Pretty off the peg women’s paranormal fiction with a heavy dose of wish fulfilment. I kind of liked it but every time I relaxed into the story, one of the irritating typical women’s fics tropes would occur. For reference, it’s ok for a relationship to fail just because people grow apart; we don’t need to tear down the (male) ex and make him abusive to excuse why the MC has left. We really don’t need to harp on about the skinny 20 yr old ‘bimbo’ he replaced her with – seriously if he’s that bad, maybe warn her? She doesn’t have fully developed frontal lobes yet. So anyway, a comfortable witchy mystery but the points raised above lowered it to a 3 stars.

This is how you write a female lead character who overcomes adversity! She is starting over after having had her life stolen from her by her cheating ex, but she doesn't sit around and cry about it. January Jackson is a strong, independent witch who isn't going to waste time on her ex, she moves back to Moonshadow Bay, the small town she grew up in, and starts reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. She takes on a new job that puts her in an investigation role. Think private eye for paranormal activities. While this is a fantasy world, it is a very well-done fantasy world that includes murder, mayhem as well as finding herself while strengthening relationships with new and old friends. This story is very well written and I am so happy to find that this is actually an older series so there are many more books for me to devour in this series! The narration was outstanding and really helped bring the characters, the action and story fully to life. An audiobook can really bring the emotion of the characters to life so that the characters feel more realistic. I felt like I was living in the story not reading about it. I absolutely can't wait to see what these characters get up to next as I think there may even be a love connection or two in the future, but make no mistake, this story is all about the mystery and investigation as well as January's personal life. Think action-adventure paranormal style with a bit of romance woven in to make things just a bit more interesting!

Loved this title. I binge-read it this weekend and am already ready for the next in the series. It had all the perfect elements - a past with not all information disclosed, a hot neighbor, and enough magic to keep things interesting. Can't wait to see what's next!

I enjoyed this audio a lot.
The world building was good with an interesting non-human/magical community.
Some scary scenes take place around the asylum, and the mystery is interesting.
Hopefully the other books in the series will also come out in audio.

This book was originally released in December 2020, and this year, the audio version was released. I am reviewing the audio version today. The author, Galenorn, has written many books in the urban fantasy genre. Although I have bought several of her books, I have not read them yet. However, I need to change that because I enjoy the simplicity of her writing style.

I was drawn to this book because of its stunning cover. It features January, a woman who recently divorced her husband and moved into her deceased parents' home in Moonshadow Bay. This is a small town with a significant population of OtherKin, which are non-human/magical beings such as witches, shifters, and vampires. Although the book seems to be part of a series, it is not a spin-off.

January's neighbor, Killian, and she have an instant connection. She also convinces him to work with her at Conjure Ink, a paranormal investigation company. January is supposed to use her writing skills in this job, but it is not clear how that will come into play. Nevertheless, Conjure Ink takes on a case that involves investigating an abandoned mental asylum with hauntings and mysterious deaths on the property. The investigation becomes intense, and the book ends without any resolution.

The book's plot is straightforward and engaging, and the characters have fantastic chemistry. January's new coworkers seem to have known each other forever. January has no awkward get-to-know-you moments with anyone new. The author, assumingly, skips over these parts to move the story forward. The book has some creepy moments, but they are not too intense. However, the characters' descriptions in the asylum triggered some Silent Hill nightmares for me. The book ends abruptly, leaving me excited to read the next one. It has great romance, fantastic narration, and wonderful side characters. Overall, the book is a straightforward and enjoyable read.

Audiobook/suburban fantasy: I really enjoyed this book's plot, characters and narrator! This is an older book now going into audiobooks format and I absolutely loved it. I can't wait until the rest of the series goes into audio.

I was thrown off by the cover, which gives dark, sexy vibes while the book is more cozy and fun. This is a great set up for a series. There is some great world building and I really enjoyed the side characters. January and her love interest fell flat for me, I hope we see more personality from them in future books.

Starlight Web by Yasmine Galenorn is the first book in the author’s new Moonshadow Bay series. Moonshadow Bay . . . where magic lurks in the moonlight, and danger hides in the shadows. One month before January Jaxson turns forty-one, her husband ditches her for a trophy wife. Adding insult to injury, he steals the business she helped build, and kicks her out during the holidays. So when her best friend Ari suggests she move back to Moonshadow Bay-a quirky, magical town near Bellingham, Washington-January decides to take the plunge. Born into a family of witches, January accepts a job at Conjure Ink, a paranormal investigations website. The job's right up her alley but she doubts that everything reported to Conjure Ink really exists. What happens next makes a really fascinating paranormal romantic suspense story involving witches, shifters, ghosts, vampires, and elemental spirits. The narrator added an additional event of spookiness to the tale, which the author penned with vivid descriptions that had me feeling the tension and fear that the main characters experienced in this single POV story. If you are a paranormal romantic suspense fan, I strongly recommend checking out this fresh start after a divorce audiobook. I am voluntarily placing this honest review after listening to an advanced complementary copy of this audiobook thanks to Netgalley and Tantor Audio.

The Perfect Mesh of Paranormal Thriller and Closed Door Romance

Quote:📖
The town seemed more sinister than it had when I was a child.

Thoughts: 💡
Chilling, haunting, and sometimes downright spooky, but beautifully and eloquently written. I loved that the FMC was a little older, and a little wiser, but still figuring life out. The book looked at her whole life and the rich relationships she had with a wealth of characters from her budding romance, best friend, remaining family members, coworkers, and community.

Writing Mechanics: ✍️
This is beautifully written in a first person present tense single POV. The plot was engaging and at points downright chilling. The characters were deeply developed, extremely relatable, and very endearing.

Sound: 🔊
The sound was clear with a steady volume and easy to follow. The narrator was the perfect fit for this and delivered a stellar performance that had me completely hooked.

Fun Bits:
⚜️ Scary Scenes Straight Out Of Silent Hill
⚜️ Light Steam, but still SFW
⚜️ Creative Clap Backs, but still classy
⚜️ Eloquent Words That Are Almost Lyrical
⚜️ An Intricate Magical Community & System

Important Note:✨
This is book one but it stops at a point that feels satisfying.

Stats:📊
Closed Door
Character Dev: 5 💙💙💙💙💙/5
Audio: 5 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Narrator: 5 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️/5
Genre: (PNR) Romance📕
Tropes: Witches, Vampires, & Shapeshifters, Post Divorce, Girl Getting Her Groove Back, Paranormal Mysteries 📘
POV: Single 💃🏻
CW: Mild Violence, the ex was a cheater⚠️

This very much has a cozy mystery feel with a ton of paranormal elements. This ended up being right up my alley and I really enjoyed it. It was a cozy, fun time.

I loved the concept of a paranormal investigation firm and that January's first case with them was a haunted abandoned asylum. It was suitably spooky and interesting to read about. I wish that there was more fleshing out of the actual mystery and that they had actually spent more time actually on site. The romance and January settling into her new life took up the majority of the book. While that didn't necessarily bother me, I know some will not appreciate that. As this is the first in the series, I hope that this is just the setup for an even better book 2.

I also will say that it became annoying that January, every time she meets someone new in the book, she repeats the same story of what her ex did to her. She was giving a lot of personal details to so many people and it took me out of the story a little.

Overall, this was an entertaining paranormal mystery with a sweet romance. I'd definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for the audio arc of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting paranormal novel. I want to know more about the magic and the creatures in this series. I really would have loved for there to be more interaction with other creatures. The book did start out slow, but I loved that it picked up when January accepted her job. I look forward to more in this series.

