AGED TO PERFECTION by multiple authors

 

The Raven
February 15^th, 2022
ASIN #: ‎ B09KXCX11Z
Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Romance
E-ARC
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Author
4.5 Hearts

Nineteen tales of older women finding their voices, finding love, and enjoying their second act in life. Get ready for AGED TO PERFECTION. This anthology has new and established authors telling tales that will sure tickle your imagination.

I will review the following three stories below:

Weaver’s Web by Yasmine Galenorn: When paranormal investigator and witch January Jones goes away for Valentine’s Day with her werewolf boyfriend, Killian, both find something more at the B&B they are at then meets the eye as ghosts, vampires and more crash their romantic vacation.

Running with the Devil by Mandy M. Roth: When a witch finds her ex in her small magic shop claiming he was set up for a murder, can she put aside her past with him in order to figure out who is out to destroy him?

My Big Fat Hairy Wedding by Robyn Peterman: When a forty-something werewolf supermodel is getting married to the Devil’s daughter’s son, she finds that her demonic mother-in-law is the least of her problems and in this case, bridezilla is more of a momzilla…in Hell, literally.

I was thrilled to see some of my favorite authors here as well as a few new to me authors to try in this anthology that celebrates life after forty. Three of the stories I will review as there are just too many to give a review for individually. This anthology has a diverse set of established authors (Mandy M. Roth, Yasmine Galenorn, etc.) to new voices in the genre making their mark. I found the mix of both to have some hits (quite a few hits to be honest) and a few misses that didn’t quite gel with me as a reader. I will be honest, the paranormal women’s fiction genre is something that is fun, entertaining and really new to the world of books. I find that I like these books a lot with their very relatable characters being over forty and so diverse that it is hard to decide which called to me more.

First up, Weaver’s Web by Yasmine Galenorn. This is part of her Moonshadow Bay series that I just love, and I am thrilled to see January and Killian enjoying some time away from their home base. The story is full of unique characters, a lush scenery that left me wanting to visit and a mystery to solve. The author does a wonderful job keeping my attention as I sped through the book, and I felt it was on par with the past Moonshadow Bay books as it was filled to the brim with twists that I sure didn’t see coming. All in all, a wonderful novella in the series.

Next is Running with he Devil by Mandy M. Roth. This was one of the first stories I clicked on and found to be highly enjoyable, entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat a few times with anticipation. I loved the sparks that flew between Kerri and Patrick. The mystery that surrounded Patrick was intriguing and I felt this should have been a longer book because I really wanted to know more about these two. Overall, a great story that fit nicely in the anthology.

Finally, My Big Fat Hairy Wedding by Robyn Peterman. I got to admit this one had me laughing hysterically at times. Swoozie is a forty-five supermodel but also a werewolf who is marrying the Devil’s grandson. Add in a soon to be Mother-in-Law from Hell, the fact she doesn’t make friends easy and more well, let’s just say let the good times roll. This story was by far the perfect introduction to Ms. Peterman’s writing. The characters were highly entertaining, intriguing and one of the few stories that I can honestly say had me laughing from the first page to the last. I never wanted to know more about Swoozie and the rest of the gang than I did reading this story. The sheer fun that was in the story had me right from the start and I know I am going to check out this author’s books in the paranormal women’s fiction genre to see what else I can get my hands on.

Overall, AGED TO PERFECTION has some hits out of the ballpark and a few misses for me. The writing for some of the stories were fast paced and entertaining where a few others were just slow to heat up for me. I can say for the most part there were more hits than misses in this anthology for me that isn’t always the case. If you are looking for an anthology that gives you a mix of authors (new and old), stores to see if something may intrigue you to look more at the author’s books then try AGED TO PERFECTION and settle in for a fun time. I can highly recommend this anthology if you never read a paranormal women’s fiction book before. Perfect choice on a cold winter’s night.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

MIDNIGHT WEB by Yasmine Galenorn

A Moonshadow Bay Novel, Book 2

Nightqueen Enterprises

February 28^th, 2021

Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Romance, Mystery

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Self Purchase

5 Hearts

 

January Jaxson is finding herself again after a disastrous marriage ends with her starting over, divorced, and living back in her hometown of Moonshadow Bay. Her job with Conjure Ink is interesting and she is enjoying her new relationship with wolf shifter, Killian, her next-door neighbor. But when she opens an old bottle, she got from a thrift store, she finds more than even she has bargained. A djinn needs her help and after promising to see what she can do; she vows to give him his freedom at all possible. But at same time, the case Conjure Ink is working on has them in wrestling with active, malicious spirits and more in a local restaurant. Can January figure out how to calm the spirits down and let them rest before they do more damage, or will she find that turning forty-one is just a wish and prayer as danger heats up?

 

MIDNIGHT WEB continues January’s story from Starlight Web as we get to know more about her, her hometown and her friends and family in Moonshadow Bay. I got to admit this series is definitely coming in a close third as one of my favorites of this author’s. The world building is phenomenal, and you feel like you are part of the story with January and the gang and with each book, you get to see more of the town’s secrets as well and more of the residents there. I love the characters in this series as they are all diverse, unique, and beautifully written. January is a curvy older woman starting over and I love how relevant she is to me. It made me appreciate her a lot more as well as her good friends and family helping shore her up when she finds herself insecure with herself.

 

Meet January Jaxson. Divorced and living back in Moonshadow Bay, she is finding herself again after her marriage went belly up and she came home with nothing but what she could gather. With her life in tatters, she finds a job at Conjure Ink, a paranormal investigation business and finds herself intrigued by the different cases she gets to check out and is enjoying making new friends with her coworkers. She also finds out the spooky case she is checking out is more than she ever imagined as spirits are up in arms and determined to hurt people. Add in a djinn who is now her houseguest for the moment and another small mystery to solve, well January has her hands full trying to figure things out before danger mounts and she provably bites the dust. I just adore January and find her extremely relatable. She is at times tough, tender, assertive and insecure. She is flawed but that is what makes her, in my opinion, so much fun to read and enjoy in MOONLIGHT WEB. All the characters are multidimensional and for me, January is the star of the show by far. Add in her relationships with family, friends, and lovers then you find a well-rounded woman who is finding herself again and that right there calls to me in so many ways. With this second book we see more of the strength that is inside of January as well as her connections to several people deepen and grow. Ms. Galenorn is a master at creating diverse, unique characters that fairly brim to life and step off the pages.

MIDNIGHT WEB delivers an action-packed ride from start to finish and lots of twists even I didn’t see coming. This is an author who knows instinctively how to captivate and enthrall her readers, so much so that they need more after finishing the book. I know I did, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series to be out in April though I want it now. So, if you enjoy an older main character that can kick butt and is soft on kittens, then this series is for you. I am really looking forward to seeing where the author goes in this new series as it is definitely hitting all my love buttons with each book.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement.