Kristen Painter

I’ve spent so many books with Jayne Frost now that each one feels like coming back to chat with an old friend. In book seven, Jayne is getting married to Sinclair up in the North Pole. There are disastrous dress fittings. Her mom and aunt want to be a bit too involved (because of course) and when Bertie Caruthers come up to help with the planning and they go to inspect the royal coach, they find… duh duh duh… a skeleton. So now we have a bit of wedding planning, a bit of mystery. And show more wherever Jayne goes, tons of food. That winter elf likes her sugar! The story turned away from wedding plans for a while as the mystery was investigated. There was a mysterious disease similar to Black Lung in miners, but for snow elves, a mother and son, old equipment that hasn’t been used in decades… the mystery gradually unfolded! And of course, lots of time with cats! I liked how this mystery had plenty of surprises. We finally got to meet Sinclair’s family, and the wedding was sweet. This was a great (maybe?) conclusion to the series, though I confess I wouldn’t mind seeing more cozy mysteries. This series and the Nocturne Falls books are my favorites.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

The Shadowed Throne by Kristen Painter
Midland Fairytale series #4. Romantasy, paranormal romance. Best read in series order.
Queen Sparrow successfully brought the sun to the Malveaux Kingdom, but Queen Anyka still believes the Radiant Kingdom is rightfully hers to rule. Ro has a dream that tells her she needs an alliance with the neph, a shadow-dwelling people. Anyka forms a tighter alliance with the trolls. She’s going to end that woman and both kingdoms will be hers. The Darkness lives show more on.

Ankya is not happy with the sunshine in her kingdom. She’s driven by a darkness that she can’t control.
Ro wants peace but she’s not willing to passively sit back.
Dark vs. light. Does anyone win?

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook. The narration is performed by B.J. Harrison who performs the full series and the majority of this authors stories. He does a fantastic job with different voices for major and some secondary characters. Emotions come through clearly and deliberately. The performance is riveting.
I do listen at 1.5 and slightly higher so I can read along with a text version at the same time.

I liked how Ro continues to want the best for everyone but at the same time realizing she can’t just sit and wait. I also feel bad for Anyka. Yes, she’s power hungry but how much is the darkness?
The continued stories of the fairytale Midvale. Part fantasy, part romance, part family drama and politics.

I received a copy of this from the author. Opinions are my own. I also purchased a copy to keep. show less

The Werewolf Dates the Deputy by Kristen Painter

Book 12 of the Nocturne Falls series. Paranormal romance. Can be read as a stand-alone but better if you’ve read at least a few of the series books. I would recommend starting at the beginning for the full depth of the world building.

Nocturne Falls is a town were the paranormals live openly in public. Local water is spelled so that tourists and normals think it’s just a celebration of Halloween 365 days a year.
In this book, Titus, the show more fire chief and Jenna, a deputy go on an emergency call together and end up under a spell that keeps them within a hundred feet of each other. The werewolf and Valkyrie are forced to work together to discover who set them up and why the spell includes a love potion.

Fun, bewitching, and enchanting. Punny! Engaging too.
For some reason, I noticed they do a lot of eating in this book. They definitely get their 3 a day. It is amusing to revisit the town and its established restaurants from the series. Many of the previous series couples and residents make appearances in the story as the investigation becomes dangerous.
A wonderful addition to the series. show less

The Ranger Courts the Celtic Witch by Kristen Painter
Nocturne Falls series #18. Paranormal shifter romance. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Welcome to Nocturne Falls. A town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year so that the paranormal vampires, witches, shifters, gargoyles and more can live openly without risk of exposure.
Gunner Brigg’s is a park ranger. He loves the solitude and quietness of his job. Getting stuck with a chaos imp is not his idea of a fun time. He’s heard stories of show more how wishes can go very wrong and wants nothing to do with the three wishes he’s received.
Celtic witch Mattie Sharpe offers to help Gunner with this wishes. It’s her fault that Blueberry ended up in Gunner’s care.
Gunner and Mattie end up spending time together cleaning up after the wishes and they become close.
It only takes one misspoken wish for chaos to reign.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narration is performed by B.J. Harrison who does the majority of the books by this author. The narrator is able to create multiple voices for the main characters as well as a few secondary. The playback is fun, engaging, and entertaining.
For me, this narrator is a bit slow, so I typically listen at 1.8 or higher so I can read at the same time. This speed is also more consistent with regional conversation speed.

I love reading the Nocturne Falls books and getting glimpses of recurring characters like Birdie, Delaney and Alice. And I always wish I could magic the food to me from Mummy’s, Salvatore’s and Delaney’s Delectables. This romance was sweet, and charming. Blueberry was funny and a loving trouble maker.
A wonderful visit to my favorite place.

I received advanced copies of this and also purchased a copy to keep and reread. show less