Category: Vampires

Review: The Ruby Tooth by Ofelia Gränd

Rating: 4🌈

One of these days by Ofelia Gränd is going to surprise me and deliver a full length novel and I won’t know what to do. I’ll be overwhelmed and overjoyed, of course, but still. Someone will have to pick me off the floor first.

Until then, I’ll settle for these short tales of whimsical romance or whatever she decides to call them. Her mind is a decidedly different and wonderful place.

Here it has created a bar on an unknown world, The Ruby Tooth, a place where all the species can have a drink and mix, but under the most rigid rules that only the doorkeepers understand.

How I love how weirdly quirky Grand’s imagination is. The Ruby Tooth is divided into two bars, a good side and those that belong on the bad side. The veritas, the doorkeepers, with their intense glaze that see into the soul, say left or right, good or bad. And that’s where the beings go for their side of the bar, unable to switch for the night. The veritas give no clues or rationale for their actions, just the words. Left or Right.

Which is all the more intriguing when two widely different beings, one human (I’m assuming) and one a werewolf bounty hunter, each end up on the wrong side of the bar. Thats approximately where the author’s short story begins.

But it’s full of boundless possibilities, wild elements , fanciful ideas, and great characters. Honestly, why is Ilya Lewis the only one in an Elf costume and why does that bring immediate dislike? I need to know!

And don’t get me started on his friend who ends up with two bear shifters. Nope.

But even better is the new fated mate’s romance that’s a “take it slow” road romance. What a great change of pace.

There’s even more going on. Fast paced action, heart stopping fights, and a happy ending. All well done in 45 pages.

Sigh. I need a full length book so badly!

Read this quirky, imaginative paranormal romance and enjoy!

I highly recommend this author in all her flights of narrative fancy.

Buy link

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read.com/TheRubyTooth 

Blurb

Ilya Lewis is gonna kill his best friend Vera. She not only persuaded him off his couch and into the creepiest nightclub in the city, she also didn’t show. When Ilya learns the bar is split into two halves, and he’s been let into the wrong side, it doesn’t make things any better. Once the doorman determines which half to let you into, he won’t let you into the other.

Ulric Moon hates the Ruby Tooth. But as a bounty hunter, he must go where the trails lead him, and tonight it’s landed him in the worst nightclub in the universe. All he wants is to catch the vampire he’s hunting, but despite trying to convince the veritas doorman examining his soul that he needs to be let into the good side of the club, he’s shown to the bad. As if that wasn’t enough, his destined mate somehow manages to sneak into the bad side where he doesn’t belong.Ilya finds a way to the other side of the bar, but one look at the patrons there has him regretting ever leaving his apartment. When he tries to leave, a scary-looking man who does nothing but growl follows him.

Ulric knows he’s freaking Ilya out, but Ilya has inadvertently caught the interest of the vampire Ulric is hunting, and he has to protect him. How will Ulric keep Ilya safe when he doesn’t believe Ulric is a bounty hunter? And how do you tell someone they’re your mate when they don’t believe you’re a werewolf?

Details

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• Publisher: JMS Books LLC (December 25, 2021)

• Publication date: December 25, 2021

• Print length: 48 pages

Review: Code Name Jack Rabbit (The Vampire Guard Book 1) by Elizabeth Noble

Rating: 4🌈

“Welcome to the Vampire Guard, where legend and myth meet science and technology.”

Code Name Jack Rabbit is a book the starts a new chapter in the lives of the couples and characters from Anne Barwell and Elizabeth Noble’s excellent paranormal series, The Sleepless City.

There, along the banks of Lake Erie in the town of Boggslake, Ohio, there was a haunted mansion called Bogg’s Castle. Home to a werewolf, several ancient vampires, a human, a dog, and the ghostly original owner, they solved murders, had many found family dramatic perilous moments, and found their mates.

Code Name Jack Rabbit picks up from the end of tumultuous events in Shifting Chaos. While recovered, each is dealing with the aftermath.

I enjoyed this and was somewhat sorry to see that the intriguing town and full found family is going to be left behind for the trilogy.

Two couples, Jonas Forge and Blair Turner (both vampires) and Henri de Fluer aka Declan and Lucas Coate (vampire and werewolf) are recruited by an ancient agency. And moved, along with Moose the dog, to another location.

Left behind in Bogg’s Castle is Simon and Ben (vampire and human). And the ghost of course. And while Noble’s storyline and the characters discussions themselves have this separation make perfect sense, they are after all extremely long lived, if not eternal species, it’s not as easy for the reader who loves them as family.

So it’s a major adjustment to have a new crew of people and players. They also are a foundation of their own, like those of Bogg’s Castle.

The mystery plays well against the type of paranormal creatures and murders they have already faced prior. And I’m sensing a link that may be forming between the series villains.

Anyway, it’s shaping up to be another exciting new series and a fast paced new group of characters.

I’m definitely recommending it. And read The Sleepless City too. It a much needed foundation for this.

It’s a rec for me. It a good lead in to a terrific sequel series. Read them in the order they are written.

The Sleepless City:

✓ Shades of Sepia #1 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Electric Candle #2 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

The Vampire Guard:

✓ Code Name Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Blurb:

Vampires and werewolves live long lives. The Sleepless City saga might have ended but the story continues…

Welcome to the Vampire Guard, where legend and myth meet science and technology.

Vampires make the best spies. Throw a smart-mouthed werewolf in with three vampires, mix well, and The Vampire Guard’s newest team is bound to become one of their greatest assets. Super spies with a full range of skills. Warrior, hacker, thief, and scientist. They get in, do the job, and get out before the bad guys ever know what hit them.

Forge, Blair, Declan, and Lucas are thrust into the world of high-tech spies and top-secret espionage conspiracies. Recruited into the world’s most elite and secret organization with one singular mission. Protect those who can’t defend themselves from ruin.

Together they must thwart an assassination attempt on the open waters of Lake Superior while tracking a previously unknown biological weapon controlled by the Qiguan—a weapon which may very well mean death for one of them.

• Publisher: Howling Corgi Press; 2nd edition (January 12, 2021)

• Publication date: January 12, 2021

• Print length: 249 pages

Review: Justice (Damned Connections Book 2) by Lark Taylor

Rating: 4.5🌈

Justice is the second in Taylor’s Damned Connections paranormal romance series, a sequel to the original Reckless Damned that featured the sons of Lucifer and their mates. This one focuses on the outlier characters from that series and their own journey to find their mates.

Vampire assassin Sebastian has lurked about the edges of many a story, snarling and sneering, while providing evidence for his deadly powers with his legendary blade Bessy. Now we get his romance as his tragic history.

Taylor has paired him , that most “monstrous of men” , up with with a man most would consider a true innocent. That’s Matty, who’s brother and mate got their story in the first book, Patience. Matty is that sunny, effervescent personality, a knitting sunny bundle of emotions that’s recently undergone a severely traumatic experience. One that he still has nightmares about.

Please read the trigger warnings for this story. They happened in a prior story and anything here is off page details but those sensitive to this subject matter should be aware.

Taylor’s story gives us two men working through the darkness and damage that life’s worst has dealt them. Each character has let the traumatic violence , emotional damage and the deep fear of loss/death they’ve experienced impact their lives, but in different ways.

Sebastian has cut himself off from all relationships, removing himself ,and potentially anyone he might come to care for, from repeat of the history that continues to haunt him. Matty’s life has become more circumspect, he’s got protection 24/7 whether he wants it or not. Plus he’s unaware of the paranormal world and beings that exist in and around him. They’ve all kept him ignorant for his safety.

In Justice’s fast paced storyline, Clark brings everything together on a collision course. The previous plots from the Damned Connection series weaves together with the story here to bring Sebastian and Matty together.

It’s heartbreaking, tortuous, a definite hurt/comfort, but so satisfying when it all finally comes back together as the characters work through their own struggles and emotional damage to a realistic mating the reader feels fit them both as it should.

