His Guilty Pleasure (Montgomery Ink Legacy #11) by Carrie Ann Ryan

 

 

Blurb:

There were two rules in our relationship:

We remain friends with the benefits.
And we don’t catch feelings.

Only I made a mistake. I started to fall for Dash Montgomery.

Now our secret physical-only time together is done, and we have to see if we can keep our promises.
He needs to move on. And I need to focus on my business and friends.

Yet when an attack happens close to home, Dash steps up and changes the game. I don’t want to fall for him and yet I know there’s no walking away from this. Not when he puts himself on the line and I finally can give in.

Everyone I’ve ever loved, save one, has walked away from me, leaving the shattered remnants of who I once was behind. If I don’t find a way to trust Dash—as well as my heart—the darkness stalking us both won’t be the only thing that breaks us.

 

My review:

Dash and Aly are “friends with benefits” who’ve agreed not to “catch feelings” but then they do. Watching these two get over themselves to find that they’re perfect for each other will have you shouting out loud and sighing with relief. Another fantastic read from Carrie Ann Ryan.

 

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Down, Boy (Iron Creek K9 Book 2) by Annie Carlisle

 

 

Blurb:

Cash Mercer speaks maybe nine words a day and considers most of them optional. Georgia arrived at Iron Creek with something to prove, a past she doesn’t discuss, and a talent for making the quietest Mercer spend his entire word budget arguing with her.

He’s her instructor. She’s his best trainee. The county opened a betting line by week two.

But somebody is tampering with Iron Creek’s contracts from the inside, Georgia’s history is the kind that follows a woman, and the dog who won’t perform his best trick is grieving a name nobody says out loud. Falling for each other is easy. Saying it — in a family where feelings are conducted via casserole — is war.

Opposites attract, forced proximity, a hero whose silence is a whole language, and a heroine who becomes the county’s first female field operative. Laugh-out-loud, cry-into-the-dog scenes, scorching heat, complete HEA. Reads as a standalone; hits harder in order.

 

My review:

Cash and Georgia will make you laugh and swoon. Cash is man of few words but he is always there for you when you need. Georgia has more than enough words for them both. And Havoc retired working dog has enough feelings to bring them both to the table. A fun addition to the series. Bring on Grady’s story.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

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Paranormal Crimes Unit by Joe Gillis

 

 

Blurb:

In a world where vampires are real, the deadliest monsters wear lab coats.

Detective Sam Kane has spent six years successfully avoiding supernatural cases in a world where vampires work the night shift and werewolves join the K-9 unit. He investigates embezzlement, not monsters. Numbers don't bite, and spreadsheets don't require silver-lined evidence bags.

But when his star witness is found dead with two tiny marks on his neck—and a trail leading to a discount vampire transformation ring preying on the terminally ill—Kane's forced into the one division he's avoided: the Paranormal Crimes Unit.

Now partnered with a vampire detective and a werewolf with a forensics degree, Kane discovers a conspiracy that's been killing desperate people since supernatural integration began. Someone's been selling death at bargain prices, and the body count is rising.

As Kane navigates a bureaucratic nightmare of supernatural evidence protocols, species-specific Miranda rights, and a forty-hour sensitivity training he's desperately trying to avoid, he uncovers a truth more terrifying than any vampire: Sometimes the real monsters are the ones selling hope to the hopeless.

The investigation will cost him everything. His witness is already dead. And murder has never been more profitable.

Series Note: Paranormal Crimes Unit is a darkly funny supernatural police procedural that asks: What if the biggest challenge in solving supernatural crimes isn't the monsters—it's the bureaucracy?

My review:

No matter how weird the world gets it’s the paperwork that will bury you. For six years (since the paranormal creatures came out) Detective Sam Kane has avoided dealing with the Paranormal Crimes Unit. Now his star witness has been killed by what appears to be a botched vampire transition. So much for sitting safely in the Financial Crimes Unit. This case will take us into the Paranormal Crimes Unit with its quirky characters, stupid rules and endless paperwork that seems to change on the daily. Through grit and determination Sam and his new partners take a huge bite out of a frightening paranormal crime ring but there is still more out there and I look forward to seeing how Sam integrates into the Paranormal Crimes Unit.

 

Buy links:

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Begonias and Blood (The Botanicum Book 2) by Evangeline Hunter

 

 

Blurb:

Four deadly trials. One forced marriage. No way out.

My name is Anastasia Ashwood. I run The Botanicum, a magical flower shop in New York City, and I am also a dryad, a retired assassin, and a fugitive from Sentinel Security Group.

When my floral designer, Sophie Hartwell, is kidnapped by the powerful witch coven she fled, I follow her to Pittsburgh and discover that her uncle intends to force her through four deadly elemental trials before marrying her and taking control of her family’s bloodline.

If we fail, we die. If we succeed, Sophie will be forced to marry her uncle and bear the child he intends to use to secure his rule.

Now I have to keep Sophie alive, rescue my judgmental telepathic cat, and find a way to escape before victory becomes a fate worse than death.

 

My review:

Begonias and Blood begins where Roses and Ruin left off. Sophie is under attack.  Her past has come to reclaim her and she doesn’t want to go. When she is taken against her will Anastasia and Mochi are determined to get her back. This is a fast-paced magic filled adventure that will keep you on your toes and holding your breath. Can’t wait for the next installment.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

A Visitor’s Guide to Guarded Vampires (Ravenslight Creek #1) by Rebecca Arden

 

A Visitor’s Guide to Guarded Vampires (Ravenslight Creek #1) by Rebecca Arden

 

Blurb:

Ellery runs to Alaska to figure out what she wants. Too bad nobody mentioned her new boss is grumpy, gorgeous, and technically dead.

Twenty-four years of being the perfect daughter ends with one explosive fight, three thousand miles, and a taxi driver named Gary who drops her in the entirely wrong town. Stranded, with a broken suitcase and seven dollars, she takes the first job she’s ever chosen for herself. Falling for the locals is not on the itinerary.

Nick would like it noted, for the record, that he did not sign up for any of this. He didn't ask to be a vampire. He didn't ask to inherit his dead father's tour company, or the interspecies pact that chains him to Ravenslight Creek for the rest of his long life. And he definitely didn't ask to hire some city girl in an impractical coat (that part was his meddling mother).

But stuck together, night after night under the northern lights, something shifts. For the first time in her life, Ellery feels seen. And Nick, who gave up on wanting anything, starts to want her. Badly.

When something with teeth comes hunting too close to town, too close to Ellery, Nick is forced to show her exactly what he is, and pray she doesn't run screaming back to New York.

But Ellery doesn’t run, she’s got questions. Lots of them. Which is a problem – because Ravenslight Creek has a way of dealing with outsiders who learn too much.

He can't leave.

She was never supposed to stay.

Neither of them counted on the town having a say.

A slow-burn, cozy paranormal romance under the Alaskan northern lights.

 

My review:

My kind of romance. Ellery is smart but entrapped by familial expectations. She runs to Alaska to escape. Nick too is entrapped but he can’t leave and he is resigned to that fact but it doesn’t make him the happiest of tour guides. With a little matchmaking on his mother’s part these two eventually figure it out. This is a slow burn, entertaining vampire romance that will leave you smiling and with a couple of questions I need answered. Maybe in the next book.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

 

Bite Me (Demon Underground #1) by Parker Blue

 

Blurb:

Part human, part succubus, and one hundred percent done taking crap from anyone.

Eighteen-year-old Val Shapiro has problems most teenagers don’t. Her dad was an incubus, her human mom can’t stand her demon side, and her only real friend is a snarky telepathic hellhound named Fang. (No, really. A hellhound. He sheds.) When she gets kicked out of the family and thrown into San Antonio’s supernatural underworld, Val does the only thing that makes sense: she becomes a vampire slayer.

But keeping her succubus under control while hunting things that go bump in the night is harder than it sounds—especially when every fight risks letting the demon out for good. And in a world that already sees her as a monster, losing that battle might just prove everyone right.

 

My review:

Bite Me is the first in a new to me Urban Fantasy. Val is a sharp character, Fang will make you laugh and Dan will make you swoon. I really enjoyed this one and am starting the next installment now.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

Kid Gloves by Annie Carlisle

 

Blurb:

Wade Mercer gave up his career to save the family ranch, and he runs it like control is a love language. The last thing he needs is the new neighbor — a whip-smart auditor with an underwater mortgage, a herd of opinionated goats, and a habit of being right — turning his operation, and his blood pressure, upside down.

Then the fire marshal says arson. And the whole county starts whispering her name.

Wade knows exactly one thing for certain: Delaney didn’t do it. Proving it means staking the ranch’s biggest contract — and his own carefully fenced heart — on the woman who has been dismantling both since the day she moved in.

 

My review:

Hilarious start to a new series. Each can be read stand alone. This is a terrific story about a by the book contractor and an smart, opinionated, tough as nails subcontractor. They’ve both got issues but proximity and a cast of quirky characters will make them see they’re perfect for each other while keeping you snickering out loud.

 

Buy links:

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Golem for Broke (Mad Queens Inc. Book 1) by Deborah Wilde

 

Golem for Broke (Mad Queens Inc. Book 1) by Deborah Wilde

 

Blurb:

Surviving your forties requires coffee, good friends, and a morally flexible relationship with illegal magic.

Tovah Silver runs Mad Queens Inc., an unlicensed magical problem-solving agency with her three best friends. They've built their reputation on grit, loopholes, and unrepentant competence, ignoring those who think their perimenopausal magic tops out at party tricks.

They’re wrong but correcting them would be a felony. Every one of the Queens has a forbidden second magic buried deep—until an assassin golem forces Tovah to unleash hers.

She thinks she got away with it. Then Nikolai Azarov shows up.

Vancouver’s only golem maker would call her story creative if he wasn’t too busy calling BS. Worse, once he figures out what she actually did to that golem, he doesn’t turn her in. He names his price.

Now Tovah must honor a dangerous bargain with a man who’s already insufferable without leverage, outmaneuver the magic cops circling her agency, and hunt down whoever left a hand-delivered clay effigy on her bed.

Middle age isn't a crisis. It's a weapon.

Perfect for fans of paranormal women’s fiction, slow-burn romance with banter, and found family who’d help you hide a body.

 

My review:

Fun, fascinating, full bodied characters will keep you laughing and gasping in this first in an exciting new series by Deborah Wilde. Filled with the authors offbeat sense of humor and featuring a healthy friendship between four women this tale will take you into a world of magic and intrigue. I LOVED IT. I look forward to the next installment with a lust usually reserved for chocolate oranges.

 

Buy links:

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Promise (Men of Inked Sinners #6) by Chelle Bliss

 

 

Blurb:

What happens in Vegas sometimes follows you forever.

Amelia Gallo wasn’t known for being wild. She spends her days working in her family’s bakery and her nights catching up on sleep. Average should’ve been her middle name. But when her friends drag her to a girl’s weekend in Vegas everything spirals out of control.

After a drunken game of truth or dare, Amelia wakes up with a hangover and a wedding ring on her finger. But Amelia has no memories of the ceremony and neither does the hunky, shirtless cowboy lying next to her.

Reed Anderson’s a cowboy who works too much. He’s too busy on his family’s ranch to have much time for anything else, including fun or dating. But when his friends drag him to a guy’s weekend in Vegas, his entire world shifts. Reed marries a stranger and has zero memories of the entire thing.

A quickie marriage can be solved with a quickie divorce. Problem solved. But when he goes to Chicago to hand deliver the paperwork to the city girl who’s now his wife, he finds out she has an even bigger surprise for him.

And what starts out as an ending turns into ‘my wife’ in an instant.

 

My review:

City girl and country boy meet in Vegas and spend some quality time being wild with each other. When that wild turns into a drunken wedding things get a little crazy. But what if…

This is a sweet and steamy romp that will have you laughing out loud and rooting for love.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

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Double Booked by Piper Strickland

 

 

Blurb:

Take Care of my Babygirl

That was the message Maci Kate's Daddy had left for his two best friends after cancer took him from their lives.

Tifton and Malice know they've been given a gift, and a great responsibility, but with their best friends and former MMA brothers, they all step up to help Maci rebuild the pieces of her life and show her she's not alone as she may feel.

Determined to build something beautiful from the pain, Maci Kate decides to open a kink-themed bed and breakfast in her husband’s honor. But during the renovations, something unexpected happens.

Maci Kate, Tifton and Malice realize their friendship has grown into something deeper and they all have to come to terms with their new feelings, the guilt over their happiness, and the idea that the future looks a little different than any of them expected.

And much like the doors on the bed and breakfast, their hearts are ready to open again.

 

My review:

Cole was Maci’s husband and heart. But when he passes away she is lost in grief. Cole asked his best friends to help her through his loss. I really felt for them all and was thrilled when they found their way to love again. Maci is much stronger than she thinks and their healing journey will fill your heart.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

 

Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms by Lindsey Devin

 

Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms by Lindsey Devin

 

Blurb:

Rafe Virelli has spent his whole life watching his family's history disappear piece by piece — sold, stolen, and scattered across a city that doesn't know or care what it's holding. He's down to one missing relic and no leads, until his law firm's intern shows up wearing it.

Quinn Bradley didn't mean to become the reason a half-dragon shifter starts showing up at her office. She definitely didn't mean to negotiate her way onto his case, get pulled into rigged auctions and museum standoffs, or end up in the middle of an actual heist when a rival collector decides Rafe's family relics are worth killing for.

She just wanted a law degree and a dog with a stable temperament. Instead she got a client who fixes her door locks at midnight, a dragon who'd burn down a mansion for her, and a front-row seat to exactly how far someone will go to protect what's left of their family.

The relics can be replaced. This can't.

 

My review:

Sweet, slow-burn, with some quirky side characters and some laugh out loud moments make this a fun read. Retired service dog Max steals the show. Highly recommend.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

Uncertain (G.R.I.T.S., Love & The Paranormal) by Jan Mau Hill

 

 

Blurb:

Halloween Hauntings & Exasperating Exes

Petra Rushmore, knows what it’s like to have destiny thrust upon you. Like 50 years ago, when she unexpectantly became a Vampire. Now she’s a pro at crafting white lies. None question her Russian accent or that Belgravia is a suburb of London, not Moscow.

Done pretending to have a fulfilling life, Petra draws a card from an enchanted tarot deck. The High Priestess, offers her the ability to make peace with her past and find true love through helping others.

When the Halloween party caterer dies in her arms, he asks her to warn his brother, Gil Maddox. He’s Petra’s Warlock ex who dumped her for perpetually lying. Doing the right thing feels decidedly overrated.

The only certainty in life, is that it’s Uncertain.

 

My review:

Petra is a vampire of many talents. In this tale Petra gets assistance from The High Priestess of an enchanted tarot deck. She works with her ex to solve the murder of his brother and perhaps they may get a second chance at love.  This is a brilliant, fast-paced tale that kept me flipping pages and rooting for Petra.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

Bear My Heart (Virtue Shifters) by Zoe Chant

 

Blurb:

Return to the small town of Virtue, New York with the sweet, charming Bear My Heart, a standalone romance with a guaranteed HEA that’s sure to win reader hearts!

Shy, responsible nurse Shanti wants nothing more than to get out of Virtue someday, though without a destination in mind, she’s sure she’ll end up right back where she started. That doesn’t stop her from spending long days watching the new rail line come in, or dreaming about what might be.

Alaskan-born rail worker and grizzly shifter Peter has heard that Virtue is a shifter sanctuary town, and has fond hopes of meeting his fated mate there—but he doesn’t expect to literally walk into her at the train station. It’s instantly clear to him that while they’re meant to be together forever, Shanti isn’t the kind of woman to leap into forever without hesitation, but the days they spend exploring the town and getting to know each other are more of a dream come true than Pete could have ever imagined.

And best of all, their slow-burn courtship gives them each time to consider what they really want, and how they might best complement each other. As Shanti comes out of her shell, Pete begins to understand what he was missing in life—and when opportunities arise for them to build a brand new future together, Shanti and Peter are all in!

 

My review:

Sweet, slow burn, heart warming story. A tale of two small town characters and their very different small towns. I love Shanti and Peter and enjoyed their path to love.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

Vampire Detective Agency: First Bite by Ross Weisfish

 

 

Blurb:

"Dinner is always just around the corner when you’re a vampire."

Dumped. Fired. Soon to be homeless. The universe wasn't done with Larry yet. On the way home he crashes his bicycle in Central Park. The smell of his blood puts him in the crosshairs of New York City's most feared vampire.

Veronica wasn’t looking for a meal. Her rolodex is filled with willing donors, but something about the delicious smell sets her fangs dripping. When her impromptu meal plans are interrupted by a group of vampire hunters — dinner becomes her savior when Larry stops one of the hunters from staking her.

With targets on their backs, there’s no hope of seeing tomorrow unless they work together. Survival requires Veronica to reopen old wounds and Larry to let go of his past. Tracking down and stopping these hunters will require the once unthinkable, reopening the Vampire Detective Agency.

 

My review:

Vampire Detective Agency: First Bite by Ross Weisfish is a fun first installment of a new trilogy. This is not your normal vampire book. Our main characters, so far, are a powerful female vampire, a luckless human with some very special blood, a misogynistic vampire detective, a zombie housekeeper and an assortment of hapless vampire hunters. I’ve enjoyed this romp so far and really look forward to the next installment.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

 

Tiffanie (Daddies Of Ferguson's Folly 2) by Pepper North

  

Blurb:

Tiffanie Clarke’s world has looked bleak for a while. When illness forces her to close her design business and go to live with her brother, she jumps at the opportunity to use her talents at the newly opened event location at Ferguson’s Folly. Who expected a hot library director to give her a second look?

Phineas Greene learns a lot about people based on the books they choose. Taking a chance to confirm his suspicions, he recommends a Daddy book to the enchanting woman he spotted at Essie and Zander’s engagement party. When she accepts, he knows she’s the one he has hoped to find. Now he has to convince her to trust that he understands in sickness and in health isn’t a hollow vow.

Ferguson’s Folly has a way of arranging things with a little help from an eagle-eyed housekeeper, a pair of reunited ghostly lovers, and one very opinionated orange tomcat.
A steamy, feel-good romance about repurposing an estate, fairy lights, and an unexpected love when you need it most.

 

My review:

Have you read Essie (Daddies Of Ferguson's Folly 1) by Pepper North? If not I highly recommend going back and reading it before taking on Tiffanie’s tale.

Tiffanie is not your typical romance heroine. She’s battling a life-threatening disease. I love that our hero, Phineas, is a librarian. These two will make your heart smile.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

 

Together in Darkness (A Metal Embers Novella) by Vanessa Rose

 

Blurb:

Some wounds never heal. For Abel Sharp, the demons never silence. The screams are a constant reminder of all the mistakes he has made. She's gone, and the reminders are everywhere. Even after a decade, the pain feels as fresh as that first night. Lost in thought, he finds himself outside of a club doing an open mic night, and he can't help but take a turn. However, his volatile mood sends him into a fury when an impatient patron says one too many snide remarks. Well, it isn't the first time he's gone to jail.

Teresa has never seen someone so beautiful and intense. The agony in his song makes her want to chase him and discover his secrets. As crazy as it may be, she follows him to the jail to bail him out. She has no way of knowing how broken he really is, and her heart doesn't seem to care. His story fascinates her, and she aches to ease some of the pain he carries.

Can he see past his darkness to find love again, and can she love a man chasing a ghost?

 

My review:

OMG! She’s done it again. This author plays with my heart and emotions as if I have nothing better to do than cry for her imaginary characters. In this installment we find out how Able and Teresa get together and find a different kind of love. Not the grand all encompassing love he had with Alanna but a softer quieter love. Another incredible entry in the Metal Embers saga.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

Moonlight Mingle by K.R. Hall

 

 

Blurb:

College senior Clare Bennett finds herself at a bonfire in Gettysburg, PA, surrounded by friends and the eerie tales of the Headless Fiend. But when her friends dared her to go on a blind date to the Halloween party with someone dressed as the infamous legend, Clare never expected actually to encounter the real thing.


The Headless Fiend, known for taking the souls of the dying to Hell, arrives at the Halloween party to collect a soul. But when he sees Clare, he is immediately transfixed by her pure soul. He can't help but be drawn to her, even though he knows he shouldn't interfere with the natural order of things.


Unaware of the danger she's in, Clare mistakes the real Headless Fiend for her blind date. And as their night together progresses, she begins to realize that there may be more to this mysterious figure than meets the eye.

 

My review:

Moonlight Mingle is an interesting take on the Headless Horseman story. This is a short steamy tale guaranteed to warm up your Halloween.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

 

 

Justified Escape (A TFH short) by Melissa Schroeder

 

 

Blurb:

This book was included in SASS Devious Delectable Decades charity anthology. You can download it for free from Melissa's Newsletter starting on September 9th.


Seth Meyers and Autumn Bradford have been together for close to a year, and Seth has learned to go with the flow when it comes to his fiancée. When she suggests a quick trip to Vegas for fun, he jumps at the chance for some downtime with the love of his life.

The only problem is once they land in Sin City, they're dodging bullets and nutjobs. But even if they survive, Autumn has plans that not only throw Seth for a loop, but also surprise neither of them saw coming.

Author Note: Yep, Autumn is at it again, keeping secrets from her man, but they are the best kind. There are surprises all around, some gin loood and some bad, but they are infinitely entertaining. As always, you'll need lots of ice water and towels. I mean...it is Sin City, and these two know how to celebrate that in style.

 

My review:

Autumn is in love and ready to be married to former SEAL and TFH Beta team leader Seth Meyers. She has decided to speed things up with a surprise Vegas wedding. Crazy, happy things happen and they get their version of a hea. A fun episode.

 

 

Fangs, Fur & Murder (Detective Eve Sinclair 1) by Elishevah Monrad

 

Blurb:

In a future where Paranormals co-exist with humans under a World Treaty, Detective Eve Sinclair heads the New York City Paranormal Police Squad.

When a claw-marked body is discovered, her Alpha Werewolf boyfriend, Jake Monroe, is accused of the murder. With a war brewing between Packs, Eve must get him out of jail and clear his name. And there's only one person she can turn to for help.

Micah Saint James is the Vampire who saved her life and broke her heart. Seeing him after seven years brings up feelings she’s been running from ever since.

The price for his assistance: One dinner. Then Eve never has to see him again. But when it’s interrupted by a second murder, the stakes are raised as Micah becomes entangled in the investigation.

As they hunt for a Paranormal serial killer, emotions and temperatures rise, and Eve is forced to question whether her feelings for Micah are as buried as she’d hoped, and if her relationship with Jake is as solid as she thought. Caught between feelings for a Werewolf and a Vampire, can she solve the murders before the killer strikes again?

There's a monster to be captured even as her carefully constructed life unravels. But it’s not only Eve’s past that refuses to remain buried.

 

My review:

Detective Eve Sinclair is young, smart and secure in her own skin. When her alpha werewolf boyfriend is arrested for a murder he didn’t commit Eve goes to the master vampire who saved her then broke her heart to bail him out setting her up to be emotionally torn between the two. Her heart doesn’t have time for their games as there is a paranormal serial killer on the loose and it’s her job to find and stop the killer.

This is a fast paced exciting paranormal murder mystery that will keep you guessing. I hate that this ended on a cliffhanger but can’t wait to see what happens next.

 

 

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

 

Until She Dies (Noelle Marshall Book 3) by Kendra Elliot

 

 

Blurb:

Detective Noelle Marshall and FBI Agent Max Rhodes unearth bodies and secrets as they become targets of a serial killer in a chilling novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

When a search dog locates a mass burial ground in the Oregon forest, Detective Noelle Marshall is plunged into a hunt for a killer who’s hiding in plain sight. The key to her case lies in a decades-old secret: a lone survivor who escaped and is still out there, living in fear. The murderer is a phantom who left behind a collection of victims with nothing in common but their final resting place.

As pressure mounts to identify the bodies and find the killer, the investigation draws in FBI Agent Max Rhodes—Noelle’s partner in work and in life. They’ve hunted monsters before, but this one has spent years preparing for this moment, and he craves revenge. As the search narrows and the clock tightens, Noelle and Max must confront a predator who knows the terrain—and their weaknesses—better than they do.

 

My review:

Until She Dies is a breakneck paced multiple mystery that will leave you breathless. Noelle and Max are up to the task but it will pull them in several directions and involve multiple agencies. This one hits close to home. Strap in and enjoy.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

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The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary (Starling Island #1) by Jessica Thorne

 

The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary (Starling Island #1) by Jessica Thorne

 

Blurb:

✨ Every lost soul can find a home on Starling Island… ✨

When apothecary Portia Starling clashes with the Academy, she knows exactly how it will end. With her family’s notorious reputation, someone has to take the blame ­– and it’s going to be her. So, reluctantly, she retreats to Starling Island – a place she hasn't considered home in years – to await news of her future.

Noah Turner has always dreamed of travelling north to study the great dragons of Elanholm. However, as a vet with no magic, funding his research feels impossible. But when an opportunity arises to help at Iris Starling’s dragon sanctuary, he can’t afford to turn it down. If he can prove himself there, he might finally reach his dream.

Portia and Noah immediately dislike one another. Noah assumes Portia is an entitled Academy poser, collecting dragons as a trend, while Portia finds him bossy and overbearing. But with the lives of the poor, sickly rescue dragons on the line, can they see past their differences?

 

My review:

Magic rules in this exciting first in a series. This fun fantasy revolves around dragons, teacup dragons, magic and sadly politics academic and otherwise. I fell head over heels for Portia and the other denizens of Starling Island. Portia isn’t perfect but she is smart, driven and real. The teacup dragons are adorable and Noah is redeemable. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and look forward to more adventures in this world.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

 

 

Roses and Ruin (The Botanicum 1) by Evangeline Hunter

 

 

Blurb:

Never trust a woman who knows both wedding flowers and where to hide a corpse.

My name is Anastasia Ashwood. I run The Botanicum, a magical flower shop in New York City, where the roses bite, the orchids judge, and the customers occasionally breathe fire. I’m also a dryad, a retired assassin, and a fugitive from Sentinel Security Group, the organization that trained me, betrayed me, and murdered everyone I loved. One day, I will bring Sentinel down and kill their leader, Isaiah White.

In the meantime, I am trying to keep my shop alive, stay hidden, and pretend wedding flowers are the most dangerous thing on my schedule. Then a high-profile supernatural wedding turns into a murder scene when I find a cleaning woman dead in the bridal suite, killed by a professional assassin.

Now I have to solve the murder, protect my shop, deal with a judgmental telepathic cat who may or may not have adopted me, and follow the first real lead to Sentinel I have had in a year.

Unfortunately, sexy incubus Detective Julian Blake is watching my every move, and if he discovers what I really am, the killer may be the least of my problems.

 

My review:

A wonderfully fast paced urban fantasy that will have you flipping pages faster than a cop eating a donut. Anastasia, Sophie and Mochi are a triple threat of brains, talent and snark. This story left me wanting more. Can’t wait for their next adventure.

Buy links:

Amazon

Bookish Girl’s Emergency Contact Is a Lycan King by Elara Hazeby & KA Iris

 

Bookish Girl’s Emergency Contact Is a Lycan King by Elara Hazeby & KA Iris

 

Blurb:

I put down the wrong number as my emergency contact,
and it summoned a 300-year-old Lycan wolf shifter to my hospital bed.

Now he acts like I already belong to him, and growling that I’m his fated mate.

I’m an anxious bookshop owner with panic attacks and a questionable addiction to spicy romance novels.

The last thing I needed was a brooding alpha alphabetizing my chaotic shelf, and laminating my anxiety checklists.

I called him pretty. To be fair, I was concussed.

Orion Halloran is built like a mountain, unbearably controlled, and certain I’m his.

He kisses like he's memorized me. Growls my name when I come apart under his mouth.

But his pack has ancient rules. A human can't be queen.

He thinks I'm worth fighting for. And for the first time in my life, it feels like someone understands me.

Maybe it's time I let him prove it.

 

My review:

I bought this book because of the title and the cover. I was pleasantly surprised that the story did them justice. Two neurodivergent beings finding love with someone who “gets” them. A delightful tale of love and acceptance.

Buy link:

Amazon

 

Pretend it's Forever (The Cage Family #5) by Carrie Ann Ryan

 

Blurb:

Sophia Cage doesn’t need a protector—she needs a night to pretend her world didn’t splinter. After her world burned, she found herself a single mom, a struggling dance studio owner, and unable to do the one thing that had brought her out of the darkness.

Dance.

When Carson walks into her life, all she can see is the broken person she’d been when they’d first met. She’s stronger than the ghosts of her past, at least that’s what she tells herself. Yet with each accidental encounter with the mysterious and dangerous man who’s inserted himself into the Cage family orbit, she’s finding it harder to walk away.

Carson Woods doesn’t trust people. He’s spent his life protecting his sister from their family and the world all while making sure his businesses are the best in their fields.

Then he meets her.

One wrong move with the shattered yet pieced together Sophia could not only fracture his working relationship with the only friends he has but harm the woman he tells himself he cannot crave.

 

My review:

Sophia is so strong. She’s survived the cutthroat world of professional ballerinas, the mess her fathers death left between two families and her own disastrous marriage. But the fates aren’t done with her yet.

Carson doesn’t believe in a lasting love. Despite his sister falling in love and several of friends in loving and committed relationships but after his parents loveless marriage he is convinced love is not for him. But Sophia makes him wish that maybe it could be.

Carson and Sophia are not perfect but they are perfect for each other.

 

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N