Category: Paranormal adventures,

Review:  Splintered Magic (Splintered Magic Book 1) by Jillian Dolbeare

Rating: 3⭐️

It’s not a good thing when I think I was being generous with my rating here. My love for The Portlock Paranormal Detective Series by Heather G. Harris and Jilleen Dolbeare prompted me to seek out individual stories by each of these authors as each has a fairly large number of books/series they’ve written. 

So far I haven’t found the same level of depth of world building and characterization in the individual books as I found in their co-authored series. 

Splintered Magic has the worst female main character yet of the ones I’ve read so far, which is highly disappointing. Especially as everything about her, the circumstances she finds herself in, and the premise of the story are incredibly promising. 

It begins so well with the 40ish recently divorced Brigid Donovan pulling up to her family very old crumbling Victorian mansion/house in the middle of the night.  Towing all her belongings in a rental trailer, she’s just arrived at the house, where long overdue renovations are underway. 

The excellent descriptions of the house, the tall Pacific Northwest woods, and the rutted road leading into the shambles of a house full of memories and a family of construction workers, scrambling to get the work done brings the location and people alive. 

And of course, a huge cat shows up, one that is a twin to the cat she grew up with decades ago on the same house. Huh. 

Magical stuff starts to happen immediately to Brigid. And if perhaps, Dolbeare had gone a different route with the character, say extremely young and sheltered rather than older, experienced woman, someone who’s undergone a recent bitter divorce with a cheating spouse, and left everything behind, than I might have felt differently about the novel and this character’s reactions to, well, everything. 

My biggest issue with the character of Brigid is her lack of believability as a woman. Given her age, experiences and current circumstances, how the author has her reacting in much of the scenes and events here just doesn’t make sense.  If she’d come out of a nunnery perhaps, but even a high amount of tweens/grade schoolers have a better sense of caution and self awareness than Dolbeare has equipped her with. 

She’s come home to a place she’s not been in for quite some time and not communicated with any of the people from her childhood. But immediately they, especially a girl she remembers as being a bit of a bully and mean girl, is automatically a “bestie “ on face value, because she seems nice. 

No one does this. Ever.

Then when everyone, and I mean everybody, from her cat to , yes, another instant old boyfriend she’s decided she’s crazy for , tell her that this person and her entire group are bad bad people, does she listen? No.

Because they seem so nice.  

It’s one incredibly stupid character development or decision making element after another. Poor Brigid turned into a TSTL character almost immediately here, making it literally impossible to take her or the entire story seriously. 

Which is a shame because the series is complete but I don’t think I can handle any more of this twaddle. 

There’s several other magical storylines, all of which are familiar plot lines. A person’s history and powerful abilities are stripped and hidden until they have the strength to handle it.  But again, this part is silly as it isn’t well executed and is full of plot holes the more that you think it through. 

Anyway. It ends on a cliffhanger that a reader could easily see coming. How involved you are here will determine if you go ahead with the series. 

I like the covers .

Splintered Magic – complete series:

Splintered Magic #1

Splintered Veil #2

Splintered Fate #3

Splintered Haven #4

Splintered Secret #5

Splintered Destiny #6

Buy link

        Splintered Magic: A Paranormal Women’s Urban Fantasy Novel

    

Blurb 

He left her with a broken heart… and a crumbling mansion full of magical secrets.

Brigid Donovan’s life is in shambles. Her husband ran off with his secretary, her ancestral home is falling apart, and all she wants is a quiet life in the heart of Oregon’s wild, ancient forest. But when her cat starts talking—and drops the bombshell that she’s the great-granddaughter of a fae lord—Brigid’s life goes from wrecked to downright weird.

She’s supposed to have magic. Power. A legacy. So where the hell is it?

As strange happenings ripple through the town of Kilchis, Brigid discovers her renovation team is a pack of werewolves, her new best friend is a witch, and her family history is a magical mystery wrapped in secrets. To survive, Brigid must reclaim her magic—before it claims her.

