Review: The Train (The Spell Saga: Book 1) by Cari Z

Rating: 4.5🌈

What a exciting and suspenseful story! From the moment we dive into the harried life of young Anton Seiber, journeyman thaumaturge, we are plunged into a world of murder, spies, Royal espionage, and magical weaponry! On a train!

The Train (The Spell Saga: Book 1) by Cari Z has a nonstop fast action plot that’s rich with excellent characters, a multitude of themes, from those peoples wishing freedom from Royalty to dangerously magical weaponry and spells to imminent continental war. With a the hint of a romance as well.

Mystery, murder, and magic!

I’ll go ahead and throw in the mayhem that occurs when Anton Seiber misses his train to Zurich from a Paris layover. He’s got a hard earned scholarship to the Masters of Thaumaturgy program at the prestigious Universität Zürich and he must be there precisely on time or all will be lost.

So when the occasion arises where he assumes the identity of a man that will be traveling on the last train to get him there? He takes it.

Anton Seiber is such a fabulous character. He’s worked hard to become the best thaumaturge he can and you absolutely believe in his pursuit of knowledge and his magical abilities. He’s a vivid personality that makes you wonder what’s happening within his head, and heart!

The person to bring out the most confusing emotions and the best of his abilities is the French Emperor’s spy ,Lord Camille Lumière . It’s their joint investigations aboard the train, the murders and murderous attempts that keep this story rocking along at a fast pace . It also keeps us guessing as to who the next target is and where the danger is coming from. And are they ever going to kiss?

The Train and our heroes work through all the investigations to a highly satisfying ending that starts a hint of a romance for the series.

The Train leaves me in great anticipation for The Tower, coming out soon.

Until then, I’m highly recommending The Train, the first in this new series by Cari Z. It’s magical, suspenseful, murderous, and more entertaining then you can imagine!

The Spell Saga series:

✓ The Train #1

◦ The Tower #2 -October 11, 2022

◦ The Tank #3-October 25, 2022

The Train: The Spell Saga: Book Oneby Cari Z

Description:

Anton Seiber, journeyman thaumaturge, has finally escaped his dead-end job identifying bodies in the morgues of London. He’s off to seek a brighter future…or he would be, if he hadn’t just been robbed, mugged, and turned away from the only train that will help him reach that future on time.

A random meeting turns into a fight for his life and gifts Anton with two things: a knife that always kills whatever it stabs, and the chance to assume the identity of the man who just tried to kill him and board the train in his place.

He wasn’t counting on being found out by a lumière, one of the French emperor’s most powerful and intriguing spies. He wasn’t betting on a murder being committed on the train, or on being asked for his help identifying the culprits. He wasn’t asking to be drawn into a web of simmering insurrection, and he certainly didn’t want to find Lord Lumière so irresistible, but there’s no denying it.

Perhaps Anton will even tell him so…if he survives to the end of this journey.

———-

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: The Doctor (Magic and Steam #3) by C. S. Poe

Rating: 5🌈

Sawbones. The doctor behind all the heinous experiments and the battlefield nightmares. A sadist now being hunted and who’s hunting.

The Doctor starts off on the cliffhanger of a heartbreaker of that ending in The Gangster. Then it ended with a explosive revelation by Gillian Hamilton just as the DC Special Agents were flooding the building he and his outlaw lover, Gunner the Deadly, were in. Gillian forced Gunner to leave for his safety, before turning to face the unknown.

Now we know the results that awful day. Gillian Hamilton has lost everything. He’s been imprisoned by the Council, under conditions that have him losing his sanity and hope.

It’s a truly chilling opener.

We’re inside his mind and just so devastated as he’s emotionally bereft without Gunner’s loving support. He’s isolated, tortured, and still aware of all the sinister elements and evil characters in play around him.

Poe’s writing distills the horrors of Gillian’s state of mind as well as his physical damage with a cold conciseness.

The complicated storylines and whereabouts of the characters we care about are threaded neatly through the plot as Poe advances Gillian’s plight from stage to stage.

The suspense is tight and fraught with anxiety for Gillian’s safety. Poe starts to introduce more steampunk elements as well as horror aspects as the plot expands to bring in more characters and bigger sinister details.

I am so addicted to this couple and series. So of course, The Doctor ends on a moment of heartbreaking revelation once more. One, however, the reader was somewhat prepared for this time.

The Councilman will do you need to go is that what you’re telling me OK

Magic & Steam series to date:

🔹The Engineer #1

🔹The Gangster #2

🔹The Doctor #3

🔹The Councilman #4 – Release TBD

Another outstanding cover.

Cover art: Reese Dante

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Doctor (Magic & Steam, #3) by C.S. Poe – Goodreads

https://www.cspoe.comC.S. Poe | Homepage

Synopsis:

1882—Gillian Hamilton, magic caster and Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has been stripped of his title, badge, and freedom. Gillian’s true name and powers have been exposed, so now he’s kept under lock and key. To make a tragedy worse, Gunner the Deadly has returned to his life out in the Wild West and has not been heard from since.

Rumors of a doctor, known only as Sawbones, with access to illegal magic have persisted into the new year. Gillian believes that violence, chaos, and certain death will befall New York City if this criminal isn’t apprehended. And despite having lost his sense of purpose, Gillian knows he’s the only one capable of confronting this new madman—with or without the backing of the FBMS.

But such dangers should never be undertaken alone. Gillian will need both Gunner’s deadeye marksmanship, as well as his love, if he’s to detain Sawbones before irreparable damage is done to the magic of his world.

———-

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

Review: The Gangster (Magic and Steam #2) by C. S. Poe

Rating: 4.5🌈

Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, healed from the events that occurred in The Engineer, is back home in New York City. And he’s anticipating a very special New Year’s Eve celebration if everything goes smoothly.

But this is Gillian , so no. He’s actually not healed yet, not completely and hasn’t said anything. His feelings about his reunion are complicated by his job, the need to hide his sexuality, and his insecurities. So huge!

Poe has made this man come alive in such a short time that we feel him actually vibrating with his thoughts while trying to bring down a fleeing criminal. Gillian may be a powerful magic caster but emotionally he’s vulnerable, a aspect to him that makes us feel even more connected to him .

Then there’s another unexpected complication from within his office for him to deal with.

Poe narratively threatens Gillian’s foundation on several levels while throwing him in the form of Gunner, the support he needs , emotionally and physically.

Just as Gunner is starting to open up to Gillian, the mystery of the mechanical men, the illegal magical weapons, and the devastating consequences it’s having on the City are tearing away at Gillian. It’s reawakening horrifying memories, causing his deeply buried secrets to raise barriers between himself and Gunner.

This story is more provoking, emotionally thoughtful, and horrific than The Engineer. It ends in a heartbreaking cliffhanger.

Luckily, The Doctor, the next novel in the series, can be read immediately so that cliffhanger is dealt with.

I’m headed to that story now.

Brilliant writing and character development. The Gangster (Magic and Steam #2) by C. S. Poe has so many incredible and layered personalities here , Addison and Monroe, that you just feel each is such a keeper too. Along with the main couple that’s currently breaking our hearts.

Poe’s imaginative storyline gives us new steampunk elements, magical mechanical men, and more as the mystery expands, together with beautifully rendered characters.

This is a series and book to absolutely have on your #MustRead lists.

I’m highly recommending them.

Magic & Steam series to date:

🔹The Engineer #1

🔹The Gangster #2

🔹The Doctor #3

Another outstanding cover.

Cover art: Reese Dante

Buy Links:

https://www.cspoe.com › m-s-the-ga…The Gangster (Magic & Steam: Book Two) | C.S. Poe

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Gangster (Magic & Steam, #2) by C.S. Poe – Goodreads

Synopsis:

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, magic caster for the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has recovered from injuries obtained while in Shallow Grave, Arizona. Now back in New York City, Gillian makes an arrest on New Year’s Eve that leads to information on a gangster, known only as Tick Tock, who’s perfected utilizing elemental magic ammunition. This report complicates Gillian’s holiday plans, specifically those with infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly, who promised they’d ring in 1882 together.

The two men stand on the cusp of a romance that needs to be explored intimately and privately. But when Gillian’s residence is broken into by a magical mechanical man who tries to murder him on behalf of Tick Tock, he and Gunner must immediately investigate the city’s ruthless street gangs before the illegal magic becomes a threat that cannot be contained.

This might be their most wild adventure yet, but criminal undergrounds can’t compare to the dangers of the heart. Gillian must balance his career in law enforcement with his love for a vigilante, or lose both entirely.

——-

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

Review: A Velvet Glove (Arcane Hearts #4) by Nazri Noor

Rating: 4.75🌈

Such an outstanding series. Each story sees a increase in danger to the world our heroes live in from the Fae, the originators of the purple poison crystals that started off the series arc with some strange deaths.

But it’s not from the Fae alone that our characters and their deep relationship seem to face new obstacles and trials. Everywhere they turn, there’s daunting challenges to the path forward they are trying to tread.

For Jackson Pryde , it’s the gods and goddesses who have invited/told him to come to a meeting about his identity as a prism. It’s a element that’s still in development as to what it will eventually mean to Jackson’s life and relationship.

It’s a overlaying thread while Jackson deals with trying to rebuild the artificers’ guild, get approval for the plans (a fantastic section that includes Lore and a new character), and get ready to attend a gathering with Xander at Greyhaven, the magical school he was told he was never good enough for.

Nazri Noor has packed a couple of books worth of themes into one here and , while jammed full, it still flows smoothly. It’s incredibly suspenseful, full of so many emotionally laden issues for our main characters that we and them might be unpacking for the next book or three.

Idol/hero worship, adolescent expectations and the pain when reality mades life feel less important, doubts and insecurities. All while fighting a growing enemy bent on complete destruction.

New fascinating characters. Old enemies , the Fae, of Irish lore. Definitely not any friendly to humans, but capable of extraordinary cruelty.

Lore is exhibiting new growth and personality. I love him.

Noor gives us hints of enormous peril, loss, and just the hope of happiness. Have no idea where this is going but I’m on for the whole ride.

Just amazing stories but read them in the order they are written so you can understand the relationships and arc development.

I’m highly recommending them all.

Arcane Hearts series:

✓ A Touch of Fever #1

✓ A Stroke of Brilliance #2

✓ An Iron Fist #3

✓ A Velvet Glove #4

◦ Hand of Glory #5

https://www.goodreads.com › seriesArcane Hearts Series by Nazri Noor – Goodreads

Jackson Pryde is too cool for school.

In the middle of shearing talking sheep, Jackson Pryde and Xander Wright are visited by Hecate and Freyja, queens of magical might within their pantheons. The goddesses have summoned Jackson for a meeting among immortals, a convocation of entities who wish to study the strange nature of his prismatic powers.

Jackson’s busy enough already. Work is underway for the rebuilding of the artificers’ guild. Rumors abound that his childhood hero is searching for a suitable assistant. And a chance assignment sees the boys visiting the heart of where their bitter rivalry truly began: the elite academy of Grayhaven.

Good thing a visit to Xander’s alma mater won’t unearth old grudges and ancient insecurities.

Right?

A Velvet Glove is an 85,000-word M/M urban fantasy romance with a HFN ending. Join a fast-talking artificer and a snarky sorcerer, childhood friends who become bitter enemies, then lovers, as they explore a world filled with strange flora, mythical fauna, and magical murders. If you like your urban fantasy with humor, horror, and a whole lot of heart, you’ve come to the right place. Experience A Velvet Glove today.

Review: Breathe of Life (Godstones Saga #2) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 5🌈

As I’ve said before, it’s always the second book in a series that cements the foundation and really establishes the pillars the author’s is resting their epic fantasy storylines upon.

Breathe of Life, the second novel in the Godstones Saga by Jocelynn Drake does all that and more beautifully. It’s here the author lays out the fantasy themes and storylines the main group of characters must strive for. The epic goals and the unbelievable obstacles that lie ahead of them all become clear as well.

All while our intrepid group fights gallantly through enemy battalions, encountering unexpected dangers within and without, and dealing with gods. Who have their own agendas.

To say my time with this book just flew would be an understatement.

I’m so committed to these people and each new event and obstacle raises each man to find within himself some new flaws as well as strengths. The characters develop deeper relationship dynamics between each other that just adds such amazing interest and brings us closer to them. Individually and as they find attractions towards each other.

Drake has such great skills when writing fantasy. It shows in the imaginative Godstones/gods as well as extends towards the battles and internal emotions that Caelan fights within him. Plus the rotating 4-man pov strengthens the narrative and our commitment to each character and their role in this epic journey.

This series has quickly become a must read and I’m hot onto the next book in the series Wake the Dead.

Then I’ll have to wait like every one for the January release. Sigh.

Until then, if you love fantasy romance and fiction, grab up this series. Read it straight through and meet me at the next story!

I’m loving this! And highly recommending it!

https://www.goodreads.com › showBreath of Life (Godstone Saga, #2) by Jocelynn Drake – Goodreads

Godstone Saga Series:

✓ Steal The Wind #1

✓ Breathe of Life #2

◦ Wake the Dead #3

◦ Wings of Fire #4 – coming January 22, 2022

Synopsis:

Caelan wants his throne back.

The bargain has been struck, and it’s time to return home.

But the situation is worse in Erya than he previously suspected. Betrayal runs deep in the streets of Stormbreak, and finding people he can trust will be treacherous.

He has no choice, though. He’s fighting for his birthright, and maybe even a little revenge if he can get it.

Will the gods come between him and the crown?

Or worse, him and Drayce?

Breath of Life is the second book in the six-book Godstone Saga fantasy series and is not a standalone. The story contains explosions, gods with secret plans, hidden romance, a prince set on revenge, magic, and lots of delicious angst..

Review: A Very Genre Christmas by Kim Fielding

Rating: 5⛄️🌈

What a wild and crazy and totally merry Christmas tale Kim Fielding has gifted us with this holiday season.

Unlike any story I’ve read and EXACTLY like sooo many I’ve read and adored, A Very Genre Christmas is a bibliophile noir “find that reference “ Christmas romance mystery…and more.

I heart this sooo much.

Told from PI Nick Bozic’s pov he sounds exactly like Sam Spade, his sentences liberally sprinkled with words like “doll” or “sister “. Fielding has 1950s Portland, Oregon down perfect, from the sights to the corrupt politics, and the era is point on from clothing to cars to cinema. We and the characters are authentically submerged in the 50’s. Albeit with just a smidge difference.

There’s a odd Rift that move and allows certain characters and beings to fall through into Portland. It’s one of Nick’s jobs to see they get home, if possible.

Now see, here’s where Fielding must have had a true literary romp because I can see her laughing as she writes these sort of vague ish descriptions for those that have come through the Rift. You might want to whip out and make notes to see how many you get down, how many you can identify…. correctly that is, and what novels/world they came from. Utter bliss! I’m telling you.

I think I missed a few. But it starts with his secretary! How delicious! And I love her… in all her many versions.

As I do the main couple….

Evindal the Christmas Elf is a marvelous character. Never a joke or caricature, his infectious joy over his new experiences and his love of helping others carries such incredible warmth that you can almost feel it. He’s Christmas spirit personified.

Nick Bozic’s slow change of heart , the changes visible first in alterations to his appearance (new brighter shirts) and decorations showing up at his office, are a realistic element. Because the reason Nick’s so resistant to Christmas is only revealed at the end, but the tiny hints are everywhere.

This is a absolutely joyous and celebratory Christmas romance! One where the true spirit of Christmas is found once more and love of two very different people triumphs.

I love Kim Fielding so much because as a author she continues to surprise and enchant me as a reader with her choices and imaginative twists when it comes to characters and plots. There’s always just that something unexpected….

Here there’s a bookstores full. In fact, an entire story. So much to love.

I highly recommend A Very Genre Christmas by Kim Fielding. Grab it up now!

Synopsis:

Very little is merry in a private dick’s world.

Private detective Nick Bozic works the mean streets of 1950s Portland, Oregon, shadowing unfaithful spouses and nabbing thieving employees. He may be lonely, but at least he’s not crooked. Despite the festive season, Christmas simply means less dough in his pocket.

With the holiday only a few days away, a regular client drops a new case on him: yet another being has come through the Rift and needs help finding his way home. Maybe Evindal the elf will help Nick find something too—a bit of cheer and magic amid the usual brew of corruption and betrayal

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Very Genre Christmas by Kim Fielding – Goodreads

Review: Yours, Forever After by Beth Bolden

Rating: 4.5 🌈

I love a good fantasy fairytale romance and Yours, Forever After by Beth Bolden definitely fits that category.

It has young royalty fleeing great evil that wants their blood. It has a Prince who will lose his kingdom if he doesn’t get help. And it has magic.

Those are the basics that Bolden uses to build a grand emotional journey for two men towards a HEA for themselves and two kingdoms. And perhaps one magical being.

It contains anger, loss, betrayal, issues with communication, and all the usual barriers that occur with new relationships under stress. Also sword fighting , cause fairy tale!

It’s main characters under go personal growth and change into men determined to make their commitment to each other and their people work.

I was connected to Gray from his perilous flight away from his castle as a young boy and then to Rory as his true nature slowly reveals itself to Gray as they tackle obstacles together. They figure out how to communicate.. eventually. As the story and their pursuit of justice., for themselves, and to rid their lands of the evil battling against them, everything about their roles and their relationship feels real.

I love them so much . And was delighted with the promise of a continuation of their story with a sequel to come.

It’s a novel I’ll eagerly await.

Until then, if you like fantasy romance and fairytales, this is a story you’re to enjoy. Well written, terrific plots and characters I love. I’m definitely recommending it.

Synopsis:

Fifteen years ago, Prince Graham of Ardglass barely escaped from the ancestral castle with his young life. Rescued by a magical creature and spirited off to a faraway valley, he grew into a strong, capable man—never shirking his duties on the farm, but forever bitter over his father’s betrayal. But just when he has finally come to terms with being lost and staying lost, a visitor arrives in his valley and changes everything.

After a lifetime spent lost in his beloved books, Prince Emory awakens to find his villainous aunt working to usurp the throne of Fontaine. When she sends him on a dangerous quest, he’s certain the journey is a trap, but he’s not willing to accept defeat without a fight.

But a fight is something Rory is unprepared and untrained for, until he’s saved by a handsome, unassuming farmhand and his snooty, smug, and surprisingly talkative unicorn.

Yours, Forever After now includes an epilogue novella, completing Gray and Rory’s magical quest for true love.

https://www.goodreads.com › showYours, Forever After by Beth Bolden – Goodreads

Review: Fractured Souls (Fallen Messengers #1) by Ava Marie Salinger

Rating: 4.25 🌈

Fractured Souls is the first book I’ve read by author Ava Marie Salinger but it definitely won’t be the last, if for no other reason that Fractured Souls is the first in a series.

But after reading this imaginative and gripping fantasy story (non-stop btw), I’m ready to rush headlong into the second round and more in this universe and series.

Salinger starts us off in a world where a cataclysmic event has already occurred hundreds of years ago. Then a tear in the void between worlds saw demons, angels and a host of otherly beings from all Realms fall to Earth. After much warring a peace was brokered and all species co-exist, tentatively side by side.

That’s the interesting basis that the author then starts really building her edifice upon. Salinger does so through her strong characters as they navigate her incredibly dark and complicated storyline, which includes murder, sacrifices, humor, action, surprise revelations, and just plain great plotting.

Much like her universe, we get a basic understanding of who her characters are and then the author proceeds to show us that’s just a mere outline she’s using to create something astonishing. Not just for one major character but for many as the revelations, small and large, stumble out .

What’s more remarkable is that not only is the reader highly surprised by each change or new element with regard to the characters but the characters themselves are shocked!

Yes The Fall wiped out most memories of past existence for those who survived it. Talk about a great concept! So both the readers and characters find out the new details about themselves at the same time. Love it.

Salinger has so many great details here to go along with a heinous murder spree. A series arc that’s delicious , devious, and dangerous in its own right. And characters that are just memorable in every way.

If I have a issue here it’s with the language or descriptions. While Salinger’s plots are stellar, the writing sometimes gets a little less tidy. Some characters get the same words used to describe them repeatedly.

Poor Adrianne. She comes to mind the most.

Adrianne said dully.

Adrianne said leadenly. (She does this a lot)

Adrianne snarled.

There’s also a lot of “muscles jumping in cheeks’ of both sexes when upset. Including Adrianne’s. It’s as though the author knew she didn’t want her characters muscles to “tick” so they “jump”. Often, sometimes in the same paragraph. SMH. Anyway.

The plot kept my interest glued as the pace is fast and the events occurring are action packed. Had that not been the case, verbiage like those examples above would soon drag your attention out of the storyline.

Luckily, a great concept and enough mystery keeps your mind centered on the characters.

Here there’s no demons versus angels but all factions actually work together. More or less, power struggles not withstanding. Nice change that.

Cassius Black and Morgan King are perfect for each other. And their chemistry grows along with their complicated relationship.

All the support characters are equally strong and have the potential for more growth in the future. They make up a great team, one you connect with and invest yourself emotionally in.

I’m heading now quickly over to book 2 in the Fallen Messengers series. That would be Spellbound.

I’ll let you all know what I find. This was an terrific , exciting, sexy fantasy novel. And a great start and introduction to a new author and universe.

I can’t wait for my journey to continue with both.

Definitely recommended.

Fallen Messenger series:

Unbound #0.5

Fractured Souls #1

Spellbound #2

Edge Lines #3

Oathbreaker #4

Synopsis:

Humans are dying in San Francisco. The most shunned angel on Earth may very well hold the key as to why…

When Cassius Black moves to San Francisco for a fresh start, the angel’s hopes of staying below the radar of the supernatural organizations that oversee the otherworldly and magic users in the city are dashed when he stumbles across a dead body in the sewers. His grim discovery soon puts him in the sight of the Argonaut Agency and Francis Strickland, the bureau director who knows his darkest secrets.

Morgan King and his team of Argonaut agents have been hunting for the culprits behind a series of gruesome killings that have rocked the city all summer. Killings that bear sinister hallmarks of sacrificial rituals where the victims’ souls have been ripped from their bodies. When Fate brings Cassius in Morgan’s path, he realizes the angel everyone likes to call The Devil may very well be the only person who can help them track down the murderers.

Morgan and Cassius soon find themselves chasing down a sect of black magic sorcerers and cross paths with a mysterious warlock whose actions evoke disturbing echoes of an incident from Cassius’s past. As rumors of a potential plot to tear the Nether reach their ears, Cassius and Morgan must work together to defeat their common enemy and save the city from destruction, all while fighting their growing attraction for one another.

Fractured Souls is the first novel in the MM urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like action-packed paranormal adventures with romance and snark, then get this pulse-pounding book today and enter a world you won’t want to leave!

https://www.goodreads.com › showFractured Souls (Fallen Messengers #1) by Ava Marie Salinger – Goodreads

Review: Merry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden

Rating: 4.5 🌈⛄️

With the holidays almost upon us for those that celebrate at this time of the year, there’s always a number of holiday books that arrive with it.

Merry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden is a wonderful and sweet addition to anyone’s holiday reading stack this year!

I was wracking my memories if I had read any similar plots because a Tir na Nog Fae being hauled off to the North Pole because of a prophecy was all sorts of imaginative. And in terms of character development, downright awesome.

If I was from Ireland and dragged away to the ice and freezing cold, away from the pubs and rainbows, would I be happy? Without any say in the matter? Uh, no. And neither is Aiden.

Bolden is able to get the reader a real connection with Aiden’s emotional state over this huge permanent upheaval of his life. The loss of friends, home, a job he felt he was good at and is now looked down upon by certain North Pole elves as nothing important. As is Auden’s favorite holiday, St. Patrick’s Day. His entire old life is made to feel.. well less in the face of being a Christmas elf, which he doesn’t want to be.

While the North Pole May glitter , it’s often cold, freezing, and unfriendly. Except for Sam aka Santa (a title) who’s assistant Aiden is supposed to be.

Bolden builds quite the pictures of a role foisted on Aiden by a prophecy he doesn’t understand in a place he doesn’t want to be. And it’s a role that doesn’t seem to fit him. At all.

The reader, listening and watching through Aiden’s pained eyes, will tend to agree.

Then on Christmas Eve, outside of Chicago, in a small convenience store, Aiden runs into college student/store clerk Dex and a friendship as well as instant attraction is struck up.

Dexter is another layered marvelous character. Dysfunctional childhood, poor family dynamics means he’s not a fan of the holidays. Until an unhappy elf stumbles into the store looking for milk and cookies for Santa.

What follows is such a heartwarming, funny, sometimes poignant love story…via a long series of texts, and then of course there’s that prophecy.

I may have actually sniffled once or twice here.

I really felt for that given no choice here’s your new future elf Aiden and his engineer graduate boyfriend… to be…they fully grabbed at my heart .

I believe they will at yours too. That’s why I’m highly recommending this.

Synopsis:

Aidan might be a bad elf, but he’s never been naughty.

Aidan has always landed on Santa’s nice list, thank you very much. But that doesn’t mean he’s cut out to be a North Pole elf; instead of worrying about the dwindling magic of Christmas, he’d much rather be back in Tir na Nog, calculating where the next end of the rainbow is going to land.

Instead he’s freezing his butt off in Santa’s sleigh.

His situation seems grim despite all the decking the halls, until on Christmas Eve, during a milk and cookies run, he meets Dexter, an engineering student.

They couldn’t be more different, and Dexter couldn’t be more forbidden, but Aidan is drawn to the handsome human anyway. Over the next year, their emails start out as a entertaining way to pass the time in all his interminable elf meetings, but soon, hearing from Dex becomes the very best part of his day.

And when they meet up on the next Christmas Eve? Aidan and Dex discover that their infatuation is so much more than just attraction. If they believe in each other and in the love they share, together their magic might be powerful enough to save Christmas.

https://www.goodreads.com › showMerry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden – Goodreads

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