New Horizons (The Baron's Hand Saga, Book 1) - Heather Relken

An epic saga of Love, Loss and New Beginnings. Reach for the stars. You never know where life will take you.

This book is the first in a Reverse Harem Sci-Fi Romance series by Heather Relken. It is predominantly set on a spacecraft orbiting Earth and features human and alien beings. It can be read as a standalone novel. There is some violence and there are several descriptive scenes of consenting inter-species sexual activity between a trio of one human female and two alien males.

Heather Relken is a very talented writer. The story is well paced and flows beautifully. I didn’t want to put it down. The worldbuilding and descriptions of alien craft, creatures, cultures and traditions are vivid and feel realistic. The aliens in this book are technologically very advanced and not overly humanoid in appearance.

There are scenes of suspense, action and violence. There are also descriptive scenes of a sexual nature; with the exception of one where there is questionable consent due to language barriers, they are all consenting and they are part of the characters' bonding with each other, therefore are necessary to the plot of the story. 

Someone has discovered Earth; a previously unknown planet hidden away in the far reaches of the universe. Someone is kidnapping humans, stripping their memories and selling them for wildly high prices at auction. Humans were previously unknown in the wider galaxy. The Turukai have been tasked with monitoring Earth to find out more about them and who is taking them.

Lila Riley Reagan has taken herself off hiking in the mountains to distract her broken heart from the one-year anniversary of her break-up from a long term relationship. The last thing she expected to find herself doing was being caught up in a gunfight between alien beings and government agents. 

After falling from a cliff, breaking her legs, trying to rescue an injured alien, being unceremoniously dragged off to a secret facility for questioning along with that alien, then rescued from that facility by said alien, she could be forgiven for thinking that was enough drama for one day. 

She’d be wrong though. She wakes up on a spacecraft in a medical bay with newly repaired legs and surrounded by strange creatures. She’s hauled off and presented to the Exalt, the leader of this military operation, where she faces trial to test her worthiness and is subsequently claimed as a mate by the Exalt. That’s where her adventures really begin.

This is a long, action-packed novel and I really struggled to put it down. The characters are well developed, individual and deep. The story was really well thought out and interesting. I was thoroughly immersed in this world. I cannot wait to see what else this author produces. I want more of this universe.

Available from Amazon

Constellations - Bethany S Casey

I really enjoyed this book. Can love really conquer all… against all the odds? 

This is a stand alone short novel from new author, Bethany Casey. The book is a Paranormal Romance and is predominantly set in modern day Britain, with some flashbacks to previous centuries.

I really enjoyed this book and read through it in one evening. Bethany has a really easy to read style of writing. The story was well paced, the characters well developed and I found myself drawn into their world.

Lyra is a young girl, trying to find her way in the world. She spends much of her time stargazing and doesn’t know where she really fits. 

Aion is an ancient vampire who has kept watch over her through lifetime after lifetime; each time having to remind her of who she really is and how they are meant to be. He dreams of a time when they can be together forever; live normal lives and grow old in each other’s company.

This is a story of forbidden love. Of vampires and curses. Of love over centuries and lifetimes. It is also a story of betrayal and spite, of jealousy and thirst for power. Surely love conquers all though? Or does it? You’ll have to read it and find out for yourselves.

Available from Amazon

Destiny (Owensen Witches, Book 3) - Dreia Wells

Ancient prophecies and the fate of humankind. Is it possible to defeat the Devil?

Destiny is the third and final installment of the Owensen Witches trilogy, a Paranormal Romance series. There is romance and there are some scenes of a sexual nature, most of them alluded to rather than descriptive.

I enjoyed this book. This author has improved markedly since her first novella. Her storytelling moves at a good pace and her writing pulls you in and brings the characters to life. They are all well developed and interact with each other in a believable way. I’m really glad I read the full trilogy. They get better with each book.

This book focuses on a final battle against the Devil in the war against an evil which intends to bring about the downfall of humankind. It is filled with a plethora of supernatural beings; Witches, Shifters, Vampires, Archangels, Nephilim, Demons and even the Devil himself. There are battles and family feuds, good and evil, light and dark magic. In the face of all that, there is also love and the importance of family connection. 

The reading order is as follows:

Book 1: Chosen

Book 2: Temptation

Book 3: Destiny

Available from Amazon

Lucian's Revenge (Rise of the Alpha Series) - Helen Dhanoya

A brutal slaying, a broken mind and the rise of true evil.

This novella is the second offering from new author, Helen Dhanoya. It’s a short story prequel to her first novel, Rise of the Alpha. 

This is a quick read and gives some backstory to one of the main villains featured in Rise of the Alpha. 

Lucian is a young man who seems to have everything in life; good job, home and loving family. His life is torn apart one night when his wife and daughter are murdered by rogue werewolves in a seemingly random attack. Supernatural beings are not publicly known to humans and the case remains unsolved by local police, who have no way of finding the perpetrators.

His mind broken, Lucian accepts the help of vampires and takes his revenge on the werewolf community in the most cruel, sickening fashion; his actions giving rise to an evil he could not have foreseen. One which will have far reaching consequences for decades to come.

Available from Amazon

The Black Cat Cocktail Club - Poppy's Potions (Haven Hollow, Book 8) : HP Mallory & JR Rain

How a Chaotic Inter dimensional Journey Ruined Girls’ Night.

This novella is the fourth Poppy’s Potions book and the eighth in the Haven Hollow series. It is a collaboration between HP Mallory and JR Rain. The book falls in the Paranormal Women’s Fiction genre. There is no romance in this book.

This is a short, fun story, which I read in an evening. As ever, the writing flows well, the story is well paced and the characters are well rounded and interesting.

This novella is the story of what happens to Hellcat, Wanda’s Familiar, when he interrupts Girls’ Night by accidentally drinking an experimental potion, sending himself on a chaotic interdimensional journey and sending Poppy, Wanda and a cast of other Haven Hollow characters off on a wild chase to rescue him. Bad Cat! 

The Wanda’s Witchery series and the Poppy’s Potions series are both set in Haven Hollow and run in parallel to each other. If you haven’t already read those, the reading order so far is:

Gypsy Magic : Poppy’s Potions (Haven Hollow, Book One) 

Cashmere Curses : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven Hollow, Book Two)

Faery Enchantment : Poppy’s Potions (Haven Hollow, Book Three)

Spandex Sorcery : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven Hollow, Book Four)

Love’s Goddess : Poppy’s Potions (Haven Hollow, Book Five)

Demon in Denim : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven Hollow, Book Six)

Taffeta Trickery : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven Hollow, Book Seven)

The Black Cat Cocktail Club : Poppy’s Potions (Haven Hollow, Book Eight)

Available from Amazon

Taffeta Trickery - Wanda's Witchery (Haven Hollow, Book 7) : HP Mallory & JR Rain

A blast from the past to destroy Wanda’s future. Time is running out to break her curse.

This is the fourth Wanda’s Witchery book and the seventh in the Haven Hollow series. It is a collaboration between HP Mallory and JR Rain. The book falls in the Paranormal Women’s Fiction genre and although there’s the potential for romance, there are no scenes of a sexual nature.

The Haven Hollow stories (Wanda’s Witchery and Poppy’s Potions) are a joy to read. HP Mallory and JR Rain work really well together; their writing flows well and really draws you in. The stories are fun, interesting and well paced. The characters are well developed and continue to grow with each book. Wanda is a moody witch and Poppy is a Gypsy who seems to nurture and mother everyone, including the reluctant Wanda. Their friendship is unexpected; it goes against all the rules of the supernatural and yet it works.

As if her life wasn’t chaotic enough, Wanda seems to have drawn the ire of a mysterious magical being. Despite all of her magical protections, someone is breaking into her shop on a regular basis and they are trying to destroy her business. At the same time, she has to deal with the worst of all Bridezillas, attend a wedding she has no interest in attending, break the curse which has transformed her into a blood witch and deal with her increasing and undeniable attraction to Lorcan, which goes against all of her instincts. 

Wanda’s status as a blood witch still carries the death sentence and the month the vampires granted her to break the curse one way or another is almost up; the spells she is trying aren’t working and she is running out of options. The break-ins and attacks on her business are having an impact and if she wants to remain in Haven’s Hollow, she needs to get to the bottom of who, or what, is doing this. The answer will surprise everyone. 

I am really looking forward to the next book. I want to see if she can break her curse. I want to know if her attraction to Lorcan is due to the curse or because they are meant to be together. I loved the end of this book and I want to know where Wanda’s journey will go from here.

The Wanda’s Witchery series and the Poppy’s Potions series are both set in Haven’s Hollow and run in parallel to each other. If you haven’t already read those, the reading order so far is:

Gypsy Magic : Poppy’s Potions (Haven’s Hollow, Book One) 

Cashmere Curses : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven’s Hollow, Book Two)

Faery Enchantment : Poppy’s Potions (Haven’s Hollow, Book Three)

Spandex Sorcery : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven’s Hollow, Book Four)

Love’s Goddess : Poppy’s Potions (Haven’s Hollow, Book Five)

Demon in Denim : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven’s Hollow, Book Six)

Taffeta Trickery : Wanda’s Witchery (Haven’s Hollow, Book Seven)

Available from Amazon

Raven's Moon (Raven Tales, Book 1) : JB Dane

Really enjoyable start to this new UF series. Great characters and interesting plot.

Raven’s Moon is the first book in Raven Tales, the new Urban Fantasy series from JB Dane. The book is set in modern day Detroit and features an interesting array of supernatural beings. There is no romance in this book.

JB Dane’s easy to read and humourous writing style drew me in from the start. She created characters which differ from the usual UF tropes, have depth, flaws and a few attitude problems. The world building and supernatural elements are well crafted and I was easily drawn into this story.

Bram Farrell is the fictional star in author, Calista Amberson’s best selling series about The Raven, an investigator known for taking down the seedier elements of the supernatural community. Fictional only until Calista decides to pull him, without warning, from the world of her imagination into her own world. Turns out that Calista is not only a famous bestselling author, she is also a witch, well known in the real supernatural community. 

Everyone in the supernatural community felt his arrival and all of them want to know why he is here. 

Calista may have her own reasons for summoning her mind’s famous PI but it seems that the supernatural community also have a use for him; the two missions he is presented with might just collide and there’s no guarantee that Bram will survive intact from the chaos which ensues. He’s neither supernatural nor human. What he is remains to be seen.

I really enjoyed this book. For quite some time I was questioning whether Bram had really been pulled into the mundane or whether he was living his new adventure in Calista’s imagination. The story is well written, not full of predictable elements and alongside the usual witches and vampires, has some supernaturals not often found in the UF books I’ve read before. 

I’d definitely recommend reading it and I’m looking forward to diving into more work from this author.

Available from Amazon

Breathless - Heather Relken

Two’s company but three’s a party in this steamy underwater ménage à trois

This is a short, standalone Sci-Fi Romance novella set somewhere in a not too distant galaxy. It is RH and LGBTQ. There are descriptive scenes of consenting interspecies sexual activity between two males and a female.

I love Heather Relken’s style of writing. She paints pictures with her words and they just draw me in. If steamy, consensual alien interactions are your thing, you will love this.

The galaxy is a vast place, housing the strange and unusual. Amongst the strange and unusual are a race of benevolent beings, more than 100 feet tall who like to collect other species as pets. They are often thought of as mythical beings; stories told to keep children compliant.

Milo, a human male, discovers just how real they are when he finds himself captured and wakes up in a seemingly idyllic beach side paradise. The complete opposite of his former home. Milo’s quiet life in his beachfront dwelling is interrupted by the arrival of Vano, a being who looks very much like the human description of mermaids, or a merman in this case. The two begin a passionate love affair until the arrival of Mri, a female of the same species as Vano, changes their dynamic. Milo has never been attracted to human females but mermaids are a different story. Two may be company but three's a party and all of them want to play.

Available from Amazon

Making Spirits Bright (Midlife Spirits, Book 9) - HP Mallory

Peyton's time is running out. Can she break the curse on her before it's too late?

This is book nine of Midlife Spirits, a Paranormal Women’s Fiction series of short novels from HP Mallory. The book is set in the Garden District of New Orleans, USA. There is some romantic interest and there is one scene of a sexual nature which is not descriptive or explicit.

This book had me gripped. I raced through it in one sitting over an afternoon. I couldn’t put it down. These characters have me hooked and I want to know what happens to them. It’s book nine and their story isn’t over yet. HP Mallory’s easy to read style flows well with the story and her words paint a vivid picture in my mind. 

Peyton’s life has gone from busy to chaotic. The recent spate of paranormal activity has come to her doorstep and infiltrated her life. She needs all the friends and all the protection she can get. Can her relationship with Ryan survive this latest onslaught? Especially now that she has admitted to herself that she is in love with Drake and that if Drake were alive, she’s not sure she would choose to be with Ryan over him. How that is going to work out remains to be seen.

Interference from the local voodoo practitioners is coming to fruition. Dark magic has been worked and strange things are afoot. Peyton’s life is about to be turned upside-down again. Her visions are getting stronger, there are gaps in her memory and she doesn’t have much time to undo these curses before she reaches the point of no return.

I am eagerly awaiting book ten.

The reading order for this series is as follows:

Book 1: Afraid of the Dark

Book 2: A Ghost of a Chance

Book 3: Mischief Brewing

Book 4: Bump in the Night

Book 5: Bone Voyage

Book 6: Deadly Intentions

Book 7: Ghostly Gathering

Book 8: Magic in the Night

Book 9: Making Spirits Bright

Available from Amazon