Opals & A Nimbus

by NANDER, Dexter Isaac (illustrator)

What happens when magically conjured tornadoes in Miami, Florida set two best friends-with-benefits down different paths? They fall into the arms of new lovers and dangerous adventures. Daphne is a travel nurse going undercover to help form a union at a local hospital. The last thing she expected was to be rescued from a tornado by a cloud-riding man with irises made of opals. After he hides her unconscious body in the woods, he stalks her until she agrees to come to his hidden sky kingdom. There, she discovers new friends, hidden powers, and a fate forged at her conception. O'doherty is a nurse conducting clinical research trials on elderly patients, who display the creepy behavior of sleepwalking in unison just before a tornado ravages their nursing home. With the help of her new computer hacker boyfriend, Fabian, she connects suspicious patient data to the recent string of strange storms and embarks on a dangerous investigation that angers powerful people. Pushing her luck despite the warning of a ghost, she finds herself being stalked by a menacing man hellbent on throwing her off their trail. That is until he decides to present her with an offer she has no choice but to accept. Daphne and O'Doherty's respective journeys come to a crossroads with the two having vastly different perspectives. With their friendship challenged they risk everything that they both worked so hard for. Leading with their love for each other, the two set into motion a series of events that will change their lives forever.

502 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2024

Reviews

[Bookishandbrewsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a refreshingly new take on magic. It had something I never knew I needed before, a sky daddy. And man the spice was spicing.. I loved how there was a door picture so you could filter out the spicy scenes if you chose.

Daphne and O’Doherty are best friends and sometimes lovers in Florida. Both of them are nurses and are navigating the in’s and out’s of the healthcare system and all the stressors that come with it.

Suddenly Florida starts getting hit with extreme and intense storms that Daphne doesn’t believe are so random. When she sees a man riding a tornado she thinks she’s hit her head a little too hard. Pol, are handsome cloud riding sky daddy convinces her she’s not crazy, and take her to his sky kingdom.

O’Doherty, is trying to piece together what’s going on with the disasters and why her patients in the clinical trials are behaving so strange. She meets a mysterious man who might be behind it all. While investigating all of this she falls hard for one of her patients sons, Fabian. Who also happens to be an excellent cook. While trying to figure it out she grows more and more concerned over Daphne’s erratic behavior and disappearances.

Meanwhile the storms and weather keep getting worse and worse. Could Daphne be right and they are in the middle of a war between opposing Sky kingdoms?

If you like:
☁️Cloud riding daddies
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ representation
🩺 Accurate stories of nursing
🫶🏻Mental health representation
🌶️ Spicy scenes

You’ll love this book!

[Shauna Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many questions starting with when is book 2 out?

Best friends Daphne and O'Doherty become embroiled in a war they have no idea about, meeting Pol and Fabian along the way. When tragic strikes will either woman be the same again?

It is a supernatural fantasy romance with LGBT+ friendly relationships, magic, realms, secrets, plots, nursing unionisation, mystery storms, psychological and psychotic references, cloud flying, spice, oh and spice on clouds 🥵 water funnels IYKYK 😜

The character and world building is outstanding 👏 This book had me questioning my own sanity at times, completely emotionally and desperately in need of the continuation 🥰

[Sariah Steed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly well written. The plots flow together seamlessly and all are intriguing and hold your interest throughout. The characters are well developed and have distinct personalities. I CANNOT wait to read the next books!

[Autumn Gresser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ate this book up!!!! Book two like pleaseeeeeeee! I’m starting to do my own sprayed edges and already have plans for this book! I love love love love loved it!!!

[Treyreadss · Rating 4 out of 5]

What words can I even use to describe this book??? Well first I docked a star because I have to wait for book 2 and that’s just CRUEL 🙄🙄 HOWEVER, I was in such a fantasy slump and this book grabbed me by my scalp and I was DRAGGED from that slump. It should be criminal how fun, and vibrant this world is. Daphne my love, she was/is so strong but I also wanted to shake her at times because sis (literally) STAND UP something about Pol just ain’t RIGHT, I loved him at first until, he killed my baby DADDY!!!

Which brings me to Fabian, the man he is 🤭🤭, I have a new book boyfriend and Fabian is it. The care he gave to my girl O’Doherty unMATCHED.

Now miss Doherty 😒, conflicted because I’m torn between loving how much she cared for Daphne to seek getting her help and wanting to fight the hell out of her because she KNEW she had seen those stones and was being stalked herself. 🙄🙄 I admire the love she had for Daph and wanting to get her help, that’s a wonder friend but GIRL all the shit she experienced and she had the nerve to pull that shit I wanted to shake her too hell!!

I love the tension between Daphne and O’Doherty due to their romance as well, I feel like they both love/loved each other romantically but were scared and ended up both being hurt by the other.

On to the magic, fucking lava zombies??? I’ve never been so scared or intrigued, (do lava pp’s hurt???) 🤣🤣, the magic and realm of Loanan just felt so fresh and so fun, I loved learning about the different tiers of magic too especially psychic magic! When Daphne realized she was an empath 🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽 icon. I can’t wait to see what book two has in store magic wise and the expansion of the world.


