Recently, I had the great fortune of discovering this wonderful series, “Leveling Up” by KF Breene, and plowed through the audio books of all 7 books available in the last two weeks. They are wonderful. As a woman in her forties and and what amounts to a soccer mom, I am always looking for stories in fantasy that have women my age or moms. Women who get older do not dry up into crones, quite the contrary, speaking from my own personal experience, I find that I have a level of calm, wisdom, and IDGAF that I lacked in my twenties. It has been hard fought for and I want to see heroines that have that. Not teachers, or motherly figures that take a back seat to the action but who ARE the action.
I discovered this series while searching LitRPG, a genre I never thought I would become so obsessed with, after binging the first seven books of “Dungeon Crawler Carl” (another series to get on your TBR). Also, as I say that I “discovered” this series as if it isn’t being read all over, It is hugely popular. KF Breene is a New York Times best seller and the first novel has over 30k reviews.
In my opinion, I find that the series is a bit misnamed, and a better name would be Magical Midlife Madness or some sort. Leveling up implies gaming, and there isn’t any of that. This series stars a woman, Jacinta, who is recently divorced and is completely starting over. Instead of trepidation, she is meeting this challenge as an opportunity to get out of the rut she had been in and branch out.
This time, though, I plan to do things differently. Age is just a number, after all, and at forty I’m ready to carve my own path.
Through fate, and possibly some magic, Jacinta becomes the caretaker of a centuries year old mansion in a tiny town in the Sierras. The house comes with some odd “perks” such as an ancient off kilter butler with a love for capes, a neighbor who drinks whiskey like a fish and throws rocks at tourists, and magic.
This isn’t a cutesy series, Jacinta has grit and she faces the constantly changing magical scene and her ever increasing magical life. There is romance, battles, different magical creatures and more. But none of these ideas become overbearing and smother the interesting plot or unique characters. At its base, the cool wise calmness that I hope is a byproduct of making it around the sun 40 times is in her. I can not recommend it highly enough. If you enjoy shifters, vampires, gargoyles and magic with a load of sarcasm from a 40+ main character then this is a great series for you.
Side note, every title is available soon KU. Happy reading!
Magical Midlife Madness
A woman starting over. A new house with an unexpected twist. A cape wearing butler acting as the world’s worst life coach.
“Happily Ever After” wasn’t supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of twenty years packs up and heads for greener pastures and my son leaves for college, that’s exactly what my life becomes.
Do-over.
This time, though, I plan to do things differently. Age is just a number, after all, and at forty I’m ready to carve my own path.
Eager for a fresh start, I make a somewhat unorthodox decision and move to a tiny town in the Sierra foothills. I’ll be taking care of a centuries old house that called to me when I was a kid. It’s just temporary, I tell myself. It’ll just be for a while.
That is, until I learn what the house really is, something I never could’ve imagined.
Thankfully forty isn’t too old to start an adventure, because that’s exactly what I do. A very dangerous adventure that will change my life forever. I have a chance to start again, and this time, I make the rules.
Magical Midlife Dating
Jessie is well on her way to learning her new life and settling in. The tough alpha, Austin, has joined her team, and she has painstakingly learned to fly. At the moment, life couldn’t get any better.
But it can get a whole lot…more irritating.
Her parents have decided to visit. They don’t know anything about magic, about Jessie’s new digs, or about the crazy crew living in and around Jessie’s house. She must do everything in her power to keep the truth away from them.
Which would be much easier without the unfelt presence lurking within Ivy House’s borders. It seems an enemy has figured out a way to magically bypass Ivy House’s defenses. Jessie is completely exposed.
The real battle, however, won’t be with the incoming force. It will be between Mr. Tom and Jessie’s mom, each intent on being the most helpful. Mr. Tom might have met his match, and he is not pleased.
Just when things were finally settling down, Jessie is in the thick of it again, and this time, the turmoil is all around her.
Magical Midlife Love
The fourth book in the Wall Street Journal bestselling Leveling Up series.
The Ivy House team is shaping up, but there are still holes to be filled, and a magical summons outstanding. Jessie needs a teacher. Someone who can fit in with the whacky Ivy House crew. And that was going just fine…until she gets a request to host a powerful, neighboring mage.
Chonk Size - 662 Pages
Magical Midlife Meeting
It’s time for a magical battle Jessie isn’t sure she’s prepared for.
Elliot Graves has been a thorn in Jessie’s side since before she agreed to take the house magic. He has constantly brought the fight to her doorstep.
Not this time.
With the help of Austin’s shifters, the Ivy house crew will meet Elliot Graves in one of the most dangerous places imaginable – his home turf.
But not before another creature joins the circle.
Magical Midlife Challenge
The signs are unmistakable, Momar isn’t just targeting Austin’s brother.
When one of Momar’s grunts breaks into Austin’s territory looking to grab Jessie for questioning, Jessie and her crew realize they are under fire. In order to protect themselves, it becomes obvious they need backup.
Magical Midlife Alliance
Book 7 in the ongoing Wall Street Journal bestselling Leveling Up series!
After returning from the basajaunak lands, it’s clear that Jessie and her crew need to find an alliance quickly. They need to head to Kingsley’s in less than a couple of months. If they go as they are, they’ll never be enough to save Austin’s brother from total annihilation.
