Tag: LGBTQIA Urban Fantasy

Review: Edge Lines (Fallen Messenger #3) by Ava Marie Salinger

Rating: 4 .5🌈

It’s been a while since I read the last book in this series, so it took a bit to get back into this extremely complicated universe with its ever expanding cast of supernatural and mythological characters. This of course includes those characters challenging, complex relationships with each other which is made even more convoluted and clouded because none of The Fallen remember their past lives due to a curse.

Salinger has written not just characters but characters that have characters layered over top of them, with each character layer having a distinct history complete with memories separate from one another. One preFallen and the person they’ve become sans memories after The Fall. Does this make them completely different beings now?

I suspect that’s going to be a question the author will be addressing in her storylines.

Edge Lines sees a return of some of those memories to our characters with haunting ramifications.

The memories have been returning in bits and pieces as Cassius Black and Morgan King find themselves with new powers and titles. In the last book, it became apparent that Morgan had Fae blood and powers that now manifested in a Wind Sword and a Crown of greens. Cassius too remembered names and took on a powerful heavenly shine when he used his powers to blast demons out of the city.

Their new Demi status is only the beginning.

The author is ramping up her series plot and it seems to be a wow of a series arc!

It happens over the course of the book. As Morgan and Cassius seek answers to who they were before The Fall , their enemy is making huge maneuvers to end the world order.

Salinger starts enlarging the cast of characters by bringing on more “ players “ who will have to help bring down the “big bad”. So we see the enlarging corp of fighters being assembled.

It’s more Gods and it’s fascinating as well as imaginative.

All I’ll say is I adore the Reapers!

And the author must have a huge wall of pinned cards to keep everyone and everything straight in the narrative because this is one labyrinthine series arc!

It’s just keeps getting better with each revelation.

I will say I’m not as heavily invested in Morgan and Cassius’s relationship as I am in the entire plot. Perhaps it’s a lack of chemistry for me that I find in other couples the author has created in this book.

Either way, the fantastic storylines keep me hugely entertained and engaged in the events going forward!

I need to know more! What happens next!

That’s Oathbreaker! I’ll be waiting for that to be released. It’s the series finale!

Until then, get ready. Read all the books in the order they were written and meet me at Oathbreaker!

I’m highly recommending this series and story!

Fallen Messenger series:

◦ Unbound #0.5

✓ Fractured Souls #1

✓ Spellbound #2

✓ Edge Lines #3

◦ Oathbreaker #4

https://www.goodreads.com › showEdge Lines (Fallen Messengers #3) by Ava Marie Salinger – Goodreads

Synopsis:

The Gods have come to San Francisco…

Cassius Black and Morgan King’s trip to Ivory Peaks to uncover clues about their past takes an unexpected turn when a rift materializes and war demons attack the capital. Having saved one world by the skin of their teeth, they return to Earth, only to find it has been rocked by ominous quakes bearing a close resemblance to the phenomenon that nearly destroyed the Dryad kingdom.

After defeating demons that emerge from a crevasse in San Francisco, Cassius and Morgan rescue the Wild God Pan from the bottom of a rift with the help of Victor Sloan and the city’s otherwordly. But instead of thanking them, Pan makes a startling demand: rescue his lover and prevent the Spirit Realm from being destroyed, and he will reveal the truth about who Cassius and Morgan are.

Help comes from an unexpected source when a pair of Reapers visit the city and Cassius, Morgan, and Victor soon go hunting for a missing deity who may hold the key to saving all the realms. Can they free the immortals from their prisons and find the powerful artefact that can bend the mind and will of even a God? Or will the enemy who has long manipulated them from the shadows win this war and destroy everything they have come to care for?

Edge Lines is the third novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like your paranormal adventures full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons, then you’re not going to want to miss this enthralling, fun-filled ride!

Review: Nixing the End of the World by Alice Winters

Rating: 3 🌈

I love Alice Winters. I love urban fantasy. I usually love Alice Winters urban fantasy romances. So why was Nixing the End of the World by Alice Winters, while entertaining, not wholly enjoyable?

That’s a question that has really been bothering me.

The story has Winters usual elements. A interesting plot, a likable main, albeit clueless character in Nix, some fascinating other beings the circle around him. But for me I believe the issue started immediately, and it’s built within the story. It’s that old problem of honor, trust, friendship, and betrayal.

Here it becomes my issue with the book. Why? Because fundamental to this story is breaking the trust of someone who is supposed to be so close to you, they’re almost a sibling. It’s is done here often, with all the processes at times of a person crumpling a bag of chips, and with the expectations that that person will immediately forgive you. Every single time.

Knows a person for most their lives, lies to them about the things that are essential to saving them, puts them in danger. Says basically oops. Over and over.

A number of characters. To Nix.

So what’s the message here a reader is to take away? While absorbing all the stuff about the new fantasy world, the characters, travel and Nix’s mission… we get that everyone close to Nix essentially lies to him all the time, betrays him, has since he can remember. And the reader is supposed to connect with any or all of them?

Um no.

I don’t find anyone of them, outside of the cat and so called horse with antlers halfway personable.

His best friend since early childhood is probably the worst of them all. She consistently betrays his trust, has actually been a fraud in all their lives, and then no matter what she’s done, expects their relationship to continue on the same and instant forgiveness.

Which she gets.

The author apparently discarding the impact all the revelations would actually make on a person. Instead treating these issues as trivial notions, or something to be given mention but emotionally impactful? Narratively not.

There’s exciting battles, mages and magic. A touch of romance. And the journey continues on with the note that Nix will still need to save the world.

All very well.

But first, there’s a foundation that needs to be fixed and more then a few characters in need of a make over in order for me to find this a place to be comfortable in.

I left this story, as I entered it. Unconnected and uninvolved in anyone’s lives and how the journey will out in the end.

If they don’t care that they can’t depend on those closest to them, why should I? Therein lies the crux.

If this seems like a story for you, continue forward. For me? I’m stopping here.

https://www.goodreads.com › showNixing the End of the World by Alice Winters – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Nix
“You are the savior of mankind” are the last words I ever expected to hear while nibbling on fries. The thing is, I’m not mankind saving material. I don’t even have magic (and just found out it exists). I’m the most boring, normal(ish) human ever.

Suddenly, I’m being tossed right into the middle of a fight that started years before I was even born, and then I get partnered up with Alastair, a quirky magical Guardian. He is rather attractive and sweet when he’s not into the whole “woe is me, I can’t let myself fall in love with you” nonsense. I mean, the moment he took my annoyingly judgmental grandma hostage, it was all over for me. I was hooked.

Now the only problem is… what exactly are we saving the world from?

Alastair
The moment I laid eyes on Nix, the naive yet easygoing human captivated my attention, and now I’m determined to protect him. But despite my amazing and majestic abilities, we might not make it out of this mess. Still, there must be a reason Nix was chosen. No, he doesn’t have pizazz and maybe he really doesn’t have magic, but he’s also one of the strongest and kindest men I’ve ever met.

Now if I can just get him to stop throwing blankets at enemies, we might have a shot at this.

Nixing the End of the World contains a flaming “horse” with antlers who inexplicably appears when needed (or not), an interfering BFF who didn’t really mean to light the trunk on fire, a six-toed cat that looks like he put a claw in a socket, and an incubus who just wants a smoothie without anyone losing their clothes.

Review: Wyrmwood (Poisonwood & Lyric #2) by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

Rating : 4 🌈

Wyrmwood is a short story in the Poisonwood & Lyric series by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes. It’s romance between Augustine, a dragon who’s sure he’s finally found his mate and Declan Lynch, son of a incubus and a sea nymph , who’s equally sure he hasn’t.

A kidnapping, a starving incubus, a totally confused dragon, and a crisis to come makes for a tightly told fantasy romance.

Jasper from Poisonwood just so happens to be the younger brother to Declan, so we have one of several links that help we with the series overall theme.

But it’s the chemistry between August and Declan that makes this story. It’s just lovely. We get the arguments, the hesitation to believe that Declan is actually THE mate , and August isn’t just driven by the incubus’s beauty and magic.

The dramatic climax is scary, there’s a potential rape scene if that’s a trigger. But it’s a HEA story. And I hope to see this couple make an appearance somewhere in the series down the line. They are that adorable.

I’m recommending this!

Poisonwood & Lyric series:

✓ Poisonwood #1

✓ Wyrmwood #2

◦ Hardwood #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showWyrmwood (Poisonwood & Lyric #2) by Sam Burns – Goodreads

Synopsis:

A dragon searching for a crowning jewel for his fabulous hoard.

A misanthropic incubus who just wants to swim.

Declan might be the world’s only shut-in incubus, but with a father like Elrith, it’s little wonder his faith in people is nonexistent. He skates through life as a computer programmer, closed into his tiny apartment, only feeding by ordering sex workers to his door. But his mother was a water nymph, and occasionally, Declan can’t resist the need to sneak out and swim. This time, he’s in for a surprise.

Augustine is a water dragon who has spent years building the perfect hoard, and now there’s just one thing missing: someone to share it with. When he spots the stunning creature swimming just outside his home, he realizes the jewel he sought has come to him. But after centuries of little human contact, he’s out of touch with the meaning of the word consent. When the tempting nymph chafes his control, August can’t figure out how to win him over.

But word of August’s treasure has reached greedy ears, and all he cares for is under threat. Can a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope teach August the true value of possession before he loses everything?

Review: A Gilded Iron Blade ( San Amara Investigations #3) by Kai Butler

Rating: 4.75🌈

A Gilded Iron Blade is a gripping story where you absolutely must have read all the preceding books in the series. There’s just no way Kai Butler can bring a new reader up to date within this ever expanding, utterly complicated universe and series arc in a story and still carry out their vision for the book.

I’m a total fan of this series and sometimes it’s a task, albeit a very happy one, for me to remember all the various characters, the politics (on Earth and in the other Realms), the amazingly labyrinthine character histories and relationship dynamics. Plus , thanks to a author with a flexible and imaginative mind, each story is a dramatic and emotionally exciting journey to a higher new stage of development for everyone involved.

It’s normally a more frightening one as well.

In A Gilded Iron Blade, Parker Ferro, has assumed , unwillingly, the all important title and role of the Windrose, high judge and arbitrator for the Other Realms, one’s that now include the Dark one. As well as the one tasked with making sure nothing happens to new The World Tree which is still reestablishing itself with its portals and enemies.

Parker Ferro is one of the most intriguing characters I’ve read. His history is tortured and still much as mystery to himself and others. His dysfunctional childhood impacts all his relationships and decisions, often for the worst. And yet just when you may want to throttle him (Butler’s characters feel totally alive that you believe in them), then he sees in something or someone a greater pain , or makes a step forward in his growth that shows such utter emotional depth you’ve confounded and committed even greater to his journey. Wherever that’s taking him, you, and those around him.

And it’s quite a group of found family he’s gathering up there as well. Not just his conflicted Detective boyfriend, Nick, an alchemist who’s family has a way of negatively impacting their lives as well as Nick’s career.

A Gilded Iron Blade follows the events from the battle for the World Tree , new and old enemies, new storylines and characters.

Layers upon layers. No things aren’t getting any easier for anyone. In fact, there’s a character death here. It’s logical but it’s not any less devastating.

Kai Butler is ramping up the excitement, the suspense, and the heart stopping events as new mysteries are just about to appear.

This was an awesome, wildly entertaining, imaginative, and gripping story. It was emotional and I was invested in Parker’s growth, as well as his many relationships with Nick, and his family.

I can’t wait for the next book to be released.

Until then, I’m highly recommending this series and story. Read them in the order they are written to understand the events and characters histories and relationships.

San Amara Investigations Series:

◦ A Haunting at Midnight #0.5

◦ A Debt Unpaid #0.75

✓ Wormwood Summer #1

✓ A Belated Burial #1.5

✓ The Oak Wood Throne #2

✓ A Gilded Iron Blade #3

◦ A Shattered Silver Crown #4

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Gilded Iron Blade (San Amaro Investigations #3) by Kai Butler – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Saving the city was supposed to be the hard part…

Parker Ferro can’t catch a break. After saving San Amaro from destruction for the second time and reconciling with his boyfriend, his current plans are to relax on his couch until his ears stop ringing.

