Sunday, October 5, 2025

Review: Tourist Season

 


Title: Tourist Season 

Series: Seasons of Carnage 

Author: Brynne Weaver 

Release Date: September 23, 2025 



Welcome to Cape Carnage! Visit Once, Stay Forever.


Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colorful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. But with tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won’t let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary at any cost—especially for her aging mentor with a fading memory.


Troublesome tourists don’t check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper’s award-winning flowerbeds. But Nolan Rhodes isn’t your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. On every anniversary of the hit-and-run accident that fractured his life, Nolan slays another target. And he’s saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. 


The problem? Harper isn’t the monster he expected. And she won’t go down without a fight. When an amateur true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage on the trail of a long-lost serial killer, Harper and Nolan strike an uneasy truce. If Nolan helps Harper protect her town, she’ll keep quiet about his hunting habits . . . for now. But their alliance soon spirals into obsession, one that threatens to shatter every secret in Carnage—including their fragile love.


Tourist Season is a darkly funny, slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance where destruction and desire are balanced on the edge of a blade—and where love is the most dangerous battleground of all.



Goodreads | Amazon 



Nolan rolls into Cape Carnage, a quirky town with a high body count, he has one goal in mind - Revenge. He's here slay another target on the anniversary of the hit and run accident that cost him nearly everything. And he has his sights set on Harper. Except she isn't anything like he expected. She doesn't balk at gruesome gifts, doesn't run at threats, and surprisingly she is protective of her mentor and the town,and she won't go down without a fight. Nolan doesn't know what to make of her. But when a amateur true crime investigator rolls into town, Nolan and Harper form a uneasy truce. But their alliance soon begins to unravel into obsession which threatens to shatter all the secrets of Cape Carnage. 

So, I was looking forward to this book, for spooky season & overall I enjoyed it. It was a dark Rom-Com filled with trigger warnings, and tourist town fun. 

While you don't have to read the Ruinous Love series before this - I do recommend at least reading Butcher & Blackbird (& then maybe the Love & Other Killers novella) - to get a little backstory on Harper (again, not necessary). 

Harper came to Cape Carnage to start over. She befriends Auther who becomes her mentor & makes a promise to look over the picture-perfect yet quirky town that she has come to love. But Harper -and the town- have secrets. Ones that have been buried for years but are being threatened to resurface. Nolan came to Cape Carnage to take revenge. Nothing screams relaxing vacation like a little murder and mayhem. He's been dreaming of finally completing his revenge, but nothing has been turning out as he hoped, and Harper is nothing like he thought. 

Like I said, I liked this book well enough. It wasn't as funny or as fun as Butcher & Blackbird. I did enjoy reading about Harper and Nolan - and the start of their enemies-to-lovers relationship; since it appears this trilogy may focus entirely on one couple- I wasn't able to FEEL some of their connection like I would have hoped. (Also would liked to have seen more from the hate between the characters too). Otherwise the book is a cute, light dark romance that ends on a cliffy -so you will be waiting for answers - with some charm. I can't wait to find out more about not only Harper & Nolan but Cape Carnage. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

4🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 


Tropes: 

• Dark Rom-Com 

• serial unalivers 

• enemies to lovers 

• forced proximity 

• blackmail 

• secrets & mystery 

• secret identity 

• found family 

• small town romance 

• he falls first 

• touch her & 💀 


Trigger Warnings: 

- murder bird (& human snacks) 

- eyeballs & eye sockets 

- stalking & voyeurism 

- breaking & entering & theft 

- references to physical & psychological torture 

- drowning 

- vehicular collisions/car accidents

- weapons (axes, knives, guns, needles, chainsaws, garrotes, three hole punches, woodchippers, lawn aerator etc) 

- kidnapping 

- medical setting & details & trauma (including CPR, hospitals, & long term recovery) 

- murder & violence 

- explicit language 

- explicit sexual content (including bdsm, brat/brat tamer kink, impact play, rough sex, adult toys, pain play, knife play, & body modification)

- Alzheimer's Disease (& Mild Cognitive Impairment & Dementia including symptoms, care, memory loss, and mood & behavioral changes) 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 


Brynne Weaver is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ruinous Love Trilogy and the Seasons of Carnage Trilogy. She’s a fan of velociraptors, the Alien movies (well, most of them), red wine, and wild adventures, and can relate nearly anything you say to a line from the movie Hot Fuzz.




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Thursday, October 2, 2025

Review: The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys

 


Title: The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys

Series: The Witchwood Boys 

Author: C.M. Stunich 

Release Date: March 2025 



Those witch pricks betrayed me in the worst possible way.

I’m not about to run home and bake f*cking cupcakes, move on, and pretend to be happy.

I’d rather rage.

These men told me I wasn’t allowed to leave, that they’d follow me anywhere.

Well, it goes both ways, my dear stubborn husbands.

You aren’t allowed to leave, and I will do anything to enforce that.

I’ll slaughter the Hag Wytch. I’ll break our world and the Witchwoods both.

Because you were I am a villain, and I will kill the world for you.

I’m sad. Please send cockies. I mean cookies.

Not cookies baked with jizz, but actual cookies.

***includes 12,000 words of brand-new bonus material!

The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys is a reverse harem/why choose romance (meaning one woman with three men). This is a genre blending series that’s a little bit cozy, a little bit dark, a lot bit spicy, and full of love, romance, action, and fantasy. Inside, you’ll find epic battles, a woman that’s part owl god, and our world blended with a fantasy forest. This is a complete series in 4 books (this is #4).



Goodreads | Amazon 



The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys is the forth & final book of the Witchwood Boys series, wrapping up Kate & Brooks & Tanner & Marlowe's story. 

Kate & her coven work on trying to seal the gate along with trying to get the Internet taken care of, teaching the new coven what they need to know, along with just trying to live their every day life - from work, to rumors- but a new curse is added to the mix. Now it's a race against time for Witchwood Coven to find answers, but magic may not be able to fix this. Will the Witchwood Coven be Ble to save not only themselves, but the world, or will the curse doom them all. 

This book took me longer to finish than I would have liked - I just didn't have as much time to read as I had hoped. But last night I pushed through the last 28% or so. 

So I really enjoyed the Witchwood Boys series - I loved seeing and learning about each of the characters as they grew. Trouble seems to find them no matter if they were in the Witchwoods or back in their little town, but I enjoyed seeing them solve and overcome everything that was sent their way - from the guys learning to survive the new decade, to them trending on the Internet, to work & dating & their friendships and bromances to their magical problems like sealing the gate & dealing with the Hag Wytch. They planned when they could and adjusted when necessary. They were definitely a force to be reckoned with. 

Although, the ending felt both rushed and drawn out (it had 6 epilogues!). It felt rushed bc the major conflict at the end just was taken care of (ok I get magic - but I feel like some details could have been shared on the how over it all. And it didn't quite make sense, but it could have just been me being overly tired & I missed something). Plus 6 epilogues is a little excessive - but by that point it was nearly 2 am and I just wanted to finish so I could sleep. 

Overall I enjoyed the book, the series & the characters. If you are looking to merge some dark paranormal why choose with cozy fantasy - which I didn't know was a thing but it perfectly describes this series - then this series is for you & was a great fall read. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

4🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 


Tropes: 

• Why Choose 

•Paranormal/Fantasy 

• Dark Romance 

• Witchy/Magic 

• Stalker 

• Posessive/OTT MMCs 

• Forced Proximity 

• Psycho MMCs 

• Morally Black MMCs 

• Touch Her & 💀 


Trigger Warnings: 

- Stalker 

- Rituals/dark magic  

- blood play 

- semon play 

- primal play/chasing 

- dub con/non con 

- violence/gore 

- monsters 

- self harm/suicide



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


C.M. Stunich is a socially awkward hermit chick with a fondness for bats. As both a mood reader and a mood writer, she’s into all genres - just so long as they have romance. When not writing about tattooed alpha-holes, she can be found penning alien smut or spicy slow-burn romances featuring bubble tea. If we’re talking romantasy, she’s a sucker for the cranky prince trope. Caitlin lives with her spouse in the Pacific Northwest with too many border collies and a black cat who bites (and also sees ghosts). They are all weirdly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas (especially the cat).




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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Review: The Witchwood Boys Did Me Dirty

 


Title: The Witchwood Boys Did Me Dirty

Series: Witchwood Boys 

Author: C.M. Stunich 

Release Date: January 2025 



These forgotten witches aren’t too wicked to fall for.

A coven of shadows with a curse on my heart and my house.

They bake f*cked-up cupcakes in my kitchen and unalive influencers in my front yard.

These men make zombies out of their own relatives, and a panting mess out of their own wife.

The Witchwoods are a violent stain on the world.

Eradicating that blight is worth the dirty, rotten things we do.

With a second coven’s sacrifice, we can close the gate.

Locking the Hag Wytch in her supernatural prison has to be easier with more witches.

