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tesaelin 's review for:
Magical Midlife Meeting
by K.F. Breene
Main Characters:
Jacinda “Jessie” Evans Ironheart - (FMC) - Having arrived in the town recently widowed and down on her luck, she accepts the position at Ivy House which turns out to be a magical bond. The bond gave her powers and allows her to transform into a gargoyle.
Austin Steele - (MMC) - Exceptionally loyal to Jessie and the town, he has finally accepted his role as Alpha and accepted the position of #1 in Jessie's council for Ivy House. He believes Jessie to be his one & only mate and is patiently waiting for her to realize the same. Transforms into a polar bear.
Side Characters:
Earl, Mr. Tom - Older than old, Lurch-wannabe, gargoyle butler to Ivy House. He takes his self-proclaimed protection duties for Jesse a bit too seriously and is generally at entertaining odds with his rival, Niamh. He holds the #9 position in the Ivy House Council.
Niamh Murphy - Quirky neighbor and guardian to Ivy House. When she's not drinking everyone at under the table at Austin's bar, she's likely pelting Dick & Jane's with rocks. She is a puca who can transform into an alicorn or gremlin-like creature. She doesn't hold her punches and enjoys jokes at the others' expense. She is #3, #5 in the Ivy House Council.
Edgar - Resident vampire gardener at Ivy House. Also charged with protecting Ivy House and, consequently, its caretaker. He's the oldest vampire and, while the house gave him some internal youth, his mind is a bit more questionable. He is #12 in the Ivy House Council.
Jimmy - Jessie's son. He's away at college but officially in the loop as to the magical world after a brief visit where Jessie let the cat out of the bag.
Ulric - A gargoyle who answered the summons. He's jovial and quickly becomes loyal to Jessie and their group. He finally earns his spot on the council as #6 in the role of bringing the group together having overcome his past struggles.
Jasper - Another gargoyle who answer the summons. He is stoic and quiet but has earned his spot on the council as #8.
Kace - A previous member of Kingsley's pack. He decided to stick around in Austin's pack after the events of the last book. He's Austin's second/beta. Transforms into a wolf.
Basajuan - He's a basajuan, a big foot-esque, (still unnamed) supernatural being who has taken a liking to Jessie and especially the delicious flowers Edgar has slaved over around the property. He trades his services for a bite often. He usurped Niamh and took the #3 Council position at Ivy House.
Kingsley Barazza - Austin's brother and alpha to their family pack.
Nathaniel - A powerful gargoyle who answered Jessie's summons. He seems to sit back and observe most of the interactions in the house. He is #11 on the Ivy House Council taking the role on anchor.
Cyra - A phoenix who responded to Jessie's summons. She very powerful but comically out of touch with the world as Dicks & Janes know it. She is #2 in the Ivy House Council.
Hollice - A thunderbird who arrived with the phoenix when Jessie's sent out her summons. He seems the most level-headed of the group at this point but it's only a matter of time before the insanity catches him as well. He is #4 on the Ivy House Council.
Isabelle - Another shifter that stayed behind from Kingsley's pack to join Austin's. She's stoic but quick to respond and usually gets the jump on her victim.
Brochan...Sue - A shifter is Austin's back with a dark history of having lost his own pack and family tragically when they were attacked by a mage group. He's a broken man who's only purpose to continue is to do what's right and protect others. Transforms into a silverback gorilla.
Elliot Graves/Sebastian - Considered to be the most powerful mage, he has recently fallen out of the spotlight for his own reasons. Other mages are rising to fill the power-gap of his role thinking him to be out of commission. He introduces himself to Jessie and the gang in the role of Sebastian but fakes his death without them knowing the two identities are one and the same. He seems to have Jessie's best interests at heart and even has Ivy House's (secret) approval but his actions in the role of Elliot Grave contradict him.
Nessa - Sebastian's second-in-command and better known to the world as "Captain".
Momar - Not much is known other than he has risen in the mage ranks and has a huge grudge against shifters since his father was (justifiably) killed by one. He seems to function as a magical mob boss and has a great deal of influence over the mage guild.
Subpar Summary:
Thoughts:
I think this was probably one of the weakest ones for me in the series so far but I still really enjoyed it so I guess you can see that the bar is pretty high. The events that happened needed to. We needed Austin and Jessie to finally accept their mate bond. We needed Sebastian to finally come clean on things. And, apparently, we needed the basajuan in a bowtie. The mage community is, as intended, just the freakin worst. I think that's what sucked out a bit of fun in this one for me. Hoping the next one brings back some more shenanigans.
Overall: 4.6/5
Jacinda “Jessie” Evans Ironheart - (FMC) - Having arrived in the town recently widowed and down on her luck, she accepts the position at Ivy House which turns out to be a magical bond. The bond gave her powers and allows her to transform into a gargoyle.
Austin Steele - (MMC) - Exceptionally loyal to Jessie and the town, he has finally accepted his role as Alpha and accepted the position of #1 in Jessie's council for Ivy House. He believes Jessie to be his one & only mate and is patiently waiting for her to realize the same. Transforms into a polar bear.
Side Characters:
Spoiler
Niamh Murphy - Quirky neighbor and guardian to Ivy House. When she's not drinking everyone at under the table at Austin's bar, she's likely pelting Dick & Jane's with rocks. She is a puca who can transform into an alicorn or gremlin-like creature. She doesn't hold her punches and enjoys jokes at the others' expense. She is #3, #5 in the Ivy House Council.
Edgar - Resident vampire gardener at Ivy House. Also charged with protecting Ivy House and, consequently, its caretaker. He's the oldest vampire and, while the house gave him some internal youth, his mind is a bit more questionable. He is #12 in the Ivy House Council.
Jimmy - Jessie's son. He's away at college but officially in the loop as to the magical world after a brief visit where Jessie let the cat out of the bag.
Ulric - A gargoyle who answered the summons. He's jovial and quickly becomes loyal to Jessie and their group. He finally earns his spot on the council as #6 in the role of bringing the group together having overcome his past struggles.
Jasper - Another gargoyle who answer the summons. He is stoic and quiet but has earned his spot on the council as #8.
Kace - A previous member of Kingsley's pack. He decided to stick around in Austin's pack after the events of the last book. He's Austin's second/beta. Transforms into a wolf.
Basajuan - He's a basajuan, a big foot-esque, (still unnamed) supernatural being who has taken a liking to Jessie and especially the delicious flowers Edgar has slaved over around the property. He trades his services for a bite often. He usurped Niamh and took the #3 Council position at Ivy House.
Kingsley Barazza - Austin's brother and alpha to their family pack.
Nathaniel - A powerful gargoyle who answered Jessie's summons. He seems to sit back and observe most of the interactions in the house. He is #11 on the Ivy House Council taking the role on anchor.
Cyra - A phoenix who responded to Jessie's summons. She very powerful but comically out of touch with the world as Dicks & Janes know it. She is #2 in the Ivy House Council.
Hollice - A thunderbird who arrived with the phoenix when Jessie's sent out her summons. He seems the most level-headed of the group at this point but it's only a matter of time before the insanity catches him as well. He is #4 on the Ivy House Council.
Isabelle - Another shifter that stayed behind from Kingsley's pack to join Austin's. She's stoic but quick to respond and usually gets the jump on her victim.
Brochan...Sue - A shifter is Austin's back with a dark history of having lost his own pack and family tragically when they were attacked by a mage group. He's a broken man who's only purpose to continue is to do what's right and protect others. Transforms into a silverback gorilla.
Elliot Graves/Sebastian - Considered to be the most powerful mage, he has recently fallen out of the spotlight for his own reasons. Other mages are rising to fill the power-gap of his role thinking him to be out of commission. He introduces himself to Jessie and the gang in the role of Sebastian but fakes his death without them knowing the two identities are one and the same. He seems to have Jessie's best interests at heart and even has Ivy House's (secret) approval but his actions in the role of Elliot Grave contradict him.
Nessa - Sebastian's second-in-command and better known to the world as "Captain".
Momar - Not much is known other than he has risen in the mage ranks and has a huge grudge against shifters since his father was (justifiably) killed by one. He seems to function as a magical mob boss and has a great deal of influence over the mage guild.
Subpar Summary:
Spoiler
Jessie and the gang are training for the upcoming summit with Elliot Graves. She torn between the mate slide with Austin and fear over what's to come with the meeting. They've all decided that, after Sebastian's death, there's only one way it can end with Elliot. She's also dealing with her inner gargoyle and some of the territorial aggression that comes with it. At the bar, when a Jane approaches Austin, the pack intervenes to get her out before she can do anything she will regret. She’s fighting her nature wanting to hold onto her human side but recognizing that her “animal” side is thrilling. Austin encourages her and further confirms that he’ll win her gargoyle over. Before leaving, the basajuan approaches Jessie requesting to join the house council. Confused but grateful for the additional help, she agrees and he joins the welcoming ceremony along with the other two new additions: Cyra and Hollice. After the event they are prepare and meet at the plane to travel to Elliot’s lair. Austin surprises them by switching out one of the shifters with another to assist them on the trip. Meet Brochen….err “Sue”. Due to the fact that they originally had another female shifter on the itinerary that was sent to Elliot’s staff, Brochen dons the name. Austin explains to Jessie on the way that he made the change due to Brochen’s past. He was an alpha of his own pack until a mage arrived with reinforcements killing most of them along with his pregnant mate and 2 children. Austin says that Brochen is mostly dead inside but he wants to offer him a chance at killing the mage responsible as he will also be at the meeting. They arrive at the mountain and after some reactionary events, thanks to Jessie, they are brought to their living spaces where they open very personal gifts from Elliot demonstrating how well he seems to know all. Meanwhile, Sebastian and his second, Nessa, watch their arrival. Nessa is fully aware of why Sebastian has called this meeting having know his sister growing up. His sister had been a seer and she revealed this future which Sebastian has dedicated his life to know if could very well shorten it if Jessie isn’t receptive. We pan back to the group who have split up to cover the area and explore. Jessie and Austin come across a “hall of death” with pictures of mages that Elliot takes credit for ending including ??? at the end. He approaches them in a hologram form and goads them on a little in his role of Elliot. Later everyone goes to the dinner but only Jessie, Austin, and Cyra are allowed in. The other mages are, expectedly, insufferable. Elliot reveals the reason for the meeting though which is that he plans to return to the magical world and wants them all to fight each other gladiator style to audition as his ally. He intends to take down Momar. Realizing this is the only way she will be able to actually meet with Elliot in the flesh, she agrees to the trial. When the meeting ends, Elliot informs her that she will be going up first and who she will be competing against. He also allows her and her team full access to the dining rooms once the other mages have left. They aren’t really sure what his behavior means, but they’ve already decided that he has to die and continue with their plans. They meet their challenger and, as Elliot predicted, decimate them. After, they return to their rooms and receive a letter signed by Elliot asking them to meet. They end up being ambushed by another of the mages, Chambers, who incapacitates most of her team and ties her up alone revealing his "mastermind" plan to play both sides between Elliot and Momar. He reveals that he was the one to kill Broken Sue's family and Jessie decides not to fight back knowing that Austin and their group will rescue them and wanting to allow Broken Sue his revenge. When Austin arrives, a bit roughed up and bloody, it triggers her gargoyle into accepting him as a mate. They leave Chambers with Broken Sue and rush to consummate their bond. After, they now have a bond that is stronger that the Ivy House bond they share. Cyra "covers up" the entire attack by burning it all down with her phoenix fire and Elliot releases a statement that, surprisingly, goes with the crappy cover up. They leave to face their last challenger, knowing that they'll need to conserve their energy because they intend to kill Elliot as soon as he grants them an audience. They win, obviously>, and before Jessie can get to Elliot he disappears taking an unconscious Austin with him. Having their bond and being extemely protective, she pursues Elliot. She finds him in another tunnel on a mountain with Austin in a hanging cage. She immediately attacks Elliot and, realizing he is no match for her, he gives up. Just before killing him, Jessie notices how many similarities in his actions and words are to Sebastian's and puts two and two together. She, reluctantly, allows him to explain himself. They have Edgar knock him out and Nessa arrives to further validate his story. She explains that Momar has his sights set on Kingsley, something that Chambers also confirmed earlier during his evil monologue, and that they will need all the help they can get to protect him. They all return to Ivy House and Jessie informs Austin that she wants to give Sebastian a chance to train her and accept their help with Kingsley. Austin is reluctant at first fighting his own pack mentality but he agrees that it makes more sense to have strong allies. Onto the next one...Thoughts:
I think this was probably one of the weakest ones for me in the series so far but I still really enjoyed it so I guess you can see that the bar is pretty high. The events that happened needed to. We needed Austin and Jessie to finally accept their mate bond. We needed Sebastian to finally come clean on things. And, apparently, we needed the basajuan in a bowtie. The mage community is, as intended, just the freakin worst. I think that's what sucked out a bit of fun in this one for me. Hoping the next one brings back some more shenanigans.
Overall: 4.6/5