Personal Demons

I’ve been reading this author for a while, and I love this spinoff of her other series. This is the second book, and it is a wild ride from beginning to the end. In this latest Mira and Ty are on the hunt for demons, and unfortunately, Mira has to confront her own demons from her past. This was a very engrossing book, as much for Mira’s past as it was for the hunting of demons. We learn about her family, how she ended up where she is now, and maybe why she is who she is. Not only that, but we also learn more about Ty’s past, too, though not quite as much. I am so in love with these characters, and I even love Kira’s demon. I can’t wait to see what’s up with that. This is urban fantasy how it should be, and I can’t wait to read more in this interesting world. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This is a wonderful blend of hard rocking action and romance. There is an instant connection between our hero and heroine, so we know where that is going, but it doesn't get in the way of the action to follow. The story was very well written and included plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting. The characters are also well developed and have a sense of realism to them that makes the story easy to read. I found this one to be a page turner and I am hoping to see more from this author in the future.

Mira and Ty get called to Florida. Back to Mira's childhood and family. A demon hunt turns bad, and threatens Mira's secret. This was a great coming home storyline. I loved that it's all about family, and how loving our relatives overcomes just about everything. How trust is everything. Highly recommend the series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Wow! Lots of twists and turns, lots of action. This was a story of family, love, and personal redemption. After reading it straight through, I was so intrigued by the characters that I bought the first book in order to read the backstories of Mira and Ty. This book was an absolute winner for me.

Mira Fuentes is a new character that I love , I love her personality and the demon that resides in her as well. This is the first I have read of this author , I believe this is book two , so I will def go back and read the first , I liked the storyline , it was different then what I have been reading lately .

I open every book by this author full of anticipation. I know the story is going to be epic and riveting. This book was no exception. Mira's has a demon riding shotgun. It comes with benefits and negatives. As a rifter she manages to kill monsters and stay alive. Such an intricate and enthralling tale. Loved the ending though it did brings tears.

Mira and her personal hitchhiker are back and this time its personal ! Mira has hidden that she is a practitioner of magic for so long that she truly doesn't know any other way. Now partnered up with Ty she finds herself called home by a trusted friend to save missing teens. First though she has a run in with an old rival and worse to come though is facing her family who have no idea that for years Mira has carried a Demon !
This author continues to delight and entertain her readers with well thought out stories that have twists, turns, shocks and even emotion. The creatures dreamed up here are truly heinous and I thoroughly enjoyed that the humans involved in this story felt integral to Mira accepting herself and moving forward. This is definitely an auto buy author for me now and if you enjoy urban fantasy that is fast paced then definitely check this authors work.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

A year ago I did something that rarely happens: I clicked 5 stars after reading the 1st book in The Rifter Series, Demon Riding Shotgun. Back then I had no idea it was to become a series, but I hoped and wished. Sometimes wishes come true, and here I am: reviewing installment 2.

I loved this second book in The Rifter Series almost equally, but the tone is a little different. That's predominantly caused due to the reluctant partnership Mira now has with Ty, an agent of "the enemy organisation".

Before, we had a Mira that's on her own, as she's always been, only interacting with her demon, and a one night stand here and there. We mostly see how she operates in the field as a balanced Rifter, pretty much some lone anti-hero. But Personal Demons starts where Demon Riding Shotgun ended: with a duo.

Suddenly Mira has these discussions with her demon where another can hear them, suddenly she's forced to communicate, to compromise and to have the constant energy of another person in her environment. As someone who has taken care of herself and has been on her 'own' since age 13, that takes a lot out of her. Not to mention the fact that Ty's employer brings her eerily close to the people she's run from since becoming possessed.

It's then no wonder the difficult new relationship with Ty and her lack of people skills are a major part of this second book. On top of the personal demons the title hints at. Some of which we've seen already in the 1st book. As a result this second Rifter installment is more emotional and a little more focused on both their inner worlds and working through baggage. Thàt is what I meant by 'different tone'. Luckily there's still plenty of kickass magic fights and snarky demon interaction!

The story then: when several high school,- and two college students go missing in Miami, Mira's old acquaintance Father Bembe sends her an email asking for help. Accepting this as a new case will force Mira to face the demons of her past, as she grew up and went to school as a newly minted rifter in the neighbourhood where it's all happening.

