And just like that, Lorelei enacted all of The Big Three Rules of Magic at once—she set her intentions, said them aloud, and there would be a cost for it all.
Cozy (Sub)Urban Fantasy
Found Family
Enchanted Bed & Breakfast
Misplaced Human in a Magical World
Grumpy Warlock x Runaway Bride
Secrets, Lies, Mysteries, Oh My!
The original story of Vacancy was written in 2016, parts of which were published here on my blog as a serial while other story threads were kept private. The series was later removed and converted into novels, officially published in 2021. This author’s note was added in 2024.
Please be advised, amongst other sensitive topics, sexual coercion is discussed and plays out on the page in this series in the context of love potions, cupid arrows, and the existence of succubi/incubi. While I’ve always intended my books to be lighthearted and comical, playing with the ways in which magic would muddy life if it existed, these are not humorous topics, especially when equated with the world we actually exist within.
I consider each one of my books to be an experiment, and while focusing on one concept and attempting to subvert certain tropes, I fell into the trap of other damaging and dangerous ones. I would have written some of the things included in these books differently today, added further clarification of situations that happened off page and out of sight of the POV character, and been less cavalier with the language I chose to use. I’ve waffled on what to do with these stories, but ultimately decided to leave them unedited for transparency’s sake. Please be mindful in your decision to read on. There is a full list of content warnings on my website, and my direct messages are open on most social media platforms for clarification. Thank you, Dear Reader, and take care.
Book One:
THE WEARY TRAVELER
Lorelei Fischer desperately needed somewhere to spend the night, and, as if by magic, Moonlit Shores Manor appeared.
But there’s a cost for everything, magic included.
More than willing to escape her old life and fill the open position at the bizarre bed and breakfast, Lorelei quickly learns of the dangers waiting for her. She’s only human, after all, and casting spells, shifting into wild animals, and caring for mythical creatures aren’t exactly in the wheelhouse of a former barista and art school failure. At the manor, faeries might pull tricks on you while washing linens, werewolves might try to rough up your bellboy, and a shadowy presence in the woods might be your undoing if you ask too many questions.
With the help of her supernatural, live-in coworkers, Moonlit Shores Manor could be Lorelei’s sanctuary from her past mistakes. Though as the truth of the manor’s history unravels, it could just as likely become another place Lorelei must flee to save not just her reputation but her life.
Read an excerpt here!
Click here for a list of content/trigger warnings
Book Two:
THE WAYWARD DEED
Lorelei Fischer has finally settled into her new life at enchanted bed and breakfast Moonlit Shores Manor, and besides that teeny tiny attempt on her life—which, by the way, she survived—things are going great. Hiding the fact she’s human from the charmed folk is second nature, even if the fae who glamoured her has suddenly gone missing, and her job managing the front desk is a breeze, even if her succubus coworker is swamped with a mysterious side hustle.
It’s only with the arrival of a suspicious guest who may be hunting humans that Lorelei begins to worry winter at Moonlit Shores Manor might be more perilous than fall. It would be nice if Conrad, who’s supposed to own the place, would talk to her—nice for a couple reasons, really—but it seems everyone around the manor has new secrets to keep, and it’s going to take a lot of work to make that broody warlock open up about any of his.
But with a rogue cupid committing random acts of love all over the manor, a predatory popstar checking in and throwing a surprise show, and an evil entity trapped up in the attic, Lorelei barely has enough time to worry about anything else, including that prophesy about someone trying to kill her during a blizzard. Oh, and the deed is still missing…
Read an excerpt here!
Click here for a list of content/trigger warnings
Book 3:
THE WILLFUL INHERITOR
Hiding out in the charmed world has its perks: fae do your laundry, doors can lead to other dimensions, and the dragons are only pigeon-sized. But the downsides to magic are rearing their monstrous heads at Lorelei Fischer. With the deed found and the mysteries around the bewitching bed and breakfast nearly unraveled, Moonlit Shores Manor is finally under new management. But that management has magically-induced amnesia with an expiration date, and when the clouds around his past have cleared, the new boss will be nether-bent on devastation.
Tasked with brewing a potion to destroy the new owner, Lorelei and her coworkers must collect rare components from across the charmed world while maintaining normalcy—whatever that means—for the manor’s guests. But with a lovesick lycan, an uncharacteristically shifty elf, and an enemy turned questionable ally on staff, Lorelei finds juggling her coworkers just as complicated as dealing with the boss who, up until very recently, had been delighted with the thought of killing her.
And Lorelei’s fear of being outed as human has only grown when it comes to Conrad. Her almost romance with the snarky warlock is suspended between her desire to be totally honest and her much deeper desire to just tackle him and get it over with. Every step taken together to save the manor brings them that much closer, but whether it’s to a devastating truth or a fairytale ending, only magic seems to know.
Read an excerpt here!
Click here for a list of content/trigger warnings!
akcaggiano.com 