Review: A Vigil in the Mourning (Soulbound #4) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 5🌈

A Vigil in the Mourning, fourth in the Soulbound series, sees Patrick pursuing a case and artifact to Chicago as the divide between factions widens to enormous impact.

It’s a division on every level. From gods of various Pantheons choosing sides to the impending godpack were wars of NYC that Jono and Patrick’s pack will have to fight.

But first, Patrick must go to Chicago, on orders from both the gods and his bosses to find Morrigan’s Staff.

Each installment in this series brings us a new group of gods/immortals to become familiar with and in Chicago we find the Norse court,with one remarkable addition.

Odin, Thor, Frigg, the Valkyries and more are fleshed out , and powerful., weaving their mythological god threads substantially through this section of the arc with great consequence.

The city of Chicago is a perfect setting for both this story and the Norse court . Chicago figures heavily throughout the novel as the sites, restaurants, neighborhoods and politicians play an important role in every aspect of this tale.

Jono and Patrick’s relationship is a constant struggle of trust and balance. Between the new small packs coming to Jono and their pack for protection and new alliances needed to be made, the couple deals daily with trying to maintain the needs of their growing pack responsibilities with that of Patrick’s job as well as the overwhelming demands of the gods with claims on their souls.

All that while coming to grips with their own Soulbound, still new relationship, and Patrick’s traumatic history, which is always a part of everything that occurs.

Turner’s characters, no matter whether they be gods, were, mage, or , human, are complex , believable beings, capable of being right for all the wrong reasons as well as the opposite. In other words everything is grey, nothing can be relied upon to be as it seems. A very stressful existence for all.

Turner does include humor, usually in the being of dragon fledging Wade, a favorite of mine. It’s also within the intimate dialogue between the characters who have deep friendships with each other. I’m thinking of the amazing Nadine here. It’s needed when things go south quickly. As they do often.

The fight scenes are over the top incredible, exciting, and heart stopping. Full of nonstop battles , white knuckle worthy and fantastic! Even as all the combatants lay waste to everything around them, well known locations and objects included.

All this makes for a turbulent , fabulously complicated book full of relationships always teetering on the edge of both hope and absolute disaster. It’s definitely a 5 star ride all the way.

None of these stories can be taken out of sequence. They must be read in the order they were written, especially as the group’s path is taking them towards multiple wars.

I’m onto the next, trying not to run through this fantastic series because I know I’ll be bereft at ending it.

I’m highly recommending this book and series. It’s just an incredible journey I’m on with these characters. I can’t wait to see where the author takes us next.

Soulbound series:

✓ A Ferry of Bones & Gold #1

✓ All Souls Near & Nigh #2

✓ A Crown of Iron & Silver #3

✓ A Vigil in the Mourning #4

◦ On the Wings of War #5

◦ An Echo in the Sorrow #6

◦ A Veiled & Hallowed Eve #7

A Vigil in the Mourning (Soulbound Book 4)by Hailey Turner4.8 out of 5 stars 490

Synopsis:Special Agent Patrick Collins is dispatched to Chicago, chasing a lead on the Morrígan’s staff for the joint task force. Needing a cover for his presence in the Windy City, Patrick is ordered to investigate a politician running for mayor. In the lead up to election day, not everything is what it seems in a city where playing to win means appeasing the gods first and the electorate second.

But Chicago brings its own set of problems outside the case: a stand-offish local god pack, a missing immortal, and Patrick’s twin sister. Fighting Hannah and the Dominion Sect provides Patrick with a sinister reminder that some blood ties can never be cut.

Left behind in New York City, Jonothon de Vere finds himself targeted by hunters who will go through anyone to kill him—including the packs under his protection. With a bounty on his head, Jono is forced to make a choice that Patrick would never approve of. Doing so risks breaking the trust he’s built with the man he loves, but not acting will give the rival New York City god pack leverage Jono can’t afford to give up.

When Patrick and Jono reunite in Chicago, Patrick must confront the fraying of a relationship he’s come to rely on for his own sanity. But fixing their personal problems will have to wait—because Niflheim is clawing at the shores of Lake Michigan and the dead are hungry.

Review: A Crown of Iron & Silver ((Soulbound #3) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 5🌈

With A Crown of Iron & Silver, author Hailey Turner continues our journey into the old gods and nigh forgotten pantheons around the world.

It’s an extremely fascinating and often terrifying ride, as these gods are, depending on who they are, turn out to be rage filled, scheming, desperate to hold onto their power and followers. And it’s a weird meshing of countries and Gods that I find I’m absolutely increasingly focused on. Aztec god brothers to ancient Celtic Gods to the more familiar ones of the Greek and Egyptian pantheons to those of Norse and Mexican origin. It’s just incredible the way each is brought vividly to life. And I’m only halfway through.

There’s also werecreatures, vampires, succubus, mages, witches, and of course the Fae.

The last figures largely here as the case that pulls Patrick and therefore Jono away from a quiet Christmas at home is that of a stolen human child and a changeling. The human child that was stolen belongs to a high ranking witch family and that means Patrick is involved.

There is no way to even begin to explain the complicated and many storylines that follow. One plot after another, layering over and through each other until it starts to resemble a painting where the artist has used so much paint that you’re not sure whether to stand back or move closer because you can’t see a subject anymore.

The relationship between Jono and Patrick is moving forward, gaining strength from the very traumatizing events of the last story. Jono’s status a alpha and godhead of his pack is spreading. As is Patrick’s role as co Leader.

As the gods raise their demands on Patrick’s soul and the Dominion Sect as well as Ethan, Patrick’s father continues their drive for godlike power, loyalty, love, and truth seems to be tested at every turn.

Turner does give us humor, usually via Wade, our teenage dragon fledgling. Ever eating, still recovering from the trauma of his abduction and brutal abuse at the hands of a now dead vampire, the safer he feels the younger he feels safer to be. He’s funny, adorable, and for a huge flaming being, very poignant at times. You just want to hug him then turn him loose in a grocery store….on someone else’s credit card of course.

What else surprised me? The great take on the Fae from the Court of the Queen of Air and Darkness. So very imaginative and yes, scary. Love it. I adore it when an author can see the Fae, brings that have been described so many ways in so many media, in a new aspect. Great job.

This story is full of great, relatable characters that you will care about! They have wonderful relationships and storylines within the main book and arc that it’s impossible not to be invested in them and their future.

At the end, we are set up for the next book and job the gods, different ones this time, want Patrick to set out on. That it runs along side one that he’s already pursuing? An occurrence that doesn’t surprise him or Jono.

Everything and everyone is moving closer to a collision.

This series just gets better and more addicting. I recommend them highly. Start at the beginning and work your way through.

Synopsis:

New York City is decked out for the holidays, and Special Agent Patrick Collins is looking forward to a reunion with his old team when he gets assigned a new case. A human child is missing, and the changeling left in her place causes a prominent witch family to demand justice from the fae.

Meanwhile, continued harassment from the New York City god pack forces Jonothon de Vere to formally establish his own with Patrick. Doing so will mean a civil war within the werecreature community—a war they risk losing from the start without alliances. Making bargains with the fae is never wise, but Patrick and Jono have nothing to lose when a fae lord comes asking for their help.

The Summer Lady has been kidnapped from the Seelie Court, and if they can find her, Patrick and Jono will cement an alliance with the fae. But the clues to her disappearance are found in Tír na nÓg, and the Otherworld has never been kind to mortals.

Venturing past the veil, Patrick and Jono risk losing territory, time, and their very lives while searching for answers. Because the Queen of Air and Darkness knows they are coming—and the ruler of the Unseelie Court has an offer for them they can’t possibly refuse.

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Crown of Iron & Silver (Soulbound, #3) by Hailey Turner – Goodreads

Soulbound series:

✓ A Ferry of Bones & Gold #1

✓ All Souls Near & Nigh #2

✓ A Crown of Iron & Silver #3

◦ A Vigil in the Mourning #4

◦ On the Wings of War #5

◦ An Echo in the Sorrow #6

◦ A Veiled & Hallowed Eve #7

Review: Wyn (Monstrous #3.5 by Lily Mayne

Rating: 4🌈

I just happened upon this book not realizing it was part of a series until the author’s note at the end. Then many of my issues with this story made sense.

If like me you just stumbled upon it because either the cover or description grabs your attention, then by itself it’s a interesting and promising tale.

We get a oh so brief introduction to basically the destruction of the human race as hordes of “monsters “ invade the earth through a tear between worlds.

Flash forward to 20 years and the near annihilation of the human species, an established love affair between a alien hunter, a Soul Eater and one human former soldier.

How they became to be together unfolds slowly over the course of the novel as does bits and pieces of the dystopian nightmare that the earth has become. It’s current status is all too vague but as it seems mostly empty of people, except at military bases, things aren’t looking good.

This strange air of human abandonment sets the foundation for the new reader ignorant about the situation. And it actually makes the manner in which the author who, via the characters dialogue, communicates details about the past in a spare manner very neat.

We eagerly anticipate each new detail so we can further gather together our puzzle pieces of a history and past for our couple.

A couple that’s on quite the mythic journey to join their disparate ages to equal out the amount of time they age.

That’s fascinating. But what I found more intriguing was the human’s attitude towards what was basically the death of modern human civilization and the extirpation if not almost extinction of the human race. He seems pretty ok with it, despite mentions of nightmares (although those seem to do more with torture by the military and less by the current overall climate).

So yes, finding out this was part of a series made some of my questions about the story disappear. Clearly the other books should hold the answers.

But this novel and settings has so much promise and offers such a great premise that I clearly need to seek out the beginnings and get my background references.

As well as other characters.

What fun.

If dystopian stories, odd couple romances, and a mythic god or three are your jam, this might be the book and series for you.

I’m recommending this!

Monstrous series;

Soul Eater #1

Erin #2

The Ryche #3

Wyn #3.5

M/M Fantasy Romance.

Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization.

One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own.

Including Wyn the Soul Eater.

He appears every three years, making his way across the country and slaughtering humans randomly, sucking them dry until they’re nothing but husks.

I’ve only been in the military for six months, but now I’m part of a unit tasked with trying to stop and capture him. And when I’m the only soldier out of hundreds that the Soul Eater leaves alive, I realise that… something about me has intrigued him.

But what is it? What could a twenty-three year old guy from the south, with no one and nothing in the world, have possibly done to capture the attention of a death monster with horns, blackened fingertips and a face hidden in the dark depths of his hood?

Soul Eater is the debut novel of Lily Mayne. It is the first in a planned post-apocalyptic fantasy series featuring monsters and human men falling in love. This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains scenes of violence, but don’t worry—they get their happy ending.

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsWyn (Monstrous #3.5) by Lily Mayne – Goodreads

Review: Wormwood Summer (San Amaro Investigations #1) by Kai Butler

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Fast upon the heels of my discovery of Ariana Nash and her urban fantasy series, I’ve stumbled across another story and urban fantasy series that’s threatened to have the very same effect upon me.

It’s straight away captivating me with its expanding universe, a mixture of things modern and mythic as well as swelling cast of characters to engage both heart and mind.

That’s Wormwood Summer

(San Amaro Investigations #1)

by Kai Butler . So far I’ve found 5 stories, releases and intended to be published (more on the later) and my investment in this series is all but cemented by the end of the story.

Apparently I love to smack myself in the head repeatedly because this also look to be fitting the same pattern as that other series, although I’ll just have to wait to February for book 3.

No, Butler has a way of starting with already complex characters and a baseline twisty storyline and then proceeds to up the game by leading us all through ever increasing labyrinthine corridors, peeling back layers to characters histories and personalities along the way.

I truly love books like that. This has witches, alchemists, werewolves, dragons, cops, forensics, zombies, murder, politics, high mystery and yes romance. And oh, yes, found families.

And it works so beautifully and smoothly as the angst, bewilderment, anxiety, and body count add up.

Parker Ferro, foster kid, part Fae, PI, down on his luck , soon to be evicted , with more problems than he wants to face is such an incredible character. He establishes himself as someone worthy of your compassion and commitment immediately,. Parker then goes onto grow during this tale into someone who’s strengths and new dimensions reveal him to be someone he never suspected. That steers him and his group towards a new path that will be fantastical and yes, perhaps heroic. And our hearts will be along with the ride.

Everything here , each new element offers up a springboard towards exciting new revelations and twists. All while Butler works their characters towards goals only the author is aware of.

I can’t wait to see what new beings, obligations (Fae after all), drama, and exciting adventures lie ahead.

I really need to track down those prequel books too.

Yes, I’m highly recommending this story and letting you know in advance that book 3 won’t be out until February 2022.

I can work with that. Happy reading!

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 – not yet released, publication date in February 2022.

Synopsis: Parker Ferro owes the fae his life. They’ve come to collect.

When the Summer Queen summons Parker to her court, the private investigator knows there’s trouble brewing. Trapped into compliance by his past debt to the fae monarch, he’s tasked with locating a missing girl in San Amaro. Now he has to find the girl or give up his life.

Things only get more complicated when a very familiar cop asks Parker for his help on a case involving murdered magic users. With the victims completely drained of their magic, the San Amaro Police Department needs Parker’s special skill set to track down a killer. Navigating through San Amaro’s paranormal underbelly while dealing with his own past and this new case is the last thing Parker wants or needs.

Now Parker’s stuck trying to locate a missing girl, stop a paranormal war, find a killer, and resist Detective Nicholas King’s many charms. Here’s hoping he doesn’t die trying.

Wormwood Summer is a 107,000 word MM urban fantasy with a HFN ending.

https://www.amazon.com › Wormw…Wormwood Summer (San Amaro Investigations Book 1) Kindle Edition

Review: A Mage’s Guide to Human Familiars (R’iyah Family Archives #1) by A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 5 🌈

Awesome magical fun filled sexy ride!

Not every 5 star read has to be deeply complicated or filled to the brim with characters in need of therapy.

Nopes. Sometimes you’re gifted with a 5 star ticket joy ride of an adventure journey, full of snappy on point dialog, charismatic characters to die for and full out sexy magical fun.

Yeah I needed that so bad.

I want to see it filmed, I want it in a RPG, and I’m Garen btw. I just want this anyway I can have it. And it’s book one in a series with the first story wrapping up it’s own storyline while clearly setting up a potential mystery and danger to come.

For those of us who devour fantasy, supernatural, sci-fy, anything of a mysterious and suspenseful albeit magical nature, certain elements will be telegraphing the hell out of this to you.

Wonderfully so. Much like Wicky and Nico with their light sabers! It’s wicked fun. We sort of know where the bad guys might be coṃing from but who cares! Bring them on! Our guys got this!