Our favourite possessed supernatural intended to stay away from her family and anyone else she knew once she arrives, but that's rarely how life works. Before she knows it, she's sleeping in her old home and forced to interact with a former school bully who isn't afraid to use Mira to climb the career ladder.

A lot happens in Personal Demons on the emotional and the paranormal front, making the story a tad harder to describe. Thank heavens Ì am not the author then, as Braden manages once again to intertwine each bit of separate storyline marvellously into one red thread, directly into a solved plot at the end of the book. It is what she did in the first book and does perfectly in the second. No loose threads, and most importantly, no annoying cliffhanger. Braden doesn't force us to wait with baited breath - and plenty of impatience - for the rest of the series. Instead she delivers a perfect package. Complete when we read the last words, and assuring a next buy simply through great writing.

The way Mira's newest case is unfolding in this novel is proof of that. It remains interesting at every turn, and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out any clues before our PTF Agent - Rifter duo did. If there's one thing to complain about, it's the chewed out trope of an incompetent police force - in this case the local misogynistic soon-to-be pensioner and some arrogant state agents. Then again, the missing teenagers case isn't as clear cut as even Mira and Ty seem to think at first, so their incompetence (and the trope) is partially forgiven.

The duo get thrown back to the proverbial square one a bunch of times, while almost losing their lives in the process when the earlier mentioned ambitious, foolhardy bully gets off half-cocked and ruins a carefully thought out setup. It's the outcome of that moment that shows the juxtaposition between Mira's self-image and how others view her best.

Mira is breaking down. The stress of the case, the guilt of having hurt her family, fear of being discovered, but above all the conviction of needing penance, of being a monster. Demon and Mira don't always see eye to eye on any number of things, but it's particularly her self-loathing that's causing conflict between the two. It even leads to the Demoness taking over at one point. Once Ty, Father Bembe and her family are made aware through the events in the book how deep Mira's wounds go - including the self inflicted ones - we get treated to a few unexpected (forshadowed really, mostly unexpected for our FMC) heartwarming moments. It takes the people she holds in high esteem, including a Catholic priest, to show our heroine that the moral grey we witness constantly exist for many people, but when it comes to hér fight against evil might just be amended to a heavenly white.

This also brings me to a point that might interest some readers: Mira's internal struggle doesn’t just stem from preternatural issues, but goes back to her background. While it wasn't that obvious in the previous book, the duo we're reading about now, both main characters, are POC. Mira's latin family is a big part of Personal Demons' storyline as well. This goes for the liberal Catholic priest too.

The idea of a slightly poor, loud and big Latin family with a loving and always cooking Abuela feels rather stereotypical - but as a white person I'm not the best choice of reviewer to comment on this particular way of writing. What I càn say, is that it doesn't happen often a white author chooses two main coloured characters. Furthermore, the new partner of the Latina heroine is a decorated war hero and a well respected African-American in a relative position of power. I'm pretty sure this could be a(n) extra reason for some to pick up the series sooner.

Ty's role does leave me with one personal point of contention, or critique if you will.
In my earlier review I congratulated the author on leaving out the almost obligatory 'hook-up for life'. Alas, book 2 gives enough hints to know romance will happen one day. As the build up is obviously much slower and their feelings, besides the obvious instant attraction, will come from working closely together and sharing life threatening experiences, I'm less bothered. No insta-love. Still, as someone who's had many a male friend and as a result constantly had to battle the automatic assumption luuurrve was involved from one or both sides, it would've been nice had an author shown that an attractive hetero man and woman can be - gasp - *just* the best of friends.

My rating this time...Demons Riding Shotgun is a tad better than the second book, though I did like Personal Demons a lot. I end up around 4,5 🌟/5 stars. Seeing as we don't get quarters and halfs with star ratings I'll let the scales tip in favour of 'being surprised' and solid creative writing. 5/5!

Conclusion >
Personal Demons easily flows from L.R. Braden's first Rifters book, Demon Riding Shotgun. Urban Fantasy readers are again treated to an intriguing case, rock-hard plot, fascinating magic, and the heartwarming, witty and just as often jaw dropping interaction with her morally ambiguous Demon-with-no-name. Personal Demons just adds a direct look into Mira's bruised psyche, giving the book an 'emotional sauce' that doesn't distract nor detract from action. After delivering another excellent page turner, Braden once again foregoes the annoying cliff hanger. She doesn't need one. I'm already in auto-buy mode for this author and dying to pick up The Rifter #3.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review,

Nail-biting action combined with some family drama and several murders will have you glued to the pages.

The outstanding world building that was established in The Magicsmith series and Demon Riding Shotgun, was skillfully maintained and somewhat expanded in this book. We were introduced to new magical creatures and the villain was not all that cut and dry.

Mira had to face her past and make peace with her boisterous and interfering family. Her partnership with Ty was not perfect at all, but they were making progress. A current of mutual attraction was continuously simmering between them, though they kept things strictly professional. Both Mira and Ty would have to overcome some serious personal obstacles first. The relationship between Mira and her demon also saw some significant growth and Ty was slowly starting to adjust his own thinking on Mira and her abilities.

This series is connected to The Magicsmith series, but you don’t have to read that series first to be enable to enjoy this one. It is better to read the books in order as the events build on each other. I can highly recommend this is if you like urban fantasy and the possibility of a romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Whoops, I didn’t realize this was book 2 in a series where the world was already built. That being said, I was able to catch up here, and threw in a higher rating to compensate for me not really knowing everything I should going into this one.

Mira has issues. She’s adjusting to a new partner (Ty) and still working on the delicate balance that is having a demon sharing your body. Sure, you get lots of power and the ability to do good, but you’ve also got to literally feed the demon. With her demon also comes a whole lot of discrimination and judgement, some of which Mira just assumes comes from Ty all the time. Ty, on the other hand, definitely remembers Mira and his time together before they became partners. Their new partnership gets truly tested when they are called back to Mira’s home town to hunt some evil doers.

Mira somehow believes that she can go down to Florida and magically avoid all her relatives. No such luck and it works out in the most wonderful way. The horrible gritty realness of this family really hooked me. While the start of the story was spent with me trying to figure out what I’ve gotten myself into, I was fully on board when her grandmother arrives. This is ultimately a mystery with oodles of paranormals thrown in (and lots of food). While there is not a gigantic romantic component, it still checks the boxes for a paranormal that could eventually grow up into a romance.

It's been a minute since I inhaled the first book, but this was an easy series to pick up and dive back into.

While I found this book very different in tone than the first book (more early episode of Supernatural with more empathy and nuance while the first one which was more save the whole world intense) I enjoyed this book as much if not more than the first one. Learning more about Mira (and Ty) really added layers to this book in a meaningful way. Seeing them as nuanced, complex characters who are flawed but the capacity for growth is not something I usually see (and especially not handled so well) and I really loved that addition. I find the worldbuilding so fascinating and well done - the magic, demons, monsters all are new and unique and set up for an utterly gripping book.

This has definitely become one of my must-read series and I can't wait to read more about Mira and Ty.

Out favorite inner demon returns! Snarky enough to give Venom a run for the money, on the female side. Snark, action, demons, stubborn family, and yea tension between Mira and Ty continues. Mira finally faces her past and family, her other 'inner demons', and comes out even stronger. Non stop adventure! Can't wait for the next installment.

Personal Demons by L. R. Braden, a fun continuation of the series. A not so bad demon stuck in the body of a demon hunter and a new partner she doesn't fully trust, what could go wrong.

The book tells a good story with interesting characters in a detailed world. The writing is smooth and makes it easy to get into the story. The plot keeps you interested from the beginning to the end.
The characters are relatable without being too complicated. The world-building gives a nice background without making things too confusing. The writing flows well, making it easy to follow the story. Overall, it's a good book.

This is the Author's second book in her spin off series and in my opinion can be read as a standalone

Returning home is not always a good thing , especially after ten years without contact .,. Mira dreads the thought but she cannot turn down her old family Priest when he asks for her help to investigate who or what is snatching local teenagers . Her demon however is looking forward to battling what is to come ........ Mira's control over him a constant battle for control . With her partner , Paranatural Task Force Detective Ty Williams , at her back can she keep her secrets whilst also finding the perpetrator and finding the teenagers before its too late .

This is urban fantasy at its best .......... an Author who is always at the top of my to read pile no matter what she writes

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A "not terrible" demon stuck in a magic users body? This continuation of Mira and Ty was enjoyable. I'm kind of over the "instant attraction" thing in UF, but I did enjoy this and I know some of my customers will as well.

Personal Demons is part of the larger Magicsmith Universe, and the second book in the Rifter series by L. R. Braden. I do highly recommend starting the larger series at the start to fully understand the setting and its particulars, but you do need to at least start this spin off from the beginning to fully understand some of the dynamics.

Protecting her secret and hunting demons is a matter of survival for possessed-practitioner Mira Fuentes. She's spent years learning to work with the snarky demon housed in her body, and it hasn't always gone smoothly. Nor has her recent partnership with an agent of the Paranatural Task Force. Ty Williams—uncomfortably-attractive and overly-protective—may never fully accept that his partner has a literal inner demon. But work-life-demon balance is the least of Mira's problems when a figure from her past drags her back to the hometown she's avoided for nearly a decade to investigate a string of potentially-magical disappearances. Someone or something is snatching teens from the local high school. Emotionally off-balance in a city full of old ghosts and new dangers, Mira will have to confront her past to discover what is hunting the innocent.

Personal Demons is a solid continuation of this universe and series. I liked getting a better understanding of Mira's family and history. I thought the mystery, solution, and many of the twists the book took were extremely well planned and thought out. I thought that the character development was fantastic and I cannot wait to see more of both Mira and Ty. I think they are a well balanced pair- and discovering more about each of them as they figure themselves and each other out at the same time is a fantastic ride. I look forward to seeing where things go from here- both in their relationship and in the larger storyline of the world they live in as well.

Personal Demons is absolutely hands down brilliant! 10/10/10 if I could if I could give it!

Personal Demons is the second installment in the Rifter Series and it’s absolutely amazing!

I could barely put it down I read it three times before writing my review and now I’ve just stayed up all night to yep read it again. This is absolutely the perfect name for this book because I feel there was soooo much to explore in this one and it was done so beautifully! Mira is still carefully hiding the fact she has chosen to remain possessed and has found a working relationship with her inner Demon and they are truly becoming a team that is a force to be reckoned with.

Now we see the addition of Ty to the mix. This gets complicated as she simply picked him to blow off some steam and never expected to see him again or need to become his partner in crime solving. This is a big can of worms because Ty clearly really likes Mira who is super confused by his control freak behavior and then he flips on a dime and shuts her out if anything gets personal.

We also see a long overdue trip home that is well and truly going to completely change her life going forward. She hasn’t been back in all the years since being possessed and losing control of her magic and running from her family. Positive they could never live with what she did and has become. Except she can’t turn down this job at her home town as lives are at stake. Teenagers have gone missing and Mira may be the only person that can stop it.

I loved the twist of Mira facing down her high school nemesis. I’m super curious to see how that plays out. Her old frenemy doesn’t seem to be the best person. However, as we get her backstory we come to understand her character so much better and I would love to see growth and a real kinship build over time. I see a great opportunity for a bestie long overdue in both of theses women’s lives.

Also did I mention Amira’s Demon is a basass yep and she is deeply invested in keeping Mira safe and anyone Mira cares about. She proves countless times that Mira comes first even at the detriment of the demon herself who was willing to die to save Mira. I gotta say there’s a scene I might have cried a little so awesome.

Everything this author writes is a slam dunk home run. The books are intense, fast paced, well written and have phenomenal characters. Did I mention the world building! It’s killer and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

I would give the book a 10 if it were possible! But you absolutely won’t be disappointed. I mean I tried to give it a thirty up top 😂😂 so that’s his I’m feeling about it!

I was soo excited to read this sequel. I enjoyed the first book and the second book didn’t disappoint. In this book Mira and Ty are now partners and go where the demon action is. Mira and Ty are called to Florida to help out a friend from Mira’s past.
This book goes deep into Mira’s past. We meet Mira’s family and learn her family dynamics. The book is mostly set in Florida so there are tons of references to Hispanic food and culture. We get a fuller picture of Mira’s childhood and why she is the way she is today. I loved how this book highlights Mira’s Hispanic family and background. There is soo much pride and love in her family, there’s nothing like a grandmother’s love.

Kids are disappearing and Father Bembe needs Mira’s help to figure out what is happening. Mira and Ty get some unwanted help with their investigation from Officer Lopez, an old classmate’s of Mira. Together they will try to unravel the mystery.
This book has action, drama, and we still get that hilarious interaction between Mira and her demon rider. Also, Mira and Ty try to figure out their new partnership and their romantic past.

Thank you to the author L.R. Braden, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book