This has several POV characters, so it took me a minute to get into it, but I laughed so hard. It was a great palate cleanser between heavy series.

In this series by Bridget E. Baker we meet a group of friends that couldn’t be more different from each other. But do you know what this reminds me of, a lot of fun. In this book Bridget manages to combine a witch, a wizard, a werewolf, a vampire, a dragon-shifter, and a demon into the best group of friends you would want for yourself. In this first book of the series we learn more about Minerva the witch who truly struggles in being a proper witch. Because let’s be real, a witch that cannot perform an easy spell or doesn’t have a fierce familiar is not scary or even intimidating. Minerva only has one dream, to become part of the best police force that makes sure that New York City will be a safe place, but not performing proper spells has been her downfall. Can she convince her crush who is in charge of the prestigious Police force to give her a chance, if she can get a fierce familiar that should be a given. The best laid plans don’t usually come true so Giggles the Pigeon is here to stir it all up, and not only is she the strangest familiar anyone has seen but she also doesn’t seem to understand the rules. Minerva is not the only character we start to love in this story because nothing is better than being reintroduced to your childhood friend who is running away from the man she is supposed to marry, and your friends who will do anything to help you help her. This is a wonderful story with many great characters that sure will make you laugh out loud. If you are a fan of Bridget E. Baker you might have known this book as Mates: Minerva.

If you love Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, or Upside Down Magic, then this is the series for you. Bridget seamlessly weaves several different genres into this lighthearted fantasy series that has the wittiness of a sitcom but the suspense of a mystery miniseries. The characters are quirky but lovable, but also very relatable to anyone who ever longed to be accepted by a group but didn’t quite fit in and didn’t know why. They remind us that being different is what makes us special, even when it’s hard. This book will make you laugh out loud and warm your heart at the same time. And because it’s clean humor can appeal to all ages, it’s good family book as well. Like Roald Dahl, Bridget has an amazing gift for seamlessly integrating important life lessons into her books without compromising the entertainment value of the story. As a parent, I value the conversations that come from reading Bridget’s books together with my daughter.

I love the characters and I love the storyline! Definitely worth a read I can’t wait for more!

Bridget Baker knocks it out of the park with this new Urban Fantasy book. Mates gives me Harley Merlin vibes with its band of misfit creatures. I love how you can tell the different voices of each character in their chapters and that you get some new insights to things happening but also all new information. I couldn’t put the book down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. This might be my new favorite!