Over all this book is just fabulous and I cannot wait for the sequel, I’m so excited to see where Nander takes this series. I’ve not read a book that’s given me this much fo a hangover in a while. 💖🙌🏾

[Angela Parrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly believe no other author would have been capable of telling this story. Only the soul of a true caregiver could give the very breath of life to this tale so masterfully that the reader is all but helpless to its immersive charms and vivid emotions. True knowledge and care was given in creating such a magical setting with such factual accuracy; both magical and medical. Fated couples, friends and lovers to enemies, realms within realms! Detailed landscapes that could be painted from simply the words alone by the most skilled artist! And the beauty that is the physical hardcover edition with artwork!! Stunning! The ending has me wait with bated breath for the second book that is destined to be worth the wait (March 2025)! Almost forgot, always check your trigger warnings.

[Baileybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic! Great writing, character development, and plot. Such a unique story I find myself thinking about constantly!
Fantasy, action, and spice! 😉

[Jasmine Jauregui · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need a second book asap omg 🤭

I loved this book so much it’s very Miami vice meets supernatural fantasy 🤭 i love the art work as well it was so good 😍 I couldn’t put it down 😍 the plot was so good and the cliffhanger omfg I need the next book 😍 I love really loved how she added the doors before reading a spicy scene 🤭 I can’t wait for the next book 🤍

5⭐️

[Samantha Helsper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!!! Everything I hoped it would be and more!! I can’t wait for book 2!!! Thank you so much for the arc!!!

[casey cays · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so creative and the spice was spicing. I still can’t decide whether I love Pol or hate him. I loved the world within a world plot. You can tell this was written by a nurse and I loved it.

[Dylan G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason it took me so long was because of University.

Non Spoiler Review: I loved the pacing of this story. I loved the inclusion of the doors to indicate a spicy scene, I have not seen that before. I loved the dialogue and the inclusion of visuals for certain conversations. The illustrations are beautiful. Look forward to see where this goes!

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! I absolutely loved all of the characters!! Daphne and O’doherty are best friends. Until Daphne met Pol and O’doherty met Fabian. Pol was my favorite Sky Daddy character!! I NEED BOOK 2 LIKE NOW!!!

[Veronica Untivero-Marwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for:
- fantasy
- warring factions
- nurse unionization
- spice
- LGBT representation

look no further!

NANDER has done an incredible job (especially with this being her debut novel)! I fell in love with Daphne and O’doherty. Were there times I wanted to scream and literally pull my hair out? Yes. Were there times I wanted to cry because I felt so much for the characters? Also yes.

I’m looking forward to book 2!

P.S. If you’re also an Adam Driver appreciator, Pol will be your guy ❤️

[cici cast · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way my heart felt ripped out when I finished this book! I need the second one now! I need more!!!

Daphne and O’Doherty are two nurses just navigating through their normal daily lives. Until patients start to act abnormal. Followed by series of strange and unusual events. Daphne’s life is instantly turned upside down when she is met by a handsome magical being with opal eyes. O’Doherty is busy investigating the strange occurrences and weird rocks she has found while juggling her new love interest. None of the women know that there is something more sinister brewing.

Opal and a nimbus is a supernatural fantasy romance that is constantly surprising you. It has LBGT representation, magic, fated mates, spicy scenes that were incredibly hot and UNIQUE. The way they used water funnels👀👀 and the cucumber scene… crunch crunch lol
You just have to read it!!

I highly recommend this book and I will be raving non stop about it until I get my hands on the second one lol 🙌🏽🙌🏽

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was part of the ARC team and I absolutely loved this book! Well written! Can’t wait for book 2!!!

[KKBOOKNOOK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nander knew what she was doing with these characters. We meet Daphne and O'Doherty who are nurses and best friends with a bit of a tangled past. We follow their journeys when some strange storms come and wreak havoc in their lives. This leads us into a whirlwind story with magic, realms, and all the supernatural romantasy you can take with some spice that makes anyone blush. Now the spice is 4 chili peppers hot and very creative, if that is not your thing, there are images of doors, one open one closed to mark the beginning and end of a spicy scene. Now don't worry, if you are too skip over these sections you wont miss any of the twists and turns in the story line.

This story brings you into a whole new realm, so detailed and well created you feel like you're walking though the door or beat up from a day of training along side the MCs. The world building was top tier and heightened by the epic art from Dexter Isaac. With his images the story truly jumps off the page.

This story does touch on some harder topics including mental health, LGBTQ (from supportive views to non supportive family members), and poor nursing conditions leading to unionization. Each topic was written on page so well, I was able to appeal and see the struggles of what these characters are going through and feel with them.

Nander rocked it with this book, a true 5/5 all around. Initially the characters drew me in, then the 2 pov story lines coming together with all of the twists and turns just sucked me in and I am desperate for book 2. Congrats Nander on this epic masterpiece, I can not wait to see what is to come.

