New Orleans – Tracy Durnell

Read Always Practice Safe Hex (Stay a Spell, #4)

Livvy Savoie is a people person. Not only does she have the magical gift of persuasion, but her natural charisma charms everyone she meets. She hasn’t met a person she didn’t like. Until her annoyingly brilliant competitor walks through the door. No matter how hard she denies it, loathing isn’t the only emotion she feels for him.

Grim reaper Gareth Blackwater is rarely, if ever, moved beyond his broody, stoic state. But the witch he’s partnered with in the public relations contest is destroying his peace of mind. He’s convinced that the flesh-melting attraction he feels for her is merely her witchy magic at work.

But forced proximity proves there is more than magic sparking between them. Livvy learns this enigmatic grim’s abilities are beyond any supernatural she has ever known. And when Livvy becomes the obsessive target of a dangerous wizard, Gareth proves just how powerful he truly is. Because no one is going to hurt his Lavinia.

I enjoyed this overall, though felt the heroine didn’t get a lot of time to shine and had some qualms about some story elements. I disliked the subplot with the bad guy, especially the climax which was really cruddy all round for the heroine (an understatement). I never like when the climax plot relies on <spoiler>the hero rescuing the heroine from a sexual assault</spoiler>.

Read Bella and Her Beast

The clock is ticking for Greyson Devereaux and life as he knows it will soon come to an end. A man by day and owned by the moon at night.

There is only one option—find his one true mate or be bound to the beast for eternity. For years he searched, hoped to find her but his efforts have come up short…until now.

With only three months remaining, how can he convince Bella that she’s the one and how can she tame the beast within?

I liked the first half well enough to keep reading, but wasn’t thrilled about several things in the second half. I think the pacing and stakes didn’t quite match, maybe? Like, this guy has a month to convince this woman to fall in love with him but still can’t bring himself to talk to her…then when he does ask her on a date, she invites him in and he says no? Then he goes on an unexplained trip when he has one week left to win her over? So the slow pacing made the stakes feel lower.

I did like the concept of making the Beast a werewolf rather than all-the-time beast.

Some of the dialogue / internal narration felt a little awkward.

The hero coming on full millionaire (midway) felt weird to me. It felt kinda skeezy that he’s sucking up to her with expensive gifts.

The librarian kept reading on her shift — and also doing the page’s job and shelving books? Wasn’t like that when I worked at the circulation desk 🤷‍♀️