FINAL DECISION: A fun Halloween romp that just made me smile. Cole proves once again she’s a master at managing her long-running series.

THE STORY: Rök Kours, a smoke demon, and Poppy Dyer, a witch, are mercenaries who end up trapped in a deceased wizard’s house on Halloween. It’s a second chance for these two – their first date ended abruptly when Rok was summoned away and never came back, leaving Poppy with a heap of resentment.

OPINION: THE WITCH QUEEN OF HALLOWEEN packs a punch with its tight narrative and vivid characters. Cole’s creativity seems boundless, throwing in twists, suspense, and laugh-out-loud moments that keep you on your toes. She even sneaks in some pop culture nods and hints at future events.

Rök and Poppy’s relationship sizzles with great dialogue and chemistry. Their banter is top-notch as they tackle the challenges of the “haunted” house. Both are headstrong and passionate, making for an equal and exciting match.

The story is a treat for series fans, tying up loose ends from previous books. It’s cleverly plotted, showing off Cole’s knack for juggling a complex series.

I loved how the forced proximity trope played out here. The adventure is pure fun, and the steamy moments don’t disappoint. Cole has a real talent for creating characters you can’t help but root for.

WORTH MENTIONING: Don’t let the novella label fool you – this story is fully fleshed out with a solid plot and well-developed characters.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE WITCH QUEEN OF HALLOWEEN is book 18.5 in the Immortals After Dark series. While the story stands on its own, I’d recommend reading the series in order to fully appreciate the Lore. That said, newcomers could still enjoy this as a standalone, though series readers will catch more of the nuances.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

FINAL DECISION: Loved, loved, loved this book. Cole has the amazing ability to give each hero and heroine exactly the story they need. Fun, adventurous, and deeply emotionally satisfying. This book not only is a great story in itself but moves the IAD series forward in new ways.

THE STORY: Munro MacRieve has been captured by warlocks who seek to make his wolf captive to them. Munro resists all efforts by the warlocks to make his wolf appear until they bring him his fated mate, Kereny “Ren” Codrina. When she dies, Munro seeks a way to change time to find his mate again. Ren then finds herself kidnapped by Munro on her wedding day. But this human woman has no intention of surrendering to the immortal and instead seeks to find her way home.

OPINION: This was a wonderful book. Not my favorite in the series, but the exact book I needed today and the perfect book for Munro. After the break in the series for the last couple of years, I worried that Cole would not return to form. Instead, this book is on fire and the overarching story is still moving forward in amazing ways.

Munro has been foretold to have a harridan for a mate. And Ren is just lovely in this book. She is strong and independent and is not taking any guff from Munro from the moment they meet. The story begins with what readers of the IAD series already know and yet what happens immediately after might be the most heartbreaking scene in the series. In fact, this book was an emotional rollercoaster: ones I wept at, ones I wanted to read through spread fingers in anxiety, ones that made me laugh, and ones that were heart satisfying that I felt so warm and comforted.

Munro gains tremendous depth here. In comparison to Will, Munro seemed too nice, too perfect. This book so neatly sets out that Munro has his own scars from his past but also from his brother’s story. Feeling responsible for Will for years has taken its toll on Munro even as he seems the “happy” and “carefree” twin. Everything about Munro’s story with his mate push on Munro’s pain and weaknesses — which makes this book so good. I loved Munro as a character — especially as he interacts with other male characters who have shared parts of his journey.

I am so impressed with how Cole can write a story that is so of the world and yet feels fresh and new. In preparation for this book, I re-read the entire series and this book did not feel like any other in the series. That is why Cole is a master in this genre.

Readers of the series might wonder how and why the story is returning to this story after Sweet Ruin and Wicked Abyss and the Dacians books which seem to blow the IAD story out into a bigger universe. And the question also was — why give the preview of this story in MacRieve and then write a bunch of books in the middle. This book answers that question. Indeed, this book needs all of the prior books to make this story work. Nothing is wasted and it makes perfect sense that this book comes at this point in the overarching story. The revelations in this book also change and alter many of my expectations of where the stories of the characters are going. Good stuff!

Now to wait for the next book in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: There are some good twists for fans of the series. To avoid spoilers, I won’t mention which characters make appearances, but enough do to make any fan happy.

CONNECTED BOOKS: MUNRO is the eighteenth book in the Immortals After Dark series. The romance here is self-contained but this series has an overarching storyline that cannot really be appreciated here. A reader should just start at the beginning or at least read MACRIEVE.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.