Book Review: Chronos Warlock by Shami Stovall

Adair Finch, the most powerful warlock in the world, is back in business!

Welcome to one of the March 3rd stops on the blog tour for Chronos Warlock by Shami Stovall with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more reviews and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Be sure to check out our review of the first book in the series, Time-Marked Warlock.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Chronos Warlock
The Chronos Chronicles Book Two
by Shami Stovall

Published 26 November 2024
Capital Station Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 386
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Adair Finch, the most powerful warlock in the world, is back in business!

But first he must complete his pact with a mischief spirit by finding her a human body. Seemingly no easy task, as the mischief spirit is beyond picky about her future body. But on his way to Oakland, Finch stumbles upon the dead body of a social media star—both a solution and a major problem.

Oakland is teeming with werewolves, full moon witches, vampires, and redwood elves, most of whom aren’t on good terms with Finch. Navigating the supernatural world to gather clues about the murder is hard enough, but now Finch must also dodge old enemies and rivals. And to make matters worse, the murderer just might be trailing Finch, now that he’s found the body.

Good thing Finch has a pact with Chronos. With time on his side, perhaps he can do the impossible…

Continue this urban fantasy series in the second book of the Chronos Chronicles!

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Excerpt

The luxury nightclub was stunningly beautiful. The chandeliers wept crystals, lush black rugs were made of some of the softest material Finch had ever stepped on, and the gentle golden lighting gave everything an expensive feel. Soft jazz music played from speakers in the ceiling, rounding out the ambience.

It was a place so fancy, even the perfectly spherical ice cubes in everyone’s drinks had pedigrees.

The clientele was also in a league of its own. The moment Finch took in a deep breath, he knew everyone here was supernatural in some way. While some looked completely human, magic radiated from them like heat off a heat lamp.

Plus, there was a werewolf behind the bar.

Not like the bouncer outside, who had to remain in human form. No, this bartender was a full-blown anthropomorphic wolf. He stood on two legs, his black fur lustrous over a body made of pure muscle. He wore a suit tailored for his lycanthrope body, his little vest a shade of gray that complemented his ebony fur.

He even had a tail hole in his pants, so his large and bushy tail could wag around, unhindered.

And the bar had clearly been built to accommodate a beast nearly eight feet tall. It was larger, more spacious, and made of material that wouldn’t easily be scratched by the man’s claws.

His long muzzle and pointed ears really gave him the silhouette of a wolf, but his dark eyes were alight with human intelligence. And having dark eyes was a good thing—only werewolves with red eyes could spread the lycanthrope disease. If this wolf lost his temper and bit everyone here, there was no chance of a werewolf outbreak. Oakland had had too many of those already.

The wolf’s ears shifted in Finch’s direction as Finch walked over. The beast turned to greet him with a fang-filled smile.

“Good evening,” the werewolf said, his voice rich and confident. “You seem familiar, but I don’t think I’ve seen many warlocks in these parts. Take a seat. I’ll pour you something smooth.”

My Review

My Rating: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Consider “liking” my review on Goodreads!

I was granted complimentary access to Chronos Warlock by Shami Stovall as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promotions, and I also reviewed the first book in the series through the same connection. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! As always, my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

As I commented in my review of Time-Marked Warlock, I absolutely love Stovall’s narrative style. You won’t find a lot of purple prose here, no time wasted on unnecessary details, but you’ll see it all unfolding in your mind’s eye just the same. These books are fast paced, captivating, and cinematic.

Main character Finch is a Warlock that has the same charm to him that drew me to the Dresden Files stories, but fear not, he totally unique. Finch can control time, but only the recent past. Many authors have tried and failed to utilize “Groundhog Day” in a way that doesn’t feel tired, but Stovall has done it with Adair Finch and this series.

This second instalment in the series goes where plenty of urban fantasies go quite soon, and that’s werewolf territory, but once again this big bad dog man isn’t the brutish villain you expect him to be. He’s a morally grey but loveable ally in this crazy world, and that’s exactly what Finch needs to help solve his latest murder mystery and fend off a few enemies with old grudges along the way.

I love it, I love it, I love it! I want more! These books are fun, familiar but unique, and and demand being read all at once. Check them out!

About the Author

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators, or hugging John.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

Giveaway Alert!

Shami Stovall will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.