Review: Witch At Heart: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 1) by Juliette Harper

Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

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.

Witch At Heart #1

Buy link

Book 1 of 16: The Jinx Hamilton Series

Blurb

Magic begins in the heart.

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

Publisher

Cabot Publishing Group

Publication date

September 4, 2025

Edition

2nd

Language

‎English

Print length

227 pages

Book 1 of 16

The Jinx Hamilton Series

Review: Bones and Cactus Blooms (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 2) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Bones and Cactus Blooms , the second book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, is exactly what I hoped for in the series. It’s the potential I saw in the first book fulfilled and more.

The author has a fantastic mystery and story here. Shes developing Claire , the ranch which is now a thriving animal sanctuary and those who are a part of it, as the mystical heart of Perdita Springs. Or maybe the land upon which all of it stands.

The beleaguered citizens of the town, under siege by developers and the bank, have our sympathy and emotional connection. Each one feels believable and raw. And Claire, as she continues to make her way into this town and its pain, is an interesting empathic woman who wants to make things happen. In their lives and her’s.

So of course, there’s a murder.

It’s a complex story with lots of interesting elements around the person who is killed.

And the side stories, especially the one about Claire and Sam Redhorse, the vet, is very well written . Slow developing with stumbling blocks that, again, are ones that any person can easily understand and relate to.

It is wrapped up emotionally with layers that are so powerful. Sad but necessary. And the author adds an extra twist that shows another layer of the story and series going forward.

Fantastic work and highly recommended.

I’m onto the next.

Cover by Book Covers by Melody

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries (8 book series)

Death Rides The Desert #1

Bones and Cactus Blooms #2

Spirits of the Saguaro #3

Tombstones with a View #4

Body Beneath the Wither #5

Death Waits at Dead Rock #6

Skulls and Sunlit Secrets #7

The Bone Charm #8

Buy link

Bones and Cactus Blooms (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 2)

Blurb

Claire Caldwell has finally found her footing. Six months after solving her first murder, she’s turned Whispering Saguaro Ranch into a thriving animal sanctuary and embraced her ability to see the dead.

But the desert has more secrets to reveal.

When volunteers preparing for the Cactus Bloom Festival unearth human bones that have been hidden for thirty-five years, the whole town starts whispering about old scandals and vanished souls. Then one of the most powerful man in Perdido Springs turns up dead in his office, and everyone Claire knows had a reason to want him gone. The man who foreclosed on half the town… dead. The festival meant to save local businesses… in chaos. The ghosts in Claire’s kitchen… warning her that death isn’t finished yet.

As Claire digs into both the old bones and the fresh corpse, she discovers the two deaths are connected by threads of family, loss, and long-buried grievances that someone would kill to keep hidden. With her fox, Rusty, bringing ominous warnings, the ghost of a long-dead librarian helping her research, and her relationship with Sam strained by family obligations, Claire must navigate a town full of desperate people harboring deadly secrets.

In Perdido Springs, old wounds never heal… and some debts can only be paid in blood.

Welcome back to the desert, where the past never stays buried.

November 10, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

282 pages

Book 2 of 8

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries

Review: Death Rides The Desert (The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Book 1) by Sara Bourgeois

Rating: 4.25⭐️

“When a city girl inherits a remote Arizona ranch, she discovers two things: dead bodies keep showing up, and she can see the ghosts who might have witnessed the murders. With a mysterious fox who won’t leave her porch and a handsome veterinarian who keeps stopping by, Claire must solve crimes the living can’t… and the dead won’t rest until she does”

That’s the hook for the book and series and it’s a terrific one.

Death Rides The Desert is the first book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, a completed paranormal murder mystery series that I just started reading.

This story starts off strong, as Claire Caldwell, arrives in Perdita Springs, Arizona from Chicago, Illinois. She’s been fired from her longtime marketing job, dumped by a cheating fiancé, and trying to figure out what she is doing with her life. Her deceased aunt has left her a mystical ranch, and lands with some old mines. A legacy she’s has avoided dealing with until now.

But the story begins as she arrives weeks after the funeral. The ranch should be closed. But that’s not what she finds.

