The Neighborhood Series by Anita Ensal

 Title: Contingency Plan 

Author: Anita Ensal 

Genre: Fantasy 

Series: The Neighborhood #1

Publisher: Musa Publishing

 A desperate mother is offered an unusual opportunity by an even more unusual person -- but should she take the offer or go with her contingency plan?...

This series really surprised me. Fantasy is not a genre I read a lot of, but when it comes to Gini Koch I think I can read any genre she chooses to write in because she's just that good. :) The Contingency Plan has a little of everything in it: Great world building, an unlikely friendship, a bit of romance and a great mystery. This is a really short story that I had read in one sitting. For being so short, the characters were really well developed and I found myself attached to them. If you are tired of the same old, same old and want something a bit different to read, I highly recommend the Contingency Plan.

Title: Being Neighborly

Author: Anita Ensal 

Genre: Fantasy 

Series: The Neighborhood #2

Publisher: Musa Publishing

When Little Mams and Junior suspect there’s trouble brewing in the big city, Big Mams, armed with an old iron skillet, comes to investigate.When their neighbors are disappearing and acting strangely, Junior and Little Mams know it’s time to call in for reinforcements—Big Mams.Things aren’t usually what they appear to be for anyone from The Neighborhood, and the neighborhood where her daughter and son-in-law are living in the “big city” is harboring something very nasty. But Big Mams didn’t come to visit alone…and she won’t be going home alone, either.

Being Neighborly kept me guessing till the end at what was going on. Big Mams is someone you don't want to mess with and I loved her dearly for that. Junior and Little Mams are a little clueless, so it's a good thing they called in Big Mams to help. This book works well as a stand alone book, even though it is number 2 in a series. It is is set in the same world as The Contingency Plan, but that is where the similarities end. This was just a great fantasy story with wonderful world building & character development that I've come to expect from Anita Ensal.