Modern Fantasy

Review of A Killer Heart by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
What happens when the hunters become the hunted?

Kit McCafferty is an upstanding citizen of the magical city of Coldstream.

She’s a good neighbour. She has a fabulous partner, an occasionally tidy home, and only a moderately alarming number of cats. Her days as a professional assassin with Eagle Enforcers and Liquidators are behind her. Or so she thinks.

When Kit volunteers to assist local law enforcement with crowd control, she comes face-to-face with her former life. Someone is trying to destroy EEL — the discreet but deadly firm of assassins she once called home — and they’re not concerned about collateral damage. They’re willing to raze Coldstream to the ground to finish the job.

Whoever is targeting EEL knows its inner workings and its secrets. Kit’s old friends and colleagues, as well as the citizens of Coldstream, are at risk. To stop blood from spilling onto the city’s glittering streets and shadowed alleyways, Kit must decide who she is now – a heroic citizen determined to protect her city or a stone cold killer.

Walking away from her past might not be an option.

Review:
“She Who Commands Werewolves flopped onto her back and presented me with her furry belly. I smiled at her obvious trap. I was too much of a cat lady to fall for that sort of trick. I liked my fingers where they were, thank you very much.” (Page 162)

This book was marvelous. Not only did we get to see Kit attempt to do her usual cat lady routine but we learned that she wasn’t fooling everyone. I loved this insight and tie in from Kit’s past along with a certain other person in a position in power. Getting to see Kit step up in her old place of work was also very interesting, and while part of me really expected a different outcome, I was glad that she made the choice she did in the end. I certainly might have had some suspicions about who the big bad might have been throughout the novel but I never would have guessed how so many loose ends had been tied up so neatly and hidden in plain sight!

This book reminded me again of how awesome Harper is with words, and how much I cannot wait for her future books to release! The ending left me needing more immediately, but alas, the next is not out until April!!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl Hallows’ Eve by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
A Halloween festival in a town full of mediums.
A medium dead in the corn maze.
And a debt to the god of the dead that just came due.

Astra Arden has avoided Cassandra—hard to feel welcome when the mayor blames you for her son’s death. But when the town’s ghosts go silent and Hades calls in her mother’s old favor, avoiding it stops being an option. Someone in Cassandra is keeping a soul that belongs to the Underworld, and the Arden sisters have until the festival ends to bring it home.

Then a medium turns up dead under a sign in her own handwriting, the town closes ranks, and the mayor bans Astra from the grounds. Now she’s solving a murder from the couch above a gas station—in a town that won’t talk, hunting a soul in a town that talks to nothing else.

And midnight is coming either way.

Review:
“My sister had more faith in her father’s good nature than three thousand years of literature did, and I kind of loved her grumpy gothic butt for it.” (Page 104)

I absolutely loved this book. Astra has come so far from where she started out; she has friends and family that she relies on and communicates with. She is learning to be better in the roles she hasn’t had before, such as wife, and at being a sister who is present but not smothering or acting in a more parent role. This book focused on something important from earlier in the series; the star cards. While perhaps we have become too accustomed to the intervention and appearance of Gods/Goddesses in the lives of the Ardens, given the lineage of the sisters, it was great to see how connected (or not) the rest of the pantheon really is with the family. This book really helped put the timeline of Astra’s return home in perspective with how grown up and mature Ayla has become, and how she does have a life and identity outside of the family. I loved this mystery, and I honestly hadn’t seen what had happened coming at all! There were a lot of twists and turns, confusion, and ultimately, a conclusion that makes the next book need to be available immediately!

Cliffhanger warning, but the book was phenomenal!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl the Small Things by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
Astra Arden just wants one quiet week at home.

After a locked-island murder investigation that left the whole team running on coffee fumes and borrowed sleep, she’s earned it. But the moment she walks through the door, she discovers Aunt Gwennie has been secretly dating Detective Briggs—and before Astra can process that, things around the house start going wrong.

Small things, at first.

A shelf collapses when no one’s near it. The garden gate swings shut on Briggs’s fingers. A batch of Gwennie’s famous snickerdoodles tastes like soap. Arden House has always had a personality, but this feels personal.

Then the small things stop being small.

Someone—or something—has Briggs in its sights. And with the human detective dodging hexes he can’t see, Astra has to figure out who’s targeting him and why before the small things turn deadly.

But the deeper Astra digs, the more she realizes the threat isn’t coming from outside. It’s coming from inside the family — from a ghost who can’t let go and a house that takes sides.

Welcome back to Arden House. The snickerdoodles are fresh, the owl is judging you, and the walls have opinions.


