I really enjoy this author and her characters and series in Midnight Empire: The Tower are getting more interesting with each book.
Three Dog Night’s best elements are involved in its main mystery and investigation, that of what’s making the local werewolf population go out of control.
It’s both a werewolf Alpha that seeks out Knights of Boudicca, specifically London Hayes, to solve the mystery. And that means bringing, unfortunately, the vampire royalty into this in the form of Prince Callan.
Chase has this investigation go incredibly complicated, takes the odd couple on the road, across territorial borders, which gives the author a chance to expand her universe and explore additional possibilities for other paranormal creatures and magical powers.
London herself emotionally doesn’t evolve that much but everything else around her is changing and it ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. Not unexpected as this story has some wonderful twists and surprises to it.
Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
Cover design by Trif
Books in the Midnight Empire: The Tower series include:
I survived a job for royal vampires with my life and identity intact. That means I can return to my normal life as a knight, right?
Wrong.
When a group of werewolves goes berserk in our local pub, there’s a new threat in the city and the local pack hires me to find out what it is.
Unfortunately that decision draws the attention of a certain vampire prince who likes to keep tabs on the most powerful pack in the city. Just when I thought I was free of the Demon of House Duncan, we’re embarking on a road trip together to investigate.
And what we discover changes everything—as well as each other.
Three Dog Knight is the second book in the Midnight Empire: The Tower series. Don’t miss this supernatural joy ride that features a kick-butt heroine, a powerful hero with a deadly past, and a quirky cast of characters.
I adore this series and group of characters so seeing it continue with Luca O’ Broín and architect Noe Keller is amazing.
The story flows beautifully as the men go through the process of friendship to lovers, working together on the structure of the castle and with their crews. It’s a natural progression and the reader feels folded seamlessly into their journey and the love that they share.
Sherwood doesn’t forget the dramatic moments, which comes from both sides of each man’s family. But Starfire satisfactorily deals with each struggle and ends with a sense of accomplishment and success. Of a love and happiness for their future.
If this is the last book, I’m extremely happy for how they are going out.
Turns out wishing on the stars isn’t hopeless after all.
Tags:
Marriage pact, age gap, hurt/comfort, gay for you, workplace romance, chosen family, cinnamon roll protection squad, assemble!, I did not plan this book, Noe was the one on ship building duty this time, communication, no third act breakups because I can’t stand those, O’ Broin is getting his happily ever after, so is Noe, peanut gallery included, naked proposals are a thing for this series, Sakura dispenses wisdom like candy, Ren and Arman are hashtag relationship goals
Normally I’m not one for the “virgin trope” storyline but Burns and Fawkes are two of my favorite authors and in their hands, it turns into Witchwolf, a delightful urban fantasy romance about a young man who in looking for a hot night out before a new job finds far more than he ever imagined.
Dakota Morris is the young man, recently graduated from college, and ready for his dream job and adventure. But before then? He wants that hot date and experience he’s denied himself by concentrating on his college and studies.
Burns and Fawkes have created a wonderful exuberant character in Dakota and then given him the absolutely best possible place to explore his new life and possibilities for his future.
Of course he doesn’t expect his future to come with werewolves, mages and a ton of magic.
The corporate world and culture the authors are laying down will be expanding with the next book , a chapter of which is included at the end of Witchwolf.
But we get the outline of how the company works and its origins. Pack owned and operated but not exclusively employed by just werewolves. This is a rich universe Burns and Fawkes are building and I’m hopeful that we get more than just two books here.
Dakota’s story has mysteries and some drama associated with it. I wish we could have had more details about his background but understand why that wasn’t given. There’s so much more here that cries out for greater detail and exploration, into the mage history and paranormal being rivalries.
I’m hoping that future stories dive into this element.
The romance between Dakota and Alpha Ajax is hot, fun, and the dynamic between them makes us absolutely love this couple. Want to throttle Ajax occasionally because of his lack of communication skills but still Dakota makes up for it.
