Family and Honor (Jacky Leon, #2) by K. N. Banet is another example of the second book in the series moving forward with character development, overall depth of series foundation and plot structure in such an exciting and fast paced way.
I honestly loved it better than the first for many reasons. Banet brings Jackie back into her territory, her home base where she’s comfortable. So we see a different aspect of the character. Right before the author begins to shake Jackie’s base and hard won stability up again.
An impulsive contract made because, once again the human child Carey is involved, will be the one thing that will pry open the solid isolation from werecat politics that Jackie’s maintained.
And ends up bringing her back into contact with her werecat family.
Banet has written a complicated, high paced, multi layered book. It has murder mysteries to investigate, multiple paranormal species involved, travel outside of Jackie’s territory, and further exploration into her family dynamics and history.
A real exciting, emotional thriller! Another late night finish! Just fantastic! Highly recommended!
I got away with it. Carey and her family are safe and I survived to tell the tale. Now I’m the only werecat in the supernatural community that can say a small family of werewolves lives in my borders. But, in the effort of saving Carey and helping her father, I had to begin shedding the secrets that kept me safe for years.
My identity is out there now. As one of Hasan’s children, more is expected of me and I had no idea what sort of repercussions would come from my decisions. Werecats are reporting problems all over the world and when two go missing, I can’t avoid the feeling of guilt.
My name is Jacky Leon and I am a child of Hasan, ruler of the werecats. I have to learn how to live up to the obligations and expectations of my family before more people die.
I’m reading a lot of strong women main character centric content, mostly urban fantasy and paranormal stories. Luckily there’s so much out there to explore from a multitude of writers as it’s a very popular genre, something I’m very excited about.
Oath Sworn, the beginning of the Jacky Leon series by K. N. Banet, is a strong start into the series, and really great take on this popular trope.
Banet is a new to me writer, and I’m unfamiliar with The Tribunal universe that this series takes place in. However, I don’t think that not having read other books from other series impacts on my experience here. The world building is slowly layered in as the events occur, giving them a solid foundation and putting the political and governmental system in place as needed.
What or should I say who really does it for me here is the main character, Jackie Leon. She’s a werecat. In this story one on a mission to recover a human child stolen out of her care by a werewolf gang. She’s tracked them down and is bent on retrieving the child, which means violating The Tribunal Laws.
It’s a terrific story with lots of storytelling and plot lines to develop and carry through to completion. It introduces Jackie, some of her origin story (part of which is an ongoing mystery). Her troubled dynamic with her werecat father, and current life. Then the father of the human child, Carey Everson , stolen from her. He’s the current Werewolf Alpha, and wolves and the werecats are vicious enemies historically.
There’s so many emotional undercurrents and unresolved conflicts between the species, so tensions are high, constantly threatening the tentatively established peace and process needed to search for Carey amidst rising enemies.
The story is extremely well written. The action is fast paced and often emotionally charged.
Each species is well defined and there no romantic relationship. But a hint of what might be developed in the future.
I liked that Banet wrapped up this story completely so we start fresh in the next book.
I’ve never been the type to find trouble. Owning a bar takes work and that was all I wanted. Serving cold beers and paying my taxes. Those were the responsibilities I wanted for the rest of my life.
I didn’t ask to be a werecat. I didn’t ask for the responsibility to uphold an ancient treaty. I didn’t ask to get pulled into the middle of a werewolf pack’s coup.
But Carey Everson, the very human daughter of a werewolf Alpha, needs me. Her father’s enemies are on her heels and I’m her last defense. And I’ll be that defense until my final breath, even if it means challenging the very Laws that govern the supernatural. I gave her my word.
My name is Jacky Leon and nothing is going to stop me from honoring my word.
The Jacky Leon series is an Urban Fantasy series with a slow-burn romance.
I loved Veiled Justice, the first book in this series but feel that this excellent story far exceeds my expectations for the second novel and character development.
Krieg, King of the Orcs and Detective Stacy and her companion caladrius, Loki are back in action in a fantastic new story. Stacy and Krieg are further along in their new relationship. They are getting to know each other, their history as Krieg continues to make himself a part of Stacy’s life, professional and personal.
This is happening, framed around several brutal murders. Each rawly heartbreaking that’s so realistically relayed by the followed investigative scenes to the next of kin.
Writing that shows it doesn’t have to be current fiction or fantasy for losses and brutality to hit hard.
This type of storytelling continues throughout this book.
As all involved, Stacy and her team, race to uncover the killer before another is kidnapped, the suspense is ratcheted up and the tension is heightened.
Towards the end, we see exactly the toll this case has taken on Casey, and a hidden part of her story is partially revealed.
There is also something going on with Loki that’s subtly disturbing. I don’t believe it was part of this storyline. So now I can’t wait for the next book to come.
Harris has a fantastic series here that’s complicated and getting better with each new story.
This might be my favorite series in a multi-series universe.
Highly recommend this and dive into this universe if you’re not familiar with it already. I’ve listed the reading order below.
Cover design by Christian Bentulan. Published by Hellhound Press Limited.
The Other Realm Universe: Should be read in order to understand the world and characters .Events and relationships build upon each other.
The Other Realm series
⭐️Glimmer of Dragons- Book 0.5 (a prequel story),
Glimmer of The Other- Book 1, Glimmer of Hope- Book 2,
Glimmer of Christmas – Book 2.5 (a Christmas tale),
Glimmer of Death – Book 3,
Glimmer of Deception – Book 4,
*It is recommended that you read The Other Wolf books 1 to 3 before continuing with
Challenge of the Court– Book 5,
Betrayal of the Court– Book 6
Revival of the Court– Book 7.
⭐️The Other Wolf Series
Defender of The Pack– Book 0.5 (a prequel story),
Protection of the Pack– Book 1, Guardians of the Pack– Book 2, Saviour of The Pack– Book 3, Awakening of the Pack – Book 4, Resurgence of the Pack – Book 5; and Ascension of the Pack – Book 6.
⭐️The Other Witch Series
Rune of the Witch – Book 0.5 (a prequel story),
Hex of the Witch– Book 1,
Coven of the Witch;– Book 2,
Familiar of the Witch– Book 3; and Destiny of the Witch – Book 4.
A drowned dryad. Ritual markings. A killer who isn’t finished.
They pulled her from the lake – young, beautiful, and very, very dead. As Chester’s only magical Detective Inspector, I get the cases the Common police can’t handle, and this one has Other Realm written all over it.
When the medical examiner discovers runes carved into the corpse’s bones, I know we’re in for a bumpy ride. Elemental runes. First victim drowned. My gut says there’s more coming, and my gut is rarely wrong.
Then a centaur drops out of the sky, literally, and my theory’s confirmed. The only link between the victims? Botany, a vampire-owned bar that serves the magical and the mundane… and never seems short of trouble.
I’ve got a new unit at my back, Unit 13, and we’re still figuring out how to work together. Add Krieg, the King of Ogres – deadly, smart, and far too good at getting under my skin – and things get complicated fast.
With a killer on the loose and the clock ticking, we’ll have to move quickly… or the next body that drops may well be one of ours.
Immerse yourself in The Other Detective Series – perfect for fans of supernatural crime, complete with a fierce heroine, gritty murder investigations, and a slow-burn romance.
My Kind of Town by Shelly Laurenston is a paranormal shifter romance that was previously written for and published in another anthology. I didn’t read that one. And it was the cover and the author’s fantastic honey badger series that drew me here.
I liked this but found that it’s the promise of its elements for future books the most intriguing. The main couple is engaging if not fully explored.
Thats primarily the issue with this story. Great ideas, an interesting storyline with fascinating magical characters and elements but none of those are really explained or given any meaningful foundation here. A coven with their powerful dark magic and found family ? Absolutely to know more.
A dying coven with different powers and magical abilities? Ok, so what happened to them?
The story offers up more questions than answers about the characters and never answers the original story plot about what brought Emma Luchessi, the Long Island witch down to the southern town of Smithville.
That gets forgotten totally.
So yes, I enjoyed it. Saw so much promise, and hope that the author ventures back to Smithville to finish what this story begins.
Pretty much instant sex, instant lust, well, you get it.
Emma Luchessi may be a witch from Long Island but she is used to her life being quiet. Some may even say boring. She doesn’t mind boring. Boring is safe. Calm. Peaceful. Like beige. One doesn’t get into trouble with beige. But a wrong turn off a southern highway is about to turn Emma’s beige life into everything but boring.
Kyle Treharne’s a good ol’ boy with a sheriff’s badge and a difficult population to manage. He wishes he had to worry about gangs and drugs and car-jackings. Instead, he has to worry about big cats fighting with wolves, bears fighting over honey, and hyenas fighting with everyone. And now, out of nowhere, he’s got a human outsider riling up all the locals by asking too many questions. She’s just so paranoid. And doesn’t trust Kyle a lick. These city gals. They just don’t know how to relax, do they?
Of course, Kyle is a big cat. He knows how to relax and he’d be more than willing to help Emma learn how. He’d be willing to help Emma do all sorts of things if she’d just give him half a chance.
But it turns out Emma coming to Smithville isn’t a simple accident. She’s been brought here and she’s bringing change and danger right along with her. Lucky for Emma, Kyle and the rest of the town like a bit of danger…
This story was previously available in the Sun, Sand and Sex anthology.
Books 4 through 6 (to date) focus in on Max’s childhood friends and basketball teammates. These females are also dangerous honey badgers and have been a part of a tight knit group of friends that have run their own small time operations since their school days. It been Max, Streep, Mads, Nelle, and Tock. Through crime and punishment (often with Charlie as backup and safety for the younger girls).
This is Mads book, and along with the other teammates, get hooked up with the Malone brothers, Keane, Finn, and Shay ,Siberian Tigers, who are searching for the people who killed their father. These Tiger shifters are also related to Max, Stevie and Charlie as Nat, their younger sister turns out to be half honey badger and a half McKilligan. Complicated relationships introduced as well as some awkward dynamics during the last fantastic story .
Laurenston weaves tightly packed, violent action scenes and densely layered storylines into developing new found family bonds and growing group relationships. The “Black Malones” tigers start out emotionally stunted and reactive yet during intense interactions and small one to one conversations, each Malone exhibits surprising emotions and hidden depths.
And while the focus is on Mads, and her interactions with her awful family and the growing one with Finn, the strengths of this series, the MacKilligan sisters (Charlie, Max and Stevie) still have impactful moments and roles to play here.
As do others. So many new and familiar characters here , beautifully detailed and engaging in their own personalities. It just one more reason I can’t get enough of this series.
There’s an overall plot and mystery that seems to be going through the next section of books. It’s a really great one. I can’t wait to see how it’s explained.
Remember these books are gory, violent and murderous. Blood and body parts everywhere. FYI.
Highly recommended.
I really like the covers for the series. Great work. Eye catching and character related.
It’s instinct that drives Finn Malone to rescue a bunch of hard battling honey badgers. The Siberian tiger shifter just can’t bear to see his fellow shifters harmed. But no way can Finn have a houseful of honey badgers when he also has two brothers with no patience. Things just go from bad to worse when the badgers rudely ejected from his home turn out to be the only ones who can help him solve a family tragedy. He’s just not sure he can even get back into the badgers’ good graces. Since badgers lack graces of any kind . . .
Mads knows her teammates aren’t about to forgive the cats that were so rude to them, but moody Finn isn’t so bad. And he’s cute! The badger part of her understands Finn’s burning need to avenge his father’s death—after all, vengeance is her favorite pastime. So Mads sets about helping Finn settle his family’s score, which has its perks, since she gets to avoid her own family drama. Besides, fighting side by side with Finn is her kind of fun—especially when she can get in a hot and heavy snuggle with her very own growling, eye-rolling, and utterly irresistible kitty-cat . . .
