Review: Soul Taken

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This installment of the Mercy Thompson series was a bit unexpected for me. This Harvester storyline was not something I envisioned, but I have to say that it fits in with the time of the year (near Halloween) quite well, complete with a pumpkin patch. It reminded me of an old school scary movie with a scythe-wielding maniac stealing souls around the Tri-Cities. (It’s a sickle!)

Review: Final Heir

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The Final Heir is the action-packed finale to the Jane Yellowrock series, and I am so sad that the saga is over. I want to go back and read it from the beginning! There were some chapters closed for Jane in this last book, some good closures and some sad. It seemed like the interaction between Jane and her mentor “in the smoke” at the beginning was super poignant, but then it didn’t feel resolved and I felt it like a gaping wound as I read.

Review: Smoke Bitten

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I got a bit behind on this series, so I’m binging the latest 3 books. It bothers my OCD that I don’t have time to go re-read the whole series (which I love) because I have forgotten some details in my absence. Like, I can remember who Wolfe (the vampy Wolfe) is or where he came from. And I like him. He’s just the right mischievous and dangerous element for the story. And, he makes me laugh.

Review: Ruby Fever

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Ruby Fever concludes the Catalina Baylor portion of the Hidden Legacy series, and much like the rest of this series, it did not disappoint. Ruby Fever was packed with action, magic, team work, family and drama. I moved to Houston around the inception of this series, so I have loved “growing” into my new residence along with this series, and seeing all the familiar areas and places mentioned. I can’t help but “look” for Nevada, Connor, Catalina and friends as I happen upon places like Buffalo Bayou, River Oaks, etc.

Review: Rogue's Possession

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Rogue’s Possession is the second book in the re-released series, Covenant of Thorns. Gwynn seems to have adjusted to her new life in Faery, but is still firmly ensconced as the battle sorceress for Lord Falcon’s war. I have to admit that I still don’t see the point to the war, but I think that is by design. I’m not sure the warring parties actually know the purpose of their war either. In any event, the pitched battles are entertaining and Gwynn usually finds a way to meet the terms of her deal without loss of human life. And I will never complain about mermaids, dragons and sea monsters in a book. 😜

Review: Gladiator

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I got on a bit of a space opera kick last month, so my friend thought I might like this sci-fi romance in audio to keep me occupied on my latest road trip. This one is not a space opera, but involves different aliens (animal and humanoid), kidnapping, intergalactic slavery, arena fights, and steamy chemistry!

Review: The Girl in the Mist

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I am woefully behind on my Kristen Ashley reading, and I was in a romantic suspense mood, so I decided on The Girl in the Mist for my roadtrip. In true KA fashion, she kept me engaged and entertained for the long drive.

Review: False Trust

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As a bourbon enthusiast, I was excited to see Steve was writing a story about a great whisky heist! It immediately brought to mind Pappygate and some other bourbon dramas. So there is no shame for me in saying that the whisky heist was my favorite aspect of the story. I was glad that some of the aging process was discussed, but I would have liked more detail on the filtering and proofing from barrel to bottle. There were many references to wine/wineries and Australia, neither of which are familiar to me, so I was yearning for that warm comfort that I find in the caramel nectar.

Review: Long Live the Soulless

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This is the end… of everything.

Binge complete! Long Live the Soulless it the culmination of the Dark Maji series, in which we have met mages, skeevs, raksasa, pirate queens, tree-dwelling warriors, and dark gods.

Review: For King and Corruption

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It’s 2:06a.m. and I am cursing Kel Carpenter because I immediately need to start the next book. OMG. Major cliffhanger ending. I. MUST. KNOW. WHAT. HAPPENS. NEXT!

Review: Twisted is the Crown

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Vengeance is Had…

With the 3rd book in the Dark Maji series, Twisted is the Crown, we see Quinn Darkova returning to her homeland of N’Skara. Although they return under the guise of seeking an alliance for House Fierte, Quinn has her own agenda.

Review: Blessed be the Wicked

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Political Intrigue and Pirate Queens!

The Dark Maji series continues with Blessed be the Wicked, where we follow Lord Fierte and his vassals into Tritol to seek an alliance with Imogen, the famous pirate queen of Ilvas. This installment is full of political intrigue, betrayal, and assassination attempts. Imogen and her House were not as cordial and welcoming to House Fierte, so Lazarus was forced to rely more on his vassals to gain what he sought.

Review: Fortune Favors the Cruel

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Fortune Favors the Cruel is a compelling start to the Dark Maji series. This book encompasses what I suspect to be the bulk of the world-building and overall plot trajectory. The world that has been created by Kel Carpenter is lush and darkly alluring. There are light, dark and gray maji, as well as mundane non-magical people. The landscape changes as our main characters traverse the realm, but the author brings each territory to life with just enough description to give you an idea and let your imagination fill in the rest.

Review: Eclipse the Moon

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This is the second book in Jessie Mihalik’s Starlight Shadows space opera series, featuring a band for former military from opposite sides of the war trying to save the universe by a future war between their people.

Review: Cackle

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This is a quirky read about Annie, who is 30 years old, newly single, a serial monogamist, needing validation and lacking self esteem. I felt bad for Annie at first, she's immersed in a relationship thinking marriage is on the horizon, only to be blindsided by the opposite. We've likely all been there, some of us more than once.

Review: Rogue's Pawn

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Rogue's Pawn is the first book ever written by Jeffe Kennedy, and is being re-released with some slight updates. As much as I love this author, I can't believe I hadn't actually read this series!

Review: Chaos Reigning

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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I feel like an echo, but wasn't I just saying how creative Jessie Mihalik is with all these futuristic and interstellar societies rife with political intrigue!?! Ans she is certainly no slouch in the intriguing hero and chemistry department. 🔥 This author is firmly cemented on my auto-buy list.

Review: Hunt the Stars

Review: From Bad to Cursed

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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In this second installment of the Thistle Grove series, we get a closer look at Rowan Thorn and the Avramov younger sister, Isidora. This is an enemies-to-lovers tale, and I love to get wrapped up in the drama of those. When the two are thrown together to investigate magical misconduct, tempers and sparks fly.

Review: Payback's a Witch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Emmy Harlow was chased out of her magical town of Thistle Grove by heartache. She had to sacrifice family, friends, and magical ability in a desperate attempt to escape her pain and find herself. Now she must return to fulfill a family duty, as arbiter of traditional witchy games.

Review: Trouble with the Cursed

Trouble with the Cursed by Kim Harrison

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
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I'm so happy this series is still going. Aside from our main and secondary characters, I absolutely love the gargoyles, pixies, and even the demons.

Rachel Morgan is fumbling her way along as the demon subrosa, trying to keep the DC vamps in the dark about the state of Constance. 🐁 That becomes more difficult with the arrival of Flynn, one of the old dead. But with him, we get Ivy as as a host/guide/hostage, and it's always nice to have the historical characters coming back in. Speaking of, lots of thoughts of our beloved Kisten in this story, which makes me want to go back and read the first book.

As it's Rachel's birthday, she should be lounging with loved ones and eating cake. Unfortunately we know fate never has that in store for this demon-born witch, so instead she will be dealing with stodgy undead, misbehaving demons, betrayal and more distractions than she can count. But, that's her cross to bear and she somehow muddles the way and comes out on top, kinda.

I really loved how the team, new and old, pulled together on this one to get all situations taken care of. I am excited to see where the future of the series is going after these happenings. Relationships were broken, some were mended, and we have new characters coming in, and old ones coming back. The demons are sure to be up to new shenanigans, but maybe they will hate Rachel a little less.

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Review: Abandoned in Death

Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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I always save In Death books for long drives and road trips because they are great at keeping my mind preoccupied. This installment was no exception, and I was quite surprised when the identity of our serial kidnapper and killer was revealed.

Young women of a certain type are being snatched off the street, only to turn up dead and posed with mysterious allusions to the past and family. As the killer is operating a little too close to Eve's loved ones, she wants this criminal off the streets quickly. This story focuses mostly on the footwork by Eve and Peabody, but I liked the contribution of our interns who featured in past stories. I felt like this one had more procedural than action sequences, which I think is a break from recent installments.

I would've liked to have had a little more Roark (as always) and some more snark with Somerset. But I enjoyed the check-in with Mavis and Bella, and all the updates on the estate they are remodeling.

 

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Review: A Curse of Queens

A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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I was so excited to see that Amanda Bouchet was getting back into Thalyria with the Kingmaker Chronicles. Cat and Griffin have taken the Throne and are well on their way to uniting all kingdoms with the birth of their daughter, Baby Eleni. When a curse halts them in their tracks, the family is scrambling to find a way to overcome the gods.

I couldn't recall much about Jocasta from the earlier books, only that she was a Hoi Palloi healer. We get a view of just how good Jocasta is with healing plants here, and her sheer determination when it came to researching a solution for Cat. Jocasta had a lot of humility. Although she was joyful for the happiness her family had found, she couldn't help but feel that her own life was lacking and unfulfilled. This would then lead her to feel guilty. It was wonderful to see her overcome all of that and each out and grab the things that would make her happy.

Flynn had been with Griffin throughout the series, so I was no stranger to his grumpy and serious mien. Now we get to peek beyond Flynn's gruff exterior to all his vulnerabilities and doua2bts. I found him endearing, and stubborn. LOL

There were pockets of action as Team Elpis embark on their quest, but not quite so much as the prior installments. That gave us time to get to know our main characters, along with Carver, Bellanca, and Prometheus. I love these fantasies with elements of Greek mythology and meddling gods. This one took us back across the countryside and into unknown territory. I have a feeling there will be at least two further books that will also take us to new and exciting places. I can't wait.

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Review: The Promised Queen

The Promised Queen by Jeffe Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cannot believe its taken me so long to read the culmination of Lia and Conri's story. Life has gotten in the way of reading lately, and what better way to dive back in than spending time with favorite characters.

After the heartbreak and tragedy in the last installment, I absolutely loved all the empowerment and growth in this one. Lia and Conri have certainly had their ups and downs, and they still aren't perfect, but they are well on their way to a beautifully delicate balance.

Action lovers need not fear, you will get a dose of that here as well. Anure and his wizards must be faced... but the ending and secrets revealed just might surprise you. I do hope we see some spinoff of this series!

 

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Review: The Other Half of the Grave

The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It was so fun revisiting the introduction of Cat and Crispin from Bones' perspective. Oddly I didn't feel as much of a connection to Bones in this story... however I think my previous connection to him came from all his imagined turmoil and experiences throughout the entire series, rather than in a single book. I would certainly love to reread the entire series from his POV, but I'm not sure if that's the plan here. A fangirl can always hope though!

If you have been living under a rock and are new to Jeaniene Frost, I'd recommend reading Cat's perspective first, then this one. These first books are the start of Cat and Bones (sometimes tumultuous) relationship, and are the precursor to Cat's transformation into the Red Reaper killing machine. This was a nice jaunt back to where it all began in that murky cave in Ohio.

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Review: Warrior of the World

Warrior of the World by Jeffe Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a nice conclusion and good set-up for the next spinoff series. Because I let this one fall thru the cracks, I wish I had gone back and read the earlier books first. There was enough recap to jog my memory. But these books are so good at eliciting feelings, that I kind missed that turmoil from the last book leading into the happiness and relief of this one.

Jenna/Ivariel has continued to evolve, mature, and come into her true self. This book focuses less on the action and more on the character growth and relationships instead. I like the analogies between Ivariel and Efe, and I continued to love the presence of the elephants in this series. I can't recall another using elephants in this way, and it was majestic. I can't wait to see what the next series holds for our characters.

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Review: True Dead

True Dead by Faith Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like it's been so long since I last read a Yellowrock book (and I'm about 6 months late on this one) do I was glad I was able to read Of Claws and Fangs first for a refresh. If you need one of those like me, all the Claws and Fangs stories take place before this book.

Lots of action here, but that's expected whenever Jane and Beast are involved. But we head back to New Orleans for Jane to finally claim her position as the MOC and Dark Queen. Challengers and betrayal and surprises abound. It was interesting to see the change in Jane/Beast since their pass thru the rift, and to find out just what happened to Sabina and Leo. I really really like Koun, and would love to see some spinoff or short stories featuring him. I also like the new addition of Quint, because who wouldn't love a loyal sociopath!?!

I got sucked into this story and devoured it in 2 days. But it makes me sad that the ending is nigh, as these are some of my absolute favorite characters in urban fantasy.

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Review: Tear Down the Throne

Tear Down the Throne by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gemma has matured and become an outstanding heroine. She has grown more comfortable with her power, adept at her spycraft, and improved her fighting skills. The last thing left to master will be her emotions, particularly where her feelings of adequacy and Leonidas are concerned. I'm a sucker for a forbidden or enemies-to-lovers romance, and Gemma and Leonidas couldn't be any more at odds. Though Leo does seem to have a greater grasp on his feelings for Gemma.

This installment brings us to another summit, and I was very interested to see all the royals gathering again. (Although I did miss Everleigh and am curious why she didn't attend). I absolutely loved the idea of the Gauntlet, and couldn't wait to see how it would effect everyone. There was SO much action and drama in this one, I felt like the book flew by and was sorry to see it end. I especially enjoyed the introduction of Otto and Violet, and I hope they continue to play a part in future stories. I also have an inkling of where our next spinoff will occur, and who that heroine may be.

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