Review: The Hitman’s Guide to Codenames and Ill-Gotten Gains (The Hitman’s Guide, #5) by Alice Winters

Rating: 5🌈

I believe this is the last in The Hitman’s Guide series and if it is, it’s a fantastic way to see this series off. I laughed out loud, and at the end, I may have sniffled a bit, because Winters layered in some moving, emotional scenes of deep love and growth for retired hitman Leland and his now husband, Jackson, along with those of outrageous hilarity.

But before we get to those moments, there’s high action, mystery, hilarious murderous hijinks, car chases, explosions, a young teenager in need of help, and, of course, that evil monster, Lukas, still trying to manipulate Leland from behind bars. In short, it’s got all the narrative bells and whistles we expect from this series and characters and more!

It delivers on all our expectations and then goes further into high emotional gear!

What I especially loved about this story was how Winters created her tale, starting with a small time holdup by amateurs, a seemingly throwaway scene. But with this author, the smallest of details , like a barely there character, that threads throughout the many storylines , to end up being a big part of the plot and eventual found family. It’s beautiful fabrication and imaginative storytelling.

And not to be lost among the fireworks and gunfire is the emotional turmoil and toll that exists within Leland, Cassel, and everyone else who is involved with Lukas. That monster manipulator behind bars but still causing emotional damage to Leland’s peace of mind. That’s as well written as the high pitched action and suspense that comes with the comedic timing and moments here that had me in stitches.

Winters balances the moving moments where Leland’s heart and vulnerability shows through with the flat out bad jokes and nonstop violence that’s associated with this former hitman and gang of found family. Yes, Winters has everyone back together here, dogs and mother in law included.

With that combination, this becomes a fabulous narrative ballet of bullets and comedic verbal poetry that absolutely kills it in every aspect!

I’m so sorry to see this series and group of characters go but what a book to end on. It’s a great finale. One I’m highly recommending, along with the series.

Hitman’s Guide:

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love #1

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Staying Alive Despite Past Mistakes #2

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot #3

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Righting Wrongs While Causing Mayhem #4

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Codenames and Ill-Gotten Gains #5 – finale

Related side story: Cassel’s romance:

✓ The Former Assassin’s Guide to Snagging a Reluctant Boyfriend

Buy Link:

The Hitman’s Guide to Codenames and Ill-Gotten Gains

Blurb:

Leland

Stopping a robbery was only the beginning—to fun, action-filled mayhem. Jackson’s afraid that I’m running headfirst into trouble (again), but I’m not… I’m running gun-first into it. When one of the robbers who’s really just a kid comes begging for my help, I definitely have no choice but to help him.

The kid is convinced his brother has been wrongly accused, and while Jackson My Love might be over there going, “You were hired to look into it, not to go undercover, sink a boat, and hunt down a gang,” I feel like he’s simply confused… because I’m gonna hunt down TWO gangs (and is that a car chase I see?).

Jackson

A simple “Whodunnit” turns into us being targeted by multiple bad guys as we run after them instead of away from them, dragging Cassel and Henry—and some others—along for the ride. I really can’t be the only one who sees the issue here, but… as I watch them race into danger, I’m starting to think I am.

Loving Leland comes easy, but keeping him safe doesn’t because there’s someone trailing Leland who might want to hurt him. The problem is that as Lucas strings us along and tales begin to become tangled, it’s hard to tell who is right and who is wrong.

Contains: Lifejackets used to protect all the wrong things (Leland: all the RIGHT things), the greatest tragedy of ALL TIME (involving The Fence)(even if Jackson doesn’t think so), and the kind of friends that make you realize you don’t need enemies.

Review: Casting Light (Shadow’s Lure Book Two) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

Casting Light ends the duology or two-part series, Shadow’s Lure by Alice Winters. I both loved this and had my frustrations with this end novel, all of which stem from the author’s typical style of storytelling.

Starting with the wondrous, that would be the narrative elements. They are imaginative, incredibly complex, especially with the light and dark magic themes embedded into the characters and many plot lines. The shades, the Casters, the dark history of the characters and their world that’s revealed, layer by layer, as the story unfolds, is thrilling. By turns, suspense filled, humorous, highly entertaining, or strewn with blooded bodies filled with magical rage, the plot is complex and contains quite a few twists to keep the reader engaged.

