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Bargains with Beasts #1
Unnatural Magic
If there’s one thing I loathe, it’s being told what to do.
I was kept ignorant and sheltered my whole life. Now that I’m free, I’ll never be coddled again.
Even if the smoking hot werewolf king thinks coddling is perfectly acceptable.
Because something’s hunting humans in my city. Something that kills like a werewolf, but displays those kills publicly–as if taunting the authorities.
Thanks to my spiffy new agreement with the police, it’s my job to figure out just what that something is.
But whoever is hunting the good citizens of Durham is also taunting me.
When my investigation takes me to the local werewolf pack–and the overprotective male in charge–I know I’m in trouble.
Can I solve these murders without losing my freedom... or my life?
Or will the creature make me regret ever thinking I was strong enough to be out in the world alone?
♥ If you like K.F Breene, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Faith Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jennifer Estep, Shannon Mayer, Kim Harrison, and Dannika Dark, you’ll love this series. ♥
I was kept ignorant and sheltered my whole life. Now that I’m free, I’ll never be coddled again.
Even if the smoking hot werewolf king thinks coddling is perfectly acceptable.
Because something’s hunting humans in my city. Something that kills like a werewolf, but displays those kills publicly–as if taunting the authorities.
Thanks to my spiffy new agreement with the police, it’s my job to figure out just what that something is.
But whoever is hunting the good citizens of Durham is also taunting me.
When my investigation takes me to the local werewolf pack–and the overprotective male in charge–I know I’m in trouble.
Can I solve these murders without losing my freedom... or my life?
Or will the creature make me regret ever thinking I was strong enough to be out in the world alone?
♥ If you like K.F Breene, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Faith Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jennifer Estep, Shannon Mayer, Kim Harrison, and Dannika Dark, you’ll love this series. ♥
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2022
1647 people are currently reading
3429 people want to read
About the author
Stacia Stark
24 books6,449 followersStacia Stark is a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, and Amazon bestselling author of fantasy romance. Her books have been translated into over 16 languages, and her Kingdom of Lies series was nominated twice for Goodreads Choice Awards.
Stacia loves writing romantasy filled with found families, female friendship, self-reliant heroines, and brooding, grumpy heroes. When she’s not writing or exploring the world, she can usually be found sprawled on her sofa, lost in the pages of a good book.
Come say hi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stark...
Or learn more at Staciastark.com
Stacia loves writing romantasy filled with found families, female friendship, self-reliant heroines, and brooding, grumpy heroes. When she’s not writing or exploring the world, she can usually be found sprawled on her sofa, lost in the pages of a good book.
Come say hi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stark...
Or learn more at Staciastark.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
May 2, 2025
✅ Nathaniel
✅ Magic, werewolves, witches, and demons
✅ Pace
✅ Action
✅(🆗) Evie (somehow, I am still not her biggest fan)
✅(🆗) Plot
❗️❗️I highly recommend reading the Deal with Demons series before this one, as this is a spinoff from Deal with Demons, and while things are being roughly explained in this book, you would be missing a lot of background information if you haven’t read the other series.
This book is the first in the series, but it is a spinoff from the Deal with Demons series and follows Evie and Kyla in their newest investigations. It also focuses on the relationship developing between Evie and Nathaniel. Evie and Kyla have to juggle many cases in this book: investigating teen werewolves from Nathaniel's pack who are disappearing and reappearing magically, finding a stolen book that belongs to Finvarra, planning how they will steal the sword from the Seelie King, and dealing with mysterious attacks made by an unknown beast that can kill dozens of humans in a few minutes only.
I did enjoy this book, but not as much as the books in the previous series. I know this review will sound like a lot of negative, but I did enjoy this book overall, and I read it in only 2 days. The author still managed to have a good pace with a (mostly) good and engaging plot, and it is easy to get into the book and fly through it in no time. That being said, a few things did bother me, and I have to point them out.
I liked the plot overall, but a part of it felt pointless. The investigation into the missing artifacts was realistic enough, as were the mass murders in the city, but the whole situation with Evie investigating the werewolf teens didn’t make sense to me. The kids are disappearing somewhere, but always coming back. Nobody got hurt yet, but the alpha does not want to force them to tell him where they are going or what they are doing, so he hires an outsider to investigate them instead. Is Nathaniel really hoping that Evie will get them to talk? Because that’s all she’s been doing: waiting for them to come and talk to her. I just don’t get how hiring someone to “spy” on them is better than using your authority as an alpha to have them explain what is happening… Either way, the kids don’t want to talk, and Nathaniel will find out the truth eventually, but there is a way that would be much quicker and more logical than asking Evie to try to integrate herself into their routine to get them to talk to her.
Evie is another reason I struggled a little with this book. I think the fact that I know her backstory with Danica is the main reason she annoys me. Sure, her mom and her sister abandoned her, but Danica had nothing to do with this decision, and when she came back into Evie’s life, Evie and her coven made sure that Danica did not feel welcome among them. So Danica decided to go on with her life, even after being ripped away from her coven and being rejected by her sister when she was finally able to come back. I am not saying that Evie had an easy life, but seeing people blame Danica for Evie’s abandonment issues pisses me off, because she is a victim, just as much as Evie in this situation.
Nathaniel on the other hand is awesome. He is your typical strong and dominant alpha, who also wants to listen to his pack and respect them instead of ordering them around. He is strong and dominant, but also open and kind-hearted. He truly cares for his pack and is willing to compromise and give them leniency they would not find in other packs. Honestly, it is hard not to love him.
As predicted, Meredith was all but absent from this book. She was truly simply a tool for Vas to get his happy ending in the final book of the other series because after setting her up as the third member of the Evie/Kyla/Meredith investigative trio, she then went back to her bar and was almost forgotten in this book. Evie and Kyla didn’t even ask her for help with the tech aspect of their jobs!
Deal with Demons series:
0.5 Fool the Demon ⭐⭐⭐
1. Speak of the Demon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Dance with the Demon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Inner Demons ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Luck of the Demon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Demon’s Advocate ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
6. Play the Demon ⭐⭐⭐.5
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✅ Magic, werewolves, witches, and demons
✅ Pace
✅ Action
✅(🆗) Evie (somehow, I am still not her biggest fan)
✅(🆗) Plot
❗️❗️I highly recommend reading the Deal with Demons series before this one, as this is a spinoff from Deal with Demons, and while things are being roughly explained in this book, you would be missing a lot of background information if you haven’t read the other series.
