Author: megs14malloy

Review: Murder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of Murder (Murder, She Wrote #60) by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

~ megs14malloy

Murder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of MurderMurder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of Murder by Jessica Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Snowy with a Chance of Murder is the 60th-installment of the beloved Murder, She Wrote Cozy Mystery series. This series is essentially the Godmother of all other Cozies.

As some of you I’m sure are aware, this is my favorite Cozy Mystery series. I never shut up about it. I’ve read, I believe 47 of them now, but my count could be off. I’ve stopped really keep track after 40.

This book is the 1st to be penned by Barbara Early, author of the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series, amongst other things.

In this installment, Jessica, preparing to depart on a luxurious Winter cruise ends up slipping on the ice on the morning of her departure and severely injuring herself, making travel impossible.

Now housebound, forced to use a wheelchair, Jessica finds herself staring out her windows like never before.

As luck would have it, she has plenty to look at by way of a curious new neighbor, a man named Rymer. He has, for unknown reasons, ended up, in the non-tourist season, renting the house directly across the street from Jessica.

As it turns out, Rymer is an artist whose medium happens to be snow and his sculptures are of the scandalous variety. If you happened to watch Hot Frosty on Netflix this Winter, you’ll be pretty close to imagining what I mean.

With the town a titter over all this risque art on display, it’s no surprise that under the cover of darkness, someone starts destroying Rymer’s sculptures.

For his part, Rymer never seems too concerned. He just starts over, builds something new. It’s Cabot Cove, mid-Winter, there’s certainly plenty of snow to go around.

The morning after the most recent blizzard, however, it’s more than a sculpture that’s found out in the snowy landscape. It’s Rymer’s half-buried body.

Incidentally, there are two other mysteries occurring at the same time as Rymer’s death. Are these other mysteries related to Rymer, and if so how?

You better believe Jessica is going to do her best to help local law enforcement figure it out. With the help of friends, and a healthy dose of determination, she does just that.

3.5-stars, you ask, for my favorite Cozy series? It is rounded up, but still I feel we need to lay it out on the table. Here’s the thing. This is the 1st-effort from this author in this long-running series, and while I did enjoy the main overall mystery, I was left with questions.

Also, I felt like Jessica’s character wasn’t quite right. It didn’t feel like her in some ways. It was subtle things, but still things that took me out of the story as I thought to myself, Jessica would never say that, or think that.

One thing I want when I pick up this series is consistency. These are go-to comfort reads for me that I’ve been picking up for over 2-decades. If Jessica suddenly starts not feeling like Jessica, you better believe I’m gonna notice.

Nevertheless, this was still overall a pretty solid read, and of course, I will continue picking up the books in this series.

I enjoy the Cabot Cove-based mysteries, because when you become a frequent Reader, you learn all the townsfolk and it really feels like spending time with old friends. I do think this author succeeded in bringing about the basic vibes of this quaint seaside town.

There was a lot happening here though, some of it felt a little unnecessary. For example, Jessica had a live-in nurse, helping her while she was injured, and they would have little writing workshops together and it included excerpts from this girl’s random Fantasy story.

It just felt to me like the author needed to fill pages and that was one way to do it. There was ultimately a point to it, but it still felt silly and forced.

With this being said, you aren’t going to love every book you read in a series, and I still felt all my love and nostalgia of being back with Jessica in Cabot Cove.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. There’s another book releasing this Summer, set in Boston, and I’m so excited for that one!

If you love Cozy Mysteries, and haven’t checked this series out yet, you really should. They can be read in any order and once you start, you probably are not going to want to stop!

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Review: The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore

~ megs14malloy

The Dollhouse AcademyThe Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ivy Gordon is the most famous star pumped out of the Dollhouse Academy for almost two-decades. The older she gets, now a Hollywood-gasping 34-years old, the more fed-up she gets with the system and her role in it.

The Dollhouse Academy is a wildly-secretive, posh boarding school and talent incubator for potential stars. It’s every young performer’s goal to get there.

Ramona Holloway and Grace Ludlow, best friends and a double act, have idolized Ivy Gordon for years. Watching her career with an admiration that only the young can feel.

At the age of 22, a lucky break suddenly grants both Ramona and Grace admission into the Dollhouse. This is their chance to finally make it!

Though the campus is picturesque and the opportunities endless, the two feel ill-prepared for the cut-throat boot camp-like environment they find themselves thrust into.

Grace fairly quickly finds success, while Ramona, who secretly sees herself as the more naturally-gifted of the two, soon finds herself lagging behind.

The more the disparity between the two gets, the more difficult Ramona finds the whole experience.

Adding to her distress, Ramona is also receiving anonymous, threatening messages. There are moments when she suspects Grace, but could that possibly be true?

Would Grace actually try to scare Ramona, or purposefully harm her chances of success?

As past and present merge, the truth behind the Dollhouse starts to come to light. Will Ivy be able to express everything she needs to in order to save the next young ingenues from following in her footsteps, or is it already too late?

This was a fantastic audiobook and a very interesting story. I loved the unsettling vibes of the Dollhouse. I felt that whole environment was so well-developed. I could picture everything beautifully.

I do tend to enjoy stories that follow musicians, actors, celebs, or the arts industry in general, so that aspect really worked for me as well. I will admit it had a more General Fiction feel than I’m generally compelled to pick-up, but the air of creepiness succeeded in keeping my interest.

The 1st-chapter of this sets the tone and while it does take a step back, it’s a slow build, that sense of urgency, even in moments where you can’t put your finger on why, remains. It’s one of those stories that sneaks under your skin without you being able to verbalize why that is.

I loved Ramona’s perspective most of all, because the further in got in, the more I started to question her reliability, and I love an unreliable narrator. With that being said though, I also found Ivy’s perspective extremely interesting.

If I had to compare the vibe, or feeling of this book, paying no attention to content or themes, to another book, I would say my feeling while reading it was most closely matched by The Other Black Girl.

I would recommend this to Readers who love an unsettling atmosphere, stories involving celebrities, or dark academia. I also highly recommend the audiobook. The fabulous narration brought this novel to life for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from Margarita Montimore.

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Review: Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama #2) by Kristy Boyce

~ megs14malloy

Dating and DragonsDating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Dating and Dragons is the 2nd-book in the Dungeons and Drama YA-Romance series.

These books are companion novels that revolve around RPG-gaming, in particular, and as you may have guessed from the titles, Dungeons and Dragons.

In this installment, we’re following Quinn and Logan. Quinn has recently moved and is starting at a new high school. She hopes that joining a D&D group will be her opportunity to make some new friends.

Logan, is a participant in said D&D group, a bit of a leader and a hunk to boot. He’s charming, handsome and genuine, but there’s a catch. There’s a rule, agreed to by all members that they will not date other members.

Therefore, no matter how much chemistry Quinn and Logan are feeling, they cannot take the bait. Quinn really needs to be a part of this group. She left her old school under bad circumstances, and she’s not willing to be friendless again.

But maybe, baby, they could spend some time together secretly. That couldn’t hurt? Could it?

I loved this just as much as Dungeons and Drama!! I hope there are going to be more books in this series.

There’s something about Boyce’s character work that is just so sweet and compelling. I’ve loved every background of every character in these books.

The gaming element in this one, the D&D group involved, was so great and felt more in-depth than the gaming in the 1st-book. I loved that aspect. I’m not sure if that is true, or just my perception, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I also adored Quinn as a main character, and even Logan. I’ll admit he had me swooning and blushing more than once. The chemistry between them was also so well done.

The secrecy and the way everything was resolved, Boyce did a great job developing all of that. There were moments when I wanted to shake them both (miscommunication, it’s a thing), but I still felt like it was realistically portrayed.

I’m not sure what the plan is for this series, if there will be more or not, but if there is, you better believe that I’m 1000% on board for it. These books have both made me giddy with how good they are.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Romance, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Kristy Boyce.

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Review: The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

~ megs14malloy

The Jewel of the IsleThe Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emily Edwards, grieving the loss of her beloved father, vows to complete his National Park bucket list, beginning with Isle Royale, a rugged and isolated island cluster set in Lake Superior; home to predators and shipwrecks.

The problem is, Emily is not an outdoors girlie. She was always too anxious to join her Dad when he wanted to do this kind of thing, so if she is going to make the Isle Royale trip a success, she’s gonna need to hire a guide.

