The Reaper Rescues the Genie: Nocturne Falls, Book 9

Diving back into Nocturne Falls was truly like returning home! If ever there was a fictional land I would want to live in, this is it! Kristen Painter's series is truly remarkable, because even after a much long delay in getting back to this series, I was able to pick up The Reaper Rescues the Genie with ease! I saw some familiar faces even if a few were fuzzy, but thankfully this story did not lie with them, but with anew pair!Lucien is a retired reaper. His powers have gone haywire and have become unreliable which forced him into an early retirement. He lives in a swank underground mansion with his ghostly grandmother, and is pretty much a recluse. Except for the times he goes up to the club he owns and manages things. That's when he sees Imari and becomes deeply intrigued with the woman.Imari, as it turns out, is a jinn who's trying to stay as far from home as long as she can, for a destiny she wants nothing to do with awaits her. But her life gets complicated when a wish hunter starts stalking her. He's pretty much a genie hunter who will either keep Imari for himself to use for wishes or sell her to the highest bidder. And when she gets attacked outside Lucien's club, he is there to rescue her.Before Lucien knows it, he's agreeing to help protect Imari until the hunter can be caught and dealt with. It's not long before a connection begins to form between the two. Despite Lucien's attempts to stay closed off, he finds himself opening up to Imari. She too finds herself falling for the ex-reaper. It's a sweet, sort of slow building romance. The heat between them burns hot and fast, but the real feelings take longer to develop which makes it all the sweeter of a love story!There's more to the story then just this wish hunter problem, but I will leave those details for you to uncover! Just known that the hunter is only the beginning of Lucien and Imari's problems!The story was one I easily devoured in a short period. It's fast paced, yet there's still plenty of downtime for the characters as they develop and fall for one another. I also see background fodder for future stories and since I am way behind, I see that I am correct on one account at least!If you're looking for a fun and quirky paranormal romance, Nocturne Falls is pretty much THE PERFECT series to read! While you don't have to read the books in any particular order, it is one with recurring characters, so if you read "ahead" you'll pretty much know who's with who. From my recollection though there was never any doubt about who the characters wind up with. Pretty much when you read what each book is about, it tells you without telling you who winds up together. THAT kind of spoiler but not really a spoiler. So reading order is totally up to the reader in that regard! However behind I am though, I am still going chronologically because that's who I am! Lol.So to recap...if you're looking for a fun paranormal romance read, this series is perfect! There's a vast amount of character types, so there's something for every paranormal reader to enjoy!Overall Rating 5/5 stars

I believe we first really met Lucien in the Jayne Frost book Miss Frost Saves The Sandman: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost) (Volume 3), but you don't have to read it to understand his background. He is an elemental type being - formerly a mortal - who was selected to reap souls, and works hard at it until his powers go amiss causing him a personal tragedy. As a result he's put himself in a status of isolation -- the proverbial child at the window looking in at the candy store, watching the world pass through his exclusive night club for paranormals -- Insomnia.We first met our Genie in retirement, Imari in the Jayne Frost book Miss Frost Ices The Imp: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 2), if i'm remembering correctly. Again, you don't have to read that before this book, though the two series intertwine beautifully. She is happy as a masseuse living under her own control--a perfectly wish-less, master-less existence until the universe decided her time of fun and independence should come to an end.When a wish merchant tries to abduct her outside Lucien's club, the two are drawn together -- and then further together when a certain day-walking Romanian vampire (also heavily featured in the Jayne Frost series) calls in a debt.This was a great read, not only for the characters and the background filled in from other books but also because it just is a great story at its core. I really hope we get to revisit these two again in their own short story -- not because they didn't achieve a happily ever after but because _I_ don't want to let them go off into the sunset.

Lucien Dupree is a grim reaper. He belonged to a group called War Angels. They swept the battlefields of the world, taking the souls of casualties, bot soldier and civilian. When one becomes a reaper he becomes color blind. He can only see black, white, and shades of grey. This is supposed to be a small mercy so the reaper did not see large amounts of red blood and such. But decades ago something went wrong. Lucien’s powers became unreliable. Therefore, he has been living in a self-imposed exile and wearing gloves to keep humanity safe. (He also owns the club called Insomnia. It is a supernatural hotspot – no humans allowed.) He has a ghost as a housemate who happens to be his grandmother. Other than her, Lucien avoids the public. (Even those in his club.)Imazi Zephara is a retired genie. She works as a massage therapist. When a wish merchant comes to Nocturne Falls with ill intent toward Imazi, she has no choice but to ask Lucien for help. She believes him to be an angel of death, not a reaper, and she has no idea that her touch allows him to see color. Though they are attracted to each other, both have reason to keep their distance.**** FOUR STARS! Author Kristen Painter knows drama and intrigue. She delivers both without the hot bedroom scenes. Yet she does not skip the romance between the main couple at all. It was interesting to watch Lucien and Imazi’s relationship grow.Imazi is not the only genie in trouble this time around either. The author gave the wish merchant a hostage genie. This made him all the harder to avoid since he could just wish for anything. Watching her release was particularly gratifying. Not only must Lucien rescue Imazi from the wish merchant, but also from a betrothal to an ifrit. And that is only a taste of everything the author has managed to pack into this delightful tale of romance. (Want more? Buy the book.) ****Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I love this series. All of the stories are well written. I don't know where the author comes up with some of her plot points but I love them all.

Super unterhaltsam. Die Autorin hat ein wunderbares Talent für's Geschichten erzählen. Jedes ihrer Bücher ist eine Freude zu lesen.. vom Anfang bis zum Ende.

What a fun story. It hit all the right notes and left you wanting more, so much that you can't really wait for the next book.Nocturne Falls is enchanting small town filled with all kinds of supernaturals that find love in all kinds of places.A fun, quirky story filled with old biddies that steal the show. Heartfelt moments that are swoonworthy, and all the right words at the right time, a true fantasy.Highly recommended series

A fun fast read

Firstly I am a huge fan and love this writer who has once again done an awesome story and a great job finding an angle I thought was pretty unexpected compared to other ones in this universe. I really liked the other books characters popping up and I enjoyed the storyline. My only issue was that this one felt like it had story after story after story and whilst some folks probably don’t want things tied up straight away, I couldn’t help feel it was dragging on. I honestly couldn’t see any other way though as these characters did have obviously learnings first before any HEA could be had so it all tied up as it should, but I was tired from reading and had to stay up really late on this one!! So yeah my absurd ‘eh’ is just that, absurd. Great work again Ms Painter. :)

I loved this book. I am glad to see two characters that showed up first in the Jane Frost Books get their own story and take a much larger step forward to show the world more of them. I loved the contrasts of love, life, colour and the worlds around them. I was cheering more than once at a couple of the speeches. I love Hattie and adore her, I really hope she turns up more as she is so much like Birdie in some ways.