Tag: A MelanieM Review

Review:  Review: Shadows & Reservations (The Bisbee Bachelors’ Club Book 6) by K. Sterling

Rating: 4.25🌈

The ranks of the Bisbee Bachelor’s Club continues to shrink with Shadows & Reservations, the story of 

Hadley Granger, owner of the most haunted house and hotel in Bisbee and his romantic love story with Lyle Hewer. Lyle Hewer is someone who is an outsider to the close knit Bisbee community but has been working his way into their lives book by book.

Sterling’s story focus is Granger and The Sullivan House, a place he rarely leaves and one that’s rightfully earned the reputation as the most haunted place in the town. Full of spirits that cannot rest and constantly haunt both Granger and anyone who steps on the property, its anguished history is a great part of the story.

That’s where the mystery and murders are and the relationship between the two men will be built. When the story concentrates on Granger, a sad, tormented man with a broken past, the book is terrific.  Lyle, for me, no matter what story he’s appeared in, has been more a problematic character.  That continues here. 

His ex and the issues that come up with Lyle aren’t as realistic, amazingly given that Granger’s are ghostly.  But Granger is such a great character and the support group of the rest of the Bisbee community works really well to make him and this an interesting mystery and satisfying story.

The Bisbee Bachelors’ Club :

  • Haunted Hearts #1
  • Moonlight & Madness #2
  • Unhappy Medium #3
  • Grave Expectations #4
  • Riddles & Rivals #5
  • Shadows & Reservations #6
  • Heart & Soulless #7
  • Specters & Sparks # 8

Buy link

        Shadows & Reservations (The Bisbee Bachelors’ Club Book 6)

    

Blurb 

What happened to Dottie Granger and why is her son still trapped in The Sullivan House?

The people of Bisbee have spent forty years whispering about the reclusive Hadley Granger, and the night his mother disappeared from The Sullivan House. The shy inn keeper has done his best to keep her memory, and the haunted bed and breakfast, alive by any means necessary. When the town learns that Hadley is also a best-selling author, his private life and all his secrets begin to bleed off the page.

Hadley’s latest guest is a stoic engineer protecting a few secrets of his own. Lyle Hewer’s come to Bisbee to escape a collapsing affair and to determine if the Queen Mine is safe enough to reopen. But trouble follows him to the quirky former mining town when his ex arrives and books a room at The Sullivan House.

The chivalrous inn keeper volunteers for the part of Lyle’s new boyfriend to help him save face, but their plan goes awry almost immediately. Lyle has been in love with the gentle inn keeper from the first moment he stepped foot in The Sullivan House, and Hadley finds himself falling for his prickly guest too. But Hadley has one very big problem: Lyle has to leave before it’s too late and the secrets of The Sullivan House shatters both of their lives.

Warning: brief scenes depicting domestic violence against women and children.

  • Publisher: Bawdy Books (September 16, 2021)
  • Publication date: September 16, 2021
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 216 pages

Review: Isaac: MM Mafia Romance (Light & Shadow Book 1) by N. N. Britt

Rating: 3.75🌈

Im a fan of the dark mafia romance trope, including a sub group where one of the main characters is an undercover agent and the other is the mafia boss or something similar.  So when I ran across an author I hadn’t read before and this series with a great cover, I had to check it out. 

I normally have an issue with stories where the law enforcement officers or their agencies don’t come across as being particularly realistic. Especially when the agent is undercover and there’s intelligence and support staff involved. Having a writer take this element and treat it carelessly usually takes me out of the narrative.

But N. N. Britt chooses to go a different route from the beginning and state upfront that her goal isn’t a “gritty authenticity” but instead a love story about “passion, betrayal, and redemption.” She’s not incorporating real basic law enforcement protocols here, let that be understood. The author is letting the reader know that upfront. So don’t go looking for any.  She also places her trigger warnings in the description, which I like. 

So a reader is well informed before they read the book. No looking for something that the author never said you should expect to find. And don’t. 

What I did find was a good story. Dramatic, half a tale actually, about a two men starting towards a relationship in a highly dangerous situation and unstable world.  

Britt sets it up as the undercover agent gets his assignment with a minimum of intelligence and time frame to get in and get the job done. 

Special Agent Dallas Bradley has his doubts but accepts the job and his target. And becomes Hawk.

His target is the recently released from prison, Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss. His crime? That involves the fact his father is no longer the crime boss but he is. 

Isaac had a brutal, abusive relationship with his father that’s revealed in past memories throughout the story. A new mafia boss in an unsettled state, Isaac is someone whose layers are constantly being peeled off.  The two person perspective narrative helps create the complex connection/relationship that’s building between them. 

The hellhounds, the bodyguards surrounding Isaac, are memorable in their own right, especially Jeremy.  He helps cut into some of the more overly descriptive passages and wordy thought processes of Hawk/Dallas with his concise statements and ill-concealed dislike for the agent in disguise. 

To read the book you have to “go with the flow “ narratively speaking and not look at the mafia, law enforcement, or legal systems for any realistic scenarios.  Like Britt said, it’s not there. There’s plenty of emotional moments, action sequences, and doubts of self awareness to make the storylines work.

Britt does get overly descriptive and sometimes makes the passages a bit repetitive in the wordings chosen but she’s telling a passionate love story, one that will have its end in the second book, Dallas. 

I enjoyed this, it’s entertaining but not so dark that it feels realistic or that dramatic as much happens “off the page “.  I’m definitely heading to the next book to see how the characters and plot plays out.

Great cover.

Cover Design by Sarah Kil

Light & Shadow series:

Isaac #1

Dallas #2

Forbidden #3 – different set of characters 

Buy link

        Isaac: MM Mafia Romance (Light & Shadow Book 1)

    

Blurb 

In the heart of Sin City, two men on opposite sides of the law collide in a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal.

Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss, has spent nine years behind bars for his father’s murder. Driven, cunning, and unfeeling, he’s now back to claim what’s rightfully his. But when an enigmatic security guard named Hawk is hired to work at his nightclub, Isaac finds himself distracted… and inexplicably drawn to Hawk, despite his best efforts to resist.

Special Agent Dallas Bradley’s mission is clear: infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring their leader, Isaac Thoreau, to justice. Posing as Hawk, Dallas is determined to uncover the secrets of the Thoreau criminal empire. But as he delves deeper into Isaac’s world, the lines between right and wrong blur, and soon an undeniable attraction grows between the two men, forcing Dallas to question everything.

Walking away before he’s compromised would be the smart choice, but Dallas can’t resist Isaac’s magnetic pull, even if it means risking his life.

As love and duty clash, only one question remains: will Isaac and Dallas survive the fallout?

***

Isaac is the first installment of the Light & Shadow Duet. It can not be read as standalone. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc.

Review:  Dead Serious Halloween Special (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed Book 6) by Vawn Cassidy

Rating:  4.75 🌈

Vawn Cassidy’s Dead Serious Halloween Special delivers that wonderful blend of serious elements and delicious zany otherworldly storytelling that makes this series and the characters such a joy. 

It’s Halloween or Samhain. Obviously. And all our group of fabulous characters, that found family of humans, ghosts, witches, and otherworldly beings will be gathering together for a party. 

But we get an intimate glimpse first into a scene between Tristan and Danny that not only shows the aftermath of the traumatic events from Viv’s death but also how the revelations of the paranormal world has changed Danny’s life.  It’s a highly emotional and impactful scene. Beautifully written and while not a huge part of the story, it reverberates throughout this book.

That’s in keeping with the spirit of the series and how this author weaves all the emotional layers into the narrative and lives .  Especially as what comes next is wildly unexpected and vividly imagined. That’s speaking as someone who never thought that those childhood fairytales were very fun but scary. As they were often meant to be. 

There’s some potentially frightening moments, new characters, old friends reappearing, and happily a resolution that sees everyone safe.  

But not without a dark mention of a “something “  in everyone’s lives that is to be discovered in a new series coming soon.  So a mini- cliffhanger. 

This was a terrific story, I rushed through it because I couldn’t stop reading, from scene to scene. Then again, to get all the small details I missed the first time.  And there’s lots of great stuff in there that moves characters forward in growth and development in their own ways. 

So don’t miss out.  Grab Dead Serious Halloween Special (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed Book 6) by Vawn Cassidy and get ready for the next series to arrive.

