Another new book, another new to me author , series and universe to explore. What fun!
Several great elements here that I love. Lorelei Clay is an enigma. She’s powerful but exactly where she draws the power from or what she is, well, here, there’s only the tiniest bit of clues.
I love a good mystery.
The town itself is another. Its history is part of the narrative and twines itself perfectly with the mystery and Lorelei’s investigation into the missing girl and her own discoveries of the community around her.
Chase has created in Lorelei Clay an intriguing older woman, one of tightly controlled emotions and magic. I instantly connected with her, the ghosts of the crumbling castle she’s renovating, and the weirdness of the small town community that keeps inserting itself into her isolation.
I can see myself gobbling up these books like the best book binge evah.
Love the covers. It seems that the publisher has a similar style for its authors.
Now onto the next.
A definite winner. Check it out. Oh and no romance, so no spice. But ghosts and a mystery. Great characters.
She isn’t even like other supernaturals. Her specialties are the nightmares of the living, communication with the dead, and cooking bacon until it’s golden brown and perfectly crispy—no magic required.
Six months ago she moved to the ultimate fixer upper, a monstrosity from the Gilded Age that borders the local cemetery in the sleepy Pennsylvania town of Fairhaven. Lorelei is content to spend the next few years in solitude, renovating the house and avoiding humanity, until a missing young woman disrupts her plans. Lorelei’s search for the teenager means crossing paths with the residents she’s successfully avoided so far, including the human police chief, the coven, a cursed vampire, the assassins guild, the werewolf pack, and the mysterious and infuriatingly alluring owner of The Devil’s Playground, an elegant nightclub that caters to the local supernatural clientele.
Lorelei plans to find the girl quickly and return to the privacy of her castle walls before anyone learns her secrets, but you know what they say about the best laid plans…
Dead to the World is the first book in the Crossroads Queen urban fantasy series.
I absolutely enjoyed this fantasy romance of miscommunication resolved between an ancient vampire and a green fae, both of which have their own families to share.
It’s a sort of fantasy With Eight You Get Eggrolls, but with drama, plants, and mate bonds.
Anton and Keryth were both very great characters and wonderful together, quickly figuring out why they were so drawn together (fated mates). It wasn’t the normal fast paced relationship I expected in a fated mate story. I loved the way Notaro let them go down a slower path than an immediate step into a full blown love match. Each has a family to consider and those kids (young and old) were part of the bigger picture (and discussions) as they grew together.
Ker’s children are a more well known group (from previous stories) than Anton’s with the exception of Jed, Anton’s youngest.
The full found family Ker and Keryth’s young sisters Alsira, Gemma, Saranor, and Zellya, and Anton has his fledglings Phaeron, Beshiro, Katja, Jedediah. Then there’s one more youngster who becomes a major character and storyline here.
All played out while a series or universe drama /mysteries is going on around them, including them in its horror.
There is one book left in this trilogy and I can’t see how the huge overall plot is tied together within that book. It’s just that big.
But the author already has another series coming to follow this one, about the vampires. Which makes sense because vampires are the focus of the ongoing mystery and arc plot.
So I expect a switch in locations and characters. What fun! And more crossovers as well.
Looking forward to the final book in this series and the next series.
I hate vampires. Well, just one in particular. But I do kinda love how his eyes follow me whenever he’s around… Sigh.
Step One: Find a hot vampire. Check.
Step Two: Get the hot vamp to drink from me. Check.
Step Three: Try to forget his stupid face. Ugh. This one’s impossible to check. F my life. Sigh.
Anton is beyond frustrating. He was so sweet when we first met, and I’d thought we had a real connection. But then he had to ruin everything with his big mouth and jerky face. Ugh.
I can’t get him out of my head. Even when I’m beyond angry at him, I still feel a pull to be near him. A pull I can’t seem to ignore.
And when my entire world gets turned upside-down, I can’t help but reach for the ancient vampire and hope that together, we can conquer anything that’s thrown at us… anything that’s coming for us.
The Vampire’s Delicious Fae is Book 2 of the MM urban fantasy series, Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala. It follows a new couple in each book with a guaranteed HEA. It takes place in the Brinnswick world in the far away country of Gauhala and brings a whole new cast of characters, so you don’t need to read the other series first. But don’t worry, there will absolutely be some cameos along the way.
No, our favorite triad, Adam the surprising non-human, Victor aka Fancy Fangs, and Zee the fabulous incubus, aren’t done yet!
After all the explosive and deadly events of Your Final Resting Place #7, where they vanquished the Big Bad and saved the SOS Hotel and Lost Ones as maybe the world, you’d think they’d be able to rest.
But Adam’s story isn’t finished. And his history is coming for him and those he loves.
So Adam does what he does best and runs. With Victor and Zee together on the road, destination unknown.
I really loved that their relationship has grown so that Adam trusts them with his highly problematic history and the danger that’s following them.
Of course, they encounter strange events and a few bodies with a murder to solve.
Entertaining, sexy, formidable challenges again to face, and a wild ride for all involved. So happy to see them back!
Cover design by Ariana Nash
SOS Hotel:
For a Supernaturally Safe Stay #1
Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous #2
Sleep with Us #3
Great Service from Top to Bottom #4
No Rest for the Wicked #5
Ho, Ho, No #5.5
Luxury To Die For #6
Your Final Resting Place #7 -ends this sequence of events.
On The Road #8 – starts a mini-trilogy
Icy Reception #9 – coming soon
Holiday release!
SOS HOTEL: Ho, Ho, No by Adam Vex, Ariana Nash❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Did you think it was the end of our wild hotel adventures?
Yeah, us too.
The Big Bad is gone. We’re heroes! Adam, Fancy Fangs, and me (Zee, obvs) are long overdue some downtime. I’d also like a foot rub, a string of Tom’s hallucination‑inducing cocktails, and endless hours of some much needed personal time between the sheets with my two favorite people. And my pole.
Hello, happy ever after!
But it turns out, fate ain’t done with us yet.
Everyone’s favorite sunshine twink is great at unexpectedly unaliving folks who probably deserve it. What he’s not great at is keeping secrets. So when Adam packs our bags and springs a surprise vacation on us, it’s obvious—even to senile ancient vampires like Lord Fancy Fangs—that something is up.
We’ll play along and won’t ask questions, because it’s Adam. He’ll tell us what’s really going on . . . eventually.
But as we take the SOS Hotel team on the road and the weirdness stacks up—biker‑gang werewolves, psycho witchy influencers, trolls, fairy souls, and sinkholes—there’s one question Fancy Fangs and I can’t shake.
What the f*ck do dragons run from?
(We’re back in a new three part mini-series! Ha, didn’t see that coming did you? Yeah, neither did we. I still don’t get a book about ME, but the author “allowed” me to write this blurb, so long as I don’t f*ckin’ swear. Pfft. So buckle up, b*tches, the ride ain’t fuckin’ over yet. You think you’re ready? Think again, cupcake. The crazy just got crazier.)
Welcome to the SOS Hotel ~ Where we’re definitely not on the run.
Hunters Hollow, a sequel series to Arden Steele’s ongoing terrific Blackhaven Manor paranormal novels, is a successful crossover world. I’m really enjoying this series. I love the way Steele created new engaging characters, while maintaining the many established characters/couples it’s brought over from its original series.
These characters, all well defined in terms of personality and history, as well as the shared universe beings that have continued impactful roles to play , like Hades, in the storylines, keep the books intriguing and exciting.
Curses and Casualties, the third book in this series, demonstrates all the best qualities of the two worlds, with the established mythology and a great murder mystery to investigate.
Necromancer Elliot Church has a secret parentage and a familiar, Dax. It’s his father whose request for an investigation brings him first to New Orleans, then to Hunters Hollow.
It’s where he meets his fated mate, Tenn, an incubus and retired bounty hunter for the Ministry. Tenn, now a tattoo artist in Hunters Hollow, and Elliott have a great fated mate moment and start to a developing relationship. I enjoyed that Steele has layers to them. There’s issues that need to be addressed. Dax’ bond and Dax’s feelings as part of the dynamic for one. That’s just the beginning.
The mystery is good although the villain is easily guessed at. Why they are so bad is a better story.
And there’s other scenes and aspects of Curses and Casualties that will just tug at your heart. Especially the ending that added just more things to think about and explore in this expanding universe.
I look forward to the next chapter in this series and couple to get their fated mate HEA.
At least, that’s the way Elliot Church feels. A powerful mage with a gift for necromancy, he’s made a name for himself as a successful private investigator. And he fails to see how smiling in front of a camera or answering the same banal questions has any bearing on his performance.
It’s nothing more than a distraction, and one he doesn’t need, especially when strange things start happening in New Orleans.
There are dead Otherlings in the Quarter, their bodies mummified and their souls fragmented. A Reaper stands on every corner, and more are pouring into the city daily, which can only mean one thing. Mass casualties.
When his search for answers leads him to Hunters Hollow, the last thing he expects to find in the backwater town is his mate. Incubus and retired bounty hunter for the Ministry, Lysander Tennison—Tenn to the locals—is everything he never knew he wanted, but the timing couldn’t be more wrong. Yet, he can no more turn his back on the demon than he can ignore what’s going on in the city.
Even when every road in front of him leads straight to hell.
Wolfsbane is in the murky area that the characters and locations are familiar to those who have read The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series, and yes , that main character makes an important contribution here. So while you might say it’s a standalone story, it’s also not really one as many elements crossover.
Wolfsbane (Werewolves of Boston #1) by S J Himes is also a series of one novel. The characters themselves will make appearances elsewhere but this is it for them.
Rael, a young person whose heritage has made him unwelcome in his pack (his mother is a werewolf and deceased father human). He’s unable to shift, or show other otherworldly traits that would make him acceptable.
The author sets up an emotional showdown at a pack meeting that goes unexpectedly sideways with Rael and his mother not leaving but instead Rael has a suitor.
This all comes together rapidly , and while Rael and Jameson Mercer, his suitor, agree on a set time to get to know each other, there no “feeling “ of them being able to communicate or interact because of the dramatic events that soon followed.
The short length rushes the narrative smartly along to the detriment of much depth of character or relationship development. It’s just everything falling into place.
Drama. Romance. Villains identified. Help offered and accepted for various elements of the plot. New final surprise scene and wrap up.
It’s lively, fun, and a fast paced read. The couple is cute and the mom wonderful. For more than that it needs details, depth, and story length.
For which I recommend The Sorcerer of Beacon Hill series. Just excellent.
I do recommend it if you’re a fan of the series and author. I enjoyed it.
Werewolves of Boston (1 book series)
Related series/universe:
The Beacon Hill Sorcerer (8 book series) by Sheena Jolie writing as S.J. Himes
Introducing a new series, Werewolves of Boston, set in the same universe as The Beacon Hill Sorcerer!
Rael Morrow is a human-werewolf hybrid, and he’s about to be kicked out of his pack. Unable to transform, Rael is left with few options. He can accept the Alpha’s ruling and be banished, pulling his mother with him—or agree to a courtship with Jameson Mercer, heir presumptive of their Boston Southside Pack and the object of Rael’s longtime unrequited crush.
If he mates with Jameson, he can remain in the pack, and he and his mother won’t have to suffer the indignity of being forced to uproot their whole lives.
Rael reluctantly agrees to the plan. He’s been in love with Jameson since he was a kid, and there’s no way Jameson cares about him in the same way. Rael is afraid he’s setting himself up for a lifetime of misery.
But then begins a seduction that breaks down every preconceived notion that Rael had about Jameson, and he dares to hope.
Of course, things are never that easy. Jameson is the perfect alpha, and Rael’s human heritage hides a secret that threatens his life. The Southside Pack is primed to fracture as power dynamics shift. And Rael is forced to reconcile who he always thought he was with who he could become.
WOLFSBANE is a 37,000 word novella set in the Infinite Arcana, an expanded universe shared with The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, but can be read as a standalone.
Superlative. Once again May is building a suspenseful, dynamic, thrilling new series by introducing a villain that’s truly horrifying by its truly threatening but yet unknown nature. But first, a fantastic well crafted, compelling murder mystery, full of secrets, bodies, ghosts, another necromancer , more world building, and just a outstanding story.
Have to wait until the end but by the scenes described, the reader can imagine the scope of its plotting. One so immense that’s been unknown, whose power and potential to harm this series’ world and characters will hang over each story.
Fabulous.
It starts with May taking her Erasmus Boone and Franklin O’Hare out of their homes and comfort zone, away from their jobs, family, friends and the warmth of the Mississippi , back to Chicago and the Midwest where Detective Franklin O’Hare came from and still has ties.
It’s a great way to start. It’s cold. The Chicago PD murder case is fraught with danger, both in terms of emotional distress and the likelihood of prejudice against Boone. And then there’s the question of Franklin’s family who wants to meet Boone for the first time as well since they became a couple.
The characters May creates for the Chicago PD and at every other aspect of the story are just as well defined, beautifully executed as any that’s come before. Their personalities develop and grow as the cases and investigations become more complex, just as you would imagine.
Series characters are also evolving. Aurelia the djinn is finding new facets to her personality, possible emotions to figure out, and those are her struggle with her increasing unpredictability. May’s strength in writing otherworldly beings that are absolutely at their core non human make her books magical, powerful, and often terrifying. For the reader and the characters in the stories.
I can’t wait for this series to continue. What an amazing, scary journey lies ahead. Highly recommended! And I love seeing crossover characters from the Pixie series make connections here!
Necromancer Erasmus Boone’s life is better than he ever imagined. Bucking the typical necromancer storyline, Erasmus has managed to carve out a life filled with love and purpose. With Halloween fast approaching, Erasmus is ready to enjoy his favorite time of year. Unfortunately, Detective Franklin O’Hare’s Midwestern past has other ideas.
Covered in blood and found wandering the streets surrounding Chicago, a necromancer is being accused of murder—the victim and circumstances unknown. Mentally unstable, this unfortunate necromancer is in jeopardy of being railroaded for a crime he may or may not have been involved in. Franklin O’Hare’s former captain doesn’t want to witness another victimized necromancer. Aware of Franklin’s association with Erasmus, he calls on them for help.
Now headed for chillier climes, Erasmus and Franklin need to figure out if a crime has been committed, and if there’s one thing Erasmus excels at, it’s finding where the bodies are buried. Only Erasmus doesn’t just fine one victim; he finds several. When the souls of the departed blame their deaths on a long dead bogeyman, it becomes clear the local sheriff has a problem and a necromancer accused of murder is just the tip of the iceberg.
Between bringing back the dead, dealing with local prejudices, and meeting Franklin’s family, Erasmus has his plate full. Add on a worried warlock father and more than one attempted assassination, and Erasmus is more than ready to pack it up and head back to the warm Mississippi breeze.
Deadly Deception is the second book in the Necromancer Tales series and should be read in order. This series is a spin-off of the Perfect Pixie series and takes place in the same world but can be read as a stand-alone series. Deadly Deception is a m/m romantic fantasy mystery with an unusually sane necromancer just trying to make a living, a humble human detective attempting to keep his necromancer boyfriend alive, an arrogant but redeemably overprotective warlock father, a deceptive killer, a questionably moral all-powerful djinn, a kitten who can’t figure out how it wound up in a backpack, let alone staring through a plastic bubble, humans—some redeemable and some not, a chilly Chicago fall, and a playfully bloodthirsty vampire. Deadly Deception has a HFN ending as it is part of an ongoing series.
Mentions of violence, murder, souls brought back from the beyond, spaciest bigotry, and a few characters of questionable morals and sanity.
I’m so enjoying this series, a sequel to Mae’s fantastic Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures (8 book series). Same location, many crossover characters and fascinating interactions between them that make this series a great read.
It’s dark and violent but without being graphic, sexy with fated mates and magical otherworldly characters. Many of the characters have tragic or otherwise damaged pasts that still currently haunt their lives. And that factors into the narrative of their stories and romantic relationships.
Yes, I’m throughly invested here.
Mae’s done a fantastic job in creating the new interlocking cast of characters that’s launched the series. A found family of Hellhounds that’s moved to Paradise Falls and will start to find their mates.
First , they ended up moving next door to human horror author, Toby, and HellhoundDexter ended up helping Toby with his writing but saving him too from a trafficking ring.
That storyline continues with two of the survivors , Quinton and Aiden, who’ve been adopted into the small group of otherworldly friends, including the Hellhounds.
While this is Quinton and Liam’s story, it’s also Aiden’s because Aiden’s trauma and Quinton’s is linked by their captivity and now survivor closeness, a deep relatable friendship. I love how Mae handles this aspect of the story as well as the different facets that’s introduced to the relationships that exist within the group that’s developing here. There room for so many types of relationships and understanding of each other and how they relate to various dynamics within the group.
It’s lovely. And I look forward to more of this and these types of conversations happening.
The other thing is that the Hellhounds, a well defined and diverse group of individuals, have been created as distinctly non human entities. They come across completely, in their language and actions as otherworldly beings. And we’re still learning about them and their history.
I love this story, the world and the characters. Shannon Mae ties up the trafficking storylines here satisfactorily and sets up the narrative for the next couple to come. It should be fascinating , and full of emotions.
I can’t wait.
I’m highly recommended this series and book. Read them in the order written for plot and characters development.
Hellhounds of Paradise Falls:
How to Flirt with a Hellhound #1
How to Hack a Hellhound #2
How to Tame a Hellhound #3 – May 1,2025
Related series, same universe:
🔹Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures (8 book series)
Getting kidnapped and held hostage in a human trafficker’s basement was not on my bingo card. Getting rescued by a paranormal being was also not on my bingo card. (Apparently I needed to trade in bingo cards.) The guy who took me may be dead, but I know there are more people behind the operation, and I plan to shut it down. If I need to get the help of one of the creepy glowing eyed dudes to do it, I will. It turns out Liam is incredibly sexy and really good with technology, too. He may be great at hacking into computers, but I’m determined to hack my way into his life.
Liam
Ever since I looked into the feisty human that Dexter rescued from a basement, I’ve been a little… obsessed. Is it wrong that I watch him all the time and hack into all his technology? I’m just trying to keep him safe. After all, he’s sticking his nose into some troubling areas, and I can’t deal with the thought of him getting taken again. Of course I offer to help him when I discover his mission to take down a trafficking ring, although my motives aren’t exactly pure. The little human attracts me in a way that I can’t explain, and my hellhound thinks he’s mine, whether he wants to be or not.
Tags: Emotionally traumatized, feisty vigilante and hacker hellhound fall in love; Liam has Quinton under surveillance 24/7 and will protect him; Quinton doesn’t mind being watched if the dude with the glowing eyes will keep him safe; there’s torture and death (but only of really bad people); hellhounds have tails, and they know how to use them.
False Comeback continues to expand and explore Lily Mayne’s unique paranormal romance series set in an otherworldly underground wrestling world, Goliaths of Wrestling.
The intense energy and high emotions that have been resonating between the lord high elf wrestler, Crossbody, and the egregious ghoul with a chip on his shoulder, Vince Burke, come crashing into a head in this crazy, great story, False Comeback.
The set up for this romance starts in the previous book with a huge argument between the two characters that requires a court Wrestling mediation and in-house counseling sessions from the fabulous Corey.
The absolutely combustible, compelling relationship that Mayne is building between Crossbody and Vince captures our entire attention as the layers of history and depth of their personalities are revealed. As their animosity lessens and their intensity of attraction/intimacy becomes even stronger, the characters become increasingly complex and relatable.
Their interactions with the other wrestlers, their fears, and unvoiced feelings, it’s all there, beautifully laid out by Mayne.
And I have to say that last quarter of the story is a fantastic narrative ride! Part thrilling adventure, all sustained suspense and wild moments! Along with some great comedy and sublime characters and storytelling. I read several parts of this twice. Gotta love Ethel.
For additional world expansion, we also get a group of new wrestlers added to the Goliaths of Wrestling found family. What a fascinating new group they are! I can’t wait to meet them in depth.
This has grown to be a favorite new series for me this year. Highly recommended.
Read the warnings. Sexy, kinky, in this case a D/s relationship, otherworldly, hilariously spew worthy, and a definite recommendation.
I’ve given up a lot to pursue a career in professional wrestling, and I’m not going to have it all derailed by an uncouth ghoul with a huge chip on his shoulder, who decided he disliked me for no reason on his very first day at Goliaths.
Vince Burke has been the thorn in my side for five long years, but things have taken a turn for the worse. The management is threatening to get involved. I refuse to let Burke take the life I’ve worked so hard to build from me, so I try to be on my best behaviour at work, but something about him just gets to me. He consumes my thoughts. I can’t stand him.
And when something happens between us that leaves me feeling completely unmoored, I find myself thinking about him constantly. He’s taken all the control, and I need to get it back. Because I liked it too much, and I can’t let myself feel that way about him.
Vince “Rolling Rimmer” Burke
I love everything about my job as a professional wrestler at Goliaths of Wrestling, an underground supernatural wrestling organisation. I love the showmanship. The costumes. The crowds. The ring and the arena. My co-workers.
Well, except one.
High Lord Crossbody, the royal fae who’s an actual prince, is a pompous snob and a pain in my backside. Everything about him rankles me—his clipped drawl, his disdainful sneer, his stupid long legs and eerily perfect face and sultry hooded eyes…
I hate everything about him. I do. So when our mutual dislike boils over in a very public argument, then explodes into something even hotter and completely inappropriate, I’m left confused and even more annoyed.
Because now I want him. And I hate that I want him.
Making Best of Lists has always been problematic for me, especially when it comes to books and series. That’s such a broad range of categories, tropes, themes, and spectrums of characters to whittle it down to a favorable few for such a long time period.
There’s so much I love about many genres and read so different tropes and authors, so many characters and stories that to reflect and refine them down to those that I have taken to heart during this year is close to impossible.
I always forget about the ones early on in the year or even smaller series that had a couple of books to them instead of an ongoing collection. And this year I’m adding some books I have found so beautiful and memorable but not necessarily that fall under the LGBT umbrella. I’m including them in my year in lists here because they are now forever comfort reads or books that will remain near my bedside for re-reading.
Among them is the magnificently written novel, The Women by Kristin Hannah, along with a fantastic dragonrider series that has some LGBT characters but not the main characters. That’s The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros. And a book that I read and then immediately read again, as it resonates with me so. That’s the incredible Whiskey and Warfare: The Team Huntress Flights by E. M. Hamill.
Then there are series that had finale stories and series that have just begun. With the exception of the multiple authors series, all series listed here are ones whose books should be read in the order they were written. No matter was some descriptions said. Just no.
These aren’t in any kind of order btw when listed under certain categories. Chaos is my name here. Enjoy and let me know what books and series you recommend.
I own these books in several formats, including hardback. That’s the impression they have made on me. I wanted them permanently in my library. And now I do.
Fantastic 5 Star Series /Stories
Paranormal , some dark fantasy with horror elements, some humor:
🔷Beyond the Veil by K. M. Avery
(In particular for this year, Turning of the Tables and Badger in his Burrow-amazing )
🔹Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner by A. M. Rose (yes, 2023 but I found it this year and wheezed laughed the entire book)
Terrific Multi-Author Collections ( I’m still working on the larger collections)
There were several books I wanted to include here from the beginning of the year but when I went to check out the links I found that they weren’t available, anywhere. Even the small press that had published them was no longer in business. And these were remarkable first books for the authors. I’d lost track because I read so many.
It’s a hard reminder of how hard it is for these incredible authors to keep writing and keep publishing stories that we love to read and hold dear. And every book and author’s voice lost is a lessening of the rich narrative fabric that they bring to us daily. One that lets us escape or become more thoughtful and aware or just more.
I’m so thankful for the authors and books I’ve read this year. Those listed and those who are not but still held dear. You have made and continue to make a difference in my life. You are treasured.
🫶
Happy New Year and Happy Reading from Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
We’re at the penultimate book in Jocelynn Drake’s fantastic epic paranormal series of ancient Chinese vampires, terrifying Fae dynastic plots, realm invasions, dragons, fated mates , witches and paranormal beings of all sorts of magical mythology.
What a mesmerizing wild explosive fantasy romantic ride this series is. And with Two Thousand Shadows we get both answers to a series long puzzle and an agonizing cliffhanger to angst over until the finale is released.
Two Thousand Shadows has a lot of storylines and elements to it, particularly with Drake having to concentrate on pulling together the entire series dramatic plots and characters for huge battles and storyline climaxes that will resolve the majority of the series main crucial issues.
Does Drake pull it off? Absolutely!
With the addition of new characters, cat shifters with magical abilities that are slowly revealed throughout the narrative, and a new couple who are (already formed in the reader’s imagination) a more substantial force in both personalities and character growth.
Junjie, who’s a seer and warrior, has his own painful past revisited here through memories and conversations with his clan. The cat shifter is revealed to be Leo, the stray cat Junjie has been feeding a surprise that came at the end of the previous story.
Leo’s character and shifter background is rolled out as Leo decides what he wants to do with the clan and his affinity for Junjie. It’s interesting how Drake again is able to write Leo feelings and thoughts as a paranormal character with a different nature than a human being. Leo’s story feels very different from anything else that has come from before, that includes the dragon, who also acts as it should.
What or who is delightfully written is an orphan cat shifter who acts as a bridge between Leo and the clan, especially Junjie, pulling Leo into the found family in a relatable manner.
When it comes to the all important details and climatic moments, Drake has the power of the many magical beings and surprisingly great twists to make them so satisfying. Did I want more? Sure. But this is so complicated, so many elements and elaborate layers of storylines leading up the result that I probably wouldn’t be happy unless there was a couple more books.
These are fabulous characters and it’s hard to believe that with all their potential for growth and more importantly additional content, this is leading up to the end. Hopefully with a break, Drake will think about new stories.
There’s another story coming because as I said this ends on a cliffhanger. A unexpected twist.
Until that book drops, grab up this fantastic series. Read them in the order they were written and enjoy the journey into an incredible universe and amazing characters.
Love the covers, the concept. Fantastic.
The Kings of Chaos :
Two Thousand Dreams #1
Two Thousand Tears #2
Two Thousand Blades #3
Two Thousand Shadows #4
Two Thousand Promises #5 – Feb 21,2025 – finale I think.
The “stray cat” Junjie has been feeding and cuddling for months is actually an extremely rare cat shifter.
Of course, Leo would have preferred to continue their arrangement of Junjie feeding him choice bits of fish and rubbing his belly, but he needs Junjie’s help and that means revealing his secret.
An orphaned kitten needs a home after the fae killed his parents, and Leo is the most irresponsible, feckless, lazy creature in existence.
In short, he’s a terrible choice for raising a two-year-old cat shifter.
No. The WORST choice.
Yet, even after the little boy is settled with Junjie and the rest of the Zhang clan, Leo can’t walk away.
There’s just something about that sweet, bashful vampire with the too-soft heart and sexy eyes. And that kid is stealing chunks of his heart, too.
The war with the fae is about to tear the world apart and an old dark shadow has fallen over the Zhang clan, threatening to destroy them all.
Leo must stay to protect his new family. Even if it means giving up all his secrets to the vampire who is steadily stealing away his heart.
Two Thousand Shadows is the fourth novel in the Kings of Chaos series. This book contains a gentle, shy vampire who will stop at nothing to protect those he loves, a shifter with a secret, a nosy family who wants all the spilled tea, other non-human surprises, snark, angst, magic, found family, brotherly bickering, chaos, cuddles, secrets, and an endless love.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 