** I received a copy of Throwing Shade from Xpresso Book Tours and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are my own and not solicited in any way,**

Throwing Shade by Deborah Wilde is the first book in her Magic After Midlife series. Ms Wilde is a new author to me so I have to say this was a rather intriguing book with a fantasy theme. So we had witches, vampires, werewolves, Golem and of course Miriam who's a Banim Shovavim (IE: very magical). I admit I had to look a lot of the terms up but that's what gives this book it's pizzazz. This book is very good and I give it 4 Stars. Plus who wouldn't love Miri's snarky "I'm a woman in my forties who's remembered how powerful she can be"

Miriam Feldman has hit the mid-life age of 40 and when she finds out her BFF Judith has gone missing the quest to find her will take her to a hidden magical world within Vancouver, BC. She'll enlist a grumpy french werewolf Laurent. She'll also have to keep her magic cloaked from her ex-husband Eli and teen daughter Sadie. I loved Tatiana, Ava and even grumpy Emmet who loses his leg but still kick arse when he needs to defend himself.

I look forward to the next book and the adventures of Miri and Laurent because there's a definite story waiting to be told with the two of them.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Miri; the protagonist is middle aged, divorced and about to discover a lot about her life... like the fact that she isn’t as content as she thought she was.
Having or being a type of magic that’s been hunted nearly to extinction isn’t fun, which is why Miri hasn’t accessed her magic for years, until the night she needs to reclaim it.

Including a heroine reclaiming her magical heritage, a sexy shifter, body snatching demons, vampires, witches and other things that go bump in the night, this is a stellar read and excellent beginning to a new series.

While this sounded just up my alley it ended up being. DNF for me at 40%. I love several paranormal women’s fiction series but this one just couldn’t hold my attention. It was too much tell and not show. The idea seemed as though it might be good the execution was not.

***could contain spoilers***

As I am slowly getting to Miriams age, I thought her character was spot on with some of the emotions and even with the sarcasm, because women at that age are starting to not give a rats butt! I enjoyed the “backstory” of her husband and daughter and what was going on with her job and friendship to Judith.

The chemistry, banter and sexual tension between her and a certain grumpy wolf was a nice added “maybe” for further books.

I liked all the characters and can’t wait to read more about magic Vancouver!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good addition to the trend of women with an established life discovering or rediscovering their (inner) magic. Love to see it!
What I like this that Miri's age is really just a number in this story, no point dwelling on it or painting it as a type of handicap.
The French was not bad (je suis pointilleuse) nor cringy.
The worldbuilding is also quite interesting, I'm curious about the mythology the author is going with.
The only reason why I wouldn't try to know what happens to Miri next is the writing style. The book is wordy, I felt as if someone was trying to emulate Zola but it didn't always add to the story. Sometimes, the apartés, memories and banter was distracting from the action.
Netgalley ARC

Miriam a kick-ass 40 year old magic welder who has suppressed her powers for years has to use them to help rescue a friend who has found herself embroiled with the wrong people or beings . Miriam has to cross the veil between the world we know and the hidden magical one. Behind the veil we find shapeshifters, vampires and other interesting magical beings that could only be found in your wildest dreams. She pairs up with an unlikely hero and has to fight her way through magical beings not only to rescue a friend but protect her family from the truth.

Miriam was a fun sassy character and the dynamic between Laurent her side kick is hot and I can't wait for more to happen between them. If Charmed the original series was one of your favourites you will love this. Miriam and her wise cracks remind me of Piper Halliwell and I loved that.

Refreshing and a much needed change in the genre I LOVED THIS.

I enjoyed this book. It has a kickass herione and an unusual story. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and look forward to reading more about them. #ThrowingShade #NetGalley

Absolutely adored this book and eagerly read it all up. Would love to get a part two on the characters so I know what may happen next though I’d accept anything else at this point too.

I have read some of Ms. Wilde's previous books and found this new series to be not quite as good as the previous one. I still look forward to reading more from this author because I feel her books are still better than most in this genre. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

She’s tossing her shapewear, owning her hormones, and letting her magic fly free.

Underestimate her. That’ll be fun.

It’s official. Miriam Feldman is killing it in the midlife crisis department. She’s mastered boredom, aced invisibility, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in smiling and playing nice in her post-divorce life. But when a drink with a “good guy” goes sideways, Miriam snaps, and in a cold dark rage unleashes a rare and powerful shadow magic.

If you’re craving funny urban fantasy or paranormal women’s fiction featuring sassy women who kick butt, strong female friendships, and swoony, sexy romance, you’re in the right place.

This is the first book in what looks to be a fantastic new series and one where I actually have something in common with. Miriam is happy-ish. She has an ok job, a well adjusted 16 year old daughter,an ex-husband who she has a great relationship with and Jude, her best friend who is trying to convince Miriam to grab life by the horns.
Miri and Jude arrange to meet for after-work drinks but Jude doesn't show up. The same night, Miri is attacked and it is during this that Miri's magic is awakened and she begins to wonder if perhaps these incidents are connected in some way.

As she begins to investigate this and the magic that she has hidden and ignored since she was a child, Miri is propelled in to the world of magic, vampires, golems and gargoyles. She also seems to have teamed up with an irritable French wolf shifter who until now has very much been a "lone wolf".

