Some books are supposed to be deep dives in your soul. Some are supposed to make you cry, self-reflect, etc. You are usually given fair warning in the blurb or by the book's genre/subgenre/etc.

But since when does a fictional account of a woman in a midlife crisis with fun hijinks and a mystery to solve with her also midlife BFFs have to turn into a soul-searching, soul-crushing, right jab to the jaw followed by a mean upper hook to the chin?

Author Elizabeth Hunter destroyed me this past weekend.

With a Mike Tyson-style knockout punch, too.

I had a party (a friend's 50th birthday) to attend and had to spend 1/2 hour on the sofa with an ice pack over my eyes to try to tamp down the puffiness and redness.

The story was wonderfully written; authentic and relatable characters (too much so in my personal case); fun and funny; great paranormal mystery; and I honestly cannot give it enough stars on Amazon. It--Suddenly Psychic--was perfection.

But it also hit too close to home with the entire midlife crisis, doubts, regrets, self-incriminations, feeling unworthy, feeling no one understand nor cares, ... I could go on. Let's just say, the FMC so closely resembled me and all the deep dark parts I hide from the world and try to hide from myself, that the mirror shoved in my face did not paint a lovely picture... not of the FMC or the story, but of me and my personal story that I hide from the world about my doubts, regrets, feeling unnoticed and small in the world, feeling unworthy, feeling like no one cares and there's no way out of my current predicament, that I will forever only be known as someone's wife, someone's mother, and not known for being... well... me.

Don't get me wrong. I love being a wife and I love being a mother even more. But I also want my own identity and this... has become my midlife crisis.

From page 1 of Suddenly Psychic, where the character asks herself, "Is this the rest of my life?" and "Is this my life? Really? This? Every day until I die?" I read the rest through eyes blurry with tears. Lots and lots of tears. "Other of the FMC's thoughts such as "Am I a bad mother...?" And each iteration throughout of "Is this the rest of my life? Really? This? Every day until I die?" and "What the hell is wrong with you?"

And here I thought I was handling midlife like a champ!

But from the character's beginning of self-pity, depreciating humor to cover her pain, aches and pains of a bad knee, generational traumas continued through her own life, and feeling super duper un-sexy, I felt her pain because it's me. The only thing missing is two also psychic friends to keep me company while I wallow in self-pity.

Even when the FMC turns it around, learns her lessons, and grows to become happy, healthy all-around person after her ordeals with the paranormal, I see it as a "all hope is not lost" but... I must admit... that also depressed me for a couple of days because I didn't see a good non-fictional way out like the beloved protagonist.

It took a couple more days, but I do see light at the end of my own tunnel. It's all about perspective and learning even if it's not from a self-help book. Fiction can inspire, motivate, shed light into the darkness of your own soul, and hold you accountable (at least to yourself).

Elizabeth Hunter, I may have cursed your name a few times while I read your book, but I want to thank you now. Robin's lessons are now my lessons (and I didn't have to nearly die in a submerged car in a lake and gain psychic powers).

The Suddenly Psychic story was highly entertaining with characters I'd love to meet for coffee anytime and I will read the rest of the series and probably all your books because I think you're that awesome of a writer. Thank you.

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What else have I been reading?

Betrayal & Deception (Book 2 of Vengeance City series)

by Sara Hinds

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/861d68f0-5012-11ef-b1f4-cbaede3db622

Sin used to run this city until Vengeance ran them out.

Too bad they didn’t get them all.

Like a parasite, they linger, and while they’re still here, nobody is safe.

Freedom means nothing if I’m constantly watching not only my back but the backs of the people I care about. And with every day that passes, that list of people grows, no matter how hard I try to fight against it.

There’s only one sure way to get rid of them, and while I’m open to other ideas, I know what I’ll have to do.

The guys want to keep me safe, but this is bigger than me, and I won’t let others suffer when I can put an end to this.

But everything is not what it seems, and as I make friends, we find new enemies, and old nightmares come back to haunt us all.

Being free was everything I never knew I wanted, but when one of the most important people in my life is threatened, there's not a damn thing I won’t do to keep her safe.

Can I make it out this time?

And if I do, will there be anything left for me to go back to, or will other's betrayals be the downfall of us all?

Betrayal & Deception is a full-length new adult romance. It is book 2 of 3 in the Vengeance City Series and does end on a cliffhanger. This is a slow to medium-burn, romance with some darker elements that readers should be aware of, such as graphic violence, mature adult themes, and topics of mental health. This series features multiple love interests. Please read the trigger warnings.

My thoughts on Betrayal & Deception: Lots of action and plenty of sexiness abound in this NA romance. You can read my past review of the first book, Vengeance & Sin, in series in an earlier newsletter (July 23, 2024). Trust me, you will want the whole series. While I'm usually not into polyamory romance novels, the author pulled me into the story and I couldn't stop reading.

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Wolves of Little Creek

by Ava King

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/df13f268-4f71-11ef-83a7-ffbe50f7d2f9

The complete paranormal wolf shifter romance series includes 5 books.

Book 1 - Fated by the Moon

My life has always been complicated because I’m more than an 18 year old girl. I’m a werewolf. And I’m Fated.

The word has always conjured a myriad of emotions within me, but never more intense than when Warren appeared from the wilderness. The wild boy was haunted by a massacre, his wolf pack slain by hunters. He brought word of warning that my pack in Little Creek could be in danger too. We had always been safe. It seemed impossible that these hunters could have tracked us down, and yet I knew it to be true, because I had seen it in a vision.

People had told me that it was nothing more than an illusion, that the Moon would never have blessed a child with such insight, but I knew it was real.

I knew something about Warren as well. I could feel it in the very depth of my heart, but he was troubled, so filled with hurt and anger, and there was another vying for my affection; Scott, the son of the Alpha of our pack.

Do I have a choice in who I fall in love with? Is there any point in love when our pack is on the verge of being slaughtered?

Book 2 - The Cry of the Fated

It was supposed to be over. It was supposed to be our happy ending.

After fighting back against the hunters Warren and I were together, but we were soon torn apart.

My emotions were stripped bare as the world tore us apart again. All I wanted was to be with him, and I counted down the days until we could be together.

But there are always forces conspiring against us. The wolf inside me howls, and I yearn to listen, hoping that it will bring me to him once again. The distance between us cannot temper our love. There is nothing that can keep me from him.

Book 3 - Torn from the Fated

My wolf had been taken from me, ripped from my very soul. I was in the heart of the hunters’ camp with a witch who called herself my best friend.

I was lost from my pack.

I questioned everything about myself, even my love for Warren. Would he still want me when I was no longer a wolf?

Would I even be welcomed by the pack? What were my friends going to think? There was nothing wrong with me and I had a boy who would crack the sky and make it bleed if that’s what it took to get me back.

A storm thundered in the horizon. Hunters, vampires, witches, and wolves swirled, waiting to clash and at the heart of it all were me and Warren.

Just a girl who loved a boy, but would our love survive the coming storm?

Book 4 - Wrath of the Fated

We ran from the hunters who wanted to sever our souls. We ran from the vampires who betrayed us.

We fled across the world in search of an ancient order of wolves. They’re more of a rumor than anything else, but if there’s any chance for me to find my wolf again, it’s with them.

Fractures appear within the pack. Scott grieves more than he leads, while other wolves wonder if they can ever return to their old lives. The threat of what awaits them looms over them like a dark shadow, and some even begin to question their goddess, the Moon.

There will be justice.

There will be salvation.

Book 5 - Legacy of the Fated

The end is nigh. The wolves are ready to fight back against the hunters and the vampires, but they’re going to need help.

Plans are made, strategies are formed, but in the chaos of battle it’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen. The blood feuds between these factions have lasted an eternity, and now they’re ready to reach their climax.

I promised Warren that we will share our future together, but how long will our future be? The wolves howl. Battle commences. Revenge is swift. Love will endure.

The Moon watches over her children, and she weeps as we make our final stand.

My thoughts on Wolves of Little Creek: It's a complete series! I love completed series! I don't have to wait around for the next book! And it's only $2.99 for the COMPLETED SERIES!!! Add to that it's an awesome wolf shifter fated romance series. I love wolf shifters! Even thought this is a teen & young adult PNR series, I was hooked. It's got action, high stakes, and love triangles, what more could you ask for?

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Seducing His Fated Mate

by Marie Mason

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7MWGZRD/

He's a wolf shifter who's met his curvy fated mate. She's determined to resist his playboy charm.

Bear Canyon's most eligible bachelor has finally met his match! When wolf shifter Gabriel Merrick scents his curvy human mate Ivy, it will take more than a little moonlight and magic to win her heart. Ivy knows falling for the panty-melting playboy means risking it all, but the pleasure he promises is oh so tempting.

Fated mates, sizzling heat, and a guaranteed HEA await in this delicious tale of shifters, love, and claiming your destiny.

My thoughts on Seducing His Fated Mate: Warning, this is a series. You will want ALL the books. Another warning: Highest of the hottest spicy heat levels. Beware, this is not sweet, slow-burn. This is full throttle action. There's "action" and then there's ACTION! Enjoy this book, or the entire series, with a nice cold cocktail or while soaking in an ice bath.

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And if you still more (because of course you do)...

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/ut960g9

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Happy Fall, Ya'll!

It's finally cooler weather and I'm going to go enjoy a nice hike, to be followed by a hot cocoa with marshmallows.