Tag Archives: No Rest for the Witches

No Rest for the Witches by Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren

Book Review, , , , , , , ,
Overview
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Title: No Rest for the Witches
Author: MaryJanice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Witches
Dates read: 14th July – 9th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: She thought of an even better, more relevant question.

Synopsis

From broomsticks to black magic, leather-clad warriors to love potions gone wrong, here you’ll find four stories of supernatural sex and suspense from some of today’s hottest bestselling authors.

MaryJanice Davidson – “The Majicka”
Life’s a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates–a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie…especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?

Lori Handeland – “Voodoo Moon”
For Devil’s Fork-based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…

Cheyenne McCray – “Breath of Magic”
San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?

Christine Warren – “Any Witch Way She Can”
A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad…only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.

Thoughts

This was one of those random books that I picked up in a second hand shop. I had no idea what it was about. Really what genre it belonged to, and only vaguely recognised the names of the authors who had contributed. I really just liked the name of the collection, it was a fun little pun that made me quite intrigued…

From beginning to end, this collection has women who pack an amazing punch. They’re strong, they’re powerful and they’re constantly finding themselves in a spot of trouble. All things which I thoroughly love in a good, strong protagonist. The fact that sex, lust and magic are all mixed in with each other to create some incredibly fun and often times awkward stories just makes it that much better. Mostly the sex and lust. A girls gotta get her kicks where she can…

All four of these novellas, like many other similar collections have sent me down the path of finding new beloved authors and series. They’re always a good way to escape for only a short amount of time when I have to be responsible, but long enough that I get completely sucked into a whole new world. The fact that these were all paranormal fantasy and filled with a good dose of romance just made me sink all the quicker into these stories. Definitely one that I would suggest to anybody who likes their witches with a bit of extra steam!

 <- Any Witch Way She CanThe Majicka ->

Image source: Goodreads

Any Witch Way She Can by Christine Warren

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: Any Witch Way She Can
Author: Christine Warren
Series: The Others #3.5
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Witches
Dates read: 5th September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Quinn laughed and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

A desperately lonely witch decides to take matters of love into her own hands when she casts a cosmic personal ad…only to find that the perfect formula for love is a strange brew indeed.

Thoughts

I was thinking just the other day that if I could, I would probably cast a spell for my sister to find her one true love. This novella made me rethink that desire. Although, it did have a happy ending… so maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea…

Most paranormal romance stories I read feature… well, the paranormal. I’ve never read one in which the thing that makes the girl special is that she isn’t paranormal. Unlike the rest of her extended family. Don’t get me wrong, there’s hints that she could have more talent than expected, but all in all, the magic-less woman is a great breath of fresh air. One that I absolutely adored and would love to read more about… although I don’t think she’ll feature so strongly in any of the other stories in this series…

Although the romance takes centre stage in this novella, the fixing of old wounds and reconnecting with a family member is a fantastic secondary story. Actually, I was more drawn in by the secondary storyline than I was by the first. After all, the first is just another romance, the secondary is about finding what you have in common with your insane family and finding a way to make things work…

<- Breath of MagicNo Rest for the Witches ->

Image source: Goodreads

Breath of Magic by Cheyenne McCray

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
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Title: Breath of Magic
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: Magic #3.5
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Magic, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy, Witches
Dates read: 25th August 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: The Underworld god’s muscles bunched and flexed as he strode toward them.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

San Francisco’s witches are in an epic battle. But even if Sydney can use her sultry ways and ancient Druid powers to save the world, can she risk losing her heart to handsome warrior Conlan?

Thoughts

This was a great partnering off, battle the evil, and, whilst not winning the war, winning the battle kind of story. I immediately fell in love with the characters, and wanted to find out more about this amazing world that Cheyenne McCray has created. You kind of knew that the two leads would end up together at the close of the book, but that didn’t make the journey any less exciting or intriguing. Rather, I couldn’t wait to see just how they would overcome their obstacles, and it was more than a little surprising when the conclusion was finally reached.

It was really nice to have a slightly different heroine in the lead of this story. Most of the tales I read feature a woman who is completely put together and beautiful, if not more than a little manic and insane. Instead, this features a woman who has glasses and makes some incredibly silly mistakes. Ones that are performed out of pure stubbornness, but still a good place. And more than a little stupid when she looks back at them in hindsight.

Breath of Magic is one of those fun novellas that I’ll read again and again. Not just because I love the simplicity of a good romance story, but also because there is so much more going on. There is a fantastic plot that actually takes centre stage over the romance and makes you hold your breath throughout – after all, you want the good guys to win, and it’s really not a certain thing. It is one of those tales that will make you want to dive right into McCray’s writing and sink into her worlds. Or at least, that’s how I felt… and now I have to go out and buy Forbidden Magic to get my next fix…

 <- Voodoo Moon ReviewAny Witch Way She Can Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Voodoo Moon by Lori Handeland

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
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Title: Voodoo Moon
Author: Lori Handeland
Series: Nightcreature #7.5
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 1st – 2nd August 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: He had tattoos running up both arms and another winding up the side of his neck.

Synopsis

For Devil’s Fork-based FBI Agent Dana Duran, the only way to fight a supernatural serial killer just may be to embrace life. But little did she know that voodoo could be so viciously sexy…

Thoughts

I’m really surprised that I haven’t read more stories which feature the Voodoo religion. After all, it seems to come up in almost every TV series I’ve watched. Although that’s mostly as a method of killing… I’ve never read a story which has voodoo as the central storyline – one which involves the manifestation of the evil, and the way in which to rid the world of it.

Balance was a key idea throughout this story. It was the imbalance of nature and the world which bought the evil spirit to the small town. And it was recreating this balance (in the most fun of ways) which bought about a happy ending. As someone who has spiritual beliefs, discussions on balance and the way the world twists and turns is so incredibly important, so of course, I just completely lapped up this story. And then started researching how much it was going to cost to get the first few books in this series… because you know, self-control.

Paranormal romance stories which feature a cop of some sort as the lead always capture my fancy immediately. I love criminal shows, don’t read the books as much because I get a little scared, so reading a paranormal version that I know isn’t going to happen to me is a perfect middle ground. The use of a female lead who is an FBI agent investigating some really horrific and confusing deaths… you really can’t go wrong. Now I just have to wait until I have some spare cash to buy Blue Moon and the rest of the series…

 <- The MajickaBreath of Magic ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Majicka by Mary Janice Davidson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for no rest for the witches book cover

Title: The Majicka
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
In: No Rest for the Witches (Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray & Christine Warren)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 13th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: She thought of an even better, more relevant question.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Life’s a bit crowded for Ireland and her roommates–a fairy, a werewolf, a vampire, and now a zombie…especially when a mysterious man walks through the door. Will there be any room left for love?

Thoughts

I’m a little bit disappointed that the premise of this story was only fleshed out in a novella. I would happily read a full length novel, or even a series which features Ireland and all of her awkward rescues. Although, maybe that’s just being greedy. After all, this worked brilliantly, and I loved it immensely. Expanding on it could just ruin the enjoyment that it made me feel.

No matter how many books I read, across how many genres, I am always drawn to stories about misfits. Probably because I’ve always felt like one myself. Maybe just because I tend to find they make the most interesting people. Whatever it is, I’m always happily drawn in; hook, line and sinker. Which, considering this is a story about a girl who constantly takes people in that don’t quite fit into whichever world they come from… I couldn’t put it down. And almost screamed with frustration when it was over. I want to read more about the Angry Fairy and the Zombie Nymph (amongst a few).

The Majicka had a bit of a whodunnit feel to it. Firstly, in trying to help out the zombie. And then, when they’ve finally figured out just who she is, how to save her. The extra entertainment of a Tutor trying to train the next, somewhat resisting Majicka, a car that thinks for itself and a vampire with airs just made it so much more entertaining. Luckily, I have a few MaryJanice Davidson books on their way to fill my bookshelves. Otherwise, I would be sorely disappointed to have finished this novella. Great start to the No Rest for the Witches collection though!

 <- No Rest for the Witches ReviewVoodoo Moon Review ->
Image source: Goodreads