Ahoy there me mateys!  I don't read a ton of self-published novels but have been interested in the SPFBO ever since I started blogging.  One of me crew, Matey Lynn is a judge in the contest.  Every year I make a list of those nominees that interest me, based on her reviews, and I am slowly working through them.  Book one was a finalist in the 2020 contest.  I had so much fun that I immediately read the second book too.

This series follows Mennik Thorn ("Nik") who is a second-rate mage.  I love him.  He works as a mage-for-hire and generally does very poorly for himself.  He agrees to help his best friend Benny (a thief) with a job and all hell breaks loose.  Nik scrambles to get himself and his friend out of trouble.  I enjoyed this combination of his ineptitude and his too nice for his own good self.  Nik does have skills when he lets his brain catch up with his mouth.

I really enjoyed the magic system, world building, and characters.  Benny's daughter in particular is a hoot.  The magic system has some familiar elements but was still unique enough in how it was used.  Dead gods play a part.  The world is a port city that is gritty and cutthroat. I really enjoyed how the Ash Guard (a force that polices magic) worked.  That element added major fun to the story.

Book two is a bit more of the same, in a good way.  Nik has to pay some debts from the first book, gets in massive trouble, and has to work his way out of it.  I really enjoyed the mystery aspects of this one.  He has to solve a weird murder that happened with lots of witnesses.  The solution at the end was just a bit off for me but I loved the ride.  I found both books in the series to be humorous and fun.

The series could be done with book two.  But I wouldn't mind some more.  Arrrr!

Side note: Check out Matey Lynn's review of the first novel.