[Chelle Cypress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who this book is 💯 for:
🌟Lovers of spice - the author had numerous spicy scenes. I would say they were 1/4-1/3 of the book. Each scene was unique. Also I will never ever look at a cucumber the same way again.
🌟Readers who love a lot going on & a fast paced novel - there wasn’t a slow moment in the book between the two perspectives, love interests, mysteries and magic the characters were just pulled through the gauntlet.
🌟Urban fantasy lovers - this novel deals with a lot of irl issues from unions, medical care, mental health and touches on sobriety.
🌟Adam Driver & Dragon Ball Z lovers.


Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought that the setting was interesting, and I enjoyed the unique magic system. I think that my favorite part was the love between the two main characters O’Doherty & Daphne. Their relationship was complex with layers of depth teetering between love & friendship. The ending really left me on cliffhanger and I’ll be reading book 2.

My biggest reasons for a 4 and not a 5 were mostly due to pacing and at times a desire for more emotional depth. I think because there was so much going on I had a hard time keeping track of all the subplots and names. In addition, I wished that some scenes had leaned more into emotion and reflection, intertwined with all the action and spice. Personally, it was just too much spice for my taste. I like my romance novels leaning into the emotional intimacy with a peppering of physical intimacy. Next book I will likely use the door system and forgo the scene once I’ve had my fill. However, being the first book I wanted to navigate her style before forgoing chunks of the book.

Overall I think this book would be great for people who really love a heaping helping of spice, lots of action and a fast paced novel.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars! If you are looking for a unique, spicy romantasy I would highly recommend this one! We all know and love at least one shadow daddy, but what about a sky daddy?!? This book literally has it all- a unique plot, well developed characters, a little bit of mystery, LGBTQ+ representation, a hidden world, slow burn, amazing spice (with open and closed door icons in case spice isn’t your thing), and 8 illustrations to make the story come to life! We follow two best friends as they navigate the nurses union, strange occurrences with patients, and two new men in their lives. I loved this book and can’t wait for book 2! Thank you Nander for the gifted advanced e-copy :)

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings the field of nursing into a magical realm without overpowering the storyline! Best friends, or are they just friends, Daphne and Odie find themselves in a plot they didn't know was possible. The plot flows beautifully. The queer representation is more than appreciated! I can't wait for book 2!

[Stephanie Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an amazing read! From start to finish, it kept my attention. I could not put it down. Well thought out plots. Character development and mystery! Got some tips about nursing staffing and unionizing 😉. Spicy scenes were classy and so hot. Wrap that all up with a beautiful magic bow and I cannot wait for the next one!

[Andrea Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! Where do I even start with this book??? Nander took me on a whole adventure with this one! The writing is phenomenal and the spice is just *chef’s kiss*!!! I didn’t want the story to end! I cannot wait for part 2! 5 star read for sure!!! ⭐️

[Samantha Flint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me all the feelings and checked so many boxes for me. As a nurse who enjoys spicy fantasy books, this book was incredible.

It was incredibly unique in so many ways and was a breath of fresh air! I'm already feeling the book hangover....

[Makayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This was good, I just don't think it was for me particularly. Anddd I really hate when that happens! 🥺

[Cathy Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nanders way of writing makes you feel like your a character in the book. All of her characters are all well written. I loved every bit of the book

[Sabina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say but that I want more!!!! NANDER draws the audiences into this fantasy romance with descriptions of other worlds that are so vivid in my mind that I almost feel like I'm part of the story. This book had me feeling a range of emotions in sync with her characters. I thought it was lovely that she chose to denote when naughty scenes were about to happen for those who enjoy the romance and fantasy but aren't necessarily into explicit sexual details. Overall, I loved this book, and once I started reading, I was unable to put it down until it was finished. Nander is an amazing story teller and I can't wait to read more of her work!

[Bree Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

F*!! YES.

F* YES. HomeFRICKIN’ run. I had to edge at the end because I did not want this fantasy and spice to conclude. I need more…Impatiently waiting!!!! 😬🤌🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻♥️

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I just finished this book, I loved it and will be giving it a full review. I do however need to sit down and be in my feels for a few because the cliffhanger this left on was NO JOKE! I feel not okay in the best way....Book 2 comes out when again?

[Kaï Teller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is EXTREMELY late, and I’m so sorry.

I absolutely loved and adored this book! It caught my attention on the first page and didn’t let go until the very end. The magic system is unique, the characters are all able to stand on their own, and each chapter kept me guessing. Using the doors to mark where a 🌶️ scene (and there were MANY 🥵🥵) was an absolutely amazing idea. The illustrations are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Overall, this book is absolutely amazing and unique and I cannot wait for book two!!

[Corin Dively · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head in the clouds

This book has more twists than a tornado, and I'm here for it! Loved the open and closed door spice, and the illustrations! Her writing makes me feel like I was there, I could really be at work right now, with fun coworkers, lol! I appreciated the nursetok references, too!

[Z. Jeffries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishingly ambitious. The lore of this feels completely fresh and original. The characters are very real and leap off the pages. The plot moves at a break-neck speed, combining a medical mystery with mythological politics intrigue and two riveting love stories.
And the spice is chef’s kiss.
This feels like urban fantasy driven by adult paranormal romance.
Worth it for the spice and the pet dog alone.