The characters are well written but are also where I have my frustrations with the novel and author’s writing style, one I enjoy by the way. The secondary characters end up being the most interesting ones simply because they are less chatty, unencumbered by paragraphs of conversations filled with what feels like overly cutesy dialogue or just so unendingly smirky. That’s Andras, by the way. He’s a tragic figure but his dialogue often makes him annoying rather than funny. It’s the wonderful way Winters has with this type of character and snappy dialogue but taken a tad too far. It’s the stage where it feels repetitive and that’s the place where it’s irritating, at least to me.

Andras and Bastian are a good match with each other’s stories and magical backgrounds. Bastian especially is a favorite of mine, so endearing and emotionally layered. Even the shade snake works for me incredibly well here when it comes down to the fighting and battle with The Hooded Man. That too was an excellent choice by Winters and a fabulous moment.

Oliver and Ronan, they were both great and their development throughout the series was a huge success. It’s one of the things this author does well with secondary characters, making them so important and necessary to the reader and the narrative that we need more of them.

Casting Light contains many chilling, suspenseful scenes and dramatic moments to make this a great read and way to finish off Shadow’s Lure. I was happy to see how the characters were able to get on with their lives, and satisfied with the explanation of the new status quo.

I’m definitely recommending this but read the series in the order that they are written, otherwise it won’t make any sense.

Shadow’s Lure (complete)

✓ Cast In Shadows #1

✓ Casting Light #2 finale

Buy Link:

Casting Light (Shadow’s Lure Book 2)

Blurb:

Bastian

When life dragged me down, I assumed I’d never get back up. I never guessed that Andras—the dark magic user I was always told to fear—would not only give me a helping hand but draw me into his arms and protect me from those who wished to harm me.

I never imagined that Andras and his “danger noodle” would be there to make me laugh, to care about me, and show me what it means to be loved. But now, the two of us have to prove to the Casters that we won’t be knocked down. Not when we don’t know who we can trust… and when there’s something darker coming for all of us.

Andras

As the hunt for the book that started all of this comes to a head, our enemies are getting closer, but so is the truth of what happened when my light magic was taken years ago. While they’ve fought to tear us apart, they’ve done nothing but draw us together as well as nearer to the truth.

I’m determined to finish this so I can get my happy ever after with the man I love and show him all of the little things he missed out in life. Oh, and so he can make me more chili.

Casting Light is the thrilling and humorous conclusion to the Shadow’s Lure duology.

Review: Cast In Shadows (Shadow’s Lure Book One) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4🌈

It took me a while to get into the storyline and connect with the characters. Alice Winters is a favorite author of mine and one of her trademarks in writing is the types of high energy characters and their roles within her narrative structure. There’s always one that has a certain amount of overpowering verbal quality and quirky character. He is often the most dangerous player, impetuous, charming, chaotic, unpredictable and often quixotic.

Here he’s mysterious , murderous,and borderline abusive towards Bastian , the Caster he kidnaps. And we don’t know why. That’s potentially a big problem. Because he’s not charming enough yet to overcome that . Not at the beginning.

I’m talking about Andras, a dark magic user who can take over dead people’s bodies. A interesting element in itself because Winters is asking the reader to connect and develop feelings for an entity whose body can be deposed of. I really like this factor. And as the plot plays out, the character too.

But the chitter chatter snappy dialogue and constant murderous tone/thoughts that Winters uses in her other books and characters ,in fact , made Andras less attractive in the first part of Cast In Shadows, the storylines more dense, because the verbiage was distracting.

Especially when on the other side was a young man who was already being abused by his cult like family and domineering father. That’s Bastian, who is at the bottom rung for everyone, on both sides. Except the reader, who feels sorry for him. Bastian is an appealing figure and one who’s easily the most engaging for the reader.

Because he’s being beaten down by everyone and everything here. We emphasize with him. Constantly.

On the other hand, it’s a challenge to understand the chemistry between the Andras who’s kidnapped him and Bastian, who hates his life. Unless it’s a case of Stockholm syndrome.

Eventually, a wider plot and a mysterious revenge motivation is revealed, but not necessarily completely. This is a “tip of the iceberg “ sort of world building scenario where only bits and pieces get scattered around for the reader to gather up and process.

I’ll admit there’s some interesting and fascinating stuff here. And the hints being thrown around look towards some whoppers of future revelations. That second book should be great. But you have to read through the sometimes murky mess that’s the Cast In Shadows, especially at the beginning.

So I’m recommending this for fans of the author, the genre, and for the really interesting elements Winters has in store for the characters and series.

Shadow’s Lure:

✓ Cast In Shadows #1

◦ Casting Light #2 – Sept 19, 2023

Buy Link:

Cast in Shadows (Shadow’s Lure Book 1)

Blurb:

Andras

When the light-magic users known as Casters took everything from me, I vowed to make them pay.

Little did I know the perfect opportunity would show up in the form of a sweet Caster the moment I took his arrow to the heart… literally. Bastian knows that I’m made of dark magic, the very thing he’s been taught to destroy. But instead of turning away from me, he takes a chance on me, leading me behind the walls of the group out to kill me.

Bastian makes me remember that there’s more to life than revenge—although I can’t help but love the look he gives me when I cause chaos. But what I don’t realize is there’s someone who’s been watching me, someone only Bastian can help me fight.

Bastian

How is it that a man wielding dark magic is the only one who can save me?

Even though Andras goes against everything I fight for, I can’t stop myself from drawing him into my life.

What’s worse is that it’s clear he wants something from the Casters, but when he makes me laugh and feel like I’m living for the first time in my life, it’s impossible to turn him away.

When I find myself caught in a web of lies between those I trusted and those I feared, I realize the only one I can rely on is the one person who’s forbidden.

Cast in Shadows contains an antihero with no filter and a strange obsession with chili, a “pet” who sleeps through all the excitement, and possibly the least romantic movie date ever.

Review: Hunter’s Descent (Mischief and Monsters, #2) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

I waggled between ratings because going into Hunter’s Descent, the reader absolutely must have read Monstrous Intent first or be completely lost. There’s simply no way to catch up or have enough information to understand the characters or backstory here to get a grip on the mayhem that occurs as well as underlying serious issues the author has woven through the series and relationships.

Some books you can do that with but not here.

But past that very basic point, this is a fabulous read and layered piece of storytelling from Winters.

Winters drops you into the lives of chimera Lake and ex hunter , now schoolteacher DeClan living their happily chaotic life, complete with Sir Reginald the beta fish and Mittens, the small chimera (it took me a while to remember Mittens wasn’t actually a cat). Back also are those two wonderfully humorous, slightly bent , ok very bent, members of this found family, chimeras Indigo and Sy.

Just when Lake and Declan are settling in after the last events of Monstrous Intents , a call from the DRD and murders of both humans and chimera draws them back into a past they’ve said they’d never return to. Serious issues alert, but extremely well addressed by the author.

Winter’s brings her typical snarky, sarcastic humor to a terrific plot that has elements of murderous hilarity, high suspense, fast-paced action, and mystery. It also brings in hard questions about research, speciesism, racism, guilt, and the inclination to equate anything different as a “thing”, less than whatever is on the other side of that equation.

And while we are narratively taking that all in, the author isn’t letting us forget that at heart, we’ve a found family and couple in love to care about. So she delivers moving scenes of fear of loss, anxiety and despair that brings Lake, Declan, and even Sir Reginald and Mittens, to the front emotionally of the story.

All the elements engaging the readers on multiple levels, humor, horror, drama,action , and romance. Right to the end.

Even then there’s a surprise or two , several threads that are left open, and many potential storylines for a third book. I certainly hope so.

In the meantime, I will probably go back and reread Monstrous Intent to see what things I possibly missed because it’s been a while. And who knew I missed those scamps Indigo and Sy that much!

I’m absolutely recommending Hunter’s Descent but not without reading Monstrous Intent first. Then hurry yourself right on over here.

Mischief and Monsters:

✓ Monstrous Intent #1

✓ Hunter’s Descent #2

Buy Link :

Hunter’s Descent (Mischief and Monsters Book 2)

Description:

Lake

Snagging the hunter was the easy part. Now I have to prove to him that a life filled with chaos, the most amazing fish ever, and delightful me is so much better than normal—trust me, he isn’t too hard to convince.

But when a group of insolent chimeras laughably think they can target my one true love, they have another thing coming for them—likely death.

With my dubious sidekicks in tow—and Declan, who is as happy as I am to run headfirst into danger—we travel across the country to track down why these chimeras are harassing Declan. But what we find might prove yet again that you never know who the real monster is.

Declan

Yeah… what he said. Except the fish part.

Review: Reckless Roulette (The Elite Book 1) by Alice Winters

Rating: 3🌈

Reckless Roulette is Alice Winters offering in the multi author series, The Elite. Per the series description:

“What links these books together is The Anonymous, a club beneath the gritty city where only the elite are welcome.”

Nebulous enough, the characters met briefly in the club here seem nasty, entitled, and of a semi lawful nature. So the books could have a wide range of themes.

Here it’s Kade, a casino owner being threatened by a brutal thug. The thug wants everything Kade has, starting with the casino, and there’s a timeline to turn it over before everyone dies. Including Kade.

The reader should immediately feel sympathetic, right? Be on Kade’s side?

And that’s one issue for me. Alice Winters can create snarky, sometimes sarcastic, self indulgent characters and still make them endearing or connectable. See her Hitman series for starters.

But here? The minute we enter the ugly life and identical mind of casino Kade, it’s an unpleasant, unending cesspool of selfishness, rage, and arrogance. A mind unmarred by thoughts of any kind of concern for others or even the most minuscule of ripples that he’s responsible for his actions and their consequences/impacts on others. Kade is completely contemptible, so spending pages with him becomes almost impossible.

Len, the hitman, a gamer, with a hoodie and a attitude is a better character but given the personality he’s to play off of and the short time in which to make his redemption believable, it just never feels right.

It’s a short story to begin with, with problematic characters, a lot of twisted emotions and dark reveals that needs a larger narrative to get the depth to handle the themes here.

That HFN ending, the irredeemable, contemptible person now so loving and happily generous to one and all? I just felt Winters never sealed her plot development along with the character growth.

It’s interesting, has promise. But in the end just didn’t deliver.

If you’re a fan of this author, or love to read entire series, then you might want to check out this book. Otherwise, I’d recommend Winter’s’ Hitman series where I feel this type of character was given a far better treatment.

The Elite Multi-Author series (9 Books):

✓ Reckless Roulette by Alice Winters

◦ Leave No Trace by Michelle Frost

◦ Ace of Maids by K.L. Hiers

◦ Poison Hearts by Jennifer Cody

◦ Liar’s Gambit by Kelly Fox

◦ Dealer of Secrets by Davidson King

◦ Bullets & Butterflies by Maz Maddox

◦ Love for the Reaper by Charlie Cochet

◦ Chance Encounter by Luna David

Buy Link:

Reckless Roulette (The Elite Book 1)

Description:

Seven days until game over.

Len

Kade has seven days left to live… unless I do something about it. I am one of the best assassins around, after all. But… I’m not sure I exactly care what happens to Kade. He’s rude, only cares about himself and his casino, and did I mention he doesn’t know a single thing about video games?

Okay, okay. Maybe that’s not enough of a reason to watch him dash headlong into danger while I kick back and enjoy the show.

It’s kind of fun though.

Now I know what you’re thinking… doesn’t that make me the selfish one? See, I don’t mind helping people—it’s kind of my thing. But the ones I help aren’t anything like Kade.

They’re people who have nothing left who are willing to go to great lengths to save those they love, even at the cost of losing themselves. Still, maybe Kade can show me that beneath his icy exterior is a man worth saving. A man worth loving. And maybe even a man worth risking everything for.

Issue is… he only has seven days to do it.

Reckless Roulette is a part of the multi-author series The Elite. Each book can be read as a standalone and in any order. What links these books together is The Anonymous, a club beneath the gritty city where only the elite are welcome.

Review: How to Defy a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Book 5) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

It’s was 2020 when we last saw a release in this series, so it took a while to remember what had happened and where we stood with all the characters and their relationships.

