Magical Midlife Survival Guide: Wine, Chocolate & Paranormal Shenanigans Series, Book 1

"Breathe. Take your time. It's your turn to be exquisite, and radiant, and unstoppable."

At forty-two, Lainie Cassidy finally does what she should have done years ago: she takes her two kids and leaves her abusive marriage. No money. No safety net. No looking back. Just a desperate need for a fresh start and the bone-deep knowledge that midlife isn't about fading into the background—it's about becoming who you were always meant to be.

This is her do-over. Her second chance. Her hard-won new beginning.

Then she finds the watch.

Digging through old boxes for homemade Halloween costumes, Lainie stumbles onto her grandmother's antique pocket watch—and the moment her fingers close around it, her ordinary life cracks wide open. The watch is a talisman. A vessel of ancient magic tied to a centuries-old secret her family has been guarding for generations. And it's connected to books in ways Lainie can't begin to understand.

Turns out, magic is real.

Suddenly she's discovering a hidden supernatural world that's been humming just beneath the surface of her ordinary suburban life. Characters are stepping off the page and into her living room. Supernatural creatures are showing up uninvited. A snarky talking cat has opinions about everything—especially her wine intake. And the magic is getting harder to hide from her kids, her fierce best friends, and everyone else in her life.

Then the watch conjures him.

A devastatingly handsome dragon shifter pulled straight from the pages of a romance novel—protective, powerful, completely out of his element in the modern world, and absolutely determined to win Lainie's heart. He calls her the chosen one. He says she's awakening to power she was born to wield. The problem? He's not supposed to exist outside the book. And the dark creatures now hunting Lainie want the talisman's power for themselves.

She came looking for a fresh start. She got more than she bargained for.

Armed with wine, chocolate, fierce friends, a sassy talking cat, and midlife magic she's still figuring out, Lainie must decide: play it safe, or step into her power and embrace the woman—and the warrior—she was always meant to be.

Magical Midlife Survival Guide is the first book in the Wine, Chocolate & Paranormal Shenanigans series—a feel-good paranormal women's fiction adventure full of humor, heart, found family, and a slow-burn romance that proves it's never too late to rewrite your story.

Perfect for fans of K.F. Breene's Magical Midlife Madness, Shannon Mayer's Midlife Bounty Hunter, and anyone who believes the best adventures start after forty.

A feel-good cozy fantasy romance and midlife magic adventures—where second chances spark supernatural love, found family, and a lot of laugh-through-the-chaos charm. If you love stories with soul mates, forbidden lovers, fate, dragons, ancient magic, and rags-to-riches magic, you'll love the Wine, Chocolate & Paranormal Shenanigans Series.

Second Edition: originally published in 2022.

The Wine, Chocolate & Paranormal Shenanigans series reading order:

1. Magical Midlife Survival Guide
2. Magical Midlife Uncorked
3. Magical Midlife Vintage Blend
4. Magical Midlife Blush
5. Midlife Full-Bodied and Magical