Tag: witches and warlock fiction. paranormal stories

Review: Magical Midlife Dating (Leveling Up #2) by K. F. Breene 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

“Maybe we’d all had a fire inside us, clawing to get out, and we’d kept it at bay to fit into someone else’s mold of what we should be as women.” – Jessie

Other people have marked this quote and it’s because it’s impactful. To Jessie, the woman still navigating her way through the shambles of her life after the divorce left her homeless, her base of security and family gone in her middle age. 

She packed up and moved cross country to a small remote village that she visited with her friend as a child. Now she’s a caretaker of a sentient magical mansion, got powers she needs to learn to control, and an enormous universe of paranormal beings that are increasingly interested in her and Ivy House. 

Every aspect of Jessie, her character and emotional challenges is beautifully crafted. She stumbles, fights, figures things out, asks for help. She’s a very real, believable woman.

And the way the author builds up the need for not only Jessie but for Austin, Niahm, Mr. Tom, Edgar and the rest of the crew here to find their own places in the new order being established and help Jessie develop? So remarkable and layered emotionally. 

I’m so looking forward to Jessie further exploring this new role and coming into her own in Ivy House, scary dolls and all. 

Fabulous storytelling. 

Leveling Up (13 book series):

Magical Midlife Madness #1

Magical Midlife Dating #2

Magical Midlife Invasion #3

Magical Midlife Love #4

Magical Midlife Meeting #5

Magical Midlife Challenge #6

Magical Midlife Alliance #7

Magical Midlife Flowers #8

Magical Midlife Battle #9

Magical Midlife Awakening #10

Magical Midlife Rescue #11

Magical Midlife Rogue #12

Magical Midlife Conclave #13 – Nov 12,2026

Buy link

        Magical Midlife Dating: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel (Leveling Up Book 2)

    

Blurb 

She must learn to fly, but can she withstand the allure of the handsome new teacher?

The decision has been made. Jessie has taken the magic, and all the weird that goes with it. Including wings. There’s only one problem – she can’t figure out how to access them.

Through a series of terrible decisions, Jessie realizes she must ask for help. Gargoyle help.

But she could’ve never predicted who answers her call – he’s an excellent flier, incredibly patient, and a good trainer. He’s also incredibly handsome. And interested. Maybe flying isn’t the only thing she needs help with. Maybe she needs help getting back on that saddle, too, emerging into the dating pool.

Except, the new gargoyle is also an alpha, just like Austin, and the town isn’t big enough for two.

Turns out, flying is the least of her problems.  

date

August 11, 2020

Language

‎English

Print length

468 pages

Book 2 of 13

Leveling Up

Review: Witch At Last (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 3) by Juliette Harper 

Rating: 3.75⭐️

Witch At Last, the third book in The Jinx Hamilton Series by Juliette Harper, resolves several of the issues I mentioned about this series in the previous stories. 

Having a character or two main characters who are both consistently lied to about deeply important matters and elements about themselves from those closest to them is highly toxic. Especially when the excuse is because “it’s for their own good “, “they aren’t ready”, or whatever that means when someone takes control or consent away from an adult(s) for important decisions in their lives.

It needed to be rectified by the author for me to go forward with the series, and in a way that makes sense for all the characters involved here. 

I’m not sure if they have addressed it throughly but I can see this being a part of the plot and series . 

The mothers of Jinx Hamilton and her best friend/cousin, Tori, play important roles with their daughter’s future magic powers and in the process of making the town safe.  And Harper somewhat addresses part of the drama behind the neglect of the friends’ lack of understanding and knowledge. 

Chase and his father, Festus, along with the magical gang from the sentient house/shop herself are all involved from a story that carries over from the previous drama of book 2.

While the characters are enjoyable, the plot overall seems a bit flimsy, especially when given the ages of the characters, the details revealed by the plot, and some of the most memorable elements. Where is the real planning? Heavy duty wards or anything that would make sense for something on the scale that’s represented here? 

Aside from some narrative plot holes here and there, I noticed a few things that weren’t caught by the author or editor. Harper has Jinx telling Tori how happy she is they opened up the shop early at 7, with people flooding in at 6 filling the tables with their papers and tablets.  Uh, what? Things like that. 

Plus she barely knows Chase but they love each other? With no realistic relationship having been established between them other than one of lies? That’s not credible. 

I think there’s some terrific things here but the foundation for all of it needs to be better layered. Give the relationships, other than Tori and Jinx, a depth of dynamic that is missing. Chase and Festus come the closest to a real father and son interaction here. 

As a cozy witch and warlock mystery, it’s good. I’ll eventually pick up another one in the series. But I’m in no rush.

The Jinx Hamilton Series (16 book series): complete and all released. 

Witch At Heart #1

Witch At Odds #2

Witch At Last #3

 Buy link

        Witch At Last (The Jinx Hamilton Series Book 3)

    

Blurb 

A lot has changed for Jinx Hamilton in just a few months. After the mishaps that befell her in Witch At Odds, Jinx just wants to enjoy the rest of the summer, but she’s not going to be that lucky. Just as she’s poised to tell her friends she’s a witch, secrets start popping out all over the place. Between old foes and new locations, Jinx isn’t going to get her peaceful summer, but she may just get an entirely different world.

*Note: This is a republished version of Witch At Last.

Cabot Publishing Group

Publication date

September 8, 2025

Edition

2nd

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

Book 3 of 16

The Jinx Hamilton Ser

Review:  The Wolf Vs The Warlock (The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth Book 2) by Lauretta Hignett

Rating:  4.75⭐️

The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth is a series that just gets better with each increasingly strange and complicated story that Hignett lays out for her characters, especially the severely damaged, deeply traumatized wolf shifter Daphne. 

Living in a building in the middle of the slimiest of the slums of The Hidden City of Philadelphia, along with Chaos Goose, a female of unknown species living called Myf in the cupboard, and the deadliest sorceress of all times , Countess Ebadorathea Greenwood, her grandmother figure, living next door, Daphne’s life is full of stress , confusion, and despair. Especially as she’s a new social worker for the paranormal children of the city with little support and resources. 

Then dead bodies start to appear on her doorstep, delivered in a very strange and deliberate manner. 

If I wasn’t already in love with this author, The Wolf Vs The Warlock would have cinched the deal. With a female character who’s constantly struggling with her trauma, trying to desperately make her job to reach/save the lost PNR children of The Hidden city, and fighting the supernatural battles that seem to follow her, it’s a great series and story.

Daphne’s a personality so consistently inconsistent,  still deeply undefined, that we have no idea where her overall storyline is headed or exactly what actions she’s going to take in any given situation. Will she talk the being/person about changing their lives, go for the throat, or something shockingly wild, sort of whack a doodle. No clue.  And it will be totally fine, with whatever is happening, astonishingly so.

This narrative approach works well so as others learn from her actions and comments, things that will inevitably leave hints to her past and present status, we learn as well.

The murder mysteries are key and lead to another interaction with Romeo, Warlock of the City and his coven. 

The coven members are fascinating, Romeo’s connection to Daphne deepens, and the plotting is better than ever. It’s complicated, full of beautifully crafted characters, vividly imagined scenes, and detailed locations and great dialogue. 

Don’t miss out on the hilarious cast of characters that is given at the beginning of each story. Dry and funny. 

Dave the ghoul is a new favorite.  But the Countess is top tier. 

“Who would leave a corpse on my doorstep as a gift?” 

The countess shrugged, an elegant hitch of her shoulders. “Have you expressed a desire for rotting flesh to anyone lately?”

— The Wolf Vs The Warlock: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth by Lauretta Hignett 

I adore the Countess, she just gets ever more impressive and dangerous, of course. 

This story is excellent is every way. Characters, plot, dialogue and moving forward an already amazing labyrinthine series arc.  I highly recommend this series and book. 

Onto the next novel in the series. 

Book Cover by Atra Luna Graphic Design

Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth:

The Wolf Vs The Vampire #1

The Wolf Vs The Warlock #2

The Wolf Vs The Shifter #3

The Wolf Vs The Witch #4

The Wolf Vs The Monster #5

The Wolf Vs Santa: A Little Christmas Mystery

Buy link

        The Wolf Vs The Warlock: The Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth

    

Blurb 

Nothing ruins your day more than a bloated, stinking corpse on your doorstep.

My natural optimism has taken a serious beating lately. I’ve been working my butt off, drafting a series of outreach programs to help the poor, lost supe kids of the Hidden City before they fall through the cracks in our society and end up in our Otherworld Child Protective system. There’s one thing I desperately need, and that’s funding.

But there’s no money to be had. Nobody wants to invest in these kids; it’s enough to break your heart. The rejection letters are ruining my morning, and that’s before I slipped on the bloated corpse at my front door.

Things take a turn when I’m summoned to a meeting with Mina, the matriarch of the Jupiter coven — my ex-boyfriend’s mom. Mina’s offering me exactly what I need.

She’s got a job for me. One that I’m not sure if I want to do anymore.

The Wolf Vs The Warlock is book two in the Hidden City Supernatural Sleuth, a hot new Urban Fantasy series by bestselling author Lauretta Hignett.

  • Publication date: November 30, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 314 pages

Witch and Wizard thrillers,