Category: Paranormal / Fantasy

The Dark in Her Veins by M.K. Lobb

On By TracyIn First Person Narrative, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Dark in Her Veins (Divine Villains, 1)The Dark in Her Veins by M.K. Lobb

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Divine Villains #1

Release Date: August 25, 2026

Talin Keller is a hired sinner whose role in Valestadt places her between survival, violence, and loyalty to the Prophet who employs her. She carries the physical consequences of the sins she commits through Bloodrot, which makes her position both dangerous and unstable. Gabriel, the city’s revered Prophet, uses religious authority and public devotion to maintain power while keeping his own hands clean. Slade, also known as the Warden, serves as a darker opposing force whose connection to Gabriel complicates Talin’s mission. The characters operate in a morally corrupt world where self-preservation, manipulation, and hidden motives shape their relationships and decisions.

The plot follows Talin as she navigates a city where sin leaves a visible and deadly mark on the body, creating a system where the powerful can hire others to absorb the cost of their wrongdoing. Her work for Gabriel leads her toward Slade, a figure tied to rumors, danger, and the possibility of freedom from both Gabriel’s control and the worsening Bloodrot. As Talin moves between the brothers, the story develops through shifting alliances, revelations about her past, and a larger conspiracy connected to Valestadt’s religious and political structure. The narrative blends dark fantasy, violence, corruption, and supernatural consequences while building toward an unresolved ending meant to continue the story.

Overall, this book had an interesting concept, especially with the idea that sin could physically deteriorate the body, but it did not fully work for me. I did not like the first-person POV which made the story feel harder to follow and less cohesive. I also found the cliffhanger ending frustrating because so much felt unresolved in the final pages. The romance was another major issue for me because it came across as more of a niche / fetish-driven dynamic than a traditional romance, which made it difficult for me to connect with the relationship. So, while the premise had potential, and I am sure there are many readers who would enjoy this book, it was not for me, I felt the characters, pacing, and romantic development kept me from becoming fully invested and left me with no desire to read the next book.

*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. *

Halloween Town by Joss Wood

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

Halloween Town by Joss Wood

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Halloween Town, #2

Release Date: August 13, 2026

For her entire life, Poppy McMaster has tried to please her family, but always felt like she fell short and was never “enough” for them. She always found solace with her grandparents at their Inn called Solstice Deep in Solstice Springs aka Halloween Town and with her friends Wren, Hayes, and the Sheffield brothers, Benji and especially Thom, who always acted as her protector. But when she was seventeen and Thom as twenty, he suddenly turned his back on her with no explanation and kept his distance. Heartbroken, she figures that like her family, she wasn’t enough for him either. For the next few years, she tries to find her way, but it isn’t until she gets engaged to Benji Sheffield that she finally feels accepted by her family, an engagement that she has doubts about, but to please her family, she pushes those feelings aside. But on her wedding day, she is confronted by the Halloween Town ghosts and she bolts. She returns to Solstice Deep, a place she always felt safe and happy, a place she believes her father now owns since her grandfather passed away. But she is in for a huge surprise…

After his father passed away, Thom Sheffield became the CEO of Sheffield Securities and was very successful, but things began to fall apart when his younger stepbrother Benji had an affair with Thom’s fiancée. Thom broke up with his fiancée and then cut ties with Benji and tried to move on. But Benji wasn’t done trying to destroy Thom, he fabricated evidence of embezzlement and had Thom fired as CEO. Thom escaped to Solstice Deep and stayed with Grandpa McMaster, while there he fights back against Benji and the board of Sheffield Securities, proves that he was wronged and wins big against the company. He then buys the inn with promise that Grandpa M could stay there for the rest of his life. Now that Grandpa M has passed, Thom has decided to renovate the inn and run it, while running his own consulting business. He is in the process of remodeling when he is surprised by the arrival of Poppy in her wedding gown, demanding to know why he was in her Grandparent’s Inn. Poppy is one of Thom’s greatest regrets, she is the girl he thought of as a sister until the summer she turned seventeen and he saw her for the woman that she would become and had feelings for her that he at twenty deemed inappropriate and fled, knowing that he hurt her, but couldn’t tell her why. Later when he thought that maybe they could have a relationship, he learned that she was engaged to Benji and took it as a sign that they were never meant to be, but what if he was wrong?

I loved the first book in this series and was really excited for this book, so I jumped at the chance to return to Halloween Town. Poppy and Thom were both in the first book, so readers got to learn a little bit about them before their story even began. I really loved catching up with Wren and Dane, as well as Luna, Hayes, Hayden and of course the ghosts of Solstice Springs, while getting to know Poppy and Thom better. I loved Thom, he is your typical grumpy hero who tries to hide his heart of gold. He is also trying to find his worth and wants to be chosen for himself and not what he can do for others. Poppy is also trying to find herself and wonders about her own self-worth. I liked this story, but at times it felt like there was contrived drama just for the sake of more drama and it was a bit formulaic. Overall, it was a fun read with some spice, a few ghosts, great secondary characters and ultimately a happy ending. If you are looking for a second chance type romance, set in a small town with a splash of supernatural, you should read this book! It is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*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. *