By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

Fairytales aren’t real, right?

That’s what I thought until they came to Hollow Cove. And when I say they arrived, I mean they actually materialized —they came to life.

Newly engaged, I was looking forward to some quiet, sexy time with my wereape—all kinds of horizontal refreshments in every room—you know the type. But did I get it? Nope. Instead, I get hit with fairytales that plague our town.

Sounds harmless. But not all fairytales are about sunshine and rainbows. Some are evil. And some, well, some… are deadly.

House has ‘birthed’ a miniature of itself, a cottage for Tessa and Marcus who are now engaged. Today is Marcus’ birthday and Tessa wants to do something special for him. However, all the normal things both in the main house and the cottage are gone, no water, no electricity, no magic, just nothing.

At the main house there’s quite the gathering happening, one Tessa, Dolores and Ruth want nothing to do with. It’s Beverly’s group and well you can just imagine what’s being talked about.

When Tessa questions the no power or water dilemma she learns House is on strike. It feels neglected, seems the reason house works the way it does requires payment, the cheating husbands, wayward boyfriends and abusers they throw down the basement are said payment. They are killed but rather looked dazed and confused when they came back up.

This of course will make it difficult or rather impossible for Tessa to cook Marcus a birthday dinner. In the meantime, Beverly wants the appetizers she ordered picked up and sends Tessa. Only before she can get there, screams split the quiet.

She follows the screams and finds a dead girl, Marcus shows up and neither of them recognize her. She died brutally and when Tessa finds a basket nearby with jams, breads and some cheese, it reminds her of the story, Little Red Riding Hood. The uncensored one.

To make matters worse, her mother shows up to invite her and Marcus to dinner that night. Even though she declines it’s like her mother doesn’t hear a word she says. Marcus’ arrival doesn’t help either. Looks like they have a dinner to go to whether they like it or not.

To top that off, the body has disappeared. It wasn’t taken, it vanished before the eyes Scarlet, Cameron and Marcus. Then Gilbert wants everything solved so he can have his Oyster Festival the next day. Just wonderful.

The reappearance of the body followed by an awesome ley line ride reveals the Big Bad Wolf. So much for it just being a fairytale. Seems it’s very much real.

A conversation with Lilith doesn’t reveal much other than Lilith might know who is causing it and Dolores’ suggestion of a rift is more than possible.

This is a favorite scene.

I’ll admit, having superhot shower sex with Marcus lifted my mood a few octaves, yet it did nothing to warrant time with my mother. However, seeing how important his word was to him, I reluctantly agreed.

I tossed my bag in the back seat of Marcus’s burgundy Jeep Grand Cherokee and then climbed into the front passenger seat, all clean, all postcoital.

Marcus climbed behind the wheel and fired up the engine. “Give me your phone,” demanded the chief.

I handed it to him and watched as he pulled out a charger from a USB port on the dashboard and plugged it in. “It’ll take longer this way, but it’ll give you some juice until we get to your mom’s. I don’t like the idea of you not having a working phone. You never know when someone might need to reach you.”

“Yes, sir,” I teased.

Marcus laughed as he pulled his Jeep from the curb and headed up Shifter Lane. I leaned back into the soft leather seat, enjoying the constant hum of the Jeep’s engine. I closed my eyes for the briefest of moments, thinking about how quickly my life had changed in just over a year.

Today was also Marcus’s birthday, but I had nothing to show for it. Did the sex in the shower count?

Having dinner with my mother wasn’t how I wanted to spend the rest of the evening. Yes, she did rub me the wrong way—all the time—but that wasn’t the reason I didn’t want to see her. I was more avoiding her because I knew she would harass us with questions about our wedding. The fact that we hadn’t even discussed it yet had me on edge. What if Marcus and I had completely different ideas? I wanted a small wedding, like just immediate family. What if he wanted a big, fat, witchy-wereape wedding? After meeting his mother, and knowing mine, I was sure they wanted a huge wedding, and I’d be outnumbered. I felt a flush of nerves inside my belly just thinking about it. I hated lots of attention. I knew I would hate a big wedding.

I shook my head, literally shook it, and pushed away those thoughts. It wasn’t like the wedding was anytime soon. I had lots of time to freak out about it. Just not at this very moment.

The thought of seeing my father brought a smile to my lips. He was just the demon to change my mother’s mind. They were stupid cute, these two. And I was glad they’d found each other again after all these years. It just went to show, you couldn’t put timing on love.

“What’s going on here?” came Marcus’s growl-like voice. He slammed on the brakes, jerking me forward. “What the—” My eyes tracked the scene. It was so strange and happening so fast that it was hard to concentrate on just one thing at a time. So, I started with the biggest, most prominent one.

The ship.

Scratch that. Not just a ship, but a giant, massive traditional wooden galleon of the fifteenth century sat in the middle of Crystal Row. Three masts sprouted from the main deck about a hundred and twenty feet in length. A black flag with a skull-and-crossbones symbol flapped in the breeze, the name Jolly Roger written on the front sail. From what I could see, it was armed with bombards that fired granite balls.

“It’s a ship,” said Marcus, his jaw slack, and I could see the utter shock on his face.

“The Jolly Roger.”

“What?” Marcus was still staring at the ship like it wasn’t real. Like this was just a dream.

It kind of felt that way, but I knew whose ship this was. My adrenaline spiked.

Damn, damn, damn.

Marcus leaned forward in his seat, staring out the windshield. “Are those… pirates?”

I scanned the ship. I could make out about a dozen men dressed in vests, shirts, and coats with dark pants. A few had colorful cloth tied around their necks and tucked in front of their vests, like neckties. Even from a distance, I could see their weathered skin, like those exposed to the elements most of their lives.

“Yup. And that one over there is Captain Hook.” I pointed to a thin man with curly, black hair draped over his shoulders, with the largest maroon hat I’d ever seen. A prominent hooked nose rested above a thin, black mustache. He wore a frilly, white shirt underneath a red coat with gold lining and maroon cuffs. From what I could see, an orange sash over his right shoulder held his sword scabbard at his left hip. His maroon pants looked almost like tights, and he paired them with white, knee-high socks.

And it looked like I’d answered my own question from before. It wasn’t just one fairy tale that slipped into our world. There were more.

Marcus glanced at me, disbelief written all over his face. “Are you saying this is…”

“Another fairy tale come true. Wait—what’s happening?”

Six pirates on the main deck were running around in a frenzy. And then I understood why.

A granite ball exploded from one of the bombards. The sound was like nothing I’d ever heard, as though thunder detonated right next to my head.

My ears rang as the black granite ball sailed into the air and hit one of the houses.

The Jeep shook as the house exploded in a cloud of wood fragments, brick, plaster, and dust like it had been rigged with a bomb. The thunderous rumble echoed up through the Jeep.

The house, which I’d admit I had never really paid any attention to before, was gone. Obliterated. Only a mountain of debris, chunks of wood, and shattered brick stood in its wake. Metal rebar stood up like the legs and arms of a giant skeleton as a soft pattering of dust sifted down from the air.

If anyone was in there, no way could they have survived.

Cauldron help us.

“Fuck!” Marcus leaped out of the Jeep, me right behind him.

Front doors to neighboring houses burst open as paranormals clambered out to see what the blast was. Hell, probably the whole town had heard the explosion.

“Where’s Peter Pan?” howled a voice that I presumed was Captain Hook. My eyes went to the skinny man in the maroon hat stabbed with a tall, white feather. He stood at the edge of the forecastle deck, glowering down at us. “I want Peter! Bring him to me! Come back here and fight me, ya coward! Or I’ll find ya wherever ya are, ya hear me, Peter Pan?”

“Oh, crap.” I looked at Marcus. “He thinks we have Peter Pan.”

“What happens when we don’t give him Peter?” Marcus hauled off his leather jacket.

A chill went through me. “He’ll slap us with his good hand?” I didn’t even know if Peter Pan was here. But if Captain Hook was, I wagered Peter was around here somewhere.

“Prepare the piece!” shouted a voice from the ship, followed by the sound of grinding metal, and then, “Prick and prime!”

I didn’t know what they were saying, but I knew it wasn’t good.

“I need backup on Crystal Row,” Marcus said to someone on his phone. “Now!”

Captain Hook snarled and then beat the air with his hook. Yup, the severed hand with the gleaming sharp iron hook.

“Fire!” he howled.

Oh. Shit.

“Get down!” Marcus crushed his body over mine, and the next thing I knew, we both hit the hard pavement.

Another deafening blast echoed around us. The ground trembled as though an earthquake had hit us.

I pushed myself up enough to see over Marcus’s arm, where a massive pile of rubble was all that was left of the house that had been blown to smithereens a moment ago. Damn. Another house destroyed. Hopefully the owners had run out, but I hadn’t seen anyone coming out of that house.

A weight lifted off me, and the next thing I knew, Marcus grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

“We have to stop them before they destroy the whole town!” cried Marcus, his eyes on the ship as he ripped off his shirt and pants. I glimpsed a very fit, golden-brown body, rippling in muscles, followed by bright light. Marcus’s face and body heaved, stretching his features and body strangely. Then I saw a flash of black fur accompanied by an awful, tearing sound and the breaking of bones.

A snarl came from the four-hundred-pound silverback gorilla next to me. He slammed his fists on the ground. “Ill distraac dem. Yoo desstroy de sshhip,” he shouted. His vocabulary had improved tremendously in his beast form.

“Okay. But you better get your ass out of the way of that ship when I’m ready,” I told him, pulling on the elements around me. Okay, Captain Hook had a mighty ship, but he had nothing on us. We had magic. I just hoped it would work better this time.

I blinked as the gorilla pushed off at incredible speed toward the ship. He climbed up the hull like it was something he did regularly, and there he was, on the deck, pounding the head of some pirate.

“God, he’s hot.”

“Who’s hot?”

I turned and saw Ronin and Iris rushing over.

“Hey, is that Captain Jack Sparrow?” asked Ronin, staring up at the ship.

I wished. I loved me some Johnny Depp. “Nope. This here is Captain Hook.”

The half-vampire put his hands on his hips, his eyes glancing from what was left of those two houses to the massive pirate ship. “Houston. We have a problem.”

“The fairy tales aren’t stopping. Are they?” asked Iris, waving her hand at some of the dust and debris falling around us.

“No.” I cast my gaze toward the ship again and spotted Marcus swinging from one of the masts like it was a jungle gym built for him. Pirates swung their long, curved swords at him, trying to slice the wereape, but he was too fast for them. Too skilled. If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn he was having fun. Was that a grin on his gorilla face?

“What in the blazes is going on here!” Gilbert came running forward as fast as his grubby little legs would allow, staring at the ship like it was an alien craft that had just landed. That would have been just as plausible.

“We’re being attacked by pirates,” I told him.
Richardson, Kim. Witchy Little Lies (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 12). Kindle Locations (1361-1435). Kindle Edition.

With a pirate ship destroying Hollow Cove, they needed to solve that problem and quickly. Tessa does something she’s never done before and it works. Now they have to find where these things are coming from and destroy it.

Fast paced and fun, this one had me holding my breath as Tessa faces fairytales containing loved ones.

I can’t wait to see what’s next in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

I was engaged.

Okay, so I wasn’t technically engaged. But I did fantasize about it. A lot. Okay, all the time. No need to pretend.

The only problem here was when couples got engaged, there was usually a proposal of sorts, an exchange of promises, and a mutual agreement to spend the rest of their lives together. But three weeks have now passed since the night I found that black box with that pretty ring, and still, the chief hasn’t proposed.

But I’ve got worse problems.

A mysterious and ominous curse spreads across our town, and we don’t know who’s responsible or why it’s happening. This curse could mean the destruction of Hollow Cove and all its people.

Things soon spiral down the crapper when the folks from our town start acting crazy and lashing out in a frenzy of madness before dropping dead from this mystifying curse.

With our lives on the line and my magic mojo back, it will take everything I have to survive.

If I even can…

Tessa’s got her magic back, and after another test by Greta and Silas, she’s a Merlin again.To top that all off House created a cottage, the exact replica of itself for Tessa and Marcus.

It’s been three weeks since Tessa saw the ring that fell out of Marcus’ jeans. He still hasn’t asked the question, and Tessa is now wondering if he’s changed his mind. They have moved into Davenport Cottage together, and Tessa is planning to cook a nice meal for him, have we mentioned she can’t cook?

