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bunnerz's review
3.0
I had originally picked up the anthology for K.N. Banet's short story, but since I love all fantasy genres, it wasn't a hard decision to commit to reading everything. Overall, there were only a couple of stories worth reading - I didn't finish or enjoy a majority of the stories included.
Many of the stories ended on dramatic cliffhangers with no sign of a full book release almost a year after original publication, which made it difficult to rate stories highly. Additionally, upon further review of the original synopsis, it seems at least a few of the originally advertised authors did not end up actually including stories in this book (e.g. Maggie Alabaster, Cate Cassidy, Avery Song) - a disappointing change I've encountered pretty often with pre-ordered anthologies.
Due to the sheer number of stories, I moved many of my short story reviews to their corresponding Goodreads page, even if the full novel had not been released for publication independently.
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Shadows of Opus by Becca Blake
78 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: elves, hunters, vampires, magic, prisons, mafia
This was advertised as a short Jordan Kane novella in the Reign of Blood trilogy world. This story followed the half-elf guild vampire hunter FMC Jordan who was saved by the clan-less vampire Veran when she and her partner were jumped by the local mafia vampires, and it altered all her preconceived notions about the other supernatural race.
The story ended with an unresolved relationship that I would be interested in following, but the currently published trilogy followed another FMC instead. I enjoyed the writing and pacing though, so I will be putting the other series on my TBR list.
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Mystic Motives by Margo Bond Collins and Marley Tobin
71 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: post-apocalyptic, magic, shifters, monsters, prisons
Full review at [b:Mystic Motives|59531060|Mystic Motives (Ulterior Magic, #1)|Margo Bond Collins|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93760764].
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Devil's Magic by Tia Didmon
54 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: shifters, demons, magic, slaves
DNF at Ch 6 of 10 after the FMC human Serena was.
The story followed Serena after she found out she had cancer and couldn't afford to get medical care after supporting her mother for her own medical bills. As a result, she encountered a Bokor that teleported her to Lucifer's realm to help with a quest. She was assigned to partner with an enslaved shifter that was revealed to be her, but the quest ended up fatally wounding her and the shifter was instructed to .
The writing was full of very dry telling, and the contrived drama and demands ended up being pretty absurd.
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Soul Echo by Harper Wylde
77 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, telepaths, new-adult, ghosts
This was a sneak peek of a full novel that followed the 18-year-old FMC Felicity/Liss after her twin brother died under mysterious circumstances and she ended up getting kicked out of her foster home to find her own way alone. There was also a parallel story that followed the twin MC Josiah as he.
The TSTL behavior from Liss was very frustrating, and the romance was leaning towards insta-lust. However, it was an interesting world with a hint of reverse harem - I may check out the full book if it is ever released, but there is no sign as of Aug 2022.
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Cooling by Morgan Jane Mitchell
87 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: animal-sidekicks, magic, prisons, amnesia, gods, genies, fae, demons, zombies, vampires, shifters, sirens, dystopia
Full review at [b:Cooling|40366066|Cooling (The Craft Family, #1)|Morgan Jane Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634841930l/40366066._SY75_.jpg|62648551].
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Dark Wings Society by L.W. Moonstone & Naomi Panthera
21 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: reapers, gods, ghosts, academy
Full review at [b:Dark Wings Society|59545787|Dark Wings Society|L.W. Moonstone|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93782100].
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Love Magic: Part 1 by Angela Kulig
38 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, new-adult
Full review at [b:Love Magic|223797|Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years|Jim Fay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348955152l/223797._SY75_.jpg|216742].
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Recondite Ward by Krystal Pena
63 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, dragons, shifters, new-adult
This was a sneak peek to book 1 in the Vale of Ivarim series. The story followed the magical royal ward/foster FMC Saanvi in a kingdom that had banned magic as her prince brother and his mother were mysteriously murdered, and she ended up with the blame. Saanvi escaped with the cryptic as a cliffhanger ending, and I would be interested in reading the rest of the story, but there doesn't seem to be anything released as of Aug 2022.
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Accidentally Magicked by Maya Riley
84 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, demons, dragons, ghosts, fae, reverse-harem
Full review at [b:Accidentally Magicked|59547141|Accidentally Magicked|Maya Riley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93784064].
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Spellbound by A.J. Macey & M.J. Marstens
33 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: magic, new-adult, detectives
This was a prequel to an unnamed series and followed the 18-year-old FMC Aurelia as she dreamt about a mysterious MC Lorcan while living in a foster home. She ended up getting
I was not a fan of using such a serious abuse as a trivial plot device, and the sudden reveal of a new job and unending revenge for her as an ending was a little cliche. It was a little over-dramatic for my taste, and I would not interested in any future releases.
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Magic Reborn by Karine Saint Jacques
36 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, vampires
Full review at [b:Magic Reborn|59552692|Magic Reborn|Karine Saint Jacques|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93791740].
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Magic, Memories, and Mayhem by Laurel Night, writing as L.J. Night
37 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: thieves, magic, mafia, time-travel, new-adult
This was a prequel to the Key Collector series that followed the 18-year-old thief FMC Maribel when she was saddled with her thief father's debt after he was murdered, and Maribel was required to complete 500 mandatory jobs for the Thieves Guild as repayment. It was a very interesting world, and I would love to find out more about the mysterious male love interest in full book [b:Key of Magic|59683984|Key of Magic (The Key Collector, #1)|Laurel Night|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639548366l/59683984._SY75_.jpg|86117683]. It was an entertaining introduction to world and characters, even if the story itself felt incomplete on its own.
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Savage Magic by Cara A. Edwards & Claire Marta
70 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, hunters, animal-sidekicks, clairvoyants
Full review at [b:Savage Magic|59554642|Savage Magic|Cara A. Edwards|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93794886].
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Girl's Day Out by Elizabeth Dunlap
52 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: menage, shifters, vampires, magic, telepaths, fae, m-m-romance, reverse-harem, amnesia, demons
Full review at [b:Girl's Day Out|59554683|Girl's Day Out|Elizabeth Dunlap|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636231099l/59554683._SY75_.jpg|93794941].
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Gemini Forgotten by Ashley Amy
148 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, shifters, m-m-romance, clairvoyants, phoenixes, dragons, hunters
Full review at [b:Gemini Forgotten|59560952|Gemini Forgotten|Ashley Amy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93804121].
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Hexed in Hellfire by Nikki Kimberly & Bex Taylor
53 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: prisons, magic, mercenaries
DNF at Ch 3 of 5 after the nurses did a *full* physical on the with FMC Raven.
This story followed Raven after she was sent to an asylum prison after trying to magically murder someone for betraying her. It was confusing exactly how the overseers of the prison got a bunch of delinquents to do mercenary jobs for them and why all the convicts were so compliant without trying to murder others or get out. The other inmates we met acted like surly teenagers.
I found Raven's personality abrasive and the contrived situation unbelievable, and I was annoyed that every male introduced was hot. There were significant editing issues such as missing capitalization and hyphens (e.g. Yelp, grey-haired) and a confusing mix of present and past tense.
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Destiny Knocks by Kat Parrish
66 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: detectives, ghosts, magic, telepaths, animal-sidekicks
DNF at Ch 10 of 14 after a mysterious good guy showed up.
This was book 1 of the Soul Searchers series. It started off introducing the daughter Lizzie was she was run off the road after stealing from a villainous warlock, and the villain trapped her soul in a marble.
We then got POV narrations from parents, grandparents, the villain, the villain's minions, and more side characters. It was pretty boring, and I wasn't sure where the story was going with no obvious heroic protagonist and so many shitty people. Finally, someone mysterious who seemed to be the good guy appeared, but when the female POV at the time still got beat up in his presence, I didn't want to read anymore. The story was not well paced or structured, and all the characters introduced sucked.
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Immortal Coven by Zelda Knight
19 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, magic, demons
Full review at [b:Immortal Coven|57006206|Immortal Coven|Zelda Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612840753l/57006206._SX50_.jpg|89195012].
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Curse of the Fallen Fairy by Angela Sanders and Tina Glasnek
117 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: fae, magic
DNF at Ch 3 of 20 after the fairy godmother FMC Tatiana revealed her assignment to her friend.
This was a story in the Fairy Godmother series and followed Tatiana after she was assigned by her guild to make her best friend Prince Edan fall in love with a princess. She had an unrequited secret love for Edan, and love was forbidden by her fairy godmother guild. There were juvenile mean girl antagonists, and I had to quit when the story acted more like a YA drama with tears and shallow declarations.
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Broken Butterfly by Leigh Kelsey
74 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: bikers, magic, reverse-harem
DNF at Ch 5 of 9 after the second biker introduced his asshole self and tried to convince the FMC Pia to accept her new reality.
This was book 1 in the Grim Brotherhood MC series and followed Pia after she died and woke up reborn in the underworld and told her new name was now Butterfly. Pia was revealed to have been killed and she given as a reward to an underworld motorcycle club. I had to quit after the revelation as I was not a fan of the biker theme and especially didn't like the lack of consent in the methodology of the men to help her trust them.
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Chaos by Finley Jameson
69 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: bikers, thieves, sex-workers, slaves
Full review at [b:Chaos|59657692|Chaos|Finley Jameson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93946419].
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Kingdom Keys by Helena Novak
44 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic
Full review at [b:Kingdom Keys|59660226|Kingdom Keys|Helena Novak|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93950274].
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An Awakening by Joe Quackenboss
95 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Full review at [b:An Awakening|59665661|An Awakening|Joe Quackenboss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637511788l/59665661._SX50_.jpg|93959353].
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Ancient and Immortal by K.N. Banet
100 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: magic, shifters, telepaths, thieves
Full review at [b:Ancient and Immortal|59666356|Ancient and Immortal (The Tribunal Archives #10.5)|K.N. Banet|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637520069l/59666356._SY75_.jpg|93960461].
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Storm Bringer by Ariel Dawn
182 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, post-apocalyptic, telepaths
Full review at [b:Storm Bringer|59671328|Storm Bringer|Ariel Dawn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660598040l/59671328._SY75_.jpg|93965748].
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Charmed by the Beast by Faedra Rose & Stacey Jaine McIntosh
28 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: fairy-tales, retelling, fae, f-f-romance
This story was a sneak peek of a Beauty and the Beast retelling and followed the cursed fae queen Caelia of the kingdom of Shadowmere as she waited to see if anyone would visit her kingdom to help her break her curse.
The writing was too short for me to make a good judgement on the overall pacing and character development (it ended with a "To Be Continued..."), but I enjoyed the F/F twist on the romance. I did not enjoy the giant info dump that revealed secret heritage and the trivialized past sexual abuse that was used to empathize with the character. I don't think I'd be interested in reading the full story (which still isn't released as of Aug 2022) based on the characters so far.
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Wild Card by Kelsey Gamble
92 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: magic, clairvoyants
Full review at [b:Wild Card|59690950|Wild Card|Kelsey Gamble|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637709737l/59690950._SX50_.jpg|93992654].
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A Series of Magical Mishaps by Suki Williams and Jarica James
50 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: druids, alpha-omega
This was the prequel to the Mystic Harbor series and origin story of the town. I had already read the first book but disliked it; I checked out the first few pages of story to give it a chance. DNF 3 pages in after the omega druid FMC Rosalie claimed that the first alpha she met after getting off her car was the only one who had ever managed to make her eyes drop in submission. Based on that dramatic declaration, I did not expect much better writing than I saw in the first book.
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Drawn In by Krista Ames
55 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, bookstores
Full review at [b:Drawn In|59695580|Drawn In|Krista Ames|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637784174l/59695580._SY75_.jpg|94000677].
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Cryptic Ink and Deadly Hijinks by R.C. Barnes
41 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: young-adult
Full review at [b:Cryptic Ink and Deadly Hijinks|59696037|Cryptic Ink and Deadly Hijinks|R.C. Barnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637790481l/59696037._SY75_.jpg|94001375].
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Love Locked Away by Crimson Syn
76 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: fairy-tales, retelling, clairvoyants, magic
Full review at [b:Love Locked Away|59697245|Love Locked Away|Crimson Syn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|94004016].
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Hydra by Jennifer M. Miller & Marissa Ann
100 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, dragons, shifters, clairvoyants
DNF at Ch 3 of 10 after dragon shifter MC Typhon encountered and mated with witch FMC Guinevere/Gwen at a chance encounter by the old cabin where Typhon's father had murdered Gwen's mother with dragon fire. Gwen's mother had cursed Typhon in revenge before her death, and Typhon had to find his fated mate to unravel it.
This was book 1 in The Dragon Keeper series and started off by following Gwen as she was suddenly discovered the magical world during a blind date with a molesting dragon, and she overheard his phone call talking about the supernatural world.
Shortly after, Gwen had the mating incident with Typhon and ran scared from him after he pretty much assaulted to mate her. For more drama, it turned out her friend Celeste was also a witch and friends-with-benefits with Typhon, and she ended up info-dumping magic on Gwen after her freakout at work the next day. By the time I quit, Typhon was going crazy trying to figure out who Gwen was. The reactions were all shallow and overboard, and I didn't like any of the characters.
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Nightfall Curse by Silvana G. Sánchez
98 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, magic, thieves
Full review at [b:Nightfall Curse|59709706|Nightfall Curse|Silvana G. Sánchez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638027202l/59709706._SX50_.jpg|94026345].
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UnMasked by Nikki Landi
94 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: mafia, phoenixes
Full review at [b:UnMasked|50905255|UnMasked|Nikki Landis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580667955l/50905255._SY75_.jpg|75790188].
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Serendipity: Samhain & Sorcery by Poppy Flynn
79 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: academy, magic, clairvoyants, animal-sidekicks
Full review at [b:Samhain & Sorcery|57044371|Samhain & Sorcery (Serendipity #1)|Poppy Flynn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1613186280l/57044371._SY75_.jpg|89263915].
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Thunder of the Gods by Faera Fenix and Zarabeth Knight
37 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: gods, gryphons
This story was a sneak peek that introduced the 17-year-old demi-goddess Thunderbird FMC Xenia as she found out and entered a competition to ascend to true godhood. I was not a fan of the YA-type mean girls behavior in the story about petty jealousy and bullying, and all the character development so far was pretty shallow. I am not interested in the full release.
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Revelation of a Moonlit Promise by Dora Blume
64 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: reverse-harem, fae, clairvoyants, academy, magic
Full review at [b: Revelation of a Moonlit Promise|60479504|Revelation of a Moonlit Promise (Hidden Fae, #1)|Dora Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645601591l/60479504._SY75_.jpg|95313574].
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The Vampire's Fae Bride by Rosali Stone and Lavinia Roseknight
26 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, fae
The story followed the MC Bohai as he was turned into a vampire after a fatal car crash by his vampire friend and found out that he couldn't keep down human blood, so he had to find a supernatural donor instead. He went to a club to troll for a willing donor and met the fae princess FMC Ema, who was there to lose her virginity as a last act of rebellion after discovering news of her arranged marriage. The writing was dry and shallow, and the dialogue and plot were predictable and simple - I quit at Ch 2 of 6 after the pair met and tried to talk to each other in the club.
Many of the stories ended on dramatic cliffhangers with no sign of a full book release almost a year after original publication, which made it difficult to rate stories highly. Additionally, upon further review of the original synopsis, it seems at least a few of the originally advertised authors did not end up actually including stories in this book (e.g. Maggie Alabaster, Cate Cassidy, Avery Song) - a disappointing change I've encountered pretty often with pre-ordered anthologies.
Due to the sheer number of stories, I moved many of my short story reviews to their corresponding Goodreads page, even if the full novel had not been released for publication independently.
---
Shadows of Opus by Becca Blake
78 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: elves, hunters, vampires, magic, prisons, mafia
This was advertised as a short Jordan Kane novella in the Reign of Blood trilogy world. This story followed the half-elf guild vampire hunter FMC Jordan who was saved by the clan-less vampire Veran when she and her partner were jumped by the local mafia vampires, and it altered all her preconceived notions about the other supernatural race.
The story ended with an unresolved relationship that I would be interested in following, but the currently published trilogy followed another FMC instead. I enjoyed the writing and pacing though, so I will be putting the other series on my TBR list.
---
Mystic Motives by Margo Bond Collins and Marley Tobin
71 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: post-apocalyptic, magic, shifters, monsters, prisons
Full review at [b:Mystic Motives|59531060|Mystic Motives (Ulterior Magic, #1)|Margo Bond Collins|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93760764].
---
Devil's Magic by Tia Didmon
54 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: shifters, demons, magic, slaves
DNF at Ch 6 of 10 after the FMC human Serena was
Spoiler
fatally wounded and had to be turned into a shifter to surviveThe story followed Serena after she found out she had cancer and couldn't afford to get medical care after supporting her mother for her own medical bills. As a result, she encountered a Bokor that teleported her to Lucifer's realm to help with a quest. She was assigned to partner with an enslaved shifter that was revealed to be her
Spoiler
fated mateSpoiler
turn her despite being forbidden for Reasons from LuciferThe writing was full of very dry telling, and the contrived drama and demands ended up being pretty absurd.
---
Soul Echo by Harper Wylde
77 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, telepaths, new-adult, ghosts
This was a sneak peek of a full novel that followed the 18-year-old FMC Felicity/Liss after her twin brother died under mysterious circumstances and she ended up getting kicked out of her foster home to find her own way alone. There was also a parallel story that followed the twin MC Josiah as he
Spoiler
died during a battle and became a ghost that haunted LissThe TSTL behavior from Liss was very frustrating, and the romance was leaning towards insta-lust. However, it was an interesting world with a hint of reverse harem - I may check out the full book if it is ever released, but there is no sign as of Aug 2022.
---
Cooling by Morgan Jane Mitchell
87 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: animal-sidekicks, magic, prisons, amnesia, gods, genies, fae, demons, zombies, vampires, shifters, sirens, dystopia
Full review at [b:Cooling|40366066|Cooling (The Craft Family, #1)|Morgan Jane Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634841930l/40366066._SY75_.jpg|62648551].
---
Dark Wings Society by L.W. Moonstone & Naomi Panthera
21 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: reapers, gods, ghosts, academy
Full review at [b:Dark Wings Society|59545787|Dark Wings Society|L.W. Moonstone|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93782100].
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Love Magic: Part 1 by Angela Kulig
38 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, new-adult
Full review at [b:Love Magic|223797|Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years|Jim Fay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348955152l/223797._SY75_.jpg|216742].
---
Recondite Ward by Krystal Pena
63 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, dragons, shifters, new-adult
This was a sneak peek to book 1 in the Vale of Ivarim series. The story followed the magical royal ward/foster FMC Saanvi in a kingdom that had banned magic as her prince brother and his mother were mysteriously murdered, and she ended up with the blame. Saanvi escaped with the cryptic
Spoiler
foreign dragon-shifter prince Azael---
Accidentally Magicked by Maya Riley
84 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, demons, dragons, ghosts, fae, reverse-harem
Full review at [b:Accidentally Magicked|59547141|Accidentally Magicked|Maya Riley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93784064].
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Spellbound by A.J. Macey & M.J. Marstens
33 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: magic, new-adult, detectives
This was a prequel to an unnamed series and followed the 18-year-old FMC Aurelia as she dreamt about a mysterious MC Lorcan while living in a foster home. She ended up getting
Spoiler
raped and then immediately dragged into a mating bond with an alleged criminal that she thought was just a dream fantasy.I was not a fan of using such a serious abuse as a trivial plot device, and the sudden reveal of a new job and unending revenge for her as an ending was a little cliche. It was a little over-dramatic for my taste, and I would not interested in any future releases.
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Magic Reborn by Karine Saint Jacques
36 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, vampires
Full review at [b:Magic Reborn|59552692|Magic Reborn|Karine Saint Jacques|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93791740].
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Magic, Memories, and Mayhem by Laurel Night, writing as L.J. Night
37 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: thieves, magic, mafia, time-travel, new-adult
This was a prequel to the Key Collector series that followed the 18-year-old thief FMC Maribel when she was saddled with her thief father's debt after he was murdered, and Maribel was required to complete 500 mandatory jobs for the Thieves Guild as repayment. It was a very interesting world, and I would love to find out more about the mysterious male love interest in full book [b:Key of Magic|59683984|Key of Magic (The Key Collector, #1)|Laurel Night|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639548366l/59683984._SY75_.jpg|86117683]. It was an entertaining introduction to world and characters, even if the story itself felt incomplete on its own.
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Savage Magic by Cara A. Edwards & Claire Marta
70 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, hunters, animal-sidekicks, clairvoyants
Full review at [b:Savage Magic|59554642|Savage Magic|Cara A. Edwards|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93794886].
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Girl's Day Out by Elizabeth Dunlap
52 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: menage, shifters, vampires, magic, telepaths, fae, m-m-romance, reverse-harem, amnesia, demons
Full review at [b:Girl's Day Out|59554683|Girl's Day Out|Elizabeth Dunlap|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636231099l/59554683._SY75_.jpg|93794941].
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Gemini Forgotten by Ashley Amy
148 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, shifters, m-m-romance, clairvoyants, phoenixes, dragons, hunters
Full review at [b:Gemini Forgotten|59560952|Gemini Forgotten|Ashley Amy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93804121].
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Hexed in Hellfire by Nikki Kimberly & Bex Taylor
53 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: prisons, magic, mercenaries
DNF at Ch 3 of 5 after the nurses did a *full* physical on the with FMC Raven.
This story followed Raven after she was sent to an asylum prison after trying to magically murder someone for betraying her. It was confusing exactly how the overseers of the prison got a bunch of delinquents to do mercenary jobs for them and why all the convicts were so compliant without trying to murder others or get out. The other inmates we met acted like surly teenagers.
I found Raven's personality abrasive and the contrived situation unbelievable, and I was annoyed that every male introduced was hot. There were significant editing issues such as missing capitalization and hyphens (e.g. Yelp, grey-haired) and a confusing mix of present and past tense.
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Destiny Knocks by Kat Parrish
66 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: detectives, ghosts, magic, telepaths, animal-sidekicks
DNF at Ch 10 of 14 after a mysterious good guy showed up.
This was book 1 of the Soul Searchers series. It started off introducing the daughter Lizzie was she was run off the road after stealing from a villainous warlock, and the villain trapped her soul in a marble.
We then got POV narrations from parents, grandparents, the villain, the villain's minions, and more side characters. It was pretty boring, and I wasn't sure where the story was going with no obvious heroic protagonist and so many shitty people. Finally, someone mysterious who seemed to be the good guy appeared, but when the female POV at the time still got beat up in his presence, I didn't want to read anymore. The story was not well paced or structured, and all the characters introduced sucked.
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Immortal Coven by Zelda Knight
19 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, magic, demons
Full review at [b:Immortal Coven|57006206|Immortal Coven|Zelda Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612840753l/57006206._SX50_.jpg|89195012].
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Curse of the Fallen Fairy by Angela Sanders and Tina Glasnek
117 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: fae, magic
DNF at Ch 3 of 20 after the fairy godmother FMC Tatiana revealed her assignment to her friend.
This was a story in the Fairy Godmother series and followed Tatiana after she was assigned by her guild to make her best friend Prince Edan fall in love with a princess. She had an unrequited secret love for Edan, and love was forbidden by her fairy godmother guild. There were juvenile mean girl antagonists, and I had to quit when the story acted more like a YA drama with tears and shallow declarations.
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Broken Butterfly by Leigh Kelsey
74 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: bikers, magic, reverse-harem
DNF at Ch 5 of 9 after the second biker introduced his asshole self and tried to convince the FMC Pia to accept her new reality.
This was book 1 in the Grim Brotherhood MC series and followed Pia after she died and woke up reborn in the underworld and told her new name was now Butterfly. Pia was revealed to have been killed and she given as a reward to an underworld motorcycle club. I had to quit after the revelation as I was not a fan of the biker theme and especially didn't like the lack of consent in the methodology of the men to help her trust them.
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Chaos by Finley Jameson
69 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: bikers, thieves, sex-workers, slaves
Full review at [b:Chaos|59657692|Chaos|Finley Jameson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93946419].
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Kingdom Keys by Helena Novak
44 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic
Full review at [b:Kingdom Keys|59660226|Kingdom Keys|Helena Novak|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|93950274].
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An Awakening by Joe Quackenboss
95 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Full review at [b:An Awakening|59665661|An Awakening|Joe Quackenboss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637511788l/59665661._SX50_.jpg|93959353].
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Ancient and Immortal by K.N. Banet
100 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: magic, shifters, telepaths, thieves
Full review at [b:Ancient and Immortal|59666356|Ancient and Immortal (The Tribunal Archives #10.5)|K.N. Banet|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637520069l/59666356._SY75_.jpg|93960461].
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Storm Bringer by Ariel Dawn
182 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, post-apocalyptic, telepaths
Full review at [b:Storm Bringer|59671328|Storm Bringer|Ariel Dawn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660598040l/59671328._SY75_.jpg|93965748].
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Charmed by the Beast by Faedra Rose & Stacey Jaine McIntosh
28 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: fairy-tales, retelling, fae, f-f-romance
This story was a sneak peek of a Beauty and the Beast retelling and followed the cursed fae queen Caelia of the kingdom of Shadowmere as she waited to see if anyone would visit her kingdom to help her break her curse.
The writing was too short for me to make a good judgement on the overall pacing and character development (it ended with a "To Be Continued..."), but I enjoyed the F/F twist on the romance. I did not enjoy the giant info dump that revealed secret heritage and the trivialized past sexual abuse that was used to empathize with the character. I don't think I'd be interested in reading the full story (which still isn't released as of Aug 2022) based on the characters so far.
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Wild Card by Kelsey Gamble
92 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: magic, clairvoyants
Full review at [b:Wild Card|59690950|Wild Card|Kelsey Gamble|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637709737l/59690950._SX50_.jpg|93992654].
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A Series of Magical Mishaps by Suki Williams and Jarica James
50 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: druids, alpha-omega
This was the prequel to the Mystic Harbor series and origin story of the town. I had already read the first book but disliked it; I checked out the first few pages of story to give it a chance. DNF 3 pages in after the omega druid FMC Rosalie claimed that the first alpha she met after getting off her car was the only one who had ever managed to make her eyes drop in submission. Based on that dramatic declaration, I did not expect much better writing than I saw in the first book.
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Drawn In by Krista Ames
55 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, bookstores
Full review at [b:Drawn In|59695580|Drawn In|Krista Ames|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637784174l/59695580._SY75_.jpg|94000677].
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Cryptic Ink and Deadly Hijinks by R.C. Barnes
41 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: young-adult
Full review at [b:Cryptic Ink and Deadly Hijinks|59696037|Cryptic Ink and Deadly Hijinks|R.C. Barnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637790481l/59696037._SY75_.jpg|94001375].
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Love Locked Away by Crimson Syn
76 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: fairy-tales, retelling, clairvoyants, magic
Full review at [b:Love Locked Away|59697245|Love Locked Away|Crimson Syn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|94004016].
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Hydra by Jennifer M. Miller & Marissa Ann
100 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: magic, dragons, shifters, clairvoyants
DNF at Ch 3 of 10 after dragon shifter MC Typhon encountered and mated with witch FMC Guinevere/Gwen at a chance encounter by the old cabin where Typhon's father had murdered Gwen's mother with dragon fire. Gwen's mother had cursed Typhon in revenge before her death, and Typhon had to find his fated mate to unravel it.
This was book 1 in The Dragon Keeper series and started off by following Gwen as she was suddenly discovered the magical world during a blind date with a molesting dragon, and she overheard his phone call talking about the supernatural world.
Shortly after, Gwen had the mating incident with Typhon and ran scared from him after he pretty much assaulted to mate her. For more drama, it turned out her friend Celeste was also a witch and friends-with-benefits with Typhon, and she ended up info-dumping magic on Gwen after her freakout at work the next day. By the time I quit, Typhon was going crazy trying to figure out who Gwen was. The reactions were all shallow and overboard, and I didn't like any of the characters.
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Nightfall Curse by Silvana G. Sánchez
98 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, magic, thieves
Full review at [b:Nightfall Curse|59709706|Nightfall Curse|Silvana G. Sánchez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638027202l/59709706._SX50_.jpg|94026345].
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UnMasked by Nikki Landi
94 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: mafia, phoenixes
Full review at [b:UnMasked|50905255|UnMasked|Nikki Landis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580667955l/50905255._SY75_.jpg|75790188].
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Serendipity: Samhain & Sorcery by Poppy Flynn
79 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: academy, magic, clairvoyants, animal-sidekicks
Full review at [b:Samhain & Sorcery|57044371|Samhain & Sorcery (Serendipity #1)|Poppy Flynn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1613186280l/57044371._SY75_.jpg|89263915].
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Thunder of the Gods by Faera Fenix and Zarabeth Knight
37 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: gods, gryphons
This story was a sneak peek that introduced the 17-year-old demi-goddess Thunderbird FMC Xenia as she found out and entered a competition to ascend to true godhood. I was not a fan of the YA-type mean girls behavior in the story about petty jealousy and bullying, and all the character development so far was pretty shallow. I am not interested in the full release.
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Revelation of a Moonlit Promise by Dora Blume
64 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: reverse-harem, fae, clairvoyants, academy, magic
Full review at [b: Revelation of a Moonlit Promise|60479504|Revelation of a Moonlit Promise (Hidden Fae, #1)|Dora Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645601591l/60479504._SY75_.jpg|95313574].
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The Vampire's Fae Bride by Rosali Stone and Lavinia Roseknight
26 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: vampires, fae
The story followed the MC Bohai as he was turned into a vampire after a fatal car crash by his vampire friend and found out that he couldn't keep down human blood, so he had to find a supernatural donor instead. He went to a club to troll for a willing donor and met the fae princess FMC Ema, who was there to lose her virginity as a last act of rebellion after discovering news of her arranged marriage. The writing was dry and shallow, and the dialogue and plot were predictable and simple - I quit at Ch 2 of 6 after the pair met and tried to talk to each other in the club.
book_lover_97's review
4.0
Accidentally Magicked by Maya Riley is a read that was incredibly easy to become immersed in. I enjoyed the easy flow of the storyline. I liked Meghan and her story. I am excited to see if this is extended.
midnightslaughter's review
5.0
Came for K.N. Banet stayed for the rest
I came for the short story about K.N. Banet's character Zuri and stay for the rest! A wonderful collection of short stories sure to keep readers busy for days!
I came for the short story about K.N. Banet's character Zuri and stay for the rest! A wonderful collection of short stories sure to keep readers busy for days!
nessan651's review
5.0
I read maya riley's accidently magicked and I bloody loved it.
Meghans a girl who happens to read the wrong book and boy am I jealous of her.
I want a book just like that and ti loved meghan and her attitude to situations.
Meghans a girl who happens to read the wrong book and boy am I jealous of her.
I want a book just like that and ti loved meghan and her attitude to situations.
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