Wickedly Ever After

Baba Yaga #2.5

by Deborah Blake

Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one…

Having triumphed over a powerful enemy and ended up with both a wonderful guy—Sheriff Liam McClellan—and an adorable adopted daughter to raise as a Baba Yaga, Barbara Yager is ready to welcome her happily ever after.

But first she must bring Liam to the Otherworld and get the Queen’s permission to marry him. The Queen, however, is not so easily persuaded. She gives them three impossible tasks to complete in two weeks’ time—and if they fail Barbara will have to watch Liam slowly age and die like all humans, and kiss her happily ever after good-bye forever.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Novella, Magic

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2016

About the author

Deborah is the author of over a dozen non-fiction books on modern witchcraft and a tarot and oracle decks from Llewellyn. Her fiction includes the Baba Yaga series, The Broken Rider series, and the Veiled Magic series, and her cozy mysteries The Catskill Pet Rescue series (mostly from Berkley) as well as a few stand-alone novels.

Deborah lives in a 130 year old farmhouse in upstate NY with multiple cats. She believes in magic, laughter, chocolate, and wine. The order may change depending on the day.

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wickedly Ever After by Deborah Blake
Baba Yaga series #2.5. Paranormal witch romance novella. Can be read as a stand-alone but better as part of the series.
Barbara Yager, one of the current Baba Yagas, has fallen in love with Sheriff Liam McClellan (Wickedly Dangerous). Given her actual age and benefits as a magical, Barbara brings Liam to the Otherworld to get the Queen’s permission to marry him. The Queen gives the couple three tasks to be completed that require a nimble mind and creativity to solve. They have a set time limit to return to the Queen or Liam may grow old well ahead of Barbara.

Creative tasks or trickery? Clearly the Queen expected Barbara and Liam to fail but the human world doesn’t stay still. Plus Barbara, after her 80 some years, has a wide range of friends and contacts she can pull from. Liam isn’t without his own surprises.

Reminded me a bit of a scavenger hunt where the seeker must get creative.
Entertaining.

🎧 Trio of novellas were narrated by Romy Nordlinger who performs all the Baba Yaga novels to-date by this author, as well as several hundred other ghost and mystery audiobooks. An experienced narrator that can bring a story to life.

[Anna's Herding Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for herding cats & burning soup.

Oh Baba Yaga! How I'm loving this series. Blake is a refreshing new voice in the world of paranormal romance. Unique and intriguing. It's been a blast exploring the Russian mythology of the Baba Yaga. And Wickedly Ever After? Such a treat as we check in with Liam and Barbara post happily ever after.

The quick of it is that Liam and Barbara have gotten serious and now they need the Queen to bless their marriage. It's the only way Liam will be able to take a magical elixir that'll extend his life to match Barbara's since Baba Yagas age very differently than humans. The Queen though...is difficult and tasks them with completely three impossible tasks. If they figure them all out she'll grant them their wish. And so a little cross country adventure begins for Barbara, Liam and their adopted daughter Babs (a Baba Yaga in training).

Babs tapped Barbara on the arm, looking serious. "Barbara?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Can we bring the cookies?"

"Of course we can."

"And Chudo-Yudo?" <---people, he's a dragon-dog. omg

"I wouldn't consider going anywhere without him."

"And my sword?"

Liam winced and Barbara bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Sure," she said. "Cookies, a dragon-dog, and a sword: what every well-equipped little girl takes on a journey."

Light, quick and easy this was an lively paranormal treasure hunt. Getting to spend time with these two plus visiting the other Baba Yagas and seeing what they were up to was just make-a-girl-smile fun. There's nothing too over the top crazy but it was a good time. Wickedly Ever After was perfect for a busy day when I need a little escape but didn't have a big chunk of time. A great little tide-me-over that got me excited about the series all over again. This one is definitely for fans of the series though I think Blake did a fairly nice job of including enough background info so new readers wouldn't be completely lost.

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

If like me you have enjoyed the previous books in this series about modern day Baba Yagas' then this novella will be a treat. Still it is a sequel in many ways to the first book Wickedly Dangerous which introduced Barbara and Liam. Now as readers anxiously wait for the next full length book it's time to revisit the world and find out just what trials await those who seek the approval of the Queen. Three seemingly impossible tasks but as readers already know with Barbara and her sister Baba Yagas' just about anything is possible and sometimes it's before breakfast is finished too!
Short and oh so sweet. It was a joy to see this newly formed family interact and yes I might have guessed a little along the way but it didn't spoil my enjoyment one little bit. It was wonderful to see the various Baba Yagas' work together but best of all this couple truly deserve their happy ending. A great way to dip your toe in the water if new to this authors work but this unique series with its mythical origins is fast becoming one of my favourites. I'd recommend to those readers who enjoy paranormal or urban stories as it comfortably entertains with wit and great world building
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review

[Erma Talamante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review pending...

And who knows? This may get bumped to a full five stars after I sleep on it a little...

A fun, short story, to say the least.

(Picked up on NetGalley in exchange for a review...)

[Didi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is the case of me crashing into the middle of an ongoing series without having read any of the previous books. The good thing is: I enjoyed the story. Even going blind, I still got the whole Baba Yaga world fairly well.

Barbara Yager, one of the Baba Yaga, took his mate to the Otherworld to get the Queen's permission and approval over her marriage with (human) Sheriff Liam McClellan. The Queen gave three impossible tasks to the couple and they had to fulfil them in two weeks. And so Barbara and Liam began the journey to complete the quest, accompanied by Chudo-Yudo the dog-dragon and Barb, the couple's adopted daughter. The trip had them going from upstate New York to California, Montana, found assistance from their closest allies.

I really enjoyed this Paranormal UF novella. It was entertaining from start to finish that I finished reading in one sitting. I liked the mix of characters here: the (slow-aging) Baba Yagas, their mates, the talking dog-dragons, and other paranormal creatures appeared here. Like Liam felt, some of biological explanation got lost to me, but overall this was a deuce good read!

Without a doubt I would hunt the first book in the series and start reading in chronological order. *wink*


ARC is kindly given by the publisher via NetGalley for the exchange of a fair and honest review.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am not a huge fan of novellas, Blake drew me in with the promise of visiting the Otherworld and their fickle Queen. I cannot help but imagine her as the Queen from Alice in Wonderland.

It was lovely getting updates on Liam, Babs and Barbara. In Wickedly Ever After, they travel to the Otherworld to seek the Queen’s permission to marry. Her approval will allow Liam to drink from the water of life and death allowing these lovebirds to grow old together. Accompanied by their dragons, things do not go quite as expected, and with a little help from the court, they are assigned three impossible tasks.

The plot was fun, and while time was limited due to the length of the novella, Blake did a wonderful job of sharing their quest and the outcome. She even gave us the opportunity to visit with Baba Yaga, Beka Yancy and her Marcus.

Copy provided by publisher This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Beebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

A short sequel to Wickedly Dangerous, Barbara, Liam and Babs must travel to the Otherworld to ask the Queen's permission to marry. After first refusing the Queen sets them 3 tasks, if they succeed they may marry, if they fail they may not and will never bother the Queen about this matter again. The story then follows them on their quest to fulfil their tasks.

Deborah Blake is a completely new to me author but the blurb for this book intrigued me enough to want to give it a read. I was a little worried about coming in mid-series but my fears were unnecessary as enough backstory was given that I was able to understand the Baba Yaga world. An enjoyable read with good characters and world building and a sweet HEA, will definitely be adding this series to the extensive TBR list.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a splendid chance to reunite with most of the characters in the series for a fun, short romp between the longer, more action and passion-packet novels.

The story is a quick shorter read and falls between books two and three in the series. It really doesn't do well as a standalone or out of order.

Barbara and Liam are married and enjoying life rearing their gifted adopted child, Babs. Barbara is training Babs to be the next Baba Yaga in her place while Liam tempers this with time being a normal child in her family. Life is good, but now it is time for Barbara and Liam to stand before the fairy queen and request her blessing on their marriage along with permission for Liam to drink from the water of life to extend his life years to match Barbara's.

Nothing is ever simple when dealing with the queen. And so instead of the immediate acceptance they request, Barbara and Liam must perform three impossible tasks or not receive the Queen's blessing or the water of life for Liam. Barbara and Liam set out in their Airstream Hut with Bab and Chudo Yudo to accomplish their tasks. Along the way, they visit with Beka and Markus and meet the third Baba, Bella. The adventure is their unique family's version of a road trip vacation. If only they can complete the tasks in the allotted two weeks.

