Men in Black meets Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum in the fourth urban fantasy novel in the series starring seer Makenna Fraser and her fellow agents at Supernatural Protection & Investigation.

The agents of Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) are paid to keep the peace. But that's not so easy when an endless evil threatens to tear that peace to pieces...

A vampire gangster's nephew is abducted off his yacht by a bunch of low-rent Creatures from the Black Lagoon. A slew of banks are knocked over by what looks like the cast of Night of the Living Dead. All of this may seem like the movies, but, I promise you, it's not.

I'm Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI, and I know the culprits aren't wearing disguises or makeup. They're real. Deadly real. Especially their leader--an ancient shapeshifter who leaves a trail of chaos and blood in his wake. Now, he's taken my partner, Ian--and his intentions aren't pretty.

The worst part? This is only the beginning...

The beginning of the end of the human race.

While I have some small quibbles, THE GHOUL VENDETTA was exactly what I expected from Shearin and The SPI Files. Fun, dramatic, witty and an all around good read, THE GHOUL VENDETTA continues the series in a great way, answering some questions while opening new avenues for the story to go down. This book captivated me from the very beginning, and I read it in only two sittings.

First of all, Mac and Rake. I swear, every scene they had together made me want to swoon. Their relationship is progressing so adorably and I just loved every moment they were on the page as a unit. Rake has progressed a long way from his seemingly bad guy ways in the earlier books, and is almost tender and sweet to Mac. It is everything I want it to be!

Lest you think the romance is the main focus of the book (it is most definitely not), let's talk about the mystery. I loved how Shearin has clearly been dropping hints for the past three books leading up to this one. This bad guy takes the cake, and this mystery was super personal for the SPI team. Mac also really starts to come into her own in this book, able to actually shoot a gun and kind of take care of herself (though the men around don't seem to want to let her). She's grown more comfortable with her boss and partner and I loved seeing how that manifested itself.

Also, for those of you who have read Shearin's Raine Benares series, there's some awesome Easter eggs in THE GHOUL VENDETTA. (I was very excited by this!)

My one complaint, and honestly, this is very minor, is the fact that there seemed to be a bit of repetition. Something that would be on one page would be repeated in a different way (but same fact) on the next page, and I got a little frustrated with that. This however, could be a bonus for a new reader to the series, since they would pretty much get all the background details very easily. I also would have liked to see Mac be a little more independent, but I understand the circumstances that have put her in the situation she's in.

All in all, THE GHOUL VENDETTA does not disappoint! Shearin does an excellent job of maintaining the action, mystery and romance that has kept me glued to this series since it started, and has me dying for each new book. A fast read, THE GHOUL VENDETTA is definitely worth it if you like sarcastic main characters, swoon-worthy romance, and very evil bad guys who hold a grudge.

1. The Grendel Affair - 4/5
2. The Dragon Conspiracy - 5/5
3. The Brimstone Deception - 5/5
4. The Ghoul Vendetta

• Vampire Book Club - 4/5
• Bookpushers - A
• Bea's Book Nook

• For another series by the same author, try the Raine Benares series by Lisa Shearin.
• For another series with magical law enforcement agents, try Cursed (Fallen Siren #1) by S. J. Harper.

A post from All Things Urban Fantasy Get more! Follow us on Twitter | Goodreads

Everson Croft here, professor of mythology and behind-the-scenes wizard.

Show me an amateur conjurer, and I’ll stop him before he gets himself killed.

That’s the idea, anyway. But New York City isn’t what it used to be, and I don’t mean the recent crash.

Amateur casters are calling up creatures they shouldn’t be able to. And there’s been a murder at the city’s most hallowed cathedral, a message in blood on the victim’s back the NYPD wants me to interpret, like yesterday.

Something tells me I’m in over my head. And that’s not just Chinatown’s newest mob boss, a scary-powerful vampire, or my possessed cat talking.

No matter how much magic I hurl, worse keeps chasing bad, and I’m amassing enemies like they’re aluminum cans.

Did I mention the end of the world might be nigh?

Damn. Maybe I’m the amateur here.

If Harry Dresden were a college professor in a post financial crash New York City he would be Professor Croft. No, DEMON MOON is not a carbon copy of the Dresden Files, but there are enough similarities that I feel at home in the Prof Croft universe. College professor may not have the same ring to it as “Harry Dresden - Wizard. Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations… No Love Potions… Parties, or Other Entertainment,” but Prof Croft can still kick some serious demon butt.

Usually I like my Urban Fantasy to take place in our world, meaning I wouldn’t normally like an urban fantasy that takes place some point in the future where we’ve had a financial crash. I like Urban Fantasy becasue it allows me to imagine the fantastical in the world around me. But the world of DEMON MOON was still similar enough that I still enjoyed it.

The magic system in DEMON MOON is very Dresden-esque. Summoning circles, component based, caries a staff. However, the origin of that magic is completely different. The world of Prof Croft, at least so far, seems to be about the struggle that wizards have to keep demons out of the human world. This goes back to the creation. When the original nine saints fought against the nine demons. As the war waged on it eventually whittled down to just Michael and three demons. He was able to banish them, and Michael’s descendent's became the wizards of the world, protecting humans from demons.

If you’re like me and are impatiently awaiting the next Harry Dresden book, then give DEMON MOON and Prof Croft a try. DEMON MOON will give you the Harry Dresden feel without having to wait two years for the next book.

1. Demon Moon
2. Blood Deal

• If you're looking for another book with a mystery solving wizard try Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series.

A post from All Things Urban Fantasy Get more! Follow us on Twitter | Goodreads

A typical day in the life of Charley Davidson involves cheating husbands, missing people, errant wives, philandering business owners, and oh yeah...demons, hell hounds, evil gods, and dead people. Lots and lots of dead people. As a part time Private Investigator and full-time Grim Reaper, Charley has to balance the good, the bad, the undead, and those who want her dead. In this eleventh installment, Charley is learning to make peace with the fact that she is a goddess with all kinds of power and that her own daughter has been born to save the world from total destruction. But the forces of hell are determined to see Charley banished forever to the darkest corners of another dimension. With the son of Satan himself as her husband and world-rocking lover, maybe Charley can find a way to have her happily ever after after all.

ELEVENTH GRAVE IN MOONLIGHT continues the tradition of the Charley Davidson series of being sassy and fun with an undercurrent of danger and mystery.

As usual, Charley gets herself into trouble on multiple fronts, dealing with child kidnappers and haunted offices, amongst other things. The action was nearly non-stop and there were threads from multiple plot lines throughout the entire book, such as Charley learning about her past and trying to find out about the future. The normal cast of characters was there, and Charley and Reyes continue to be smoking hot together, which is awesome.

One thing that drove me a little nuts is that the book ended in a major cliff-hanger, which is something you think I would be used to with this series, but it always feels like I got run over by a truck. I cannot WAIT for the next book, THE TROUBLE WITH TWELFTH GRAVE, which apparently is coming out later this year.

All in all, I loved ELEVENTH GRAVE IN MOONLIGHT, and I would definitely recommend it to any Charley Davidson fan. However, if you're not a fan, this series gets increasingly hard to jump into. So, my three star rating is definitely for new readers - ELEVENTH GRAVE IN MOONLIGHT is a fun read, and Jones does a reasonably good job of explaining the back story, but you're just not going to enjoy it as much as if you're already immersed in the Charley Davidson world.

1. First Grave on the Right
2. Second Grave on the Left
3. Third Grave Dead Ahead
4. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet – 4/5
5. Fifth Grave Past the Light – 4/5
6. Sixth Grave on the Edge - 4/5
7. Seventh Grave and No Body - 4/5
8. Eighth Grave After Dark - 4/5
9. The Dirt on Ninth Grave - 3/5
10. The Curse of Tenth Grave -4/5
11. Eleventh Grave in Moonlight

• Harlequin Junkie - 5/5
• Vampire Book Club - 4/5
• Under the Covers Book Blog - 5/5

• For another series by the same author, try the Darklight series by Darynda Jones.
• For another series with a main character who can talk to the dead, try the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price.

A post from All Things Urban Fantasy Get more! Follow us on Twitter | Goodreads