Sebastian was never going to be an easy fix but I didn’t realize how hard Clark was going to make the journey for Matty too. That balance was needed for this to be true for them both.

Now for the next novel, Temperance. I can’t wait.

This book and series is a must read.

Reckless Damned Series

✓ Devil’s Mark

✓ Devil May Care

✓ Deal With the Devil

✓ Luck of the Devil

Damned Connections Series

✓ Patience #1

✓ Justice #2

◦ Temperance #3

Buy Link:

Justice (Damned Connections Book 2)

Blurb:

Sebastian

Blood. Torture. Murder. They’ve been my only companions for centuries. I haven’t needed or wanted anything else.

Until I see Matty smile. Then something in me, something that’s been dormant for centuries, begins to reawaken.

Matty doesn’t belong in my world. He’s loving, innocent, and full of joy. The darkness of my life would corrupt him in a heartbeat, but when he’s dragged into it against his will, nothing can stop me delivering my personal brand of justice.

Matty keeps fighting for things I can’t give him, for things I’m no longer capable of. I can’t come between him and his family. I can’t give him what he needs.

But I also can’t stay away from him.

Matty

I’m surrounded by couples in love.

Once, I thought that’d be me. That I’d be swept off my feet and experience the kind of epic love you only see in movies.

Now, I know better.

A horrific night taught me to look for other things in a partner. Someone who’s predictable. Safe. Stable.

Sebastian is anything but.

Everyone tells me to stay away from him, but I don’t understand their concerns. How can he be a villain when all he’s shown me is kindness?

He makes me want things I thought I’d given up on. Things I’m too scared to admit I still want.

The trouble is, I can’t figure out what Sebastian wants. He tells me he can’t say no to me, but he won’t open up. He says to stay away from him, but he keeps coming around.

One thing is for sure, Sebastian is who I want in my future.

But how can I keep fighting for us if I’m the only one doing it?

Justice is a MM PNR romance about a grumpy vampire assassin and the sunshine human he can’t stay away from. The second in the Damned Connections series, each book will follow a different couple as they find their HEA. Although better read in order, these books can stand alone.

• Publisher: Lark Taylor (February 1, 2024)

• Publication date: February 1, 2024

• Print length: 476 pages

Review: The Mobster’s Mate by Kiki Clark

Rating: 4.25🌈

The Mobster’s Mate by Kiki Clark is a terrific paranormal romance. I enjoyed it immensely. Anyone who’s a fan of shifters/mate romances will enjoy the story but there’s a slight caveat.

This book takes place within Clark’s Kincaid Pack universe. It’s helpful to have an understanding of the events and characters from that series as it impacts heavily upon the storyline and couple here. Important Kincaid Pack members are also a part of this story, although Clark does a good job of explaining who they are and how they figure into the plot.

Getting all that out of the way, this book is launched is a great way. With a dramatic scenario and introduction to all the major characters.

Mob boss Quinten Amato is having to adapt to the new world order since the Kincaid Pack took down the corrupt paranormal government that kept things orderly and predictable. A structure that suited him and all his businesses just fine.

Clark gives us a ruthless man at the top, in an uncertain world where he’s got to negotiate a new path without any loss of prestige or credibility. Then a dramatic scenario opens up, where we meet Caden, a deeply damaged shifter, one guaranteed to make an impact on Quinten’s future.

Caden is such a vulnerable, wounded character. It’s impossible not to connect with him, either for the reader or for Quinten’s employees who surround him. Clark’s supporting cast is as intriguing and layered in their personalities as the main couple. They grab our interest too with their interactions with Caden and Quinton, making us want to know more about each of them.

The plot lines equally interesting, up to the great characters. If it’s all over a bit too quickly, then head over to the other series to read more about this universe and the events mentioned here.

Hopefully, this couple will pop up again in another book and series. The characters have a way of doing that.

This is a wonderful read and it’s got my recommendation.

Related Series

✓ Kincaid Pack (6 books)

✓ The Mobster’s Mate – single story

✓ Silver Oak Pack-2 books so far (also within the same universe)

Buy Link:

AMAZON

Blurb:

A human mob boss and an injured jaguar shifter brought together by a cruel enemy… and fate.

Caden hasn’t believed in fated mates since he was a cub. He figures it’s more of a fairytale that shifter parents tell their kids than the reality of what passes for mates in some of the packs he’s seen.

But then he comes face-to-face with a human man who smells like orange blossoms and radiates authority and safety.

And Caden… Well, he hasn’t felt safe in a long time.

While the rest of the world fears and reviles Quinten Amato and the things he does under the guise of his business, Caden is drawn to him like a cub to an alpha. He doesn’t care what anyone says or what Quinten does, he and his jaguar know the kind of man he is.

The kind who saved his life.

The kind who comforts him when he wakes up terrified.

The kind whose calm commands set his blood on fire.

Convincing his bossy human they’re meant to be together isn’t going to be easy. Especially not when Quinten’s certain Caden needs things he can’t get from him—and that being a part of Quinten’s life in the shadows is too dangerous.

And he might be right.

The Mobster’s Mate is a full-length novel featuring a human with questionable morals and a jaguar shifter who only sees the best in him. You’ll find an age gap, found family vibes, fated mates, and gobs of possessiveness.

This title is a standalone novel set within the Kincaid Pack universe. It can be read and enjoyed on its own. However, if you’d like to understand the nuances of the world, then start your journey with The Alpha and His King (Kincaid Pack Book 1).

• Publisher: Rainbow Publishing LLC (February 1, 2024)

• Publication date: February 1, 2024

• Print length: 219 pages

Review: The Mobster’s Mate by Kiki Clark

Rating: 4.25🌈

The Mobster’s Mate by Kiki Clark is a terrific paranormal romance. I enjoyed it immensely. Anyone who’s a fan of shifters/mate romances will enjoy the story but there’s a slight caveat.

This book takes place within Clark’s Kincaid Pack universe. It’s helpful to have an understanding of the events and characters from that series as it impacts heavily upon the storyline and couple here. Important Kincaid Pack members are also a part of this story, although Clark does a good job of explaining who they are and how they figure into the plot.

Getting all that out of the way, this book is launched is a great way. With a dramatic scenario and introduction to all the major characters.

Mob boss Quinten Amato is having to adapt to the new world order since the Kincaid Pack took down the corrupt paranormal government that kept things orderly and predictable. A structure that suited him and all his businesses just fine.

Clark gives us a ruthless man at the top, in an uncertain world where he’s got to negotiate a new path without any loss of prestige or credibility. Then a dramatic scenario opens up, where we meet Caden, a deeply damaged shifter, one guaranteed to make an impact on Quinten’s future.

Caden is such a vulnerable, wounded character. It’s impossible not to connect with him, either for the reader or for Quinten’s employees who surround him. Clark’s supporting cast is as intriguing and layered in their personalities as the main couple. They grab our interest too with their interactions with Caden and Quinton, making us want to know more about each of them.

The plot lines equally interesting, up to the great characters. If it’s all over a bit too quickly, then head over to the other series to read more about this universe and the events mentioned here.

Hopefully, this couple will pop up again in another book and series. The characters have a way of doing that.

This is a wonderful read and it’s got my recommendation.

Related Series

✓ Kincaid Pack (6 books)

✓ The Mobster’s Mate – single story

✓ Silver Oak Pack-2 books so far (also within the same universe)

Buy Link:

AMAZON

Blurb:

A human mob boss and an injured jaguar shifter brought together by a cruel enemy… and fate.

Caden hasn’t believed in fated mates since he was a cub. He figures it’s more of a fairytale that shifter parents tell their kids than the reality of what passes for mates in some of the packs he’s seen.

But then he comes face-to-face with a human man who smells like orange blossoms and radiates authority and safety.

And Caden… Well, he hasn’t felt safe in a long time.