This book is the first in the series, but it is a spinoff from the Deal with Demons series and follows Evie and Kyla in their newest investigations. It also focuses on the relationship developing between Evie and Nathaniel. Evie and Kyla have to juggle many cases in this book: investigating teen werewolves from Nathaniel's pack who are disappearing and reappearing magically, finding a stolen book that belongs to Finvarra, planning how they will steal the sword from the Seelie King, and dealing with mysterious attacks made by an unknown beast that can kill dozens of humans in a few minutes only.
I did enjoy this book, but not as much as the books in the previous series. I know this review will sound like a lot of negative, but I did enjoy this book overall, and I read it in only 2 days. The author still managed to have a good pace with a (mostly) good and engaging plot, and it is easy to get into the book and fly through it in no time. That being said, a few things did bother me, and I have to point them out.
I liked the plot overall, but a part of it felt pointless. The investigation into the missing artifacts was realistic enough, as were the mass murders in the city, but the whole situation with Evie investigating the werewolf teens didn’t make sense to me. The kids are disappearing somewhere, but always coming back. Nobody got hurt yet, but the alpha does not want to force them to tell him where they are going or what they are doing, so he hires an outsider to investigate them instead. Is Nathaniel really hoping that Evie will get them to talk? Because that’s all she’s been doing: waiting for them to come and talk to her. I just don’t get how hiring someone to “spy” on them is better than using your authority as an alpha to have them explain what is happening… Either way, the kids don’t want to talk, and Nathaniel will find out the truth eventually, but there is a way that would be much quicker and more logical than asking Evie to try to integrate herself into their routine to get them to talk to her.
Evie is another reason I struggled a little with this book. I think the fact that I know her backstory with Danica is the main reason she annoys me. Sure, her mom and her sister abandoned her, but Danica had nothing to do with this decision, and when she came back into Evie’s life, Evie and her coven made sure that Danica did not feel welcome among them. So Danica decided to go on with her life, even after being ripped away from her coven and being rejected by her sister when she was finally able to come back. I am not saying that Evie had an easy life, but seeing people blame Danica for Evie’s abandonment issues pisses me off, because she is a victim, just as much as Evie in this situation.
Nathaniel on the other hand is awesome. He is your typical strong and dominant alpha, who also wants to listen to his pack and respect them instead of ordering them around. He is strong and dominant, but also open and kind-hearted. He truly cares for his pack and is willing to compromise and give them leniency they would not find in other packs. Honestly, it is hard not to love him.
As predicted, Meredith was all but absent from this book. She was truly simply a tool for Vas to get his happy ending in the final book of the other series because after setting her up as the third member of the Evie/Kyla/Meredith investigative trio, she then went back to her bar and was almost forgotten in this book. Evie and Kyla didn’t even ask her for help with the tech aspect of their jobs!
Deal with Demons series:
0.5 Fool the Demon ⭐⭐⭐
1. Speak of the Demon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Dance with the Demon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Inner Demons ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Luck of the Demon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Demon’s Advocate ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
6. Play the Demon ⭐⭐⭐.5
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May 30, 2023
It was hard for me to give this 3 stars - I wanted to give it more and less at the same time, so I settled with three.
I enjoy this world, and most of the characters. And the puzzle of this plot was fun, if a little overly convenient in how all the threads tied together.
So what was the problem?
I can't stand Evie.
I couldn't stand her in the main series, and I didn't like her much better in her spin off. She is just so fucking stupid and whiny. And a hypocrite. Her utter meltdown about not being told immediately that Nathaniel thinks she's his mate ... I just wanted to punch her in the boob. She's exhausting. She loves blaming everyone else for her life, and I pretty much hated how shitty she was to Danica (and as a special treat, we got to see her be shitty to Danica in this book too, yay). She is a spoiled princess with a tendency to freak out and run away. Is she really surprised people are hesitant to share information with her? Now she's walking around like some badass, because apparently a couple months of training puts her on par with all the supernatural badasses. /eyeroll
What's hilarious is she was puzzling out how to lie to Danica about the sword mission, and was even considering stealing Danica's invisibility artifact for the mission, but then she has a shrieking fit about people lying to her.
Looooooooool
It's also hilarious that everyone else knew she was Nathaniel's mate, not because they were told, but because if you aren't dumber than a box of hair it is freaking obvious by the way he acts around her. Vas watched them for like 3 minutes and said "oh, so it's like that, is it?" But Miss I'm-A-Badass-Investigator apparently needs a map, compass, and detailed directions to figure out the obvious.
She's The Worst. Which is a real bummer because Nathaniel is awesome - he deserves so much better.
I'm reading on, though, despite giving myself an eye roll migraine, because I want to read Kyra's book and this story feeds into / overlaps with it.
I enjoy this world, and most of the characters. And the puzzle of this plot was fun, if a little overly convenient in how all the threads tied together.
So what was the problem?
I can't stand Evie.
I couldn't stand her in the main series, and I didn't like her much better in her spin off. She is just so fucking stupid and whiny. And a hypocrite. Her utter meltdown about not being told immediately that Nathaniel thinks she's his mate ... I just wanted to punch her in the boob. She's exhausting. She loves blaming everyone else for her life, and I pretty much hated how shitty she was to Danica (and as a special treat, we got to see her be shitty to Danica in this book too, yay). She is a spoiled princess with a tendency to freak out and run away. Is she really surprised people are hesitant to share information with her? Now she's walking around like some badass, because apparently a couple months of training puts her on par with all the supernatural badasses. /eyeroll
What's hilarious is she was puzzling out how to lie to Danica about the sword mission, and was even considering stealing Danica's invisibility artifact for the mission, but then she has a shrieking fit about people lying to her.
Looooooooool
It's also hilarious that everyone else knew she was Nathaniel's mate, not because they were told, but because if you aren't dumber than a box of hair it is freaking obvious by the way he acts around her. Vas watched them for like 3 minutes and said "oh, so it's like that, is it?" But Miss I'm-A-Badass-Investigator apparently needs a map, compass, and detailed directions to figure out the obvious.
She's The Worst. Which is a real bummer because Nathaniel is awesome - he deserves so much better.
I'm reading on, though, despite giving myself an eye roll migraine, because I want to read Kyra's book and this story feeds into / overlaps with it.
October 11, 2022
*Squeal*
Loved this so much!!! Such a thrill to be back in this world!! If you read the series Speak of the Demon and loved it .... you can't go wrong with this!
Evie and Nate are a perfect match! We see the chemistry begin to build. Add in several mysteries for Evie and Kyla to solve. With a dash of betrayal (some may say for ones on good). This read will keep you glued to your reader.
Ends on a cliffy that has me literally dying!! The cruelty Stark is inflicting on me is unimaginable!
Pick this up!!
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
Loved this so much!!! Such a thrill to be back in this world!! If you read the series Speak of the Demon and loved it .... you can't go wrong with this!
Evie and Nate are a perfect match! We see the chemistry begin to build. Add in several mysteries for Evie and Kyla to solve. With a dash of betrayal (some may say for ones on good). This read will keep you glued to your reader.
Ends on a cliffy that has me literally dying!! The cruelty Stark is inflicting on me is unimaginable!
Pick this up!!
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
February 8, 2023
It doesn’t seem like the first in a series. I am only one chapter in and there are already so many references to plot lines from previous books that I am guessing it’s some sort of spinoff series - and not one of those where you don’t have to read the other series. The characters all have history and apparently a lot happened before this book. I will need to get my audible credit back for this title. What a let down. I don’t mind a good spin-off, but only if it really is a different series with only a few references to things that happened in other books and a minimum of crossovers - and I hate when it’s not clearly marked as part of a larger series. I feel cheated.
September 23, 2022
The wolves fall hard and Nathaniel falls harder.
Alpha of his pack, Nate is feared for his extreme control over his wolf. But that control wavers occasionally and those occassion involves his true mate, Evelyn.
Evelyn is Danica's sister from Speak of the Demon (which I absolutely loved). We know from the previous books that Eve has more than witch blood flowing through her veins. What actually is it? Nobody knows. But she is coming into her own. Slowly and Steadily.
Evelyn is blissfully unaware that she is Nate's mate. She, however, is attracted towards that hunk of a man. Their relationship progresses as they both deal with murders, stolen artifacts and kids running wild.
I love Stacia Stark's writing because her words are easy to imagine. The plot is always well thought out and thorough. The mystery is always thrilling and engaging.
What stops me then from giving it five stars? I have a hunch that this could have had an extra wow factor which would have elevated the entire plot. Nate was depicted as very serious and commandeering in the previous books. Though he was all that, Stacia suppressed it somehow for this one. Maybe in light of his true mate. In any case, I would have liked that thread of darkness to be woven in. But that's just me.
...an arm came around my shoulders, pulling me into Nathaniel’s hard body. “Mine,” he told Tobias with a mock scowl. But beneath the humor was a dark promise.
Alpha of his pack, Nate is feared for his extreme control over his wolf. But that control wavers occasionally and those occassion involves his true mate, Evelyn.
Evelyn is Danica's sister from Speak of the Demon (which I absolutely loved). We know from the previous books that Eve has more than witch blood flowing through her veins. What actually is it? Nobody knows. But she is coming into her own. Slowly and Steadily.
Evelyn is blissfully unaware that she is Nate's mate. She, however, is attracted towards that hunk of a man. Their relationship progresses as they both deal with murders, stolen artifacts and kids running wild.
I swallowed, and he leaned close. “You look like a deer caught in headlights.”
“Or a deer caught in a full moon.” Tobias grinned at us both.
I love Stacia Stark's writing because her words are easy to imagine. The plot is always well thought out and thorough. The mystery is always thrilling and engaging.
What stops me then from giving it five stars? I have a hunch that this could have had an extra wow factor which would have elevated the entire plot. Nate was depicted as very serious and commandeering in the previous books. Though he was all that, Stacia suppressed it somehow for this one. Maybe in light of his true mate. In any case, I would have liked that thread of darkness to be woven in. But that's just me.
May 30, 2023
Since she first appeared, I was so intrigued by Evie's character and the mystery behind her magic and past, so I was pretty excited to have her as the focus of the story....sadly, her personality pretty much ruined the whole thing for me because she was at times too childish and over the top dramatic for my tastes.
I wish there had been more time dedicated to her exploring and researching her magic since it's so intricate.
Nate on the other hand was pretty enjoyable as a character and definitely the more balanced of the two. I also wish we had seen more about the wolf pack and their dynamics.
I wish there had been more time dedicated to her exploring and researching her magic since it's so intricate.
Nate on the other hand was pretty enjoyable as a character and definitely the more balanced of the two. I also wish we had seen more about the wolf pack and their dynamics.
December 26, 2022
3 ⭐️
She was whiny and tedious sadly. Everyone was treating her with kid gloves?!
My expectations for this book were through the roof, my bad honestly as everyone knows the first rule of avoiding disappointment is to lower your expectations. Undecided if I want to continue on to the second book
She was whiny and tedious sadly. Everyone was treating her with kid gloves?!
My expectations for this book were through the roof, my bad honestly as everyone knows the first rule of avoiding disappointment is to lower your expectations. Undecided if I want to continue on to the second book
January 28, 2026
I thought this book was ok. It’s a spin off of the Deals with Demon series. I really enjoyed that series. Evie annoyed me some. I enjoyed Nathaniel. I felt there was chemistry lacking between Nathaniel and Evie. Left me wanting more. I thought the plot was ok. I feel like this series has a lot of potential. I am intrigued enough to want to continue this series.
December 24, 2022
4.5.
This is just really great, old-school Urban Fantasy. I really enjoyed the original series, and while I preferred Danica and her demon, I really liked this a lot.
If you're a fan of the genre, and get sick of wading through the trash, definitely give this a go!
This is just really great, old-school Urban Fantasy. I really enjoyed the original series, and while I preferred Danica and her demon, I really liked this a lot.