Love the ending and energy going forward. But having the entire first chapter of Book 2 (great chapter too) and not the book? Argh.
I will be watching out for that book next.
A definite winner for lovers of urban fantasy and these authors.
Witchwolf series:
Witchwolf #1
Word, Nerds, & Werecats #2 – coming early 2026 – chapter 1 included in the first book. ❤️
Dakota Morris has decided it’s time he lost that pesky virginity.
He’s a college graduate, and he’s tired of being a virgin. So he goes out to a club his friends don’t frequent, and picks up the hottest man he’s ever seen. It’s truly a night to remember . . . until he walks into the boardroom for his new job the next morning and wishes he could forget it, because his hot pick-up is also his new boss and CEO, Ajax Fyse.
The fact that he unknowingly slept with his newest employee is the least of Jax’s problems right now. Not only is he trying to navigate a merger with a mage family who disdains werewolves as beasts, it turns out the mage he took home last night didn’t even believe magic existed till this morning.
This morning, when his magic abilities manifested.
Now, Dakota’s stapler is flying across the room, and Jax has landed himself in the position of ushering his gorgeous new hire into the realm of magic. If only sleeping with a werewolf wouldn’t ruin Dakota’s reputation among other mages . . .
Book 2, and my issues with this series and characters continue. Mostly due to the character of Lucy, but the lack of foundational knowledge about the world building is also a big part of the problem here.
Turns out there’s 4 different Other Realm series that have carryover characters and overlapping roles and storylines here. If you’re not familiar with them, then it’s a problem because Harris isn’t one of those writers who spends the necessary time in their stories filling in knowledge about their other work/universe. You either know or you don’t.
Which leaves any new readers lost or scrambling for information, a trying aspect of the book when there’s already several others to deal with.
The interesting elements here, such as the werewolves actually having two distinct personalities or beings within them, is a very good one. The wolves have names, personalities and in most instances, have been denied by their “human counterparts” , suppressed by werewolf history and pack mythology to a certain roles that had denied them their identity. Lucy and Esme are, currently, the only highly functional communicating pair.
This is a great storyline and it will be the one that carries me forward if I do so, into the series as I hopefully see it further expand and detailed.
I rated this novel higher because the main theme of kidnapped children and its investigation was suspenseful and kept me invested. It was especially due to the side story of the young werewolf and the gargoyles. The leader Bob and the youngest cub were east to relate to and feel emotionally attached to as well.
But, once again, that ending was not satisfying. The villain ended up as much a product of why this MF character is so problematic and the issues that continue to plague her. (“I didn’t feel so sorry for him anymore “). No words.
Just one more huge SMH moment and scenario.
I’m actually considering heading back to the Glimmer series, the first in the Other Realm universe to see if beginning with the main series will eliminate the world building issues and carryover problems.
Not sure Lucy had shown much development as a person yet so it’s hard for me to want to invest further time in reading her series.
Guardians of the Pack (The Other Wolf, #2) by Heather G. Harris is a bit of a mixed bag of narratively good elements and nicely executed storytelling threaded through with a questionable main character moments, and an unsatisfying ending.
I hate finding corpses. For some reason, my enemies think dead bodies work as a communication method. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer a letter.
When I find a pulverised gargoyle on my lawn, I can’t help but think things are about to get rocky. The gargoyles don’t expect me to look into the death, but who can ignore murder on their doorstep? Ex-soldier Greg Manners knows all about violence and he thinks that the ogres are involved. Deadly or not, I’ll go toe-to-toe with their lethal king if I need to. I’m determined to find justice – but just when I start investigating, one of the pack’s children is snatched.
I’m in a race against time to find him when it turns out that Bobby isn’t the first stolen child. I’ll have to navigate Other world politics to work out what the purloined children have in common. Maybe if I know why they’ve been taken, I’ll discover who took them. Because the clock is ticking and I am all out of suspects.
Esme and I have to work together to find the kids, before it’s too late…
Burn through this fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud mix of urban fantasy and mystery.
This is the second book in the Other Wolf series. Don’t miss this internationally best-selling series if you like humour, heart, a strong heroine and a slow burn fade-to-black romance.
I came across writer Deborah Wilde by accident when looking for female main characters outside of the norm. She writes several books with characters that just aren’t the female main characters you normally expect and I really appreciate that.
In her Navia Katz , The Unlikeable Demon Hunter series, Wilde actually has written a character that reminds me of a friend whose family resembles this one, in that her brother, not her, was the golden *cough* only child. Yes, it was a traditional Jewish family and decades ago. But I remember the damage done, her feelings , and the painful dynamics clearly, even now.
The situation is fraught with emotional trauma, and made worse by the fact that it’s a twins dynamic that is involved here, and that it’s a beloved brother and distant parents in a Jewish household that holds many secrets.
I like that Wilde isn’t afraid to make Navia a little unlikable, highly sexual, and “in your face” individual. She’s full of anger, not so hidden pain, and lost dreams. And she doesn’t have a sense of where she’s going or support. Except from her driven “chosen “ twin brother.
And when her brother’s initiation in the Demon Hunting Brotherhood goes wrong in an hilarious scene, her life and his takes a spiraling out of control turn.
This is a paranormal tale, the world building isn’t there, at least in this story. But I’m thinking that’s because, like the secret society, it will be filled in along with her training and events that will happen.
Wilde isn’t afraid to create unapologetically unlikable characters or ones that will be able to change and show considerable growth. The twin’s dynamic is full of damage, transforming energy and love.
It’s also full of their Jewish heritage. Wilde provides a Jewish/Yiddish dictionary here for all the words and phrases used.
This is a culturally rich, paranormally diverse tale. I really enjoyed it and Navia, a female character I rarely come across. Amazing woman.
The mission: kill demons. The catch: infuriatingly sexy minder. The challenge: don’t get the two confused.
Nava Katz is an expert at burying her lost dreams and wielding cynicism as her personal brand. Then she interrupts her twin brother’s induction ceremony into a secret supernatural society, accidentally torches his life-long dream, and steals his destiny as a Chosen Demon Hunter.
Oops?
Now she’s trying to wrangle her new-found powers while facing her worst nightmare: being needed.
Her questionable reward? Being assigned to Rohan Mitra, rockstar turned ruthless slayer. A man whose inner demons earn nods of respect from actual ones. The chemistry between them is as dangerous as the monsters they hunt, yet he’d be the perfect bad boy fling—if only he wasn’t determined to make her face her demons too.
And speaking of facing demons…
Odds saving her brother from one’s hit list? Um…
Odds of her succeeding out of spite? Way better.
The Brotherhood wants her gone.
The demons want her dead.
First gig as a Chosen One and she’s already nailing it.
Featuring a snarky heroine, kickass action, and spicy romance, this laugh-out-loud, deliciously addictive series sucker-punches you in the heart when you’re not looking.
I made the mistake of reading this universe out of order. I started with The Other Wolf series, which focuses on secondary characters from The Glimmer series. And to be honest, after reading this fantastic introductory series, I’m still not a fan of those characters.
But I’m a huge fan of these. And luckily Harris has two series that are very much all about the extremely well written main FMC, Jessica Sharp (Jinx), a truth finder and empath, as she discovers her true identity, the hidden world around her, and the truth behind her parents deaths.
Everything I’d been missing in that last series is here. Harris’s world building is amazing and impressive, encapsulating multiple dimensions and even times, from detailed descriptions of locations and various other creatures and characters.
What I really love about a omnibus is being able to read through the cliffhangers, the wild twists (really great ones) and proceed with the story and characters moving forward with their journey and whatever is happening in the world.
And there normally a lot going on.,
Jinx is so well written, she has depth, and is scrambling to learn how she fits into her new role and life while maintaining who she is fundamentally. We believe in her personality and her core character. And it comes with a Great Dane companion who is extra!
To go further is to ruin some of the most important and well plotted threads of the series. I was absolutely delighted and invested in this series and character because I read this right through.
This is the writing and storytelling I was looking for when I went to see what this author had to offer outside of her work that she is co-authoring with Jillian Dolbeare.
This is fantastic storytelling with main characters to keep you invested in their journey, no matter how long it takes. I’m there for her .
Highly recommended. And headed to The Court Omnibus next.
The Other Realm – The Glimmer Series Omnibus contains the following books:
I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time.
I’m Jinx. As a private investigator, being a walking, talking lie detector is a useful skill – but let’s face it, it’s not normal. You’d think it would make my job way too easy, but even with my weird skills, I still haven’t been able to track down my parent’s killers.
When I’m hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar – yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish soul who’s as likely to go off the rails as Mother Theresa. Secondly, I’m not the only one on her trail; she’s also being tracked by the implacable and oh-so-sexy Inspector Stone.
Stone and I team up, and he shoves me into a realm where magic is real – a place where there are vampyrs and werewolves, dragons and trolls. And where my skills are more than just detecting lies…
Oh, and my dog? He’s a freaking hellhound who can manipulate the magical realms themselves.
I need to find the girl.
I need to discover who killed my parents.
And I need to find out more about the attractive but mysterious Zachary Stone…
Burn through this fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud mix of urban fantasy and mystery.
This is the complete Glimmer series e-boxset. Don’t miss this internationally best-selling series if you like humour, heart, a strong heroine and a slow burn fade-to-black romance.
Written in British English.
The complete box set of the Other Realm Series contains the following books:-
It’s hard to say no spoilers when the blurb just goes ahead with the most shocking element of this book as well as the ending of the last.
But where most novels would have a hard time finding a storyline that then raises the narrative bar for the characters and series arc, Hailey Edwards has no problem moving forward with another great book that’s thrilling, emotionally compelling and plot wise extremely complex.
This is a fantastic story that I had to read twice, and then immediately regretted it because the next in the series isn’t released yet. It’s that incredible a series that I need to go straight into the next book.
Frankie’s development goes into areas I hadn’t even considered, making me even more excited about the future. There’s new mythology, new gods and powers but even greater depth to the relationships and family dynamics.
Hailey Edwards is writing an excellent series and an amazing character arc with Frankie.
A must read.
Great cover art both for storytelling and characters.
Cover by Damonza
Illustration by Marouane Hs
The Body Shop series:
Fair Market Value #1
Amber Gambler #2
Midnight Auto Parts #3
Cheater Slicks #4 – Dec 25,2025
Other linked series:
The Potentate of Atlanta (6 book series) – this is set within The Potentate apparently
The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy (9 book series) in Savannah
The whole dying thing sucked, but Frankie isn’t going to dwell. She’s focusing on the positive. She’s alive. Ish.Her family is safe. Her business is booming. She’s even got a boyfriend. Everything is coming up roses in Thunderbolt, Georgia.
Until a client decides she needs more time and makes a run for it in her loaner body. Too bad for the client, the last thing Frankie does before a loaner hits the showroom floor is microchip them for this very reason. Finding the runaway soul will be a piece of cake.
Or it would have been if she hadn’t bumped into Carter, who’s working a case that gets tangled up in Frankie’s repo. Missing women. Stolen cars. Alien abductions? The only way to get Frankie out of trouble is to help Carter uncover who’s behind it all. And pray the answer isn’t her client.
• Publisher: Black Dog Books, LLC. (January 4, 2025)
I picked up this series and another because the authors are co-authoring an urban fantasy series that I’m absolutely in love with, and I thought I’d explore what each writer was doing separately.
At least, if this (and Jilleen Dolbeare’s Splintered Magic novel) are any indication, they are far stronger together than apart.
Heather G. Harris’ Protection of the Pack has some interesting ideas and promising elements but it’s derailed by its main female character , a surprise here, and a world building where its lack might be due to its many related series and overlapping characters, none of which are well explained in the story. It’s assumed that the reader has the foundation knowledge of this universe to understand the under explored elements.
But it’s mostly on the shoulders of a poorly conceived main female character that is unable to carry the weight of the story and a romantic relationship that had little to no chemistry between them that’s the issue here.
I’ll try to make it brief.
Lucy is was a regular person until her serial killer incubus boyfriend made her his next victim and put her into the ICU in the hospital. A quick bite from her werewolf bestie and she’s a werewolf and , in a plot from another story, a reluctant Alpha of an unhappy little pack. That’s the facts.
But Lucy? She’s another SMH character. Instead of trying to learn how to lead, focus on pack dynamics, etc. That girl’s gonna party. And whine about her problems.
There’s a good element of the werewolf or just wolf being a separate entity within her, complete with its own personality and goals. Esme, the wolf inside has hidden knowledge and history of pack rules and otherworldly creatures from the advice she offers to Lucy. Not that Lucy is willing to listen all that much.
Lucy is frankly written as an annoying person. That boyfriend is a serial killer, has basically killed her, murdered multiple women. Her stance? She feels sorry for him.
What is the author doing? Consistently, Lucy is running off, not informing anyone where she’s going, putting herself, the shaky pack leadership, and the pack itself in danger. Honestly, she’s a gorgeous twit.
Greg Manners, former dragon brethren, is an overlapping character from another series. His story is scribbled in briefly so maybe his background is described in another series. But his lack of one makes him very one dimensional here, especially as he’s seen as the main romantic character for Lucy. No chemistry and no real sense of connection.
That’s the issue here with the other characters. They seem to be carryover from other books and it’s assumed we know what their relationships and stories are. New readers will feel completely lost as very little information is given out about any of them.
This isn’t to say there’s not some intriguing plot lines or great characters. There are. Bob the gargoyle and his group. The Griffin assassin (from another series) is fascinating, if only for his stance on morality.
But the fact that the main characters are not the strongest characters in the series or are not as well crafted as to be able to keep me invested in her story is a big problem here.
It’s continues to be in book 2, but I’ll address that in my review later.
I’m actually very surprised that I didn’t like the story more. That Lucy wasn’t as good a character or as well constructed as I expected from having read the other co-authored series.
I’ve read book two and it’s more of the same. Honestly I’m debating on whether I should read all the books.
I have a wolf in my head. Her name is Esme, and she likes killing things.
I’m Lucy, a regular accountant turned alpha werewolf. A tryst with the wrong incubus ripped me from my ordinary life and sent me tumbling into a magical realm that I’d never even dreamed existed.
I was just adjusting to pack life when I was asked to mercy-kill the current alpha. I’m not a total bitch so I did what he asked, but it’s left me as alpha of a pack I don’t know, full of werewolves who resent that I still live and breathe while their old alpha doesn’t. If I’m to survive in this dog-eat-dog realm, I’m going to have to win my new pack over – and fast.
I’m still trying to find my way in this violent new world when my third in command, Mark, is brutally murdered right under my damn nose. To regain control of the pack, I need to find the killer and bring him to vigilante justice. Luckily, my wolf, Esme, is more than happy to get her paws dirty.
When the werewolf council show up to question me, things get a little dicey. Thank goodness I have the deadly Greg Manners, former dragon brethren and general ass-kicker, to back me up. Now I just need to unravel who’d want to kill Mark – and there’s a really long list of suspects because he was shadier than an oak tree.
I’m hip-deep in suspects, and I need to move swiftly – before the killer strikes again…
Burn through this fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud mix of urban fantasy and mystery.
This is the first book in the Other Wolf series. Don’t miss this internationally best-selling series if you like humour, heart, a strong heroine and a slow burn fade-to-black romance.
Welp, it’s finally here! The end of the road and the insane finale for our beloved triad of paranormal lovers, Adam, Fancy Fangs aka Victor , and the ever fabulous Zee!
This story has everything! Road trips gone wrong, supernatural mobsters, Miami because, you know, Florida, sex, music, crazed family stuff, Florida, frogs, drama, dragons, frogs!
Florida.
And of course, finally, very importantly, a happy ending for our beloved otherworldly throuple.
It’s a veritable kitchen sink of storylines, events, weirdly funny characters and makes for a celebration of a send off.
Love it and them! Been a great ride!
Cover design by Ariana Nash
SOS Hotel:
For a Supernaturally Safe Stay #1
Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous #2
Sleep with Us #3
Great Service from Top to Bottom #4
No Rest for the Wicked #5
Ho, Ho, No #5.5
Luxury To Die For #6
Your Final Resting Place #7 -ends this sequence of events.
On The Road #8 – starts a mini-trilogy
Icy Reception #9
End of the Road #10 – finale
Holiday release!
SOS HOTEL: Ho, Ho, No by Adam Vex, Ariana Nash❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Being on the road has been fun an’ all (no, it hasn’t). Van life is awesome (it sucks, there’s no room for my fabulousness). But all good things must end, according to Fancy Fangs. He’s wrong. Good things should last forever.
Just so long as me, Victor and Adam don’t end, right?
So after we solved a burly werewolf murder, got ourselves mixed up with an evil luxury hotel, we’re now in Florida! Sun, sea, and… the troll mafia, a trap we walked right into, and did I mention… THERE’S F*CKING FROGS HERE?!
We all gonna die.
SOS HOTEL 10: End of the Road, is the end of the road for our hotel threesome. If you’ve read all nine previous books, you’d be silly not to read this one, the last ever one – for real this time. Our terrible trio are more powerful than ever, but so is Adam’s wicked brother. The epic showdown is here.
A sweet heartwarming holiday story with Bunny getting the family type of Christmas dinner and gathering she’s always dreamed about but never had. All her found family and friends have come together at Conner’s house to celebrate and share gifts.
Sig is in the kitchen making the best food imaginable, and the wine is flowing.
Of course it’s Portlock, so there’s a few surprises. But it’s a lovely Christmas story and a narrative present for fans of the series and characters.
A heartwarming tale.
Love it and the cover.
Cover design by Christian Bentulan. Published by Hellhound Press Limited.
The Portlock Paranormal Detective series:
The Vampire and the Case of her Dastardly Death, a prequel.
The Vampire and the Case of the Wayward Werewolf, Book 1.
The Vampire and the Case of the Secretive Siren, Book 2.
The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee, Book 3.
The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine, Book 4.
The Vampire and the Case of the Perilous Poltergiest, Book 5
The Vampire and the Case of the Cozy Christmas, Book #5.5
The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag #6
The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid #7 – July 3,2025
Vampires, gingerbread and Christmas magic – what could possibly go wrong?
All I want is a perfect Christmas with great food, amazing friends and the love of my life by my side. The tree is decorated, the feast (cooked by a hearth witch!) is ready, and Connor’s home is buzzing with festive cheer. This year I can feel it: Christmas magic is within my reach.
Then Liv calls.
When a necromancer rings for a favour, you know it’s not about borrowing sugar. Throw in a car accident involving the town drunk and a mysterious gingerbread thief targeting poor Sigrid’s baking, and my carefully planned holiday is on the brink of collapse.
Can I juggle saving Christmas, helping my friends and making it back in time to celebrate the holiday of my dreams?
Join Bunny and Connor in this heartwarming, magical holiday tale packed with festive mischief, a sprinkle of mystery – and plenty of Christmas cheer!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 