Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Mystery
Length: 4 hours and 55 minutes
Publisher: Sittin’ On A Goldmine Productions LLC
Release Date: March 17, 2022
ASIN: B09VRDJXQF
Stand Alone or Series: 10th book in the Mitzy Moon series
Source: Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Mitzy Moon doesn’t do sports, but girlfriends are supposed to try new things. And watching her handsome sheriff’s team strut their stuff across the ice has its perks. But the thrill fades faster than cheap lipstick when the opponent’s captain is found murdered, and her boyfriend is the prime suspect.

With no alibi, her main squeeze quickly loses his badge and gets tossed off the case—and the harder Mitzy digs for the truth, the guiltier he looks. She’ll need the help of her interfering Ghost-ma and a spoiled feline to clear her beau and still have time to make a special pie for the holiday potluck!

Can Mitzy score a win for the home team, or will her dreams of a clean sweep be forever frozen?”

Series Info/Source: This is the 10th book in the Mitzy Moon series. I listened to this on audiobook from Audible.

Thoughts: This was another fun addition to the Mitzy Moon series. If you enjoyed previous books in series this is more of the same. I get these to listen to on audiobook for a 4 hour road trip I need to do each month for work and they are the perfect length for that.

This time Sheriff Harper is in trouble after a broomball match goes bad and the man Sheriff Harper (Eric) was arguing with turns up dead the next morning. With Eric in the clanker, Mitzy has to figure out the what really happened…because Eric wouldn’t really kill someoen….would he? This time Mitzy is going undercover at the local college and investigating a dead professor/broomball player.

If you have liked previous books, you will enjoy this one. It is very much more of the same…with the twist that the accused murderer is Eric this time.

I continue to enjoy the quirky characters and small town of Pin Cherry Harbor. Mitzy is still discovering her powers and it is fun to see both her sense of self and her powers grow some in each book. At this point, while I never find these books amazing or anything, I do enjoy visiting these characters and reading about a goofy new mystery. I also really enjoy the northern setting on a Great Lake (since that is where I live).

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration is very well done. Marlo does a great job with character voices and helps the reader to really engage with and stay in the story.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a solid addition to the Mitzy Moon series. I continue to enjoy the humor, the quirky characters, and northern great lake small town vibes. I love that Mitzy continues to grow both as an individual and in her powers. This was a well done mystery that was a lot of fun to listen to. If you like humorous cozy small town paranormal mysteries I would definitely recommend this series.

In August I read 10 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:

• Demons and Diplomacy (Ministry of Supernatural Affairs, Book 1) by Megan Frampton (4/5 stars)
• Tea and Empathy (Tales of Rydding Village, Book 1) by Shanna Swendson, Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre (4/5 stars)
• Devour Me (Devour Me, Book 1) by Emily Rath (4/5 stars)

I finished the following series:

• Conquering Reality & Other Misconduct (The Guild Codex: Warped, Book 6) by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobsen (5/5 stars)

My Favorite Books of the Month Were:

• A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 3) by Robert Jackson Bennett (5/5 stars)
• Conquering Reality & Other Misconduct (The Guild Codex: Warped, Book 6) by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobsen (5/5 stars)

– Goodreads Reading Challenge (Progress: 104/150)

The full list of books that I read this month are shown below:
1. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (3/5 stars)
2. A Trade of Blood (Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 3) by Robert Jackson Bennett (5/5 stars)
3. Portrait of a Witch Undone by K.S. Shay (2/5 stars)
4. Demons and Diplomacy (Ministry of Supernatural Affairs, Book 1) by Megan Frampton (4/5 stars)
5. Tea and Empathy (Tales of Rydding Village, Book 1) by Shanna Swendson, Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre (4/5 stars)
6. Devour Me (Devour Me, Book 1) by Emily Rath (4/5 stars)
7. Conquering Reality & Other Misconduct (The Guild Codex: Warped, Book 6) by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobsen (5/5 stars)
8. All Hail Chaos (Time of Iron, Book 2) by Sarah Rees Brennan (3/5 stars)
9. In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (3/5 stars)
10. Midlife Magical Rogue (Leveling Up, Book 12) by K.F. Breene (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Length: 558 pages
Publisher: Hazy Dawn Press, Inc
Release Date: March 19, 2026
ASIN: B0DS54C4M6
Stand Alone or Series: 12th book in the Leveling Up series
Source: Borrowed on ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars

“As Austin continues his tour to bring shifters into the convocation, he hears whispers about a powerful rogue no one dares bring into their territory—a shifter who strikes first and asks questions later.

Jessie and Austin, however, never walk away from someone in need. Unfortunately, they’re racing against the clock.

Evan, the new gargoyle cairn leader, has asked to meet the Mistress of Ivy House.

What should be straightforward quickly spirals out of control…because nothing is ever simple when Niamh is behind the wheel.

Soon, Jessie’s crew is juggling a volatile rogue and a growing mob of furious gargoyles who don’t appreciate being taunted on their home turf.

As always with this crew, chaos isn’t just possible…it’s inevitable.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 12th book in the Leveling Up series. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this addition to the Leveling Up series. In some ways this is starting to feel a bit repetitive; Jessie and Austin and crew are journeying to different groups trying to convince these groups to join their convocation. This series is starting to focus on other characters a bit more and I still really enjoy the characters and humor here. However, I am ready to move on from this journeying around, facing impossible odds, and showing how awesome they are to coax people into joining them. The books in this series do not stand alone well, you should definitely start from the beginning.

This story is in two parts. The first part involves Austin, Jessie and crew going to a new gargoyle cairn to meet with their leader, Evan, in an effort to get him to joing the convocation. The second part is Austin and Jessie going to track down a powerful rogue shapeshifter. Mages get involved, Niamh has a plan (probably many plans), and things are heating up between Natasha and Tristan.

At this point things are starting to feel a bit formulaic. Jessie, Austin and crew go out to meet some powerful new head of something, end up of in a fight, and have to prove their worth. Then the new head thinks they are awesome and wants to join the convocation. I’m kind of ready for the series to move on to the battle with Momar.

I did like the fact that (although we do spend time with Jessie and Austin) we get to spend time with other characters. Natasha and Tristan were front and center this story and we get to know them better and watch their relationship develop. This was nice because they seem like interesting characters but have always blended into the background with all the other characters some. I also continue to really enjoy Fred a lot, Fred’s hilarious.

This was easy to read and engaging; I breezed through it fairly quickly. However we switch POV a lot on this book. Although I love to hear from all the characters, this definitely messed up the flow of the story at points and kind of took me out of it. It makes the book kind of a lot and kind of slow all at the same. I would prefer if these focused on a couple characters. I do understand with how big the story has gotten and with the number of characters involved this would be really tough to do.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this. This was a fun read and I enjoyed the characters and was happy to spend time with them again. I enjoyed getting to know Natasha and Tristan better. I did find the plot to be a bit repetitive and there is a lot of jumping around between POV. I am curious to see where things go because I think I read somewhere that Breene thinks this series is going to take another 2-3 books to wrap up.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 382 pages
Publisher: tlantic Monthly Press
Release Date: February 27, 2024
ASIN: B0CLQNNJGK
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed on ebook from library
Rating: 3/5 stars

“Leigh grew up in Rotterdam, drawn to the waterfront as an escape from her unhappy home life and volatile father. Enchanted by the undersea world of her childhood, she excels in marine biology, traveling the globe to study ancient organisms. When a trench is discovered in the Atlantic ocean, Leigh joins the exploration team, hoping to find evidence of the earth’s first life forms – what she instead finds calls into question everything we know about our own beginnings.

Her discovery leads Leigh to the Mojave desert and an ambitious new space agency. Drawn deeper into the agency’s work, she learns that the Atlantic trench is only one of several related phenomena from across the world, each piece linking up to suggest a pattern beyond human understanding. Leigh knows that to continue working with the agency will mean leaving behind her declining mother and her younger sister, and faces an impossible choice: to remain with her family, or to embark on a journey across the breadth of the cosmos.”

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

Thoughts: I have had this book on my to read pile for a couple of years because it just sounded so intriguing to me. I was happy to finally have the time to pick it up. This alternates between intriguing and monotonous with an ending that is absolutely bonkers, it feels incredibly contrived.

Leigh grew up fascinated with marine life. She used the ocean as a way to escape her abusive father and silent mother at home. In college, she gets an opportunity to join an ocean exploration team that is going out to explore a newfound trench. Time passes; Leigh specializes in research around algae. Then one day, she gets a call from a woman who was on the ocean exploration team with her, and Leigh is asked to use her algae background to provide food for an upcoming space mission. The timing isn’t great for Leigh, her mother is having onset dementia issues and Leigh and her sister don’t have the best relationship, but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This book is set in a near future Earth where environmental disasters are more frequent. It’s not apocalyptic…yet. However, the Earth seems to be slowly sliding towards being more and more hostile to human life (as do the humans).

I found parts of this book fascinating. I am always fascinated by people who are so focused on an element of science that it becomes their whole life. They will chase the science and research at the cost of everything; their family, their mental health, their physical well-being, and use whatever resources it takes. Leigh is this kind of scientist, and she fascinates me. The twists and turns her life takes from sea exploration to space exploration are fascinating as well.

I also loved learning about marine biology and training for a space mission. Some of the background around algae is intriguing as well. Unfortunately, this was just too long and parts of this are also incredibly boring. We spend way too much time with Leigh in her head as she agonizes over how neglectful she is to her family but still doesn’t change her actions. Yes, she has a background of abuse from her father, and yes, she is conflicted about the rest of her family that was complacent. This was just repeated way too often; the reader gets it…let’s move on.

The ending of this was something else. I understand that the author was trying to make this whole book about circularity and existence. There are heavy themes of human existence being born from extraterrestrial origin and also of existence starting and ending in vast bodies of water. However, this ending felt contrived and forced. The sudden explanation of what happened to Leigh and her team and the very odd ending feel unsatisfying. I also thought having a few chapters at the end from Leigh’s sister’s POV was awkward. Yes, these chapters give us a bit more insight into the “after” and a broader look at the world. Unfortuantely, they felt sloppy and lessened the impact of what it felt like the author was trying to do with Leigh’s story.

The writing here is easy to read, the pacing was all over the place. The ending left me feeling dissatisfied and somewhat upset about the time I put into reading this. Yes, there are some intriguing ideas in here, but the ending feels so forced that it makes you wonder if the ideas presented throughout the story have any merit at all.

My Summary (3/5): Overall I feel conflicted after reading this and maybe that is the author’s purpose here. I was fascinated by Leigh’s life and some of the ideas presented here. I was bored by the re-hashing of Leigh’s thoughts and irritated by the contrived ending. This is an interesting read, but reflecting on my time spent reading this, this is one of those books I think I could’ve skipped. If you are intrigued by origin of life sci-fi and like adding someone’s messy life into the mix, you might enjoy this.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy / Portal Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: May 12, 2026
ASIN: B0DS54C4M6
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Time of Iron series
Source: Borrowed on ebook from library
Rating: 3/5 stars

“THE EMPEROR IS HERE. AND SHE MADE HIM WORSE.

Rae is a fantasy reader who’s been transported to her favorite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far more deadly than the one she knew. Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the all-powerful Emperor—Rae’s favorite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land—wants her to be his evil queen.

Romantic in fiction, complicated in reality. What’s a villainess to do? Time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Time of Iron series. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: I stopped reading this about 25% of the way in. I went back and read my review of the first book in this series, and while I didn’t like the writing style of that one much, I enjoyed the characters and the humor. The first part of this was just a drag to get through. It is a lot of our heroine whining about her mistakes and how bad they made everything. I just couldn’t stomach it and decided to set it aside.

This book picks up where the last one left off. Rae is still in her favorite fictional world playing the villainess. However, her actions in the last book have left her friends on the run and Rae on the throne besides the Emperor, a man who was her friend but is now her enemy.

We get a brief look into our world where Rae is in a coma at the beginning; this is done from her sister’s POV and was a bit awkward. Then we are transported back to the fantasy world where Rae is living out the consequences of her actions in the first book and very unhappy about it.

I don’t remember this from the first book, but Rae comes across as incredibly immature and whiny in the beginning of this book. I kept waiting for her to do something…anything. She just whined and randomly prayed to gods. We do start to get POVs from her friends who are on the run around the 25% mark, but by that point I was really irritated at the story and Rae and just didn’t care. I ended up setting this aside and moving on to other books.

My Summary (3/5): Overall the beginning of this book was slow and whiny and I didn’t like it. I am giving it 3 stars because maybe it gets really good in the last 3/4’s of the book. I probably shouldn’t have picked up the second book in the series since I didn’t love the first book. Take from that what you will. I guess if you loved the first book, give this one a try. If you were boarder-line on the first book then consider carefully before picking up this book. I am happy I borrowed this from the library and didn’t purchase it.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 440 pages
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: May 29, 2026
ASIN:B0D5Q1Z4L9
Stand Alone or Series: 6th book in The Guild COdex: Warped series
Source: Borrowed on ebook through Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Conman, jailbird, rookie, agent, fugitive…I’ve worn a whole lot of labels over the past year. But the Consilium, AKA the heinous secret league of power-hungry psychos that has been covertly pulling the world’s strings for decades, has slapped a few more on me: abnormality, keystone of evil, and my personal favorite, “annoying pest that keeps escaping our clutches.”

I’ve battled empaths, mages, demons, rogues, and an astonishing quantity of bureaucratic nonsense, but the Consilium is by far the biggest and most dangerous enemy I’ve ever had the pleasure of clashing with. On my own, I won’t be able to stop the nefarious tide of influence and control they’re spreading across the mythic world.

But with the help of Lienna Shen and my other allies, I’m hoping to earn a few new titles from my ultra-ornery foe, starting with “giant pain in their collective ass” and finishing with “nightmare they never should have messed with.”

I just need to make sure I don’t add “unintentional bringer of the apocalypse” to my resume in the process.”

Series Info/Source: This is the sixth book in the Guilde Codex: Warped series. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this conclusion to The Guild Codex: Warped series (and to this world as a whole….maybe?) All of the major players from the sister series are in here as well as of course Kit and Lienna.

Kit is on the run as the Consilium takes over more and more of the MPD and starts to target different guilds. Kit is trying to find out more about his powers and put at stop to at least some of the evil the Consilium is pushing.

This is an action packed book that bounces from one dire situation to the next and never stops. You have to stop and catch your breath at points. I liked the fast pace and enjoyed seeing characters from previous intertwined series make cameos here.

I loved watching Kit finally learn about his power and unveil the history behind it. He still seems a bit super overpowered to me, but we do find some limitations on him as the book proceeds.

Everything ends at a decent place, not completely wrapped up but well enough. My only complaint about this book is that everything felt rushed, especially the end. It feels like we are trying to wrap up the stories for every main character in The Guild Codex world in the last few chapters, it was a lot and it felt like too much too quickly.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this conclusion to this series. It is incredibly fast-paced; there are many cameos from characters in the sister series set in this world. I also really loved learning more about Kit’s power. My only complaint is that it is a bit too jam-packed and rushed. We bounce around a lot between different characters, and although it is not hard to follow, it can be a bit much. I did enjoy how everything wrapped up and am curious to find out if there will be any more books in this world (right now it sounds like no).

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Romance
Length: 527 pages
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: August 4, 2026
ASIN: ‎B0G2SBKY6J
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Devour Me trilogy
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Dáinn the Devourer has spent the last two hundred years of his undead life reluctantly bonded to a dark witch, doing her dirtiest work. Devouring corrupt souls may not be satisfying for a wraith, but it keeps him fed. Sent on a job to Burr Island, Dáinn is forced to devour the soul of a rival witch.

But Jasper Prescott is no corrupt magical misfit. He’s powerful and beautiful, with a soul worth savoring. Dáinn is eagerly devouring the witch when he’s abruptly stopped. By a human no less. With one word, Birdie Rhodes does what no being has ever done: she takes his breath away. Now the witch, the wraith, and the human are set on a path that could lead to their destiny…or their ruin.

Desperate for his freedom, Dáinn makes a deal with Jasper: kill my mistress, and I’ll let you keep living. But Jasper wants more than just to live. He has a coven to protect. Their secrets are being threatened by magical forces on and off the island. Bound together in this strange new deal, Jasper fights his growing attraction to the wraith, who is far more human than he appears. And Dáinn fights the urge to devour the delectable witch whole.

The only one who can save them is Birdie Rhodes, hapless historian and sometimes shop girl. Birdie only came to Burr Island for summer work. She has no idea magic is even real. She certainly has no idea she’s now the only thing standing between her witch boss and the hungry wraith aching to devour them both.
As magical forces of darkness loom at Burr Island’s shores, Jasper and Dáinn are both determined to keep Birdie close in Devour Me, book one in a dark, spicy paranormal romance trilogy.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Devour Me trilogy. I got an ebook of this for review from NetGalley..
Thoughts: This was a well done paranormal romance. This is ultimately about a throuple and involves some light BDSM which makes it a bit different from other PNR. There is a solid story here, but at times it does take a backseat to the romance. This does remind me of early 2000’s PNR, which is a bit odd because this is the second review book in as many weeks that I have read that is giving early 2000’s PNR.

The story jumps between three POVs: Jasper (head priest of the Burr Island coven), Birdie (grad student out on Burr Island for both a summer job and research), and Dainn (a wraith tasked with draining Jasper’s soul). When Birdie accidentally stops Dainn from draining Jasper’s soul it becomes a big deal. Dainn wants free from his mistress and he wants to know how Birdie stopped him. Jasper wants to know why Dainn’s mistress wants him dead. Birdie just wanted a summer job and to get her research credits but is suddenly drawn into a battle between some very powerful witches.

It should also be mentioned that Dainn desperately wants Birdie and Jasper in less platonic ways and Birdie and Jasper want each other. Leaving out the sex and romance here would be leaving out a lot of the story.

I enjoyed the island setting, the unique and angsty characters, and the deep relationship they formed. However, this is definitely more insta-love than I prefer. Sexy things happen between characters very quickly, and it feels almost a bit goofy and overdone at points. If you just go with the flow and don’t think about it too much, it works fine for the story.

I liked the mystery behind the island’s witches (which we get some answers about in this book) and the mystery behind Birdie’s origins (which are still a mystery at the end of this book). Again, though, much of this mystery takes a back seat to the romance. It’s one of those books where you are creeping through a forest searching for a clue with the characters and then they are having sex on the forest floor kind of stories.

I did find the book to be very engaging and hard to put down. The sex scenes are very spicy and creative, which was fun.

I will most likely continue with the series because I am curious to see what happens now that Baz is involved as well. I am also curious to see what happens with the witches’ grimoires. I would like to know Birdie’s background too. Additionally, I will admit, I am also a bit curious to see if this turns into a reverse harem type of series or if things stay stable with our throuple.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was engaging and has some intriguing mysteries but is mostly a hot and heavy throuple romance. I enjoyed the characters and the small island they are on. I enjoyed learning more about this world. I didn’t love the insta-love here and thought a lot of the sex scenes felt abrupt in an almost goofy way (although I give points for creativity and not shying from details). I put this in the trashy PNR category (no insult intended) and do plan to continue the series. This reminds me a bit of early to mid Anita Blake books, the Monere by Sunny, or any other plethora of early 2000’s PNR that involve many males “drawn” to a female character for as yet unknown reasons.

Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Length: 6 hours and 16 minutes
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: January 21, 2025
ASIN: ‎B0DT4PKMTB
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Tales of Rydding Village series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Welcome to Rydding, the hidden village you might stumble across if you need a home and a fresh start.

For Elwyn Howell, the village is a lifesaver when she finds it just as she’s run out of strength and hope while running for her life. The abandoned healer’s cottage welcomes her, even though she’s given up on that calling. She opens a tea shop instead, using her knowledge of herbs and her empathic gift that allows her to select the perfect tea for each customer. Soon, she’s feeling at home in the village community.

She’s afraid it’s too good to last, a fear that’s confirmed when she finds a wounded man unconscious in her garden. Was he sent by the people who are hunting her? Not even he knows, since he has no memory of who he is or how he got there. As she nurses him back to health, they develop a close bond, but the specter of both their pasts—the one she’s fleeing and the one he doesn’t remember—gets in the way. He doesn’t know what life he may have left behind, and she lives in constant fear that her old life will catch up with her and she’ll end up convicted of a murder she’s not entirely sure she didn’t commit.

They can’t hide forever, not even in Rydding, and if they want to have a future, they’ll have to confront their pasts.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Tales of Rydding Village series. I got this on audiobook from Audible.
Thoughts: I listened to this on audiobook and originally picked it up because it was a shorter audiobook thatI could listen to on a monthly road trip I go on for work. I enjoyed this; it is a light and cozy fantasy about found family and gaining confidence in yourself.

Elwyn was driven our of her place as a healer when one of her patients accidentally died and she was blamed. She’s been on the run trying to eke out a living when she stumbles into the village of Rydding and is adopted by a house there. She is trying to make a place for herself there as an herbalist when an unconscious armored man shows up in her garden. He can’t remember anything about his past. As his past is unraveled, both him and Elwyn realize that they will have to deal with the past in order to move forward with their futures.

This is a book about finding a place and family for yourself. It is also about new beginnings and gaining confidence in your abilities. I adored that the town of Rydding (and at least one of the houses in it) is portrayed as vaguely sentient.

All of the characters in this book are delightful. They each come with their own painful pasts and are determined to make brighter futures for themselves. It was delightful to watch Elwyn and Brin find a new place where they belong. I enjoyed that the characters act like mature adults and are considerate and thoughtful about how their decisions affect the people around them.

This is a pretty light story that has a bit of a day to day feel to it at points; the plot is not complex. There is quite a bit of magic in this book but the magic system isn’t very well explained. The story is very focused on Rydding Village and we don’t learn much about the broader world.

This is a simple story with quirky characters. The story flows well and is easy to engage with. It leaves you feeling hopeful and happy but is not complex or thought-provoking. It was an excellent audiobook to listen to while driving. The narration was well done and easy to follow.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this, it was a nice, light cozy fantasy read that was easy to listen to while driving. While there isn’t a ton of substance here; I did enjoy the idea of a sentient village and enjoyed watching the characters find happiness and contentment. This story leaves you feeling happy and hopeful and I greatly enjoyed the quirky characters. I plan to continue the series. I would recommend to those looking for a light, easy to read cozy fantasy about found family and new beginnings.

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.