Welcome to Splintered Magic—a paranormal women’s urban fantasy full of wit, wolves, and wicked twists

  • Publisher: Vinci Books (February 14, 2023)
  • Publication date: February 14, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 206 pages

Werewolf shifter fantasy thriller, witch and wizard romance thrillers, 

Brigid Donovan is divorced, adrift, and might be going nuts. Her desire to restore her family’s decaying Victorian Mansion isn’t going well. Mainly because her werewolf contractor is murdered on the job. And the only other choice to take over is the hot, if sketchy, cousin to the local coven’s head witch.

On top of these problems, her fluffy Ragdoll cat is now speaking to her—that can’t be normal, right? He tells her she’s the great-granddaughter of a fae lord, and very powerful. That’s all fine and dandy, but where is her magic?

Her search leads her to discover that her magic was taken from her at an early age and splintered into thirteen pieces of jewelry that she must find, reintegrate, and learn to use all before the local witch coven finds it first—and they play for keeps. 

Luckily, she has a best friend, a Splintercat, a griffin, a teenaged dragon, and an angry werewolf pack to help. Everything should go smoothly…shouldn’t it?

Review:  Green Gryphon (Mackenzie Green, #1) by J.S. Kennedy 

Rating:  4.5⭐️

Kennedy is another new to me author on my search for new writers of strong female characters and great stories.  

Green Gryphon is the first book in Kennedy’s Mackenzie Green series, a novel set 50 years after magic drastically reappeared in the world, resulting in the death of billions, loss of the then governments of countries and chaos. Cities crumbled, anything created of plastic or non natural materials dissolved, leaving destruction and disaster behind. And magical beings that formed from some of those who were left.

Several aspects of this book surprised me. Not the foundation whereby a reappearance of magic destroys the world’s technology as well as its current countries structures, that’s a well established concept. 

What caught me was the main character of MacKenzie Green and her small family. In a world of fantasy characters, dragons, gryphons, vampires, werewolves, and other mythical beings that this magical shift created, the book adds another element with her. 

This is actually a darker story than I expected. Far from the sort of light tone that we get from the book’s blurb.

It’s far better than that. 

It’s got a tinge of horror, that riding the edge of terrifying science fiction mixed with a fantasy vibe that makes this a fascinating and exciting story.

Plus dragon shifters and found family. 

However, I’m thinking this novel should have trigger warnings as there’s plenty of bodies, bloodshed, and in the future stories, torture. 

Mackenzie is a plant mage who’s hiding plenty of secrets. Those are slowly revealed towards the end of this book. 

The world building is slowly coming together, as the author gives us the new structure as it pertains to this city and how humans and the otherworldly beings are governed. And the newly formed purity rights group that has formed within certain communities. 

It’s highly suspenseful, action packed, and full of character driven storytelling.

I’m so invested in this character and series. Also thrilled it’s a complete one so I can binge through.

Another winner and recommendation. 

Cover art by : Original Book Cover Design

Mackenzie Green Series: complete 

Catch and Release – A prequel novella 

Green Gryphon #1

Green Mage #2

Green Shadow #3

Green Vampire #4

Green Dragon #5

Buy link

        Green Gryphon: Mackenzie Green Book 1 (Mackenzie Green Series)

    

Blurb 

The Dragon Protector asking Mackenzie for a favor—Maybe the sky truly has fallen…

Mackenzie works for Catch and Release, a bounty-hunting guild, and she loves her job.

She goes after the usual suspects: Rogue vampires, feral shifters, and crazed mages. Nightmare stuff.

The last thing she ever imagined was Lucan, an infuriating and high-ranking dragon shifter, hiring her to find a child kidnapped from his Tribe.

Even though her magical talents lean more towards bodyguarding and hunting dangerous beings, condemning a kid to death isn’t who she is.

But as Mackenzie gets deeper into her hunt, she uncovers deadly secrets surrounding the child, the kidnapper, and Lucan himself…

One thing’s for sure; when the going gets tough, Mackenzie gets dangerous!

  • Publication date: June 16, 2021
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 309 pages
  • Book 1 of 5: Mackenzie Green Series

Review:  Relics of the Wolf (Magnetic Magic Book 2) by Lindsay Buroker

Rating: 4⭐️

Mystery, magic, and more hidden secrets. That’s what Relics of the Wolf is focused upon. 

Luna has, with all the betrayals, attacks, and bad news about her mother arriving together, decided to go full force with her wolf.  It being the best way to ensure her safety and others survival. 

 The complex dynamics within Luna’s mother’s pack is one that is more feral, and less humanized than many other stories I’ve read.  I appreciate this aspect even more because the Alpha is female, ruthless in running the pack as she works towards its future. 

 The story lines that Buroker is building, ones that include Luna and her pack, are among the strongest in the series. From the pack dynamics to the werewolves and their own history, the author is developing this element with each character and book.  She’s revealing more about their mythology, genetics, and connections to other paranormal beings. 

Luna is still a strong character, evolving her story and her wolf into a powerful role and magical being. I can’t wait to see more. 

Duncan just continues to be an issue. He’s not a consistently well defined character, and I need that to be invested in him. For his part in Luna’s journey and me as a reader. The author does supply him with a newly revealed history but oddly, it didn’t make him any more believable here. It’s not a well constructed element.  I’m just not connecting with him. Or this part of the story. It’s all too apparent. 

Bolin remains outstanding. More of Bolin. Maybe let us in on his parents, too. 

The shifter elements are exciting, Luna is fabulous, the Pack itself is full of complicated characters and  hidden inter-pack political elements that add suspense and depth to the scenario.

Moving swiftly to the next book to see how the story develops.

Another winner for lovers of paranormal werewolf fiction and urban fantasy thrillers. 

“Book cover by Deranged Doctor Design”

Magnetic Magic :

Way of the Wolf #1

Relics of the Wolf #2

Kin of the Wolf #3

Quest of the Wolf #4

Curse of the Wolf-July 11,2025

Buy link

        Relics of the Wolf (Magnetic Magic Book 2)

    

Blurb 

When Luna decided to reclaim her werewolf heritage, she had no idea what she was in for.

Frustrated, angry, and betrayed, she must find the mysterious artifact she lost, unravel the politics of the pack, and defend against attempts on her life.

With everything intertwined, she has a daunting road ahead, and her conflicting feelings about the lone werewolf, Duncan, aren’t helping anything. She doubts she can trust him, no matter how charming he is, but she may need to if she wants to get to the bottom of her troubles—and survive the week.

  • Publisher: Lindsay Buroker
  • Publication date: January 31, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 248 pages
  • Book 2 of 5: Magnetic Magic

Review:  Way of the Wolf (Magnetic Magic Book 1) by Lindsay Buroker

Rating: 4.25⭐️

I’m constantly on the lookout for a strong FMC and storylines that are outside of the popular types and novel trends I’m seeing everywhere these days. 

Lindsay Buroker is among those authors (ones I’m just now discovering) who are writing about older female characters that have been through challenges in their lives, divorces, losses, dysfunctional families and relationships. Lost jobs or in situations where they’re often making do with the economy , their skill sets, and getting by as best they can.  Some have kids , young or in the case of the FMC here, two older sons who are living elsewhere. 

In other words, female characters who are extremely relatable and relevant for many readers. 

Luna Valens is a 45 yrs old divorced woman, with 2 grown children ,who’s been the Property Manager of the Sylvan Serenity Housing in Seattle, Washington for over 20 years. She’s also a werewolf who hasn’t shifted for 25 years. On purpose. 

The novel opens with Luna carrying a toilet across the parking lot of the building complex where she’s getting ready to replace a renter’s toilet herself. The scene immediately gives the reader a full picture of who Luna is, tough, aware, dry observations about her own life and the way she is aging. Even the dull senses she’s has due to the fact she’s been drugging the shifter aspect of herself into non existence. 

