Ahoy there me mateys!  I love Kelley Armstrong!  I discovered her through her young adult book, sea of shadows, and she became me most read author of 2016.  I have not read all her stuff because not all of it appeals to me.  This sounded interesting but it be urban fantasy which I don't usually like.  However, Matey Nicole's review convinced me to give it a whirl.  I did and then read book two.

I liked both and the duology is exactly as advertised.  There is magic, a tiny bit of romance, some action, and some snark.  I am not a romance book person but I really enjoyed Kennedy and Aidan's slow-burn friendship.  The first book's plot about a cursed necklace is a bit silly and fun.  I felt a bit like the magic world building didn't always make a lot of sense but went with it.  The characters' interactions are the focus of the series.  A there is a fun cat.

I must admit that I liked book one a bit better than book two which dealt with a series of cursed paintings.  Book two's plot was a bit convoluted and the ending was silly.  This didn't bother me too much because it was fun and the characters were me focus.  I loved the motel scene.  I got exactly what I wanted out of these books - hours of entertainment in another world.  Enjoyable fluff.  I am more than satisfied.  Arrr!

Side note:  The author wrote book one as an escape during Covid and posted it in installments online to help others have an escape.  Cool.