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Drew Collins #2
The First Family
A mysterious murder has been committed at a mythical and magical HBCU campus.
Nobody knows who did it.
School is covering it up in order to protect the students.
Until it happens again...
Nobody knows who did it.
School is covering it up in order to protect the students.
Until it happens again...
680 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2024
1564 people are currently reading
2331 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 698 reviews
November 13, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
This was soooo chaotic but I was here for it. It took me a while to get going in this book but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for Club Asylum!
This was soooo chaotic but I was here for it. It took me a while to get going in this book but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for Club Asylum!
November 18, 2024
Listen here I don’t even like messy books but this book right here I ate it up. FREE MY GIRL MAGGIE cause everyone on her D*CK like damn. I’m not gonna lie I’m scared because we still don’t know what’s to come. All the characters are still getting to know themselves. With each book we seem to get small pieces of information but everyone except Maggie is still a mystery. I’m really enjoy Bellamy and the way he’s moving. I can’t wait to see Namir in action… but like now I’m sad because I read it too fast so what am I to read now ?
November 1, 2024
Book 2 did not disappoint at all.. I’m here for Maggie and Nahmir love a good forbidden romance🤭, Quan/Isis 🤭, Asha being Asha that’s my girl a real one fr.
I knew Soux was more powerful than she let on had that man going crazy out his mind, the tea on Solomon and Isis 👀 Bellamy I like him as soon he learned Maggie was his sister he did not play about her. I can’t wait for book 3.
I knew Soux was more powerful than she let on had that man going crazy out his mind, the tea on Solomon and Isis 👀 Bellamy I like him as soon he learned Maggie was his sister he did not play about her. I can’t wait for book 3.
December 1, 2024
I’m giving this book a 3.75.
This book fell so flat for me in so many areas and it felt extremely rushed. It was all over the place and just jumped from subject to subject without fully executing other areas. I love Grangers work and I love the characters and the plot and the whole idea of a magical school for blacks! It’s amazing. But I feel like how book 1 ended. Every single question should have been answered and brought out in this book for a better understanding.
This book was just a bunch of random events that happen to morph together and there was no real substance to the book like truly at the end did we get the answer from the random encounter with Bellamy and is that even the truth.
I just felt like it’s okay to take your time and fully execute a book and make us wait.
I will definitely still read the other books but I would love to see more a story line and more background information being told so we can have a better understanding.
This book fell so flat for me in so many areas and it felt extremely rushed. It was all over the place and just jumped from subject to subject without fully executing other areas. I love Grangers work and I love the characters and the plot and the whole idea of a magical school for blacks! It’s amazing. But I feel like how book 1 ended. Every single question should have been answered and brought out in this book for a better understanding.
This book was just a bunch of random events that happen to morph together and there was no real substance to the book like truly at the end did we get the answer from the random encounter with Bellamy and is that even the truth.
I just felt like it’s okay to take your time and fully execute a book and make us wait.
I will definitely still read the other books but I would love to see more a story line and more background information being told so we can have a better understanding.
December 9, 2024
UGH! let me say this… BELLAMY! I need you bae 😩 this story is sooo good, can’t wait for the story to CONTINUE. the tension is getting WORSAAA!
October 9, 2025
Second review: I feel the same as before. The book seems unedited and details get lost. I hope the next book provides more clarity than questions because I'm trying to understand the endgame and I don't. What will the conclusion be? Graduation day? They still have a lot of time to get to that point.
First review:
The author needs to have some serious trigger warnings ⚠️ at the beginning of the book and do some serious editing for both the audio and the text because I am the grammar police. The narrators also pronounce some of the same words and phrases differently in different chapters (i.e. Gaia, "aht aht", etc.). This book was long-winded and I'm still gathering my thoughts. The sexual assault and off-page incest and rape should've been addressed at the beginning with a trigger warning ⚠️. There was a lot of chaos and some of the events were for no reason.
Was the purpose of the painting just to show off that Bellamy had money when he paid for it? Because they made the painting seem like a big deal, but it was not used afterward. I thought it was like a tribute to The Witches by Roald Dahl when a witch trapped a child's soul into a painting. Hillary's likeness moved inside the painting from time to time so I thought Souxie was going to use it for a seance to find Hillary's killer but nope. The purchase of the "dog in heat" scent was a waste as well.
ANNND the author rushed the information about who the killer was at the very end in Bellamy's chapter, and the person who revealed the info was a random ass character.
Bellamy was an enigma. He was very weird, scary, and intriguing at the same time. I liked that he was protective of Maggie and didn't want her to become a monster like he is, but that was his only endearing quality to me. Also one of his powers was to mimic, which makes me wonder if he had spoken with his parents as "Maggie"...I don't think it was resolved who spoke with Maggie's parents as a mimic. ALSO, Maggie's parents and grandparents, and the blood contact...I think Maggie should've been more homesick and more upset about that. Now she can no longer contact her parents and grandma (not that she did much of that anyway as the Grounds didn't allow much cell service for outside calls) but Maggie should've been more upset. Things always get shrugged off with her, even when she first found out that a mimic was communicating with her family, posing as her.
Souxie. Wtf. Are you going to solve the murder or not? She's too busy fucking with Akeem, who isn't that great btw. Did he hurt her or was she lying about it to me with him? The storyline about her brother dying went nowhere. I understood that her character was broken by this and that was the reason she wanted to go to this school, but that could've been revealed in book 1 and here in book 2, she could've been working on her goals.
Souxie's powers surprised me and she had total control when she helped Maggie escape her old werewolf professor Hawkins who tried to rape her. Souxie used her powers to hurt him, but he was almost unscathed. I'm so glad Namir smelled Maggie's scent on Professor Hawkins, his uncle, and Hawkins revealed that he used to rape Maze. It unfolded a lot of backstory for Maze's character and why she did not like the men in her family as the women and girls felt unprotected in the pack. However, upon hearing his confession about harming Maze, Tyee and Namir ordered Hawkins to be killed.
Namir and Tyee can both kiss my ass because they let the werewolf pack publicly attack Maze for being around a vampire. That's hypocritical since Namir is with Maggie. ALSO, he kissed her in front of everyone, marking his territory. Are there no HR rules?! How was he able to do that unscathed, but Maze got punished for being with Draco, Maggie's vampire cousin? There are different rules for males and females here. And Tyee is gay, living a lie in front of his pack because he's the Alpha.
What happened with Isis and Solomon in the past? Was he her first time with a siren or was he with the group of siren boys that tried to assault her before Isis' brothers came to her defense? Or both? That's why Isis's brother and Solomon knew each other.
Asha should never be with Solomon. I don't care about their peace treaty. Asha has every right not to like him or the other sirens. Isis is cool with them now, but who knows.
Quan...he needs to figure out why his father's girlfriend turned him into a cat and why when he was a cat, he couldn't remember that he was a nymph. His life doesn't have to evolve around Isis, he had his own mysteries to solve. But has he solved them? He made it sound like he's been enjoying screwing around, unless he says that to make Isis jealous. However, she's clearly part sea witch since she was able to accidentally perform a half-assed spell and turn Quan from a cat to a nymph. Not sure why the spell was temporary, maybe because they aren't together. Quan said he'd been sleeping around since their encounter but Isis admitted that she hadn't seen anyone since him. They may like each other but they're both stubborn and combative, so that would be a toxic relationship unless they start learning to be nicer to each other. Doesn't seem like that will be happening. (Before when Quan was a cat, I heard his voice being played by Charlie Murphy. Lots of f*** this and b**** that.) Hopefully, Isis didn't accidentally get with Solomon (again), but that convo never happened because another murderous event took place to shift the characters' and the reader's attention.
"The Second Family" name of their group was the only way Hillary was honored. But she died in vain because the book focuses on too many other things for the main characters to wrap their heads around. The author even admitted in her author's notes that she was rambling, odd to admit in an author's note. It didn't sound definitive or like a conclusion would take place.
With that being said...
...What the f*ck did I just read? A chaotic, ghetto mess that I'm now invested in. Wondering if I should wait until the next audiobook is released for Book 3 or just read the book myself. I think the poor text editing, bad grammar, and numerous POVs make me want to wait until the audiobook comes out so I can use it as a guide as I like to listen and read simultaneously.
First review:
The author needs to have some serious trigger warnings ⚠️ at the beginning of the book and do some serious editing for both the audio and the text because I am the grammar police. The narrators also pronounce some of the same words and phrases differently in different chapters (i.e. Gaia, "aht aht", etc.). This book was long-winded and I'm still gathering my thoughts. The sexual assault and off-page incest and rape should've been addressed at the beginning with a trigger warning ⚠️. There was a lot of chaos and some of the events were for no reason.
Was the purpose of the painting just to show off that Bellamy had money when he paid for it? Because they made the painting seem like a big deal, but it was not used afterward. I thought it was like a tribute to The Witches by Roald Dahl when a witch trapped a child's soul into a painting. Hillary's likeness moved inside the painting from time to time so I thought Souxie was going to use it for a seance to find Hillary's killer but nope. The purchase of the "dog in heat" scent was a waste as well.
ANNND the author rushed the information about who the killer was at the very end in Bellamy's chapter, and the person who revealed the info was a random ass character.
Bellamy was an enigma. He was very weird, scary, and intriguing at the same time. I liked that he was protective of Maggie and didn't want her to become a monster like he is, but that was his only endearing quality to me. Also one of his powers was to mimic, which makes me wonder if he had spoken with his parents as "Maggie"...I don't think it was resolved who spoke with Maggie's parents as a mimic. ALSO, Maggie's parents and grandparents, and the blood contact...I think Maggie should've been more homesick and more upset about that. Now she can no longer contact her parents and grandma (not that she did much of that anyway as the Grounds didn't allow much cell service for outside calls) but Maggie should've been more upset. Things always get shrugged off with her, even when she first found out that a mimic was communicating with her family, posing as her.
Souxie. Wtf. Are you going to solve the murder or not? She's too busy fucking with Akeem, who isn't that great btw. Did he hurt her or was she lying about it to me with him? The storyline about her brother dying went nowhere. I understood that her character was broken by this and that was the reason she wanted to go to this school, but that could've been revealed in book 1 and here in book 2, she could've been working on her goals.
Souxie's powers surprised me and she had total control when she helped Maggie escape her old werewolf professor Hawkins who tried to rape her. Souxie used her powers to hurt him, but he was almost unscathed. I'm so glad Namir smelled Maggie's scent on Professor Hawkins, his uncle, and Hawkins revealed that he used to rape Maze. It unfolded a lot of backstory for Maze's character and why she did not like the men in her family as the women and girls felt unprotected in the pack. However, upon hearing his confession about harming Maze, Tyee and Namir ordered Hawkins to be killed.
Namir and Tyee can both kiss my ass because they let the werewolf pack publicly attack Maze for being around a vampire. That's hypocritical since Namir is with Maggie. ALSO, he kissed her in front of everyone, marking his territory. Are there no HR rules?! How was he able to do that unscathed, but Maze got punished for being with Draco, Maggie's vampire cousin? There are different rules for males and females here. And Tyee is gay, living a lie in front of his pack because he's the Alpha.
What happened with Isis and Solomon in the past? Was he her first time with a siren or was he with the group of siren boys that tried to assault her before Isis' brothers came to her defense? Or both? That's why Isis's brother and Solomon knew each other.
Asha should never be with Solomon. I don't care about their peace treaty. Asha has every right not to like him or the other sirens. Isis is cool with them now, but who knows.
Quan...he needs to figure out why his father's girlfriend turned him into a cat and why when he was a cat, he couldn't remember that he was a nymph. His life doesn't have to evolve around Isis, he had his own mysteries to solve. But has he solved them? He made it sound like he's been enjoying screwing around, unless he says that to make Isis jealous. However, she's clearly part sea witch since she was able to accidentally perform a half-assed spell and turn Quan from a cat to a nymph. Not sure why the spell was temporary, maybe because they aren't together. Quan said he'd been sleeping around since their encounter but Isis admitted that she hadn't seen anyone since him. They may like each other but they're both stubborn and combative, so that would be a toxic relationship unless they start learning to be nicer to each other. Doesn't seem like that will be happening. (Before when Quan was a cat, I heard his voice being played by Charlie Murphy. Lots of f*** this and b**** that.) Hopefully, Isis didn't accidentally get with Solomon (again), but that convo never happened because another murderous event took place to shift the characters' and the reader's attention.
"The Second Family" name of their group was the only way Hillary was honored. But she died in vain because the book focuses on too many other things for the main characters to wrap their heads around. The author even admitted in her author's notes that she was rambling, odd to admit in an author's note. It didn't sound definitive or like a conclusion would take place.
With that being said...
...What the f*ck did I just read? A chaotic, ghetto mess that I'm now invested in. Wondering if I should wait until the next audiobook is released for Book 3 or just read the book myself. I think the poor text editing, bad grammar, and numerous POVs make me want to wait until the audiobook comes out so I can use it as a guide as I like to listen and read simultaneously.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2024
Book two had me all kinds of stressed out, but damn, I still need more. Tyee, you sly dog. Looks can be so deceiving, but you are the leader of the pack.
Maggie: I love you, girl, but stop wandering off on your own and letting people take advantage of you. As much as your brother is draining the life out of everyone, I adore Bellamy. His protectiveness over you and the way he handled Dr. Holmes? Pure gold. Maggie brings out the best in him, and I’m here for it.
Namir: I’m rooting for you, I get the pack dynamics, and I see the struggle. But you’ve got a conscience, so when they did Maze dirty like that, you should’ve gone to war with your own people. Still, I love that you’re always sniffing around Maggie.
Souxie: You’re such a complex character, and while your dad may be toxic in his own way, I can’t help but enjoy his presence.
Asha: Alright, girl, you’re starting to annoy me with all that “tough bitch” talk. You keep saying you’re alone, but you’ve got a solid crew. And honestly, after what Solomon pulled on you? Yeah, no thanks.
Maze: You deserve to be loved and protected, no questions asked, just like Draco is doing for you. Fuck the pack.
Isis/Quan: I'm all about this dynamic! The whole "playing hard to get" vibe works so well. Even though Isis seems shy at first, she’s got this effortless way of commanding attention when she walks into a room. I’m all in for them falling in love, and for Quan to get his act together. Honestly, though, I kind of prefer him as a cat—there’s something about him in that form that just works.
Maggie: I love you, girl, but stop wandering off on your own and letting people take advantage of you. As much as your brother is draining the life out of everyone, I adore Bellamy. His protectiveness over you and the way he handled Dr. Holmes? Pure gold. Maggie brings out the best in him, and I’m here for it.
Namir: I’m rooting for you, I get the pack dynamics, and I see the struggle. But you’ve got a conscience, so when they did Maze dirty like that, you should’ve gone to war with your own people. Still, I love that you’re always sniffing around Maggie.
Souxie: You’re such a complex character, and while your dad may be toxic in his own way, I can’t help but enjoy his presence.
Asha: Alright, girl, you’re starting to annoy me with all that “tough bitch” talk. You keep saying you’re alone, but you’ve got a solid crew. And honestly, after what Solomon pulled on you? Yeah, no thanks.
Maze: You deserve to be loved and protected, no questions asked, just like Draco is doing for you. Fuck the pack.
Isis/Quan: I'm all about this dynamic! The whole "playing hard to get" vibe works so well. Even though Isis seems shy at first, she’s got this effortless way of commanding attention when she walks into a room. I’m all in for them falling in love, and for Quan to get his act together. Honestly, though, I kind of prefer him as a cat—there’s something about him in that form that just works.
March 1, 2025
Too Much 🤷🏾♀️
Well this book was all over the place for me 🤷🏾♀️
I absolutely love the characters, but we were never able to spend enough time with them individually to really figure out where their story was going. It felt like she wanted to include every mythical character possible and to me it lacked cohesion.
We learned a little more about Maggie and the connection she had to the First Family. However, we still are very unclear on what type of magic or power she has. With this book being so long I thought she would at least tap into that at some point. I loved the interaction with Namir, it was always hella intense and I loved how he decided to go against his family for her. However, did we really need the entire backstory of the werewolves?? I mean it gave too much.
Asha is very clear on who she is, but also has no clue about her power. The whole back and forth with her and Solo seemed pointless 🤷🏾♀️ Like I appreciated them finally having a conversation and the attempts to include her with the sirens, but overall that storyline felt like a lot of fluff to me.
Souxie peaked my interest the most. She was clear on how to use her magic even if it was on some bs. I loved her protective nature and her fearlessness. The story with Akeem fell flat because he just disappeared and were we going to close that loop, because it felt unfinished. The random mention of her brother only to NEVER flesh out what happened was annoying. Jean was crazy AF, but I wanted to know how he found out she had powers. It was just lackluster to me.
Isis felt like a connector character. She connected Asha to her brother, a nymph. She tried to connect Asha to the sirens, but instead ended up connecting herself. She connected Quan to his human side. I loved that she could feel water move through people and that she could manipulate water, but ultimately did we need her? Idk I feel like the struggle to include her gave us all this extra ish that took away from the story.
As disjointed as my explanations for each character is how disjointed this book was. The foundation was there I think that Desiree just got to excited and threw as many mythical beings in the pot and stirred. She finally brought it back to close, but I honestly feel like she needed to edit down the storylines.
SN: What was actually point of that painting, because it gave NOTHING.
Well this book was all over the place for me 🤷🏾♀️
I absolutely love the characters, but we were never able to spend enough time with them individually to really figure out where their story was going. It felt like she wanted to include every mythical character possible and to me it lacked cohesion.
We learned a little more about Maggie and the connection she had to the First Family. However, we still are very unclear on what type of magic or power she has. With this book being so long I thought she would at least tap into that at some point. I loved the interaction with Namir, it was always hella intense and I loved how he decided to go against his family for her. However, did we really need the entire backstory of the werewolves?? I mean it gave too much.
Asha is very clear on who she is, but also has no clue about her power. The whole back and forth with her and Solo seemed pointless 🤷🏾♀️ Like I appreciated them finally having a conversation and the attempts to include her with the sirens, but overall that storyline felt like a lot of fluff to me.
Souxie peaked my interest the most. She was clear on how to use her magic even if it was on some bs. I loved her protective nature and her fearlessness. The story with Akeem fell flat because he just disappeared and were we going to close that loop, because it felt unfinished. The random mention of her brother only to NEVER flesh out what happened was annoying. Jean was crazy AF, but I wanted to know how he found out she had powers. It was just lackluster to me.
Isis felt like a connector character. She connected Asha to her brother, a nymph. She tried to connect Asha to the sirens, but instead ended up connecting herself. She connected Quan to his human side. I loved that she could feel water move through people and that she could manipulate water, but ultimately did we need her? Idk I feel like the struggle to include her gave us all this extra ish that took away from the story.
As disjointed as my explanations for each character is how disjointed this book was. The foundation was there I think that Desiree just got to excited and threw as many mythical beings in the pot and stirred. She finally brought it back to close, but I honestly feel like she needed to edit down the storylines.
SN: What was actually point of that painting, because it gave NOTHING.
October 31, 2024
I want a DCU Letterman Jacket!!
Every time I set foot on the grounds of Drew Collins, I never want to leave! I abandoned everything to catch up with Maggie and them and they didn’t disappoint. I loved that this book was over 500 pages because it gave me more time with them; it could’ve been 1000 pages and I would’ve been locked in. The story picks up where it left off and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Maggie, Souxie, Asha, Isis, and Quan form their own little Scooby Doo gang and try to piece together the mystery of who, what, when, how, and why their friend lost her life. Everyone looks suspect, even some of the friends in their group. Amid all that, long lost family members are found, new powers are discovered, mean girls play silly games and win silly prizes, and sexual tension reaches a fever pitch! This book and these characters are much fun and feel so real, even the annoying side characters because we all know someone like them. There are some heavy and triggering topics that come up that are a source of trauma for a few of the characters. Overall, this book was a 10, and I recommend it to everyone. In the meantime, I’ll be standing by for an invite to Club Asylum. 😜
Every time I set foot on the grounds of Drew Collins, I never want to leave! I abandoned everything to catch up with Maggie and them and they didn’t disappoint. I loved that this book was over 500 pages because it gave me more time with them; it could’ve been 1000 pages and I would’ve been locked in. The story picks up where it left off and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Maggie, Souxie, Asha, Isis, and Quan form their own little Scooby Doo gang and try to piece together the mystery of who, what, when, how, and why their friend lost her life. Everyone looks suspect, even some of the friends in their group. Amid all that, long lost family members are found, new powers are discovered, mean girls play silly games and win silly prizes, and sexual tension reaches a fever pitch! This book and these characters are much fun and feel so real, even the annoying side characters because we all know someone like them. There are some heavy and triggering topics that come up that are a source of trauma for a few of the characters. Overall, this book was a 10, and I recommend it to everyone. In the meantime, I’ll be standing by for an invite to Club Asylum. 😜
December 18, 2024
I'm rereading because I'm in shock lol
November 3, 2024
5/5
I KNOW YOU FUCKING LYING!!!!
Omfggggggg
I KNOW YOU FUCKING LYING!!!!
Omfggggggg
March 18, 2025
I'm so invested in Drew Collins. It's my escape from reality. Quan, Bellamy, and Isis are my favorite characters.
November 28, 2024
This book had me and has me by my throat. I can honestly say that this book is a great read. Just read the damn series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2024
Dragging it
As a fan of supernatural fiction I like the book, but at this point she’s dragging the storyline. We might get one part of the main plot coming together while the rest of the storyline is a boring mess. We could have gotten majority of this information in book one. Also, I don’t understand the author’s infatuation with incest, sexual abuse, etc. it’s highlighted in every one of her books which is lowkey weird to me especially when those who commit those types of acts aren’t punished, but written as a way of life. I’m not sure if I’m going to read part 3 or not.
As a fan of supernatural fiction I like the book, but at this point she’s dragging the storyline. We might get one part of the main plot coming together while the rest of the storyline is a boring mess. We could have gotten majority of this information in book one. Also, I don’t understand the author’s infatuation with incest, sexual abuse, etc. it’s highlighted in every one of her books which is lowkey weird to me especially when those who commit those types of acts aren’t punished, but written as a way of life. I’m not sure if I’m going to read part 3 or not.
January 3, 2025
”I knew those painted black coffin shaped nails that he probably gets touched up every two weeks at the shop, were not causing all of that ruckus and commotion.”
- Maggie Grey. 🤣
WAIT A DAMN MINUTE! NOW THAT’S HOW YOU WRITE A FOLLOW UP BOOK! I am sat like Keith Lee because Desiree really snatched my edges back a few times with this book.
In The First Family, we start the book off trying to figure out who was responsible for the big cliffhanger that happened in book 1. Ugh! Shame on you, Desiree. 🥹The cliffhanger was something else, but BABYYY it was nothing in comparison to everything else that happened throughout the storyline. I mean, we find out so many different things about Maggie and her relation to The First Family, incest, creepy ass professors, more about Asha, Souxie’s, Isis’ lives at Drew Collins, Namir and his nasty ass blood line, AND MUCH MORE! By the time I got to the 70% mark, I couldn’t keep up because so much was going on.
Let me highlight some of my favorite people and parts of the story:
Bellamy - MY MAN! MY MAN! MY MAN! I don’t care what y’all say, but that red eyed vampire could turn me every whicha way if he wanted to. I know why Desiree waited to give Bellamy his only chapter, but damn, I needed more of him. ”Twin finna swiss cheese that pussy ass hoe'! FAH FAH FAH!”
Also .. Maggie and Bellamy .. my heart. ♥️
Maggie - All I have to say is that y’all really got my girl Maggie fucked up! Folks really plotted on my girl during that last 20% of the book and now look?
Asha: I loved Asha, but at times she got on my damn nerves with her nasty ass attitude. At times her attitude was definitely wanted because why would those sirens do that to her and Isis? I hope in book 3 we finally get to see Asha dive deeper into being a siren because she really isn’t like the typical sirens in her group. Also, I hope she and Solomon never do anything because I hate him for her.
Souxie: GIRL! What is there to say about Souxie? The layers that my girl has do her justice. I totally understand the reason why she acts the way she does. I just hope that she can work towards getting the healing she desperately needs because .. damn. Also, I’m glad she did what she did to Professor Akeem. That weird ass man got what he deserved. Them two together is a no for me!
Isis: My little freaky nymph. Say what you want, but Isis was everything to me. Her free spirit was exactly what the group needed. I’m curious to know about her brother because from what we’ve read about him … something seems off about him?
Quan the Cat: Let me tell y’all something .. human Quan .. OMG! I really hope Quan gets his stuff together because he and … really deserve to be together.
Namir: Whew! That’s a Black king right there. Namir really did grow on me because in the first book I really couldn’t stand his ass and how he treated Maggie. Once his relationship with her started to develop more, he started to grow on me UNTIL he caught doing some stupid shit. 🙄 I know everyone wants Namir and Maggie to finally have sex, but lowkey … I don’t. I like the slow burn of their relationship.
Maze: Surprisingly, I ended up liking Maze so much! Who knew my girl was hiding so many secrets and was going through so much all because her stupid family did not respect the girls and women in their pack. My girl was really ready to die because of her love for Draco!
The First Family was soo good that I am now anticipating the release of Club Asylum because I still have many questions that I need to be answered immediately. The last 3% of The First Family had me questioning if we really knew what was happening and if we truly knew our beloved characters because BABBYYYYY .. I know Club Asylum is about to be 10x crazier and filled with more tea.
WAIT A DAMN MINUTE! NOW THAT’S HOW YOU WRITE A FOLLOW UP BOOK! I am sat like Keith Lee because Desiree really snatched my edges back a few times with this book.
In The First Family, we start the book off trying to figure out who was responsible for the big cliffhanger that happened in book 1. Ugh! Shame on you, Desiree. 🥹The cliffhanger was something else, but BABYYY it was nothing in comparison to everything else that happened throughout the storyline. I mean, we find out so many different things about Maggie and her relation to The First Family, incest, creepy ass professors, more about Asha, Souxie’s, Isis’ lives at Drew Collins, Namir and his nasty ass blood line, AND MUCH MORE! By the time I got to the 70% mark, I couldn’t keep up because so much was going on.
Let me highlight some of my favorite people and parts of the story:
Bellamy - MY MAN! MY MAN! MY MAN! I don’t care what y’all say, but that red eyed vampire could turn me every whicha way if he wanted to. I know why Desiree waited to give Bellamy his only chapter, but damn, I needed more of him. ”Twin finna swiss cheese that pussy ass hoe'! FAH FAH FAH!”
Also .. Maggie and Bellamy .. my heart. ♥️
Maggie - All I have to say is that y’all really got my girl Maggie fucked up! Folks really plotted on my girl during that last 20% of the book and now look?
Asha: I loved Asha, but at times she got on my damn nerves with her nasty ass attitude. At times her attitude was definitely wanted because why would those sirens do that to her and Isis? I hope in book 3 we finally get to see Asha dive deeper into being a siren because she really isn’t like the typical sirens in her group. Also, I hope she and Solomon never do anything because I hate him for her.
Souxie: GIRL! What is there to say about Souxie? The layers that my girl has do her justice. I totally understand the reason why she acts the way she does. I just hope that she can work towards getting the healing she desperately needs because .. damn. Also, I’m glad she did what she did to Professor Akeem. That weird ass man got what he deserved. Them two together is a no for me!
Isis: My little freaky nymph. Say what you want, but Isis was everything to me. Her free spirit was exactly what the group needed. I’m curious to know about her brother because from what we’ve read about him … something seems off about him?
Quan the Cat: Let me tell y’all something .. human Quan .. OMG! I really hope Quan gets his stuff together because he and … really deserve to be together.
Namir: Whew! That’s a Black king right there. Namir really did grow on me because in the first book I really couldn’t stand his ass and how he treated Maggie. Once his relationship with her started to develop more, he started to grow on me UNTIL he caught doing some stupid shit. 🙄 I know everyone wants Namir and Maggie to finally have sex, but lowkey … I don’t. I like the slow burn of their relationship.
Maze: Surprisingly, I ended up liking Maze so much! Who knew my girl was hiding so many secrets and was going through so much all because her stupid family did not respect the girls and women in their pack. My girl was really ready to die because of her love for Draco!
The First Family was soo good that I am now anticipating the release of Club Asylum because I still have many questions that I need to be answered immediately. The last 3% of The First Family had me questioning if we really knew what was happening and if we truly knew our beloved characters because BABBYYYYY .. I know Club Asylum is about to be 10x crazier and filled with more tea.
November 10, 2024
Let me start off by saying that the book was good. It kept me engaged, and I read it in two days in between everything I was doing.
Now, the problems with the book are a bit much, but the storyline overshadows them personally. The grammar and usage of the wrong words were one. I'm not sure who her editor is, but she definitely should invest in a better one. Another problem is, my good sis in LONG WINDED 😪 there were definitely a bunch of redundant details added that I honestly skipped over and just went straight back to the plot. She is attempting to give everyone a storyline, but there is no real development. I guess part of the marketing is to constantly allude to something, dismiss it, and make us want more. I get it, but it does become annoying after a while. The "big reveal" of finding out who the first family truly is was a bit of a cop out and felt as if she wasn't sure in which direction she wanted to take and just settled for something easily explainable and threw that storyline to the side. Souxie and Akeem ? You gave us all of that build-up just to fizzle it out like that ? There were a bit of inconsistencies, and some things were just sort of like c'mon, sis. Now, honestly, the part I absolutely LOATHE was the ending. The whole random "buy my book" and explaining the entire story that we JUST READ was unnecessary. It was kind of desperate and gave off the 5th season of supernatural when "god" entered the story. Yeah ... Definitely could've kept that out. And maybe I missed something, but did the author "Celeste" give us this anticlimactic answer to Whodunit because if so, I'm going to be a little ticked off. I mean, I can see it, and I kind of suspect it if that is the case,but is that seriously how you're just going to let it be known ? As a writer, you have to know when it becomes too much. Like someone else mentioned, she should have wrapped the girl's storyline up in either this book or maybe a book three, and then gave Bellamy his own spin-off.
Now, even with all of that, I loved the characters. I loved the world along with the push and pull of being true to oneself. The whole "sweeping it under the rug" within the wolf community spoke volumes of what a lot of little brown boys and girls experience in childhood. I love Namir and Maggie, but Draco's love for Maze is unmatched. There is no doubt that im going to read the next book, but I'm going to need some answers, my love. Who's the killer ? What is Souxie truly ? Why was Jean the one that was pregnant ?! What's the true story between Marvin and Poette ?
Now, the problems with the book are a bit much, but the storyline overshadows them personally. The grammar and usage of the wrong words were one. I'm not sure who her editor is, but she definitely should invest in a better one. Another problem is, my good sis in LONG WINDED 😪 there were definitely a bunch of redundant details added that I honestly skipped over and just went straight back to the plot. She is attempting to give everyone a storyline, but there is no real development. I guess part of the marketing is to constantly allude to something, dismiss it, and make us want more. I get it, but it does become annoying after a while. The "big reveal" of finding out who the first family truly is was a bit of a cop out and felt as if she wasn't sure in which direction she wanted to take and just settled for something easily explainable and threw that storyline to the side. Souxie and Akeem ? You gave us all of that build-up just to fizzle it out like that ? There were a bit of inconsistencies, and some things were just sort of like c'mon, sis. Now, honestly, the part I absolutely LOATHE was the ending. The whole random "buy my book" and explaining the entire story that we JUST READ was unnecessary. It was kind of desperate and gave off the 5th season of supernatural when "god" entered the story. Yeah ... Definitely could've kept that out. And maybe I missed something, but did the author "Celeste" give us this anticlimactic answer to Whodunit because if so, I'm going to be a little ticked off. I mean, I can see it, and I kind of suspect it if that is the case,but is that seriously how you're just going to let it be known ? As a writer, you have to know when it becomes too much. Like someone else mentioned, she should have wrapped the girl's storyline up in either this book or maybe a book three, and then gave Bellamy his own spin-off.
Now, even with all of that, I loved the characters. I loved the world along with the push and pull of being true to oneself. The whole "sweeping it under the rug" within the wolf community spoke volumes of what a lot of little brown boys and girls experience in childhood. I love Namir and Maggie, but Draco's love for Maze is unmatched. There is no doubt that im going to read the next book, but I'm going to need some answers, my love. Who's the killer ? What is Souxie truly ? Why was Jean the one that was pregnant ?! What's the true story between Marvin and Poette ?
May 1, 2025
Ughhh it just keeps getting better!!
November 20, 2024
Amazing amazing book . I DID NOT want to finish this book because it was just that good . I love me some Isis & Souxie. Also I like Namir but him allowing them to do that to his sister has me not liking him . Great book , can’t wait to reread the series over and over .
November 12, 2024
I do not think I've ever read a book that was so exhausting—exhausting with no direction, purpose, or ending. I should have DNF'd. I had hoped that the author was going somewhere, but that was not the case with this book. Also, I cannot say that there was one character that I liked since there was no real development. What's up with all the incest and sexual violence? Nothing made sense and by page 350, I was skipping pages just to finish the book.
I do hope in the future that the author seeks out a proofreader in the future. Hell, Word or Google Docs will help with spelling and grammar.
I do hope in the future that the author seeks out a proofreader in the future. Hell, Word or Google Docs will help with spelling and grammar.
December 24, 2024
The grammar and syntax errors overshadowed the characters and plot. The misogyny is rampant and at times disturbing... I'll probably read book three as I do like the back story and want to find out what happened to Hillary, and I do enjoy Souxie's character.
March 24, 2025
Another hit, on to book three
November 2, 2025
The story picks up right where we left off and is just as good as the first book. We meet some new characters, relationships grow, and powers are revealed. Some things definitely had me upset (justice for Maze), and there are some serious topics discussed. The ending was a bit lackluster for me, but I’m still interested to see how this continues. Even with that ending, it’s still a 5-star read for me! I love this series!
November 24, 2024
I was here for all the craziness! Excited to see what book 3 brings!
March 7, 2025
I’ll start by saying this is an amazing universe the author is creating and I’m looking forward to additional books in the series! However, I was hoping to see a little growth between Book 1 and 2.
The ebook format can use improvement. There aren’t table of contents for the book so you can refer back to earlier chapters if you want. Just a cover, the story, and then the end with the author’s notes. It hinders the experience. It also makes it a little difficult when you’re wanting to read/discuss with a group.
Both books could have used an editor or even just a fresh set of eyes to catch grammar, wrong word usage, and outright missing words. Sometimes it’s evident there’s no proofing as the author’s scattered thoughts are also evident in the sentence structure.
While I could include additional constructive feedback, I would instead like to reiterate the author is very talented and I can see with additional support, tools, and resources, these stories could go far!! I’m happy to see where the next story takes us and will continue to support.
The ebook format can use improvement. There aren’t table of contents for the book so you can refer back to earlier chapters if you want. Just a cover, the story, and then the end with the author’s notes. It hinders the experience. It also makes it a little difficult when you’re wanting to read/discuss with a group.
Both books could have used an editor or even just a fresh set of eyes to catch grammar, wrong word usage, and outright missing words. Sometimes it’s evident there’s no proofing as the author’s scattered thoughts are also evident in the sentence structure.
While I could include additional constructive feedback, I would instead like to reiterate the author is very talented and I can see with additional support, tools, and resources, these stories could go far!! I’m happy to see where the next story takes us and will continue to support.
December 13, 2024
Okay, what another wild and chaotic ride. I feel like we went on a lot of some side quests in this one. Bellamy is creepy, imma leave it at that. My girl Souxie has got some serious demons to deal with. Asha is just as hard-headed as ever. Isis is unapologetically herself as always.
The one thing I don't like about this one or the first one is how aggressive the men are in the book. Like domineering. Makes me uncomfortable. I can see how this contributes to the larger conversation surrounding the families and traditional roles. Very patriarchal beliefs with multiple magical creatures'cultures.
I look forward to the next book because that ending...
The one thing I don't like about this one or the first one is how aggressive the men are in the book. Like domineering. Makes me uncomfortable. I can see how this contributes to the larger conversation surrounding the families and traditional roles. Very patriarchal beliefs with multiple magical creatures'cultures.
I look forward to the next book because that ending...
September 28, 2025
“I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you.” The premise is great but the execution just fell flat. I think if Granger reviews the plot elements of a story then this series can be great. I guess the major conflict is the hatred between two families. But there’s no build up to any real climax. A few opportunities to do so but the mark was missed. The book will engage you but it can also feel disjointed.
December 28, 2024
Omgggg! This was so freakin good. I love all the characters and this Underground world that Granger is building. I’m literally obsessed. But wtf am I supposed do now that this is over!? 😭 This 3rd book better come out asap! Bc I seriously need to know what happens nextttttt
October 20, 2025
So darn good!! I was invested and intrigued and excited to see what's to come. On to the next book....immediately!!
November 23, 2024
moment.
“A Witch, Siren, Nymph, and a Vampire walk onto a college campus… and decide to shake shit up.”
The book begins by going over what happened the night before from the previous novel. The school is trying to cover the incident or ignore what happened altogether, but
“The Second Family “is determined to find out what happened to their friend.
The First Family is the second Novel in The Secret World Of Maggie Grey series. If you’re unfamiliar with her work trust me you are in for a treat.
Compared to the men in this author's universe you can tell she went in a different direction when writing her male leads. The men in this universe love their women and will do anything to make sure they are safe.
I loved how Namir made Maggie stand on business and did not play when it came to her.
If you’re looking for humor, amazing sex, forbidden romance, messy plotline, and sexy ass wolves, this book may be for you. Readers looking for black people in fantasy settings look no more this novel will satisfy your appetite.
“A Witch, Siren, Nymph, and a Vampire walk onto a college campus… and decide to shake shit up.”
The book begins by going over what happened the night before from the previous novel. The school is trying to cover the incident or ignore what happened altogether, but
“The Second Family “is determined to find out what happened to their friend.
The First Family is the second Novel in The Secret World Of Maggie Grey series. If you’re unfamiliar with her work trust me you are in for a treat.
Compared to the men in this author's universe you can tell she went in a different direction when writing her male leads. The men in this universe love their women and will do anything to make sure they are safe.
I loved how Namir made Maggie stand on business and did not play when it came to her.
If you’re looking for humor, amazing sex, forbidden romance, messy plotline, and sexy ass wolves, this book may be for you. Readers looking for black people in fantasy settings look no more this novel will satisfy your appetite.
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