Hmmm...well Galenorn is consistent, I will give her that. I used to read her years ago, and then it became the sane over and over. This is a new series but it feels just like the others.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the world building in the book and the way the various supernatural races have their own traditions. I was expecting a paranormal romance but I'd actually shelve this one as cozy fantasy because it's relatively low stakes conflict throughout. It was a pleasant read, though I was personally rooting for the MC to take some time and learn to love herself and regain her confidence rather than immediately falling into a relationship after her divorce.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for proving a copy for me to review. All opinions are my own.

January having a really shitty ex and her finding herself again is a really cute story. Her new job in Moonshadow Bay seems to be the perfect fit for her ability’s and making new friends and family while doing so. Her first assignment seemed to be a hard and spooky one but it was very enjoyable as she and her friends figured out a fix to it. And the ending was very heart warming and made me smile, happy that January has found love and someone who lovers her back.

2.5 stars

This just did not resonate well with me. The stilted dialog made me cringe, and the editor must have fallen asleep on the job. It felt slow and like nothing happened, but looking back a lot happened. I think the presentation was just bland. That's partly the writing and partly the narration. If a character sensed something ominous or was uneasy, it did not translate or connect with me. I didn't *feel* anything at all throughout the book other than annoyance. As a start to a series, one can hope the action and relatablility amp up and hold readers more in subsequent books, but I intend to read any, nor would I recommend it.

1 star because I finished it and .5 stars because I really wanted to like it until the drab ending.

Starlight web
By Yasmine Galemon
I am lucky this Netgalley edition was audible.
The performance of the reader added layers to the text.
This book like many of the genre has a depth of characters from different magical beginnings. Galenorn does a great job developing the lore of this world. With layers and nuances. Like Carrie Vaughn the desperate difference of the magical creature from shape shifter to vampires and witches have their own limitations and ability. The book shows the nature of grief, of resolution, and friendship. The dynamic characters don't have all the answers and their struggle brings reality to the supernatural. It's a start of a new series.

3.5 Stars

Meet January Jaxson, a fierce woman who had just lost everything after divorcing her scheming ex-husband. In an effort to lick her wounds and start over, she decided to return to her hometown of Moonshadow Bay. Little did she know, fate had bigger plans for her. Soon after moving back home, January stumbles upon an opportunity of a lifetime - a job at Conjure Ink, a paranormal investigation website. Finally, she can put her witchy powers and senses to use! Her first case is a haunted abandoned asylum, and she can't wait to dive in. Will January be able to uncover the secrets lurking in the shadows of the asylum? Follow her journey to find out!

Great idea and concept. I only wished there was a bit more depth and development. Other than that, it was an entertaining read. Would recommend it to fans of paranormal mystery and romance.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Yasmine Galenorn, and Tantor Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Didn't really know what I was in for and I was pleasantly surprised.
I got through this in a day! I just neeeeeeeeded to know.

I like the idea of a bunch of 40 year olds looking for ghosts.
lol
It's like the x-files but with witches and shifters.

I'm glad this is a series, I'll be hunting down the rest of them.

Yasmine Galenorn was my intro into fantasy/sci fi in 2022 and I am so glad I found her when I did! Starlight Web is a lot more tame than her other books, but still a wonderful read. The characters in this novel are so likeable and as a reader I felt for all of them. Somehow this paranormal fiction felt cozy at times. With all the talk of love, coffee and kittens.

Starlight Web has a little bit of something for everyone. It is an easy read that leaves a lot to be imagined. I want more of January’s story! She has just moved back to her hometown of Moonshadow Bay after leaving her like is Seattle behind. She leaves with a bang, let me tell you that! As she searches for her future in her hometown she finds a job working for an online paranormal investigations website. She finds friends, new and old and even love. There is a lot of January’s life to explore and her job is so interesting.

I enjoyed this books and will give the next in the series a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC.

Cute read. Reminds me of an episode of Charmed (the paranormal elements) mixed with a Hallmark holiday movie (dating divorcee). The story moved slowly and ended like the end of a tv show episode. I’ll definitely read the next book in the series to see how the story continues.