Plus that triad of Bel & Nico & Garen? Hot, Hot, Hot! Even if you’re not into ménage or poly relationships or even age gap romances, Sherwood has managed to make this one absolutely realistic in terms of who these men are, who they have been to each other, and how their dynamics actually complete each other in every way.

All while Sherwood uses this remarkable romance and bonding to further the adventurous, magical and wildly anticipatory tale she’s crafting along with Bel’s team. That will include the amazing Chadwick “Wicky” Santos’s, Fire Mage and his partner, Zia Garzon, rounder mage.

Each mission Bel gets called on is used to explore his background, reveal more of his talents and emerging personality. We also get the same for everyone along as part of the temporary team by mission element going on at first.

As Nico and Garen come into Bel’s world and understand not only that they work well with other MAD operatives like Wicky and Matt, they are happy and belong. To Bel. As well as once again to each other.

There’s just so many fun beings (love Grandpa, just sayin’) to meet and plain hilarious outstanding stuff here. I just curled up , grabbed a bowl of popcorn, and happily read into the night, not stopping until the book was done.

There’s a satisfying ending that sets up our guys and team with , if you’re like me who has a sneaking suspicion or three, a bad guy on the horizon and a new fight on their hands.

I can’t wait. They got this. It will be so much fun. And Grandpa has to bring back the hellhounds, right?

My happy anticipation is high!

Yes! You in need of something to make you laugh? Smile? Shake your head at characters antics and revel in their joy… at kicking ass? Love spot on dialogue?

Pick up A Mage’s Guide to Human Familiars

(R’iyah Family Archives #1)

by A.J. Sherwood

Im highly recommending it.

Plus I’m with Wicky….

If “Just Fuck Me Up” isn’t a proper coffee order, then it absolutely should be, Don’t you all agree?

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsA Mage’s Guide to Human Familiars by A.J. Sherwood – Goodreads

Synopsis:

One mage, Bel Adams – needs a familiar, gun shy about being rejected by one again.

One familiar, Nico di Rossi – Army Ranger, needs a change of pace and a new purpose in life.

Plus one familiar, Garen Adan – Secret Service, needs his ex-lover Nico back.

One second chance – all for the taking.

Tags:

Mages, BOGO familiar, familiars as bodyguards, familiar bond, M/M/M, second chances, workplace romance, fated mates, magical shenanigans, Garen is part gargoyle, Bel part demon, Nico is a golden retriever in human form (though not literally), idiots in love, seriously I don’t know what to do with them, Bel loves Garen just because he wants to love him, possessive behavior, not a single degree of chill from any of them, Nico is not allowed caffeine, Nico loves swords, Wicky is his supplier, lightsaber sounds, competency kink, Garen cannot be moved, he moves when he wants to, evil cults strangely don’t clean up after themselves, absolutely no one’s surprised, Nico thinks a magically booby-trapped cave is a theme park, cuz he cray cray, Demon Grandpa is also cray cray and approve.

R’iyah Family Archives Series:

◦ A Mage’s Guide to Human Familiars

Review: Twisted Pretty Things (Shadows of London #1) by Ariana Nash

Rating: 5🌈

I have long needed another urban fantasy author (can never have too many) and now I have one. And a great new series to boot!

I stumbled upon Ariana Nash when I found this urban fantasy story, Twisted Pretty Things. It’s the first book in her Shadows of London series and it’s a grand adventure and showstopper of a stage to a series.

It has a overall series arc of maze like proportions, continually looping back onto itself, then threading through the most obscure of narrative keyholes to keep the reader’s mind throughly boggled and trying to see where this intriguing plot and deeply layered characters will lead us next.

Ah these insanely wonderful characters. All smoke and mirrors, deceptions laid upon deceptively clever and devious personalities. Just when you think you have one completely figured out, wham, there’s a complete turnaround in what you perceive in character.

I love that. Pull that emotional rug out from all of us repeatedly.

All it does is deepen our connection in an odd empathetic way to the people in front of us instead of pushing us away. We need to know more about these obviously tormented individuals and the paths that brought them here.

And the horrors that are about to come. For they are indeed coming.

All the main characters such as the cockney born John “Dom” Domenici who now, through a convoluted journey, to his boss he works for , the elegant, wealthy Alexander Kempthorne , everyone here is fascinating and evolving.

The company, Kempthorne & Co, the main jobs revolve around retrieving magical objects imbued with dangerous powers. However, nothing is even that simple, as serious as it seems.

This story is steeped in British history and culture, including some of its most brutal and painful historical eras.

The author’s talent in using just a few phrases to telegraph something wordlessly barbaric is incredible. It’s used here to great emotional impact over and over.

The characters need to be read to be appreciated. Their growth, the revelations that are sprung on you as a reader cannot be put into a review yet it’s so much a part of them and this increasingly fantastic urban fantasy tale of romance and a fight for survival.

But against what?

That’s what’s coṃing…..

I was up late finishing this story and immediately grabbed up the next in the series. It’s plain addictive.

I can see several sleepless nights ahead.

I’m absolutely recommending this author and stories.

Start here! It’s a must read!

Synopsis:

Something wicked is moving in the shadows of London…

In the underground world of glitzy illegal auctions, fast cars, and stolen magical artifacts, John “Dom” Domenici knows he’s out of his depth. But he needs the job at Kempthorne & Co like he needs to breathe. The alternative—going back to the organized crime gangs of London’s East End—is unthinkable.

So when Alexander Kempthorne, boss of Kempthorne & Co Artifact Retrieval Agency, wants him on a special case to track down an illegal artifact dealer, Dom can’t say no.

It shouldn’t matter that Kempthorne’s world is full of deadly secrets. It shouldn’t matter that the billionaire is sexy as sin, and it really shouldn’t matter how there’s an American agent stalking Dom, an American who knows more than he should about Dom’s case, including the real reason Alexander Kempthorne hired Dom.

The only thing that really matters to Dom is solving the case and finding the artifact dealer. Because there are worse things in London than a conflicted billionaire and a trigger-happy American. Something wicked is stalking London’s streets, and if Dom doesn’t stop it, its shadows will rise and consume them all.

***

Twisted Pretty Things is the first book in the all-new Shadows of London MM urban fantasy series. Action, mystery, and MM romance combine in this fast-paced adventure from the author who brought you the award-winning Silk & Steel series and the best-selling Prince’s Assassin series. Coming August 2021.

Triggering content: mention of past mental and physical abuse.

Please note the Shadows of London series is set in London and the characters are all British (so is the author). Although the series has been edited in US English for the larger US market, to include US spelling and grammar, many English slang words and spelling remain as part of the character of the work

Shadows of London series:

◦ Twisted Pretty Things #1

◦ Tide of Tricks #2

◦ Trial by Fire #3- coming May 31st, 2022 argh! The wait will kill me!

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsTwisted Pretty Things (Shadows of London, #1) by Ariana Nash | Goodreads

Review: Corruption (The Bureau #1) by Kim Fielding

Rating: 3.5 🌈

Corruption is a short story that begins a new series by Kim Fielding.

It’s supernatural with what hints to be the beginning of a complicated hurt/comfort relationship with one clearly in the Master side of a D/s Angel/demon relationship.

The characters, only loosely set here but enormously fascinating with tremendous chemistry, have most of their background still to fill in.

So does the nebulous Bureau we only see or hear pieces of.

Corruption is like receiving the tantalizing first chapter of a new novel…. And now you want more. More foundation, more of the characters history and current predicament. And future going forward.

I’ll follow the promise set down here and look forward to all the stories to come.

The Bureau series:

Corruption #1

Clay White #2

Creature #3

Chained #4

Convicted #5

Connect #6

Caroled#7

Camouflaged #8 out now

Synopsis:

Once a proud demon of the night sky who carried nightmares to humans, Tenrael has spent decades in captivity as the star attraction of a traveling carnival. He exists in miserable servitude to men who plunk down ten dollars to fulfill their dark desires.

Charles Grimes is half human, half… something else. For fifteen years he’s worked for the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs, ridding the country of dangerous monsters. When his boss sends him to Kansas to chase a rumor about a captive demon, Charles figures it’s just another assignment. Until he meets Tenrael

https://www.goodreads.com › showCorruption / Clay White / Creature by Kim Fielding – Goodreads

A MelanieM Review: The Necromancer’s Reckoning (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3) by S.J. Himes

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Every action has consequences.

For a decade, Angel Salvatore has been the most powerful sorcerer and only necromancer in all the Northeast. Never one to ask permission nor apologies, he has acted with near impunity for years.

Until now.

The High Council of Sorcery has come to Boston, and Angel is their target. Charged with numerous violations of practitioner laws, his freedom and family are placed in jeopardy.

If found guilty, Angel’s apprentice Daniel will be imprisoned to serve out the remaining years of his apprenticeship. Isaac, his brother, is too vulnerable to be left unguarded, and Angel fears for his sanity and health. And Simeon, Elder vampire and Angel’s mate, refuses to see Angel convicted under the laws of the Council and his actions to keep Angel free threaten to start a war that could destroy their world. And Angel faces the severest of punishments—the castration of his gifts.

The Council has never cared for the people of Boston, and Angel doubts their motives. They have come for some insidious reason, and it has nothing to do with upholding the law and everything to do with Angel.

Dealing with an impending trial, a wayward ghost, and a graverobbing ring of thieves leaves Angel on the edge. He thinks he may have a handle on things until violence erupts across the city, and a stranger comes to town…a stranger with his own dark powers of necromancy.

As The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series heads into the third story, Himes continues to layer the overall series themes and arc, deepening the complex interpersonal relationships that have been developing through books 1 and 2, and now enlarges to pull in the Council of Sorcery , a worldwide organization that enforced certain magical rules and restrictions. Here its Angel that’s the object of the Council’s intense focus. It’s not a good one as they intend to obtain Angel’s power, by any means possible, including a trial.

