Month: January 2022

Review: Must Love Demons (Magic Emporium) by Meghan Maslow

A super fun book filled with shenanigans and a murder case.

4.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 310 pages. Published February 18th 2021

Blurb:

You’d think being magically tethered to the hottest warden in all Verona wouldn’t be a hardship.

You’d be wrong.

Incubus Nico Azertiran has his dream job as a cherub-in-training. It’s the perfect position for a lust demon who’s more interested in happily-ever-afters than one-night stands. Or it would be, if he didn’t keep screwing it up. When a new cherub gadget misfires, Nico is left trussed to Verona’s most eligible warden, the incredibly grumpy, Sir Flame.

Flambeau Illume has a job to do. Someone’s murdering Verona’s rich and famous, and Sir Flame’s hot on the killer’s trail . . . until he has the misfortune to get magically lassoed to the most infuriating incubus he’s ever had the displeasure to meet. Except, maybe Nico isn’t so terribly awful. But how can he solve his case and keep Nico safe at the same time? Especially when the sweet demon seems to have a bullseye on his back.

Together they need to solve the crime, stay alive, and—if their luck changes—maybe even fall in love. Easy, right?

Must Love Demons is part of the Magic Emporium series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, a lariat of love, a demon tail with a mind of its own, and a guaranteed HEA. 

Likes:

  • Hooked me fast.
  • Nico and Flame, together and separately.
  • Watching them deal with being stuck together.
  • Good mystery element.
  • A cute, fun story.
  • Loved the reason why their relationship might not work.
  • How excited Nico was to try to find a use for what he got from the emporium.

Dislikes:

  • The cupids.
  • Not much world building.
  • Knew there was something more coming at the end.
  • Needs a follow up story.

This is easily my favorite book of the Magic Emporium series so far.

Nico was so easy to like. I mean, all he wanted to do was help people find their true love. It was just a shame that the cupids were so awful. But that didn’t keep Nico down. He still did his best to help people, despite the way he got treated for being an incubus who wants to spread love and not lust.

Flame was a bit uptight, but it made sense. He’s hundreds of years old and takes his job seriously. He basically lives for his work, and it was nice to see him realize that there’s more to life as he spent time with Nico.

The two ended up tied together very quickly, and I loved all the shenanigans that followed. A lot of them were fun. Or at least, they started that way. The murder case Flame was working on was woven throughout the story, and was never far from Flame’s mind. Especially since he was angling for a promotion, and didn’t want to be taken off the case, despite being tied to Nico.

Both men were attracted to each other, but there were a whole host of reasons why it was a bad idea. I especially loved Flame’s main reason. It was really unique, and fit with his phoenix shifter side.

Nico’s excitement to use the item that came from the emporium made me laugh. He kept trying to find the perfect fit for it, knowing it would come in handy. And it did. Once again, the item saved the day.

My only complaint about the plot was that I knew something more was going to happen. It’s always suspicious when it seems like everything’s all wrapped up and there’s more than 15% left to the book. I wasn’t mad with the twist, even though it wasn’t the most surprising thing ever.

The story could have used some more world building. I had a fair number of minor questions, like who made the cupid’s list. I would love to see a whole series written like this. Or, more importantly, a follow up short story or novella about Nico and Flame. Even though everything was wrapped up, I wanted to see them settle into their new lives.

Review: Brought to Light (Magic Emporium) by Eliot Grayson

A fun story with a good plot and a quick hook.

3.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 187 pages. Published January 21st 2021 by Smoking Teacup Books

Blurb:

A hitman and a fae walk into a café…

Callum always gets the job done—whether he likes it or not—but this job isn’t like any other. The target’s too young, too pretty, and too appealing for comfort, and the clients are offering more threats than cash. And either the target poisoned his hot chocolate or he’s going crazy, because now magic stores and wizard-looking dudes are appearing out of nowhere. It’s really not Callum’s day.

Linden’s on the run, and the human realm’s a good place to hide from evil sorcerers who think Linden’s the answer to a prophecy. But his enemy has found a way to send a very human and very dangerous assassin after him—a man who could kill Linden with one hand. Linden should be terrified, but his knees go weak for all the wrong reasons.

When Linden’s family is taken hostage, spending the night with Callum ought to be the last thing on his mind, but Linden can’t resist the chance to fulfill his deepest fantasies before sacrificing his own life. Callum knows he should walk away—it’s not his fight. But the beautiful fae is under his skin and now protecting Linden and his family feels more important than his own survival. A human learning to feel. A fae learning to trust. Can two worlds merge into one true love?

Brought to Light is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, a magic flashlight, a prophecy that doesn’t quite work out the way anyone expects, and a guaranteed HEA. 

Likes:

  • Good hook.
  • Interesting item from the emporium.
  • Callum was surprisingly likeable for a hitman.
  • Linden was nice.
  • The non-romantic plot was good.
  • The last few chapters had a good amount of tension.

Dislikes:

  • Not a ton of world building.
  • Easy for the reader to know how the prophecy would be satisfied.
  • Linden felt a little passive.
  • I’d like a short story follow up.

I’m always a little leery about books that have a main character who would typically be called a bad guy. So I wasn’t sure how I’d like this book, given that Callum is a hitman, and a good one at that. Luckily, Callum was very likeable. Yes, he kills people for a living, but he had a code of conduct. The fact that he immediately realized that Linden wasn’t like his usual targets definitely earned him brownie points, as was the fact that he cared for his friend and work partner Jesse.

I also found myself enjoying Callum’s reactions to learning about magic and multiple realms. It wasn’t over the top, more of a grudging ‘guess I have to add this into my world view’ type thing. Callum was practical no matter what happened, and watching him go through the story was fun.

Linden was also a likeable character. The fact that he removed himself from a dangerous situation so that the people he cared about weren’t caught in the crossfire was noble. Plus, Linden was a genuinely sweet person. Did he do much to protect himself? No, but that’s what Callum was for. Linden just got swept up in a mad man’s delusions and was trying his best to survive.

The romantic tension simmered beneath the surface between Linden and Callum for a while before they acted on it. Despite their differences, or perhaps because of them, the two fit together really well. The smut was good, and I wouldn’t have minded more.

The non-romantic plot was solid, and did a good job of keeping both men together as well as giving some serious stakes if they failed. The bad guy was the perfect amount of unlikeable, and his minions were plentiful.

There’s not a ton of world building in this book, which I kind of expected given that it’s a standalone. Enough was explained that I didn’t feel at a loss while reading, but looking back, I do have some minor questions.

What I do want is a short story or novella follow up, showing how Callum and Linden have adjusted to their new lives. Both experience some drastic life changes at the end of the book. There is also a hint of romance between two other characters who I’d love to see get their own story.

I loved the item that Callum got from the emporium. I had an idea of how it would be used, which turned out to be completely wrong. I can’t be mad at that, though. The ending was very satisfying, with a good amount of tension through the final chapters. It was easy to tell how the prophecy was wrong, but that just made me eager to see how everything would end up.

I’ve read a lot from Elliot Grayson in the past, and while I prefer their longer series, this was a fun book.

Review: Knight and Day (Magic Emporium) by Jacki James

A by-the-numbers story that was cute and low angst.

3.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 137 pages. Published January 14th 2021

Blurb:

Theodore Knight has a curious nature. Ever since he was a child, he’s loved books that are full of danger and adventure. In real life, he’s a simple bookstore owner. But in his imagination, he’s a hero who goes on great quests to save the princess, or in his case, the prince, from evil dragons.

Until one day, real life starts to look a lot like his imaginary world. . . and the fate of an entire kingdom rests on his shoulders. The world is more magical than he ever thought, and he will have to learn to accept the impossible as possible, if he and Samuel are to succeed.

Samuel Day had never journeyed to the human realm, and he sure didn’t mean to get stuck there. That said, he’s found it all incredibly fascinating. Especially Theodore, the adorable human who holds a piece of the puzzle necessary to stop an evil immortal and save the magic realm known as Evorea. His loyalty is to his king, but it doesn’t take long for Theodore to become equally important.

They come from different realms and are as different as night and day, but together they have everything they need to save Evorea from ruin. They just have to find their way back there.

Knight and Day is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains a magic realm, a handsome guardian, one clueless human, and a guaranteed HEA. 

Likes:

  • Theodore and Samuel, together and separately.
  • Both Theodore and Samuel were visited by the emporium.
  • Theodore acted rationally when faced with the weird stuff.
  • Samuel’s love for human clothing.
  • Samuel’s vegetarianism made sense and wasn’t preachy.

Dislikes:

  • Insta-love.
  • No excitement towards the end.
  • Obvious who the dragons were.

This was the third book in the Magic Emporium series that I’ve read, and the first book where both main characters were visited by the emporium. I thought that was neat, especially since what they were given was what got the story started.

Both Theodore and Samuel were easy to like. The story only covers a few days’ worth of time, so there’s definitely some insta-love, but I enjoyed watching them get together. Especially with the way Theodore showed Samuel around the human world.

Theodore won major brownie points by reacting in a sensible way to all the weird happening in his life. He tried to throw away his piece of the dagger, then tried to give it to Samuel without a fuss. There were no theatrics or hysterics despite his crash course in magic and multiple worlds.

Samuel’s interest in the human world was adorable. I loved how much he enjoyed sweatpants. It was also nice to see a character who was a vegetarian without being preachy about it. In return for all of Theodore’s help, Samuel showed Theodore all of the magical things that existed right in his own city.

Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious who the missing dragons were going to be. In fact, this book is very by-the-numbers. There’s nothing too new or unique about it. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun read. But ultimately forgettable.

With how much damage the dagger could cause, I was expecting some excitement or intensity towards the end of the book. I kept waiting and waiting and…nothing. Maybe I’ve read too many high fantasy books, but I was a bit disappointed that there was no tension. Not with the dagger or the romance.

Overall, this book was about what I expected. For a standalone book set in a series like this, it did well. I liked the guys and the romance was sweet. It was a gentle read. Very little angst or violence. The happy ending was easily achievable. And sometimes, that’s exactly the kind of book you want.