#Review - A Skirl of Sorcery by Helen Harper #Contemporary #Fantasy

Series: The Cat Lady Chronicles # 3
Format: 274 pages, Kindle Edition
Release Date: October 13, 2025
Publisher: Helen Harper
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Death has a new address—and it’s Kit McCafferty’s.

When Kit offers a room to a powerless ban sith who has lost her magic, she sets off a chain reaction across Coldstream’s supernatural streets. Her neighbors are panicking. Dangerous werewolves are on the prowl. And Kit finds herself trying to solve several desperate problems all at once.

Kit knows the world’s a messy place, especially when magic’s involved. But this reeks of something dark and nasty. She’s paws deep - and there’s every chance that Thane, the copper-haired werewolf who stirs Kit’s heart, will become collateral damage.

Her house is full of cats, and her city is full of monsters ... fortunately, Kit McCafferty is one of them.

A Skirl of Sorcery is the third installment in author Helen Harper's The Cat Lady Chronicles. This novel continues the adventures of Kit McCafferty, a retired cat-sith assassin who's traded her deadly past for a quieter life in the quirky supernatural enclave of Coldstream. Kit somehow always finds a way to get into trouble, and this time around, trouble ends up living in her house thanks to a bargain she made with Mallory, a powerful witch. 

Kit's retirement dreams are once again upended tarts as an act of compassion by taking in a ban sith (death spirit) spirals into a web of interconnected crises: valuable artifacts vanishing from homes, a werewolf pack reeling from the loss of their alpha, and whispers of a shadowy force draining magic from the supernatural community. As Coldstream's self-appointed guardian, Kit rallies her unlikely allies—including a boisterous wolf shifter named Thane Barrow, and, of course, her cadre of opinionated cats—to unravel the chaos. 

Harper keeps the pace taut, layering clues and red herrings with the finesse of a cozy mystery, all while grounding the fantastical elements in relatable, everyday stakes like nosy neighbors and lost pets. Kit's cats aren't mere props; they're fully fleshed-out characters with distinct personalities—Tiddles the enigmatic tabby, for instance, steals scenes with his sly interventions and budding bromance with Thane. 

The mystery element is a standout, blending procedural detective work with magical forensics. However, the most intriguing bit of information is about Thane, and what really happened 27 years ago that forced him into being abandoned by his pack, and why he has no memories of the night it went all wrong for him. Lastly, there is a bit of romantic tension in this story between Kit and Thane that has not truly found an ending. Kit has claimed she is too independent to be bothered with a relationship, or marriage, and Thane just learned a heartbreaking truth about his own family. 

The author stated that this is not the final book in the series, that Kit will return in 2026. I shall be waiting for the next installment.

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#Review - Ride or Die by Hailey Edwards #Contemporary #Fantasy

Series: The Body Shop # 5
Format: 241 pages, Kindle Edition
Release Date: September 16, 2025
Publisher: Black Dog Books
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy 

Kierce sacrificed himself to save Frankie, and now it’s her turn to rescue him. Whether he wants her to or not. That means venturing into Abaddon, the land of the dead, and hoping she can locate him within its shadowed depths before Dis Pater notices his favorite toy is missing. But Dis Pater isn’t the only deity she has to fear. Frankie’s father has learned of her journey down to his domain, and he won’t take no for an answer when he welcomes her into his home. As if one MIA parent materializing wasn’t bad enough, her mother arrives with her own emotional baggage in hand. Forget the perils of traversing the underworld. Navigating this family reunion just might be what kills her.

Ride or Die is the 5th and final installment in author Hailey Edwards' The Body Shop series. If you've been riding shotgun with Frankie and her ragtag family of survivors since Fair Market Value, this book is the high-octane payoff you've been craving. For newcomers, it's a solid entry point—though I'd urge starting from the beginning to fully appreciate the layered lore—but be warned: the emotional investment runs deep. At its core, Ride or Die picks up right where Cheater Slicks left us dangling on a knife's edge. 

Frankie, the fierce, no-nonsense protagonist who's clawed her way from a childhood in a notorious "house of horrors" to become a force of nature after returning from the dead, and learning that she's not exactly human any longer. Kierce, her enigmatic love interest and reluctant hero, has made a devastating sacrifice to protect her, thrusting Frankie into the treacherous depths of Abaddon—the realm of the dead. 

What follows is a high-stakes rescue operation laced with divine interference, as Frankie navigates not just eldritch horrors and godly egos, but the messy, baggage-laden reappearances of her long-lost parents. Here Frankie meets the man who created her, Ithas, a deity of terrifying whims, who demands a family reunion on his terms, while her mother's arrival dredges up old wounds that cut even deeper than any underworld blade. Forget the literal perils of the afterlife; it's the emotional minefield of fractured familial bonds that threatens to unravel Frankie completely. 

There's a sense of cosmic scale here, with gods clashing and ancient magics unfurling, but it's grounded in the personal: Frankie's unyielding determination to save those she loves, even when they push her away. The found family dynamic, a thread running through the entire series, shines brightest in this finale, as Frankie's adopted siblings (the wryly named "Mary's" Matty, and Josie) rally with loyalty that's equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, along with Carter, Harrow, and Anunit who has stuck by Frankie's side ever since Frankie agreed to become guardian of bones from the long dead. 

Adding Lucia Silva to the story was a good idea. It gave context into Frankie's life and their shared goals align when the time is right to fight for their lives against powerful Gods who want to use Frankie as their pawn. My rating is based on how quickly things wrapped up. I would have loved a bit more of a challenge and less predictability. Also, every character who has been in this series from the first book takes a curtain call. That means Frankie, Kierce, Josie, Carter, Matty, Keisha, Harrow, Aretha, Badb, Jen-Claude, Vi, and Rollo, as well as Pascal, Pedro, Paco, and the Buckley Boys. 

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#Review - The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong #Horror #Thriller

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Horror / Thrillers / Supernatural

When Samantha Payne’s grandfather dies, she figures she won’t even get a mention in the will. After all, she hasn’t seen him in fourteen years, not since her father took his own life after being accused of murdering a child at their lakefront cottage. Her grandfather always insisted her father was innocent, despite Sam having caught him burying the child’s body, his clothing streaked with blood.

But when she does attend the reading of the will at the behest of her aunt, she discovers that her grandfather left her the very valuable lakefront property where the family cottage sits. There’s one catch: Sam needs to stay in the cottage for a month. To finally face the fact she was wrong and her father was innocent, in her grandfather's words.

Traveling to Paynes Hollow, Sam is faced with the realities of her childhood and the secrets kept hidden in the shadows of her memories. When her aunt goes missing a couple days into their stay, Sam begins to question everything again. Plagued by nightmares and paranoia, she begins hearing sounds in the forest and seeing shapes crawling from the water as the rippling waves of the lake promise something unspeakably dark lurking just below their surface

Kelley Armstrong, who has mainly written stories in the urban fantasy and supernatural suspense genres, as well as young adult novels, steps firmly into straight-up horror territory with The Haunting of Paynes Hollow, just in time for Halloween. The Haunting of Paynes Hollow follows Samantha "Sam" Payne, a 26-year-old woman who's spent her life running from the shadows of her childhood. 

Estranged from her family after a horrific incident at their lakeside cottage—where she claims to have witnessed her father burying the body of a murdered child, his hands stained with blood, leading to his suicide—Sam has poured her energy into caring for her mother, who's battling dementia. When her grandfather, whom she hasn't seen in nearly two decades, passes away, Sam attends the will reading out of obligation, only to inherit the family's sprawling, million-dollar lakeside property in the remote Paynes Hollow. 

There's a devilish caveat: she must spend a whole month holed up in the very cottage where the tragedy unfolded, monitored by an ankle device to ensure compliance. Her grandfather's posthumous note insists it's for her own good—to confront her "false" memories and prove her father's innocence. What begins as a reluctant homecoming spirals into a maelstrom of the uncanny. Joined by her pragmatic Aunt Gail and the brooding caretaker Ben (whose own connection to the past runs deep), Sam grapples with resurfacing nightmares, mutilated animal carcasses left like grotesque calling cards, and whispers from the encroaching forest. 

The lake itself becomes a malevolent entity, its glassy surface hiding shapes that slither and beckon, while local legends of the Headless Horseman—reimagined through Dutch folklore unique to this cursed hollow—infuse the proceedings with a folk-horror vibe that's equal parts The Witch and Washington Irving's classic. Armstrong masterfully peels back layers of deception, blending gaslighting family dynamics with supernatural incursions, until the line between human malice and otherworldly revenge blurs into oblivion. Without spoiling the gut-wrenching twists, suffice it to say: this is a plot that hooks you with intellectual intrigue and then drags you under with raw, primal fear. 

Sam is an interesting character. She's defined by superhuman feats or abilities, but by quiet sacrifices—forgoing her dreams of medical school to anchor her fracturing family—making her vulnerability all the more heartbreaking. As paranoia erodes her grip on reality, Sam's internal monologues crackle with authenticity, forcing readers to question alongside her: Was she gaslit as a child? Or is something far worse unraveling her sanity? Secondary characters like Ben—the caretaker haunted by his brother's unsolved disappearance—embody the novel's theme of inherited grief, his quiet intensity simmering with unspoken accusations. Even peripheral figures like the local sheriff, Craig Smits, serve as red herrings that heighten the isolation, reminding us that in Paynes Hollow, trust is as scarce as daylight. 

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#Review - A Token of Blood and Betrayal by Sandy Williams #Contemporary #Fantasy

Series: Kennedy Rain # 4
Format: 303 pages, Kindle Edition
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Publisher: Brimfire Press LLC
Source: Amazon
Genre: Urban Fantasy

She made a deal with a fey. Now, she’s determined to break it.

Kennedy thought she’d finally found her footing in the paranormal world, but a fateful discovery threatens the peace she’s tried so hard to build. Hidden within her mother’s jewelry box lies a rare artifact linked to Garion, the Rain’s bartender and Kennedy’s friend. It’s also the object Kennedy vowed to give to a fey king in exchange for his previous “help.”

Handing over the token feels like a betrayal, but breaking a bargain is no small matter. Kennedy needs advice, so she turns to her small circle of allies, including Blake, the relentless werewolf she can’t let herself fall for.

With her options running out, Kennedy must navigate around the rules of the paranormal world while also solidifying Jared’s position as the new master of the local vampire compound. She’s pulled deep into cutthroat politics, and once again, she faces an impossible choice: surrender the token and betray her friend, or defy the fey and risk unimaginable consequences.

A Token of Blood and Betrayal is the 4th installment in author Sandy Williams' Kennedy Rain series. A Token of Blood and Betrayal picks up right where Fused in Earth and Stone, where Kennedy Rain—a human woman thrust into the supernatural underbelly after inheriting her family's paranormal ties—has been scraping together a fragile sense of stability. Running a bar that serves as neutral ground for vampires, werewolves, and fey alike, where they can be human just for a short time, Kennedy has learned to navigate bargains, betrayals, and blood oaths with a mix of grit and guarded optimism. 

But peace is fleeting in this world. The story kicks off with a gut-punch discovery: a seemingly innocuous artifact from her late mother's jewelry box, which turns out to be a powerful token tied to Garion, Kennedy's loyal bartender and an ally who's become like family. The problem is, Kennedy already promised this very item to a cunning fey king in exchange for past "assistance" that saved lives but came at a steep cost. Kennedy is caught in a vise—deliver it and shatter a hard-won friendship, or renege on a fey bargain and invite catastrophic repercussions that could unravel the delicate balance she's fought to maintain. 

What follows is a high-wire act of deception, alliance-building, and moral tightrope-walking. Kennedy consults her tight-knit circle: the brooding werewolf Blake (whose unrequited tension with her crackles like live wire), the enigmatic vampire Jared (now stepping into a precarious leadership role), and a handful of other supernatural misfits like Nora, Astrid, Thordis, Phedra & Sullens who've become her chosen family. As cutthroat politics engulf the local paranormal scene—rival factions vying for control of the vampire compound and fey courtiers scheming in the shadows—Kennedy must outmaneuver foes both old and new. 

Kennedy has been trying to find a balance between keeping both vampires and werewolves happy. She also has to find a way to save The Rain from financial ruin, which means doing things neither side agrees with. She has pretty much left her human friends behind to keep them safe, which means that Eli, the elemental fey, is there to protect them from the world of the paranormals. Add in cutthroat politics, a dash of forbidden romance with the ever-persistent werewolf Blake, and you have a story that's equal parts heart-wrenching moral quandary and pulse-pounding action. 

Garion's quiet depth adds emotional weight, while Blake's relentless charm injects just enough flirtatious heat to keep things simmering without derailing the plot. However, Kennedy misses key signs that trouble is brewing, and it will soon run her over like an out-of-control freight train. From the onset of this book, I saw the betrayal coming every time she left the safety of the Rain. I wanted to jump into the story and shake Kennedy until she, too, saw that she was blindly doing what the villains wanted from her. The only question is, will Blake and her allies do enough to save her from her mistakes? 

*This book quite literally made me mad, and that's a good thing because it means that you are invested in the series, and to see what happens to the FMC even though she's up to her ears in swamp water. I do like the Kennedy/Blake connection now that Kennedy has seen how protective he and his wolf are of her. 

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