Books, Brews, and Supernatural Beings: Seana Kelly’s Sam Quinn Series – Tags: bookish sanctuary, Cosy, Halloween, Paranormal, paranormal romance, Sam Quinn Series, Seana Kelly, The Folio Collection, Urban Fantasy, Vampire, Werewolves

Fantasy & Speculative Fiction | Urban Fantasy

Halloween Magic All Year Long in San Francisco’s Bayside Supernatural Sanctuary

A brilliant, addictive urban fantasy series that balances laugh-out-loud charm and swoon-worthy romance with surprising historical depth, mythic weight, and year-round spooky vibes.

The Story

At the heart of the series sits The Slaughtered Lamb — a magical pub-meets-bookstore with a wonderfully cheeky name where all creatures magical and mythical meet. Our bibliophile dream come true: a bookshop where you can browse endlessly, read with a cup of coffee, and stay late for a bite and a drink. Just perfect, cosy, warm, and atmospheric.

The heartbeat of the narrative, however, is a brilliant story of self-realisation and transformation. When I first ‘met’ werewolf Sam, she was a traumatised, exhausted refugee searching for safety in a dangerous supernatural world she desperately wanted to lock outside. Watching her overcome her fear and steadily claim her strength, claw her way back from the fringes, and step into her own power with growing confidence is immensely satisfying. She isn’t just surviving; she’s thriving on her own terms.

What lifts this series beyond a simple werewolf-vampire love story, and what makes it all the more enjoyable, is how Seana Kelly anchors her world in something weightier, something that pops up regularly and hits you in the face. Beneath the playful banter, character backstories are thoughtfully woven through real-world history — such as vampire Russell’s past touching on the heavy realities of American slavery — alongside a brilliant expansion into Greek mythology and the Underworld with Meg the Fury.

Of course, the journey wouldn’t be half as magnetic without the romance between Sam and Clive — a swoon-worthy vampire who proves chivalry isn’t dead, even if he technically is. I admired how they fully accepted each other, their mutual respect, playful wit, and genuine warmth. Their chemistry is off the charts.

On the Shelf

Our featured stack of Seana Kelly’s novels rests comfortably on our table alongside cosy autumn textures, dark leather bindings, a steaming mug of black coffee, and a very special recent find — a giraffe hanger in gold with red dots my lovely husband Jon found for me. Love it! Our signature giraffe is keeping a watchful eye over the books… The bright, vivid urban fantasy covers pop against the seasonal gloom, inviting you to cuddle up in a chair, wrap yourself in a blanket, light a candle, grab a steaming mug of coffee (or cocoa), and dive straight into the series!

The Verdict

I can’t quite remember where I first stumbled across the Sam Quinn series but the title The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar immediately drew me in and the blurb promised me a world I couldn’t resist. I was quickly hooked on this urban fantasy series packed with snappy humour, supernatural politics, and an addictive “just one more chapter” binge factor.

The only pet peeve I have is with the covers: I am not a fan of covers with ‘real people’ on them. I like to go into a book and then form the characters in my head, rather than having them dictated in front of me. Also, the covers look a bit like another ‘Twilight’ series and to me, this is so much more. Funnily enough, when asking Gemini whether there were other editions, it showed me amazing covers that it had, alas, completely made up! I just have to share, check them out in the photo below. This lifts the books into a darker, magical adult world, I think.

Covers aside, I loved everything about this series. So if you love urban fantasy, then Seana Kelly’s Sam Quinn series deserves a prime spot on your bookshelf. Set against the fog-shrouded backdrop of San Francisco, it carves out its own distinct, vibrant space in the genre — and it is pure joy to read. Perfect for long dark evenings, and of course, perfect for that Halloween feeling.

A well-deserved position between our favourites in The Folio Collection.

Sadly, now comes the long wait for book ten, The Crow’s Nest Cantina & Curios, as it drops on the shelves in October 2027.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

Books in the Sam Quinn series:
*Amazon: Paperback, Kindle & Audiobook
*Bookshop.org: Audiobook only

1. The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar on Bookshop.org | Amazon
2. The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s on Bookshop.org | Amazon
3. The Wicche Glass Tavern on Bookshop.org | Amazon
4. The Hob and Hound Pub on Bookshop.org | Amazon
5. Biergarten of the Damned on Bookshop.org | Amazon
6. The Viper’s Nest Roadhouse & Cafe on Bookshop.org | Amazon
7. The Bloody Ruin Asylum & Taproom on Bookshop.org | Amazon
8. The Mermaid’s Bubble Lounge on Bookshop.org | Amazon
9. The Ferryman’s Rest Inn & Grogshop (not yet available on Bookshop.org) | Amazon
10. The Crow’s Nest Cantina & Curios – coming 5 October 2027; pre-order on Amazon

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