Buroker lends the character authenticity even as she’s giving us a mystery about the woman lugging the heavy weight around the parking lot with a lot more ease than any human can handle.  It brought me instantly into the story and Luna Valen’s character. 

 For me the female characters are the best part of the story. Luna, her mother, who’s absolutely fierce, the idea of packs as a matriarchal line, are all amazing storylines. 

Duncan, the werewolf treasure hunter, is a little more problematic as a character. His continued use of “My Lady” , while explained later, is something I find annoying.  He just doesn’t have the same energy as Luna does.

But Bolin the intern does, he’s amazing. I’d love to see him as a full non romantic player here . From his intriguing history to his personality, he’s fantastic. 

Definitely moving forward with the series and this terrific character. 

A winner.

“Book cover by Deranged Doctor Design”

Magnetic Magic :

Way of the Wolf #1

Relics of the Wolf #2

Kin of the Wolf #3

Quest of the Wolf #4

Curse of the Wolf-July 11,2025

Buy link

 Book 1 of 5: Magnetic Magic 

Blurb 

You can only escape your destiny for so long…

It’s been more than twenty years since tragedy prompted Luna Valens to walk away from her pack. 

Scarred by her past, she’s done her best to lead a normal human life. Thanks to a potion that suppresses her magic, nobody around her has a clue that she’s a werewolf.

Until…

Her potion supplier disappears, her family reestablishes contact, and a mysterious werewolf with a metal detector and a penchant for calling her my lady saunters into her life.

As if all that weren’t enough, someone from her past is trying to kill her. Someone dangerous. 

To survive and figure out what’s going on, Luna will have to once again embrace her power. But, after so long, will she be able to summon the wolf? 

~

A contemporary fantasy series for those enjoy second-chance stories, slow-burn romance, and werewolves with a sense of humor. Pick up Way of the Wolf today!

  • Publisher: Lindsay Buroker
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: January 3, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 228 pages
  • Book 1 of 5: Magnetic Magic

Shifters and werewolves suspense, shifters and werewolves thrillers, paranormal romance thriller, urban fantasy suspense, 

Review:  Wicked Witch of the Wolf: The Smokethorn Paranormals Series Book 3 by C.P. Rider

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Wicked Witch of the Wolf: The Smokethorn Paranormals Series Book 3 by C.P. Rider is absolutely my favorite and most satisfying read of this terrific series. 

When Betty’s friend, Bronwyn, asks her to investigate why Maya, a woman and close friend who had been seeking a divorce now has an odd personality and is content in her marriage.  Marriage to a male witch known to be problematic and in Bronwyn’s coven. 

Wicked Witch of the Wolf resolves a number of complex conflicts and character issues that have been long standing elements within the series. And it makes the book so compelling, satisfying and fascinating as it moves so many relationships forward.

The personal growth that Betty undergoes is enormous. That’s aligning with the magical power that comes from the knowledge and acceptance that she achieves here.  Betty’s stubbornness or resistance to acknowledge certain truths, a trait she’s been slowly working through, is a main element of her storyline. 

And the characters who have impacted her life in the past , here are the ones who will help her finally move forward. 

There’s so many layers to this book . So many threads, great characters, new and old, fantastic developments, and one or two where I just want to thump Ronan, as he’s still too much “controlling, save the weak women” figure.   Luckily, the women here are quick to tell him to knock it off, and they don’t need saving, and btw, they just saved him.   He, however, is in need of much change or growth. 

That may be coming next book. 

As always the mysterious omnipresent DJ with their on point selection of 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s rock music is fabulous. 

I need to know if each book has a complete set list. Awesome. 

Highly recommended and wish I had the next book now. 

Cover design by The Book Brander”

The Smokethorn Paranormals Series :

Strike It Witch #1

Any Which Wolf #2

Wicked Witch of the Wolf #3

The Wolfing Hour #4 – Nov 30,2025

Buy link

        Wicked Witch of the Wolf: The Smokethorn Paranormals Series Book 3

    

Blurb 

“One thing, though. What was the last straw that made Maya file for divorce?”
“She told me Desmond said he was going to kill her.”

Betty Lennox, earth witch and paranormal investigator, has a whole slew of problems. Her magic is as finicky as a jackrabbit in the desert; the local werewolf alpha lurks around every corner, giving her death threats; and a certain sexy werewolf isn’t returning her calls.

What’s a witch to do? Focus on work.

Betty is hired to investigate a one-eighty personality change in a woman who was going to divorce her husband but suddenly loves him again. That’s suspicious by itself, but the fact that he’s a member of the local coven puts Betty on high alert.

With her team of allies—Ida, her BFF and a retired necromancer; Fennel, a magical cat, and Cecil, a homicidal garden gnome with a penchant for explosives—Betty digs deeper into the case and quickly realizes this deadly plan goes far beyond Maya’s marriage. She finds herself facing off with witches, shifters, and dark, arcane magic.

The good news? Betty finds unexpected new allies to join her crew and help her solve the case. The bad news? Some of them start disappearing. It’s up to Betty and her unreliable magic to find her friends, protect her client, and save Smokethorn as something wicked this way comes…

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

  • Publisher: VC Group, LLC
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: May 31, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 302 pages
  • Book 3 of 4: The Smokethorn Paranormals Series

Review:  For Whom The Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn 

Rating:  5✨⭐️

It’s taking me a while to review this as I adore it so much.  I’m not familiar with Jaysea Lynn’s TikTok comedy/drama skits that launched these characters prior to the Covid lockdown but I’ll have to seek it out because these beautifully realized characters, especially Lily in her journey through the afterlife and Hell, are ones that make a memorable impression on the reader.  

For Whom The Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn is incredibly moving in its depiction of one woman’s journey through trauma to healing, recovery and the discovery of love, self worth and a found family. All in the afterlife. 

I can’t even begin to describe how powerful and inspiring this book is. It’s also funny, dark, sexy, and truly beautiful. 

Lily dies of cancer. Then her story begins. But what her life was like when she was alive, that a slow reveal throughout the narrative. In bits of memory flashing into her mind as she navigates her new journey through her afterlife and adventures in Hell. Which is another outstanding element here. 

Everything, the mythological world and religions are represented differently than typically imagined. It’s one I think is incredibly rich and unique in its variety and depth of knowledge. 

The characters of Lily and Bel, as well as Sharky, how they develop and grow, as individuals and as a family is stunning. It’s written so emotionally and powerfully that these are characters that will just inhabit my heart . As will so many others here. 

Yes, I’ve ordered the special hard back edition already. It’s that book for me. 

Highly recommended. There’s some trigger warnings. Read them. This does deal with some traumatic situations and events, though they are mentioned throughout as memories. 

Interior design by Meryll Preposi

Maps: Jamie Noble Frier at The Noble Artist

Buy link

For Whom the Belle Tolls (Hell’s Belles, 1)$16.48Amazon.com

Blurb 

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAYBESTSELLER!

From Hell’s Belles BookTok sensation Jaysea Lynn comes a hotter-than-hell romantasy about love, magic, and found family in the Afterlife, perfect for fans of Sarah A. Parker and Callie Hart.

They told her to go to Hell.

She went, but on her own terms.

Lily isn’t exactly thrilled with her arrival in the Afterlife, but what awaits her there is more fantastical than she ever could have imagined: Deities wait in line at the coffee shop. Fae flit between realms. Souls find ways to make death a beginning.

As she explores the many corners of the Afterlife, Lily finds herself surprisingly drawn to a place most people would avoid at all costs: Hell. Armed with years of customer service experience and pent-up sarcasm, Lily carves a job out for herself amongst Hell’s demons, sending souls to their rightful circles with more than a hint of sass.

Lily’s expectations are subverted every day in Hell—especially by Bel, a demon general with a distractingly sexy voice. The two meet by chance and form an immediate, deeply healing friendship, but the undeniable heat between them threatens to combust.

Meanwhile, something stirs beyond the boundaries of their world, threatening to destroy everything they’ve known and everything that could be…unless they fight like Hell to stop it.

This debut novel from BookTok sensation Jaysea Lynn invites you to lose yourself in a world where love ignites in the unlikeliest of places, magic defies the rules, and the Afterlife proves more thrilling than anyone could imagine.

  • Publisher: S&S/Saga Press
  • Publication date: January 28, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 640 pages
  • Book 1 of 1: Hell’s Belles

Review:  The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery by Naomi Kuttner

Rating: 4.5 🔍⭐️

Another great new to me author, another new book and series that I found absolutely fascinating and thoroughly entertaining.

Naomi Kuttner’s new paranormal cozy mystery is unusual in its use of multiple main character voices to provide the story. It took me a while to get the feel for the flow and framing of how these three highly detailed, yet very different characters would be pulled together to form a compelling trio of unlikely friends who solve a mystery. Or mysteries. 

The town of Te Kohe, New Zealand exhibits plenty of main character energy on its own, due to its unique community and character, including its citizens who have a tendency to reveal unexpected sides to themselves. 

It starts with Dante, a retired assassin, who’s moved to Te Kohe, New Zealand and now, mostly due to his choice of homes, finds himself living with a life he never anticipated. He expected isolation, and instead he gets a nonstop flow of visitors, and then a gardener. 

That arrival of Charlie Wilson, a lovely gardener with his own secrets, sets off an entire ripple of events and murder mysteries to solve. The redoubtable Eleanor is right there , to help them, especially Dante, navigate through the town in their investigations. 

Each is such a fantastic character. Dante has been focused on his work as an assassin so now adjusting to being an actual person who’s a part of a team and community is a challenging process. As written by Kuttner, Dante’s personality is realistically chilling in places, hilariously lacking in social skills, and his growth is a result of his own decisions to act on Charlie’s behalf. Eleanor is one revelation after another, a woman of strengths, ingenuity, and a hidden past. And then there’s Charlie, a young man whose story is the basis for the mystery. 

Set in New Zealand, the story and characters are well defined by their location and their respective nationality. From the nature, plants and fauna ( I had to look up several of the birds and trees Charlie referenced to my delight), to the languages and foods, I absolutely knew I was in a small town community in New Zealand. That dynamic of the real nature of a type of place where everyone knows everyone is a prerequisite of a cozy and Kuttner has it down. 

The small trio of strangers that becomes friends through mystery investigations is a fascinating and great storyline.  It fit perfectly into the classic cozy format albeit with a paranormal addition of ghosts here. 

There’s no romantic element between the three main characters. They are, at least here, firmly in the friend zone.  Eleanor appears to have the promise of one in the future with a great side character.

The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery by Naomi Kuttner is just terrific. Self published, it’s full of amazing twists, great storylines, wonderful characters, and a fascinating town of citizens to explore. 

I can’t wait for the next book to be released. 

Highly recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries and fantastic stories.

Retired Assassin’s Guide (2 book series)

The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening #1

The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting #2 – Dec 16,2025

Buy link 

        The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Country Gardening: A New Zealand Paranormal Cozy Mystery

    

Blurb 

Dante has come to the small coastal town of Te Kohe, New Zealand, for a fresh start in life. But he doesn’t want to open a BnB, or save a charming bookshop, or start a romance with a single mother in need of rescuing.

He just wants to forget about his past career (which involved a lot of dead bodies) and have everyone leave him the heck alone. Unfortunately for Dante, life has other plans…

  • Publication date: January 25, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 471 pages

Review:  Dead End (Crossroads Queen Book 9) by Annabel Chase

Rating: 5⭐️

We’ve come to the conclusion of Crossroads Queen. What a remarkable finale.

From fighting her way out of the clutches of The Corporation to final freeing Kane from Lucifer, not to mention tying up all the multiple storylines from the 8 books and journeys she’s had to make to get here, well what a great show it’s been.

Chase brings back so many fascinating side characters that were part of important mythological stories and now play impactful roles in Lorelei’s final journey to her own HEA and a happy family life.  I loved seeing these beings again and in their own new situations. It put a finale ending to their journeys as well for the readers too. 

If I was sorry that ghosts Ray and Nana found a new situation for each of them, well, it made perfect sense and for an emotionally mature ending. 

I absolutely love the characters and this series. Beautifully written, the mythology, the imagery and the storylines were all extremely well developed and executed. 

I’ll miss it while adventuring onto other Chase stories. 

Highly recommended!

Great cover art and design. 

Cover by Trif Designs, which has changed to reflect the fact that the word has gotten out that Lorelei Clay is a demigod. So great touch with that head halo/crown addition. Love the castle in the background. 

Crossroads Queen – series complete :

Dead to the World #1

Dead of Night #2

Dead Last #3

Dead Wrong #4

Dead Weight #5

Play Dead #6

Dead Heat #7

Half Dead #8

Dead End #9 – series finale 

Buy link

        Dead End (Crossroads Queen Book 9)

    

Blurb 

Queen of the Crossroads Lorelei Clay has the fight of her life ahead of her in this final, must-read installment of the bestselling urban fantasy series.

Lorelei never believed she would have a place to call home. She’d grown accustomed to hiding, to putting up walls and avoiding interaction with the world around her.

Until Fairhaven.

Lorelei has grown to love the small town with its multirealm crossroads and the residents who welcomed her with open arms, as well as those who were slow to warm up. She’s fallen in love with a demon prince, and befriended ghosts, a cursed vampire, the werewolf pack, and the Assassins Guild. She’s overcome her grudge against witches, and brought the local police into the fold. Now those residents are under threat, and Lorelei is the only one who can save them.

But first she has to save herself.

The stakes have never been higher. If she fails, she’ll have played a pivotal role in destroying the very place she swore to protect. 

Good thing Lorelei is no stranger to sacrifice. Whatever the price, she’s ready and willing to pay it.

Don’t miss Dead End, the ninth and final book in the Crossroads Queen cozy urban fantasyseries.

If you’re in the mood for feel-good vibes, found family, a power couple, and small town charm, then this COMPLETE SERIES is for you!

  • Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: April 17, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 290 pages

Review:  The Coachman by V.L. Locey

Rating:  4🌈

The Coachman by V.L. Locey is a new historical paranormal story along the lines of angels and devils romances.  

Vividly told, conversationally on point for its era, Locey has crafted a narrative of two wildly opposite men who, despite their vastly different existences, still find love with each other. 

I found Livingston and Hamiel’s story interesting, the horse fantastic, and several other elements absolutely intriguing.  But I never quite got the chemistry between Hamiel and Livingston. Their relationship was sweet but not quite “enough “ for all that surrounds them. 

I think it’s the lack of background on Hamiel. He’s just an ephemeral person. And Livingston is undeserving of his role. So there’s an underlying issue or feeling of dissatisfaction with the overall predicament here that’s never fully resolved.

The Coachman by V.L. Locey has some wonderfully descriptive writing, terrific universe building, and interesting characters. It’s the main character’s roles and relationships that I didn’t fully invest in. 

However, I find it entertaining and an enjoyable read. 

Cover by Dawne Dominique”

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Coachman – Kindle edition by Locey, V.L. . Romance Kindle eBooks …

Blurb 

As you draw your final breath, the coachman waits…

Awakening in a dreary, unknown cabin with no recollection of how he arrived there, Livingstone Wright is about to discover that hell is just a coach ride away.

Mysteriously cursed to serve the dark lord, he is now responsible for ferrying freshly freed souls to the fiery depths. As he struggles to come to terms with being resurrected, given a home in purgatory, and learning a new profession, he discovers that he is not the only servant of a higher being biding their time as death creeps closer.

For if the devil is waiting to lay claim to a soul, then so too must the Almighty be.

It’s during the sometimes long wait for a person to breathe their last and the final judgment be made that Livingstone meets Hamiel, the light to his dark. The rainbow walker is fair-skinned with golden locks and wide amber eyes behind wire-rimmed spectacles, a soothing aura, and a highly inquisitive mind. The two soon become unlikely friends and then much more as they set out to unravel how it was that Livingstone came to be in Lucifer’s employ.

The Coachman is an M/M historical paranormal romance with two leading men who could not be more dissimilar, a horse with a need for unearthly speed, a manservant who would rather poke holes in reality than mend them in trousers, a hellacious boss, stolen moments in a nether carriage, and a heavenly happy ending. 

Content Warning: This story has references to off-page child and adult death.

Review: Definitely Dead (Happily Ever Afterlife Book 1) by Arden Steele

Rating: 3🌈

Definitely Dead (Happily Ever Afterlife Book 1) by Arden Steele is a first book in a new series in an established universe. The Blackhaven Manor and connected sequel Hunters Hollow series are both full of terrific paranormal stories and interesting fated mates romances. 

With their crossover characters and established mythology/histories, they have a depth of character and storyline coming into the book that I thought was missing here.

Both the main characters weren’t really well developed, nor did their instant love/fated mates storyline have any chemistry. 

My biggest issue out of a bunch of them is the opening scenes where a young girl is so desperate to see her deceased father that she uses dark uncontrollable magic in Sunne Tanaka’s public library and tragically ends them both. 

It’s a very unexpected traumatic moment but does Sunne Tanaka act like it? No. He could be visiting an ice cream parlor with the same overall emotional energy of placid sweet potato niceness that he exhibits here.

Did I believe in his character? No. If Arden had said Sunne was experiencing shock from his death and that of the girl , that was one thing but no, this “cinnamon roll “ personality was it. 

And his fated mate is an unpleasant, bitter living guard in the underworld that we get no real sense of. 

Add to all the above, a third major character quickly telegraphs what his role is to be in the storyline. It’s easy to guess at.

So adding all these elements together meant that Definitely Dead (Happily Ever Afterlife Book 1) by Arden Steele was a book I breezed through with little connection with the characters or plot.

It’s ok but I doubt this is a series I will be following. 

Cover Art by Black Butterfly Designs Published by Peccavi Press”

Happily Ever Afterlife :

Definitely Dead #1

Dead Ringer #2 – June 5, 2025

Buy link

        Definitely Dead (Happily Ever Afterlife Book 1)

    

Blurb 

As a royal Guardian, Tyr Bergstrom is built for battle, not stillness. Not whatever this is. He followed his prince into the depths of the Underworld out of loyalty, but with no foes to vanquish and no lives to safeguard, he’s left questioning why he stays. It’s dark, cold, and each day blends into the next with monotonous sameness.

Until a spark of sunshine arrives in the Village of Lost Souls.

Sunne Tanaka died. Not ideal, but he’s had worse Mondays. While the afterlife isn’t anything like he expected—frankly, it’s a total scam—from the moment he meets Tyr, he can’t help but feel that he’s exactly where he belongs. He hasn’t decided if the shifter is his destiny or a beautiful disaster waiting to happen, but he knows one thing for certain. He’s not leaving the village without him.

But Tyr knows better than anyone that some lines aren’t meant to be crossed. He doesn’t know what waits beyond the dark waters of the River Acheron, but it’s the only condition of his stay in the Underworld. A rule he has never questioned…until another soul puts Sunne’s very existence at risk.

Now, he’s not just questioning.

Now, he’s prepared to take on the living, the dead, and Hades himself to bring his mate back and give them both a chance at a happily ever afterlife.

  • Publisher: Peccavi Press
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: May 15, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 213 pages