Review – Midlife Magical Awakening (Leveling Up, Book 10) by K.F. Breene (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 364 pages
Publisher: Hazy Dawn Press, Inc
Release Date: March 8, 2024
ASIN: B0CT4NCYYT
Stand Alone or Series: 10th book in the Leveling Up series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 5/5 stars
“With Kingsley safe and Momar subdued for the moment, it’s time for healing. Jessie and the gang take a much needed break.
Or, at least, the gang does.
The holidays are upon them and the ex has invited Jessie to meet his new fiancée. It’s off to L.A. where Jessie will face her past and the wounds she didn’t realize still lingered.
Niamh, too, meets a blast from her past. This one, though, is ten times more dangerous. Re-connecting is a risk not even Tristan is sure they should take.
All the while, Nessa and Sebastian are not far away, ready to unleash a surprise the crew could never expect.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 10th book in the Leveling Up series. I borrowed this on ebook through Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: This was a well done continuation of the Leveling Up series, I enjoyed it a lot. If you are still reading this series 10 books in, then I think you will enjoy this book. This series has gotten to be a bit like a soap opera at this point (am I dating myself by using that comparison?). We hear from many different characters throughout this book and they are all dealing with a number of different issues that all somehow (kind of) tie into Momar (the super evil mage we have yet to meet).
You hear some from Nessa and Sebastian but for most of the book they are off plotting on their own. Most of the book is told from Jessie’s POV, with some small sections being told from other characters’ POVs. Jessie is struggling to recover emotionally from the fall out in the last book. To add to that stress, her ex-husband wants her to spend the holidays with him and meet his new fiancee. It was intriguing to see back to where Jessie came from, and I loved that her son Jimmy was in the book more too. Additionally, we get to learn more about Niamh’s past. This was provided some excellent back story to these characters.
Very little progress is made in the broader story involving Momar. However, this broader story does creep forward a little bit. This book was similar to the last book which took us on a story that confronted Austin’s past, while this one has us confronting Jessie’s past. The whole zany crew is here, and it is as crazy and funny to read as all of the other books.
There are some serious parts here. Jessie is forced to confront the emotional abuse that her ex, Matt, put both her and Jimmy through. We also see Matt’s new fiancee struggling with similar abuse. The book does take a bit of a side journey into discussing this sort of controlling abuse that minimizes a woman and forces them to both think they are and actually be financially dependent on a controlling man.
I am not sure where the story is going at this point, but I am sure that I am incredibly entertained by this series. I love the characters, and can’t wait to see what zany situations they are put in to next!
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really continue to enjoy this series. The characters are highly entertaining, and there is a lot of humor and fun in here. I love how our characters support each other as well. The main story about Momar doesn’t make much progress but it is still slowly moving forward and I have enjoyed the side diversions that we are being taken on. I look forward to the next installment in this series.
