Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Golden Girls in this humorous contemporary standalone fantasy about a group of former Chosen Ones coming out of retirement to save the world one last time

Three former Chosen Ones have joined together to spend their retirement in peace and quiet, running Second Life Books and Gifts in Salem, MA. A calm, peaceful, tourist-filled oasis, where they never have to worry about saving the world. Until some of the locals start summoning ancient creatures best left where they were . . . and they discover that their bookstore basement just may be the portal to the underworld. These ex-heroes may have thought they were done . . . but if they want to finish their retirement in peace, they’ll have to join together to save the world one last time.

Why leave saving the world to the young? Cozy mystery readers looking for an extra dash of magic will eat this story up: fun, funny, and heartwarming, it's a novel about community, second chances, and the healing power of scones.

Salem Massachusetts is home to the Second Life Books and Gifts store, run by Temple, a wizard; Annette, a half-succubus; and Jennifer, a Hunter of Artemis, who are all retired. But then strange things start happening and it appears someone is summoning ancient creatures into this world, forcing them out of retirement to save the world once again.

One of the taglines for this book is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Golden Girls” and it is apt. Temple, our wizard is pushing 100 and our half-succubus and Hunter are in their 60s. They live in Temple’s family home which also houses their bookstore. Annette, a half-succubus, half- human, has purchased a house for her son and grandchildren in Salem in an attempt to repair her relationship with her family. Jennifer, our Hunter of Artemis, has hung up her huntress bow and turned to healing members of Salem’s paranormal community. The house itself is almost as important character as our three roommates as it is bonded with Temple and is, for all intents and purposes, sentient. Then we have Ronnie, a young man who wants to fulfill his family’s tradition of fighting evil, his ghostly mother, along with Annette’s angry son and her grandchildren who do not fully realize their heritage. Along with the witty dialogue there is also a bit of exploration of the real ramifications of what it does to girls when they are taught to kill when they are barely in their teens.

The action moves quickly, the story and characters are well-developed without slowing the story down. We get a good idea of who our three main characters are as the chapters alternate between each character’s point of view. This is a standalone story though I find myself wishing there would be another occasion for our heroes to save the world just so we could return to Salem to check in on them. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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