The Necromancer’s Reckoning (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3) by S.J. Himes is a tremendous story, full of great relationships, an exciting plot, and new developments that, once again move the entire arc forward in an highly suspenseful and imaginative way. Yes, that Council was plenty scary but Angel and crew was up to the task.

Or should I say family because as I mentioned in a previous review, Angel has been gathering a found family around himself and Isaac, his younger brother. It consists of Angel’s mate, Simeon, the vampire Elder (and those associated with him), Angel’s best friend Milly, Daniel and Rory (Angel’s apprentice and an ancient fae). And of course,Eroch, the dragon. It’s hard to describe all the many relationships in play here, all the various aspects to each relationship that makes each so different and interesting, and a story that reaches out and grabs you with the mystery and suspense that’s incredibly powerful and entertaining.

Even as Himes is setting us up for the next story in the series (which we need immediately) , we are still absorbed here in the present and the relationships and politics that created the mess that brought the Council to Boston and all the ensuing events. Believe me, your mind will be full of people, romance, and thrilling possibilities for the future.

I love this series and can’t wait for all the next stories in the series. It’s just a great saga and one that will continue and one I highly recommend.

Cover Art tells a part of the story and grabs your interest. Great job.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published May 28th 2018 by SJ Himes
ASINB07DCFM57S
Edition Language English
Series The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3
setting Boston, Massachusetts (United States)

The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series – Goodreads links

The Necromancer’s Dance

The Necromancer’s Dilemma

The Necromancer’s Reckoning

A History of Trouble

Mastering the Flames

Untitled – Daniel’s Tale coming in 2020

A MelanieM Review: The Necromancer’s Dilemma (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #2) by S.J. Himes

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Even love can die without trust.

Angel’s brother, Isaac, has returned home, and the pair begin to make slow and awkward attempts back to each other. Learning how to be a brother to a grown man instead of a parental figure has Angel adjusting his behaviors and habits, and Isaac still remains a mystery. Was it merely entering adulthood that turned Isaac away from an overprotective Angel, or does Isaac carry a secret that will keep them from finally being a real family?

Daniel Macavoy, Angel’s new apprentice, is torn between his bond with Angel and the grasping machinations of his father. Dealing with a traumatized apprentice with dangerous holes in his magical education, saving Daniel may be harder than Angel first thought—especially since the biggest problem is not revenge, but guilt.

The one shining beacon in his life is Simeon, Elder vampire of Boston’s only Bloodclan. Four hundred years old and sexy as sin, Simeon is warrior and sage, patient and cunning. The strength Angel draws from Simeon’s devotion and the newborn mate-bond between them is steadfast and true…and the fount of death magic that animates the undead lord places Angel in the midst of a power struggle for control over himself, his lover, and his family.

Through it all, Angel is beleaguered by the unwanted attention of a troll-hybrid, the adventures of a dragon in the city, and a serial killer has decided to hunt the back alleys and midnight streets of Boston.

One element I have always loved to find in my stories is the “found family”, a family cobbled together not of blood relatives (although some may be related) but by those of the heart and loyalty and friendship. Connections made so strong that overtime those people and beings in that group have formed a tight-knit bond that is family. Such a “found family is starting to form here in The Necromancer’s Dilemma (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #2) by S.J. Himes. The basic foundation is the remnants of the powerful Salvatore family, two magical brothers, all that was left of the massacre of the last Blood War in Boston. There was the necromancer Angel who brought about the end of the Blood Wars by a mighty spell that killed those who destroyed his family and all the assassin vampires and associated family. And there was young traumatized Isaac Salvatore, the youngest brother who denied his magic and ran from his past. Right into a bottle.

What incredible, believable and haunted characters.

What a foundation!

Attached to Angel, starting in The Necromancer’s Dance, is one of the Elders of the City, Vampire Simeon. Simeon comes with his own family, including the complex Master of the City, Constantine Batiste. who figures largely in every story and overall arc. There’s Dame Mildred ‘Milly’ Fontaine, Angel’s best friend and fellow teacher of the magical arts (and formidable personage) and now we add Daniel Macavoy and of course Eroch, Angel’s familiar. Lord Cian Brennan, the fae will follow. Slowly and surely a family is being built, relationships and bonds, found, , moved toward, strengthened and interwoven. Honestly, each book is better than the last.

Here we have a continuation of Angel and Simeon’s relationship. They continue to figure out who they are to each other, how the bond works, and more about the roles each plays within the city and the dynamics upon their own romance. It’s fascinating as Angel has little patience for answers and little time with all the mysteries and murder needing his attention. There is also Daniel who he considers family and needs his attention along with Isaac.

Himes builds the anguish and suspense up skillfully, there’s humor but then it’s on to the main story thread and plot points that have you up reading all night to get to the end. And oh what an end. Yes,a bit of a cliffhanger. Luckily I had book 3,The Necromancer’s Reckoning already in hand, and just kept on going. What a jaw-dropping series! I couldn’t sleep my head was full of characters and thoughts and wth was Himes doing ! lol I love this series so!

If you love urban fantasy, mystery, romance, magic, even dragons and vampires, well, this is the series for you. I love it and absolutely recommend this and all the stories which should be read in the order they were written. Well written, amazing characters, outstanding plots, and over the top suspense and romance! Don’t miss out!

Cover art is good and brands the series. Just wish for something a little more magical.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 213 pages
Published July 1st 2016 by SJ Himes
Original TitleThe Necromancer’s Dilemma
Edition Language English
SeriesThe Beacon Hill Sorcerer #2
settingBoston, Massachusetts (United States)
Massachusetts (United States)

The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series – Goodreads links

The Necromancer’s Dance

The Necromancer’s Dilemma

The Necromancer’s Reckoning

A History of Trouble

Mastering the Flames

Untitled – Daniel’s Tale coming in 2020

Love Urban Fantasy? Don’t Miss Out on the Blog Tour with Excerpt for Mastering the Flames (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #4) by S.J. Himes

Mastering the Flames

The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series

S.J. Himes

M/M Urban Fantasy

Release Date: 10.04.19

Blurb

Guilt-ridden after the massacre of his family, Isaac Salvatore turned to binge drinking to escape the pain. Now twenty-four years old, Isaac is a recovering alcoholic woefully out of practice in the magical arts, leaving his fire affinity hanging on the edge of disaster. After a month of rehab, he returns to Beacon Hill and his family, determined to remain sober, learn to control his magic, and figure out a plan for his life that doesn’t involve drinking.

Constantine Batiste is the oldest, most powerful vampire in the city. Born in ancient Gaul, the bastard son of a Celtic king, his long life has been shrouded in tragedy and horrors. Recent mistakes have left him wary and determined to guard his clan from all foes. When two of his clan members fall victim to an ancient evil, he summons the Necromancer of Boston for aid. Accompanying his older brother to the Tower is the handsome young fire mage once wounded by Constantine’s arrogance, and their encounter reignites an attraction that burns within both Constantine and Isaac.

The answer to who is targeting the vampires of Boston is buried in the dark, early days of Constantine’s transition to an immortal life. Isaac finds himself saddled with a painful insight into the evil cutting a swath through the supernatural population of Boston. While his brother, Angel, takes over the hunt to find and stop the threat to the city, Isaac struggles to find a balance between helping his brother and finding his own purpose and place in the world, free from his brother’s shadow.

Falling in love wasn’t part of his plan, but mastering the flames that burn between him and Constantine soon becomes the most important thing in his life, even as an ancient evil seeks to destroy them.

Mastering the Flames is the fourth book in The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series and is not a standalone. The series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding of the plot and characters.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon AU: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon FR: https://amazon.fr/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon DE: https://amazon.de/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon IT: https://amazon.it/dp/B07YM2XF52

Amazon ES: https://amazon.es/dp/B07YM2XF52

Excerpt

Isaac woke to an incessant pounding in his head. He groaned, sat up, and realized his mistake. Someone was pounding on his door and he wasn’t hungover. Being back in his bedroom in the apartment after so long was fucking with his mind.
He tossed back the covers, brushed his long brown hair out of his eyes, and got out of bed. The sun poured through the bedroom window, warming the floor beneath his bare feet as he went to the door. He flung it open and scowled at the impish grin on his best friend’s face. Daniel flung himself forward and Isaac caught him, hugging the apprentice tightly. They were nearly the same height, and both were built lean with similar frames. If not for the hair and skin coloring, they could pass for brothers. Daniel was fair and bright, and Isaac had naturally darker skin that was tanned as if he spent his days under the sun, his hair dark brown with remnants of fire-red highlights.
“You’re home! I’m so glad!” Daniel cried, and Isaac chuckled.
“Hey, Danny,” Isaac replied in greeting. “Angel said he made you go out last night. Lemme guess, Rory was lonely again?”
Daniel pulled back, Isaac’s teasing making him blush. Daniel was a pretty man. Isaac suspected Daniel was entirely unaware of just how gorgeous he was, as there wasn’t even a hint of vanity to be seen in his personality.
“I wanted to stay and see you when you got home, but Angel said you were probably going to crash.” Daniel hedged, biting his lip. “Rory is all alone out there. He still refuses to stay in the Mansion, sleeping in the greenhouse instead. I feel bad for him.”
“I’m sure that’s all you feel,” Isaac teased, and Daniel’s blush went inferno. “My first night home and my best friend bails to hang with a super-hot fae.”
“Hey!” Daniel glared, but his eyes were twinkling. “I am glad you’re home. Going to Nevermore to visit was awkward.”
After the chaos of the first week of his stay, and when his horrific withdrawal was over, Daniel came to visit three times a week, bringing news from home. The High Council was booted from New York City, Portland, Seattle, and Miami, after those cities refused to cooperate with the consulates and magisters stationed therein. They took the chance after Angel defeated the High Magister, forcing the Council to abandon their footholds in Montreal and Boston. In two weeks’ time, half a dozen American cities declared their independence, and rumors swirled that New Orleans was next, with a certain female necromancer and her undead army leading the charge. Angel was being credited with a major shake up in world governments, and he was grumpy about it.
Isaac grabbed his shower kit and a towel and left his room for the bathroom down the hall. He and Daniel shared the hall bath, since Angel had his own in the master bedroom. Daniel followed him in and sat on the sink while Isaac used the toilet then stripped, turning on the shower and waiting for the hot water to start. They didn’t really have any boundaries, not like Isaac and Angel did. Angel was big on personal space and privacy. Isaac really didn’t care. Daniel chatted away, sharing that he’d taken Rory to the City Museum, watched the Marathon at the finish line, and convinced the fae to let Angel front him some money and a credit card.
Isaac hopped in the shower, but left the curtain partially open, listening to Daniel. “I’m with Rory in the bank, and he drops a pouch of gold on the counter, and the teller’s eyes get huge! Some nuggets were bigger than a tennis ball! It was a mess though, since the bank manager thought Rory was his crazy brother, then the cops got called and I had to use the SOS on my phone and Angel came and made everyone leave us alone….” Daniel was excited and his run-on sentence was a non-stop adventure from beginning to end. “Angel puts his foot down, though by this time O’Malley has shown up, the cops are all like, ‘Where did all this gold come from, how’d ya get it?’ Some of them seemed to think Rory was suspicious—he told them his last name, and tons of the police know what Cian looks like, so things got really tense. Rory got all haughty and declared he’d got it from a Roman Caesar for dispatching an orc raid pillaging through a province over 1,800 years ago.”
Daniel shook his head, sighing. “When Angel arrived, I’d never seen humans get so quiet before. Everyone shut up, let Rory gather up his gold, and Angel gave Rory an account in his name from the Salvatore fund and the bank gave him a debit and credit card and a pile of cash.” Daniel was animated, talking with his hands, heels kicking against the cabinet under the sink.
Isaac laughed while he washed, dunking his head under the spray. Watching Daniel talk with so much emotion was enjoyable. His friend was blooming. There was a huge difference in him even in the last month.
Isaac rinsed, then hopped out, Daniel tossing him the towel. He dried off while thinking about the shenanigans his family experienced while he was going through boring group therapy and meditation sessions. “How did Angel get Rory out of the bank?”
Daniel grinned and flipped back a strand of bright blond hair from his eyes. “Eroch saw the gold, curled up on the pouch in Rory’s arms, and hissed at anyone who got too close. No one wanted to piss off the fire-breathing dragon, so Angel declared we were leaving. We went out to eat then took Rory home. Angel refused the gold in exchange for the modern currency, saying the currency was payment for restoring the gardens and the greenhouse. Rory gave Eroch a huge nugget of gold in thanks, and Eroch has it stashed in Angel’s bathroom on a stack of towels in the corner behind the toilet.”
“What? Oh, I bet Angel loves that!” Isaac laughed at the image of Eroch nesting on a gold egg, grumbling whenever Angel went in to use the toilet. Isaac stopped laughing, a sudden thought worrying him. “Wait. Eroch doesn’t think it’s an egg, right?”
Daniel shrugged, and his face fell with sympathy. “No idea. That would be sad, though. Maybe Angel knows. Poor Eroch, if he does.” Daniel paused, eyes wide in alarm. Isaac stopped drying himself, wondering what was wrong. Daniel leaned in and whispered, “What if we got Eroch’s gender wrong? What if he isn’t a he? What if he’s a girl?”
Isaac wrapped the towel around his waist. “We’ve been calling him a male for a year, Danny. If he cared at all, he would have made it known. I think we’re okay.”
“I don’t wanna assume. We’ve been so rude.”
“If he were humanoid and had human ideas of gender, then yes, we’ve been rude.” Daniel rolled his eyes at Isaac then slid off the sink. “Ok, fine. We can ask him at breakfast.” Daniel waved at Isaac over his shoulder as he left the bathroom, dismissing him. “What did I say? Make me some tea!” Isaac called after Daniel who grumbled back at him about being rude, but the water running and the clicking of the stove burner told him Daniel heard him.
Hopefully they didn’t make anything explode this time.

My name is Sheena, and I have more pen names than I probably should. I write as SJ Himes, Revella Hawthorne, and Sheena Himes. I reside in the mountains of Maine (closer to Canada than I am to fresh lobster) on a 300-year-old farm beside a river in the woods.

My companions are my furbabies: Micah, my large dog who hates birds; and Wolf and Silfur, two cats who love me but hate each other. I write romances with an emphasis on plot and character development, and almost all my characters are LGBTQ+ and that’s on purpose.

To keep current on what I’m working on and where to find me on social media, go to my website: http://www.sjhimes.com

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