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Hunting After Forty #1

Midlife Hotspots

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Antique store owner and ostracized paranormal hunter, Blair Braden lives a quiet small-town life, running her antique shop and minding her business.

The hunter guild gave her the boot thirty years ago when they discovered she was pregnant with a half-shifter baby. Since then, the wolf pack her daughter belongs to has become her extended family, complete with fur, fangs, and claws.

Life is good and drama free.

Until Lachlan James, her baby-daddy, Alpha of the local wolf pack, and a very good friend comes to her for help. One of his wolves is being haunted, and Blair is just the non-hunter for the job. She's got an affinity for hauntings, despite not technically being a hunter anymore.

Of course, she has to help. It’s not like she has a ton of things to do herself, like selling her antiques, keeping an eye out for cursed objects, and trying to figure out if her shop is being haunted. There are strange things happening, that's for sure.

She'll drop everything and help the haunted wolf because that's the right thing to do.

And Blair always does the right thing.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2022

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About the author

Lia Davis

267 books1,568 followers
In 2008, Lia Davis ventured into the world of writing and publishing and never looked back. She has published more than twenty books, including the bestselling A Tiger’s Claim, book one in her fan favorite Ashwood Falls series. Her novels feature compassionate yet strong alpha heroes who know how to please their women and her leading ladies are each strong in their own way. No matter what obstacle she throws at them, they come out better in the end.

While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.

Lia’s favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it’s her home and she loves it! Sign up for her newsletter, become a member of her fan club, and follow her on Twitter @NovelsByLia.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
Profile Image for Mlpmom (Book Reviewer).
3,255 reviews419 followers
May 6, 2023
This author has quickly become one of those authors that are my go-to when I want something quirky, fun, light-hearted, funny, and entertaining. I love that her past few series all run side by side and share characters. These books and the world the author has created, are just so much fun!
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
21.1k reviews373 followers
January 4, 2023
They Want Blair Back ? . . .

Blair is an ex-hunter, booted out 30 years ago when she became pregnant with a half-shifter child. Lachlan James is her best friend, her child’s father, and recently the Alpha of his wolf shifter pack. Blair’s job as a hunter had been to hunt paranormal beings, and her special ability was and still is to be able to sense cursed objects and ghosts. Now she runs an antique shop and has been noticing strange things lately in her store. Neither prankster Lachlan nor her daughter Meg admit to having anything to do with it.

When a new hunter, Lily (Drew’s sister) arrives in town, she wants to meet with Blair. Blair, due to her bad history with the hunters over her half-shifter child, is not interested. Could she believe Lily who says the hunters are changing their focus, now targeting rogues and troublesome issues, such as hauntings? Will Lily be able to convince Blair that she should help the hunters with their current problem that perfectly matches her skillset? Will she also uncover what is going on in her store? Grab your copy and enjoy the start of a new spin-off from an author we know will deliver a wonderful series.
Profile Image for Brandy Barber.
975 reviews25 followers
January 31, 2023
Cute read

Really cute, and fast read. Loved getting to know everyone. I think this series is going to be a fun read.
3,010 reviews45 followers
January 19, 2023
This is book one of the Hunting After Forty series and the main character is Blair Braden, a former hunter, who now owns an antique shop called My Junk, Your Trunk, in St Harmony, St Augustine, Florida. She was friends with a wolf shifter all through her school years and had a drunken one night stand with him on her twenty first birthday, that left her with a half wolf shifter baby girl. The father, Lachlan James, is now the alpha of the local pack and they are still best friends and co-parent their daughter together. The hunter family previously running things in the area forced her out and she was retired from hunting forcibly, for having a child with the enemy as the Bennett family saw it. Thankfully hunter matters have moved on since then, but it is not widely known. Their daughter Meggan is now twenty nine and lives on the pack lands, liking that much more than life away at college, and has a successful business of her own with her photography studio and helps her mum out occasionally. Blair’s expertise as a hunter was with cursed objects and ghosts and she still does what she can to remove both from her area. There has been a up-tick in ghostly sightings and she has even come across a cursed object that she couldn’t sense anything from. Whenever she comes near to where a ghost is, she gets a hot flush, calling them hotspots!

Life has been good since the Bennett’s moved away and Lachlan is a good alpha, but likes to leave most of the punishments and face to face stuff to his beta Reed. When another hunter, Lily Walker, of the famous Walker family, who are almost like the royalty hunters circles, arrives at her shop, she is suspicious and doesn’t want to get involved. Somehow, Lily’s grandmother Pearl, had a sense that Lily needed to base herself in St Harmony and that Blair would be a good contact to have. How on earth her gran knows the things she does, is a complete mystery to all of the family. Her brother Drew left the family business and is married to Ava, a necromancer, who has fae and vampires, as well as the devil amongst her friends! Her gran has accepted them into the family and a peace accord was even struck between the hunters and new vampire council, like there had already been between wolf shifters and the hunters for some time now. Blair could help Lily out more, but she doesn’t want to get pulled back into the hunter lifestyle, she is happy being accepted by the members of the wolf pack and being Meggan’s mother. When Lachlan calls for her help when his Beta says he is being haunted, Blair has to reluctantly bring Lily along, as her hunter skills are far more powerful than hers. The ghost wants Reed to get fit and healthy, but he loves his dad bod instead of being ripped like most wolf shifters. He also enjoys being able to eat junk food and have a drink when he wants. It seems like Lily finds his dad bod attractive as well, so there may be more to come from the pair!

Blair is also having some issues in her shop and initially thinks that Lachlan or Meggan are playing tricks on her, as items are being moved and things are not where they should be. When they find empty beer cans behind objects, it becomes even weirder. Pearl seems to know exactly what is wrong, as does Luci, who pops in on a couple of occasions to hep them out in a moment of need. But this isn’t something he wants to help them with, telling them to figure it out for themselves! Is her shop actually haunted and if it is, why is she not having a hot flush? She has to finally relent and allow Lily some leeway and accept she will be sticking around. At least she shows that Blair’s own experience decades ago, is not how the hunter organisation is being run anymore. Blair will do anything to keep cursed objects out of innocent hands, as well as help those with ghost issues. Add in a little bit of a social media influencer trying to blow the lid on the paranormal living in town, then she has her hands full and lots of strange situations to be resolved. A great starter to this series, that ties in with characters from another, which was nice to see. Now it is the tale of the hunters, past and present, so there should be some exciting times to come. I can’t wait. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for Alison McBain.
Author 36 books38 followers
April 9, 2023
Blair is at her wits’ end when it comes to Lachlan James. He might be the alpha of the local werewolf pack, her best friend, and the father of her grown child, but she has a business to run – and time waits for no one. And, having just turned 50, Blair isn’t one to waste time. She’s a “retired” hunter – the retired in quotes because she uses her magic senses to detect ghosts on a regular basis, even though she’s no longer under the umbrella of any hunter organization ever since they kicked her out when she got pregnant over twenty years ago with a shifter’s child.

Enter into the picture Lily, another hunter – and from one of the powerful hunter families. She’s on assignment to solve some hauntings in the town of St. Harmony. First on her list is to make contact with Blair, and perhaps to team up with her to solve a few of their mutual problems. However, the question is – even though Lily isn’t from the hunter family that kicked her out of the biz, will Blair come out of her “retirement” in order to help another hunter? Or will she tell her to take a hike?

The book alternates between chapters from Blair’s and Lily’s points of view, so you really get to know the characters well. They’re both interesting and fun (although sometimes their viewpoints/voices are a bit similar, which made it easy to confuse the two). This was an enjoyable first book in the series (which is one of several series by authors Lia Davis and L.A. Boruff set in the same world), and had enough supernatural beings to satisfy any fan of urban fantasy. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a light-hearted page turner with a bit of werewolf drama thrown in.
Profile Image for Anne-Marie .
1,009 reviews23 followers
December 30, 2022
A spin off from the Witching after Forty series but you don't have to read it before this one. A brand new character with someone from Witching after Forty but since I haven't read all of that series yet I got Midlife Hotspots and I loved it.

Blair is an ex-hunter, someone who hunts paranormal beings, who has settled down in a small town, and owns an antique store. She buys antiques, cleans them up, then puts them in her store for sale. But recently strange things have been happening in her store and she keeps blaming her friend Lachlan, who is her babies daddy but they never married, or her daughter is to blame. Both deny doing anything.

A new hunter, Lily, has moved to town and wants to connect with Blair. But Blair doesn't want anything to do with the hunters because her daughter is half shifter and previous in charge hunters, booted Blair out of their guild.

Will she figure out what is happening in her store? Will Lily convince Blair to help the hunters? You will have to read the book to find out. One thing I know that the writing flows and kept my interest, so much so, that I read it in one sitting. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Highly recommend Midlife Hotspots if you like paranormal books and hauntings.
Profile Image for Stan Hutchings.
1,431 reviews27 followers
March 20, 2023
This book has spin-off characters from “Witching After Forty” and “Fanged After Forty”. Blair and Lily are the main cross-over characters, but others make guest appearances, including Blair’s brother’s father-in-law. This can be read as a stand-alone, but familiarity with the other series will enhance enjoyment.
Anyway, Blair and Lily are both hunters, but Blair has been living with wolves since she had forbidden relations, resulting in a daughter by a wolf shifter, so she was exiled from the hunters. Lily’s grandmother is the head of the hunters and is negotiating for reformed rules regarding the hunters’ mission to protect humans and supernaturals. There is intense animosity between hunters and wolves that causes a lot of the relationship tensions among the characters. Blair and Lily are assigned to help ghosts move on to the afterlife. This results in many humorous episodes as they must work together despite animosity. There is also a mysterious ‘something’ cleaning Blair's shop. This book is a promising start to the new series.
Profile Image for Jamie Bee.
Author 1 book125 followers
June 14, 2023
Ghoulishly Fun, if Confusing, Start to a New Offshoot Series

Even though I’ve read stories in the Witching After Forty and Fanged After Forty series, I found this story a bit confusing at first. The chapters alternate between Blair and Lily (Drew’s sister… Drew the romantic interest in the Witching After Forty series), and it wasn’t entirely clear at the start who each was, what they were to be in this book, or how they relate to the larger story. The dots weren’t connected for the reader for too long. Blair has some interesting abilities, though. She can sense ghosts and cursed objects. As a tea lover, I enjoyed the first scene with the shrieking teapot! This book ends on a cliffhanger, as most books by this author do, but I’m looking forward to reading about the continued hunting (and non-hunting) adventures.

I received a free digital copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
6,029 reviews42 followers
January 18, 2023
Why is it that doing the right thing is never the easy thing as well? But when our hero asks for help, our heroine has no real choice in the matter. This is for family, plus it is the right thing to do.

This is book one of the series, so a fine place to start.

This is a cozy witch mystery with shifters. I am rather fond of this genre, so I am was happy to have a new series to explore. The story is well written and easy to read with a intriguing and diverse cast as well as a fun setting. The story itself moves at a good pace and includes plenty of action, intrigue and humor to keep things interesting. Overall, I enjoyed this latest series and look forward to seeing what comes next.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.
Profile Image for Kristi.
292 reviews3 followers
December 30, 2022
Great new series focus on hunters werewolves ghost

