Sable (The Night Folk #1) by J.L. Bryan

I’m Alice, a werewolf slayer, though not really a great one yet.
Born with the wolf curse, I was trained by a secret ancient order to hunt the most dangerous lycanthropes, those who relish violence and murder. The order also provides the critical drug cocktail that keeps my inner beast under control…most of the time.
When my rebellious, impulsive nature leads me to botch an assignment, the order sends me into a kind of exile. My new assignment is to follow up on faint rumors of lycanthrope activity in small, fairly remote Rust Belt cities of Michigan. I’m supposed to set up quiet listening post to gathering information, though being quiet has never been one of my strong points.
Now I find myself isolated, establishing a new deep-cover identity, searching for a day job and a place to live in a new city. I struggle to build relationships with actual normal people who are neither shifters nor slayers. I feel like I’ve lost my home, like an unwanted wolf shunned from her pack, my trusted community lost along with their trust in me.
My new, almost normal adult life won’t last, either. Beneath the illusion of a regular life that I try to create, my past is always stalking me, even as I stalk the local werewolves. Learning about my enemies, I learn about myself, and soon I’m torn in different directions by the different worlds in which I live, and by my heart, soul, and sense of duty, as I search for the right path in the shadowy world of the night folk. 

I’m pretty sure that I’ve read everything that J.L. Bryan has written, so when a new series by him fell into my radar, picking it up was a no-brainer on my part. The fact that this new series is centered around werewolves was an added bonus. Unsurprisingly, he took one of my favorite UF tropes to a whole new level.

Alice was a unique character in more ways than one. Her life was anything but normal. She found out at an early age how dangerous the world was and the scary part was that the true danger to those around her came directly from her. She was pulled into the Order, isolated, tortured and then trained to hunt monsters. Then, just as suddenly, she was thrown back into the “real world” on an assignment that left her adrift and abandoned, but she was still determined to prove herself.

There were some interesting twists and turns and it didn’t take long to realize that things weren’t exactly as they seemed. Alice learned a lot about herself and found out that she and those like her may not be the real monsters. The connections that she made were totally unexpected, but the first taste of “normal” that she experienced for most of her life.

Things are far from over at the end of Sable and it should come as no surprise that I can’t wait for The Night Folk series to continue.

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1) written by Stacia Kane, narrated by Bahni Turpin

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack.
In a future world under attack from the undead, the powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot water.
Chess owes a lot of money to a dangerous drug lord who wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in a dangerous attraction to the drug lord’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah

Full disclosure, at the time that I wrote this review I was already 3 book into the Downside Ghosts series. Just a FYI – this is not a series for the faint of heart. Neither is the world that Chess lives in.

Chess also isn’t your average heroine. She’s very good at what she does and she’s also very good at covering up her habits. Regardless of how good she is at her job, if the wrong people find out about what she’s hiding she could loose more than her position with the Church. She’s in too deep though – with both her drug use and what she owes her suppliers. Just one of the reasons why she can’t really refuse when one of those suppliers holds what she owes him over her head when he asks a favor.

This series is raw and brash and holds nothing back. Chess is rough around the edges, but there’s still something that about her that I kind of like. She’s broken, she’s real and she’s a survivor. One of my favorite kinds of characters. 😉

Dead in the Water (Gemini #1) written by Hailey Edwards; narrated by Stephanie Einstein

Camille Ellis is the Earthen Conclave’s golden girl. Her peculiar talent solves cases with a touch. She isn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty, but every bright star casts a shadow, and her deepest scars lurk just beneath the skin. 
A routine consultation goes sideways when a victim’s brother gets involved in the investigation. Riding the edge of grief, the warg will go to any lengths to avenge his sister’s death. Even if it means ensuring Cam’s cooperation at the jaws of his wolf. 
When the killer strikes again, Cam is caught between a warg and a hard place. To save the next victim, she must embrace her past. Even if it means dragging her darkest secrets into the light of day. 

Dead in the Water is the first book in Hailey Edwards’ Gemini series and I love the world building so far. It includes a mix of Shifters and Fae and a lot of politics on both sides. Neither species trust the other, which makes Camille and Cord working together more than a little complicated. Especially when you add to that the attraction that at least Camille is trying really hard to ignore.

Both of these characters are also more than a little broken. Cord’s loss is fresh and right on the surface, but Camille’s is just as painful and something that she lives with every day. They have to put that pain aside and find a way to solve the mystery of who or what is killing young women before they find their next victim. The mystery, danger, suspense are enough to keep the pages turning, along with the growing attraction between Camille and Cord. The supporting characters were great as well. The story’s far from over at the end of the final chapter, which means that Head Above Water was listened to before this review was written and the rest of the Gemini series (and maybe a few others from this author) have already made it to my TBR list.

The only thing better than finding a new Urban Fantasy is discovering that it’s part of a series. The only thing better than that is finding out that the new series that you just discovered is a spin-off of another series. Yes, I may have a serious reading addiction, but hey, there are worse vices out there, right? 😉

Days Gone Bad (Vesik #1) by Eric R. Asher

A crashed wedding. A scorned vampire. Here comes the blood…
Necromancer Damian Vesik is no hero. At least, not according to the magical community that turns a blind eye to his battles against evil. So he chalks it up as one more thankless mission when he’s forced to stop his vampire sister from murdering her ex’s entire bridal party…
Infiltrating the ceremony to protect the innocent, Damian uncovers something even more sinister than a massacre. With the help of his berserker fairy friend, he may need to prevent an unholy union between ancient demons and the walking dead. 
Damian has one chance to stop his sister and ruin the wedding before one hell of an afterparty dooms the world. 

I’ve been aware of this series for a while now, so I’m not exactly sure what’s taken me so long to pick it up. I read Days Gone Bad as part of a collection of the first three books in the series. It didn’t take me long to get caught up in this crazy world created by Eric R. Asher, so I’ve definitely put an end to my procrastination. 😉

I kinda have a thing for anti-heroes. They’re usually just a little bit broken and their inner voice is brutally honest with themselves. Somehow it makes those characters a little more real, even if they’re fight agains supernatural evil. One book in and I’m pretty sure that Damian Vesik is that kind of guy. He’s already proven that he doesn’t always do the “right” thing, even if at the time he’s convinced it’s for the “right” reasons. He’s surrounded himself with a motley crew of supernatural allies and a few human ones as well.

A lot happens in Days Gone Bad and the story does go off in several tangents. I kind of liked the chaos though and it’s clear by the end of Days Gone Bad that there’s much more to come. Good thing I have Wolves at the River Stone and Winter’s Demon ready and waiting. (At the time I wrote this review, I had already read Wolves at the River Stone, so stay tuned.) And on a whim, I picked up the audio collection of Vesik: The Dufris Years – so yeah, I’d say that procrastination thing has definitely been rectified. 😉

Inheritance (Deadly Curiosities #4) by Gail Z. Martin

Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curio shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them, and she teams up with friends and allies who use magic and paranormal abilities to get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats. 
Caribbean ghosts terrorize Charleston and start racking up a body count. Then Beckford Pendlewood, the heir to a powerful family of dark warlocks, shows up raving about a bound demon locked in a lost box and begs sanctuary. Can Cassidy and her friends find the demon box, stop the killer ghosts, and break the Pendlewood curse before Beckford’s murderous cousins and the vengeful demon destroy them all?

Finishing Inheritance means that I’m finally caught up. Well, I was actually officially caught up when I finished Treasure Trail (the first book in Morgan Brice’s Treasure Trail series) which falls just before Inheritance in the multi-series world. My tendency to pick up books on a whim without paying attention to what order they fall in is another topic all together. *sigh*

There was a lot going on in Inheritance and a lot of cross over between series. As the Deadly Curiosities series continues, that seems to happen more and more. I, for one, love the cross overs and having Simon and Vic from Badlands finally make it to Charleston and be an integral part of Inheritance was an added bonus. It not only wove the series together even tighter, it also gave Cassidy to clue Simon in on what went on behind the scenes at Trifles & Folly. Each one of the characters had a special talent that was essential in solving the mystery behind the entities that were terrorizing Charleston. Even the humans had important roles to play.

Along with the danger and mystery, that strong sense of family that I’ve come to adore in this world was ever present. There’s only a hint of romance in the Deadly Curiosities series, but there’s plenty of action, mystery and danger to keep the pages turning. Throw in an adorable furry friend and what’s not to love?

There’s much more to come in this world and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Speaking of which, Blink, the second book in the Treasure Trail series is next up on my TBR pile. 😉

Constellations of Scars by Melissa Eskue Ousley

Not all gifts are a blessing. Some are a curse.
When Amelia turned 12, she began growing pearls. Every month, a crop of beautiful pearls bursts from the skin on her back. Her mother, Denise, believes her daughter is blessed, and sells the pearls to put food on the table. Amelia sees her condition as a curse. As the pearls form, her body aches and her skin grows feverish. The harvest of pearls brings temporary relief from the pain, but leaves her back marred by scars. Denise hides Amelia away from the world, worried that Amelia’s gift will be discovered and she will be abducted for the wealth she can provide. Now a young woman, Amelia realizes she has become her mother’s captive, and plans her escape. When she runs away from home, she finds a new family in a troupe of performers at a museum of human oddities. She soon discovers the world is much more dangerous than her mother feared.

I’m kind of proud of the fact that I’m not a “judge a book by its cover” kind of reader, so I never pick a book by the cover alone. That doesn’t mean that I can ignore a beautiful cover when I see it, it’s just not the total draw in my decision to pick up a book. In the case of Constellations of Scars, I’m not ashamed to admit that the cover definitely grabbed my attention. The description pulled me in enough to make it hard to resist. I love it when the inside of a book is as beautiful as the outside. ❤

This is my first read by Melissa Eskue Ousley and it was well worth taking a chance on a new to me author. I have to admit that it wasn’t at all what I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. Constellations of Scars is much more than it seems on the surface. It’s a book where the real monsters are disguised and not everything is as it seems. There are also a lot of twists and turns and some things that I never saw coming. As much as I’d love to wax poetic about what I truly loved about this story, I don’t want to give anything away.

Just know that parts of Amelia’s story isn’t easy to read, but it’s totally worth the heartbreak. There were characters that I adored and characters that I most definitely didn’t. There were times that I didn’t even like Amelia all that much – at least not some of the decisions that she made, but regardless of her uniqueness, she was still only human – flaws and all. There were even some lessons to be learned in Constellations of Scars – which ironically brings us right back to that “judging a book by its cover” thing. ❤

The Monster Mash (Monster M*A*S*H #1) by Angie Fox

The day I was drafted into the army of the gods, all I knew about being a MASH surgeon was what I’d learned from Hawkeye Pierce and Hot Lips Houlihan. Now here I am, Dr. Petra Robichaud, in the middle of an immortal war, assigned to a MASH camp with a nosy sphinx, a vegetarian werewolf, and an uptight vampire who really needs to get a life.
At least they’re all too busy with their own dramas to discover my secret: I can see the dead. It’s a forbidden gift, one that can get me killed, so I haven’t told a soul.
Until the arrestingly intense Galen arrives on my operating table, half-dead and totally to-die-for. When his spirit tries to slip out of his fatally wounded body, I impulsively slip it back in. Call it a rash resurrection. One I’ll live to regret.
Now Commander Galen of Delphi knows my secret, and he’s convinced I’m part of an ancient prophecy—one that can end the war for good. But taking a chance could cost me everything. And it would be easier to convince him to leave me alone, except now the prophecies are starting to come true…

Full disclosure, I may have been drawn to this book because I was and still am a huge fan of the popular TV show. Of course, I’m also a fan of Angie Fox, so I knew going in that picking up The Monster Mash was bound to be a win/win. I wasn’t disappointed.

The world building in The Monster Mash was unique and the story was fast paced. The characters were well developed and even though they were living in horrific circumstances, there was just enough lightness to break through it. Petra was a character that was easy to like and the supporting cast of characters added a lot to the story. They were fun, quirky and in the same inescapable situation as Petra.

There was more going on with Petra than being trapped in a never ending war. She had a secret that keeping was a matter of literal life and death. If that wasn’t enough, she was part of a prophecy that she wanted nothing to do with. It became more and more obvious that it wasn’t something that she could run away from, no matter how much she tried. Especially since one of the only other people who knew her secret wasn’t about to let her walk away from him or the prophecy.

I missed Monster M*A*S*H series the first time around, but I’m kind of glad because now I have a new to me Angie Fox series to catch up on with a fresh new look. Transylvania Twist is next and it’s already on my TBR pile. Stay tuned!

