Quite a few of Jileen Dolbeare’s inhabit the same universe so I’m not sure yet if this goes for this series. But it’s not necessarily required to be absolutely invested into this character and her journey and growth as a magical bounty hunter.
From starving, homeless thief on to the run , albeit with a magical companion, to a trained respected bounty is a great storyline and character.
Especially her tough beginnings. We really emphasize with her. It’s an emotional, scary start.
At only 126 pages, we have a lot of background that still needs developing and main characters, aside from Astrid, who also require additional history. I feel that’s coming in the first book.
What The Bounty Hunter and the Spirit Wolf successfully does is make the reader want that next book, the next step in Astrid’s journey now!
Unfortunately we’re going to have to wait until next year. But I’ll be sure to keep my eye out for the release.
Until then? Pick up the prequel and get ready for the next urban fantasy series that looks to be a winner.
The Magical Bounty Hunter’s Guild:
The Bounty Hunter and the Spirit Wolf prequel #0.5
The Bounty Hunter and the Assassin # 1 – September 5, 2026
Before she was a bounty hunter, she was the hunted.
It’s been three months since I ended up on the streets of Anchorage with nothing but the clothes on my back and Teekon, my spirit animal, for company. Once upon a time, I had dreams. Now, I’d settle for a hot meal and somewhere warm that doesn’t come with a side of rats.
I steal to survive, but I’m spectacularly bad at it. Hunger makes you reckless. Stupid. Desperate. My stomach was loud, and I ignored my whispering instincts that told me using magic to steal was a bad idea.
Naturally, I got caught.
Now the Magical Enforcement Agency has my scent, and they’ve sent a grizzled bounty hunter to drag my sorry ass in. Because rule one of the magical underground? Don’t flash your power in front of humans. Whoops.
I’ve got two options: trust a stranger with a badge and a scowl, or end up dead, or worse. And life has taught me there is always a worse.
Teekon says this bounty hunter could be our chance at something better. I reckon he’s just another predator in a world full of them.
But when your life’s on the line, you don’t get the luxury of easy choices.
One mistake landed me here. One choice might set me free.
Abigail Manning takes well known fairytales from our childhood and gives them her own unique twists and fabulous turns of character and plays on the themes.
This is one of the “All That Glitters” series and is , as all of her stories are, a no-spice, clean romance.
Diamond Wishes turns Aladdin into Kya, a female thief with a humorous, snarky parrot companion.
All That Glitters- 12 books/different authors:
Tainted Beauty by Alesha Adamson
Stolen Magic by Camille Peters
Amphibian’s Kiss by Lichelle Slater
Rapunzel’s Gambit by Mary Mecham
Golden Goose by Lea Doué
Siren’s Treasure by Suzanna Fowers
Rose Crown by Nina Clare
Feathered Thief by J.M. Stengl
Snow Bound by C. J. Brightley
Gilded Locks by Julene Johnson
Lost Starlight: A Peter Pan Retelling by Kayla Eshbaugh
Diamond Wishes: An Aladdin Retelling by Abigail Manning
A mute guard, a chatty parrot, and a diamond ring that could change it all…
Few people have heard the legend of the wondrous wishing diamond, and even fewer have wasted their efforts searching for it. Kya couldn’t care less about jewels unless they can sell for enough money to feed her and her mouthy parrot. Her chronic fainting spells make it impossible to hold down a real job, and difficult to escape the guards when a charming stranger interrupts her heist.
Caught and caged, Kya admits defeat as she wastes away in the palace prison. Not even befriending a royal guard can get her out of her chains, but a deal with a smooth-talking nobleman might… It would seem that the boy from the market isn’t the only person on a diamond hunt.
If anyone can find a diamond ring in a cave full of treasures, it’s a jewel thief, but that doesn’t mean she knows how to use it. Wishes gone wrong and a power struggle between royals quickly trap Kya once again, but this time as a fake princess. Even a counterfeit diamond can sparkle, but can it fool a treasure hunter? Life as a royal sure does have a nice ring to it—if you can live long enough to wish for a crown.
Diamond Wishes is a standalone, no-spice, fairy retelling and is a part of the series “All That Glitters.” A collection of 12 treasure-themed fairy tale retellings full of adventure, romance, and glittering gold.
Bearly Free: A Retelling of Goldilocks Framed in Florals: A Retelling of Cinderella
Stolen Crown: A Retelling of Thumbelina
Towering Future: A Retelling of Rapunzel
The Ruby Realm series:
Crimson Claws: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood
Wilting Captive: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Sole of Secrets: A Retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses
Insomniac’s Curse: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty
Forged Gold: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin
Once Upon A Rhyme series:
The Itsy Bitsy Liar
Little Bo Sneak
Hush A Bye Lady
Do You Know the Muffin Scam?
Baa Baa Black Market
Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars
The Fairmyth Chronicles
The Soulless Slipper: A Retelling of Persephone and Cinderella The Serpent’s Tower: A Retelling of Medusa and Rapunzel
The Beast’s Labyrinth: A Retelling of Beauty & the Beast and The Minotaur The Dozen Damsels: A Retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses & The 12 Labors of Hercules
Short Story Collections
The Crystal Realm: A Collection of Retold Christmas Tales
The Rose Realm: A Collection of Retold Flower Tales
The Shadow Realm: A Collection of Retold Halloween Tales
The Feather Realm: A Collection of Retold Bird Tales
Fit For A Crown
Fit For A Prince
Standalone Novellas
To Shatter A Slipper: A Retelling of Cinderella
Charlotte and the Cozy Cottage: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin
The Snowy Footprints: A Retelling of The Elves and the Shoemaker Diamond Wishes: A Retelling of Aladdin
Deals & Dream Spells, the second book in The Charmed Leaf Legacy series by Rachel Morgan, is very good, but doesn’t quite have the depth of character development and completion of plot that the marvelous introductory story has.
Here in Deals & Dream Spells, Morgan has feuding magical families, two main characters each dealing with various types of personal problems, and one overall story of a dream park waiting to be revived.
However, the issues of these characters are very different, and emotionally unbalanced. While Evryn Rowanwood is hiding his “scandalous pen name” and sarcastic society novels from his loving family, his enemy/partner in bond/fake engagement, Mariselle Brightcrest has far more serious issues to contend with.
Her family is frankly abusive, from terrifying parents to horrible, cruel sister, exactly how awful they are is a fact Mariselle has been avoiding for years. Even her grandmother hasn’t wanted to confront the truth about them and their treatment of Mariselle.
So to protect herself, she’s gone along with her sister and mother in their cruelty and abuse of others, to her detriment.
Especially when she and Evryn have to convince his family of their “love” and engagement. No one wants her in this situation and their family, especially considering Mariselle’s shameful treatment of Iris Starspun in the first book.
The development of Evryn and Mariselle’s relationship is very emotional, often funny and well written. It’s easy to imagine them finding themselves together in the end.
But the story doesn’t really go into depth when addressing their individual issues and pulling together a coherent narrative end to each person’s problem. Evryn’s drops out of the story, and Mariselle’s years of abuse and damage is left to one unsatisfying scene, which really doesn’t resolve much of anything.
It’s a Happy for the Moment ending unlike the first book.
Very puzzling because there is much to admire and really love here.
There’s a third book releasing soon and I’ll be there to see waits on the agenda for this family and the magical regency world.
Regency romance meets cozy fantasy in this entertaining tale of rivals to lovers, a fake engagement, spit-your-tea-out banter, and endless magical shenanigans.
Step 1: Accidentally bind yourself to your sworn rival. Step 2: Fake an engagement so no one knows about the accidental binding. Step 3: Try to outdo each other with increasingly ridiculous magical pranks. Step 4: Definitely don’t fall in love.
When notorious rivals Evryn Rowanwood and Mariselle Brightcrest accidentally bind themselves to a decades-old enchanted contract laying out the restoration of the failed magical attraction known as Dreamland, they must transform from bitter enemies to reluctant allies, staging the Season’s most shocking romance while secretly working together to resurrect the magical legacy that once tore their families apart.
Let the banter-laced warfare, magically assisted sabotage, and dangerously simmering slowburn commence!
Well written but extremely frustrating, Echoed Defiance brings another facet of Jackie Leon’s former life into focus. In this case, her prior human history.
Banet’s characterizations are so compelling and excellent that the reader is often confused between thinking of them as real people rather than fictional beings. Jackie’s former family, especially her twin, which is a huge surprise, are incredibly irritating, entitled, and often ones we want gone.
Paranormals: 1 Humans: 0
And in a truly remarkable bit of plotting and long term series narrative flow, what we see occur here, the events , context, and conversations have enormous implications for Jackie later in the series.
Yes, I’m at book 11. It just gets better and better.
Each book, the events and minute details, no matter how subtle or seemingly random, are adding up to an overall complex rich and devious plot.
I’m so in love. This is an automatic reread.
If shifters, mythology, science, gods, compelling characters and long term planning with plots are your thing, grab the series up.
Funny, heartbreaking, and just glorious. Also violent and deadly. FYI.
My duty to my family is simple. Help maintain order and uphold the Law for my werecat father, Hasan, a member of the Tribunal.
But I’ve always had a defiant streak.
To do what’s right, I’m willing to throw the Law out the window and turn my back on everything I’ve been told. Everyone around me knows I’m willing to risk everything for what I believe in. All I can hope is that my beliefs and the Law don’t clash again.
Because I have another duty. A duty to blood. A duty to the bond between those who once shared a face and a life.
My name is Jacky Leon and my twin has found her way back into my life. My echo, strangely similar and yet different, Gwen is a piece of me that I tried to leave behind.
I don’t know how this book managed to be highly smutty, downright hilarious, and also tear my heart out, all in one.
This book sets the bar high for any book that follows it. Ah, Gwenvael the Handsome! That rascal dragon who loves being a lover while evading his responsibilities as a Dragon Prince. He’s been an absolutely engaging and entertaining secondary character in recent stories, a true scene stealer! That flirtatious class clown who no one takes seriously but you just know has depth of character if you could just get him focused.
Here he gets his chance to shine, or maybe show his truth. And in a way that is startling, hilarious, and often heartbreaking. I mean, I cried buckets at one point.
The complexity of plotting here is breathtaking. The main storyline of Gwenvael and Dagmar Reinholdt, aka The Beast, is highly engaging . A plot in itself that is emotionally charged and thoughtful story of deeply flawed family dynamics, damaged familial relationships, and differing perceptions of love.
Then, in more beautifully crafted and woven stories, we get the heart heavy storylines of the other characters and family members being pulled together into the central plot.
This will showcase the gods that we’ve met. Dive deeper into their agendas, and see exactly how they view each other’s actions, especially as it’s has ramifications for the characters themselves.
I really didn’t expect this element or aspects of the story and series. I thought, afterwards, it was necessary to show exactly how remote and “godlike “ these beings are. And that benevolence is not a godly concept but a human one.
Tears, people, great, ugly, sobbing tears.
Yes, it may end with what appears to be a good feeling finish but upon another reading, (honestly it takes several ) for all the aspects of the details and plotting to form the complex puzzle that this author is creating. And that leaves a slight sense of foreboding for all in the upcoming books.
At the third book, I’m excited for this series and the rest of the journey.
But what a bar to set going forward. Fabulous!
Dragon Kin – 9 books complete series :
Dragon Actually #1
About A Dragon #2
What a Dragon Should Know #3
Last Dragon Standing #4
The Dragon Who Loved Me #5
How to Drive a Dragon Crazy #6
Light My Fire #7
Feel The Burn #8
Bring The Heat #9
Buy link
Expect a lot of humor, snarky remarks, and great chemistry” in this fantasy adventure from the New York Timesbestselling author of About a Dragon(Under the Covers Book Blog).
Only for those I love would I traipse into the merciless Northlands to risk life, limb, and my exquisite beauty. But do they appreciate it? Do they say, “Gwenvael the Handsome, you are the best among us—the most loved of all dragons?” No! For centuries my family has refused to acknowledge my magnificence as well as my innate humility. Yet for them, and because I am so chivalrous, I will brave the worst this land has to offer.
So here I stand, waiting to broker an alliance with the one the Northlanders call The Beast. A being so fearful, the greatest warriors will only whisper its name. Yet I, Gwenvael, will courageously face down this terrifying . . . woman? It turns out the Beast, a.k.a. Dagmar Reinholdt, is a woman—one with steel-gray eyes and a shocking disregard for my good looks. Beneath her plain robes and prim spectacles lies a sensual creature waiting to be unleashed. Who better than a dragon to thaw out that icy demeanor?
And who better than a beast to finally tame a mighty dragon’s heart?
Autumn Dawn and her series, The Convergence, starting with Bramble Burn, was a top recommendation on a fantasy list so I picked it up based on similar themes and recommendations.
What I found both delighted and disappointed me in terms of character development and plot design.
Let’s start with the positive aspects of this story. Which are primarily related to the design and detail of Bramble Burn Park itself.
The premise is that at some point in time our world and that of the Fae Underhill world merged, violently. From the geological landscape to actual buildings, there was an explosion of activity as physical changes, actual melding or melting of structures, happened, leaving our world forever changed.
One mage leaves her family and farm to go buy a cheap abandoned city park from the mayor and officials, the Bramble Burn Park. A park so dangerous, so overrun, and inhabited by unknown creatures that evolved from the merge that no one enters in. One she intends to remake and make her own.
That gorgeous, mystical cover is the tree home that tree mage, Juniper, first makes in the forest. And mysterious, eerie, Bramble Burn, with all its distinctive features, wilding areas, and imaginative creatures, is a highlight of the story.
Too bad the author leaves it behind and tosses it away for another storyline altogether. Anyway, the park and Juniper’s resolve to make it her own, is the best part of the story.
This includes her magic and the obstacles that come as she slowly builds up the frame around the park. And her living structures made from trees.
The author really does an excellent job in making this park as intriguing, horrifying, and beautifully alive right from the beginning. And Juniper as well. From her perspective, she’s revealed to be increasingly powerful, someone who chooses to be alone in her woods, territorial and masterful in her pursuit of her goals.
That’s where the author had me. Until she didn’t.
The not so great aspects of the story.
The romantic aspects of the book and the relationships.
Bring on the dragons and werewolves.
Spoilers ahead.
The plot turns from Juniper needing to make Bramble Burn hers within a time frame to dragon father, dragon sister, bratty brother who might be dangerous, and a human, enabling suffocating mother full of flags.
It gets so much worse.
Author Autumn Dawn reveals that Juniper is a “fertile female “ half dragon, therefore she is a catch or highly regarded female for both werewolves and dragons for her abilities to breed.
Her werewolf, blink and he’s in love with her and asserting his mate bond over her, to a newly arrived dragon, both thrilled with Juniper’s fertility.
At this point I’m wondering what happened to the character I was reading at the beginning of the story. That strong woman is reduced to a breeder, complaining about a brother who is attacking her ( mom is excusing him) and complies with accepting the werewolf because he’s nice.
There’s a strange new plot that introduces a bunch of characters that has nothing to do with the original story. Takes them away from the park. The author decides to immediately wrap up what was originally a complex issue, leaving huge threads unexplained or just left out.
Juniper, the powerful tree mage who wanted to just work with her Forrest now ends up mated, marriages, with twins.
What?
So once again, I’m floored that an author went totally south with her character, world and plot development.
It was if she decided halfway to change everything but without any notice, explanation , or foundation.