There’s also one other problem. Emily sort of waited until the last minute to procure said guide and at such a late date, pretty much everyone is booked.

She ends up contacting Fleet Outdoor Adventures. She knows nothing about this company, like the fact that they’ve been pretty much dormant since the co-owner, and expert outdoorsman, Caleb Fleet, tragically passed away.

His brother, Ryder, tried to keep the company afloat, but it has sort of petered out. Nevertheless, he’s desperate for cash to make an important purchase, so when Emily’s inquiry comes in, unprepared as he is, he accepts.

They’re both fish out of water from the start, and also end up clashing like oil and vinegar, but determined to stick it out for varying personal reasons, they soon find themselves doing the thing; deep in the wilderness.

They aren’t the only ones on Isle Royale though, and they end up being witnesses to a vicious crime, and soon find themselves on the run from a group of rogue archaeologists searching for a precious jewel.

The dangerous and stress-filled circumstances end up pushing the two closer-and-closer together, until it is less oil and vinegar and more peanut butter and jelly.

While this analogy may seem silly, I think you get the point. There are sparks in more than just the campfire…

This story was a great fit for my tastes. I enjoyed both of these characters so much, and the dual narration of the audiobook was so well done. Their comedic timing had me laughing out loud, especially Ryder’s perspective.

Honestly, this was what I was hoping Raiders of the Lost Heart would be ((and wasn’t)). I can’t wait to read more from Kerry Rea if this is the level of humor, heart and plot we’re going to get every time.

There wasn’t a lot of steam, but honestly, I liked that and thought it fit very well given the set of circumstances our characters find themselves in. Eventually, there is some though and it was worth the wait.

There is a ton of great character development though, as well as a fun and exciting plot. It was, naturally, giving me Romancing the Stone vibes in such a fresh, modern way.

I appreciated the exploration of grief and felt the author did a great job presenting those very serious topics, while also managing to keep the overall narrative light and engaging.

Overall, I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy adventurous Adult Contemporary stories with forced proximity, pining and thorough character development.

I would also highly recommend the audio format, if you have it available to you. The dual narration and narrator’s voices/delivery were perfection. It absolutely brought it to life.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am definitely excited to read more from this author!

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Review: The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

~ megs14malloy

The Book of WitchingThe Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After Clem gets a call that her daughter Erin is in hospital, she rushes to get to her side. What happened, and how?

The last Clem knew, Erin had just gone hiking with her boyfriend, Arlo, and best friend, Senna, in the remote area of the Orkney Islands, but there was nothing particularly dangerous about the trip; nothing out of the ordinary.

But somehow, Erin’s boyfriend is now dead, and Senna is nowhere to be found. Erin, in a medically-induced coma, has been severely burned and nothing but questions surround the circumstances that got her to that point.

Clem, at her wit’s end, reaches out to her ex, Erin’s father, Quinn, relaying to him what has happened. Even though his relationship with Erin is estranged, it’s the right thing to do. He rushes to the hospital as well.

As she awakens, Erin seems completely out of sorts. She doesn’t recognize her parents and insists that her name is Nyx. This is when the creepiness sets in…

In addition to this modern narrative, we also get the perspective of Alyson, who was tried as a witch in the 1590s in Kirkwall, Orkney. We learn of her life and the events leading up to her trial.

This historical perspective is based upon true events, which the author goes into further detail on in the Author’s Note.

Be sure to read that at the end. I feel like it brought wonderful context to this story and it impressed me the lengths Cooke went to with her research. An important moment in history to recognize and remember.

It has taken me way too long to pick up The Book of Witching, which released in October 2024. I am such a fan of Cooke’s writing, and I loved the blend of Historical Horror with more modern-Thriller elements in this one.

While I did feel some bits in the modern perspective got a little convoluted towards the end, that really didn’t have much of an impact on my feelings on the story as a whole.

I felt like Clem was such a believable character. She was so devoted to Erin, and finding out what had happened to her, as well as to helping her heal in any way she could.

She wasn’t giving up on her daughter, no matter how challenging things got. I also enjoyed Clem and Quinn working together, putting aside past issues in order to help Erin. I felt their relationship was really well done.

I feel like the pace at which Cooke revealed what was going on with Erin, what she chose to reveal and when, gave this a healthy dose of creepy atmosphere, and I’m always down for that. Some of the scenes in the hospital, with Erin acting out of character, gave me chills.

Overall, I feel like this was a very well executed story. I think the author definitely succeeded in doing what she set out to do. I found it gripping, compelling and well balanced.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Historical Horror, Atmospheric Thrillers, or Gothic feels. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. C.J. Cooke is an auto-read author for me, and this is a perfect example of why.

I’m sorry I waited so long to pick it up!

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Review: The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth

~ megs14malloy

The Haunting of Room 904The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Olivia Becente has the ability to commune with spirits, a gift she surprisingly inherited after the tragic and unexpected death of her sister, Naiche.

A few years after that heart-breaking event, Olivia has put her gift to good use, becoming the most in-demand paranormal investigator in the Denver area.

Even though her career is a success, the loss of Naiche continues to haunt her. When she gets a call from the owner of the Brown Palace, a landmark Denver hotel, saying he has a haunting he wants her to investigate, she jumps at the chance to explore the infamous property.

More specifically, the Brown Palace has a haunting in Room 904; where every few years, a young woman is found dead, regardless of what room she checked into the night before. These deaths hit very close to home for Olivia, and she vows to get to the bottom of it.

Her investigation leads her down complicated personal paths as past and present collide, she’s forced to face a possibly murderous cult, a vindictive journalist, potentially backstabbing friends, and the truth of her sister’s life.

The Horror Community is certainly being blessed in 2025. I really enjoyed White Horse by this author, and tend to enjoy Indigenous Horror in general, but this is even an improvement over White Horse for me, as far as the character interactions go and how quickly the story kicks off.

I love how Olivia, and her best friend/roommate, Alejandro, are a sort of an Ed and Lorraine Warren team in this story (IYKYK). I was drawn in from the start, learning what happened to Olivia’s sister was so sad, and hearing the history of the Brown Palace was uber-compelling.

I felt like I truly went on a ride with Olivia. I enjoyed getting a front row seat for her investigation, and watching as she started to put the pieces together. She certainly showed a lot of courage against everything.

There were other aspects I appreciated too, including a historical perspective that shined a light on the Sand Creek Massacre, which occurred in the 1860s, and is connected to this land and helped develop the history of the place.

There’s also some really fun mixed media elements that have to do with various potentially paranormal items on the virtual market. It’s hard to explain, but just imagine the owners of Annabelle put an ad on Craig’s List.

Those were such an entertaining little break among the darker narrative, and in fact, I felt like they gave the story an even stronger air of reality. People pay a lot of money for that type of object; it’s a niche market, but a ravenous one.

Overall, The Haunting of Room 904 was so good. I’m such a Wurth fan at this point, I’m already anticipating whatever she’s going to deliver next. I would recommend this to any Horror Reader, particularly if you enjoy Occult elements, or Paranormal Investigations.

For me, it did start to get a little muddled towards the end, nevertheless, a very solid Paranormal Horror story, with strong characters and a captivating plot.

Wurth does a great job of creating relatable characters with real emotions in them. Even when they’re experiencing things that you may personally have never experienced before, you can still FEEL it. That’s such a talent.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I definitely recommend the audio format and can’t wait for more from Wurth!

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Review: Rose/House by Arkady Martine

~ megs14malloy

Rose/HouseRose/House by Arkady Martine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Rose/House is a tense Sci-Fi Techno-Mystery by Arkady Martine. This novella was originally published in 2023, but has been recently re-released by Tor.

The edition I read came in at 115-pages. With this being said, I’m not going to go into too much detail about plot.

In short, this novel features an AI house, not a house with AI capabilities, but a fully-AI house. The designer/creator/architect/inventor/owner, whatever designation you choose for him, died over a year ago.

As far as anyone knows, the only other person allowed inside Rose House is the creator’s former protege, Dr. Selene Gisil.

When the local policewoman, Detective Maritza Smith, gets a call from Rose House saying that there is a dead body in the house, she’s shocked.

The creator is gone and Dr. Gisil is overseas. Who the heck is the dead body, and how did they even get in there?

Maritza is dispatched to investigate, but if she’s able to get into this fortress of a house, will she be able to get back out after? The house is being less than helpful, so that outcome is definitely unclear.

This was interesting and unlike anything I have read lately. I enjoyed the 1st-half more than the latter, but still found the concepts compelling throughout.

From the moment I started learning about Rose House, I didn’t want Maritza to go in. Who cares about the body? Rose House acted deceitful and it creeped me out.

To be fully transparent, anything involving AI actually creeps me out. It’s like one of my biggest fears, pretty much in any iteration. I have nightmares about it.

At first, I’ll admit, I was thinking the writing felt a little choppy, but the further I got in, the more it made sense for the story. The feel of it is actually a bit robotic, which makes sense considering it centers around a fully AI house.

I feel like for me, the length was its biggest drawback. I wanted to know more about everything, all the concepts and all the characters. Martine gave me enough to want more, and that’s a good thing, however, as far as my experience goes, I can’t rate it any higher.

Nevertheless, it’s good and I recommend it for any Sci-Fi fan, in particular if you enjoy stories featuring AI. Also, I did appreciate the blending of Mystery into this Techno-heavy setting. It was unsettling.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to picking up more from this author!

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Review: The Widows’ Guide to Murder (The Widows’ Detective Club #1) by Amanda Ashby

~ megs14malloy

The Widows’ Guide to Murder (The Widows’ Detective Club, #1)The Widows’ Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After the death of her beloved husband, Ginny Cole, is left with no choice but to start over. She’s heartbroken and misses him dearly, but it cannot be changed.

What is going to change is Ginny’s life. She decides to move to the village of Little Shaw for her fresh start, and she needs to get a job. She’s happy, though also nervous, when she ends up securing a position as a librarian’s assistant.

She’s never worked at a library before, but she loves to read and it seems like it could be a fun and fulfilling job. Her unlikable new boss, Louisa, is startlingly rude, but Ginny just supposes that’s something she will have to get used to.

At least the volunteers seem lovely, and she imagines she’ll fit in with time. Her hopes of an easy transition are nixed though, when on her second-day on the job she discovers a dead body in the library. Now Ginny finds herself thrust head-first into local scandals and secrets.

She ends up being approached and befriended by a small group of local widows, feisty and full of fun, the lot of them, who take Ginny under their wing and start to include her in their activities.

Of course, their current activity is getting to the bottom of this murder mystery. One of the widows, her daughter, Alyson, is currently the prime suspect. The women know she’s not guilty, meaning the killer is still out there, and they plan to find them.

This is such a strong start to a new Cozy Mystery series. This main character, Ginny, is definitely one I could picture myself enjoying for many books to come. Bonus points: in this book, she adopts an adorably-cheeky black cat that she names, Edgar. He’s so cute!

I loved the friend group that Ginny gets brought into as well. They all know what it’s like to be in her shoes, and I think she found strength in their friendship. It was incredibly healing for Ginny and she really needed that.

Ginny’s character arc was very well done. Watching her coming into her own, I’m definitely looking forward to more of that as the series continues.

There’s also a teenage volunteer, Connor, who I hope is a recurring character in the series. I feel like he and Ginny could end up having a sort of grandparent/child relationship and it’s so sweet to read about.

I enjoyed how Ginny is new to town, so you get to learn all about the townsfolk at the same time she does. It makes it feel really natural. I also appreciated how logical Ginny is in such a realistic way. She doesn’t have OTT-powers of deductive reasoning like some sleuths.

While I had a few issues at the conclusion, overall, I adored this. The library, the cat, the hilarious group of widows; well played, Amanda Ashby. I’m looking forward to more!!

I would definitely recommend this to Cozy Mystery fans who love small town settings and slightly older protagonists. Full of humor and heart, this one shouldn’t be missed.

Thank you so much, Storm Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the next book soon!

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Review: We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso

~ megs14malloy

We Were WarnedWe Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everyone knows the legend of Fairpoint Village, an abandoned beach resort. 25-years ago, a murder closed the place down and soon the ruins will be demolished for good.

Eden has heard the lore about Fairpoint all her life. They say anyone who sets foot there will be cursed to die, and that has happened a couple of times over the years, when students daring to explore the ruins where killed.

Before the scheduled demo can take place, an overnight party is planned for the ruins. Eden reluctantly attends to assist her friend, Henry, with doing some filming.

She’s nervous about going, more because of the other kids that will be there as opposed to the lore of the ruins. Since Eden’s Dad ditched town after taking part in a little white-collar crime, she’s sort of been a social pariah.

Most concerning to her is being anywhere near her ex-best friend, Caleb. They were so close as kids, but since Freshman year, Caleb has barely given her the time of day.

Unfortunately, the party night takes a horrifying turn and now more kids are dying. Is it the haunting of the ruins, or something much closer to home, that is now stalking these teens and trying to take them out one-by-one?

The 1st-book I read from this author, They’re Watching You, was only 2-stars for me and I was hesitant to pick up anything from Ichaso after that. However, when I read the synopsis for this one, I knew I had to give it a shot.

I’m so happy to report that We Were Warned ended up being a a very solid 4-star read for me. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to be gripped by this one from the start.

It kept me entertained and guessing throughout. I thought the pace was great and I loved the character dynamics. There was a lot of drama, both with the kids and their parents, and I’m always down for that.

My favorite aspects were the mysterious lore of this town and watching Eden have to work together with a group of kids who didn’t necessarily start out as her friends.

I thought Ichaso did a wonderful job with the characters, particularly with Eden and Caleb. Their relationship was complicated from the start, and I felt like all of their interactions felt realistic. The way that relationship changed throughout the book, also made sense and felt organic.

Additionally, I really enjoyed Eden’s growth as a character. The way she started to come out of her shell and started to assert herself more with her peers as she gained confidence.

I did enjoy the conclusion as well, although certain aspects started to get a little muddled towards the end. Overall, I thought it was very well-executed.

Thank you, Tantor Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would highly recommend the audio format. The narration by Jennifer Jill Araya was fantastic!

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Review: Rise and Divine (The Witches of Thistle Grove #5) by Lana Harper

~ megs14malloy

Rise and Divine (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #5)Rise and Divine by Lana Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Rise and Divine is the 5th-book in The Witches of Thistle Grove series. This is an Adult Romance series all set in the quaint town of Thistle Grove, where witch families can live and pursue their various passions and gifts.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the books are all companion novels. They take place in the same small town, following the same timeline, but each book focuses on different main characters.

In this installment, we’re following Dasha Avramov and Ivy Thorn. For those familiar with this series, you’ll definitely recognize these names, and if you’re not, it doesn’t matter, you can still read this book and enjoy the story.

Dasha is a special kind of witch. She’s what’s known as a devil eater, which means she has a very rare ability that allows her to banish demons and traverse the veil. It’s also on of the most dangerous affinities.

Since the loss of her parents, Dasha finds herself, in her grief, more and more curious about what lies beyond the veil; in a very unhealthy way.

She’s also been isolating herself from family, friends and as much as she can, the rest of the community. All that’s about to change though, when she is forced to work with her old flame, Ivy Thorn, to plan an upcoming local festival.

The tension is high between the two, but it’s obvious a spark is still smoldering. Their work forces them into contact, but that work on the festival starts to pale in comparison to the teamwork needed to defeat the otherworldly force suddenly focused on their town.

Through these treacherous circumstances, the two women start to open up to one another, and trust another once again, but will it be enough to make this second-chance romance a success?

I’m going to be brutally honest for a minute; wild, I know. I haven’t been blown away by any of the books in this series. Sometimes, I wonder why I am continuing with it at all.

They’ve all been a bit mediocre for me, but with this being said, every time I see a new one announced, I get excited to see what characters it will follow and what the basic plot will be. Also, the cover art. I always love it.

So, at the end of the day, while I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a series that will blow your hair back, there’s still something so cozy and relaxing about returning to Thistle Grove. Each book brings something new and examines romantic relationships in a different way.

I liked the second-chance romance element. To me, it seemed unlikely Dasha would be able to give Ivy what she needs in the long run, but I’ll let you read it and decide for yourself whether or not that’s true.

I did really enjoy the darker elements in this one. The threat to the town felt real. I liked how brave the women were in taking that on; particularly, Dasha.

Yeah, if there’s another book, I’m game. I like this town. I think it is fun to see where each new book is going to go. Do I think they’re the most memorable romances in the world? No, but also, I’m still here for what they are.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always appreciate it!

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