Tag: #newbookreleases

Review: A Tale of Secrets and Sorcery by Vanessa Nelson 

Rating: 3.75⭐️

I enjoyed this new fantasy adventure novel by Vanessa Nelson and feel it’s got some wonderful elements to it. 

But after reading it, it feels very much like a prequel or half of a story for a larger version. The characters, the concept and overall powers here as laid out are intriguing. But in the scenes where,especially Evie’s magic is revealed in marvelous detail, the promise of increasing potential for her as “the most powerful sorceress” that he’s known to have any impact here never happens. 

Even those gremlins, a fantastic asset to Evie and a element that I wanted to know more about, from their magical abilities to their backgrounds, their futures were left unanswered by the ending, a rushed finale that begged for a sequel. 

But back to the main characters, Evie the magical librarian and Lord Fentemann, Barnaby, on a secret mission from his Queen. Evie’s got a great backstory and she’s totally believable in this fantasy. My issue here is that we get constant scenes where we’re watching Evie, along with the gremlins, bring alive fantastical legendary landscapes from descriptions in ancient tomes she and Barnaby are researching from . Where’s more of this in the story? More of her powers and her abilities here? This is what I want as a reader. 

Even Barnaby, who is supposed to be a high level magician, isn’t shown any of the scenes to be that powerful. The characters are interesting enough but not entirely credible. Except for Evie and the gremlins. 

The plot is very good. And its elements of an ancient earth based religion that’s been upended holds more promise than was satisfied by the storyline’s ending. Again, no real finish to the multi plots and characters. 

It just ends with everyone just leaving to different paths with no resolution to the many different journeys of this novel. What happened to the Druids? The gremlins? The enemy? 

And spoiler, that rushed romance and instant marriage felt less like a real believable event between two people and more like a plot device needed to bring the story to a close. 

That is a shame. Because the beginning of this book is very different, layered and well done. Unlike the ending which feels rushed, unbalanced and unsatisfying. 

So much potential for a sequel to set this right. 

Interesting though. 

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comA Tale of Secrets and Sorcery eBook : Nelson, Vanessa

Blurb 

One librarian, one sorcerer, and a whole lot of trouble.

Evie has been doing her best to lead a quiet, unremarkable life, working her job as a librarian at one of the largest libraries in the world amid a collection of magical books and magical creatures that delight in causing mischief. She dreams of adventure even as she struggles to hide her magical abilities in a kingdom that executes rogue sorcerers. When a chance encounter leads to her secret being uncovered, Evie finds herself in the middle of a greater adventure than she could ever have imagined.

Lord Fentemann – Barnaby to his few friends – has been charged by his Queen with a special, dangerous and vital task. Already annoyed at having to travel to the kingdom to carry out research in the library, worse is to come when he is forced to go on the run. Someone doesn’t want Barnaby to succeed in his mission.

Thrown together, Evie and Barnaby realise that their best chance of survival is working together.

Can Evie and Barnaby work together to stay ahead of the Queen’s enemies and complete the mission not just for the Queen but possibly the whole world?

Review: A Killer Heart (The Cat Lady Chronicles Book 5) by Helen Harper

Rating: 4.75⭐️

I just love Helen Harper’s The Catherine Lady Chronicles and this might be my favorite book of the series so far. 

In A Killer Heart we finally get to explore more of cat sith Kit McCafferty’s history, both her dangerous past and her current life’s work with MET, the Magical Enforcement Team,besides Captain Montgomery.

Kit’s past history as an assassin has often been referenced in other stories but here it’s an integral part of the book. The EEL, or Eagle Enforcers and Liquidators where Kit was employed and later retired from after 20 years as an assassin, is under attack. 

And whoever is targeting the people who work or worked there are harming others around them, innocents, as well as. Kit is immediately involved, both as a secretly retired assassin and as someone who is working with the MET, who is investigating the attacks. 

This is a great story. Kit is trying to balance her life, her past family as a EEL assassin and her new life in the Coldstream community which she’s embraced. Along with her new lone wolf boyfriend. 

Harper is terrific at showing Kit in her multiple identities, cat sith, dangerous assassin , an older woman who’s body is being uncooperative when she needs it most, and the “harmless cat lady “ persona she uses when she’s trying to make herself look like a helpless woman.  It always feels credible to the reader, valid and occasionally hilarious. 

The cats remain as cat like as ever, intriguing and mysterious. I love them. 

The investigation is a good one. And ends satisfactorily. 

The book ending however, oh my. An hilarious cliffhanger of sorts. It’s not fair to have to wait until next year to see the outcome of this one! 

An absolute delight of a book. Highly recommended. A romantic relationship with no spice is included. 

Book Cover created by Covers By Juan

The Cat Lady Chronicles (6 books)

Waif and Strays #1

The Dark Hiss of Magic #2

A Skirl of Sorcery #3

Night Maze #4

A Killer Heart #5

Kith and Kin #6 – April 30, 2027

Buy link

        A Killer Heart (The Cat Lady Chronicles Book 5)

    

Blurb

What happens when the hunters become the hunted?

Kit McCafferty is an upstanding citizen of the magical city of Coldstream.

She’s a good neighbour. She has a fabulous partner, an occasionally tidy home, and only a moderately alarming number of cats. Her days as a professional assassin with Eagle Enforcers and Liquidators are behind her. Or so she thinks.

When Kit volunteers to assist local law enforcement with crowd control, she comes face-to-face with her former life. Someone is trying to destroy EEL — the discreet but deadly firm of assassins she once called home — and they’re not concerned about collateral damage. They’re willing to raze Coldstream to the ground to finish the job.

Whoever is targeting EEL knows its inner workings and its secrets. Kit’s old friends and colleagues, as well as the citizens of Coldstream, are at risk. To stop blood from spilling onto the city’s glittering streets and shadowed alleyways, Kit must decide who she is now – a heroic citizen determined to protect her city or a stone cold killer.

Walking away from her past might not be an option.

This is the fifth book in the urban fantasy series The Cat Lady Chronicles. Expect magic, adventure and a whole lot of cats.

September 18, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

288 pages

Book 5 of 6

The Cat Lady Chronicles

Review: Veil of Doom (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow #7) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4⭐️

Veil of Doom was good but left too many questions about the plot and characters to be a really fully executed story. It just feels rushed.

It starts with everyone getting ready for Blythe to be walked down the aisle at her wedding.  Last minute preparations are getting underway, everyone is there. Blythe’s best friend, Paine’s family is there and Adelma Stonehart, matriarch and head witch is acting uncharacteristically giving and gentle. 

But soon there’s screaming and someone has been murdered. Adelma Stoneheart herself. And the wedding is over before it’s begun. 

Trust the author to throw a twist right at the beginning. Adelma started the series as a sort of enemy/frenemy to Blythe or at least to her previous family members. But Adelma has slowly become more welcoming and supportive towards Blythe, especially after Blythe has become a close friend to her granddaughter.  So to see Adelma murdered at the beginning was a shocker.

And then comes even more twists of events. One right after another. 

No spoilers but there’s new characters. A resolution, of sorts, to an ongoing question about the house. And frankly, more questions raised than are answered here by the storylines. 

It’s too fast paced to make sense and feel satisfying. It feels rushed, especially at the end. 

It left me feeling like ok that happened, now where’s the rest of it? 

And I didn’t get it.  And we usually do .

So it’s a good or interesting storyline but not the best. 

I’m looking forward to the next one to see what happens and if we get our questions answered. 

A wild ride to be sure. 

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 

Hats off To Boo #8 – Oct 31,2026

The Hat Before Christmas #9 – Dec 23,2026

Buy link

Review: Veil of Doom (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow #7) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4⭐️

Veil of Doom was good but left too many questions about the plot and characters to be a really fully executed story. It just feels rushed.

It starts with everyone getting ready for Blythe to be walked down the aisle at her wedding.  Last minute preparations are getting underway, everyone is there. Blythe’s best friend, Paine’s family is there and Adelma Stonehart, matriarch and head witch is acting uncharacteristically giving and gentle. 

But soon there’s screaming and someone has been murdered. Adelma Stoneheart herself. And the wedding is over before it’s begun. 

Trust the author to throw a twist right at the beginning. Adelma started the series as a sort of enemy/frenemy to Blythe or at least to her previous family members. But Adelma has slowly become more welcoming and supportive towards Blythe, especially after Blythe has become a close friend to her granddaughter.  So to see Adelma murdered at the beginning was a shocker.

And then comes even more twists of events. One right after another. 

No spoilers but there’s new characters. A resolution, of sorts, to an ongoing question about the house. And frankly, more questions raised than are answered here by the storylines. 

It’s too fast paced to make sense and feel satisfying. It feels rushed, especially at the end. 

It left me feeling like ok that happened, now where’s the rest of it? 

And I didn’t get it.  And we usually do .

So it’s a good or interesting storyline but not the best. 

I’m looking forward to the next one to see what happens and if we get our questions answered. 

A wild ride to be sure. 

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 

Hats off To Boo #8 – Oct 31,2026

The Hat Before Christmas #9 – Dec 23,2026

Buy link

Blurb 

You didn’t think there would be a wedding without a murder, did you?

Blythe Fairfield is finally getting her happy ending.

The dress fits. There’s a groom waiting. Even the cat is wearing a bow tie.

Then someone dies at her wedding.

Adelma Stonehart, matriarch of one of Cauldron Hollow’s oldest witch families, is found murdered before Blythe can complete her vows. By morning, most of the town has forgotten. Blythe can’t.

Nobody said “I do” yet. But somebody’s going to answer for this.

September 8, 2026

Language

‎English

Book 7 of 9

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow

Blurb 

You didn’t think there would be a wedding without a murder, did you?

Blythe Fairfield is finally getting her happy ending.

The dress fits. There’s a groom waiting. Even the cat is wearing a bow tie.

Then someone dies at her wedding.

Adelma Stonehart, matriarch of one of Cauldron Hollow’s oldest witch families, is found murdered before Blythe can complete her vows. By morning, most of the town has forgotten. Blythe can’t.

Nobody said “I do” yet. But somebody’s going to answer for this.

September 8, 2026

Language

‎English

Book 7 of 9

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow

Review: Appraised for Murder: A Humorous Small Town Cozy Mystery (The Antiquated Alibi Mysteries Book 1) by Beatrix Penrose 

Rating: 4⭐️

This is the beginning of a new small town cozy mystery series by Beatrix Penrose and I think it’s off to a good start.

Appraised For Murder’s central character is a somewhat recently widowed woman, Maggie Callahan,  (it’s been two years), whose children are in college. Maggie returns to the small town of Black Walnut Cove, buys a big barn and opens an antique store/estate liquidators shop with her best friend, Birdie in the Blue Ridge Mountains, called Callahan & Co.

In Black Walnut Cove,  Maggie Callahan, along with Birdie Jenkins, the v neighbor shop owner Luke Sterling, and her golden retriever, Buster take on daily challenges and the occasional murder mystery. It’s a cozy, with a non spicy romance , small town murder mystery story. 

I enjoyed so much about this. The community was captured by the author so well, that of an Appalachia Mountain town and culture, layered over with antiques and other knowledge about its citizens and history.  All woven together in a story both about Maggie, a widow in her 50’s starting over in a town where she raised her children, old memories and a new future. 

Birdie, her best friend and co-owner of  Callahan & Co is absolutely one of my favorite characters. She’s real, hilarious, intelligent and one of the best things about the story. The murder mystery is also a good one, although I thought it was a little muddled towards the end. 

The romance between Maggie and Luke is almost nonexistent, he brings her pie, or coffee. There’s a kiss. That’s it. I didn’t see any chemistry between them. For me, it could have been left out and it wouldn’t have mattered. 

Buster the golden retriever is a cute element to the story and characters. 

One last thing, Maggie, Birdie and Luke do a lot of investigating here and the Sheriff’s department is mentioned. But when do they actually interact with each other? Turn over actual evidence? That whole thread or aspect to the narrative is missing and it doesn’t make sense to leave it out.

Appraised for Murder is a good start to Beatrix Penrose’s new series and I’m excited to see what the next book takes it. 

Cover Design is exactly what I expect from this author. Terrific. 

The Antiquated Alibi Mysteries:

Appraised for Murder #1

Poisoned by Provenance #2 

Buy link

 Book 1 of 2: The Antiquated Alibi Mysteries 

Blurb 

A picturesque Blue Ridge mountain town, an empty-nester starting over, and an antique appraiser who just valued his last settee…

Fifty-two-year-old widow Maggie Callahan thought she had her second act figured out. Running Callahan & Company Estate Liquidations out of a restored apple warehouse gave her purpose, steady work, and just enough room to keep her grief at bay. 

With her sharp-tongued best friend Birdie running client relations and her affable, treat-obsessed golden retriever Buster greeting customers, life in Black Walnut Cove was peaceful.

Then came the estate sale of the century.

Blackwood Manor is an eighty-room Victorian stone estate overflowing with three generations of hoarded family heirlooms. But before Maggie can even catalog the parlor furniture, an arrogant high-profile appraiser from Atlanta storms in, loudly threatens her business, and attempts to declare a rare 1820s Moravian cherrywood secretary worthless junk.

Hours later, the appraiser is found dead in the carriage house—bludgeoned with an antique brass balance scale.

With the sheriff eyeing her as a prime person of interest and two predatory out-of-town heirs circling like vultures, Maggie must team up with handsome salvage carpenter Luke Sterling to uncover what the victim was really hunting. When Buster sniffs out clues to a hidden 1845 mountain covenant, Maggie realizes someone is willing to kill to keep a century of land swindles buried in the dust.

Can Maggie decode the clues and unmask the killer before Blackwood Manor is sealed for good—or will Callahan & Company become the next liquidated asset?

Appraised for Murder is the first full-length novel in the charming Antiquated Alibi Mysteries series. If you love witty banter, small-town mountain secrets, lovable canine sidekicks, and clever mature sleuths, you’ll feel right at home in Black Walnut Cove!

Includes clean romance, no graphic gore, and no profanity. Grab your copy and start reading today!

September 5, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

225 pages

Book 1 of 2

The Antiquated Alibi Mysteries

Review:  Moonbright by Leah Ryan

Rating: 3.75⭐️

Moonbright by Leah Ryan is a paranormal werewolf romance, the first book that I’ve read by this author. And there’s so much that I absolutely love about it. And a couple I don’t. 

The main character is one, a small woman, a healer of mysterious origin who has been alone in the dark woods since childhood. She’s hand built herself a small homestead over the years, chickens and herbs, carefully tended. And she’s mended the wolves that have come needing medical care, and her specially crafted medicines that she’s  created over her years tending them. 

Ryan hints at a dark history behind a child , 12 years old that had to live alone in the woods, learning to build herself a makeshift home, forging for herself and learning enough to survive to craft and maintain her livelihood. 

But we never find out what happened to Mel the Healer , now 22, in her past life to bring her to the existence she living now.

The book is full of these unexplained mysteries, around characters and the world history. It’s just there, part of the story. If this sort of thing is something that you as a reader find irritating, then really this book, and probably the writer, are not for you. 

What I love about this book? That it honestly made me laugh out loud in many instances. The dialogue is dry, sarcastic, and funny. Guffaw funny at times. Scenes too, including ones with Mel’s pet chicken Nugget. And the relationship between Mel and her best friend, a rough woman hunter, Kestria, who stops by with venison and other items to help Mel keep going. Their friendship feels real and established, believable in their past history and conversations. 

Events shake up Mel’s current situation as the local healer, and care givers to the wolves in the woods. Who aren’t exactly wolves but werewolves.

Ryan brings in a long ongoing war between humans and werewolves, with the humans being unaware that the wolves are actually supernatural beings with families.

And a romantic relationship between a young Mel and the older Alpha Keer, which I don’t feel is as strong an element here or as believable in a romantic sense.  The role that Mel eventually transitions into for the pack works at the beginning and then seems to be lost towards the end. 

That’s much of what I have issues with the story here. It starts off extremely strong, terrific characters and interesting plot choices, albeit with missing parts to major characters back history that’s never filled in. 

But towards the ending, the narrative speeds up, crashing towards a dramatic buildup that’s never quite right. There’s one scene where, a climactic moment occurs. There’s talking, and the villain gets driven (stalks) off. 

Oddly unsatisfying because nothing is really settled for good. It’s a temporary fix. 

And that real ending? Think the end of The Sopranos. That sort of mid-sentence abruptness. Because this literally ends mid-sentence. 

Yes. It absolutely feels incomplete.  And I didn’t like the way that show ended either. 

Moonbright by Leah Ryan starts off strong, has some great characters, especially in Mel the healer and her best friend, Kestria. Even Nugget the chicken. 

But the romance didn’t exactly work and that the story felt rushed, while an unfinished ending will never be ok with me. Finish the sentence! And the ending is.

Interesting.

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comMoonbright: A Standalone Werewolf Romance eBook : Ryan, Leah: Kindle Store

Blurb 

I have a cottage, a garden, a pink chicken named Nugget, and a strict personal

policy against asking questions.

That last one is why it took me years to notice that the wolves I’ve been

stitching back together are not, technically, wolves.

In my defense, nobody told me.

In their defense, they were trying very hard not to.

Now my cottage is rubble, my best friend has a tail, and thirty werewolves are

standing in my herb beds having a collective crisis about how much I know.

Their Alpha is taking it worst. One eye. All scars. No interest whatsoever in

humans, in healers, or in a woman who talks this much.

He also won’t stop watching my hands while I work.

Neither of us plans to mention it.

Then someone starts turning moonbright into poison. The flower I grow. The one

I’ve been using to keep every single one of them alive.

And it turns out there’s exactly one person left who knows how to turn it back.

It’s me. It’s the one with the chicken.

