#Review - Bewitched by Darynda Jones #Fantasy #Paranormal

Series: Betwixt & Between # 2
Format: Kindle, 274 pages
Release Date: September 28, 2020
Publisher: September 28, 2020
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Forty-something Defiance Dayne only recently discovered she comes from a long line of powerful witches. Added to that was the teensy, infinitesimal fact that she is what’s called a charmling. One of three on the entire planet. And there are other witches who will stop at nothing to steal her immense power, which would basically involve her unfortunate and untimely death.

No one told her life after forty would mean having to learn new lifeskills—such as how to dodge supernatural assassins while casting from a moving vehicle—or that the sexiest man alive would be living in her basement.

Whoever said life begins at forty was clearly a master of the underappreciated and oft maligned understatement.

Bewitched is the second installment in author Darynda Jones's Betwixt & Between series. This story takes place 6 months after the ending of Betwixt. 45-year-old Defiance Dayne only recently discovered she comes from a long line of powerful witches called charmling. One of three on the entire planet, one born every other generation. And there are other witches and warlocks who will stop at nothing to steal her immense power. But the most amazing thing is that she spent 6 months in a coma like state after an event that happened during the previous installment.

Waking up in mid air, Defiance finds Percy, the house, is  covered in vines, and it appears as though Percy was protecting her. Defiance is still having difficulty coming to terms with her destiny as a super witch and thinks she can change her fate by pretending to have lost her powers. Everyone around her goes along with her ploy while trying to get her to accept her new reality. Meanwhile, dark forces are invading her dreams, forces which have Defiance wanting to run as far and as fast as she can, but fate has other ideas. 

Defiance is living in the home her grandmother Ruthie Goode left for her. She has her best friend Annette, who I think as the humorous sidekick, as well as Roane Wildes who is not only a shape shifter but the love interest as well, but her own personal security detail. Her two dads are still around because she spent 6 months in a coma like state. Her house is actually named after her grandfather Percy Goode who wasn't a good man when he was alive. Lastly, there is the cat called Ink who is always good for a laugh or two, as well as someone who was previously dead.

Curiously, the author via Defiance hints about some big evil that should be coming based upon what she witnessed in her coma at the beginning of the book. She also hints at Defiance past exploits which has huge implications for why so many people want to take what she has from her. There is also the fact that she is constantly being threatened to move, or people are coming up to her and demanding that she find something they may have lost. She also leaves the story on a stunning cliffhanger ending. Good thing I have book # 3!

But let's get real for a moment. My rating is based on the fact that Defiance is a grown woman of 45 and she acts like a teen whenever she and Annette are together. Maybe it's the attempted humor, maybe it's all the giggling, or maybe it's the fact that Defiance actually has issues with her powers and therefore pretty much walks into a dangerous situation blindly. One can definitely NOT call Defiance a Mary Sue because it takes her almost the entire story to realize that maybe her powers can be used for good. 

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#Review - Realms of Mist and Ash by J.S. Malcolm #Fantasy #Paranormal

Series: Fae Witch Chronicles # 2
Format: Kindle, 251 pages
Release Date: October 31, 2017
Publisher: J.S. Malcolm
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal

Getting into Faerie is risky enough. Getting out again may prove impossible.

Entering Faerie is enough of a risk, never mind trying to free a changeling. That’s never been done before, but that’s exactly what has to happen if I’m going to rescue my best friend. So when I run into a half-blood thief who offers to help, I can’t exactly say no. I mean, the guy seriously hates the fae. After all, one of them knocked up his mother.

Digging deeper into the labyrinthine fae city kingdom, we soon start to unravel a mystery I never could have imagined. Namely, how it came to be that just a few fae now control all of the magic in their world. We also learn that some of the missing humans have been spotted. Not my friend, but we must be getting closer. But when I get waylaid by fae slave traders, find myself stripped of magic and held captive in a noble house, and discover a secret that might turn the tables of magical power in Faerie, I end up with way more than I bargained for. But I also seem to have caught the eye of a stunningly handsome fae lord. Hard to resist. And who knows? Maybe he could come in handy. Because right now it’s down to me and I’m up against a ticking clock. It’s either escape or die knowing that the next stop for fae magical conquest is the human realm.

Realms of Mist and Ash is the second installment in author J.S. Malcolm's Fae Witch Chronicles. 26-year-old Cassie, a veil witch who spent 15 years sharing a body with someone else before reclaiming her own body recently, is still reeling from the aftermath of her confrontation with the changeling known as Grayson, who she got caught up with most because of curiosity. Julia, her closest friend, has become one more casualty in the sinister changeling invasion that has swept over Richmond. 

A stranger’s eyes are staring out from behind her familiar face, a trait too similar to the Vamanec P’yrin for Cassie to stay on the sidelines. Julia kept Cassie from being just another ghost lost for eternity after her body was taken so yeah, Cassie owes a life debt that puts her on a path to confrontation. She has handled witches and vampires, but can she handle what's to come? Veil witches are supposed to keep others out of the human realm. Cassie's desire to find Julia ends up with her being chased into Faerie itself. A place she's not supposed to be able to travel to. 

Here she meets Cade who is a Half-Blood and his very curious if Cassie can help bring someone from Faerie back to the Human world. Cade schools Cassie on all things fae. Namely, how it came to be that just a few fae now control all of the magic in their realm and how several missing humans have been spotted around town. Meanwhile, Cassie finds herself captured by slavers, and given to a powerful Seelie couple who already has a few formerly humans who were stolen from their families. The “Shining Ones” aka the Seelie, are ruthless overlords who control the flow of the realm’s magic with an iron fist. 

Cassie finds that her magic has been diluted and she has no idea but to bide her time while trying to escape. But one good thing is that she finds a girl named Ellie that she promised that she would bring her home, as well as the son of the Lord who seems to know Cassie. In this realm known as Silvermist, humans are at the bottom of the local food chain, and there is a brutal trafficking of both stolen humans and the fae of mixed heritage. The prohibition preventing the Seelie from crossing over to Earth is the reason behind the use of changelings. It’s the only way they can gain a set of eyes on the happenings outside their territory. 

There are apparently 6 books in this series which I absolutely do plan to read now that I am invested. There's so much more to understand. What does Cassie have to do with the so called prophecy? Will Cassie find Julia before it's too late? What happened to Grayson, and how did the boy from Silvermist know Cassie's named?

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#Review - The Heretic Royal by G.A. Aiken #Fantasy

Series: The Scarred Earth Saga # 3
Format: Paperback, 336 pages
Release Date: December 27, 2022
Publisher: ‎ Kensington
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy

In the G.A. Aiken’s fantasy follow up to the USA Today bestselling Scarred Earth Saga’s The Princess Knight and The Blacksmith Queen, two sisters battle for a single throne, warring factions take up arms, a land is divided, and uncertain allies become very certain lovers . . . With subtle commentary on today’s political polarization, this riveting epic celebrates strong female characters and champions the underdog within a diverse, high fantasy framework.

Gods save the queen!

Ainsley Farmerson has always planned to break free of the family business—and the family drama. But what was once farming, smithworking, and bickering over the dinner table has turned into open warfare between sisters. Sides have been taken, lives are on the line, and Ainsley has no doubt which sister must be queen. She’ll do whatever is necessary to take down the soulless Beatrix. Even if that means joining forces with angry battle nuns, irritating monks, and overbearing centaurs.

Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan has no time for human beings. And yet . . . there is something about the uncontrollable princess that he can’t ignore. Maybe it’s the way her eldest sisters underestimate her. Or her bravery facing down dragons and mad queens from distant lands. Whatever the reason, Gruff is willing to fight by this human’s side. Not only for the entertainment value, but because she’s right. Beatrix must never be queen. So whatever he has to do, whoever he has to destroy, Gruff will battle beside Ainsley. Fast. Hard. And with absolutely no mercy . . .

The Heretic Royal is the 3rd installment in author G.A. Aiken's The Scarred Earth Saga. The saga of the Farmerson clan pits sister against sister with divided loyalties making for inherently high stakes drama. It has become apparent to me, that the author intends to write a story about the entire Smythe-Famerson Clan. Well, maybe just the sisters. The first installment featured blacksmith Keeley, who is now Queen of her own realm. The second installment featured Gemma, who is a former War Monk, now raised to the position of Princess Knight. 

Now, this third installment seems to focus most of its time split between Ainsley, Gemma, Keeley, younger sister Isadora and the evil sister, Beatrix who has no soul. Ainsley Farmerson has always planned to break free of the family business—and the family drama. But what was once farming, smithworking, and bickering over the dinner table has turned into open warfare between sisters. Sides have been taken, lives are on the line, and Ainsley has no doubt which sister must be queen. 

Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan of Centaurs has no time for human beings. And yet there is something about the uncontrollable princess Ainsley that he can’t ignore. Maybe it’s the way her eldest sisters Keeley and Gemma underestimate her. Especially Gemma. Or her bravery facing down dragons and mad queens from distant lands. Whatever the reason, Gruff is willing to fight by this human’s side. Not only for the entertainment value, but because she’s right. Beatrix must never be queen. 

Ainsley will do whatever is necessary to take down the soulless Beatrix. Even if that means joining forces with angry battle nuns, irritating monks, and overbearing centaurs as well as newly arrived dragons led by Annwyl, the Bloody who from passed over the Amichai Mountains to encounter the person who has been stealing children. Griff will also do whatever he has to do, whoever he has to destroy, Gruff will battle beside Ainsley. Fast. Hard. And with absolutely no mercy. 

Even though this book is more or less filled with snark and some romance, it is the Dragons and Centaurs that once again carry the weight of the story with their antics, and desire for bloodshed. While this story focuses on Ainsley and Gruffyn; Keeley and Caid plus Gemma and Quinn do feature in the story too, and readers are introduced to Isadora, yet another sister/daughter. But, never forget that sister Beatrix, who nearly killed Keeley, is waiting patiently to make her move.

I am curious about one thing however. The author's Dragon Kin series made to 6 books. Are we to expect the same of this series as well? If you have read the Dragon Kin series, expect to see not only Annwyl, but Fearghus, Briec the Mighty, Gwenvael the Handsome, Dagmar Reinholdt aka the Beast, Ragnar the Cunning, and Ghleanna the Decimator and others. It is fair to say that my rating was for the lack of action. While there is some towards the end of the story, it's more or less a game of chess where the players are putting all their pieces into place before moving ahead. 

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#Review - Blooded Blade by J.C. Daniels #Fantasy

Series: Colbana Files # 7
Format: Kindle, 270 pages
Release Date: December 5, 2022
Publisher: Shiloh Walker, Inc.
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Kit Colbana—half breed, assassin, thief, jack of all trades. Master of none.

Or so she'd always been led to believe.

Over the past few years, Kit Colbana has dispatched some of the worst
threats the non-human races could have imagined. Pandora—a mother of
monsters. Puck, a father of nightmares. Jude, a vampire who nearly drove
Kit to the brink of insanity.

Then there was the Lemera, an ages-old creature of myth, born from Kit's
own people, an unseen, undead assassin that hunts without rest, kills
without remorse. Yet Kit walked away.

Her grandmother's pet assassin failed to kill her so Kit wasn't surprised
when yet another unwanted memory from her past shows up, looking to take
her down. But her blood-hungry, homicidal aunt disappeared without a trace
only hours after arrival.

Is it a reprieve? Or something far worse?

Kit's lover Damon is keeping secrets. Her grandmother's pet assassin, the
Lemera, seems to have taken a liking to Kit. And her grandmother, Kit's own
worst nightmare, is haunting her dreams.

They're all on a collision course with fate and it can only end one way...bloody.

J.C. Daniel's Blooded Blade is the 6th installment in the authors Colbana Files. Kitasa aka Kit Colbana is a 1/2 human, 1/2 Aneiri warrior, private investigator, and Assembly bounty hunter. She has faced her fair share of challenges ever since leaving her island behind where she was constantly bullied and abused, and finding her way to Florida and into the arms of one Damon Lee, Alpha of the Cat Clan who is overly protective. The book begins with a story called Forgotten Blade. According to the author, this short story takes place after the events of Broken Blade. 

Unfortunately, I did read book #5, but never got around to writing a review! How rude! I do not that book # 5 ended with some shocking moments which involved Kit's dangerous grandmother, Madae, who has sent her "cousin" Reshi and her twin after Kit to get her to kneel and be dragged back to her alleged family. Reshi claims that Kit is a member of the royal family as well as a criminal. Kit isn't going anywhere with any member of her "alleged" family. Especially not when the Authority and Damon make it noted that any attempt to go after Kit, will be met with force.

Kit has an interesting journey in this book. She, Justin and Colleen, who have become a pretty good team since Colleen woke up her healing magic, face some interesting challenges. They face a young girl with fire magic, but week after week, it seems as though the Assembly is sending Kit after dangerous individuals, including a former country singer turned shifter who is now on the lame and has killed innocent humans. Meanwhile, Kit's awareness of the fact that Damon is lying to her, grates on her nerves. You should know, after this book, Damon has a whole lot to answer for.

Finally, Kit and a revenant named Lemera who is bound to her blade, go down a long history back to when Lemera was a fierce warrior in the days of the Roman Empire and an interesting twist involving Chang. Kit has a weird sense of knowing where trouble is at almost any moment, and she can feel whenever a witch, or other is around which gives her advantages over other bounty hunters. Kit and Doyle need time to resolve some issues. If you missed it, sorry, but Doyle is allegedly her cousin, and the only one in her family that she actually likes. The rest are just awful and need to be put down.

I think it is interesting that this entire series is set mostly in the State of Florida, Orlando mostly, and that is almost a dystopian world with shifters, and vampires, and witches. I highly, and I mean, highly recommend that readers go back in time and pick up Haunted Blade before starting this book. I hold no disappointment towards the author. We all have downs in our lives, and hers were near impossible to even comprehend. We should all be grateful that she is releasing this book, as well as an apparent sequel which may or may not be the end of the series. Stay tuned!

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#Review - The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher #Romance #Paranormal #Witches

Series: Standalone
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Release Date: December 27, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Publisher
Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Witches

A witch discovers that finding your way home is sometimes the most perilous journey of all.

1922. Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in the seemingly lost, but charming small town of Evermore on a forgotten isle in Ireland. However, there is one thing that she longs for above all else: a child of her own. She is even willing to be seduced by the mysterious Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly coven, whose pull is potent and impossible to resist. When their child is born and falls ill, Brigid will risk anything to save her daughter–even tap into the forbidden magic of the Lough of Brionglóid. But when the wild magic takes her daughter from her, Brigid is swept away as well. 

2022. Evermore is under siege. The witches of Knight have been using their chaos magic to widen the rift between the island and the Otherworld. Creatures from folklore prey on the villagers, consuming their very humanity. Brigid awakens in this world with no memory of how she traveled into the future, but she learns that she helped unleash this curse on Evermore. To seal the lough and stop the witches of Knight, she must work with her magical descendants, Ophelia and Finola. But the knowledge she seeks lies with Luc Knightly himself—mysterious, handsome, and powerful. To save Evermore, Brigid may have to lose everything once again.

Author Paige Crutcher's The Lost Witch is a story that takes readers from 1922 Evermore, Ireland, to 2022 Evermore where darkness has overcome the town, and residents are turning into monster like creatures. 33-year old Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in the charming small town of Evermore on a forgotten isle in Ireland. However, there is one thing that she longs for above all else: a child of her own. She is even willing to be seduced by the mysterious Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly coven, whose pull is potent and impossible to resist. 

When her Dove is born and falls ill, Brigid risks anything, including offending the Goddess Brighid, to save her; even tap into the forbidden magic of the Lough of Brionglóid. But when the wild magic takes her daughter from her, Brigid is swept away as well. 100 years later, Brigid wakes up in the year 2022. She is back in Evermore but the town is under siege. The witches of Knight, who she has a history with, have been using their chaos magic to widen the rift between the island and the Otherworld. Creatures from folklore prey on the villagers, consuming their very humanity.

She also learns that Evermore is cursed so that nobody can enter, or leave. Brigid has no memory of how she traveled into the future, but she learns that she helped unleash this curse on Evermore when she tried to save Dove. She also learns that she has magical descendants like Ophelia Gallagher, and Finola McEntire who have carried on her line and have been living in her house keeping Brigid's memory alive. 

To seal the lough and stop the witches of Knight, she must work with her kin, as well as the mysterious, handsome, and powerful Luc Knightly himself to save Evermore, or lose everything once again, including a chance to save her daughter, and make right wrongs committed against her Goddess. You understand Knightly better the more Brigid remembers and I think it will shock you to understand that he and Brigid were meant to be together. I, however, would have liked to have more of a reunion between mother and Dove who has her own story to tell. 

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#Review - Call Sign: Cupid by M. Guida , Michael Anderle #Fantasy

Series: Paranormal Mercenary Corps # 1
Format: Kindle, 225 pages
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: New Adult / Fantasy

Chelby Duncan never knew who her parents were, or why they gave her up.

Knowing when people belong together is what she's best at doing, but her success at fixing people up isn’t exactly career-worthy. Chelby’s foster father is a retired general who is running for Senate, so joining the army is the natural direction for her to take when she turns eighteen.

At the Military Entrance Processing Station, she is given a blood test and discovers that she’s not human.

She’s Fae, and she has second blood type that they can’t identify.

Warned to run before she is taken by Sector Nine, Chelby flees the MEPS.

Call Sign: Cupid is the first installment in co-authors M. Guida and Michael Anderle's Paranormal Mercenary Corps series. 18-year old Chelby Duncan has been in and out of foster homes since she was abandoned by her mother. She's also lost memories of her past before she was 8. Chelby has the curious ability to know who should be with whom like Cupid. On her 18th birthday, with the urging of her foster father, Retired General Robert Brooks, who is also running for the Senate, to join the military, Chelby is hopeful she's get in. On the day of her testing, however, things don't go as planned. 

At the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in Colorado Springs, she's given a blood test. A nurse tells Chelby that her tests showed that she's not human and that she should run. She's fae and something else. What's the issue? There is a group known as Sector Nine. Their stated goal is to wipe out the supernatural community and they are eager to get their hands on Chelby. Chelby's only hope of surviving seems to be the mysterious Dr. Malaki Gould who is the director of the Guardian Division of the Paranormal Mercenary Corps. 

Chelby soon meets other supernaturals and learns about the Fae powers that were suppressed when she was young. Someone put a powerful glamour on her to prevent her from being revealed to those looking for her. The only person capable of breaking said glamour is Commander Will Wyland who also is Fae. Her emergent powers are very powerful, but unless she can learn to control them, it could cause havoc with her new teammates which include a vampire, a fae, an orc, and 2 shifters.

When an exercise goes wrong, Chelby learns that Sector Nine hasn't forgotten about her and there is a brutal betrayal of someone she thought she knew. Will Chelby master her new powers and break free of Sector Nine’s grasp before it’s too late? We shall see in the sequel which I do plan to read once it's out in January. There are some really twisted revelations involved in this story, mostly when it comes to who Chelby really is, who her mother was, and if she has any connection whatsoever with Command Wyland.  

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#Review - Curse of Shadows by A.K. Wilder #YA #Fantasy

Series: The Amassia Series (#2)
Format: EBook, 432 pages
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Magical Realism

Unearth the bones in the thrilling sequel to AK Wilder’s sweeping and romantic fantasy, sure to delight readers with magic and adventure.

Ash’s life turns upside down as she and Marcus’s company flee Aku, racing against time to warn their realm of imminent attack. But upon reaching Baiseen, they find they have more to worry about than warships, catapults, and rogue phantoms. As battle rages around them, they are sent on a secret quest to unearth the twelve original whistle bones that will protect their realm from annihilation.

When Ash becomes the target of an unseen assassin, Kaylin, the boson’s mate, risks his deepest secret to save her life. The weight of the world tips as the once-heir, a young sailor, and the recorder who loves them both are forced to make choices that may sunder them forever…but maybe, just maybe, save the world.

 

Curse of Shadows is the second installment in author A.K. Wilder's The Amassia Series. The story takes place on a world known as Amassia. Much like our Earth, is the third planet from the Sun. Like our Earth, there were once 7 continents that have, over millennia, formed a single landmass surrounded by the sea. As the story begins, it appears that the prophecy of the Great Dying is here. Amassia teeters on the brink of the next Great Dying. There is now a second Sun in the Sky which will eventually kill everyone and everything on the planet unless it can be stopped.

 

This is a world that is broken into Potentials and Non-savants. Potentials are children whom the Bone Throwers deem worthy to try to raise a phantom. They are sent to the sanctuaries at eight years of age. The brown-robes receive intensive training to see if they are indeed savant. Most will fail and go back to their families, declared non-savant. Those who do raise their phantom will stay on as blue-robes and train up through the ranks, as far as they can go.

Key Characters:

Ash orphaned at age eight; she's best friends with Prince Marcus Adicio; she's a 17-year-old non-savant wordsmith whose dream is to set foot in every realm of Amassia. For some reason, her memories are fractured, and her connection to Kaylin has been blocked. Though she hasn't raised a phantom of her own, the voices in her head may the biggest mystery of this entire series. Ash's story gets much more intriguing when her real identity is revealed later in the book. I put Ash first, because she's seriously the most interesting character in this series which the cliffhanger ending will lay out for you. 

Marcus Adicio is the yellow robed third son of Jacas Adicio of Baiseen who raises a warrior phantom known as De'Ral. After his father dies, and his brother Peten is named Magistrate. Marcus, who doesn't have full control over De'Ral, is named Bone Gatherer by Master Brogal. He is ordered to travel to all 7 realms and retrieve what's called whistle bones. There are 12 of them. The hope is to reform the crown of bones and protect allies from the Great Dying. He, along with Ash, Piper, Samsen, Kaylin, Tyche, and Belair must battle the elements, as well as two dangerous men; Tann, and Atikis (red-rob of the Sanctuary of Goll who raises monstrous alter phantoms) who are both seeking the mythical whistle bones.

Kaylin is a Mar posing as a bosun’s mate. He volunteers to go on the quest of the Bone Gatherer. He was ordered to kill Marcus but has since been told to save Ash for Teern and been more than helpful in fights against a variety of forces. The more we learn about Kaylin and his "sisters" Dreaded Rosie and Salila, as well as his "father" Teern, the more intriguing he gets. The author hits on the Dreaded, a clan of Mar so dangerous that Teern himself put them down. Hopefully we will learn more next time out. 

Secondary Characters:

Belair Duquan is a warrior savant from Tangeen; Piper is an orange robed healer of Baiseen Sanctuary. Samsen is a yellow robe savant who raises a par caller/part alter phantom that is confined to various birds. Tyche (12) is the granddaughter of Yuki. She's a savant who raises a caller phantom in the form of an impala. She is along for the ride because she can call the various bones. Rhiannon is Baiseen's treasurer's daugher who has not only married the new Magistrate, but has desires on becoming the most dangerous and powerful Magistrate in all the lands even if that means stopping Marcus. Salila is a Mar woman with extreme appetites. She is able to walk on land if she has human blood in her system. Her only fear is Teern, known to all Mar as Father, and King of the Sea.  

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