We’re very happy today to introduce you an author I (*Melliane*) really like. We therefore thank Suzanne McLeod for this amazing post that allows us to discover her books. If you haven’t read these novels, you really need to! It’s an amazing Urban Fantasy series. I hope you’ll enjoy this post and I hope it will make you want to learn a little more about the volumes.
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Hello! I’m delighted to be here at Between Dreams and Reality to chat about my books and thanks for having me. I’m Suzanne McLeod and I write the Spellcrackers urban fantasy series set in London, England. The series features Genevieve (Genny) Taylor, a sidhe and one of the noble fae.
Genny works for Spellcrackers.com ~ making magic safe ~ and a typical working day could see her evicting pixies from Trafalgar Square – pixies love animating statues and they have a habit of making the four huge bronze lions that guard Nelson’s Column snap and roar, which thrills the tourists but causes a massive Health and Safety problem for the square’s wardens! Or Genny might have to remove a malicious hex from the changing rooms at Harrods; or issue a trading licence on behalf of the local council for spell ingredients so they can be legally sold – such as dried garden fairies; a sort of cross between a frog and a dragonfly that when sniffed can help you tap into the magic. As you can probably tell I have a lot of fun making life interesting on the magical front in Genny’s world, and while her London is a city you’d easily recognise if you visited or lived there, it’s also a place where you can party the night away in Leicester Square with a celebrity vampire, ride the Underground with a goblin worker, buy a love charm or a bad-hair day remedy from the Witches’ Market in Covent Garden, walk the treetop walk with a dryad at their spiritual home in Kew Gardens, or hire Spellcrackers.com to get rid of that nasty hex your neighbour sicced on you.
Of course, Genny’s job sorting out magical hitches is only part of what the series is about, as there’s often someone who needs, or demands her help, and Genny isn’t the type of girl to say no when someone is in trouble, even when she knows the trouble is the sort better left alone. So she’s always ending up having to save her friends, and herself, from some tricky, and often life-threatening situations. (Author’s note: Magic can make murder so much more interesting! *g*)In THE SWEET SCENT OF BLOOD (book 1) a celebrity vampire is accused of murdering his human girlfriend, and thanks to an old bargain, Genny is forced to prove the vamp’s innocence. This means her getting up close and personal with the local vampires, something which could mean her losing her job – Spellcrackers is run by witches, and witches and vampires just don’t mix – and her freedom, since unlike humans, Genny isn’t protected by law from the vamps’ less civilised attentions. Not to mention that consorting with the vamps is something that could blow the secrets Genny is keeping about herself sky high.
In THE COLD KISS OF DEATH (book 2) Genny finds herself framed for a magical murder and has to go on the run to find the real killer before they strike again. Oh, and she bumps into a few other nasties who are up to no good where she’s concerned along the way. Plus, she learns some things that make her look at herself, her past, and her friends in a different, and not always happy light. (Author’s note: I like to be evil to my characters! *g*)
And in THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC (book 3) Genny is searching for a way to break the eighty-year-old infertility curse afflicting London’s lesser fae and threatening them with extinction. Of course, the lesser fae have their own ideas how Genny can break the curse, but their plans aren’t the sort she’s about to agree to. Then when dead teenage faelings (human/fae halflings) start turning up dead and bound with magic in the River Thames, Genny’s sure their deaths are due to the curse, and that they hold the secret to breaking it, so she sets out to prove it.While each of the books are a self-contained ‘Whodunit’, they also tell the ongoing story of Genny and her friends, frenemies and the hawt males in her life :-D. One of her best friends is Hugh, a rock-steady mountain troll who is a Detective Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police Magic and Murder squad, who has known Genny since she was fourteen. Another is Katie, a level-headed, human teenager Genny used to babysit for, and who is like a younger sister to her.
As for the hawt males, well they cause Genny all sorts of emotional ups and downs. Finn, Genny’s co-worker, is a sexy satyr and someone who she comes to care deeply for as their relationship develops, but who blows hot and cold for his own reasons, confusing her. And then there’s Malik al-Khan, the mysterious, seductive vampire who keeps turning up like the proverbial bad penny. Genny isn’t sure what Malik truly wants from her, or even if she wants a closer relationship with him since she’s pretty sure getting involved with a vamp on a personal level isn’t the safe and sensible thing to do, but that doesn’t stop her being attracted to him; something that causes lots of fireworks when they hit the page together. *g*
Thanks again for having me, and if anyone wants to find out more about Genny and Spellcrackers, then do please visit my website – www.spellcrackers.com – where there are excerpts and more. And do feel free to contact me with any questions; I always love to hear from folk!
 Suzanne McLeod was born in London – her favourite city and the home of Spellcrackers.com – and now lives with her husband and geriatric rescue dog on England’s (sometimes) sunny South Coast. Before becoming an author, Suzanne’s been a secretary, a cocktail waitress, a dance group roadie and a retail manager, all of which has been great grist for the writing mill. There are currently six books planned in the Spellcrackers series with THE SHIFTING PRICE OF PREY (book 4) releasing in the UK later this year. |
Missie, The Unread Reader
Oh, I don’t blame Genny at all for wanting to get closer to Malik! Vampires are my weakness, and guys like Malik are the reasons why.
Such a fun series. Genny’s job seems really interesting and I love the setting. Thanks so much for the guest post.
Melliane
Oh yeah! I totally understand too!
Kaity
Awesome guest post! I read The Sweet Scent of Blood a few years ago and loved it. I haven’t had a chance to return to the series though but after reading Suzanne’s post, I think I will need to soon. I remember absolutely loving Hugh and that the ‘standard’ paranormal creatures aren’t the only ones included.
Melliane
I hope you’ll enjoy the others as much as I do. It’s a great series.
Melissa (Books and Things)
This sounds like such a fun series. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading them, but they are all on my wishlist! I’m so curious about the sexy satyr! 😀
Melliane
I hope you’ll start it soon, I would be curious to read your opinion about them.
Celine
Ooo I am really intrigued to read the book now! Awesome guest post, thank you for sharing this with us! ♥
Celine @ Forget-me-not
Melliane
lol Now I just want the fourth book!
Mardel
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. Malik is an interesting character – never know if he’s going to go for Genny or GO FOR Genny. 🙂
Melliane
I agree can’t wait to know more!
Mrs Q Book Addict
Great post! These are new to me.
Mimi Valentine
Any author you really like is one that I need to check out, Mel! <3 And the fact that these books are about vampires definitely helps -- the summaries for these definitely make me intrigued! With an awesome female main character and a hint of a mystery in the plots, I just know it's going to be awesome! ;)
Thanks so much for the cool guest post, Suzanne! This series sounds like an absolute blast! 🙂
Melliane
thank you mimi, it’s really nice. Yes I love it. It’s true it’s awesome.
Melissa (My World...in words and pages)
Wonderful guest post! 🙂 I read and enjoyed the first book and now have books 2 & 3 here to dive into. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Melliane
can’t wait to read you opinion, enjoy them both!
Fireflywishes
Wow, I’ve never heard of this series before, but I’m definitely interested now! Sounds like something I’d really enjoy, I’m starting to get more and more into UF 😀
Awesome guest post!
April @ My Shelf COnfessions
Melliane
For now I’m a lot into UF books, and this one is a really great series. Thanks for stopping by!
Sam
I haven’t read any of the books in this series, but I am aware of it. Great post, Melliane! I’m definitely more desperate to get stuck into these books soon. 🙂
Melliane
I hope you’ll like them too if you give them a try. I would be curious to see your opinion.