The Witch's Quest by Michele Hauf is the second book in The Decadent Dames series but the first I have read.

The Good
* This is very quirky and imaginative. It is a book that is not afraid to be different and reveals in its slightly odd atmosphere.
* I liked Valor, it was nice to have a tom boy female character.
* Kelyn was adorable. He was quite different from the normal paranormal romance male lead which I really liked.

The Not so Bad
* There just wasn't enough substance for me to really engage in this. I wanted more drama and more emotion.
* There wasn't enough chemistry between Kelyn and Valor. I did like them together but I wanted a little more passion and romance.

I loved this book! Absolutely loved it! Really beautiful story about sacrifice and doing the right thing even when it hurts. Also, very sweet, sexy love story between a fairy and a witch. Hauf's Beautiful Creatures stories are some of my favorites, and I especially love her descriptions of fairy wings. I never thought much about fairies until I read her books involving them, now I'm a little obsessed.

Will attempt to write a more thorough and thoughtful review later. I know "I loved it and it's amazing" isn't really helpful review-wise, and yet, that's exactly how I feel about this book, moments after finishing it.

If you are a fan of paranormal romance, I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy via Netgalley.

It has been quite some time since I have read a Michelle Hauf book. I don't know why I stopped. I really enjoyed the characters in The Witch's Quest! I will have to go back and read some of the other books in the series....Definitely worth taking the time to read!

***Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for granting me an ARC. All opinions expressed here are my own honest views.***
This was my first time reading anything by Michelle Hauf and actually my very first Harlequin Nocturne novel. I was not disappointed. I love paranormal romances. I can't help myself...it's like my ow little dirty secret. Except...now it's not so secret. The book itself is set in a world that the author calls Beautiful Creatures so there are a lot of shared characters throughout each book. The book is definately something that can be read as a stand alone novel which is good. The story starts off with Kelyn making the ultimate sacrifice to save Valor's life. The were not together or even friends. He is just that nice of a faery. The rest of the story is about Valor trying to find a way to restore Kelyn to his former glory. These two made a great team and I really liked the chemisty between them. It was very refreshing that Valor is not all girly but a major tomboy instead. I had no idea that a faery could be so incredibly alpha and sexy! Truth be told my very favorite secondary character was Mooshie. Who doesn't like a cat with attitude that cleans house? I am actually going to head out to a store this weekend and see if I can scoop up some of the other stories set in this world. Particularly the one involving Kelyn's brother Blade. I gave this one 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

I went into this with the best of intentions. I so badly wanted to like this book, I probably should have known there was going to be an issue when the author wrote a note letting you know you can read this as a stand alone. Just a hint...she lied, this is part of a broader world, even if you read it for this story you will be lost like I was. Now not saying she doesn't know what she's taking about but as a totally new to this series reader I was totally and completely lost.

We start off great with a snarky witch heading into the Dark Woods to create a spell, and I immediately liked her because she was awesome when she shared her feelings and why she as doing the spell. The beginning scenes description is amazing I felt like I was in the forest with Valor as the author is able to write the heck out of that scene. Then as the scene progressed it just went weird, not just what was happening in the woods but how much a virtual stranger especially a Fae was willing to give and do for a stranger. As the story progressed we were given more back story, more of the characters and it just didn't flow so well if you didn't know who the Saint-Pierre's where already. Every where they went and interacted with other supernaturals they all knew who he was and responded with respect, and I was kind of lost.

Our characters in this story are Kelyn who is a Fae who sacrificed greatly for Valor the witch from the woods and he's angry about it but doesn't want to be. He lost a lot and he's tired of her always apologizing when they see each other, he just wishes to be left alone. His family supports him and those that were her friends have cut her out of their lives, especially his werewolf brother Trouble. Valor is a Decadent Dame, she works at and partially owns the brewery with friends. Valor is a witch who is perpetually seen as one of the guys, she loves 'masculine things' and doesn't know what it means to be a 'real woman' and this is what drives her for most of the story. She also does quite a bit conventionally written witches don't do like bend people's will to her own needs, ignore warnings about nature, was super greedy and had to be checked several times about this by Kelyn.

This story takes conventional lore and turns it on it's head, a werewolf who is brother to a full fledged Fae, and a vampire. A vampire who is pregnant and therefore hormonal, calling demons at a party, drinking angel dust. Fae who put out glitter when they have sex. It was just all so odd. Nothing that we know of traditional lore was kept in the book, everything was something the author was making up and there wasn't any information about it until you were presented with that scene.

That's pretty much when I was over the story and just wanted it to be done. I work in the healthcare field and 'angel dust' isn't just something you made up it's an actual drug that actual people can die from, that pulled me right out of the story and I could no longer suspend belief.

Then there were the things that Valor would say about women and not feeling like a real one. i understand not always feeling like you fit the mold of what a "real woman " should look, talk, or act like but to bash other women for liking what they like because you don't understand it is bullshyt and it's tired.
"Because only real girls cried; and she would use her tomboy for all it as worth right now"
It's 2017 write better character flaws without bashing other women for liking makeup and doing their hair and wearing stilettos, my IQ doesn't drop because I like these things, not does my ability to be a gear head drop because I like lipstick. Cut that shyt out.

For me it was almost impossible to get a good read on the characters because they felt disjointed, they at times felt like they were trying too hard to be different then kept thinking weird thoughts in their scenes and just genuinely weren't really likeable. I felt at times they didn't even really like each other then they were having sex and it just didn't spark anything for me. I didn't feel like we got a sense of the characters, what they looked like, or who they were it was disjointed and only mentioned when either of them was obsessioning over the other's body. It also didn't feel like they had any real chemistry because he was still mad at her for what happened even though he didn't want to be.

I didn't connect to the story at all, it felt like it was being weird just for the sake of being weird. From the names of characters, the anatomically impossible sitting scene between Valor and Kelyn post sex which leads into another sex scene; the douche bag of a brother named Trouble and the things he's done, the random characters that were introduced, the threads from being in Faerie which aren't answered. I just felt so confused reading this book, perhaps it would have been different if I read the first book, however when I looked it up this appears to be a spin off of another series.

I can say the author is very gifted in creating wonderful scenes that the characters interacted with, especially her description of places they visit on this journey.

I really wanted to like it, I even let the fact that she curses by saying the names of tv doctors slide, because I sometimes use fun ways to curse but even I wouldn't shout out a tv doctor's name during sex. just not happening. This as clearly a book you had to read in the order of the series, and I wish I had truly known that.

★☆☆☆☆
Let me know if you've read the series, does it make more sense than this book?? Share in the comments and let me know if I should try from the beginning.

Valor is a witch and is trying to do a spell in an enchanted forest to make herself more lovable. Unfortunately she’s caught by one of the enchanted trees and is slowly being sucked into the ground. The only way to free her is to have someone in Faery push her out from the other side. Too bad she doesn’t know anyone who can actually get into Faery.

Kelyn Saint-Pierre is part Faery but has never been able to get into Faery. He would love nothing more but it’s not in the cards. When he comes across Valor he wants to help her and the only way to do that is to sacrifice his wings to a demon who has agreed to help.

Once Valor is free she knows she has to get Kelyn’s wings back and goes about trying to find a spell that will open a portal to Faery for them. Kelyn’s up for it and the two set off on a grand but scary adventure that brings to two closer together then either thought possible.

I really liked the premise of this book and it was set up nicely to start. I instantly felt the connection between Valor and Kelyn and was rooting for them throughout the book. The things they went through, for the most part, were pretty harrowing and I admired their determination.

There were a couple of parts in the book that I thought were superfluous but maybe that was just me. I didn’t care for Kelyn’s attitude once they were in Faery and the fact that Valor forgave him so quickly once he apologized kind of bugged me. I wanted him to grovel more because he’d been an ass.

Despite that I liked the book and thought it was a fun read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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If you want a romance full of paranormal adventure and angst, you should read this book. Actually, any Michelle Hauf is a good call if this is your taste! You won't be disappointed.

This is what I love about Mills and Boon; sure, it's formulaic, but you know there is going to be a relationship worth getting emotionally invested in, the story will move quickly with all of the escapism and imagination you want from a good read, and there will be a great ending. Mills and Boon is my great comfort blanket! I always come back to them, and Michelle Hauf is one of my favourites.

Not wanting to give too much away, the story starts with an angsty, paranormal bang right out of a fairy tale and just gets better from there. The quips between the characters! The cheer when someone who deserves to get hit gets hit! The perfect ending! Lovely.

I love that this is a series and have just ordered the previous title. They can be read stand-alone with no problem, but once you read one, you will want another!