Dues and Don'ts

Ordinary Magic #0.5

by Devon Monk

Free ebook from Devon Monk's website https://www.devonmonk.com/freestory/

DUES AND DON’TS is a prequel to DEATH AND RELAXATION, book #1 of Ordinary Magic and can be read as a stand alone.

Police Chief Delaney Reed wants three things: a cup of coffee, her life to return to normal, and for the vacationing gods in the sleepy little beach town of Ordinary, Oregon to stop committing petty crimes.
But when a curse gets loose during the town’s famous treasure hunt, putting her childhood crush, Ryder Bailey in danger, Delaney must face the truth, and nothing but the truth, to save her town, her friends, and the man she absolutely should not still have feelings for.

DUES AND DON’TS is a prequel to DEATH AND RELAXATION, book #1 of Ordinary Magic and can be read as a stand alone.

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

46 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Devon Monk is a national best selling writer of urban fantasy. Her series include Ordinary Magic, House Immortal, Allie Beckstrom, Broken Magic and Shame and Terric. She also writes the Age of Steam steampunk series, and the occasional short story which can be found in her collection: A Cup of Normal, and in various anthologies. She has one husband, two sons, and lives in Oregon. When not writing, Devon is either drinking too much coffee or knitting silly things.

Reviews

[Mary Heron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quality little short story that really gives you a taste of life in Ordinary. Delaney Reid is the chief of.police there, she is also the liaison between the supernaturals who holiday there, God's such as Zeus and Odin along with Merkel and shifters, you will find them all in Ordinary. The one rule they all have to.follow is "no powers within the town limits" in order to stay they have to.surrender their.powers and Delaney is responsible for seeing they are safely secured until.such time as the God leaves. This is a fun little short story about the trickster God, a cursed item and a treasure hunt......................

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free prequel novella https://www.devonmonk.com/freestory/

The story of how Ryder Bailey and Delaney Reed first meet again after Ryder returns to Ordinary, Oregon - the town where Gods and Goddesses vacation and the Reed family keep the peace.


All our favourites (Odin, Zeus, Crow) make an appearance.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars... This is a sweet short story set in the "Ordinary Magic Series"; a prequel to the start of the series... Delaney and Ryder are walking that fine line between friendship and... more... Neither ready to fully admit their feelings much less their secrets, but a curse gone wrong may unlock the doors to a new beginning... Funny, sexy, and sweet... A great mix for this fun filled fantasy series:)

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author freebie (https://www.devonmonk.com/freestory/) is a short prequel about Ryder’s return to Ordinary and Crow’s “assistance” in getting him to admit more than he’d planned.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok fluffy short prequel to the series.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot in this one that foreshadows much of the rest of the series. It's fun to read, loved seeing Delaney so awkward around Ryder and how she whipped the gods into shape to get them to help her out.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable FREE prequel of Ordinary Magic series. It shows how Delaney and Ryder start to make way to be close friends again, after he returns to Ordinary. Of course, it also involves a cursed globe with Crow as the mastermind *laugh*.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have read this before Death and Relaxation. It gave me some much needed information about Ryder and Delaney's relationship before he left that would have tempered some of my irritation with the pair of them. Ryder is still pretty suspect though. Came back after 8 years to spend time with Delaney and possibly start a relationship with her but blows her off right after they sleep together.

I still HATE that she has been in love with him since she was a child. I hate pairs of friends where one is head over heels for the other one. I still HATE how she acts around him and the entirety of the restaurant scene at the end of Death and Relaxation. However I take back that she is obsessed with him and he feels sorry for her. Apparently he does like her but is acting like a complete asshole for reasons unknown.

Maybe he'll die and Delaney will be able to use her brain all the time not just when she is away from Ryder. Or they will get together quickly with minimal teenage angst and the story will not be as overwhelmed with their relationship.

[Vannessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read sharing some funny insights into the life of Chief Delaney Reed, the gods and monsters that reside in the small town of Ordinary.

Whilst preparing for the annual glass float hunt, none other than Ryder Bailey, Delaney's old high school first love and crush returns after many years away, but he has no idea who else is living here in Ordinary, so when a cursed float makes its way into the hunt, everyone must rally together to find it before the curse can take hold and all the while keeping the secrets of the town away from Ryder!

Looking forward to reading more of this series!

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will happily read anything written by Devon Monk. This is a wee novella that starts the Ordinary Magic series.
For those who don't know, Ordinary is a town in Oregon where gods and goddesses go to give up their powers for a bit so they can have a vacation. And craziness ensues. I love the craziness. It makes me laugh as much as it does the squinty-eyed look for the scary parts.
This is a nice intro to the series and it's a free e-book on Devon Monk's homepage. Go get your copy. It's worth it.
I can definitely recommend this book, series and author.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, fun prequel that briefly introduces the reader to the town of Ordinary and some of its unique characters. The story takes place during a festival that Police Chief Delaney Reed is helping out in. There she meets her childhood crush, Ryder Bailey, after a few years apart. The attraction and old feelings they both feel towards each other is still there.

Overall I enjoyed this story but I loved the series too. This story isn’t necessary for the series and only adds a bit to character development but for fans I would highly recommend it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Police Chief Delaney Reed wants three things: a cup of coffee, her life to return to normal, and for the vacationing gods in the sleepy little beach town of Ordinary, Oregon to stop committing petty crimes.
But when a curse gets loose during the town’s famous treasure hunt, putting her childhood crush, Ryder Bailey in danger, Delaney must face the truth, and nothing but the truth, to save her town, her friends, and the man she absolutely should not still have feelings for.

Heather's Notes
Nice a short story that is a good beginning to the series.

[Amarinske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aah. This was fun and a good intro to the world, or some of it.
I love mythology and legends (also fairy tales and lore) so I expected this to be up my street. A while ago I tried listening to book 1 in this series on Graphic Audio and thought that wasn't for me, but I might just not have been in the mood for it. This one I physically read, but I tried that with the other book as well so I'm expecting to like this series and have a great enjoyable time while reading it.

[Danielle Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this prequel story of Delany and her sisters in Ordinary..
This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. Its Delaney and her sisters job to police the gods and godess that come to ordinary for vacation.. when they enter the town they agree to put there powers aside, and get a job. They are mostly treated like normal people..
This is a great series!!

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short and sweet prequel to the series. I would recommend reading it after the first book. Although, truth be told, reading it before the first book would work too. It is just this short story may not capture a reader's attention to read the entire series. The world isn't really explained yet which may throw a reader for a loop.

[Sooz Malinoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Ms. Monk for brightening my day with offering this little getaway for free!! I do love your Ordinary stories and it was nice to read and spend some time with Odin, Crow, and Zeus - with a little Ryder on the side!

This is a prequel to the series and is a quick, easy, fun read.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, sweet story. I loved it.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to visit Ordinary Oregon.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a fun setup for a really enjoyable series but you don’t need to have read this to read the series. It’s a cute little bonus story.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and likable read.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read .

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it but not so much that I'm going to read the series.

[Mnms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short story and sneak-peak into the series. I'm already looking forward to the first book

[Kate McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun introduction to this magical world

I downloaded this free prequel to this series and enjoyed it very much. I made sure to read it before beginning the first book in the series.

[Shir · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute short story, there wasn't any real action but it made me interested in reading the first book of the series and so it's a win in my eyes.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I found this book. I love the insight to Ryder coming back to Ordinary and the heartache that Delaney feels at the loss of her father. Pesky Crow meddling in things too.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute novella with all of the awkwardness of Delaney and Ryder.

Although I’m mad the glass float breaks because I feel like that would be extremely helpful for the chief if police.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

a free novella/ prequel to the series.

[Silverluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

:)

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prequel to the Ordinary Magic books, Dues and Don’ts is a fun introduction to the town of Ordinary, the new Police Chief Delaney Reed, her two deputies, sisters Jean and Myra, some of the vacationing gods in town, and her childhood crush Ryder Bailey. Delaney is still reeling after the death of her father, but she steps up when the threat of a curse disrupts the town’s annual beach treasure hunt, even though she needs coffee and a minute to catch her breath before dealing with the mischief making Crow.