“Filled with high-octane action, some serious snark, and a plethora of humor.. the resulting madcap adventures are sure to please series fans.”
Ride Or Die wraps up this fantastic series with mythical battles, high stakes, epic magical revelations, and an absolutely satisfying ending for all the characters.
The Body Shop series has followed Frankie and her adopted siblings, the Mary’s as they call themselves after the official ‘house of horror’ they were forced to live as children, they’ve come through perilous events and horrific experiences that’s seen them come out more powerful individually and as a found family.
From one where Frankie was the one who provided and held everything together to a family that worked together as a unit for a common purpose. The character development and plotting was even, strong and often compelling. And Edwards didn’t leave any character behind in bringing relationships and old friendships forward as things went further into new developments.
Kierce sacrificed himself for Frankie and now she’s going to save him. It’s time for revelations, god comeuppances, and the final showdown. And some real surprises.
Dis Pater is shown to be even worse than thought to be. But the biggest bad is a well crafted evil, multi dimensional villain who’s horrific in his clarity of vision.
It’s reasonable and believable and makes this credible that’s there’s a cost of defeating him. It wouldn’t have made sense otherwise. Or been in keeping with the types of magical powers and abilities that were used by all of the characters here.
In the end, we get a sense of how the characters are in their lives and how they feel going forward. It’s contentment and happiness. And that makes The Body Shop a well written, highly compelling and satisfying series, one I’m happy to recommend.
Kierce sacrificed himself to save Frankie, and now it’s her turn to rescue him. Whether he wants her to or not. That means venturing into Abaddon, the land of the dead, and hoping she can locate him within its shadowed depths before Dis Pater notices his favorite toy is missing. But Dis Pater isn’t the only deity she has to fear.
Frankie’s father has learned of her journey down to his domain, and he won’t take no for an answer when he welcomes her into his home. As if one MIA parent materializing wasn’t bad enough, her mother arrives with her own emotional baggage in hand. Forget the perils of traversing the underworld. Navigating this family reunion just might be what kills her.
Badger to the Bone, the 3rd in the MacKilligan sisters “group” of this series. Now we get to Max, the middle sister and the only full blooded honey badger of the three sisters.
Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan’s Asian honey badger mother is in prison doing hard time for robbery after their father left her and others caught in Russia after the theft went wrong. She’s been with Charlie since she was young.
Her personality has been described as family first and psychopathically dangerous.
She smiles a lot. Apparently that goes with her being a honey badger. They are a violent, vicious breed despite their size.
This takes Max on quite the journey, one that sees her saving someone unexpectedly, taking on a new albeit temporary career, and chasing down criminals, her father and family alike with vicious zest and a ton of weaponry.
Max is unapologetically who she is. Violent, often aggressive, naked and even murderous. And the author has created her in such a way that it meshes absolutely perfectly with her animal instincts and shifter side. She is a honey badger, no matter what form she is in. She’s not human and that realistically tracks here.
And while her other two sisters might be ambivalent at times about parts of their own shifter instincts and abilities, Max has none of those here.
I absolutely howled in parts at certain scenes, and they were both when Max was all honestly and truly honey badger. And deadly.
The next story starts with side characters and they are great. I’m sure I’ll enjoy those greatly. But Max? She’s fantastic. And I look forward to seeing her and Zé Vargas, the cat shifter again in upcoming novels.
Another winner!
I really like the covers for the series. Great work.
She’s the woman he’s been hired to kidnap. But ZeZé Vargas has other ideas . . . like getting them both out of this nightmare alive. Just one problem. She’s crazy. Certifiably. Because while he’s plotting their escape, the petite Asian beauty is plotting something much more deadly . . .
Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan has no idea what one of her own is doing with all these criminal humans until she realizes that Zé has no idea who or what he is. Or exactly how much power he truly has.
But Max is more than happy to bring this handsome jaguar shifter into her world and show him everything he’s been missing out on. A move that might be the dumbest thing she’s ever done once she realizes how far her enemies will go to wipe her out. Too bad for them Zé is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her alive . . . and honey badgers are just so damn hard to kill!
A 6 book series, stories 1 through 3 focus on the foundation family of the three MacKilligan sisters. All three have the same criminal loser and absentee father a honey badger shifter who goes finds female companions like he does trouble, often leaving behind his children (from different mothers). Who then have to deal with his problems as adults.
The first book centers around the oldest, Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan, a wolf/honey badger shifter who has been the caretaker for her sisters since her mother died. Now they’ve settled into a sort of normality (for them) in a bear shifter neighborhood in a rental house. And Charlie’s got a bonded relationship with a grizzly bear shifter.
But all the events in that book sets off a ripple effect that continues here in Stevie’s story. Stevie is the youngest, and the one who has the most issues. She’s brilliant, a certified genius. She’s got mental health issues, starting with extreme anxiety and depression that can cause her to spiral and lose control of her shift. A concern when she’s a honey badger/tiger shifter hybrid. The weird mixture of her father’s genes adds to her ability to do some pretty spectacular stuff.
And for , honestly , some of the best scenes in the book, as well as in the last.
Laurenston plays with the juxtaposition of how superficially Stevie’s perceived against the reality of what Stevie actually is. Or is capable of. This happens over and over. With multiple people. And I love it. That expectations are often wrong when taken on a simplistic level.
Of course, this is the MacKilligan sisters, so we get all three and their often hilarious dynamics, fast paced and brutal action, and powerful scenes with full on snarky, clever, and often engaging dialogue.
Shen, the Panda bodyguard who’s the love interest is vastly different and great in his unique role. He grows throughout the book and into the next.
If I had an issue, it’s that Stevie kept making excuses for the father, a vile being. I hope it doesn’t take six books to bring him down.
This is a definite pleasure to read. And one I’m happy to share.
Petite, kind, brilliant, and young, Stevie is nothing like the usual women bodyguard Shen Li is interested in. Even more surprising, the youngest of the lethal, ball-busting, and beautiful MacKilligan sisters is terrified of bears. But she’s not terrified of pandas. She loves pandas.
Which means that whether Shen wants her to or not, she simply won’t stop cuddling him. He isn’t some stuffed Giant Panda, ya know! He is a Giant Panda shifter. He deserves respect and personal space. Something that little hybrid is completely ignoring.
But Stevie has a way of finding trouble. Like going undercover to take down a scientist experimenting on other shifters. For what, Shen doesn’t want to know, but they’d better find out. And fast. Stevie might be the least violent of the honey badger sisters, but she’s the most dangerous to Shen’s peace of mind. Because she has absolutely no idea how much trouble they’re in . . . or just how damn adorable she is.
“Hang on. I stuffed all my feelings down like a proper man, and it takes some effort to bring them back up.”
Yes! It’s time for some more great Ilona Andrews writing team and diving back into the Kate Daniels universe with Sanctuary, a book about Roman, the Black Volhv, a reoccurring character from the main series.
This is a holiday season story where Roman is “holed” up in his remote cabin, trying to ride out the season when it’s interrupted by a mysterious, badly hurt young man and his puppy asking for sanctuary.
This story turns out so differently than I expected, which I loved. The twists, the fact that I thought it was headed one way but the authors always had a totally unexpected path for the characters made this story deeply interesting and moving.
Roman’s character is explored in multiple ways in the story. His magical connections with his god and how his magic is fused with the creatures and structures around him is so believable and vivid. And much more interesting, Roman’s background is gone into greater detail .Roman’s complicated family dynamics and his relationship with his father are explained through important conversations and scenes with various characters.
The mythology and gods that impact the story are fascinating and always make me want to research more into each culture and myths surrounding them.
Sanctuary is a one of one series. I don’t expect any more. But I’m thrilled to have this one.
It’s not really a standalone book but one that fits within a wider collection of stories, the Kate Daniels universe. That’s a fabulous place to start as well as one I highly recommend.
It’s not easy serving Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.
Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it’s a fight to the death, but for him, it’s just another day in the neighborhood.
Includes a bonus short story and more!
Reading Order : Kate Daniels Universe series:
Kate Daniels Series
MAGIC BITES
MAGIC BLEEDS
MAGIC BURNS
MAGIC STRIKES
MAGIC MOURNS
MAGIC BLEEDS
MAGIC DREAMS
MAGIC SLAYS
GUNMETAL MAGIC (Andrea and Raphael)
MAGIC GIFTS – comes with/ is part of Gunmetal book
MAGIC RISES
MAGIC BREAKS
MAGIC STEALS
MAGIC SHIFTS
MAGIC STARS (Julie and Derek)
MAGIC BINDS
IRON AND MAGIC #1 (The Iron Covenant /Hugh d’Ambray & Elara Harper) a must before the finale
MAGIC TRIUMPHS – OG finale
Kate Daniels World
BLOOD HEIR (Julie and Derek)
Roman’s Chronicles SANCTUARY
Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years MAGIC TIDES
MAGIC CLAIMS
UNTITLED IRON AND MAGIC (The Iron Covenant /Hugh d’Ambray & Elara Harper #2) -NRD
Of Owls and Oolong, the first in the Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances series by Shari L. Tapscott, is an enjoyable fantasy tale. Tapscott’s story encapsulates everything from cozy mysteries, fantastical creatures and mythical places, to slow burn romances with elements of magic and darkness.
I be honest, I don’t understand book descriptions that I feel misrepresent the story. Nothing about this story reads “rom-com”. Sad, poignant, hopeful, and new beginnings. But rom-com? I don’t see it.
Kit is a summer Pixie who inherited her great aunt’s old cottage and tea shop in a magical tourist town across the country from her home and family in Washington state.
Moss Hollow, Vermont caters to the human tourist industry while hiding the fact that it’s a paranormal community that exists along side them. No cars inside the township, just carriages and buggies pulled by animals. Part of the charm during the many festivals.
The author builds a believable small town dynamic with all the various kinds of shops and shopkeepers of differing species, each with their own backstories.
It’s Kit, Rowan the Owl who’s not an owl she inherits along with the house and shop, along with Ash, her reserved neighbor and Council member, that’s the most of the main focus here.
I appreciate the world building, and the way Tapscott wove some of the darker elements of Kit’s background into the story. But that also works against it as well, because it’s so tragic and threatening that to have that aspect of the story be a part of the bigger plot at this point feels like it doesn’t have any foundation laid out for it.
The relationships between Kit and Ash, or Kit and Rowen aren’t really there yet. It’s a beginning but not established. So the ending feels rushed.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of the characters and series to see how the author develops them.
The author of A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening and Obsidian Queen brings you a lighthearted fantasy full of humor and romance, set in a cozy contemporary fae town. Welcome to Moss Hollow.
There are three things you need to know about my great aunt—she’s eccentric, she’s rich, and she’s dead. No, make that four things. She also named me as the sole beneficiary of her fortune. There are, however, a few stipulations.
1. I must move into her cottage in Moss Hollow, Vermont—a magical community that values tradition and tourists.
2. I must keep her beloved tea shop open and running for at least three years.
3. I must take care of her tiny owl, a prickly creature by the name of Rowan. He’s moody, opinionated, and he used to be a mage.
He doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like my dog, and he really doesn’t like the handsome fae councilman who starts hanging around as soon as I arrive in town.
But for a small fortune, Rowan and I are going to learn to coexist long enough for me to figure out how to turn him back into his normal self with my “cute and worthless” pixie magic—preferably before he ruins my dating life or drives me insane.
Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances is a rom-com style contemporary fantasy. The perfect lighthearted escape, this story is sure to delight readers who enjoy cozy magic and humor.
The books in this series feature smoldering-but-sweet, closed-door romance. (Passionate kisses and some innuendo, but no spicy scenes.)
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 