Review: To Free a Captured Heart - R.L. Naquin

Fans of R.L. Naquin's Monster Haven series will love this beguiling spin-off, starring a djinn caught in a hot mess of lost souls, food trucks and otherworldly murder.

Hidden Government chaser Kam's luck might finally be changing. Her team of reapers is sent to a riverboat casino to investigate a suspicious increase in missing souls--a job that sounds more like a vacation than an assignment. A little drinking, a little gambling and maybe a little romance with Tahm, the fiancé she's not sure she wants to run from anymore.

Plans for fun and games are canceled, though, when they find the pesky Leprechaun Mafia is behind the mischief. Of course they are.

Before Kam and her team can spring into action, the leprechauns make good on their threat to capture Tahm.

How far will Kam go to break her true love out of confinement? Working in the casino to pay off some of his debt is one thing, but it could mean Kam spends another hundred years locked up in his stead...

This book is approximately 70,000 words

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
This instalment sees Kam, Tahm and Ash sent to investigate suspicious soul activity at a riverboat casino. It should be a fairly easy job with plenty of leisure time built in but things quickly go downhill when they find out the leprechaun mafia are running the show. It gets even worse when Tahm gets himself captured and now it's up to Kam to find a way to rescue him while keeping herself and Ash out of trouble.

To Free a Captured Heart is the final book in the Djinn Haven series and while I'm glad that Kam finally gets her happily ever after I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this instalment. There was a lot to like about this story but it didn't quite have the humour of the earlier books and I felt the pacing was a little off. I also would have liked a bit more focus on the relationship between Kam and Tahm since that has been building for three books now.

I do find the leprechaun mafia amusing though, they're always finding new ways to cause mischief and they've definitely come up with quite a scam this time around. I enjoy the friendship between Kam and Ash, they're more like sisters now and work really well together. I've been rooting for Kam and Tahm for ages now so I'm glad that things worked out for them but I did find the ending left me feeling kind underwhelmed.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: To Seize a Wayward Spirit - R.L. Naquin

Fans of R.L. Naquin’s Monster Haven series will love this beguiling spin-off, featuring a djinn caught in a hot mess of lost souls, fast food and otherwordly murder.

Sometimes monsters like to pretend to be humans dressing up as monsters…

After a major goof turned their last mission into chaos, Hidden Government chaser Kam and her friends must hunt and recapture a crapton of souls. Seventeen, to be precise. But by the time they chase down the first one—a goblin en route back home to Oklahoma—a banshee ups and gets assassinated, leaving their progress at exactly negative one.

The connection between Kam’s goblin and her banshee? A cosplay club, natch. Because sometimes monsters like to pretend to be humans dressing up as monsters.

As the body count rises and the Hidden cosplayers point fingers at each other, it’s up to Kam and her team to stop the insanity. One costumed faction has a secret they’re not sharing—even with each other—and if the bad seed isn’t found soon, the others are likely to be murdered…or worse.

This book is approximately 65,000 words

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
To Seize a Wayward Spirit picks up where the last book left off with Kam, Ash and Tahm on a mission to hunt down the souls that they accidentally freed from Pete's Soul Stone. Kam is the most experienced Reaper amongst them and it's her job to train the others so they can get the job done as quickly as possible. Of course nothing ever goes quite to plan and they are derailed from their task when the stumble across a murdered banshee whose spirit leads them into investigating a spate of mysterious Hidden deaths. It all seems to link back to a Hidden cosplay group but why are all the members slowly being killed off?

One of the things I love most about books set in this world is the amount of humour that R.L. Naquin packs into these stories. Nothing is ever quite what it seems and Kam is always thrown in at the deep end while she tries to figure out exactly what is happening. I'll admit I was hoping we might see a bit of Zoey and the other characters from the original series but I'm enjoying getting to know Kam and seeing the camaraderie building between her and Ash. Things are much more complicated between her and Tahm considering they're technically engaged even though they've been apart for the last 100 years, Kam isn't too sure what she wants to do about that but it seems like Tahm is determined to win her around. I'm enjoying the banter between them along with the hints that they're both attracted to each other so I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship develop as the series continues.

The whole cosplay element added a fun dimension to this story and allowed loads of fun characters to be introduced. I'm not sure how many (if any) we'll see of them in the next book but they all had a fun part to play in this story. If you want an urban fantasy series that's really light hearted, full of humour and just plain fun to read then you can't go wrong with the Djinn Haven series or the original Monster Haven books. I've been reading these books since 2014 and there's a reason I keep coming back for more!

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: To Catch a Stolen Soul - R.L. Naquin

Fans of the Monster Haven series by R.L. Naquin will love this beguiling spin-off, featuring a trapped djinn caught in a hot mess of lost souls, fast food and otherwordly murder.

Kam is a soul chaser for the Hidden Government, a much harder job now that the Hidden look like everyone else. Broke, out of magic and sick of playing waitress in a pirate-themed dive bar, Kam jumps at a chance for an out-of-town mission.

A reaper—and his loaded soul stone—have gone missing. The stone contains souls that might get permanently stuck if Kam doesn't find it, like, yesterday. She tracks the reaper down to a food truck outside Kansas City, only to find a dead reaper and no soul stone in sight. Which means that someone who should be dead killed the reaper and is running around with a powerful magic item. Not good.

And apparently the killer is targeting food-truck owners that also happen to be Hidden. So the only thing to do is open her own truck and go undercover—goodbye Kam the Djinn, hello Mobile Food Entrepreneur—and hope that she and her new runaway friend won't be the next targets...

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
I love R.L. Naquin's Monster Haven series and was really sad when it ended so you can imagine how excited I was when I found out she was writing a spin off series about my favourite djinn Kam. You don't have to have read the previous series to enjoy this one but I definitely think you'll enjoy it more if you're already a fan, Kam was a big character in the other series and we also get glimpses of a few other familiar faces that just made this even more fun to read.

If you're completely new to this world then all you really need to know is that Kam is a djinn who has been living on earth for 100 years, unfortunately for her she spent most of that time trapped in a box by her last master but now she finally has her freedom and is determined to make the most of it before she has to return to the djinn realm to be with her family. If you're familiar with the series you'll probably remember that Kam left Zoey and her other friends to go out on her own in the world and explore a little. To make a little cash along the way she works for the Hidden Government as a soul chaser, basically someone who tracks down rogue souls and helps them move on to the afterlife.

Kam's latest job involves tracking down a missing Reaper, and the full soul stone he had in his possession, before the souls are trapped inside forever. What starts as a hunt for a missing person quickly turns into a murder investigation and Kam is forced to go undercover amongst a community of Hidden food truck owners while she tries to figure out who is targeting them.

It was so much fun being back in this world again. I did miss Zoey and all the other familiar faces but I enjoyed spending time with Kam and I think it was better that she was out on her own so she could establish herself as the main character for the series. We do get to hear about what the others are up to which was nice but the focus was definitely on Kam and the new friends she makes, particularly a teenage runaway called Ash. Kam and Ash make a great team, although they've not known each other for long they act like sisters and I think having someone to take care of brought out the best in Kam.

My one complaint was that the murder mystery was a little too easy to solve, there wasn't exactly a large suspect pool so it was fairly obvious from very early on who the culprit was and I would have enjoyed it a bit more if the author had managed to surprise me. In spite of that this was a really fun read though, I loved getting to know the new characters and the way things ended definitely left me wanting to spend more time with Kam and her new work partners. I have very high hopes for this series and can't wait to carry on reading it.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: Phoenix in My Fortune - R.L. Naquin

When Zoey Donovan found out monsters are real, her life changed—mostly for the better. Since then, she's fought bad guys, saved the world a time or two and earned the love of a growing family of humans and Hidden creatures alike. But the danger that's chased her from the beginning is finally here.

Shadow Man, aka The Last Hidden, has stepped out of the story humans wrote for him and into the real world, hell-bent on stealing children. Fiction has become reality and Shadow Man intends to break the Covenant, reclaim the Hidden, and kill all Aegises along the way…triple bad news for Zoey and her mother, the only two Aegises still alive.

Zoey will have to rescue the stolen kids and hunt down the most terrifying villain humanity has ever imagined. But how can she fight a creature only invented a few years ago? If Shadow Man triumphs, the world as she knows it will end. If Zoey succeeds in driving him out, the people she loves the most may be lost to her forever.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
I've been a huge fan of the Monster Haven series since I first read Monster in My Closet a few years ago. These stories never fail to make me laugh and I love the way R.L. Naquin always comes up with such weird and wonderful magical creatures to include. As much as I was looking forward to reading Phoenix in My Fortune I'm still really sad that it was the last book in the series. I'm glad that it's going out on a high but I would happily have continued reading more books about Zoey and her friends.

I'm deliberately going to keep this review vague because I think most people who are reading it are already going to be fans of the series and will know what to expect from one of these stories. If you haven't discovered this world yet then I'd recommend starting at the beginning, these books really need to be read in order to make the most of the character development and the story arc that has developed across all of the books. These are really fun, light hearted stories though and I'd highly recommend them to fans of the supernatural.

Zoey and her friends are finally facing off against the enemy that has been coming after them via third parties for a while now. He is a danger unlike anything they've ever faced before and the risks have never been greater. Phoenix in My Fortune is a bittersweet ending to the series, it ties up all the loose ends and gives us a lot of closure but at the same time it's not all rainbows and happiness and there are a few tears to be shed along the way.

I'm so sad that this series is over, I've enjoyed every minute spent with Zoey and I'm going to miss her and the rest of the gang. I really hope that R.L. Naquin will decide to revisit this world in the future even if it's only in occasional short stories or a spin off series. That's not because anything has been left hanging, it's actually all tied up really nicely, but because I'm not ready for it to be over. I'm looking forward to starting her new Mount Olympus series in the meantime though and I'll definitely be watching out for anything else she publishes in the future because I love her humorous writing style.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Kindle:

Review: Transmonstrified - R.L. Naquin

R.L. Naquin, author of the Monster Haven series, shares an assortment of stories from places just outside the world we know. These pages are filled with friendly monsters, dueling witches, floating ice fish, chupacabra taxidermy, and escalators leading to Heaven and Hell.

This collection includes two brand-new Monster Haven tales. Find out how Riley got his job in “Reaper’s Tale,” and join Kam the djinn as she chases down a ghost with unfinished salon business in “Shampoo Girl.” Plus, as a bonus, this collection includes three previously released Monster Haven stories – just in case you missed them.

Also, take a peek into the new world of the Mount Olympus Employment Agency (series coming in 2015) with “Unmatched Cupid” and “Undercover Gorgon.”

Transmonstrified offers quick reads for when the boss leaves the room to get coffee and longer ones for when that chatty lady on the plane won’t be quiet. Eighteen stories filled with magic and oddities await.

Because everybody needs a little magic.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Mount Olympus Series:
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Unfinished Muse
Unamused Muse

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
As a fan of R.L. Naquin's Monster Haven series when I found out that the Transmonstrified short story collection contained 2 never before seen stories set in that world I knew I had to buy it. It actually contains 5 Monster Haven stories (3 of which were published separately so I'd already read them) but I didn't realise how many other stories would be included. In total the collection contains 22 stories and poems 2 set in the world of the author's new Mount Olympus series and 15 that are completely stand alone.

The stand alone stories are about a weird and wonderful collection of different supernatural creatures, you'll read about everything from feuding witches and leprechauns who've had their gold stolen to chupacabras and dream eating monsters. Some of the tales have a darker fairytale feel to them while others are humorous life observations. As with any short story collection there were some stories I enjoyed more than others but overall I'd say the quality was very high and considering I only expected to be reading 2 new to me stories I was thrilled by how much new material the book contains.

I'll give you a little more information on the Monster Haven and Mount Olympus stories below, most of these stories can be read even if you're unfamiliar with the series but I'd definitely recommend reading the full length books if you like these shorts. I'm already a fan of Monster Haven but these prequels have made me excited to get started on the Mount Olympus books too.

Monster Haven Short Stories:

1.1 - Reaper's Tale (new story)

This is the true tale of how Riley became a reaper and it also gives a little information about what attracted him to Zoey.

1.5 - Ill Conceived Magic (also available as a separate ebook)

Zoey gets a very unexpected surprise when she's literally left holding the baby. Along with Maurice it's up to her to track down the baby's parents and try to reunite their family.

2.5 - Hidden Holidays (also available as a separate ebook)

A cute little story about different Hidden holiday traditions, Zoey is a little overwhelmed at first but soon realises how grateful she is to have all her friends around her.

3.5 - What Zoey Doesn't know (also available as a separate ebook)

This story is told from Maurice's point of view and shows a day in the life of a closet monster, he gets up to some rather surprising things while Zoey is out at work.

5.5 - Shampoo Girl (new story)

A fun story featuring our favourite djinn Kam who is doing a little undercover ghost hunting in a beauty salon.

Mount Olympus Short Stories:
(I believe these are both prequels to the main books)

Unmatched Cupid (new story)

This is the story of a young girl who has been employed by the Mount Olympus Employment Agency as a Cupid, she's pretty disastrous at making matches though.

Undercover Gorgon: Becoming (also available as a separate ebook)

The first in a spin off series Becoming is the tale of Patrice who discovers on her 20th birthday that's she's a gorgon. With her new snake hairdo she's not able to continue her normal human life so she goes to work at the Mount Olympus Employment Agency.

Overall I really enjoyed this anthology and would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes funny short stories with crazy characters and interesting supernatural creatures. Even if you're like me and have already purchased some of the stories separately there is enough new material in here to make it worth buying again and it's nice to have all of the Monster Haven shorts in one place.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Kindle:

Review: Demons in my Driveway - R.L. Naquin

Zoey Donovan Aegis and co-opted protector of all things supernatural is moving up in the Hidden world. Actually, she's being drop kicked onto the front lines of a fight between the newly formed Cult of Imagination and Hidden governments everywhere.

The Cult is opening portals and unleashing demons, vampires and werewolves, growing closer to breaking the lock that holds back the zombie apocalypse with every world they crack open. Oh, and they want every last Aegis in the world dead, and a roving band of Hidden worshippers is only too eager to assist.

On the upside, Zoey finally has her mother back. But having another Aegis around one with very different ideas on how to run things is proving difficult. For their own safety, they're stuck inside Zoey's home. What was once a haven is now a prison, further straining maternal relations and alienating her reaper boyfriend. Taking down a cult and saving the world again would be a lot easier if she could go farther than her own driveway.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
When I'm looking for a fun, light hearted read with a huge collection of weird and wonderful supernatural creatures this is my go to series, R.L. Naquin never fails to make me laugh and Demons in My Driveway was no exception to that. I have to admit that this story was a little darker in tone and had a few less humorous moments than the previous books but I'm still an avid fan and looking forward to seeing how Zoey's story ends in Phoenix in My Fortune. Actually, I'm not sure that I'm ready for the series to end but that's always the sign of a great series - leave your readers wanting more not wishing it had ended 5 books ago!

A lot of things have changed for Zoey, for one she has her mother back which she is over the moon about even if it is a little awkward having two Aegis in one house. Zoey and her mother both have very different ways of doing things and that leads to a lot of friction between them. They are now the only two remaining Aegis in the country so when Zoey is given the chance to go to an Aegis conference in the UK she jumps at the chance of meeting others like herself. Unfortunately things don't go quite to plan and now she finds herself in a desperate race to save the last remaining Aegis before their enemy can kill them all and destroy the planet in the process.

Yes, once more Zoey is in the middle of the action and she is going to need the help of all her friends and allies if she is going to save the day. I'm not going to say much more about the plot other than to mention that we meet some interesting new characters. I was a little surprised (and very disappointed!) by the way Zoey and Riley have let the stress of their jobs come between them and put a halt on their relationship and I really hope they get things sorted out before the series comes to a close. I'm also curious to see how the Board will cope with having such a massive shortage of Aegis. Considering how much work Zoey already has to deal with they really are going to have to figure something out quickly unless they want the general public to discover the existence of the Hidden. It'll definitely be interesting to see how the series closes out but I'm kind of hoping that things will be left open enough to allow us to revisit these characters in the future or to at least have a spin off series. Anyone else interested in a series about a Closet Monster? I know I would be!

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Kindle:

Review: Golem in My Glovebox - R.L. Naquin

In her role as Aegis, Zoey Donovan has rescued and cared for hundreds of monsters and mythical creatures. Now humans are the ones in need of her help. Someone with a personal vendetta against the Board of Hidden Affairs has kidnapped all the other Aegises in the country--including Zoey's mother.

With the Hidden government in shambles and a string of deadly clues to follow, Zoey and her reaper boyfriend set out on a cross-country chase to stop the kidnapper from killing the captured Aegises. Along the way, they pick up a miniature golem who's on a quest to find his humanity . . . and may be the key to solving the grisly clues.

If Zoey succeeds in defeating this new evil, she'll finally be reunited with the mother she lost over twenty years ago. But if she fails, she'll become the final victim.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
I've been a huge fan of this series since I first discovered it, it's perfect light hearted and funny urban fantasy and I know I can pick up any book in the series when I'm in the mood for something that's going to make me giggle. I absolutely love the number of different Hidden creatures that R.L. Naquin has included in the series, she always manages to introduce us to something new with each book and this instalment brings golem, Griswald, who is accompanying Zoey and Riley on a road trip as they hunt the person who kidnapped the missing Ageises. Zoey is desperate to find out what happened to her mother and find a way to bring her home but their enemy is always more than one step ahead of them and they aren't going to make it easy for her.

As much as I love this series and enjoyed Golem in My Glovebox for some reason that I'm having trouble putting my finger on I didn't love it as much as I'd expected to. It's still a fun story and has all the humour you would expect from this series, we get to catch up with a few of our favourite characters and we get to see Zoey once again out of her comfort zone so I'm not quite sure what was missing. I think it just didn't have quite the same level of tension as the previous instalments and I have to admit I found a lot of the driving around America was a little on the boring side. The various stops they make, along with the people they meet, were great but in between there were some slower times and I also felt that the ending was a bit of a let down. I think I just missed the rest of the gang, characters who normally play a big part in the story were left back at Zoey's house and it just wasn't the same without them.

In spite of my minor niggles this is still a solid story, there is a lot going on and I enjoyed seeing Zoey and Riley get the chance to spend some quality time together. Even when they're out and about they still have plenty of interruptions though, I guess that's the hazard of being the only Ageis left - Zoey is constantly on call for all kinds of Hidden problems. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the couple next in Demons in My Driveway.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Kindle:

Quick Review: What Zoey Doesn't Know - R.L. Naquin

Maurice the closet monster is an amazing cook, efficient housekeeper, fantastic problem solver, and the best friend anyone could ever have.

But nobody really knows what he does all day.

Bank robbers, a rare disease, and a visit from a bad-luck pooka are no match for a closet monster with time on his hands.

But don’t tell Zoey. She worries.

7,00 words

“What Zoey Doesn’t Know” is a short story in the same world as the Monster Haven novels from Carina Press. This story can be enjoyed without having read the novels, but it takes place between book three, Fairies in My Fireplace, and book four, Golem in My Glovebox.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
R.L. Naquin has written several short stories set in her Monster Haven world and although they don't offer spoilers for the full length books and can be read in any order What Zoey Doesn't Know fits into the time line after Fairies in My Fireplace. Technically it can be read at any point but I would recommend reading at least the first book (Monster in My Closet) before picking up the shorts so that you are familiar with the main characters and the world they live in.

Maurice has been one of my favourite characters in the Monster Haven series right from the beginning, I just love that crazy Closet Monster! He has been there for Zoey from the beginning, always rushing around in the background making sure her life runs as smoothly as possible and taking care of the little things so that Zoey can focus on helping the creatures who turn up in desperate need of her help. Maurice is a master at time management, he runs the whole house like clockwork and is incredibly well organised. Not even Zoey realises quite how much he really does for her and in this short story we get to see a day in his life and find out what he does all day when Zoey is out at work.

I loved the chance of getting Maurice's point of view, as a favourite character I already feel like we know him quite well but there is nothing like getting inside a character's head to really see what they're made of. This short story is full of the usual humour you'd expect from this series and Maurice's life is far from uneventful - he really doesn't get a minute's peace all day. What Zoey Doesn't Know is a brilliant addition to the series and I think it's actually my favourite out of all three short stories. I can't wait to get started on Golem in My Glovebox.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Kindle:

Quick Review: Hidden Holidays - R.L. Naquin

The holidays can be overwhelming for anyone, but Zoey is ready to explode when Maurice, her closet-monster roommate, takes celebrations to the extreme. When Zoey ducks out for a little fresh air, she finds a boy with a big problem -- a problem only a mythical creature can have and only Zoey can solve.