All things considered it’s not a surprise when Gilbert puts in his two cents while Tessa’s getting the needed groceries. He’s fining her five thousand dollars, for not getting the proper permits to build the cottage on Davenport land. He’s even claiming it’s not zoned for it. On top of that, he’s also deducting three weeks from her paycheck for not having her magic during that time. Oh, and she has 30 days to pay the fine before interest starts adding on. She’s not sure how that’s going to happen.

As she’s processing that, Martha joins her, and she’s not about to share with the gossip what Gilbert is up to now. Then everything goes to hell, well in a manner of speaking that is.

Screaming right in front of the store, has Tessa throwing money at the cashier and works her way through the crowd outside. Now usually it’s Gilbert who panics the town, but this time it’s Martha as she starts screaming it’s a demon possession. Tessa’s sure it’s a curse or hex but it’s different, darker, more evil. Before she can even call her aunts, the man stabs himself.

With the man identified as real estate agent Arlo Miller, her Aunt Ruth uses her dust to try to identify it. What they discover is that it’s a black magic curse, and then Marcus finds Arlo’s wife dead as well. To top that off, Beverly finds her date Bernard dead as well. So that’s three bodies and no answers.

Things only get worse as Gilbert puts the town on quarantine. We all know how well shifters do with confinement.

Iris wants to be helpful since she knows a bit about black magic, unfortunately the attempt leaves Tessa and Ronin switched. Marcus shows up and Lilith too, only making things worse.

This is a favorite scene.

Marcus swept his gaze around Iris’s spell work. “My phone died. I came to find my charger. What’s going on here?”

“You’re not going to believe it,” I mumbled.

Marcus ignored me and went straight to Ronin-me. “Tessa. Have you been drinking?” he teased. “I’m sorry I couldn’t call you back. It’s been hectic. Trying to get everything sorted out and people safe. I knew you’d be worried. I came as soon as I had a few minutes to spare.”

“Huh?” Ronin-me struggled to get up just as Marcus reached down and pulled him—, me—God, this was complicated—to his feet.

Marcus hauled Ronin-me to him, wrapping his big, muscular arms around his waist.

“Ah! Are you crazy!” Ronin-me struggled out of the chief’s grip, pushing him away, and stumbled back. “I’m all for the manlove.” He raised a fist in the air. “But I’m into women, dude. Beautiful, sexy, vagina-wearing women.”

Marcus’s face went slack. I could see the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the brewing of a storm inside them. His big hands curled into fists as the muscles on his neck bulged and popped, playing across his big frame and straining his lightweight shirt. His body was braced and taut, ready for action.

Trepidation and confusion filled his eyes. I knew what would happen if I didn’t do something quickly. He was about to beast out.

There was no way I’d keep this from Marcus. Ring or no ring. I wasn’t going to do that to him. Even if he’d be furious, I had to tell him.

I took a breath, steadied myself for the wrath, and said as quickly as I could, “We kinda switched bodies.” I pointed between Ronin-me and myself to clarify things, though I knew nothing was any clearer. When he didn’t respond, I added, “Iris tried to do a counter-curse to help Ruth… and things didn’t go as planned. As you can see.”

“Planned?” said Ronin-me. “It’s a disaster. I need a beer.” Ronin-me moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge in search of beer.

Iris glared at Ronin-me, but she kept quiet. I knew she was angry at herself and probably feeling terrible that she’d accidentally switched our consciousnesses into each other’s bodies. Even though it was an accident, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with her at the moment.

Marcus drew in a long breath and released it through his nose. “You and Ronin switched bodies?” His tone was all business, and I had no idea if he was angry or not.

“Think Freaky Friday, and you’d be right,” I told him, tingles washing over my scalp and traveling up my spine.

The chief moved my way. His intense gaze fell on me, traveling over my face and then moving down to the rest of my body. I knew this wasn’t the sensual way he usually rolled his eyes over me, like he wanted to lick me all over. Instead, he was staring at Ronin. Still, I couldn’t help the delicious tingles that fluttered over me.

He leaned forward a bit, his nostrils contracting, the way an animal takes in a scent. I knew he was trying to see if he could sense me in Ronin’s body. I had no idea if he could or not.

The chief’s brow pinched. “So, you’re saying you’re Tessa.”

I swallowed as prickles of unease worked through me. So far, so good. “Exactly. And that over there,” I said, gesturing to Ronin-me drinking a beer straight from the bottle. “Is Ronin. Ta-da.”

Marcus’s eyes sparkled with a predatory menace, his unwavering gaze piercing. “Is it reversible?”

I looked over at Iris. “Iris?” I was hoping she’d changed her tune.

The Dark witch’s face was pulled in anger. “I don’t know, okay? I just don’t know. I’m sorry. If I knew why it happened, maybe I could fix it.”

“Maybe?” Marcus raised a brow. Thick slabs of muscles flared along his back.

Iris lifted her chin at the chief, in defiance. “Sometimes, these things happen with magic. Unfortunately, it can be… unpredictable.”

“Catastrophic, more like,” growled Ronin-me. “On a global scale.”

It seemed as though Iris was not as well-versed in Black magic as she once thought.

Iris picked up her ceramic bowl from the floor. “I could try it again, but that could produce worse adverse effects.”

“Like what?” I asked, confused and a bit terrified. “What could be worse than this?” I pointed to myself, to Ronin’s body.

Ronin-me made a grunt. “Hey, that’s a grade A specimen you’re riding there. Have some respect.”

With a sudden pop of displaced air, the scent of spices filled the room.

A beautiful red-haired woman was sprawled on my couch, a glass of red wine dangling in her hand.

“Oh, thank God. Lilith.” I let out a breath of relief.

“Goddess,” corrected the redheaded deity. Lilith looked between Ronin and me. “Oh. This is precious.” She laughed as though delighted.

I frowned. Well, Ronin frowned; annoyance flashed through me. “Not funny, Lilith.” Obviously, the goddess could see right through us. She saw the clusterfuck.

Lilith smiled and said, “I beg to differ. I had a feeling paying you a visit was a good idea. I just didn’t know how good and entertaining it would be.”

I moved forward until I was face-to-face with the goddess, realizing I didn’t have to look up at her anymore, with Ronin’s body. “Can you change us back?” If anyone could, Lilith could.

The goddess glanced over at Ronin, in my body, and then back at me again. “I don’t think I will. You seem to have had your wires crossed.” She laughed at her own joke. “I haven’t had this much fun since I changed Cleopatra’s milk bath to goat manure. Oooh. She was so mad.”

I pressed my hands on my hips. “Please, Lilith. Ronin and I need our bodies back. Some weird Black magic curse has hit our town. I need to be able to function. Do my magic. I need my body back.”

Lilith pointed a finger at Iris. “You did this. Didn’t you?”

Iris’s mouth clapped shut, her eyes widened, and she seemed afraid Lilith might spell her or something.

“Yes, she did,” I answered for her. “We were only trying to help Ruth with a cure.”

“But we ended up like this.” Ronin-me raised her arms.

“Are you going to change us back?” I pressed, wishing I had my body so I could magic her to do it. Maybe I could bite her? Or use Ronin’s vampire mojo to persuade her. Would that even work on a goddess?

“No.” Lilith took a sip of her wine and crossed her long legs at the knee.

Anger rushed through me. “I can’t believe this. Why the hell not?”

The goddess shrugged. “Because it’s fun to see you all freaked. Besides, the spell will fade on its own. Just give it time.”

“It will?” It wasn’t the solution I wanted, but if that was true, it was good enough. “How much time?”

Lilith flashed me her teeth. “It’s hard to say.” Her attention homed in on Marcus; if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was trying to see through his clothes. No. I know she was. “Maybe a few hours… maybe a week.”

“A week!” Ronin-me and I cried at the same time once again.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a migraine on its way. I looked at Iris. “Iris?”

Iris stared at me but said nothing. “This is beyond my capabilities. I don’t know how to reverse it. I’m sorry.”

“We need my aunts.” I answered the question in her eyes. “Dolores will fix us. Take everything you used, your spell, your ingredients, everything with you.”

“Yes.” Ronin-me put his empty beer bottle on the table and slapped his hands together. “Let’s go.” He was out the door before he’d barely finished his sentence.

My gaze fell on Marcus again. He was watching Ronin-me go, his brow wrinkled.

He turned to face me again. I could tell he was trying hard to see beyond the shell of the half-vampire, trying to see me in there. But he couldn’t.

“Let’s get this over with.” I started forward and stopped. “Oh no,” I said, shifting my weight.

“What is it?” said Iris, rushing over to my side, her dark eyes traveling over my—Ronin’s body like I was about to morph into some creature.

Lilith laughed harder, which only made it worse.

I clenched my jaw tight. “Cauldron, no. This can’t be happening. No. No. No.”

“What?” Marcus eyed me with the same wild expression as Iris’s.

I took a breath, looked at them, and said, “I have to pee.”
Richardson, Kim. Brewing Crazy (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 11). Kindle Locations (1207-1272). Kindle Edition.

It really would have been nice for Tessa’s father to be around, but he was at a demon convention of sorts. When he does return he has much more knowledge and a much safer way to get rid of the curse. Unfortunately, it’s not one curse.

This is a laugh out loud, hold your breath page-turner. There are many twists and I truly loved the ending.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

Lucifer took my magic.

Okay, so technically, Derrick the incubus douche took it, but he was Lucifer’s guy and following orders.

Still, I can’t be a witch or a Merlin without magic. Can my life get any worse? Of course, it can.

As I try to adjust and accept life without a drop of magic in my veins, Marcus disappears. Well, not exactly, more like he ghosts me. He’s not returning my calls or my texts. Just when I think I finally have my love life on track, it gets derailed, and my heart is slowly torn apart.

Even if Marcus is gone, I’m not about to give up on my magic. I have plans. Crazy-ass, possible death plans, but I’ll do just about anything to get my magic mojo back.

Yes, it’ll be dangerous. Insane. Only a crazy person would be willing to try it.

Good thing I’m just crazy enough.

Even though the last book was a win over Derrick, for Tessa it changes everything. Lucifer used Derrick to take her magic and unfortunately Lilith can’t give it back.

Her aunts won’t give up and have Tessa trying to make potions, she never was good at them but without magic it’s just a waste of ingredients and time.

Greta and her Merlin committee are also coming to test her magic, or rather her lack of it, something Tessa is not looking forward to.

In response to that Marcus has done the unthinkable and assigned Allison to train her in self-defense, and without her magic, that turns into a disaster. Then to top it off Marcus disappears again.

Tessa’s desperate to get her magic back and Iris is going to help her by summoning Derrick and doing a transference spell. This goes horribly wrong as does the Merlin testing.

When Lilith shows up, Tessa unloads on her and then Lilith takes her to Marcus, that doesn’t go as planned either.

This is a favorite scene.

Marcus grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, bumping me into his hard chest. “Tessa. What are you doing here?”

“Looking for ticks? What do you think? I was worried. I came looking for you.” I realized then that my coming here was probably not good for his image. The fact that no other females were here told me this was a boys-only club, and I’d just crashed their party.

The chief’s jaw tightened. His gray eyes searched my face, and the corners pulled in worry. “What happened to your face?”

The pang in my chest became a physical ache at the real concern in his voice. I thought about telling him what Allison had done to me, but now wasn’t the right time. “It’s a long story.”

“But how did you know where to find me?”

“Lilith brought me here.” At the frown on his face, I added, “I got worried when you didn’t answer my calls or my texts.” I felt strangely annoyed that all the wereapes were listening to our private conversation.

“I took his phone away,” answered Zeke before Marcus had the chance. “I didn’t want anything distracting Marcus.”

I wasn’t sure I liked this Zeke character. “I wish you would have told me where you were going before you left me with Gorilla Barbie,” I told Marcus.

“I hadn’t planned on staying. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“You’re not our kin.” Zeke stepped closer, which meant his man junk was closer still. His nostrils flared as he took in my scent. My face flamed as I remembered I hadn’t put on any deodorant. “She doesn’t smell like any paranormal I know, yet she saw through the glamour enough to find you.”

He got me there. If this area was glamoured to keep humans out, how could I see them if my magic was gone?

“I was a witch.” Yeah, that sounded pretty lame. And the laughter that came from the surrounding wereapes didn’t help.

Zeke looked over and behind me, like he was looking for my broom or something. “You were a witch, but you’re no longer a witch?”

“Something like that.”

“This is Tessa Davenport from Hollow Cove,” announced Marcus to the encircling wereapes. “A witch from my town. And my girlfriend.”

The wereapes stiffened, and it was almost like they were frozen in place.

Zeke, though, was not. His face wrinkled in disdain.

“Not for long, she won’t be. When you take over my pack, you will find a proper mate. A wereape female to stand by your side while you rule. It’s how things are done. You can screw this… ex-witch for the time being, but you will marry a wereape.”

Oh. My. God.

Okay, I could either start bawling my eyes out or take a stand. I chose to take a stand.

“Listen here, you big sasquatch,” I said, pointing my finger in his face. “I don’t care who you are or how big you are. I don’t even care that your junk is practically rubbing against me right now. No one talks about me like that.”

Marcus gently pushed my hand down and used it to pull me back to his side. He had a strange, proud smile on his face. His body pressed into mine, so warm, and his delicious musky scent sent my lady hormones pounding.

The chief’s gaze moved to the alpha. “I told you before, Zeke. I don’t believe in those traditions.” His voice was dangerously low. The muscles around his shoulders popped, and I knew he was getting angry. “I came here out of respect for you and my father. I told you I would help find your new alpha. That is all. Tessa is my mate, and you will respect her.”

His mate.

A pool of warmth settled in my gut at his words. We were going to do all kinds of mating later.

All my previous emotions and uncertainty toward the chief vanished. Part of me wanted to run my fingers in his glorious black, tussled hair and pull his face to mine so I could kiss him right there in front of all these naked men.

The alpha’s eyes danced with a dangerous fire. He looked at me for a moment, staring at me like I was the one thing standing between him and Marcus. Maybe I was. “Fine. But she has no business here.” His voice lacked sincerity, and I knew he was just saying that to keep Marcus in check with his agenda. The only truth to his words was that he wanted me gone.

“You can’t lie to yourself any longer, Marcus,” continued Zeke. “You are the rightful alpha. No one has beaten you.”

“Yet. Lucas still owes me a fight. I will keep fighting until you make your choice.”

According to the spark in Zeke’s eyes, it was obvious he’d already made his choice.

I took Marcus’s hand, Ruth’s words coming back to me. I knew this was Zeke’s way of trying to get Marcus to become the new alpha for this pack. I would have never thought Marcus would be involved in this until I saw it with my own eyes. The way he commanded respect without even asking for it. The way he fought, how every move was strategic. He was a king, a crownless king.

My heart thudded with what I was going to say next. “You’re staying. Aren’t you?”

If it were just me, I’d grab him and drag him by the hand out of the park. Obviously, I’d have to find him some clothes first. Not that I minded this sexy male wandering around in his delightful nakedness, but the rest of the New Yorkers might take offense. The males, that is. And I’d probably have to fight my way through some horny women too. I smiled at the thought.

The chief squeezed my hand and then let it go. “I have to stay,” he said, his warm breath caressing my hot face.

I stared at him. “Have to stay?” I repeated, trying to get the words to sink in.

The satisfied smile on Zeke’s face had my blood pressure on a high boil. Heat rushed to my face, and I felt like a complete fool.

“I can’t leave. Not right now.” Marcus sighed through his nose. “It’s complicated. But I have to see this through.”

I knew then how important this, whatever this might be, was to him. The respect of all these strong wereapes. Being the alpha. Being the one in command.

I looked around, and I saw what was mirrored in all their faces: respect.

All but one. A large, ridiculously muscled, red-haired male, which I knew was probably Lucas, was still staring at Marcus like he wanted to fight him. But all the others were looking at Marcus like he was already their alpha. Their king.

I felt like an idiot. No one in their right mind would want to take that away from their partner. That would be incredibly selfish. What if Marcus was the right choice? What if this was his true path? It was incredible to see, to witness. Maybe Marcus was supposed to lead this group.

And like Zeke said. I was a distraction.

I knew if I stayed any longer, my tears would betray me. I was still standing with my defiance on full blast, but for how long. The words wouldn’t come either. If I opened my mouth, my emotions would deceive me. I did not want to break down in front of all these naked dudes. I’d been humiliated enough.

I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but this wasn’t it. And I wouldn’t stand in the way of someone who could achieve greatness. “Tessa…” whispered Marcus, his breath tickling my neck. The heartache in Marcus’s voice was almost my undoing. It was horrifying. Carrie-at-the-prom-with-pig’s-blood horrifying. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, turned around, and walked back on the trail the way I’d come, with stiff feet. I was going home alone.
Richardson, Kim. Cosmic Jinx (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 10). Kindle Locations (1077-1139). Fableprint. Kindle Edition.

Lilith sends her back home, and it’s Beltane. Tessa’s only hope of getting her magic back now is her father. Obiryn doesn’t give her much hope but agrees to try and find Derrick.

The big surprise is after talking with her father is returning to her room to find Lucifer there. He has only one request of her, turn Lilith over to him and he’ll give her magic back.

What could possibly go wrong…

Marcus does return, but these two have a lot to figure out, plus the whole Lucifer thing.

I couldn’t put this book down, there’s a lot of pain and emotion, romance and that perfect touch of heat.

5 Contented Purrs for Erin!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

My Aunt Beverly is getting married.

I should be happy for her. Right? But I’m not. Because I know this Derrick character is bad news. Call it my witchy instincts, but I’m convinced something is seriously off with the guy. So how do I prove it to my aunt?

The pressure is on as I only have four days to figure it out before the wedding—yes, four days until Beverly says, “I do,” to that slimy bastard.

As the clues start to come together, I have to wade through a pack of lies to get to the truth and find out who Derrick Baudelaire really is—and what he’s hiding.

But then the worst happens. While I’m trying to uncover Derrick’s dark secrets, Lilith comes calling. She’s ready to set her plan in motion. Her plan to kill her husband, a.k.a. Lucifer, the king of hell. And I’m her secret weapon.

Trouble is, this time, I might not make it back alive.

In spite of all the crazy that ends the previous book, life goes on and Beverly announces she’s getting married.

However, the groom to be is Derrick, the man who caused Beverly to get a boob enhancing spell, that thankfully has now expired. In a twist, three witches that look a lot like Dolores, Beverly and Ruth show up, they are claiming rights to Davenport House. They are Davina, Belinda and Reece, the Wanderbush witches, first cousins of the Davenports. It’s their appearance that casts doubt on a card that shows up with the RSVPs with simply the words HELP ME on it. Tessa isn’t convinced it’s some sort of prank and she’s going to investigate it anyway.

Tessa doesn’t trust this man and when they have him over for dinner, she finds him in her room when he was supposedly answering a call. This doesn’t end well for Derrick, or for Tessa. Her aunt doesn’t believe her over her fiancé, and as a result Tessa is uninvited from the wedding.

After that encounter she goes heads out to see Marcus.

This is a favorite scene.

The chief looked up at me from the dining table. He was eating alone, all proper and refined and sexy as hell. The gray T-shirt he was wearing seemed to be painted on, doing absolutely nothing to hide the ridiculous amount of chest muscles. He might as well just take it off. I wouldn’t mind. His black hair was wet, telling me he’d just taken a shower.

His lips curled into an earth-shattering smile. “Did you burn your father’s eyebrows off again?”

“No.” I kicked off my shoes and made my way to the kitchen in search of some wine. “Do you have any wine? I need a glass to calm my nerves. Make it a bottle.” It was to calm my nerves, yes, and tame the waves of anger and disappointment.

The sound of a chair pushing across the hardwood reached me, and then Marcus was in the kitchen with me, a bottle of Pinot Noir in his hand.

I frowned. “How did you do that?”

He grinned, the kind of smile that made my heart skip a few beats and made me want to rip off my clothes before I knew what I was doing. “Magic,” he purred, his voice low and rough, which had my blood pounding low in my lady regions.

I swallowed as I watched him grab a glass and fill it with thick burgundy liquid.

“I’m sorry I’ve interrupted your dinner,” I told him. Yeah, not really.

“You haven’t told me what happened.” The chief poured himself a glass and turned back to me, his gray eyes searching my face before resting on my lips.

I raised a finger and took a gulp of wine. Then another. “The scumbag grabbed me and kissed me.”

The glass in Marcus’s hand exploded. Then he went deadly still with wine dripping from his hand and fingers like blood.

Uh-oh.

Then the muscles on his neck and shoulders popped, literally popped as they bulged and moved under his skin. It was as though he was controlling his beast and wasn’t sure whether to say hello to King Kong or stay in his expensive-looking jeans.

Me? I’d prefer him in nothing at all. But hey, I didn’t come here to see him naked.

Yeah. Yeah, I did.

Rage shivered at the edges of his mouth. He stalked back and forth like a caged lion. He was furious. The fury in his eyes simmered, and a growl burst from his throat, making my skin erupt in goose bumps and my heart thrash faster. I froze. I was part terrified, part excited. Let’s be honest. I was a little horny too.

Having a sexy, strong man like Marcus show this much affection and protectiveness toward me was all kinds of hot. I didn’t care if you were thirty or seventy, it made you want to rip your clothes off and shout hallelujah at the top of your lungs.

He was silent for a long moment, his body shaking with rage as he pushed it away, bringing himself back under control. It was a monumental effort of will, and it was scary as hell.

He took a calming breath and asked, “Which scumbag?” His voice was a deep snarl that shook with suppressed rage.

“Derrick. The guy my Aunt Beverly wants to marry,” I said, watching him.

Marcus’s gray eyes met mine as he said in a very calm voice, which I was almost certain was scarier than his snarling voice, “He’s a dead man.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. “Wait. Just hang on a second. I didn’t tell you so you could go all ape-shit on him.”

“Dead. He’s dead,” repeated the wereape. “He’s going to regret the day he touched you. I’m going to remove his head from his neck.”

“Okay there, you overgrown baboon. I can take care of myself, you know.” I waved my hands in front of his body to the ridges of hard muscles barely contained by his teeny-weeny T-shirt. “I might not be blessed with Geralt of Rivia’s muscles and good looks like you, but I have magic. I’m more of a Yennefer. Besides, right now, he’s nursing some very sore balls.”

A smile twitched his lips, and I saw some of the tension loosen around his shoulders. “You hit him in the balls?”

I grinned, proud of myself. “You bet I did. Really, really hard. There was contact. I believe it was along the lines of a vasectomy.”

“Good.” Marcus grabbed a dishrag and began to mop up the broken glass and wine from the floor. “I’m still going to have words with him. You know that. I can’t let that go. He needs to know.”

“I know,” I said, smiling as I imagined Marcus squeezing Derrick’s neck until his head popped off like a dandelion.

“There’ll be some yelling.”

“I know.”

“Possibly a bit of violence.”

“You wouldn’t be you if there wasn’t.”

Marcus dumped the contents into the trash. “Did you tell Beverly what he did? Or any of your aunts?”

I sighed, remembering how quickly Beverly took his side. “I told Beverly.”

“And?”

“And… she uninvited me to her wedding,” I told him, my voice so bitter I could practically taste it.

He stared at me, mute for a moment. “She did? She couldn’t have.”

Saying it out loud sounded absurd. “Trust me. She did. She didn’t believe me. She believed that nasty guy over me.” A feeling of frustration and guilt bubbled up inside me at the memory of that conversation with my aunt. “I feel like I’ve been here before, you know, with the whole Dolores and the Sisters of the Circle thing. If you remember, she didn’t believe me either, that the Stepford witches were a bunch of evil-worshiping crazies. And look what happened.”

“You saved her, and now she loves you even more,” said the wereape, a smile on his handsome face.

“The point is… the guy is a cheating bastard. How do I get my aunt to believe me? She practically caught him in the act, in my room, by the way, and still, the witch thought I had hit on him.”

Marcus shook his head. “Beverly is a complicated woman,” said the chief.

“You say that like you know her, know her,” I teased, knowing full well that the chief thought of Beverly as his family, as his aunt too.

“I’ve known her for a long time,” said the wereape, and his voice grew soft. “I care about her, just as I care about all of your aunts. They’re part of my family.”

My heart swelled at the emotion in his voice. He really did love them. Could he be any more perfect?

“There’s no way in hell I’m going to let her marry him,” I said. “Not after what he did. Besides, if he did this to me, her own niece in her own home, I’m betting he’s done it before. And will keep on doing it.” I might be a tad prejudiced when it came to cheaters, having been cheated on myself, but this guy was oily, gross, and I wasn’t going to let my beautiful aunt marry that scumbag.

“What do you plan on doing?”

I cocked a brow and threw a smile in his direction. “Sabotage the wedding.”

Marcus stared at me for a beat. “You sure that’s wise?”

“Hell, yeah.”

“Beverly’ll never forgive you.”

“I know. But better that she hates me than marry that dirty bastard.” I hesitated, thinking. “Can you pull up everything you can find on Derrick Baudelaire? I know it’s not his real name, but it’s the only name I’ve got.”

Marcus leaned against the counter, facing me, and crossed his arms over his enormous chest. His biceps bulged, stretching the sleeves of his T-shirt even more. “Is he a witch?” asked the chief.

I dragged my eyes away, nearly having to literally pull my eyeballs from his ample biceps. Soooo distracting. “No, but he’s something. He’s paranormal, but I just haven’t figured it out yet. He’s pulling some hard magic. I could sense it. And I could also sense that he was using this magic to hide who he is or what he is. He wants us to believe he’s a werewolf, but I’ll bet my life he’s not.”

Marcus’s gray eyes rolled over my face. “Why do you think he wants to marry Beverly?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. It’s not like she’s rich, so it can’t be that. And he’s loaded. Maybe he’s got some mommy issues.”

The chief laughed, and it sent delicious tremors into my belly. “She owns Davenport House,” said the chief. “It’s worth a lot in terms of real estate and power.”

“Partly owns it,” I told him. “She’s only a part owner. Dolores and Ruth own the house too. I’m pretty sure Dolores is going to have him sign a prenup that keeps his dirty hands off Davenport House.” I thought of the Wanderbush witches and their claim to the house and wondered if they had any part in Derrick’s plan. But it didn’t make sense.

“I met our cousins today.” I relayed the strange encounter with my aunts’ doppelgängers, and my heart thumped harder every time he laughed. I would never get used to that laugh. That deep roll, the way his shoulders and biceps popped. It sent warmth pooling in my core.

“There’s something else,” I said, trying hard to focus as I thought back to the strange card I’d gotten this morning.

“What?” His face went hard again.

“Has anything out of the ordinary been happening in Hollow Cove recently? Or maybe in Cape Elizabeth that you know?”

“Like what?”

“A missing person?”

Marcus thought about it. “No. Not that I can think of, but I can check tomorrow if you want. Why? Who’s missing?”

“I got a card this morning while I was on wedding RSVP duty. It said… help me. Nothing else was on the card. My aunts said their cousins are taunting them, but I know it’s not them. Someone is in trouble out there. I have to find them. I don’t want to lose any more people. Not on my watch.”
Richardson, Kim. Rebel Magic (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 9). Kindle Locations (717-792). fableprint. Kindle Edition.

When Tessa’s mother arrives things get even more interesting, especially with Obiryn around. It’s quite the living soap opera.

Iris and Tessa with some help from Ronin, take things with the mysterious card into their own hands and that leads to even more intrigue and danger.

I laughed, cried and screamed a bit at this book.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

All I wanted to do was sit back and relax with a certain, hot, very, very hot, panty-melting hot—wereape. But, instead, I’m busy trying to find the queen of hell.

Have I found her? Not yet. And I’m running out of places to look. I know it’s only a matter of time before she does something stupid—like obliterate an entire town because they dressed better than her because that’s who she is.

But I’ve got worse problems.

Things soon spiral down the crapper when two teenagers are found dead in Hollow Cove. The evidence points to something witchy.

A new evil hangs over our town, a significant threat to the Davenport witches and all the witches in Hollow Cove. I must defeat this new threat to keep my loved ones safe.

Easy peasy, right?
We’ll see.

I really love this series, but you really have to read these books in order.

The Sisters of the Circle are gone, killed by Lilith the goddess they were freeing from her imprisonment in hell. Now she’s gone and Tessa needs to find her.

When Tessa reads a note from Gilbert the owl shifter mayor that announces the annual pie festival but is banning Tessa from any participation, she’s angry and annoyed. Gilbert is being petty over accidents, not intentional destruction.

She’s in Davenport house with her father and asking him all about Lilith and how she came to be locked up by Lucifer in the first place. With Obiryn’s help and patience she’s even getting her Demon Mojo under control.

When she returns to her room she has an unexpected visitor, Lilith in the flesh. While she tries to figure out if Lilith is planning any retribution against innocents because of her incarceration, Tessa is informed she owes Lilith a favor for not killing her. She’s not collecting on it yet, but she will, soon.

The next Merlin case comes in and Tessa’s aunts are upset, two teenage boys, murdered and horrifically. There’s definitely magic involved, and in a sick and twist way. Even though she’s just spoken with Lilith, that’s where Tessa’s mind heads when it comes to lots of power and magic.

Allison of course has to change things up and cause problems for Tessa. Marcus texted to come down and wait in his office for him, but ‘Gorilla Barbie’ insists on taking her down to the morgue. The parents of the dead boys realize she’s a witch even before Allison announces it and things get a bit dangerous. Marcus gets things back under control and tells Tessa to leave.

Instead of heading home she hits the ley lines to speak with her father about recapturing Lilith. That conversation doesn’t go well, but he agrees to look into possibilities. Then she returns to Marcus.

The danger ramps up on her way home when she’s attacked by three hooded strangers, demons with different and more powerful magic than she’s seen before.

A visit to Lilith proves nothing and almost gets her killed. Then more murders happen. Only this time something else occurs right after.

This is a favorite scene.

Ruth joined us, the smell of her White magic—pine trees and earth along with a wildflower meadow—emitting from her. “I’m finished,” she said, looking a little flushed. Worry lines wrinkled her forehead, the skin around her blue eyes creased.

“It’s Lilith,” I told her. “Same MO. Who else could be this psychotic?” I didn’t need Ruth’s magic to tell me the same old Earth magic was used for these killings.

Ruth’s silence was my only answer. She glanced away, looking defeated, her eyes sad and shimmering with unshed tears.

Even Dolores looked overwhelmed, her usual confident stance having more of a slouch in the shoulders. This was beyond her skills, her magic capabilities. She knew it. We all knew it.

I felt a hand brush the small of my back.

“You okay?” asked Marcus. The heat of his body was soothing and delicious as he leaned in.

I let myself fall into him, taking in his musky male scent and wishing this wasn’t happening. I envisioned being somewhere with him and the only thing between us was—well—nothing.

“No. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay.” My voice faded until it was almost a whisper. I was trying to hold it together, trying not to have a full-on freak-out moment, but damn it, that goddess was making it really hard.

“We’ll figure this out,” said the chief. The fact that he wasn’t saying it wasn’t my fault made me feel worse.

We all knew whose fault it was. Mine.

“You were right about one thing,” came Marcus’s voice near my ear. The feeling of his body next to mine was comforting, and I soaked it all in.

I turned so I could look up at him. “What’s that?” I met his eyes, my pulse catching at the sadness I saw there. It reminded me of the vulnerability I’d seen in them that time in the basement when our auras had mixed when we got a glimpse into each other’s souls. It had been an extraordinary experience, one that drew us closer until we were a unit.

He pulled his gray eyes away from mine. “That she wouldn’t stop. That she’d keep on killing for the mere pleasure of it.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut.

With a heavy heart I stared at Jeff and Cameron, their black bags heavy with the remains of those two werecats. They walked away until they reached a gray SUV and popped the trunk.

“Let’s go, ladies,” said Dolores, her long face grim as she turned from the scene. “Let’s see what Obiryn can tell us about trapping this devil.”

We had no need to stay here. We’d be much more productive back at Davenport House with glasses of wine between our hands. We did our best thinking and planning that way. Red wine is a superfood.

I fell into step with Marcus as we all followed Dolores down the alleyway toward the Volvo station wagon parked at the curb. Beverly and Ruth walked in silence behind us.

I felt a vibration chime through me just as the light faded as though storm clouds had suddenly covered the sky—just a little too fast.

Curious, I halted and looked up into the sky.

“What the hell is that?” I asked no one in particular.

We’d come to the crime scene under a blue sky, a speckling of clouds, and a warm morning.

But now a cold wind rose with a green horizon.

Well, what looked like a green horizon. Only this one rose from the ground in sheets of semitransparent green.

An icy wave of fear hit me, and my stomach lurched. I stared at the now-green anomaly that was slowly rising, far out in the distance, to what appeared to be circling the entire town. Energy pulsed and hummed, and I could see lightning flashing and sparking within the sheets like an electrical web.

The magic that came off it was cold, old, and just like the magic I’d felt at the crime scenes.

I spun on the spot, seeing it rise from every corner of town. The green sheets continued to grow, about a hundred feet in the air, until they were high above our heads and had come together like a giant half sphere. It was semitransparent, kind of like my shield protection sphere.

But I didn’t get the feeling we were being protected.

“It’s a dome?” I said, my ears popping as though the pressure had changed. “There’s a dome over the town? Why would Lilith do this?” I turned to look at Marcus to see if he was just as clueless as I was as to why this just happened. But his face was hard, and the tension in his posture showed he was uneasy.

I looked at the sky, shaking my head. “This is just like her. This is her idea of a joke.”

My temper flared. Lilith was the only being with magic this strong to produce some sort of magical dome or force field. I didn’t know what she was planning, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

“This isn’t Lilith,” came Dolores’s voice, and I turned toward her at the warning in her tone, just noticing the collective fear reflecting in my aunts’ faces. The three aunts were looking at each other, communicating in silence the way only tight siblings could.

“This is bad. Really, really bad.” Ruth looked around widely, a terrible dread in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her middle like she was cold.

“How did they find us?” Beverly’s face was tense and tight with fear. “I never thought they’d come for our town.”

Dolores clenched her jaw. “They have. They did.”

I gave Marcus a sidelong look and then glanced at Dolores. “Who’s they? What are you not saying? If this isn’t Lilith, then who?”

“Dolores?” Marcus’s tone was urgent, and I recognized that rage and anxiety in his eyes, like a trapped animal. He swept his gaze from the dome to my tall aunt.

Dolores’s eyes were fixed on the green dome. Finally, she turned to me and said, “Only one group is capable of this.”

I shrugged. “Who? Who, if not Lilith?” I still thought this was her, but I was open to anything at this point. If it wasn’t Lilith, maybe that was a good thing. It meant we could deal with it.

My aunt met my eyes and said, “The Guild of Dark Wizards.”

Well, crap.
Richardson, Kim. Mystic Madness (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 8).Kindle Locations (1494-1543). Kindle Edition.

With a dome surrounding Hollow Cove, there’s no email, texts, cell phone, landlines nothing. Of course, Gilbert throws a fit, but it’s interesting that the reason they were found by the Guild is his fault. His advertising the pie festival put the town on the internet. All it would have taken was a simple search.

This is one of the harder books to read, it all seems so overwhelming, and solutions aren’t working. People are dying because they’re shifters and everything is going awry.

Needless to say, I couldn’t put this book down, I had to know they would solve this. So many tears, laughter, romance and surprises.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

I was hoping for a few days off from dealing with murder charges, bad guys, and the everyday paranormal bizarre. All I wanted was a nice break from all the crazy. And did I get it? No. Of course not.

Instead, a new coven comes to town. A coven of witch females who call themselves The Sisters of the Circle, a small, elite group for the upper crust of witch society—according to Dolores.

But there’s something off about this coven, and I just can’t put my finger on it. All the while, my aunts and other witches in town worship the ground they walk on like giddy fangirls.

Forget my time off. What I got was a whole new set of problems as my life spirals down the crapper once again.

If that isn’t bad enough, a curse settles on Hollow Cove. Something dark, ominous, that threatens the lives of the townspeople. If I don’t find the counter-curse in time, I could lose everything.

And the clock is ticking . . .

Tessa wakes up to quite the racket coming from downstairs. When she arrives in the kitchen expecting a party or something close to that, she’s informed that the Sisters of the Circle are in Hollow Cove. Dolores is positive they are here to offer her a spot, well her and the rest of the Davenport witches.
Apparently, they are a big deal in paranormal circles as they are rich, powerful and elite.When Iris arrives, she has with her the coveted invitation. Then it’s a frenzy to get ready, wouldn’t want to be late for this party. Tessa struggles mainly because she really wants no part of this but for Dolores’ sake, she will suffer through it. When she sees the wards on the door, she’s also worried about her demon side being exposed.Tessa’s reaction entering is very different from everyone else, it was hard for her to take the steps through, but she makes it okay. It would have been fun to watch these crazy witches, dressed like they belong in the fifties and acting like the ‘Stepford Wives’ if it wasn’t for the voice in her head. The voice that sounds like the leader of this coven, Jemma.The worst thing is her aunts don’t believe her and Dolores more so than the others accuses her of wanting to destroy her chances to join them. They can’t fathom anything being wrong with this coven.

Iris tries to help but thinks she actually made things worse. Talking things through with Marcus helps and he even tells her she can move in with him.

A conversation with her Dad helps with the knowledge of her new demon mojo. At least she’ll have help learning to control it.

Things go from bad to worse when Tessa’s aunts hold a dinner party for the Sisters of the Circle. This is amusing with childish food play between Dolores and Tessa until Obiryn shows up. Thankfully Beverly saves the day playing it that he is her date. But then Jemma offers a position to Tessa not Dolores.

Then something totally unexpected happens, every shifter in Hollow Cove has shifted and can’t shift back. The gather at Davenport house for the Merlins to help them. Only what has worked before doesn’t work now.

This is a favorite scene.

“Oh, I don’t like this at all. Not at all.” Beverly’s green eyes were wide, her pretty face wrinkled in worry as she wrapped her arms around herself. “Did you see them? They’ve all gone completely mad! They wanted to kill us. They think we’re responsible for this.”

“I know. I was here,” snapped Dolores, her dark eyes scanning the paranormals, who were shaking the snow from their fur.

I looked across the front snow-covered lawn. Marcus the silverback gorilla was pacing again, his eyes wide and wild, and my heart sank at the confusion and unease I saw on his face. He looked trapped, confined in an invisible cage. He also looked like he was about to pound on some parked cars or take down some of the electrical poles.

“If it’s not a magical conjunction, what do you think this is?” Ruth was shifting from foot to foot, looking like she needed to use the ladies’ room.

Dolores raised her chin. “It has to be a curse. There’s no mistaking that. Could be the Twilight coven from New York. They’ve always been envious of what we have here. I remember Francine saying that one day they’d take down our town and make it their own.” Dolores let out a labored breath. “But this is more sinister. My guess is the Guild of Dark Wizards.”

Beverly let out a sharp breath, and Ruth crossed her legs, looking extremely uncomfortable. Yeah, she needed to pee.

“You can’t be serious!” exclaimed Beverly, shaking her head.

“Who are they?” I’d never heard of the Guild of Dark Wizards, but from the concerned expressions shared by the sisters, I didn’t think they were good guys.

Dolores looked at me, and I was surprised she actually answered. “They hate all shifters and half-breeds of any kind. It’s no secret they want to remove them from our world. They’ve done it before too.”

“What do you mean?”

Dolores paused and said, “They’ve destroyed communities of paranormals, just like this one. It started in Europe back in the twentieth century, and I’ve heard the rumors that they’re in North America now. They eradicate all shifters. Anything that is part animal or has a beast form, they kill. And this curse only affected them.”

Ruth nodded, her face wrinkling in distress. “That’s right. We weren’t affected.”

“I’ve heard of these bastards,” commented Ronin, leaning on the porch post closest to my father. “They hate vampires too, not just shifters. Yeah, it’s gotta be them.”

But I wasn’t buying it.

“Oh, come on.” I threw my hands in the air. “Isn’t it obvious? Who’s new in town and has the skills and the means to do this?” I stared at their blank expressions. Jeez. I was going to have to spell it out. “The Sisters of the Circle.”

Iris’s attention snapped to mine, worry lines wrinkling her forehead. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I answered. “I don’t believe in coincidences.” Somehow, I knew the coven was involved. The question was why?

“What is this madness?” It was Dolores’s turn to throw up her arms. “You just can’t stop, can you?”

“Apparently not if you still think this coven is all rainbows and unicorns.”

Dolores’s long face darkened. “You’re one of them now. You accepted the invitation to join their coven. How do you think they’ll feel when they hear you’re blaming them for this?”

“They’ll know I’m onto them.” Which wasn’t ideal since I wanted to keep those suspicions to myself until I found proof, but Dolores was pushing my buttons.

“You’re being ridiculous,” shot Dolores, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Ruth, wince. “Your logic has no merit. Give me one reason why the Sisters of the Circle would want to put our community at risk? What would they gain from performing a curse like this?”

Okay, she had me. “I don’t know.” Yup, I sounded lame, but I didn’t know. However, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to do my damnedest to find out.

Dolores scoffed. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”

“Right back at you,” I snapped. I could be just as nasty as her.

Beverly stomped her foot. “Would you two just stop it! Stop. How about we stop this bickering and figure out how to help these poor souls.”

“It’s them,” I repeated. “The coven did this.”

“If you hate them that much, why did you accept their invitation?” asked Dolores. I heard her teeth grinding, and the sudden flush of anger on her face was truly savage.

I clamped my mouth shut, knowing that even if I tried to explain, she’d never believe me. “I…”

Beverly let out a breath. “Leave it alone, Tessa. Just stop it.”

My mouth fell open. “That’s not fair. I didn’t ask to be part of their coven.”

“But you accepted.” Dolores looked away from me and stepped to the edge of the porch. “Go home,” she called out. “Go home and rest. We’ll figure this out in the morning. No need for all this nonsense. Get some sleep. It’ll all be okay in the morning.”

None of the shifters moved for a long while until one of the cougars got up and padded away. Then all the other shifters followed, everyone except for Marcus.

“Let’s go, ladies.” Dolores gestured toward the door. “Looks like we have a lot of work to do tonight.”

Without another word, my aunts turned and walked back into Davenport House, leaving me, Iris, and Ronin staring back at them.

I realized, then, that my father had disappeared, and I hadn’t even noticed.

Anger fueled me. How could they be so blind when it was right there in front of them?

I stared back at the street. “Guess I can’t count on them to help now.”

“Dolores seems pretty pissed.” Ronin leaned on the porch railing next to me. He folded his arms on his chest, his eyes reflecting in the porch light and searching. “I’d hate to be on that witch’s bad side. She scares me.”

Iris let out a long breath. “For what it’s worth, I believe you.” “You don’t think it’s that wizard guild?” I’d forgotten the name already.

Iris shook her head. “It’s like you said. It all started when the Sisters of the Circle came to Hollow Cove. The voices in your head. This curse. Now they’ve offered you a position in their coven. It has to be connected.”

Ronin made a sound of agreement in his throat. “Yeah. Makes sense.”

Relief and gratitude washed over me at the loyalty of my friends. At least I could count on them.

“Besides,” said Ronin. “The wizard guild wants us dead, period. They don’t want me or the shifters to stay in their animal forms. They want us gone, like we never existed. These bitches are just playing with us.”

Stay in their animal form.

I stared out into the night until my eyes met that massive silverback gorilla who was the chief in town. Guess I couldn’t stay at his place tonight. The gorilla was full of rage. He felt powerless, which fueled his rage. He needed an outlet for it, or he was going to hurt someone, possibly kill.

He was in no shape to have company. I didn’t think Marcus would want that either, and I didn’t blame him. The thought of having to stay in Davenport House tonight after the continued animosity between me and Dolores made me sick to my stomach.

But I didn’t have a choice.

Yet that wasn’t the reason why my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. “What happens the longer they stay this way?” The gorilla stilled, and I knew his hearing was just as good as it was in his human form, probably better. He wanted to know the answer too.

“Depends on a lot of things,” said Iris, worry pinching her features, “including age and type of shifter. But the longer they stay in their beast form, the harder it will be to turn back to their human form.” She hesitated, and I knew she was holding something back.

“What is it?”

A flicker of unease crossed her face. “Well, if they don’t change back soon, I mean, some might never change back.”

“What?” Ronin pushed off the railing, his eyes catching the light of the porch. “Are you saying that these poor bastards are going to stay this way for the rest of their lives if we don’t find a way to reverse this?”

Iris nodded.

Shit. The worry that had wrapped around my guts grew stronger and stronger until it blossomed into full-blown anxiety. “How long do we have?”

Iris’s face looked pale as tension marred her expression. “Depends on the curse. Forty-eight hours, maybe? Possibly less? After that, it’ll be too late. Their beast will take over. They’ll forget about their human part and succumb to their animal.” Iris took a breath and said, “They’ll never be able to change back.”
Richardson, Kim. Witching Whispers (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 7).Kindle Locations (1513-1577). fableprint. Kindle Edition.

Nothing like a time limit to have everyone working to find a cure. For Tessa, it means keeping Marcus calm, and figuring out what that dang coven is up to.

There are plenty more surprises ahead, and I couldn’t put this book down until everything was solved.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

We killed someone…

Okay, not exactly the news I wanted to hear from my aunts. But here it was. Now, what the hell was I supposed to do with it?

Just when I thought I could finally get a well-deserved break from the shitshow I’d been living for the past months, I get hit with this.

To make matters worse, an investigator starts snooping around Hollow Cove, asking questions about my aunts. If they’re found guilty of this murder, it’s a one-way ticket to Grimway Citadel—the witch prison.

Adding to my problems, something in the dark is hunting me. And unfortunately, it’s not a naked Marcus.

If that isn’t bad enough, things between me and the chief are falling apart, literally, and I don’t think they can be fixed.

At the end of the last book, Tessa’s aunts confess they killed someone. Apparently, the deceased Nathaniel Vandenberg, a wealthy and attractive witch was dating Beverly. She ignored the warning signs and found herself in a life-threatening situation. Dolores and Ruth found her and were able to overpower Nathaniel but, in the process, they killed him. The spell he used on Beverly was an illegal one and they were able to reverse it because his body was in close proximity. That said and done, the body was buried in their backyard.

The letter they received is from the Merlin equivalent of internal affairs. The MIAD is investigating Nathaniel’s disappearance and would be coming the next day to question the Davenport witches.

Of course, the logical and best thing to do would be to tell Marcus, the chief, but that’s not what happens. Instead, they dig up the body with the intent of reburying it in the cemetery.

The MIAD investigator turns out to be Silas. He hates the Davenport witches especially Tessa. He believes Tessa cheated on the Merlin testing by maneuvering ley lines to best him. Thankfully House is on their side and Silas finds nothing even though he’s within feet of the body.

Tessa’s sure her aunts are going to do something to Silas, but she doesn’t know when or where. Unfortunately, as she’s looking for them, she runs into some trouble of her own. A demon determined to kill her, simply for existing a half-breed demon, an abomination.

This is a favorite scene.

Something soft brushed the side of my cheek, and I turned my head to stare at a black cat.

“How you feeling, kid?” asked Hildo. The worry in his voice had my eyes burning. “Do you remember who did this to you?”

“Was it Allison or that witch you said was working for her?” asked Beverly.

Ruth bumped her hip on my other side. “Was it a curse? Do you remember what she said? The words she used?”

I shook my head and forced what little energy I had to form one single word. “Demon.” Damn, my voice was harsh and sounded just like it did when I was eighty.

“Demon?” my three aunts said together.

I nodded, feeling another wave of fever lash through me. Taking a shaky breath I said, “Stabbed.”

“Yes.” Dolores exhaled. “We saw the blood. Why did the demon attack you?”

Because I’m an abomination, I wanted to say but only managed to utter, “Kill. Me.” Every word took an enormous amount of energy, and I felt myself slipping into the darkness again. I was tired. So tired. My eyelids fluttered, the weight of them too much to keep open like they were coated with lead.

“Don’t close your eyes, Tessa,” urged Ruth. “You can’t fall asleep. Sleep would be really, really bad. Do you understand? If you do, you might never wake up.”

My eyes snapped open as I stared at her. I gave her a nod of my head. I was going to try not to sleep, for now. But if they didn’t do something quickly, I didn’t think I could keep them open much longer.

I felt a tug on my left hand as Beverly took it in hers. “You’re all clammy and hot.”

Hot? I felt like I was sitting in a freezer.

I blinked up at Beverly, leaning against the table next to me and looking spectacular in the dim light. The shadows accentuated the perfect angles on her flawless face. Ruth was propped up on my other side, biting her fingernails while Dolores had her head down in thought, worrying me.

“Why isn’t Ruth’s tonic working?” commented Beverly, her voice high and very unlike herself. “She should be up on her feet by now. Or at least the fever should be gone.”

Ruth shrugged, looking defeated. “I don’t know. I can try doubling the dose. I’ll add more garlic extract and more honey this time. Oh. I’ve got some of my basil brew left over from when Karen Root had pneumonia. I can give that a try too.”

“Wait.” Dolores bumped her hip on the kitchen table as she moved closer to me. “Show me her wound again,” she commanded. “Let’s roll her on her left side.”

Together, the three witches gently rolled me over. I felt warm fingers graze my skin and the tug of my sweater being hauled over my back.

“Cauldron save us,” shrieked Beverly.

I heard the distinctive slap of someone covering their mouth to keep from screaming. Probably Ruth. And then I heard Dolores’s sharp intake of breath. That was never good.

“What?” I managed to wheeze, though trying to stay awake was proving to be taxing. I gave myself another five minutes before I passed out. The fact that I was staring at a chair and not at whatever had them freaking out was bad. I should be panicking, but there wasn’t much room in my mind for anything except sleep. Sleep to end the fever and the pain.

“Let me see.” Hildo leaped over me, and I felt his light tread as he padded over to my back.

“Now we know why Ruth’s healing potions aren’t working,” said Dolores. “This is why.”

“What is that?” I heard Beverly ask, followed by the sound of her heels scratching the wood floors like she’d scurried back a step from whatever they were staring at. Oh yeah, me.

“Ruth, have you ever seen something like this?” asked Dolores, her voice edged with worry.

I hated that they were talking about me like I wasn’t really there. But it’s not like I could keep up a conversation. I struggled and fought against the pull of the poison. But each time it made me more susceptible to it, more vulnerable.

I felt warm fingers press around my wound, sending it ablaze again, and I cried out in pain.

Ruth was at my side in a second. “So, so sorry, Tessa.” Her face was flushed as she rubbed my shoulder. “But I had to look and see if there was any pus.”

“It’s black. I’ve never seen black pus,” came Beverly’s voice from behind me, far away, like maybe she was in the living room.

Black pus? Dear God, I was dying for sure.

“Okay, it’s black,” pressed Dolores. “Have you seen this before?”

Ruth moved away from my side. “Well, see all those dark veins around the cut? That looks like septicemia. Blood poisoning. It happens when a bacterial infection enters the bloodstream.” There was a pause. “But this is different.”

“Because of the black pus?” asked Dolores.

“Yes. And my tonics would have cured it in no time.”

“So, that demon’s blade was poisoned,” concluded Dolores. Good, they were catching on. But not fast enough. “If we know what poison was used, we can cure her. Right? Find the antidote?”

“Yes,” answered Ruth. “But which poison? I’ll have to take a sample of her pus. And then I’ll have to test it against all the known poisons. It might take a while.”

“How long?” asked Beverly.

“A few hours.”

“A few hours and Tessa will be dead!” yelled Dolores. “She’ll never make it. Look at her. She’s dying. If we don’t find something in the next few minutes, she’s going to die.”

Oh great. Even better.

“You’ve got a better idea?” howled Ruth. Man, I’d never heard her voice like that before. I didn’t want them to start fighting because of me.

I heard the sound of nails scraping the wood top. “Uh-oh,” came Hildo’s voice. “I know what that is.” I strained myself alert to hear more. “I’ve seen it before. That’s poison from a demon’s death blade.”

Death blade? I’d never heard of it. I closed my eyes as another wave of dizziness shook me.

“A death blade?” came Beverly’s voice, a little closer this time. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

Dolores let out a long breath. “Perhaps the word death gave it away.”

“Do you know how to cure her? What poison this is?” asked Ruth, her voice high with hope and with obvious strain.

“No,” answered the cat. “But her father will.”

“Obiryn?” I heard Dolores say.

“Yes,” replied the cat. “She told me her father was a demon. This is beyond your skill—no offense. Only a demon can help her now. You need to find him and bring him here. And you better do it quick,” said Hildo, his voice growing fainter. “If he doesn’t get here in the next five minutes, Tessa won’t make it.”

I wasn’t going to make it.

I felt a faint need to giggle, and a smile curled over me. For some strange reason, the idea of dying seemed hilarious. I gave in to my desire to giggle. Yeah, I was losing it.

“Look at her! She’s delirious,” cried Beverly. “We have to hurry.”

“It’s the infection,” said Ruth. “She’s losing her mind over to it.”

I took a labored breath and I let out another low chuckle. And another.

“Okay. How do we do this? Like in a summoning circle?” asked Dolores. “We know his name. That can work. Who can draw up a circle in a few minutes?”

“I’ve got a better idea.” I heard Beverly’s heels click on the hardwood floor and then the squeal of hinges as a door opened.

“Obiryn, darling,” Beverly shouted. Was she in the basement? “We need you. Tessa needs you. She’s in trouble. She’s sick. No… she’s dying. She’s been stabbed by a demon’s death blade. Please come.”

There was a long pause and then, “I don’t think that worked. Ruth, get on your knees and start drawing a circle—oh!”

“Hello, Beverly,” came my father’s voice. “Where is she?” I could hear the worry in his tone.

“Here,” said Dolores.

The sound of shoes moving over the floor hit me, and then I was staring at a pair of luminous silver eyes, set inside a handsome face with dark graying hair and a meticulously trimmed beard.

“Dad,” I managed.

“Don’t speak. Keep your strength,” he soothed.

“Can you help her?” Ruth appeared next to my father.

“Yes,” he answered with absolute conviction. “You called me just in time. But I must warn you. It’s going to be… difficult. Tessa will suffer greatly before she gets better. You need to prepare yourselves.”

“We can handle it.” Dolores’s tone was both determined and anxious. “What are you going to do?”

He straightened and said, “I need to bleed her. Bleed out the poison from her body.”

Oh goodie.
Richardson, Kim. Wicked Ways (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 6). Kindle Locations (939-1005). Kindle Edition.

The process, while painful, is successful and Tessa is on the mend. Now with a lot more demon blood than she had before.

Notice the one thing missing here, Marcus hasn’t been told any of this. Not about the body, not about the attack on Tessa and now he wants her to go to dinner at his mother’s at night, when the demon could find her. This is going to cause problems for Marcus and Tessa’s relationship.

Between the investigation and the attempt on Tessa’s life this book is a page turning read. I couldn’t wait to see how all the pieces would come together.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

Never in my thirty years did I think my new normal would be a gig as a soul collector’s assistant—slave really—where I help stockpile souls from the miserable mortals who sell them to him. The demon thinks he can control me, but I plan on doing things differently… my way. But we all know it’s never that easy or that simple, especially in my life.

Surprisingly, things get off to a good start. Who am I kidding? The job doesn’t pan out to be what I first thought. It’s worse. Way worse. And before I know it, I’m in hot water with no easy way out.

If that isn’t bad enough, the soul collector is hiding something from me that could make or break the deal I made with him. Something, if found out, that could change everything…

It’s time to yank up my big girl panties, chuck down some wine, and do things my way. If it doesn’t kill me first.

If you like fast-paced urban fantasy adventure with a kick-butt heroine and plenty of action, suspense, and humor, you’ll love Practical Hexes.

So, at the end of the last book, we were left with a bit of a cliffhanger. Tessa has signed a deal with the soul collector to save the souls from Hollow Cove. Little does she realize the consequences of her action. Marcus is furious and when her father finds out, well that’s going to be interesting as well. Her father has already saved her from the Soul Collector aka Jack once and now she’s up and made a deal. Her services for one month for the release of the Hollow Cove Souls. Unfortunately, service translate to slave in the Netherworld.

There’s more here than meets the eye and she’s determined to figure it out and beat it. From the first night just observing ‘Jack’ she is sickened by what he’s going to expect her to do.

In spite of everything Marcus is supportive of her, and Iris has been sending little curses to Allison which makes Tessa laugh and Allison scream revenge.

Her mother admits that Obiryn aka Obi-Wan Kenobi is indeed her father and tells her to be safe before taking off with Sean again.

Tessa’s first actual soul collecting is very hard for her, and that was followed up by the signing of contracts on the palliative floor. But when she has to bring that soul to the locker, she makes a startling discovery. The familiars are there, they weren’t released like the others. She sees the gorgeous black cat Hildo, but he turns away from her when he finds out she’s collecting souls.

When Tessa wakes on her thirtieth birthday she gets the shock of her life. She’s dramatically aged and Jack knew it would happen. He also lied about the length of her contract. So now she needs a new plan or she will die. Her father can’t help her because of saving her life once, however, he does give her an idea of how to reverse the aging.

It’s while she’s investigating that possibility that she sees Hildo again and he’s actually the one to give her the only real choice. A different deal.

This is a favorite scene.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I shifted my weight and hissed as more pain came flooding in, but I managed to push myself to a half-decent sitting position. “I think I’ll just sit here for a while. Until my body stops throbbing.”

Hildo leaped onto my lap. “You still haven’t told me what you were doing to the soul collector’s machine. Why’d you kick it?”

Apparently, cat familiars were just as curious as any regular house cat. “Well, if you must know, I was testing a theory,” I said as I stroked the top of the cat’s head, finding it really soothing.

“Which is?” asked the cat as he started to purr.

“That if I released the souls trapped in there—the ones linked to me—it would break the connection and I’d get those parts of me back, making me young again.”

The cat cocked his head to the side. “It didn’t work.”

A depressed, frustrated sigh emitted from me. “Thanks for the tip.” I ran my fingers through his fur. Seeing that he closed his eyes in delight, I kept going. “Where were you guys? I haven’t seen you in a while. I thought something had happened to you.”

“In hiding,” answered the cat. “We’re hoping the soul collector will forget about us. He’s been really distracted lately. So far, I think it’s working.”

“Because he’s been working me,” I grumbled.

“Sorry.” Hildo lay on my lap and stretched out his limbs.

I smiled down at the cat. If this was going to be my new normal, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be stuck with him here. At least I’d have a friend.

“Right behind the left ear, please,” instructed the cat.

I laughed and obliged. “Yes, sir.”

Hildo purred even more loudly. “You know, all that work he’s doing, making you get all those souls… I don’t think it’s going to get her back.”

I frowned. “Get who back?”

“His wife.”

My hand froze. “The soul collector has a wife?”

“He does.” “And where is she?” I asked. “The reaper has her.”

I tried to do a double-take, but instead, I gave myself whiplash. Okay. This was all kinds of weird.

I shook my head and stopped petting the cat. “You’re not making any sense. What’s going on? What do you know? Tell me.”

Hildo opened his eyes and turned to look at me, yellow eyes gleaming. “To summarize, our soul collector took something that didn’t belong to him. A soul. A soul that was promised to the reaper. To his credit, the soul collector didn’t know this. He took it and sold it, though. When the reaper found out, he was pissed. So, he took the soul collector’s wife as payment.”

“Holy crap.” I thought about it. “And a reaper is more powerful than a soul collector? I thought they were the same thing?” Goes to show how unknowledgeable I was.

The cat’s tail whipped on either side of him. “They’re not. Reapers are angels.”

“Angels?” I asked, surprised. “Oh, right. The angels of death and all that. I’ve heard the stories. Just never thought they were true.”

“Well, they are. Reapers are responsible for escorting souls to the afterlife, and soul collectors steal them.”

I scratched Hildo under his chin, and he closed his eyes in pleasure. “You’re one smart kitty. How come you know all this stuff?”

The cat cocked a brow. “I’ve been around for over a hundred years. I might not look it, but I’m a hundred and eleven.”

“Happy birthday.” I smiled.

Hildo turned his yellow eyes on me again. “A reaper is like a king, and a soul collector is more like a working-class mortal with a nine-to-five job. He’s been trying to get her back ever since. He thinks offering as many souls as possible will get her back. So far, it hasn’t worked.”

“It explains why he’s been so adamant about getting all those souls before the end of the week. He was trying to buy her back with souls. Why he’s been pushing me so hard.”

“Yup.”

I dipped my head. “And the reaper won’t give her back?”

“No. He won’t. He’s enjoying seeing Jack squirm. I think he’s hurting her. The wife, I mean.”

I didn’t like Jack. I liked him as much as I liked a leech. I liked the leech better. But I hated this reaper even more. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I kind of feel sorry for Jack.”

“I don’t,” hissed the cat, his nails clipping through my sweatpants and into my skin. “He put us in here. He did this. He did this to you.”

“I know.”

“I want to claw his eyes out.” “Me too. If I had claws.”

We laughed at that, and it felt both eerie and good to be laughing in another plane of existence.

“What’s going on here?” Jack had appeared from the darkness like a Houdini from hell.

I looked up at the demon. “Enjoying quality time with my buddy here.”

Jack frowned, staring at the cat. “Ah, yes. The familiars. I had forgotten about them.”

Hildo stiffened and I felt like an ass now. If I hadn’t been kicking the machine, the cat would have stayed hidden and out of sight of the demon. Great.

I wrapped my arms protectively around the cat. “Is there something you want?” I asked, hoping to distract him from the familiars.

“Yes.” Jack straightened the sleeves of his jacket. “I’m here to tell you to go home and get some rest. I’ll need you to be in tiptop shape tomorrow.”

“Why’s that?”

“We have fifty-three souls to collect.” He raised his thin hand. “I know. I know. It’s more than you’re accustomed to, but I have no choice in the matter.”

I opened my mouth to protest but stopped. Now that I knew, I could see how jittery the demon was, the nervous twitching of his fingers, the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes flicked everywhere at once. He was clearly on the verge of a massive meltdown. He was desperate to get his wife back.

And then I had a lightbulb moment.

Foolish? Maybe. Insane? Probably.

“If I can get your wife back, will you break our contract?” I blurted before I could stop myself. Hildo turned to look up at me, but I kept my focus on the demon.

Jack froze, his face expressionless as his white eyes rolled over me. “Who told you about my wife?”

“News travels fast in the in-between,” I told him, and I saw his eyes flick down to the cat. “If I can get her back from the reaper, will you destroy that contract?”

The demon hunched his shoulders, and I saw real pain on his face. “I appreciate you trying, Tessa. But he will not give her back to you, a mere mortal. I have a plan in place to get her back.”

“Is it working?”

“Not yet.” Jack clenched and unclenched his fingers. “It’s a work in progress. One cannot simply ask a reaper to give something back.”

“Not even your wife?” When he didn’t answer, I added, “And with this plan, he’ll give her back?” When he said nothing, I pressed. “You’re not sure he will. Are you? I can see it written all over your face. Listen. If I can get her back, will you destroy my contract?”

This time Jack looked at me as though he just saw me for the first time. “You think you can? How?”

“I have my ways. I can be persuasive.” I picked up Hildo and placed him on the ground. Next, I grabbed Gran’s cane and dragged myself up. I was bent, but at least I was up. I met the demon’s eyes and said, “But I’m going to need some time off.”

Jack’s hairless brow reached the bridge of his nose. “How much time?”

I took the fact that he didn’t object as a good sign. “Maybe a day or two. Enough time to find the reaper and negotiate. Do we have a deal?”

Jack pressed his lips together. “If you can get her back to me… yes. Yes, you have a deal.”

“And the familiars,” I added, glancing down at the black cat at my feet. Hildo let out a meow and rubbed against my leg. “All of them. I bring you back your wife, and we all go free. No tricks. No funny business. No fine print crap. Deal?” I held out my hand.

Jack stared at it for a moment, and just when I thought he wouldn’t, he stepped forward and we shook hands.

“Deal,” said the demon, watching me curiously.

I grinned. “Excellent,” I said, realizing I had just sounded a lot like the soul collector. I felt great, though. More than great.

Because now I was back in business.
Richardson, Kim. Practical Hexes (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 5). Kindle Locations (2197-2269). Kindle Edition.

What Tessa has to accomplish is dangerous and she is determined to win. There’s laughter, tears, friendship and sizzle as this story winds to it’s conclusion and oh boy what an ending!

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

Hollow Cove was never a dangerous city. Weird and eccentric, maybe. But not dangerous. Until now.

A new magic threatens our paranormal community and competes for dominance. Something awakens in the night, and it’s a real stinker. Not kidding.

I’m a Merlin now, and my plan is simple: get in, protect my family and friends, and defeat this new evil. But it’s never that simple. One small misstep could lead to disaster.

Soon, I’m neck-high in a giant, stinking mess of crap, and it’s steadily rising. But the last thing I expected was for the man I was falling for could threaten everything…

I recommend reading this series in order since each book begins where the last one ended.

Tessa is now a full-fledged licensed Merlin and part of her celebration includes Marcus in her bed, that was before her mother shows up. Amelia hasn’t offered up why she’s there, but she has taken back her room. Now Tessa is in the smallest room in the house which happens to be in the attic.

As a way to escape her mother and chill Tessa heads out to the after Christmas sales. After making her purchases and enjoying some quiet time at the Witchy Beans Café she heads back to Davenport house. Then the lights go out and the screaming starts. The dead are rising in Hollow Cove.

Of course, Gilbert’s the first on the scene, panicking as usual and demanding Tessa do something because she’s a Merlin and it’s her job. Even threating her salary. However, as she’s about to burn them one of them calls out to Martha. These Zombies are not the usual ones, they can speak and have their memories.

Marcus takes charge to find out who everyone is and find relatives while Tessa goes home to consult with her aunts. She gets a big surprise when she almost runs over her gran, who’s been dead for ten years. House won’t let her in and she’s arguing with it.

Iris, Ronin, Tessa and her Gran go to check out the cemetery, but they find nothing that points to a necromancer. Leaving them with a huge mystery.

Now while the revenants are the big problem, I get a real kick out of Gran and House.

This is a favorite scene.

My headache quadrupled at the sight of Gran sitting in the only chair that could fit in my room, right across from my bed.

I rubbed my eyes, only now noticing the stink of her pipe smoke. “Gran? What time is it?”

“Time to get up,” she answered and blew out three rings of smoke.

“What are you doing here?” The thought of her sitting in that chair for god knew how long watching me sleep was a little creepy. Hugely creepy.

“What does it look like? I’m sitting.”

I swung my legs over my bed and pressed my feet against the cold wood floor before moving to open the only window in my tiny attic room. I was glad to be wearing my tights and a long T-shirt. “I know that,” I said and hauled the window up so cool air rushed in. “I mean what are you doing in my room? Don’t you have a room? Someplace to sleep?”

“I’m dead, Tessie. The dead don’t sleep.”

“Right. Sorry.” I’m not sure when she decided to call me Tessie, but I realized I kind of liked it.

“I came here to think.” Her small eyes disappeared in her frown. “Can’t think with the idiots downstairs. All that whining makes my head spin.”

“You mean, your daughters?” I stared at her a moment. “What happened between you? I get the feeling something awful happened. What was it?”

Gran puffed on her pipe. “You can ask your questions, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to answer them.”

“Right.” But I did have another question. “You called Ronin a dhampir. Is that another word for vampire?”

“Not for vampire,” she answered. “But for half-vampire.”

“You knew?” I asked, impressed, wondering if my aunts had told her.

Gran closed her eyes and blew out twin columns of smoke through her nostrils. “I know everything.”

“Sure.” I turned around and smacked my head against one of the many supporting beams. “Ow.”

“That’s going to bruise,” said Gran as she laughed.

I rubbed my forehead, feeling a tiny lump. “Thanks for the tip.” I thought it was time for her to leave.

“Your room is too small,” observed Gran, glancing around, her face set in a wrinkled sour expression.

“No… ya think?” I stared at the only dresser I had that didn’t fit all my clothes, which also explained the piles of folded clothes I had all over the floor. “I had a bigger room. Well, technically it wasn’t really mine. Mom made sure to point that out. And I wasn’t about to take Iris’s room. It’s fine. It’s just to sleep. Right? I don’t think I’ll be bringing Marcus here.”

Gran glanced up at me and wrinkled her nose. “Marcus? Who’s Marcus?”

Yeah. Not going there. “It’s just that I like to work in my room. I like the quiet.” I swept my gaze around the tiny space. “I can’t even fit a desk in here.”

Gran blew out a mouthful of smoke. “Why don’t you ask House?”

I stepped into my even tinier bathroom, the kind where you could pee and wash your hands all at the same time. Awesome. “Ask House what?” I grabbed my toothbrush and began to brush my teeth.

“Ask House to make your room bigger,” expressed Gran with a shrug. “I’m surprised you haven’t done it yet.”

I spat the water from my mouth and looked out the bathroom to the little dead woman still sitting on the chair. “House can do that?”

Gran lifted her eyebrows, staring at me like I had a few loose screws. “Did you not ever wonder why each room in this house is larger than it should be?”

“Really? I never noticed.” That was news to me.

“You wouldn’t. But it’s true. Your aunts all did it. So did your mother.”

When I realized I was standing with my jaw hanging open, I immediately shut it. Having a larger room would seriously help with the clothes situation and the work situation. Even the man situation. Let’s not pretend it wasn’t my first thought.

“Why didn’t my mother mention it to me?” I wondered, a little pissed. She’d known the only room available was the tiny one in the attic. Yet, she’d never told me.

Gran stared at me for a moment. “You really need me to spell it out for you?”

I shook my head. “No.” Like I said, my mother was selfish. She couldn’t care less where I slept.

“Go on then,” ordered Gran. “Ask.”

I cleared my throat and said, “House. I’d like a bigger room. Large enough to fit a desk, a large closet, a decent size bathroom, a bigger bed and a bigger window—with a view.” I thought being thorough was best. “Please,” I added, just in case.

A ripple of energy washed through me as a blast of white light swept through the room. The rush of blinding and wild light went through my head to my toes. My eyes swam with color as my ears rang with phantom sound while a wind gushed through the room.

My hair flew into my eyes. Then a surge of electricity gathered from the air around me to my fingertips. The floorboards under my feet groaned as they stretched and elongated. The walls shifted as though made of water. They moved back, spreading out as though the room took a great big breath. My tiny window stretched out, as though made of rubber until it became a large bay window, complete with a bench.

The wind died, and I felt a release on the magic. I stared, both shocked and excited as the walls pushed back until the room doubled and then tripled in size. I wheezed in a breath, stunned and exhilarated.

My tiny, cramped attic bedroom was now the master bedroom of my dreams. With a vaulted ceiling, the room was even larger than my mother’s, and House had given me new furniture.

A new working desk sat next to the large bay window, complete with my laptop and my books. There was even a couch and a comfy, upholstered chair that Gran sat in instead of the hard metal one. The room had been without a rug, but now a massive, dark blue and burgundy Persian rug lay beneath a king-size bed.

I ran to a new door next to the bathroom door and peered in. Rows of shelves and hanging poles stared back at me in a space that was bigger than what had been my attic bedroom. Next, I rushed into the bathroom and moaned.

“A soaker tub? I have a soaker tub.” It was huge, big enough for two people—me, and a very fine wereape. The tub sat above the gleaming wood floors next to a marble-tiled shower and large white vanity. It was perfect.

I beamed. “House. You spoil me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough of that.” Gran pushed herself up with the use of her cane. “Let’s go downstairs. I need to speak to all of you.”

“About what?” When she didn’t answer, I rushed inside my new fabulous walk-in closet and pulled on a pair of jeans that was magically hung on one of the hangers along with a gray sweater. After I was dressed, I followed Gran down the stairs, which took twice the normal time since she had to stop on every step to adjust her cane and balance.

“I can probably carry you, you know,” thinking she weighed about the same as a ten-year-old kid.

Gran gave me her signature frown. “If you plan on having children someday, you better not.”

When we finally made it to the kitchen, for some strange reason, I was out of breath.

“Veggie omelet?” offered Ruth as she angled her frying pan, a perfect omelet sliding to the side.

“Yes, please.” I waited for Gran to pick a seat, but the old dead witch just stood there, showing no sign she wanted to sit anytime soon. I grabbed the seat next to Dolores and sat as Ruth dropped a plate with the veggie omelet in front of me.
Richardson, Kim. Magical Mojo (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 4). Kindle Locations (709-765). fableprint. Kindle Edition.

With revenants overrunning the town, they had to close the bridge, couldn’t have humans seeing the undead everywhere. That’s not the only problem Tessa is going to have, a woman shows up at the cemetery looking for Marcus. Introducing herself as only Allison she claims to be his girlfriend.

Then the stranger in the ley lines shows up again wanting to talk. He knows her name and says he will teach her more about the ley lines. This is just one more unanswered question.

Everything shifts and not for the good when screams of pain echo through town, and Harriette, Martha’s dead friend dies a truth death, a bright ball of white light remains and then she turns to ash. This light vanishes into the briefcase of another stranger and then he runs away.

Oh what a ride this story is, from here it goes from bad to worse and then worse again. I laughed and cried and fanned myself from the heat.

There are secrets revealed in this one, and now I can’t wait to read the next book to see how much more mischief Tessa gets into.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Kim Richardson

They took my Merlin license away.

To get it back, I must complete the witch trials. Okay, so I have to pass a few magical trials. No big deal. Right? Wrong.

The trials are treacherous, ominous, and deadly. I’m not prepared for such brutal, magical tests, but I can’t stop. Stopping means failure, and too many people are counting on me.

But then the worst happens. While I’m trying to focus on the trials, the local baker in Hollow Cove is poisoned and killed. And someone I care about is blamed.

As the clues start to fit together, I realize I have to wade through a pack of lies to find the truth—and to find the real killer.

But first, I’ll need to survive the witch trials.

Although these books can be read as standalones, you will really get more out of them by reading in order.

At the end of the last book, Tessa’s Merlin license has been revoked and she’s been ordered to take the trials. As this book opens, Tessa is nervous and hopes she really is ready for what’s to come. After all it’s been years since her aunts have done the trials.

When she arrives via the ley lines, she still has to walk a bit. She follows the buses arriving and hangs back for a bit. It appears it’s more of an introduction first. With Greta whom she met at the Night Festival, presiding. All was going well except for Tessa muttering under her breath which Greta unfortunately hears. Now everyone in that auditorium is her enemy and rooting for her to fail.

She’s barely made it back when Iris texts her there’s been a death and to meet everyone at the bakery. The Merlins would be in charge since Marcus has been gone for two months now. He had to leave town on the day he and Tessa were supposed have their first date. The unsettling thing is she hasn’t heard from him either.

Once they all arrive they find Bernard Thompson the baker dead on the floor, from just looking he appears to have died from natural causes. However, Ruth spies a vial that had contained a potion she made for him and now she’s convinced she did something wrong and killed him.

To top it off, the Hollow Cove Security Agency has sent a new Chief. Apparently, they couldn’t leave Marcus’ position open any longer. Tessa really doesn’t like the new chief and she’s only had a brief encounter with the woman.

Unfortunately, Ruth has confessed and to Tessa’s dismay has cuffed her with partial blocking cuffs. This allows Ruth to go about her daily business but not use any magic. Her court date is set for December 7, and in the meantime, Tessa still has to do the trials.

While Tessa knew she had a lot to overcome with the trials she never expected to be sabotaged right from the beginning. Apparently, everyone got an email changing the time of the written part to 7AM, except her. It’s nowhere in her email and it didn’t matter because there are no makeups for these tests. Worse still the second part of the test she had to fight herself. That was interesting until it was a low blow and the fake Tessa became her Aunt Ruth. Needless to say the Merlin Marina won that round by failing Tessa.

Returning home, Ronin and Iris are waiting to celebrate her victory, instead Tessa’s determined to find Marcus so he can make things right. When she finds him it’s really pretty funny that she interrupts Marcus’ cousin thinking it was him.

This is a favorite scene.

I stood there on the landing, not remembering why I was here or why I should be angry with him.

A new smile hovered about Marcus as he watched me. I was going to clobber him. Only, I started to shiver, so much so, that my lips were beginning to harden like frozen sausages as my teeth clattered. Guess my rush of adrenaline was over, now that I knew it wasn’t Marcus with Rodeo Barbie.

“You’re freezing.” Marcus reached out and touched my right cheek with his hand. It was warm, and I didn’t pull away.

“Mmmm, hmmm.” The soft touch of his hand on my skin sent my blood humming. I didn’t move.

Marcus moved his hand from my cheek and rubbed my arms with both hands. “Come. Let’s get you warmed up. Carol makes an amazing vegan chili.”

I didn’t come here to swoon over Marcus and some chili, but I was about to go all Frosty the Snow Witch if I didn’t get into a warm place in the next few seconds. A few minutes in a warm place with a hot meal wouldn’t do any harm. Besides, I couldn’t feel my lips anymore.

I let Marcus lead me down the stairs and towards that bigger log cabin. Once inside, I was hit by a rush of heat, like I’d just stepped into a sauna. The air was thick with the scent of chicken soup, chili, and burning wood. A large stone fireplace rose at the end of the room, a blazing fire roaring in it. A rocking chair, with a figure sitting in it, squeaked as it moved.

The place wasn’t a huge space, but it was dressed like a restaurant or pub. A dozen small round tables with chairs were placed around the room. Two men sat at the closest table to us, and a woman and a man sat at the table near a window. They all looked up when we entered, their faces hard as they looked me over. But their gazes turned away as soon as they saw Marcus with me. What was that about?

I was still shivering, so Marcus put his hand on my lower back and steered me gently with him over to a bar-like counter made of polished wood.

He pulled a stool out for me. “Here. Sit. I’ll get you something to eat.”

I did what I was told, too cold to do anything else, and watched as Marcus moved down the bar and addressed an older lady whose wrinkled face stretched into a large grin at the sight of him.

Her hair was long and white, pulled back into a long braid, and she wore an apron over her plaid shirt. Her skin was tanned leather, covered in fine seams and wrinkles. She patted Marcus’s hand, poured him a fresh cup of coffee, and disappeared through a door behind the bar.

“Here’s some coffee. The chili is on the way,” said Marcus as he placed the steaming cup on the bar in front of me, pulled out the stool next to mine, and sat.

I peeled off my mittens and wrapped my ice-cold fingers around the cup. The skin on my fingers burned as they touched the ceramic, but it felt nice all the same. Bringing the mug to my lips, I took a sip. Then another. And another. The bitter taste of coffee was divine, and I moaned as the hot liquid poured down my throat.

I instantly felt better.

Once my lips thawed, I asked, “What is this place?” I set the mug on the counter with my fingers still wrapped around it.

“It’s a shifter colony,” answered Marcus, his eyes still holding some of that laughter from before.

“It is?”

“Silverback gorillas,” he said.

I flicked my gaze behind him to the couple sitting near the window. They were both watching me with identical frowns. “Is everyone here a shifter?”

“Yes. Wereapes,” replied Marcus, and I moved my gaze back to him. “Most of them don’t trust outsiders… non-shifters.”

“So, Anthony is a wereape too, then?”

“Yes,” said Marcus, his unwavering stare piercing. “And my cousin.” He unzipped his jacket and dropped it on the empty stool next to him. Muscles bulged from under his snug black shirt, and I found myself unable to look away because part of me wanted to rip it off just to see what was underneath.

I breathed through my nose, trying to shut him out. He hadn’t even tried to reach out to me in three months. It stung. But it was the truth. I was tired of hating him and wanting him. That was a full-time job on its own. Enough was enough.

“I had no idea there were shifter colonies like this one,” I said, reeling in my feelings. “And you have family here, but you live in Hollow Cove?”

“My family’s from the city. But some wereapes prefer to live away from the modern world. They prefer wide, open spaces, surrounded by nature. They don’t want to have to deal with humans… or other paranormals.”

“Like me.” I nodded. “Well, it is really pretty here. Must be spectacular in the summer.”

Marcus shifted on his stool, our thighs touching as he moved closer. “I’m glad to see you.” His mesmerizing gray eyes had me feeling all kinds of things I shouldn’t be feeling right now—like hot flashes.

I raised a brow. I wanted to say so many things to him right now, things I had been thinking about for the past three months. I opened my mouth to reply, just as the older lady came to the bar.

“Here you go, hon,” she said, all smiles as she set down a bowl of steaming and intoxicating-smelling vegan chili.

“Thank you,” I answered, sticking my nose above the bowl and taking a sniff. “Smells divine.”

The older lady laughed. It was infectious, and I found myself laughing and relaxing for the first time since I came to this freezing campsite. I took a spoon and scooped a large portion of the chili into my mouth.

“Wow,” I said, my mouth full. “This is good. You should package it up and sell this stuff.” I put another spoonful of chili into my mouth.

“Thanks, Carol,” said Marcus, as he and she then shared some secret glances.

Carol leaned her elbows on the bar. “This one came to fetch you. Didn’t she? Hmmm. Must have walked for over an hour to be frozen like that,” she speculated with a smile on her wrinkled face. “She’s still young and in good, childbearing years.”

I spit the chili from my mouth. “I’m sorry. What?”

Carol huffed a laugh and disappeared back into the kitchen area behind the bar.

“Tessa, why did you come here?” Marcus’s question pulled my attention back to him. He dipped his head and stared into my eyes.

I watched him for a long moment, trying to stifle the bubble of betrayal and anger that threatened to pop. I failed.

“Why didn’t you ever call me back?” I accused, my heart beating a little quicker, and I hated that. Hated that I’d let my emotions be the boss of me right now, but I couldn’t help it.

“I couldn’t,” he answered casually, like it was a normal thing, like commenting on the amount of sugar he used in his coffee. “Cell phones don’t work here up in the mountains. And there are no phones. No landlines. I would have called you if I could.” Marcus leaned back. “I never thought I’d still be here, to be honest. Things got… crazy.”

“Does it have anything to do with the pile of burning rubble outside?”

“It does,” he answered. “Here, the wereapes are led by an alpha. Like a chief. The alpha is the strongest and takes care of his or her colony, their family.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Too many alphas.”

“So little time,” I laughed. “Sorry. Bad joke.”

Marcus considered me a moment. “A younger male is challenging the alpha wereape. Another male. They’ve been at it for three months.”

“Does it usually take this long?”

“No. Usually, the older alpha submits to the younger alpha. But Stan is a stubborn old brute. He doesn’t want to submit. He thinks he can continue to be the alpha, but his body isn’t like it used to be.”

I swallowed more chili. “Who’s stronger?”

“It’s hard to tell. Both are massive. But there can only be one alpha per clan.”

“Right.”

We stared at each other, and the tiny space between us felt too hot.

I pulled my gaze away before I did something stupid—like jump him right there on the bar. Yeah, I needed help.

“You still haven’t told me why you came,” prodded Marcus as our eyes met again. His lips curved in the smile of a man liking what he saw. “I wish I could say you came because you missed me,” he continued, “but your eyes say something else.”

How perceptive. “It’s Ruth,” I said, my voice tight. “I came here to fetch you because of Ruth.”

Marcus’s eyebrows knitted in the middle. “Ruth? Has something happened to her? Is she okay?”

I shook my head, my insides twisting with dread. “Not really. She’s been—”

The door to the inn burst open. A big, burly man with the biggest arms I’d ever seen came rushing in. He looked like an action figure.

“They’re at it again,” said the stranger, his focus on Marcus as he came up to the bar. “You’ve got to do something. They’re going to kill each other.”

Fun times.
Richardson, Kim. Charmed Nights (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 3) Kindle Locations (1297-1364). FablePrint. Kindle Edition.

With the Alpha problem solved and Marcus takes off via car while Tessa jumps the ley line home. Marcus was unable to anything to help Ruth since Aldira is the one who arrested her and made the court date. He was really trying to be supportive and investigating on his own to help clear Ruth.

Tessa second trial comes, and for this one Silas who has runes tattooed all over him is in charge. The test, get to the center of the labyrinth. I’m just going to say Silas cheats and Tessa is awesome.

There are so many twists in this book, with Adira as chief, then Tessa and Marcus’ relationship. Not to mention Ruth’s depression and everyone feeling helpless.

I am very much enjoying this series and I am working my way through all the available books.

5 Contented Purrs for Kim!

Kim Richardson

Kim Richardson is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. Kim’s books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.