Tag: magic

Review:  The Death-Made Prince (Runewitch Saga #1) by Lisette Marshall 

Rating:  5⭐️

It’s rare that I come across a book that pulls me in for over 500 pages, gives me a compelling set of complex characters, enthralling dark storylines, hints towards the ending and still manages to leave me devastated.

Honestly, I knew where the author was taking us and the characters. She told us. And Marshall still managed to pull off an incredible dramatic ending. One of multiple revelations.

In a book that has so many excellent elements (another thing I rarely write) let’s start off with the main characters. 

Thraga, when we meet her, is in a cell, waiting to be hanged. She’s definitely one of the best written, compelling characters I’ve read recently, and not just in fantasy fiction. Her story, in terms of her dark past and darker history, is slowly revealed throughout the narrative. It’s who Thraga is as a person that is so powerful and intriguing. She’s OCD, counting her magical knives that she uses as a runewitch, as she gets lost in her own thoughts, spiraling out in certain situations, unable to pull herself out, and the reader is in her head with her, as lost as she is. The author describes how she battles with this herself and how it became the inspiration for the story.  Outstanding work. 

But among the many extremely dark layers here in the plot, there’s one  dark side to Thraga’s that I should mention because for some it’s going to be triggering. Thraga has been in a controlling abusive relationship with someone and not realizing it. This is an important thread here. Marshall makes it believable, raw, and so damaging, as it should be. Everything about this reads real. 

Then you add in the other main character, the necromancer, Durlain Averre. He’s equally beautifully written. Darkly crafted with his own deep scars, unbelievable pain, and plans for Thraga and himself, he’s powerful enough to be her equal on the page and have enormous depths, that no matter what he says, you hope for more. 

The world building is incredible, it expands with the storytelling and everything about this feels so immersive that I read right through it. 

Even the simplest of characters feel memorable. And the magical elements, including the darkness and cruelty of how necromancers are created is extraordinary. 

My only quibble is having to wait for the next book to be released. 

Please note that this is easily classified as dark fantasy horror fiction while others see it as romantasy.  I feel the fantasy horror is more accurate.

Highly recommended but do think about whether you might be sensitive to certain aspects of the story.

Cover designer: Fay Lane

Runewitch Saga (2 book series to date)

The Death-Made Prince #1

The Thorn-Marked Witch #2 – April 13,2027

Buy link

 Book 1 of 2: Runewitch Saga  e book

 Book 1 of 2: Runewitch Saga 

Blurb 

A runewitch on the run has only one option left: join forces with the sarcastic, unpleasantly gorgeous necromancer she loathes

The man Thraga loved is dead, and her future is in shambles. When she’s sentenced to the gallows for killing her lover’s murderers, it’s a relief more than anything… until, the night before her execution, a necromancer is thrown into her cell. 

Escaping with him is her only chance to bring Lark back to life – and also the start of all her troubles.

Because her new almost-ally is not just any man returned from death. Fire mage, rogue prince, and son of the man who killed her mother, sharp-tongued Durlain Averre is everything Thraga hates. Worse, he won’t revive her lover unless she joins him on a mission of his own first, using her forbidden rune magic to free his sister from the dungeons of an enemy king.

But their quest turns into a deadly chase when Thraga’s violent past catches up with her. And as the net of court intrigue and old fears closes around them, she begins to find out Lark was not at all the man she thought he was…

And neither is Durlain.

The Death-Made Prince is the first book of the Runewitch Saga, an epic enemies to lovers fantasy romance featuring two morally grey leads, OCD rep, and a Norse mythology-inspired world. While it is a slow burn romance, the first book does contain spicy content intended for 18+ readers.

October 21, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

547 pages

Book 1 of 2

Runewitch Saga

Review: Web of Vows and Vengeance: (The Hirathean Path Book 1) by Aria Ashbrook

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I believe this was a BookTok read that went viral when it first appeared. It’s Aria Ashbrook’s first series and story and it’s actually a very terrific story. 

Novels one through three are released, so it’s easy to binge read right through all the events that happen to the main characters and the magical foundation that the author is creating. 

A word of caution, Ashbrook crafts meaningful relationships between her characters that come to mean something to the reader. That will also bring about some heartbreaking moments and scenarios because she’s also not afraid to do away with important characters if she thinks that the narrative calls for it. 

That’s a clue. 

People who the reader has come to care about won’t make it through to the end of the story. This one or the next. And it will break your heart. 

The types of magic is a major storyline that continues throughout the series, even the mystery of the lack of is part of it. There’s even a found family aspect to this that I love even more. 

I wasn’t prepared for this to get as complicated as Ashbrook builds it into as it develops, something I appreciated. 

The relationship I feel worked against that was with both her sister and the prince. In both cases, an aspect of naïveté from Rose, someone who dealt in the slums and survived being stripped of her magic, felt unrealistic. 

For Rose, a person who has suffered unimaginable loss, physical deprivation, been orphaned, there’s instances during the trials where her personality seems stripped of those experiences. It robs her of character reasonable depth and gives her less credibility. 

But then again there’s moments where she’s fighting for herself and her new friends, trying to figure out how to win without any powers, and it’s fantastic. 

Prince Kyor? He’s the lesser well written character here. It does get somewhat better.However, he’s the standard over jealous, over protective, over everything male figure who wants to control everything, including not letting her make her own decisions. So over these types of MMC . 

There’s LGBT characters/couples here. But , with spoilers for this, each couple ends badly, starting with one here. I found this aspect of the series surprising. I wonder if there’s a longer path forward for them. 

I’m highly recommending this. I’ve read through the series and am having to wait for book 4 next spring. 

Cover design by Christian Bentulan.

The Hirathean Path:

Veil of Web and Ruin – prequel 

Web of Vows and Vengeance #1

Vows of Blood and Deception #2

Blood of Truth and Traitors #3

Truth of Fate and Destiny #4 – May 5,2027

Buy link

 Book 1 of 4: The Hirathean Path 

Blurb 

THE BOOKTOK ROMANTASY READERS CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT

A viral BookTok sensation featuring deadly trials, divine magic, a bonded dire wolf, and an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers romance.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and Throne of Glass.

“They say vengeance is a blade best kept sharp, and my dagger has been honed with every betrayal.”

BOOKTOK IS OBSESSED:
“This will be the next book to blow up on BookTok. I don’t say that lightly.” — Miranda @Probably Off Reading
“For the BookTok girlies in a reading slump, I raise you Web of Vows and Vengeance.” — Jaimee Johnson @thtgrlreads
“Giving Fourth Wing vibes… I could not put this book down.” — Kaila Anttila @Kaila.books

TROPES:

  • Enemies to Lovers
  • Deadly Trials
  • Slow-Burn Romance
  • Underdog Heroine
  • Brooding Royal MMC
  • Forced Proximity
  • Gods & Goddesses

STRIPPED OF POWER. FUELLED BY VENGEANCE.

She lost everything because of his lie. Now the only way to save her sister is to win a deadly competition that could cost her the only thing she has left: her life.

When Prince Kyor twisted the truth about his mother’s death, Rose paid the price. Her family was stripped of their magic, cast into the slums, and abandoned by the kingdom they once served. Now her parents are gone, and her younger sister’s future hangs in the balance.

Rose’s only hope is the Tournament of the Gifting, a brutal competition held once a century, where the victor earns a blessing from the Goddess of Life. The catch? Every other contender wields the very power she was robbed of.

And Prince Kyor is among them. Commander of the armies. Rider of a bonded dire wolf. Wielder of lightning. He doesn’t just want to win for vanity – he wants the gift for himself. But what could a man who has it all possibly want?

Thrown into a world of magic, monsters, and merciless trials, Rose must fight not only for survival but for the chance to reclaim her future. Along the way, she’ll find unlikely allies, ruthless rivals, and a dangerous connection with her greatest enemy – one that could ruin or remake her.

Web of Vows and Vengeance is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy, set in a Nordic-inspired world, featuring deadly trials, found family, gods and goddesses, political intrigue, and an underdog heroine who refuses to stay broken.

This is a story of heartbreak, vengeance, and the kind of power that can never be taken.

AWARD-WINNING ROMANTASY:

Best Fantasy — Independent Publisher Book Awards 2026

Best Fantasy Romance — BookFest Awards 2026

Best Fantasy Read — Pascify Con Awards 2026

Hellhound Press Limited

Publication date

February 27, 2026

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The Hirathean Path

Review:  Found Objects by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

Found Objects is the latest urban fantasy romance by Mary Calmes and it’s exactly what we expect from this author. The old,settled rich location of a small town high in the mountains of West Virginia, an intriguing group of found family of town,  and a great setup for a slow paced romantic journey.  

Calmes’ plot lines includes a newly arrived werewolf pack that has brought with them to the town, pack dysfunction, mystery and loads of action packed moments.

I love Merritt Baker and the mystery that Calmes builds around his character. Merritt is the owner of the town’s restaurant, and a central figure in the community. A friend and someone who acts as a shield or protector when needed. 

When a new shifter pack arrives in Coille, West Virginia to establish themselves in a new territory , they bring with them old problems along with a dysfunctional pack and history. And Cole Swann and his younger brother, Evan, nephews of the Alpha of the Swann pack. 

The way this author blends the well known Appalachian mythology with other lore is intriguing and well done. It works well for the many other characters here and for adding some really great layers to this story. 

It ends with a HFN, given the specific species of each character. And known life spans. 

I will admit to hoping that Calme revisits this town and special community as I really enjoyed them and didn’t get enough of several of their storylines. 

A definite winner and one I’m happy to recommend. 

Cover art: Reese Dante

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comFound Objects – Kindle edition by Calmes, Mary. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Blurb 

Merritt Baker is older than he looks. Quite a bit older, in fact. He knows all about the woods and where one should never wander at night, but the fact of the matter is, sometimes men are the scariest creatures of all, and Merritt makes it his business to protect the innocents caught in their wake. In the small town of Coille, West Virginia, where he makes his home, he takes care of quite a few people, and that’s always been enough. Or has been. Lately though, he’s felt a bit lost, as though he’s forgotten what it means to really live rather than simply exist.

Change arrives when a pack of shifters buys the land that borders his. He doesn’t think twice about them until his simple rules are ignored, and suddenly there’s conflict. One of the wolves, Cole Swann, is very interested in him, and surprisingly, Merritt can’t seem to get the man out of his head. But things aren’t what they seem, and between other packs, ghosts, and worst of all, love, Merritt might be in over his head. That’s the thing about being lost—it can be wonderful when you’re finally found, but is it worth the risk of losing yourself?

Mary Calmes Books, LLC.

Publication date

July 30, 2026

Edition

1st

Language

‎English

Print length

268 pages

Review:  The Rut in the Road (Beyond the Veil #11) by K. M. Avery

Rating: 4.5🌈

Rayn’s journey has been one of the most haunting, and tormented of all of the characters to date in this immersive paranormal world where an Arcana virus swept across the world altering the human landscape forever. A large portion of the world’s population perished, others were left altered by the virus, becoming orcs, witches, weres of various species, zombies, vampires and other otherworldly beings. Quickly consigned to hospitals, or institutions or worse when society and families couldn’t accept them or the virus transitions were physically agonizing and long to take hold. 

By book 11, Humans only rights groups, not just the extremists, are fighting to remove the rights the Nids have gained. It sounds very familiar. And the fear and ugly hate groups, the crimes against the Nids going unpunished, is so well written that it feels lifted from events today. 

Rayn,older and working as a touch psychic in alongside Ward and Mason in BTV is still very much the under socialized, on the spectrum person he’s been even as he’s developed physically.  His childhood, and its accompanying deep trauma and abuse along with his lack of knowledge of his own powers, still makes Rayn an introverted, emotionally awkward person. He’s trying to get people to accept him as adult and not as a fragile little traumatized boy most who know his history see him as. 

Avery’s crafting of Rayn is immaculate, he is real in his skin, his efforts to navigate through the communication blocks and issues between Raj and himself are emotionally tough and difficult and feel absolutely credibly raw.  Hart plays a great supporting role here, once again revealing himself to be a fine, intelligent caring man. 

Raj has been a strong presence in the series and his involvement with Rayn starts in the previous book. But the issues between him and Rayn have been building and his extraordinary overprotective nature is a huge problem. 

