Well, this was just adorable. Like holding a lively lovable golden retriever but in narrative form . Grae Bryan’s short fantasy story is a quick delight of a romance.
That’s totally due to the author’s engaging couple and a common theme given a fun twist.
Benny, the human golden retriever main character, is one who has appeared in this author’s other terrific series, Demon Bound. I’m so delighted that Benny gets his HEA here. Benny is a joy. Bryan has created in Benny someone who’s enthusiastic about everything new that comes his way. His brilliant positive energy jumps off the page.
So of course, he doesn’t really know what he’s getting into when he meets this gorgeous man in a bar who’s paying attention to him. Helio, someone who listens and asks questions, and lets him do his thing.
Helio is that other hilariously funny character, a frustrated Fae where nothing he’s doing is working on the happiest human he’s ever seen.
There’s not a lot of world building or layers to the backstory but it’s short and honestly, these two (plus a misbehaving villa) are fabulous together.
I loved it and would hope they pop up together in the Demon Bound series in some future roles.
Or maybe a tiny sequel. Highly recommended! Just adorable.
Never give your name. Never accept a gift or favor. Never eat the food of the realm.
Benny is having the best summer ever. He’s made a new friend, and now he’s getting an extended vacation at a private island. And sure, his buddy didn’t ask Benny’s permission before taking him there, but what could be so bad about exclusive sandy beaches and a free stay in a fancy villa?
Helio is having the worst time of his life. Here he’s gone to all the trouble of kidnapping a human to the fae realm, and the man doesn’t even have the decency to be afraid. Benny’s broken all the rules, and Helio has a right to keep him, but his prey doesn’t even realize he’s been captured. Is this human messing with Helio, or is it truly possible for one man to be so damned oblivious?
AN UNWITTING BARGAIN IS A 15K NOVELLA FEATURING AN OBLIVIOUS HIMBO HUMAN AND THE MORALLY GRAY FAE HE’S ACCIDENTALLY DRIVING A WEE BIT MAD. THERE’S A KIDNAPPING THAT GOES UNNOTICED, A MAGICAL VILLA WITH A CRUSH, AND AN EXTREMELY WHOLESOME HUMAN WHO JUST WANTS TO MAKE HIS NEW FRIEND HAPPY.
The Witch’s Grumpy Dragon is the sequel we’ve been waiting for since Notaro introduced the new location and it’s characters to us in the wonderful book, The Wolf’s (Un) Lucky Fae from the Fortune Favors The Fae series.
There those side characters cried out for their own stories and romances amidst a magical world that was in a societal crisis of class and speciesism.
That lead in book showed us the perspective of those, the Fae, who are a distinct lower class and Remi who is among those who try to help them.
Here the view of society is flipped, we’re seeing it from the top of the government and society. Or rather as it’s been viewed by its ruler, Dragon king shifter Garrick Von Stein, his friend/right hand Roman, and then by the one they hire to help them.
That’s Remi Ellwood’s best friend, Tanyl “Tan” Helegolor, a powerful witch with death magic. Along with his fabulous familiar, Orangelica, his bonded one, Notaro sets the reader up for a fantastic mated relationship and high new fantasy adventure.
There’s a heartbreaking story behind the King, a fated mate romance, some real magical battles that are just amazing, and a great cast of characters, past, present, and new to keep the reader totally engaged with the many storylines and relationships as they develop.
There’s a critical, very emotional divide within the society here, and the turnaround that needs to happen, by the King and in the current administration to effect change, that’s addressed in the book. Notaro is realistic in acknowledging that believable change is slow moving however forward everything else is occurring. I love it when an author keeps all the threads complete and throughly explored in the narrative. So well written.
I can’t wait for the next book to come out. That’s an intriguing pair , Anton the vampire and Keryth, a fae related to Bel, that was actually set up in Bel and Remi’s book and has a mystery about them that’s been following them throughout the series. Need it now.
I highly recommend reading this and the books I have listed below as leads to the universe. And the author, who is an auto read for me.
Happy reading!
Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala:
The Witch’s Grumpy Dragon #1
The Vampire’s Delicious Fae #2 – Sept 9,2025
Connected series and stories:
🔷The Wolf’s (Un) Lucky Fae (Fortune Favors The Fae) – Remi and Bel’s story ❤️
🔷The Enchanter’s Flame (The Ellwood Chronicles I) – Ailin and Seb’s story❤️
I have never in my life met anyone as infuriating as that dragon. So then why do I keep wanting to spend time with him?
Step One: Find a gorgeous guy. Check.
Step Two: Talk to said gorgeous guy. Check.
Step Three: Try not to strangle him. Uh… do I really have to check this one? Because I really want to wrap my fingers around his—ugh.
Garrick Von Stein is the most frustrating person I’ve ever met, and yet, as soon as he calls me for help, I jump right in. Every single time. Why? I have no idea. I mean, I really do like to look at the dragon shifter king, but that doesn’t explain this strange pull, this need, I feel to be near him.
He doesn’t even like me—believe me, I’d know—but for some reason he trusts me. And the weirdest thing of all? I trust him too.
Now if only we could find a way to work together to keep him and everyone else safe.
The Witch’s Grumpy Dragon is Book 1 of the new 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. But don’t worry, there will be some cameos along the way.
I’ve always enjoyed Arden Steele’s fated mates series, Blackhaven Manor. They are entertaining, have a fast/instant connection, fated mate romance with a neat twist or two found within the story. The location, Blackhaven Manor, is a safe haven location destination for otherworldly beings run by dragon siblings.
I have my definite favorites here so it’s nice that the author often brings characters/couples back from the previous stories to share in the new couples romance. Which absolutely happens here.
What the Hex as a whole has some wonderful elements and has some things that are problematic. The beginning , that utter rushed mated matchup, left both the reader and the mates, especially one, with no connection to each other, no time for anyone to learn much about the other characters. Just boom and done. Without us even being sure we liked the actor.
It actually takes a crisis, a visit to a family, and a couple of hilarious scenes later in the story where the couple acquire their own depths of personality, growth in character, and honestly, a bit of chemistry, that it feels believable. But much has passed in the narrative to get to that point.
Storm Black (actor) and Kingston Mathers (human) are the fated pair. King has several issues that include self consciousness about his body image, dysfunctional parenting, and basic insecurities. However, these get treated both ways here . Hes a good character, where the author has built a foundation for his underlying issues. But solves them too easily.
I get part of that is the book length but mate bond shouldn’t be a panacea for deep development problems.
The romance between them does become cute as they become more familiar with each other. I liked this aspect of the book.
But the one thing at the end about the semi-villain (nice twist) is odd. Either Steele is going to include him in the next book or this just doesn’t make sense. If there’s no future plans for him, then the way this is handled is plain annoying.
So I’ll wait for the next book to come out and see who the main characters are.
Driven and ambitious are not words anyone would use to describe Kingston Mathers, but he’s content with his lot in life. So, of course, fate throws him a curve ball that threatens to wreak havoc on his carefully constructed neutrality. Because there’s no way in heaven or hell that someone like him should end up mated to an internationally beloved actor with legions of adoring fans.
Fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Storm Black can attest to that. Even after years of monitoring his every word, action, and even his facial expressions, the lifestyle doesn’t come naturally. Frankly, he’s still not entirely sure how he stumbled into the limelight in the first place. When his latest role leads him right into the arms of his destiny, however, he’s never been more grateful for the detour.
But strange things are happening at Blackhaven Manor. When Storm suddenly forgets everything about who he is, it’s up to King to find the answers. He just hopes that when the hex is finally lifted, his mate’s newfound obsession with him doesn’t disappear with it.
I’m not sure how I stumbled across this amazing book and author but Shadow & Ghosts, the first novel in the City of Shadows series by Lex Veia is the urban fantasy universe that I was most in need of.
The world building here is astonishing. I’m so intrigued by the many different ways Veia has combined recognizable elements, such as authentic US geographical features and locations with the author’s own unique narrative storylines. That Veia incorporates fantastic twisted historical creations of warfare and demonic rifts, along with a dark capital city run and divided by gangs makes this a tale you cannot put down.
“The city of monsters, mobsters, and dark magic. Oh, I know all about the witch-gangs of Las O.”
That’s the voice of Kit Winter, thief extraordinaire, aka The Shadow, and a captivating figure at the heart of this story and series. Once we make the connection with him, we can’t pull away from his vibrant character, that energetic, magnetic force that is so full of emotional/personal layers, that the author is still peeling them away even at the end of the story. Kit is someone who has hidden so much of himself for so long that , even the act of remembering is a complex act . One that never comes to fruition.
His opposite is Zach Riley, The Ghost, leader of the Renegades, the Elite Team gathered by Captain Emilie Brodie to fight demons and witches.
Zach’s background and legendary status as The Ghost is another rock solid element of this story. Zach is a constantly evolving and changing character, in part due to the revelations that are a part of his growing relationship with Kit. The two men, both different and yet so similar in emotional makeup and personality.
This is a very slow burn romance. And it works beautifully as it’s built around the team’s chemistry and the heavy lifting that comes from the missions they are sent on and the mysteries that they find.
The action sequences and the entire suspense that’s being built around the missions and the evils that the team faces is indescribably powerful. I started to go back to look at a few things in the book and before I knew it, I was sucked in , rereading it as though it was my first time.
And loving it as much if not more.
This is a story where the reader will feel the grimy surfaces, the dark magic, and poisoning of the light of the dangerous city, Las Oscura. And the author makes us take an emotional journey with all the characters through this city and all the events that occur.
What a wild, dark, intense journey it is.
I can’t wait for the next book to come.
City of Shadows:
✓ Shadow & Ghost #1
◦ Shadow & Ghost 2: City of Ghosts-coming July 2024
As the most infamous thief in America, Kit enjoys a carefree, transient lifestyle—or, he did, until someone slapped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists and offered him an impossible choice: Rot in prison or join the most dangerous division of the Darkmagic Investigation Agency, the Renegades.
Kit’s pretty sure he chose wrong. The Renegades are the most elite fighters in the world—none more so than their legendary dark-witch-killing lieutenant, Zach Riley. Kit is utterly outmatched and unprepared for hunting witches and demons through the dangerous, magic-riddled city of Las Oscura.
But when a routine hellhound hunt turns fatal, Kit’s criminal skillset might be the Renegades’ best shot at tracking a deadly new killer through the shadowy underground—and Kit’s chance to earn his place on the team. However, hunting witches is worlds away from Kit’s old life, and if he wants to survive, he’ll need to learn to trust his team—and balance his burgeoning feelings for a certain lieutenant.
This is an action-packed urban fantasy with slow-burn romance culminating in spicy scenes. Each book in the series will be increasingly spicy as the romance builds.
Hammer and Fist is a two-part series by Jennifer Cody that’s mind boggling in structure, absolutely labyrinthine in its creative threads and fantastically complex world building and characterizations.
As of now the author is alternating between the two connected series , Lexatalion and Geminatus, and their characters/arcs. But from the events in each series second books, I expect that’s about to change with the stories that will follow as the major threats and threads feel like they’re about to converge.
But first the extraordinary events that have occurred here in Gale: Geminatus Book Two. The titles, like the characters themselves, are so multifaceted and complex. Not a complete Geminatus, a single being with two physical avatars that function almost in sync with each other, the title character here is not only partially Geminatus, but also human, and demon, as well as Fae origin, although exactly how he came into being is as yet unclear. But his demonic origins are known with each of his individually functioning avatars, Hunter and Ranger, containing certain elemental magical powers. One the Inferno of the first book, the second the Gale of this story.
Honestly, the storylines are far too complex, the character development and ideas behind them equally complicated and wildly compelling that’s it’s impossible for a review to cover the important aspects of this element. Especially as , per the cliffhanger at the end, Cody is further enlarging on exactly what might be the roles of the avatars within this Geminatus.
Mind blowing.
We do get to see one of the “off page events “ from Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2) occur here and mentions of the magical occurrences that will shape both series going forward.
But there’s plenty of mystery, horror, death, and bodies here for everyone to deal with. It’s part of what Hunter had been dealing with since his teenage years in town as well as part of a larger investigation.
How Cody pulls both together is brutal, exciting,and full of suspense.
There’s lots of action, surprises, and some twists and tons of anxiety for the future. I can’t wait for the next books to arrive.
Apparently, via author’s note, it’s looking like at least two more books will be coming each to finish this off. Maybe more. I can believe it. So beautifully complex and getting even more so.
I’m highly recommending this but read them in alternating order ( the first book ones, then both book two’s) from the beginning otherwise you’ll be lost.
Hammer and Fist Series
✓ Sledge and Claw (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 1)
✓ Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2)
After nearly losing an avatar, I’m ready to sign on with IDIA, the Interdimensional Immigration Agency. I need their resources to figure out what the hell is happening to my town. Townsend keeps attracting rogue non-humans and other extraterrestrials, and I’m half convinced it’s ritual sacrifice, but who would bring people here to die? And am I being used to kill these people, or is it happenstance that I’m the one defending Townsend from the violent non-humans?
As I get closer to answers, mysteries and portals pop up and someone starts targeting the people I care about. I’m not usually known for losing my patience, but if these people want to fuck around, they’re going to find out what happens when they do. With the help of my new friends in the agency and the trainer they’ve assigned me, I’ll find out who’s threatening the people under my protection, and when I do, they’re going to regret going up against a prince of hell. I might look like a Geminatus, but I’m so much more than that.
Gale is a 68k word Urban Fantasy with darker themes including dark magic, murder, gore, mutilation, ritual sacrifice, and suicide. Mild cliffhangers happen in UF and this books isn’t an exception
With Uncle Fonzo’s return and an eviction notice on Yuri’s cabin door, things are getting cramped at the Penn house, when Dixon and Yuri move back in.
The extremely tight quarters are exacerbated by Dixon’s sudden arrival and his cousin’s new boyfriend. House hunting is a must.
But as with everything, that’s when things start getting interesting and going awry. Magically.
Price has so much fun with the awful flats and descriptions thereof that Yuri and Dixon visit in hopes of finding their own place. She’s says in her author’s notes they reflect some actual places that she saw or lived in in her life. Oh my!
The hunt for a place bit here got a bit lost in the shuffle of the story. Unusual for the author. It felt a bit muddled instead of a clear picture of magic going wrong.
But it ends well and with the usual path to the next book.
These are such enjoyable books and the couple just continues to grow in their relationship and surrounding family.
I’m recommending this and the series as far as I’ve read. It’s great ride! Binge read for your pleasure!
Yuri knew his idyllic beachfront cabin wouldn’t last forever—but he wasn’t expecting to come home to an eviction notice. And with Uncle Fonzo back in town, Dixon’s attic apartment is getting crowded.
Unfortunately, real estate in Pinyin Bay is surprisingly scarce. Good thing there’s an up-and-coming crowdsourced experience called Hunting Party that really moves the needle on the traditional rental acquisition model.
Okay, it really is as obnoxious as it sounds. But rentals are so few and far between, Dixon and Yuri are willing to give it a shot.
Pitted against a group of apartment hunters, the guys must compete with the other hopefuls to land a new place. It’s clearly all just a cheesy sales ploy, and the apartments they view are real dumps.
And yet…they’re also oddly appealing.
Since all the rentals are in the falling-down neighborhood known as Scrivener Village, it stands to reason Spellcraft is involved. But when exposing the magic could leave Dixon and Yuri without a roof over their heads, can they really afford to be so picky?
The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where MM Romance meets Paranormal Cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect. The books are best read in order, so be sure to start at the beginning with Quill Me Now.
If this wasn’t such an exciting and exceedingly well written story, I’d be taking a smidge of rating points away for sheer frustration with Cody over that ending and the fact it’s probably going to be a while before we get around to finding out what happens next.
Yes, no surprise, it’s cliffhanger time again!
This whole universe is so weird and crazy that I have to look back at my notes to remember how things and Cody’s other books fit in with these stories. It’s like a madhatter’s 10, 000 pieces puzzle but cut out into insane shapes.
Thankfully, Cody gives us a recap why Lex is in a coma but mentally aware as the book opens. I had to dig through my memories about the last book for all the events as they happened, complicated as they were by a immense cast of characters, worlds accessible by portals, gods, dragons, aliens, slavers, you name it. Tied together by murders, mysteries, hellacious plots galore and the agents like Lex that work for The Inter-dimensional Immigration Agency—IDIA, the government agency that enforces the laws that govern non-humans on Earth.
So we pick up after that nasty explosion and the search is still on for Dominus, the being/person behind all the slave trafficking/inter dimensional world kidnappings and plain old horrifically bizarre goings on. His identity is unknown, as is why he’s able to make himself disappear into obscurity without a trace.
Cody has to address the blood hexes that tie a Geminatus to him so they’re unable to return to their homeland, as well as Lex being in thrall to Tor, an agent of the IDIA. A huge element itself.
But the author addresses each subject, separating them so they can have the impact and narrative development they deserve, while simultaneously being a fluid piece of the total story fabric. That’s quite the gift.
Tor and Lex especially, as it’s not just Lex that’s feeling the emotional attachment and passions of the bond between them. It’s the monsters he carries within him. And they have different opinions about Tor and the way he should fit into their lives. What a sexually dynamic and hot area of this book and one that adds to my frustration because the cliffhanger cuts short so much of the relationship follow up here , big stuff that’s waiting to happen.
Same for the Geminatus aspect. The “twin” Geminatus born on Earth get a chance to meet a Geminatus born on the planet, and it’s oddly very different and disturbing for both. This is such a huge element that it’s going to be explored in the second of the Geminatus books in the Hammer and Fist:Geminatus series.
That leaves this story with Lex’s character’s greater expansion into his background, current status, and interpersonal mingling of the beings within himself. It’s also the growth of his and Tor’s own dynamic as they search out what the curse means emotionally.
And finally, it’s the biggest threat and storyline. Who’s Dominus? Where are they? What are their plans and how does Lex stop them?
It’s mind boggling how much is dumped into this book and how well it all fits together.
The ending is shocking. There’s a character death, and then a several consecutive dramatic events that lead to one unbelievable cliffhanger.
Then an author’s note that the next book up is the second in the Geminatus series! Noooooo.
So how one goes about reading a series and they feel about multiple cliffhangers, should let a reader decide what they want to do about reading the series. Read them as then release acknowledging that there will be cliffhangers and a good amount of time between stories or wait and binge.
But one thing is for certain. This is a must read. However it’s resolved, whatever tragedy consequences or happy turns of events, however unlikely, it’s a great convoluted epic tale of worlds, gods, monsters and love.
A fabulous story.
One I’m highly recommending no matter how frustrating that ending still makes me.
Read each series in order. It won’t make any sense if you don’t.
Hammer and Fist Series
✓ Sledge and Claw (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 1)
✓ Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2)
✓ Inferno (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 1)
◦ Gale (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 2) July 2023
Of course waking up from a coma wouldn’t come easy for me; thankfully I have friends willing to fuck me back to life. Once I’m on my feet again, playing catch up on the trafficking case makes me want to eviscerate someone. I hate that I’ve lost precious time hunting down Dominus, but I’m awake now and ready for action.
With weird things happening to the portals, an Ethensian hopping realms when he shouldn’t be able to, and trying to figure out how to end the blood hex I’m under, I feel like I’m drowning in tasks and making no progress. I want to end Dominus and put Knoxville behind me; instead, I get a one-off accidental prophecy taking me straight to a battlefield I didn’t even know existed.
Brick and Brass is a 65k MM Urban Fantasy. This is the second in the series and not a stand alone. Content includes: horror descriptions and gore, public sex and sex magic outside of the romantic subplot.
Well that was as close to absolute perfection as I can remember reading in a series finale, especially one as intense, as incredibly complex as well as mentally challenging at times to read as this one.
I will miss this universe and characters so.
And it starts where Saffron Wilds ends, on that heartbreaker of a cliffhanger (spoiler alert for that novel) with the God Darkness having lodged itself firmly within the body of Nick King , San Amaro police detective/alchemist and now husband of Fae Parker Ferro, the Windrose of the Fae Courts.
But Kai Butler has created over the course of seven books a fascinating, magnificent labyrinthian plot that involves a World Tree with ties to worlds and thousands of realms outside of that of Earth, the Fae Courts and its duplicitous politics that extends beyond into eras long ago and the murderous schemes of the Gods, which can mean the end of everything.
And what Gods and power struggles Butler’s has thrown at us! Most are ones we have some knowledge of, even with the author’s twists and unique perspective on one’s such as the Mother, the Sun, Darkness, the Trickster (my personal favorite), and Santa Muerte, among the main gods.
Cypress Ashes offers up the most imaginatively beautiful to think about scenes and elements, one’s I’m still trying to wrap my mind around. Magical test battles between two great spirits, Reality and Distance, with one a titch drunk on the power being offered up. It’s witches, alchemists, Laurel (if you know you know), Nick, and Parker, trying to figure out a meaningful way to fight the Sun God and what that’s means to everyone’s moral compass and mental health. Huge questions the author is asking on multiple levels.
That’s only a tiny fraction of what this story has to offer up in terms of elaborate narrative design and exciting storytelling.
There’s Sugar, the incubus, Runt, the not cat, Prometheus, the demon not dog, all the great brownies characters from the garden, the blade Tremble that can bring lightning, the Five Dragons, every important element and character, and maybe quite a few that slipped under a reader’s notice from previous books. All have important roles to play here. Some villains even find a surprising redemption.
The power of family and love, whether it’s on a small or infinitely universal and complex scale is also a key here. Where Shannon, Parker’s foster mom is now a God, Mother , to be exact, the nurturing aspect of her being that saved Parker now becomes the element that helps save everything. And Parker’s love for Nick and San Amaro.
There’s so much that Butler pours into this finale , all the narrative threads that needed pulling together, the interwoven storylines of all sizes that we needed to know how they evolved and ended. We got it, as much as we could when gods are involved.
I expect Butler is ready to move on. But I’m not. So I’m diving back in, to experience this again and see what I missed out in the first reading.
What a wild ride, what a magnificent journey this has been! Don’t miss out!
But the books absolutely must be read in order for the characters growth, the revelations, and plot details to make sense. Enjoy the books and the ride! I’m highly recommending the series and this finale!
In the heart-pounding conclusion to the San Amaro Investigations series, Parker faces down enemies on all sides, including one within his own family. With his city under lockdown, Parker is fighting for everyone and everything that he cares about.
The fate of the thousand realms rests on his shoulders. What’s a local PI to do?
Demon For The Win exists within Meghan Maslow’s Much Ado About Demons universe and it’s an extraordinary place to visit.
In fact the author is able to set up various scenarios within each major storyline for other books to come without it feeling too unwieldy.
Here we meet Nico Azertiran, the love incubus from In Fair Verona and Must Love Demons. He’s a important secondary character as he’s the best friend of Incubus Kem Balthasar. We are clued into Nico’s problems while maintaining our interest in Kem and his new found crush for the Dryad Tuli Cato.
The cast of characters are fascinating whether they be a passing reference or a strong supporting cast. I’m especially fond of Tuli’s friend, the wood elf Shrood who reminds me of a Elvish Dude and The Glen where they abide. It’s full of magical trees and shrubbery with unique personalities to match.
Tuli Cato, the sous chef who finds his hidden strengths and resolve and the incubus Kem Balthasar, who redefines his path and his identity as a incubus, are amazing beings. Apart on their personal journeys and together as a couple on a growing relationship.
The romance is strong and interesting, including a mystery about a missing spoon that concludes is a absolutely perfect way.
I love this series and this is a fabulous addition in terms of the couple and expansion of the universe. I’m highly recommending it.
Dryad Tuli Cato has 3 rules he lives by: No relationships, no drama, no trouble.
When a gorgeous incubus offers a night of no-strings passion, Tuli readily agrees. Only that no-strings night sure feels like a lot more.
Okay, Tuli has 2 rules he lives by: No drama, no trouble.
Being the sous chef at the most exclusive restaurant in town makes no drama a challenge. Especially when the kitchen’s in an uproar after a staff member turns up dead. Murdered.
Um, Tuli has 1 rule he lives by: No trouble.
Surely, he can stick to this 1 simple rule. . . except it turns out, he might be the murderer’s next target.
Incubus Kem Balthasar has only 1 rule he lives by: Enjoy life.
It’s a lust demon’s nature, after all. Creatures either want to be him or do him. Or maybe a bit of both.
When Kem lays eyes on a slender dryad hottie across a crowded sex club, suddenly he’s thinking of another L-word and it’s not one he ever thought he’d feel.
Okay, Kem has 2 rules he lives by: Enjoy life, romance Tuli.
Convincing the skeptical dryad that Kem’s a worthy—and faithful—partner is hard enough. But it’s even harder to date a guy who might wind up dead.
Right. Kem has 3 rules he lives by: Enjoy life, romance Tuli, and keep the little dryad safe.
Easy, right?
Demon for the Win is a 40k just-one-night, fated mates, novella set in the Much Ado about Demons world. Each book stands alone. This book contains explicit scenes, a little black book with loads of secrets, jealous trees, sex club shenanigans, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
*Previously published in the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend giveaway.
If you’re not familiar with The Magi Accounts series, this isn’t the book for you. A reader has to have read all the preceding books, in the order that they were written, in order to understand the people and relationships talked about here.
But if you have, then you are in for a heartwarming read, rare for this series and universe.
It starts off as a series of interludes, some of which have already occurred in the previous book, A Purpose That Restores Us (The Magi Accounts 3) . But this time the perspective is through the eyes of mage Ash and lion shifter, Charlie.
This is their story or series of events that lead to their bonding.
It starts off a bit fragmented but it steadily grows together as it leaves the known scenes behind and starts to build its own narrative based around the Ono-Nai pack’s first holiday together under one roof with all its new members.
It’s a scary, fragile, and wonderful time for everyone, each in a different way, as the tale unveils.
Ash, a compound born mage, with all the horrors and damage that entails, is a character we’ve slowly gotten to know. Here we begin a deeper journey with him through his first memories of Jude and Mads to becoming part of the pack , then the true story which is his relationship with Charlie, a lion shifter.
Charlie has always been a series favorite due to his kindness, his open heart , and his willingness to accept his differences while others won’t. His love of makeup, and sparkly clothing. Images that clash with that of the lion shifter norm.
Notaro slowly builds a deep bond between Ash and Charlie, one of trust, friendship which then becomes something greater.
All done through the trappings of two holidays celebrated by the pack as they decorate, shop, and prepare together.
It’s heartwarming, not without its brutal reminders of the world outside and what members of the pack have gone through in their pasts, but it is also about found family, friends, and love in all facets.
Whatever the next full book holds , Notaro is giving her readers two companion stories as gifts.
This wonderful heartwarming romantic holiday tale for Charlie and Ash. The next , An Embrace To Hearten Me, will be for Jude, River, and Kulani. That’s a story guaranteed to be heartbreaking and tissue worthy. The brutality and horror they have endured makes any happiness they find indescribably sweeter. I can’t wait to read it.
I’m highly recommending A Holiday to Sustain Us (The Magi Accounts Companion Novellas) by Michele Notaro to all readers of this series and the series to all lovers of dark urban fantasy fiction.
The Magi Accounts:
🔹The Scars That Bind Us #1
🔹The Shackles That Hold Us #2
🔹A Date To Impress Him #2.5
🔹A Purpose That Restores Us #3
🔹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday
🔹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5 – 8/29/2023
🔹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4 – TBD 2023
One kiss under the mistletoe and now I’m hooked. I can’t get him out of my head… and I think I might like it.
Convincing my pride to have a holiday celebration was supposed to be a fun way to bring everyone together. But my plan went awry when my younger pride mate convinced everyone I needed a kiss. I hadn’t expected Ash to volunteer. And I certainly hadn’t expected him to kiss me on the lips and… linger.
Now, all I can think about is feeling his lips on mine again. Instead of planning gift giving and parties, I’m planning how to win Ash over. And what better way to convince him to spend time with me than to have him help me with my holiday plans?
The holidays are coming to the Ono-Nai house, and I only have one thing I’m wishing for this year—Ash.
A Holiday To Sustain Us is a fun 70K word MM urban fantasy companion story meant to be read AFTER A Purpose That Restores Us (The Magi Accounts 3). It’s from Charlie’s perspective and takes place between books 3 and 4 of the main series. This is a companion novel, NOT a standalone.
*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.
———-
Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 