Like this new series . always wonder about the hunters and wanted more stories about them , this series has Drew sister Lily from hope got series name correct witching after 40 an other series with Harper and vampires I just finish short Xmas one with Harper brother Luc and Ramsom ugh going blank on series some of her characters crossover which is fun . so if like any of those you love this one. Also more with wolf shifters and one most interesting character makes couple appearance . some new characters Star in this series. Can't wait for next one
Profile Image for Brenda.
3,718 reviews55 followers
April 2, 2023
Funny Cozy
Antique store owner and ostracized paranormal hunter, Blair Braden lives a quiet small-town life, running her antique shop and minding her business.
The hunter guild gave her the boot thirty years ago when they discovered she was pregnant with a half-shifter baby. Since then, the wolf pack her daughter belongs to has become her extended family, complete with fur, fangs, and claws.
The culprit is a ghost. It's a ghome cleaning up the shop.
I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
Profile Image for Kristen Lewendon.
8,429 reviews65 followers
December 31, 2022
That was a really fun way to set the stage for this new series. I kind of love that it ties in to the “Witching After Forty” series through Drew and the hunters. You don’t have to have read it or the cousin spin-off “Fanged After Forty”, but it certainly helps to understand who some of the people are, and why some of the past events and politics are so important. Even after all the hijinks of this book, I’m not even going to try and guess where the authors will take us next. I’m simply buckling in and hanging on for the ride.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout
1,774 reviews9 followers
January 4, 2023
This is a a great start to a spin off from Witching after Forty - the atmosphere is the same quirky humour, with a few of the familar characters, although it can easily be read with no prior knowledge. Blair is a "retired" hunter, after being ostracised for being the proud mother of a half blood shifter. Times and power balance change and the current hunters are trying not so discreetly to bring her back into the fold. Great character work, Lily and Pearl are hilarious. I am looking forward to more.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,268 reviews9 followers
January 4, 2023
Great new series!

I really enjoyed this new spinoff that features the Hunters. The main character, Blair, is a "retired" hunter but owns an antique store and is still able to sense ghosts. She was evicted from the Hunters after she had a child with the now wolf alpha. We also get to see Lily again as well since she is tasked to be over this area in Florida that is seeing high levels of paranormal activity.

Cute story and can't wait to read more!

I received an ARC for my honest review!
Profile Image for Lois.
1,336 reviews3 followers
January 4, 2023
Good Start

Good start to a spin off of the Witching after 40 and Fanged after 40 series. Here we have Lily, the hunter and Drew's sister moving to a new town where a retired Hunter lives. There's paranormal shenanigans aplenty and it was a fun read, but the writing felt a little rushed and not as coherent as these authors other collaborations. Also there are some serious formatting issues with paragraphs all over the place. I'm looking forward to the next book and hoping they get into their stride with it
Profile Image for Lynne  Davison.
226 reviews
December 27, 2022
This can be read as a stand-alone but it is better if you have read more in the series. This follows Blair an ex hunter (new character) and Drew’s younger sister Lily, a current hunter who was sent to the area Blair lives.

The two become friends and are tasked with dealing with some local mysteries.

I really enjoyed this book and hope to see more of Blair and Lily.

Read this as an Arc reader
Profile Image for Theresa Derwin.
1,209 reviews44 followers
December 30, 2022
No place like Gnome

This is a decent little series starter that features characters from other books by these writers, such as the Witching After Forty series.
Blair is a retired hunter and mother to Meg a wolf shifter. Her bestie is alpha Lachlan.
Visiting hunter Lily needs a place to stay whilst in the area and the two form a tentative friendship.
There are some editing issues with this one but otherwise it's a good, fun book and the gnome is amusing.
Profile Image for Debbie Benson.
11.2k reviews41 followers
December 31, 2022
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Blair was forced to retire from hunting after she had a half-shifter baby. She has made a life for herself and runs an antique shop. However, with recent events and a hunter moving into two, she is drawn back into the hunting game. Hopefully Blair's skills haven't got too rusty. I like this spinoff series so far.
597 reviews2 followers
January 2, 2023
I am so happy to see Lily-Drew’s sister in Witching After Forty series-get her own storyline! The way that this new story was introduced and small mysteries and hauntings were handled have me eager to read more to learn what Blair and Lily and Lachlan and Reed will have to face! The Cliff hanger at the end is a sure way to keep me on the lookout for the next book in the series!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Caroline Doig.
5,489 reviews49 followers
January 5, 2023
This is a new series taken from Witching After Forty and this story is about Lily who is Drew’s sister she goes to Florida and there she meets Blair a hunter who had retired actually she was kicked out because she was pregnant with a shifter baby. I loved this story and the characters and I can’t wait to read more but be warned that there is a cliffhanger ending, fantastic story I loved the cover, the mystery and the characters and I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Michelle.
11.2k reviews27 followers
January 12, 2023
Blair is an ex-hunter because she was kicked out of the hunter's guild for getting pregnant by the now Alpha of the local wolf pack with a half shifter baby. This is a great start to the Hunting After Forty series and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I loved that this series is a spinoff series and we get more great characters to love in this new series. After that cliffhanger ending I am definitely ready for book two. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
540 reviews4 followers
November 2, 2025
Retired and reluctantly returning
Blair is retired and happy living life with an antique shop, a cat, and close to BF Lachlan and their daughter, Meghan. Weird stuff starts happening and then another hunter shows up, Lily. Both are off kilter or a bit and then drama begins and the two are thrown together and it looks like the beginning of a great friendship. Looking forward to more St. Harmony adventures
Profile Image for MimiAmi .
2,598 reviews19 followers
May 5, 2026
Great paranormal mystery!

Midlife Hotspots is a quick, fun read. I’m a big fan of midlife paranormal stories and I think this series is going to be a very good ride. The characters have a bit of background and I imagine that will expand as the series continues. I already feel comfortable with the main characters and want to follow their adventures. I highly recommend this one, enjoy!

Kindle Unlimited
Profile Image for Donna.
4,183 reviews58 followers
December 28, 2022
Midlife Hotspots is the first in a spin-off series from the minds that gave you Witching After Forty. Drew’s sister Lily heads to St. Harmony Florida. There she hooks up with Blair a “retired” hunter. Blair is an interesting character that I am looking forward to learning more about. This story is filled with hauntings, angst and a whole lot of fun.
861 reviews5 followers
December 30, 2022
Midlife Hotspots: A Paranormal Women's Cozy Mystery Book 1

As you might have noticed the rating, I really enjoyed this start of this series.
The characters are like family and friends blended together. They are intertwined and mostly friends. I love the antique short and all the times everyone joins together to solve threats or ordinary problems. You'll love it!!!
78 reviews
October 7, 2024
I received this book as a freebie in return for an honest review.
This was a quick, fun read. Thoroughly enjoyed the story and really looking forward to reading more in this series. It's all about hunters and shifters, and throws in a few ghosts, with lucifer himself making a few cameos. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Bring on the next one.
388 reviews10 followers
January 6, 2026
This a quick urban fantasy with cosy vibes. I enjoyed the family ties and supportive relationships. The pacing was good, with the story being one mini action scene after another to keep things ticking over nicely and my eyes focussed on each page. It was nice to see two FMC's driving the narrative. An appealing story.
4,708 reviews21 followers
December 30, 2022
In this story we meet Blair a retired Hunter and Lily an active Hunter. Thus begins a fun story with drama, danger, craziness and hilarious scenes. Entertaining and fun to read as it made me laugh a lot. Plus since this is a spin off series some others are referenced too.
12 reviews
December 31, 2022
Great New Series

This spin off is such fun as we follow a brand new character and one we’ve seen here and there in the authors’ other midlife books. I was drawn in immediately and can’t wait for book two.
4 reviews
January 2, 2023
Midlife hotspots

I really enjoyed this book very much, I will definitely be reading the rest of this series . I have read books by these two authors before and will be reading more of their books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews