Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

It all started with a song. Or maybe it was a smell. Maybe it was the twinges and her lower back becoming pangs. But whatever it was, Viv had become dissatisfied with the life she was leading And she thinks she's discovered a way to get out. It involves a leap of faith on her part, trusting that she's interpreted a song correctly. It also means leaving her old group, some of whom she'll miss. 

Following her intuition and a set of bones that sense ley lines, Viv ends up at a rundown livery. She searches out the owner and starts building her new life. 

I play D&D so a lot of this felt very familiar. I liked the way that Baldree flipped the script on what a succubus looks like. He made it more of a power and less an unending search for sex. There were a few places that dragged just a bit but I liked the characters and I look forward to more in this series. 

Four and a half stars

This book came out February 22, 2022

Followed by Bookshops & Bonedust

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

I read about this book on Smart Bitches Trashy Books. Carrie S was absolutely right when she said that people would either get this book or they didn't. I didn't; not the first three times I tried to read this book. I finally made it past the first section and did enjoy the book but I don't think I'm the exact right audience for this series. 

Cinnamon is living a life she enjoys in her small village. This is the year that a group of heroes will be chosen to fight the demons that rise up every so often. Luckily, her world is protected by a benevolent goddess. At least, that's the story until Cinnamon runs into a demon and accidentally throws a bundle of spice into his face breaking him of the spell he's under. Then her whole world turns completely upside down as everything she thought she knew turns out to have been false. Good thing that bad news is balanced out by her falling in love with the demon.

Three stars
This book came out July 22, 2021

Followed by That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole

At eight, Jo was found wandering the streets with a newborn clutched in her arms. By eleven, she and her brother Thad were mostly on their own. Though there is the kindly librarian who has taken to giving them baskets of food.

One day, Jo is out righting the wrongs of her neighborhood when she gets shot in the face by the gang members she's been playing pranks on. She wakes up I floating out of the body bag at the Morgue. Jo isn't sure what she has become but she likes it. Her first goal is to get revenge and then to get back to her brother. She goes and takes the gang members that shot her out and discovers that drinking their blood makes her stronger. But when she tries to get her brother, no one recognizes who she is including her brother and she is forced to give him up. The librarian adopts Thad and Jo is able to leave him in that happy home for 10 months until his adoptive father dies.  She's about to take him back (only one parent? That's not any better than living with her) when the librarian's mother moves in and Thad once again has two parents. We next meet Jo when she's spying on Rune as he has sex with three nymphs. Rune the Insatiable has been cursed for millennia with an appetite for sex that cannot be sated. He has black blood and will poison anyone who kisses him.

When he meets Jo, Rune is instantly attracted and confused. Especially since she seems to be able to resist his legendary charm, even stealing his favorite talisman, the one that was given to him by his mother. Then he discovers the Jo was able to withstand his poisonous black blood. Could it be that even a dark fey has a mate?

Still like the world building of the immortals. Definitely going to look for more books by Kresley Cole. Wish there hadn't been quite so much repetition this book but it was overall highly enjoyable.

Four stars
This book came out in December 1, 2015

Follows Dark Skye

Followed by Shadow's Seduction

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Dark Skye by Kresley Cole

Lanthe and Thronos were children when they met and were convinced that they would be in love forever. And they were, until Thronos betrayed Lanthe's parents. Since then, his family has been torturing hers. And he just won't let her be. Even to the point of following her onto an island of torture. When they are (somewhat) freed, he immediately captures her. 

But their time together means that past lies and misunderstandings might finally come to light. It took a little bit longer than I really would have enjoyed but this is overall a nice addition to the series. 

Four stars

This book came out 

Follows MacRieve

Followed by Sweet Ruin

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

MacRieve by Kresley Cole

Chloe Todd is out there living her dream- playing soccer and getting to try out for the Olympic team. Yeah, she might be a little off lately, not eating or sleeping as much and finally getting interested in sex. And she's really thrown off by somehow being able to overhear her father's phone conversation even though she's in the middle of a packed stadium. Her life gets even worse when she's attacked by a big scary guy and then walks out of her house and falls into an abyss.

Uilleam MacRieve knows that his actions got his parents killed. He's carried that guilt with him for centuries. His life got even worse when he was captured by the Order and tortured for weeks. When he finds out the daughter of the man in charge is on the auction block, he is raring to go. But what does he smell when he gets there? Is that his mate? Why yes, yes it is. So he grabs her and runs away. You'd think it might be all sparkles and flowers as the two are wildly attracted to each other but there is at least one more surprise waiting for them.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though there is a lot of discussion about McRieve's being stuck in the past which makes sense because it's not like there was therapy back when he was a kid.

Four stars

This book came out May 9, 2013

Follows Shadow's Claim

Followed by Dark Skye

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole

Bettina is just living her life when she's captured by four Vrekeners and tortured until she loses her Sorcerii powers. It's that mistake that leads to her agreeing to be the prize in a supernatural contest. She will be the winner's bride. And she knows just who should win, her childhood friend. Too bad Trehan Daciano has just discovered that Bettina is his fated mate and he's not going to let anyone else win.
I couldn't connect with this book and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was too much of the just Bettina story in the beginning and it took a while for the two of them to meet. I get this book's place in the series but may skip it on re-reads.

Three stars

This book came out November 27, 2012

Follows Lothaire
Followed by MacRieve

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Jealousy's a Witch by Louisa West

Rosie is still just trying to live a quiet life. But she's finally made a friend! A friend who's now living with her. Which puts a little pinch on her, ahem, private life. Declan has been sleeping on her sofa after his living space was destroyed in the last book but maybe they were moving a little too fast. Especially since a woman who just came to town seems to have some tie to Declan. But of course, all of that pales to the fear she has when Maggie disappears...

Another book that's a little thin on plot or character building but the series itself seems like it could be quite enjoyable. 

Three stars

This book came out September 30, 2020

Follows New Witch on the Block
Followed by We Witch You a Merry Christmas
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Seashells, Spells & Caramels by Erin Johnson

Imogen's scrimped, saved, and lived as simply as possible in order to save up for her dream. She was adopted and has always felt like she was on the outside of life but an unexpected order from her boss for a wedding cake that goes over better than she ever thought gives her just enough money for the bakery she's always dreamed of. 

At the wedding, two people make some very odd remarks about her cake. There are a wink and a nod that Imogen doesn't understand. One of the guests even hands her a flier about a cooking contest. Imogen is confused but she decides to bake for the contest, getting to the point of wrapping her contribution in the flier, just as the instructions say. It's just too bad that her house catches file that night and she is left with nothing. Except that her submission seems to have made it in because she gets instructions on how to get to the baking contest. She is again confused as to how she is able to get there but it looks like Imogen actually has some magic and the baking contest is to become the next chef of a magical world. It seems the last chef died under mysterious circumstances but we don't learn much about that in this story. Instead, the focus is on world-building (which is really well done; enough revealed that we know what is going on but not too much of an info dump) and on the baking contest. 

A really nice start to a new series. 

Four stars

This book came out October 29, 2017

Followed by Black Arts, Tarts & Gypsy Carts

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

New Witch on the Block by Louisa West

Running from her abusive ex-husband, Rosemary Bell just wants to lay low and raise her daughter, Maggie. She doesn't have a car nor any money, really, but she's found an inexpensive place in a quiet town where her husband isn't going to find her. Just a quiet life is all she needs. Definitely not a woman who seems out to get her. Nor a man who seems to believe she is a witch. And his bride. 

The foundation is a little thin and the characters aren't really rounded out but there's a charm to the story and it's nice to read about an older (not old) woman coming into her own.

Three stars
This book came out June 30, 2020

Followed by Jealousy's a Witch

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews

You can try to read this book without having read the books before it but it will be much more helpful (and enjoyable) if you have read the other books first. There are a lot of people and a lot of species that are easier to follow if you know some of them already. I had a hard time following when I read this book as a serial on teh authors' webpage. It was easier to read it all at once and an amazing story as an audiobook. The narrator was perfect for this book. 

Sean and Dina just cannot get down time. The stories of Sean's prowess have spread throughout the werewolf community and now many of his kind are showing up to try and win his favor. One of them drops the news that Wilmos, an old werewolf, has disappeared. They are able to find out where he is but they are unable to get there without help. Which means that they will need to do a favor in return.

And what a favor. The only beings with a portal near Wilmos are the Dominion and what they require in return is a safe place to complete the selection for a mate for their king. Yes, this is a galactic Bachelor, a contest that touches everyone at the Gertrude Hunt, including Caldenia.

Four stars

This book came out December 13, 2022

Audiobook comes out January 13, 2023

Follows Sweep of the Blade

Back in a Spell by Lana Harper

Nineve "Nina" Blackmoore is having some really bad luck at the moment. First, she's been dumped. Second, her family is known as being kind of the "bad guys" around town which is severely hindering her love life as she tries to jump back in the dating pool. Third, her magic is acting really weird. Like, way overreacting to any spells she tries to cast. And the dreams... Plus she seems to be witchbound (married) to a guy that her friend picked off a dating application. 

Morty isn't sure what's going on. First, his date ends up being the lawyer whose family sent a whole bunch of letters trying to buy his family bar. Then, he woke up and had magic. Like, real magic. What the heck? Only Nina will know the answer but he's not sure he wants to be near her. Yet he can't stay away. Is she really a black-hearted witch like the rest of her family?

I wish we had gotten to see more of Morty and Nina's relationship. It went from "I think I should hate you" to "Let's hang out forever" really, really fast. There was a lot of plot movement for the series but I wish we had seen more for them.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 10, 2023

Follows From Bad to Cursed

Followed by In Charm's Way

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

Witch and Famous by Angela M. Sanders

Daphne Morris, A-list movie star, is coming to visit small-town Wilfred. Why? Because she is featuring one of Roz's books in her celebrity book club. The town is abuzz. And Josie knows this because everyone is still gathering in the library since the other places in town for gathering are either closed or burned down. 

When Daphne arrives, she brings her entourage (assistant, personal chef, stylist, etc.) She also brings a stalker and a lot of heartache as the men in town seem to fall for her good looks. 

A dead body is found in Daphne's tub but it's not Daphne. It's up to Sam (and Josie) to work through what is going on.

There are a lot of stories with bumbling sleuths doing stupid things and Josie isn't among the worst offenders but I'm not sure why she keeps poking around without talking to Sam if they are supposedly such good friends. I am enjoying Sanders' writing but the characters are a bit infuriating at times. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 26, 2022

Follows Seven-Year Witch

Followed by Witch Upon a Star

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Lothaire by Kresley Cole

Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, has never been the Big Bad in this series but he has definitely not been on the side of good. He even brought back to life a long dead goddess (who was better off dead) by stealing her ring. And he wants to raise another, the one who is going to be his fated mate. Of course, they have to figure out how to get rid of the human host so she can keep the body. But Ellie Peirce doesn't exactly want to go. The more she sticks around, the more intrigued Lothaire is. 

The drama is still dialed up to 11 in this book and got to be a little too much toward the end but I am still enjoying the series. 

Four stars

This book came out January 10, 2012

Follows Dreams of a Dark Warrior

Followed by Shadow's Claim

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

For the past couple of books in this series, Declan Chase has been the big bad. He's in charge of the group that has been capturing and torturing immortals. Or at least, he seems to be in charge. When Vakyrie Regin the Radiant is captured, she is devastated to discover that he is the most recent reincarnation of her mate, Aiden. The two have been cursed to be kept apart; any time they finally find each other and then have sex, Aiden dies. 

When he was young, Declan's family was tortured and killed by a group of immortal creatures. He was rescued by a group that would let him get revenge although they did drug him up quite a bit. Turns out, they were suppressing his true nature. 

When the facility they were in goes up in flames, Declan switches his loyalties to work with the Immortals. And they are surprisingly fast to accept him. True, one of the people he escapes with is an old friend but he tortured these people and now they accept-ish him. 

This was a really hard book to read. I see where Cole was trying to go but there was not nearly enough groveling. However, this book did set up the next in the series, Lothaire, very nicely. The Enemy of Old seems to be slowly moving over to the side of the good guys.

Three stars

This book came out February 15, 2011

Follows Demon from the Dark

Followed by Lothaire

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own

Gnome Schooled by Erik Henry Vick

There is a new Grand Cynosure in town and he is declaring a war on snacks. He had ties to a gnome extremist group but has supposedly cut those ties many years ago. But that war becomes even more important when an angel turns up dead of an overdose on Cheez Its. It's a murder that sends Dru and Leery to work with Ice Cofy, a man who is both Claw and Warder. They will also be sent to a number of different factions in order to figure out who actually supplied the drugs that killed the angel.

Lots of little in jokes to the TV series here. The story starts and ends with the GC but it is so loosely tied to the meat of the actual story (the drug dealers) that it doesn't make much sense but it was highly entertaining.

Three stars

This book came out August 28, 2020

Follows They Ate Gatsby

Followed by A Tail of Two Cities

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

They Ate Gatsby by Erik Henry Vick

Key witness J. Gatsby is not in court and he's got a good reason, he's dead. His ghost points toward a group of vampires known as the Dead Set. This is a super exclusive group that only someone who moves in high social circles would be able to infiltrate. One who might want to bring along her werewolf partner along as a bodyguard.

This book has an unexpected ending but it was better than the last book because Dru has, finally, stopped talking like a little girl.

Three stars

This book came out July 24, 2020

Follows Silkie Stalkings

Followed by Gnome Schooled

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

Malkolm Slaine grew up poor, very, very poor, with a number of other memories that would traumatize anyone. And this was before he was forcibly turned into a vampire becoming that thing of myth, a vemon (vampire demon). Now he hangs out on his mountain trying to get revenge on the demon that betrayed him. 

Carrow Graie is a party girl. She gains her powers from other people's emotions, happiness is preferred. When she's kidnapped, given a collar that mutes her powers, and thrown into a cell, she's not really happy. At all. Then her kidnapper tells her she has to go seduce some vemon and lure him back or else they'll kill her young cousin, she's really not having a good day. But she goes. She does. And she discovers that she might just be Malkolm's true mate. 

It took me quite a long time to get into this book because it got pretty dark (I know, some of the other books do as well but this is a different kind of dark (TW child abuse)). I don't regret reading the whole things but will probably skip wide swathes on reread. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 24, 2010

Follows Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Followed by Dreams of a Dark Warrior

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Evelyn Skye

If I had realized this was an anthology about high school kids, I may not have picked it up. But this was a pretty good trio of stories all revolving around Halloween, a night when the Lady of Moon Ridge is said to walk every 400 years. Perhaps, this year, she might bring a few high schoolers true love.

Onny believes that she belongs with Alexander-the-Great-Looking, but could she be overlooking someone closer to home?
Ash has had a crush on his next-door neighbor Cassidy, the track star, since she moved in. But could it truly be that she returns his feelings?

True was hurt by her last boyfriend, Brad (obviously Chad-adjacent). But can she find love with Orion? A guy who believes in ghost while she is science-all-the-way?

Great respect to the authors who managed to pull parts from each other's stories to really create a nice overlap of details. 

This book come out August 31, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

We've seen glimpses of this love story in other books of this series. A dark werewolf who has been watching over a Valkyrie archer who cannot miss or else she feels excruciating pain. The pain Lucia feels is the result of a pact made with a god when she nearly died. 

Many, many years ago, Garreth, prince of the Lykae, realized that Lucia was his one true mate. He also realized that she wasn't ready to acknowledge it. So he's been watching over her from afar (don't do this is real life, folks; this is stalking and super creepy). 

Lucia has a life mission and that is, every five hundred years, she has to make sure that an apocalyptic evil doesn't occur when Crom Cruach rises. As that time is nearing, she cannot be distracted by a werewolf right now, matter how intriguing she finds him.

There is a long stretch where we read about their history, another where they finally start to sort of get together, then a lot of travel over the world ending up with a long stretch in the Amazon where they awaken another potential world ender but end up with an arrow that can kill a god. Then, as usual, everything is wrapped up in a whirlwind in the last 50 pages or so.

Four stars

This book came out January 25, 2010

Follows Deep Kiss of Winter

Followed by Demon from the Dark

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own

Silkie Stalkings by Erik Henry Vick

It's been a little while since I listened to the first three stories but I don't remember Dru talking like a little girl so much. It's REALLY annoying. She's one of the princesses of darkness and a detective on the New York police force but uses words like "Mommy" and several times her speaking is literally described as being a little girl voice. The premise of these stories has always been interesting and Vick does a great job of weaving in lore from the original shows and from myths but this story just didn't work very well. 

Dru and Leery are on a new case. Three men have recently thrown themselves off the George Washington Bridge. Strangely, none of the three have no soul on record as having gone to the afterlife. The two detectives realize that all three victims were using an app of "proprietary magic and technology," Sinder. The app is owned by none other than the King of Sin himself, Dru's uncle Luci. Of course, he will not let any information go easily so there are some battles, both mental and physical.

Two and a half stars

This book came out June 26, 2020

Follows Mitzvah

Followed by They Ate Gatsby

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own