Tag: A MelanieM Review

Review:  Dead to the World (Crossroads Queen Book 1) by Annabel Chase

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Another new book, another new to me author , series and universe to explore. What fun!

Several great elements here that I love. Lorelei Clay is an enigma. She’s powerful but exactly where she draws the power from or what she is, well, here, there’s only the tiniest bit of clues. 

I love a good mystery. 

The town itself is another. Its history is part of the narrative and twines itself perfectly with the mystery and Lorelei’s investigation into the missing girl and her own discoveries of the community around her.

Chase has created in Lorelei Clay an intriguing older woman, one of tightly controlled emotions and magic. I instantly connected with her, the ghosts of the crumbling castle she’s renovating, and the weirdness of the small town community that keeps inserting itself into her isolation.

I can see myself gobbling up these books like the best book binge evah. 

Love the covers. It seems that the publisher has a similar style for its authors. 

Now onto the next. 

A definite winner.  Check it out. Oh and no romance, so no spice. But ghosts and a mystery. Great characters. 

Cover by Trif Designs, love it

Crossroads Queen series:

Dead to the World #1

Dead of Night #2

Dead Last #3

Dead Wrong #4

Dead Weight #5

Play Dead #6

Dead Heat #7

Half Dead #8

Dead End #9 – April 17,2025

Buy link

        Dead to the World (Crossroads Queen Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Lorelei Clay isn’t like other people.

She isn’t even like other supernaturals. Her specialties are the nightmares of the living, communication with the dead, and cooking bacon until it’s golden brown and perfectly crispy—no magic required.

Six months ago she moved to the ultimate fixer upper, a monstrosity from the Gilded Age that borders the local cemetery in the sleepy Pennsylvania town of Fairhaven. Lorelei is content to spend the next few years in solitude, renovating the house and avoiding humanity, until a missing young woman disrupts her plans. Lorelei’s search for the teenager means crossing paths with the residents she’s successfully avoided so far, including the human police chief, the coven, a cursed vampire, the assassins guild, the werewolf pack, and the mysterious and infuriatingly alluring owner of The Devil’s Playground, an elegant nightclub that caters to the local supernatural clientele.

Lorelei plans to find the girl quickly and return to the privacy of her castle walls before anyone learns her secrets, but you know what they say about the best laid plans…

Dead to the World is the first book in the Crossroads Queen urban fantasy series.

  • Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC (May 11, 2023)
  • Publication date: May 11, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 236 pages

Review:  Moonstriker (The Summertide Chronicles #4) by Sam Burns 

Rating: 4.75🌈

Sam Burns fantastic series, The Summertide Chronicles, comes to an end, not with a bang but with wedding, which is attended by all the other characters and couples. 

Was it a great finale? Yes.  Sticking with the theme and incredible complexity of this series and characters, it is.  Burns may not have written a story that explosively dynamic in its entirety but its narrative is still powerful in its own way, deeply satisfying and compelling to the end.

Mt. Slate is shaking the earth, threatening to destroy the entire world, unless the four families gathering together there can find a way to make it stop.

Kit Moonstriker’s entire life has revolved around The Plan, one he and his crystal, Nikka, have made/foreseen to keep Mt Slate’s from shaking apart and the world saved.  It all comes down now to Aubrey, an orphan raised apart from the families. 

Everything about the story is so different and beautifully written. Kit’s story is further explained and more importantly, why all those decisions were made by himself are now revealed. And Aubrey’s history comes into full view, for himself too. His lack of bonding with a crystal, his family connections, and his emotional perspective on life and family. 

Having the two men working together, discussing their own lives and their misconceptions about each other, it really lets the reader into their growing relationship and intimacy. 

It’s also a slow melding of big moments and storylines as another huge aspect of this story emerges during this journey of theirs. 

Burns’ fantastic story swells to a close with a sense of wonder, many “ah ha” moments and scenes of love and joy. 

It makes sense when you have a series where the characters are not just magical people but beings who are sentient crystals and even shifters.  What an incredible series this has been.  I truly love it and could have stayed for many more stories.

It’s fitting that we end on a wedding.  A great satisfying sendoff. 

