By Earth, by T. Thorn Coyle.

The Witches of Portland, Book 1

Cassiel is a witch who moved to Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago. As a teenager in Tennessee she began to see ghosts and tried to help them move along, including being involved with law enforcement. Burned out and spiritually drained, she moved across the country hoping to create a better life.

In Portland she has found a community and joined a coven. But life in Portland has its own problems. She’s about to lose her apartment due to rent increases and a housing shortage. To make matters worse, a ghost appears to her while she’s working magic with her coven. The beautiful woman asks her to help a man finish something and mentions Joe and Darius. They next day Joe shows up at the cafe where she works. He’s friends with her boss, a fellow coven member.

Joe is a contractor. He works with his brother rehabbing houses. He’s still recovering from the death of his girlfriend. Although it was ruled a suicide, he has a hard time believing that. Tarika just wasn’t that type of person. She was a reporter and was working hard on a juicy story at the time of her death. He can’t believe she would suddenly commit suicide when there was no sign of trouble beforehand.

After meeting Cassiel, Joe finds out that Tarika’s brother Darius has been investigating her death. He believes it was related to the story she was working on about a series of fires that have occurred at new housing projects in the area.

Eventually Joe, Darius, Cassie and her coven begin investigating the fires with guidance from Tarika. Together, will they be able to untangle the mystery and bring the wrongdoers to the surface?

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery, characters and paranormal elements blended together in a very satisfying way. The romance was subdued, but that felt appropriate for the situation. The series features the various members of the coven and their different magical talents. I look forward to finding out all about them.

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Huntley, by Stacy Eaton

Loving a Young series, book 3.

Sometimes when I’m reading a contemporary romance and everything is going great between the couple, but I can’t relax because I know something bad is going to happen and I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. That’s how I felt reading Huntley.

Daniella is an author. Just when she’s about a chapter from finishing her book her dog goes nuts and takes her outside. She realizes that her house is on fire and calls 911. This is the catalyst that drives the story. At the scene of the fire she meets a paramedic and later Huntley, one of the firefighters. They insist she come stay with their parents since their small town has no lodging available.

It’s clear from the beginning that a Daniella has a traumatic past and many secrets that she is unwilling to reveal, even as a relationship begins to develop between Daniella and Huntley. This is where I felt like shaking Daniella and telling her to tell the truth because secrets can destroy trust. Oh. well. Characters in novels never listen to me.

I don’t want to give the impression that I didn’t enjoy the book. I did and I plan to read more of the series. The combination of the large Young family and the suspenseful plots is captivating and you feel like you know everybody in the small town. The frustration with the characters was all me.

Overall I recommend the book. The mystery is revealed slowly giving you time to figure things out along with the characters in a satisfying way. The romance is believable and the Young family characters are a hoot. It was a fun experience despite wanting to give Dani a talking to early on.

I received a review copy of this book. My opinions are always my own. Who else would claim them?

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Deadly Departed, by David Bussell

Spectral Detective Series. Book 2

I just finished reading Deadly Departed and I really enjoyed it. The plot involves PI’s Fletcher and Fletcher and it is set in in the Uncanny Kingdom, an urban fantasy version of London.

Deadly Departed is a multilevel mystery that involves many characters and locations from other Uncanny Kingdom books to enhance the story. Great writing with snappy dialogue and lots of snark speeds the plot along. Readers new to the Uncanny Kingdom should be able to follow along just fine because every character and locale in the story is beautifully described and introduced.

Give yourself some time for this one because you’ll enjoy it more. I had a great time meeting The Spectral Detective and checking in on other favorite characters. I’m looking forward to more Uncanny Kingdom books!


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Highlander’s Hope by Mariah Stone

Called by a Highlander Series, book 2

Highlander’s Hope features ex-marine Konnor and Marjorie, now temporarily in charge of the castle while her father and brothers are fighting with Robert the Bruce. Both Konnor and Marjorie have experienced trauma and violence in their pasts and they believe they are too damaged to find love. An injured Konnor is sent to the past by Sineag. Marjorie finds him and takes him back to her castle for shelter and healing.

Marjorie has a big problem. While she was hunting, she heard some men talking in the woods about the castle’s weaknesses, which they plan to report to their commander. Now the untried Marjorie must prepare the castle for an attack by the clan’s enemies.

Konnor is surprised by his attraction to Marjorie but tells himself he can’t pursue it. However, after thwarting a kidnap attempt on Marjorie’s son, Colin, he knows he can’t leave until Marjorie and Colin are safe.

Can Konnor and Marjorie get beyond their old wounds and find the courage to try to love? And can they defend themselves from the enemies that outnumber them?

I really enjoyed this book. Watching Konnor and Marjorie balancing fear and attraction was very moving and entertaining. Both know this relationship will probably be temporary, and it takes a lot of courage to take the risks needed.

I look forward to other books in this series. Each story stands alone, but is in the same world.

Kasey Briggs Leave a comment

Rise Again Warrior: Mission Accept by Stacy Eaton

Dana is a spoiled rich girl who is cut off by her parents because she is directionless.  Derek is a homeless veteran who carries a lot of guilt around for what happened when he was a Navy Seal sniper.

Dana meets Derek by accident on the streets and they keep running back into each other as Dana begins to realize that there is a lot more going on around her than worries about shoes and penthouse apartments.  

When her dad cuts her off, he suggests she approach her cousin Shane about a job.  Shane founded Rise again warrior, and he offers Dana a job at the ground floor, literally.  Rise Again Warrior is a project to help veterans accept and overcome the baggage of war and move on to re-join society.  Gradually, Dana begins to learn about the problems the veterans have and the need for a place like Rise Again Warrior. 

I enjoyed the book.  It is challenging in places because of all the hurt and emotional scars of the numerous characters, but rewarding with more than one happy ending.  This book is well worth your time.  

I received a review copy from the author.

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Lavender and Cinnamon Book 1: Hexes and Kisses from Seattle By Monica La Porta

Hexes and Kisses from Seattle was a delight to read. Aubrey is having a very bad day. Yesterday she received a summons to a meeting with her landlord. Stress caused her to spend most of the night baking. That’s good for her shop but bad for her attitude. When he’s late for the meeting her patience has reached it’s end. She walks in his office and…(that’s for you to read). When she finds out he plans to evict her in a month and breaks his desk. She fixes the damage but then he’s kissing her and claiming that he’s been looking for her for ages.

Aubrey is a witch who tries to follow the rules and keep magic secret, but it’s hard when a day is so challenging. The landlord turns out to be a hot dragons shifter and they are cursed to be tethered together. Reeling from this discovery, there’s more news. Andrew forgot to mention he’s engaged.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Aubrey tells the story with a lot of snark . It’s a fun read, but there’s a cliff-hanger at the end.

I look forward to reading more of this series. The next two books are already out.

Kasey Briggs Leave a comment

Scars of the Duke, by Deborah Wilson

Selena was pregnant and ruined. Abandoned by her duke, she fled the city. Before Duke Marley Bing could recover from the shock she was gone and he was kidnapped and held captive for years. When he returned nobody would tell him where Selena was. Although he longed to do right by his love and his child, he couldn’t find them until his well-meaning brother laid a trap and she was caught.

Now all Marley has to do is get Selena to forgive him. For everything. Selena doesn’t want to hear his excuses, and she certainly doesn’t want to forgive him. Can Marley gain her forgiveness and win back her trust, or will he lose the only woman he has ever loved?

This was a great book. The secrets and the depth of history this couple had before the kidnapping gives them a deep backstory. The tragic coincidences that kept them apart at crucial times make for a heart-wrenching storyline, but the love behind it all gives one hope for a happy ending or should I say a happier beginning to the next chapter of their lives. I love this series and can’t wait for the next book.

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The Bears of Valor Lake Box Set

The Bears of Valor Lake Box Set is worth notice. Each book covers a different family/clan of bear shifters who live around Valor Lake. The clans don’t agree on much. Managing resources, distributing wealth, and above all, keeping the secrets of the shifters are a constant source of problems between the clans. Then you have the exiles who don’t want to live by the rules but are forced to stay in the area. All in all it has the ingredients for a rich world full of conflict and romance.

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The Highlander’s Promise by Anne Morrison

Nicholas is an English Knight. Recently ransomed from a prison is France, he returns to his lands to find them in the hands of a stranger and there’s no sign of his sister Agatha or his niece Catherine. Fearing Catherine might have been taken north, he heads into the border lands after her.

Ava is a Scotswoman who lives by her own rules, dressed as a boy, she’s been raiding cattle and traveling the country since she was a child. She’s in a spot of trouble with some villagers who are determined to burn her as a witch when she’s rescued by a lost and confused Nicholas.

It quickly becomes apparent that Nicholas needs some rescuing himself. Feverish from an infected wound, he barely makes it through the rescue before collapsing.

When he recovers, Ava agrees to help him travel north and look for his niece. They have some hope of finding her because of a birthmark on her foot. This is fortunate given the number of orphans and foundlings caused by the recent wars.

This was a very interesting and enjoyable book and I highly recommend it. The dialogue is quick and witty, sometimes funny, sometimes painful. The plot is intricate and refers to other books in the series in a intriguing arc.   The book is part of the Highlands Warring series but each book is completely readable as a standalone.

I received an advance copy from the author. My opinions, as always, are my own and are freely given.

Kasey Briggs Leave a comment

The Marriage of Time, by Mariah Stone

In The Marriage of Time, by Mariah Stone, Mia is a modern woman in need of a rescue, and in a hurry. Her ex boyfriend/mafia boss just found out she is pregnant and is dragging her back to his lair. Help can come from strange places and in strange ways. After a brief interaction with an old woman, she finds herself outside a Viking village, threatened by a bear, an grabbed by a Viking as he thunders by on horseback. Shocking, but she an her baby seem to be safe, for now.

Hakon “The Beast” believes he is cursed. He has been told so since he was born. After a defeat in battle, he agrees to meet a daughter of the king the next summer in the secret grove and then to marry her. This happens to be the very day Mia arrives after touching a golden spindle.

Both Mia and Hakon have bad histories, trust issues and secrets of their own. Do they have it in them to look for the happy ending neither believes they can have?

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was varied with a lot of surprises and a complicated arc that kept my interest. The dialog is engaging and the mythology seems to be well-researched. I recommend this book. It is book 3 in the called by a Viking series. I’ll be checking the rest of the series out soon.

I received an advance copy of this book. My opinions are, as always, my own and freely given.

Kasey Briggs Leave a comment