Mercy Blade is a book whose description is one I think was deliberately kept succinct and vague for a reason. And that was to keep the readers from any plot spoilers that might have been picked up from a longer blurb.
Mercy Blade itself opens up an entire introduction to new characters, paranormal species, and several areas of ways that the various beings govern themselves, or have the ability to.
Hunter has really constructed a complex universe that is just starting to emerge here. And it’s going to spread throughout the course of the series and over the country.
The few things I will say is that Mercy Blade sees the official emergence of a African black were-leopard group, in New Orleans to meet with Leo, a tumultuous revelation that includes Rick, and yet several more paranormal species that will have ongoing conflicts and roles for the future.
Jane’s life will be more heartbreaking, dangerous and in an unstable state where she’s scrambling for trust and support.
It’s a danger greater than anything before and makes for a fantastic story.
Jane, a shapeshifting vampire-hunter-for-hire, crosses paths with a stranger who has arrived in New Orleans, enlisted to hunt vampires who have gone insane-or so he says…
Assassin’s Noon is such a remarkable book. The plot is outstanding, the characters show great depth and development and it’s not too close to the end, that I’m mourning the finish of this fantastic series. Which I will btw.
We have a locked room murder mystery worthy of the our best iconic mystery authors, and then the next moment, the entirety of the investigation turns darker when the murder motive and ongoing political conspiracy seems to be intertwined.
That aspect of the story is excellent . And alongside this, Nelson is detailing the new tentative relationship between Thea and her father, and her quiet growing bond with Mage Niath. Beautifully crafted and layered in among the storylines and scenes that they have together.
Thea’s mother, Ware, the others of the Watch and all the characters like the science officer that we’ve come to love continuously grow better as the demands of the thriller get darker and more intense.
No spoilers but the story arc is so suspense filled as well as magically satisfying action battle scenes. Thrilling and intense.
This is one of my favorite dark fantasy series. Not a romance.
One dead man. A fortified house full of innocent people.
One of the city’s wealthiest and most powerful residents is found dead in his own home. Murder is suspected, but the house was supposed to be absolutely secure against any intruder. Thea is faced with a hostile group of household servants inside the house and demands for swift justice outside its walls.
Working with Mage Niath, it doesn’t take long to realise that it’s not a straightforward death and the dead man has ties to opponents they have faced before.
Can Thea uncover the truth of the death before the tensions in the city spill over and more deaths occur?
Assassin’s Noon is the fourth book in the Ageless Mysteries series, and continues Thea’s story which started in Deadly Night.
If you like your fantasy with mystery and magic, you will love Thea’s story. Get your copy of Assassin’s Noon today to continue Thea’s story.
I just can’t help myself, this series and main characters call to me. Every single time I try to read something else, I find myself back in the Ageless world with Watch Officer Thea March,still trying to figure out how to remain true to her oaths as a watch officer while under the command of a Captain who’s determined to see her punished for being assigned to his location, and the odd things that seem to happen there.
There’s also Mage Niath, the coroner’s office, and just some outstanding characters that pull together to form a group of beings that make a reader feel so part of their world and the struggles that they face.
And they are many. From the power inequities that are present due to the societal structures that have the Ageless with their centuries of existence perspective at the top of everything, and everyone else at the bottom, with no real choice or chance of resistance, then a “weapon less “ town Watch is constantly trying to make their lives as safe as possible.
False Dawn is the beginning of a terrifying series storyline, one that will be further developed and expanded as new books come. But here it begins with a threat of counterfeit Ageless coins showing up in the marketplaces outside the gates of The Citadel.
If the thieves and counterfeit coins aren’t found, there’s a good chance that Ageless warriors will come out to the towns in anger to find them themselves. Or worse.
There’s murder, many intriguing mysteries, complicated investigations, and incredible escalating dangers for Thea and Niath and the plots go deeper than expected.
Another early morning ending. Honestly my dog is so over me. She’s exhausted.
But I’m just getting started. I’ll get her a doggy sleep mask.
But this is fantastic. Beautifully written, the world building is incredible, and the characters are believable and so alive that they all are beings you can relate to.
In the city of Accanter, forgeries can cost lives.
Someone is faking the ruler’s currency in her home city. And unless Thea can find out who is doing it, no one will be safe from the Archon’s and the Ageless’ wrath.
Thea just wants to do her job. Catch the criminals. Keep the people safe.
If only life was that simple.
Assigned to a new investigation, she has barely started her enquiry when Mage Niath appears, wanting her help at the one place in the city she does not want to go. The Citadel.
She wants to say no, but fake coins have been turning up and unless Thea can prove they had nothing to do with it, innocent people will be killed in the Ageless’ quest for revenge.
False Dawn is the second book in the Ageless Mysteries series by Vanessa Nelson, which started with Deadly Night.
If you like your fantasy with mystery and magic, then you’ll love this series. Get your copy of False Dawn today to continue Thea’s story.
It only took 2 books but Faith Hunter has become not just a autobuy but an author I have to have and binge all of her series and books. And right now. She’s made my TBR pile so much longer! As if it wasn’t already out of control.
Did I tell you that she’s prolific and writes under two different names? Yep. And I’m just exploring one at the moment.
Hunter’s Urban fantasy series about a Cherokee skinwalker, Jane Yellowstone, who’s a traveling rogue vampire hunter is fantastic. A complete series, the first book was released in 2009, however, with the exception of some references to politicians and musicians from the same period, it’s still pretty current.
Jane Yellowstone’s past and her true nature is a fragmented history that will continue to be revealed over the series. It makes for a fascinating aspect of her story and adds more mystery to her character and series.
Her latest commission brings her to New Orleans, where she has been hired by the madam of Katies’s Ladies, a powerful woman vampire herself, to hunt down a rogue vampire who is killing other vampires in the city.
But nothing is that simple. And this turns into something layered with the mythology and magic of multiple mythologies and cultures. Foremost is the Cherokee skinwalker and other skin walker legends of various native tribes because it differs from tribal cultures. And Jane’s fractured memories leaves her trying to figure out where she falls in the spiritual spectrum. Is her skinwalker side dark or light?
And her enormous cat, the Beast that’s the main animal she can become, is a separate entity. Strong and entirely that of a creature that hunts and isn’t human in any sense of the way. The history behind the two of them is also a very strong part of her story.
New Orleans is beautifully portrayed, clearly by someone who loves and knows the city. Its locations are very well written and feel real.
The other characters here, from the wonderful women in Katies’s Ladies who make an indelible impression, to the various Vampire masters and their assistants who Jane gives nicknames, yes I love Troll so much, they made this a universe to sink into.
There’s potential romantic leads, each with their own secrets and unique personalities and agendas that make them poor choices. And the top Master Leo who’s obsessed with Jane’s ability and what type of unknown supernatural being she is.
Hunter is leaving much of Jane’s true identity and past unknown so it can slowly be revealed throughout the series. And the growth and development is something I really look forward to.
Meet shapeshifting skinwalker Jane Yellowrock in the first novel in the New York Times bestselling series that captures “the essence of urban fantasy” (SF Site).
Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katies’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.
Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission—or else the next skin she’ll need to save just may be her own…
Ghostly Interests (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 1) by Lily Harper Hart has so many issues, and I think many (but not all) might have to do with the year that this book was published in.
Written in 2015 and it’s showing its age. I almost feel like I should list the issues and be done with it.
Main characters in their late twenties whose dialogue is more characteristic of someone much younger than themselves. Even with the colloquialism of the times and references of that specific decade.
The lack of any broader understanding between the other characters of the idea of a found family or strong female and male friendships/bonds that act like a sibling relationship without any blood relationship so it’s spelled out like one would in general terms in the book.
While it’s a given understanding these days.
How the main character and those characters around her see her body and their bodies in different aspects of attractiveness. And the terminology that’s used. The idea of body positivity is no where near here but 1950 is.
The male/female dynamics are annoying and toxic, depending upon the relationship. The men tend to talk over the women, dismiss their complaints and comments. At one point, Zander actually told Harper to shut up while he spoke to the cop about whether he thought he could date her.
Funny? Not particularly. Although I’m sure the author meant it as a humorous comment. Same I’m sure when Harper’s mom called Zander a derogatory word for a gay man and it’s shrugged off as being ok because it’s her mother. No, again not ok.
This sort of casual bigotry and sexism is written throughout the book.
While the main woman character, Harper, has a gay best friend, Zander, who’s also a partner in their ghostbuster business, how every day sexism and sexual harassment is handled here is seriously outdated.
One of the younger men who works for them is outright engaged in verbal sexist remarks towards Harper, making remarks about her body, as well as marking disparaging comments about their younger intern who’s crushing on him. Zander himself makes crude remarks towards women that’s insulting. But it’s noted he’s a masculine gay.
There’s the issue with the entire point that the men often defer to the roommate, Zander, for information that they will believe. Even though Harper has just told whoever the same story. Even though she’s the main character. More sexism.
And it’s taken as a joke or commentary, in the father’s case, as situation normal.
“I do want the divorce.” “Why are you calling Mom ‘your woman’ then?” Harper asked. “Because we’re not divorced yet and I don’t like anyone taking what’s mine before I’m ready to give it up,” Phil said. “That’s not the way things work.”
That’s the kind of relationship/dynamics written and dated tone that’s displayed here by all the characters, at every level.
It’s old at page one.
Then there’s just things that make you stop and think:
A young American woman who says “Bleeding tragic “ which no one would say at her age and situation, even as a ghost.
And the fact that a victim who is SA has that element totally glossed over as well as a predatory college professor.
In the words that Zander would understand and say. “Ewww.”
Harper Harlow lives in a world of ghosts. She sees them. She talks to them. She investigates them. She sends them on their merry way. She’s not embarrassed by her abilities, and she’s not afraid to be who she is. She’s also not looking for a relationship. Enter Jared Monroe, a smooth-talking police detective who sees things in black and white and ignores any shades of gray. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, and while he’s intrigued by the feisty blonde ghost detective, he’s not interested in the paranormal. When twenty-one-year-old Annie Dresden’s body washes up on the beach of Whisper Cove, Harper and Jared collide. Sparks may be flying, but so is confusion and mistrust. Harper calls on her loyal band of ghost hunters to solve the crime, and Jared relies on his training to tackle the same problem. It doesn’t matter what approach they take because all paths are destined to intersect. Can Harper and Jared learn to work together? And, more importantly, can new ghosts let go of the past and give in to an obscure future? It’s anyone’s guess when big personalities go to war and find they might have more in common than they think.
Death Waits at Dead Rock was actually so different because the reader became familiar and fond of the victim, as did Claire. Which made what follows so personal and upsetting. A very different experience from every murder and investigation prior.
When a invitation to a weekend at a vineyard for influencers and potential clients turns into a murder investigation the story ventures into a new realm of acceptance of Claire’s abilities from those closest to her and an investigation into someone she’d grown close to.
Death Waits at Dead Rock ends with a new paranormal mystery rising about the land and Claire, an old mystery solved sort of about the town, and on moment for all that was both moving and bittersweet depending upon what character was the focus.
A wine tasting. A viral treasure hunt. A body at the base of Dead Rock.
Claire Caldwell thought she’d seen every kind of weird the desert could throw at her. Ghosts in her kitchen, omens from a spirit fox, and the occasional town scandal that required a very large cup of coffee. What she did not expect was a swarm of influencers descending on Perdido Springs for a luxury “Desert Vines Weekend,” complete with ring lights and sponsored smiles.
The big gimmick is supposed to be harmless fun. Collect the special labels, piece together the artwork, and you get a treasure map to a legendary stash hidden near Dead Rock.
Content gold. Tourist bait. Everyone wants in.
Then the weekend’s headliner turns up dead at sunrise.
Claire would love to let law enforcement handle it, but Buster is… Buster. Rosa’s ghost has opinions, Rusty is tracking something no living person can smell, and the closer Claire gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that the “treasure” isn’t just old wine and a cute story. Someone in town has been protecting what Dead Rock is hiding for a long time, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.
Now Claire has to sift through secrets, suspects, and a trail of clues disguised as a party favor, before the killer strikes again… and the next toast becomes a death sentence.
Body Beneath the Wither brings several things to a head in Claire and Sam’s relationship that’s needed to be resolved, the fact that she’s been hiding so much of herself and what actually happens around the ranch from him.
That definitely becomes a factor when a podcaster comes to town chasing ghosts and ends up being his own story, among other mysteries on an ominous ranch hiding many secrets.
I liked that this eventually moved Claire and Sam’s story forward. Plus the darkness of the Wither is one that seems to be one that’s not fully resolved for a reason.
The author always has multiple storylines going on and each one is different and weaves fully into the narrative and series arc.
The animals are great characters and the desert is so beautifully written that it’s feels as though you can step into the town and find each place without hesitation.
A dead tree. A dead podcaster. A desert that remembers everything.
Claire Caldwell was ready for wedding planning, not another corpse.
But when her fiancé’s vet call takes them down a lonely road outside Perdido Springs, Rusty blocks their path and leads them straight to Broken Acres, a long abandoned farmhouse with a twisted tree locals call the Wither.
Beneath its dead branches lies Craig Dooley, better known to his listeners as Stone Coldwell, the loudmouthed host of The Cold Files. He came chasing ghosts, chasing fame, chasing the thrill he’d lost… and now he is the newest spirit the desert refuses to forget.
His unhinged ex turns up screaming and clawing at the body, a will is found in the dirt, and two siblings are suddenly at each other’s throats over a secret fortune that should have died with their father.
Then the whispers start.
A grieving woman in old fashioned clothes begs Claire to help the man she has waited a hundred years to see, and the Wither’s shadow seems to sink into everyone nearby, feeding paranoia, greed, and old resentments until even the living feel haunted.
Claire has solved murders before, but this one is different… because Sam is watching, and he is finally noticing the things Claire has been hiding.
To catch a killer, Claire will have to face what waits under the Wither.
And she might have to tell her fiancé the truth… before the desert takes someone else.
Tombstones with a View is great and really expands on the series with several new characters and insights into established ones. I absolutely loved it.
We’ve met Mavis, owner of the Desert Rest Motel before. Primarily because that place is full of Mavis’s antique doll collection, hundreds of dolls everywhere throughout the motel, in every room. Staring at you. In prior stories.
Here Mavis is the center of the story. Her dolls too. Which makes for a unique investigation when Mavis goes missing. We and Claire learn about her in her absence.
Claire’s long time friend, Sara, a journalist from Chicago ,arrives to spend time together. There’s someone who is cutting fences and leaving threatening notes at the Sanctuary. And Sam’s still trying to propose.
Tombstones with a View accomplishes several things along with a terrific mystery. It brings in a new, actually 2 new connected characters and develops an established minor character into one who looks to become one of the found family that Claire is forming around herself.
This also gives Buster, a deputy Sheriff who’s normally shown as useless, a chance to demonstrate extra depth, something I appreciate.
The ending not only ties up all the various plot threads giving us a couple of interesting elements and terrific surprises, but a lovely note for Claire and Sam.
Sara Bourgeois continues to give us a realistic sense of the beauty and atmosphere of the Arizona desert while layering it with the most interesting of mysteries and engaging characters. This series is a real treat!
Claire Caldwell learned that the hard way in Room 7 of the Desert Rest Motel. But now their owner has vanished, and those glass eyes might be the only witnesses to what happened…
Sheriff Dobson isn’t concerned. “Woman finally got tired of those creepy dolls and skipped town. Can’t blame her.”
But Claire knows Mavis would never abandon her collection. Those hundreds of Victorian dolls aren’t just decorations… they’re her life. Her family. Her obsession.
With the sheriff refusing to investigate, Claire finds herself drawn into the dusty rooms of the Desert Rest, surrounded by glass eyes that follow her every move. The dolls saw what happened to Mavis. If only they could talk.
Meanwhile, someone is stalking Whispering Saguaro Ranch. Cut fences. Threatening notes. A shadow in the barn at midnight. Claire’s made some enemies, and one of them wants what she has… no matter the cost.
As Claire searches for answers, she discovers that Mavis has secrets of her own. The Pioneer Cemetery behind the motel holds more than old bones. The dolls hold more than sawdust and porcelain. And the eccentric woman everyone dismissed as harmless may have been hiding something worth killing for.
Now Claire must untangle two mysteries at once, with help from an unlikely source: her veterinarian fiancé Sam, whose rounds through the desert bring whispers of things people don’t want known. Together, they’ll learn that in Perdido Springs, the strangest people often have the darkest secrets.
And some collections are worth more than anyone imagined.
Spirits of the Saguaro, the terrific third book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, sees the small Arizona desert town of Perdito Springs still trying to recover from the death of bank manager, Robert Harrison. Harrison was a man who was hated by the town’s residents for his crimes and cruel treatment.
Now a well known artist is coming to town and several people are hoping that her popularity will help them recover their losses and rebuild.
But artist Aurora Brightwater brings more than popularity, she brings antagonism, old hatred’s and divisions with her. And that leads to murder.
Spirits of the Saguaro is a fabulous book. The story went in different directions than I had anticipated, the characters were very well drawn and the side plots are great.
There’s a side story about a filmmaker as well as the plot that’s following the slow burn romance between Claire and Sam.
The entire community, the shops and their owners are very involved, and we’re getting to know each one better as the mysteries play out.
The mystical world of Perdita Springs, which includes the Fox guardian, the ghosts of the ranch, and the mysterious past of the area and mines is a developing element.
This excellent story and series is one I’m very excited about. And one that’s hard to stop reading once you’ve started.
Claire Caldwell has finally settled into her strange new normal. Two months after the Robert Harrison incident, she’s learned to trust her spirit fox’s warnings and Rosa’s ghostly advice as she runs her animal sanctuary in the desert.
But some visitors bring their own darkness to Perdido Springs.
When famous artist Aurora Brightwater arrives to paint the “desert spirits,” she brings more than just her canvases and her sparkling laugh. She brings grudges, theft, and a cruelty that hides behind flowing scarves and talk of universal energy.
Then Aurora turns up dead in her studio, a palette knife through her heart, and everyone she’s wronged becomes a suspect. The artist who steals others’ work… dead. The documentary filmmaker who seems cursed… filming everything. The exhausted ex-husband she abandoned… watching from the shadows.
As Claire investigates with her veterinarian boyfriend Sam, she discovers Aurora left a trail of destroyed careers and stolen dreams across the Southwest. But in a town where the dead talk, the dolls in the motel have their own agenda, and something that used to be human roams the desert at night, finding the truth means distinguishing between those who wanted Aurora gone and whoever actually made it happen.
In Perdido Springs, the veil is thin, the spirits are watching…
Welcome back to the desert, where inspiration can be deadly.
I thought Witch At Heart: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 1) by Juliette Harper a step above the rest of the stories I’ve read in this trope of books.
There’s an entire genre of books and series based around a woman who inherits a store from a relative, usually an aunt who turns out to be magical. There’s a mysterious animal included, hers, the relative’s or the store’s, normally a cat. And it’s a cozy mystery.
On the whole, they are pretty good. Similar but each different enough in their elements to be entertaining.
But the ending here, elevates this one into something more interesting. Takes the characters, their pasts, and the entire community and suddenly gives it an edge, an entire new layer.
Wasn’t expecting that.
For 3/4 of the story, we get the typical plot of small town, Jinx Hamilton quits her waitressing job when her beloved crazy aunt dies the next town over and leaves her with her shop and belongings.
She also bequeaths Jinx her magic and a mysterious death to investigate.
The shop, its contents are slowly revealed as is the community of the small town that Jinx is now a part of. It’s a small village where Jinx has been a member of, along with her childhood friend, who quickly becomes a part of the story.
There’s ghosts, an adorable rat named Roderick, and a killer to find and murders to solve. And a new magical role to accept.
It’s charming, the characters are engaging and interesting. And the potential for a very intriguing world is just getting started.
It’s a quick read and the series is complete. Another win!
I love a terrific cozy story and mystery. No romance, although there’s a slight attraction between Jinx and the cobbler.
I’m recommending this one!
The Jinx Hamilton Series (16 book series): complete and all released.
Jinx Hamilton is ready to trade in waitressing for becoming her own boss. The shop she inherits from her eccentric aunt in Briar Hollow, North Carolina, seems like the perfect fit. As Jinx handles the enchanted inventory and the unruly clientele, she discovers her aunt also willed her magical powers without an instruction manual.
As if that weren’t enough, she’s forced to deal with four cats, several homeless ghosts, and a potential serial killer.
With a little help from her best friend and a dreamy new neighbor, Jinx must keep the business afloat and the murderer at bay. And it’ll take more than clever bookkeeping and spellcasting to keep the store…and herself…from going under.
*Note: This is a republished version of Witch At Heart
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 