Tag: LGBTGIA fantasy romance

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

Rating: 4🌈

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A definite winner. 

Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala (3 book series):

The Witch’s Grumpy Dragon #1

The Vampire’s Delicious Fae #2

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

Buy link 

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

    

Blurb 

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

Step One: Find a hot vampire. Check.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review: Grave Situation by Louise Masters 

Rating: 3.75🌈

Grave Situation by Louise Masters is a story that was so emotionally moving at times that it had me sobbing in parts and yet, left me wondering why I wasn’t completely satisfied by how the story was finished.   Nicely written, had humor, pathos, dragons, with a diverse cast of characters but with a book of this length and thought that’s gone into the storytelling, there’s something along the lines that is also missing. 

The twins Talon, the mage, and Tia, the dragonrider sister, are wonderful . The his class and the character of Talon, especially,are vividly illustrated , easily becoming people we care about.  As too are the found family that Talon starts to gather together along the way on the journey he’s sent on. 

Each one is well crafted , easily recognizable and relatable. There’s a non-binary one. The big hearted gorgeous but not bright one, the naive young one, etc. But because they are so well done, they become winners in their own right. 

But there’s noticeable flaws that’s frustrating. Example, Masters tells us what a powerful mage Talon is but the magic , unless it’s telepathic, isn’t really there in any scenarios to prove that. Dangling a person upside down a couple of times isn’t really enough. 

And we get dragons , without a substantial foundational knowledge about them, and then later on when its becomes a major narrative element, we realize that for the most of the book there is no background information for our characters.  In a novel that’s 577 pages. 

That’s an aspect of the story that’s seen elsewhere.  Religion plays a huge role here but we’ve no idea what it is about. What, other than the name, that makes it so important or fun or interesting or whatever. It’s a “waves hand “ something religion. 

There’s no substance to the governments, kingdoms, religions, or even magic. 

But there’s zombies and a mission and a gang of found family to save the world. And dragons. 

Grace Situation is a serialized story that began on her Patron page and for me, it has that feel. 

It’s fun. Definitely entertaining and moving in parts but it doesn’t come across as a well defined and deeply developed world. Nor does that end feel very satisfying. Good but not great.

I’ll still recommend it but it’s not a book I read straight through as I did others of the same style and length. 

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comGrave Situation – Kindle edition by Masters, Louisa. Romance …

Blurb 

He’s not the hero they deserve, but he’s the hero they’ve got. 

No, seriously. Talon wants to know what he did to deserve this. What would make a sentient rock decide that he of all people should be the one to save the world from zombies? That’s right. Zombies. Because apparently a higher power decided that teaching magic to teenagers wasn’t enough of a challenge.

With a ridiculously attractive healer (who may or may not hate him), his sister (who he miiiight have a forbidden telepathic link with), a sentient god-like rock (that can only communicate via yes/no vibes), a disdainful dragon, and a rude matchmaking horse by his side, he just might be able to save the world.

Or die trying.

Meet Talon Silverbright. He’ll save the world, but only because a rock said he has to.

  • Publication date: March 20, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 577 pages

Review:  The Tides of March: A Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries) by K Sterling 

Rating: 4.5🌈

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exquisite covers. No idea who to credit them to. 

Moon Mysteries 1 – 3 (first series)

Nelson & MacIlwraith Mystery (Moon Murder Mysteries sequel series)

Back in the Hunt #1

The Tides of March #2

Dead Air #3 – Aug 19,2025

Buy link

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

Blurb 

Welcome to Pooles Island. 

Population: 1 very grumpy merrow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Rating: 3.5🌈

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ORCA series:

Black & White #1

Grayscale #2

Full Color #3

Monochrome #4 – series finale- Sept 30,2025

Buy link

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

    

Blurb

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

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

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

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

Review:  Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals Book 5) by Lori Ames

Rating: 4.5🌈

Alphas Never Hide brings Lori Ames’ wonderful Willow Lake Supernaturals series to a end by featuring the reluctant Alpha Hayden finally accepting his mantle as the Alpha of the Willow Lake Supernaturals and finding his fated mate in a newly discovered hostage, Ryley, a faun. 

I’ll be the first to admit I was finding Hayden tedious. His constant denial about his Alpha status and the continuing pity party about how everything was his fault was off putting.  And Ames starts off with Hayden in the same pattern here. Lone wolf, whining about the past and his criminal brother. Got it.

Thankfully, a new character offers a change in direction and growth for Hayden. That’s Ryley, a faun who’s been abducted as part of Robbie’s supernatural trafficking operation and freed himself. 

Ryley has some speciesism issues due to his dreadful herd’s behavior and the author works through these issues skillfully to highlight what’s special about Willow Lake and to recap the inhabitants of the community. Really good work!

I absolutely loved Ryley and thought this character redeemed Hayden’s, allowing some long overdue personality growth and character development. 

One of my highlights is the scene where we see the magic of the moment when Hayden accepts his Alpha status flowing through the air and the community. That’s was remarkable. 

I’m not sure if this is the end of the trafficking storyline or not.  It’s the end of Robbie’s part in it.  But there is a sequel series coming out soon.  The Willow Lake Pack series and the fated mate romance of Parker and Levi launches that one. 

Stay tuned!

I’m sure the characters will cross over and be in everyone’s business and storylines. I’m definitely looking forward to this. 

I enjoyed seeing Hayden accomplish his goal and become the Alpha and get such a fantastic fated mate in Ryley.  

A definite winner.

Willow Lake Supernaturals Series

Note: Books in this series are best enjoyed when read in order.

Hellhounds Never Lie #1  (Ash and Dillon)

Wolves Always Bite #2  (Jeremy and Adrian)

Oracles Always Win #3  (Jake and Gage)

Cats Never Fly #4 (Simon and Ogden)

Alphas Never Hide #5 (Hayden and Ryley) – series finale 

Buy link

        Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals Book 5)

    

Blurb 

The wolf who refuses to be Alpha.

Hayden Walker might be trapped in Willow Lake by guilt and duty, but he’s no one’s alpha. It doesn’t matter how many times people call him Alpha, with a capital A like it’s his name, he just isn’t—just ask his last pack. They had no problem rejecting him to follow his traitorous brother, Robbie, twelve years ago.

Hayden thought he’d come to terms with what happened back then, but it turns out some things don’t get easier to accept with time. After discovering his brother’s latest sinister activities, Hayden can’t hide from the truth anymore. He has to stop him, particularly when Ryley Bell, his fated mate, is his brother’s latest victim.

Hayden can’t let his brother harm anyone else. Robbie won’t take anyone else from him. Not again. Never again.

Tags: MM Fated Mates Paranormal Romance, a wolf who refuses to be Alpha, a faun who doesn’t put up with his mate’s nonsense, let’s pretend a kick in the face is a sign of love at first sight, the Eternal Magic is a persistent diva, the confrontation between brothers we’ve all been waiting for, Hayden has a pack whether he wants one or not, he will also get his happily-ever-after whether he wants one or not, wolves should listen to their clever mates, and, most importantly, not all fauns play flutes.

Willow Lake Supernaturals Series

Note: Books in this series are best enjoyed when read in order.

Book 1 – Hellhounds Never Lie (Ash and Dillon)

Book 2 – Wolves Always Bite (Jeremy and Adrian)

Book 3 – Oracles Always Win (Jake and Gage)

Book 4 – Cats Never Fly (Simon and Ogden)

Book 5 – Alphas Never Hide (Hayden and Ryley)

Alphas Never Hide is the fifth and final book in the Willow Lake Supernaturals series, but DON’T WORRY! We aren’t leaving Willow Lake, not when there are still so many characters waiting for their happily-ever-afters! Levi and Parker’s book will be the first release the new 

Willow Lake Pack series! It is coming soon!

Review: The Grip of Death (Arcane Hearts Book 8) by Nazri Noor

Rating: 4.5🌈

The Grip of Death does it job! It pulls together all the many fabulous characters, various universes, and multiple storylines to give the long term romance of Jackson Pryde and his fiancée, Xander Wright, the wedding of Jackson ‘s wildest dreams and end the series longest running mystery. 

That’s a lot of elements and stuff to jam into one book. Because at eight books, this couple has had a lot of fun, many adventures, and the Black Market itself is full of the most memorable Masters of the most interesting fields of magic one could imagine.

Every one, including the Goddess Hecate and the adorable sentient AI family members, Lore and Whitby, are present at the goings on, new mystery, and a relocation of the wedding to, where else, the Summer Palace, courtesy of King Oberon.

The author balances the storyline of the many characters and elements involved in the couple’s wedding with the ongoing process of completing the arcane engine his parents had started as well  as launching the guild of artificers.  This arcane engine process brings the story back to the original mystery of the original destruction of guild of artificers and the deaths of Jackson’s parents. 

The story is highly entertaining, extremely suspenseful, and action packed. But Noor never forgets about the emotional impact of family and relationships , writing moments of genuine poignancy and deep love. 

I’m thrilled with the ending and this book and series are a definite recommendation for me. 

Arcane Hearts:

A Touch of Fever #1

A Stroke of Brilliance #2

An Iron Fist #3

A Velvet Glove #4

Hand of Glory #5

A Clap of Thunder #6

The Claws of Winter #7

The Grip of Death #8 – finale 

Cover art by Christian Bentulan coversbychristian.com

Buy link

        The Grip of Death (Arcane Hearts Book 8)

    

Blurb 

Wedding bells. Death knells.

Jackson Pryde and Xander Wright are hard at work preparing for their upcoming wedding. Good thing they have everything they need right in the Black Market, whether it’s an enormous cake or the perfect wedding rings.

Jack is working on an incredible project, too: an arcane engine inspired by his parents’ schematics. If it works, artificers and mages alike will unlock untold stores of energy, making it the guild’s greatest discovery to date.

 But it’s not all wine and roses. Echoes from the past point to dark secrets still lurking within the Black Market. Jackson and Xander must unearth these mysteries before they wreak havoc and ruin the wedding… or put their very lives in danger.

  • Publication date: February 28, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 204 pages

Review:  Betrothed to the Emperor (Emperor’s Assassin Book 1) by Kai Butler 

Rating: 4.5🌈

Kai Butler’s new fantasy series, Emperor’s Assassin, gets off to a fast, and absolutely magical start with Betrothed to the Emperor.  Right from the beginning, Butler plunges the reader and her protagonist into a strange, and mystical realm where the wealthy are masked by not only the makeup and outfits they wear but the rigidity of the culture and politics of the Empire that has consumed so much of the Kingdoms around it. 

It’s a highly detailed and disturbing place, a perfect place to start a plot of assassination. And a story full of twists and tricks and incredible creatures . 

Butler really is creating a universe that can expand with its series storylines, going forward into other parts of the world, exploring new cultures and their unique instruments of war. 

As this happens, so does a remarkable relationship between Emperor of the Southern Imperium, Emperor Tallu and Airón of the Northern Kingdom, who gets chosen to be his consort. 

 

Exactly how that occurs and all the events that happen afterwards are just why I can’t wait for the next book to be released.  The chemistry is excellent, the cast that surrounds the pair amazing and equally interesting.  And the various layered aspects of the storyline that are being generated by Butler are so intriguing that I want to see more of everything the author is planning. 

If you are a fan of this author, like me, I’m sure you’ll have grabbed this up. I’m highly recommending it to fantasy lovers too. 

Emperor’s Assassin series:

  • Betrothed to the Emperor #1
  • Emperor’s Wrath #2 – June 23,2025

Cover by Hannah Latham at oexasart. 

Buy link 

        Betrothed to the Emperor (Emperor’s Assassin Book 1)

    

Blurb 

I was born to kill the emperor, but first, I must marry him.

I trained as an assassin while my twin sister trained to be the empress. My life will be forfeit once I murder the most powerful man on the continent, but I have no choice. If I fail, the Imperium will consume our nation and anyone who rises against them.

Too soon, we walk into the glittering imperial court, each step taking us closer to the dangerous man on the black throne, my sister’s future husband, the newly crowned Emperor of the Southern Imperium. Emperor Tallu has more spies than fish in the sea. He poisoned his own father to secure the golden crown.

When his sharp eyes skim over us, they don’t catch on my sister. They land on me, his killer.

“I choose you, Prince Airón of the Northern Kingdom. You will be my consort.” Tallu’s smile is mirthless. “Or I will reduce your entire nation to ashes.”

Betrothed to the Emperor ends with more story to tell, but the characters end on a HFN

  • Publication date: February 24, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 282 pages

Review:  Two Thousand Promises  ( Kings of Chaos Book #5) by Jocelynn Drake

Rating: 4🌈

Two Thousand Promises finishes the Kings of Chaos series with the last of their clan to get their fated mate so they can all finally go back home to China.

Jocelynn Drake’s series has been excellent. From the beginning, the Chinese vampire, the cultural elements, and their history has added a richness and depth to a well developed, and thoughtful fantasy universe.  Dragons, elves, witches, and Chinese warrior vampires! What an incredible combination!

And Two Thousand Shadows, the fourth book, gave us and the series a fantastic dramatic ending, full of vivid battle sequences, emotional moments and scenes that tied up major plot lines and character relationships.  Realistically, that book was the series finale. 

And the clan started to prepare for their journey home, back to China. 

That left just the relationship between Xiao Dan and Huli, the fox spirit, unresolved.  That’s the storyline of Two Thousand Promises.  It’s a sweet addendum to a basically finished series, a group of alternating chapters where we see the progression of their relationship over time.

And a protagonist who has been in Huli’s life but just appears now as a dramatic character. 

Huli is a sweet character, Drake captured the essence of a nonhuman  who’s in love with a man so well. And Xiao Dan is someone we’ve gotten to know over the series, together , stumbling towards a relationship, it’s a sweet romance.

Honestly, I wish they could have been folded into the other book, Min the villain just doesn’t have the same energy as the rest of the characters. 

But it’s been a fabulous series and a grand finale. One I highly recommend reading.

Love the covers, the concept. Fantastic.

The Kings of Chaos :

  • Two Thousand Dreams #1
  • Two Thousand Tears #2
  • Two Thousand Blades #3
  • Two Thousand Shadows #4
  • Two Thousand Promises #5

Buy link

        Two Thousand Promises (Kings of Chaos Book 5)

    

Blurb 

He promised me forever…But she came to take my soul.

Huli had dedicated his entire existence to making himself into something worthy of Xiao Dan.

But as he stood on the brink of claiming the vampire’s heart, an evil deal he’d made centuries ago was coming due.

Min wanted Xiao Dan’s soul.

Would he lose Xiao Dan when he confessed his ugly promise? And could he stop Min before it was too late?

Two Thousand Promises is the fifth and final novel in the Kings of Chaos series. This book contains a reluctant vampire who is finally giving in to the thousand-year seduction of a sly fox spirit determined to claim his mate, a nosy family who wants all the spilled tea, snark, angst, magic, found family, brotherly bickering, chaos, cuddles, secrets, and an endless love.

  • Publication date: February 21, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 230 pages

Review:  Devoted (Hopeless Blessed Book 2) by Lark Taylor

Rating: 3🌈

Having read all the preceding series and the first book in the series, which I really enjoyed, I find myself puzzled that I just couldn’t get connected to the characters and story of Devoted.

Hopeless Blessed, is the third of four series in this large universe that Lark Taylor is constantly exploring in her many books of overlapping characters and their stories. 

I’m not sure why I had such difficulty reading this book or staying involved in the storylines.  Sam is a well written character, one that Lark has invested with many of her personal life qualities per her author’s notes. 

Sam suffers from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), GAD (generalised anxiety disorder), panic disorder, and sensory processing disorder. That is a major element of his story and a constant thread throughout the book. How Sam is dealing with situations, how characters are reacting around him and what they do that contributes to exacerbate his many issues. It’s a huge part of his story and the relationship. As well as putting the emotional issues that Angel Zeke carries around with him, damaging father abuses and severe anger management problems. 

Then there’s all the angels and their personalities that Zeke/Ezekiel lives with, his “band of angelic brothers “. Who frankly, with one or two exceptions, don’t stand out from each other, the nine or however many  just blended together in the book. 

Perhaps my take on this is that Lark spends so much time on Sam’s disorders in the book, constantly explaining to various characters (readers) what they are and how they should be treated and addressed, when a plot line pops up, it feels unwieldy. Because the author hasn’t laid any foundation for this anywhere in the book. 

There’s other things, an odd area of non-consent weirdly enough, more new areas about Sam’s brain, that I started skimming through to the end.

As much as I connected with Conflicted, I was just as left with no attachment to Devoted, and unsure about continuing with the series.  Too many characters I’m not sure about and personalities that feel one dimensional. 

Loved the original and sequel series. Those were amazing. 

Reckless Damn Series – first series 

  • Devil’s Mark #1
  • Devil May Care #2
  • Deal with the Devil #3
  • Luck of the Devil #4

 

Damned Connections – sequel 

  • Patience #1
  • Justice #2
  • Temperance #3
  • Humility #4 – finale

Hopeless Blessed – Seraphim sequel series 

  • Conflicted #1
  • Devoted #2 
  • Guarded #3 – Jan 31,2026

The Wild Edges (wolf shifters sequel series)

  • Finlay #1 – July 10, 2025

Buy link

        Devoted (Hopeless Blessed Book 2)

    

Blurb

Fate always has a plan.

Even if you don’t agree with it.

Ezekiel

Starting that online game was my attempt to find happiness. Something to fill my life other than the demands of Heaven and the rest of my unit.

I didn’t expect to find Sam.

Even with screens between us, Sam makes me feel more alive than I have in millennia. I find myself counting down the minutes until I can go online and be with him.

He’s my perfect match. In any other circumstances, I’d be doing whatever it took to make him mine.

But I’m not human. And, unlike humans, I have no say over who I spend eternity with. Fate decides who my mate will be, whether it’s the person I love or not.

Sam lives in the same city as me. If he were my mate, I’d have met him by now. I’d feel a pull towards him that I couldn’t ignore.

The right thing to do would be to end this. To put up walls between us to keep both our hearts safe. Instead, I find myself tearing down the barriers, falling faster for him every day.

I know how this story will end, but I can’t stop myself. I don’t care what plans fate has for me.

I want to make Sam mine.

Devoted is a gripping, hurt/comfort, angel x human, MM PNR romance. The second in the Hopeless Blessed series, each book follows a different couple with a guaranteed HEA.

  • Publisher: Lark Taylor (February 19, 2025)
  • Publication date: February 19, 2025
  • Language: English
  • File size: 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage: Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Screen Reader: Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Word Wise: Enabled
  • Print length: 474 pages

Review: The Courtship of Julian St Albans (Consulting Magic Book 1) by Amy Crook

Rating: 4.5🌈

The Courtship of Julian St Albans (Consulting Magic Book 1) by Amy Crook is this author’s first published novel and it’s an absolute delight.  A steampunk murder mystery romance, it’s got a grand cast of characters, an intriguing system of magic, and a combination of historical and cultural influences  in the narrative that make the atmosphere and situations so different.  

The ritual around courtship and Suitors is given its own special treatment here when Julian St Albans’ longtime Suitor is found dead. It restarts the process of finding Julian, the heir to substantial lands and fortunes, a new Suitor to run the family and take over the titles. 

Alexander Benedict is a magical investigator and consultant to the police, especially in high profile cases or where magic is used.  Julian’s case involves both.

Crook’s take on an historical murder mystery and romance is a cleverly crafted story. Steampunk narrative is threaded throughout with fantasy characters and elements to my absolute delight.  The author dives into the details of her magical world, from the magical bespoke clothing worn to balls to the dangerous and fascinating crafted instruments used by the villain to threaten and destroy.

The slowly developing relationship between Julian and Alex is lovely. Determined by the rituals of Courtship and the fact that Alex realizes he’s falling for Julian, not just because he’s involved in the case, draws out the romantic tension. 

How it ends , for Julian and Alex, and sets up the next step in their relationship is so satisfying.  I’m thrilled to have found a new author and series to recommend and read. 

Check it out.  Series is complete!

Consulting Magic series:

The Courtship of Julian St Albans #1

The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans #2

The Guardianship of Julian St. Albans #3

A Flutter of Fae #4

I love the simplicity of design of these covers. Beautiful, important to the story (that’s Horace) and elegant. 

Buy link

        The Courtship of Julian St. Albans (Consulting Magic)

    

Blurb 

Alexander Benedict is a misanthropic thirtysomething magical consultant, working with the Agency’s top homicide detective, and perfectly content with his life, thank you very much. 

Julian St. Albans is the youthful heir to his family’s fortune and affiancéd to his beloved Cecil Mandeville, a family friend as well as Julian’s lover. 

When Mandeville is murdered using magical means, Alex is brought in on the case. It’s the worst day of Julian’s life, but until they meet, it’s just another case for Alex. Neither of them have any idea how their lives are about to change.

Alex has to disentangle the magical threads until he can catch the murderer, and to do that he has to put himself right in the thick of things. His long-denied family connections get him invited to participate in Julian’s Courtship as a Suitor, where he can observe the suspects firsthand. He just has to stay alive long enough to figure out which of the competition thinks Julian is a prize worth killing for.

  • Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (June 25, 2013)
  • Publication date: June 25, 2013
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 361 pages