If you are looking for a beautifully crafted, outstanding piece of fantasy fiction, grab up The Summertide Chronicles by Sam Burns.  It’s one of my favorite series and one I’m highly recommending!

Love these covers too. 

The Summertide Chronicles:

  • Gloombringer #1
  • Dawnchaser #2 
  • Sunrunner #3 
  • Moonstriker #4 – finale 

Buy Link

        Moonstriker (The Summertide Chronicles Book 4)

    

Blurb 

I’ve spent the better part of a decade trying to save the world. Twice a century, Mount Slate threatens to erupt, and for my entire life, the four families in charge haven’t seemed to care about their impending doom.

So it fell to me to try to fix things.

To make peace.

Me, a man whose greatest skill is pissing people off so much that they challenge me to a duel, and then killing them in that duel.

Now the moment is here, and my clever stone is telling me that one man—a sweet, innocent, infuriating judgmental bastard—is the only one who’s capable of saving the world. And I have to help him do it.

I’m starting to wonder if the world is even worth saving.

Moonstriker is the last in a series of four books, starring one cynical not-quite-assassin, one ray of sunshine, and one very grumpy mountain. It both Aubrey and Kit’s HEA, as well as the conclusion of the overall series arc.

Review:  The Wolf Vs The Warlock (The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth Book 2) by Lauretta Hignett

Rating:  4.75⭐️

The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth is a series that just gets better with each increasingly strange and complicated story that Hignett lays out for her characters, especially the severely damaged, deeply traumatized wolf shifter Daphne. 

Living in a building in the middle of the slimiest of the slums of The Hidden City of Philadelphia, along with Chaos Goose, a female of unknown species living called Myf in the cupboard, and the deadliest sorceress of all times , Countess Ebadorathea Greenwood, her grandmother figure, living next door, Daphne’s life is full of stress , confusion, and despair. Especially as she’s a new social worker for the paranormal children of the city with little support and resources. 

Then dead bodies start to appear on her doorstep, delivered in a very strange and deliberate manner. 

If I wasn’t already in love with this author, The Wolf Vs The Warlock would have cinched the deal. With a female character who’s constantly struggling with her trauma, trying to desperately make her job to reach/save the lost PNR children of The Hidden city, and fighting the supernatural battles that seem to follow her, it’s a great series and story.

Daphne’s a personality so consistently inconsistent,  still deeply undefined, that we have no idea where her overall storyline is headed or exactly what actions she’s going to take in any given situation. Will she talk the being/person about changing their lives, go for the throat, or something shockingly wild, sort of whack a doodle. No clue.  And it will be totally fine, with whatever is happening, astonishingly so.

This narrative approach works well so as others learn from her actions and comments, things that will inevitably leave hints to her past and present status, we learn as well.

The murder mysteries are key and lead to another interaction with Romeo, Warlock of the City and his coven. 

The coven members are fascinating, Romeo’s connection to Daphne deepens, and the plotting is better than ever. It’s complicated, full of beautifully crafted characters, vividly imagined scenes, and detailed locations and great dialogue. 

Don’t miss out on the hilarious cast of characters that is given at the beginning of each story. Dry and funny. 

Dave the ghoul is a new favorite.  But the Countess is top tier. 

“Who would leave a corpse on my doorstep as a gift?” 

The countess shrugged, an elegant hitch of her shoulders. “Have you expressed a desire for rotting flesh to anyone lately?”

— The Wolf Vs The Warlock: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth by Lauretta Hignett 

I adore the Countess, she just gets ever more impressive and dangerous, of course. 

This story is excellent is every way. Characters, plot, dialogue and moving forward an already amazing labyrinthine series arc.  I highly recommend this series and book. 

Onto the next novel in the series. 

Book Cover by Atra Luna Graphic Design

Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth:

The Wolf Vs The Vampire #1

The Wolf Vs The Warlock #2

The Wolf Vs The Shifter #3

The Wolf Vs The Witch #4

The Wolf Vs The Monster #5

The Wolf Vs Santa: A Little Christmas Mystery

Buy link

        The Wolf Vs The Warlock: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth

    

Blurb 

Nothing ruins your day more than a bloated, stinking corpse on your doorstep.

My natural optimism has taken a serious beating lately. I’ve been working my butt off, drafting a series of outreach programs to help the poor, lost supe kids of the Hidden City before they fall through the cracks in our society and end up in our Otherworld Child Protective system. There’s one thing I desperately need, and that’s funding.

But there’s no money to be had. Nobody wants to invest in these kids; it’s enough to break your heart. The rejection letters are ruining my morning, and that’s before I slipped on the bloated corpse at my front door.

Things take a turn when I’m summoned to a meeting with Mina, the matriarch of the Jupiter coven — my ex-boyfriend’s mom. Mina’s offering me exactly what I need.

She’s got a job for me. One that I’m not sure if I want to do anymore.

The Wolf Vs The Warlock is book two in the Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth, a hot new Urban Fantasy series by bestselling author Lauretta Hignett.

  • Publication date: November 30, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 314 pages

Witch and Wizard thrillers, 

Review: Fair Market Value (The Body Shop Book 1) by Hailey Edwards

Rating: 4⭐️

“Forgot to feed your goldfish before your untimely demise?

Need to jot down a Will?Say a Goodbye?See the Grand Canyon?

Then Come On Down! Located on Downing Street, in Savannah, GA,one mile from the scenic Bonaventure Cemetery -The Body Shop”

A intriguing cover and woman necromancer as a main character were the first details about Fair Market Value (The Body Shop Book 1) by Hailey Edwards that grabbed my attention.  Plus I hadn’t read anything by this writer yet, and that’s always a plus.

Then there’s that premise. Rent a body. Unfinished business? Necromancer Mary Frances Talbot, Frankie as she’s known, runs a body rental business out of her family’s auto repair shop in Savannah, Georgia.  Tip toeing the legality of the Necromancer laws, she’s trying to make sure her siblings, who have their own paranormal stories and needs, stay safe and have a home. 

The personal stories for the Mary family (how they got their name for instance) is horrific and well written. Their backgrounds are truly disturbing and scenes/nightmares are threads that continue to make an impact on the story and their current situation in various ways.  Plus each sibling represents a different paranormal species which I thought was a very different element to include.  Frankie is a necromancer, Josie is a dryad, and brother Matty is a Oneiros. 

One thing I struggled with was the world building. I had no sense of structure, magical, political, or historical, to put this story into context. There’s references to a Necromancer Committee and Laws but Edwards doesn’t lay out the foundation knowledge for the universe this is being played out in. Turns out,after research ,all this author’s series are set in the same universe but you have to be a reader of those books to be set up here. 

Anyway, there no heat but a potential romance with a ex love now detective, Samuel Harrow of the Savannah Police Department. When one of her “rentals” isn’t returned on time and becomes part of a crime, they reconnect.

The mystery or mysteries as they begin to add up are good ones. But the really interesting elements are the  ghostly personalities who are “family “ or friends, how much they are part of Frankie’s life, and the twists that pop up in the dramatic moments at the end. 

Edwards appreciates historic cars and writes them with care into the story. It’s the same with other fine detail aspects of this novel. The siblings, Josie and Matty have strengths and individual poignancy layered between them. The dynamic between them is beautifully balanced and heartwarming.  I can’t wait to see how this family develops further.

And the tension between Frankie and Samuel, which was left at an awkward place. 

A definite recommendation and now onto the next book in the series. 

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 

Buy link

        Fair Market Value (The Body Shop Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Forgot to feed your goldfish before your untimely demise? Need to jot down a will? Say a goodbye? See the Grand Canyon? Then come visit us at The Body Shop, where unfinished business is our business.

Mary Frances Talbot—Frankie—is a necromancer, probably. Hard to say since she never met her parents. She can see the dead, talk to the dead, and a few other things that aren’t strictly legal. It’s fine. No worries. As long as she doesn’t get caught.

The whole not getting caught thing was going well until Samuel Harrow blew back into town wearing a Savannah Police Department uniform. He might be a witch, but he hates magic. He’s not a fan of Frankie either. Which explains why he’s her ex.

When Frankie’s less than legal side gigs result in dead vampires, she knows she’s in trouble. Big trouble. And that’s before Harrow offers to help. With him waving a Get Out of Jail Free card in her face, Frankie doesn’t have much choice but to accept.

But that doesn’t mean she has to forgive. She’ll certainly never forget him breaking her heart or turning her over to the police or… Yeah. They were doomed from the start. Something tells her this investigation will be too.

  • Publisher: Black Dog Books, LLC. (April 18, 2024)
  • Publication date: April 18, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 266 pages

Review:  The Wolf Vs The Vampire: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth by Lauretta Hignett

Rating:  4.5⭐️

Honestly, still thinking about the rating because the book and female character is so strange but I’m getting into it,as weirdly great as it is. 

And she and the world is plenty different. Mostly it’s her, Daphne, she’s plenty different, with two voices in her head, enough trauma to fill several oceans, and deadly skill sets that are still being revealed. Along with her pasts that were spent in other realms, alien hellish ones as a lost child. 

There’s the suspicious deadly brain Daphne, absolutely bloodthirsty. Then there’s heart Daphne, naive, obsessive, wanting to think better of others (even though she knows that they are evil).  The conflict between these two is constantly ongoing and a real conversation.

Yes it takes time to get into this mess of a character and her situation but stick with it, she and the book is worth it. 

Because the surprises will come nonstop as well.  

Hignett does an excellent job with such a complicated character like Daphne, a wolf shifter who’s so severely traumatized by the years of abuse and sheer brutality of wandering through alien realms as a small child trying to escape and get home that her personality seems splintered. Or is it?

Each new encounter show the reader more of who she might be, whether she’s valiantly trying to make it through the day as a paranormal social worker, climbing over drugged vampires, and dealing with cranky co workers, or just barely staving off the darkness and nightmares of the past that constantly threatens her sanity. And it’s terrifying.

From her hair that used to be brown, but has become lavender upon her return to the human world.  Then there are here friends who have followed her to Philadelphia. 

A goose, Dwayne who’s a God of Anarchy, a sort of grandmother a renowned “Countess Ebadorathea Greenwood, world class villain sorceress maybe, for starters. 

Plus she’s on a mission of revenge after she gets settled in her new job, helping the unwanted, the troubled supernatural children of The Hidden City of Philadelphia, where those who are unwanted or considered trash go. 

I got more and more convinced of her and the raw tragedy of those around her. That’s there something so frightening about her that she’s become a walking daily affirmation, trying to keep herself positive, and often failing. 

Daphne has become a fascinating puzzle of a great character. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the future and The Hidden City next. 

Highly recommended. 

Book Cover by Atra Luna Graphic Design

Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth:

The Wolf Vs The Vampire #1

The Wolf Vs The Warlock #2

The Wolf Vs The Shifter #3

The Wolf Vs The Witch #4

The Wolf Vs The Monster #5

The Wolf Vs Santa: A Little Christmas Mystery

Buy link

        The Wolf Vs The Vampire: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth

    

Blurb 

Everyone thinks I’m sweet and innocent… but I’m the one who ate the big bad wolf.

I’ve been searching for a place that feels like home my whole life, and I think I’ve found it. I’m in the big city, on a mission to save vulnerable supernatural kids — just like I used to be — in my new job as an Otherworld Child Protection Caseworker.

Because after our magical apocalypse, there are a lot of kids that need saving. I just need to avoid Romeo Zarayan, the Lord of Shadows and heir to the Jupiter fortune.

He’s also the Warlock who murdered my Aunt. One day, when I’m strong enough, I’ll get my revenge.

When one of my clients — a girl with strange-smelling blood — goes missing, the hunt takes me a little too close to the Warlock for comfort. If I want to save my client, I’ll have to set aside my quest for vengeance and work with him.

But if I get the chance, I’ll kill him.

If he doesn’t kill me first…

The Wolf Vs The Vampire is book one in the Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth, a hot new Urban Fantasy series by bestselling author Lauretta Hignett.

Connected Universe and crossover characters:

The start with 

🔹Imogen Gray series: 

Immortal Ghost (freebie prequel novella) Immortal 

Immortal Games 

Immortal World 

Immortal Life 

Immortal Death 

🔹Then follow Sandy in the 

Foils and Fury series 

Oops I Ate A Vengeance Demon Dancing With The Vengeance Demon 

Dating With The Vengeance Demon Dying For My Vengeance Demon 

🔹Then go on with Prue’s story with the 

Blood and Magic Series. 

Bad Bones 

Bare Bones 

Broke Bones 

Blood & Bones 

Burned Bones 

Bitter Bones 

🔹Head on into Chloe’s series, 

The Waif in the Wilds. 

The Waif in the Wilds (freebie prequel novella) Vicious Creatures 

Fractured Gods 

Ravenous Beasts  

Savage Daemons 

Duck Duck Motherf* cker (freebie epilogue novella in Dwayne’s POV)”

“🔹And then Daphne’s story in the Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth:

The Wolf Vs The Vampire #1

The Wolf Vs The Warlock #2

The Wolf Vs The Shifter #3

The Wolf Vs The Witch #4

The Wolf Vs The Monster #5

The Wolf Vs Santa: A Little Christmas Mystery

🔹And detour into a Paranormal Woman’s Fiction series. 

Susan, You’re The Chosen One 

It’s Called Magic, Susan 

Susan, Break The Curse! 

You Can’t Fight A Prophecy, Susan

Review:  One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Heartstrikers Book 2) and series by Rachel Aaron

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Things to get out of the way. Is there romance. No. A kiss maybe. That’s it. Dragons? Yes, fantastic ones, a ton! Action scenes and flying! Spirits and ghosts? You bet! A expansive magical world that’s getting more complex and dangerous by the storyline and twists galore.

I’m honestly way ahead in the series because I can’t stop reading them , a real benefit when you have a complete series before you. But this one absolutely begins to develop the feeling of a grander arc and mystery at play. 

Yes, Bob the Heartstriker’s seer , among others, has been plotting. 

——-

Ok. As I said I read ahead. And unfortunately I’m stopping with the reviews, for this and the other books. 

The reason why is I’m devastated. 

Perhaps this is why you don’t read series out of order. Because I absolutely fell in love with Julius and Marci. Through all five books, I emotionally invested my time and heart in their journey and love for each other. 

In each book, the author creates powerful storylines that allows them to develop and the universe redefine itself and them, taking us through some shocking heartbreaking moments, truly awful, crushing and cruel times. Yes, I was ugly crying.  These are scenes that live in my head. 

But by the time and end of the finale, and another moment of monumental horror and loss, Last Dragon Standing, it had a great ending. Fantastic. Loved it.

So why not just review it. 

Because, tbh, I read a ton of books and it took me a while to realize and remember what Aaron then did with these characters in the following series. 

And not for any other reason than to give one new main character, a ghostly teacher, a barely secondary character at that.  Forever changing the ending of that first series and the fate of the couple who finally got their HEA. 

Just no. 

While I get characters and books belonging to the writers who create them, I think readers should be able to have a certain amount of belief that they will treat them better. Sure characters die, but a great writer uses it as a way to drive the story forward, a deep aspect of the plot. Not as a prop or replaceable character. As it is in The DFZ. Any new character could have been added to fill the role. Careless and devastating.

So I’m done with the universe, connected series and this author. Too many other writers to explore. 

Just my thoughts.

Cover Illustration by Anna Steinbauer, Cover Design by Rachel Aaron.

Heartstrikers :

Nice Dragons Finish Last 

One Good Dragon Deserves Another No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished 

A Dragon of a Different Color 

Last Dragon Standing 

Buy link 

        One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Heartstrikers Book 2)

    

Blurb 

After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all-knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one.

Now that he’s got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker’s gamble to put her clan on top. Refusal to play along with his mother’s plans means death, but there’s more going on than even Bethesda knows. Heartstriker futures are disappearing, and Algonquin’s dragon hunter is closing in. With his most powerful relatives dropping like flies, it’s up to Julius to save the family that never respected him and prove once and for all that the world’s worst dragon is the best one to have on your side.

One Good Dragon is book #2 of an urban fantasy set 90 years in the future featuring a kind protagonist, a kick-ass female mage, her ghostly magical cat, and even more dragons than book 1!

  • Publisher: Aaron/Bach (August 1, 2015)
  • Publication date: August 1, 2015
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 487 pages

Complete connecting series 

Series Information from the author:

All of my series set in the Detroit Free Zone were written as self-contained stories. You don’t have to have read any previous DFZ books to enjoy the newer ones. But for those who want to see the world grow, here’s a list of all the DFZ books in chronological order. 

Heartstrikers :

Nice Dragons Finish Last 

One Good Dragon Deserves Another No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished 

A Dragon of a Different Color 

Last Dragon Standing 

The DFZ Trilogy :

Minimum Wage Magic 

Part-Time Gods 

Night Shift Dragons 

DFZ Changeling Trilogy :

By a Silver Thread 

With a Golden Sword 

To the Bloody End

Review:  The Vampire’s Delicious Fae (Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala Book 2) by Michele Notaro

Rating: 4🌈

I absolutely enjoyed this fantasy romance of miscommunication resolved between an ancient vampire and a green fae, both of which have their own families to share.  

It’s a sort of fantasy With Eight You Get Eggrolls, but with drama, plants, and mate bonds. 

Anton and Keryth were both very great characters and wonderful together, quickly figuring out why they were so drawn together (fated mates).  It wasn’t the normal fast paced relationship I expected in a fated mate story. I loved the way Notaro let them go down a slower path than an immediate step into a full blown love match. Each has a family to consider and those kids (young and old) were part of the bigger picture (and discussions) as they grew together.

Ker’s children are a more well known group (from previous stories) than Anton’s with the exception of Jed, Anton’s youngest. 

The full found family Ker and  Keryth’s young sisters Alsira, Gemma, Saranor, and Zellya, and Anton has his fledglings Phaeron, Beshiro, Katja, Jedediah. Then there’s one more youngster who becomes a major character and storyline here. 

All played out while a series or universe drama /mysteries is going on around them, including them in its horror. 

There is one book left in this trilogy and I can’t see how the huge overall plot is tied together within that book.  It’s just that big. 

But the author already has another series coming to follow this one, about the vampires. Which makes sense because vampires are the focus of the ongoing mystery and arc plot. 

So I expect a switch in locations and characters. What fun! And more crossovers as well. 

Looking forward to the final book in this series and the next series.

A definite winner. 

Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala (3 book series):

The Witch’s Grumpy Dragon #1

The Vampire’s Delicious Fae #2

The Dragon’s Devoted Defender #3 – March 17,2026

Buy link 

        The Vampire’s Delicious Fae (Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala Book 2)

    

Blurb 

I hate vampires. Well, just one in particular. But I do kinda love how his eyes follow me whenever he’s around… Sigh.

Step One: Find a hot vampire. Check.

Step Two: Get the hot vamp to drink from me. Check. 

Step Three: Try to forget his stupid face. Ugh. This one’s impossible to check. F my life. Sigh. 

Anton is beyond frustrating. He was so sweet when we first met, and I’d thought we had a real connection. But then he had to ruin everything with his big mouth and jerky face. Ugh.

I can’t get him out of my head. Even when I’m beyond angry at him, I still feel a pull to be near him. A pull I can’t seem to ignore.

And when my entire world gets turned upside-down, I can’t help but reach for the ancient vampire and hope that together, we can conquer anything that’s thrown at us… anything that’s coming for us.

The Vampire’s Delicious Fae is Book 2 of the MM urban fantasy series, Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala. It follows a new couple in each book with a guaranteed HEA. It takes place in the Brinnswick world in the far away country of Gauhala and brings a whole new cast of characters, so you don’t need to read the other series first. But don’t worry, there will absolutely be some cameos along the way.

  • Publication date: March 27, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 360 pages

Review:  Draken the Rules (Blackhaven Manor Book 13) by Arden Steele

Rating: 4🌈

Draken the Rules is a sweet, sexy paranormal novella in Arden Steele’s long running fated mates Blackhaven Manor universe.  

It’s a quick read and I really enjoyed the characters, especially as Arden added another dragon shifter to the universe who a total powerhouse! 

Up until now, we had only the original dragon siblings acknowledged and now we know that there are others out there. Fantastic expansion of this series and universe.  Also intriguing little toy , a fabulous tiny dragon that used blood magic to animate it.  Was it sentient or not? Could have used an entire story on it alone. 

Minor drama that was easily removed but the couple was adorable and Itri Lockwood , Storm dragon shifter , morally grey magic item dealer needs a series. Especially now that his mate has decided to work with him. 

That would be great!

Another recommendation!

Check out the full list below.

Blackhaven Manor:

  • Purrfect Harmony #1
  • Night and Fae #2
  • Dragon It Out #3
  • Grin and Bear It #4
  • Pixie Little Liar #5
  • Dead Over Heals #6
  • Silent Knight #7
  • Pain in the Ice #8
  • Walking a Tight Rope #9
  • Royally Flocked #10
  • What The Hex? #11
  • Dewitched #12
  • Draken the Rules #13

Sequel/adjacent  series:

Hunter’s Hollow:

  • Angels and Anarchy #1
  • Beauty and Bad Blood #2

Buy link

        Draken the Rules (Blackhaven Manor Book 13)

    

Blurb 

Welcome to Hell Week. 

For Arlo Eichen, the annual Heritage Festival is less of a beloved tradition and more of a weeklong exercise in patience. The crowds are insane, the chaos is overwhelming, and the sense of entitlement is off the charts. So, when an honest-to-the-gods storm erupts inside one of the ballrooms? Just another day at Blackhaven Manor.

Until he sets eyes on the source of the storm. 

Six-and-half feet of brooding, lightning-throwing dragon shifter, Itri Lockwood has a bad-boy reputation and a temper as short as his patience. And he doesn’t take kindly to threats against what’s his—especially when it comes to Arlo.

Mixing business with pleasure was never part of the plan. He came for a distraction, but now he’s juggling a coveted artifact, a deal gone sideways, and a mate who went from an unexpected temptation to a primal obsession.

Itri might be able to control the storm but keeping Arlo out of trouble…

That’s going to take a miracle.

  • Publisher: Peccavi Press (March 27, 2025)
  • Publication date: March 27, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 144 pages

Review: Calling Chaos (Demon Bound, #3) by Grae Bryan

Rating:3.5🌈

Grae Bryan’ Demon Bound series has been fantastic to date, matching the damaged, dark Russian mafia brothers with an assorted cast of demons who were an unlikely found family of demons, each watching and waiting to be summoned. 

The Koslov family history is deeply disturbing, criminal as you’d expect, and horrifically terrifying for those raised inside its core. The author did a fantastic job capturing this emotional trauma and layering it into each brother in a different way, and how it impacted their stories and relationship with the demons they summoned. 

Yes, the intensity and complexity of Ivan and Nix hasn’t been matched. My favorite!

So when their cousin, the highly introspective Cooper, gets the next story and summoning of a demon we’d met, I was curious. 

 Calling Chaos is a good book but it feels separate from the rest of the series. Bryan gives us scenes that have occurred before, but now we have them from the perspective of this couple and these characters. That’s amusing. 

And while we are given a general glimpse into what a painful background Cooper must have had, there’s been no foundation laid out in the series for him or his character before. So while Chaos becomes a vital part of the series and wildly entertaining dangerous being, Cooper remains more of a one dimensional person.  Someone who reacts with Chaos, has tons of sex with him, and as we know will bond with him. 

There’s a “save me “ element that comes out of nowhere and goes away with equal impact. It’s there for just that.  So the reader believes in it just as much. 

The ending sets up the next story and series finale which I’m really excited about. That should bring everything together. And the scariest demon yet. 

So the best part of Calling Chaos is actually Chaos.  There’s small scenes here and there where he’s the chaos demon you want and expect. I wish we had more of that.  Or a better defined and fleshed out Cooper. 

Cover designed by MiblArt.

