She’s chaos. He’s control. Together, they’re combustible.

Junie Reed has chaos magic, a potion shop, and walls high enough to keep out anyone who might get too close. She’s fine. Everything’s fine. Then her spells start misfiring, a mysterious magical surge threatens her livelihood, and a lion shifter in a designer suit strolls into town like he owns the place. She doesn’t need some arrogant Alpha poking around her shop. But between that jaw, those hands, and the way he looks at her like she’s a puzzle he wants to solve? Her magic isn’t the only thing misfiring.

Leo Castellan deals in logic, discipline, and control. He’s in Haven Shores to investigate magical instability, not to find a mate. He doesn’t believe in fate. Then a red-haired chaos witch destroys his suit, gets under his skin, and makes his lion rumble with interest instead of irritation. This was supposed to be a simple business trip.

When a shadowy organization targets Junie’s shop—and steals her grandmother’s irreplaceable recipe book—she’s forced to work with the one man who sees straight through her defenses. But late nights and close quarters have a way of turning sparks into flames. And the heat between them? It might just be more dangerous than whatever’s lurking in the shadows.

Titles in the Haven Shores series include:  Hexin’ the Wolf ~ Hex on the Rocks ~ Bearly Hexed ~ Hexin’ Up a Storm ~ Candlelight Hex ~ Mane Hex ~

This story may include language, potential violence, and/or sexual content intended for an adult audience 18+.

Title:  Hex on the Rocks
Series:  Haven Shores #2
Author:  Milly Taiden
Published:  May 21, 2026
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Hex on the Rocks is the second title in the Haven Shores series, this time bringing Junie, a spitfire of a chaos witch, and Leo, a, well, uptight, pure logic-never-emotion, control-freak lion shifter Alpha, together for a ride neither will ever forget… should they survive that is.

Junie is not only a chaos witch, but the maker of potions in town.  Her talent is natural-born but also enhanced by her grandmother’s magic, whose recipes were passed down to Junie over the years.  Grandmother’s magic potion recipe book is Junie’s most treasured, beloved possession… and it has been stolen by someone who wants to destroy Junie, her shop, and steal what lies beneath the ground of her shop.  Leo is in town to investigate the magic/mate surge that’s been creating chaos recently.  There has to be a logical explanation for the surge, and Leo is determined to discover the source.  He’s a strong, silent, logical Alpha who doesn’t believe in fated mates but in the mind’s logic in any and all decisions… emotions are for others, like Junie, not Leo.

Yet, when it becomes obvious that there’s a definite spark between them, and it’s also becoming very clear that Junie is being targeted by someone, well, Leo’s lion isn’t about to allow anything to harm his mate… even if the human part of him is fighting the attraction tooth and nail.  This connection has to be happening because of the surge; Leo will accept nothing else… until the truth smacks him right in the heart.

I am enjoying the newly created world of Haven Shores so much.  The danger to the town and its magical residents is very obvious, and watching each couple face and deal with not only discovering their fated mate but setting out to protect the town has become such an intriguing series for me.  Leo and Junie provide wicked banter and stop-your-heart emotions, and although each is as stubborn as is humanly possible, they also know when to stop fighting the bond that’s building between them.  Their story is well-written, filled with emotion, close ties with other residents of the town, and passionate as the mate bond tightens between them.  I’m loving the secondary characters as it is also becoming obvious that there is a very tight bond between friends and townsfolk in this magical coastal town… and that feeling lies beneath the surface of what is happening to each current couple.  If you love a very good Shifter Romance, then Hex on the Rocks should be on your radar… I think you’d love it; I know I certainly did and look forward to what comes next.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

If you enjoy this author’s work, be sure to visit our Milly Taiden page for reviews of other series, or simply to discover series you might have missed.

This title is available at Amazon