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs

By day, Mercy is a car mechanic in the sprawling Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shapeshifter with some unique talents, Mercy has often found herself having to maintain a tenuous harmony between the human and the not so human. This time she may get more than she bargained for.
Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan—and she’s out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werewolf pack (and her close relationship with its sexy Alpha), it won’t be Mercy’s blood Marsilia is after.
It’ll be her friends’

I have quite a few Urban Fantasy favorites on my “must read” list. The more I read in the Mercy Thompson world, the higher it moves on that list. ❤

There’s a lot going on in Bone Crossed. Mercy is still recovering from the events that nearly destroyed her in Iron Kissed. She wants to be back to normal, but it isn’t as easy as she wants it to be. Luckily, she’s surrounded by people who understand that even more than she does. They are there to love and support her in any way that she needs – especially Adam.

Mercy has gained herself some pretty powerful allies, but she has also more than a few powerful enemies. Some are obvious, while others seem to be hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce. Mercy’s a loyal friend though and she proves once again that she’ll do whatever she can to protect those she considers hers. Her trust in some of those people is put to the test in Bone Crossed.

Marsilia is at her worst in Bone Crossed, but there are even more dangers waiting for Mercy. Add to that the fact that not everyone in the Pack is happy about Adam mating with her and Mercy making some split minute decisions that she probably shouldn’t have… well, let’s just say that at times Bone Crossed was impossible to put down.

Next up for Mercy Thompson is Silver Borne. One good thing about getting hooked on an established series is that I don’t have to wait long to pick it up. 😉

The Trailwalker (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #13) by J.L. Bryan

The old campground in the mountains has a shrouded history wrapped in legend. Located by the mysterious mounds of a vanished people, it was once a popular summer destination for children, but closed long ago under tragic circumstances.
Josh and Allison Conner have moved out from the city, inspired to create a retreat for children in need, a place to build skills and character. They’ve brought their own children with them, and now they’re hurrying to rebuild and update the old camp in time for their first opening day.
But something lurks in the wilderness around the old summer camp, something that strikes against the Conners’ best efforts to revitalize it. They feel watched, then threatened, but after sinking their savings and their hopes into the place, they are unwilling to walk away.
Paranormal investigator Ellie Jordan must sort history from legend to determine what haunts the camp and how to fight it, before it inflicts more harm on the well-meaning family attempting to bring life back to the remote abandoned campground.

Ellie and Stacy have their hands full in Trailwalker. It doesn’t take long for them to figure out that they are probably dealing with more than one ghost and maybe even something else? J.L. Bryan didn’t pull any punches in this one. Yikes!

Their investigation might have gone a little smoother if they didn’t have the added obstacle of Josh. He wasn’t exactly a believer and although he had agreed to have them come, it was more to prove to Allison that she was letting her imagination get away with her.

As usual, Stacy and Ellie had to use more than their paranormal tools to solve the mystery of who their ghosts were and why they were still hanging around. Their research revealed more than they bargained for and made things even more interesting.

I was happy to see some of my favorite characters make brief appearances, especially my favorite part-time historian. 😉 There was more than enough spookiness, outright terror and danger to keep the pages turning. There was even an unexpected alliance that took everyone by surprise. In other words, Trailwalker had everything I’ve come to expect from an Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper book and more. As usual, J.L. Bryan succeeded in making me walk away wanting more.

The Masque of the Red Cat (The Psychic Cat Mysteries #3) by S.M. Reine

There’s no mystery a sharp mind like Mr. Poe’s can’t solve. He’s saved the soul of a dead warlock and taken down a murderous, knitting vampire. When he begins having visions of devastation around Haven, he’s prepared for the fight.
Unfortunately, Mr. Poe’s family still thinks he’s an ordinary black house cat, and they’ve become intent on ensuring he’s an indoor cat. Thanks to a magical collar, he can no longer leave the house.
When his visions of disaster strike, Mr. Poe must use his brilliant mind to solve the mystery—without ever leaving his favorite sunbeam.

I adore Mr. Poe… almost as much as he adores himself. My only qualm is that he’s so hard on one of my other favorite Decentverse characters, Cèsar. However, I think that The Masque of the Red Cat may mark the turning point for Cèsar and Mr. Poe.

A couple of secrets are revealed in The Masque of the Red Cat, but not Mr. Poe’s. It was close though and I’m sure that there will come a time when Mr. Poe will have to let his mommies in on everything he’s capable of. In the mean time, I’m sure he will use his unparalleled skills to help keep the Haven free from the unexpected danger that he’s best at stopping before it starts.

The next book in the series is Fall of the House of Cat. FYI – I love the play on the titles from one of my other favorite authors – very appropriate given who Mr. Poe is named after. ❤ I also love the lightness of these books that isn’t always found in the rest of the Descentverse series.