Book Review: Strange Familiars (The Seamere College Duology Book 1) by Keshe Chow

Strange Familiars (The Seamere College Duology Book 1)
by Keshe Chow
May 19, 2026
Two scholars of magical veterinary science must put aside their lust and loathing to save the world in the first installment of this whimsical, romantic, dark academia duology.

All Gwendolynne Chan needs is to get through final year at Seamere College, where she is on track to graduate as number one —as long as the pretentious prat Harrisford Briggs doesn’t beat her to it.

Harrisford Briggs’s father, the chief financial officer of Magecorp, a major global distributor of magic, expects him to come top of the class. Harrisford, though, can’t help but notice that his father has been acting odd. And there are strange whisperings, too, of uncontrollable surges of excess magic.

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When these magical surges begin to rock London, causing chaos and explosions and animal familiars going feral, Gwen and Harrisford find themselves reluctantly involved, putting both of their veterinary careers at risk.

Along with Gwen’s snarky cat familiar, Gwen and Harrisford must team up to diagnose the problem. But as the two academic rivals fight their burgeoning feelings, they quickly realize that magic is not the only thing surging.

Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow is book 1 in a new magical series that feels like an adult Harry Potter world. Certainly not to the level of Potter (I can't say Potter unless doing it Alan Rickman style), but wizarding world abounds.

Love me some magics and all the wizarding world that flies around the night, with or without the broomsticks. Magic is and can be fun; this one is a fun whodunit story. A mystery in the world of the witching and the animals they love going a bit bonkers.

It's not a hard-hitting, action-packed bloodbath, but it's a fun romantic story of adult magic and certainly a well-thought-out mystery. Lots of follow-up books can come after this one. The author does a fantastic job laying down little breadcrumbs for more stories in the series.

Enjoyed this one, and it's a change of pace from my usual blood-and-guts vampire stories.

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KD

About the Author
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Keshe Chow is a multi-award-winning Chinese Australian author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. Born in Malaysia, Keshe moved to Australia when she was two years old. Currently she resides in Naarm (Melbourne) with her partner, two kids, one cat, and way too many houseplants.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death (A SCYTHE Mystery) by Maxie Dara

In this witty and heartwarming second series installment (which can be read as a stand-alone), when a determined killer targets her adventurous twin brother, a risk-averse grim reaper will risk everything to save him—while also working to mend the rift that has come between them.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death (A SCYTHE Mystery)
by Maxie Dara
December 2, 2025
Genre: Supernatural mystery, humorous fantasy, cozy mystery

When a determined killer targets her brother, a grim reaper risks everything to save him in this delightful cozy mystery.

Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., which might seem odd for someone as terrified of death as she is. But ever since her parents died in an accident when she was six, she's been obsessed with avoiding risk, and what better place to learn how to cheat death than the company that employs the nation's grim reapers?

The work enables Nora to learn all about the myriad ways you can kick the bucket, which is comforting...until one day, a file crosses her desk with a name she recognizes. Her twin brother’s.

The twins haven’t spoken in six months, but Charlie is all Nora has left. Completely against her cautious nature, Nora steals the file and flees, racing to her brother’s house. She begs him to trust her that his death is imminent, and they hit the road (with his parrot, Jessica, who has plenty to say) in an attempt to evade both death and S.C.Y.T.H.E., whose sole mission of collecting souls has been disrupted by Charlie’s continued existence.

Alas, every time Nora saves him, a new cause of death appears in his file. Someone is determined to take Charlie out, and Nora will have to use everything she's ever learned about death to discover the culprit. 

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About the Author:
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Maxie Dara is from a tiny, Hallmark movie-style town in Ontario, Canada where she works as a writer and actress, because rejection-heavy careers are her passion. She is also a two- time award- winning playwright. Maxie knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of seven, when she first fell in love with the written word. She also wanted to be a mermaid but has mostly focused on the writing side of things

Secrets of the Dead (Lost Souls Series Book 1) by Shiela Stewart + giveaway

He can commune with the dead.

She’s a diehard skeptic.

When they get trapped together with the ghost of a child long forgotten, will they be able to resist their pull to each other and still solve a spine-tingling mystery that might just be better left buried?

Secrets of the Dead (Lost Souls Series Book 1)
by Shiela Stewart
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Mystery
Jessica Coltrane is a diehard sceptic who believes ghosts and paranormal activity are nothing more than a figment of an overactive imagination. That is until she finds herself locked inside a haunted house with the enigmatic paranormal investigator C.J. Dowling.

Born with the ability to see and speak to the dead, C.J. Dowling thought investigating a haunted house would be a job like many others. He’s prepared for anything—except smart and sexy Jessica.

Working together in close quarters, C.J. and Jessica discover it isn’t only negative tension between them but sexual as well. Giving in to their desires seems like a good idea until they wake and find the spirits thought otherwise.

They are trapped with the ghost of a child long forgotten, an amorous entity threatening Jessica, and a powder keg of a spine-tingling mystery that might just be better left buried.
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Innocence of the Dead (Lost Souls Series Book 2)
And when Sam learns the identity of the murderer, it puts her in their crosshairs. Unless Ethan can get to her in time, their romance will have a deadly end.
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Revenge of the Dead (Lost Souls Series Book 3)
Will Sam risk having her heart broken by telling Ethan, and can she get the spirit to talk before it’s too late?
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About the Author
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Shiela Stewart is a paranormal suspense author with a writing history that stems back to her youth. Always a dreamer, wondering if her stories would ever reach an audience, she was finally published in 2006 and hasn’t stopped since. It is rare to find a stand-alone book as she prefers series stories. Her longest running series to date is her Darkness series which is a vampire romance.

Her joy for scary suspense is evident in each of her books. She has had several accomplishments including fighting for the top spot in rankings with author Stephany Myers, receiving glowing reviews as well as interviews on television.

When not writing, Shiela spends her time with the love of her life, William, and their children and grandchildren. She enjoys getting her hands dirty, working in her gardens and planting flowers. Her strong affection for animals is evident in the many cats, fish and birds she cares for.

Her favorite time of day is at sunset.

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Middle Grade Paranormal Series: Ghost Hunters by Susan McCauley + giveaway

Bones In the Wall (Ghost Hunters Book 1)
by Susan McCauley
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal Mystery
Twelve-year-old Alex may have lost his ability to play sports, but he gained the ability to see ghosts. Now he must figure out how to put a malevolent spirit to rest -- or die trying.

Once an athlete and popular kid, Alex is in a terrible car accident that severely injures his hip and leaves him with a rare power: he can hear and see ghosts. All Alex wants is to be normal. But when a vicious spirit begins haunting him, Alex must accept his unwanted psychic powers and work with his best friend and his paranormal investigator cousin to solve the mystery of bones in the wall and put the ghosts in the house to rest. If he fails, he’ll lose his family and friends to a gruesome fate.

Ghost Hunters: Bones in the Wall is the first novel in the heart-pounding Ghost Hunters middle-grade horror series.

PRAISE FOR GHOST HUNTERS: BONES IN THE WALL:

“Young readers should find themselves deeply engrossed. . . (an) absorbing supernatural tale of change and coping.” - Kirkus Reviews

“McCauley puts forth a fascinating premise that will captivate readers. . . a creative and highly original new work. . .”
– BookLife Prize

"Unique and imaginative, Ghost Hunters: Bones in the Wall blends middle grade angst with a big helping of the heebie jeebies. A sure hit for fans of R.L. Stine." - James R. Hannibal, award-winning author of The Lost Property Office

"An inventive, fast-paced tale brimming with chills, thrills, and heart. Perfect for fans of Lockwood & Co."-- Henry H. Neff, author of The Tapestry series

**On Sale for Only $1.99 Sep 13th - 19th!!**

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Pirate's Curse (Ghost Hunters Book 2)

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Spirit Fire (Ghost Hunters Book 3)

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Swamp Witch (Ghost Hunters Book 4)

**Released Sep 13th, 2022!!**

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About the Author
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Susan McCauley is a screenwriter and award-winning author of books for adults, young adults, middle grade, and young readers. Susan fell in love with writing, theater, and film when she was eight-years-old. That passion inspired her to receive a B.A. in Radio-Television with a minor in Theater from the University of Houston, an M.F.A. in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California (USC), and a M.A. in Text & Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and King’s College in London. Susan also studied acting at Playhouse West with Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day) in Los Angeles.

Susan has several short stories published, one of which, "The Cask", was made into an award winning short film. "The Cask" was published in the Camden Park Press anthology Quoth the Raven, which won Best Anthology of 2018 in multiple reader polls. In addition to her short stories, Susan has one novella and four novels in print, as well as a feature length film in development. Many of her books have appeared on the Horror Writers Association Recommended Reading List.

Susan loves travel, animals, movies, theatre, taekwondo, her family, and books (of course!)

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Trifles and Folly 3 A Deadly Curiosities Novel by Gail Z. Martin + giveaway

Trifles and Folly 3 (A Deadly Curiosities Novel)
by Gail Z. Martin

March 29, 2022

Genre: Supernatural Mystery Adventure

The ghost of a jilted lover, an accidental hell-mouth, a soul-eating monster, cursed needlework, and a rogue’s gallery of sullied spirits—all this and more awaits!

Wander the shadowed paths through this spooktacular collection of short stories and novellas that take place around and between the novels in the Deadly Curiosities series.

An extension of the Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy novel series, this collection can be read as a standalone. It contains two novellas and five short stories: The Adventure of the Melted Saint, Keepsakes, Catspaw, The Piper’s Song, Innocence Lost, Crewel Fate, and Heap of Trouble.

Cassidy Kincaide owns Trifles and Folly, an antique shop with a secret history. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them. She and her allies use magic and paranormal abilities to keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats.

Trifles and Folly 3 is a wickedly wonderful set of dark urban fantasy tales full of cursed curios, stolen relics, haunted heirlooms, creepy castles, menacing monsters, magic, and mayhem.

Warning: This collection includes a Morgan Brice MM Paranormal Romance novella set in the Deadly Curiosities’ universe with scenes only appropriate for readers 18+.

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Trifle and Folly 2 (A Deadly Curiosities Novel)

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Trifles and Folly 1 (A Deadly Curiosities Novel)

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Trifles and Folly 1

Coffin Box

“I don’t know why, but I’ve really got a bad feeling about that house.” I sat in the car parked at the curb near the big house on the Battery.

“Bad feeling like they won’t pay their bill, or bad feeling like there’s a hungry demon inside?” Teag Logan asked.

I shook my head. “Not sure, but if I had to put money on it, I’d go with the demon.”

Most people would be kidding. Teag knew I wasn’t. I’m Cassidy Kincaide, owner of Trifles and Folly, an antique and curio shop in historic, haunted Charleston, SC. Neither Teag nor I are entirely what we seem, and that holds true for the shop as well.

I’m a psychometric, which means I can often read the history of objects by touching them. Teag has Weaver magic, an ability to weave spells into cloth and to weave data streams—like the Internet—making him an awesome hacker. He’s my best friend, sometime bodyguard and assistant store manager. I’m the latest in a very long line of relatives to manage Trifles and Folly in the 350 years the store has existed, but we’ve all had the same silent partner, a nearly six-hundred-year-old vampire named Sorren, and the same mission: to get dangerous magical items off the market and out of the wrong hands. Most of the time, we succeed. When we fail, people die and really bad things happen.

“How do you want to handle this?” Teag asked.

I drew a deep breath. “We go in, and see what’s what. Then we figure it out from there.” My magic is touch-psychic, not clairvoyance, so I can’t see the future, much as I would sometimes like to.

The house was large, old, and expensive. Most of the homes on the Battery hailed from before the Civil War. Many of the houses are painted in the muted pastels most people associate with places like Bermuda and Nassau. Some of the families who owned these homes had been here since the mansions were built. The houses are beautiful, and tourists flock to see them. But as much as I admire their beauty, I try not to spend a lot of time down at the Battery for the simple reason that it creeps me out.

Shadow Garden

“Why is your garden gnome in a cage?” I frowned as a plump middle-aged woman deposited a stone statue locked in what looked like a large “live trap” steel mesh box.

“Because this thing ate my cat,” the woman declared. “And I want rid of it before it goes after the dog, too.”

We see all kinds of things at Trifles and Folly, but even for us, this was a first.

“Are you sure about the cat?” I asked, warily eyeing the gnome. It looked much older than the brightly-painted resin figures on sale at the big national-chain garden supply stores. The statue was weathered, with some bits of lichen stuck to its body, and I wondered if it had been custom-made. Now that she mentioned it, the gnome did look a little creepy. The features looked sly instead of welcoming, and the set of the mouth seemed to hide sharp teeth behind the carved stone lips.

“I’m sure,” the woman said, slapping her palm against the wooden counter. “Fuddles never did like the statue. Always hissed at it when he walked by it. I should have taken that as a sign.”

“Where did it come from?” I asked, looking away from the creepy gnome and returning my attention to the lady who had brought in the caged decoration.

“My mother said she bought it from one of those architectural salvage places,” the woman replied.

“Have you had other problems with it, before the… um… cat incident?” I’m sure she was embarrassed and believed I was secretly laughing at her, but I had seen much stranger things.

I’m Cassidy Kincaide, and I own Trifles and Folly, an antique and curio shop in historic, haunted Charleston, SC that is a lot more than it seems. The store has been in my family for over three hundred years, and we’ve got a secret. While we’re a great place to find beautiful old heirlooms and estate jewelry, our real job is getting dangerous magical and supernatural items off the market and keeping them out of the wrong hands. That means we see more than our share of cursed, unlucky, or possessed objects, so I was taking my hapless customer’s tale seriously. Her murderous gnome sounded exactly like the kind of problem we deal with every day.

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Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.

Together with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron & Blood, Storm & Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends.

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Double Book Review: A Terrible Fall of Angels (A Zaniel Havelock Novel Book 1) by Laurell K. Hamilton

A Terrible Fall of Angels (A Zaniel Havelock Novel Book 1)
by Laurell K. Hamilton
August 17, 2021
Pages: 400

Berkley
Meet Detective Zaniel Havelock, a man with the special ability to communicate directly with angels. A former trained Angel speaker, he devoted his life to serving both the celestial beings and his fellow humans with his gift, but a terrible betrayal compelled him to leave that life behind. Now he’s a cop who is still working on the side of angels. But where there are angels, there are also demons. There’s no question that there’s evil at work when he’s called in to examine the murder scene of a college student—but is it just the evil that one human being can do to another, or is it something more? When demonic possession is a possibility, even angelic protection can only go so far. The race is on to stop a killer before he finds his next victim, as Zaniel is forced to confront his own very personal demons, and the past he never truly left behind.

The first in a new series from the author of the Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series.

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Denise B

Getting 4 sheep

Hamilton has a new series out that follows Detective Zaniel Havelock who can communicate with angels. He was raised at the College of Angels as an Angel speaker but left the college after a terrible betrayal, pursued the army, and then became a police detective. When women start showing up dead, he is positive there’s evil at work but is unsure if it is just a person who is evil or a demon of something more sinister at work.

The series has a lot of potential, though the first book was a little slow for me. I needed more background on Havelock and the college than what was given. I kept feeling like there was a book I had missed reading, though that wasn’t the case.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series with the hope that there will be more of everything.

Jeanie G

Getting 4 sheep

Somehow this author was never on my radar, but after reading this story, I realize it was my loss and that needs to be corrected.

There may have been some weird stuff going on in the story, but it felt rather refreshing to me. Just traveling along with the characters and his creative take on “guardian” angels.

Havoc, as he was called, is an Angel Speaker and was raised in a cult-like academy for youngsters who displayed superior attributes or powers. The story revolves around him and 2 of his close friends who all took different paths because of the institution's training and influence.

In his current position, he works with the human police officers in a unit called “Metaphysical Coordination Unit,” dealing with mystics and supernatural cases. I will leave it to you to discover why and how he left the academy with an aspiring position. Not all blessings are welcome at any price!

Nice-paced read with interesting characters and events.

About the Author:
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Laurell K. Hamilton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and the Merry Gentry, Fey Detective series. With more than 40 novels published and 20 million books sold, Laurell continues to create groundbreaking fiction inspired by her lifelong love of monster movies, ghost stories, mythology, folklore, and things that go bump in the night. She lives in St. Louis with her family. In her free time, Laurell trains in Filipino martial arts with a specialization in blade work.

Book Review: Accidental Lazarus (Dead & Busy Episode 1) by Kfir Luzzatto + giveaway

Accidental Lazarus (Dead & Busy Episode 1)

by Kfir Luzzatto
September 21, 2017

39 pages
Genre: Humorous Noir, Supernatural Mystery
It is sort of annoying having dead people dropping by at all hours...

A paranormal detective like Dave Callaghan has already seen everything, but he never expected to find a presumed dead mobster drinking scotch in his armchair. He is definitely unhappy when he (it?) engages him to find out who shot him. But the worse is yet to come; Dave’s girlfriend gets involved and the real trouble begins.

Episode 1 of the DEAD & BUSY series will keep you laughing to the (bitter) end.

"Dave Callaghan is not here to bring you profound, life-changing thoughts; only quick, unadulterated fun."

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Imagine coming home to a mafioso sitting in the dark pointing a gun at you. That’s bad but even worse.....he’s sitting there with a big hole in his chest, leaking whiskey! He wants you to solve his murder AND he wants to be your partner....decaying minute by minute. Explain his appearance to a witness!

This is the first book in a series of “Dead and Busy”. I think it might be set up like a half-hour TV series where each “episode” for this paranormal investigator is a telling of another day, another client. There are 4 so far. The story went quick and the plot cute and funny. Just the right amount of snark, humor, and great descriptive scenes!

Humor threads it’s way through the story with a good writing style. Continuous action with one complication after another. I really enjoyed the read and will definitely pick up another when I need an in-between fun break!

Gets 4 “NOT ON THE CARPET!” sheep

Jeanie G

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Kfir Luzzatto is the author of eight novels, several short stories and six non-fiction books. Kfir was born and raised in Italy, and moved to Israel as a teenager. He acquired the love for the English language from his father, a former U.S. soldier, a voracious reader, and a prolific writer. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering and works as a patent attorney. In pursuit of his interest in the mind-body connection, Kfir was certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist by the Anglo European College of Therapeutic Hypnosis. 

Kfir is an HWA (Horror Writers Association) and ITW (International Thriller Writers) member.

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