What a fully immersive and jammed packed story The Wolf Vs The Monster turned out to be. I was thinking this might be the last book but instead Hignett ramped up the suspense, the plot lines, gave us high action, white knuckle anxiety for our main characters, including multiple anonymous villains, unforeseen events and situations, magical powers and creatures, and a new teenage vampire I absolutely fell in love with.
This book is a fantasy Toad’s wildest adventure ride with a cliffhanger ending and every single part of the story is fabulous.
Plus a certain character gets a long overdue comeuppance.
And other things, huge plot points are revealed here too.
So it’s absolutely satisfying and that cliffhanger will lead to an amazing story. So I’m excited to read this next book.
The Wolf Vs The Monster: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth by Lauretta Hignett might be my favorite story of the series so far. It’s extremely well written, the characters and tightly packed narrative is perfectly balanced, and that ending really adds to the overall momentum here.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell who the real monsters are…
A strange creature attacked Romeo last night. A huge beast unlike anything anyone has ever seen in Philly before – an alien monster with natural armor, organic high-tech weaponry, and poison dripping from its limbs.
My intuition is screaming at me. It’s telling me the monster is not here for Romeo.
It’s here for me.
The Wolf Vs The Monster is book five in the Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth, a hot new Urban Fantasy series by bestselling author Lauretta Hignett.
And with a literal turn of the page, Mae has landed us in the fairy tale world of Peter Pan, Tinkerbelle, and Captain Hook with this second book as Harmony Fallowell, best friend Molly, and falcon Fetch leaping out over the edge of the page of the Kingdom of Alabaster just as the darkness was closing in.
It’s a splashdown into some familiar territory with wonderful creatures and fantastic twists!
Mae keeps moving the overall theme of getting Harmony back to her original kingdom in time to save it from the evil sorceress, letting her required knowledge and skills return as this journey continues. She is getting magically more powerful as she gathers the necessary items to complete her quest. ,As is Molly who’s undergone devastating events and is emerging from them a different, stronger woman, shifting into her own style and strengths. And there’s Fetch,Harmony’s feathered companion to add excitement to each adventure and adversarial moments.
It’s hard to say anything more about the characters due to their unique roles in this book. And the many twists in this storyline.
Onyx: A Twisted Fairy Tale (Inkbound Book 2) by Shannon Mae is the middle book in this trilogy so the author starts tying up a few of the characters stories. This aspect of Onyx makes for a really satisfying read and leaves one feeling great for several reasons, while still leaving the reader with the impression of suspense and excitement as Harmony is left with a companion tumbling off another page into the next kingdom and trilogy finale.
If you are a fan of these amazing covers like I am, you will have peaked at the last one, Inked in Emerald, and know exactly where she’s landed! Absolutely perfect.
I can hardly wait for this one to be released!
See you there. Clicking my heels.
Highly recommended. But they must be read in the order they are written.
One fairytale down, one pirate-infested nightmare to go…
Molly, my ever-loyal falcon, Fetch, and I barely survived evil wizard Relyk and escaped Alabaster, only to get cannon-bombed into our next story.
Literally. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell swoop in with a rescue, whisking us off to Neverland. At first, it’s all glitter and good times on an island straight out of a daydream…until they mention a magical clock they’ve been hunting.
The same clock I need to fulfill my destiny.
So we do what any desperate main characters would do—we steal their boat and vanish into the night to get a jump on finding the clock. Too bad we sail straight into the hands of pirates.
And here’s the real kicker: Their captain is the man I’ve been dreaming of since childhood.
The twist? He’s not charming. He’s not kind. He’s not even remotely sane.
He’s the most dreaded pirate of all time.
And he thinks I’m a boy.
Now we’re tangled in secrets, trying to blend in, plotting yet another escape—until I find out the man of my dreams is after the same enchanted clock. The one he stole from Peter Pan a decade ago and lost to a massive, man-eating crocodile…along with his hand.
With reluctant alliances, sea monsters, and an unholy attraction to an even unholier pirate, this story might end with a bang or me walking the plank.
What Blooms From Death by S.M. Gaither is an excellent read. The description doesn’t really do justice to the incredible story and imagery that Gaither brings to the plot of a traumatized necromancer Princess ready to walk into hell to find a weapon that will get revenge on those who wronged her.
The magical elements and symbols that make the world here are thoughtfully crafted ,with layers of natural elements, characters history, threads of emotional details built into each part of this fantastic piece of the story. It’s in the beads of Nova’s bracelets and her dog, Phantom. It’s even in the leaves of the trees.
Nova, her history, magic and journey through the underworld is just incredible. Especially as she’s accompanied by her dog, Phantom, a remarkable character on his own.
Aleks, the Light King, and company are well drawn. Aleks is a compelling character with trauma of his own, and his story matches with that of Nova’s.
Gaither storytelling includes some dynamic relationship twists and great action sequences. And an ending that borders on a cliffhanger. It will certainly make you want that next book due out in December.
Another terrific read in the fantasy fiction genre. A winner for lovers of the romance fantasy novel.
Princess Bellanova has survived in the shadows for years.
An exile haunted by a curse that plunged her family into a deathless sleep and left her home rotting, Nova has spent seven years trying to endure, to make sense of her torturous past, all while honing her gifts with necromancy magic—
And now she will use those gifts to walk willingly into death.
For rumor has it that Luminor, the Blade of Light—the cursed weapon that felled her family—is buried deep in the heart of the underworld. If Nova can steal it back from the realm of the dead, she might break the spell that shattered her life and reclaim the kingdom that once was hers.
The only things standing in her way are the endless twists and turns of the underworld, its terrifying monsters, unpredictable magic…and Aleksander, the infamous Light King himself—keeper of the blade, and the one who wielded it on the night of her family’s ruin.
King Aleks has spent nearly a decade trapped in the below, a phantom of his former self, unable to truly die. When Nova crash lands into his purgatory—an inexplicably bright and lively being in a sea of endless dead things—he begins to dream of the world above for the first time in ages.
He needs her to get him back to that world above. She needs him to undo the curse. But as the two form a reluctant alliance that soon blooms into something dangerously deeper, they find themselves unraveling ancient magic and dark secrets that will have greater consequences than either of them could have ever imagined…
Mafia Bound is a series from K.M. Neuhold that focuses on the Moretti crime family and the romantic relationships and partners each Moretti man finds himself in. It’s usually been with a murderous sociopathic twink of a traumatic background. My favorite couple being Sal and dancer Dante (3) , followed by unhinged Sparrow and the family enforcer, Xaviaro (1).
The energy, chemistry and sheer insanity that powers these relationships made the storylines and those couples. Each had layers and a certain depth of character that allowed for a realistic development of the relationship between them.
And that’s really the issue here. While we’ve met Luca, the youngest of the Moretti family prior, we’ve not gotten to know him well. He’s a puppy, as Dante calls him. Against all the others? He’s definitely not the same factor of darkness or seriousness of damage. He’s too young in his current form.
And the other main character is also not supported by any foundation or framework of storytelling. Anders is a good character but everything we learn about him comes from a “as told to” approach. We don’t see any interactions between the father he’s terrified of or honestly, of the brother he’s been protecting. It’s a diminishing aspect of the character’s storyline.
The positives, seeing Dante and Sal (#couplegoals ) and Sparrow as well as Xav, was fantastic. The energy and intensity they bring to this narrative made it feel so much better. And the dialogue and dynamics between them as Luca was hilarious.
Anders and Luca’s instant love romance could have been better if they had more time to establish themselves as a couple. Instead they come off a new, younger version, without the intense energy or interest.
This is the 4th book but I believe there’s more coming. I’m definitely going to be reading those.
A terrific series with D/s elements, crime family romances, and lots of sexy men.
That Feeling when the man you just robbed and left tied up and blindfolded turns out to be in the mafia…
I’m not proud of the things I’ve had to do for money to pay off my dad’s debts and put my younger brother through college. But I’ll never regret it.
What I do regret is accidentally robbing a Moretti.
Having to look over my shoulder and ducking every time a car backfires is bad enough, but when the man in question starts costing me business? Yeah, I think we’re going to have a problem.
I never knew I could feel the way I do when Luca Moretti gets on his knees for me, but I don’t have time to be romanced by this obsessed, submissive, mafioso.
No one has ever made me feel as strong and capable as he does. Can I really be the viper he sees me as? If I learn how to bite, can I finally make my life my own with Luca Moretti at my side?
Speed (Railers Legacy Book 1) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey continues the Harrisburg Railers Hockey Team multi-series universe with a new addition, Railers Legacy. Once again, we see a character who the readers have become familiar with and love now grown up and preparing to play for the team his family played for.
It’s Noah Gunnarsson, son of the fabulous characters and NHL players, Eric Lyamin-Gunnarsson and husband, Stan Lyamin-Gunnarsson , still gloriously happy, retired with grown children and a house full of animals.
Noah, we see him selected at draft time, and then later when it’s time for the rookies to show up and prepare to play.
I’ll say I wish there was more ice time and locker room dynamic. That makes a hockey team and a realistic romantic story. And these authors write great hockey. But it’s downplayed so Noah’s diabetes can become a stronger element, which it is. From Noah regulating the insulin and diet to his health regimen as an athlete and the factors that affect his performance as a diabetic. It makes Noah an extremely effective character and folds his diabetes in as a important factor.
Noah, and family are a great aspect of the story and come with an established fan base, because honestly, Stan? Still my favorite.
Brody and his multitude of issues don’t get that same energy or feel of being as well explored or resolved here. He’s got a controlling, abusive grandfather, severe medical problems, bi-awakening, fear of loss of control and direction. And his passion for driving and as a ex F1 driver? Not really established except for the beginning part of the book. The rest is verbiage.
For him to be a completely realized person, there should be more foundation to that race car driver essence of him. Instead the focus switches to his sexuality. Brody becomes instantly obsessed with a man he kisses on the “downlow”, Noah. Someone he tracks down, “stalks” until he’s part of an instant love story.A romance that has elements of “bisexual awakening “, “coming out” and immediate almost overnight partnership, tossed into his and their relationship that reads so quickly done that you’ll be blinking and wondering where the foundation is.
And the controlling, threatening grandfather just disappears completely here.
The story ends with a number of things unresolved in the story and relationship, and a clear picture of the next couple coming forward.
I was really happy to see Eric, Stan and some of the other people who I’ve known in my series show up. Noah is just lovely.
Read it for the connection to Stan and Eric, and the Railers. And this family as they were in the old novels.
Cover design by Meredith Russell, Edited by Sue Laybourn”
Hockey is as natural as breathing for Noah Gunnarsson. Growing up with two famous hockey stars as his dads, Noah has always aspired to join the Railers to continue the Lyamin-Gunnarsson legacy. With his degree done, it’s time to live that dream; the first step is getting a spot on the team his dads played for. The second step is to pull on that dusky blue-gray sweater and make his fathers proud. His rookie year is bound to be a season of incredible highs and lows, but one of the biggest highlights is meeting Brody Vance at a fundraiser. Brody is the living epitome of a bad boy hiding his pain behind a devil-may-care attitude. As Noah struggles to keep one eye on the puck and not on Brody, it’s only a matter of time before love collides with sport in a chaotic splash of media attention.
Racing driver Brody Vance has spent his life chasing speed and glory and is only points away from his first world championship when a devastating crash ends his season. Determined to make a triumphant comeback, Brody is blindsided by a diagnosis that forces him off the track for good. With his world flipped upside down, and family and fans questioning why he left, Brody hides his pain by pushing the limits and refusing to let anyone see the cracks. But after a chance meeting with a sweet, sexy hockey player turns into an unforgettable one-night stand, fate keeps putting Noah in his path. With his heart on the line and his body racing against time,
Brody must decide if he’s willing to risk it all for love—or if he’ll let fear and pride leave him in the dust. Speed is a steamy M/ M romance with a hockey rookie living his family legacy, a bad-boy racing driver with secrets, media attention that would break even the strongest of men, an unforgettable one-night stand, a love that means risking it all, and a hard-won happy ever after.”
I really thought this was the series finale but was so thrilled to see I was wrong. There’s at least one, perhaps more to this fantastic, compelling series coming before it finished.
This picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending of Midnight Auto Parts, where Frankie and friends found that Matty’s soul is missing from his body. To discover what happened to his soul, Frankie, boyfriend Kierse, and several otherworldly traveling companions head to New Orleans where souls are going missing too, including another one who is incredibly close to Frankie.
Edwards absolutely brings it here in here narrative. The characters are, throughout this story and events that occur, grow their magical powers, in storylines that build a new depth of emotion as well as a connection to each other. Edwards moves from really complex, stressful situations to hilarious moments and back to heartbreak with each new scenario and often frightening suspense filled scenes.
Yes, there’s another cliffhanger. And all the characters are pulling together, just as the mythology and world building is expanding even further. Totally amazing and highly imaginative elements that grab you!
This is one of my must read series. It’s a series low on sexual content but highly recommended for excellent writing, great characters and fantastic world building.
Matty has lost his soul, and it’s up to Frankie to find it before his body gives up the fight for survival. But soon his isn’t the only life at risk from the soulless condition. The affliction is spreading from Thunderbolt, Georgia, into the beating heart of the French Quarter and right up to Madam Vionette Fontenot’s front door.
When Frankie returns to New Orleans in search of answers, she finds herself at the mercy of a god who covets her newfound powers as the guardian of the Alcheyvāhā. He makes it clear he’s willing to do whatever it takes to wield her for his own benefit. Even if it costs Frankie everyone she loves.
Monochrome is the finale story of Vinni George’s ORCA series about a group of orca whale shifters , the agency they form (ORCA ) to find and return stolen artifacts and artwork and the fated mates the find at each case and investigation.
I really enjoyed this as it tied up the overall series mystery of the missing artwork, brought out the revelations behind several deaths, the last brother, Julius found a mate and a family, and the grandmother finally comes home.
Julius Hunter is the last brother to find his fated mate. When he does, it’s his client, a panda shifter, Ethan Lin , who has guardianship of his young niece and nephew.
It’s a great romance, the children who become part of the growing Hunter family, are absolutely adorable, and Ethan as an overwhelmed, stressed and anxious man is a relatable character.
All the brothers and mates, as well as cousins and mates are here working together on the investigations and mysteries. It’s a fantastic story, pulling together every aspect of all the books and characters to create an absolutely amazing and satisfying finale.
Loved this and it’s one I’m definitely recommending.
I wish the covers were story or character oriented in some form. They honestly could be applied to any other genre or book.
After a career on Wall Street, Julius Hunter is content to live his life as a modern Robin Hood. Getting corrupt corporations to invest with him while he siphons their money into charitable organizations makes his blood pump, so when he’s sent in to find out what the new CEO of a global company knows about money being used to fund the search for a priceless piece of artwork connected to his family, he’s all in.
Ethan Lin never wanted to be CEO of the company his great-great-grandfather founded. He also never wanted to be a parent, but when his sister died in a car accident, he inherited her title and her two adorable children. Balancing life as the head of a corporation and as a new dad is a challenge, and with diminishing returns at home and in the boardroom something has to give.
When Julius shows up, offering help in both areas of Ethan’s life, they learn they have more in common than they think. Including a shared enemy. Whoever is targeting the Hunter family also has their sights set on Ethan, and Julius will stop at nothing to make sure the man he’s falling for and his children stay safe as the final pieces fall into place.
Monochrome is the final book in the Organization for the Return of Criminals and Assets (ORCA) series, featuring an orca shifter financier who had no idea he liked kids, a panda shifter hellbent on making sure his family’s legacy doesn’t end with him, and a final showdown that changes everything.
How to Tame a Hellhound (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls #3) by Shannon Mae continues this fated mates series with the next couple, two damaged people, Atlas the Hellhound who’s mostly feral, and Aiden, the human being who is still recovering from his ordeal from his time as a prisoner and kidnap victim.
Shannon Mae, an author who’s written many of the series I have reviewed and highly recommended, writes here about some very disturbing and very sensitive topics with genuine compassion and respect. She does it well and I think within a therapeutic framework. FYI for those readers who should look at TW going forward.
Fluffy and Aiden’s growing relationship started in the previous books, with Aiden going on walks in the woods and dog-like Atlas as his companion, Fluffy. Aiden not yet understanding who or what Fluffy really is, a mostly feral Atlas who’s found his mate in the wounded Aiden.
Mae has always done a good job in presenting the Hellhounds, or a section of them, as truly otherworldly beings lacking the necessary social knowledge or understanding that allows humans to interact with others and interpret their behavior.
So the scenes and dialogue between the Hellhounds and their mates or SO’s are humorous but serve a better purpose to underscore their own Otherworldly ignorance. It works here really well.
Aiden and Atlas’s personal experiences with trauma and pain help them to find their own way through to a deeper relationship. It makes sense to us as readers.
The author has multiple storylines included here, ones that are still playing out for the next book.
It’s a highly emotional, suspense filled and satisfying story.
I was so happy for Atlas and Aiden to get their HEA.
Paradise Falls is Shannon Mae’s favorite location to play in. Can’t wait to see what happens next here.
A definite recommendation!
Hellhounds of Paradise Falls:
How To Flirt With A Hellhound #1
How To Hack A Hellhound #2
How To Tame A Hellhound #3
How To Trust A Hellhound #4 – Oct 4,2025
What else takes place in Paradise Falls?
Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures (8 book series)
Apparently, the trauma from being kidnapped doesn’t end when you’re rescued, although I’m doing better. I have a roommate who has become family, and we’ve been adopted by a pack of otherworldly creatures who protect us. I’m still a little jumpy, and most people make me uncomfortable, but baking, therapy, and my daily walks are all helping. The sweet guard dog who follows me around in the woods helps, too. I can tell him anything I want—even how scared I am of my own family. I’m afraid to bring trouble to my new family’s doorstep, but I can’t end up caged again.
Atlas (aka Fluffy)
I have never belonged. I never knew my parents, and I grew up with a pack of wolves. (Yes, I was literally raised by wolves. Believe me, I see the humor in that too.) Wilder found me and adopted me, and I have a pack and a good life. People still make me uncomfortable, though, unless I’m torturing and killing them (only hellbound people—I’m not just some random serial killer). I just like solitude. But there’s something about Aiden that calls to my hellhound, and I can’t help wanting to protect the sweet human. I’ll even put up with being nicknamed Fluffy so long as I get to stay close to him. When I find out he’s in danger, I know I can’t sit back any longer. The only problem? How will my traumatized human react to finding out I’m not just a guard dog?
Tags: Both characters have tragic backstories and need lots of comfort; Aiden loves cuddles and Fluffy is totally cuddle material; Atlas kind of likes being called Fluffy by his human, but he’ll maim anyone else who tries it; there’s torture and death (but only of really bad people); hellhounds have tails, and they know how to use them.
I adore this series and group of characters so seeing it continue with Luca O’ Broín and architect Noe Keller is amazing.
The story flows beautifully as the men go through the process of friendship to lovers, working together on the structure of the castle and with their crews. It’s a natural progression and the reader feels folded seamlessly into their journey and the love that they share.
Sherwood doesn’t forget the dramatic moments, which comes from both sides of each man’s family. But Starfire satisfactorily deals with each struggle and ends with a sense of accomplishment and success. Of a love and happiness for their future.
If this is the last book, I’m extremely happy for how they are going out.
Turns out wishing on the stars isn’t hopeless after all.
Tags:
Marriage pact, age gap, hurt/comfort, gay for you, workplace romance, chosen family, cinnamon roll protection squad, assemble!, I did not plan this book, Noe was the one on ship building duty this time, communication, no third act breakups because I can’t stand those, O’ Broin is getting his happily ever after, so is Noe, peanut gallery included, naked proposals are a thing for this series, Sakura dispenses wisdom like candy, Ren and Arman are hashtag relationship goals
Normally I’m not one for the “virgin trope” storyline but Burns and Fawkes are two of my favorite authors and in their hands, it turns into Witchwolf, a delightful urban fantasy romance about a young man who in looking for a hot night out before a new job finds far more than he ever imagined.
Dakota Morris is the young man, recently graduated from college, and ready for his dream job and adventure. But before then? He wants that hot date and experience he’s denied himself by concentrating on his college and studies.
Burns and Fawkes have created a wonderful exuberant character in Dakota and then given him the absolutely best possible place to explore his new life and possibilities for his future.
Of course he doesn’t expect his future to come with werewolves, mages and a ton of magic.
The corporate world and culture the authors are laying down will be expanding with the next book , a chapter of which is included at the end of Witchwolf.
But we get the outline of how the company works and its origins. Pack owned and operated but not exclusively employed by just werewolves. This is a rich universe Burns and Fawkes are building and I’m hopeful that we get more than just two books here.
Dakota’s story has mysteries and some drama associated with it. I wish we could have had more details about his background but understand why that wasn’t given. There’s so much more here that cries out for greater detail and exploration, into the mage history and paranormal being rivalries.
I’m hoping that future stories dive into this element.
The romance between Dakota and Alpha Ajax is hot, fun, and the dynamic between them makes us absolutely love this couple. Want to throttle Ajax occasionally because of his lack of communication skills but still Dakota makes up for it.
Love the ending and energy going forward. But having the entire first chapter of Book 2 (great chapter too) and not the book? Argh.
I will be watching out for that book next.
A definite winner for lovers of urban fantasy and these authors.
Witchwolf series:
Witchwolf #1
Word, Nerds, & Werecats #2 – coming early 2026 – chapter 1 included in the first book. ❤️
Dakota Morris has decided it’s time he lost that pesky virginity.
He’s a college graduate, and he’s tired of being a virgin. So he goes out to a club his friends don’t frequent, and picks up the hottest man he’s ever seen. It’s truly a night to remember . . . until he walks into the boardroom for his new job the next morning and wishes he could forget it, because his hot pick-up is also his new boss and CEO, Ajax Fyse.
The fact that he unknowingly slept with his newest employee is the least of Jax’s problems right now. Not only is he trying to navigate a merger with a mage family who disdains werewolves as beasts, it turns out the mage he took home last night didn’t even believe magic existed till this morning.
This morning, when his magic abilities manifested.
Now, Dakota’s stapler is flying across the room, and Jax has landed himself in the position of ushering his gorgeous new hire into the realm of magic. If only sleeping with a werewolf wouldn’t ruin Dakota’s reputation among other mages . . .
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 