urban fantasy – Author Gail Marie

Book Review – A Shifter’s Choice (Wolves of Hawthorne Cove 5) by Debbie Cassidy

I loved this series and the type of shifters this revolved around. Those shifters were an ancient shapeshifter line that migrated from a dying planet and brought an ancient darkness and enemy with them. The female MC, Quinn, is half shifter and half fae hybrid. I loved watching her grow into herself and finally put her needs first. On par for a Cassidy series, this quickly became a favorite series. I am obsessed with this world and the political aspects between humans and supernatural enforcement. The cast of characters was unforgettable. The plot and pace had me reading these late into the night. The next series in this world is centered around Nyx, a demon friend of Quinn. I don’t wait well for books between series so I will likely wait until December for book 6 of the Demon throne series to be published. (4/5 rating)

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Book Review – Dirty Deeds (Bonds of Blood 3) by Cate Corvin

I was hesitant to pick this up since it was a bully romance, and I know they don’t always resonate well with me. I’m sad this sat on my TBR last for two years since I loved everything about this series. I should have known Corvin wouldn’t let me down. Born a Slayer, Victoria has her preconceived notions about Shadow Worlders ripped apart thoroughly after she becomes one. In the first book, her stepbrother, Will and his best friend, Sura illustrates enough bullying against her to nearly warrant her dismissal from Libra Academy. I was grateful that Vic actually took her revenge in blood before they got to have any sort of relationship with her again. Cael quickly became one of my favorite vampires ever and his relationship with Vic really blossoms in book 2. The ending for book 3 was unexpected but still amazing. This series will definitely land on my favorites list. (4/5 rating)

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Book Review – Ruthless as a Cheetah (Society of Shifters 1) by Katie May

Checked out with kindle unlimited, April 2023. This was my first standalone book by Katie May. I was excited to try this assassin, urban fantasy, story. I have a weakness for a good assassin story and this one didn’t disappoint. Tessah is a cheetah shifter kidnapped to work for a group of assassins: The sisterhood. I know Tessah’s general attitude will be a downer for some people, but she did grow on me as her character arc progressed. I feel like May needed her outrageous antics to balance some of the darker plot aspects, like kidnapping and raping young women. I didn’t expect to like this after the first chapter begins where it does, but I did enjoy most of this. I’ll always enjoy revenge stories and Tessah certainly got hers at the end. It was nice to watch Tessah grow into herself after she vanquishes her demons and finds her version of a happy ending. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – A Court of Honey and Ash (Honey and Ice 1) by Shannon Mayer & Kelly St. Clare

Alli is our orphan, fae heroine set in a new world. After eight years of training with her fellow untried fae, they must swear fealty to a fae power source known as Underhill. Underhill shatters and Alli is forced to run from her home after it becomes clear she knows who destroyed it. I loved this urban fantasy world and the elaborate magical systems that were in play. The relationship between Alli and her orphan best friend, Hyacinth, made me laugh. They also gave each other what each of them needed, even if it wasn’t always what they wanted. Alli is hunt down by none other than her childhood crush turned malicious acquaintance, Faolan. Faolan’s constant meanness had me cheering that she would end up on team Drake. The political plot and pacing remained rapid throughout the book. I’ve struggled with Mayer’s books, when it’s her own series, but when she’s paired with another author, I like the stories better. I know I’m in the minority there, but her Forty Proof series ruined her as an ‘auto buy’ author. Moving forward to book 2. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – Girl of Nightmares (Anna 2) by Kendare Blake

In the series finale, our protagonist, ghost hunter Cas Lowood, is trying to move on after Anna Dressed in Blood sacrificed herself for him. After Anna begins to show up in his nightmares and haunting him by day, he realizes something is very wrong with Anna’s disappearance into hell. He will stop at nothing to find a way to save her. Cas continued to be an enigmatic character and quickly became one of my favorite characters. I was grateful Anna got some semblance of a happy ending. The atmosphere continued to be suspenseful and f I felt like the pace was quicker this time. I really loved the different types of witch magic and how the voodoo was portrayed. The ending was chaos but it’s fitting for this Halloween read of mine for them to have to go to hell. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – Death Warden (MC Syndicates 2) by Debbie Cassidy

Everything I’ve read by Debbie Cassidy so far has been well put together and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was excited to try this necromancer, motorcycle club, urban fantasy story. This was a standalone novel amidst a series by different authors set inside the MC Syndicates universe. I loved, Adi, the witch heroine and her relationship with her mates, Logan (hellhound), Spectre (hellhound) and Curos (lich). Normally it’s hard to balance multiple relationships in one book but I thought Cassidy accomplishes well-rounded personalities and relationships of everyone involved. I also felt that the plot and action balanced with the relationship aspect of the story. The tone remained suspenseful, and that ending hit me right in the feels. I loved the way the motorcycles interacted with the club members. I loved everything about this and recommend giving this a try. (4/5 rating)

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Book Review – The Dead Ringer by Michaela Haze

This story centers around a nightmare demon forced to survive working for a fae after her unit in Hell was killed. I was excited for the premise of this book and the chance to try something from this author for the first time. I’m sad this is standalone since I loved this world and its characters. Haze developed better characters in this standalone than others I have seen in multiple book series. I loved everything about this, and this quickly became a favorite book. I’m anxious to read all the books that Michaela Haze has published, since they will likely become favorites too.
The writing style and plot pulled me into this standalone book. Haze kept the tone suspenseful but funny as Mara’s nature kept me laughing and rooting for her to succeed. I think it’s safe to say that Mara has become one of my favorite demon stories so far. I loved learning about her nightmare nature. Her commanding officer, Warren, was her polar opposite with his commanding and serious demeanor. Her colleagues of Team P, Remi, Jae, Hart, and Hugo don’t initially know that Mara is undercover and hiding in the body their colleague, Frankie. Warren enlists Mara’s help from her boss after Frankie’s unit is killed suspiciously. With the possibility of a betrayer in their midst, Warren brings the vision of Frankie back to their compound to flush out the killer. (5/5 rating)

Book Review – Angels’ Blood (Guild Hunter 1) by Nalini Singh

This was my second series by Nalini Singh. Vampire hunter, Elena Deveraux, calls New York City her home. That home also belongs to Archangel Raphael. Forced to work with him to bring a rogue Archangel to heel, Elena must remain on guard as her list of enemies grows rapidly and includes her traitorous heart. I struggled to rate this one, since my expectations were high, and this fell a bit flat for me in places. Singh created a suspenseful but stunning atmosphere in this version of New York. I enjoyed Elena as a strong, fighting female. Raphael was a beautifully flawed character, but I was frustrated with how much information he withheld from Elena until the end. I also struggled with Dimitri’s character arc and where it stands at the end. I liked this book’s version of how vampires are created. The plot moved quickly, but the romance aspect felt stalled. I likely need to read book 2 to see how some of these issues are resolved. (3/5 rating)

Book Review – Chaotic (Arcane Mage 1) by T.S. Snow

Checked out with kindle unlimited, March 2023. Charisma is a magical engineer who just graduated from her magical academy on her own. After her family kicked her out at 18 for not possessing enough magic to be the magical heir of their house. She uses her gift for magical technology to pay her way through school. Once she finally graduates all the magical houses want to enlist her services, casting her carefully planned life out the window. I appreciated the magical system of this story. The plot was convincing, and her array of characters kept me reading until the end. Her writing style had me engrossed from the first chapter. I liked Charisma and her mission to stand on her own two feet. I didn’t care for Logan and his attitude towards anyone else. I’m curious to uncover his true motives for many of the things he does. I’m still trying to decide if I like the rest of her love interests or not. This would be considered a slow burn from the romance side of the fence. The ending made left me frustrated with the four of them. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – Newly Undead In Dark River (Dark River Days 1) by Grace McGinty

I was excited for this urban fantasy vampire novel from new-to-me author, Grace McGinty. Mika McKellen’s Canadian backpacking trip must be delayed after she wakes under the of the road, with no memory of how she got there. The town of Dark River must become her new refuge after Mika learns she’s a vampire too. I love the way this vampire world presents their power hierarchy and way of life. At times, Mika annoys me with her actions, however she also learns to take advantage of her new lease on undead life. I enjoyed watching her fight back against anyone trying to hold her back and grow into the woman she always wanted to become. The pace felt a bit slow but with the plot, they set up the betrayal cliffhanger nicely at the end. Her cast of characters were engaging, and the Sherriff vampire was my favorite. I am eager to continue this series as well as the shapeshifter series also set in this universe. (4/5 rating)