Guarded by the Nightmare by Cassie Alexander [Review]

Guarded by the Nightmare (Monster Security Agency #7) by Cassie Alexander
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 16, 2026

Monster Security Agency
1. Guarded by the Golem
2. Guarded by the Snake
3. Guarded by the Spider
4. Guarded by the Kraken
5. Guarded by the Leshy
6. Guarded by the Vodnik
7. Guarded by the Nightmare - Paperback | Kindle
8. Guarded by the Reaper
9. Guarded by the Phantom
10. Guarded by the Krampus
11. Guarded by the Yeti
12. Guarded by the AI
13. Guarded by the Symbiote
14. Guarded by the Steel Seraph
15. Guarded by the Clanker

Cassie Alexander
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

No one survives hiring me. Not even her.

I’m a Nightmare, a creature that feeds on fear, and I’m capable of boundless cruelty—which is why my services come at a steep price: the life of the person who hired me. As such, the only people who hire me on are those brought to me by fate, like Mina, a woman so desperate for revenge that she’s willing to spend her own life to get it.

I don’t usually care why I’m hired. Human affairs don’t matter to me. Food is food, and a job is a job.

Mina’s enemies will get what they deserve—and I’ll get what’s mine.

Her beating heart.

Thoughts on Guarded by the Nightmare: I must say I enjoy seeing how these monsters and their special someones end up making things work. I mean, Sylas is a literal Nightmare whose payment is the life of the person who hires him. So, you know, that's ominous and seems like a hard thing to get past in a relationship. Buuuuuuut they somehow make it work. You know, eventually and after a few speedbumps.

But first! Mina steps into MSA to see if she can find out anything about the Hourglass Killer and ends up hiring the monster himself. Well, hire might be a misnomer. Sylas knew Mina was there for him as soon as she stepped through the MSA doors. And his price for helping her is set in stone. Or set on her skin, I guess. Mina has some very specific things she needs to happen and Sylas is more than capable of bringing all her desires to life. Or, uhh, death, I guess. You see, Mina needs a few people killed and she's willing to do anything that needs to be done to make sure it happens.

Sylas is...complicated. He's a Nightmare. He needs to feed. He knows Mina's life is his once he does what he's been hired to do. But she makes him feel things. Things he hasn't felt in a long time. If ever. And she's not AT ALL put off by his darker tendencies. She understands what he is (as much as a human is able to) and she wants to be with him. Which throws Sylas because he's never met someone who wanted him for him, not as a means to an end.

A murderous group of terrible individuals, a best friend in a bad situation, twisted magic, some truly inspired deaths, a Nightmare who is willing to attempt to thwart fate itself, and a lady who had nothing left to lose until she suddenly did. *thumbs up*

The Mermaid in the Shot Glass by Hailey Edwards [Review]

The Mermaid in the Shot Glass (Groom & Doom #3) by Hailey Edwards
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: February 1, 2026

Groom & Doom
1. The Vampire in the Potting Shed
2. The Goblin in the Sink Drain
3. The Mermaid in the Shot Glass - Kindle
4. The Pixie in the Pickle Jar
5. The Ghost in the Pole Barn

Hailey Edwards
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

The time has come for Ana to conquer her doubts about her heritage and discover her inner dragon. Her lessons begin with summoning fire on the shore at Lendman Park, placing a buffer between her fledgling powers and town. Her flames prove eager to please, leaping to her fingertips, but a sudden burst of magic topples her and Rían into the lake. A lake one of the locals swears is inhabited by a mermaid.

Too bad the mermaid lore isn’t the only story making the rounds in Brentwood. Rumor has it that Mercer Bates has challenged Carmichael Sartori for control of the Sartori pack. Ana doesn’t want to care whether Carmichael lives or dies, but our hearts don’t always listen to our heads. And that proves doubly true when someone Ana considers a new friend reveals her true loyalties in an explosive betrayal that shakes the foundation of the Walsh clan.

Thoughts on The Mermaid in the Shot Glass: Oh my goodness. Rian is trying SO HARD to rein in his protective and possessive streak when it comes to Ana because he wants her to have the choice to choose him. Not feel constrained by gratitude or guilt or any of those other pesky emotions that aren't straight up want.

To be fair, Ana does feel the want, but she was treated so terribly by Sartori and his pack that she's having a hard time accepting that the people around her want her for her. Rian liking her throws her. Heck, having Sloane as a friend she can count on throws her, so those deeper emotions she has toward Rian really have her reeling.

On top of all these feeeeelings, Ana and Rian are also dealing with potential changes to the Sartori pack leadership and betrayal from within for the Walsh clan. Oh, and Ana is finally coming into her dragon-ish abilities. Sort of. I mean, they're there. She's having a bit of a struggle controlling them, but they're proof (along with that lovely single scale) that she really is a dragon.

A couple of matchmaking family members, a explosion of power, and some answers to questions Ana was too polite to ask. Things are moving forward for this couple and I'm enjoying their journey A LOT!

Beast Business by Ilona Andrews [Review]

Beast Business (Hidden Legacy #6.5) by Ilona Andrews
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: February 2, 2026

Hidden Legacy
1. Burn for Me
2. White Hot
3. Wildfire
3.5. Diamond Fire
4. Sapphire Flames
5. Emerald Blaze
6. Ruby Fever
6.5. Beast Business - Paperback | Kindle

Ilona Andrews
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Show as little as possible. Make them think that illusion is all you have. Your life depends on it.

Augustine Montgomery is an Illusion Prime, the highest rank of magic user. The people who have seen his real face can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The people who've witnessed the full extent of his power are dead. Illusion isn’t just his brand of magic. It’s become his lifestyle.

One day Diana Harrison walks into the office of Augustine’s premier PI corporation. Diana is also a Prime, a mage who bonds with animals through her magic and prefers their company to humans. Something precious has been stolen from House Harrison. Something Diana must recover at all costs before it perishes.

Augustine is cold, rational, and calculating. He doesn’t get emotionally involved, but something about Diana disturbs the careful balance of Augustine’s inner world. She asks for his help, and he can’t refuse.

Neither Augustine nor Diana are who they appear to be. Both would die to keep their secrets. But the enemy they face is unimaginably powerful, and saving the life at risk will demand the ultimate price, one neither ever expected to pay – complete honesty.

Thoughts on Beast Business: I'm having SO MANY thoughts about this story. I mean, AUGUSTINE. Wow. We got to see more than the bare glimpses beneath the illusion that he's allowed before. The guy has layers. Which we might have guessed since Mad Rogan calls him a friend, but those layers have layers and HOO-BOY.

Then there's Diana Harrison. Her brother Cornelius has let slip some of his own deep layers and what he's capable of and Diana brought (some of) what he'd experienced into better focus. When is comes to those she's connected to, Diana is deeply driven and she won't stop until she's completed what she's set out to do.

Let's just say that both Diana and Augustine have worked hard to play down their abilities and pretend they're far less deadly than they actually are. They both wear a carefully crafted mask and for some reason they find themselves dropping those masks around the other.

I honestly can't get enough of this world (even if it's only slightly Baylor adjacent) and I REALLY want to see how Augustine and Diana get over this little bump in the road they've hit.

RtP's Week in Review (05/31/26)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Shock at the Sweetheart Ball by London Lovett [Review] - Sunny and crew ONE LAST TIME!
• The Final Target by Nora Roberts [Review] - NR brings the danger and romance!
• Be Mine by M.L. Philpitt [Review] - Valentine romance with a side of stalking
• Accidentally Yours by Christina Lauren [Review] - Accidental meet-cutes FTW!
• Time Will Tell by Hannah Bonam-Young [Review] - A time capsule leads to love!
• The Hollows by Adrian Blue [Review] - Monster-y sci-fi love!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• None!
• Currently reading
• Cruel as a Tree by Deiri Di

The Hollows by Adrian Blue [Review]

The Hollows (Erebos #1) by Adrian Blue
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 29, 2026

Erebos
1. The Hollows - Kindle

Adrian Blue
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

On the mining planet of Erebos, you are either one of the privileged, or you sell your service contract to the highest bidder. The filth of The Rats or the endless darkness of the mines. As soon as I could, I left behind the leering glances to sell my labor to the mining company. In return, I received an apartment barely large enough for a bed and a sink, fourteen-hour shifts in the darkness, and an early death when my lungs inevitably gave out. It was hardly a fair shake, but nothing on Erebos was fair.

Thoughts on The Hollows: Vera doesn't have a whole lot of choices. She can either live (and sell herself) in The Rats or work in the mines. She chose the mines and BOY does that lead her down a path she wasn't expecting.

When a mine collapse nearly kills her and ends up leaving her stranded with something big and dangerous in the dark, Vera does what anyone would do. She attempts to befriend the creature. Maybe befriend is too strong a word. Let's just say she doesn't want to die in the dark and leave her mother alone, so she attempts to make nice with the big scary thing stalking her.

As it turns out, Anek is intrigued by her. And when she touches him? The big guy isn't adverse to it. In fact, he starts to think that maybe he wouldn't mind getting his hands on her a little more. And mayyyybe she might want that too.

A dangerous job, a predator who follows his instincts (not the eating instincts, the sexier instincts), and a lady who had no idea there was something in the dark who was about to make her his entire world.

Time Will Tell by Hannah Bonam-Young [Review]

Time Will Tell (The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances #2) by Hannah Bonam-Young
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 29, 2026

The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances
1. Accidentally Yours
2. Time Will Tell - Kindle
3. Second Act Romance
4. A Play for Love
5. Death to Valentine's Day
6. Valentine's Slay

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Improbable Meet-Cute
1. The Exception to the Rule

Hannah Bonam-Young
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When a history teacher receives a letter from her deceased grandmother revealing a secret love affair in the 1950s, it leads her to a time capsule hidden decades ago. But it’s the charming grandson of her grandmother’s lost love who changes everything, proving that sometimes the heart knows exactly where—and when—it belongs.

Thoughts on Time Will Tell: A letter from her deceased grandmother telling Georgia (and her family) about her grandmother's great love and instructing her to retrieve a time capsule starts a chain of events that rocks Georgia's world. In the best way.

Soon she's trading flirty emails and getting to know the grandson of her grandmother's love and things are progressing. Quickly. Because sometime a person just knows when they've met their other half. They might be separated by an ocean, but Georgia and Callum hit it off early on and they both start imagining a life with the other in it.

Sweet and fun with a side of mildly awkward flirting (barely any awkward at all, I'm sure!), I reaaaaaallllly liked this one.

Accidentally Yours by Christina Lauren [Review]

Accidentally Yours (The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances #1) by Christina Lauren
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 28, 2026

The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances
1. Accidentally Yours - Kindle
2. Time Will Tell
3. Second Act Romance
4. A Play for Love
5. Death to Valentine's Day
6. Valentine's Slay

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Improbable Meet-Cute
1. The Exception to the Rule

Christina Lauren
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When marketing consultant Veronica accidentally crashes the wrong Zoom meeting and brutally critiques their presentation, she’s shocked to receive a job offer from the company’s intriguing CEO. Their professional email exchanges quickly turn flirty, but Veronica’s mind keeps drifting to her reserved but gorgeous new neighbor. As Valentine’s Day approaches, she’ll discover that sometimes the most improbable meet-cute can lead to the perfect match.

Thoughts on Accidentally Yours: I must say I really enjoyed the previous set of meet-cutes and I'm READY for a new batch. First up we have Veronica and hunky Jude.

Jude is intrigued enough by Veronica's cutting assessment of their marketing strategy after a few short minutes of seeing what his team was presenting to reach out and see if she'd be interested in a consulting job. Veronica is still feeling the burn from the last tech-bro company she worked at and she's not interested. Except she also kind of is. I mean, it's right in her wheelhouse, but she wants to stay away from the tech-bro culture.

Except...Jude isn't all tech-bro-y. He's a little overwhelmed by his unexpectedly new position and a lot intriguing and his email banter works for Veronica in all the best ways. Negotiations turn into flirting which turns into maybe something more and it is FANTASTIC. Just *thumbs up* all around.