special between us. When Owin is faced with a perilous quest to prove his worth, I was determined to keep him safe, even if the same couldn’t be said of my heart.

THE PRINCE AND HIS CAPTIVATING CARPENTER

Prince Bernd

As Prince of the Bear Shifters, I knew the time would come for me to prove myself worthy of my crown. I expected my quest to be perilous. What I didn’t expect was for it to take me up into Espen Mountain, a place that’s brought me nothing but grief and terrible nightmares. Not only must I find the five magical ingredients, but I have to do so alongside Saer, a mysterious and charming shifter coyote summoned by the king to be my guide. But who is Saer, and why do I feel as if we’ve met before?

Saer
Crushing on Prince Bernd from afar was one thing. Being given the responsibility of saving the prince and his kingdom was a whole other story. Banished from my kingdom by my own prince years ago, I never imagined I would be summoned to help Bernd. What could I possibly offer a prince? How was I supposed to save him? I was no one. A shifter with no place to call home. What I did know was that I would do everything in my power to help Bernd succeed on his quest. All I had to do was stop crushing on the guy, find the magical ingredients hidden up a dangerous mountain, and save his heart. What could go wrong?

THE KING AND HIS VIGILANT VALET

Jean

The past has a way of catching up with you, even if you are immortal. I’ve spent thousands of years as the valet and companion to the powerful King of All Shifters. It has been my honor and duty to protect, serve, and advise him. I never intended to fall in love with him. My past is filled with death and bloodshed, but I never once regretted keeping Alarick safe. Now an evil I thought long gone has resurfaced, determined to kill Alarick and plunge the world into chaos. Saving Alarick means revealing the truth about myself. I don’t know what’s worse, failing to protect the king I love, or watching him turn away from me when he discovers what I really am.

King Alarick

As King of All Shifters, my powers are connected to the cosmos, and I have been around since the dawn of time. There are few things that can kill me. Unfortunately, one of those things has escaped its prison and is set to destroy me. The only weapon that can defeat this creature is the Scythe of Kronos, which has been missing for nearly as long as I have lived. When Jean and I set out on a quest to find the scythe, questions I had long ignored must now be answered. What is Jean’s connection to this evil? Why will he trust me with his life but not his secrets? As my most trusted valet, and my greatest friend, surely nothing that happens along this perilous journey can change what I feel in my heart for him. Or can it?