Such a fantastic tale. Babin is telling Moira’s shattering heartbreaking story and we left it on a cliffhanger in the last novel.
This picks up with Moira enduring horrific torture after being kidnapped by her mother. And her friends frantically trying to find out where she’s being held so they can rescue her.
The perspectives swing from the heartbreak and despair of Moira as she’s losing hope to that of her friends and found family members. Evie and Rowan searching everywhere for her.
Trigger warnings for the torture are necessary and should be taken seriously. This series has always had darker themes and elements. And Moira’s story more than anything brings it to the forefront.
Babin’s storyline does a excellent job of capturing the essence of the terror that Moira’s character is undergoing, the fact that Evie and her friends are aware that they are running out of time, and the high stakes suspense surrounding the race to find and rescue her.
But there is also Ethan’s story that’s entwined with Moira’s. His missing memories, what Moira’s mother has and continues to do to him as revenge against her daughter. It’s a terrifying tale here as well. And it will carry on to the next book.
Excellent writing, beautifully if heartbreakingly crafted. I can’t wait for the next book to be published.
Moira has survived monsters, betrayal, and heartbreak.
But captivity may be the thing that finally breaks her.
As her friends search desperately for any trace of her, Moira grows weaker behind enemy lines, waiting for the single opportunity that could mean freedom—or death. She intends to make it count.
Ethan has problems of his own. The woman living in his house claims to be the one he loved, but the deeper he digs into the gaps in his memories, the more convinced
It had been a while since this terrific series has been updated and through author’s comments at the end, I found out that, sadly, her long-time friend and co-author, Jilleen Dolbeare, had passed away last October 2025 from cancer.
Jilleen Dolbeare wrote many great urban fantasy series as well as the wonderful collaborations with Heather G. Harris. She’s going to be deeply missed by so many. My sympathies to her family and friends.
I’ve loved this series from the beginning when Bunny first arrived in hidden paranormal town of Portlock, Alaska. She was a newly turned (against her will) vampire with a rescue German Shepherd in tow, and became a part of the town and small Sheriff’s Department, solving mysteries and magical crimes in a very different way, involving mythical creatures and fantastical monsters.
And finding love and a mate along the way with a vampire Prince.
The characters are beautifully written, the mysteries are often heartbreaking and complicated, and stretches over multiple books. Even the smallest of roles and characters can become endearing, and pop up later to fill in narrative holes left by characters who have been lost. It’s done well, emotionally satisfying and makes the story feel more like a real community.
The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem is a great story. Full of loss, grief, high suspense, mystery and multiple storylines. Bunny and her co-workers and friends face one murder after another. These are people who have deep roots within their community. Harris makes the reader feel that loss, the impact just as deeply.
As the hunt for the killer continues, along with the investigation, there’s another important plot line happening. Connor’s father’s coming to the town. He’s got major plans for Connor, maybe for Bunny too. None of them good or in keeping with what either one wants.
That continues to be the next novel’s theme.
Who the villain is surprised me. And the outcome left other questions in place to be answered by the characters and story further down the series itself.
Heartbreaking, well written, detailed and beautifully executed.
I’m so sorry for Heather G. Harris for having to go on with this series without her friend and writing partner. But she wrote a very wonderful story that felt like both of them were very much together here in every part of the story and character.
Highly recommended. And go check out the other books by Jilleen Dolbeare as well as the charity that’s been set up in her name for Indie Fantasy authors .
bodies are bad. Dead bodies that break the laws of magic are worse.
Finding a dead fox in someone’s garden isn’t normally a police matter. Finding a dead fox shifter who should have turned human the second he died? Yeah, that’s more my department.
Remmy has no wounds, no blood and no obvious cause of death. He’s simply dead, trapped forever in his fox form. Apparently there’s only one thing that can do that to a shifter: drain every last drop of magic from them.
Great. Because what Portlock really needed was another magical murderer.
I’ve got an eidetic memory, a badge and two extremely questionable sidekicks. One is a traumatised werewolf who prefers being a German Shepherd, and the other is an ever-growing lynx with a criminal disregard for personal property. Between us, surely we can crack one impossible murder.
Then some local teenagers report seeing a huge creature stalking through the woods, covered in branches and leaves with blazing red eyes.
And red eyes are always bad.
I’m starting to think our mysterious monster and our dead shifter might be connected, which means I need to find whatever is prowling Portlock before anyone else ends up magically drained.
Unfortunately, murder isn’t my only problem. Connor’s father, the Vampire King of the US and an all-round arsehole, has announced he’s coming to town. And he’s bringing the other vampire leaders with him.
So now I have a supernatural killer to catch, a creepy forest monster to find and the most powerful vampire in America heading straight for my home.
Portlock has survived murderous shifters, deadly conspiracies and more supernatural disasters than any tiny Alaskan town has a right to. Hopefully we can survive this too.
Preferably without anyone else turning up dead.
Dive into this fast-paced urban fantasy series if you love mystery, humour, found family, and a slow-burn romance.
Don’t miss the rest of the Portlock Adventures!
The Vampire and the Case of her Dastardly Death, a prequel.
The Vampire and the Case of the Wayward Werewolf, Book 1.
The Vampire and the Case of the Secretive Siren, Book 2.
The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee, Book 3.
The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine, Book 4.
The Vampire and the Case of the Perilous Poltergeist, Book 5.
The Vampire and the Case of the Cozy Christmas, Book 5.5.
The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag, Book 6.
The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid, Book 7.
The Vampire and the Case of the Ghastly Golem, Book 8.
I love it when the second book is better than the first and that’s certainly the case with Storm’s Reckoning by Sean Cunningham.
The next novel in his Storm Herald series, it picks up directly from the end of Storm’s Edge and Vanessa trying to decide what she wants to do next. Try to stay low key or resume her high risk courier jobs that are making her more noticeable to those of power and influence. The very ones she has been avoiding.
But working full time for Odd’s Transport and doing a new job for the mysterious Edric seems to be her next step forward towards her new path.
Storm’s Reckoning takes her and Leo on a new mission for Edric and straight to a location where there’s a divisive battle taking place for dominance among a powerful werewolf pack as its current Alpha is in poor health.
Cunningham’s story always includes multiple strong plots layered into the main investigation and mission for Edric. Vanessa’s powers continue to grow without her understanding how that’s possible and Leo’s seeking knowledge about himself and his own magic and background. All while they face dangerous situations and new challenges.
Vanessa and Leo, a non romantic main character duo, are new favorites. Both complicated characters with personalities that are changing and developing as the series and circumstances demand more from each of them.
The action sequences are fierce and powerful , magically charged and full of emotion. Mostly blinding rage.
The secondary or new characters are just as strong as the established ones. Which makes both the narrative richer and their occasional loss during the story more realistic and raw.
The backgrounds and mysteries of Edric, Vanessa and even Leo continue forward to the future stories. I can’t wait to read more.
She’s not hiding anymore. Neither is what’s inside her.
Vanessa Montiero has a new employer, a vampire partner, and a job that should be straightforward: negotiate with one of England’s most powerful werewolf dynasties for access to the ghost of a witch, one they’ve kept secret for a century.
Behind the manicured hedges of the Godwins’ country estate lies a succession war sharp enough to draw blood, a string of mysterious murders, and something in the forest that doesn’t leave survivors.
She’s faced monsters before. She’s been one.
But the Godwins are a family of predators – and whatever hunts their forest is worse. Getting out alive will require everything she has, and possibly everything she’s been trying not to be.
Storm’s Reckoning continues the brutal, emotionally charged Storm Herald series. Perfect for fans of Alex Verus, Kate Daniels, and The Dresden Files.
Sean Cunningham is another new discovery for me in urban fantasy fiction and I am absolutely loving his characters and universe I’ve found in the first story in his new Storm Herald series, Storm’s Edge.
It’s an action packed urban fantasy thriller, full of paranormal beings who battle mythical creatures, seek to obtain clients magical objects even investigating murders. All the while they are hiding their own problematic dark backgrounds.
The main character is a woman whose identity and past history is slowly being revealed over the course of the series. But who she was is a persona of enormous power and dark energy. On the wrong side of the line. Now she’s called Vanessa Montiero, not as powerful but strong enough. Vanessa works temporarily both for a coffee shop and as a courier who takes less than legal jobs. It’s a living and keeps her out of the notice of others.
Until it doesn’t.
I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying this character and the storylines here.
First of all, no romance. She exists first as a solo character, and then, reluctantly, as perhaps someone who might consider her to think of one or two of the other characters she’s gathering around her as friends.
Not that she’d ever come out and acknowledge that.
Vanessa is a hard personality. The past is one she’s working to overcome, as well as a core that thrives on violence. As the story continues, she has to develop and adapt to her changing circumstances, and that’s means that instead of being able to always battle her way through a difficult situation, she has to learn how to handle it differently.
And Cunningham has just the other characters to assist her in this change in perspective. Including a vampire who’s not exactly the poster boy for the species himself, Leo.
With every new character, there’s a good chance they might not make it through to the end. Cunningham exhibits a willingness to take his characters out of the narrative, even when we’re getting fond of them.
Be warned.
I hope Vanessa stays romantically free, that’s a great element here. The story is exciting, fast paced and very well executed. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens next.
I hope the author has more than 3 books planned for the series.
Highly recommended and yes, when I’m done reading this, I’ll head to the writer’s other series too.
She just wanted to stay hidden. They had other plans.
Vanessa Montiero has spent a year keeping her head down – slinging coffee by day, running courier jobs by night. It was enough to stay off the radar of the people hunting her. It was safe.
Until a wealthy eccentric offers her more money than she’s seen in months to extract one girl from the Brotherhood: a gang of street-level warlocks who burn through their girlfriends like batteries to fuel their magic.
Simple job. Get in, get Mia, get out.
Except Freddie Wright isn’t about to let his “crucible” walk away. And the magic he wields is far more dangerous than anyone realised.
With Leo at her side – a vampire who’d rather cook you dinner than drain you, and whose strange abilities make him an outcast even among the undead – Vanessa will face necromancers, ancient vampires, and relentless warlocks, all while keeping one traumatised girl alive.
But the thing that made Vanessa so good at violence never really left her. Unleashing her old self might be the only way to save them – or it might shatter the life she’s worked so hard to build.
Storm’s Edge launches the Storm Herald series with brutal fight scenes, morally complex characters, and a London where magic hides just beneath the surface. Perfect for fans of Alex Verus, Kate Daniels, and The Dresden Files who like their urban fantasy served with found family forged in fire.
Join Vanessa on this action-packed urban fantasy adventure across London today!
This was a book I saw advertised on FB, maybe that was a clue. I have had some good finds that way but by 55% of the story, I’ll admit I was struggling to continue reading. Each chapter, especially from the middle on when I saw Jax’s character development stays basically where it was at the beginning, I’m wavering between a DnF and keep page flipping.
It comes down to the main character, Jax, a magical woman whose powers are channeled through her emotions, primarily from her pain.
Rated Magus 10, a scale from her first Council kidnapping, she’s been crafted by Lawrence as an unappealing mess of a paranormal being. A private investigator of paranormal cases, once hired, by her methods, she doesn’t actually investigate anything. Instead she accepts intense, highly charged case after case, then without actually sitting down and thinking about each one of them and prioritizing the work, she just runs off.
No research into her cases or investigative work that would make her credible. Instead plunging into dangerous situations, often turning things worse instead of better. The people who have hired her end up worse off in every instance. She ends up constantly being caught, beaten up, losing objects or breaking things she was supposed to find. And is always surprised when things go sideways. Or that people she trusted are not trustworthy. Every single scenario is full of TSTL moments where, at least me, starts flipping pages even faster.
“I don’t understand,” I said again”
That’s a constant refrain from Jax. And I’m on Chapter 37. I’m thinking I don’t understand why I’m still reading this book.
Honestly I kept thinking surely she has some plausible plan in mind, nope. Or backup. Again no. She’s the mindless equivalent of the ball in a pin-ball machine, endlessly ricocheting around the table. As it is, I’m sympathizing with Jax’s client’s when they look at the unmitigated disaster she’s made of their lives and cases, threatening her when the damage she’s left by not paying attention or getting things done or even making the right decisions, have left death in her wake. And theirs.
Are we supposed to be on her side? Really? I have run into several authors who craft their characters in this manner and it always leaves me astonished. Give me a well written competent, ingenious , intelligent person, no matter what gender, who is capable of researching and investigating their cases, with or without any magical abilities. And I’m happy. In other words, a well thought out, multi dimensional, intelligent person.
And giving them a ghostly companion (who they often berate for cleaning their apartment, oh no, and a magical albino ferret, neither of which has any background history or foundation to them), doesn’t enhance her character. It’s empty layering for her the most part.
There’s some interesting aspects to this story. Outside of how she wields her powers, there’s also the facts that the world’s magical and non-magical realms are divided into floors accessible by a elevator, humanity is one floor, otherworldly beings and creatures and their realms are on others. I guess the world is flat? Idk It’s a neat idea , although not exactly new, that needs further exploration here. And all the magic is done with Latin words. And wands. “Illumino”.
Btw, going back, at Chapter 26, Jax has just now remembered she’s got two prior important cases to be solved, one of which is for her best friend about the death of that friend’s neighbor who just happened to Look Oh no. SMH
So , I’m not going further here. I just can’t with characters like this. I have zero tolerance for them and their stories.
If you do, here’s a series for you.
Blood Magic: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (Complete 6-Book Series) (6 book series):
Meet Jacqueline Denna Knight, the best wizard detective in the city.
Jax turns vampires to ash and pain into magic. She also has a knack for finding things. So when a distraught—and obscenely wealthy—elf calls Jax at midnight to hire her for an intriguing job, she grabs the opportunity with both hands…
But what Jax doesn’t know is that this case is going to unravel her life. She’ll get tangled up with a host of intriguing characters, most of whom are not who they appear to be.
As Jax speeds down a path toward the most powerful vampire clan in the country, she’ll have to put everything on the line.
Will she be able to use her unique brand of magic to save the Realm?
This complete Blood Magic series contains the following books:
