Corpse Whisperer Sworn by H R Boldwood is the third book in the Corpse Whisperer Series and I am fortunate to have them all, thanks to the author. The books are quick reads, because it’s hard to stop myself from racing through the pages.
With a gun in one hand and a blade in the other, Allie Nighthawk searches the streets of New Orleans for the necromancer, Toussaint. Who will win the face to face confrontation?
She can raise the dead, but spends most of her time putting down the freshies, flesh eaters and corpsicles with the help of her hotty, wantta be boyfriend, Ferris.
As I picture the zombies from The Walking Dead, I am laughing most of the way through the blood and guts, the zushi. The writing is humorous, even when they are shooting, slashing and stabbing, and their lives are on the line.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Corpse Whisperer Sworn by H R Boldwood.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Follow Allie Nighthawk to exciting New Orleans where she raises the dead, puts down rotters, and dabbles in the mystical world of hoodoo. She’s on the trail of an evil necromancer who will stop at nothing to rule the world with his army of deadheads. Is her magick strong enough to save the day? Or will this necromancer from her past kill her before she gets the chance? She figures she’s got a fifty-fifty shot. Make that forty-sixty.
H.R. Boldwood, author of the Corpse Whisperer series, countless short stories, and Imadjinn Award finalist, is a writer of horror and speculative fiction. In another incarnation, Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the 2009 Bilbo Award for creative writing by Thomas More College. Boldwood’s characters are often disreputable and not to be trusted. They are kicked to the curb at every conceivable opportunity when some poor unsuspecting publisher welcomes them with open arms. No responsibility is taken by this author for the dastardly and sometimes criminal acts committed by this ragtag group of miscreants.
A
haunted tapestry. A cursed dynasty. Dark magic, and a supernatural
creature with an insatiable hunger.
Tapestry
Deadly Curiosities
Book 6
by Gail Z. Martin
Genre: Supernatural
Mystery Adventure
A
haunted tapestry. A cursed dynasty. Dark magic, and a supernatural
creature with an insatiable hunger.
Cassidy Kincaide and the Deadly
Curiosities crew get a call from a desperate real estate investor to
un-haunt a mansion that has belonged to a family of dark witches for
generations. Inside, a hidden chamber reveals a legacy of
supernatural power, a dangerous tapestry woven with malicious magic
and defiant ghosts that refuse to accept the house’s new ownership.
When the dust settles, the family’s witch and the djinn that has
influenced the dynasty’s fortunes for more than a century are
missing—and bent on vengeance.
A mysterious pop-up gallery
sells magical tapestries to Charleston’s art collectors, but good
luck quickly turns bad as the woven pieces permit the djinn to drain
and kill the owners. Meanwhile, Cassidy’s best friend, Teag Logan,
and his fiancé, Anthony Benton, finalize plans for their wedding,
dodging mama drama and supernatural setbacks.
When Cassidy and her allies go
after the witch and the djinn, they find themselves targeted by magic
that can bend perception and reshape reality. The psychic pain caused
by the cursed tapestries fuels the power of the djinn and the dark
witch, setting up a showdown with the Alliance for the soul of
Charleston.
Can they stop the witch, defeat
the djinn, destroy the tapestries, and still make it to the wedding
on time?
A dark
witch dynasty. A malicious, immortal undersea place-spirit. Eternal
guardians who wagered their souls to protect Charleston.
Omens of impending disaster
have the city on edge. Tremors warn of earthquake risk, while a
potentially catastrophic storm gathers strength over the ocean and
heads for land.
A last-man-standing promise
among elderly veterans creates a dangerous inheritance involving an
imprisoned, wish-granting goblin. A sea captain and a swashbuckler
worked blood magic to protect Charleston from an ancient evil with a
spell that bound their souls and their descendants to the task, but
danger looms as its power fades. The head of a witch family wants
artifacts and secrets—and he’ll do anything to get them.
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles
and Folly, an antique and curio store where her touch magic helps get
cursed and haunted objects out of the wrong hands. More than once,
she and her allies have saved the world from supernatural threats.
The clock is ticking for
Cassidy and her friends to stop the dark warlock, capture the goblin
and restore the guardian spell before a malevolent ancient entity
takes its vengeance on Charleston and the coast. It’s going to take
all the magic, courage and quick thinking they can muster—and for
once, that might not be enough.
Legacy is an action-packed
urban fantasy paranormal thrill ride full of dark magic, infernal
creatures, goblins and demigods, haunted places, pirate ghosts, found
family, witch dynasties, loyal friends, Voudon spirits, secret
history and plenty of adventure.
Stolen magic. Infernal creatures. A cursed heir to a warlock
dynasty. Supernatural suspense.
Caribbean ghosts terrorize
Charleston and rack 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.
Cassidy Kincaide can read the
history of objects by touching them. She and her allies use magic and
paranormal abilities to keep Charleston and the world safe from
supernatural threats.
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?
Inheritance is an action-packed
thrill ride full of dark magic, infernal creatures, demons and
demigods, haunted places, found family, witch dynasty politics, loyal
friends, Caribbean ghosts, secret history and plenty of adventure!
Book Four in the Deadly
Curiosities series.
“This story starts out right
in the thick of it with loads of action, and doesn’t let up until
the final pages.”—Drops of Ink on Inheritance
Zombies
rise in Charleston cemeteries, dead men fall from the sky, and the
whole city succumbs to the “grouch flu.”
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles and Folly in Charleston, an antiques
and curios shop with a secret history of ridding the city of cursed
objects and keeping the world safe from supernatural
threats.Cassidy’s magic can read the history of an object with a
single touch. Her best friend Teag is a Weaver witch, and her boss,
Sorren, is a 600 year-old vampire.
Now a vengeful dark
witch is gunning for Teag and planning to unleash an ancient horror.
Cassidy, Teag, and Sorren—and
all their supernatural allies—will need magic, cunning, and the
help of a Viking demi-goddess to survive the battle with a malicious
Weaver-witch and an ancient Norse warlock to keep Charleston—and
the whole East Coast—from becoming the prey of the Master of the
Hunt.
Tangled Web is an action-packed
thrill ride full of magic, restless ghosts, infernal creatures,
haunted places, found family, vampire politics, old Norse magic, Wild
Hunt, loyal friends, secret history and plenty of adventure!
Book Three in the Deadly
Curiosities series.
“There are plenty of spooks
and magic to keep the action fresh. From page one to the big finale,
the plot gallops along at a good pace.”—Cats Luv Coffee on
Tangled Web
Sorren has spent centuries
shutting down the plans of powerful immortals, dark warlocks, fallen
angels, and supernatural creatures. He’s a vampire working with
paranormal allies to protect a world that doesn’t know the dangers
that prowl the shadows. Now an enemy from his past is picking off
everyone Sorren cares about, destroying his sanctuaries, and making
it clear that Sorren will be the final target of a magic-fueled
vendetta.
Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles &
Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antique and curio shop with a
dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching
them and along with her Weaver witch friend Teag, Sorren, and their
allies, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the
world safe from supernatural threats.
The clock is ticking. Old power
stirs, the kind that hasn’t been seen in centuries, waking from
slumber and hungry for vengeance.
This sort of evil can’t be
destroyed—but it can be contained, and that’s what Sorren and his
allies did long ago. Now, the evil has returned, even stronger and
craftier than before. Cassidy, Teag, and Trifles and Folly are in the
crosshairs against an unknown enemy with strong magic and significant
resources and to win they’ll have to put their lives—and souls—on
the line. Can they help Sorren fight a deathless foe from centuries
past, or will they see everything they love go down in flames?
Vendetta is an action-packed
thrill ride full of magic, restless ghosts, infernal creatures,
haunted places, found family, cursed paintings, old Norse magic,
demigods, vampire politics, fallen angels, loyal friends, secret
history, and plenty of adventure!
Welcome to Trifles & Folly,
a store with a secret. Proprietor Cassidy Kincaide’s psychic gift
lets her know the history and magic of an object by touching it.
Cassidy and her friends—including Weaver witch Teag and her vampire
business partner Sorren—save the world from vengeful ghosts, dark
magic, hidden monsters, and things that go bump in the night.
When a trip to a haunted hotel
unearths a statue steeped in malevolent power, and a string of
murders leads to the abandoned old Navy yard, Cassidy, Teag, and
Sorren discover a diabolical plot to unleash a supernatural onslaught
on their city.
It’s time for Cassidy and her
team to handle the “deadly curiosities” before it’s too late.
Deadly Curiosities is an
action-packed thrill ride full of magic, restless ghosts, infernal
creatures, haunted places, dangerous curios, found family, loyal
friends, secret history, and plenty of adventure!
Gail
Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for
Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and
Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and
the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include
Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle,
the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.
Together
with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron & Blood, Storm
& Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and
Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe
Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future
post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM
paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail,
Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a
con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention
that never ends.
Could a stolen Degas unravel a cold-case art heist? Celine must find out before murder closes in . . . Shattered by a journalist’s death and sensing danger to his mother, Clara, psychic art sleuth Celine Skye struggles to focus on the
Gardner Museum theft. Until a stolen Degas taken eight years after the heist surfaces—along with new clues and visions of Clara in peril.
Compelled to investigate, Celine has a startling revelation linking Clara to a Gardner Museum insider. Could Clara’s son have uncovered evidence implicating her friend in the theft?
With the threat to Clara escalating, Celine must find the truth before murder finds them both. . .
About Nupur Tustin
Nupur Tustin is a former journalist who misuses a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.A. in English to paint intrigue and orchestrate murder. She is the author of the Joseph Haydn Mystery series set in eighteenth-century Austria and the Celine Skye Psychic Mysteries about a psychic art sleuth who takes on the still unsolved
Gardner Museum theft of 1990. She also writes the Sophie’s Adventure series about an art sleuth who recovers stolen art as an undercover tourist. For more about her and her books, please visit https://ntustin.com
After her sister dies, Meara Deleaney invites her bereaved nephew, Jackson, to accompany her on a book tour to Canada’s Atlantic provinces. Fearful of leaving the security of her apartment, Meara bolsters her courage by recalling the imaginary dragons she and her sister slew as children behind the hollyhock hedge.
As they travel in a motorhome from park to park and bookstore to bookstore, Meara and Jackson are unaware of the manipulating forces intent on preventing their return home. They do, however, realize they are being stalked and therefore welcome the company of another touring author, criminology professor Bartholomew Wolfe.
A long-standing professional relationship between the authors builds to romance and a persuasive invitation to seek shelter at the professor’s lodge. However, to reach the lodge, Meara—now accompanied by her nephew, niece and mother—unsuspectingly travels through a portal which exits in a future dimension near a fortress.
From there, the family is escorted under guard through dangerous territory to a lodge where metaphorical dragons lie in wait, and security comes at a price.
EXCERPT
As bedtime neared, Meara was reaching for the television remote when the screen went dark. Simultaneously, the cabin lights dimmed to battery mode, the refrigerator switched from electricity to propane gas, and the microwave blinked off.
Meara and Jackson went outside to see if the power was out in the whole campground. It was an ideal summer night perfected by the sound of rolling surf, a sound they expected to later lull them to sleep in their motorhome haven. A breeze swept the scent of campfire smoke into the ocean-scented air. Small animals could be heard scuttling through nearby shrubbery, rustling twigs and leaves.
When it became apparent there was no generalized power outage, Jackson checked their electric outlet. The motorhome’s electric cord lay unplugged on the ground.
“Pranksters again,” he muttered as he bent to plug it in.
However, at the motorhome steps, Meara and her nephew came to an abrupt halt. On the vehicle’s bottom step lay a long-stemmed rose bearing an attached note.
Someone had stealthily placed it there in the brief time they were outside. Someone had been watching, waiting for the right moment to leave the rose.
No longer did the sound and smell of the ocean seem soothing. No longer did the scent of campfire smoke seem inviting. No longer did the rustling of twig and leaf seem friendly. They looked around nervously and saw no one.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Gloria Pearson-Vasey weaves contemporary issues into her novels, and likes a story – be it literary fiction, historical fantasy or science fiction – to be authentic and end on a note of hope.
A member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Pearson-Vasey has also penned non-fiction books on autism and pilgrimage.
The author feels blessed for experiencing the joy and chaos of merging child raising with career, camping, travel and pets.
She lives in a picturesque Ontario town, and enjoys reading, music, country drives and time with family and friends.
The Accidental Sereph Maci Aurora (Carran Hollow Fated Mate, #1) Publication date: June 25th 2024 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
When Atlas Black, a bad boy with a reputation in Carran Hollow, walks into The Hole-in-the-Wall bar investigating a demon sighting, it’s mostly business as usual until he comes face-to-face with his calix—his fated-mate. Except Ivy Day, oblivious to the world of seraphs and demons, thinks she’s stranded in Carran Hollow because a stupid bus has broken down. She just needs a ride to get to the next bus in order to get to her sister across the country. While the guy in the bar hitting on her is hotter than any human has the right to be, unless he’ll give her a lift, she doesn’t have any patience for anything else. But little does she know, Atlas is about to take her on the ride of her life—that is, as long as they can get through the demons.
[Rome] pulls his phone from his pocket and glances at it. “Bus coming into the Hollow.”
Samson and I groan. Buses mean tourists. Obnoxious tourists drag in the demon riff-raff hiding among them, and they aren’t usually the organized kind, but rather the fledgling demons or the deserters attached to the taedae, unsighted humans.
“Not it,” Samson says.
“How’s that injury?” Rome asks me.
“Not an injury,” I repeat. “How many times do I have to say it?”
Rome looks me over, eyes narrowed, as if he can see beyond my skin and bones. “Fine,” he relents. “You go into town. Wait for the bus to roll in, see if any demons have hitched a ride.” He points at me. “But don’t engage, not without backup.”
I’m already walking over to the cabinet, pulling on my harness, sliding a sharpened dagger into a sheath, along with another into my boot. “Me? Engage?” I glance at my bow but leave it, knowing I probably won’t need it. Those off the bus are rarely difficult to dispatch. I glance at Rome with a smile. “Never.”
Samson laughs.
I shrug into my black leather jacket and grab my helmet before I’m out the door, headed for the heart of town. After driving past Lowry’s Gas and Sundries, where the bus stops, and seeing the hulking, metal can is already empty, I ride down Main. I park my bike, cross to the other side, and duck into The Hole in the Wall, a small bar sandwiched between a diner called The Getaway, and a witchy souvenir shop that sells Carran Hollow guidebooks. One of these three establishments is often the first stop for tourists, and thereby their parasitic demons, when they reach town.
My eyes adjust to the dark. There’s an older guy playing guitar near the door. The shiny wooden bar is on the left and runs the length of the room. There are a few people lined up along the counter, atop barstools. Booths—mostly empty—line the right wall, and in between is a stretch of space big enough to walk between the two. I’ve been here before. I have been in every single shop in Carran Hollow, every single home—though the owners haven’t known I was there. The Hollow is my town.
The locals glance at me then look away, giving me a wide berth. They might know me. They might know I’m a Black. If they don’t, they feel it—that sensation skittering across their skin telling them danger is near. That’s all that’s needed.
Author Bio:
Romance author.
Lover of stories.
Maci Aurora has been writing stories since she was a child. When she was eleven, she fell in love with reading Sunfire Historical Romances about girls who made a difference in their lives and still fell in love. In high school, a friend introduced her to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, and from there, her writing journey was cemented in telling stories about love. Having already published many novels (all of which are threaded with romance as upper YA and New Adult titles) under the pen name, CL Walters, Maci Aurora wanted to write stories that offered the same attention to story and characters but with additional steam.
Maci writes in Hawaiʻi where she lives with her husband, their children, and their fur-babies.
Dark and Lovely Mermaids Julie Catherine (Broken Mermaids, #2) Publication date: June 11th 2024 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Mermen. Monsters. And a lot of Manipulation. An at-odds prisoner (merman) and warden (mermaid) are about to set off to cross the deep ocean and end up running for their lives. Dive into the twisted waters of Dark and Lovely Mermaids, a forced proximity, enemies to lovers paranormal romance where the love is deep and the ocean is wild.
Ellara Merme made a bad deal. To save her friends and human sweetheart, she agreed to become a sea-slave, the lowest class in the mermaid world. It’s hell on earth, at the bottom of the ocean. A terrible choice. The only decision that’s worse, is the choice she’s about to make.
The leader of the mermaids has offered her an out: Deliver the merman prisoner to Neptune’s army and all will be forgiven. No problem. Should be an easy mission. Except…
… the deep ocean is full of sea monsters itching to make the mermaid their next meal.
… plus she might be catching feelings for the merman she’s supposed to be delivering. Could he possibly be so charming? Or are there other manipulations at play?
With danger crashing with every wave, Ellara has to decide: should she stick to the plan and save herself from sea-slavery? Or dive headfirst into the waters of romance? Can she outsmart the ocean and resist the merman’s charms? Or will she end up making an even worse bargain to survive?
Dark and Lovely Mermaids is a thrilling, loyalty-testing, romantic underwater adventure full of monsters, natural disasters and an army of mermen—an underwater story so enchanting you -won’t want to come up for air!
“Who should go? Among us, there is a mermaid brave enough, wise enough, and strong enough to do this task? To journey alone. To finish what must be done. To save our kingdom from Poseidon’s spy work. Ellara Merme.”
Petra thrust me forward and lifted the hand she still held in a victorious pose.
All of Merme erupted in whoops and cries.
I plastered a foolish smile upon my cheeks.
All this adoration was for me? What a joke.
I was a hoax standing here, paraded out to the town, in my new silver hair. They were acting like I was some sort of savior, but in reality I was just a jerk they could blackmail into completing the task. So desperate to become a Fert, I’d risk my life.
“Smile,” Petra hissed.
“I am smiling.”
“Bigger.”
A hollow grin pushed up the corners of my lips. I tried to hide the terror behind my eyes. Petra swooped me forward ’til I was side-by-side with Quinn. The leader held up my other arm. I tried not to faint.
“Ellara Merme is our courageous warrior, our mighty Merme.” Quinn said. “She brought the terrible merman’s presence to the attention of the Pause. Ellara brought him down in the fight during the storm. She has killed a Portrayan Kingfisher Crab, manipulated human women into becoming her friends, and she has bedded hundreds of men.”
How about one. The day after my transition was over.
I wanted to vomit in my own mouth.
At best, these claims were a wild twisting of the truth. At worst, the city of Merme had just been pacified with lies. And promises that couldn’t come true. Somewhere in the crowd, I imagined Blonde craning her neck, rolling her eyes. Quinn was making me out to be some sort of super woman. It couldn’t have been farther from the truth. But the women of Merme didn’t care. They just wanted to be safe.
“Ellara Merme was blessed by Abigailya, the sea witch. In fact, the sorceress bestowed on her the magical third eye.”
Which I still didn’t know how to use.
“She defeated a clever water nymph. All by herself.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore. My eyes searched for Blonde. I started to shake my head, no. Petra’s fingernails dug into my palm.
“Play along,” the rainbow-woman hissed. I tightened my smile.
“Ellara Merme is the perfect woman for this mission. A vital soldier. A master mermaid. A linchpin in the success of Neptune’s war. And we will win.” A less experienced orator might have shouted that from the rafters and beaches, but Quinn knew better than that. “We will win,” she whispered, it came out like a shiver. An ear-worm in the brain of every young mermaid. “We will win.” She repeated. Then, finally, she brought the mighty point home. “We. Will. Win!”
Author Bio:
Julie Catherine is an author, screenwriter and playwright.
No one, including Jess, had any idea she was anything exceptional. Until she began solving crimes.
The trouble is, she’d rather be waving a spatula than a wand and her snarky cat familiar isn’t happy about it.
She’s listed her priorities: 1 Bring her mom back from the ghostly realm. 2 Open a bakery. 3 Try to keep her mouth shut about her secret sister—who she has to work with. 4 Don’t ask questions about her father.
Having a plan will make life bearable-as long as there isn’t another murder and she doesn’t mess anything up!
This paranormal cozy mystery will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about magic and murder.
C. A. Phipps is a USA Today best-selling author from beautiful New Zealand. Cheryl is an empty nester living in a quiet suburb alongside her wonderful husband, ‘himself’. With an extended family to keep her busy when she’s not writing, there is just enough space for a crazy mixed breed dog who stole her heart! She enjoys family times, baking, and her quest for the perfect latte.
Author Links
You can find me via my website and pick up the book at the same time:http://caphipps.com
Maestro must trust her enough to agree to finally let her have the one thing she’d dreamed of since she was a child. Not a bakery to work in—her bakery. “You won’t be sorry, Maestro. I’ll work as hard as you need me to.”
“I’m counting on it,” the cat said dryly. “Now, perhaps you should test our theory and go bake something that you might encourage someone to eat.”
While Jess pondered how his mind had changed so fast, even though he hated the idea, she was ridiculously happy and couldn’t help showing it. “Actually, that could be an issue.”
His eyes narrowed. “In what way?”
“People want to eat my food,” she teased. “I certainly don’t need to push them to do it with a spell.”
He snorted and the crabby cat disappeared for a brief moment so that he looked adorably cute, making her want to hug him. She refrained. Ever since he revealed he was a talking cat and she discovered she was a witch, displays of affection became off-limits. She’d owned him for five years before that incredible day changed her life and her mom had had him before that. Five years of snuggles, kisses, and pats. Then, nothing.
Maestro eyed her for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically confused. Then he coughed and continued along the path. “We should get back. Your sister still needs supervision most of the time.”
Secret sister, she corrected in her head, as a wave of coldness ran over her body. “Maestro…”
Turning quickly at her tone, he raced back to her side. “What is it?”
“Something smells wrong. There’s something in the woods that doesn’t feel right.”
His ears flick left and right. “Something—or someone?”
They peered through the trees, her nose searching for the source of the smell, trying to discern its meaning. It couldn’t be deemed as friendly. Was it a warning? Danger or perhaps death?
She shivered. To know what death smelled like was all kinds of wrong.
Olivia Booth is a must read author for me, ever since I read her Hell’s angel series, which I highly recommend if you love apocalyptic/dystopian fiction. A Dream Of Blood And Magic, we are dealing with vampires and witches. Vampires vs vampires. Witches vs witches. Vampires vs Witches. Vated Ordo vs Sisterhood. Good vs Evil.
We begin with the Prologue. I love Prologues…don’t you? Allorn, a realm outside Earth, 5,000 years ago
Rayne wasn’t only fighting to save herself. She was fighting to protect her daughters from the most ruthless queen her realm had ever known. The queen had no idea there were two daughters, twins. To through the queen off the scent, they separated the girls. Rayne says:
“I don’t know how to be without you, Enid. Who will sing sone with me at night? Or tease the lily hoppers by the pond?”
Enid leaned in. “When the wind brushes against your cheek, sister, it will be me sending you a kiss.” As if speaking in a silent language only they could hear, they smiled and embraced one last time.
That was soooo sweet and soooo sad. What will become of them?
Present Day, New York City: We are at the underground club, Requiem run by Luther, an evil vampire. As he drains the last drop of blood from his blood host, there is a knock on the door. His debt has come due and Lilluth is there to collect. She is a member of Vates Ordo, the most powerful dark arts witch hive in the world.
As long as Avery could remember, people had thought her crazy. She shares a home with her best friend, C J. They have much in common, alone and raised in a series of foster homes.
Avery’s dreams are nightmares. She spends many hours drawing detailed images from them. They feel more like memories than dreams. A crow crashes through her window. She mends his broken wing….and her life is changed forever.
Kane knew something was wrong and headed to New York. The ‘family’ will come together. Luther, Kane and Azael. All of them desire Avery for different reasons. Where Avery, a Spirit Marked Witch, ends up depends on the winner of the battle to come.
I wrote and highlighted so many notes, I am having to decide which to share and which to toss out. The battle for dominion over the realm is fought to the death. Who will be left standing will not be decided until the end.
As Avery’s magic awakens, the danger increases, through no fault of her own. The Prophecy has come true.
A Dream Of Blood And Magic by Olivia Boothe is told from multiple points of view. Each character has their story to tell and it didn’t take me long to figure out what side I stood on. Olivia is not afraid to kill off her characters. Even though I knew some would fall, I was crushed at one in particular.
Olivia Boothe can pen a story that captures my heart and mind. The tempo and pacing of The Spirit Marked Witch kept me reading until the last word was read. I was so engrossed in the story, I never saw the end coming. Avery shone through Olivia’s words as she grew into the Prophecy. Her innocence may have been swept away, but her maturity and sense of right and wrong will carry her through the worst of times. I can understand some of the cruelty, but her mother? I am eager to meet the other guardians that will come to protect her. I know I have already seen the second one. There are those that will stand beside her, and those that want to use her, and I can hardly wait to read more of her story. The series does need to be read in order…and I intend to be there at the end.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Underworld meets Kingdom of the Wicked in this forbidden love, rivals to lovers, high stakes, slow-burn gothic contemporary fantasy romance.
A SINISTER DARKNESS BREWS, SOWING THE SEEDS OF WAR. AND AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL IS A YOUNG WITCH WILLING TO RISK IT ALL TO SAVE THOSE SHE LOVES.
When a mysterious crow crash-lands through Avery Jaxon’s Brooklyn apartment window, awakening the elemental magic dormant in her veins, Avery soon discovers her entire life has been a skillfully woven lie, and that even her new avian friend holds secrets of its own, including the answers to her shrouded past.
But pulling back the veil is only the beginning. An ancient prophecy has been set in motion, thrusting Avery into a centuries-old supernatural war between witches and vampires.
Seeking to harness Avery’s rare and ancient power, the most notorious dark arts witch hive in the world is on the hunt to find Avery before she’s captured by Kane, a vampire sworn to protect humankind from the next Spirit Marked—a foretold witch with such immense, raw magic, it will threaten to destroy all life on Earth.
Now, to save humanity and protect her friends, Avery must learn to control her potent magic, all while building an alliance with the warrior vampire sent to seize her. Their destinies are more entwined than either could have ever foreseen. But despite the magic that binds their paths and the enigmatic attraction growing between them, Avery struggles to trust the man born to be her enemy.
However, Kane’s not the only vampire thirsting for the honeyed taste of Avery’s blood…someone else also seeks to wage a war against her heart.
In the end, Avery must not only grapple with the painful truth behind her family’s past, but she’ll need to accept the journey laid out before her. For not only do the lives of those she loves depend on it, but so do the lives of every mortal and immortal creature alike.
Intended for audiences 18 years+ Please check the author’s website for a full list of CW/TW
Expected publication June 12, 2024 by Three Brothers Press
ABOUT OLIVIA BOOTHE
REAL LOVE AS IT IS. MESSY, COMPLICATED & SINFULLY ADDICTIVE.
Born in Colombia and raised in New Jersey since the age of eight, Olivia always dreamed of becoming a story teller.
If you enjoy deadly-hot romance novels with deep, layered plots, she’s your gal. Because it’s not just about the first kiss and the happily ever after, it’s about everything in between.
In addition to writing contemporary and paranormal romance, Olivia is currently working on an adult contemporary fantasy.
Fun Facts: When not locked away in her writing tower at the wee hours of the night, Olivia works a government 9-5 job and manages a house full of males (a husband, three sons, and a doggo named Hunter). On occasion, she summons her tribe for a night of wine and shenanigans. Dark chocolate is her kryptonite, she hates/loves to ugly cry during movies, and is a die-hard Bon Jovi fan.
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Matt Archer: Monster Summer by Kendra Highley is definitely titles correctly as the crew sets out to eliminate the last of the monster dingoes and the battle makes this novelette so intense, making me want to read more about Matt and his motley cast of characters.
Great cover, title and story is found in the prequel, Life Among The Tombstones by H R Boldwood. I was super excited when I received three more books in the Allie Nighthawk Mysteries series. MMMMMM! Zombies may want brains, but I want more of Allie.
Allie comes home to Cincinnati, Ohio, to murder, mayhem, and zombies. Her past rears its ugly head…wanting revenge. I’m not too worried about her, because she is a kickass womance who runs towards danger, instead of away from it.
Life Among The Tombstones was a pretty quick read. It kept me flipping pages, leaving me wanting more. It’s a good thing I was able to get the next three books in the series. I am eager to share them, so let’s get to it.
In this prequel to The Corpse Whisperer series, financially challenged zombie hunter, Allie Nighthawk, returns to her hometown of Cincinnati and finds herself knee-deep in murder, mayhem, and zombies. Can she solve not one but two murders, and get away unscathed — when the good guys might not be so good, and a presence from her past returns for revenge?
H.R. Boldwood, author of the Corpse Whisperer series, countless short stories, and Imadjinn Award finalist, is a writer of horror and speculative fiction. In another incarnation, Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the 2009 Bilbo Award for creative writing by Thomas More College. Boldwood’s characters are often disreputable and not to be trusted. They are kicked to the curb at every conceivable opportunity when some poor unsuspecting publisher welcomes them with open arms. No responsibility is taken by this author for the dastardly and sometimes criminal acts committed by this ragtag group of miscreants.