I adored this book and would have read it so much faster if work hadn't got in the way. The main characters are great and you can really see that they're going to be firm favourites and it's going to be great to see them develop.
I've even signed up to the mailing list - and I never do that.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley.

I honestly love this new genre!!! This is my 3rd series of the Seasoned Paranormal Women genre and it GIVES ME LIFE...And hope 😬 I am steadily but surely approaching midlife (33) and reading MCs in their early 20s just doesn't do it for me like it used to. Reading about bad ass women who know, accept and love themselves, their cellulite, their muffin tops and their life choices, is just 💋🤌

'Throwing Shade' was slightly different to what I thought it would be. But it delivered what I was wanting. Fast action, sexual tension, wit, badassery and humour within the paranormal UF setting. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will be continuing this series for some good light hearted easy reading

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you so much!) All opinions are my own.

Miriam Feldman is definitely in the middle of a midlife crisis. She is working as a librarian for a legal firm, where although she is good at what she does, she is treated like she is invisible. She is a single mom with no life outside of work, and she is really tired of spanx and underwire. She is also hiding a secret.....she possesses shadow magic. When a guy she meets at a bar tries to assault her in an alley, it unleashes her magic. Her shadow Delilah is back with a vengeance! When Miriam discovers that her best friend is missing and has possibly been taken by the vamps, she needs Delilah to help to her rescue her. Oh, and did I mention that she has a grumpy French wolf shifter helping her?
This book was a lot of fun. It is the first book in a new series, Magic After Midlife. I am really looking forward to reading more books in the series. Mimi (Miriam) felt really relateable, like someone I might be friends with. I loved the mystery of Laurent( the french wolf shape shifter) and the chemistry between Laurent and Mimi. There were lots of laugh out loud moments, and plenty of action. The author did a great job building the fantasy setting and the introduction of a wide array of characters. If you love paranormal/fantasy fiction, then you definitely need to read this.

Really really enjoyed this. I've read Wilde before but this was so different from anything supernatural I've read from anyone in the past. These supernatural beings have a very "old testament" feel and history to them which really opened up some interesting avenues. Am really looking forward to the next installment!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THROWING SHADE (Book 1 of the Magic After Midlife Series), by Deborah Wilde, in exchange for an honest review. Miriam Feldman is becoming increasingly disenchanted by her job as a legal librarian. The only bright spots in her life are her teenaged daughter and her friendships with a local artist and her gay ex-husband. Her artist friend coaxes Miri into meeting her for drinks but fails to show up. Miri gives up waiting and leaves. However, a man from the bar follows her and attacks her. In order to survive, Miri is forced to revive long-dormant magical powers. When Miri’s artist friend never makes contact, Miri discovers her friend is missing and her studio in extreme disarray. Miri must re-enter the supernatural world that hates and hunts her kind in order to find her friend. This is the first time in ages that Miri feels powerful and in control of her own life; however, her actions could endanger more than herself.

I liked this book and thought it was a good start to a new series. I recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy featuring magical newbies, prejudice, kidnapping, demon possession, vampires, and family.

#ThrowingShade #NetGalley

Deborah Wilde does it again. If you're looking for a sarcastic, take-charge heroine with an action packed plot, then this book is for you.

The book follows Miriam, a divorced mother of a 16 year old daughter, who is rediscovering her magic after suppressing it for so long. When her best friend goes missing, she dips her toes into the paranormal world to find her. Along the way, she meets so many incredibly unique characters that I can't wait to see how they develop, including the slow burn romance with the hot werewolf.

The one thing to note is that her protagonists have all started to feel the same, despite being at different places in life. However, the other main characters that the heroine interacts with are so different when you read each series that you don't feel like it's the same story unfolding.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Miriam's story plays out and how she grows as a character.

A fabulous introduction to a new series and it’s one that’s firmly aimed at grown ups, hurrah ! Don’t misunderstand I love urban fantasy and honestly don’t mind reading some that’s perhaps more YA but this forty something heroine with baggage and life experiences was just such fun to read about. Miriam has a clever, sassy teenage daughter, a warm, loving ex husband trying to make co parenting work and a job that’s ok but perhaps not the stuff of dreams. Miriam is kind of stuck in a rut if I’m brutally honest but I’m not the only one who thinks that because step forward Jude, best friend and someone who is pushing Miriam to grab life whilst she can. Trouble is Jude goes missing round about the same time that Miriam gets attacked and Miriam can’t help wondering if it’s connected ? After all Miriam isn’t quite the boring, middle aged white female she pretends to be and that’s when the fun really starts !
I really loved the characters here and our heroine is an absolute hoot ! She’s honest and I absolutely loved her thoughts which frequently both shocked and had me laughing out loud. The magic here is seemingly based on Jewish /Hebrew teachings which worked very well to give the reader a wholly new slant on paranormal fiction. I will definitely read the next book and actually came quite close to rating this a five but there’s just a couple of times when the dialogue didn’t quite wow me but overall this was an excellent read which I heartily recommend to those seeking something a little different.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

What a unique story. I truly have not read a book quite like it. The world building is excellent.and the characters so different. Loved Miri and her"boob soup" attitude to her midlife circumstance.