If you're a fan of the genre, and get sick of wading through the trash, definitely give this a go!
May 3, 2023
Wasn't bad. A lot of backstory I feel like I missed out as I didn't read all of the prequel series - I also had to keep double-checking it was the first book in the series. I liked the characters even if some of the mysteries were confusing. I like her snark and Nathaniel. The ending was a bit melodramatic but it needed something. Sometimes the book was hard to put down, sometimes it was borderline dull. The next book in the last of this two's pairs and will finish it out.
October 12, 2024
3⭐️
Loved following the series and seeing what happened with the HFE and mages, but I would have enjoyed the way more if it weren't for the FMC. I didn't really like her in the main series, so I'm not surprised, lol. It was also super repetitive to the main series and the author tried to make this sister too much like Danica, and it just didn't work. I loved Nathaniel, though! He was hot!
I just don't think there is anyway to top Danica and Sameal lol
Loved following the series and seeing what happened with the HFE and mages, but I would have enjoyed the way more if it weren't for the FMC. I didn't really like her in the main series, so I'm not surprised, lol. It was also super repetitive to the main series and the author tried to make this sister too much like Danica, and it just didn't work. I loved Nathaniel, though! He was hot!
I just don't think there is anyway to top Danica and Sameal lol
August 10, 2023
I just spent 10 min writing a really long review and Goodreads kicked me out and I lost it all. Seriously, I can pissed.
In summary because I can’t do it all over again…
Evie is a whiney, spoiled, self centered, immature, annoying, brat. I loath her in this book. Starts off small and grows more and more until suddenly towards the end she is the absolute worst.
I don’t even know how a character can regress so horribly.
Also, it’s like Stacia Stark doesn’t know how to make a lead female role that isn’t exactly like Danica. I don’t even like Danica much until the last book of the series because she’s finally grown enough to stop being so annoying and immature. Still is but much less.
Evie is worse though and if you read this book you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Nathaniel’s abrupt first kiss with Evie was also a huge letdown because, wtf it was out of NOWHERE. No buildup, no signs of Evie even being interested in him and he had not really done anything much at all to show her he was interested in her and then BAM, make out session. It was so disappointing.
Nathaniel also was suddenly less mature and turned into a bit of a dick and that was a letdown too.
The story wasn’t all that bad but all of that nonsense just really ruined the story.
I’m legit worried that Kyla’s character is going to turned into an immature horrible mess too and that just makes me sad because she’s all I have left of someone I still like. As a lead female role. Guess I’ll find out 🙃
In summary because I can’t do it all over again…
Evie is a whiney, spoiled, self centered, immature, annoying, brat. I loath her in this book. Starts off small and grows more and more until suddenly towards the end she is the absolute worst.
I don’t even know how a character can regress so horribly.
Also, it’s like Stacia Stark doesn’t know how to make a lead female role that isn’t exactly like Danica. I don’t even like Danica much until the last book of the series because she’s finally grown enough to stop being so annoying and immature. Still is but much less.
Evie is worse though and if you read this book you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Nathaniel’s abrupt first kiss with Evie was also a huge letdown because, wtf it was out of NOWHERE. No buildup, no signs of Evie even being interested in him and he had not really done anything much at all to show her he was interested in her and then BAM, make out session. It was so disappointing.
Nathaniel also was suddenly less mature and turned into a bit of a dick and that was a letdown too.
The story wasn’t all that bad but all of that nonsense just really ruined the story.
I’m legit worried that Kyla’s character is going to turned into an immature horrible mess too and that just makes me sad because she’s all I have left of someone I still like. As a lead female role. Guess I’ll find out 🙃
October 29, 2022
Exceeded expectations
I loved the Deals With Demons series and was so glad that Evie and Nathaniel were getting their story told. This didn’t disappoint.
Great mixture of mystery, magic , and romance.
I loved the Deals With Demons series and was so glad that Evie and Nathaniel were getting their story told. This didn’t disappoint.
Great mixture of mystery, magic , and romance.
October 17, 2022
I cannot wait to read the next book!
September 29, 2022
“Unnatural Magic” is an interesting read about Evie, a mage who was abandoned by her coven after they learned she had been a lab experiment that cost some of the coven and most of her family their lives. Now Evie has come into her own and works as a private investigator.
Evie’s friend Kyla was recently rescued by Finarra, the Seelie King. However, he has enacted a steep price for her freedom. She must find and locate a magical sword and give it to him. Time is running out until Evie steps up and brokers a secondary deal where she will locate a magical artifact own by the King that was recently stolen. This deal gives Kyla 30 more days.
Meanwhile a string of vicious murders are cropping up around the city. One on the local werewolf pack lands and another in a neighboring town. Additionally, pack kids are sneaking out but no one seems to know where they are going so the Alpha, Nathaniel hires Evie to find out what is going on while he deals with the murders. Of course he doesn’t reveal the giant secret he is keeping from her and that very well might end up biting him in the butt.
An overly aggressive news reporter has Target Evie and Nathaniel to write some disturbing but false articles about them and they just can’t seem to shake her interest that is until she ends up dead.
There is so much to do: find out what the kids are up to, locate the King’s missing artifact, find the monster responsible for the murders and locate the sword. All in a day’s work; right? There is so much action, subterfuge and a hot romance brewing in this read but it also presents a problem for me. This read was great and all but I felt like the author is rushing things and not truly providing the depth of details that would make this story outstanding. For example, why does she bring up Evie’s former werewolf boyfriend, Liam if she doesn’t want to deal with his feelings about her not wanting to be attached but then attaching herself to his Alpha. There are other examples of incomplete issues. What makes this worse is that this is only a two book series.
Oh well, I still enjoyed this read and will definitely be going on to the second and final book.
Evie’s friend Kyla was recently rescued by Finarra, the Seelie King. However, he has enacted a steep price for her freedom. She must find and locate a magical sword and give it to him. Time is running out until Evie steps up and brokers a secondary deal where she will locate a magical artifact own by the King that was recently stolen. This deal gives Kyla 30 more days.
Meanwhile a string of vicious murders are cropping up around the city. One on the local werewolf pack lands and another in a neighboring town. Additionally, pack kids are sneaking out but no one seems to know where they are going so the Alpha, Nathaniel hires Evie to find out what is going on while he deals with the murders. Of course he doesn’t reveal the giant secret he is keeping from her and that very well might end up biting him in the butt.
An overly aggressive news reporter has Target Evie and Nathaniel to write some disturbing but false articles about them and they just can’t seem to shake her interest that is until she ends up dead.
There is so much to do: find out what the kids are up to, locate the King’s missing artifact, find the monster responsible for the murders and locate the sword. All in a day’s work; right? There is so much action, subterfuge and a hot romance brewing in this read but it also presents a problem for me. This read was great and all but I felt like the author is rushing things and not truly providing the depth of details that would make this story outstanding. For example, why does she bring up Evie’s former werewolf boyfriend, Liam if she doesn’t want to deal with his feelings about her not wanting to be attached but then attaching herself to his Alpha. There are other examples of incomplete issues. What makes this worse is that this is only a two book series.
Oh well, I still enjoyed this read and will definitely be going on to the second and final book.
February 11, 2025
It’s not that I didn’t like it. But it is just to similar in storyline as the other series. It’s basically the same story with a slightly different bad guy. I really feel like Evie’s story should have been more different than Danica’s. And while their personalities, the way they dress etc. are different, how they come into their power and their relationships with their partners are almost identical. There should have been something more to set them apart. It also took me 5 days to read because it was pretty slow. (Properly because it was repetitive).
September 19, 2023
More like a 3.5! I can't tell if I liked this book less because the audiobook voices were a little off/distracting. Otherwise, the plot was pretty interesting, not sure it's as good as the original series (Deals with Demons) but it wasn't bad. The ending was interesting and made me want to read the sequel!
April 27, 2025
2.5 stars
Ok het is mijn eigen schuld maar ik heb de andere serie niet gelezen want ik had niet door dat je eerst de andere serie moet lezen. Maar om nou bijna elk hoofdstuk er naar te verwijzen is een beetje overdreven naar ik raad dus aan om de andere serie te lezen om een compleet beeld te krijgen.
Het einde was open en voelde meh. Nee dit had potentie maar niet helemaal mijn serie.
Ok het is mijn eigen schuld maar ik heb de andere serie niet gelezen want ik had niet door dat je eerst de andere serie moet lezen. Maar om nou bijna elk hoofdstuk er naar te verwijzen is een beetje overdreven naar ik raad dus aan om de andere serie te lezen om een compleet beeld te krijgen.
Het einde was open en voelde meh. Nee dit had potentie maar niet helemaal mijn serie.
April 14, 2023
Great read!
I love this series! I really like reading from Evie and Nathaniel POV. I miss Danica and love reading her little pop in.
I love this series! I really like reading from Evie and Nathaniel POV. I miss Danica and love reading her little pop in.
February 12, 2025
OH MY GOD THIS IS SO UNDERRATED
February 16, 2023
3.5 stars!
October 5, 2022
I could have loved it
It felt like this was book 2 or 3 instead of a begging of a story or book 1. It was good enough I wanted to keep reading. I love the world building. But I just can’t get over that there is more to the story and we just jumped into the middle. Which caused confusion and didn’t flow quite right.
It felt like this was book 2 or 3 instead of a begging of a story or book 1. It was good enough I wanted to keep reading. I love the world building. But I just can’t get over that there is more to the story and we just jumped into the middle. Which caused confusion and didn’t flow quite right.
September 23, 2022
Wow! I honestly don’t know where to start. My brain is still processing what I’ve just finished reading. If you have read the previous books in this truly amazing world then you know where we are and what has happened to bring us to this point. If you haven’t then I would honestly say please read all of those first.
Ok, this book is Evie’s because let’s be honest she deserves some page turning time of her own. We know what has been happening as does everyone she knows but as usual they decided to keep her in the dark. Not a good idea, Nope pretty stupid one but hey these guys just keep doing it to her. One day they will figure out she doesn’t need protection unless she asks for it. The story in this book is brilliant and carries on from Danica and Samael so yep it involves those pesky seelie and unseelie kings. I loved the twist about what the big bad thing was and can I just say it’s about damn time a certain character paid for the things they have done. Oh I seriously can’t wait to read the next book. Can’t believe we have to wait so long for it. I want it right now! There are multiple things I need to know. Unfortunately I can’t tell you what they are. You will just have to trust me and read it for yourself. You definitely won’t regret it.
Ok, this book is Evie’s because let’s be honest she deserves some page turning time of her own. We know what has been happening as does everyone she knows but as usual they decided to keep her in the dark. Not a good idea, Nope pretty stupid one but hey these guys just keep doing it to her. One day they will figure out she doesn’t need protection unless she asks for it. The story in this book is brilliant and carries on from Danica and Samael so yep it involves those pesky seelie and unseelie kings. I loved the twist about what the big bad thing was and can I just say it’s about damn time a certain character paid for the things they have done. Oh I seriously can’t wait to read the next book. Can’t believe we have to wait so long for it. I want it right now! There are multiple things I need to know. Unfortunately I can’t tell you what they are. You will just have to trust me and read it for yourself. You definitely won’t regret it.
September 8, 2023
Not a good play on werewolves
Not sure why you'd mess with the hierarchy of wolves. But really, I was waiting for someone to give Evie a good dose of hard, cold truth. She's really self-centered and seems to think she's the only one who has feelings that can be hurt. She also seems to think she can order people around but shouldn't be ordered herself.
These books have had a common theme of strong, independent women that need to be saved, usually because they knocked themselves out. The action also needs some work.
I will also recommend a solid proofread. Nathaniel was naked, then sat down to eat. Was he still naked? Evie was wearing leggings, but then was suddenly wearing something else. Characters would say something and then immediately contradict themselves. I don't know, I liked the first series better, but we'll see what happens next.
Not sure why you'd mess with the hierarchy of wolves. But really, I was waiting for someone to give Evie a good dose of hard, cold truth. She's really self-centered and seems to think she's the only one who has feelings that can be hurt. She also seems to think she can order people around but shouldn't be ordered herself.