It’s addressed and seems to be an aspect that he needs to work through. Do I believe that it’s resolved? Not sure. I never know with Avery, maybe it is or maybe it isn’t. There’s one more book in Rayn’s trilogy and the human only faction element has just gotten more complicated and suspenseful by the end of this very amazing story. 

I highly recommend reading it but it’s not something that you can read by itself. Each one should be read in the order that it was written for characters and overall plot development. 

Amazing series and fantastic characters. One of the best paranormal group of storylines I’ve read. Certainly one that has the most impact on current events.

Series couples to date (not standalone and have to be read in the order they are written):

Highly recommended. 

Beyond the Veil Series : 

💀Ward’s story (1-3): 

The Ghost in the Hall 

The Boy in the Locked Room 

The Skeleton Under the Stairs. 

💀Hart’s story (4-6): 

The Dog in the Alley 

The Bones in the Yard 

The Elf Beside Himself 

💀Seth’s story (7-9): 

The Turning of the Tables 

The Badger in his Burrow 

The Past in the Present 

💀Rayn’s Story (10-12) 

The Diamond in the Rough 

The Rut in the Road 

The Rock and the Hard Case (coming 2026) 

💀Dan’s Story (13-15) Coming 2026-2027

Buy link 

 Book 11 of 11: Beyond the Veil 

Blurb 

I was finally getting my life together—I had a job, a boyfriend, was working on my college degree, and was learning to control both my magic and my psychic abilities. I’d reconnected with my sister and I was starting to think that I might actually be able to have something approaching a healthy adult life, even if it wasn’t going to be an even remotely normal one.

And then I hit a rut in the road.

Or, rather, people started hitting other people. What started as a single hit-and-run had become several of them, all targeting Arcanids, and I was being asked to get into the mind of the killer… although I’m starting to think that maybe there’s more than one. Tracking one killer is hard enough, but when you think there might be several, things get a lot messier.

Especially when your boyfriend is a federal agent who just got called in to take over the case. It’s the first time we’ve worked together since we started dating, and it’s definitely taking a toll. I don’t want to have to choose between keeping him and solving the murders.

July 30, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

430 pages

Book 11 of 11

Beyond the Veil

Review: Drop of a Hat (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 6) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I love this so much. Where to start. 

Drop of a Hat sort of epitomizes why I love this author’s writing style so highly.  In 213 pages, Sara Bourgeois concisely delivers a story that is intriguing, quietly compelling, with elements that manage to be puzzling,horrifying, poignant, occasionally funny and sometimes exceedingly terrifying. And end up with a solid warm hearted note. 

All while leaving the characters where they belong , for now, and the reader satisfied but needing the next book. 

That’s when there’s multiple mysteries, only one of which is resolved, the villain’s story and resolution will likely keep you thinking, and the latest addition to the family, a zombie raccoon, is absolutely one of the most heartwarming aspects of the story! 

Not all but one! Then there’s Moira back from the dead. 

Such an incredible story. Ok off to reread it now. 

If this prolific writer isn’t on your radar, she should be. I’m reading two of her series now. Read the books in the order they are written. 

I’m highly impressed by this one and recommending it.

Love the author and series. Can’t wait to read the next book.

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4 

Bear Many Hats #5

Drop of a Hat #6 

Veil of Doom #7 – September 29,2026

Buy link

        Drop of a Hat (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 6)

    

Blurb 

Sometimes the dead don’t stay buried

Blythe Fairfield finally has her life together. A tea shop with her name on it. A talking cat who runs the place from the windowsill. A sheriff who just told her exactly what she means to him… right before her dead great-aunt knocked on the door.

But the real trouble starts when one of Cauldron Hollow’s oldest witches is found dead. The poison? Brewed from a recipe out of the Tallowmere family collection. The suspects? Start with the witch who just walked out of her own grave, and work your way down to the niece who took her in.

Blythe has solved murders before. This one is different. The victim had secrets. The suspects have more. Every clue she follows leads somewhere she doesn’t want to go. Every alibi has a hole in it, and one person who might be innocent refuses to account for herself.

Meanwhile, the witches of Cauldron Hollow are muttering about the old ways, the mundane authorities are circling a case they can’t be allowed to understand, and Blythe’s own familiar is taking sides… against her.

The clock is ticking. The town is watching. And the killer is closer than anyone thinks.

Turns out some hats never go out of style. They just come back.

July 13, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

213 pages

Review:  Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods (Hidden Realms #1) by Alice Winters 

Rating:  3.75🌈

Even with a nice twist at the end, Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods (Hidden Realms #1) by Alice Winters was a story that just didn’t connect with me. 

There’s many stories from this author I’ve found absolutely entertaining and some are in my reread piles, but the main characters, their dynamics between themselves and even those who they are forced into working with are such that I don’t enjoy reading their scenes or didn’t think their relationships felt believable.

Issues like a lack of communication of major issues, especially when Riley’s “secret” he’s not telling anyone/has told anyone smacks of martyrdom. The other issue is that Torin, the god swings emotionally from irritating arrogance to impulsive toddler to sexual being to instant love partner, all without a credible relationship built between the couple.

The story has some interesting mythical creatures, fantasy familiars and the twist plays into another mythology that will play out into the second book. 

But I’m not sure Winters has made me care enough about the characters to go further with the series. 

Still deciding. 

Cover design by Natasha Snow Designs

Hidden Realms 

Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods #1

Timeless Doors and Captured Gods #2 – July 9,2026

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 2: Hidden Realms 

Blurb 

Riley

Trying to keep my familiar out of the meat display while shopping is the hardest part of my day… until someone drops a god right into my humdrum existence.

Torin, a massive man claiming to be a god, is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. He insists on learning English through adult graphic novels, believes the pizza delivery guy is an assassin, and thinks he can kick a subway into submission (talk about adding a bit of spice to my life, which has been sadly lacking since I left the Magical Interference Unit).

The handsome and strangely charismatic god drags me (literally) right into his problems, starting with a creature who wants to tear my head off, yet I find myself following along with his whims.

He knows something is wrong when Doors to another realm begin to open up, allowing an ominous power to get a foothold in our world… but I’m afraid this quirky god and I might be the only ones keeping this world from ending.

Oh joy.

Torin

I never expected that simply stepping through a Door into Riley’s world would introduce me to so many amazing curiosities, like pizza and burritos! Oh, and a pesky human who really should recognize that I’m a god of war and love—emphasis on the love.

But there’s more to Riley than meets the eye; why else would their special forces place me with a man who can borrow magic from others? My attempts to woo this mystifying human are thwarted at every turn (I doubt that has anything to do with me tossing him on a horse or taking over his bed).

As Riley and I grow closer, I realize that he might be the very person needed to save this realm… because what is coming for them is beyond anything they can comprehend… one even worse than the atrocity called an “escalator.”

Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods is the first book in a series that has a continuing storyline.

June 2, 2026

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Hidden Realms

Review : Ravenous Prophecy by Kai Butler and Nazri Noor 

Rating: 4🌈

Ravenous Prophecy by Kai Butler and Nazri Noor is a delightful new paranormal sci-fi thriller. Co-written by two prolific,talented authors, this novella is a paranormal thriller, with romance elements, along with good old science fiction bug monsters invading from outer space. That no one believes in. 

The characters are engaging, one an adventurer who hunt magical relics and the other a scholarly sort who has been trying to get recognition for his theories and thesis on The Hive, unsuccessfully. 

Told in alternating points of view by each of the main characters, Griffin and Bradley,Idid try to guess which author wrote what character here, the story moves quickly forward, as it becomes clear The Hive is real and there’s a villain responsible for their arrival.

 My only quibble is that it ends too soon. Feels a bit rushed. But it’s a terrific adventure and I enjoyed the story and characters. 

A winner!

Cover by Christian Bentulan

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comRavenous Prophecy – Kindle edition by Noor, Nazri, Butler, Kai. …

Blurb 

What you can’t see can hurt you.

Bradley Brooks spends his days with his nose buried in rare and precious books. A scholar and researcher of all things occult, but his life’s work — some would call it his obsession — is the study of the Hive, a society of locust-like creatures so deadly that they’ve ended entire civilizations.

