Hoodoo Heaven (Boudin, Barbeque & Hoodoo Prequel)

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

SYNOPSIS

Lady Luck missed her flight to Dublin. My enemies, however, did not. All I need to do is stay alive until my forty-fifth birthday, and then the rest of my life will be mine to screw up without the help of my family’s curse.

A couple rogue vampires and the hottest man I’ve ever laid eyes on will do everything they can to derail my plans. Okay, maybe I don’t mind the hot man so much. Hopefully the ancestors will help a sister out for the next thirty-six hours.

Midlife isn’t supposed to be this dangerous.

REVIEW

Mystery, Magic, & Mayhem

The story is fast-paced, but offers a great introduction to the Hoodoo world and a chance to get to know Gwen. It has drama, humor, and a touch of romance with the mysterious Ash. Okay, at this point it’s more lust than romance, but the connection is there.

Gwen is a tough, relatable character. She’s very take me as I am or get lost, which I loved. It will be fun to follow her through the series.

And the ending — yikes! It definitely made me want to pick up the first book immediately.

Ruthie Bowles channels Gwen perfectly, and made listening to the book a pleasure.

Genre: Magic, Paranormal
Series: & Hoodoo |

Fugitives of Destiny (Mystic Brats 2)

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

SYNOPSIS

After the rise of a deity…

…they fled to a magical kingdom.

But can they ever return?

Nara had spent thousands of years trapped inside her deranged mother’s castle. After being enrolled at the Knight Academy, she thought she’d finally be free. She had everything – a mentor in magic, a loving boyfriend, and a group of friends she called family.

But then it all fell to pieces.

One of her friends was possessed by an ancient evil. The only way for the rest of them to stay alive was to return to her mother’s kingdom.

Nara never expected to return to Aria, let alone after switching bodies with her best friend. Nor did Nara ever think she would be reunited with her traitorous undead ex. To save the only true family she loves, Nara must play a game of life and death against an unknown foe.

The Beast will claim its first victim. And a war is coming.

REVIEW

Friends out to save the multiverse.

I liked the Egyptian aspects with Osiris as the bad guy, and the Arthurian mythology tossed into the story as well.

At the start it felt like a big info dump as the last book and events leading to the present state of things were thrown at me all at once. After I got my head around that, the story moved along nicely. Lots of twists and turns, action, and a bit of romance.

I was not fond of the voice the narrator used for Nora, but he kept her in character and maintained her accent, plus I liked the other voices.

Genre: Adventure, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Magic
Series: Mystic Brats |

Unproven

SYNOPSIS

When Shadow, a powerless mage, chose exile to preserve family honor, he didn’t expect a mysterious call to defeat telepathic, camouflaging dragons or to uncover the secret behind magic’s evolution. Nor did he expect that after stumbling through treachery, illusions, and an unexpected romance, his only solution might risk the annihilation of his people.

REVIEW

Magic vs Technology

Shadow is a reluctant hero who comes into magical powers after being shunned his whole life for not having any. He’s got a steep learning curve, and it doesn’t seem like he ever gets a break. But he doesn’t give up as he tries to lead a band of fighters he’s not sure he can trust to save his people.

A ton of in-depth world building went into the story, which I always like. There’s intrigue, politics, a bit of romance, drama, and action, including a traitor nearby.

Jeffrey Howard was a great narrator.

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

Genre: Fantasy, Magic

Reign of the Ancients: The Prophecy

SYNOPSIS

Elf born, raised by wolves, and talks to dragons… Who is this girl? She wants to find out, too, as she abandons the safe confines of her home to discover the truth for herself. Blessed with a magic unlike any before, she discovers a world at war ruled over by monstrous dragons, where the land has been slowly dying beyond that of her cozy little wolf den. The young elf discovers she is known by many names, and some believe her to be the one of prophecy meant to unite the land of Onis. It is no easy task that has been placed on her shoulders. There is no love between the dragons, the elves, the humans, the dwarves, and the drow, so getting them to listen will be quite a challenge. Luckily, the wolf child has an unprecedented team of cohorts to aid and guide her on her quest, but is she ready for such a challenge? Will the ancient dragons’ extreme hatred be overcome so that peace can be brought to the land? Or, will the young girl fail in her quest and bring forth an even greater war between the races?

Join this young elf on her epic quest for peace and self-discovery as she battles against monsters, forms unbreakable bonds, and faces the reigning ancient dragons of Onis.

REVIEW

Coming of Age Fantasy

A fun and engaging quest/prophecy adventure story. There is plenty of action, drama, and a touch of romance, even a love triangle developing.

It was nice to see even though she has an amazing amount of power and ability, she’s not infallible. She still has to figure things out as she goes, and makes mistakes.

Excellent world building, and the way the magic works makes sense. All the characters are well-written and add to the entertainment and development of the story.

The author and Aaron Smith made the story come alive. I liked the bits of music and songs that are included in the audio version.

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

Genre: Coming of Age, Dragons, Fantasy, Magic
Series: Onis Chronicles |

The Yellow Dragon

SYNOPSIS

A little girl who quells demons. An aging dragonslayer. Can they stop the Yellow Dragon before it destroys an entire nation?

Pingzi Po is the only demon queller in the medieval Far East. So far, she has quelled exactly one demon: Benzel of the Wolf, a dragonslayer from the Northlands. Now, she must act as Benzel’s interpreter when he’s charged with slaying a dangerous yellow dragon seen only by an emperor.

But the emperor reveals the Yellow Dragon isn’t an animal—it’s an unidentified citizen in his province, who has threatened to murder the emperor.

Convinced that this unknown citizen is a demon that must be quelled, Pingzi races to unravel the mystery that will reveal the identity of the Yellow Dragon. Can she expose the Yellow Dragon before the emperor is killed and the entire Far East is put in danger?

REVIEW

Coming of age fantasy

Pingzi is a clever girl, and also a demon queller. She overestimates herself a bit, but she’s young and does a lot of growing up in the story.

It was interesting and fun to follow the clues with Pingzi as she solved the mystery of the Yellow Dragon, although neither the dragon, nor the outcome were what I was expecting. She has to overcome a lot of obstacles, including her gender, age, and disdain from her family. Fortunately, Benzel is always there for her.

Good world building with lots of politics, subterfuge, and intrigue.

Excellent narration by the author.

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

Genre: Coming of Age, Dragons, Fantasy, Magic, Mystery

The Gatekeeper

SYNOPSIS

They believed the Puppeteer was dead. They were wrong. Enya’s fire, mixed with the magic of the Seal of Solomon should have been enough, but it wasn’t. Now, she must figure out the Puppeteer’s true identity, save as many lives as she can and find who is on the Puppeteer’s side. Then there’s the Gatekeeper. Is he truly her ally? Can he help Enya and her friends stop the Puppeteer? Secrets. Lies. Magic. Evil. They surround Enya. She must discern how to truly kill the Puppeteer before his evil power takes over the nine lands beyond the Gate.

REVIEW

He’s baaack.

After a brief reprieve, in which everyone thought the Puppeteer was dead, the villain I love to hate came back in all his bloody glory.

Things go from bad to worse for Enya, who blames herself for not killing the Puppeteer. She doesn’t wallow, but anytime she can punish herself, she takes the opportunity.

There were some twists (including a holy moly one near the end), plenty of action, and even a couple of happy moments in between things going horribly wrong again. This story felt darker than the first.

Brand tries so hard to be noble because of what he learns from a Seer. I can’t help thinking that’s going to backfire on him.

Benjamin Fife provided his usual brilliant performance. I always enjoy hearing him bring a story to life.

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

Genre: Coming of Age, Dark, Fantasy, Magic
Series: Seal of Solomon |

Blood of the Dragon (Dragons of Dorwine 1)

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

SYNOPSIS

Anuka Sandbar is the most interesting half-goblin alive. Just ask him.

Anuka’s father is a ship captain, retired Naval Commander, and genius engineer. Anuka is just a daring, handsome, witty, red-skinned, dagger-wielding entertainer. When Papa disappears, Anuka sets out to find him. While sailing to a sleazy port city to begin his search, Anuka and some unlikely companions are enslaved by pirates.

They wind up the property of an emissary for the Silver DragonLord, Shimmer. The emissary offers them manumission if they discover the source of massive amounts of illegal DragonsBlood flooding the country. DragonsBlood is the most valuable currency on the continent and is the source of all magic in the land.

With different Dragon factions on the precipice of war, revealing the truth could mean the destruction of the mortal civilization.

What will these unlikely heroes do when their failure means enslavement but their success could lead to a war between the gods?

REVIEW

Mayhem!

This was a fun fast-paced fantasy with pirates. Tons of world building, action, surprises, and twists. There was always something happening, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

Anuka is a great character — snarky and comical. There are several other POV characters, but he feels like the main one. He is searching for his missing father when he’s shanghaied into slavery, along with some unlikely traveling companions. Their only chance to escape slavery permanently is to solve a mystery for their new master, so there is always the threat of the impending deadline looming as they encounter one obstacle after another.

Michael Kramer did a good job with the narration and characterizations.

Genre: Adventure, Dragons, Magic
Series: Dragons of Dorwine |

Darkworld, Fall of Ashathar

SYNOPSIS

The sun is dying over Ashathar.

Kataklysm arrives every three thousand years. It’s always different, but whatever form it takes, the result is the same—it brings humanity to the brink of extinction.

The last Kataklysm… happened three thousand years ago.

To save the world from Kataklysm, Tannen seeks an ancient path, once cultivated by the ancestors, long since abandoned and forgotten.

To find the path, Tannen must venture into hostile lands. Did the path save a remnant of life during the last Kataklysm?

Or was there something else about the path they pursued that left them warped, exiled, and nearly forgotten?

Tannen must venture into Tensia. A place occupied by a barbaric superhuman race. Tannen isn’t a warrior. He’s an archaeologist. His companion, Valoria, is an astrologist.

This could be the last Kataklaym, the end of humanity forever.

Can Tannen and Valoria survive in hostile territory, or will their deaths seal the fate of the world?

REVIEW

Beginning of an epic series

The kataklysm occurs every 3,000 years, but the next one day be the last.

Tannen, an archeologist, has translations that allude to the last kataklysm, but when he tries to warn everyone about the impending kataklysm, he laughed at.

Valoria isn’t laughing — she’s an astrologist and has seen evidence that the sun could be extinguished.

The two of them must venture into the war-torn country of their enemies in order to search for a way to stop the kataklysm.

A good introduction to the world and characters.

Kelley Hazen was very expressive and did a wonderful job with the narration and all the different characters.

Available on Amazon here, or as an audiobook.

Genre: Fantasy, Magic
Series: Kataklysm: Origins |

Swipe Right to Bite

SYNOPSIS

Dating a demon is pure hell…

Succubus Katrina is fasting for her freedom. If she can ignore her demonic urges long enough, Satan will eventually forget about her, and she’ll be free.

Just because she isn’t getting it on doesn’t mean she can’t help the supes of New Orleans do the pants-off dance-off.

Introducing Swipe Right to Bite, the best and only hook-up app for the supernatural. Business booms from day one, and the horizontal tango becomes the most popular dance in the Big Easy.

Until Gabe, the insufferable incubus, shows up and ruins everything.

There isn’t enough room in this town for two fornicating fiends, and Katrina is determined to send this guy packing, no matter how hot a fire he lights in her nether regions.

But Gabe has a few tricks up his sleeve, and he won’t make it easy on her. The question is, how hard will she make it on him?

REVIEW

Hilarious paranormal romance

A fasting succubus and an impotent incubus find love in this comedic romance. There are misunderstandings galore, but they get past those and fight Satan himself for their happily-ever-after and freedom in the end. I still can’t get Satan’s underwear out of my mind.

It’s a fast-paced romp, and includes appearances from prior characters. Since this was my first book in the series, I’ll be going back to read the rest.

Hollie Jackson was great with the narration. The voice, tone, and accent she used were perfect.

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.

Genre: Comedy, Demons, Magic, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Witches
Series: New Orleans Nocturnes |

The Puppeteer

SYNOPSIS

Something evil has taken over King Ormarr.Only the Fire Wielder could possibly stop the foul entity who can control the minds of others.But Enya, Fire Wielder of her generation, will need to master her new-found abilities and summon friends to help stop the monster she calls The Puppeteer before it destroys everyone she loves in its malignant craving to rule the nine lands beyond the Gate. Fire, war, death, treachery and a love she never expected are her constant companions.She is the Fire Wielder and this is her tale.

REVIEW

The Puppeteer — what a great villain to hate! I couldn’t wait for him to get what he deserved. Every time I thought he was as despicable as he could get, he did something else vile.

It would have been easy to cheer for Enya even if she wasn’t likable. Watching her learn about her abilities, and grow into a force to be reckoned with, was entertaining and satisfying.

The world building was unique and well thought out. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing and surprise me.

Benjamin Fife narrated the story, and did a wonderful job with giving each character an individual voice.

A dark story about a girl coming into her own power.

Available in Kindle Unlimited here, or as an audiobook.