These books have had a common theme of strong, independent women that need to be saved, usually because they knocked themselves out. The action also needs some work.
I will also recommend a solid proofread. Nathaniel was naked, then sat down to eat. Was he still naked? Evie was wearing leggings, but then was suddenly wearing something else. Characters would say something and then immediately contradict themselves. I don't know, I liked the first series better, but we'll see what happens next.
June 25, 2023
Evie was pretty annoying. This book was slow. I didn't like jumping around between the different investigations. It seemed like there was a lot of running around for a one sentence update on the case or plot. I also didn't follow all of the characters since they were introduced in another series. Evie just inherited all of Danica's friends instead of relying on her own contacts.
October 27, 2023
What happened Stacia? I was in for all the Deals with Demons series, I couldn't wait to find out what might happen with your lovely side characters but it just unravelled for me. As the characters grew, I stopped relating, I barely recognized Evie at the end of this book. The story felt choppy, like it never found a groove. While I'm curious about Kayla, I'm out with this series.
June 3, 2024
When Nathaniel saw Evelyn for the first time in Deals with Demons series, I knew he saw his mate. But he was clever enough to keep it to himself, even when Evelyn dated with Liam, her friend and love from high school and the member of Nathaniel´s pack. (You did not read Deals with Demons? A little mistake. :) Do it.) I was eager to read their series, but first I wanted to finish Deals with Demons and get Danica´s and Samael´s happy ending. :) (Ok, and Vassago´s happy ending too, I really like this demon.)
And here we are. If I would not start to read this book on Sunday and if I would not have to go to work on Monday morning, I would read it within one day. But luck of sleep is not good for my concentration :))))
I love that Stacia Stark still keeps picturing all the paranormals in the way which works for me, mainly werewolves. Even I know the books I read are fantasy and every author has own right to figure out own fantasy world with own rules and descriptions etc, I have right to keep reading what I like and prefer, and DNF what I do not like and prefer. Happy me that Stacia Stark is on the same wave with werewolves as I am and her descriptions fit the real wolves and the rules typical for the packs. (oh yes, wolf is my soul animal). I saw it in Deals with Demons. And I appreciate it also in Bargains with Beasts. In Unnatural Magic, we see Evie speaking to Tobias and asking him what it is like to be submissive wolf in the pack. Yes, it really means that dominant wolves try to keep those submissive ones happy. With all the adrenaline and dominancy, it is very important for pack to have members who do not want to climb up the rank and who keep peace in the pack thanks to the fact that they are submissive. And the most important thing - submissive doesn´t mean weak. Good Alpha know this and Nathaniel IS good Alpha. The same doesn´t come for Frederik, but I expected it.
The myth about Fenrir was handed very well. It was obvious (again) that the author paid attention to it, to the sources of the myth etc. It was not shallow using of the name or basic information of the myth in attempt to create interesting story. This was not just an attempt. This was interesting story with solid background.
Kyla and Finvarra? I can´t stop laughing. She is soooo cool. And he is so eager to find the way to keep her close. I hope I will find out how this couple will end. I would be really sad if Stacia Stark keep me away from this finding. Kyla keeps her hatret for Finvarra, but it is that kind of hatred in which you can see something different behind it. Not in obvious way, you have to keep an eye on your own fantasy. :)
And Nathaniel and Evelyn? Well, he still tries to keep the distance, so Evelyn could have a choice to come to him on her own will - but...well, not for long. I like to follow his inner struggles between keeping Evelyn safe and giving her freedom she wants and appreciate. And I admire how Evelyn keep "her" Alpha in line and still fights with him, regardless if they are alone or all the pack members witness theirs arguing. :) At the end of the book... I don´t know. I don´t think that Evelyn´s reaction for the fact that she is Nathaniel´s mate was adequate. I know, she has been through a lot in her life, people lied to her, people abandoned her. But I would expect just A LITTLE BIT understanding from her side, because I am on Nathaniel´s side speaking about why he kept this information from her. Evelyn´s reaction to Kyla hurted me. Really hurted. Yes, she realized that Kyla had no choice as Nathaniel is her Alpha and he gave her the strict order, but it was a bit late.
Deals with Demons and Bargains with Beasts strongly remind me Mercedes Thompson and Alpha and Omega series written by Patricia Briggs. In a good way. I LOVE Patricia Briggs and it took me long time to find another urban fantasy comparable to what Patricia Briggs uses to write. So I am happy for both series by Stacia Stark. :)
And here we are. If I would not start to read this book on Sunday and if I would not have to go to work on Monday morning, I would read it within one day. But luck of sleep is not good for my concentration :))))
I love that Stacia Stark still keeps picturing all the paranormals in the way which works for me, mainly werewolves. Even I know the books I read are fantasy and every author has own right to figure out own fantasy world with own rules and descriptions etc, I have right to keep reading what I like and prefer, and DNF what I do not like and prefer. Happy me that Stacia Stark is on the same wave with werewolves as I am and her descriptions fit the real wolves and the rules typical for the packs. (oh yes, wolf is my soul animal). I saw it in Deals with Demons. And I appreciate it also in Bargains with Beasts. In Unnatural Magic, we see Evie speaking to Tobias and asking him what it is like to be submissive wolf in the pack. Yes, it really means that dominant wolves try to keep those submissive ones happy. With all the adrenaline and dominancy, it is very important for pack to have members who do not want to climb up the rank and who keep peace in the pack thanks to the fact that they are submissive. And the most important thing - submissive doesn´t mean weak. Good Alpha know this and Nathaniel IS good Alpha. The same doesn´t come for Frederik, but I expected it.
The myth about Fenrir was handed very well. It was obvious (again) that the author paid attention to it, to the sources of the myth etc. It was not shallow using of the name or basic information of the myth in attempt to create interesting story. This was not just an attempt. This was interesting story with solid background.
Kyla and Finvarra? I can´t stop laughing. She is soooo cool. And he is so eager to find the way to keep her close. I hope I will find out how this couple will end. I would be really sad if Stacia Stark keep me away from this finding. Kyla keeps her hatret for Finvarra, but it is that kind of hatred in which you can see something different behind it. Not in obvious way, you have to keep an eye on your own fantasy. :)
And Nathaniel and Evelyn? Well, he still tries to keep the distance, so Evelyn could have a choice to come to him on her own will - but...well, not for long. I like to follow his inner struggles between keeping Evelyn safe and giving her freedom she wants and appreciate. And I admire how Evelyn keep "her" Alpha in line and still fights with him, regardless if they are alone or all the pack members witness theirs arguing. :) At the end of the book... I don´t know. I don´t think that Evelyn´s reaction for the fact that she is Nathaniel´s mate was adequate. I know, she has been through a lot in her life, people lied to her, people abandoned her. But I would expect just A LITTLE BIT understanding from her side, because I am on Nathaniel´s side speaking about why he kept this information from her. Evelyn´s reaction to Kyla hurted me. Really hurted. Yes, she realized that Kyla had no choice as Nathaniel is her Alpha and he gave her the strict order, but it was a bit late.
Deals with Demons and Bargains with Beasts strongly remind me Mercedes Thompson and Alpha and Omega series written by Patricia Briggs. In a good way. I LOVE Patricia Briggs and it took me long time to find another urban fantasy comparable to what Patricia Briggs uses to write. So I am happy for both series by Stacia Stark. :)
May 1, 2023
This one has all the flaws of the early "Deals with Demons" books but none of the inspiration. The writing is flat and clunky and the plot feels stale.
The world on its own is not that bad. There are many different factions with their own goals and motivations at least on the surface but sadly the longer I read about this world the more it becomes evident that there really are just two factions. The people that are evil just for the sake of being evil so there are antagonists in this world and everyone else and you can easily divide almost all characters into those two groups. The essential part that brings a world like this to life is if two warring factions have understandable motivations where I can empathize with both sides. But this kind of nuance is missing almost entirely here.
On the one hand, this is much better than most of the urban fantasy worldbuilding one reads nowadays, but on the other hand, just because it is better than most doesn't imply it is good by any means.
But putting this aside, the aspect that hurt my experience with this book the most is the clunky writing.
Children are written like the author has not talked to a child in a very long time and is just trying to extrapolate what a small human would be like from her own fading memory of what it means to be a child.
Interactions between adults also frequently feel very stilted and the author rarely bothered to make sure the interactions between characters made sense in the context of the characters and their current state of mind. Instead of communicating character emotions through the dialogue and the interactions themselves the author frequently just writes incredibly generic and stilted dialogue interspersed with ham-fisted statements about their emotional state.
The most annoying part about this is that the author sometimes gets it right and the story she attempts to tell has the potential to draw me in emotionally.
I want to say this needs a more aggressive editor or that it seems like a late draft that isn't ready for release yet. But honestly, I am not sure what the solution could be here. To me, it seems that the author just didn't take enough time to craft all these scenes with the attention and care necessary.
Especially seeing that she is clearly capable of better writing looking at "Speak of the Demon". That book isn't a masterpiece either, but it is much better than this in terms of raw writing skills.
I have the impression that most of the authors writing these interconnected book series just don't have any time to write to the best of their abilities much less improve their skills because of the immense time pressure to keep releasing books as fast as humanly possible.
This seems to lead to this huge number of long series or even groups of series without any improvements in quality and skill over time. It typically is even the other way around. The authors seem to experiment with how little effort they can get away with which typically leads to a decrease in quality over time.
I don't really know what to do with this observation but I wanted to express it somewhere and it seems to fit here.
The world on its own is not that bad. There are many different factions with their own goals and motivations at least on the surface but sadly the longer I read about this world the more it becomes evident that there really are just two factions. The people that are evil just for the sake of being evil so there are antagonists in this world and everyone else and you can easily divide almost all characters into those two groups. The essential part that brings a world like this to life is if two warring factions have understandable motivations where I can empathize with both sides. But this kind of nuance is missing almost entirely here.
On the one hand, this is much better than most of the urban fantasy worldbuilding one reads nowadays, but on the other hand, just because it is better than most doesn't imply it is good by any means.
But putting this aside, the aspect that hurt my experience with this book the most is the clunky writing.
Children are written like the author has not talked to a child in a very long time and is just trying to extrapolate what a small human would be like from her own fading memory of what it means to be a child.
Interactions between adults also frequently feel very stilted and the author rarely bothered to make sure the interactions between characters made sense in the context of the characters and their current state of mind. Instead of communicating character emotions through the dialogue and the interactions themselves the author frequently just writes incredibly generic and stilted dialogue interspersed with ham-fisted statements about their emotional state.
The most annoying part about this is that the author sometimes gets it right and the story she attempts to tell has the potential to draw me in emotionally.
I want to say this needs a more aggressive editor or that it seems like a late draft that isn't ready for release yet. But honestly, I am not sure what the solution could be here. To me, it seems that the author just didn't take enough time to craft all these scenes with the attention and care necessary.
Especially seeing that she is clearly capable of better writing looking at "Speak of the Demon". That book isn't a masterpiece either, but it is much better than this in terms of raw writing skills.
I have the impression that most of the authors writing these interconnected book series just don't have any time to write to the best of their abilities much less improve their skills because of the immense time pressure to keep releasing books as fast as humanly possible.
This seems to lead to this huge number of long series or even groups of series without any improvements in quality and skill over time. It typically is even the other way around. The authors seem to experiment with how little effort they can get away with which typically leads to a decrease in quality over time.
I don't really know what to do with this observation but I wanted to express it somewhere and it seems to fit here.
August 12, 2023
This new series focuses on Evie and Nathaniel in the aftermath of the prior series. Evie has changed quite a lot at this point. Acting more like her sister and insisting on being completely free, doing everything herself. She broke up with Liam as she didn’t want to be in a relationship, finding it too stifling after everything. Nathaniel, however, is well aware Evie is his mate and has been looking for the opportunity to get closer to her.
With Evie now taking up investigating a case involving slaughtered humans that seems to point to werewolves, she’s thrown smack dab into Nathaniel’s orbit. The chemistry between them is clear, but she’s fighting it every step of the way. Much like Danica did with Samael. They grow closer over the events of the book, which was great, however, Evie inevitably finds out the truth and feels betrayed by everyone. Including Danica. Unfairly blowing up at her for keeping it a secret. Danica did much the same when she found out about Samael knowing who she is, and Evie is the one who told her to forgive him.
Her personality has done such a drastic 180, it’s a bit difficult to reconcile her with who she was before. Which is the point. Still, Nathaniel, as the alpha wolf, is used to be obeyed and doesn’t know how not to order people around. So, I’d be feeling stifled by that too. But she’d been finding a place among the pack and then decided it must all be a lie and she’s being influenced by the bond.
The mystery here is really interesting. I didn’t see it coming at all. Stacia is very good about that. Laying all these clues that make totally sense in retrospect, but you can’t put together as you’re looking at it. There’s the mystery of what’s going on with the werewolf kids, the mystery of a stolen artifact of Finvarra’s, but there’s smaller ones within those, like what happened to a relative of Finvarra, what Albert is up to, and what’s happening with the rival wolf pack’s leader. It constantly kept me guessing and the climax of it all was super satisfying.
We’re left on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see what comes next. After Evie decides to freak out on everyone, Kyla has ran off half cocked and is likely to get herself killed. Evie is going after her, and Nathaniel is likely to not be far behind. I can’t wait to see how these crazy kids work this out!
With Evie now taking up investigating a case involving slaughtered humans that seems to point to werewolves, she’s thrown smack dab into Nathaniel’s orbit. The chemistry between them is clear, but she’s fighting it every step of the way. Much like Danica did with Samael. They grow closer over the events of the book, which was great, however, Evie inevitably finds out the truth and feels betrayed by everyone. Including Danica. Unfairly blowing up at her for keeping it a secret. Danica did much the same when she found out about Samael knowing who she is, and Evie is the one who told her to forgive him.
Her personality has done such a drastic 180, it’s a bit difficult to reconcile her with who she was before. Which is the point. Still, Nathaniel, as the alpha wolf, is used to be obeyed and doesn’t know how not to order people around. So, I’d be feeling stifled by that too. But she’d been finding a place among the pack and then decided it must all be a lie and she’s being influenced by the bond.
The mystery here is really interesting. I didn’t see it coming at all. Stacia is very good about that. Laying all these clues that make totally sense in retrospect, but you can’t put together as you’re looking at it. There’s the mystery of what’s going on with the werewolf kids, the mystery of a stolen artifact of Finvarra’s, but there’s smaller ones within those, like what happened to a relative of Finvarra, what Albert is up to, and what’s happening with the rival wolf pack’s leader. It constantly kept me guessing and the climax of it all was super satisfying.
We’re left on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see what comes next. After Evie decides to freak out on everyone, Kyla has ran off half cocked and is likely to get herself killed. Evie is going after her, and Nathaniel is likely to not be far behind. I can’t wait to see how these crazy kids work this out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2023
I like it.
When I first started this book, I didn’t realize it was a spin-off of her Deal with Demons series and was completely lost. So I stopped and read the other series first, which is essential to understand the actions behind Evvie and Nathaniel. This story, however, felt a bit bland if compared to the first series. Evie come across as weak and afraid of using her powers. She despises people lying to her but contemplate doing the same to her sister to get her ring. The plot felt scattered all over with too many things happening at the same time: the human killings, the artifacts robbery, her own investigation on her mother’s death, the werewolf kids disappearing, Kyla’s deal with the Unseelie King, a completely useless scene of her meeting with her precious Coven who wants her back (I still don’t know why this was in the book. I missed the part of her finding that coin and how she connected it with being Albert’s work: suddenly the coin appeared in her arm?
Then, the meltdown over finding she’s Nathaniel mate. She is mad everyone knew but her and reacted exactly how Nate said she would. Crying, screaming and blaming every single person for her woes. She is rude and a jerk to her sister and blames her for everything bad in her life. It’s obvious that she didn’t completely forgive her sister for their past even though it’s not her sister’s fault.
She yells at Kyla and turn her back to her and is surprised her friend went to the Seelie Realm because Kyla “obviously decided our friendship was over”. The fact she had yelled, was a complete jerk and turned her back to her crying friend is just a small detail and doesn’t count, apparently. Nate was right in not telling her because he wanted her to experience life as she deserved, free of the strings imposed by her old Coven. She has no life experience, had never worked, has no real education, never ventured much outside her house and Nate wanted her to be happy rather than fell shackled by the knowledge of being his mate. It is a mature decision doesn’t come easily for him. I hope she can make better decisions in the next book and see through Nate’s reasons.
When I first started this book, I didn’t realize it was a spin-off of her Deal with Demons series and was completely lost. So I stopped and read the other series first, which is essential to understand the actions behind Evvie and Nathaniel. This story, however, felt a bit bland if compared to the first series. Evie come across as weak and afraid of using her powers. She despises people lying to her but contemplate doing the same to her sister to get her ring. The plot felt scattered all over with too many things happening at the same time: the human killings, the artifacts robbery, her own investigation on her mother’s death, the werewolf kids disappearing, Kyla’s deal with the Unseelie King, a completely useless scene of her meeting with her precious Coven who wants her back (I still don’t know why this was in the book. I missed the part of her finding that coin and how she connected it with being Albert’s work: suddenly the coin appeared in her arm?
Then, the meltdown over finding she’s Nathaniel mate. She is mad everyone knew but her and reacted exactly how Nate said she would. Crying, screaming and blaming every single person for her woes. She is rude and a jerk to her sister and blames her for everything bad in her life. It’s obvious that she didn’t completely forgive her sister for their past even though it’s not her sister’s fault.
She yells at Kyla and turn her back to her and is surprised her friend went to the Seelie Realm because Kyla “obviously decided our friendship was over”. The fact she had yelled, was a complete jerk and turned her back to her crying friend is just a small detail and doesn’t count, apparently. Nate was right in not telling her because he wanted her to experience life as she deserved, free of the strings imposed by her old Coven. She has no life experience, had never worked, has no real education, never ventured much outside her house and Nate wanted her to be happy rather than fell shackled by the knowledge of being his mate. It is a mature decision doesn’t come easily for him. I hope she can make better decisions in the next book and see through Nate’s reasons.
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