Except for one problem. No one believes the Hive even exists, least of all Griffin Gallows, a mercenary with a taste for exotic artifacts. And then a run-in with the magical authorities forces him to go on bodyguard duty.

Together, Bradley and Griffin must investigate a spate of grisly ritual murders tied to a local billionaire. But their trail leads them to a hideous discovery: The Hive may well be real.

And they’re coming to consume us all.

Ravenous Prophecy is a 45,000-word MM urban fantasy with a HEA ending.

June 15, 2026

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Review: Black Dragon Rising (Dragon Riders of Vorden #1) by Nita Round

Rating: 3.5⭐️

This latest dragonrider book and series is more YA fantasy than dark romantasy and follows the predictable dragon trope of a young female character with unique abilities and hidden powers very well.  

There’s a gathering of misfits young people, including a clique of antagonists, who hope to be chosen by the dragons as riders. 

And there’s also another group of elite society members who don’t want to see their own heirs and potential dragonriders interfered with by lesser mongrels and misfits of society. And will do everything to deter them from being there. 

Nothing new here, nicely laid out but the friend is a better more interesting character. 

With pointed ears that easily give the reader an unsubtle hints to her heritage and connections to magic, Kanastya is the main character I come close to find annoying in her continuing naïveté for the majority of the story. Whether it’s her grandmother healer telling her to listen to her about the dangers of the village (hint she doesn’t), the visitor and his tiny dragon which she is enraptured by to the point of stupidity, or frankly the various scenarios that see her and the other people around her in shaky circumstances, her inability to really listen or understand the gravity of various situations makes one want to shake her. 

Even when her knowledge is either helpful or pushes her towards a certain dangerous goal, she’s just not a credible person in her level of emotional reactions.  Taken by soldiers? Ok. In a fortified house? Ok. It’s all too bland as opposed to the reactions of other characters. 

Her grandmother, who we barely know, is a major player here. But we’re given very little information about her, or the situation that she or her granddaughter find themselves in. 

This is a young adult fantasy series so perhaps I’m judging it too harshly. My expectations are more along the lines of an adult fantasy novel and characters that have a multi faceted personality and storyline to match. 

Perhaps that will change going forward.  I love dragons and dragonriders but please dont give me magical twits and dragons. That’s what I’m asking.  I believe the series is complete. 

Dragon Riders of Vorden (4 book series)

Black Dragon Rising #1

Red Dragon Ascended #2

White Dragon Reborn #3

Blue Dragon Returns #4

Cover design: Adrijana Cernic (Adriatica Creations)

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 4: Dragon Riders of Vorden 

Blurb 

Outcast. Healer. The girl they shunned may be the kingdom’s best hope.

Kanastya has always been an outcast. With her pointed ears and slight build, she stands out as different.

Orphaned young and raised by her grandmother on the edge of the swamp. Kanastya lives quietly on the fringes healing wounds, gathering herbs… and guarding a deadly secret. She knows ancient dragon lore, and in the four kingdoms, knowledge like hers could mean death.

For generations, the Sundered lands have known peace, but now war is brewing. Rogue dragons have returned and are attacking the four kingdoms with relentless fury. Desperate for survival, the kings of Vorden seek to raise new dragons by any means necessary.

When Kanastya is torn from her home and thrust into a world of nobles, dragon riders and shifting alliances, she finds herself among strangers who see her as a threat or a tool.

As danger mounts Kanastya must decide whether to remain the outcast they expect—or become something far more powerful than anyone is prepared for.

Pink Tea Books

Publication date

August 1, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

404 pages

Book 1 of 4

Dragon Riders of Vorden

Review: Night Owl Bridge (A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche #2) by Seanna Kelly 

Rating:  4⭐️

Another urban fantasy short story that fits in the Sea Wicche universe, it’s a sequel to Night Owl Books, a introduction to Orla, a Eurasian Eagle Owl shifter who owns Night Owl Books, a late night bookstore she runs out of her house on the outskirts of Monterey. 

Less bookstore, more Orla’s personal enormous library where she occasionally sells a book or two, but mostly reads according to her owl’s nature, from 6 pm to 8 am every night. 

A mystery and a woman in need of help intruded into her territory and brought a shifter sheriff and his group of paranormal investigators to her bookstore.  

Now another mystery and missing dog brings the sheriff and the paranormal investigation team back into Orla’s life. The missing dog belongs to an elderly longtime customer she’s grown fond of and the hunt leads her to a greater sense of danger.

This is another very short story but beautifully written and each scene and character is so well defined and crafted.

I haven’t had any time yet to seek out the Sea Wicche series this miniseries fits into but it’s absolutely on my radar and TBR list. 

A definite winner. 

Love the covers. 

Interconnected series:

Beginning with:

Sea Wicche (5 book series)

A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche (2 book series)

Night Owl Books #1

Night Owl Bridge #2

Buy link

        Night Owl Bridge (A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Owl shifter Orla’s quiet life of reading is once again disturbed. This time, Nick—bear-shifter, cop, and possible boyfriend—asks her to help him investigate an odd disappearance at a local bridge. Orla can’t see anything amiss, but she definitely feels something off. The bones she spies under the bridge lead her to believe they’re dealing with a bigger problem than Nick suspects. Orla must once again put down her book and help save her little corner of the world.

NYLA

Publication date

February 27, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

61 pages

Book 2 of 2

A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche

Review: Managing the Vampire’s Mansion (Magiford Supernatural City story) by K. M. Shea

 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I was absolutely delighted to see K.M. Shea’s new book in the Magiford Supernatural City universe, Managing the Vampire’s Mansion.

It’s a fantastically entertaining read, and the main character of Abi is absolutely endearing. I loved watching Abi slowly embed herself into the community around her and into Beckett’s undead life, changing and challenging him to do better. 

And the surprise crossover characters was amazing and great in every aspect of the storyline. And each one made me want to go back and read their series again.

There’s a mystery and investigation involved here that will pull various elements of the community together that’s very well crafted. And a hilarious bit from the gnome group that wants Beckett to do things for them and has a special way of asking. 

The love aspect I thought was rushed but the relationship was built really solidly, through believable interactions and genuine friendship. With some help from special fae tea. 

The author has said that this is a standalone and that other characters in this small lakeside town will have their stories told.  I look forward to reading every one. 

Definitely recommend reading this and the other series in the universe.

Cover Art by Melody Simmons

Magiford Supernatural City is a registered trademark of K. M. Shea LLC.  

Related Series Magiford Supernatural City universe series-all fabulous:

Magiford Supernatural City (5 books)

Gate of Myth and Power (3 book series)

Hall of Blood and Mercy (3 book series)

Magic on Main Street (3 book series)❤️

Court of Midnight and Deception (3 book series)❤️

Buy link

https://www.amazon.com/K-M-Shea/e/B005ANPMZU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Blurb 

Starting over as a house manager in a charming small town sounded perfect. Until my new boss turned out to be a vampire. 

After burning myself out at my corporate career, I take a job managing a mansion in a picturesque tourist town to reset my life.

The house is historic. The town is charming. The locals are welcoming. And, as I accidentally discover, my unfairly handsome employer, Beckett Kinge, is a vampire in hiding.

Beckett prefers order, privacy, and absolutely no supernatural mishaps.

Unfortunately for both of us, a rogue vampire is attacking the locals. The same people who have been nothing but nice to me. As attacks escalate and secrets unravel, staying uninvolved is no longer an option.

And somehow the only person who steps up to find the vampire is me—the mansion manager with poor people skills who knows absolutely nothing about supernaturals. 

At least… I think I’m the only one working this case. But somewhere between tracking a killer and trying not to die, I realize Beckett isn’t just protecting his secret. He’s protecting me. And that might be far more dangerous for my emotional well-being. 

Regardless, the rampaging vamp has to be found, or no one in town will be safe. Not even me.

This stand alone cozy urban fantasy story is set in the same world as the Magiford Supernatural City trilogies, but is located in a different (real life!) town in Wisconsin. If you’re searching for a stand alone story with cast of characters that will make you laugh while they try to solve a mystery and muddle with the supernatural, pre-order this book today

April 24, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

271 pages