This paranormal series stood out from the beginning due to one of its main characters. That’s Finnegan “Finn” Hayes, a human police detective who comes to work for the VRC, the Vampire Related Crimes Unit. He’s a double amputee, arm and leg, both purposely cut off by a vampire with a master plan for Finn’s life, including total control.

That’s all discovered through convoluted, and disturbing revelations and plot threads in the beginning books. His outlook, his banter, all Finn’s way of dealing with the enormous horror he’s faced and the memories he carries. Winters never lets us or Finn, through his emotional struggles, forget that those special prosthetics (part of that horror) aren’t any true replacement for his missing limbs. They can break, the electronics can stop working, the nerves or specific cap where they attach has been damaged. It’s a believable portrait of a man who both needs his prostheses to feel complete and hates the vulnerability because of what he sees he becomes without them. A issue addressed further here.

I feel Finn is actually the most complex character Winters has created. And he continues to show character growth in small ways throughout the series.

His relationship with his partner, the ancient vampire, Marcus Church, is a terrific example. Marcus isn’t forthcoming about his bloody past , but it’s often his past that’s comes to confront them, forcing an exchange of information. As it happens here.

But Winters has a deeper scheme for the series arc apparently as she doubles, shockingly, back to Finn’s beginning.

I’ll say no more. But this is a real fear inducing storyline. And it’s only partially solved, leaving several threads open for discussion and potentially more huge issues and high drama.

We also get two new characters, both fascinating and engaging, and linked to both Finn and Marcus’ pasts.

Claude and Alexei are here and clearly more established in their relationship. I adore them.

I had forgotten how much I really love this series. It’s raw in its character complexity, scary in its story execution, and while it has it humorous moments, it remains a terrifying tale at heart with love always at risk.

Hopefully we won’t have to wait as long for the next installment.

Guts are torn out, heads fly, much violence. This is dark fiction at much of the time. Not something that you would want to read? Take notice.

Otherwise I’m recommending it highly. They must be read in the order they are written in order to understand the events and characters development.

VRC: Vampire Related Crimes series:

🔷How to Vex a Vampire #1

🔷How to Elude a Vampire #2

🔷How to Lure a Hunter #3

🔷How to Save a Human #4

🔷How to Defy a Vampire #5

Buy Link:

How to Defy a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Book 5)

Description:

Finn
Stumbling into a crime scene is pretty typical for me. As a human, joining the VRC has done everything but keep me out of trouble. And now I seem to be playing a part that I’d really rather not play… if I want to keep my head, that is.

By my side is my partner Marcus, a vampire who has vowed to tear the world apart—and even a mattress—to keep me safe. I want to do everything I can to protect my newfound family, no matter what we’re forced to face.

Marcus
When ghosts from my past step right into my path, I want to look the other way. I’d rather enjoy my life with Finn, figure out a way to make my brother less obnoxiously gaudy, and find out how to never go roller skating ever again.

Finn is the bravest person I’ve ever met, but he’s also a human and we’re working against some of the strongest vampires in existence. I’m left doing what I can to shield those dearest to me while trying to keep the past from consuming the present.

I can’t let the same mistakes happen again.

How to Defy a Vampire contains peculiar festive wear, misguided attempts at welcoming a human, and Marcus terrifying everyone as usual.

Review: Monstrous Intent (Monsters and Mischief Book 1) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

If you’re familiar with Alice Winters, you know her writing often grounds itself in dark topics like murder, assassination, torture, themes of mass destruction, whether it’s in a contemporary world or that of an alternate reality filled with the paranormal.

Blending snarky, sharp, irreverent humor with moments of serious reflection and empathy, however, brief, the author imbues her characters and storylines with a slightly demented vitality that goes well with her high action packed narrative.

Declan is a former monster hunter for the Department of Research and Defense (DRD). But he became disillusioned with the constant attacks and killings so he left to become a teacher. Now with an increase in Chimeras sightings and killings, the DRD wants its best hunter back and won’t stop until he’s part of the organization again.

Lake, an enigma, works for the DRD , but Declan is instantly aware Lake is much more.

Winters’ complex plot, increasing cast of characters, and series foundation that’s being laid out as the storyline deepens, is a tale guaranteed to hold the reader’s interest and keep them engaged with the characters growing relationships.

Plus there’s fish again. That’s a odd reoccurring trend that’s got me wondering about undercover fish goals and other weirdness. Sort a love it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Monstrous Intent and the open threads it left in this story that will drive the next part of the series.

If you’re a fan of Alice Winters or if this sounds like a tale that’s your jam, it’s one I’m definitely recommending.

Alice Wintershttps://www.alicewintersauthor.com › …Monstrous Intent

Description:

Declan
It’s really hard to pretend like life is normal when you’re staring a monster in the eyes, though he’s both tempting and irritating in his human form. I put my days as a hunter behind me, unable to cope with the death and pain anymore, to become an upstanding citizen and for what? To assist Lake, a man who claims he’s not a monster but keeps talking about me like I’m edible and–even worse–wants to woo me? Between my old organization trying to pull me in and Lake proving that things aren’t quite what they seem, I’m dragged back into this world of fighting the things that humans fear the most.

Lake
The human is exquisite. The first moment he told me he was going to hunt me down, I felt my heart burst. He’s beautiful, sassy, angry, and going to be mine (even if he thinks he can refuse my charms). But what Declan doesn’t know about me is that there’s a reason I’m hiding as a human among monster hunters. And while he definitely doesn’t know why, he’s willing to work with me because the people around us strangely want Declan and me dead at the end of this (I mean, who would want to kill us? We’re amazing).
But honestly… what’s more fun than dragging a hunter off to the dark side?

Warning: This is a chaotic monster and a chaotic human. Stuff happens. People die (but they were bad, so it doesn’t matter, right?) and there’s plenty of humor alongside a budding romance.

AMAZON

GOODREADS

—-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Malicious Midpoint (Demon Magic #3) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.75 🌈

Malicious Midpoint is the third of Alice Winters’ Demon Magic series and it’s my favorite to date. It’s a great mixture of the author’s signature snarky dialogue, quirky likable characters, which is combined with a magically twisted dark plot that’s pulled from all the previous novels. One that unexpectedly eschews the expectations of humor, ending up with emotionally moving scenes that deepen our connections with this very odd group of beings.

Not that humorous elements are left out! Far from it. There’s a scene or two that actually causes a spit take ! Waterbeds indeed! The growing family of Miles, Havoc, Menace, and others who often end up in their home or part of the peculiar intimate circle of friends are added to and, have their bonds tightened by the events here.

And it all starts so easily. With just a book and a boom!

Winters weaves a tale of love, darkness, tortured pasts, loss, family, and reclamation into something extraordinary. Just when you think the pain and darkness is unrelenting, there’s that aspect of humor to pull everything up before it’s plunging back down again.

Then there’s that ending. It’s weighing on me. Everywhere I see this is noted as 3 of 3 books in the series but this is very much an unfinished arc with so many storylines left unresolved.

It’s why this isn’t a 5 rating. Will there be more books? Another related series? I don’t know. I do know if you’re like me you won’t feel completely satisfied by this ending.

I’m still thrilled by Malicious Midpoint. But is it really instead the midpoint of this series? Is that my takeaway?

If someone has the scoop, please contact me.

In the meantime, I’m highly recommending Malicious Midpoint (Demon Magic #3) by Alice Winters and all the books that preceded it.

Demon Magic series:

🔹Shadow’s Origin #0.5

🔹Happy Endings #1

🔹Familiar Beginnings #2

🔹Malicious Midpoint #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showMalicious Midpoint (Demon Magic #3) by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Nothing can go wrong with being in love with a demon and having a dragon familiar whose idea of a fun time is watching me plummet to the ground, right? Now that things have settled down, I’m hoping to finally get some peace and quiet to spend with Havoc.

Instead, we get a guy who can walk the river of the dead, a centaur that seems allergic to pants, and an angel who has only one true love: himself.

This is the group of misfits I’ve been given to protect the district.

Sometimes I can’t help but wonder how we stopped an unbelievably powerful dark mage.

After finding a strange book in the middle of the woods that seems to be connected to curse magic, I find myself in the presence of someone from my past… someone I never expected to meet again. As the clues lead us into a district on the brink of destruction, Havoc and I realize that in order to stop the district from collapsing and taking down our friends with it, we can’t do it alone. With the assistance of my chaotic crew, we are going to stop this darkness before it consumes those we care about.

But everything comes at a cost because when you work with magic, nothing is predictable.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.75🌈

Unraveling The Threads of Fate by Alice Winters is an excellently written, highly suspenseful tale that contains a lot of moments of extreme anxiety and dread. It stretches over the all events that should be happening to the people in the universe here.

I say should because a major element is that one character, Alex Coleman, school teacher, has a gift. He can see invisible threads stretching from person to person. Red threads ties a person to their soulmate. But the black threads he also sees ties them to the one who will kill them. It’s a talent he’s had his entire life and one he’s hidden.

In this universe, those with special gifts are tested and tracked, starting at a early age. But Alex’s abusive childhood with a destitute drug dealer allowed him to evade it.

Bishop King, scion to a wealthy businessman, once was the only friend Alex had growing up, until a horrific event drove them apart.

Bishop too has a special talent. He can walk in people’s dreams. But in Alex’s dreams, he’s got the power to do more, see more.

When they meet again, at Career Day at Alex’s school, they set off a set of events that have a rippling effect for a multitude of characters as Alex and Bishop fight to find and change their fates, pulled along by the threads Alex is seeing.

Winters, in her inimitable manner, with wry, sarcastic, haunting, and heartbreaking dialogue and scenes gives us a scary and thrilling tale of fate altered at breakneck pace, a murderer on the loose, and two find trying to outwit both a murderer and plot they can’t understand, and deal with a abusive past that threatens them.

With alternating flashbacks that are chilling in their cruelty and ability to deliver the blows that continues to be felt in the future, and a present where dreams are nightmares of blood, black threads, and death, that the author manages to bring romance and fun into this is amazing.

All the characters are fantastic. It includes Alex’s sister, Cali, who he raised. Her friends. Even the adults the surround them, good and bad.

It’s a vile and fascinating mixture.

But watching them trying to figure out how to change the date of each person and event, it’s thrilling and scary and heart racing.

And that ending is so very satisfying.

I believe this is a standalone.

So pick it up and enjoy a great thrill ride!

I’m highly recommending it.

https://www.goodreads.com › showUnraveling the Threads of Fate by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Alex
Some people are born lucky.
Then there’s me, destined to be loved by the man who knows my darkest secret.
My gift has followed me my entire life—the ability to see the threads of fate. I can see the red thread tying together two people destined to love one another.
But my gift has another side to it. A darker side.
I can also see a simple black thread tied to the fingers of those who aren’t aware of it, connecting them to the person destined to kill them. And when I look down at my own finger, I can see the red thread stretched over to Bishop King. The man who is my soul mate.

But then why is the black thread also wrapped around our fingers?
Bishop is sweet and caring, and I can’t stop my heart from loving him. I just need to thwart fate before it separates us forever.

Bishop
I swore to never let myself be drawn back into Alex’s world, but the man is funny and charming and the moment we’re together I fall back into the familiarity we shared as teenagers.
I know this time is different; he’s hoping that I can help him walk through his dreams to figure out how an innocent girl is going to die.

While his dreams tell of the future, mine allow us to find the truth. But what happens when we save a life and change fate–will it affect our own future? I can’t keep myself from falling for Alex, but what if helping him leaves one of us dead?

Unraveling the Threads of Fate is a standalone romance with action, mystery, humor, and a happy ending.

Review: The Hitman’s Guide to Righting Wrongs While Causing Mayhem ( Hitman’s Guide #4) by Alice Winters

Rating: 4.5🌈

The Hitman’s Guide to Righting Wrongs While Causing Mayhem is the fourth book in Alice Winters series about a retired hitman who’s now happily married and in business with his PI husband. We’ve followed their hilarious , zany, sometimes murder-filled lives, from the meeting at the infamous and now enshrined Fence all the way through their engagement and marriage.

I have adored every second of every bit of the time I’ve spent getting to know former hitman Leland and his now husband Jackson, chief of police, Henry, who’s basically stepped in as father figures for Leland, fellow former hitman Cassel, and his boyfriend cop , Jeremy, dogs Cayenne and Sarge, …. I mean the cast of fantastic characters is huge! And they weave in and out of every story, regardless of what that particular book’s theme is. You can count on certain people and animals to be a part of the investigations and whatever shenanigans that ensues.

Leland’s ( and Cassel’s ) adolescence and twisted mentorship under Lucas has also been a constant dark thread in the series. Sometimes it manifests itself as Leland’s inability to connect in a “normal’ to established family celebrations or traditions. They physically make him hurt as something so warm and loving is so outside of his universe. Lucas manipulated him and all his “boys” in a utterly, cruel way. Hand picking abused, starved boys at their worst then narrowing their world down to Lucas, their kill, their training, and their next target. Those that didn’t live up to Lucas’s standards, were “gone “.

That past gets reflected through Leland’s actions and remarks through every story too. And Jackson is there supporting and helping Leland with the pain and growth.

I love that element.

This couple is hilarious, loving, but the substance is always present.

This was an especially complicated investigation. Of course, it starts with someone from Leland’s past coming for Leland and his special “talents”.

Naturally, the case goes sideways right from the start with bodies piling up, false identities, porn names, and the reappearance of the Sasquatch!

It’s fast moving, often over the top action, matched by equally snappy,snarky dialogue . Lots of shooting, and explosions!

Lucas makes several important appearances here. The deep damage done as he molded both as youth into assassins, damage that’s left both Leland and Cassel traumatized, is clear here. So is the influence he continues to have on both men even from prison.

This is the one major element that is only partially dealt with. Lucas has been THE major bad for the entire series, deservedly so. He’s a fully developed, multidimensional villain. There’s a reason he’s to be feared.

At one point Leland gets his moment of revelation about himself and his emotional growth. It’s allowing him to move forward.

However, and this is a huge however, this gigantic emotional step forward isn’t complete because the story doesn’t allow it to be. Unless there’s another book to come. Leland never goes to see Lucas to see if Lucas can still get to him.

Lucas and his part in Leland and Cassel’s lives needs a closure.

While he’s still in prison pulling strings , no one is getting any. Leland , no matter what happened during that case, has been unable to face him without being traumatized. Cassel can’t face him at all.

The series needs to address that.

Plus Ava, that strong AF mother in law, who went through so much? You can’t tell me there aren’t some emotional fallout elements to come there. There should be. Because there always been some very truthful threads underneath the caustic comedy routine between Ava and Leland. We need to see what happens next.

So I’m hoping this isn’t the end of the series because while it’s a terrific story, there’s still much important stuff left to bring to closure.

It should be clear how very much I love this universe and series. These people are so close to my heart. I want nothing less than the absolute best. Because the way Alice Winters wrote and created them? They are deserving of nothing less.

What a series! What a wonderful story! I’m highly recommending them all . And honestly waiting for the next.

The Hitman’s Guide series:

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love #1

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Staying Alive Despite Past Mistakes #2

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot #3

✓ The Hitman’s Guide to Righting Wrongs While Causing Mayhem #4

Side Story:

😎The Former Assassin’s Guide to Snagging a Reluctant Boyfriend

AMAZON

GOODREADS

AUDIOBOOK

Synopsis:

Leland

Growing up, I was taught that getting too close to someone would be my downfall. But I’ve proven that wrong now that I’m happily married to Jackson, the greatest man in the world. The issue is that mayhem always seems to find me (which is definitely not my fault), and this time, it comes in the form of a woman looking for her daughter. What starts as a simple missing persons case turns into so much more, forcing me to rely on my found family and others, including a muscley “bear” who will definitely not whisk away my husband with his irritatingly sexy accent—I mean, yes, I’m very focused on this case… Jackson, don’t look at me like that.

Jackson

While Leland is “code potatoing” (whatever that means on his strange cheat sheet), I’m left questioning what he’s gotten himself into this time. At least he’s willing to let me assist him, even if he’s still positive that I should just “sit pretty” and let him handle everything. But with the girl missing, he knows we need to work together to determine whose game we’re playing because not everything is as it seems. Of course, when one gets involved with Leland, nothing is ever simple. But maybe that’s just the way I like it.

Contains: speed walking up way too many stairs while holding pointy objects, feel-better cookies that didn’t turn out quite right, Spanish that definitely isn’t Spanish, and lots of long-suffering people being swept up in Leland’s shenanigans once more

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