Sleigh Bells and Slaughter by Alina Jacobs

📚Review Time📚

Sleigh Bells and Slaughter

By Alina Jacobs

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶.5

Holiday 

Mystery 

Firefighter

Cute story with a witchy twist. Loved that Lilith was unashamedly herself & fought for her individuality. Especially loved that Luke was able to break past her Spooky walls. Smokey & Salem were super cute & loved their little personalities.

Once Upon A Christmas Carol By Karen Schaler

📚Review Time📚

Once Upon A Christmas Carol

By Karen Schaler

(New to me Author)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🚫 🌶

Holiday

Novella

Mystery

Musical

What a fantastic Christmas novella. Sweet & charming with a great reminder of what the season is all about. Learning who sent the Christmas cards & all the clues was fun. A total Hallmark movie story worthy of the big screen. Also, I love that at the end of the audio book, they included all the music.

Night Shift Witch by Cate Lawley

📚Review Time📚

Night Shift Witch

(Night Shift Witch, Book 1)

By Cate Lawley

(New to me Author)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

.5🌶

Fantasy

Witches

Mystery

Sweet & Clean

Fun story about a witch in training and her non magical boss. It was a super quick read & free on hoopla audio.

When Star is hired at a funeral home, she discovers an anomaly when a magical creature is scheduled for a funeral. She calls in the society contact, and they embark on a murder mystery to discover how the creature was killed and how it ended up in a non magical funeral home.

The Awakening by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

📚Review Time📚

The Awakening

(Zodiac Academy, Book 1)

By Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

🌶🌶

Fantasy

Paranormal 

Second Chance

Mystery

Wow. This book is full of imagery and detail. You can tell this book was setting the foundation for this series with its introduction to the Fae world and all the differences between it and the mortal realm. Was a little slow reading. I hope that was just for the foundation of the story.

I loved that the orders did not necessarily mean you had certain magic and that the orders were mixed with the abilities. I also loved the details about how each order and magic abilities recharged and how they could manipulate their magic. 

A Dose of Agony by Stacey Trombley

📚Review Time📚

A Dose of Agony

(Shadow Hills Academy, Book 3)

By Stacey Trombley 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶

Paranormal 

Paranormal Hunger Games

Strong FMC 

Mystery/Suspense 

Man, Candice is badass!! She is so strong & determined. Her friends are so loyal to her. She may not have magic, but yet again, she shows she is not powerless. Strength comes in many forms & she taps into those well.

Can we just talk about the moment in "her house". The long awaited claiming. The chemistry they have built through all three books, and though it was explicit, it was well done and just what this series needed.

The twists & turns that started in book  one continued all the way til the end of this book. I loved that I wasn't exactly sure how it would wrap up & I loved the good redemption storyline thrown in as well.

Drop of Anguish by Stacey Trombley

📚Review Time📚

Drop of Anguish

(Shadow Hills Academy, Book 2)

By Stacey Trombley 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

.5🌶

Paranormal 

Childhood friends 

Mystery/Suspense 

Paranormal Hunger Games

Cliffhanger 

Twists & turns abound. From the introduction of Thompson to the unraveling of the games, Liz partook in to the unveiling of betrayal. This story has it all.

The underlying theme that I absolutely love is not to underestimate those whom you think are weak or have little power. The way Candice's friends have rallied & fought with her is inspiring. Loyalty & bravery is just as strong as magic.

Taste of Torment by Stacey Trombley

📚Review Time📚

Taste of Torment

(Shadow Hills Academy, Book 1)

By Stacey Trombley

(New to me Author)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

.5🌶

Paranormal

Childhood Friends

Fake Dating

Mystery/Suspense 

Wow. What a fantastic story. From revenge to the paranormal hunger games, it was full of mystery, intrigue & magic. There were so many amazing details & imagery in this story from the magical archways to the pixie perches & so much more. 

Jarron is so misunderstood as a powerful prince. Candice is a disillusioned human wanting & needing power & revenge. Candice is super smart, and her thought process as well as potions talent is impressive. You could tell Jarron cared about Candice, but she just doesn't have the confidence in herself to see what he sees.

The Coven by Harper L Woods & Adelaide Forrest

📚Review Time📚

The Coven

(Coven of Bones, Book 1)

By Harper L Woods & Adelaide Forrest

(New to me Author)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶

Paranormal

Enemies to Lovers 

Mystery/Suspense 

Cliffhanger

Wow. This story was full of twists and turns.  I loved the connection Willow had with the earth and how she was determined to right the wrongs of the Covenant. It was an interesting take on vampires & witches. 

I can't help but feel for Willow and all the layers of crap she had to deal with from her father all the way to Gray. I am so torn about Gray. I really believe that he cares for Willow. I hope the next book explores Gray's character deeper.

Blake by Nyssa Kathryn

📚Review Time📚

Blake

(Blue Halo, Book 3)

By Nyssa Kathryn 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶

Enhanced Soliders 

Ex Military 

Small-town 

Childhood Sweethearts

Action/Suspense 

Post-partum Depression Awareness

What a great story. Blake & Willows' story started young. PPD is hard, and without a support system, it can be overwhelming. Essentially, being a single mother during that time shows how strong she is.

Blake knows he messed up before being captured, but he recognized that Willow needed space to learn to trust him & herself again. He is the biggest teddy bear and swoon worthy over how he treats both Willow & Mila.

The mystery storyline was fantastic. Blake & Willow were hit from two different sides. The introduction to Jackson, Declan & Cole at such a critical point was genius. I have to say Mila is one smart kiddo & I just loved her.

Jason by Nyssa Kathryn

📚Review Time📚

Jason

(Blue Halo, Book 2)

By Nyssa Kathryn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶.5

Enhanced Soliders 

Ex Military 

Small-town 

Action

Another amazing story from Nyssa. We met Jason in the Project Arma series, and I knew I was gonna love him. (I have b/g twins, too). He is such a good guy, and you can tell he is just a fun-loving guy. 

Courtney is fun, bubbly & bright. Her crush on Jason was totally noticeable in Logan. But I love that she got all tongue tied. But I love that when he confronted her about her feelings, there was no miscommunication. She just told him the truth. Learning more about her backstory was interesting and led to her being the object of mystery/conflict.

A Little Taste by Tia Lousie

📚Review Time📚

A Little Taste

By Tia Louise

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶.5

Single Dad

Family Feud

Second Chance

Mystery

Forbidden 

Work Place Romance 

Age Gap

Absolute perfection. 🤌

The perfect blend of mystery, romance & spice. The family feud storyline was great, but what made it brilliant was the family dynamics, psychic & carnies vs. law enforcement. It had total Romeo and Juliet vibes happening. 

The stairwell & ferris wheel scenes will forever be favorites of mine. Their physical connection was electric. Loved Owen & Edward's instant bond. There's nothing like a little boy & his dog!!

After his wife died, Aiden found out she had been cheating on him, which hardened his heart. Britt wanted to get away and make a name for herself without being linked to the crazy Bailey carnies. But as odd crimes start happening, Britt returns to help with the forensic side of the investigation and finds more than clues. She finds her way into Aiden's heart.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

📚 Review Time📚

The Guest List

By Lucy Foley

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

🌶

Thriller

Mystery

I am not usually a thriller reader but for the Spooky season I decided to try this one out. 

It was middle of the road for me. A lot of back and forth to be honest. And because of that I had a hard time really getting into the story. 

I did like the premise of all 5 people having the motive. I would have liked to see a bit more closure on the Jules Charlie Hannah side as it was a big storyline but no real closure there. Would also have liked to see the other suspects get their face to face with him. The ending felt really rushed to me.

The Hunted One by Brittney Sahin

📚Review Time📚

The Hunted One 

By Brittney Sahin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶.5

Ex-Military

Forced Proximity 

Spy

Action/Mystery 

Forbidden Romance

Work Place Romance

I am so glad I read this book. It is equal parts romance & spy movie wrapped in one great book.

Savanna is a Widow who is struggling when she is thrust into the world that took her husband from her.

I love the relationships she has with her husband's military brothers and how they rally around her to help figure out this mystery.

Griffin is a PMC (private military contractor) with Falcon Falls Security which is made up of all ex military. When they receive the call that a fellow brother's wife is threatened they come to the rescue. 

I loved reading how both their stories intertwine and how their relationship develops. They have amazing chemistry and I loved it!!