6,500 words

Hidden Holidays is a short story in the same world as the Monster Haven novels from Carina Press. This story can be enjoyed without having read the novels, but it takes place between book two, Pooka in My Pantry, and book three, Fairies in My Fireplace.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
Hidden Holidays is one of several short stories that R.L. Naquin has published as companion stories to her Monster Haven series. These stories can pretty much be read at any point and you don't have to have read the full length books to enjoy them but I do think you'll appreciate them more if you're already familiar with the characters.

I don't really want to give too much away because this story is only 20 pages long but it's a really fun holiday read that gives us a bit of an insight into various Hidden holiday traditions. Closet monster Maurice is one of my favourite characters in the series and I'm sure anyone who knows him can imagine just how crazy he is about the festive period. Zoey isn't quite so keen on having her whole house overrun with decorations, she never really celebrated the holidays growing up and it seems strange to her to start now but she would never deliberately hurt Maurice's feelings.

This was a short and sweet story that made me smile and included most of my favourite characters from the series. I do prefer the full length novels but these are nice quick reads for when you don't have much time.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Fairies in My Fireplace - R.L. Naquin

A migration of mythical creatures has begun, and more and more of them are landing on Zoey Donovan's doorstep. As the only Aegis left in the country, it falls to her to protect the Hidden and keep them safe—and her house has become a sanctuary for water sprites, goblins, harpies, djinn and more.

Keeping track of her boarders is a full-time job, and Zoey's already got her hands full trying to run her wedding planning business. Good thing she has a resident closet monster to keep her organized, and a hot Reaper boyfriend to help her relax every once in a while.

But she can't keep up monster-triage indefinitely, and as more Hidden arrive, it becomes clear that someone—or something—is hunting them. In the midst of planning an event for a notoriously difficult client, Zoey's got to figure out who's behind the hunt…and she's got to stop them before there are no Hidden left.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
Zoey should be finding life easier now that she's no longer having to keep the Hidden a secret from her best friend Sara but with more and more of them coming to her for help every day she soon realises that something major is going on. Something that is effecting Hidden everywhere and Zoey is the only one left who can help them. She soon finds herself caught in a dangerous battle with enemies who are more powerful than she could ever have guessed. It's a good job she has her friends to support her but even with their help the odds are not looking good.

I have become a huge fan of the Monster Haven series since I first discovered it, these books are just so much fun to read and I LOVE the humour and the huge range of weird and wonderful supernatural creatures they contain. With each new book R.L. Naquin manages to come up with new surprises for us and Fairies in My Fireplace is my favourite instalment of the series so far. Although I spend a lot of time laughing out loud as I read these books they do have a darker side and this book had one particularly heartbreaking moment towards the end that brought tears to my eyes. I have become so invested in all of these characters that I hate to see them hurting and Zoey is in a whole world of hurt here.

I love seeing how much Zoey has grown since the beginning of the series, she has really come into her own when it comes to taking care of the various different types of Hidden creatures and she is the kind of woman who always makes time for everyone. She has strong principles and wants to help everyone but she also knows that she doesn't have to do it alone and is willing to accept advice and assistance from her friends. Zoey has built up a very unusual family what with her reaper boyfriend Riley, her human best friends Sara and Andrew, the closet monster Maurice, brownie Molly and Iris the skunk monster but they are all very close knit and would do anything for each other. It's great that Zoey has such a positive support network and I've enjoyed getting to know all of the side characters and seeing their circumstances change throughout the books.

I'm so glad that I discovered this series! When I'm in the mood for something fun I know I can rely on R.L. Naquin to provide plenty of laughs along the way but she has also captured me with her wonderful world building and range of fantastic characters. I don't think I'm ever going to get bored of spending time with them.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Pooka in My Pantry - R.L. Naquin

Zoey Donovan—empath, wedding planner, go-to girl for monsters with personal problems—has been marked twice for pickup by Death. On both occasions, Riley the smoking-hot reaper has refused to follow through. For his breach of protocol, Riley is now on probation. For her refusal to die on schedule, Zoey's right to live is challenged. She will have to undergo a life-or-death trial, but she won't know when or where it will happen…

Staying alive might not be so difficult if the Leprechaun Mafia hadn't strolled into town. Now every business owner with the slightest connection to the supernatural community is being threatened with the most appalling bad luck if they don't pay up. Mirrors are smashed, bodies are dropping, and Zoey's still got clients waiting for fabric samples.

With a little luck, she might be able to save everyone and still have time for a second attempt at a decent first date with her favorite reaper.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
Zoey may have fought off an incubus with the help of her friends but now she's drawn the attention of an even bigger enemy. With the Leprechaun Mafia in town Zoey soon finds herself suffering from a bad luck curse but they aren't just going after her, they are also targeting her friends and other Hidden members of the town and Zoey isn't going to let that stand. While fighting off the Mafia she's also worrying about Riley who is on probation since he saved her life on the two occasions he was supposed to take her soul. Riley's boss seems to be taking an unusual amount of interest in Zoey's affairs too which is making her extremely uncomfortable and adding to the danger she faces. How is Zoey supposed to put a stop to the Leprechauns when the Board of Hidden Affairs are on her case too?

When the first page of a book contains the sentence "But no amount of flexibility prepared me to assist in the live birth of a sea serpent in my own back yard." you know you're going to be in for a fun read. Pooka in My Pantry is full of humour from the beginning and it had me giggling the whole way through. I can't tell you how much fun this series is to read and I absolutely love all of the characters we have been introduced to. Zoey is clumsy at the best of times but under a bad luck curse she is positively lethal to herself and anyone else who happens to be in her vicinity, literally nobody is safe when she's in a room with them which leads to some incredibly funny accidents.

Just when she was starting to develop feelings for Riley he disappeared on her without a word so when he comes back she's not sure whether to be pissed that he left or happy that he's come back safely. It doesn't help that now he's on probation he has a supervisor constantly shadowing his every movement, even when the two try to get some alone time to talk. What's really weird is that his boss seems just as interested in Zoey as he his in what Riley is doing and she is beyond angry when he starts threatening her. Zoey isn't the kind of girl who takes things sitting down though so they'd best watch out. I have to say I'm really enjoying the way Zoey and Riley's relationship is developing, R.L. Naquin is taking her time building the romance so that it feels realistic and I think they're great together.

It's not often that the side characters are as memorable as they are in this series, I love Maurice the closet monster but I also really like Zoey's human friends Sara and Andrew and you can't forget the brownie family that Zoey took in and has kind of adopted as her own. Each character brings something new to the story and I'm glad we get to know them all a little better in every book. I'm just so glad that I discovered this series, I haven't read about a bunch of such fun and quirky characters for a long time and I can't wait to dive back in and follow more of their adventures.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Monster in My Closet - R.L. Naquin

I stopped believing in monsters long ago. But I knew I wasn't imagining things when I found one in my kitchen baking muffins. I'd seen him before: lurking in my closet, scaring the crap out of my five-year-old self. Turns out that was a misunderstanding, and now Maurice needs a place to stay. How could I say no?

After all, I've always been a magnet for the emotionally needy, and not just in my work as a wedding planner. Being able to sense the feelings of others can be a major pain. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people--and non-people. But this ability has turned me into a gourmet feast for an incubus, a demon that feeds off emotional energy. Now, brides are dropping dead all over town, and my home has become a safe house for the supernatural. I must learn to focus my powers and defeat the demon before he snacks on another innocent woman and comes looking for the main course...

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading Monster in My Closet, this is the first book in what is set to be an incredibly fun series and I can't wait to read more from R.L. Naquin. The main character Zoey is just your average girl, she lives a fairly normal life and enjoys working alongside her best friend Sara as a wedding planner. Zoey hasn't believed in monsters since she was a child and thought she saw one hiding in her closet but of course she grew out of that fear, until she comes downstairs one morning only to be confronted by that exact same monster sitting at her kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper! Zoey quickly comes to realise that monsters are real but they aren't always the bad guys and before long she has a house full of closet monsters, brownies and all manner of other creatures that she didn't even know existed.

Considering she is thrown in at the deep end Zoey copes quite well with her uninvited guests and she quickly becomes friends with closet monster Maurice and her other visitors. I had so much fun watching Zoey try to come to terms with her new reality, at first she thinks she is losing her mind but with her empathic abilities she quickly adapts to a new way of life. Zoey's mother disappeared when she was a child but it turns out that she used to help supernatural creatures who had nowhere else to turn. Their problems are often very human but where else does a closet monster go when he finds out his wife has been cheating on him and he needs a place to stay? How many refuges do you know of for brownies who are suffering from domestic violence?

Zoey is largely untrained on how to use her empathic abilities, she finds it difficult to be around crowds of people because she has no idea how to shield herself from the onslaught of emotions and her power makes her aura shine brightly which soon attracts the attention of a passing incubus. Zoey is now a target and with the help of her friends she is going to have to put a stop to the incubus before he can kill more innocent women. Without a doubt it is the characters that made this book so much fun to read, I loved Zoey but I also enjoyed getting to know the supernatural creatures who come into her life. Maurice is definitely a favourite and I hope we're going to be seeing a lot more of him as the series continues.

Monster in My Closet is a light hearted and very amusing story that I devoured in one sitting. It has action, comedy and a hint of romance that I'm hoping will be expanded upon in the next book. Zoey is the kind of woman you can easily picture yourself being friends with, she isn't kickass, and she doesn't really have any special powers apart from her empathy but she has some great friends who are there to support her. She also happens to have a fantastic shoe collection and how can you not like a woman who owns a pair of Iron Fist Zombie stiletto heels?

Come on, what woman doesn't want a pair of these bad boys in their wardrobe? LOL

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Ill-Conceived Magic - R.L. Naquin

Empath and caretaker to monsters, Zoey Donovan, finds a package on her front lawn. It cries a lot and wears diapers. It also has horns, cloven hooves, and green skin.

Zoey and Maurice the closet monster look for the unlikely parents in a crazy attempt to bring together the mismatched family. A dangerous prospect, considering the family's hostile relatives.

Ill-Conceived Magic is a short story in the same world as the Monster Haven novels from Carina Press. It also includes a bonus first chapter of Pooka in My Pantry.

This story can be enjoyed without having read the novels. However, it fits chronologically between book one, Monster in My Closet, and book two, Pooka in My Pantry.

Monster Haven Series:
Monster in My Closet
Ill-Conceived Magic (Short Story)
Pooka in My Pantry
Hidden Holidays (Short Story)
Fairies in My Fireplace
What Zoey Doesn't Know (Short Story)
Golem in My Glovebox
Demons in My Driveway
Transmonstrified (Short Story Collection)
Phoenix in My Fortune

Djinn Haven series:
(Spin off from the Monster Haven series but can be read separately)
To Catch A Stolen Soul
To Seize a Wayward Spirit
To Free a Captured Heart

Visit R.L. Naquin's website for more information

Review:
After really enjoying Monster in My Closet I couldn't wait to spend more time in the world that R.L. Naquin has created. This story is set not long after the first book, Zoey is now used to sharing her house with the various supernatural creatures who have come to her for help and she's actually enjoying having them around. Things are thrown into disarray when they find a rather surprising gift on the doorstep though - an abandoned baby. The baby isn't exactly human either, in fact it seems to be part dryad and part satyr which is rather surprising considering how much the two species hate each other. Can Zoey track down the baby's parents and reunite a family or will that prove to be impossible considering both sides are practically at war?

Ill-Conceived Magic is a very short story of around 50 pages so it is a very quick read but it is still full of the humour I've come to expect from this series. Zoey and Maurice get a lot more than they bargained for when they set out to find the baby's parents and their interactions with the satyrs in particular were absolutely hilarious. If you enjoyed the first book in the series then you're sure to love this story just as much.

My one hesitancy to recommend it would be down to the price, I know it is becoming more and more common for authors to offer additional short stories set in the same world as their established series. These stories aren't usually essential reading to follow the ongoing series plot (I believe that is the case here but I won't know for sure until I read Pooka in My Pantry) and I do enjoy getting additional insight into the characters but I think it's a bit of a rip off to charge fans for such a short story when a lot of authors offer similar ones for free. In fact Ill-Conceived Magic was originally available for free from Smashwords (which is thankfully when I downloaded it) but is currently more expensive on Amazon UK than the first full length novel and that just doesn't seem right to me. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing with this series but I'm reluctant to pay so much for the short stories that seem to be coming in between each full length book so I may decide to skip Hidden Holidays and What Zoey Doesn't Know.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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