Tag: A MelanieM Review

Review:  Part-Time Gods (DFZ Book 2) by Rachel Aarons

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Part-Time Gods, the second book in the DFZ trilogy, manages to be extremely expansive in it’s overall tone, bringing in new characters and exploring new aspects of the various demi-gods and otherworldly politics that exist in and around the DFZ.  But while it’s doing this, and doing it well, Aarons is making it an intimate look at how deeply complicated family relationships and inter-species dynamics can be, especially when they overlap. 

Aarons’ approach in her crafting of otherworldly life forms and mythological beings is so well done. Whether they’re squishy semi-reality icky magic carrion feeders called dream slugs, death wind gods, or ancient dragons, none of them come across as human or beings that are capable of making human judgments or having human thought processes. The latter being especially important. 

Opal Yong-ae, who’s been fighting so hard for her freedom from her father and family ,  now has a dragon curse that explains all the bad luck she’s had to contend with.  And, devastatingly, she knows who cursed her. 

This book brings revelations about her past, her magic, and Opal faces the most daunting and terrifying challenges yet to overcome.  And face her father and the remnants of the relationship they once had. 

One of the heartbreaking elements of the story are the scenes from their past, her childhood, from Opal’s father’s perspective. It’s far from the one we as readers have seen before, giving us the emotional, political side and dangerous moments of that life. But also of how exactly her father sees her and her role in his life. 

It also gives us clarity and a deeper understanding of Opal’s character and desperation to be free. 

Hers isn’t the only character whose story is further explored by the storyline and dramatic events. Kit, the other Cleaner, has a darker background than was previously known and it’s coming back to haunt him.   It’s on his scarred body and many modifications. 

Lastly, the new god herself has a larger role here. I love that as well as getting a better understanding of how the city operates, storing whole parts for use later.  I could picture wildly constantly changing, moving, under construction! 

What a unique universe.  It ends on a wild knuckle, magically crazy battle and cliffhanger.  Fantastic.  Luckily the next book is already out.

This is also got a slow burn romance, not at all spicy. Highly imaginative and well written. On to the trilogy finale!

Highly recommended! Love the covers!

Cover Illustration by Tia Rambaran, Cover Design by Rachel Aaron

The DFZ Trilogy (2nd of 3 series) Minimum Wage Magic 

Part-Time Gods 

Night Shift Dragons 

Buy link

        Part-Time Gods (DFZ Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Life in the magical mess of the Detroit Free Zone is never easy. When you’re laboring under the curse of a certain prideful, overbearing dragon, it can be down right impossible.

My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner. At least, I used to be. Thanks to the supernatural bad luck that turns everything I do against me, these days I’m more of a walking disaster. Getting rid of this curse is the only way to get my life back. Unfortunately, dragon magic is every bit as sneaky and deadly the monsters behind it, and just as hard to beat.

But I’ve never been one to take her doom at face value. Cornered doesn’t mean defeated, and in an awakened city that rules herself, dragons are no longer the biggest powers around.

Book 2 in the now complete DFZ trilogy featuring a hilarious heroine, her overbearing dragon dad, her long-suffering mental health AI, and the crazy guy brave enough to go along with it all.

  • Publisher: Aaron/Bach (June 9, 2019)
  • Publication date: June 9, 2019
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 367 pages

Complete 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 (This series) 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 Tides of March: A Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries) by K Sterling 

Rating: 4.5🌈

The Tides of March picks up right after the events from Back in the Hunt, the first book to feature the secondary characters from the original Moon Mysteries Trilogy featuring Nelson and Nox.  At the end of that story, Nox’s TA Tony was severely injured and was taken out to Poole’s Island, hoping that Ronan, a merrow who lives there, could heal him. 

That’s where The Tides of March picks up. But the time frame is somewhat flexible with the narrative flowing back and forth in time to the two important parts of Tony and Ronan relationship, that when they met and the current situation of events. 

K Sterling became a go to author for a number of reasons, excellence in writing being one, but Sterling’s work when it comes to mythology, religion, cultural history and the depths of this author’s research is phenomenal. Then to take that knowledge and give it a unique twist, spinning it into epic tale of fantasy , horror, and murder mysteries? Fantastic. 

That concept and mythological storytelling is furthered by Tony’s wounding and his unceremonious dumping on Poole’s Island, hoping that Ronan will have no other choice but to help him as a male merrow.   

Their relationship will be built around Maryland’s history, Celtic mythology, especially those that pertain to merrows, and Tony’s own revelations about his family background. It’s an astonishing blend of mythology, history, and legends that works for the story, the relationship and its characters. It will also help more over , at the end, move the series arc mystery forward into another story and nearby location.

The vivid imagery and Sterling’s vision for the characters comes together in emotional detail and moments that make them and their situation seem believable. 

That battle that brought many of Nox’s inner circle together (and our favorites) was a truly action filled and exciting. 

All of these stories are based on locations near to me , something that rarely occurs in books I read. Silver Spring, Maryland? Almost unheard of. 

The ending was lovely way to bring the story to a close , give Tony a new beginning and to launch the next adventure, Dead Air. 

I’m all in when everyone heads to the Shenandoah Mountains. 

Another fantastic story to add to the growing mythology mystery surrounding Nox and company.  Highly recommended.

Exquisite covers. No idea who to credit them to. 

Moon Mysteries 1 – 3 (first series)

Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries sequel series)

Back in the Hunt #1

The Tides of March #2

Dead Air #3 – Aug 19,2025

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Tides of March: A Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon …

Blurb 

Welcome to Pooles Island. 

Population: 1 very grumpy merrow.

That’s all that Anthony Costa knows about his destination. Weak and barely clinging to consciousness after being attacked by an undead changeling, Tony is left in the care of Ronan O’Sullivan. The young anthropology professor’s fate hangs by a thread and the hideous merrow is Tony’s last hope.

Scorned and abandoned, Ronan has no use for men until he finds a beautiful Roman castaway on his beach. Bound by an ancient oath, Ronan has no choice but to care for Tony. But being a merrow means that Ronan is also burdened by a strong desire to claim the human inhabiting his bed.

There’s more to Tony’s story than he ever imagined and Ronan finds out he’s more than an ugly face, but a mysterious foe has unleashed an ancient horror upon Pooles Island. Ronan sets Tony free in an attempt to fight it on his own and finds himself outmatched by a kraken. Will Tony and his friends make it back in time to save Ronan, or will their love story get swept away with the tide?

**Tides Of March is part of the Nelson & MacIlwraith universe and includes MANY spoilers for the original trilogy.**

  • Publisher: Bawdy Books (March 15, 2025)
  • Publication date: March 15, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 183 pages

Review: Minimum Wage Magic (DFZ Book 1) by Rachel Aaron

Rating:  4.5⭐️🌈

This book had me at the title!Minimum Wage Magic (DFZ Book 1) by Rachel Aaron drew me in by that great title, then the interesting cover, and the story behind both. 

Plus the fact that I got to discover a new author and ever expanding universe to dive into! Rachel Aaron has been developing this magical trippy world through 3 connected series, of which the DFZ trilogy is the second one. 

DFZ, or the Detroit Free Zone is a both a sentient goddess and place, one that is constantly rearranging itself according to the DFZ’s whims and ideas.  It’s a no holds barred zone of all out love of competition and commerce, anything goes until the DFZ says no, which doesn’t often happen.  I really am going to read that first series, because fabulous.

But there’s enough magical systems foundation and world history laid down here for a new reader to understand the storylines and characters. 

Aaron’s world building is excellent and so imaginative. Interwoven with magical elements and technology, it’s a place of mystery and endless opportunities for creativity and crime. New architecture and depths of depravity.  And it’s sentient. That’s the city of Detroit. 

Its 2115 and debt ridden mage Opal Yong-ae is doing her job as a Cleaner, think someone who has come to clean out all the apartments/houses for those who haven’t paid or been evicted. She owns what’s inside, trash or treasure, whatever. It’s a toss up because she bid on it unknowingly what’s inside. 

Yup, she may have magic but she’s an Official Subcontractor for Detroit Free Zone Habitation Management.

I’m so in.

Of course, the place she’s working on , in a nasty location, takes a turn for the worst. 

This is such a captivating story. Opal’s own narrative, her mysterious family, the debt she’s carrying, the freedom she craves so desperately, all these elements are carefully assembled and revealed throughout the story as events happen. 

Opal is a tremendously appealing personality, one we relate to, as she meets each new character, ends up in another humbling or challenging situation, we are right there with her. 

Nik, another Cleaner with his own mysterious history behind him, becomes someone who can grow and develop into a partner equally powerful and intriguing.  

It’s hard to describe anything here without knowingly giving away main spoilers for the characters and book that are too delightful and should be read.

Delightful, scary, frustrating and definitely a way to send me running straight to the next book.

And back to the original series. 

I just adore the characters, especially Opal and need to see more of the DFZ and all the spirits and Demi-gods that dwell there. 

Fascinating, imaginative stuff. More please!

Highly recommended! 

Cover Illustration by Tia Rambaran, Cover Design by Rachel Aaron

The DFZ Trilogy (2nd of 3 series) Minimum Wage Magic 

Part-Time Gods 

Night Shift Dragons 

Buy link:

        Minimum Wage Magic (DFZ Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Return to the DFZ with a new standalone series full of dragons, mages, and the deadly perils of freelance employment, now complete at three books!

Making a living is hard. Making a living in a lawless city where gods are real, dragons are traffic hazards, and buildings move on their own can feel downright impossible.

Good thing freelance mage Opal Yong-ae has never let little things like impossibility stop her. She’s found a way to put her overpriced magical art history degree to use as a Cleaner: a contract municipal employee who empties out abandoned apartments and resells the unusual treasures she finds inside for a profit. It’s not a pretty job, or a safe one–there’s a reason she wears bite-proof gloves–but when you’re neck-deep in debt to a very magical, very nasty individual, you can’t be picky about where the money comes from.

But even Opal’s low standards are put to the test when the only thing of value in her latest apartment is the body of the previous tenant. Dealing with the dead isn’t technically part of her job, but this mage died hiding a secret that could be worth a lot of money, and Opal’s the only one who knows. With debts she can’t pay due at the end of the week, this could be the big break she’s been waiting for, but in a city of runaway magic where getting in over your head generally means losing it, the cost of chasing this opportunity might be more than Opal can survive.

  • Publisher: Aaron/Bach (November 9, 2018)
  • Publication date: November 9, 2018
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 341 pages

Complete 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 (This series) 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:  A Thousand Cuts (Cursebreakers, Inc. Book 3) by A. M. Rose

Rating: 4.5🌈

A. M. Rose’s Cursebreakers, Inc. series continues to be one of the most intriguing, surprising paranormal romance series I’ve read lately.  

With each book and new case and romance, Rose expands on the magic system and universe that the series and characters inhabit.  It just keeps getting better and darker, which makes sense considering that the focus of this series are horrendous curses.  

 Each story has a unique type of curse(s) that requires the ability of one of the group of found family of Cursebreakers here. The storyline revolves around the impact of upon those who are cursed and the individual Cursebreakers trying to figure out how to break them. 

A Thousand Cuts is Fix’s story but that title belongs to the character who is cursed, Liam. Liam is a character briefly introduced in the last book when he comes looking for help at the wrong moment.  It’s at a point where the entire group is trying desperately to help one of their own, Hart, in his own case and relationship with Cane. 

Fix is a person who has a strong sense of guardianship, a need to protect and safeguard others. And spiraling if he feels like he’s failed.  More about him and the group’s development is revealed in the story. But how Cursebreakers and their magical powers are developed from a very young age is a chilling story thread that Rose expands on with each character. We are talking extremely young ages when they are removed from their families because their powers present themselves and, as in Black’s case and probably others , it’s traumatic. 

So every character is a flawed, powerful and unique personality that ends up with a romantic partner to match. Equally interesting, often damaging or dangerous, wild back story and as with Liam, comes with a twist. 

And a great rescue dog, named King. 

The curses and stalker case is realistic and frightening. The romance is a BDSM with a believable Daddy kink that suits both characters personalities.  I got it immediately.  

The best thing is how Rose wraps up the case,  bringing Liam finally home to Fix, safe and curse free. Surprises !

And it brings back an overall series mystery that looks to be a subtle twist and thread. I honestly loved it. 

Fantastic characters, great plot and dark arc and universe. Love it and highly recommended. 

Cursebreakers, Inc. :

Like A House On Fire #1

Fool Me Twice #2

A Thousand Cuts #3

Once Bitten #4 – Jan 15,2026

Cover designed by BCJ Art & Design

Buy link

        A Thousand Cuts (Cursebreakers, Inc. Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Sometimes it feels like Fix’s entire life can be summed up with two simple words: wanting and waiting. Wanting a family. Wanting to belong. Wanting to protect. Wanting to love. And waiting endlessly to find it.

When a beautiful cam boy with a flurry of curses hanging over his head and a mysterious past asks for his help, Fix thinks all of the wanting and the waiting has come to an end.

Except Liam’s entire life can be summed up in just one word. 

Running.

Running from his past. Running from a rain of curses. Running from unwanted eyes stalking him. Running from the cursebreaker who feels like he can be the perfect dadd—man for Liam. Offering him everything he’s ever wanted. Protection. Care. Love.

Will they be able to fit their jagged edges together? Or will the shadow lurking behind Liam swallow them whole?

  • Publication date: March 12, 2025
  • Language: English’s
  • Print length: 354 pages

Review: A Lair of Bones (Curse of the Cyren Queen Book 1) by Helen Scheuerer

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Sheer utter cruel fantasy and I’m here for it.  With A Lair of Bones, Helen Scheuerer really cemented herself as one of my top authors of favorite fantasy novels. 

With top tier world building, hauntingly vivid imagery, as well as the ability to create characters that start as raw flawed beings that shift and develop emotionally as this story and their journey begins , A Lair of Bones by Helen Scheuerer is a classic of epic fantasy.

This isn’t a romance, but truly a fantasy epic adventure told from the perspective of a young female cyren. We see her born to a prisoner, Cerys, a cyren who’s been imprisoned for centuries having committed the ultimate crime of using her death song against her own kind. 

This parentage makes Rohesia, our main character a Isruhe , a deeply injurious slur, “vermin of the deep” and those beings are marked by a golden circlet about their heads.  She and those of the lower depths of the Cyren island of Saddorial have the most disgusting and dangerous jobs. In her case, she and her friends are bone cleaners. 

The author has created a cruel, proud race of creatures we’ve known from mythology, expanding and evolving them into a evolved, highly predatory water dwelling species that lives in architecturally beautiful structures made entirely of the bones of those they’ve killed, mostly humans.  These aren’t a kind or forgiving race. 

Their main mantra is no Cyren is to be trusted. Everyone wears a mask. 

This is the world that our bone cleaners are born into and the one in which Rohesia, aka Roh will undertake the biggest challenge and transformation. To become the next Queen of the Cyrens.

This story will focus on Roh’s schemes to become a participant in the royal Queen’s Tournament and the surprise addition of a human being as a partner to keep alive and in good condition to compete the trials. 

Scheuerer has added so many fantastic aspects to this Tournament as well as characters that are ones that will have impactful roles to Roh in the series.  

Throughout the story, more of the history and magical systems, Cyren and mages, are incorporated into the narrative in dramatic moments and highly emotional scenes.

Roh is a very driven personality, scarred, ambitious and determined to rise above the scorned vermin she’s seen as. Her character is shown to evolve along with her perspective on her species and history as she undergoes the brutal challenges and has to interact with those around her. 

A Lair of Bones is such a compelling story with Roh and her companion’s’ journey a gripping suspense-filled tale, that I read it in one evening. And went immediately onto the next. 

I highly recommend reading A Lair of Bones (Curse of the Cyren Queen Book 1) by Helen Scheuerer. It’s top of my book list of favorite reads.

Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design

Curse of the Cyren Queen finished series:

A Lair of Bones #1

With Dagger and Song #2

The Fabric of Chaos #3

To Wield a Crown #4 – finale 

Buy link

        A Lair of Bones (Curse of the Cyren Queen Book 1)

    

Blurb 

As the daughter of an infamous criminal, Roh only cares about three things: her friends, finding her deathsong, and the upcoming royal Queen’s Tournament. 

A treacherous competition determines the ruler of magic every fifty years. This is Roh’s chance to change her life. Change her destiny. 

But she’s not the only one who wants to win. Champions from every land will fight to the death for a chance to wield unimaginable power.

The challenging part of the Queen’s Tournament for Roh is keeping her human partner alive. She can’t win or survive without him. Together they’ll have to face the most cunning, and dangerous warriors magic can throw at them. Together they’ll face more than enemies. Together, they’ll learn the meaning of true friendship.

Get ready for flawed heroines, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, epic worldbuilding, stunning magic and found family. Readers will love this fast-paced exhilarating fantasy.

  • Publisher: Alchemy; 1st edition (July 13, 2021)
  • Publication date: July 13, 2021
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 476 pages

 

 

Review:  Halluci-Dating A Demon (Monster Match season two) by Ashlynn Mills

Rating: 4🌈

Halluci-Dating A Demon by Ashlynn Mills is part of the multi-author paranormal romance series, Monster Match, Season 2. 

It’s a sweet romantic story made all the more interesting by the author’s use of her own history with narcolepsy to endow one of her main characters with this illness and have her other MC be the nightmare demon that is the one that helps him with his nightmares but adjust to his illness. 

Elias, the human whose life is being consumed by guilt ridden nightmares and his narcolepsy and Arien, a dream demon who has been assigned to help Elias are a delight. Arien, especially comes across as a cotton candy ball of sunshine, taking a deep joy in everything on this “side” of the things.  For me, he made the story.

Elias was interesting but his history was confusing. Did he forget about the accident? Was it something else? How was he able to recover?  That left a few questions in the plot.

But the romance was sweet and the couple were interesting in their elements. 

This series is always worth reading as it’s going to have some good stories and fascinating aspects to the characters.  Grab them up. 

Cover design: Amanda Meuwissan Artwork: Sheilkuroi”

Monster Match season two (10 books):

🔷Shaped to Be Yours by Amanda Meuwissan 

🔷Mine to Devour by Kota Quinn 

🔷Halluci-Dating A Demon by Ashlynn Mills

🔷Love Stoned: An MM Gargoyle Romance by TH Compton

🔷Head Over Tails by Jacey Davis 

🔷Swimming in Grief: An MM Monster Romance by Kit Barrie

🔷Trolling for Love by B L Maxwell

🔷Make Me Soar by Megs Pritchard 

🔷Hold My Reins by TJ Nichols

🔷Kraken Up and Loving It by Ki Brightly 

Buy link

        Halluci-Dating A Demon

    

Blurb 

Elias

When my hallucinations while falling asleep and waking up turn from my worse nightmares to a cute purple demon who won’t stop eating my food and stealing my hoodies, I can’t decide if he’s a problem or something I’m hoping isn’t only a figment of my imagination.

Helluci-dating is book two in Monster Match season two and ends with a sweet, fluffy HEA.

  • Publication date: February 13, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 184 pages

Review:  Reading Between the Lines (Shadowy Solutions #3) by Nicky James 

 

Rating: 4.5🌈

Shadowy Solutions is a great series and in this story James has not only a terrific murder investigation but a case that will let a newly formed couple show individual development as well as their partnered maturity show. 

It also allows for other aspects of Diem’s personal life to change for a more positive outlook instead of the same negative status and brutality it’s been at for the last books. 

The case that draws Diem and Tallus out of town is a call from a heart broken mother who’s convinced that her son, now on life support, was murdered. But no one will believe her. 

With little to show for her belief, she’s willing to pay enormous sums of money to have the case investigated by Diem and Tallus.  Money Diem desperately needs. 

The investigation is a complicated process, and James uses it to show the tremendous amount of growth for Diem personally as well as the potential for a larger healthier relationship between them as a couple. Diem’s working on his trauma and anger issues, and letting Tallus into his own life. 

The mystery is one where I had several people pegged as the ultimate villain, an aspect of a story I liked. 

And I can’t giveaway one element I both love and wanted a deeper dive into.  I honestly don’t think James could have done that given the storyline and stakes as they were, but, going forward, I can’t wait to see this side character fit in with Diem and Tallus again. 

This series is shaping up to be such a stellar series and with such outstanding characters. It’s a must read. 

Shadowy Solutions:

Invisible Scars – prequel 

Skeletons in the Closet #1

Power of the Mind #2

Reading Between the Lines #3

A Breath of Life #4 – Sept 18,2025

Connected and preceding series in the same universe:

Valor and Doyle (8* book series)

New book releasing 

Buy link

        Reading Between the Lines (Shadowy Solutions Book 3)

    

Blurb 

One case to save my career.

One headstrong boyfriend I can’t function without.

I’m doomed.

Without solving a peculiar out-of-town case, Diem’s career is over. He can’t afford to live, let alone pay bills and run the business.

The case involves a mostly dead teen and a small-town police department who are convinced the boy suffered an accident.

All hope lies on the hunch of a grieving mother.

Unable to handle such a delicate situation on his own and unwilling to go bust, Diem invites his boyfriend/almost-partner along to make sure his rough edges don’t cost them a payday.

What he didn’t expect was a high school full of secrets and suspects, a bed-and-breakfast from hell with only one m*#@er f*#@ing bed, and danger around every corner because someone doesn’t want the truth to be unveiled.

Diem can handle threats. Risking life and limb to get answers is part of the game. But as the mystery unfolds, he realizes there is one thing not worth jeopardizing for a case: Tallus.

  • Publication date: March 6, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 354 pages

Review:  Iron & Embers: An epic fantasy romance (The Ashes of Thezmarr Book 1) by Helen Scheuerer

Rating: 4⭐️

Iron & Embers picks up four years after the end of events of The Legends of Thezmarr series and Wren Embervale has been quietly working her way through the list of people who were responsible for the deaths of so many of those she lost. She’s anonymously become The Poisoner, an assassin traveling through the Kingdoms eliminating various targets never held accountable for their actions and crimes in the recent war.

Wren was an excellent, well written character we got to know in the first series . But next to the brilliant driven warrior that was her Warsword sister, Thea, and her powerful storyline, even with that magical role towards the end, it’s clear that she had more to say and depths to her character. 

Scheuerer starts here by sending an embittered Wren off to an alchemy academy of Drevenor, an ancient school where she’s going to be taught spells and learn areas of alchemy she’s never heard of. 

The school has been mentioned before in the previous series and several strong women characters are back in impactful roles here. 

The romance is between Warsword Torj Elderbrock, a man who was forever changed by his and Wren’s last battle with the Dark forces. Channeling Wren’s lightning power changed his hair silver and left him with lightning made scars across his chest.  And it has left other deeper changes. 

I expect that the author will keep the main characters apart from each other as part of a frustrating series romantic storyline.  Wren starts off with a noncommittal idea about love and affection with regards to romance and the book ends on a note that for me feels more “contrived “ then one that feels more a naturally flowing piece of the same plot. 

A “oh no, I need to pull them apart. This should do” sort of moment in the story. When if they actually chatted it would have been resolved. 

The Academy is a grim institution, instead of a place of learning. Think more body parts and bags than plants, marigolds, and medicine.   So yes, scenes of torture and death ensue. 

Which brings me to another point. In the first series, the women were coming together as a powerful force , a team and family. Here just the opposite seems to be happening. It’s disappointing and discouraging to see women characters I admired change and lessened here for plot purposes. 

So, yes, I like Wren as a character. Vote is out on most of those characters around her, including Torj Elderbrock, a fascinating character who hasn’t yet learned to communicate. 

There’s an overall series mystery developing around anti- magic, anti-royalist sentiment groups that might be more than just what they appear. 

I admit Thea is an almost impossible act to follow. She is a Legend after all.   So I’m onto the next when it’s released to see what legacy Wren makes for herself. 

Recommended. Read The Legends of Thezmarr first. Excellent reads every one. 

Great covers continue in this series.

The Legends of Thezmarr (4 book series (foundation series)

The Ashes of Thezmarr sequel series:

Iron & Embers #1

Thorns & Fire #2 – July 31,2025

Buy link

        Iron & Embers: An epic fantasy romance (The Ashes of Thezmarr Book 1)

    

Blurb 

“I’ve made no secret of what I want… You. It’s always been you.”

Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends. The wars of the past may be over, but her thirst for revenge is far from quenched.

For years, she has been content with her poisons and potions for company, but when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the midrealms, Wren’s time in the shadows comes to an end.

She’s offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor to find a cure to the dark magic threatening the kingdoms. To win her spot, she must conquer the Gauntlet, a grueling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity, or her life.

More is at play than sabotage from fellow competitors. Magic wielders are being targeted and Wren becomes tangled in a dangerous web of deception and bloodshed that puts the entire realm at risk.

But the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her—Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge.

Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both.

Peace is fragile, trust is scarce and enemies lurk around every corner… Will love heal all wounds—or will it be the most lethal poison of all?

Iron & Embers is the breathtaking first installment in the epic fantasy romance series, The Ashes of Thezmarr. With its lush world-building, sizzling chemistry, and heart-pounding action it’s perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, From Blood & Ash, and The Bridge Kingdom.

  • Publisher: Alchemy (January 28, 2025)
  • Publication date: January 28, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 586 pages

Review:  Full Color (ORCA #3) by Vinni George

 

Rating: 3.5🌈

Full Color is the penultimate book in George’s ORCA series. It’s a paranormal fated mates shifter romance series that involves a family of Orca whale brothers and a mysterious family painting, The Evolution of Man, that’s being heavily sought after the the world art community, thieves and billionaires collectors as well as their own family. 

Along the way, the brothers have come together to pool their talents to form the Organization for the Return of Criminals and Assets (ORCA). And book by book and mission by mission, find their fated mate. 

In the last book, twin Cal Hunter found his fated mate in great white shark shifter, Jack, leaving his twin brother Quinn shaken by a sudden change in their twin bond and brotherly dynamic. 

Quinn, an art dealer and forger, gets a call about the lost painting they have been searching for and the team is on a mission for recovery and investigation. 

Quinn finds his fated mate during the search and mission to retrieve the painting, a chameleon shifter, Dimitri Crysanthos. 

The romance is the quick instant recognition fated mates one with little time for a relationship or connection to be made. Dimitri has a sister in danger that isn’t a factor other than we know she’s somewhere at the city where the action scenes are taking place. She’s a non entity otherwise. 

George creates some nice elements around Dimitri’s shifting character that involves art and painting but leaves too many holes in the characters backstory and abilities to really make him and his sister believable.  Dimitri is sweet and one dimensional. 

It wraps up quickly with enough information to move the series arc forward towards the series finale and the final couple and brother to get his fated mate. 

The story and romance was just fine but the other plots were better imo. This feels rushed and incomplete in many aspects. 

I’m looking forward to the finale and seeing how everything gets pulled together. 

ORCA series:

Black & White #1

Grayscale #2

Full Color #3

Monochrome #4 – series finale- Sept 30,2025

Buy link

        Full Color: An MM Shifter Romantic Suspense Novel (ORCA Book 3)

    

Blurb

Quin Hunter likes the quiet life. He runs his gallery, forges famous art, and operates a fence where black market buyers get fakes and the real pieces get returned to their rightful owners. Nice and simple. He doesn’t do field work. But a call from his twin thrusts him into the action, and now he and his brothers are racing the clock to steal a painting from someone who never should have had it in the first place.

Dimitri Crysanthos is no stranger to mistakes. All he wanted to do was make life easier for his sister. Instead, he ended up making everything harder for both of them. With his life and his sister’s hanging in the balance, he has no choice but to do whatever one of the most ruthless men in Amsterdam tells him to do. All Dimitri wants is to stay alive…until a stranger changes everything. Now Dimitri craves something terrifying, something that will put him and his sister in even more danger—his freedom.

The stakes of the heist have changed, and Quin refuses to quit until Dimitri is safe for good. Can the ORCA team get the art and Quin’s fated mate out of Amsterdam, or are the odds too stacked against them?

Full Color is book three in the Organization for the Return of Criminals and Assets (ORCA) series, featuring an orca shifter art forger who isn’t keen on field work, a chameleon shifter with a lucrative secret talent, and a heist where the target is far more valuable than a stolen painting!

Review:  Assistant to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain Book 1) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Fantastic! Laughed, cried a bit, and loved these characters and their stories so so much.  

It’s ridiculous how much I adore Eve Sage. And her Villain. 

Hannah Nicole Maehrer has written a  comedic fantasy series with surprisingly deep emotional layers, all due to the absolutely incredible characters and the weirdly complex dynamics that the author had created between them. 

This applies not only to the main characters of Evie Sage, the Assistant and The Villain, but all the many intriguing characters that inhabit the Mansion and story. 

How Evie, a young woman struggling with running a poor household with a sick father and younger sister, gets her job as the Assistant to The Villain, is just the opening of this fabulous story.  There’s so much heart and scope to Evie , the Villain, his staff and the strangeness that’s the Kingdom.  Maeher is constantly building out upon the world she’s steadily creating.  

There’s magical systems to learn about, otherworldly creatures, a Kingdom wide incurable disease, twists and plots turns a plenty. 

And Evie to absolutely fall in love with, along with a mysterious staff who are weird, curmudgeonly, including a crowned frog, who start to grow into a surprisingly beautiful found family of evil. Sort of. 

It ends on a cliffhanger. But one I like. Another great element. 

Onto Apprentice to the Villain!

I have a feeling I may be buying the paper version of these books. 

Highly recommended. 

Right now it’s action,  hint of romance, lots of magic, murder, and mayhem. And great characters and dialogue. 

Cover art and design by Elizabeth Turner Stokes 

Interior map art by Elizabeth Turner Stokes

Assistant and the Villain :

Assistant to the Villain #1

Apprentice to the Villain #2

Accomplice to the Villain #3   –  Aug, 5,2025

Buy link:

        Assistant to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

The Assistant and the Villain series is best enjoyed in order.

Reading Order:

Book #1 Assistant to the Villain

Book #2 Apprentice to the Villain

Book #3 Accomplice to the Villain

  • Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books (August 29, 2023)
  • Publication date: August 29, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 425 pages