Tag: mystery

Review: Dead Man’s Quill (The ABC’s of Spellcraft Book 4) by Jordan Castillo Price

Rating: 4.75🌈:

Finally, finally, Dixon and Yuri catch up to the missing Uncle Fonzo! In a story that will finish Uncle Fonzo’s arc and start the couple off on a new adventure, Dead Man’s Quill picks up where the last book ended, with a surprise phone call from Uncle Fonzo!

Dixon and Yuri have been in pursuit of Uncle Fonzo since they uncovered the events that led to Dixon’s failed exam, and their family’s poor financial situation. That it all started with Uncle Fonzo and his disappearance.

Since then they’ve been chasing him from town to town but never catching him. Now mysteriously, Uncle Fonzo wants to meet up.

Price gives Fonzo , Dixon, and Yuri a whopping great yarn of a tale here and it needs to be for all the themes involved. Fonzo has betrayed the Handed, he caused Dixon to fail his exam with all the damage that followed, no matter that he was tricked, he knew better. So there’s much to make amends for. And Dixon has never been able to admit exactly how angry he is at the one man who he has thought of as his father, and who betrayed him. He’s ignored those emotions and the thoughts behind them. And for Yuri, there’s a barrel of issues that Fonzo represents, a reason not to trust, a family member not to accept, and more.

All that wrapped up in a magical, somewhat darkish story of redemption, remuneration, and family. It’s a fabulous story, even better when you know how short it is.

Love those twins too. One slight thing, vulture feathers don’t a plume make. I should know. Straight and stiff as can be. Nothing plummy about them.

Other than that, perfect.

I’m highly recommending this and the series as far as I’ve read. It’s fantastic! Binge read for your pleasure!

The ABC’s of Spellcraft series:

✓ Quill Me Now #1

✓ Trouble in Taco Town #2

✓ Something Stinks at the Spa #3

✓ Dead Man’s Quill #4

◦ Last But Not Lease #5

◦ Don’t Rock The Boardwalk #6

◦ What The Frack? #7

◦ Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas short #8

◦ Brownie Points #9

◦ Forging Ahead #10

◦ Mayor May Not #11

◦ Bucket List #12

◦ Comic Sans #13

◦ It’s All Relative #14

Buy Link:

Dead Man’s Quill (The ABCs of Spellcraft Book 4)

Description:

It’s all fun and games until someone loses a hand.

Dixon has been dying to introduce Yuri to Uncle Fonzo, the Hand of his family, and now he’ll finally get that chance. All they need to do is meet him at a traveling carnival with an unused piece of Spellcraft.

Easy peasy, right?

Not even a little. And even worse, they might encounter a clown.

Uncle Fonzo has left a trail of magical destruction in his wake, but he claims he’s been helping people. Spellcrafters are a slippery bunch, and it’s hard to say if he’s stretching the truth or telling an outright lie. One thing’s for sure, he’s between a rock and a hard place now, and if he doesn’t deliver an outrageous ransom to Strange Manor by midnight, all deals are off.

From a lackluster carnival with a booby-trapped tour bus to the decrepit mausoleum behind an old mental asylum, the Spellcraft leads Dixon and Yuri on a goose chase that’s not only wild…but deadly.

The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where MM Romance meets Paranormal Cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect. The books are best read in order, so be sure to start at the beginning with Quill Me Now.

Review: Midwinter Firelight by K.L. Noone

Rating: 4.5🌈

Midwinter Firelight, a sequel to the inestimable Snowed In, takes place 2 months after the events of that story that introduced us to Constable Kit Thompson, empath and Bow Street Preternatural Division, and his now lover, the Honorable Harry Alden, younger brother to the Earl of Fairleigh.

This is a case where the bar was set so high narratively speaking by the origin story, that anything that followed would have a difficult time getting close to the magic that first one captured.

And Midwinter Firelight doesn’t. It doesn’t have the setting. It doesn’t have the sense of isolation or otherness that allowed Noone’s prose to soar into episodes of poetry alongside scenes of beautiful imagery.

No, here in a London setting, Kit and Harry are firmly attached to more a emotionally busy and physically demanding time of it. They are still so new in their relationship but London is full of challenges and promises., as well as hidden obstacles.

Whereas Fairleigh was magical and sparse of people, London is the exact opposite. It’s the copious amounts of mundane , the demands of society, and more mysteries. It’s a more interesting and realistic grounding of this couple in their everyday realities and the rigidity with which society regards them.

Noone weaves both mens insecurities, which is interesting given that they are empaths, into the internal conversations each is conducting about their future. It shows the some of the limitations of that empathy bestows.

The mystery itself is the weakest part of the story. I found myself thinking about the participants for just a moment, then they were forgotten.

No, it could have been any problem to solve. The focus and power belongs on Kit and Harry. They are made of magic, both in the city and out in the countryside, as long as they are together.

I’m recommending Midwinter Firelight by K.L. Noone. It’s a lovely follow up to the sublime Snowed In.

Midwinter Firelightby K.L. Noone

Description:

Kit Thompson, empath and Bow Street Preternatural Division constable, is looking forward to Midwinter. His lover Harry, Viscount Sommersby, is visiting, and Kit has plans to show Harry his London … and plans for Harry in his bedroom.

But Kit’s Chief Magistrate needs him. And the case is important. Personal. Taking up Kit’s time.

Even worse, Harry wants to help. And Kit could use Harry’s magical talents. But that means endangering Harry … something Kit’s sworn never to do.

Review : Faeted Under Fire (Paranormal Investigative Service Book 1) by Cassidy K. O’Connor and Sheri Lyn

Rating: 4.25🌈

Faeted Under Fire was a wonderful find. The vibrant cover caught my attention and the imaginative storytelling is just so well done. Both authors are new to me, so I was excited to see what they brought to paranormal fiction.

The universe building is sparse as far as how human beings and the paranormal realm came to exist together. The authors deal with this question in smattering of sentences that raise more questions than answers. Where they spend their narrative energy and enthusiasm is in the creation of the paranormal “section’ of the city much like we have a Chinatown or Little Italy. Only more as in the past when the cities were more racially segregated.

It’s a lively, culturally diverse community, with food trucks and bars owned, and run by the various paranormal species. It feels alive. Sometimes grungy and a perfect fit for the pod or group of paranormal investigators to run through or hang at .

O’Connor and Lyn spent considerable time as well as in creating engaging personalities for their main characters. One is Tristan James, a human cop, who’s prejudiced towards paranormals, and then has to undergo a psychological and physical traumatic change when he’s attacked. Tristan is an amazing perspective for the reader into paranormal life as he’s a fresh viewpoint. I adore him. He’s a good cop and someone trying to be a good person, whoever they may be.

His partner, half orc/half Fae, with prejudices of his own, is Maddox Smith. This character has layers, which continue to get peeled back throughout the story and into the next. He’s one whose character consistently deepens and matures to accommodate changes in the relationships around him.

This is the first story so everyone is still learning about each other and getting settled into their new roles.

O’Connor and Lyn kept me involved in the paranormal and human investigations and emotional stories playing out throughout the novel. If I had a bit of a quibble it was that I recognized the villain early on. Not the motivation for all the events, but who it must be at least behind one attack.

However, I do admit that mysteries and crime investigations have been my jam since early childhood. So take that for whatever it may be worth.

In total, Faeted Under Fire (Paranormal Investigative Service Book 1) by Cassidy K. O’Connor and Sheri Lyn is a exciting, immersive journey into a new partnership and journey towards a romantic relationship for two memorable people . I’m absolutely thrilled with my find and recommending it to others.

Paranormal Investigative Service series:

✓ Faeted Under Fire #1

✓ Stitched Under Fire #2

◦ Taken Under Fire #3 – June 8, 2023

Buy Link:

Book 1 of 3: Paranormal Investigative Service

Description:

A human cop, a paranormal agent, and nine missing kids. Prejudice aside, they have to work together if they want to stop number ten.

Tristan James didn’t know he had a latent paranormal gene in his body until he was attacked on the job as an officer with Tampa PD and killed. As a phoenix shifter, he rose from the ashes and came back stronger than ever. Unfortunately, he was no longer human, this meant no job, no home, no friends. New purpose finds him with the help of a paranormal federal agency offering him a job. He has to put his own learned hatreds aside and accept the paranormals he was now one of.

Maddox Smith loved his job with the Paranormal Investigative Services. He knew what it was like to have no one looking out for you and that’s what made him a good agent. Someone is taking paranormal kids and he has no leads. When a recently turned human is booted from the police and brought to P.I.S. and partnered with him, Maddox wants nothing to do with him. What had the humans ever done for their kind?

Can they forget their biases and solve the case before there’s a tenth?

Review: Stone Skin (The Gargoyles of Arrington, #2) by Jenn Burke

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Its been a year since the first book in The Gargoyles of Arrington series by Jenn Burke so I needed to get reacquainted with the arc storylines and particulars before diving into Stone Skin, the novel that’s centered around brother Rian O’Reilly. He’s one of the three remaining O’Reilly brothers who were cursed with turning into Gargoyles and eventual stone death until a witch aunt altered the curse just enough that finding true love would break it.

There’s just two now with the curse hanging over them. The others have either died or met with their true loves.

I admit I connected with this story more fully than I did with Drew and his human mate/lover from Stone Wings. That book had to set the foundation (a lot of information), and lay out the mysteries of the curse and O’Reilly family. It then had even more important details to be worked into the narrative such as a invasion of mountain lion shifters, then a wolf shifter pack element. All that put the fake boyfriend romance under a smaller spotlight, bookwise.

But from the beginning, I was highly invested in the lives of Professor Logan Davis, a person haunted by loss, and Rian, the tattoo artist brother, who’s determined to find a way out of the curse for himself and his remaining brother before it’s too late. And hoping that the unknown professor of legend and mythology will help him to find a clue in the past to unravel their ancient mystery.

Burke shows us so clearly how Rian is desperate to find the cure. We watch as the effects of the old magic falter and he’s sure he doesn’t have much time left. It’s hits us as hard as it does him and his family.

Then we shift to the Professor and a portrait of grief that’s raw and real.As the Professor isn’t even emotionally or mentally available in this world, traumatized by recent events. The author has made us care for him, for Rian, and now the reader is committed to solving the mystery and to the couple to finding their own happiness.

There’s multiple plots also brought forward from Stone Wings that get futher development. I enjoy a found family trope and this one is coming together beautifully.

While all the side storylines are still continuing, they take a secondary role and leave the relationship between Rian and Logan as the main focus. It works perfectly to let the reader understand the overall arc theme is coming together towards a resolution and yet still gives us enough information about the third brother to make us want to continue following the story into the next book.

The drama isn’t over yet.

I’m eagerly awaiting Stone Heart , the last in this series. Love a paranormal hurt/comfort love story? Then I’m recommending Stone Skin and the beginning novel, Stone Wings. Read them in order before the final book in the trilogy comes out.

The Gargoyles of Arrington series:

✓ Stone Wings #1

✓ Stone Skin #2

◦ Stone Heart #3 – June 27, 2023

Buy Link:

Stone Skin: An M/M Paranormal Hurt/Comfort Monster Romance (The Gargoyles of Arrington Book 2)

Description:

Can he break his curse before time runs out?

Despite being cursed to sleep as a gargoyle for a hundred years, and awake for only twenty-five, Rian O’Reilly is an optimist. He knows he can find a way to break the curse through the tattooed runes he’s spent years mastering. No need to wait for this true love crap. But he hasn’t found the right combination of magic and his time is almost up. Rian isn’t ready to lose everyone and everything. Again.

Professor Logan Davis knows about loss. In the past year, he’s lost his mother, his twin, his werewolf pack, and he’s on the verge of losing his mind. So when he’s invited to Arrington to learn about a legend he’s never heard of, he jumps at the chance for a working vacation. He doesn’t expect to find a handsome gargoyle who needs his help to break a centuries-old curse—and he certainly doesn’t expect his grief to finally overwhelm him.

As Rian comforts Logan, he starts to wonder if there might be something to this true love crap after all. He’d give anything to help this gentle giant of a man, but Logan needs time to heal…and time is the one thing Rian doesn’t have.

STONE SKIN is a male/male hurt/comfort paranormal romance featuring a magical tattoo artist gargoyle who doesn’t want to go, a werewolf professor who needs time to rediscover himself beneath his grief, and a budding love that might be the answer to everything…if only it has time to bloom.

Review: The Claws of Winter (Arcane Hearts Book 7) by Nazri Noor

Rating: 4.25🌈

Here we are at the penultimate book in the Arcane Hearts series with the release of The Claws of Winter by Nazri Noor. It’s hard to imagine the author is going to be able to not only resolve some of the major mysteries of the series but also to explain the rationale behind some aspects of the family dynamics that undergo an enormous transformation at the end.

Personality transformations, AI intelligent beings that require whole storylines to conclude all the narrative levels it’s involved in, a romantic relationship to move to HEA, and still a deadly conflict with other realms that are in play. Seems a lot to ask of one finale novel.

Because The Claws of Winter ending finishes with all that still left hanging for the final story to deal with.

There’s a ton of elements here for the characters and plot threads to explore here. It picks up where the last book ends, with The Oberon’s Heart being returned to the King of Summer in The Verdant and releasing him from the poisonous crystal vines. But the land and the Fae need to recover, and Queen Titania is missing. More mysteries.

Jackson Pryde has started to become a character I’m not really connecting with anymore. I enjoyed watching him at the start but he’s not really growing up . At least as far as maturity or demonstrating the character growth his fiancé, Xander Wright, the former Incandescent, has shown steadily throughout the series.

It’s odd. I’m not sure if it’s intentional by the author or if Jackson is a personal “blind spot “ creatively for him. Many of the other characters or people around him have aged, acquired important positions and significant others.

Jackson, while working towards his goals of establishing the Hall of Making, has remained essentially, well the same Jackson. Yes, he rebuilt the Artificers Hall. He’s in a relationship. He’s done all these things and gone on all these adventures. However, his inner self, his emotional persona has essentially been unchanged from the beginning. He’s still showing doubts about his abilities, demonstrating jealousy as well as insecurities about Xander when it comes to the College and the Incandescent Magic. Even his exaggerated ego can feel childish when framed around the events that are happening. What was once understandable is now getting tired.

Where Jackson is still struggling and believable is when he is within the realm of his home life , present and past. Whether he’s supporting Lore in Lore’s achievements as a AI being or remembering life with his deceased parents, that’s when Noor takes Jackson and grounds him firmly in the basis for the arc themes and his character. He’s more realistic and we are more invested in him and the story.

Weak components here are to do with the Magical Incandescent young man introduced into the narrative, his interactions with the characters (although this may be a part of the overall storyline), and the ease of resolution of one issue of a major theme. It feels one dimensional.

So many narrative balls up in the air, and so many characters await to catch them.

I’m not sure it all worked here . But it’s very complicated and the world building is so well done that it’s hard not to enjoy the journey even if you’re having quibbles along the way.

Book 7 is complete. Onto the finale, The Grip of Death, Book 8 of Arcane Hearts.

I’m definitely recommending the series and this story. It’s a wild ride.

rcane Hearts series, 8 books:

✓ A Touch of Fever #1

✓ A Stroke of Brilliance #2

✓ An Iron Fist #3

✓ A Velvet Glove #4

✓ Hand of Glory #5

✓ A Clap of Thunder #6

✓ The Claws of Winter #7

◦ The Grip of Death #8 – finale /Nov 24, 2023

Buy link:

The Claws of Winter (Arcane Hearts Book 7)

Description:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

The guild of artificers is so close to completion, Jackson Pryde can almost taste it. Befriending the Black Market’s guilds has paid off.

Everyone agrees that Jackson should become master of the artificers, even Mother Dough, the powerful guild of bakers.

But it’s not all sugar and spice. A strange sorcerer has reawakened Xander’s interest in Incandescence. The second AI has unearthed a bizarre blueprint. And not everything is as it seems in the Verdance.

Tensions mount as the fae courts question the value of human friendship – and human life. Jackson and Xander may have saved the King of Summer, but now they must face the wrath of the Queen of Winter.

Review: Cherries Worth Getting (Keith Curry’s Case Files Book 1) by Nicole Kimberling

Rating: 4.5🌈

Nicole Kimberling is such an amazing author. I adored her Bellingham Mysteries and then lost track of her writings. But happily I’ve found her again through her series about a other-realm investigator who used to be a chef. That’s Keith Curry’s Case Files.

I believe the series started in a collection called Irregulars, 4 short stories by 4 authors about NIAD. That’s NATO Irregular Affairs Division. They police other-realm traffic, beings, and artifacts that come through portals to this world. The division’s are made up of many species including Faerie lawyers, rumpled magicians, business witches and weary specialists human agents.

That’s where Keith Curry comes in.

We get Keith’s dramatic and sickening introduction to the agency and how he came to be recruited here. To be honest, parts of the book aren’t for those who have a weak stomach or are highly sensitive. We are talking about cannibalism here as part of the mystery and narrative. Just a Fyi.

There’s several elements that are raised throughout the narrative that challenge Keith’s vision of himself as a neutral investigator. Species bigotry is brought up and examined through the viewpoint of different characters, very effectively. Whether it’s goblins or vampire, it forces Keith to look at his own judgments and review them for reactions he’s thought he’d worked through.

There’s reasons for his reasons. It’s in his past. And understandable by any standards.

It’s his new teammate and former hookup , Gunther, who has been assigned to help Keith figure out where the human dead (and butchered) bodies are coming from. A fellow agent who will make Keith aware of his suppressed feelings towards other species.

Kimberling sets her story in and around Portland, Oregon and her familiarity with the city and deep roots with the place shows. From the markets to the food trucks, it’s realistic, even when run by goblins. I found the idea of a goblin race that transformed to conform in utero a thought provoking idea. I’m certain this is just the beginning of this thread.

The author crafted so many interesting elements to fold into the story and world building of the series. We got just hints here and there about a topic, enough to pique our interest and imagination, but not enough to satisfy. Hopefully we’ll get more in the coming stories.

The mystery and investigation was crisp and complicated. I loved following the clues along with Keith and Gunther, his fellow investigator and perhaps future boyfriend.

Especially as the relationship that’s just starting here between Gunther and Keith continues.

Now I really need to locate that original collection as well. I’m sure that’s Keith’s origin story. Yikes.

And I’m onto the next in his series. But do be aware, unlike the Bellingham Mysteries, Keith Curry seems to see the absolute worst and often stomach churning cases . Be forewarned.

If you’re ok with that, I’m highly recommending this!

Keith Curry’s Case Files:

✓ Cherries Worth Getting #1

◦ Magically Delicious #2

◦ Grilled Cheese and Goblins:

Adventures of a Food Inspector

◦ Irregulars -a 4 story collection

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Cherries…Cherries Worth Getting (Keith Curry’s Case Files Book 1) – Kindle edition by Kimberling …

Description:

NATO’s Irregulars Affairs Division is a secret organization operating in thousands of cities around the globe. Its agents police relations between the earthly realm and those beyond this world, protecting us from terrible dangers as well as enthralling temptations. Agent Keith Curry is a former carnivore chef turned vegetarian. Keith must navigate Portland, Oregon’s culinary underworld to catch a killer bent on harvesting human flesh. But things get complicated when he hooks up with an old flame who he’s never been able to refuse.

Review: Nobody Rides For Free (An Angus Green Novel Book 2) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4.25🌈

Nobody Rides For Free picks up after the events in The Next One Will Kill You, where rookie FBI agent helped close a big investigation, shot a perpetrator, and got shot during the final climactic moments.

Even though he was wearing a vest, he’s still recovering emotionally and physically from the effects of that incident. It takes a call from his mentor, Agent Roly Gutierrez, asking him for assistance in a new case that brings Angus back into active duty.

It starts with a series of overdoses that soon lead to several startling revelations. And soon, Angus is sifting through the data and evidence of multiple cases to find out what is happening and how all the people and cases connect with a growing number of gay men Angus thinks might be in danger.

In detective or police procedural novel (or tv show), you will hear the phrase that investigations are mostly boring, endlessly pouring over pages, numbers, data, and countless other information for evidence to solidify the case they are working on.

Here, as in the first novel, Plakcy does such a excellent job illustrating the hard and often tedious process of compiling the data legally to build the case against the criminal(s). And does it while making it suspenseful and compelling.

And real. Because not every lead pans out. Not every warrant goes as planned. Not everything works as you wanted or hoped.

And not every main character is a golden boy, without fault or failure or the ability to succeed in one area without losing in another. I think that is what makes Angus Green so interesting to me.

I’m not sure I always like him even as I understand him. He has a tendency to play loose with his roommate, be a user there instead of a friend when a case is involved. Even with others, unless it’s his brother (and that’s not been tested), it’s the FBI case loyalty first, then the others are staggered accordingly to their current position in his life. A precarious situation at times, as Lester, his on and off and now on again boyfriend has discovered. Very hard to be involved with them as a couple as it feels very superficial. I get the impression Lester might not last long.

There’s a few weak spots here. Other than the obvious romantic interest. Especially in the Russian community and mob section. The villain and his ex girlfriend needed more exposition at the end of the investigation to make sense. That includes the Dorje episode too.

Still Nobody Rides For Free (An Angus Green Novel Book 2) by Neil S. Plakcy is a strong read with a very complicated main character. I was totally invested in all the investigations and outcomes. So I’m onto the next. Can’t wait.

I’m definitely recommending this! Read the books in the order that they are written.

Angus Green series:

✓ The Next One Will Kill You #1

✓ Nobody Rides For Free #2

◦ Survival Is A Dying Art #3

◦ Brackish Water #4

Buy Link:

Nobody Rides for Free: An Angus Green Novel

Description:

With less than a year of experience under his belt and only one big case behind him, FBI Special Agent Angus Green has joined the rarefied group of agents who have been wounded in the line of duty. Now, assigned to a desk job while he recovers, Angus wonders if he’s chosen the right career. He’s been following his late father’s dream for a life of adventure and travel—and instead encountered danger, pain and heartbreak. But when he discovers that gay teens are being sexually abused by a pornographer in the same neighborhood where he lives, he has to step up and bring his intelligence, his determination and his unique insights to save these young men. The case takes him from Fort Lauderdale’s seamy underbelly to boisterous beachfront bars where big-fish Russian émigrés launder illegal cash. He’ll befriend a beautiful Russian-American undercover agent and rekindle a romance with a man who makes him feel protected. In the end, he’ll learn the truth of a saying he learned as a boy – there is a price to pay for every decision we make. Nobody rides for free.

Review: The Next One Will Kill You (An Angus Green Mystery, Book 1) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4.5🌈

I found author Neil S. Plakcy through his incredible Mahu series. Set in Hawaii, Plakcy’s knowledge of the islands, the many cultures, the patois and just everyday life as lived by those who are Hawaiian on a cellular level, made that a book experience that has stayed with me.

So when I discovered another series, also thrillers, but set in another location, I was immediately hooked. How would Plakcy immerse himself into the diverse world of South Florida? How would it translate into a series and set of characters that fit the narrative and high visibility of that area?

Beautifully it seems.

Told from the perspective of rookie FBI agent Angus Green, who’s career has been sidelined into the agency’s accounting department. He’s longed to be a part of the field and actively involved in the investigations and gets his chance when another agent isn’t available.

But first Angus needs to raise funds to help his younger brother and to do that he enters a trivia/strip contest at a local gay bar. Where his life changes profoundly.

Angus is a terrific character and one I expect to see great development as far as depth of personality and revelations about his past. For now we get a young man who’s often underestimated because of his looks, has a intensity that can make him lose sight of those him, because the job is all encompassing.

He’s got several other people in his life . A younger brother he basically raised who’s often irresponsible and easy going. A roommate who’s increasingly envious of Angus and getting slack in other areas that aren’t necessarily legal. The potential here is far reaching for future stories.

But the best is the thrilling investigation into a missing person that generates a entire operation and inter agency cooperation. If the case and clues are a bit too slick and easily solved, I still enjoyed the rush to find all the pieces as well as the personalities involved in the case.

From the older FBI agents , Vito Mastroianni and Roly Gutierrez , that mentor him, to Tom, a rich older gay from South Beach with a knowledge of LGBTGIA history to bolster their case, the story is full of fascinating people with their own layers to them to further explore.

Brother Danny has his own storyline that carries with it a huge amount of anxiety and suspense for the reader and Angus when Danny comes under investigation for stolen money at his college.

Weaving Danny’s increasingly anguished calls with Angus’ involvement in the case makes for truly intense drama.

Was it perfect? No. There was a guy who after a date or two displayed jealousy or flag like behaviors. We don’t know enough about him or see any type of relationship to make us feel like we care about him or them together.

The Next One Will Kill You (An Angus Green Mystery, Book 1) by Neil S. Plakcy is a wonderful book and a great start to a series. The potential for new development and growth is substantial and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the imagery and narrative Plakcy lays down in future books.

I’m highly recommending this!

Angus Green series:

✓ The Next One Will Kill You #1

◦ Nobody Rides For Free #2

◦ Survival Is A Dying Art #3

◦ Brackish Water #4

Description:

If newly-minted special agent Angus Green is going to make it to a second case, he’s going to need to survive the first one. Angus wants a job with adventure, so after graduating with his master’s degree in accounting he completes the FBI’s academy at Quantico and is assigned to the Miami field office, where the caseload includes smugglers, drug runners, and gangs, but he starts out stuck behind a desk, an accountant with a badge and gun. Eager to raise some extra money for his college student brother, he enters a strip trivia contest at a gay bar in Fort Lauderdale. But when he’s caught with his pants down by a couple of fellow agents, he worries that his career is about to crash. Instead, as the office’s only openly gay agent, he’s recruited to find a missing informant with a reputation as “gay for pay.” It’s his first real case, and it takes him from the glitter of South Beach to the morgue on a desperate chase to catch a gang of criminals with their tentacles in everything from medical fraud to pill mills to jewel theft. As every twist in the case leads to more mayhem, the street quickly teaches him that the only way to face a challenge is to assume that he’ll survive this one–that it’ll be the next one that will kill him.

Review: Redeeming Nick (Dark Forest Pack Book 2) by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 4.5🌈

I’m so enjoying this series. I believe I found Redeeming Nick even more my favorite because of the characters and chemistry Jacobs creates here.

One caveat, a reader must bring a certain amount of information about the universe and characters history with them into each story. If you are new to Jacob’s’ werewolves world (and connected series), you will feel a bit lost or without a good foundation for the magic, politics, and overall series arc. That includes the Fae Realm.

That’s hugely important here when one of the main characters is a Fae guard, Dathal. Dathal is charged with the investigation into how such a rare powerful, lethal substance from the Fae Realm was smuggled through a portal into the human one, with deadly consequences.

Those events began in Claiming Rys Book 1 and the investigations continued here as it becomes apparent there’s a more complex plot behind the smuggling operation.

Dathal, cousin to Axel, a sexy, gorgeous Fae who’s been a part of the series from the beginning, is a great character. More serious, less aware or knowledgeable of the human world than Axel who lives here, Dathal’s personality and viewpoint is both humorous and fascinating. He’s definitely Fae, whereas some of the other Fae characters have softer “edges” to them from living in the human realm.

One of a two person POV format, Dathal’s perspective is distinctly Fae, with a genuine focus for his work and love for his realm, which contrasts well with that of Nick, a witch whose magical abilities hold a secret from his past.

Nick is also a terrific character. He’s demonstrated personal growth and courage in the course of this investigation as well as betrayal. He’s greatly invested in how the scheme has been implemented and who’s responsible.

When the two come together, the physical and emotional charge is remarkable. Jacobs does such a fantastic job in making this almost instant connection feel hot and genuine . That they fight it and fail comes across as absolutely believable.

I could have done with even more of their relationship but there did need to be some kind of storyline to move the smuggling theme forward and it does. Onto the next book. It’s turning out to be a very interesting and layered affair.

Next up is Axel’s story, hints of which we get here in this book. I can’t wait to read it.

Due to the series arc and story structure and character development, the books should be read in the order that they were written.

I’m highly recommending this series and book for all lovers of paranormal and fantasy fiction and romance.

Dark Forest Pack series:

🔷Claiming Rys #1

🔷Redeeming Nick #2

🔷Guarding Axel #3 – June 27, 2023

Buy Link:

Redeeming Nick (Dark Forest Pack Book 2)

Description:

A witch with a secret, a fae guard with a job to do.

Nick
As the new manager of paranormal club, Midnight, Nick Parker has his hands full. What he doesn’t have time for is an inconvenient attraction for the mysterious fae with violet eyes and the kind of magic that Nick yearns for.

Dathal
A fae guard with an affinity for seeking out the truth, Dathal has one purpose—to catch those responsible for smuggling a deadly plant out of the fae realm, and then return home. Falling for a witch isn’t on the cards, but something about Nick calls to him in a way he’s powerless to ignore.

Their paths cross as Nick is drawn into the investigation, and their connection is inevitable, but the consequences of being together are something neither of them could have foreseen.

Redeeming Nick is an MM paranormal romance featuring a hot, tattooed witch with attitude, and a silver-haired fae with a disdain for human rules. Full of magic, mystery, and sizzling UST, with a guaranteed HEA.

* For maximum enjoyment, the series should be read in order.

Review: The Heart’s Blood (San Amaro Investigations#5) by Kai Butler

Rating: 5🌈

The Heart’s Blood hits every marker, nails and surpasses all expectations I have for the characters, the storylines , and the journey Butler is taking us on. It’s a superlative narrative smorgasbord where Butler’s characters get to demonstrate genuine personal growth and maturity, often at huge emotional and physical cost. The imaginative series landscape broadens to embrace new mythic characters and their often murderous tumultuous history, new worlds and the refugee aliens who’ve fled them. But it also, in an equally outstanding manner, concentrates as well as on narrowing the storylines down to tangle with the intricacies of romantic and family relationships and the dynamics of love.

I couldn’t put this story down.

Fast paced, full of suspenseful moments and white knuckle action, it’s heart, as it always does, remains firmly centered around Parker Ferro, the PI who’s still adjusting to the idea of his heritage, Nick his alchemist PD boyfriend with his family dynamics, and the found family that Parker has been building around him.

There’s multiple storylines (all incredible and fully realized), new strides in Parker and Nick’s relationship, and entire aspects to the basics of the series foundation that get revealed.

The fifth in the San Amaro Investigations series, The Heart’s Blood dramatically increases the high risks and drama for everyone here. It’s such a superlative story.

Saffron Wilds, the 6th novel out in February 27,2023, certainly has a hard act to follow.

I’m highly recommending the series and definitely this story. But the books must be read in the order they are written in order for the relationships, characters, and events to make sense.

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

✓ The Heart’s Blood Arrow #5

◦ Saffron Wilds #6 – 2/27/2023

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Heart’s Blood Arrow by Kai Butler

Description:

An old nemesis is out for blood…

Parker Ferro’s life would be easier if his enemies stayed gone. When the man responsible for the death of Parker’s mother breaks out of prison, Parker finds himself in the crosshairs of the Bureau of Paranormal Threats when he tracks the criminal down.

With succubae going missing, an old god on the loose, and his boyfriend’s mother in town, the last thing Parker has time for is human politics. But with a marriage proposal that he can’t quite figure out and mysteries that keep landing him in hot water with the feds, Parker must keep one step ahead or end up in handcuffs himself.

The Heart’s Blood Arrow is a 130k MM urban fantasy with a HFN ending and an ongoing storyline. It cannot be read as a standalone.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.