So I’m not proceeding with either author or the series.
Cool cover though.
COVER DESIGN: Autumn Dawn
The Convergence:
Bramble Burn #1
And a bunch more books each with a different character apparently.
It’s been thirty years since the Convergence, when the dimensions aligned and combined Earth and the world of Gwyllon, known in human mythology as “Underhill”. Elven castles and ancient ruins sprouted on vacant lots and merged with existing buildings, twisting into new structures. Roads and rail systems reformed, and after the rioting, starvation and death, agriculture sorted itself and food began to flow. A new government formed of elves and men arose, a society of human tech and elven magic. Cell phones and frost giants, race cars and elven steeds, dungeons and dragons…
And everywhere, monsters.
Tree mage Juniper was twenty-three, a child of the new generation. When she found a source of magic buried in an abandoned park, she made a deal with the city. If she can stabilize the park’s wild magic, she’ll own it…if she can survive. Now she has to clear out magic spawned monsters, deal with a werewolf suitor and survive her bloodthirsty dragon uncle. She’s going to have to dig deep to subdue Bramble Burn Park.
Hot but sweet romance. Does not contain explicit sex scenes.
[Amazon notes it’s similar to the Kate Daniels series. No. Absolutely not. Amazon needs to stop making comparisons. ]
The Shifter Lords series by S.E. Babin just keeps getting better with each new book she releases. In the perfectly named Power Shift, multiple characters come to new heights of development and impact in the overall series arc.
Some have huge moments of personal magical growth and character progression. Others have revelatory scenes that shake up the backgrounds and future of main characters here. And others simply get their long awaited comeuppance.
It’s all done through a narrative that is written with humor, dramatic scenes and wonderful threads of mystery and mythology.
I started it and didn’t stop until I finished it, so invested in the characters and events as they rapidly unfolded. Suspense, magical creatures, endearing poisonous fauna and a found family of supernatural beings that I just adore.
This is a series that I highly recommend and found absolutely amazing. A winner!
Evie Quinn is tired. Of magical politics. Of cursed bouquets. Of hot Shifter Lords who kiss her like a promise and then send her potential love interest to another state.
All she wants is to run her flower shop in peace, maybe master the whole “accidentally-a-Chimera” thing, and avoid becoming a pawn in the games of gods and Lords.
But when has Evie ever gotten what she wanted?
When Finn arrives with a warning about a new threat, and her mother starts sniffing around for a lost possession she thinks Evie has stolen from her, the Floromancer feels the walls closing in on her.
Add in some unfortunate magical misfires, Caelan’s insistence on a quickie wedding she never agreed to, and the presence of a god too close to figuring out exactly what she is, and Evie has her hands full with no solutions in sight.
When secrets unravel and ancient enemies rise, Evie will have to choose: play nice to survive … or become the storm they never saw coming.
All Fun and Games is the penultimate book and it’s a fantastic read. As Honor Raconteur gets closer to the series finale next year, the characters are more settled in their respective roles and relationships. That’s never been more satisfying and clear than seeing Jamie and Henri finally engaged and preparing for their wedding and future plans.
Jamie’s Queen’s Own are functional and adding to their numbers and the core group we’ve gotten to know so well. And that brings us to this complicated series of murders that Jamie, Henri and the Queen’s Own must investigate.
Cruel, seemingly unrelated, and yet Jamie can feel there’s something tying these horrifying acts together.
Alongside the investigations, the couple are moving forward with their new life together. Looking for new housing, and oncoming nuptials.
There’s wonderful twists and heartbreaking turns. And a lovely little end.
The last book in the series will be published next year and I look forward to seeing how Jamie and Henri‘s remarkable journey comes to a close.
Highly recommended.
No sexual content. A sweet kiss, nothing more. Magical energy, crime investigation and science fiction. Terrific work.
This is Honor Raconteur also known as AJ. Sherwood. A must read no matter what name she’s writing under.
Cover by Katie Griffin
The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):
It’s all fun and games until someone gets murdered.
Well, the Queen’s Own certainly isn’t having fun, because what’s worse than one case? Two, of course. And what’s worse than two? Whatever madness Jamie’s currently in.
The body count is rising, all the MO’s are different, and cleaning charms have wiped the murder scenes of clues. It’s hard to link the cases beyond the use of the charms, yet Jamie is sure there’s a connection. But what is it?
They need to figure out the answer fast, because the clues suggest one of their own might be next.
Another entertaining read in Laurenston’s Magnus Pack series. Go Fetch features Miki, the hacker/bar owner bestie of wolfshifter Sara. Sara now lives in California with her Alpha mate. But Miki has unresolved issues with Conall Víga-Feilan , who knew he was hooked as soon as he laid eyes on his Alpha’s best friend, the pint-sized Miki Kendrick in Texas.
Their chemistry and dynamics are hilariously different from the previous couple but it’s so good that it keeps the reader happy and invested in their relationship.
The drama and ongoing storyline of pack issues is not well defined or given enough foundation here. It seems to carry over into the third book. But there’s little framework for this intense plot and species plotting.
Had the author laid out a trilogy wide storyline that encapsulated this arc and events this would have been a more compelling and well grounded series and novel.
It’s still highly entertaining and recommended.Just wishful thinking on my part.
How much trouble can one small female be to a modern-day shapeshifting Viking? Well…it really depends on local gun laws.
Conall Víga-Feilan, direct descendent of Viking shifters, never thought he’d meet a female strong enough to be his mate. He especially didn’t think a short, viper-tongued human would ever fit the bill. But Miki Kendrick isn’t some average human. With an IQ off the charts and a special skill with weapons of all kinds, Miki brings the big blond pooch to his knees—and keeps him there.
Miki’s way too smart to ever believe in love and she knows a guy like Conall could only want one thing from her. But with the Pack’s enemies on her tail and a few days stuck alone with the one man who makes her absolutely wild, Miki is about to discover how persistent one Viking wolf can be.
Again, how to say that Maya’s Blog is an absolute must read series. Each one continues to improve upon its predecessor and show its characters development in a way that’s consistent with the journey and emotional growth of the series.
It’s fabulous writing and I’m so hooked.
Plus yes to the great covers that happen to showcase the storytelling within. That’s happening less and less so claps and kudos.
This is the story where Maya accepts and comes into her own. What makes this so special is to understand the time line between the beginning of her journey, when she fled her abusive family and the traumatic events and powerful affirming experiences she’s experienced that have led her here. It’s been just three years.
Oftentimes it’s felt so much longer.
So when you think about her life before, her anxiety and other personal issues, on top of the trauma and tragedy, for her to be able to realistically start to accept her own power and new life is extraordinary. And believable within the narrative and her situation.
Her support and maybe even the lack of here when it comes to this major crisis, is crafted in such a layered, emotional manner. Raw, heartfelt, powerful. And truly written in such a way that the reader can relate to Maya’s feelings and the way she needs to express her reactions to this moment.
No spoilers but fabulous. It’s part horror, romance, comedy and all things fantastic. Just amazing stuff all around.
I love it when a family comes together to destroy things. Especially the women. What an awesome scene!
There’s another book coming out. A surprise because this easily could have been the finale. I’m thrilled we’re going forward.
More and more please.
Cover Illustration Main image by Manuka Madushan, Digital Illustrator.
Maya Rivers’ post-resurrection body has developed magical broadcasting capabilities. Unfortunately, the signal feeds directly into her fiancé’s nervous system. As if that weren’t mortifying enough, she’s also inherited a demonic estate with a flair for psychological warfare and a disturbing passion for cataloguing other people’s trauma for fun and menace.
Maya’s juggling supernatural politics, a shadow-wielding warlord who moisturises with military precision, and her body evolving faster than her coping mechanisms.
She’s starting to realise something horrifying: she might actually be the powerful one now.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 