Lish McBride

In all of my romance-novel-binging over the past few years, very few of them have been fantasy romance. But, of the ones I have read, most of them don't seem to get the balance right. Either they're so focused on world-building and/or plot development that the romance becomes an afterthought, or they're basically straight-up romance with a little bit of magic shoehorned in. But A Little Too Familiar by Lish McBride manages to get the romance and the magic proportioned and blended together show more perfectly into a book that I stayed up WAAAAY too late listening to, and ultimate wound up finishing in less than 24 hours.

Lou is an animal mage, working in a magical vet's office helping other witches bond to their familiars. Her new housemate, Declan, is a (very hot) werewolf shifter who has a very bad reaction when he finds out what she is. Declan was looking for a fresh start after escaping the horrors of his past: his father essentially founded a werewolf cult, and his stepmother - who is also an animal mage - tortured him with extreme and illegal forms of magic until he was able to get himself and his sister free. His parents have been in jail for most of Declan's adult life, but now have broken out, and they're coming for him. But in trying to protect him from an attack, Lou performs a desperate act of forbidden magic herself, threatening their whole family and the pack that Declan has started to rebuild for himself.

Y'all, this book has just about everything: One of the best found-families in a romance that I've ever read. (Lou's actual family is large and extended enough that I could have used a family tree or two to keep all the half-sibs straight, plus all of Lou & Declan's friends and roommates.) Steamy romance with magical bonding that allows for mental communication and magic/strength-sharing. A kind and compassionate approach towards folks with trauma and PTSD, including characters actually utilizing therapy (on the page, even!). Lots of consideration of boundaries and consent and power imbalances, not just between Lou & Declan, but side characters as well. Enough of a sense of humor to keep things from getting grim, even with all the horrible things from Declan's past, but none of the characters felt like they were there just for the sake of comic relief. A baby phoenix and a pair of magical ferrets (okay, maybe the ferrets were mostly comic relief, but still important to the plot!). An approach to werewolves that (finally!) takes the alpha-wolf BS and turns it on its head -- in this book (as in actual wolves), being an alpha doesn't mean constant testosterone-fueled fighting to make sure that all of the members of your pack stay in line, it means making sure that all of the members of your pack are safe and fed. (Seriously, an alpha wolf packing lunches that are tailored to each housemate's dietary preferences is not something I knew I needed in my reading life, but I absolutely did.)

I will ding this book slightly for not having the clearest and cleanest resolution at the ending. It's not a cliffhanger or anything, but space was clearly being left for one or more sequels, and as a result, not all of the threads get neatly wrapped up. But I enjoyed everything else about this book so much that I will absolutely be picking up that sequel when it does come out. show less

Sam is perfecting the slacker lifestyle. He dropped out of college after one year and is now slinging burgers at a fast-food joint in his hometown of Seattle. However, a chance encounter one evening brings him to the attention of the most powerful necromancer in the area and Sam suddenly discovers that he's a necromancer too. Now his life is really screwed up and his chances of surviving the next week look increasingly slim.

A darker YA fantasy novel, this book definitely has a fun element as show more well. Sam and his group of friends have an authentically sarcastic sense of humour that makes the book a delight to read. I enjoyed McBride's stylistic choices of making chapters about Sam first person while any other perspectives were done in limited third person. She also creates a fascinatingly dark supernatural fantasy world that will have a definite appeal for adults. In addition, she crafts a decently suspenseful plot that it was easy to get caught up in. The book resolves all of the main plot points but leaves an opening for a continuation of the narrative, which I would definitely take a peek at. show less

Wow, excellent! It's a cozy paranormal romance that's all about the characters and their relationships. The lead pair start off antagonists for - reasonable reasons that don't really apply. Trauma doesn't listen to logic very well. Then she's the only solution to his problem, and they mess up slightly, and it becomes a whole legal and moral brangle - except that both of those directly involved are quite certain of the other's ethics, so it's all trivia. With consequences, and another set of show more interesting characters. HEA, of course, with nice twists to get there. More, please! Also a very interesting world - nice angles on werewolves, witches, other magic users... show less

With an addicting mix of sass, humor, and edge-of-the-seat danger, the tale holds tension and so much more.

Rick and Martina have been best friends forever, and that's never going to change. Since both like to let their rebellious sides show every so often, they are also the first to be pegged by the school as suspicious when the yearbook comes out with an altered page—a list with several people and how they will find their deaths. Everyone believes it's a prank, but then, the listed people show more begin to die. The police aren't convincing in their attempts to figure things out, so the teens on the list decide to form their own group to try to get to the bottom of things. But the murderer is slippery, and every step they take forward seems to send them, one by one, to their death.

While there's tension, mystery, deadly moments, and quite a few surprises that make this into a grabbing read, the author has also added spunk, heart, and quite a bit of character arc. Rick and Martina form the backbone of the tale, not as the main sleuths, but rather, their relationship gives a solid backing to the rising suspense. Their friendship (and it is pure friendship) isn't only golden but works as a solid balance against the darker scenes. Not only is their dialogue sarcastic and humorous, but both are vulnerable in their own ways to create needed authenticity. Especially Rick steers aspects of social awkwardness and grows throughout the read. All along, the horror of the murders and even some gore, keep the thriller aspect high.

Unlike many books in this genre, the adults aren't left in the dark, and their concern also adds natural richness. At the same time, the adults' activities are dampened to let the teens face the danger mostly on their own. I wondered at the inability of the parents, police, and school, actually, but it was, at least, realistic enough to grab and hold the reader in the pages the entire way through. The tension builds with every chapter and creates a very exciting ending. It wasn't easy to figure out who the murderer was, and while the reasoning behind it could have used a little more foundation, it's anything but boring.

Fans of thrillers, who want smarter characters who come across with depth, are sure to enjoy diving into this one. show less