Book Review: Light Magic by Juliana Haygert

Light Magic (Rite World: Fallen Angel #2) by Juliana Haygert

Genre: New Adult Fiction (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: May 23, 2024
Publisher: Dark Witch Press LLC

I’m better alone than deceived …

In my wild pursuit of redemption, I struck a sketchy deal with a demon to get back my celestial wings. Surprise, surprise – I got played, ended up hurt and alone.

Now, I'm trying to snatch back my lost magic, untangle the mysteries surrounding Elysium, and scrub my name clean.

However, thanks to a fat bounty on my head, every stroll outside turns into a showdown with supernatural freelancers hungry for the jackpot. After a brutal brawl left me broken, I reluctantly called on a witch with healing mojo. And guess who shows up? Her brother, the two-faced demon who betrayed me not too long ago.

Plot twist: he's still bound to me, thanks to some unbreakable spell.

Fueled by equal parts rage and necessity, I'm flipping the script, hell-bent on breaking the annoying bond, reclaiming my magic, and taking down not just the backstabbing demon but also every threat aiming to wreck my world.

LIGHT MAGIC is a sizzling paranormal romance, set in Juliana Haygert’s kick-ass Rite World. This spellbinding urban fantasy promises a riveting blend of magic and suspense, leaving readers yearning for more..

Light Magic is the second book in the Rite World: Fallen Angel series by Juliana Haygert. I love Ariella and Levi's Hot-Cold, Argue-y bantering. They're a lot of fun! Like book one, there's a lot of action. Just when Ariella starts to feel comfy somewhere. Boom! She's found! Levi spent some time away this time around. He was missed, as I definitely like it better when he's around. These books definitely keep me entertained. We got some surprises and twists, and I look forward to seeing where things go next.

The ARC of Light Magic by Juliana Haygert was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Have you read the first book in this series?

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

While USA Today Bestselling Author Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

To learn more about Juliana Haygert and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter.

Buy this book at:

nullnull

Book Review! Extinction by Douglas Preston

Extinction by Douglas Preston
Genre: Adult Fiction (Thriller / Mystery / Science Fiction)
Date Published: April 2, 2024
Publisher: Forge Books

With Extinction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston has written a page-turning thriller in the Michael Crichton mode that explores the possible and unintended dangers of the very real efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct animals.

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire's son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection―but extinction.

Extinction of the first book I’ve read by Douglas Preston, and it didn’t disappoint. I wouldn’t really compare it to Jurassic Park too much, but if you loved Jurassic Park you’ll like this one.  This is more of a mystery. Who’s the bad guy/bad guys? In Jurassic Park, the enemy was always clear, because they weren’t the main point of the story. In Extinction, the story starts with mysterious killings, and it builds from there. I loved the imagery of the mammoths and other prehistoric mammals. It was written beautifully. 

This story was very well told. Especially since it was told from multiple perspectives which can sometimes get messy. This one was put together nicely. It did drag in areas, but when it was going, it really went. There were brutal bits, but they were mainly left to the imagination rather than a full description. Sometimes less is more, and while I’m not one to get queasy, I feel like if you do, this style wouldn’t be as hard on you. It was interesting! You can tell the author did some research here, and that makes it all the better. 

Even though it never ends well, fictionally speaking, I’ve gotta say I’d line up to see these creatures. Dinos. Mammals. It’d be worth the risk to see them. Sign me up!

The ARC of Extinction by Douglas Preston was kindly provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for review. The opinions are my own.

Olivia lay in the dark, Mark breathing softly next to her. The night was still, without the breath of breeze, the silence profound. It had dropped below freezing, but their sleeping bags were super warm, and she was used to camping in alpine weather. Her dad had taken her and her brothers camping in the Wasatches and Manti-La Sal in all seasons, sometimes on cross-country ski trips in the dead of winter in ten-foot-deep snow and nights to twenty below. God, she missed him. Mark was a little like that, unintimidated by wilderness conditions, totally cool with anything nature might throw at him. The first thing she did with any new boyfriend was go camping. So many of them, despite their big talk, failed the test — all it took was a little rain or snow, a swarm of mosquitoes, or a rattler, and they were in a panic. Or they just didn’t have a wilderness sense — like casually leaving trash or pissing too close to a stream or not knowing how to set up a tent. She shifted her body, not feeling the slightest bit tired. The sun set so early in the fall, it was still probably only eight o’clock. She wished she could fall asleep like Mark, who could drop off anywhere, anytime, in five minutes. It was a dark, moonless night. The mammoths would be sleeping in their hollow below them. She listened, wondering if mammoths snored. But she could hear nothing. Her mind wandered, and she thought of her Olympic medal, sitting in its sock in the back of her underwear drawer in Salt Lake. All those years of work, struggle, risks, crashes, injuries, surgery, rehab, recovery, more work, more struggle — and finally Pyeongchang. All that work had been squeezed up and stamped in a piece of bronze sitting in the back of her drawer. Mark had been upset that she wouldn’t frame it and hang it with a picture of her receiving it on the stand. Why would she? She hated even looking at it. It would be different for her child. Son or daughter, it didn’t matter. He or she wouldn’t make the mistakes she’d made. Olivia had been through it all and knew now how the system worked and what had to be done, and she could guide her child to something a whole lot better than bronze. She suddenly was hyperalert, tense. She heard a sound. A strange plucking sound. Mark was instantly awake too. And then it started, the loud tearing sound of the tent fly, like it was being cut. “What the f***?” Mark sat up like a shot. She pulled a headlamp out of the tent pocket and switched it on. She shined it through the mosquito netting of the inner tent to reveal a long, ragged cut in the outer fly. “What was that?” said Mark. “A branch?” “There’s no wind,” Olivia said. “You think it’s a bear?” he said. “They said the bears had been removed.” “Yeah, but one could have wandered back in over the mountains.” Olivia wondered. Maybe it was an animal, smelling the humans inside and reaching out to scratch the fly just to see what it was. They listened, but the silence was total. “I’m going out,” said Mark. “No, wait.” “I’m not waiting. If it’s a cat or bear, we’d better drive it away. We can’t wait for it to come in here.” He took the headlamp from her, put it on, and pulled his buck knife from its sheath, before slipping out of the bag. He was wearing Capilene full-body long johns. He went to the tent door and unzipped it. He paused. No sound. Then he stuck his head outside the door. “See anything?” “Nothing.” She was filled with uncertainty. It could be a mountain lion in wait. Maybe it ran off when they turned on the headlamp. But Mark was right: they couldn’t just cower in the tent. They had to do something. Calling out for the guide would only put him in a place of danger, and besides, asking for help from the guide ran against her wilderness ethic. She felt around and grasped her own knife and put on her own headlamp but didn’t turn it on yet. “Okay, I’m going out,” he said, and slipped out into the dark. She could see the glow of his light indistinctly through the tent fabric as he swept the area. She tensed, gripping her own knife. The glow quietly moved about for a long thirty seconds. She heard him suddenly grunt—a weird sort of snort — and there was the sound of spilling liquid, and the glow vanished. “Mark?” Olivia cried. “Mark!” No sound. She sprang to the tent flap and looked out, turning on her headlamp and sweeping the area with the light. There was his knife, on the ground. Nearby lay his headlamp in the grass, still lit. “Mark!” she screamed. “Mark! Hey, we need help here!” she cried, leaping out of the tent, gripping the knife. She stopped where he had dropped his knife and headlamp and stared at the ground in horror — just as she felt something strike the back of her neck and slide in, crunching the bone and going through it, as hot as fire and cold as ice at the same time. 

Douglas Preston has published thirty-six books of both nonfiction and fiction, of which twenty-nine have been New York Times bestsellers. He is the co-author, with Lincoln Child, of the Pendergast series of thrillers. He writes about archaeology and anthropology for the New Yorker Magazine, and he worked as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and taught nonfiction writing at Princeton University. He currently serves as President of the Authors Guild, the nation’s oldest and largest association of authors and journalists.

To learn more about Douglas Preston and his books, visit his website. You can also find him on Goodreads, Facebook, and YouTube.

Buy this book at:

Book Review! Dark Wings by Juliana Haygert

Dark Wings (Rite World: Fallen Angel #1) by Juliana Haygert

Genre: New Adult Fiction (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: April 25, 2024
Publisher: Dark Witch Press LLC

I made a deal with the devil …

What kind of angel doesn’t have her wings, her sword, and her magic? Oh, right … the me kind. These days, I'm practically just another human.

The hurt of not being a true angel is too much, so I come up with a brilliant idea: I summon an evil wish-granting demon and trap him in a witch's circle. The price for his ticket out? My wings and my magic.

But, surprise, the ritual goes haywire and now this devil is bound to me! Furious but shackled by the spell, the demon reluctantly agrees to help me get my wings back, then we figure out how to break the bond, preferably without driving each other crazy.

Remember what they say about best-laid plans? Buckle up because this ride is getting bumpy, and our odd partnership? It's heating up.

DARK WINGS is a scorching paranormal romance set in Juliana Haygert’s enigmatic Rite World, where love defies heaven and hell. Magic and desire collide in this action-packed steamy urban fantasy novel, leaving readers breathless and desperate for more!

Dark Wings is the first book in the RiteWorld: Fallen Angel series by Juliana Haygert. Ariella is a fantastic main character. She was written so beautifully, I felt like I was really seeing through her eyes. I don’t usually enjoy a demon playing a good guy, but I’ll have to make an exception for Levi. His presence was undeniable, and their chemistry was off the pages. There was some steam going on too. Whew! I enjoyed the supporting characters as well. Levi’s sister was a gem! Their whole world was well put together and easy to envision. Non-stop action all the way through. I’m fully invested in this one, and can’t wait for more!

The ARC of Dark Wings by Juliana Haygert was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

While USA Today Bestselling Author Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

To learn more about Juliana Haygert and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter.

Buy this book at:

Book Review! Slay King by Abbi Glines

Slay King (Georgia Smoke) by Abbi Glines
Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: April 14, 2024
Publisher: Self

“This world I live in isn’t one that builds strong relationships. It rips them apart.”

Perhaps that was true, but nonetheless, I had fallen in love with him anyway. The man who had lied to me, the man I couldn’t trust, the man who would never love me back, yet even knowing all that, I loved him still. His smile could make me forget all the reasons why I shouldn’t. I was so easily blinded by the charm that was King Salazar.

He used it like a weapon, and I was one of the many who fell under his spell. Accepting that I had nowhere else to go and running from the southern mafia was impossible, I gave in to my feelings for him. All the while knowing he would eventually break me in a way that my abusive husband he had killed had not.

While he kept me locked away, safe from the gang bent on finding me, I had to sit back and watch him live out a fake relationship with the next Governor of Georgia’s only daughter. We all know how that story goes. I’d read enough of those tropes in books to prepare myself for the end. When he would fall for her and, I would, once again, be left alone. Shattered beyond repair.

Slay King is the second book in the Georgia Smoke duology by Abbi Glines. I hate that I didn’t read the first book already. I thought these were stand alones. I don’t feel out of the loop though, because the book does an excellent job catching you up on everything, so much so that I don’t feel like I am missing anything from book one except for maybe how the relationship between Rumor and King developed. Honestly, I’m on the fence with King. There’s an Alpha male personality, and there’s just being ridiculous. I felt like he was ridiculous a lot. I didn’t see what made Rumor fall in love. There was a LOT of sex, but what else do they have? I assume that’s what I missed in book one. Rumor was very believable. Coming out of an abusive relationship, I can see why she would cling on to a guy like King for both good and bad reasons. I love the whole Southern Mafia thing going on! That’s something I can really get into. I’m a big Abbi Glines fan, but it’s been a while since I picked up one of her books. So, I’ve got some catching up to do.

The ARC of Slay King by Abbi Glines was kindly provided to me by Wordsmith Publicity for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out some of my reviews of other books by Abbi Glines!

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

To learn more about Abbi Glines and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

Buy this book at: