Influential Magic by Deanna Chase

Synopsis from Goodreads:
It’s tough being a faery in New Orleans, a city fraught with vampires… especially when their very existence drains your life-force.

Willow Rhoswen, owner of The Fated Cupcake and part-time vampire hunter for the Void is having a rough week. Four years after her twin brother’s mysterious death, Willow’s life is threatened and the director saddles her with a new partner—her ex-boyfriend, David. To her horror, he’s turned vamp, which causes her physical pain whenever she touches him… and any other specimen of the undead.

In order to save Willow’s life, David agrees to turn double agent against the most powerful vampire organization in New Orleans. Or so he says. And she’s convinced they know something about her brother’s death. Unsure where David’s loyalties lie, she turns to Talisen, her childhood crush, to help her solve the mystery.

Caught between two gorgeous men and a director who’ll stop at nothing to control Willow’s gifts, she’ll have to follow her instincts and learn who to trust. Otherwise, she risks losing more than just her life.

My review:
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, other than it might be a YA book, but it wasn't at all. I actually really enjoyed it - it's fast paced, nerve-wrecking in places with a fair amount of romantic tension too.

Willow is a fae, with sparkly wings and a sweet nature. She runs a bakery well known for its heavenly goodies that are bespelled to do a range of things and she also works for the Void agency, a supernatural police force. After a trip back to her home town, she returns to find out that her pathetic ex-boyfriend, who dumped her by text, has been turned into a vampire and he has a dire warning for her: someone wants her dead. There's no real indication of whom that might be nor why, but Willow's not one who wants to die easily.

Her aunt is the Director of the Void agency, but she's a nasty piece of work, or is she? There's more to her than we know until the end. Her best friend Phoebe is a witch and loves taking on dressing up roles to find the information she needs. Talisen is her brother's best friend that Willow has had a crush on for years, but with the reappearance of David and old feelings returning, will Willow make any decisions about which man she wants? But the best side character has to be Link, Willow's shih tzu dog who turns into a hulk of a wolf when he's angry or if Willow is being threatened. Love it!

In order to find out who's behind the murder plot, Willow makes some rash, sometimes stupid, decisions that seem to end her up in more trouble than she was. The vampires are all involved and the Void agency is not a good place for Willow to be either. Many secrets are revealed at the end of the book,, some of which were a great surprise.

Willow was an odd character to like - she wasn't your usual kick ass heroine. She was much more peace loving than everyone else around her and really didn't like the idea of using violence to get the information she needed. However, sometimes you got to do what you've got to do. I much preferred Phoebe's feisty nature.

I will read the next book in this series and hope that the love interest between Willow and Talisen picks up. I did receive a copy of this book from Netgalley and would like to thank the author and publishers for letting me have it!

Firelight by Kristen Callihan

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Once the flames are ignited . . . 

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

My review

This book doesn't fit neatly into any one category but it is mostly historical romance with a touch of paranormal thrown in for good measure.

Miranda has a gift, which she sees as more of a curse - the gift of creating and manipulating fire. Archer is a very strange and mysterious man, wearing a mask to hide his face, supposedly to hide his disfigurement and inflicts fear amongst men and passion amongst women everywhere he goes. Miranda's father sells her off to Archer as his bride and Miranda, when given the choice by Archer, readily accepts if nothing more than to escape her father's constant bitterness and anger towards her.

She doesn't know what to expect when she marries Archer, but she certainly doesn't expect her feelings towards him to develop so quickly or so intensely. And boy were they intense for most of the book! She is thrown into noble society, full of powerful and rich men, but when these men start being murdered and all the evidence points to Archer, Miranda knows she must help find the real killer, even if it means putting herself in danger and using her most feared powers.

I loved the mysteriousness of Archer. I was constantly begging the author to reveal what he was - he was stronger than average, so indicated some some of supernatural being, but when it was finally revealed it was so not what I expected. Just a man playing God really!

Loved the big baddy at the end as well - took me a while to work out that one too! Looking forward to reading the next book in the series now!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and would like to thank the author and publisher for the opportunity to read it!

Mark of the Witch by Maggie Shayne

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
A lapsed Wiccan, Indira Simon doesn't believe in magic anymore. But when strange dreams of being sacrificed to an ancient Babylonian god have her waking up with real rope burns on her wrists, she's forced to acknowledge that she may have been too hasty in her rejection of the unknown. Then she meets mysterious and handsome Father Tomas. Emerging from the secrecy of an obscure Gnostic sect, he arrives with stories of a demon, a trio of warrior witches-and Indira's sacred calling. Yet there's something even Tomas doesn't know, an inescapable truth that will force him to choose between saving the life of the woman he's come to love-and saving the world.

My review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to fans of witch books.

Indira is a former Wiccan witch who has lost her faith in the Craft after calling for her soul mate for 3 years and never finding him. However, she is being plagued with strange dreams in which she is a witch in ancient times and is pushed to her death of a cliff by a man she loved. Her friend, Rayne, a high Priestess, performs a protection ritual over her and suddenly Indy's powers spark up again.

She is approached by a priest, who saw a video taken of Indy using these powers without her remembering what she was doing and convinces her that he can help her stop the dreams. He turns out to be the brother of her friend Rayne and stupidly, in my opinion, agrees to travel across the country with him to find a solution.

She finds out that between Tomas, the priest and another priest Dom that she is the key to unlocking or destroying a great evil, but things never run smoothly and Indy finds out more about the dreams, what they mean and what she needs to do about them. Rayne, luckily, is on hand to help her, but things get quite scary for them all, especially for Indy in places, right up to the end.

I really enjoyed the writing style of Maggie Shayne, never having read anything by her before and felt that the plot moved at a good pace, picking up and dropping off as needed.

I loved the character of Indy. She truly didn't want to believe what was happening to her and her gut instincts were always right. Dom was what I expected from a completely insane old man who believed that he and his God would save everyone - a complete bigot if ask me, but he added the necessary evil to the story! Tomas, I just couldn't decide about. You could tell he really wanted to believe in Dom's far-fetched story at the beginning, but the more he got to know Indy and the more they found out about who she was, the less inclined he was to believe. I really was shocked by his attitude at the end where Rayne was concerned, but then all was revealed.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series and the prequel if I can ever get a hold of it in the UK.

I would like to thank the author and publisher for sending me a review copy through NetGalley to read. This review is my honest opinion.

Blood Rock by Anthony Francis

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
Dakota Frost is back, and the ink is about to hit the fan-again.

Graffiti comes to life in the dark heart of Atlanta’s oldest cemetery, slaying one of the city’s best loved vampires before the eyes of his friend Dakota Frost. Deadly magick is at work on the city’s walls, challenging even the amazing power of Dakota’s tattoos to contain it. The hungry, graffiti magick loves to kill, and the Edgeworld is no longer safe from its own kind.

Dakota begins a harrowing journey to save those she loves and to discover the truth behind the spreading graffiti-even if that truth offends the vampires, alienates the werekin and creates police suspicion of her every action.

Saving Atlanta may cost her everything, including custody of her “adopted” weretiger daughter, Cinnamon. But failure is not an option. If the graffiti isn’t stopped, Cinnamon could be the next victim.


My review:

Well Anthony Francis has done it again! I totally loved Frost Moon, the first book in the Skindancer series and wasn't sure if his next one would live up to the same expectations, but boy did it ever!

Dakota Frost is a magic tattoo artist who uses her skin dancing magic to make her tattoos come to life to aid in any way she needs them to. She is called to a very bizarre crime scene where her vampire friend Revenance is being held captive and tortured by...wait for it...a graffiti tag on a cemetery wall. Try as she might with all of her powers, but she cannot set him free before the sun catches hold of him. This is a rather new, strange and very dangerous form of graffiti and no-one knows what to do to stop it. Of course it is up to Dakota to find out! Revenance wasn't the first vampire to die in this way either and soon it becomes apparent that this graffiti magic is becoming a very large problem in Atlanta, where non-one, not vamps, weres or humans are immune to it.

On the side Dakota also has problems with the police - they want to charge her with the murder of the serial killer in the last book so she's on the run. She breaks up with her Special Agent boyfriend, sleeps with a vamp, falls out with Saffron her vampire ex-girlfriend, her daughter is diagnosed as a genius and with Tourette's simultaneously, loses said daughter and gets kidnapped by 2 different sets of vamps. This book sure didn't slow down on the action at all. I really felt for the poor woman as she never seemed to get a break until near the end.

I totally love Dakota - she feisty, strong, willing to defend those closest to her and also has a sensitive side. I love the image I have of her in my head as well - completely tattooed, huge multi-coloured mohawk and a fab leather vest coat! I wanna be Dakota Frost LOL

I can't wait for the next book in this series to come out!

I would like to thank the author and publisher for allowing me to review this book free of charge through NetGalley.

Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.

Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who’d cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.

My review:
This is the final book in the Royal House of Shadows series and this one was the best of them all.

Liliana transported herself to find Micah, the youngest brother of the royal family of Elden, but rather than find herself in the woods near his castle, she found herself in the castle itself in front of Micah, or the Lord of the Abyss as he now is. He instantly puts her in the dungeon and it is now her task to try to make him remember who he is and tell him what he must do in order to restore Elden to its former glory.

Unfortunately for Liliana, Micah doesn't even remember his name, let alone anything else about his previous life, so she has a hard task in front of her. He is hard, cold, moody and downright scary, but Liliana isn't afraid, not after what she has been through. She convinces him to let her cook for him, so she doesn't have to spend the nights in the cold dungeon and soon they begin to feel a deep attraction towards one another. Liliana believes this cannot be real and she thinks she is rather ugly and deformed. The idea of Beauty and Beast runs through this book, but which one is which I haven't yet worked out LMAO!

She also begins to tell him stories about himself and his brothers and sister, although at the time he doesn't know who these people are and whilst he loves hearing about them, they also enrage him at one point, causing him immense pain.

The Blood Sorcerer is also on the hunt for Liliana, for she is his daughter and no one defies the Blood Sorcerer, but she keeps this little bit of information from Micah, believing that he will kill her when he finds out who she really is. The Blood Sorcerer sends his army out to attack the castle and find her, but Micah uses his powers as the Lord of the Abyss to defend it and the people of the village and so they have a temporary defeat. Liliana eventually tells him what he doesn't really want to hear, but he now has only a short time to return to Elden. And off they go on a perilous journey back to the destroyed kingdom of Elden.

He does manage to defeat the Blood Sorcerer, but I do think the actual fight scene was very short and over before you knew it. I know Micah is meant to be powerful, being an heir to Elden and all, but the Blood Sorcerer was also meant to be very powerful and he was overthrown very quickly. His spell lifted off the land. Micah's brothers and sister returned and everyone lived happily ever after!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and this series and loved how it all tied together in the end battle against the Blood Sorcerer.

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to review this book honestly through NetGalley.

Ascension by Sable Grace

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed—vampyre, demons, shape shifters—and mankind fight their last battle for survival.

Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen . . . and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission—to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity—Kyana has no choice but to accept.

She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort . . . Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motive and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both.


My review:
This book was a new twist on the usual UF books I read and I really loved it! Kyana is a Dark Breed with a difference to all others - she is half Vampyre and half Lychen (or werewolf), which makes her the best tracer the Order of the Ancients have as she can go a-hunting when others can't. The Order of the Ancients is a group set up to work for the Greek gods and goddesses and the likes of Ares, Artemis and the Three Fates or Moriae make regular appearances too. At first I wasn't totally sure how the Greek gods and goddesses would mix with the usual UF characters of vampire, werewolves and witches, but it worked so well.

Kyana has been given the ultimate test of her life - find out who has opened the gates of Tartarus and let all the evil Dark Breeds into the world Above. This world is divided into 3 areas - Below, where the Dark Breeds generally live, Above where the humans live and Beyond where the gods all live. To aid her on her hunt is the one person she was rather not be with - Ryker, a demi-god who spurned her advances 10 years ago and whom she has never quite forgiven for his rejection.

With the aid of her friends, Geoff, another vamp tracer and Haven, the only human Kyana can abide, Kyana and Ryker manage to find several clues, although none completely revealing, as to who opened the gates and why. They are using the opportunity to kill off all the Chosen, the humans chosen to take over from the gods and goddesses as they start to weaken, but who would want to destroy the Chosen and kill off all the gods?

Kyana was a strange heroine for me. She was almost an anti-heroine in that she didn't especially like working with others, enjoyed the glory she had, was a bit big-headed at times and showed a clear dislike for the humans she was sent to save, but I grew to love her as she showed her caring nature eventually. She was willing to give herself over to whatever punishments the gods were willing to give her, because had wanted to save her best friend in the only way she knew how.

I really enjoyed watching the tension build build Kyana and Ryker and it was clearly obvious from the beginning that while they might both act as if they would rather kill each other than work together, they did really feel something for each other. Eventually they mutual dislike faded and changed into respect and like for each other. I do hope their relationship develops a bit more through the next book.

I did also like the little surprise Geoff had in store for Kyana at the end too. The huge cliffhanger at the end of the book got me as well and immediately I went out hunting for the next one! Can't wait to read this one next!

Rampant by Saskia Walker

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
Possession is only half the fun…

The moment she arrives at her rented vacation cottage nestled in Scotland, Zoë Daniels feels it—an arousal so powerful she's compelled to surrender to the unusually forceful carnal desires…with nearly anyone who crosses her path. Crawford Logan, the boat builder with the wayward grin. The devilish restaurateur Cain Davot, who seems to know more about Zoë than he lets on. And even her sexy neighbor Grayson Murdoch, whose eyes delve deep into her soul as he explores every inch of her body.

Yet there's something unsettling about the way the locals watch her, something eerie about these overwhelming encounters. Zoë knows she's not quite in control of herself and begins to wonder if there's any truth to the legend of Annabel McGraw, a powerful, promiscuous eighteenth-century witch who once owned the cottage, and whose spirit t is rumored to affect anyone who stays there. Zoë doesn't t believe in anything that even hints at the occult, but t now strange visions are turning frightening…and only y one man's touch can bring her back to earth.

My review:

I think this must be my first proper erotica read ever (unless you count the later Anita Blake books, which were pretty much all sex and no action!). Not that I'm a prude but I prefer the kick ass, blood and gore type of books that this one was, but still a fairly enjoyable read.

Zoe takes a much deserved break from her high flying job as a PA in a lawyer's office and heads up to Scotland to a little seaside village, which her sister found for her. Just as she drives up to the village, she starts to get hot and not just temperature hot either. And soon enough she meets a rather handsome biker bloke who she wants to do naughty things to - not her usual reaction to a man she's just met!

The house she has rented gives her a funny feeling that someone else is there with her, but there is no one to be seen - only a feeling! Her neighbour ends up being the hunky biker and the other village menfolk (and one of the women too) take an interest in her as well, but it turns out that they are all witches of one kind or another. Being a complete non-believer in magic it takes her a while to accept what is happening to her.

There is a coven trying to invoke some very powerful, forbidden spells and unfortunately for her, Zoe is dragged into it all, whilst her hunky neighbour tries to save her from a fate worse than death. A lot of the power uses sex to aid it along the way so we are treated to lots of hot, steamy sex scenes as well.

The actual plot, without all the sex scenes, was a good one and I enjoyed the idea of what the dark witches were trying to achieve and the power struggles the coven were experiencing at times. Just wish there had been much blood and gore in it :P

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and is reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.


My review:
I loved this book! I have had this series on my to-read list for so long and finally got round to reading it.

Rachel Morgan is a witch working for the I.S - Inderland Security and decides she has had enough of being given the crappy jobs as a runner so quits her job. However no-one just quits the I.S and walks away without a bounty being put on their heads. But lucky for Rachel, the I.S actually wants to get rid of her so her boss Denon is willing to let her go until Ivy Tamwood, the best runner in the I.S and a living non-practising vampire, decides to quit alongside Rachel.

Together they move into a church and, with the help of Jenks the pixy, try to keep Rachel alive after several attempts on her life are made, courtesy of her old boss. Rachel also finds out that one of the big wigs in town is doing some very illegal activities and has a plan to get some evidence which should in turn get the I.S off her back. However, not everything goes to plan (as it never does and how boring would that be?!) and she gets caught. Several times!

I totally loved the characters in this book. The friendly banter between Rachel and Jenks was hilarious. Ivy was a strange one - I could never quite decide if she was going to go after Rachel or not after the first time, but she ended up being the kind of person you could rely on in a bad situation. (not quite sure why Rachel was so freaked out about Ivy attacking her even before the first situation, especially when she knew what Ivy was though). I have inklings over who I think Keasley really is, but no idea why. He could just be an old warlock, but I do think there's more to him than was revealed in this book.

I loved the way that magic was portrayed in this book as well - the need for mixing up potions to create spells and charm amulets is something I haven't read about in a while. Almost took me back to what I think magic is all about.

I'm looking forward to buying the next ones in this series, although I have a fair few to catch up on!

50 Ways To Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
Jazz cant decide whether to scorch him with a fireball or jump into bed with him

Jasmine Tremaine, a witch who cant stay out of trouble
Nikolai Gregorivich, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire cop on the trail of a serial killer

The sizzling love affair between Jazz and Nick has been off-again-on-again-for about 300 years. Mostly off, lately. But now Nick needs Jazzs help, and while Jazz and Nick try to figure out their own hearts and resist their ever-increasing attraction, they must steer clear of a maniacal killer with super-supernatural powers. They are surrounded by a hilarious cast of oddball paranormal characters, including Norma, the chain-smoking ghost who haunts Jazzs sports car, Dweezil, her ghoul of a boss, and Fluff and Puff, a pair of bunny slippers with sharp teeth and short tempers (watch your ankles!).

My review:
This book was such a fun book to read! I loved all the comedy in it, especially the fluffy slippers!

Jazz Tremaine is a centuries old witch, working as a curse eliminator in the city. Her old vampire lover, Nick appears on the scene and she throws a few fireballs his way before threatening to stake him. Problem is he still drives her crazy and makes her wants to do naughty things with him! She loves him but also hates him with a passion. However he needs her help desperately and will do anything he can to convince her to help him.

Vampires have been disappearing and he has been hired by the Protectorate, the vampire council, to find out who or what is making them disappear. He asks Jazz for her help which she does reluctantly at first as she knows getting involved with Nick again is probably not the best idea.

They both soon find out who it is and what he has been doing and this really shocks Jazz and for the first time in years, in decades, she is scared! She has been there before and was lucky to survive and doesn't want to go through hell all over again, but in order to help Nick, the vampires and anyone else who might get lured into the trap, she knows she must face this monster once again.

I loved Irma as well, the ghost who died in Jazz's car, who cannot be eradicated for some reason. Jazz has tried and tried to get rid of her with hundreds of spells but none of them have worked. Lucky for Jazz really as Irma comes in quite handy at the end. Irma's such a fun ghost in this story!

Whilst the main story plot was brilliant and the characters were fun too, I loved the "will they won't they" romance line too. You did really know that Jazz and Nick would end up together but Jazz definitely fought her feelings all the way through the book, trying to deny what she felt for him. I'm so glad she finally gave the romance the chance it deserves.

Looking forward to reading the next one in the series (providing there is one that is - will have to go and find out!)

Embrace the Night by Karen Chance

Synopsis from Goodreads.com
Cassandra Palmer may be the world's chief clairvoyant, but she's still magically bound to a master vampire. Only an ancient book called the Codex Merlini possesses the incantation to free Cassie-but harnessing its limitless power could endanger the world...



My review:
Loved this book. Cassie is now the fully fledged Pythia, but she still has several people trying to kill her. The vampires want her to release Mircea of the geis, which he put on her and she inadvertently doubly put on him in a past timeline meeting. The Silver Circle mages want to kill her so she does not become a Pythia under the control of a vampire and poor Cassie doesn't know where and when to run to. She knows she has to get hold of a book called the Codex Merlini, but when and where it is ends up becoming yet another battle for her life!

She is still partners of sorts with the rogue mage Pritkin and while she doesn't completely trust him and his motivations, she has no one else to turn to for help. However there's more to Pritkin that Cassie could have ever possibly imagined! Pritkin did annoy so much throughout this book - he's secretive, slimy, arrogant and so many times I wished Cassie had kicked his ass! But there is a reason for his attitude which is revealed right at the end of the book and I did understand him more then.

Many trips back and forth through time soon lead Cassie on the right trail to find the Codex and many surprises are in store for her. Billy makes another appearance and I love his sarcastic humour! I do still get a little freaked out at the Cassie-Mercia relationship with their history, but she's an adult now so I guess she can make her own decisions about him!

I think Karen Chance has finally found her true writing style with this one. She doesn't seem to spend so long going back over the old history of the characters, nor does she include lengthy explanations of ideas/terms used in the book as she has done in the previous books in this series.

There was lots of action in this one and even at 97% of the book I was still not quite sure if everything had gone to plan and Cassie was going to survive the day! Love it when book keep you hanging until the very end!

Looking forward to the next one.