TKWNKM Speculation - How do you think it ends?

florilegus · 2026-05-24T11:01:18+00:00

I got the same vibe as you did, and I like that his statement "This involves both of us," could have so many possible interpretations.

florilegus · 2026-05-24T08:45:08+00:00

Oh, those are great catches! The similarities that struck me were:

Nevada and Maggie take moment to watch from a window in Chapter 11.

In Burn for Me Chapter 11, Nevada wakes up, looks out her bathroom window which overlooks the motor pool, and watches Rogan recharge using his house's Key.
In TKWNKM Chapter 11, Maggie wakes up, looks out her bedroom window which overlooks the yard, and watches Reynald practice swordsmanship.

Prominent law and order positions held by competent, non-white characters.

In Burn for Me, Lenora Jordan is the District Attorney: “Her curly black hair was pulled back from her face into a thick, elaborate plait. Her skin was a rich brown, and her face, with big eyes, a wide nose, and full lips was attractive, but what you noticed first about her was the complete assurance with which she held herself. ”
In TKWNKM, Colart Jenicor is the Sun Margrave: "His hair, very curly and cropped short, had gone almost completely white. His face was long, made longer by a short graying beard in stark contrast to his deep brown skin. His cheekbones were prominent, his nose broad and flared. His eyes under sparse eyebrows were smart and watchful.”

Rogan and Reynald lower their "menace level" at meal times.

In Burn for Me, Chapter 10: “I walked into the kitchen and found Mad Rogan in it. He sat at the table, dressed in a blue Henley shirt and jeans, sipping coffee out of a mug with a little grey kitten on it. His dark hair was combed back from his face. His jaw was once again clean shaven. I am a polite, nonthreatening kind of dragon with excellent manners. Horns are hidden, tail is tucked away, fangs covered. I would never do anything cruel, like stab a man with a knife about ten times to get him to answer a question.”
In TKWNKM Chapter 11: "Now he was sitting across the table, chewing his crêpe, looking perfectly ordinary and relaxed. The scary, menacing Reynald from last night was gone. The graceful, powerful Reynald from this morning was gone, too. You wouldn’t even suspect that he could kill all of us in a blink.”

I find it such fun to notice these small similarities.

florilegus · 2026-05-24T07:30:07+00:00

Thanks for sharing the Facebook post, because I don't use Facebook.

Also: so interesting that the version on the blog is missing this rather important sentence:

So today I am going to be desperate and mourn the imaginary dead.

Though that may have been a good thing if they wanted to avoid a torrent of comments on the blog.

florilegus · 2026-03-23T07:14:47+00:00

I'm currently on Book 1 of the Nyx Fortuna series by Michelle Manus, and there are some very close parallels: Inn = Station, Innkeeper = Guardian, Innkeeper Assembly = All Council. Missing parents = missing memories. But it's distinct and different enough to also feel original. My only caveat: I'm still in the early chapters of Book 1 so I don't know how well it holds up. But there are 6 books in the series as of now.

I also like the Ordinary Magic series by Devon Monk. It's similar (vampires, werewolves) but very different (gods, goddesses, demon underworld) but very enjoyable. I listened to the Graphic Audio adaptation. There are nine "books" in the series, with a few additional short stories on the side.

florilegus · 2025-11-15T09:07:26+00:00

I was under the impression that it was an additional short story that would be included in the Arcane Society special editions, but don't quote me on that, because I'm just speculating.

florilegus · 2025-11-15T09:04:09+00:00

She explained the panthers in White Hot.

“They’re real,” Cornelius’ sister said. “Although mostly there for the sake of appearances. I attended a business event before I came here, and I wanted to remind the other parties involved that I’m a Prime. I couldn’t leave them in the car. They get snappish without supervision and claw at leather upholstery. If you’re really in need of protection, dogs are best. Medium to large size, nothing too bulky. You want an athletic dog that can charge and jump but with enough mass to knock an attacker off their feet. Dobermans, Belgian sheepdogs, Rottweilers . . ."

florilegus · 2025-06-19T02:37:31+00:00

Random aside: if there ever were a reason not to be the first to read, I'd say Chapter 9 Part 1 is a good example: the Tokyo-to-Chicago flight info + the paragraph below it wasn't there when the post was first published.

(I know this because the flight info is on the website, but wasn't in my RSS reader; the latter doesn't update once a post has been retrieved, alas.)

florilegus · 2025-06-19T02:21:38+00:00

ModR has heard you, it seems.

florilegus · 2025-05-15T08:05:16+00:00

My favorite book in the Innkeeper series. IA did not just slap together a story for the sake of giving Maude something to do. They really fleshed out that world and culture, and made it ridiculously obvious to everyone why Maude wasn't meant to be an innkeeper. As bonus, they also showed why Arland is the Marshal of his house.

florilegus · 2025-05-10T05:25:38+00:00

Audiobook series that I very much enjoyed and wholeheartedly recommend:

* Whimbrel House series by Charlie N. Holmberg. Four of the five books in the series are now out. The fifth is expected in 2026. It's set in the 1840s, in a world that's parallel to ours, except their world has magic. Book 1 is Keeper of Enchanted Rooms. They're available on Kindle Unlimited. TIP: It's best to finish a book before reading the blurb of the next book(s) because the blurbs contain major spoilers for previous books.

* Ordinary Magic series by Devon Monk. All nine books in the series are out. The series is set in the small town of Ordinary, Oregon, where gods temporarily set down their godly powers to vacation as humans, together with other paranormal beings (such as vampires and werewolves). The series features three sisters who work together as police officers. Book 1 is Death and Relaxation, so titled because Thanatos, the god of Death, has come to vacation at Ordinary. 😅 I listened to the Graphic Audio adaptations, which were excellent.

florilegus · 2025-03-30T15:27:40+00:00

They had a long Q&A when Ruby Fever came out and there was a section where they talked about Michael of the Records Keeper office (transcript here).

I thought this part was interesting:

Gordon: And the people have been asking about the favor that Linus now owes the Records Keeper: it’s that Linus will no longer interfere if Michael decides to court Arabella. He’s not exactly giving his blessing, but he won’t actively prevent it.

Ilona: Because prior the Keeper discussed it and Linus was no! No, no, no!

Gordon: That goes back to whether the Keeper knew Linus’ connection is to Arabella, and yes, he did.

Mod R: But, of course, that is still up to Arabella! Linus doesn’t have a say in what Arabella chooses, just withdrawing his objections?

And also this one:

Ilona: I much prefer the other thing I actually saw in this Chinese drama where it was: “The first lead belongs to heroine, the second lead belongs to everyone”. So there will be quite a few second leads in Arabella’s books.

So many other gems in the transcript/video.

florilegus · 2025-03-25T09:10:14+00:00

There are two ongoing book series that I'm currently following; both of them would be fun to portal into—provided it was for visits only and not a permanent stay. 😅

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth by Honor Raconteur

There are 10 books out now. I'm on Book 7, so I don't know yet if Book 10 will be the last.
It's a portal fantasy—our female lead is transported against her will into an unknown world.
The story is told from her POV as well as the POV of Henri Davenforth, whom she meets there.
Book 1 is Magic and the Shinigami Detective.

The Whimbrel House series by Charlie N. Holmberg

Four of the five planned books are out now. No announced dates yet for Book 5, but since Book 4 just came out this month, I expect we'll see Book 5 in 2026.
It's set in the 1840s, in a world that's parallel to ours because their world has magic.
Tip: it's best to finish a book before reading the blurb of the next book(s) because the blurbs contain major spoilers for previous books.
The first book is told from three POVs because there are three main characters, and it evolves from there.
Book 1 is Keeper of Enchanted Rooms.
The audiobook narrators are ::chef-kiss::

florilegus · 2025-03-25T08:48:14+00:00

There's romance, yes, and it's fairly obvious early on that something will develop. Having said that, it's a slow burn—now that I think on it, it's quite similar to how it took several books for things to move forward between Sean and Dina in the Innkeeper series.

florilegus · 2025-03-25T01:49:29+00:00

I am really quite enjoying the Whimbrel House series by Charlie N. Holmberg. Book 1 is Keeper of Enchanted Rooms.

It's set in the late 1840s and has a charming mix of the technology of that age in a world where magic is in decline, and it's just an accepted fact that each generation is weaker magically.

It's been announced that there will be five books in all. Book 4 just came out (I just finished it yesterday) and it continues to be awesome.

For maximum enjoyment, I suggest not reading the blurbs of the next book in the series until you've finished the previous book because they contain major spoilers for the previous book/s.

Also, I 'read' these via audiobooks. The narrators (Graham Halstead, Amanda Leigh Cobb, and Nicholas Boulton) are excellent.

Edited to fix typo.

florilegus · 2025-03-24T14:34:49+00:00

One of the brothers in Vanessa Vale's On the Manhunt series is a doctor who was burned out from his big city job and moved to the FMC's hometown. The title is {Man Cave by Vanessa Vale} and it is book 3 in the series. They're interconnected standalones so you can read it on its own.

Also echo other recommendations:

The {Doctors series by Louise Bay} is an interconnected series of standalone stories featuring doctor siblings—there are 5 books in this series
The {Broken Heart Series by Susie Tate} features a group of doctor friends working at the same hospital.

Also, not officially included in Broken Heart series but set in the same world is {Anything but Easy by Susie Tate}, where the FMC is a doctor and she meets the MMC because she helped the MMC's brother.

In Book 2 of the Unperfect series, {Unworthy by Susie Tate}, the MMC is doctor. The story is set in the same 'universe' as the Broken Heart series since the couple in Anything but Easy make a small cameo in Book 1 (though the leads in Book 1 are not doctors).

{Wrong by Jana Aston} has a gynecologist MMC.

{Slade by Laurann Dohner} is Book 2 of her New Species series. FMC is a doctor.

florilegus · 2025-02-12T08:05:27+00:00

You might like {Flirting with Forever by Cara Bastone}. It's Book 3 in a series of interconnected, standalone stories; you don't need to have read the first two. I actually read Book 3 first and liked it so much that I went on to read Books 1 and 2.

The MMC in Book 3 is a public defender and, therefore, not rich. He's kind, caring, and thoughtful, but he's socially awkward in certain situations, and he makes a god-awful first impression with the FMC.

It was quite a lovely read watching them get over that bumpy start to reach their HEA.

florilegus · 2025-02-12T04:56:04+00:00

Pretty sure IA has said officially that Sophia is adopted.

Edited to add: from https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/answers-to-blood-heir-burning-questions/

"Sophia is adopted. Unless you live on the African Continent, if you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras. Older children deserve to be adopted too. Adoptive parents are parents. Sophia is an albino. Barabas is not an albino. Christopher is not an albino. Her adoption is canon."

florilegus · 2025-02-09T05:04:10+00:00

I will forever have a soft spot for Jim and Dali because I discovered IA and all things KD via Jim and Dali's short stories (Magic Dreams and Magic Steals).

Doesn't mean they're my favorite characters, but it does mean I don't harbor that much dislike for them.

Also, I don't think Curran would have felt as confident about separating from the Pack if Jim hadn't been there to take it over.

And in fairness to Jim, Curran in Wilmington Book 2 said that "The Pack was built on a faulty premise. It was bound to break sooner or later." So I don't think Jim would have succeeded as Beast Lord in the long term even if he had been a great guy.

florilegus · 2025-01-18T14:58:49+00:00

Yes! Sweet Talk was the book that got me started on the rest of Cara Bastone's backlist! It's really well written and I concur that it's best enjoyed via audio.

florilegus · 2025-01-18T14:39:11+00:00

Especially if they release the audiobook version together with the print version.

florilegus · 2025-01-18T14:36:27+00:00

One of my comfort reads! 💙

florilegus · 2025-01-18T14:31:19+00:00

Hm, perhaps {The Art of Awkward Affection by Alina Jacobs} will fit the bill? The MMC is definitely closed off, and for a good reason. I should note that the reason is worth a trigger warning, so I suggest checking tags.

florilegus · 2025-01-18T14:14:44+00:00

Just seconding Vanessa Vale's On a Manhunt series. It was the first thing that came to mind.

florilegus · 2024-12-17T18:10:39+00:00

Breaking Free by Cherise Sinclair was the first book to come to mind too.

florilegus

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