Author: Tracy

Avid reader (and reviewer) of historical romance.

Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me by Isabel Crowley

On By TracyIn Contemporary, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Thiller / Suspense, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make MeWant Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me by Isabel Crowley

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: August 11, 2026

When medium Hazel Lewis is called to do a séance for a dying man, she had no idea much her life was going to change. She arrives and almost immediately realizes that she was duped, Clarence Chapman seems like a feeble, helpless old man, but in reality, he is a serial killer who made a deal with a demon and needs Hazel to use her as a conduit for the demon. She fights her way out of the house but is bitten by the demon in the process. Protection spells and warding can only do so much, so she needs to lay low until she can figure out how to defeat the demon and reclaim her life. She finds an old house in the wilds of Pennsylvania and tries to figure it out, but it doesn’t take long for Ligat, the demon’s minion, to find her and much to her dismay, she finds herself attracted to Ligat and the two become close, not quite friends, not really enemies. And if her life wasn’t complicated enough, she meets her handsome neighbor, Maxwell and is attracted to him too. As they say, when it rains, it pours…

Ligat has secrets, he is indentured to the demon Perthrux and cannot tell Hazel who his master is. Luckly for him, after years of servitude, he has earned a bit of slack from the demon, but his will is still controlled by his master and as much as he hates Perthrux, he cannot defy him. The problem is he is falling hard for Hazel and wants nothing more than for her to defeat Perthrux, even if it means his own destruction. To that end, he will do whatever it takes to save her.

I have mixed feelings about this book, I liked the story it started out fast and hard, but then it started to drag and it dragged until about last 10% of the story. That is not to say that it wasn’t good, but it was hard to stay immersed in it and very easy to put down. This story was filled with demons, minions, ghost dogs, druids, spicy love scenes with a Phoebe/Cole vibe (IYKYK), a bit of gore, a touch of horror, interesting secondary characters, a strong heroine, a cinnamon roll hero and twist at the end that changes everything. Overall, this book had a lot going on but the author managed to keep the central plot in the forefront and gave readers a satisfying ending, but I did have some lingering questions, so I am hoping there is a sequel in the works. So, while I don’t think I would read again, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to fans of dark romantasy.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

The Magic We Made by Meg Cabot

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Magic We Made (Witches of West Harbor, #2)The Magic We Made by Meg Cabot

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Witches of West Harbor #2

Release Date: August 11, 2026

Frankie Giovanni is a therapist who relies on logic, science, and research, which makes her resistant to the idea of magic despite living in a town known for witchy tourism. Ash Merit, by contrast, accepts magic as part of his life and uses his ability to find lost people and things. Their relationship begins with misunderstanding and tension, especially because Frankie has formed strong assumptions about Ash before truly knowing him. Emma’s perspective adds another layer to the story, connecting the central romance to the mystery surrounding the missing girls in West Harbor.

This book is a mashup of small-town/witchy romance, and mystery as Frankie and Ash become involved in the search for missing teenage girls. Ash’s work as a finder brings him to West Harbor, while Frankie’s skepticism creates friction as strange events continue to unfold around them. The story moves between the developing connection between Frankie and Ash and the darker mystery tied to Emma and the other missing girls. As the investigation progresses, the book blends magical elements, a coastal town setting, and suspense-driven developments, while also revealing more about West Harbor’s supernatural side.

Overall, I liked the idea of the witchy setting and the missing-girls mystery, but I had a hard time staying connected to the story because I had not read the first book, even though this one is presented as a standalone. I also did not enjoy the multiple first-person POV structure, which made the story feel harder to follow. While there were parts of the premise that interested me, especially the mystery elements, the romance and pacing did not fully work for me, so this ended up being an okay but somewhat frustrating read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *