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Mates: Minerva by Bridget E. Baker is a Humorous Fantasy/Paranormal, it's book 1 in the Magical Misfits Series and it's Available Now. Keep reading for Excerpt & Giveaway!
Title: Mates: Minerva
Series: Magical Misfits #1
Author: Bridget E. Baker
Genres: Humorous Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: June 15, 2022
Forget Murphy—it should be called Minerva's Law.
Paranormal affairs officer Minerva Lucent has always wanted to stand out by making a difference in the supernatural world. Unfortunately, she's only managed to stick out—like a sore thumb. Her stun spells often misfire and freeze people by mistake. Her magical restraints have been known to pull objects to them like magnets. And last week, her truth spell caused a perp to start singing in verse.
But when a coveted guardian position opens up, Minerva's determined to finally show everyone that she's the witch for the job. She makes a plan to redeem her reputation, and she's about to set it in motion, when her old finishing school pal, Roxana Goldenscales, shows up on her doorstep in dire need of assistance.
Can Minerva enact her plan and help Roxana (knock on wand!)? Or will she have to choose between becoming a guardian and being a good friend to her old mate?
I wait until Ricky’s gone before I start to fan myself. He’s just being nice, you know. Peter shrugs. I couldn’t care less whether they know who I am. Guardians’ average life expectancy is thirty-five. Did you know that?
I did, actually. But what they do for the world can’t be measured. Okay, Sparky, Amber says. Let’s go check on Mr. Shuffles.
I know what my partner’s doing—trying to defuse this situation before I wind up on probation again. But guys like Peter have mocked me my entire life, and I always have to be the one to stand down. I’m sick of it.
You’re an interesting guy, I say. When you were in school, did you learn what a Venn diagram is? Peter frowns.
If I were to make one with a circle for stupid, and a circle for bully, and a circle for unattractive, you’d probably be the only officer here who managed to hit dead center in all three.
Peter frowns, but he doesn’t look as apoplectic as he usually would. I’m guessing he doesn’t know what a Venn diagram is and didn’t really get my insult. Even so, he fires back. You better rush off to check on that filthy vampire you put in lockdown before you really make me mad.
Uh-oh, Peter Chester, really mad? What must that look like? More spluttering? An even redder face? Keep making jokes, he says. In the meantime, I’ll tell the Chief that he’ll have yet another chance to write a recommendation for the only mage on the force who can’t even bond a familiar.
I bet he only recommends you in the hopes he might finally get rid of you. That one stings. I’ve tried more than six times to bond a familiar, but that particular spell never takes right for me, even when I tried it with a dog, and they’re so eager to bond that humans can practically do it. I just haven’t found the right animal yet.
Thanks to a hunting accident, my uncle’s a little slow, Peter says, and even he has a rat. It doesn’t surprise me that your relative bonded a rat, Amber says.
Like calls to like, after all. Peter’s lip curls, and his partner, a brand new recruit, one of the burliest werewolves I’ve ever seen, is striding across the room toward us.
The Chief’s door opens abruptly. Shift change. He tilts his head at me. First night back went alright? I nod.
Great. Now go get some sleep so you’ll be fresh tonight. I often wonder whether the Chief has auditory spells cast around the precinct. He casually opens his door in the middle of escalating fights a little too often.
Or maybe it’s just part of being a good Chief. Yes, sir. Amber walks out with me. Don’t let them get to you. That guy just has an inferiority complex— He’s not wrong, though.
What committee in their right mind would select a mage who can’t even bond a familiar to be a guardian? Amber knows me well enough not to argue any further.
Sometimes I just need to wallow. See you tonight. Most people think the eight p.m. to eight a.m. shift is brutal, but I don’t mind working four twelves a week.
I get eight hours of overtime, and I still have a three-day run of days off every week. Not too bad.
Usually I spend the drive home listening to classical music so that I can wind down and go to sleep. But this morning, even that doesn’t help. I’m just as keyed up when I exit the subway near my place. Peter’s a jerk, but he’s right about one thing.
I can’t keep applying to be a guardian and being shocked when I don’t get it. The definition of insanity really is doing the same thing over and over and expecting something to inexplicably change.
I may not be the most talented or consistent mage, but I’m bright. Unfortunately, that’s not enough.
©Bridget E. Baker 2022
Releases on November 15 - Available for Pre-Order!
Bridget loves her husband (every day) and all five of her kids (most days).
She’s a lawyer, but does as little legal work as possible. She has three quarter horse geldings, a Holsteiner (jumping) horse, and she spends too much time riding and not enough time writing. (Or too much time writing and not enough time riding, depending on your perspective!)
She has more chickens than she’ll admit to having, two lions head rabbits, a cat, two dogs (one bouncy and one yappy). She makes cookies waaaaay too often and believes they should be their own food group. In a (possibly misguided) attempt at balancing the scales, she kickboxes daily.
So if you don’t like her books, her kids, her horses, her chickens, or her cookies, maybe don’t tell her in person.
B.E. Baker is the romance/women's fiction penname for Bridget E. Baker, who also writes fantasy, end of the world, and dystopian books that add a little magic to the world.
Please sign up for Bridget's fantasy or romance newsletters on her website at www.BridgetEBakerWrites.com or click Follow on her bio above to get notices and updates when she releases new books!
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