While the rest of the world fears and reviles Quinten Amato and the things he does under the guise of his business, Caden is drawn to him like a cub to an alpha. He doesn’t care what anyone says or what Quinten does, he and his jaguar know the kind of man he is.

The kind who saved his life.

The kind who comforts him when he wakes up terrified.

The kind whose calm commands set his blood on fire.

Convincing his bossy human they’re meant to be together isn’t going to be easy. Especially not when Quinten’s certain Caden needs things he can’t get from him—and that being a part of Quinten’s life in the shadows is too dangerous.

And he might be right.

The Mobster’s Mate is a full-length novel featuring a human with questionable morals and a jaguar shifter who only sees the best in him. You’ll find an age gap, found family vibes, fated mates, and gobs of possessiveness.

This title is a standalone novel set within the Kincaid Pack universe. It can be read and enjoyed on its own. However, if you’d like to understand the nuances of the world, then start your journey with The Alpha and His King (Kincaid Pack Book 1).

• Publisher: Rainbow Publishing LLC (February 1, 2024)

• Publication date: February 1, 2024

• Print length: 219 pages

Review: The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires (Spellbound #1) by A.J. Sherwood / Devon Vesper

Rating: 4.5🌈

The first in a new fantasy series, The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires is a highly entertaining and fast paced fantasy adventure. It’s got reincarnated lovers, a sentient library, a found family of vampire warriors, and so much more.

All in all, a world of fun and magical action adventure, interwoven with love remembered and born again.

Sherwood’s characters are engaging, easily crossing time periods and a magical landscape to emerge in the modern world, embracing the cultural and technological aspects of the era, including even manga comics.

One of my favorite elements is the sentient library herself, Kassandra. A vibrant personality and key figure, even without a voice, I adored her. Master Declan, Ivy and the rest of the found family that defends and inhabits the library are amazing. Then there’s Kit, the one who was left behind, and Gun, the one who died and was reincarnated.

What a story and couple.

I was snared by the tragedy, pulled into the world by the adventures and hope of the future for the couple, and then just had a fabulous time with them along the way with the battles, the magic, and the ever enlarging foundation.

I can’t wait for the next in the series to come.

I’m highly recommending this to fans of this trope and author!

Buy Link

The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires (Spellbound Book 1)

The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires (Spellbound Book 1)by AJ SherwoodBook 1 of 1: Spellbound

Blurb:

Reborn love. Unleashed magic. We won’t fail twice.

Hi, I’m Kit. Immortal vampire and technomage extraordinaire. You know how it goes.

For the record, I am absolutely not stalking my reincarnated husband.

Okay, I am, but it’s for his own good. And mine. Er, assuming I can somehow figure out how to tell him he’s reincarnated and a mage, and we all live in a sentient library.

Any thoughts on that? I’m currently taking suggestions.

One thing’s for sure. He’s not dying on me again. Never again.

Tags:

The fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, that y’know includes violence, magic, reincarnated lovers, vampires, sassy library, Kassandra the library has OPINIONS, found family, all the magical shenanigans, Kit and Gun are part time soulmates full time problem, authors have lost all discretion in this, Kit is a walking green flag, the crack ship armada is sailing at full speed here, master should never have access to a credit card, or a bookstore, no book is off-limits with that man, triggers involve too much sap and cuteness, occasionally blowing shit up, violence is not the question but it is the answer, Sentient Library Tells All, I’m absolutely a library book check me out.

• Publisher: (February 2, 2024)

• Publication date: February 2, 2024

• Print length: 312 pages

Review: Fake Dates and Fanged Mistakes (Fanged Mistakes Book 1) by Alice Winters

Rating: 5🌈

I’m an Alice Winters fan and this latest book is a prime example why. Fake Dates and Fanged Mistakes is the first in Winters new Fanged Mistakes series and contains all the best of a Winters novel experience.

Her characters are intelligent with at least one having a history that’s incredibly tragic or traumatic. The dialogue is witty, fast paced, sarcastic , and filled with humor. Same often applies to the scenes of tension, where the interaction between the characters is interspersed with moments of humor and quiet understanding is used as a basis for the solidification of the relationship, as it so often does here with werewolf Julian and vampire Casimir.

It helps that Winters has created a strong group of characters, including a poodle Gustov, that supports the couple in a number of ways, comedic, action wise, and emotionally compelling.

I spent so much of this book cackling over the dialogue, finding total enjoyment in the dynamic between Julian and Casimir that Winters is developing that the story just flew by.

There’s a faint mystery that’s surrounds Julian’s character but that’s left for future stories to unravel. Plus we have a fabulous grumbling romance in progress between a human detective and Casimir’s second in command sorta , these two alone had me howling! All kinds of shenanigans galore and a nasty villain to boot!

Really, this is golden Alice Winters. A fabulously scripted and gloriously entertaining narrative that had me laughing out loud and ready to read it once again when I was done.

I’m highly recommending this and ready for the next in the series.

Fanged Mistakes:

✓ Faked Dates and Fanged Mistakes #1

◦ Dire Straits and Entwined Fates # 2 – March 12, 2024

Buy Link:

Fake Dates and Fanged Mistakes

Blurb:

Julian:

This week hasn’t gone the best for me unless you count Casimir, the sexy ancient vampire, bringing me back from the brink of death (and tying my fate to his in the process). Not that it matters if the werewolves and vampires don’t stop their ridiculous feud, because someone is targeting them and widening the divide between our communities with each body they leave in their wake.

But as the alpha’s son, I have a plan to fix everything. I’m going to convince Casimir to fake date me to show the others that we can work together.

I mean… what could go wrong?

Casimir
Everything.

Literally everything could go wrong. Who is actually going to believe that I want this joke-cracking, cute werewolf tagging alongside me?

Honestly, do I even care if people get along? I really think I have much more important things to do than going on hardware store dates, learning the torturous art of holding hands, and attending awkward family dinners, like… staring at my dog… and… I’m sure there’s something else.

Okay, fine, maybe this whole fake dating scheme isn’t the worst idea that I’ve come across in the past five hundred years, but it’s definitely in the running. The two of us are just going to have a bit of fun while I stop whoever’s hunting down the vampires and werewolves… right?

Fake Dates and Fanged Mistakes has a sunshiny yet stubborn werewolf who just wants everyone to get along, dang it; a bored vampire who isn’t nearly as aloof as he wants to appear; paper napkins trying (and failing) to stand in for clothes; some awesome swordsmanship; and the last thing you’d expect to find in a secret cupboard.

Review: Shades of Sepia (The Sleepless City #1 ) by Anne Barwell

Rating: 3.5🌈

I’ve read this series out of order and this probably has hurt the way in which I have viewed the first story, Shades of Sepia.

I’m already familiar with the couple and characters here. Also how the events of this story unfolded and were resolved. I read it basically to complete the series and grab up any new information or missing details before heading into the series finale.

I liked getting to know Ben Leyton, a New Zealand human drawn to Boggslake, Ohio because of an old photograph from his grandfather. He’s a wonderful, relatable character. Simon Hawthorne, vampire with a terrifying past, is a quiet presence here against the vibrancy that’s Ben.

I liked them but my main quibble here is the rushed relationship. There’s no foundation, no chemistry at the beginning. Yes a feel for a realistic dynamic comes later in the book, but at the beginning, it’s all soulmate, insta-love ‘oh, I love you’ type of relationship and I just think it comes across as flawed and flat.

Especially when viewed against the funny, partly antagonistic tone of the one that emerges from Electric Candle with Blair and Forge. That is one that’s slowly grown and, even with a soulmate bond, definitely not an instant love connection. As I said, series should be read in order.

I thought the second half of the story and plot was better constructed. But again, I had the advantage of reading books 2 and 3 . For me, I enjoyed it but got frustrated that the investigation into the murders was simply too slow to see what was going on around the main characters. And major plot points weren’t followed through on, another issue which bothered me.

For me , there’s a large amount of sex to the exclusion of character and relationship development. Instead of giving the reader information about what exactly happened to certain characters, what did the investigation reveal, and some more vampire bonding details, we get sex.

It’s not as satisfying as it sounds.

So while there are some good things about this book. The characters themselves are lovely, some really nice moments individually, the whole story doesn’t come across as strongly as the book that follow.

It’s still a rec for me. It a good lead in to a terrific series. Read them in the order they are written.

The Sleepless City:

✓ Shades of Sepia #1 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Electric Candle #2 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

◦ Code Name: Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Shades of Sepia (The Sleepless City Book 1)

Blurb:

To be soulmates they first have to survive.

A serial killer stalks the streets of Boggslake, Ohio. The victims are always found in pairs, one human and one vampire.

Simon Hawthorne has been a vampire for nearly a hundred years, and he has never seen anything like it. Neither have the other supernaturals he works with to keep the streets safe for both their kind and the humans.

One meeting with Simon finds Ben Leyton falling for a man he knows is keeping secrets, but he can’t ignore the growing attraction between them. A recent arrival in Boggslake, Ben finds it very different from his native New Zealand, but something about Simon makes Ben feel as though he’s found a new home.

After a close friend falls victim to the killer, Simon is torn between revealing his true nature to Ben, and walking away to avoid the reaction he fears. But with the body count rising and the murders becoming more frequent, either, or both of them, could be the killer’s next target.

Author’s note: This story was originally released in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has been revised and re-edited with the end result being a better, stronger story.

• Publisher: LaceDragon Publishing; 2nd edition (July 11, 2020)

• Publication date: July 11, 2020

• Print length: 240 pages

Review: Family and Reflection (The Sleepless City #3 ) by Anne Barwell

Rating: 4.5🌈

I’m jumping around this remarkable paranormal series by authors Anne Barwell and Elizabeth Noble as I recently discovered it by reading the second book in the series. That story, the fascinating universe that these authors were creating was something that immediately drew me into the narrative. From its location of Boggslake, a small historical Ohio town situated alongside Lake Erie with all its atmospheric layers , to that odd expanding group of found family of supernatural beings plus a human as well as a dog, I was all in.

Then Barwell and Noble introduced a twist or two on the fated mate/soul bound trope, and I was more than committed, I was delighted with the idea that, fated mates didn’t equal instant love but instead perhaps a more thoughtful approach for both men, including dismay, hilarity, dismissals, before finally finding acceptance. Yes, that works.

So here , it’s an exploration between two species that , in this series, have a serious animosity towards each other, even if the individuals themselves have a friendship that is looking to go further.

That’s the current werewolf and vampire species. There’s also the arc storyline and threatening mystery that’s involved multiple murders, several mysterious creatures, and an ongoing hunt for the mastermind behind it all.

All these complicated plot threads and the characters and elements converge together as Lucas Coate, werewolf (estranged from his pack) is asked for help from his sister to solve a horrific mystery. But the vampire Declan, recently returned from abroad, is being framed for thefts around town, and now needs help from his friends at Boggs Castle to find the real thief. All while dealing with this attraction to Lucas and the new soulbond of his friend/long time vampire lover, Jonas Forge to Blair.

This story has complicated relationships that speak to complex layered dynamics between friends and family, friends and their own lovers, friends and their long term friends. All woven into storylines that have murders, mysteries, and developing romances.

It’s not entirely satisfactory an ending because the arc storyline has one more book before it can be completed. So the elements I feel were left unfinished here were probably done so for a purpose. I won’t know exactly until that last novel is read.

I get the feeling that everything is fitting together like a puzzle piece and so now it’s off to finish the puzzle. But first back to grab up that first story before I can finish up.

I’m highly impressed with the series and authors. It’s a must read. Dare I say, don’t do as I did, and read them in order? Yes! Do that!

The Sleepless City:

◦ Shades of Sepia #1 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Electric Candle #2 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

◦ Code Name: Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Family and Reflection (The Sleepless City Book 3)

Blurb:

When a rebel werewolf and a vampire thief fall in love, only one thing is certain—trouble.

For as long as Lucas Coate can remember, werewolves have been taught to mistrust vampires. Lucas is an exception—he has close friends who are vampires. The werewolf pack in Boggslake—and their leader, Jacob Coate—have made it clear that Lucas’s association with vampires is barely tolerated, and another transgression will be his last. When Lucas finds out about the plague of werewolf deaths in the area, he wants to help even though his own life may already be in danger.

Declan has been away from Boggslake for ten years, but he isn’t surprised to learn that the internal politics of the Supernatural Council haven’t changed for the better. When a series of burglaries hit close to home soon after he arrives, Declan—a vampire and professional thief—is their prime suspect, although for once, he isn’t responsible. With the council keeping secrets, no one is safe. Time is running out, and for Lucas and Declan, everything is about to change.

Authors Note: This story was originally released in 2015 by another publisher. This edition has been re-edited with additional content.

• Publisher: LaceDragon Publishing; 2nd edition (September 11, 2020)

• Publication date: September 11, 2020

• Print length: 275 pages

Review: Electric Candle (The Sleepless City #1) by Elizabeth Noble

Rating: 4.5🌈

Such a fascinating series! A four-book series, with two authors, each writing two books a piece to complete the arc and couple storylines. And it works beautifully, flowing pretty seamlessly from one author’s narrative to the next.

Barwell and Noble have created a really remarkable paranormal universe.

It’s got a found family of supernatural beings (werewolves , vampires, and a ghost), one human, one dog, all of which are living in a haunted castle near Lake Erie in a small town of Boggslake, Ohio. The group has an unusual set of backstories among them, including a current history of unrest and animosity between different paranormal species. Specifically, between werewolf and vampire species which often will impact the group dynamics.

The authors, especially Noble here, offer a very different approach on the typical soulmate/soul bonding process. I really found this to be such a surprising and fascinating element of these characters and storylines.

Noble’s characters include a very old vampire who needs antihistamines . And upon discovering the person who’s his soulmate, isn’t instantly rapturous over the thought but instead thinks that person is a bit of a naive idiot ,definitely not soulmate material. Nope, no instant love , more deep mortification.

Noble’s story involves a several current murders, possibly a deeper connection to mysterious deaths in the past, and plenty of slow revelations about each species and the dynamics within Boggs Castle, as the new relationships being forged.

I’m absolutely hooked. The characters are a marvelous combination of well developed personalities but leaving just the right amount of mystery to their respective backgrounds that the reader just needs to know more.

Plus the author’s folds in the Lake, as it’s called there, perfectly, using its unique allure, scary qualities, and beauty to a narrative charm.

I can’t wait to read all the books in this series.

Start here, it’s an excellent read and got so many new twists to familiar elements.

The Sleepless City:

✓ Electric Candle #1 by Elizabeth Noble

◦ Shades of Sepia #2 by Elizabeth Noble

◦ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

◦ Code Name: Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Electric Candle (The Sleepless City Book 2)

Blurb

When a vampire finds his soulmate, the bond is forever. It’s love at first sight.

Or is it?

Homicide Detective Jonas Forge has been a vampire for centuries. He’s fought wars, seen life go from the simple colonial days to the modern high-tech world. He’s evolved with the times, adapted to each new era, blended into each new life. The one constant is his best friend, mentor, and lover, Declan. Even though not fated to bond as soulmates, Forge and Declan are happy and settled in their life together.

Until Forge’s real soulmate falls, literally, into his life.

Forge isn’t thrilled with the guy, despite the pheromones attracting them to each other, and the feeling seems mutual. While trying to adjust to his clumsy soulmate and equally awkward feelings, Forge is also on the hunt for a serial-killer witnesses can’t identify who’s leaving a trail of bodies in its wake.

Will the bond Forge is finally forming with his soulmate be destroyed when the hunter becomes the victim?

If you like fated mates who aren’t perfect for each other, a paranormal killer who might not be caught and found families then you’ll love Elizabeth Noble’s Electric Candle