Tag: paranormal adventure

Review:  Little Bean: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 5) by Lara MacKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️

Little Bean brings Maya’s Blog to a close, with tears, drama and, yes, more growth and more hopeful happiness  in the future for her and her growing family and friends. 

Maya’s undergone so many dramatic changes from the broken abused human who started a blog she wasn’t sure anyone would want to read to a paranormal being herself with readers in the millions from many realms (it’s listed at the top of every chapter).   She’s documented her journey, her fears and the challenges, every milestone and every step backwards. Her successes and her failures. 

And each one has been one that’s had resonated with me, deeply, with this remarkable character that the author has framed out in this great blog format. 

There’s side stories about women who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. And the organization that offers them and their children more than just food and shelter. 

It’s about recovery, healing, and the ability to accept help to move forward when needed. It’s emotional magic and it’s honestly so hard to put into words, what it means to read this series and reach the end. 

I’m not ready.  Truly I’m not.

So I’ll leave you with this small piece at the end. 

From Maya to her readers as she writes as she thinks about what comes next, just one tiny bit.  

“You’re allowed to take up space. You’re allowed to want more than survival. 

You’re allowed to fall apart and rebuild yourself into something new. 

You’re allowed to be scared and brave at the same time.”

I can’t even get past the rest without going back and starting over. With tissues. 

Given the current state of our world, especially for women, this character and series hits hard. An emotional gut punch, book by book. 

Laughing, crying, recovery, loss, and renewed strength to move forward. 

It’s a series I never expected when I first started reading. New author and format. But it’s one that’s stuck with me and it’s been a great read and source of comfort. 

Now I’m passing it along to you.  It a special kind of treasure, something to share with the next person who you think might be want a special voice in their lives. 

The cover has a tag, An Umbrafore novel, which might possibly promise more novels to come in this chaotic universe. I can always hope. 

Cover Illustration Main image by Manuka Madushan, Digital Illustrator.

MAYA’S BLOGS:

Espresso Yourself #1

Brew Diligence #2

Uncharted Grounds #3

Flat White Flag #4

Little Bean #5 – series finale 

Buy link

        Little Bean: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 5)

    

Blurb 

Maya Draven thought marrying a shadow demon warlord was the craziest thing she’d ever do. She was wrong.

As she faces escalating attacks from hate groups, Maya discovers that having a hybrid baby doesn’t make her vulnerable—it makes her dangerous.

And Maya is about to face her biggest challenges yet.

This is the explosive conclusion to Maya’s journey from anxious barista to fierce mother, where she proves that sometimes the best response to people trying to silence you is to speak even louder.

  • Publication date: November 2, 2025
  • Language: English
  • File size: 2.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage: Unlimited
  • Screen Reader: Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Word Wise: Enabled
  • Print length: 322 pages
  • Page Flip: Enabled
  • Book 5 of 5: Maya’s Blogs

Review: The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center: The Complete Series by  K. M. Shea

Rating: 4⭐️

The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center: The Complete Series is a YA urban fantasy adventure series by K. M. Shea that totally entertaining and full of engaging young fantasy characters from all types of mythology and fantasy worlds. 

Comprised of 5 stories that follows a young human high school student, Morgan L. Fae, who stumbles upon the fact that paranormal beings are real, and some even go to school with her. 

One is her substitute teacher, others her fellow students. Subsequently, she finds out about the MBRC, Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center where the fantasy world works towards getting their people integrated into the normal human world and everyday society. 

Morgan’s journey to navigate both her sophomore year in high school, along with her crushes, and her new adventures in her first job as a human tutor in the MBRC is humorous, creative, and engaging. 

It’s funny, because she has the ability to make her situations seem realistic and stressful no matter who she is dealing with and what world she’s currently in. 

What romantic relationships here is limited to a hurried kiss and nothing more. 

Adventure, action, fantasy and high school.  Just wonderful. 

 

A another winner from this author who’s become an auto-read. 

Cover design by Natasha Snow

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center: The Complete Series: Vampires Drink …

Blurb 

Werewolves have fleas. Cyclops need glasses. Dark Elves give villain monologues.

Maybe the magical paranormal world isn’t quite what we expect? 

This special boxset contains the complete urban fantasy series the Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center: Vampires Drink Tomato Juice, Goblins Wear Suits, and The Lost Files of the MBRC.

Book 1: Vampires Drink Tomato Juice

Morgan might be losing her sanity. She thought it was a normal day but after witnessing an incident involving a werewolf, a substitute teacher/possible vampire, and a thermos of tomato juice, things get weird. 

A quick train ride later she finds herself at the Chicago headquarters of all things fantastical: the Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center. 

At the MBRC Morgan encounters dragons, vampires, elves, centaurs and even the Pooka, a shape-shifter who is too handsome for his own good. 

The MBRC strives to rehabilitate and integrate magical beings into human society. It’s also supposed to be a secret, and Morgan’s accidental initiation breaks every rule the place has. 

Book 2: Goblins Wear Suits

Morgan has settled into a balance between her school work and teaching at the MBRC. But she doesn’t know what she wants after this. 

Her family and friends, including a certain flirtatious Pooka, all have colleges and future career paths for her to consider. Her choices are made even more difficult when terrorist threats are issued by an anti-human, magic-based organization. 

And their main target is Morgan.

Book 3: The Lost Files of the MBRC 

When Morgan decided to stay employed at the Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center, she thought her life would quiet down as she started college and developed her career. 

She thought wrong.

The Lost Files of the MBRC is an anthology of five short stories set in the world of the Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center series.

  • Publication date: July 4, 2018
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 646 pages

Review:  Green Gryphon (Mackenzie Green, #1) by J.S. Kennedy 

Rating:  4.5⭐️

Kennedy is another new to me author on my search for new writers of strong female characters and great stories.  

Green Gryphon is the first book in Kennedy’s Mackenzie Green series, a novel set 50 years after magic drastically reappeared in the world, resulting in the death of billions, loss of the then governments of countries and chaos. Cities crumbled, anything created of plastic or non natural materials dissolved, leaving destruction and disaster behind. And magical beings that formed from some of those who were left.

Several aspects of this book surprised me. Not the foundation whereby a reappearance of magic destroys the world’s technology as well as its current countries structures, that’s a well established concept. 

What caught me was the main character of MacKenzie Green and her small family. In a world of fantasy characters, dragons, gryphons, vampires, werewolves, and other mythical beings that this magical shift created, the book adds another element with her. 

This is actually a darker story than I expected. Far from the sort of light tone that we get from the book’s blurb.

It’s far better than that. 

It’s got a tinge of horror, that riding the edge of terrifying science fiction mixed with a fantasy vibe that makes this a fascinating and exciting story.

Plus dragon shifters and found family. 

However, I’m thinking this novel should have trigger warnings as there’s plenty of bodies, bloodshed, and in the future stories, torture. 

Mackenzie is a plant mage who’s hiding plenty of secrets. Those are slowly revealed towards the end of this book. 

The world building is slowly coming together, as the author gives us the new structure as it pertains to this city and how humans and the otherworldly beings are governed. And the newly formed purity rights group that has formed within certain communities. 

It’s highly suspenseful, action packed, and full of character driven storytelling.

I’m so invested in this character and series. Also thrilled it’s a complete one so I can binge through.

Another winner and recommendation. 

Cover art by : Original Book Cover Design

Mackenzie Green Series: complete 

Catch and Release – A prequel novella 

Green Gryphon #1

Green Mage #2

Green Shadow #3

Green Vampire #4

Green Dragon #5

Buy link

        Green Gryphon: Mackenzie Green Book 1 (Mackenzie Green Series)

    

Blurb 

The Dragon Protector asking Mackenzie for a favor—Maybe the sky truly has fallen…

Mackenzie works for Catch and Release, a bounty-hunting guild, and she loves her job.

She goes after the usual suspects: Rogue vampires, feral shifters, and crazed mages. Nightmare stuff.

The last thing she ever imagined was Lucan, an infuriating and high-ranking dragon shifter, hiring her to find a child kidnapped from his Tribe.

Even though her magical talents lean more towards bodyguarding and hunting dangerous beings, condemning a kid to death isn’t who she is.

But as Mackenzie gets deeper into her hunt, she uncovers deadly secrets surrounding the child, the kidnapper, and Lucan himself…

One thing’s for sure; when the going gets tough, Mackenzie gets dangerous!

  • Publication date: June 16, 2021
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 309 pages
  • Book 1 of 5: Mackenzie Green Series

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Escaping Exile (Escape Trilogy #1) by Sara Dobie Bauer

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Robinson Crusoe meets Dracula in this outstanding paranormal adventure. There are even cannibals as the innocent man who washes ashore on the island, Edmund Baines, is dragged away from danger to his “home” on the nearly deserted island. The problem is, as Edmund discovers when he awakens, that he may have been saved from one danger to be plunged into another.

It’s amazing to me that the author was able to create a world where vampires could be banned to exile for killing one too many innocents, and then she created an unforgettable character in Andrew, who was turned vampire by an Elder in the year 1066. And though he’s starved for human blood, he holds off on killing Edmund, or drinking from him, because there’s something about the fearless young man that piques his interest. Fascinated, intrigued, and finally caring for Edmund, it isn’t until he must drink from the young man to save him from the cannibals who have arrived at Andrew’s house to claim the human-scented new arrival that he finally breaks down and takes what he needs.

But their adventure is hardly over. The head vampire who originally sentenced Andrew to solitude on the island has arrived to mete out a new punishment, or will it be a reward? To find out, simply hit your one-click button. This story doesn’t take long to read, but it’s fascinating, interesting, and all-round fun entertainment for a few hours of your day.

If I had one complaint it would be that the story is short—a little over 20K words—but one would never know it by how much adventure and romance is packed in those words so it’s only a minor concern. Plus there’s a sequel on the horizon. Yay! I highly recommend this to all who enjoy a daring adventure reminiscent of the classics we read (and watched) as children. Add in a touch of MM romance and some smokin’ hot scenes and it’s a sure win.

~~~

The cover by Natasha Snow depicts a moonlit lagoon superimposed by a long-haired man with naked torso. I’m not sure whether the man or the lagoon is more gorgeous but it’s the perfect cover for this story.

Sales Links:  NineStar Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published August 13th 2018 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781949340433
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Escape Trilogy #1