Title: A Chip on Her Shoulder ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2020

There is something about Darlene storming the gates of hell and taking over that still makes me laugh and giggle. I mean, I know what she’s going to do. I know the level of slightly sadistic cruelty she’s capable of, and yet, I still find it hilarious and surprising with every page turn. This is probably a pretty big reason why Blain is such a comfort read for me – she is funny and witty, and slightly unhinged. Plus, Darlene not only storms the gates of hell, but manages to keep the devil for herself, who wouldn’t love a woman capable of such feats?

Not only is Darlene a very entertaining heroine, but I love how well the angels and the devil fit into this incredibly dysfunctional family dynamic. The angels in particular spend the entire story just… meddling in every single thing they can. All with a lovely little end goal of getting their brother happily settled and married off. it’s all rather cute and underhanded if I’m being honest, and I kind of love the fact. Plus, it means that hell gets taken over by a cat who is willing to commit acts of violence in defence of her brother… again, why wouldn’t you love such a character?

Being a read through, I really enjoyed seeing how the little hints and clues as to the rest of the series and how it all connects unfolded. There were parts that I picked up on on this read through that I hadn’t previously. Something that I really love about rereads – you can pick up on nuances that you’d previously missed. I particularly love how all of the hints and moments for Kanika are shown throughout, and how this shows up earlier and later in the series. It’s kind of sweet in fact, how bonded to Kanika Darlene and the devil are, way before they show up in her life.

The pure violent protectiveness with which Darlene lives her life is most definitely one of my favourite aspects of this story. And her weird obsession with nipples. She is definitely insane, and I love how she chooses to just lean into this level of mayhem and chaos, taking no prisoners. Honestly, I need to channel some of this attitude (but you know, not the more homicidal aspects) into my own life…

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Title: Grave Humor ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #14
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2020

For some reason, I really love the named Anwen and Eoghan. They just have this wonderfully mysterious and delightful vibe to them. And then, as their story unfolds and you find out how intimately they are both tied to death? Well, it just makes all that much more sense. Theres something about the celtic-ness of their names that just works brilliantly. They may not be my favourite couple in this series, but they definitely have my favourite names.

This might be a novel that is all about death (literally), but it is still incredibly light hearted and fun. I love how Blain is able to deal with some pretty heavy topics, but maintain the lightness and joy of life throughout. Something about this balance makes the story and the writing seriously enjoyable and engaging, almost impossible to put down.

Whilst being in a small town seems to be a major romance trope lately, I love that Anwen’s experiences of small town life are less than ideal. Yes, there’s so many positives, but there’s a lot of negatives too. Yet, in spite of some really crappy behaviour, she is able to shine and be a strong, kind hearted woman. Its a reminder that there is good and bad everywhere, and sometimes we just have to take a deep breath and look for it first.

Grave Humor helps to add an extra complexity to the Magical Romantic Comedies world. Every book adds an extra layer, but something about this one gives a whole extra dimension. The storyline helps to build on Whatever for Hire and the consequences of Satin’s heir’s actions. But, it also opens up a whole new, truly fun, world of potential.

Being that this was my second read through, there were so many nuances and hints throughout that I didn’t pick up on the first time. I absolutely loved this fact, and its a big reason why I’m loving rereading this series at the moment.

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Title: Double Trouble ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #13
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

I might absolutely adore the Cindercorns of the Magical Romantic Comedy world, but Double Trouble introduces the insanity of the more traditional unicorns, and they are just as brilliant. I particularly love how they are not as pure and innocent as common folklore indicates – rather, they are troublesome demons with all sorts of chaotic tendencies. It was also nice to read about how they are able to convert their partners to become unicorns again. And the fact that they are placed on the earth to get rid of the dead (a bit gruesome, but absolutely in fitting with the chaotic violence of the rest of this story).

From the verb, I thought that Layla was going to have all kinds of withdrawal and issues with reintegrating into society. But, as with everything the Blain writes, she took me by surprise. Rather than being someone who needs to reintegrate, she actually has to learn how to be a member of society all on her own, for the very first time. In fact, her history is a little tragic, especially when you learn how long it spanned for. But, it also worked out really well. I love that her history gives her a goodness and sweetness that takes everyone by surprise. Even if she is ready to shank everyone with literally anything she can get her hands on…

As much as I enjoy Layla and her unicorn mate, it’s actually her future sister-in-law that I love the most. I mean, two women frequently deciding that they want to take over the world is great. Plus, there is nothing like the idea of being able to get along with your in-laws. Even if it is choosing to just cause chaos and mayhem with every breath that you take. It’s also a reminder that us somewhat insane chaos queens can always find a friend who will just… lean into the chaos that we like to create.

Double Trouble is a story of chaos and mayhem, with a whole lot of forgiveness and conspiracy thrown in. I loved each and every moment of the stupidity and chaos. It is yet another great addition to the Magical Romantic Comedy world, and one that I enjoyed rereading. And will enjoy rereading again and again and again.

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Title: Burn, Baby, Burn ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #12
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2018

There is something so enjoyable and funny about R.J. Blain’s writing, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how the joyful simplicity of her writing would work on a reread. Luckily for me, it is just as fun the second time around, and I’m loving picking up on the extra bits as I read through the Magical Romantic Comedy series again. I particularly love that Burn, Baby, Burn is all about Bailey trying to run away from Quinn for some peace and quiet… and because she is a sucker for punishment and absolutely wants to be chased. Plus, then there’s Perkette and her special brand of insanity, a little different to Bailey, but a great way to balance the two somewhat neurotic women out.

One of my favourite (and maybe more relatable) parts of Bailey’s journey across country is her need to constantly dumpster dive and find new pets. She is absolutely the Chaos Queen, and I love that she is constantly battling to find a way to save everything and anything she can. Personally, I think her new little menagerie of animals is perfect and would absolutely love to have a pet Ocelot, amongst other animals. Honestly, any big cat would make me happy, as ill-advisable as it may be.

Quinn’s first introduction to the fact that his uncle is The Devil is kind of hilarious. I love how interconnected the Christian Pantheon is, and how much fun Blain has with this fact. She creates a family that is dysfunctional, chaotic and loving all in one moment, and I honestly couldn’t get enough of the fact. I was laughing out loud in moments, and I also loved that, because the Devil is nothing as would be expected in this series, he spends a lot of time trying to revive his favourite species – the unicorn. Again, just smiling and laughing out loud right throughout. Even writing about it leaves a huge, happy smile on my face.

Not only was Burn, Baby, Burn a great revisit of Quinn and Bailey, I also love how it gave more context to Bailey’s parents, genetics, and life. She goes from being an unwanted child to one who is very much wanted and loved. In a variety of ways. It also just starts to hint at some of the new relationships in Bailey’s life, and ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. It makes me want to dive back into this series more quickly, but again, had a happy enough ending that I didn’t feel the need to dive in straight away if I didn’t feel like it.

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Title: Cheetahs Never Win ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #11
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Cheetahs are my favourite big cat, so, of course, I absolutely adored the idea of shapeshifting cheetahs – they just hold that special place in my heart. As with all of the Blain books that I have the privilege of reading, Cheetahs Never Win take a shapeshifting species and give them a bit of a special twist. In the case of Cheetahs, Blain creates a slightly manic group of cats that really don’t see gender. And, for the poor females, there are so many problematic choices that the males continuously make (although, this can be observed frequently in the world).

Although it’s pretty obvious who the couple in this story is going to be, I really loved how he had decided on Sassy years ago. And then, eventually, decided to go after her with all of the subtlety of a freight train. Then, there’s the fact that Sassy’s family has already interfered and I was laughing continuously throughout this entire reread. I had previously enjoyed this, but remembering snippets of the story just made this whole story all that much more entertaining, and in some points, hilarious. Plus, the whole cheetah clan is completely out of this world insane, which made me gleefully and deliriously happy.

I enjoy the fact that Blain uses a narrator’s voice from both the female and male perspective, but I did like that in the case of Cheetahs Never Win, it was written from the male’s point of view. It helped to highlight how amazingly joyful and wonderful a female lead Sassy is. She’s completely neurotic in moments, slightly unhinged, and incredibly tough. Then, there’s the fact that her kick ass nature is beautifully complemented by the shoe fetish. And that the man she has set her eyes on is completely willing to placate her with the gift of expensive shoes. If we could all be so lucky.

Even though there’s a psycho on the loose, serial killer/s running rampant and a whole lot of murder, there is just so much damn humour to this story that it was still light hearted. I particularly enjoyed how it wasn’t only about the two leads falling in love, but also about how loyalty and togetherness is what ultimately saves the day. Now I just want one of Sassy’s brothers to find their forever woman and settle down too.

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Title: Blending In ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #10
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2018

This is another enjoyable story filled with the nonsensical and enjoyable chaos of Blain’s writing. I particularly loved the idea of a woman being cursed by a divine. At first, it makes him seem like a horrible being for cursing his ex. But, I love that, as the story unfolds, the divine isn’t actually all that evil, it’s just that he’s kind of an idiot. I mean, I’ve read this before, so I did know this fact already. But, it was just as fun discovering the ins and outs of the lead’s curse a second time, lots of nuances that I missed in my first read through.

There is something about chameleons that I’m kind of obsessed with. Which meant that the idea of a chameleon shapeshifter was always going to draw me in. Alright, she’s cursed, and it’s not exactly a choice, but still! Being able to shapeshift into a chameleon and all ion the different adventures one can have in this light… brilliant and a whole lot of fun. Plus, it gave me flashbacks to my time in South Africa when I spent forever just watching a chameleon and being seriously entertained…

As someone who is also a Mum, I love that pretty much every choice throughout this story is driven by a mother’s love for her son. I kind of missed some of the interactions between them. I would’ve liked more mother-son relationship time, and less of the romantic relationship building if I’m being honest. But, that might just be the lens that I’m looking through in this day and age…. I’ll be interested to see how I take the relationship dynamics in my next reread!

As a beagle owner, I’m absolutely disappointed that beagles were the victims of the horrible puppy mills. I mean, I know that this actually happens in real live, but it still sucked to read about. I kept cuddling my own beagle throughout this. I’m not going to lie, I also would’ve wanted to commit violent acts in response to the puppy mills. Actually, I thought that some of the reactions were kind of tame… 

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