🌙 Standalone fantasy werewolf romance with a full HEA

🌙 Laugh-out-loud funny — banter-heavy, dual POV

🌙 Grumpy/sunshine · touch-starved alpha · forced proximity

🌙 Found family · fated mates · healer heroine

🌙 Slow burn, explicit, takes its time getting there

🌙 One (1) pink chicken. One (1) homicidal rooster named Keer Jr.

May 9, 2026

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

File size

1.5 MB

Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

X-Ray

Not Enabled

Word Wise

Enabled

Print length

368 pages

Title: LENGTH OF DAYS : GHOST GUY Book 2 by M.M. Crumley

Rating: 3⭐️

Making this succinct. I really enjoyed the first book. Not so much the second.

If you dislike spoilers, stop reading. Even as short as this is going to be. 

We left Tucker, in his non-corporeal state, far in an Underground realm searching for the soul of Kai , a ghost taken by a mysterious being who gathers up souls and feeds on their suffering and pain. 

We enter exactly where the first book ended. He’s entered the imposing “cave” and seen the souls embedded there, including Kai, captured there and realizing how difficult his mission is.

Then begins a long repetitive stream of conversations and scenarios that all sound almost exactly alike for the majority of the book.  Broken up only intermittently by moments where we see the Graeves family members who are taking turns with Tucker’s body. This gives us a glimpse of his condition and the passage of time above. 

Then immediately after it’s back to the same old thing of trying to free them, pain, fatigue, failure, repeat. Pages of this. Literally pages and pages. Until Tucker has one last try , at around 80 or so percent done. 

Yes, success. And it’s over and out. Says an immediate goodbye to one of the most important, influential and intriguing characters in less than a page. That’s so disappointing. 

Then he’s back in his body . Delivered Kai the ghost home. With not a lot of fanfare. 

Does a go around to the people who have been there for him, tells them how much they mean to him. 

Yes, he’s going to do something really dumb. Because, why don’t you ask all these magically powerful men and women for assistance or advice with a plan to defeat the enemy you just escaped from. Nope, can’t do that. 

See when you’ve had to slog through an entire book of repetitive tasks and scenarios, densely packed narrative? Only to have the main character go full on TSTL? 

Well, that’s enough for me. I really like the other series connected to this. But Ghost Guy just turned into a great big pass for me.

Too many books still to be read. 

Here’s the first book if you want to see more about it:

GHOST GUY: HELL TO PAY (Book 1) 

Urban Fantasy/ Horror Comedy

THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY SERIES ❤️

BOOK 1: HIDDEN 

BOOK 2: COUP D’ÉTAT 

BOOK 3: RUTHLESS 

BOOK 4: INSTINCT 

BOOK 5: ROGUES 

BOOK 6: EMPIRE 

BOOK 7: OMENS 

BOOK 8: CHASM 

BOOK 9: FERAL 

BOOK 10: OBLIVION 

BOOK 11: RELENTLESS 

BOOK 12: REQUIEM 

BOOK 13: HELLION 

BOOK 14: SHADOWS 

BOOK 15: INDEBTED 

BOOK 16: FATHOM 

BOOK 17: FEROCITY 

BOOK 18: ONSLAUGHT 

BOOK 19: ECHOES 

BOOK 20: TEMPEST 

BOOK 21: SINGULAR 

GHOST GUY SERIES 

BOOK 1: HELL TO PAY 

BOOK 2: LENGTH OF DAYS 

BOOK 3: RECKONING 

JANEY FALKE SAINT KILLER SERIES BOOK 1: BLOOD OATH 

BOOK 2: BLOOD TIES 

BOOK 3: BLOOD FEUD 

BOOK 4: BLOOD LUST 

THE HOUSE OF GRAVES SERIES ❤️BOOK 1: THREE LITTLE GRAVES & THE BIG BAD WOLF 

BOOK 2: OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOOD 

BOOK 3: FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE 

BOOK 4: A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO 

BOOK 5: AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE 

BOOK 6: HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS 

 THE LEGEND OF ANDREW RUFUS SERIES 

BOOK 1: DARK AWAKENING 

BOOK 4: BURIAL GROUND 

BOOK 5: DEATH SONG 

BOOK 6: FUNERAL MARCH 

BOOK 7: WARPATH

Buy links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1TXHWGF?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1789168610&sr=8-1&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tkin

Blurb

In a desperate effort to rescue one of Medusa’s ghosts from the Underworld, Nevin Tucker has left behind the body he holds so dear. But now he’s stuck in the Underworld, all on his own, trapped in the lair of suffering. He knows he’s not a hero. He knows he’s not the man for the job, but he also knows that he’s the only one who can save Kai. And he’s decided to win, no matter the cost… Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem now! Available in print, eBook and audiobook formats, OR read FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

And get ready for my NEW Ghost Guy series!
Book 1: HELL TO PAY
Book 2: LENGTH OF DAYS
book 3: REKONING

Also read the Janey Falke: Saint Killer four book series while you wait!
Book 1: BLOOD OATH
Book 2: BLOOD TIES
Book 3: BLOOD FEUD
Book 4: BLOOD LUST

Review:  A Heartbeat at My Feet by Kristin Beck 

Rating: 4⭐️

“My little dog—a heartbeat at my feet. —Edith Wharton”

A two perspective story where one is a Jack Russell terrier called Cicero wasn’t exactly what I expected from the book and truthfully, I’m not sure that I thought it was as cohesive as I thought it could have been, given the format. 

Probably because of his ghostly former confused owner hanging around. Definitely that. 

There’s an abundance of storylines here, among them Cicero’s, the Jack Russell, whose owner has a heart attack at the beginning of the story. It leaves the little dog devastated, adrift from the only home he’s known and in trouble on the streets in Italy. 

The other is Josie Ballard, a middle aged woman who has been planning a trip with her husband to Italy for some time. Their only son’s in college and she’s given notice of her assistant librarian job already. Then she finds out that her husband is cheating on her and wants a divorce. 

Distraught and angry, Josie takes, on her father’s advice, the trip she’s been anticipating and planning for. Alone. 

Of course, the paths of our two narrators collide, their worlds and similar emotional states meshing in a tour of Sorrento and all that it offers. 

I really enjoyed the relationship between Cicero and Josie, their worlds woman she started to become in Italy away from the all sacrificing, doormat she was at home. 

The best part of the story is exploring the countryside and communal life of the towns in Italy through Josie and Cicero’s varying perspectives. When either new voices, like the ghost of Cicero’s owner who is intermittently interjecting himself into the narrative to wonder why he’s not moving on, or more importantly, his son, Hugo, who starts to make a impact on Josie’s vacation and Cicero’s future. 

For a story about a woman fleeing a shattering revelation about a long time solid marriage and relationship to a journey of self discovery, this quickly transitions to a romance between Josie and Hugo. Albeit with the nonstop conversation and perspective of Cicero , Hugo’s father’s constant companion , now Josie’s as well.  

I miss the stage where Josie becomes an independent woman, with her own goals and abilities to reach her dreams on her own. She literally has never lived in her own place by herself. Even at the end, the time by herself is so fleeting, it’s to see the end of her lease and then it’s over. 

So the trajectory is stateside all sacrificing daughter/mother/wife (whatever order you choose) to going abroad to find yourself. Immediately, it’s meeting up with another man with a problematic romantic history, then instant love. And when called, returning immediately back to your sacrificial status.

Leaving it only because dad and son say it’s ok. 

Hmm. That’s just not the right mentality or message I’d want in a story. The thing I do like is that Cicero is waiting for her when she returns. 

But this? The entire thing? Obviously I’m not the best reader for this story or characters or content.

Liked Cicero. Liked the Italian content. 

It’s well written for what it is. Just not for me.  I read it because of the dog.

Cover design by Emily Mahon

Buy link

amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › books › shop-nowHeartbeat At My Feet Kristin Judd | Best Sellers & New Releases

Blurb 

Fate has a sense of humor in this witty, heartfelt tale of love and second chances told in two perspectives—a woman in midlife desperate for something new, and a lost dog seeking his purpose.

After years of dreams deferred, Josie Ballard’s life is about to change. She and her husband are off to Sorrento for a summer adventure, but on the eve of their departure, Josie discovers his infidelity. Devastated, she leaves her faithless husband, heading for the sun-drenched Italian coast. Alone, future unknown.

Five thousand miles away, Cicero, a rather snobbish terrier of indeterminate breeding, is likewise living an upturned life after his beloved human’s passing. Heartbroken, he wanders the wilds of Pompeii. When a flustered tourist with a kind smile appears in the ruins, clutching her tote bag and map, Cicero and Josie collide like the two lost souls they are.

In a series of turns as twisty as Sorrento’s streets, Cicero leads Josie to her second act: Hugo, a charming and somewhat contrary local bookseller. Against a backdrop of quaint villages, sun-dappled olive orchards, and the shimmering Mediterranean Sea, Hugo and Josie embark on a friendship that just might tiptoe into romance, with little Cicero to help them along the way—for dogs, he reasons, are nothing if not experts when it comes to love.

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August 1, 2026

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Review:  Move Your Ash: A Midlife Paranormal Dark Comedy (The Scales of Justice Book 2) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️

Move Your Ash is my favorite book of this series and of the recently released connected novels associated with the same universe characters. 

It’s reminiscent of the early Maya Blog stories in which the character was really introspective, here journaling instead of blogging, through some major personal issues with relatable humor, often deep rooted pain, and continuing fears from her past family history of family violence and abuse.

Charlotte has a new home, new neighborhood and is working with Nico to rebuild their relationship after his betrayal and the devastating events in the first book. It’s only going so so, along with her perimenopause and all that brings with it. 

It’s a lot. 

McKenzie gives us a woman who is trying to, once again, establish herself in a new situation, one where she’s in control, but not letting the past fears restrict her ability to live her life. She’s in therapy, trying to understand how to handle her emotional pain as well as the perimenopausal symptoms that are associated with her fluctuations in emotions, rage being the most common, unacknowledged fears being one of the others. 

Her new neighbors, a mixed bag of human beings and otherworldly beings are a fascinating group that add humor, tightly written tension, and a lot of relatable community dynamics to the story. Absolutely loved this and the characters. 

But, as with this author and universe, it’s always about the main character, her development and personal growth. Charlotte has been through enormous tragedy, betrayals, and damaging emotional abuse by her kidnappers/traffickers. And she’s continuing dealing with the trauma and aftermath of this experience. The journaling is a very important part of this. 

They impart her intelligence, insight into her moods, daily thoughts and even hot flashes. These entries start each chapter and remain the highlight of the book for me.  Tidbits of joy, hilarity and often, poignant stories. 

Nico’s part here is equally important. He’s aware of his role in working to make their relationship better, equal and communicative with understanding that was missing from it before. Their fights and interactions are just as important as anything else here but the discussions between them are deeply rooted in being adults and handling each other’s flaws and feelings. 

For some reason Move Your Ash: A Midlife Paranormal Dark Comedy (The Scales of Justice Book 2) by Lara McKenzie reads like a finale book to me. So many characters make appearances.  It’s absolutely satisfying and I love it. 

I really hope not. I’m so fond of this universe and these people. I want to see what happens to them next. But if McKenzie leaves them here, I’m ok with that. 

Highly recommended. But read the books in the order they are written. 

Cover Illustration by Mansitha

MAYA’S BLOGS

Espresso Yourself

Diligence 

Uncharted Grounds 

Flat White Flag 

Little Bean 

Stir Crazy 

 

THE SCALES OF JUSTICE 

Kiss My Ash #1

Move Your Ash #2

Buy link 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7XPHS29?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1788730014&sr=1-1&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tkin

Blurb 

The toughest thing a perimenopausal woman with no patience left can grow—other than chin hair—is roots.

Charlotte has a new house, nosy neighbours, and a mission to live her life without fear.

But her new life is proving tougher than she expected, especially when her work at White Flag House’s new legal clinic brings her more attention than she’s comfortable with, her hormones play havoc with her emotions, and her relationship with Nico still hasn’t recovered after his betrayal.

Can Charlotte learn to stand on her own without shutting out the people who want to stand with her?

Perfect for fans of midlife paranormal comedy with just a touch of darkness.

September 2, 2026

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Book 2 of 2

The Scales of Justice

Review: The Second Death of Locke (The Hand and the Heart Book 1) by V.L.  Bovalino

Rating: 4⭐️

The Second Death of Locke by Tori Bovalino is a fantasy novel that I rated high for its imaginative portrayal of its characters, its use of magic and the world building. 

The relationship between the main characters, is well written and builds upon their history and current events as it happens. 

That said, did I really like this. After more thought, the answer is no. 

Bovalino constructs a magical system that requires a dominant/submissive network to operate. A mage is the dominant power, pulling the power focusing it outward towards a particular target. That power is pulled from a living “well” of magical energy, a person who is located at a young age and then trained and paired with a Master Mage to be their Hand. They hand over power, as it’s needed. And protect at all costs their Mage.  For centuries they were slaves. Recent changes have instituted laws stipulating they aren’t “bonded” for life anymore. 

Not that much in the story makes much of a distinction here. In the narrative or alternate chapters talking about the traditional mage training, their value and their referenced as property. A mention in one as a “favored dogs” is a cautionary step forward for some, treatment as an affectionate companion but equality is not on the table here. 

The power imbalance between mage and well is absolute although the actual relationship can also redefine it as it does here. But it’s seen as the only one. 

A lifetime magical binding between the two was eventually made illegal but only because it limited the use of the “well” to one mage. However , multiple military campaigns, many losses of wells in battle (drained beyond revival) changed that thinking. Due to the fact that more wells were needed in battle, the  military needed to be able to have multiple mages make use of “wells” even if they were assigned to other Masters. So no more binding made sense. Wells are still being thought of as “tools “ not people. 

So while the main relationship between the two people is one of childhood friends who have shared memories, their bond is that of mage and tool. One who uses the other and one who gives them their powers. One who stands in front in the position of power and one who stands behind, silent and unheard. 

No matter what happens to the couple, and there’s so much that does. Imaginative scenarios, moving dramatic battles, eventually love. 

The story will revolve around them, dancing around and on top of a huge embedded element of an entire group of people, magical “wells” , that no matter what country they are living in are trapped in a role that regards them as tools or property of their Masters and the Military.

And Grey Flynn has the power to change that. The author makes it clear, especially in the end, she does. However, even though a scene where a well’s Master has come to hear how she ended, it’s clear nothing has or will ever change. Because it’s not occurring to the characters that it should. 

Astonishing that a story about power, supposedly a strong woman warrior is founded upon a base of narrative oppression. No exploration of this mentality, just acceptance and onward. 

The story does come down to whether they can have any equality between them. The answer, in the end is no. 

Not for themselves. Not for anyone else either within the universe. 

So no I didn’t enjoy the book. It’s a finished storyline. The next one picks up a completely different character and couple. 

Well written but without the necessary depth of thoughtfulness I would expect with the topic. Not really for me. 

Map by Rebecka Champion (Lampblack Art) 

Cover design by Ella Garrett at L,BBG. Cover illustration by Anna Moshak

The Hand and The Heart:

The Second Death of Locke #1

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 Book 1 of 2: The Hand and the Heart 

Blurb 

Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.    

Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mages, Kier. She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to wield. They are bound together by blood and magic, but there is one truth Grey dare not reveal … not even to Kier. 

When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into a dangerous mission, Grey will need to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect her secret. For Grey is no ordinary magical well, and if she dies, all magic dies with her.

The Second Death of Locke is the first in a collection of interconnected standalones set in the same world.

“Gritty, romantic, and breathlessly fierce, The Second Death of Locke  will grip your heart and never let go.” ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

Forever

Publication date

September 23, 2025

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The Hand and the Heart

Review: Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms by Lindsey Devin

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Honestly, stop with the cover traps. Yes, put a Belgian Malinois or GSD on it and yes, I’m going to pick it up. It’s a given. And the authors known as Lindsey Devin fills the story with them. 

Really? Sigh. 

Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms by Lindsey Devin is an absolutely adorable urban fantasy romance that sealed the deal for me with the dog that was main character all the way through the tale, a retired veteran service dog, a gentleman of enormous charm and character, Max.

Quinn Bradley, the overworked law intern, was another delightful aspect of the story. Layered, independent, intelligent and resourceful, along with Max, she worked realistically (as one does with dragons and otherworldly beings) in her professional role as well as feeling like a partner here in her relationships with Max and her friends. I so thoroughly enjoyed her conversations with everyone and her dynamic. 

Rafe Virelli is a nice change from some of the other types of dragons that appear in these books as is his family. The background and ongoing storyline with his mother is handled so beautifully, and realistically. There’s no miracle here but the acceptance of her continued condition and their love for her. And his father’s love for his wife. 

The way that the story ends is perfect imo. I was thrilled when it ended here, and not in the expected direction of most romances. That wouldn’t make sense given the circumstances and time constraints. 

With Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms by Lindsey Devin there are so many great narrative choices made by the authors that, combined, give this book a fantastic energy and a great story. 

Highly recommended! Honestly, that cover! Going to show it to my dog right now! She has opinions. 

If anyone knows who the cover artist is, please let me know. 

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comNobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms

Blurb 

Rafe Virelli has spent his whole life watching his family’s history disappear piece by piece — sold, stolen, and scattered across a city that doesn’t know or care what it’s holding. He’s down to one missing relic and no leads, until his law firm’s intern shows up wearing it.

Quinn Bradley didn’t mean to become the reason a half-dragon shifter starts showing up at her office. She definitely didn’t mean to negotiate her way onto his case, get pulled into rigged auctions and museum standoffs, or end up in the middle of an actual heist when a rival collector decides Rafe’s family relics are worth killing for.

She just wanted a law degree and a dog with a stable temperament. Instead she got a client who fixes her door locks at midnight, a dragon who’d burn down a mansion for her, and a front-row seat to exactly how far someone will go to protect what’s left of their family.

The relics can be replaced. This can’t.

Enemies-to-allies-to-lovers. Workplace romance. High-stakes recovery plot. Guaranteed HEA.