Review:
“Interrogation and sisterhood share exactly one technique, and it’s this one. Patience.” (Page 20)

“He’s going to keep coming back either way. He’s got that energy. He’s like if a casserole wouldn’t take no for an answer.” (Page 23)

This series has been doing a great job of shifting focus from having only Astra as the star of the show to showcasing other people in the family. This time, both Althea and Ayla played pivotal roles in figuring out exactly what is going on. Briggs is a good man so it’s great that the family comes together to support him, and while it seemed like the answer to what was happening might have been obvious, it was slightly different than what was expected. As usual, a quick, fun, light, clean read by Leanne Leeds.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Of Mages and Matcha by Shari L. Tapscott

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Synopsis:
Of Mages and Matcha is the final book in Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances, a lighthearted contemporary fantasy full of humor and romance.

My name is Kit, and I’m in love with my owl.

Normally, developing a romantic attachment to an animal is frowned upon, even if you’re fae, but my owl is actually a mage. A very handsome mage, to be precise. One who enjoys Taiwanese oolong, stealing my e-reader, and making eyes at me across the tea shop.

I want Rowan. He wants me. And our bonded magic wants us together.

The only problem? His ex-fiancée wants him, too. (And she’s kind of scary.)

I have no doubt it will all work out, but I also have a passel of pesky gnomes to deal with, a garden soirée to throw, and a lot of money to raise before July.

I’m running out of time, but thankfully, business is flourishing. As long as I can keep the Fae Preservation Society from shutting down the shop, everything will be just fine…

Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances is a rom-com style contemporary fantasy. The perfect lighthearted escape, this story is sure to delight readers who enjoy cozy magic and humor.

The books in this series feature smoldering-but-sweet, closed-door romance. (Passionate kisses and some innuendo, but no spicy scenes.)

Review:
“You are adorable–the kind of girl a man wants to cuddle up to and protect.”
“You make me sound like a purse dog.” (Page 61)

The final conclusion of the story is bittersweet! There were some inclinations towards the grand reveal about Rowan and a lot of surprise that Ash hadn’t figured it out beforehand. I love how everyone arrives and does their best to help and support Kit however they can. While clearly opinionated I also like that Kit’s parents do their best to be supportive of her dating decisions, even if they dislike them. I will say I didn’t see the main climax coming, and I was very glad when Kit was tracked down! Some parts of this story seemed as if they were only there to encourage readers to learn more in a next series, but that didn’t really bother me.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Of Pixies and Pekoe by Shari L. Tapscott

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Synopsis:
The author of A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening and Obsidian Queen brings you a lighthearted fantasy full of humor and romance, set in a cozy contemporary fae town.

Welcome to Merriweather Tea Shop, where the tea is piping hot, gossip flows like Earl Grey, and a family of gnomes has inconveniently moved into the back garden.

My name is Kit, and I’m the new proprietress. I know next to nothing about tea, but that’s all right, because I’ve hired my owl to help. Except Rowan isn’t an owl anymore, and our friendship isn’t as simple as it used to be.

But that’s the least of my concerns right now. My focus is on my business ledger, which apparently isn’t supposed to be negative. I’ve quickly discovered that running a business is expensive, especially when I can’t touch my aunt’s fortune for another three years.

Review:
“Apparently, I’m a bit of a grudge-holder. I need to work on that. You know, eventually. Today isn’t that day.” (Page 84)

I absolutely love the connection between Rowan and Kit. I also love how Kit is starting to get negative feelings from Ash. What I don’t like is how every time Kit seems to finally be sorting things out and learning how to be the tea shop proprietress that will make her family proud, something seems to happen that financially could spell ruin. I absolutely loved how the gossip of town seems to run, and how people remember how they have been treated and respond accordingly. While she is an adult and trying to make it on her own, I do love that when she has a problem, Kit can rely on her parents. Some issues did seem a little too obvious in origin for this novel, but regardless, a great continuation of the trilogy, and on to the next…

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Of Owls and Oolong by Shari L. Tapscott

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Synopsis:
There are three things you need to know about my great aunt—she’s eccentric, she’s rich, and she’s dead. No, make that four things. She also named me as the sole beneficiary of her fortune. There are, however, a few stipulations.

1. I must move into her cottage in Moss Hollow, Vermont—a magical community that values tradition and tourists.

2. I must keep her beloved tea shop open and running for at least three years.

3. I must take care of her tiny owl, a prickly creature by the name of Rowan. He’s moody, opinionated, and he used to be a mage.

He doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like my dog, and he really doesn’t like the handsome fae councilman who starts hanging around as soon as I arrive in town.

But for a small fortune, Rowan and I are going to learn to coexist long enough for me to figure out how to turn him back into his normal self with my “cute and worthless” pixie magic—preferably before he ruins my dating life or drives me insane.

Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances is a rom-com style contemporary fantasy. The perfect lighthearted escape, this story is sure to delight readers who enjoy cozy magic and humor.

The books in this series feature smoldering-but-sweet, closed-door romance. (Passionate kisses and some innuendo, but no spicy scenes.)

Review:
“I feel like there are levels adult attain as they age, and I’m still at the starting line. Ash is several steps ahead of me–he’s an actual grown-up. I, however, am a twenty-six-year-old playing pretend in her aunt’s fairytale cottage. Technically, yes, I’m an adult. But he’s an adultier adult.” (Page 98)

This book has everything; great town building, great characters, and great chemistry! This was a great change of place for Kit! I absolutely loved how even if she wasn’t sure about the tea shop, she acknowledges that she has to stick around to take care of and help Rowan. As one who doesn’t love insta-romances, I actually really disliked Ash from the start; it almost seemed like an attempt at Mr. Darcy before Rowan reveals his thoughts on why Ash likes Kit so much. I adore the magic system and how it was so soundly explained without just stating what everyone is and what they could do. I absolutely couldn’t wait to continue onto the next book, so continued immediately.

This book series is very reminiscent in feel to many K. M. Shea’s Magiford series of books, so if you like her style, give this a try!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

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Synopsis:
Below the streets of London, a secret network of magical bookshops has existed for millennia. But they’re slowly disappearing, and no one knows why. Only one dishonored bookseller can uncover the truth and rewrite her story—in this spellbinding fantasy novel from the author of The City of Stardust.

If you want a story that will change your life, Chiron’s bookshop is where you go. For those lucky enough to grace its doors, it’s a glimpse into a world of powerful bargains and deadly ink magic. For Cassandra Fairfax, it’s a reminder of everything she lost, when Chiron kicked her out and all but shuttered the shop. Since then, she’s used her skills in less ethical ways, trading stolen books and magical readings to wealthy playboys and unscrupulous collectors.

Then Chiron dies under mysterious circumstances. And if Cassandra knows anything, it’s this: the bookshop must always have an owner. But she’s not the only one interested. There’s Lowell Sharpe, a dark-eyed, regrettably handsome bookseller she can’t seem to stop bumping into; rival owners who threaten Cassandra from the shadows; and, of course, Chiron’s murderer, who is still on the loose. As Cassandra tries to uncover the secrets her mentor left behind, a sinister force threatens to unravel the world of the magical bookshops entirely …

Review:
“Because no one–thief, owner, millionaire, mortal–is infinite.” (Page 353)

This book was an amazing read. Cassandra doesn’t know who she is, but she knows who she has been willing to become. This book had so many layers of depth to all of the characters involved. Once I was into the book it was near impossible to set down. I loved everything about Cassandra’s different aspects, to her relationship with Lowell and their connection. Trying to measure yourself up to what someone who is gone might have wanted you to be is impossible, but both Lowell and Cassandra find themselves stuck in the what they should do versus what others wanted of them. I was definitely irked by the ending, though it was fitting for the book.

Had I reviewed this book closer to when I read it I recall having many prolific things to say, however, life happens and at least the review is up now!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Managing the Vampire’s Mansion by K. M. Shea

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Synopsis:
Starting over as a house manager in a charming small town sounded perfect. Until my new boss turned out to be a vampire.

After burning myself out at my corporate career, I take a job managing a mansion in a picturesque tourist town to reset my life.

The house is historic. The town is charming. The locals are welcoming. And, as I accidentally discover, my unfairly handsome employer, Beckett Kinge, is a vampire in hiding.

Beckett prefers order, privacy, and absolutely no supernatural mishaps.

Unfortunately for both of us, a rogue vampire is attacking the locals. The same people who have been nothing but nice to me. As attacks escalate and secrets unravel, staying uninvolved is no longer an option.

And somehow the only person who steps up to find the vampire is me—the mansion manager with poor people skills who knows absolutely nothing about supernaturals.

At least… I think I’m the only one working this case. But somewhere between tracking a killer and trying not to die, I realize Beckett isn’t just protecting his secret. He’s protecting me. And that might be far more dangerous for my emotional well-being.

Regardless, the rampaging vamp has to be found, or no one in town will be safe. Not even me.

This stand alone cozy urban fantasy story is set in the same world as the Magiford Supernatural City trilogies, but is located in a different (real life!) town in Wisconsin. If you’re searching for a stand alone story with cast of characters that will make you laugh while they try to solve a mystery and muddle with the supernatural, pre-order this book today!

Review:
“Jonas rubbed his hands together and beamed at me with the joy of an extrovert adopting an introvert.” (Page 20)

Getting another K. M. Shea book was such an unexpected treat! I am absolutely thrilled that she has semi-returned from her hiatus. While she may not be up to writing the epics that I originally found and loved her for, this book was just the right amount of cozy Magiford fun that I’d been missing. Abigail is human, but she isn’t a typical human. While never explicitly stated, her neurodivergent quirks make her all the more alluring and enchanting to those around Beckett/in his employ. I absolutely loved Abigail and how she could be so singularly minded about things–and that she was willing to do whatever she thought it took/would mean that she pushed herself to live more. There were so many things that she pushed herself into trying and doing that she had never done before, and it made her so relatable! Beckett was also quite relatable in that sometimes it just seems easier to not get involved with things and stick to yourself, until you realize that maybe people aren’t all quite as bad as you had given them credit for.

While the mystery here was a little lack luster and seemed quite obvious to me from the beginning, having figured it out early did not in any way deter from my giddy enjoyment of being back in the Magiford world, with special joy seeing some familiar faces (love you Aphrodite!)

If you’re into modern fantasy, vampires, someone being their authentic self and in doing so finding their people, and obviously K. M. Shea books, I’d highly recommend this novel.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of How to Negotiate With a Nightmare by Amy Boyles

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Synopsis:
In this cozy romantasy, the villain finally gets the girl.I have three problems:

One: The hot guy I met in the bushes (don’t ask) has magic so cold and dangerous it should come with a warning label.

Two: My family’s dragging me to a ball hosted by the Nightmare King—you know, the cruel monster who rules the dark half of town where the sun literally never rises.

Three: Turns out Hot Bush Guy and Nightmare King are the same person. And when our magic touches? We make flowers. Which would be romantic if I wasn’t supposed to be terrified of him.

Eryx Nightshade has spent ten years alone in his castle, haunted by a voice in his head that demands blood and revenge. Until I walked into his spell and the voice went from “destroy everyone” to “she’s pretty, don’t mess this up.”

Now he’s thrown a ball to find me. I’m trapped in pink tulle and sparkly sneakers. And every time we touch, our magic does things that shouldn’t be possible.

He thinks I’m his salvation.

I think he might be mine.

But I’m supposed to marry someone to save my family’s dying magic, and he’s got a revenge plot ten years in the making.

Falling for the Nightmare King wasn’t part of anyone’s plan.

Especially the nightmare’s.

Review:
“Sparkles don’t equal sweetness.” (Page 138)

This book did an amazing job of showing people with two very different types of trauma regarding having/being in relationships and what they had to do to overcome their biases. Usually instant attraction/fated mates/magical explosions are not a way to endear me to a relationship, but I think that for these particular two it was justified. As with all Boyles’ Seven Suitors books so far I would say it’s rather plot light/obvious but the story was well done. I actually much preferred seeing Chelsea have to really look insider herself and assess why she thinks so negatively about romantic relationships (not just short entanglements) to most of the work between Eryx and Chelsea. Nightmare was just so perfectly there–I couldn’t imagine the story without him. This story really had elements of so many fairy tales that I am not sure I could state which in particular she wanted to highlight; there’s obvious nods towards red riding hood, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. All in all, a great light cozy fantasy book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Kiss My Ash by Lara McKenzie

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Synopsis:
Trauma handled with care. Humor sharp enough to draw blood.

Charlotte Marelli survived human trafficking and a catastrophic marriage.

Her life inside Umbrafore is small and deliberately constructed: work, wine, walls. The supernatural coffee shop runs smoothly. The vampire friend with benefits is a practical arrangement with no feelings involved.

Her therapist recommends rage journaling. Charlotte thinks it’s ridiculous, but starts anyway.

When the truth about her past unravels—about who sold her out, and how far the betrayal goes—Charlotte has to decide whether the life she’s built is living, or just survival.

Review:
“Old vampires were walking lie detectors with enhanced senses and centuries of practice, which was deeply inconvenient.” (Page 13)

“Some people enter a room and improve it. Others enter a room, and I remember that murder requires paperwork.” (Page 18)


“I wasn’t the woman things happened to anymore. I was the woman who happened back.” (Page 300)


We know Charlotte as an icon and this book jumps right in to show us exactly how iconic she is. I didn’t realize how much I needed this book from a slightly older and more experienced woman who everyone considers completely put together and nearly perfect. Everyone has things in their past that have shaped them to who they are today, but seeing how strong Charlotte is really put into perspective the welcoming environment she has created at Pulse. While I had an inkling from the beginning of what the big mystery was going to turn out to be that in no way deterred my great enjoyment from this novel. I absolutely love how scathing and snarky Charlotte can be, and I love that the reason we haven’t already seen that is because of a little journaling habit. (It might have made me wonder if I should do something similar.) All in all I could not get enough of this book, and I would continue reading more of Charlotte if there is more in the future.

This is by far my favourite book in the Umbrafore universe to date. Highly recommend if you’ve read Maya’s Blog book series.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