Unfortunately, the thousand realms he just saved have a way of yanking him back into service and the dead have come back to haunt him. When he’s called in by the SAPD to consult on the murder of an anti-paranormals protestor killed with fae magic, Parker is caught up in an intricate political web that was spun long before he was ever born.

Now Parker has to unravel the mystery behind the murder and untangle old family secrets before irreversible damage is done to his new friends and alliances. At least this time, he’ll hopefully have some help…

A Gilded Iron Blade is a 100k MM urban fantasy with a HFN and an ongoing storyline.

Review: Poisonwood (Poisonwood & Lyric #1) by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

Rating: 3.25🌈

While waiting for the next Sam Burns release in a series, I thought I’d start up another fantasy series she co-wrote that sounds interesting.

Poisonwood has many neat factors that’s grabbed me. The authors, a great description in the blurb and a wow of a cover. All that sold me enough to dive into the first story.

I liked it, mostly. Jasper Jones is a sympathetic character with his hesitation about consensual feeding versus the norm for his species, which might be anything but. Although it does seem more that his family could be a rather abysmal lot, other than his sister.

Caleb, the bear shifter, is also a lovely if undefined character. We get someone with a big heart , who falls immediately for a sick incubus.

What feels lacking around a neat romance is foundation and back history. We don’t know to what lengths Jasper’s gone to see how to feed consensually. He has a cellphone. What about others of his species outside of Lyric? We just don’t have any information. He just runs off. More than once.

And Caleb? His actions? While I get he’s attracted to the man he’s found who just moved in on him and stayed.. and stayed… I’d ask a few questions. He’s still a sweetheart of a bear shifter!

And why did no one help that poor thing in the woods?

So yes… their romance should have had a foundation to stand on. Sometimes love or lust isn’t everything.

But perhaps it’s a start. The characters are enough to make me wonder about what’s coming next , so are the writers.

I’m headed to Wyrmwood.

Follow me there!

Poisonwood & Lyric series:

✓ Poisonwood #1

◦ Wyrmwood #2

◦ Hardwood #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showPoisonwood (Poisonwood & Lyric #1) by Sam Burns – Goodreads

Synopsis:

A starving incubus.

A bear alone.

Jasper Jones is Lyric’s most pitiful incubus. He can’t feed and doesn’t want to if it means hurting people. When a witch gives him a chance at breaking the cycle of hunger, he rushes half cocked into the woods in search of a cure.

Caleb moved into Poisonwood Forest to escape the crowded city of Lyric, but it’s lonely by himself. He doesn’t expect to find his mate when he trips over an unconscious young man in the middle of the woods, but there he is, perfect—except for a peculiar fondness for processed cookies.

Their only problem is that Jasper’s sick, and when he doesn’t get better, his one shot at survival is in the hands of a bear shifter who’ll do anything to save him.

Review: Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum (Jon’s Mysteries #3) by A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 4.75🌈

Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum is the penultimate novel in this series and one that brings the emotional elements that have kept Jon’s deep insecurities about himself and his ability to have a person willing to commit themselves to him, given his gifts, at play. Yes, it’s all about Jon’s past history and his family.

That element is neatly woven into a complicated case about a historic house and a missing corpse.

Sherwood takes a long look at multiple relationships here. Doesn’t matter whether they be in the past, in the present, or one’s looking towards their future together. All get inspected under the author’s narrative lens, to see how each one , each decision made with regard towards a making or breaking a relationship impacted those now.

It’s an emotionally painful for everyone, cathartic for some, devastating for others. For Jon it lead him forward, letting him move into another stage of his relationship with Donovan and his own family.

I love where Sherwood is leading us with this story and it’s elements. The growth in the main characters and new depth to their relationships just makes the book. Along with a great mystery of course!

This is one novel where too much detail in the review gives away too many revelations coming in the story. Even one spoiler is one too many.

This is a tremendously gratifying journey and series. We have another to go.

See you at the series finale. Until then, I’m highly recommending Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum (Jon’s Mysteries #3) by A.J. Sherwood .

Love the author! Read the series in the order they are written!

Jon’s Mysteries series:

✓ Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case #1

✓ Jon’s Crazy Head-Boppon’ Mystery #2

✓ Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum #3

◦ Jon’s Boom Shaka Laka Problem #4

✓ Brandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas

Jon’s Spooky Corpse Conundrum by A.J. Sherwood – Goodreads

Synopsis:

I’ve investigated some pretty strange cases in my life, but I have to say this is a first. A corpse—a murder victim—has gone missing during the middle of an investigation, and no one has any clue where it went. Psy is called in to clear the investigative team, make sure they’re not an accomplice. It’s a four hour drive outside of Nashville, to a place famous for being haunted, so none of us are particularly eager to go.

And then we arrive on scene and I see who we’re dealing with and I want nothing more than to turn around and go right back to Nashville.

This case is complicated and strange, and absolutely nothing is as it seems at first glance. Even with my eyes, it’s going to take some digging to get to the truth.




Tags:

haunted house, disappearing corpses, not in a zombie way, Donovan doesn’t do ghosts, family drama, because families are complicated, muuuuurder, bareback sex, terrible parenting, Donovan puts up with a lot to say the least, developing relationship, Garrett’s a good bro, sometimes, yeeeeeeeeeeeeees, FINALLY, healthy life choices, possibly wrong forensics, I don’t even know, I tried, no ghosts were harmed in the making of this story, supernatural elements, the author regrets nothing

Review: Gathering Mage ( Fledgling God #3) by Michael Taggert

Rating: 4.75🌈

The third installment in Michael Taggert’s Fledgling God series is out and Gathering Mage is an absolute delight of a fantasy adventure tale!

Epic doesn’t begin to describe Jason and Sandy’s adventures at the Gathering, an enormous conference of the Heads of the Households of the supernatural world , including all the mages and supernatural beings get together. They network, talk regulations, issues…bring up collective problems. It’s an important event, especially for such a young House as House Louisville.

With all the problems facing the House at home, only Sandy and Jason are able to go and represent their house. Thinks newbs headed to NYC for the first time. Or Paris for that matter. You get my drift.

They have no idea what’s in store.

Now if you’re a reader who likes no explanation about their magic other than Kazaam, poof, and the magical spell has done its job, well this isn’t the book or series for you.

However, if you enjoy imaginative interpretations of a magical process, or a highly creative twist on magic, right down to the cellular level, including cute minute characters, dive right in! Taggert runs happily amuck with his magical processes, his highly creative philosophies on runes and magical power. It’s fascinating and it’s uses through Jason and Sandy here , especially Jason, keep us riveted to the story!

Both Jason and Sandy under go enormous amounts of growth here. Some are humorous, some are through some stunning emotional moments. We range from everything from lively hedge wars to intimate moments with llama centaurs and glassblowing to a final heartwarming Circle Dance.

There’s so much here. So many great memorable characters. The llama centaurs especially, that entire nation and element! Great characters, beautifully written scenes, fantastic descriptions…. Be still my heart!

Taggert gives Sandy’s journey an excellent amount of narrative time . She’s so important to Jason and their partnership. I was glad to feel that I never felt her part was less than his.

Gathering Mage was another one of those 2am finishes. I wasn’t going to put it down until it was done.

Michael Taggert has chosen an unusual format for this series in that none of these books end. They just….stop. Or perhaps I should say pause.

And the next starts immediately right where this one stops.

So it’s as if a reader has a divided book chopped into two and it’s missing the other half. Gathering Mage is sort of finished. They are home. But that last page is one where you’re going to turn into the next….

That’s the only reason this isn’t getting a 5 rating. Had it ended with them going through the portal? Awesome. I’d think brilliant.

But this is very close.

I’m highly recommending it and the first two.

I love the attention to details, one’s that don’t exist of course! But that so much fun! Can’t wait for more!

Fledgling God series:

Misfit Mage #1

Melee Mage #2

Gathering Mage #3

https://www.amazon.com › Gatherin…Gathering Mage: Fledgling God: book 3 – Kindle edition – Amazon.com

Synopsis:

Jason is getting ready to have the adventure of his life!

He and Sandy are heading to the Gathering, which is a conference where the Heads of the Households of the supernatural world network, talk about problems and solutions facing the Houses, and learn a few things.

Jason is going just to support Sandy, and figures he’ll have a mildly interesting time and be home soon. Instead, he gets poisoned, fights for his life, meets a whole new nation, learns the history and secrets of runes, has a cosmic encounter, makes many new friends, and finally gets in touch with his godhood.

It’s a wild ride, so make sure you have snacks, a comfy blanket, hot chocolate, a lap cat/dog/bunny of choice, and get ready for some fun!

Review: Stop Kidding Around (Magical Mates #2) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Stop Kidding Around is the second book in Macy Blake’s Magical Mates series and it’s another winner. It gives us plenty of drama and action while still managing to remain focused on a developing small family group , formed by a human teacher and three wolf shifters, two of which are adorable children.

Toby Sanders, the teacher, is such an amazing new character. He’s one of the two povs the story is told from and his is the most refreshing and hilarious. As a human with no idea the supernatural world exists, Toby’s introduction is abrupt and his reaction is everything!

Can we relate? Why yes we can!

For me, Toby’s perspective and character just makes this book. Macy has written a honest, personable, highly intelligent man who’s still hesitant to believe in love for himself. I absolutely Toby. He’s so relatable.

Watching him communicate and open up himself to others and being a part of a family and pack? Incredible.

Brook , the wolf shifter who patiently talks with Toby, communicating the new world around him, and their mate bond? Just as amazing and beautiful.

So too the little girls/wolf shifters, Marigold and Daisy.

There’s other important characters in play here. Most have been referred to or have had huge parts to play in other stories, their own or others in The Chosen universe. Some like the orphan Jeremy , a big element here, might have an interesting future ahead. Just another reason I’m loving this series.

The only issue I had here is that with all the many storylines at work, when it came time to pull them all together, some felt a bit rushed. I felt as though I was missing some of the pieces of the puzzle for a few of the mystery segments at the end. The explanation didn’t seem to cover everything that occurred.

However, the romance, the mate bond, the communication ( a huge thing with me) the children, it made it just plain magical. Love this couple and children.

Magical Mates is a great addition to The Chosen universe and I hope it continues.

I’m recommending both stories written so far! Red them in the order they were written.

Magical Mates:

✓ All Kidding Aside #1

✓ Stop Kidding Around #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showStop Kidding Around (Magical Mates #2) by Macy Blake – Goodreads

Synopsis:

His so-called mate thinks it’s fate. Toby has other ideas.

When Toby Sanders shows up to interview for a teaching job at a mysterious estate, he’s not expecting his world to flip upside down and backward.

Shifters are real… and the hottest, most protective wolf of all is claiming him as a mate.

Toby can’t deny that Brooks is everything he ever wanted and never thought he could have–loving, strong, drop-dead gorgeous–or that the two little girls Brooks wants to adopt give Toby a glimpse of the family he’s always dreamed of…
But how the heck is he supposed to believe in this mating magic stuff when life has taught him that the only person he can count on is himself?

As dangers from multiple sources threaten everything he’s come to care about, Toby learns that being part of a pack isn’t just about accepting his fate, it’s about choice: choosing to trust Brooks, choosing to believe in himself, and choosing to fight for the life and love he deserves, even if he has to cross the entire fae realm to do it.

Review: All Kidding Aside (Magical Mates #1) by Macy Blake

Rating: 4 .5🌈

I recently reviewed Logan, the first book in Macy Blake’s new series. In that story, Orsen Riggs , a bear shifter and his adorable son came to help with the new additions and renovations to Logan’s team’s office and pack dwelling.

In a short time, they made an indelible impression. So I was thrilled to find I could read Orsen’s romance and the tale of his family.

It’s part of the Chosen interlocking group of series that Blake has ongoing that includes Logan’s series as well.

But honestly, adorable shifter kids and mates? I’m in!

The kids were a part of a drama from another series/novels but enough of their history was related here that we had a foundation. Kids kidnapped, hurt, saved, now heading under the one Alpha and clan who saved them.

Exciting and sets up a fantastic groundwork for future stories as the kids are all different shifters.

There is nothing more connectable or endearing then small beings needing families and love. Macy Blake does an outstanding job of giving us children who are not are believable but have the ability to jump instantly into our hearts.

Add onto that two men with a mate connection each is unsure about, a child they both “feel “ is somehow theirs… and you have a heartfelt storyline that pulls you in with multiple elements.

And it’s not just that child in need of a family…..

There’s a compound full. With dangers lurking outside.

Yes, I loved this.

Magical Mates:

✓ All Kidding Aside #1

◦ Stop Kidding Around #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showAll Kidding Aside (Magical Mates #1) by Macy Blake – Goodreads

Building houses for a pack of orphans might lead one griffin to find his heart’s home.Victor Eastaughffe knows three things for a fact:-He does not have a mate.-He does not like children.-His duty is to his griffin clan. When Victor meets Orsen Riggs, a scruffy bear shifter, and little Gus, an orphaned red panda cub, his orderly, structured world becomes messy and chaotic. All the things he once held true suddenly don’t make sense. Asked to help the Smith pack navigate the difficult world of shifter politics, Victor realizes he might not know himself as well as he thought.

Magic is in the air, and it’s making him long for things he never wanted before. But duty comes before all else, even at a price Victor no longer wants to pay.

Review: Fluke and the Faithless Father (Fantastic Fluke #2) by Sam Burns

Rating: 5 🌈💫

After reading The Fantastic Fluke I had to immediately go to the next in the series to see what happens next. Imagine how surprised I was to find this (and probably all the other books) flow seamlessly from one to another.

The beginning here is exactly the last paragraphs of the ending of the first book so the narrative continues perfectly, picking up where the events left everyone evaluating how to go forward.

All the characters I have gotten to love, and a few I despise, are back. The interpersonal relationships are deepening. And the character growth and magical revelations just connect me even more closely with mage Sage McKinley, and his incredible found family that includes his cowboy mage (former ghost) boyfriend Gideon, his fabulous mage grandmother Iris McKinley and her staff/family as well as Rufus her familiar, Sage’s BFF and store partner Beez, Freddy, and last but never ever least … the amazing familiar Fluke the fox! Unfortunately there’s still Sage’s dads who are both a huge part of this story.

Both of them had enormous roles in damaging and traumatizing Sage, a element that has continued into the present. His biological father has remained in the bookstore Sage inherited, albeit in ghostly form, to taunt him daily, not content to have been just a miserable, horrible father to Sage while living.

The man Sage had loved and thought of as his real father and family, until he watched him murder his mother, is behind bars, convicted of the same murder that almost took Sage’s life too. And left him traumatized.

Both men and Sage’s past return here with real emotional impact.

I love found family stories and Burns is building a remarkable one while crafting a urban fantasy arc full of magic and mystery and quite a few murders.

Throw in how much damage a parent can inflict on a child’s personality by abuse, neglect, or, stunningly, unforeseen betrayal and murder, as Burns gives us a heartbreaking portrait of damaged adolescence and survival. And not just Sage’s.

Fluke and The Faithless Father is such a great story because of perseverance and strength and even grace shown by those under such awful conditions here. And the way in which they all triumph as they head to the next challenges.

It made me want to go back to the beginning and meet them all again, to see what I may have missed, recapture their wonderful spirits, before we head onto the next step.

I can already tell this is a journey I’ll want to take again with this remarkable family.

I’m highly recommending this book and series.

Again, a glorious cover.

The Fantastic Fluke Series:

✓ The Fantastic Fluke #1

✓ Fluke and the Faithless Father #2

◦ Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco #3

◦ Fluke and the Frontier Farce #4 – coming in 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showFluke and the Faithless Father by Sam Burns – Goodreads

Synopsis:

After escaping a murderer and resurrecting his boyfriend, Sage figures he deserves a little time to recover.

Unfortunately, life is rarely fair.

So instead of a break, he gets to deal with a magical law enforcement rookie asking uncomfortable questions about his brush with death. The quaesitor is acting downright suspicious. Or is it suspiciously?

Things go from awkward to dangerous when the man who murdered Sage’s mother is released from prison, and soon after there’s a break-in at the bookstore. The situation escalates so fast that Sage is afraid he’s going to end up with whiplash. Or worse, end up dead. He wanted a break, but not a permanent one.

Fluke and the Faithless Father is a direct sequel to The Fantastic Fluke, and should not be read first. It is an ~85k word novel that follows the continuing adventures of Sage, Fluke, Gideon, and their whole family, found and otherwise.