Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Historical Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 25, 2026
ASIN: ‎B0G3YRNY6Y
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Ministry of Supernatural Affairs series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

“1851, London. All supernatural species have emerged from hiding, a result of The Great Revelation, led by Her Majesty, the vampiric Queen Victoria, and her dhamphir consort, Prince Albert.

Cora Hastings is the British government’s Species Ombudsman, a human tasked with keeping the peace between supernatural creatures. It’s run-of-the-mill work: enforcing the newly created shifting parameters, negotiating contracts between species, and generally making certain all Londoners are treated equally.

That is, until the Devil himself decides he wants to leave his hellish home and see the results of Prince Albert’s greatest accomplishment, the Great Exhibition. His arrival could upset the uneasy peace between creatures, and worse—he’s brought his son.

The Marquis of Hell is diabolically good-looking, unnaturally perceptive, and, well, a demon. Cora navigates her sinfully seductive diplomatic assignment as best she can, until she catches wind of a secret conspiracy set to come to fruition at the opening of the Great Exhibition. This leaves her with an impossible choice: Either Cora enters an unholy alliance with the Devil’s son, or she watches as her world is torn asunder….”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Ministry of Supernatural Affairs series. I got an ebook of this for review from NetGalley..
Thoughts: This was a quick and fun paranormal romance. I enjoyed the witty banter between the two main characters and enjoyed the world here. The story itself it a pretty straight-forward political mystery as the two main characters join forces to figure out who is trying to assassinate Satan.

The story follows Cora, Great Britain’s Species Ombudsman who has been tasked with keeping peace between supernatural creatures. Cora’s job gets a lot more challenging when she finds out she will coordinate Satan’s visit to London. Satan wants to see the sites and is a bit of a spoiled debutante type of guy. However, Satan’s son, The Marquis of Hell, is a whole different beast. The Marquis expects organization and perfection, and as he and Cora work together, they both seem to be finding perfection in each other. When someone seems bent on assassinating Satan, the two must join forces to stop a diplomatic incident from occurring.

This was an incredibly fun romp with lots of witty banter, lots of crazy circumstances, and also some very steamy romance scenes. The world-building here is also fun, if a bit loose. This is a world where supernatural creatures were revealed to humans not that long ago and now the Victorian world is trying to cope with that. The story is very focused in London.

Cora is your no-nonsense type of Victorian lady with a bit of a spicy streak. I enjoyed her a lot. I also really enjoyed the Marquis of Hell and Cora’s two best friends (a succubus and a fairy). Most of the other side characters are fairly underdeveloped and don’t feature much in the story. The chemistry between Cora and the Marquis is fantastic and so much fun.

This book does suffer from a bad case of insta-love, but it is done in a cute and fun way. So while I don’t love that, I didn’t hate it for this book either. There is a solid plot here. So the romance is well balanced with a good story and an intriguing world. There are some things that feel a bit rushed, like the first kiss. There are also some things that feel a bit inconsistent (like all the talk about how weak humans are but then using them to prevent conflict). However, this isn’t a book to take too seriously.

This was incredibly easy to read and flowed well. This book practically read itself. I didn’t want to put it down, and I was eager to pick it back up again. It was fun and left me feeling happy.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun and entertaining paranormal romance set in Victorian London. I am happy to have read it and plan on continuing the series. If you enjoy humorous paranormal Victorian romance similar to Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, I think you would enjoy this book. Also if you enjoyed this maybe check out the Parasol Protectorate series as well, it is very similar in tones and themes to this one.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Erewhon Books
Release Date: August 25, 2026
ASIN: ‎ B0G7P7Z68G
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 2/5 stars

“Once, Maeve Ryan was the strongest witch of her generation. But Maeve messed up a spell to contact the Lady of the Fens, an eerie Revenant who lures the unwary to their deaths in the brackish marshlands of the North Shore. Maeve destroyed her reputation, hurt her best friend Ash, and tainted herself with unbound, wild magic that transforms witches into insane Revenants.