It’s the beginning of huge development in her character as she learns about her aunt, the supernatural beings , ghosts, and strange happenings , that make the ranch and land home. It includes a spiritual fox with one white paw that glows.

I love the cultural elements the author weaves throughout the story and series . It’s in the families and their food and history. It’s in the town and its traditions and tragedies. All conceptually important and beautifully rendered.

The mysteries that stem from the mines, the past territorial disputes, and the town’s shady developments that impact the region and its inhabitants are inherently dangerous and real. The reader understands these issues and their significance to the people and their families.

By the end, Claire has become a strong advocate for herself and the people of the town. She’s got a vision for the ranch. And this series is really ready to launch into remarkable status.

I loved the ghosts, the animals at the ranch, Luis the young ranch hand and TikTok enthusiast, and,, Claire, who absolutely grew on me.

I can’t wait for the next book to see what the ranch has become!

If you enjoy murder mysteries with a supernatural or paranormal aspect, this is absolutely charming.

And it’s completed! What a win!

Cover by Book Covers by Melody

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries (8 book series)

Death Rides The Desert #1

Bones and Cactus Blooms #2

Spirits of the Saguaro #3

Tombstones with a View #4

Body Beneath the Wither #5

Death Waits at Dead Rock #6

Skulls and Sunlit Secrets #7

The Bone Charm #8

Buy link

Book 1 of 8: The Haunted Ranch Mysteries

Blurb

A haunted ranch. A clever fox. Ghosts who won’t shut up.

Claire Caldwell came to Arizona to sell her great aunt’s ranch, lick her wounds, and escape back to Chicago.

Then the ranch decided it wanted a new owner.

A copper furred fox starts leaving gifts on her doorstep. Translucent cowboys appear in the barn. A woman who died in 1985 cooks tamales in Claire’s kitchen like she never left. And somehow, the dead all seem to know one thing Claire does not.

She can see them.

When the most hated man in Perdido Springs turns up dead on Claire’s property and the sheriff waves it off as an accident, the ghosts make it clear. Someone in town is lying. Someone is dangerous. And everyone had a reason to want the victim gone.

With a mystical fox at her side, a house full of chatty spirits, and a too handsome veterinarian who keeps showing up just when she needs him, Claire has to solve a murder nobody wants solved.

Before she becomes the next ghost haunting Whispering Saguaro Ranch.

Welcome to the desert, where the dead do not rest and the living keep secrets.

October 3, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

323 pages

Book 1 of 8

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries

Review; How to Reap a Soul (And Fail Miserably) Soul Management Bureau Book One by April Kelley

Rating: 3🌈

How to Reap a Soul (And Fail Miserably) is the first book in the urban fantasy series, Soul Management Bureau by April Kelley.

It’s a fated mate romance between reaper and their soul mates, so it’s instant love/instant sex romance with a plot that’s not always easy to follow because Kelley is trying hard to lay down all her histories and plotting for multiple characters, not just the main couple, and her world building into one story.

And it’s not always effective because someone gets lost in the narrative. Some connection between her characters, some chemistry is left behind in the rush to get it all accomplished.

It’s interesting but I’m not sure I’m really engaged with this world or characters.

Try it out and see for yourself if Grym and Elliot Coyne work together for you.

Cover artist: Miblart

Soul Management Bureau

How to Reap a Soul and Fail Miserably #1

How to Reap a Soul (And Lose an Assistant) #2 – Dec 29,2026

Buy link

Book 1 of 2: Soul Management Bureau

Blurb

Love was never on my to-do list, but now that I have it, I’ll let the world burn before I let anything happen to him.

Grym

I’ve reaped souls for three hundred years without a single mistake. Until Elliot Coyne. I’m supposed to ferry him into the afterlife, not bring him back to life and turn him immortal.

Now HR is threatening me, the world is acting like it might explode, and my reaper brothers are stress-snacking like it’s Armageddon.

Even worse? My soul insists Elliot is my beloved. Reapers aren’t supposed to have those. Are they? Regardless, it’s wildly inconvenient.

Elliot
So I die, wake up immortal and able to walk between realms, not that I know what those actually are.

The guy responsible is an annoyingly hot reaper who apparently broke the universe just to keep me breathing.

We’re suddenly stuck together, hunted by his supernatural bosses, and if we fall for each other it might tear reality apart.

Love isn’t supposed to end the world. Yet here we are.

January 14, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

187 pages

Book 1 of 2

Soul Management Bureau

Review: Midnight Storm (The Witch’s Bestiary #2) by Evangeline Hunter

Rating: 3⭐️

After enjoying Hidden Storm, the first book in The Witch’s Bestiary by Evangeline Hunter, unfortunately, I found Midnight Storm suffering from second story syndrome.

It just doesn’t carry through on the potential from the original story. Many of the interesting elements, the Bestiary itself are relegated to just barest scenes and the fact that Alicia Stormwell is a powerful rescuer and ally of exotic species is an inconsistent aspect of this story.

The werewolf shifter she helped and is now her assistant, Kyle Matthews, is the most problematic character here. He’s still in search of his missing sister and wants Alicia to continue to help him find her. No issue here.

However, his behavior is extremely immature. For a grown adult. When they run into dead ends and Alicia, reasonably wants to enlist all the assistance they can get, police aid included, he objects. Whining, throwing tantrums.

As a reader, I both want to stop reading or put that character in a timeout. He’s that childish.

Only the author wants us to continue to connect with him and accept that this intelligent,highly powerful woman is attracted to this toddler? Just no.

And the storyline is further proof that the series has lost its original path when during the last section where the sister, just as irritating as her brother, has been located, it’s among the very abused exotics Alicia’s life is focused around.

But that’s hardly mentioned except for a sentence at the end of the story.

It should be a huge deal but it’s not. And even the sister doesn’t mention her role in their damage. It’s all about her.

I’m surprised I finished this. And I’m debating going forward. The only reason why I would is that wolf boy isn’t in the next book . A plus.

No recommendation here.

The Witch’s Bestiary (5 book series):

Hidden Storm #1

Midnight Storm #2

Island Storm #3

Dragon Storm #4

Rising Storm #5

Buy link

Midnight Storm: A Fast-paced Humorous Urban Fantasy Book (The Witch’s Bestiary Book 2)

Blurb

A brutal tournament, a missing sister, and a witch with nothing left to lose.

I’m Alicia Stormwell, a witch who spends her days rescuing fantastic creatures and my nights battling the dark underworld of magical animal trafficking. But nothing prepares me for the mess I’m about to walk into.

When my hunky werewolf friend, Kyle Matthews, asks for my help in finding his missing sister, Sabrina, I’m all in. Our search leads us to the Velvet Claw, a shadowy organization running a supernatural fight ring where lives are currency and losing isn’t an option.

As the tournament reaches its sinister climax, I must race against time and use every ounce of my magical skill to rescue Sabrina before the Velvet Claw gets its claws deeper into her life, Kyle’s, and mine.

The Witch’s Bestiary includes:

· Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires

· Hidden magic and a magical underworld

A slow-burn / RH romance

· Fantastic creatures

· A badass female main character with snark and humor

Review: Bound By Fate (Blind Fury Book 1) by Annabel Chase

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Bound By Fate (Blind Fury Book 1) is a new series by Annabel Chase and the first book is a terrific one.

I absolutely love the premise of a paranormal retirement community, along with the attendant issues of its otherworldly residents in their “later, much much later years “ of existence. Witches, vampires who have lived extremely long and rich lives and now live out their lives together. Some lively souls, enjoying their ancient lives while others exhibit significant signs of dementia.

It’s a familiar setting and group made fantastical in a complex and intimate story. One that will flow together with a weekly meeting of cardsharp players and fanatical cliques of pickleball teams. All beautifully written and believable.

Chase treats them with kindness, respect and compassion. These people are layered with degrees of history and poignancy of life at its for some.

The assistant head of their security team is an enigma, Maya August, an intriguing figure herself. She’s in hiding on this retirement island off of Savannah,Georgia. She’s been personally isolating herself from everyone. And that gives Chase ample room for her to develop Maya’s personality and reveal bits about her background as events happen.

And, wonderfully, Chase does this by bringing Maya into the community. She finally fully acknowledges her role as protector and part of them. We are enveloped by their presence as well as Maya’s ability to make her own choices for herself.

But there’s also mystery, murders, and outside forces of power here. One of those includes a person called Zale, someone who will figure into the series.

I love everything about this. The many characters, types of beings, the various mythology the author is introducing (she’s excellent at it), but above all, this realistic yet not retirement community of powerful paranormal beings. All who have issues we can identify with but on extraordinary levels.

I really can’t wait for the next story to arrive.

Btw, HOA’s are still awful no matter what the setting. FYI.

A winner and so happy to share with you.

Cover design by Trif

Blind Fury:

Bound By Fate #1

Bargain With Fate #2 – May 26,2026

Buy link

Book 1 of 2: Blind Fury

Blurb

Most people move to a magical retirement island for peace and quiet—and pickleball.

Maya August moved there to disappear.

As the assistant director of security for Evermore Island—a secret community where elderly paranormals fade into obscurity—Maya has built the perfect hiding place. Her days consist of magical mishaps, avoiding the clothing-optional tennis courts, and definitely not getting attached to the island’s strays (feline or otherwise).

Then her boss vanishes. A resident turns up dead. And Maya’s carefully constructed refuge begins to crumble.

She could handle a murder investigation. She’s handled much, much worse. What she can’t handle is the HOA president forcing her back to the mainland after five years in self-imposed exile to meet Vale, the mysterious and powerful figure who’s claimed jurisdiction over her case.

But Maya isn’t interested in playing by his rules or anyone else’s.

Because if Maya can’t solve this case and keep her past buried, there are fates far worse than letting a killer walk free.

Perfect for fans of morally gray heroines, slow-burn tension, and retirement home chaos meets magical noir, Bound By Fate is the first book in the new Blind Fury-urban fantasy series.

Publisher

Red Palm Press LLC

Publication date

February 12, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

276 pages

Book 1 of 2

Blind Fury

Review: Squib (The Coldstream Chronicles Book 1) by Helen Harper

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Squib is a side story to The Cat Lady Chronicles that features Kit McCafferty, retired assassin/agent living in the paranormal city of Coldstream.

Harper has chosen two of her more intriguing, often irritating secondary characters from The Cat Lady Chronicles to feature in the first of The Coldstream Chronicles, the crossover series. And it works beautifully on multiple levels.

Mallory has popped up numerous times in Kit’s stories because she’s a powerful information broker. She trades in secrets and the ability to deliver items that no other person or company is capable of doing. What she deals in is absolute promises. Which as a “mere” human in a paranormal world makes her powerful.

Her companion in the story is another frequent character as well in Kit’s series. Another powerful player in Coldstream, the werewolf Alpha Enter Alexander MacTire. He’s got an interesting mission for her.

Harper has their interactions playing out with intelligence, great dialogue, and believable chemistry.

Plus a terrific mystery that’s not totally resolved but will have ramifications for both series.

I am very excited to see how Harper is going to weave in the storylines and sustain the many characters that crossover throughout this mystery.

Another great winner. And honestly, I loved how these characters became so much more well developed and relatable here than they were in the first series.

The Coldstream Chronicles

Squib #1

Crossover from:

The Cat Lady Chronicles

Buy link

Book 1 of 1: The Coldstream Chronicles

Blurb

She’s supposed to find him the perfect match. Falling for him herself was not part of the deal.

Mallory has zero magic. No spells, no shape-shifting and no flashy Preternatural strength. But in the magical city of Coldstream, Mallory has made knowledge her power and she turns secrets and favours into currency.

Enter Alexander MacTire: alpha werewolf, wealthy businessman, and walking temptation. He wants Mallory to find him a mate. She wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

But MacTire isn’t used to hearing no—and Mallory’s not immune to his charm, no matter how hard she tries. What starts as a reluctant business arrangement soon turns into something dangerously personal. Because the more she gets to know him, the less she wants to help him find love … with anyone but her.

The first book in the Coldstream Chronicles is jam-packed full of magic, mayhem, and slow-burn heat. It can be read as a standalone or alongside The Cat Lady Chronicles.

January 13, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

303 pages

Book 1 of 1

The Coldstream Chronicles

Review: Rhyme or Treason (Behind the Rhymes Book 1) by Sarah Beran

Rating: 4⭐️

Rhyme or Treason (Behind the Rhymes Book 1) by Sarah Beran was a sweet urban fantasy mystery romance. It’s a no spice, bordering YA romance novel.