This story is light and fun with a paranormal twist. It was a nice peek-in on how things are going with the characters from the first story. I enjoyed this and appreciated that the author went light and showed their relationship to be solid and happy while making the conflict something external like a quest. Little Babs is a hoot and Chudo-Yudo gets to stretch his wings a little.

Series fans will adore this tide me over story as they wait anxiously for Wickedly Powerful, Bella's story. I think this is an engaging series with it's off the beaten path paranormal worldbuilding based on the Baba Yaga legend and would recommend it to other Paranormal Romance fans.

My thanks to Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

"As the not-quite wicked witch in the story, Baba Yagas rarely got to act the part of the princess. This time, Barbara thought she'd actually get the happily ever after, as unlikely as that seemed."

Don't know why I didn't think to look for this novella after or while I was reading the series, but anyway, I'm glad I've got to read it. Especially this one, because Barbara and her dragon/dog is my favorites of the whole series. She's just so badass, with a little bit of attitude and Chudo-Yudo the white pitt-bull the most funny of the three "pets". Nobody would have thought that semi-antisocial Barbara would fall in love, especially not her. But she's now living with her beloved sheriff, Liam and little Babs, the awkward but adorable girl that she and Liam rescued before. They're ready for a very, very, very, very long life together, but there's just one technicality to fix : the Queen of the Otherworld's permission to marry Liam and share with him what will slow his aging. Everyone knows the sovereign have a volatile personality. She's not feeling friendly that day and give them three tasks to accomplish if they want to get her blessing.

It's a pretty short story so of course the tasks are carry out too quickly but it was still a great idea and a fun adventure. It's not the first time I said it, but I absolutely love the idea of the series about Russian fairy tales witches whose job is to guard the doorway and keep the balance between the Human world and the fantastical Otherworld. It's funny and cute how Liam and Barbara doesn't always see eyes to eyes when it come to how to raise a child but manage to get along anyway.

[Ang -PNR Book Lover Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wickedly Ever After (Baba Yaga #2.5)

by Deborah Blake

Received a ARC for an honest review by Netgalley.

This was my first Deborah Blake story, Wickedly Ever After is the short, light and enjoyable story.
Yes this one is connected to the others in the series, it would be a good idea to read the first two books before you dive into this little novella.

Unfortunately in my case I didn’t do this, but still read about Barbara (Baba Yaga) and Sheriff Liam McClellan, their adopted daughter and their god-dragon Chudo-Yudo who have two weeks to complete these impossible task the Queen has set out for them to do.

This book was for the fans, for my first book by Deborah I was hooked when I was finished I #onclicked the first in the series.


*A Review by Ang at PNR Book Lover Reviews*

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wickedly Ever After" is book 2.5 in the "Baba Yaga" series by Deborah Blake. This is such a wonderful series, and I loved this quick read so much. I enjoyed reading about Barbara, Liam, Babs, and Chudo-Yudo going to get the Queen's permission. The scene where Chudo-Yudo got to be himself was so much fun. Deborah has really done well with this series, and I can't help but smile when I read it. I also liked it when they went and visited with the other Baba Yagas.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

In this novella, Blake returns to Barbara and Liam, who first appeared in the start of this series, Wickedly Dangerous . As the title suggests, it is the (happily) ever after update for our couple, although to achieve such thing, Barbara and Liam must first fulfill three impossible tasks set by the Queen of the Underworld.

Being a Baba Yaga, Barbara is gifted with long-life, thanks to Water of Life and Death that she consumes regularly. She hasn’t shared the water with anyone – until she falls in love with Liam and marries him not long ago. Barbara needs the Queen’s permission so Liam can drink the water as well, if they want to live their long life happily together. So Barbara, Liam, their daughter Babs, and their dragon-dog Chudo-Yudo have two weeks to catch the song of the ocean in a bottle, to bring the living representative of a dead species, and to find a human whose heart is so pure that he or she has never spoken a lie…

This is a light and enjoyable quest adventure. I loved being back with the family and I wholeheartedly welcomed the set of familiar faces that help Barbara and Liam with their tasks, like Barbara’s “Baba Yaga sisters” Becca and Bella (who will get her own novel coming soon), as well as new allies (Liam’s friend from university). I also loved the resolution of the tasks, especially the last one.

I can’t wait to read Bella’s story next.


A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls



The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

[Christal · Rating 3 out of 5]

See this review and others like it at Badass Book Reviews!

Wickedly Ever After was a short, but satisfying read. I really liked Barbara and Liam in Wickedly Dangerous , so it was nice to catch up with them again and to see how little Babs is progressing in her Baba training. The story was pretty simple; the Queen of the Otherworld gives Barbara and Liam three impossible tasks that they must complete before she will give her permission for them to marry and for Liam to drink the water of life and death. Barbara and Liam set off immediately on their quest with Babs and Chudo-Yudo in tow.

Though the page count was low and the quests were a little too easy, this was still a fun read. Barbara and Liam had plenty of help throughout their journey and it was fun to have all three Babas on the page at different times. This was a cute little outing that didn't have much effect on the overall storyline, but it did give readers a chance to check in with some of our favorite characters. While I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point to the series, Baba Yaga fans should be pleased with this novella.

Thank you to InterMix via Netgalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Douglas Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series Wickedly Dangerous and when I was told this was actually more of a continuation of that book I skipped book 2 and read this one which was a bit of a mistake since it kinda has a few spoilers for book 2.

So with that information provided now, it was a great little story to put so finishing shine on the couple from book 1 and I enjoyed it. It gave you a bit more of a look at Barbara and Liam since they have to go ask The Queen for permission to marry and stay with each other forever which requires the Queen's permission and blessing or she will have to watch him grow old.

So with that premise and without telling you how this goes down (obviously it is a LOT more than the Queen saying yes) it turns into a quick but very entertaining story while giving us a bit more of a peek at Babs and Liam than we saw in book 1.

Bottom Line: Really entertaining but kinda wish I had read book 2 before I read this one but not horrible spoilers since you kinda know where these books are going to end up, you just have no idea how and that is not spoiled. 4 Stars and maybe a tad more since we also get a bit of a look inside the personality of The Queen which none of the books have really given us.

[Kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession

This was a quick and fun read bringing the story back to Liam and Baba. I always love follow up novellas like this as they give glimpses into the couple's lives after the original happily ever after. There's just something so satisfying at seeing where characters you loved are now, and that really was the case here. I enjoyed seeing Liam, Baba, and little Babs interact and navigate their new lives as a family all the while juggling three impossible tasks from the Queen. Even better, the rest of the Baba Yagas play a role as well making this novella tie everything together even more.

Overall, a fun treat of a read in an enjoyable series that keeps me coming back for more.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story about the Baba Yaga, Barbara and her mate,Liam! Very enjoyable reading!

[Barbara Schulze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read

I can not give enough phrase for Deborah Blake's books. Her books are witty, funny, sexy and amazing. The characters are ass kicking and amazing with their own strengths. A paranormal romance that's the perfect blend of fairy tale and mundane. A book that is worthy of a reread.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara and Liam go to petition the Queen to approve of their marriage so Liam can drink from the waters so they can grow old together. Unfortunately, the Queen very quickly says no – that there have been too many changes. Luckily, a compromise is met but Barbara and Liam will have to perform 3 impossible tasks. I think my favorite character in this story is Babs!

[Anna Wick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet

I fell in love with the characters of Barbara and Liam and Babs when I read the first book comma I really enjoyed revisiting them

[Levia · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute short story. enjoyed seeing more of the queen.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quick read!

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Baba Yaga series. Great update to the Russian Baba Yaga and "fairies".

[Mischa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this, but as far as novellas go, quite a standard one

[Cara Noyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first I'm reading in the Baba Yaga series.
I like them and want to read more!

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read

Great short story for the series. Love how all the baba's get brought into it. And i do love babs.

[Rosalee Tabor · Rating 5 out of 5]

True love

Great series love how it's always moving through worlds but teaches at the same time . True love always worth the wait to spend eternity with that much love.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great side story about the Baba Yagas

[Belladonna]

6

[Michelle the Romance Witch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun a sweet short novella to show us the story continues between Liam and Barbara and that Babs continues to grow up

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

extra 1/2 star