With unbound power eating away at Maeve’s mind, all she wants is to get rid of her magic. Forever. But Ash’s research into how the spell went awry leads in an unexpected direction: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and a link between the Lady and a decades-old art theft worth $500 million. When Ash disappears through a stolen painting’s empty frame, Maeve has to follow.

Inside is the Other Marsh, a haunting, deadly realm where only the Lady’s rules apply. Within this half-world lie secrets about North Shore’s history, Maeve’s failure, and the fate of the masterpieces that disappeared over three decades ago. But as Maeve fights toward the truth, she risks her friendship, her coven, and her life against enemies hiding in plain sight.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an ebook of this for review from NetGalley..

Thoughts: Initially, I thought the premise of this was intriguing. However, after the first couple chapters, the story drastically slowed down, and I realized I didn’t like any of the characters. This whole book felt like the author had an idea around the stolen paintings at the Gardner museum and then kind of tried to make a story around that premise without filling it out very well. I almost stopped reading this multiple times but pushed forward in hopes of it getting better. It did not.

Maeve Ryan and her friend attempted a powerful spell to contact the Lady of the Fens, and it went very wrong, injuring Maeve’s best friend. Now Maeve has sworn off magic. However, when her friend, Ash, decides to dig into some links between The Lady and some art pieces stolen from the Gardner Museum, Ash ends up in trouble. Maeve rushes off to her rescue only to find that Ash wasn’t the only one interested in the stolen art pieces. The connection between the art pieces and the Lady is twisted, and the fate of Maeve’s whole coven is at stake.

This starts out with an intriguing premise. Being able to journey into art pieces and having them woven into a complex binding spell to hold something evil was interesting. However, I quickly soured on the story as we spent more time with these characters. The characters are all very immature, lacked depth, and were hard to engage with (that includes the main characters and the adults surrounding them). They all are very selfish and never think through their actions.

The characters did a lot of things that just didn’t make sense. Ash was just are responsible for the initial messed up spell as Maeve, so why did Maeve get flake for it? Why did Ash rush off and do something so stupid (multiple times)? Why are all the adults okay with bullying teens and letting young kids die? What was up with the matriarch being able to compel people? I mean basically, the compelling was forced slavery.

The idea of Maeve becoming “unbound” was also intriguing but the way that resolves feels a bit…well…lackluster. If the solution was that simple, what was the point of all the drama behind it?

Gabriel is presented as a romantic interest for Maeve, but this feels very forced. It felt like the author thought “well, this is paranormal YA, so I should have some sort of romantic interest here”. It’s something the book would have been better with out.

In the end, the whole thing is very predictable, I didn’t enjoy the characters, the pacing, or inconsistencies. I pushed forward and finished it but seriously considered stopping this book from about the 30% mark on. The writing itself flowed well enough and it was easy (if infuriating) to read.

My Summary (2/5): Overall I would have been better off not reading this one. The premise is intriguing, but it isn’t well thought out. The characters all make selfish and/or stupid decisions throughout and I found that frustrating. Everything here seemed sketched out, like the idea wasn’t fully thought through. This is pretty typical YA paranormal content but isn’t engaging or thought-provoking, the premise ends up being more gimicky than engrossing. The story never really pulled me in. I don’t plan on reading future books by Shay at this point.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 380 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: August 4, 2026
ASIN: B0FK9DM2MP
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars

“The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.

But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.

As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.

With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 3rd book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. I got an ebook of this for review from NetGalley..

Thoughts: This was a very well done book in this series, I enjoyed it a lot. I love the crazy characters in here and the amazingly creative world. As always the murder mystery was expertly done.

Ana and Din have been sent into the Sapirdad farming canton. The heir to one of the ruling families has been found next to dead women with his hands covered in blood. The dead woman just happens to be the daughter of an opposing ruling family. With Sapirdad on the edge of a civil war, Ana and Din must figure out what happened quickly or a major food supplier for the Empire could end up in turmoil.

I love the very odd characters in this series and the incredibly intricate and creative fantasy world here. I adored that we learned a lot more about the history of the Empire and about the race that came before. We also learn more about the Leviathans.

The story is very twisty, turny and keeps the reader guessing. Wound in with the murder mystery itself are a number of self-inflicted deaths and a strange mutation done to help with herding the gargantuan cattle. The story ends up incredibly gory at parts, and there is some crazy action as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and was happy to get to re-visit this crazy world of genetically modified people trying to survive in a land under the shadow of enormous leviathans. This whole book was very well written and easy to read. The story is complex but never gets confusing despite its fast pace.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. I continue to be fascinated by the amazing world here and love learning more about it. I also continue to enjoy the quirky characters in this series. The mystery is complex and multi-faceted but never gets to confusing to follow. Really love this whole series and would recommend to those who enjoy unique fantasy worlds, morally gray characters, and don’t mind having some murder mystery and gore involved.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Humor
Length: 366 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 28, 2022
ASIN: B09HTD8KQD
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

“Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was a cute and fairly predictable paranormal romance. It was a quick read that I thought was fine but didn’t love. Previous to this book I have read a number of Poston’s books: Heart of Iron series (loved it), Bookish and the Beast (okay), Geekarella (okay), and Among the Beasts and Briars (liked it).

The story follows Florence Day, who left her home town to go to New York City to ghost write for a famous author. She suddenly has a new editor and a romance novel she can’t finish ghost writing because of a horrible break up she went through. Then the unspeakable happens, and her father dies. Now she is not only missing the deadline for her book, she has to travel back to her hometown where she is known as the odd girl who solved a mystery by talking to a ghost.

I liked some of the different elements to the story. Having Florence Day’s family own a mortuary and funeral home was quirky and fun. I also enjoyed that Florence could see ghosts, although I felt like we didn’t get enough of Florence interacting with ghosts throughout the book. The romance Florence gets involved in seems doomed from the start, but the “twist” was incredibly predictable. I was a bit disappointed in how predictable it all was.

This book ends up being more about Florence and her relationships with her family than anything else. It is also about Florence finding more confidence in herself and being okay with who she is and the path she has decided on.

This is an easy read and flows well. I just found it a bit…well boring…despite the paranormal elements. Everything about it is fine. It’s kind of a cozy paranormal romance mystery. I liked everyone and the story okay, but it just didn’t really suck me in and engage me.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay. I just found it very predictable, somewhat boring, and not that engaging. I finished it but nothing that exciting ever really happened. If you are looking for a predictable, cozy romance with fairly subtle paranormal elements this might be a good book to pick up. It definitely wasn’t my favorite Poston book, though.

In July I read 11 books. You can see the reviews for all of them, which ones were my favorite, etc. below.

Hope you all had a great month of reading!

I started the following series:

• The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (Fred, the Vampire Accountant, Book 1) by Drew Hayes, Narrated by Kirby Heyborne (4/5 stars)
• The Raven Scholar (Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1) by Antonia Jodgson (5/5 stars)

I finished the following series:

• The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, Book 2) by Brigitte Knightley (5/5 stars)

My Favorite Books of the Month Were:

• The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, Book 2) by Brigitte Knightley (5/5 stars)
• The Raven Scholar (Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1) by Antonia Jodgson (5/5 stars)

– Goodreads Reading Challenge (Progress: 71/150)

The full list of books that I read this month are shown below:
1. The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (Fred, the Vampire Accountant, Book 1) by Drew Hayes, Narrated by Kirby Heyborne (4/5 stars)
2. The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, Book 2) by Brigitte Knightley (5/5 stars)
3. The Geographer’s Map to Romance (Love’s Academic, Book 2) by India Holton (4/5 stars)
4. An Ordinary Sort of Evil (A Rip Through Time, Book 5) by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 stars)
5. Wakes and High Stakes (Mitzy Moon Mysteries, Book 8) by Trixie Silvertale, Narrated by Colleen Marlo (4/5 stars)
6. Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine (4/5 stars)
7. Tracks and Flashbacks (Mitzy Moon Mysteries, Book 9) by Trixie Silvertale, Narrated by Colleen Marlo (4/5 stars)
8. The Raven Scholar (Eternal Path Trilogy, Book 1) by Antonia Jodgson (5/5 stars)
9. Daggerbound (Swordheart, Book 2) by T. Kingfisher (4/5 stars)
10. Beyond Compare (The Mad Morelands, Book 2) by Candace Camp, Narrated by Will Thorne (4/5 stars)
11. The Dark in Her Veins by M.K. Lobb (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 335 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: August 25, 2026
ASIN: B0FXBR4JM1
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Dark in Her Veins series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 3/5 stars

“In Valestadt, everything has a price. Sin leaves its mark in the form of the Bloodrot, a slow-creeping disease that leads to madness, then death. The rich outsource their violence. The poor sell theirs and suffer the cost.

Talin Keller is a sinner. Employed by the holiest man in the city, the Prophet, she stains her hands so his can stay clean. But with her Bloodrot rapidly advancing, Talin knows her next job could be her last.

Then a new assignment puts Talin on a collision course with the Warden, a shadowy figure whose name is spoken like a warning. If she can get close, she can trade his life for her own freedom—and escape the death her sins have promised. That is, if she can stay steady on the knife’s edge.

Because Talin is dangerously drawn to the Warden. He is sharp, cruel, and whatever blazes in him sparks against every dark part of her. If she isn’t careful, her plans will burn.

As savior and sinner tangle, Talin uncovers a conspiracy tied to the past she thought dead. And in Valestadt, where sin is currency, she’ll have to decide what she’s willing to pay to survive.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in a series. I got this on ebook to review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: This was very engaging and readable, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the dynamics between the main characters. The world-building was also spotty and a bit confusing. I didn’t realize that this is the first in a series (the author did come on Goodreads to mention that there is a sequel). However, when I picked this up for review on NetGalley it seemed to be a stand alone. It ends on a huge cliffhanger with no resolution, so if you hate that (like I do), maybe wait for the sequel to come out before you read this book. This story has a vintage paranormal romance feel to it. The heroine is very damaged, and the male lead gives very dangerous alpha vibes. It reminds me of paranormal romance I read in the late 1990’s, early 2000’s.

This book follows Talin Keller, a professional sinner. She works for the holy leader of the city, the Prophet Gabriel. Her job is to do what Gabriel can’t and commit sins (murder, extortion, etc) on his behalf. Her latest job has her meeting the Warden, a twisted and cruel man who runs the seedier district of the city. When she learns secrets about the Warden that the Prophet can’t let the public learn, she strikes a deal with the Prophet. She will help the Prophet on one more job to take out the Warden, and then she wants to be free to sin no longer and hopefully stop the Bloodrot that is taking over her body.

This is an incredibly dark world and story. I found the idea of people having a physical manifestation of sin become apparent on their body intriguing. Unfortunately, the world-building itself feels a bit incomplete. We get some background on the world through excerpts from various books at the beginning of each chapter. However, the story is very much limited to a single city, and while there is occasional mention of other parts of the world, I couldn’t really figure out if this religious rule was a world-wide thing or a city-wide thing or what. I also never fully understood why the Bloodrot started happening. It sounds like it didn’t used to be a thing and now it is? So, yeah, the world is a bit confusing if you think about it too much.

The plot of the story is fairly basic. Talin is trying to perform a bait and switch between two very dangerous men in hopes of getting away from Gabriel or somehow getting cured. She desperately doesn’t want to be killed by the Blootrot taking over her body.

All of the characters in here are dark and moody, with dark and dangerous personalities and wants. This is not at all a light-hearted book. The “relationship” between Talin and either man (Gabriel or the Warden) is definitely not one of mutual respect. The Warden seems to enjoy Talin’s fierceness, and Talin says she hates him but is strangely drawn to him. This kind of “romance” always makes me roll my eyes a bit. However, the author does wrap this into the fact that both Talin and the Warden are into BDSM and both like to be tops and bottoms. Kudos to the author for trying to portray this as a respectful relationship (if not a healthy one). The Warden does talk about how he respects strong women like Talin and enjoys the fact that he can help them find pleasure by taking the lead.

While I respect what the author is trying to do here, it wasn’t really for me. All the characters in this book feel a bit off and unpleasant to me. I think some readers will really enjoy the dark and twisted vibes to these characters. I even think a younger me would have enjoyed it more. However, I just like my characters a bit more respectful of each other and a bit more self-actualized.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay. I liked the idea behind this world but also found it a bit shallow and confusing. I liked that the author tries to portray the BDSM scenes as something that can be done between mutually respectful partners, however this falls short because the female lead doesn’t seem to feel the same way the male lead does. Both the story and the world take a back seat to the dark romance here. I don’t plan on finishing the sequel to this even though this ended on a horribly cliffhanger. At the end of this, I mostly thought, “Well, good, maybe everyone will get what they deserve here.” because I didn’t really like any of the characters. If you are looking for a dark urban fantasy romance with BDSM vibes this might be for you.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 10 hours and 6 minutes
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Release Date: July 07, 2020
ASIN: B08BJD4YSN
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Mad Morelands series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Though Kyria Moreland is beautiful enough to earn the sobriquet “The Goddess” and rich enough to attract London’s most sought after gentlemen, she has yet to find love and refuses to marry without it. When she receives a strange package under mysterious circumstances, she is confronted with danger, murder and a handsome American whose destiny is entwined with hers…

Rafe McIntyre has enough charm to seduce any woman, but his smooth facade hides a bitter past. Still, he has seen enough of the world to know Kyria is in danger, and he refuses to let her solve the riddle of this package alone. But even he is mesmerized by the events that unfold as Kyria begins to sort out the mystery put to her by the arrival of a priceless antiquity. Who sent her this treasure steeped in legend? And who is willing to murder to claim its secrets and its glory for themselves?”

Series Info/Source: This is 2nd book in The Mad Morelands series. I got this on audiobok from Audible.com.

Thoughts: This is a bit more romance heavy than I usually like to read and has some very typical Victorian romance themes. However, this series sets itself apart from others because of the Moreland family. The Moreland family is much more modern thinking than your typical Victorian family and full of witty and zany characters. This also sets itself apart by including a fun historical mystery about antiquities, and it also has just a touch of magical realism.

Kyria is beautiful enough to be known as “The Goddess” and although rich suitors are always seeking her out, she has refused to marry any of them. She is the organizer and heart of the Moreland family, always making sure events are planned and amenities are available and generally making sure the whole eccentric Moreland crew is taken care of. When a man is murdered for an antiquity he brings to the Moreland house Kyria gets drawn into a dangerous mystery.

Kyria is desperate to unravel the mystery behind this antiquity and who better to accompany her on this adventure than the fearless American visiting the Moreland’s, Rafe McIntyre. What initially seems like it will be a fun adventure touring Europe quickly turns into something else when both Kyria and Rafe find themselves in danger and also strangely drawn to one another.

The banter here is witty and fun, and the Moreland family is a joy to spend time with. There is some adventure and mystery, but that definitely takes a back seat to the romance in this novel. If I am in the mood for a historical romance, this is definitely a series I will pick up. However, it’s not something I would want to read all of the time. I think I’ve been reading one of these books a year.

Kyria and Rafe have excellent chemistry throughout this book. They form a relationship of mutual respect. There are also some very well done love scenes between the two. There is a bit too much of them bemoaning what they see as their own deficiencies throughout, but part of the story is them growing as people as well as a couple.

I am not a huge fan of the audiobook narrator for this series. He always lifts his words at the end of a sentence, which makes every sentence sound like it’s something dire and major. I also feel like his voice doesn’t match the series well. He does a decent job with character voices, but more just narrates rather than sucking you into the story and making you feel what the characters are feeling.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. This is a fun historical romance with witty banter, quirky characters, steamy romance, adventure, and just a tad of magical realism. It is a bit romance heavy for me, but I absolutely adore the Moreland family. I also really enjoyed the mystery around mysterious antiquities. I plan on continuing to slowly read this series whenever I am in the mood for a historical romance.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: August 25, 2026
ASIN: B0FMS8TXJZ
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Swordheart series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Learned Edmund, a disillusioned scholar, is transporting yet another precious relic from one stuffy temple to a different stuffy temple. Another great adventure for the ages…

But when Edmund is set upon by bandits, in desperation, he breaks the cardinal rule and grabs for the relic, an ancient sword. To his surprise, instead of unsheathing a rusty, ancient weapon, an alarmingly handsome man appears, wielding daggers of blue steel and cutting the thieves down.

This man is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who’s been trapped for centuries in a sword of enchanted steel, and is angry as hell about it. He hates the curse that put him there, and he wants to hate Edmund, just as he has hated every wielder before him.

But the damned scholar is just so sweet and clever and kind. And while the Dervish may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, dragons, and strange inhuman diplomats, he may find it much harder to protect his own heart.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Swordheart series. I got this on ebook to review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this and if you enjoyed Swordheart I think you will enjoy this book as well. This is a bit romance heavy, but I felt like the story and world-building were better balanced with the romance than they were in Swordheart. There was a bit too much of the characters talking about how they aren’t worthy of each other (again, less than Swordheart but still a bit much).

Learned Edmund is doing one last delivery of a previous relic to the temple he is an initiate of and then that is it, he’s leaving the order. Unfortunately, he is set upon by bandits on the road. He is knocked unconscious and wakes up to the most beautiful man standing over him. Edmund accidentally unsheathed the sword of the Dervish, an immortal warrior who has been bound in a sword for centuries and is now bound to protect Edward. The Dervish is pissed at being trapped for so long and eager to get rid of Edmund until he realizes how sweet Edmund and how much trouble Edmund seems to regularly get himself into.

I enjoyed this; it has a cozy fantasy feel to it but also a lot of action and adventure. I still like Kingfisher’s Clocktaur War books better, but this is a nice fantasy romance set in that same world. There is a lot of humor and witty banter here as well as some intense sexy scenes.

I liked the cast of characters here. This very much has classic adventuring party fantasy vibes. The adventuring party is formed along the way, and, of course, many things go amiss along the way as well. There is a theme of found family to this and of learning to be proud of your strengths.

I like that this builds out the story about the immortal warriors trapped in swords and that we start to get some resolution around that. I also like the Temple of the White Rat is involved some more and that we get cameos from characters that were in previous books set in this world.

This was very easy to read and engaging; it does a good job of balancing story and world-building with a sweet and spicy romance.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and happy to see this series continuing. This continues to build out The World of White Rat, and I loved learning more about these immortal sword warriors. This world-building is coupled with a wonderful story and a steamy romance. The romance is very prevalent in this book and is a major part of the story; something that is not necessarily my favorite, but it works for the story. I am very curious to see what happens in the next book in this series because it definitely feels like there will be at least one more book in this series.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: April 15, 2025
ASIN: B0DC696XNV
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Eternal Path Trilogy
Source: Borrowed ebook from library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, the reign of Bersun the Brusque has come to an end. In the dizzying heat of midsummer, seven exceptional warriors, thinkers, strategists compete to replace him.

When one of them is murdered, it falls to Neema Kraa, the emperor’s brilliant, idiosyncratic High Scholar, to find the killer and fight for the throne. Neema believes she is alone. But we are here to help; all she has to do is let us in.

If she succeeds, we will win an empire. If she fails, death awaits her. But we won’t let that happen.

We are the Raven, and we are magnificent..”

Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in the Eternal Path Trilogy. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This book is very well written and does an amazing job on both world-building and having complex characters. The writing flowed well and it was easy (if not quick) to read.

The Emperor Bersun is at the end of his reign, and the traditional contest for a new emperor is about to start. The story primarily follows Neema Kraa, High Scholar to the Emperor and part of the Raven clam. Neema is not well liked because of an action she performed early in her career that led her to becoming High Scholar. She is looking forward to retiring and being able to pursue her old research. Neema’s plans for a quiet future are interrupted when the Raven’s candidate for Emperor turns up murdered, and Neema is assigned the task of finding the killer. In addition, Neema has been nominated as the new Raven candidate and is forced to fight for the throne in her spare time.

This story jumps around between multiple POVs. The main POV we hear from is that of Neema, but some of the POVs are from the eight gods supporting this world. In particular, we hear from Raven who are doing their best to navigate the situation into one that will both benefit Raven and hopefully save the realm from further harm.

This is incredibly well written with a complex world, history, and mythos. The characters all have a lot of depth as well. There are very few characters that I would consider “good” in this story. Most of the characters are a bit morally gray and have done things that aren’t very admirable; even when they have the greater good in mind. So if you are looking for a story about heroes, this is not that story.

The story ends up being a combination mystery and political strategy. Neema is doing all she can to solve the mystery of the original Raven candidate’s death. In investing this mysterious death, she starts to stumble upon other strange things that put into question everything she knows about the current emperor.

This was a long read and took me awhile to get through. I rarely have the patience anymore to stick with a complex epic fantasy like this, however, I really enjoyed this story quite a bit. This is a unique epic fantasy that really feels like a classic. The story flows well and is easy to engage in, the characters are complex and easy to sympathize with despite their gray morality, and the mystery keeps you guessing. I am eager to see what happens in book 2.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. The world-building is top notch with a well thought out world and a complex history and mythos. The characters are also complex, a bit gray in their moral decisions, and strangely engaging. The plot and story are well done, engaging, and keep the reader guessing. If you are looking for an excellent mystery driven epic fantasy, I would highly recommend. I look forward to reading the second book in the series when it releases.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Length: 5 hours and 9 minutes
Publisher: Sittin’ on a Goldmine Productions LLC
Release Date: February 02, 2022
ASIN: B09RNDVQYG
Stand Alone or Series: 9th book in the Mitzy Moon Mysteries
Source: Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Mitzy Moon is happy to leave her painful past buried. But a thoughtful present turns her world upside down and forces her to abandon Ghost-ma and her fiendish feline to search for answers in the Southwest. Turns out her mom’s death was no accident, and proving it could be the last thing she does…

Local sheriff Erick Harper wants Mitzy to have a loving remembrance of her mother. But after calling in a favor to get the dead woman’s personal effects, he uncovers an unexpected skeleton hiding in the evidence. And now that the cat’s out of the bag, he can’t stop her from risking everything to dig up more clues.

Mitzy won’t rest until she slams her mama’s killer behind bars. And Erick is desperate to bring her back to Pin Cherry Harbor in one piece.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 9th book in the Mitzy Moon Mysteries. I got this audiobook through Audible.

Thoughts: This was an excellent installation in the Mitzy Moon Mysteries series. In this book, we get to travel back to Mitzy’s hometown and uncover the mystery of her mother’s death. It was wonderful to visit Mitzy’s hometown and learn more about her past.

Erick gives Mitzy a very thoughtful gift; he tracks down her mother’s personal effects from the funeral home that has them. However, when he gives these to Mitzy they discover unexpected information. Mitzy’s mother’s death wasn’t accidental; it was murder. Now Mitzy is determined to find her mother’s killer and get her revenge. Erick is determined to not let Mitzy get herself into too much danger and trouble and decides to accompany her on her mission.

I really enjoyed learning more about Mitzy’s background and history. It was also fun to see Erick out of his normal element. The relationship between the two of them makes some progress but, Mitzy especially, is still very much trying to avoid any actions that might be seen as taking their relationship to the next level.

I missed having Piwacket and Ghost Ma in the story; they are still there but only check in occasionally because this story takes place outside of Pin Cherry Harbor. I also missed some of our regular quirky characters from Pin Cherry Harbor.

There is a lot of humor and craziness in the story, and the mystery is well done. I listened to this on audiobook, and the narration is awesome, it is a joy to listen to. This series overall has been well done and fun. While it’s not my top paranormal mystery series, these books are just the right length for me to finish on a monthly road trip I need to do for work. They are light and entertaining and easy to listen to while driving or doing other activities.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a well done addition to this series. I missed Pin Cherry Harbor, but it was wonderful to learn more about Mitzy’s past and venture into her childhood home. It is fun to watch Mitzy and Erick navigate their way into a relationship. I continue to enjoy the humor, well-done mysteries, and quirkiness of this series. I plan to continue reading it.