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The Deadly Daiquiri (Enchanted Coast Magical Mystery, #1)

The Deadly Daiquiri by Tegan Maher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last night I finished the ebook The Deadly Daiquiri by Tegan Maher. It's the first book in the "Enchanted Coast" magical mystery series, which is a spin-off of...some other series. I guess. Story is told in first person by Destiny Maganti, a water witch who works at a tiki bar on the Enchanted Coast.

As a vacation spot for paranormals, the Enchanted Coast is a wonderful working environment for Destiny. She enjoys her co-workers and customers. The only blight is her bitter boss, the disgraced angel Cass. After yet another argument between them, Cass falls over dead. Since Destiny served the drink that killed him, she becomes the primary suspect. She needs to clear her name, because the punishment for killing an angel is death. Fortunately, Destiny has friends and family to help, along with the hot werewolf, Colin. She isn't quite sure if Colin is friend or foe, but when push comes to shove, she may need to rely on him.

It was a fun story. Perfectly "paranormal lite". I liked Destiny as a character, and her talking fox familiar was unique. I appreciated that Destiny had such a strong support system around her. The ending was a bit lackluster, however, if only because the killer was someone pretty much out of left field. It annoys me when a character is slowly piecing together clues and nailing down motives, only to get blindsided by who really "dunnit". Hmpf.

Favorite lines:
- ...I was pretty sure there was a policy somewhere in my employee handbook that made it against the rules to kill your boss.
- "Cass is dead." // "Yeah? I gathered as much from the lack of bitterness on his face and the mango slush dripping unheeded off his nose."
- My anxiety level spiked a little, but I figured Fate surely wouldn't bitch-slap me twice in the same hour.
- "I prefer salads exactly where they were meant to be--on top of a burger."
- "Politicians. I swear they cause more trouble than the rest of humanity combined."

Mostly fun, and I'd read more in the series. Four stars.

Howling for Revenge (Cori Sloane Witchy Werewolf, #1)

Howling for Revenge by Tegan Maher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Earlier this evening, I finished reading Howling for Revenge by Tegan Maher. It's the first installment in the author's series featuring werewolf-witch hybrid, Cori Sloane.

As the local sheriff in Castle's Bluff, Cordelia "Cori" Sloane has her hands full when a rogue werewolf begins killing young women. Cori has to tread lightly, because while many residents in town are supernatural, there are human residents, as well. Compounding the problem, Cori's ex shows up, intent on hunting what he assumes is a normal wolf, Cori's mother doesn't think she can handle this case on her own and sends "help" in the form of a handsome male werewolf, and someone has been poisoning the vamps in town. If Cori doesn't solve this case soon, she may have a pack war on her hands.

The story clipped along at a good pace. Cori was an engaging heroine, but I didn't like that the author had her come across as incompetent at times. I doubt it was deliberate, but when someone asked about a clue or a lead, and Cori thought 'I should have followed up on that', it seemed as if she couldn't do her job. My only consolation is that Alex, the wonder-wolf, also fumbled in a similar fashion. Of course, Alex and Zach (Cori's ex), got into a pissing contest right away, as if Cori were a prize and not a person. Good grief. Still, I liked the characters, the plot was interesting even if some things didn't quite make sense, and the pacing was good.

Favorite line: My bullshit alarm was bouncing into the red...

Good story, not great, but will look to read others in the series.