There’s some interesting elements in it and ones that I find too “Twilight cuteness “ for me to personally enjoy.

Beran used children’s nursery rhymes as both a reference and cute little reader Easter egg list for the book and series. Whether you feel that adds or distracts from the story will depend on your preference for the book.

Here the part of the rhyme goes:

Hey, diddle diddle

The cat and the fiddle…

I’m sure you can fill in the rest.

With nicknames like Dish for the MNC bodyguard and Spoon for the FMC fae woman who’s in need of him, you can get a feel for the type of sweet dynamic that the author is building.

The writer has some interesting ideas and elements here, especially as pertains to vampires and their natural history. It’s an unusual take. But, for me, that scientific approach is lessened by the addition of rainbow sparkles and so much twinkling.

It’s the same throughout the book. A serious and thoughtful discussion of survivor guilt and a resourceful paranormal woman character with a debilitating illness is woven with scenes of rainbow fae sparkling power. And scenes that are extremely cute or propels Wyn, by her own admission, into certain dangerous situations. Definitely SMH moments.

There’s not a lot of world building, so we don’t know why all these paranormals have settled on Earth.

And while this couple has a HFN ending, there’s a much that’s left open ended as far as storylines go. Which isn’t entirely satisfactory.

That will feed over into the next novel for those interested in following up on the story.

Honestly, this is not the book for me. It’s too young. Had the rhyme played out differently, with a clever twist and perhaps fed into the mystery, and the relationships , especially given the supposed age of the characters, felt more layered, then maybe.

But as a YA or teen fantasy mystery romance, this book is a good read.

Behind the Rhymes (2 book series):

Rhyme or Treason #1

(P)rhyme Numbers #2 – Dec 21,2026

Buy link

Book 1 of 2: Behind the Rhymes

Blurb

Hey diddle, diddle, let me give you a riddle:

How do a chronically ill secretary and a straight-as-an-arrow bodyguard plan a heist?

Without rhyme or treason.

No one applies for secretarial jobs for the thrills and excitement. And while I love an organized, color-coded schedule as much as (okay, probably more than) the next person, I knew that serving as the mayor’s administrative assistant would mean long days of answering phone calls, scheduling meetings, and dealing with cantankerous constituents. Still, for a supernatural with my…condition…the desk job is ideal.

Until someone decides they want to get to the mayor—who also happens to be the Fae King—and they’re going to do it through me. But, hey, now instead of diddling away time behind a desk, I’m finding ways to entertain Dish, the very handsome, very stoic, very humanbodyguard that the mayor assigned me, and convincing him that the best way to get to the bottom of things is to let me play bait.

Why? Because these people have gotten their hands on information that could have disastrous consequences for the supernatural community, and I want it back—if for no other reason than I’m not exactly over the moon at the idea of the flood of concerned phone calls and emails I’ll have to answer. The plan is simple:

In the game of cat and mouse, I’ll be the cat…and I’m going to play them like a fiddle.

Rhyme or Treason is the first book in Behind the Rhymes, an urban fantasy trilogy with humor, snark, quirky side characters, and clean, no-spice romance, and inspired by classic nursery rhymes. Though each installment follows a different couple, the complete story arc is best enjoyed by reading the books in or

November 25, 2025

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Language

‎English

File size

3.5 MB

Screen Reader

Supported

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Print length

232 pages

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Book 1 of 2

Behind the Rhymes

Review: Hidden Storm (The Witch’s Bestiary #1) by Evangeline Hunter

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Hidden Storm is a great start to this complete series about Alicia Stormwell , a powerful witch who runs The Bestiary, a paranormal animal rescue for all types of supernatural creatures. She also goes out at night undercover to save those who need her help from exotic fantasy animal trafficking or worse.

A murder and a vampire detective set off the mystery of the story which brings Alicia into the investigation of the death of a local girl and the wolf lying beside her.

The paranormal animals that live with her and how her Bestiary is set up is imaginative and intriguing. I could have spent so much more narrative time in there just exploring the spaces and creatures she’s saved.

The mystery is excellent although the resolution is a bit too quickly resolved.

Neither male character is particularly well developed but I hope future stories will show them as more defined and fleshed out. They both have so much potential.

The setting is atmospheric and believable. It’s in the small details, the barest of memorable elements that make this world real, sad and heartbreaking at times.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of the characters and their stories.

A winner for those who love paranormal mystery and fantasy fiction.

The Witch’s Bestiary (5 book series):

Hidden Storm #1

Midnight Storm #2

Island Storm #3

Dragon Storm #4

Rising Storm #5

Buy link

Book 1 of 5: The Witch’s Bestiary

Blurb

**COMPLETE SERIES**

Rescuing fantastic beasts is child’s play. Clearing the name of a ridiculously handsome werewolf? Hold my broomstick.

My name is Alicia Stormwell. By day, I run The Bestiary, a nonprofit that saves and rehabilitates legendary critters. By night, I don my witch’s hat and battle the dark underworld of supernatural animal traffickers.

When a witch is found dead and a wolf is accused of murder, a vampire detective from the NYPD’s Magical Crimes Division hires me as a consultant. I take in the suspected hound only to discover he’s not just any fabled creature, but a werewolf. And he’s been framed.

Now, with a murderer on the loose and a hunky shifter in my care, I’ve got to use every bit of my powers and questionable instincts to uncover the truth before the killer turns his sights on me, and I end up the next witch in a body bag.

The Witch’s Bestiary includes:

· Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires

· Hidden magic and a magical underworld

· A slow-burn / RH romance

· Fantastic creatures

· A badass female main character with snark and humor

Bouquets and Blades Press

Publication date

August 26, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

184 pages

Book 1 of 5

The Witch’s Bestiary

Review: Virtual Games (The Digital Detective Mystery Series Book 5) by P.L. Matthews

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Although it’s not specifically mentioned, Virtual Games brings The Digital Detective Mystery Series to a happy ending where all the characters have moved forward in their lives, growing up in some ways and developing new relationships and friendships, finding new powers and potential partners.

And it happens in a very surprising way. With Vampire Games and visits from characters from an another Matthews series, the Green Witch. Those who have read this series will love this crossover element. I haven’t and it will likely send me there to see what it is about.

But the story here has more than enough to keep a reader engaged. Several plots, an interesting murder mystery included that brings back part of Skye’s past and an old college painful memory.

Matthews balances the needs of Skye and Seb’s relationship to move forward along with those of the other characters, as well as the individual characters whose personalities and powers continue to be developed by the events and storyline.

It’s a dynamic narrative, one that’s so powerful and jammed with interesting elements and characters that it leaves room for additional drama and stories even though it’s a satisfying finale as well. We want more but are happy with this too.

Perhaps Matthews will pick up this universe with the sister, Zephyra’s story. That would make sense and for great storytelling.

Very entertaining and engaging. I even liked Bob finally!

The Digital Detective Mystery Series (5 book series):

Murder By Code #1

Fatal Error #2

Kill Switch #3

Storm Signal #4

Virtual Games #5

Buy link

Virtual Games: A Digital Detective Mystery (The Digital Detective Mystery Series Book 5)

Blurb

Level up… or get eliminated. Permanently.

Skye Sanders, tech mage extraordinaire, is on the trail of a hit-and-run—only to discover it’s tangled up with the infamous Vampire Games.

Her boyfriend Seb’s invitation to “help from the sidelines” quickly becomes a front-row seat to sabotage. The Games test skill, strength, and cunning. Physical gauntlets, brain-bending riddles, and the occasional death-defying stunt are fair play.

With rival teams closing in and tensions simmering hotter than Sydney in January, Skye must unravel a sabotage trail before it claims its next victim. But in a contest where every competitor guards secrets like treasure and alliances shift faster than a server crash, even her sharpest code might not be enough to keep everyone alive—least of all Seb, who’s squarely in the crosshairs.

The stakes are literal. And losing? Not an option.

If you enjoy urban-fantasy mysteries with magic, humour, and a clever heroine—think books by Patricia Briggs, Hailey Edwards, Heather G. Harris, Annette Marie, or Kim Harrison—Virtual Games should be right up your alley.

Publication date

December 17, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

358 pages

Book 5 of 5

The Digital Detective Mystery Series

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