A lovely murder mystery, fantasy and romance!
Rhianne Alkenn is a witch/fae halfling who runs her own lawncare business and tries to stay off of her parents' radar. She has two great gargoyle employees to help her in her business, but also occasionally consults for the police as well. Her knowledge of plants, how they help and how they can harm, makes her extremely knowledgeable. This is how she finds herself part of a murder investigation. Unfortunately, it's not the only reason she finds herself needing to know answers.
The book follows her on her murder mystery, with unexpected twists and turns, as she tries to figure out what trouble in her life is related to that, and what is instead related to those in her life. Her mother is a witch council member, her father is an elusive elf, her best friend/brother figure is a sexy incubus who runs his own club and works in secrets, her gargoyle employees have their own family troubles, her new lawyer friend is a confident and take charge gargoyle halfling, the forensics specialist is a paranormal mystery addicted to sweets, and a fellow consultant is a handsome, nerdy and talented tech mage. She certainly has her hands full!
I love all of her relationships in this. The politician mom dodging is fitting. The funny and intriguing new friends bring a wider look at the world while having fantastic banter. Her guardian/pet Toto is more than meets the eye. Nel the sexy incubus is the usual attention-grabbing character, and while I love him and want more of his story, it's really refreshing that there is ZERO chemistry between him and Rhianne. Kia on the other hand is perfect for her, though I think there will be more revealed about him at some point.
The paranormal being just another part of the world coexisting with humans is interesting, while the fae world is still separate and mostly unknown for now.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to find out more as this series progresses! At times the conversations didn't flow as steadily for me, but this is a great start to the series.
Just as an added note, this story takes place in Sydney, so there is some phrasing and spelling that is different from American English, but it didn't detract from the story for me at all.