Tag: Scattered Thoughts Highly Recommended

Review:  Little Bo Sneak (Once Upon A Rhyme, #2) by Abigail Manning 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Abigail Manning continues her excellent fantasy series with Little Bo Sneak, a tweak of an old classic nursery rhyme with a touch of an undercover spy thriller combined with a fairytale storyline. 

It works surprisingly well. Especially as it continues from the first tale, and reveals a new overall series thread that’s concerned with magic stones and sinister black markets within the Kingdom to obtain them.

It started with the first novel and how Lucy’s father was framed for the theft of several of important magical stones. And then she was subsequently cursed by one. That was  The Itsy Bitsy Liar. 

In Little Bo Sneak, Lady “Evie”Genevieve Rayelle Palleep, Lucy’s mistress and friend, is the main character here.  She’s also a very good spy. 

When some dangerous magical cloaks need to be traced and the culprits identified, Evie’s handlers decide she needs a partner. 

It’s a romantic thriller,a magical romp, and an all-around heroine to the rescue in another fabulous nursery rhyme tweaked for a new trope and grand adventure. 

I can’t recommend this and the series enough. Inventive, characters with depth and humor, and dialogue that conveys emotions and intelligence. 

Adore it.  And each story is interwoven into the next.

Beautiful lush covers are everything! Here’s another in a fabulous line of them. Each is from an important scene in the book. 

 Cover design by Karri Klawitter

Once Upon a Rhythm:

The Itsy Bitsy Liar #1

Little Bo Sneak #2

Hush A Bye Lady #3

Do You Know The Muffin Scam? #4

Baa Baa Black Market #5

Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars #6 – Sept 26,2025

Buy link:

        Little Bo Sneak (Once Upon A Rhyme)

    

Blurb 

What if Little Bo Peep, had a skill for catching crooks?

Lady Genevieve Rayelle Palleep loves to point out what no one else notices, which makes it a tad difficult to get along with most suitors. While tracking down details may not be beneficial for her life as a lady, it certainly has uses in her more secretive life. Since being recruited as a crown agent as a child, Evie’s talents have never failed to hunt down black market goods, runaway convicts, or anything else one could imagine… That is, until her next mission bears an interesting request.

When eight magic-fused wool cloaks go missing from the black market, the agency doesn’t feel that Evie can handle the task alone. Much to Evie’s regret, she’s assigned her very first partner, an obnoxiously attractive agent by the name of Shepherd. He wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t have to go undercover as courting lovers… or if he wasn’t so perfect.

With her new partner in tow, and a mysterious stack of cloaks ready to be found, Evie is determined to prove she never needed Shep’s help from the start. She’s worked too hard to let another man drag her around like a wandering sheep. Will Evie be able to track down the missing wools? Or will her distrust of her partner leave them both lost?

Once Upon A Rhyme is a collection of clean, intercepting stories, best enjoyed when read as a series.

  • Publication date: July 11, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 339 pages
  • Book 2 of 6: Once Upon A Rhyme

Review:  Out Of A Fix (Torus Intercession Book 7) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.75🌈

Out Of A Fix brings an end to Mary Calmes wonderful Torus Intercession series with the last of the original fixers, 52 year old Nash Miller takes a job in a small town in Washington state where the family she left behind of a woman who is now in WITSEC program resides. Her brother is concerned their safety isn’t a priority for the FBI and wants Torus to insure they are protected during this trial. 

Seems simple enough. However, that’s not the case that Nash finds out when he enters the town. The ex-husband is absent on a job site. The kids are in trouble and he’s desperately needed there as a fixer. On many levels. 

Calmes quickly turns this last story into a heartbreaking then finally heartwarming tale of a family rescued . Which  turns into an engaging emotional story about a family that has finds their hearts and home rebuilt into a new beginning, including their own fixer. 

The children are so well written. They grab at the readers hearts just as they do Nash’s. Whether’s Tatum, the youngest child or the oldest son, whose behavior has brought him into the worst possible situation, these are kids who are fragile and need help immediately. And get it. 

The issues are slow to be revealed and are addressed as needed. This includes issues of the dad’s too. Luke Duchesne doesn’t get an immediate pass on his behavior but there’s also an effort made to understand and address it. And to do better. 

Therapists have a prominent role here and that’s a positive element of the story. For each of these characters have issues to overcome. 

The plot moves forward swiftly, the romance is not always the center of the story but the forming of the family which folds in the newly created dynamic of Nash and Luke.  That feels very realistic and seated in the story. 

It’s fantastic to see all the characters from the Agency and the couples reunite here at the end. We see where each of them are in their own lives and relationships as well.

This is just an outstanding sendoff to one of my favorite series. 

I’m highly recommending it and have starred my favorite stories below. I’m sure we each have our own. 

Cover art Copyright © 2025 Reese Dante

Torus Intercession series: 7 books complete:

No Quick Fix #1

In A Fix #2❤️

Fix It Up #3 ❤️

The Fix Is In #4

The Big Fix #5

Get A Fix #6

Out Of A Fix #7

Buy link

        Out Of A Fix: Torus Intercession Book Seven

    

Blurb 

If you put a family back together, how can you ever leave them? 

Through the years, Nash Miller has watched all his buddies fall in love and get married. It was romantic, and he’d wondered when he himself would find the one. Now, older, wiser, he realizes that what he’s always wanted—a husband and a family—just isn’t in the cards for him. And that’s all right. He has wonderful friends, a good life, and he gets to help people, which has always been his true calling. So when the time comes to protect a family in a tiny town in Washington State, he’s more than willing to get on his white horse and ride.

The family needs a bodyguard, but it goes beyond that. The mother abandoned them for a new life, and the father is absent, stuck on a work project he took on to keep his family afloat. What Nash finds are three kids in need of a fixer, and lucky for them, that’s exactly what he does. Providing support and structure is second nature to him, and he’s on solid ground, confident…until their father, Luke Duchesne, gets home. He’s nothing like Nash assumed he’d be, and with each passing day, the lure of the man, and his great kids, gets harder to resist. But he can’t stay there. He’s a fixer, after all, and what they’re all feeling is simply gratitude. Isn’t it…? Though when Luke kisses him, it starts to feel like so much more. Nash hopes he’ll be able to explore a life with Luke—he just needs to make sure his own isn’t cut short.

  • Publication date: September 23, 2025
  • Edition: 1st
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 349 pages
  • Book 7 of 7: Torus Intercession

Review: The Itsy Bitsy Liar (Once Upon A Rhyme Book 1) by Abigail Manning

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Another fantastic new book, series and author! Starting with that great cover, The Itsy Bitsy Liar (Once Upon A Rhyme Book 1) by Abigail Manning is a fabulous read, a fairy tale story with a twist of a cursed young woman who can only tell lies but ends up with the prince, being a beloved Queen who saves the day. 

Manning’s characters, especially the young woman, Lacey Arachne, who was cursed to tell only lies as a child to prevent her from telling people her father was framed for a crime. Now an adult, we see how she (and her mother) have adapted to her curse in practice and how she’s been able to get through life with it. She’s intelligent and adaptable. And working as a Lady’s maid. 

Through a complex process, she and her Mistress end up together at the castle in a contest for the hand the Prince. But they’ve switched places and Lacy is pretending to be Evie with disastrous consequences. 

The story and romance that follows is smartly crafted. It involves one of friendships, communication, plotting and several wonderful twists. 

The characters are all very engaging and fully formed. And Evie, a terrific friend and character gets the next story. 

I’m thrilled to have found this and to be able to share it. 

Beautiful lush covers are everything!

 Cover design by Karri Klawitter

Once Upon a Rhythm:

The Itsy Bitsy Liar #1

Little Bo Sneak #2

Hush A Bye Lady #3

Do You Know The Muffin Scam? #4

Baa Baa Black Market #5

Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars #6 – Sept 26,2025

Buy link:

 Book 1 of 6: Once Upon A Rhyme 

Blurb:

What if the itsy bitsy spider could only weave a web of lies?

Lacey Arachne has been cursed since she was a child to only speak lies and wants nothing more than to keep it unknown. As a common handmaiden, she’s learned how to navigate her twisted words fairly well. But that all changes when her mistress makes her switch places with her in the prince’s bride competition.

Unable to refuse her mistress’s plans, Lacey is forced to play the role of a noble and compete in a competition she has no interest in winning. Well, at least that’s the lie she tells herself after she meets the charming Prince Carlex…

With the punishment for impersonating a noble being death, Lacey must blend in with the other competitors at all costs. But how does a bold-faced liar avoid standing out amongst scrutinizing eyes? Especially when her childhood enemy certainly doesn’t seem keen on letting her go unnoticed… Can Lacey untangle herself from the webs she’s crafted? Or will she be doomed to fall with the coming storm?

Review: Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound Book 3) by Shannon Mayer

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Shannon Mayer has taken her readers on quite the fairytale journey in her Inkbound Trilogy. 

After her mother, the Queen of C’aan Saas,  sealed her away in the book of fairytales for her safety, Mayer has sent the heroine, Harmony, and her best friend first through the tale of Cinderella, with some horrific twists, in Inked in Ashes. The second story, Inked in Onyx, saw Harmony and friends fall over the page into the world of Peter Pan , Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys and Captain Hook. 

That was another world where nothing was as it seemed, Harmony showed even more development, and important friends were left behind by Harmony as she and Hook traveled over the page to find the answers necessary to go through to Harmony’s final chapter.  

They end up in Oz! The Emerald City. Land of Flying Evil Monkeys and Munchkins. And the Wizard behind the curtain. And more twists before ending home for the final battles. 

This last book is so good. Familiar yet not as Mayer throws in her own twists and surprises here, making this familiar tale new , poignant and exciting. 

The battle scenes were great, the characters in their respective emotional growth and relationships were fantastic and beautifully executed. Harmony and Hook each are so well done. 

Inkbound is a fabulous fairytale fantasy trilogy. One I’m highly recommending. 

Love the covers. 

Cover by HiJinks Ink Publishing

Inkbound series:

Inked in Ashes #1

Inked in Onyx #2 

Inked in Emeralds #3

Buy links 

 Book 3 of 3: Inkbound 

Blurb 

There’s no place like home… 

Surviving a pirate-infested hell-scape—complete with a giant crocodile and a fairy with bad intentions—was rough. I’d been hoping for better days when a cyclone of story-magic dropped me and Hook smack in the middle of a place called Oz.

At first it seems like paradise, but as always, there’s a catch. The Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys are terrorizing the townsfolk, and they’re in desperate need of saving. A job made near impossible when I find out that my mortal enemy, Almira, and The Wicked Witch of the West are one and the same… And she will stop at nothing to end me.

If I ever want to get back to C’an Saas and save my own people, my band of misfits and I will have to defeat the strongest witch who ever lived. With the right combination of wits, heart, and courage, we might have a chance. I just have to hope that the dark pirate of my dreams and Prince Charming don’t kill each other in the process…

  • Publisher: Hijinks Ink Publishing
  • Publication date: September 16, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 381 pages
  • Book 3 of 3: Inkbound

Review:  Sanctuary (Roman’s Chronicle’s) by Ilona Andrews

Rating: 4.5⭐️

“Hang on. I stuffed all my feelings down like a proper man, and it takes some effort to bring them back up.”

Yes! It’s time for some more great Ilona Andrews writing team and diving back into the Kate Daniels universe with Sanctuary, a book about Roman, the Black Volhv, a reoccurring character from the main series. 

This is a holiday season story where Roman is “holed” up in his remote cabin, trying to ride out the season when it’s interrupted by a mysterious, badly hurt young man and his puppy asking for sanctuary.

This story turns out so differently than I expected, which I loved. The twists, the fact that I thought it was headed one way but the authors always had a totally unexpected path for the characters made this story deeply interesting and moving.

Roman’s character is explored in multiple ways in the story. His magical connections with his god and how his magic is fused with the creatures and structures around him is so believable and vivid. And much more interesting, Roman’s background is gone into greater detail .Roman’s complicated family dynamics and his relationship with his father are explained through important conversations and scenes with various characters. 

The mythology and gods that impact the story are fascinating and always make me want to research more into each culture and myths surrounding them. 

Sanctuary is a one of one series. I don’t expect any more. But I’m thrilled to have this one. 

It’s not really a standalone book but one that fits within a wider collection of stories, the Kate Daniels universe. That’s a fabulous place to start as well as one I highly recommend. 

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 1: Roman’s Chronicles 

Blurb 

It’s not easy serving Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it’s a fight to the death, but for him, it’s just another day in the neighborhood.

Includes a bonus short story and more!

Reading Order : Kate Daniels Universe series:

Kate Daniels Series 

MAGIC BITES 

MAGIC BLEEDS 

MAGIC BURNS 

MAGIC STRIKES 

MAGIC MOURNS 

MAGIC BLEEDS 

MAGIC DREAMS 

MAGIC SLAYS 

GUNMETAL MAGIC (Andrea and Raphael)

MAGIC GIFTS – comes with/ is part of Gunmetal book

MAGIC RISES 

MAGIC BREAKS 

MAGIC STEALS 

MAGIC SHIFTS 

MAGIC STARS (Julie and Derek)

MAGIC BINDS 

IRON AND MAGIC #1 (The Iron Covenant /Hugh d’Ambray  & Elara Harper) a must before the finale 

MAGIC TRIUMPHS – OG finale

Kate Daniels World 

BLOOD HEIR (Julie and Derek)

Roman’s Chronicles SANCTUARY 

Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years MAGIC TIDES 

MAGIC CLAIMS 

UNTITLED IRON AND MAGIC (The Iron Covenant /Hugh d’Ambray  & Elara Harper #2) -NRD

  • Publication date: July 30, 2024
  • Language: English
  • File size: 4.7 MB
  • Print length: 152 pages
  • Book 1 of 1: Roman’s Chronicles

Review: Tempests & Tea Leaves (The Charmed Leaf Legacy Book 1) By Rachel Morgan

Rating: 5⭐️

I was intrigued by the hook of this book, described as a fantasy twist on Regency fantasy classic stories. Think fae Pride and Prejudice. 

“Rachel Morgan Regency romance meets cozy fae fantasy with a dash of Pride & Prejudice in this sparkling, no-spice tale of magical debuts, an enchanted tea house, and banter-filled romance.”

With this introduction, I started into the book with certain expectations. Oh    how this exceeded my hopes for this story and far beyond my highest anticipations for how the author used magic and her marvelous characters to create something truly special here. 

Lady Rivenna Rowanwood, proprietor of The Charmed Leaf Tea House, an enchanted tea house with a mind (and magic) of its own. A place where Bloomhaven’s elite fae society comes to eat ,  drink tea , and expand their social connections. It’s the heart of the setting, a fae reimagined Regency realm that so well crafted. 

There’s a United Fae Isles instead of England, and Bloomhaven standing in for a Regency London and the setting is brought vividly to life, scene by scene. It’s magical perfection as a Season of demonstrating powers manifested during the past year instead of a coming out of debutantes exhibiting pier status, glowing looks and the newest clothes from Paris is about to arrive. It’s courtship and mating on a fae level!

But the real beauty is in the characters and their relationships, their struggles within society and their own families. 

Iris Starspun, half human, half fae, has been brought to Bloomshaven by her parents for the Season. She’s there to find a marriage prospect that will help save her family and their fallen status (and financial burden). But her magic is not powerful and she’s looked down upon because of her birth. 

Especially by Lord Jasvian Rowanwood, heir to the powerful Rowanwood dynasty. He’s rigid in his thoughts, arrogant and narrow minded about fae classes. 

Let the clash of wills, wild magic , and fantastically intense and smart dialogue between them begin. 

Especially when his aunt, Lady Rivenna Rowanwood, gets involved. 

This is such an amazing story. Beautifully written, with characters that are very well developed and just perfectly executed in every detail. From their histories and various magical powers to their own distinctive personalities and capacities for lively hilarious, intelligent dialogue.  Did I love them? Yes! Oh so much!

Morgan is setting down an entire cast of characters and a landscape for future seasons and relationships to come. The lines of society are blurring a bit and more mixing up with each species is sure to follow. 

I can’t wait to see what happens next. An absolute fabulous read and one I’m so excited to share. 

The Charmed Leaf Legacy :

Tempests & Tea Leaves #1

Deals & Dream Spells #2

Love & Letter Charms #3 – Oct 35,2025

Buy link

 Book 1 of 3: The Charmed Leaf Legacy 

Blurb 

Regency meets cozy fae fantasy with a dash of Pride & Prejudice in this sparkling, no-spice tale of magical debuts, an enchanted tea house, and banter-filled romance.

In a world where both race and magic determine one’s place in society, half-fae Iris Starspun has always known she doesn’t belong. Having a human mother is bad enough, but being magicless as well? That’s simply unforgivable.

But when Iris unexpectedly manifests magic at age nineteen, her parents see it as their chance to save the family from financial ruin. Never mind that her silly paper-folding magical ability is considered frivolous at best, useless at worst. And never mind that she decided long ago not to marry. The Bloom Season has begun, and Iris must attempt to secure a match—or watch her family’s future crumble.

Enter Lord Jasvian Rowanwood, heir to the most powerful family in the United Fae Isles. His ability to calm the deadly magical tempests that form in his family’s lumyrite mines is revered by all, and he takes that responsibility very seriously. Perhaps too seriously, if you ask his meddlesome grandmother. But Jasvian knows exactly what magic should be: practical, purposeful, and definitely not involving delicate paper creations or half-human debutantes with razor-sharp tongues.

But then Jasvian’s grandmother—the formidable Lady Rivenna—does the unthinkable and offers Iris the coveted position of apprentice at The Charmed Leaf Tea House, the most influential establishment in all of Bloomhaven. Now Iris must navigate both her new role and the scorn of Lady Rivenna’s grandson, all while trying to secure a match that might save her family.

Set in a whimsical world of paper magic, mischievous gossip birds, and a tea house with a mind of its own, this charming romantasy serves up a perfectly steeped blend of swooning romance and delightfully barbed banter.

Review: Brew Diligence (Maya’s Blog’s Book 2) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️+

“I’ve had some revelations since moving into my own place: 

-Living alone means no witnesses to my weirdness, which is empowering until you accidentally flood the kitchen while making noodles.  Fairy lights are an emotional support infrastructure.  -There is no middle ground between I am thriving and I just organised my socks by emotional damage level.  -There is no such thing as too many mugs.”

From Maya’s Blog, readership is now climbing up to the millions. 

When we last saw Maya, she’d left her abusive family and finally gotten the one room apartment that she had wanted, decorated with fairy lights and a coffee mug. Safe. But Gary the Grim Reaper who had helped saved her from the serial killer was missing, presumably because he violated his own laws. 

Brew Diligence, a book of endless quotable sentences and incredibly moving moments, follows the same perfect format and flow of the first book. Maya, our brave woman barista continues to blog about her experiences to her followers who became her friends and family. 

From 5 to millions, chapters of her moving forward, overcoming some huge challenges with hilarious stories and enormous amounts of pain and anxiety. And bravery. 

Now she and her friends who are also her colleagues are in the midst of the fight to free Gary the Grim Reaper from his prison sentence for helping her escape from the serial killer. 

Gary, another fabulous character, is missing not from the story but from the hole he left behind in the close relationships he formed. Plus his ghost cat, too, who left behind, is ruling the apartment at Maya’s. 

There’s so much trauma and emotional scars here in this story. It’s balanced by the author’s carefully crafted humor and sensitivity to the subject matter and scenes.  Hilarity and horror. Love and hate. Death and rebirth.  

Despair and hope.  It’s brilliant and brutal that all these things exist within this universe, these characters and their stories. 

Is this really only the second book? Surely not.  I’m astonished at the fact that this is so amazing on every level of excellence. 

Yes, highly recommended. If I had more stars in the rating, they’d be there. So many stars!

Love this so much! Including the covers. 

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 (coming soon)

Buy link

        Brew Diligence: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Just as Maya thinks she can relax into recovery and a budding romance with a demon general, the afterlife throws her a curveball.

The Grim Reaper who saved her wasn’t just locked away—he was erased from existence.

What starts as a rescue mission quickly becomes a masterclass in magical bureaucracy, inter-realm politics, and one seriously unhinged plot twist.

Join Maya as she blogs her way through enough supernatural shenanigans to short-circuit reality.

  • Publication date: June 23, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 304 pages
  • Book 2 of 4: Maya’s Blogs

Review: Burn For Me (Hidden Legacy Book 1) by Ilona Andrews

Rating: 4.5⭐️

‘“You seem to be under the impression I work for you and you can give me orders. Let me fix that.” I hung up.’

Finished one Andrew’s series and immediately dive into two more simply because I can’t get enough of what these authors turn out in terms of worlds, characters and just fantastic storytelling. 

Although on a current hiatus with one new release (and series) and another soon to come, luckily the married writer couple known as Ilona Andrews has a huge group of published books to explore.

Burn For Me establishes the universe in which this complicated urban fantasy story begins.  In the 1800’s a chemical known as the Osiris formula was developed/found and used by humans to change their genetic composition magically. For some it was good, some great, and some horrific. It varied by individuals and family lines. And that changed the world. 

Before anyone could control who got the formula, governments fell , and over time, power and control organized themselves by genetic Houses of Magical Power.  It’s a deeply complex and well thought out system Andrews has created for the Hidden Legacy series. Both magical and political. 

The foundation is the Baylor family and those who are connected to it, genetically and by relationships. The first trilogy is focused on Nevada Baylor and her relationship with “Mad Rogan”, Connor Rogan.

I’m actually close to completing all the novels and love this series and universe. The development and design of the growth of the Baylor family is incredible.

Nevada Baylor is a detective here in a transformed Houston. Her family is a small detective agency that scrambling to get by after the bills and debts that the long term care and eventual death of her father left them in. By their choice. 

The Baylor family are outstanding characters, disabled sniper mother, vet mechanic Gran, two cousins and two sisters who are among those who will develop/reveal their own skills and powers as the storylines continue. Each one so perfectly defined and unique that they jump vividly off the page. 

Connor “Mad” Rogan had to grow on me. His background was slowly revealed by the plot which helped to turn him into a more connectable character. In fact, his becomes more of a horror story than upbringing. 

But Nevada is a powerhouse from the beginning. Relatable, stressed, trying to make the right choices for the family and keep the tenants that her father set down for her and the family. 

I found the action sequences amazing, the magical battles suspenseful, and the plots full of political scheming and layering for future storylines.

Live for these stories! And highly recommend them!

Cover art by Gene Mollica

Hidden Legacy series : complete as of now 

Divided into 2 sections, each with a different sibling as main character and her own trilogy. 

Nevada Baylor and Connor’s arc, beginning trilogy:

Burn for Me #1

White Hot #2

Wildfire #3

Diamond Fire (wedding novella)

2nd Trilogy arc: sister Catalina Baylor and Alessandro Sagredo

Sapphire Flames #4

Emerald Blaze #5

Ruby Fever #6

Buy link

 Book 1 of 6: Hidden Legacy 

Blurb 

In this spellbinding first novel in #1 New York Timesbestselling author Ilona Andrews’s urban fantasy Hidden Legacy series, private detective Nevada Baylor navigates her way through an alternate world where dynasties, built on inherited wealth and magic, guide the course of humanity.

Nevada Baylor runs a small-time detective agency in Houston, Texas, busting scammers, exposing cheaters, and dealing with petty criminals. She’s very good at her job—helped by a magical ability to sense when someone tells the truth or lies. But when she’s forced into accepting a case to find a radical pyrotechnic who can conjure heat and fire at will, Nevada knows she’s out of her league. To bring him to justice, she’ll have to join forces with someone who wields an even more dangerous power.

Connor “Mad” Rogan is a former combat mage, a telekinetic singularly responsible for mass destruction in war-torn countries, and a member of one of the most powerful magic families in the world. His nephew has been kidnapped by the fugitive pyromaniac, and Nevada is his best chance at finding them both. But unlike Nevada, Connor could care less about societal law and order, and has no qualms about extinguishing his family’s enemy.

Bound by their mission, Nevada and Connor clash over their tactics and moral beliefs, even as things undeniably heat up between them. But the man they’re chasing is involved in a darker conspiracy that threatens to destroy the city—and destabilize the balance of power the elite magical families use to influence every nation on Earth

  • Publisher: Avon
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: October 28, 2014
  • Edition: Reissue
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 366 pages
  • Book 1 of 6: Hidden Legacy

Review:  Hot and Badgered (Honey Badger Chronicles, #1) by Shelly Laurenston

Rating: 4.75⭐️

“‘So let me sum up-we’ve got one vote for total annihilation and one vote for forcing them to join the hockey team. Am I correct?’ “Yes, “ both females replied.”

Author Shelly Laurenston, who’s quoted above from this hilarious and highly entertaining book, has written many popular novels and series, none of which I’ve read until now. After reading this, I’m going to start through this writer’s inventory like a cat in a catnip patch.  I’m mean there’s a porcupine scene that can have me giggling in crowded places just thinking about it. 

You don’t have to have read any preceding books or series to understand what this is about. It’s so great, the characters are so vividly written, the plotting and locations are written with detail and a eye for creativity that makes this a book that you can’t put down and full of characters that are rich in family love while being absolutely crazy and dangerous. 

I’m talking about the MacKilligan shifter family of honey badgers, which spans the world. From their base in Scotland to the USA where the MacKilligan sisters are, and further out, this wild, often criminal family is the most enduring, entertaining and enterprising group of shifters I’ve met in a long time. 

The core group is the three sisters of the MacKilligan family, oldest Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan who is a honey badger/wolf hybrid, then followed by Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan who is all honey badger and perhaps psychopathic killer, and finally the younger sister, the unstable uber brilliant genius who has certain mental health issues, Stevie. Stevie who’s honey badger and tiger.  A found family with an absent loser criminal father who has repeatedly gotten them into deep debt and international criminal troubles and with their hybrid status a lack of respect and support elsewhere. 

They have been brought up learning to take care of themselves, fighting for their lives in every way possible. I’m talking arsenals. 

They, due to criminal shenanigans by their father once again, end up meeting with a grizzly bear shifter family. The Dunns, a triplet set of siblings into protecting and honey. 

Honestly, it’s fabulous. There’s an entire bear shifter town that’s amazing. I want to go there.  There’s jackals, a shady wolverine pal sort of, and more relatives than anything. 

It’s hilarious, imaginative, the action sequences and battles are fierce! Bloody fun and paranormal wild in the extreme. 

But the core family love is locked in, the family dynamic is believable and compelling. And the dialogue is sparking intelligent and downright entertaining while also making the reader understand the characters and what’s driving them emotionally. 

Honestly, why am I so late to all this? 

Another 3am in the morning read and fabulous finish. Highly recommended! 

Honey Badger Chronicles:

Hot and Badgered #1

In A Badger Way #2

Badger to the Bone #3

Breaking Badger #4

Born to Be Badger #5

To Kill a Badger #6

Buy link

        Hot and Badgered: A Honey Badger Shifter Romance (The Honey Badger Chronicles Book 1)

    

Blurb 

The “hot and humorous” debut of the action-packed shapeshifter series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Pride novels (USAToday.com).

It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late.

Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again—and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . .

  • Publisher: Kensington Books
  • Publication date: March 27, 2018
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 434 pages
  • Book 1 of 6: The Honey Badger Chronicles

Review: A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement (Dragons of Safeway Haven Book 1) by Julia Huni

Rating: 4.5⭐️

What a wonderful find and absolutely fabulous read!  Julia Huni is an author I hadn’t heard of before but she’s now firmly in my author list to look forward to. 

A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement, the first book in Dragons of Safeway Haven series by Julia Huni, is a quietly stunning story.  I’m not sure I’ve read one quite like this in a group of novels about dragons and dragon riders. 

There’s no fast paced adventure, no real action or battles. At least not yet. Those have already happened. In a long,  dark ongoing war between two countries that’s continuing to escalate and claim the lives of many, this story focuses on the recent retired warriors of each country.  One a battle witch who’s losing her powers and one a disabled dragon rider who lost his dragon in the war.  Both in their early 50’s and they’ve retired to Safe Haven , a mystical island unbeknownst to each other. At first. 

 What author Huni delivers is beautiful, deeply believable characters, ones who are dealing with their own trauma and personal losses. Who then are confronted with not only the physical enemy they have been fighting all these years, a enemy that has cost them greatly in terms of unbelievable loss and suffering, but they also have to face the fact that perhaps they have been rigid and bigoted in their own ways. 

Huni’s story doesn’t preach but slowly sees change occur as the characters interact with each other and the town people who are accepting them into their own lives.  It’s a magical place, full of many different kinds of beings and beautiful creatures. Including dragons. 

Acceptance, loss, grief and the ability to see things from different perspectives and move on is key here.  The dragon rider William Ordell, slowly becoming a part of Safe Haven, readjusting his views as he feels more at home with his new surroundings. And Calantha Stormbringer, a battle witch whose powers are fading, has returned to her home, feeling like a stranger only to find herself confronted by the very thing she was fighting in the war. 

Calantha and William are both very relatable and very well defined in their own personalities and challenges that each are facing in their respective retirements. From Calantha’s loss of powers after she reached menopause, (and the fact that most battle witches never survived to this age) to William dealing with the loss of his bond with his dragon, his dragon, his small corp of brother riders, and country and his leg.  They are the unlikely survivors of a deadly war that’s still going on. And this writer gives us remarkable insights into what happened, and how emotionally and physically this has and continues to affect them both. 

But there’s also light-hearted and heartfelt content in this book. Magical moments and a slow burn love story as well. 

I love it. Have to wait for the next one but totally worth it. I’ll savor this one and reread it just before the next is released. 

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

Cover designed by Mariah Sinclair Designs

Dragons of Safeway Haven :

  • A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement #1
  • A Blacksmith’s Guide to Dragon-Rearing #2 – Aug 31,2026

Buy

 Book 1 of 2: Dragons of Safe Haven 

Blurb 

They survived the war. Now they just have to survive retirement.

When dragon rider William Ordell is grounded by a battlefield injury, he trades conflict for peace and purchases an abandoned lighthouse on the island of Safe Haven. But quiet doesn’t suit a man used to action. After a series of mysterious fires, William finds himself launching the island’s first fire brigade—with help from the local sea dragons.

Calantha Stormbringer has left war behind, along with the last sparks of her fading magic. She retreats to Safe Haven to rebuild her late aunt’s dusty bookshop—and maybe herself. Restoring the shop will require patience, intelligence, and gold. Calantha figures two out of three isn’t bad.

What neither of them wants? To run into each other. Again.

Old grudges, magical dragons, and one cozy, nosy village—what could possibly go right?

A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy filled with magic, mischief, and a slow-burn romance that won’t steam your glasses. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, Cursed Cocktails, and J. Penner’s Adenashire series.

  • Publisher: IPH Media, LLC
  • Publication date: August 5, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 336 pages
  • Book 1 of 2: Dragons of Safe Haven