Demon Bound:

🔹Wrecking Havoc #1 (Kai and Sascha) 

🔹Inviting Bedlam #2 (Nix and Ivan)

🔹Calling Chaos #3 (Chaos and 

🔹Unleashing Mayhem #4 – Sept 30,2025 / finale 

Buy link

        Calling Chaos (Demon Bound Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Cooper didn’t mean to summon a demon. He may be a hacker for the Mafia, but he’s not exactly brave or adventurous by nature. He was only trying to do a small, easy job for his terrifying boss and then get back to not leaving the house for days on end. Only now that the demon’s here, promising to be Cooper’s friend for as long as he needs one, Cooper might just be lonely enough to let him.

Chaos knew it was finally his time to get summoned. No more being stuck in the boring Void, no more hanging out with the same three dull demons. It’s time for madness and mayhem and answering to no one but himself. Except Chaos doesn’t expect his newest summoner to be quite so…timid. And sweet. And willing to cater to every single one of Chaos’s many wants and whims. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stick around for an eternity or two. 

Now Chaos just needs to convince his new friend that it really isn’t all that scary to be mated to a demon, even one who loves to play with fire. 

CALLING CHAOS IS A HEATED MM PARANORMAL ROMANCE. IT FEATURE A LONELY, SOCIALLY ANXIOUS HACKER AND THE WILY, WICKED, AND SLIGHTLY FERAL DEMON WHO WANTS TO PLAY WITH HIM FOREVER. IT ALSO CONTAINS “IT’S JUST PRACTICE” BEDROOM LESSONS, MAFIA MEETINGS GONE AWRY, AND THE JOYS OF STEALING YOUR NOT-BOYFRIEND’S HOODIES.

  • Publication date: March 28, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 248 pages

Review:  Sun and Stone (Elementally  Yours Book 5) by F.N. Manning 

Review: 4.5🌈

Sun and Stone is the finale story for F.N. Manning’s terrific paranormal romance series about a group of elemental mages getting their branding (think magical acceptance from each of their own magic elements) and finding love in the process. Often with other mages or paranormal characters. 

The series started with a series mystery and wrapped it up within a couple of books then went on to tell stories with characters from the university of magic that’s a prominent location. 

But Sun and Stone might be my favorite. The characters are older, and when the story opens up, Perry is leaving the building where his magic is checked and reviewed for potential and power levels. At his later years, he knows he’s running out of time to become a mage and that his now  limited magic will be locked soon. And he’s devastated. 

These early moments connect the reader into Perry’s broken heart so quickly that when he collapses into a stranger’s arms, weeping, we get it.

It’s a heartbreaking moment. 

But as the stranger introduces himself and offers Perry comfort, a sweet, unexpected friendship is struck up between them. For Flynn knows exactly what Perry is feeling as he’s been forced to accept the reality about his magic as well.  

As the men explore the possibility of a relationship between them , revealing their past experiences and dashed hopes,  author Manning writes a story that gives us two wonderful characters growing stronger together and a romantic connection to root for.

There’s a dramatic twist or two. A villain who isn’t much of a surprise but a great ending that’s absolutely satisfying and is also a fantastic way to see the series out. 

Highly enjoyable and my favorite couple of the series. 

A winner. 

Elementally Yours (5 book series)

The Frost Or The Bite #1

Strikes Twice #2

Bold As Brass #3

Where There’s Smoke #4

Sun and Stone #5 – finale 

Buy link

        Sun and Stone: M/M Paranormal Romance (Elementally Yours Book 5)

    

Blurb 

Can love outshine magic when time runs out?

Perry has spent a lifetime chasing magic, but the clock is ticking, and he’s still not a full-fledged wizard. As his window to earn elemental stone power closes, he’s struggling to imagine a life without magic. But when he bumps into a kind stranger and meets Fynn Callahan, everything changes.

Once a lover of sun magic, Fynn shows Perry that it’s possible to move on and build a new life. And the more Perry gets to know the cheerful graphic designer with a sweet tooth, the easier it is to believe he’ll be just fine—especially if he winds up in Fynn’s arms.

But something strange is happening with Fynn’s powers. If they get to the bottom of what’s wrong, then Fynn will get another chance to gain magic. But if only one of them can become a caster, is their relationship doomed? 

Will Perry find a way to keep his magic and his man, or will he lose both forever

  • Publication date: March 23, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 186 pages