#Review - The Doll Squad by Hailey Edwards #Fantasy

Series: Bureau of Curse Objects # 1
Format: 281 pages, Kindle Edition
Release Date: September 14, 2026
Publisher: Black Dog Books, LLC
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Danger in the line of duty is a given, but Officer Samantha Tiegs always figured her death would come in the form of a heart attack in her golden years after a lifetime of researching the age-old question— Can it be fried? Sadly, death has less delicious plans in store for her.

When she’s called to intercept a hijacking in progress, her world gets turned upside down. The thieves aren’t human, and whatever’s in the delivery truck they looted, they want it bad enough to kill for it. Except her death isn’t their end goal. It’s only the beginning of a twisted plan orchestrated by the person she loves most.

Everything she believed about her life, her family, was a lie. The truth is, she’s a pawn in a deadly game she can’t win alone. Enter the Bureau of Cursed Objects. The supernatural agency has a vested interest in her survival, and they make her an offer she can’t refuse.

Come work for them, and they’ll guarantee her safety, but her new partner is a man who poses the greatest threat to her yet. As long as she remains valuable, he’ll protect her from everyone. Including himself. But should her returns diminish, he won’t make any promises.

Warning: Contains one manga-obsessed heroine with an anime addiction, more fried food than a fairground on opening night, one hero with a reputation for killing his partners and a compulsion for labeling what he considers his, and a whole lot of family secrets, drama, and evil hiding where you least expect it.

The Doll Squad is the first book in Hailey Edwards’s new Bureau of Cursed Objects urban fantasy series. It follows Officer Samantha “Sam” Tiegs, a cop who expects to die of something mundane (preferably after a long life of fried-food research) and instead gets yanked into a hidden supernatural world when a hijacking turns out to be anything but human. 

Edwards, known for found family, messy magic, banter, and high-stakes chaos across series like Black Hat Bureau, The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy, and The Body Shop, is working in familiar territory: a snarky heroine, a dangerous male lead, family secrets, and an agency that collects cursed or dangerous items. Sam responds to a hijacking in progress with her brother Cole. 

The thieves aren’t human, the cargo is something they will kill for, and her “death” is only the opening move in a plan tied to the person she loves most. Everything she thought she knew about her life and family is a lie. The Bureau of Cursed Objects—a supernatural agency with a vested interest in keeping her alive—makes her an offer: work for them, and they’ll protect her. Her new partner, however, has a reputation for killing partners and a possessive streak. 

He’ll keep her safe as long as she’s valuable. After that, no promises. Sam is a classic Edwards heroine: competent, food-obsessed (fried food and fairground-level snacking get mentioned in the warning), manga-and-anime-addicted, and funny under pressure. The voice is first-person, fast, and conversational—easy to fly through. As book one of a brand-new series, a fair amount of page time goes to world-building and Sam’s crash course in the Bureau. 

The possessive-partner dynamic and “he’ll protect you until you’re no longer useful” hook will delight some readers and annoy others depending on taste for that particular romance flavor. Because the book is very new, long-term series payoff (how the Bureau works, what the “Doll Squad” really means, how the family conspiracy unfolds) is still unknown. 

Pick this up if you enjoy:

Urban fantasy with a cop-turned-agent heroine

Banter + danger + found-family seeds

Possessive / morally gray male leads

Light anime/manga flavor mixed with Southern-fried food humor

Skip or wait if you dislike possessive tropes, want a standalone, or prefer slower, more literary urban fantasy.

Amazon 

#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. 

Amazon 

#Review - Cheater Slicks by Hailey Edwards #Fantasy

Series: The Body Shop # 4
Format: Kindle, 242 pages
Release Date: May 10, 2025
Publisher: Black Dog Books, LLC
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Matty has lost his soul, and it’s up to Frankie to find it before his body gives up the fight for survival. But soon his isn’t the only life at risk from the soulless condition. The affliction is spreading from Thunderbolt, Georgia, into the beating heart of the French Quarter and right up to Madam Vionette Fontenot’s front door.

When Frankie returns to New Orleans in search of answers, she finds herself at the mercy of a god who covets her newfound powers as the guardian of the Alcheyvāhā. He makes it clear he’s willing to do whatever it takes to wield her for his own benefit. Even if it costs Frankie everyone she loves.

Cheater Slicks, by Hailey Edwards, is the Fourth installment in the author's The Body Shop series. I recommend that you have some knowledge of the past 3 installments before proceeding with this story, since previous characters are key to what happens in this story and why. While the series is usually set in Thunderbolt, Georgia, the author sends Frankie, Josie, and Kierce to New Orleans, one of the more unique cities in the country, to write a story about, after Frankie's mentor Vi seems to have been felled by the same curiosity as Matty. 

Frankie Talbot is a skilled necromancer who recently found a new calling thanks to Anunit and runs The Body Shop. This unique auto repair garage doubles as a supernatural hub for helping the deceased resolve unfinished business. In Cheater Slicks, the central conflict revolves around Matty, whose soul has gone missing, leaving his body on the brink of collapse. It’s up to Frankie to unravel this mystery before time runs out. 

This premise, seeded as a cliffhanger in the previous book (Midnight Auto Parts), sets the stage for a high-stakes narrative that keeps readers hooked from the outset. Frankie remains a standout protagonist, flawed yet fiercely relatable. Her evolution as a necromancer is a highlight, as she grapples with new powers and the psychological toll of her work. Edwards portrays Frankie’s growth with nuance, showing her resilience alongside moments of vulnerability. 

Her internal struggles, particularly those related to trust and family, add depth, making her a character readers can root for. The relationship between Frankie and Kierce, while compelling, suffered from a lack of clarity. Kierce’s loyalty to Dis Pater was always going to be a significant obstacle, so Frankie’s apparent shock and naivety at the end didn’t quite ring true. This story is definitely Harrow's redemption for all the pain and suffering he caused Frankie.

Now the weaknesses: The reliance on yet another cliffhanger may frustrate readers seeking resolution, a recurring issue in the series. Especially when it comes to back to back novels. With so many subplots (like Josie and Carter) felt unnecessary to the overall enjoyment of the story. Edwards seamlessly blends real-world elements with supernatural ones, creating a world that feels both familiar and otherworldly. However, the expanding mythology can occasionally overwhelm, as new concepts are introduced without fully resolving existing ones.

Amazon