Sour Grapes by Karen MacInerney [Review]

Sour Grapes (Dewberry Farm Mysteries #10) by Karen MacInerney
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: October 5, 2025

Dewberry Farm Mysteries
1. Killer Jam
2. Fatal Frost
3. Deadly Brew
4. Mistletoe Murder
5. Dyeing Season
6. Wicked Harvest
6.5. Slay Bells Ring
7. Sweet Revenge
8. Peach Clobber
9. Fowl Play
10. Sour Grapes - Paperback | Kindle

Karen MacInerney
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A toast to murder... with a bitter aftertaste.

As autumn settles over Buttercup, Texas, the buzz is all about the grand opening of the new local winery—but when the winemaker is found dead in the barn after a disastrous debut dinner, the celebration turns somber. Was it despair over a bad batch of wine… or something more sinister? Dewberry Farm’s own Lucy Resnick uncorks a tangled web of secrets and lies that could lead to more than one fatality—unless she can stop the killer before the harvest turns deadly.

Thoughts on Sour Grapes: We're back in Buttercup and Lucy has stumbled over not one, but TWO bodies. Which is not really a great way to spend your time. To be fair, Lucy has the nose to figure out who did the deed, so if anyone's going to find bodies, I guess she should be the one.

So. The first body was found when some of Lucy's livestock escaped and went roaming. Her search for them brings her to a house down the way where a woman had been, uhh, ended. Not only does Lucy have to deal with the worry of her missing animals, but she has the sight of this dead lady now stuck in her head.

Leaving that case to the police (since she didn't know the lady and didn't have any stake in finding out who did it), Lucy finds a SECOND body up at the new winery. On one hand, the discovery caps off a disappointing debut of the winery's wines. On the other hand, maybe the two deaths are related? Possibly? Regardless, Lucy is invested now and she's putting her investigative skills to use as she attempts to ferret out the whos and whys of these two deaths.

A sweet little pup, a move forward in the romance department, a wedding (not Lucy's!), secrets, a twisted plan, lots of wine, and one lady who is determined to piece together the clues until she figures out what's what. *thumbs up*

Kiss for My Kraken by Honey Phillips [Review]

Kiss for My Kraken (Fairhaven Falls #7) by Honey Phillips
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: October 3, 2025

Fairhaven Falls
1. Trouble for My Troll
2. Fireworks for My Dragon Boss
3. Mistletoe for My Minotaur
4. Valentine for My Vampire
5. Gift for My Ghost
6. Wedding for My Werewolf
7. Kiss for My Kraken - Paperback | Kindle
8. Healed by My Hyde
8.5. The Botanist and the Beast
9. Brownies for My Grumpy Bunny
10. Guarded by My Gargoyle

Related books:
(Part of the Sweet Monster Treats series)
Cupcakes for My Orc Enemy
The Single Mom and the Orc
Protected by the Orc
Bidding on the Orc Outcast

Honey Phillips
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A lonely woman, a grumpy kraken, and a town determined to bring them together…

Nina needs a fresh start. Broke, alone, and desperate to escape her past, she stumbles into the quirky little town of Fairhaven Falls, hoping for a quiet place to rebuild her life. What she doesn’t expect is to nearly drown in the river on the edge of town—or to be saved by the town’s most mysterious resident.

Sam has spent most of his life lurking deep in the river, keeping his distance from the humans on shore. As a kraken, he’s used to being feared, whispered about, and left alone. But when he rescues Nina, something in him stirs—an unfamiliar and dangerous longing to keep her.

Nina should be terrified of the massive, tentacled creature who rescues her. Instead, she finds herself drawn to him—the gruff protector with bioluminescent skin, a possessive streak a mile wide, and a heart as deep as the ocean.

But just as she begins to believe she’s finally found a place to belong, her past comes calling, threatening to rip her new life—and her monster—from her grasp.

Sam has spent his life keeping his distance. But when danger comes for Nina, he’s ready to show the town—and the world—just how terrifyingly protective a kraken in love can be.

Welcome to Fairhaven Falls, where love is wet, wild, and all together wonderful!

Thoughts on Kiss for My Kraken: Flora has her matchmaking sights set on Sam, the kraken who keeps a low profile and doesn't feel like he's quite part of the town. The special someone Flora thinks is his perfect match? A human lady on the run who's just trying to find a safe place to land.

As it turns out, Fairhaven offers Nina the safest of places. She might have taken a tumble in the river not long after arriving, but she's rescued by a sexy monster, ends up with a job at the local tavern, and Flora manages to wrangle her a place to live (that happens to be close to the river because Flora is VERY GOOD at putting her matchmaking pieces where they need to be). So, yeah, Fairhaven might be the place Nina can settle in for good.

On Sam's end, he's drawn to Nina, but doesn't know if she can accept him as he is. As it turns out, the big guy just can't stay away from her, though. At first, he's determined to keep her safe while keeping his distance, but soon that isn't enough and, as it turns out, Nina is pretty darn open-minded when it comes to the individual who makes her feel safe. Honestly, she deserves all the safety and all the happiness, AS DOES SAM.

A little danger, a not-so-fun group who are determined to take Nina back, Flora doing her thing, found family, a kraken who doesn't realize how well he already fits in, and a lady who knows a good monster when she sees him. *thumbs up*

Running with the Werewolf by Laurie London [Review]

Running with the Werewolf (Darkaway Island #1) by Laurie London
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 15, 2025

Darkaway Island
1. Running with the Werewolf - Kindle

Laurie London
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Welcome to Darkaway Island: A destination resort for supernaturals.
Where Monsters Come to Play!

Daphne Dupree needed to get out of town after things at work got a little…complicated. The last thing she expected when she filled out a silly online quiz was winning a singles trip to paradise. Too good to be true? Probably.

Turns out, Darkaway Island is more than a little strange. People in costumes. Large dogs running around unleashed. And there’s a lot of crazy talk about monsters.

But the weirdest of all is that she seems to be part of a…dating contest.

The prize: a smoking-hot cowboy with an unhealthy fixation on the moon.

Travis Monroe wasn’t planning to stay long on the island. As the grumpy werewolf star of a supernatural soap opera, all he wants is to give his newly-inherited ranch to his sister then fly back to the set on his private plane.

Trouble is, if he isn’t mated by the White Wolf Moon, the ranch reverts to a half-brother he just met, and his sister loses everything.

Solution: Find a mate, sign over the property, break up. Falling in love isn’t in the script.

As Travis and Daphne spend time together on group dates and one-on-ones, his feelings for her grow, extending far beyond duty to his family. And she learns he’s more—much more—than just fangs and fur.

But a rival pack is stirring up trouble, and Daphne is hiding a secret of her own.

Do Travis and Daphne find love in paradise only to lose it in the end?

Thoughts on Running with the Werewolf: Daphne's found herself in a bit of a pickle. After being (grossly) propositioned by her boss, she accidentally came into possession of some paperwork that puts the company she works for in a bad spot. Then her direct supervisor had a car "accident" and now Daphne's looking for a place to lay low while the feds investigate. Winning a trip to remote Darkaway Island is perfect timing (if not the tiniest bit suspicious), but the island checks out and Daphne needs a place to hide and now she's hanging out on an island.

An island that happens to be a supernatural getaway destination. Daphne, as it turns out, wasn't aware that supernaturals were real and the trip she won was actually as a contestant on a dating reality show.

Yeah, it's complicated. Especially since the bachelor she's vying for is a wolf. Who needs to be mated in a fairly short frame of time. And he's a star on a supernatural show. Let's just say that being interrupted while trying to spend time together is A THING (sometimes it's unintentional, BUT STILL!) and both Daphne and Travis have to deal with that.

MEANWHILE, there's potential sabotage going on behind the scenes of the show, Daphne's boss is really unhappy about her turning him down (and turning the company in), and a book of dark magic seems to have formed an attachment to her. As books of dark magic sometimes do.

A little danger, a rival pack with a stake in the game, a supernatural town that welcomes a human, a wolf who isn't looking for love (but that's not going to stop anything), and a lady who had no ideas monsters were real before she ended up on an island full of them. GOOD STUFF!

Rock Hard Gargoyle by Maggie Mayhem [Review]

Rock Hard Gargoyle (Possessive Monsters #1) by Maggie Mayhem
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: October 1, 2025

Possessive Monsters
1. Rock Hard Gargoyle - Paperback | Kindle
2. Date with a Demon
3. The Naga Next Door
4. Rock and a Hard Place
5. Manticore Madness
6. Signed in Incubus
7. Here be Dragons
8. Mochas and Minotaurs
9. Handcuffs and Hexes
10. Incubus with Benefits

Maggie Mayhem (aka Lynnea Lee)
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Stuck between a rock-hard Gargoyle and a hard place.

After a break-in at my apartment, I get my very own security detail. Cool right? Wrong. The big, brooding beast assigned to protect me 24/7 is the very same cocky guard who caught me crashing a dragon’s wedding!

Grayson, the owner of Redrock Protective Services, is massive, powerful, and totally intimidating. Arrogant, too. Did I mention his slow, sultry smile or the wickedly possessive glint in his steel-gray eyes? Something inhuman flickers there, and I realize, too late, that I’ve caught the attention of a monster.

He vows to protect me from danger. His solution? Steal me away to his gorgeous penthouse high above the city. I should run before I do something stupid, like fall for the growly gargoyle. But I can’t. Evil lurks in the shadows waiting for me.

Now, the only thing that will save me is my very own possessive monster.

Thoughts on Rock Hard Gargoyle: We're diving into a little paranormal romance where monsters are living side by side with humans and, unfortunately, not everybody is thrilled by this. That said, Grayson and Shelby have NO PROBLEM doing the side by side thing. Amongst other things.

So. Shelby finds herself with an unexpected body guard when her place is broken into. The good news? Grayson is easy on the eyes and Shelby doesn't mind spending time with him. The bad news? Shelby is being targeted by a morally deficient group of magic users thanks to latent magic in her bloodline. Which means she's in danger.

Grayson isn't happy about the Shelby in danger part, but he doesn't mind AT ALL spending time with the sweet human. In fact, he's getting a little territorial about her and that can only mean one thing. He might have possibly found his mate. Probably.

A little danger, a real bonehead of an ex, some bad guys with bad plans, a gargoyle who can't stop thinking about his lady, and a lady who is getting a crash course in what she's capable of. Fun and sexy with a side of growly gargoyle. *thumbs up*

RtP's Week in Review (03/01/26)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Space Vampire by Ruby Dixon [Review] - Alien vampire love!
• Pastries and Pints by Allie Winters [Review] - Small town romance!
• The Lone Cyborg by Honey Phillips [Review] - Cyborg love!
• Fated to the Hunter by Lynnea Lee [Review] - Purple alien love!
• Beautiful Nightmare by Katee Robert [Review] - Demon love!
• My Boyfriends are all Monsters by Kimberly Lemming [Review] - Paranormal romance GOODNESS!

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile
• No Bones About It (Lexi Carmichael Mystery #16) by Julie Moffett
• Currently reading
• Alpha-Bet Soup by Riley Harp

My Boyfriends Are All Monsters by Kimberly Lemming [Review]

My Boyfriends Are All Monsters (Scared Sexy #6) by Kimberly Lemming
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: September 25, 2025

Scared Sexy
1. Hot for Slayer
2. Falling
3. Spicy Little Curses
4. Space Vampire
5. Beautiful Nightmare
6. My Boyfriends Are All Monsters - Kindle

Kimberly Lemming
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Lucy Sawyer’s wish for true love lands her in an enchanted town where the men are supernatural, the chemistry is off the charts, and everyone wants to date her. But they say that things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon Lucy may need to decide if she’s willing to pay the cost of her happily ever after.

Thoughts on My Boyfriends Are All Monsters: No lie, I didn't know what to expect with this book (multiple partners? love rhombuses? something else?!?) and HA I LIKED IT SO MUCH. Sure, sure, Lucy's suitor had a few creepy moments (people talking in unison is terrifying, okay?!?), but it/he WORKED. So hard.

To start, Lucy is in a bad place when we first meet her. Both literally and figuratively, as it turns out. The boyfriend she's followed on this hiking trip has left her to her own devices (aka, to make her way up the mountain to their campsite on her own) while he (probably) doesn't do much to fend off the advances of his "friend" who (likely) wants to get in his pants. Abandoned in the woods, Lucy indulges in a bit of whimsy to make herself feel better and tosses a coin in a well as she makes a wish.

As one might expect, not only does something hear her wish, it sets out to make it come true. Now Lucy is in a Hallmark movie-worthy town surrounded by sexy men who are all giving her bedroom eyes. Which is not a terrible place to be, as it turns out. Even better, once she realizes what's happening (well, once she gets over her disbelief after realizing what's happening, really) she has a veritable BOUNTY of sexy goodness to indulge with.

Let's just say that her suitor is willing to give Lucy anything she can imagine. And then some.

Seriously, this one was so much fun. *thumbs up*

Beautiful Nightmare by Katee Robert [Review]

Beautiful Nightmare (Scared Sexy #5) by Katee Robert
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: September 24, 2025

Scared Sexy
1. Hot for Slayer
2. Falling
3. Spicy Little Curses
4. Space Vampire
5. Beautiful Nightmare - Kindle
6. My Boyfriends Are All Monsters

Katee Robert
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When Gemma’s supposed to terrify her appointed victim, she ends up captivated instead. Caleb, a romantic who believes in all things supernatural, finds her adorably pink-skinned, horned form more alluring than alarming. But as their steamy night unfolds and unexpected feelings bloom, Gemma must choose between her demonic duties and the human who makes her feel anything but monstrous.

Thoughts on Beautiful Nightmare: Oh man. A paralysis demon who's REALLY bad at her job - which really was more about being forced into a box she didn't belong in than being bad, I guess. Gemma just wasn't the sort who wanted to terrify. She didn't like feeding off fear or causing it. However, being a demon, she kept trying even though it wasn't the thing that called to her.

What does call to her? Caleb and his kindness. His caring. His attraction to her. That last part kind of boggled her, to be honest. Spending time with him and being appreciated for all the parts she had to usually keep hidden was something she'd never experienced before. And she didn't hate it.

On Caleb's end, he didn't mean to get super turned on by the demon trying to scare him, but she was captivating and naked and THINGS HAPPENED. Spending time with her even when she was trying to scare him? WORTH EVERY MINUTE.

A sex-ay encounter, a little fear, a human who isn't nearly as afraid as he is expected to be, and a demon who finds attraction and caring a whole lot sweeter to snack on. I must say I liked this one. A lot!