Cover design by Natasha Snow @NatashaSnowDesigns

Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed :

🔹Dead Serious Case# 1 Miz Dusty Le Frey 

🔹Dead Serious Case# 2 Mrs Delores Abanathy 

🔹Dead Serious Case #3 Mr Bruce Reyes 

🔹Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume 

🔹Dead Serious Case #5 Madame Vivienne 

🔹Dead Serious-Just the Extras 

🔹Dead Serious-Halloween 

Special Crawshanks Guide to the Occult :

🔹The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object #1 – coming soon 

Crawshanks Universe Novellas/ Spin offs (only available from the Vawn Cassidy website ) 

The Grim Adventures of Death & Chan Vol 1

The Grim Adventures of Death & Chan Vol 2 

Blue Thunder 

Dead Serious The True Fan 

Dead Serious Official Companion

Buy link

        Dead Serious Halloween Special (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed Book 6)

    

Blurb 

It’s Halloween and Chan’s hosting a party at Harrison’s newly inherited occult bookshop. Tristan is looking forward to a night of music, food and fun costumes with his husband and their friends.

What they actually get is chaos on the streets of Whitechapel when they accidentally open the Gospodar, the master copy of all fairy tales and let all of the creatures loose.

It’s not the first time they’ve escaped but this time, they’re determined not to go back.

They’ve only got until midnight. Tick tock goes the clock…

This Halloween special picks up after the events of book five and leads into the spin off series, The Little Shop of Curiosities.

  • Publication date: October 30, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 141 pages

Review:  Operation Magma: A PNR / Special Forces / Protector MM Romance (Operation Volcano Book 1) by Annabella Stone

Rating: 4🌈

I just recently finished my first LGBTQIA military suspense romance book from Annabella Stone when I noticed she had taken her love and passion for military service relationships and turned it towards a PNR series.   Operation Magma is the first in her new paranormal black ops special forces series.  I really enjoyed it, especially as Stone approaches the shifter character element from a very different and interesting perspective. 

Taylor *Trace* Reeves is an ancient warrior who fought for the honor of being the one left behind to guard the gate after the King of the Fianna and all the others left for Tyr Na Og. He is the Hound of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, both man and fearsome wolf, two distinct beings in one.

Most shifters have their beasts an integrated aspect of their characters. They might shift from one form to another but the basic “personality” remains the same. Here they are completely separate, two different personalities, right down to their own names. The man is Travis, and the wolf is Bran. They coexist within the same body and have conversations about their situations. 

It might take some adjustment for readers who are more familiar with shifters of the first description but once you have made the connection, it’s fascinating and easy to invest in this aspect of the story.

Stone’s creativity about the Hound of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, the mythology and foundation behind his life is layered and fascinating.  I’m hoping that because of the storylines, the connections to the other characters, we will get further exploration to fill in some of the gaps left here.

This is a fated mate’s romance built in with a special forces operation that’s also , I expect, finding a new mission. So many elements and characters have to be introduced in this story that it’s a bit jam packed.  Some holes are bound to be left open.

But the important elements are all there. All the characters are great, not just the main characters and couple.  I love the journey of Travis/Bran and John “Juice “ O’Leary, his fated mate take.  Really it’s just getting started as this book ends.  There we see a new tighter unit being developed in special forces Volcano with the great characters we have gotten to know.  

I’m assuming each getting their own story. Viper is next up.

I’m highly recommending this book and series. 

Volcano unit:

CO Kelvin “Viper “ Dare  Volcano 1

John “Juice“ O’Leary,Volcano 2

Kazan “Kaze” Black  Volcano 3

Michael “Reaper” Rodriquez  4

Zane “Zero” Morgan  Volcano 5

Taylor *Trace* Reeves/Bran , Volcano 6

 Cover Art: Golden Czermak

Operation Volcano series:

🔹Operation Magma #1

🔹Operation Caldera #2 – July 1,2025

Buy link

        Operation Magma: A PNR / Special Forces / Protector MM Romance (Operation Volcano Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Taylor *Trace* Reeves has served in various branches of the military, and in multiple human wars over his life time which spans millennia. Once the faithful hound of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Trace continues to protect the innocent and fight the wars of man. He will continue to keep his presence a secret from humans, even the ones he calls brothers.

Over time, the return of Fionn and The Fianna has faded out of the memories of man and into their myths and legends. Yet Trace and his wolf, Bran, still wait for the sound of the Dord Fiann, the hunting horn of the Fianna, to sound three times.

When the call comes, The Fianna will arise and Trace and Bran will once more be the hound of The Fianna. Until then, his mission is to keep the men he guards alive, by any means necessary.

Operation Magma is the prequel novella to Operation Volcano.

  • Publisher: Embers Romance LLC (November 5, 2023)
  • Publication date: November 5, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 178 pages

Review:  Don’t Come For My Operator: MM Military Suspense (Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron Book 1) by Annabella Stone

Rating:4.75🌈

I came into this book absolutely not having read any of the many connected series and books in this complicated black ops universe but I still found myself throughly invested in the gripping story and the complex characters.

Don’t Come For My Operator: MM Military Suspense (Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron Book 1) by Annabella Stone is part of a black op universe of multiple stories, series and characters that cross over into each others lives and missions as they often work together and for the umbrella agency. 

While not having a deep understanding about how the foundation of the universe works or all the various aspects of the characters dynamics, Stone lays down the basic concepts and gives the reader a clear explanation of how they interact and work in the field so it’s believable and meaningful.

Whether as a lone operative or as part of a team, these men come across as exactly what Stone is trying to accomplish. 

Throwing the reader right into a tense undercover black ops mission seen first hand from both perspectives of Black Ops Reconnaissance Operative, Black Squadron, Elijah *Rogue* Dunmore, in Afghanistan because of a caravan on its way to a fragile peace mission. Inside one of the trucks is CIA Ground Branch Operative Travis *South* Zimmer, escorting tribal leaders to a peace meeting he helped broker. 

The tension starts building immediately, then everything goes explosive. The scenes are realistic without being raw , gritty and suspenseful.  From then on out these men are on the move, danger is literally everywhere, and nothing is safe. 

There’s a mystery, escape, battles, and a red hot romance between Travis and Elijah that develops as they travel through Afghanistan , back to the US, and as the plot gets more complicated, beyond the US boundaries.

Stone brings in characters and teams from all parts of the agency which helps solidify the relationship and world that’s being created around Travis and Elijah.

If I had a quibble, it would have been to have drawn out the dramatic scenes at the end so it felt as though the villain(s) were fully aware of the situation as well as taken down.

I definitely can’t wait for the next book in this series to be released. 

I’m definitely recommending this and will be running back to catch up on it other series.

Cover Design: Golden Czermak

Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron:

🔹Don’t Come For My Operator #1

🔹Don’t Come For My Night Stalker #2 – Feb 28,2025

See all connected series below.

Buy link

        Don’t Come For My Operator: MM Military Suspense (Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron Book 1)

    

Blurb

If you come for him, you deal with me!

Former Navy SEAL, and current Black Ops Reconnaissance Operative for the elite agency, Black Squadron, Elijah *Rogue* Dunmore has spent most of his adult life running ops and working solo missions in some of the worst places on earth. Working alone adds the edge of danger he craves to keep his life interesting. He has one last mission to complete, overwatch for a peace talks convoy at a border crossing on the notorious AfPak border, then its crunch time. He must decide if he takes the offer to rotate into a desk role, or if he hangs up his weapons and walks away from the world of Special Operations which defines who he is. This mission on a border which has cost him so much over his career, may take that decision out of his hands, by sneaking temptation right into his world.

Former SEAL and CIA Ground Branch Operative Travis *South* Zimmer, has one final task to complete before he’s up for promotion. Escorting tribal leaders from Afghanistan to peace talks in Pakistan sounds doable. But peace talks have the potential to stop wars and stopping wars costs arms dealers’ money. When Travis’s mission goes to hell in a handbasket because someone is determined his convoy will not make it through the Hindu Kush, rescue comes from an Overwatch Operative who calls to the one thing Travis has always guarded—his heart.

Blindsided by an attraction neither can resist; Elijah and Travis need to make it to safety, and they need to do it without compromising, their jobs, their teams, and most of all their hearts.

Can these Tier One Operators find it within themselves to say, ‘when the battle stops, let me love you.’

  • Publisher: Embers Romance LLC (October 16, 2024)
  • Publication date: October 16, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 372 pages

Full list of Crossover Series of Connected characters/couples and Agencies in the same universe in order:

🔹DELTA FORCE: TEAM PANTHER Jonah’s Compass 

Tied Up In Steele 

Malik’s Redemption 

Micah’s Promise 

Christmas-Panther Style 

Grif’s Salvation 

Jason’s Justice 

🔹TAGS OF HONOR: RED SQUADRON 

Zenko 

Noble 

Don’t Let Go 

Drax 

Roman  

Saxon 

Rees

🔹DELTA FORCE TEAM LYNX Salvation’s Sinner 

Redemption’s Rebel 

Temptation’s Tango 

🔹THE GHOST PROTECTORS 

To Love A Ghost 

To Claim A Ghost 

To Tame A Ghost 

🔹Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron:

Don’t Come For My Operator #1

Don’t Come For My Night Stalker #2

🔹SHORT STORIES 

They Won’t Ask If We Don’t Tell (Delta Force Team Panther)

Review:  Trust in the Moon (Tales from the Tarot story) by Delaney Rain

Rating: 4.5🌈

Major arcana card The Moon

Trust in the Moon (Tales from the Tarot story) by Delaney Rain was just adorable.  It had just the right amount of charm, engaging characters, and a great story that had a cute little twist or two in it that made me laugh and want more.

Honestly? Miami drag queen wedding in a Colorado mountain resort setting? Yes! Add in fated mates, spicy best friends, shifters and a mystery and I just enjoyed every minute of this.

Rain did a lovely job adding in the series theme and carryover element of The Magic Shop, The Owner, and the tarot cards. In fact, here there are some things i wished had further exploration, like those volumes of family history that are passed on at the end of the book. 

The author has included so many other things I really enjoyed. Other characters that caught my eye because of their personality or story (Fabian and Matt-the wedding couple, Charlie, one of the “bridesmaids”), unusual elements written into the shifts and recovery, all contributed to making me love the story and wishing that the book was longer.  Or that Rain would consider making this a series in its own. 

Gavril, Sacha’s little brother, needs more attention. And members of both sides of the aisle of the wedding. Just a prequel too because  Fabian’s drag queen name is a thing of beauty! 

So I really enjoyed Trust in the Moon (Tales from the Tarot story) by Delaney Rain.  Another highly recommended book in this fantastic series. 

Cover art: Fae Quin . Fabulous as always 

Cover design: Amanda Meuwissen

Tales from the Tarot- 22 books 

🔷 Where Fools Have Tread by Jennifer Cody❤️

🔷The Magician’s Heart by J.P. Jackson

🔷Cleric of Desire by Amanda Meuwissen❤️

🔷The Nephilim’s Touch by Morgan Lysand

🔷King of Hollywood by Fae Quin

🔷My Minotaur Daddy: An MM Romantasy by Laura Lascarso

🔷Across Space and Time by Kit Barrie

🔷Chariot of Souls by Morgan Mason

🔷By Rude Strength ❤️by K.L. Hiers

🔷Found in Obscurity by A. M. Rose

🔷Twisted Fates by Adam J. Ridley

🔷No Justice for the Damned by Hellie Heat

🔷The Angel’s Kiss by Nicholas Bella

🔷Death Song by B. Ripley 

🔷Arcanum ❤️by Ashlyn Drewek

🔷The Devil’s Dilemma by Alex J. Adams

🔷Camelot’s Tower by Brooke Matthews

🔷A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star

❤️by Chloe Archer

🔷Trust in the Moon ❤️by Delaney Rain

🔷Raising the Sun by Eryn Hawk

🔷Zero Judgment by Kota Quinn

🔷The End of the World by Drake LaMarque

Buy link

        Trust in the Moon

    

Blurb 

Fresh off of a bad breakup, Zeke Castro is done with men and love even though he’s in a resort town in Colorado for his cousin’s big gay wedding. After a ruggedly handsome man kisses him in the hotel lobby, though, Zeke realizes his heart might not be so frozen after all.

Sacha Lupescu knows he’s found his fated mate and though he’s thrilled, he already knows that his mother won’t be. He needs to find a way to change her mind while also revealing his truth to Zeke without losing him.

Secrets ruined Zeke’s last relationship, and he’s started to notice that Sacha has a lot of secrets. But when the truth finally comes out, Zeke will need to decide if he can accept that fate is real and that he has a place in a world more magical than he ever could’ve dreamed.

Trust in the Moon is a standalone MM romance novel as part of the multi-author collaboration Tales from the Tarot. This book is based on the major arcana card The Moon with elements of trust issues, instalust/instalove, a bisexual awakening, pack politics, knotting and biting, shifted shenanigans, and a happily ever after.

  • Publication date: October 21, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 148 pages

Review: Dewitched (Blackhaven Manor Book 12) by Arden Steele

Rating: 3.5🌈

The fated mates romance of Owen Zhas, an Accipere (an out of control syphon witch) and Felix Hohlt, Guardian, begun in the previous book What the Hex?  There Owen ends up being at the center of all the magical issues and leads to the fated mate  relationship of the main couple.

Owen’s a sympathetic character with a real problem that potentially makes him a danger to other magical beings around him. 

It’s one of my issues with the storyline actually.  Steele’s Blackhaven Manor series foundation element is that dragon magic is drawing the fated mates there at the right time to get the HEA under the right circumstances.  But in this case that meant sending Owen off for a year by himself , after the dramatic events that could have seen him jailed, with his magic still out of his control. And his mindset in a worsening situation.

Yes he’s back at Halloween because of an invitation. But now he’s fearful and subdued. Steele’s written a character that realistic in his depression and isolation. But Dewitched isn’t got the length of a storyline to make that transition and fated mates work in relation to the character presented.

It’s good, got terrific elements and the potential for more is there. So it’s close. I loved the couple and the Princess.  But for all his pain, we needed more.

The series continues to intrigue with people/couples like this and that’s why I read it.

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

Sequel/adjacent  series:

Hunter’s Hollow:

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

Buy link

        Dewitched (Blackhaven Manor Book 12)

    

Blurb 

Ever since an unfortunate incident at Blackhaven Manor, Owen Zhas has closed himself off from the rest of the world. It’s not that he has anything against Otherlings, but he never asked to be one, and honestly, he’s barely even a witch. With no magic of his own, he’s stuck stealing it from others, whether he wants to or not. Unable to control it, he finds it easier to just avoid people altogether.

But when a certain female dragon shifter invites him to one of the hotel’s famous festivals, he can’t exactly say no.

As a Guardian, Fenix Hohlt has spent more than two decades watching over the youngest Nightstar, and when the precocious princess wants something, she usually gets it. Which is how he ends up in Colorado for the spookiest event of the year. He just never expected the journey to change the course of his future. One look at Owen, however, and he knows there is no going back.

While their first meeting went about as smooth as sandpaper, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to help Owen fight his demons. Even if that means banishing them to the deepest corners of the Underworld. He does have connections, after all.

With a hotel full of unsuspecting Otherlings, time is running out to find a solution, and he has a bad feeling things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.

  • Publisher: PECCAVI PRESS (October 20, 2024)
  • Publication date: October 20, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 119 pages

Review:  A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star (Tales from the Tarot story) by Chloe Archer

Rating: 4🌈

A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star, while definitely in the Tales from the Tarot multi-author series, is firmly rooted in Chloe Archer’s Monster Hollow universe and her latest novel from that, The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer.  

The main gargoyle characters here (and an unfortunate member under going punishment here), are met for the first time in that book. And in a delightful fashion, several characters get mentioned here too in terms of written passages from their own books or novels. It will make the reader seek out those novels to see what happens with them and their romantic adventures.

But there’s plenty to keep a reader entertained and invested in the shenanigans and adventures of one outgoing, positive human, Noah Price , and his gargoyle fated mate, Elryk DarkWing.

From the moment he connects with The Magic Shop and its mysterious Owner who, with the gift of a tarot reading, Noah gets a renewed happy energy and direction in his life that sees him flying off to Scotland and his fate.

Archer’s character of Noah is instantly likable. Positive and outgoing without being naive, able to take care of himself, he’s so easy to connect with.  Easily that American abroad in Scotland  or human amidst a bunch of otherworldly beings, he’s that person who can make it work either way. 

This is a fated mate instant bonding relationship but it does work here because of Noah and Elryk.  Archer has them in an isolated place and precarious situation, and then creates other characters we can equally enjoy and relate to as a support group for them.

As this is the first is a new sequel series set in Scotland, I can’t wait to see the others get their partners/fated mates too.  Should be entertaining as this one.

If you’re a fan of Archer’s Monster Hollow series or the author, definitely grab this up. The characters are charming, the story entertaining, and the ending satisfying. I look forward to the next one in this series.

Tales from the Tarot- 22 books 

🔷 Where Fools Have Tread by Jennifer Cody❤️

🔷The Magician’s Heart by J.P. Jackson

🔷Cleric of Desire by Amanda Meuwissen❤️

🔷The Nephilim’s Touch by Morgan Lysand

🔷King of Hollywood by Fae Quin

🔷My Minotaur Daddy: An MM Romantasy by Laura Lascarso

🔷Across Space and Time by Kit Barrie

🔷Chariot of Souls by Morgan Mason

🔷By Rude Strength ❤️by K.L. Hiers

🔷Found in Obscurity by A. M. Rose

🔷Twisted Fates by Adam J. Ridley

🔷No Justice for the Damned by Hellie Heat

🔷The Angel’s Kiss by Nicholas Bella

🔷Death Song by B. Ripley 

🔷Arcanum by Ashlyn Drewek

🔷The Devil’s Dilemma by Alex J. Adams

🔷Camelot’s Tower by Brooke Matthews

🔷A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star

by Chloe Archer

🔷Trust in the Moon by Delaney Rain

🔷Raising the Sun by Eryn Hawk

🔷Zero Judgment by Kota Quinn

🔷The End of the World by Drake LaMarque

Buy link

        A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star

    

Blurb 

A gargoyle hotter than Goliath (IYKYK) meets a human bad luck magnet with a coveted power that attracts trouble like catnip does cats. Is it destiny or disaster?

Noah Price

When a mysterious magic shop owner draws the lucky tarot Star card for me, I drop everything and hop on a plane to Scotland for the bucket-list trip of my dreams. Outlander (and Highlander, for my fellow nerds), eat your heart out!

Chaos ensues from the moment I arrive and before I know it, the danger turns deadly. Then a smoking hot gargoyle-slash-Highland warrior swoops (literally) in to rescue me—and in a super sexy kilt, no less. Swoon!

My bad luck must be turning good because I’ve finally met the man–I mean, gargoyle–of my dreams. But Elryk DarkWing doesn’t share my optimistic outlook on life and our budding relationship soon has to take a back seat to a threat to our world. I believe in destiny, though–and I’ll make sure we get our HEA!

Elryk DarkWing

Guarding a powerful magic ley line in the heart of the Highlands has been the responsibility of the DarkWing clan for centuries. This wasn’t the path I’d wanted for my life, but here I am.

That is, until my fated mate shows up, an attractive wee human with a surprising ability and all kinds of trouble hot on his heels.

Can such a delicate being survive among battle-hardened gargoyles that risk life and limb every time there’s a threat to the ley line we protect? Can he adapt to this isolated life, removed from most of human society? Answer—not bloody likely.

Noah’s unique power has drawn the unwanted attention of friend and foe alike, and I soon realize keeping Noah safe is a Herculean task. I won’t back down though, because maybe…just maybe…Noah’s right, and our destiny’s is written in the stars.

A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star is the first book (72k) in a spinoff series set in the Monsters Hollow universe and featuring the DarkWing gargoyle clan in Scotland.

  • Publication date: October 17, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 278 pages

Review:  Guardian (On the Wind Book 2) by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

Rating: 4.5🌈

Guardian is not the book I expected it to be.  Knowing that Hector was going to The Wall, with the Crane Clan, to defend the borders of Nemeda against the southerners in their never ending war, I expected non-stop battles, bloodshed, and angst. 

Especially from Hector, a man who has lost everything and has arrived in a new land where he has no status, no martial skills.  And the youngest, most gentle sibling he’s always protected, due to love and responsibility, is the one who has ended up rescuing not only himself but Hector and their sister (Sanctuary). He’s a very tragic, wounded figure in many ways.

But Burns and Fawkes delivers a great story and fantastic characters in a narrative that will go into a more intimate, emotionally powerful world, rather than a larger, action packed adventure. 

Hector, in a story that sees himself redefining his thinking about his life and future, is paired with a man who, once the layered are revealed, is similar in his own mind and history. That’s Killian, war Chief of the Crane Clan, whose interesting internal family and child raising structure has produced a person who understands the burdens of responsibility that Hector has borne since adolescence.  

Having Hector and Killian work together and struggle with their own issues as well as Hector’s need to redefine who he is as a man in a new world, needing new ideas and skills, is a brilliant way to bring them closer together and to make them relatable to the reader.  Hector’s insights into why he’s so torn, unhappy, and confused are thoughts that anyone can understand.  So too are those of Killian’s as he seeks to help Hector while still struggling to stay apart emotionally.  It all makes sense and their relationship is one I couldn’t get enough of. The authors writing is so skilled in detailing their emotions and dynamics.

I was thrilled to see both siblings again in important roles and emotional moments together.  That sister has found her home in Nemeda as the fierce consort to the Chief of the Raven Clan, is no surprise as we saw the women together at the end of the first novel.  Men and women rule Clans in Nemeda, something that’s not true to the north and south, so I wonder if it will play into future plans.

The authors have created such a great background and culture for the Crane Clan (along with the many other clans) that it’s easy to get sidetracked imagining more than just the cultural tidbits that are being given out. There’s a wealth of riches here throughout the whole story and series, and it’s goes into making this a beautiful, compelling book.

The ending was as astonishing and satisfying as the storylines that led up to it.  And it made me anticipate the next in this fabulous series even more.

Guardian (On the Wind Book 2) by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes is an excellent read as is the series. Absolutely recommend!

Cover art © 2023 by Natasha Snow Designs

On The Wind series:

Sanctuary #1

Guardian #2

Harbor #3 – November 14,2024

Buy link

        Guardian (On the Wind Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Only months ago, Hector was in his deathbed. Now, he’s fled his home, abandoning everything he’s ever known to protect his family. But in Nemeda, Paris and Helena don’t need their older brother to provide for them. Unmoored, Hector struggles to find his purpose, until a conniving Nemedan chief questions their legitimacy in the clans. The three refugee siblings must each serve a year on the wall, fighting in the unending war with Nemeda’s southern enemies, but Paris and Helena have carved a place for themselves in their new home. Hector alone is unanchored, and to keep his family safe, determines to serve all three years himself.

The chance to get close to formidable silver-haired chief of the Crane Clan—a man who looked at Hector at his weakest and saw value still—is only a faraway dream.

Killian has led the Nemedan war effort for twenty years. Duty and fairness surpass every other concern, but with Hector of Urial stationed in his lands, he finds himself bending rules that have kept Nemeda secure for generations. While Hector tests his boundaries, he also makes Killian question his assumption that love has no place in war, or in his life.

Killian will move armies to see Hector safe, but with a war looming and the threat of an illness that might steal Hector’s life as easily as any enemy blade, they’re on a collision course with fate that will change the whole land.

  • Publication date: October 24, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 299 pages

Review: Immortal Sentry by Eden Winters

Rating: 3.25🌈

While I’m a huge fan of this author, unfortunately Immortal Sentry doesn’t seem to have the same energy or narrative features as this author’s many other books.

The story of a lone survivor, Prince Eron, of his royal family’s betrayal and demise and subsequent struggles to regain the throne, are densely worded and dull “as told to” scenarios instead of being lively, vividly illustrated with memorable scenes, and emotional moments. 

It was indeed a struggle to connect with the characters and storylines. The language and dialogue was stiff and uninteresting. It lacked emotional overtones and saps any semblance of life from the characters and storylines.

It’s a huge difference from the author’s other novels I adore and rec.  Those have a highly satisfying narrative, vastly better dynamics between characters that are relevant and believable on paper.  Everyone here is dry and one dimensional. The plot is well written, as it’s definitely had many characters and storylines woven together to create a wider story.  But the couple and its main action sequences didn’t really work well.  That’s my main issue.

I enjoyed Winters previous novels, contemporary or fantasy driven, but this turned out to be not my cup of coffee. 

Check it out if you’re a fan of the author, maybe it will be yours.

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Immor…Immortal Sentry – Kindle edition by Winters, Eden. Romance …

Blurb

Honor, redemption, destiny, and magic.

As captain of the king’s guard, Kerric should have laid down his life for the royal family. Now, the king and his heirs lie dead. Kerric deserves death, too, yet the court mage has another punishment in mind. For their failure on the fateful day an enemy invasion killed the king, Captain Kerric and his men will forever guard the castle as gargoyles, both as a curse and as a warning. His one chance for redemption is to put a rightful heir on the throne. How can that happen when there are no living heirs, and he’s encased in stone?

Eron doesn’t remember much about his time before being rescued by notorious highwayman Lord Night and taught to live the life of a noble by day and brigand by night. There’s much more to Lord Night than meets the eye and much more to Eron’s destiny than purses of gold and nightly conquests.

A mysterious mage appears, saying it’s time for Eron to return home, overthrow an evil usurper, and take his rightful place.

As king.

  • Publication date: October 19, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 259 pages