Bet nobody wants to help me in exchange for cumcakes, huh?

The Witchwood Boys Did Me Dirty is a reverse harem/why choose romance (meaning one woman with three men). It’s a dark, sensual romantasy with a splash of campy horror. Inside, you’ll find graveyards, romps in dark woods, and confessions of undying love.




Goodreads | Amazon 



So Witchwood Boys Did Me Dirty is book 3 in the series, & the story starts to quicken as time runs out and the Witchwood Witches are trying to juggle saving the world, with work, trying to curb the craze of the influencers & Internet and their budding romance. Of course things are never as easy as it seems. The Hag Wytch is hunting them - waiting behind every corner. The Internet is ruthless and set to ruin them. And even if the Witchwood Boys are rough around the edges, and they haven't been together long, Kate is falling for each of her men, and they are falling for her in turn. But will they survive the Hag Wytch and save the world to enjoy their lives together - or will the Hag Wytch tear them apart? 

I have really been enjoying this series, and while I think book 2 was a bit slower than the 1st, book 3 picks back up and offers more than just the danger the Witches are in. Between friendship and romance and a mix of cumcakes this book delivers. And I can't wait to see where the final book takes us after that ending. 

4 ⭐ out of 5⭐

4🌶️ out of 5 🌶️. 


Tropes: 

• Why Choose 

•Paranormal/Fantasy 

• Dark Romance 

• Witchy/Magic 

• Stalker 

• Posessive/OTT MMCs 

• Forced Proximity 

• Psycho MMCs 

• Morally Black MMCs 

• Touch Her & 💀 


Trigger Warnings: 

- Stalker 

- Rituals/dark magic  

- blood play 

- semon play 

- primal play/chasing 

- dub con/non con 

- violence/gore 

- monsters 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


C.M. Stunich is a socially awkward hermit chick with a fondness for bats. As both a mood reader and a mood writer, she’s into all genres - just so long as they have romance. When not writing about tattooed alpha-holes, she can be found penning alien smut or spicy slow-burn romances featuring bubble tea. If we’re talking romantasy, she’s a sucker for the cranky prince trope. Caitlin lives with her spouse in the Pacific Northwest with too many border collies and a black cat who bites (and also sees ghosts). They are all weirdly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas (especially the cat).




Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon

Sunday, September 21, 2025

Review: Top Shelf

 


Title: Top Shelf 

Series: Seattle Serpents 

Author: Teagan Hunter 

Release Date: October 2, 2025 



I have two goals this season:

1. Prove to the Seattle Serpents I’m more than just the old guy.

2. Don’t fall for my captain’s stepsister.


In my defense, I had no clue who Vanessa was when we met. We were in a different city. How was I supposed to know she’s my teammate’s stepsister?


Now she’s in Seattle, still healing from her divorce, and apparently, she’s here to stay. That would be fine if I didn’t still think about our night together every waking hour. Thing is, I do think about it—constantly—and then when I find out she needs a place to live, I offer my spare room.


We’re roommates, and that’s it. Until it isn’t.


We’re just having fun, that’s all. Except nothing feels like just fun. It feels far too real and far too serious, and her stepbrother has no idea about us living together or that I’m slowly falling for her.


So much for focusing on the season…


TOP SHELF is a standalone hockey romance novel. There’s an age gap, a veteran player falling for his teammate’s stepsister, a woman recovering from a broken heart, sneaking around, a one-night stand, one bed, lots of steam, ridiculous group chats amongst teammates, and a happy ending.




Goodreads | Website 



So I have been in a serious reading slump off and on all year, struggling to find a book to hold my attention and just read in general. But when I picked up Top Shelf I didn't want to put it down - not to play Monopoly Deal and not even to eat. It was exactly what I needed and I loved every second of it. 

Top Shelf is the lastest book in the Seattle Serpents series and follows Locke one of the oldest members on the team and one of the last members of the Seattle Serpents Singles Club to be, well, single. Which is fine by him - he wants to remain single until he can hoist the Cup over his head. He doesn't need any distractions right now, because they could end his career. 

But when they were all hanging out in his Captain's house, and a blonde walks into the front door - his mind is taken back to months before when he had a one-night stand while at an away game- and he realizes the distraction found him. The blonde he slept with all those months ago? His Captain's stepsister Vanessa. Which means she's off-limits. 

But that doesn't stop Locke from offering her his spare room, and them becoming roommates. And that doesn't stop them from fooling around. But it's far too real for it to just be them having fun. 

I really enjoyed this book & these characters and this series. Top Shelf was entwined with the humor and banter, but with emotion too - Vanessa's divorce hitting fairly close to my own situation. 

Vanessa was fresh out of a divorce when her and Locke first met. 

Locke hoping he isn't getting too old to keep up with the game. 

Their one night together felt like more than just one night with a stranger - which scared Vanessa. What she didn't expect was her to find her one night stand in her stepbrother's house when she went to ask Hutch for help. Or for him to offer her a place to stay. Or for them to end up in bed together again. And again. But Locke understood her in a way no one else did. 

I loved this book, these characters, & this series, and I can't wait to see what else Teagan has in store for us. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐.

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 


Tropes: 

• romantic comedy 

• sports romance 

• teammate's stepsister 

• forbidden 

• age gap 

• one night stand 

• one bed 

• secret hookups 

• found family 


Trigger Warnings: 

- divorce 

- cheating (from the ex, is mentioned throughout) 

- emotional abuse/toxic relationship (red flags from the ex, is mentioned throughout). 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Hi, I’m Teagan!

I write steamy romantic comedies with lots of sarcasm and a side of heart. I love pizza, hockey, and romance novels, though not in that order. When not writing, you can find me watching entirely too many hours of Supernatural, One Tree Hill, or New Girl. I’m mildly obsessed with Halloween and prefer cooler weather. I married my high school sweetheart, and we currently live in the PNW.






Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon | Goodreads | 

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Review: Come Dance With the Witchwood Boys

 


Title: Come Dance With the Witchwood Boys 

Series: Witchwood Boys 

Author: C.M. Stunich 

Release Date: November 2024



I accidentally married three witch stalkers.

They've escaped perpetual hell, courtesy of yours truly.

They’ve also gone viral with their annoying thirst trap asses in leather.

#theWitchwoodBoys

Fine. The power of magic is worth the price.

Though getting trapped in those woods again is always a possibility.

We’ll have to seal the gate with a little … group participation.

We’ll need to utilize a sex-based resurrection spell.

I can the Hag Wytch does eat people while they’re still alive and screaming—even if that person is your lover.

I still need help. Will pay in pumpkin bread.

Come Dance with the Witchwood Boys is a reverse harem/why choose romance (meaning one woman with three men). It’s an urban fantasy with a ton of spicy scenes, and a dash of Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Inside, you’ll find invisibility spells, sexy chess games, and inappropriate broom scenes. All characters are 22 or older.




Goodreads | Amazon 



So I have been enjoying this story, but haven't had as much time to read as I would have liked, and ended up hitting a slump part way through reading so instead of taking just a day or two to finish, it's been nearly two weeks. 

I still am enjoying getting to know each of the characters better. & Still loving the spooky witchy vibes perfect for this season. It may be a dark fantasy why choose - but it has more of a cozy feel to it. & These books are mostly quick reads - when you aren't hit by a reading slump part way through. 

The overall series plot is still very much there - working towards a goal that they started on in book 1 but still haven't reach the finish line with. But a plot for this book is lacking a bit. It feels more like a filler book (like a filler episode in a TV show). The spice was spicing, the characters growing but the emotions may have been moving a little quick - between the two books the characters moved from a hasty hating to already talking about love & possibly kids - so the emotion seems a little rushed. 

Overall I am still liking these books & I cannot wait to read more from this series to find out what happens next & with these characters - who are finally starting to grow and flesh out a little more then what we initially learn of them in book 1. 

3.5 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐

4 🌶️ out of 5 🌶️


Tropes: 

• Why Choose 

•Paranormal/Fantasy 

• Dark Romance 

• Witchy/Magic 

• Stalker 

• Posessive/OTT MMCs 

• Forced Proximity 

• Psycho MMCs 

• Morally Black MMCs 

• Touch Her & 💀 


Trigger Warnings: 

- Stalker 

- Rituals/dark magic  

- blood play 

- semon play 

- primal play/chasing 

- dub con/non con 

- violence/gore 

- monsters 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


C.M. Stunich is a socially awkward hermit chick with a fondness for bats. As both a mood reader and a mood writer, she’s into all genres - just so long as they have romance. When not writing about tattooed alpha-holes, she can be found penning alien smut or spicy slow-burn romances featuring bubble tea. If we’re talking romantasy, she’s a sucker for the cranky prince trope. Caitlin lives with her spouse in the Pacific Northwest with too many border collies and a black cat who bites (and also sees ghosts). They are all weirdly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas (especially the cat).




Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon