The Hanged Man / The Star by HP Mallory-reviews

The Hanged Man/ The Star (Daughter of the Moon 2 &3) by HP Mallory

THE HANGED MAN
(Daughter of the Moon 2)
by HP Mallory
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 2, 2024

KATE:

After inheriting my aunt’s crappy castle in the rinky dink town of Maplewood, Vermont, my life will never been the same again. And I’m not even slightly exaggerating.

So why the pity party? Well, first off I’m now a celestial guardian (called a Daughter of the Moon) and prior to moving here, I didn’t even read my horoscope. Second, I’m the caretaker of a talking goat and a shrunken head and I’ve never even owned a goldfish. And third? I’m stuck with literally the WORST bodyguard in the history of terrible bodyguards. Magnus is about as fun as a hemorrhoid.

And let’s not even talk about the fact that as soon as I made my vow to the moon, my body decided to morph into a fertility statue (and I’m forty freaking five!) Still not exaggerating–the Andes have sprouted up on my chest and my ass needs it’s own zip code.

But that’s not even the worst part! Nope, not by a long shot.

The absolute kicker is that my sex-crazed, nudist of a mother has just decided to relocate to a town nearby which means we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. That might sound nice, but it isn’t. Not at all.

At least I have Luke Montgomery to rely on—Luke’s a magician in town and he’s the only one who’s able to keep me from wanting to tear my hair out. Not only that, but Luke’s in a word: hot. And, yeah, I might have a crush on him…

As if things weren’t weird enough, they get even weirder when I start having dreams of an incredibly sexy man who appears to be stuck in a garden. I can’t decide if he’s simply the result of one too many snacks before bedtime or if he’s meant to teach me something about the newest tarot lesson I’m embarking on—The Hanged Man.

Sometimes life is truly stranger than fiction.

••••••

REVIEW: THE HANGED MAN is the second instalment in HP Mallory’s contemporary adult DAUGHTER OF THE MOON paranormal , fantasy romance series. This is the continuing story of forty-five year old, divorcee and author Catherine ‘Kate’ Murray. THE HANGED MAN should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events of book one THE FOOL.

SOME BACKGROUND : Following the death of her estranged aunt Artemis, Catherine ‘Kate’ Murray inherited her aunt’s castle, a guardian named Magnus; a magician named Luke Montgomery; Rocco the talking goat; Yolanda the shrunken head, and the mantle of DAUGHTER OF THE MOON.

Told from first person perspective (Kate) THE HANGED MAN focuses on Kate’s self-defense training with Magnus, and learning to use the magic buried within but someone or something is targeting our story line heroine. From the tarot to hellhounds, ghosts and vampires, warlocks, magic and dreams, Kate soon discovers all is not well in the world of Daughter of the Moon, or within the castle that is now a part of her life.

THE HANGED MAN is a story of secrets and magic, power and control. The premise is captivating and intriguing; the characters are magical and interesting-there are a growing number of potential suitors for our story line heroine.

Copy supplied for review

____________

The Star
Daughter of the Moon 3
by HP Mallory
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 19, 2024

An irreverent, sexy, and hysterical romp through the tarot…

KATE:

I’m finally getting used to being a Daughter of the Moon.

Getting used to living in my aunt’s wacky castle in Vermont, getting used to my enormous… assets, and getting used to living with a talking goat, an annoying shrunken head, and my oafish barbarian of a protector.

The thing I haven’t quite wrapped my head around? The fact that my mother is now living in a nudist colony up the street.
And that’s not the worst of it.

Apparently, my mother has her own set of powers, she’s bumping uglies with my protector, and she won’t keep her nose out of my business.

But everything is taking a backseat to the fact that I’m worried my new vampire friend, Gray—a man I met while strolling the dream-world—might not be the man I hope he is.

In fact, he happens to be my #1 enemy.

Or he used to be. But he’s been atoning for his mistakes for the last thirty years, so I’m hoping he’s found his way to the light. Otherwise, the fact that I’m harboring a major crush on him isn’t going to go down so well.

And that’s not the only crush I’ve got (ahem, enter sexy magician, Luke), but life is complicated and I guess so am I.

Regardless, I’ve got a new tarot card mission (The Star) I need to conquer so I can find out what new power I’ve earned which hopefully will help me in the battle between light and dark…

•••••••

REVIEW: THE STAR is the third instalment in HP Mallory’s contemporary, adult DAUGHTER OF THE MOON paranormal/fantasy series. This is the continuing story of forty-five year old, divorcee and author Catherine ‘Kate’ Murray. THE STAR should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book two THE HANGED MAN.

SOME BACKGROUND : Following the death of her estranged aunt Artemis, Catherine ‘Kate’ Murray inherited her aunt’s castle, a guardian named Magnus; a magician named Luke Montgomery; Rocco the talking goat; Yolanda the shrunken head, and the mantle of DAUGHTER OF THE MOON.

Told from first person perspective (Kate) THE STAR follows in the discovery of Kate’s vampire friend Gray is the vampire her aunt placed in stasis, locking down the evil that was once Valerian Shadowbane. Gray has been visiting Kate in her dreams but the reality proves that Gray’s intents may be a manipulation of someone else. Freeing Gray has Kate’s intrepid gang of protectors on alert including Luke who suspects Kate has fallen for the vampire. When Grey’s memories are restored, the vampire Valerian Shadowbane takes control, and Kate will find herself at the mercy of his demands but Kate has yet to come into her powers, and in this, she leaves herself unprepared and at a disadvantage when her mentors desperately try to instil the truth about her new reality, a reality that is about to get more dangerous and dark.

The world building continues to focus on residents of the castle; the cast of characters who all have a role to play in Kate’s life, and the surprising revelation with the appearance of Kate’s mother, a woman who may or may not have some magic of her own.

The large ensemble of magical and quirky characters add a significant amount of comic relief. Kate’s mother is a little eccentric; a woman whose own life runs towards the unconventional; a woman who finds herself falling for one of Kate’s guardians.

The relationship between Luke and Kate is struggling in the face of her attraction to Gray/Valerian. Valerian is a master manipulator, and in this, Kate refuses to heed to Luke’s warnings, and finds herself pulled into the aura that is Valerian Shadowbane.

THE STAR is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, magic and mayhem that relies heavily on the tarot. The premise is fun yet dramatic; the characters are bizarre yet charismatic.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
The Fool

Copies supplied for review

Reviews by Sandy

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The Fool (Daughter of the Moon 1) by HP Mallory-review

THE FOOL (Daughter for the Moon 1) by HP Mallory-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 2, 2023

An irreverent, sexy, and hysterical romp through the tarot… know that quote about most people living quiet lives of desperation? Well, that pretty much describes me to a T.I’m middle-aged, divorced, built like a tree stump, with nothing but a failing romance-writing career to call my own. Yep, no kids, no social life and no pets—not even a chinchilla to greet when I walk through the door of my crappy apartment.The only thing I do have? Spare Tire Sandy who lives around my waist. Oh, and a nicotine habit I’m desperately trying to kick.When my eccentric Aunt Artemis ups and dies, leaving me her ‘castle’ in Vermont, I start thinking maybe my luck is taking a turn for the better.Yeah, no.

The property, in the tiny town of Maplewood, is literally a castle but not like something you’d see in Scotland. This is more like Medieval England had a battle with The Tarot and neither won.Which means it’s going to be a bitch and a half to sell.To make matters worse? There’s a tenant in ‘Tarot Castle’ and not like the squatter sort—more like the talking goat sort. Right—Rocco sounds like a New York mobster which is grating enough, but throw in the fact that I’m now responsible for him and I’m not a happy camper.And let’s not even discuss the shrunken head, Yolanda, who literally WILL NOT STOP TALKING!The only person who can help me make sense of my new inheritance is Luke Montgomery, owner of the coffee/ bookstore in town. Luke is friendly, really hot in a J. Crew sort of way, and also annoyingly hush-hush about the legacy I’ve apparently been born some BS about being a Daughter of the Moon.And then there’s Magnus Stormrider, my self-proclaimed guardian, who looks like the love-child of Conan the Barbarian and Fabio. The best way to describe Magnus? If the ground opened up and swallowed him whole, I wouldn’t mind—not for one second.

According to my aunt’s never-ending posthumous letters that keep appearing from literally nowhere, I’m supposedly on the journey of The Fool, the first card of the Major Arcana of the tarot.And that’s pretty damned fitting because if there’s one thing I’m sure of—it’s that I was the biggest fool to have ever agreed to come out here in the first place…

•••••••

REVIEW: THE FOOL is the first instalment in HP Mallory’s contemporary adult DAUGHTER OF THE MOON paranormal/fantasy series focusing on forty-five year old, divorcee and author Catherine ‘Kate’ Murray.

Told from first person perspective (Kate) THE FOOL follows in the wake of the death of Kate’s estranged aunt Artemis. Kate is the sole heir to her aunt Artemis’ estate, a castle imbued with magic and mayhem. Kate is unsure as to her future but a series of mysterious letters and Tarot cards begin to reveal her path going forward. Upon her arrival, Kate struggles to understand or believe any of it is real, including the people and creatures that will show her the way. From her new guardian Magnus, a warrior from another realm, to book store owner and Kate’s guide Luke Montgomery, to Rocco the talking goat, and a shrunken head named Yolanda, Kate is about to discover that everything she thought she knew was about to change. Along with the castle and its’ odd assortment of residents, Kate must chose to accept or deny the mantle of the next Daughter of the Moon, a position that comes with immense powers.

The world building slowly reveals and answer some of the questions that concern Kate Murray the most. Kate comes from a long line of magical beings, the Daughters of the Moon, and with it comes the responsibility of protecting the world from outside forces. As Kate struggles to find her long lost writing muse, she will begin incorporate her life into the fiction that is more reality than fantasy.

THE FOOL is another familiar story line and series by HP Mallory. Like many of her previous books, the heroine is oblivious to, or unaware of her powers until a catastrophic event pulls the heroine into the world of the supernatural. There is more than one potential male suitor, and the magical secondary and supporting characters often direct the heroine to where she needs to go. THE FOOL is a story of magic and fantasy, secrets and power. The premise is entertaining and intriguing with plenty of giggle worthy moments; the characters are magical and powerful. THE FOOL ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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