Review: Code Name Jack Rabbit (The Vampire Guard Book 1) by Elizabeth Noble

Rating: 4🌈

“Welcome to the Vampire Guard, where legend and myth meet science and technology.”

Code Name Jack Rabbit is a book the starts a new chapter in the lives of the couples and characters from Anne Barwell and Elizabeth Noble’s excellent paranormal series, The Sleepless City.

There, along the banks of Lake Erie in the town of Boggslake, Ohio, there was a haunted mansion called Bogg’s Castle. Home to a werewolf, several ancient vampires, a human, a dog, and the ghostly original owner, they solved murders, had many found family dramatic perilous moments, and found their mates.

Code Name Jack Rabbit picks up from the end of tumultuous events in Shifting Chaos. While recovered, each is dealing with the aftermath.

I enjoyed this and was somewhat sorry to see that the intriguing town and full found family is going to be left behind for the trilogy.

Two couples, Jonas Forge and Blair Turner (both vampires) and Henri de Fluer aka Declan and Lucas Coate (vampire and werewolf) are recruited by an ancient agency. And moved, along with Moose the dog, to another location.

Left behind in Bogg’s Castle is Simon and Ben (vampire and human). And the ghost of course. And while Noble’s storyline and the characters discussions themselves have this separation make perfect sense, they are after all extremely long lived, if not eternal species, it’s not as easy for the reader who loves them as family.

So it’s a major adjustment to have a new crew of people and players. They also are a foundation of their own, like those of Bogg’s Castle.

The mystery plays well against the type of paranormal creatures and murders they have already faced prior. And I’m sensing a link that may be forming between the series villains.

Anyway, it’s shaping up to be another exciting new series and a fast paced new group of characters.

I’m definitely recommending it. And read The Sleepless City too. It a much needed foundation for this.

It’s a rec for me. It a good lead in to a terrific sequel series. Read them in the order they are written.

The Sleepless City:

✓ Shades of Sepia #1 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Electric Candle #2 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

The Vampire Guard:

✓ Code Name Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Blurb:

Vampires and werewolves live long lives. The Sleepless City saga might have ended but the story continues…

Welcome to the Vampire Guard, where legend and myth meet science and technology.

Vampires make the best spies. Throw a smart-mouthed werewolf in with three vampires, mix well, and The Vampire Guard’s newest team is bound to become one of their greatest assets. Super spies with a full range of skills. Warrior, hacker, thief, and scientist. They get in, do the job, and get out before the bad guys ever know what hit them.

Forge, Blair, Declan, and Lucas are thrust into the world of high-tech spies and top-secret espionage conspiracies. Recruited into the world’s most elite and secret organization with one singular mission. Protect those who can’t defend themselves from ruin.

Together they must thwart an assassination attempt on the open waters of Lake Superior while tracking a previously unknown biological weapon controlled by the Qiguan—a weapon which may very well mean death for one of them.

• Publisher: Howling Corgi Press; 2nd edition (January 12, 2021)

• Publication date: January 12, 2021

• Print length: 249 pages

Review: Fated Mates and How to Woo Them (Fated Mates #1) by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

The Fated Mates duology (at the moment) is a weird one. Primarily due to the fact that the books were written and released out of order. So book two, Fated Mates and Where to Find Them , Zander and Max’s romance, preceded this one. And it felt like we were missing out on important things, like foundation history and grounding within a universe framework.

While not complete, Sherwood delivers more of the detailed layering about the VSP, true mates, and a certain matchmaker that was absent from book two. It helps make the story. This and really delightful characters who have wonderful chemistry with each other.

I actually enjoyed them and their story better because I got who they were, their backgrounds, and Sherwood made me believe in their instant connection and hot chemistry.

Chase, the overly extended, pushed to his physical and mental limits grad student, is so well defined. He is over scheduled, too many responsibilities, isn’t sleeping, and he’s exhausted. He may come across as young, and naive but always kind. Definitely not an “air head”, a term that has always carried a note of derision along with it. Tbh, I was surprised to see it in the tags/description.

Ronan, a vampire of many interests and talents, is a perfect choice for Chase. I enjoyed his pursuit of Chase and Ronan’s twin brother, who clearly needs his own story. Ronan is a great character all his own, from his interests in mechanics and racing to his interactions with Father, he has layers to go with Chase’s.

Their story is 153 pages but it could easily have been much longer or even have a sequel of their own.

I’m definitely recommending Fated Mates and How to Woo Them (Fated Mates #1) by A. J. Sherwood . It’s a delightful paranormal romance and has a wonderful couple of fated mates at its heart.

Fated Mates:

✓ Fated Mates and How to Woo Them #1

✓ Fated Mates and Where to Find Them #2

Buy Link:

Fated Mates and How to Woo Them

Blurb:

Chase is crazy busy behind the scenes at the fraternity get together, so when an alumni comes in, he just notes a hot man in his vicinity and goes right back to work.

When Ronan gets hurt, and Chase feeds him, Chase’s reaction opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Ones that Ronan wants to explore.

Is Chase compatible with vampires? Or could he possibly be something more?

Tags:

Vampire story, same universe as Max and Zander, because yes the plot bunnies absolutely ran wild with this one, I am not in charge of this trainwreck, just along for the ride like you are, Chase has his airheaded moments, there is absolutely no chill where Ronan is concerned, bad guys have human sacrifice written all over them, whole story is mindless violence and fluff, sorry not sorry for this

• Publisher: (December 8, 2023)

• Publication date: December 8, 2023

• Print length: 153 pages

Review: Fated Mates and Where to Find Them (Fated Mates #2) by A J Sherwood

Rating: 3.75🌈

Fated Mates and Where to Find Them is sort of odd to begin with in that it’s book two of Sherwood’s Fated Mates series but book one hasn’t been released yet. And we get the couple from that first book in this novel in an interesting manner but what it does is highlight how much of the series world building is actually missing.

I did enjoy Fated Mates and Where to Find Them. I liked the couple, several of the secondary characters, and how fast paced the plot was. This story just flew by.

But it wasn’t supported by a strong foundation. I didn’t get anything as to the world structure. Vampire ruling class system? Human secondary status? Blood slaves? Where’d that come from? I’d have wanted more an idea of an overall portrait of the world in terms of paranormal development. I even knew who the villain was and what the dramatic event would be. How it would play out, no. But the general idea? Yes.

So really a just a tighter overall plan. Maybe that’s coming in the next book, which is book one. Normally it’s where we get a series foundation. I’m looking forward to seeing what Sherwood has in store for the characters we’ve already seen and how the author is going to handle a world where we’ve already been a visitor to.

Live fated mates, and vampires and humans as couples, this is a series you should check out.

Fated Mates:

◦ Fated Mates and How to Woo Them #1 – Dec 8,2023

✓ Fated Mates and Where to Find Them #2

Buy Link:

Fated Mates and Where to Find Them

Blurb:

Zander is in an auction house for the sole purpose of getting someone to sign a contract. He doesn’t have any interest in owning a blood slave—until he lays eyes on Max. That, he must have.

Max is there for reasons of his own, mostly desperate reasons, and he’s braced himself for a year of hell. Which doesn’t seem to be forthcoming.

Someone needs to explain to this vampire that he’s supposed to use Max, not spoil him. Zander doesn’t seem to get it.

Tags:

Paranormal romance, blood slave contract thing, except Zander doesn’t actually know how to own someone, I’m pretty sure he’d break out into hives if he couldn’t spoil Max, Max has no idea what just hit him, he just knows he’s somehow the responsible one, it’s definitely not Zander, sexy times incoming!, Zander is a walking green flag, sass, so much sass incoming, light angst, mostly as an excuse for cuddles, stubborn to lovers, part time soulmates, full time problem, whole story is just mindless violence and fluff, the summary really doesn’t get across how much sex is in this but it’s also not wrong, cinnamon protection squad, assemble!

Review: A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1) by Cyan Crowe

Rating: 4.5🌈

A Star So Dark and Peculiar , the first in the Tears from the Sky series by Cyan Crowe, is also a first novel by the author for me. I’m all about storytelling that involves multiple types of shifters, mating bonds, paranormal species , and exploring the mythology that will build on their past in the series arc.

Crowe is giving the reader all that and more here. The series is dark fiction and characters that feel engaging and real are often treated as expendable, meeting their True Death unexpectedly. One at least I wasn’t prepared for. But it’s in keeping with the characterizations and relationship dynamics Crowe is developing.

Cyan Crowe does several things that are notable, most fantastic and one not so great.

First is the fact that our introduction into the world is a confusing one. That window into the past with the Crown Lords and Oracle didn’t work, at least for me. I felt that any information gleaned from those scenes could have been imparted in other ways throughout the storyline. In fact the entire book only really came together one we got into the present day.

That’s where everything starts to gel. The characters are strong, exceedingly well written, and while the reader doesn’t yet have a solid understanding of the world building, it’s parts are added as the characters interact and the narrative becomes more complex to give a larger perspective on the mystery and universe surrounding them.

It’s a brutal world overlaid with an air of civility, animalistic with a skin of humanity. Cell phone technology with fang and claw death in tandem. The author realistically portrays a divided paranormal society, literally separated by fortified walls and gates, each ruled by a different species with a similar structure and name. The immortal Crown Lion, Crown Wolf, and Crown Gryfalcon, each at the head of their respective species, then they have their Blades of the Crown. A unknown person who is close to the Crown, carries out their orders/duties as they see fit, an assassin if need be. The Blades are old and said to have some of the immortal blood in them.

This is just part of the intriguing mystery and information that the reader gathers from the narrative as we meet Gage Declan, Alpha Wolf of the City (wolf territory although other species live there). He’s considered young for the job position he’s holding but powerful in his role to easily manage his team. Gage’s character and history is a complex one, and becomes even stronger and fascinating as the book progresses. He starts off strong but the author builds on layer after layer, giving Gage remarkable depth and high intelligence while not diminishing his raw brutality .

To balance such a compelling being the author had to craft an equally complicated, magnetic personality. Crowe gives us Alpha Ethan Odin Vinci, new Alpha Lion of the Fort (Lion shifter section with other species residing). But Ethan is ancient, mysterious, and perhaps more. So they begin at a combative level to sort out a mystery plaguing both their sections and separate species.

Additionally, same sex relationships or activities are illegal and considered unnatural by law and the cultures. So events that occur are fundamentally shocking to both.

This is a great element and the way it’s handled on both sides makes sense for the two men involved from both personal and political perspectives. This is a core sea change that can, given both Alphas status and power, fundamentally change society.

Given this fact and the type of being each person is, Crowe stays true to the heart of the narrative and world the author is still rolling out in showing the reader the complex, often contradictory, intense, sometimes feral or savage behavior that resides within them, often after seemingly being pleasantly civil.

This is exciting stuff. We have a whole vampire element here that’s probably not what it appears to be. Right now they are the very big bad though.

Plus there’s things like the TEARs, a fatal illness no one knows how or why it occurs but that there’s no cure or antidote. The scenes involving people in the final stages are moving and heartbreaking.

Crowe has also assembled an excellent cast of characters surrounding the main personalities, and that seems to be expanding as well to meet the needs of the revelations of the storylines. The plot lines, many that they are, flow so fluidly through the story, picking up speed as it arrives at the main climatic battle and the jumping off point towards the next book.

Which honestly can’t come soon enough.

Except for that stumbled start, A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1) by Cyan Crowe is a fantastic read. It’s exciting, full of new multidimensional characters, and imaginative storytelling. I can’t wait for it to continue.

I’m highly recommending it for all lovers of paranormal fiction and dark romance.

Tears from the Sky:

◦ A Star So Dark and Peculiar #1

Buy Link:

A Star So Dark and Peculiar (Tears from the Sky Book 1)by Cyan CroweBook 1 of 1: Tears from the Sky

Blurb:

It’s time to embrace the night and show the true might of the stars so bright…

My name is Gage Odysseus Declan.

You could say I’m a complicated man with uncomplicated needs. I’m Alpha Wolf for the City, charged with protecting my kind. I enjoy law and order, sexy times at Circus, and being left alone.

Step too close, and I’ll cut you down.

But I’ve stumbled upon a kitty cat that smells like a raging storm, a dark and peculiar chaos that I want to dominate and cuddle.

His name is Ethan Odin Vinci.

I suspect he’s the Blade to Crown Lion. The cat lives in the Castle, is crazier than anyone I’ve ever met, and is way too devious for that vain head of his.

And he’s just as alpha as me.

That’s…a problem.

The Lady Moons connected two men together, an utter blindsiding Bond. This has never happened before—it’s not our way.

Yet here I am. Here he is.

Here we are under the sky and the stars and the night, circling each other like we’re moonslit prey…

While bloodthirsty vampires take root in the City, and our people continue to die from TEARS.

But I’ve got this under control.

I am that good.

Get ready to twinkle twinkle, bitches.

The night is going to shine.

*This novel is approx. 150,000 words. This world does not contain MPreg.

*TW: Violence.

Review: At First Irritation (The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx Book 1) by Shelby Rhodes

Rating: 5🌈

When a book leaves me laughing at the end, has me doing spittakes and in stitches in the middle, and absolutely captivated by the strangeness and unique nature of the characters at the beginning of the story, well 5 stars it is.

And Shelby Rhodes didn’t even include one cliffhanger this time! Murderous, pain-loving characters (yes, pls do read the trigger warnings), a vampire who is quite unlike any other I’ve read, and a snarling human hunter who gets him as a partner. Both seem to have mysteries swirling around them. Even better.

The writing is really great, moving the story forward quickly without sacrificing character growth or relationship development. There’s so much more going on here that’s it’s easy to miss the small details. Bombs going off,bodies everywhere, mythologies being laid down, an agency foundation and country laws pieced together for the readers and multiple species at the same time.

It’s fabulous and woven in a bit at a time. Along with a great cast of characters that support diminutive vampire Foxx Honeywell and hulking hunter Harlow Blackmore.

Those terms in no way even begin to describe how complex and dynamic this partnership will become.

I’m dying to have the next release in my hands! My mind is filling with possibilities about what is going on with both of them. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Highly imaginative, beautifully written, yes! A five-star read! One I’m absolutely recommending.

The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx:

✓ At First Irritation #1

◦ Taste of Fear #2 – Dec 15, 2023

Trigger Warnings:

“This is a slow burn M/ M paranormal romance series with heat. There will be blood, violence, gore, torture and death. Please do not read if you find any of the previous triggering.”

— At First Irritation (The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx Book 1) by Shelby Rhodes

Buy Link:

At First Irritation (The Unwilling Adventures of Harlow & Foxx Book 1)

Description:

“Welcome, welcome. I can only guess you are here to read about my wonderful adventures? Oh, you don’t know who I am? Well, I’m Foxx Honeywell. An adorable, fierce vampire with a kink for violence. Anywho, this marks the beginning of my story. A story of violence, blood, possibly pain, and love. Though, the love part is not so apparent at first.”

So how does this story start, you may ask? Well, it starts with a simple—okay, maybe not so simple—law change, and a new job. I, Foxx, join the notorious Hunters Guild. An organization that used to murder my kind indiscriminately. But that was in the past. We’ve moved on and forward to better things, as paranormals are legal now! Yay, legal…

However, joining this government agency of questionable morals was just the catalyst of it all. Sure, the job is fun; lots of killing, maiming, blood, and even some explosions. But what is an adventure if you are all on your own? Boring, that’s what. No, the true satisfaction and fun comes not just from the job but from my partner on the job, Harlow Blackmore. The man is a sexy, silver fox of a human, who may or may not be a psychopath. He also possibly finds me irritating as hell. As any rational adult would, I choose to ignore those last parts and focus on the sexy! It will surely all work out in the end!”

Review: Must be Clowning Me (Once Upon A Bite Book 3) by Charity Parkerson

Rating: 2 🌈

Must be Clowning Me needs trigger warnings.🚩

Review contains spoilers.

Charity Parkerson’s Once Upon a Bite series are meant, in her words, to “be short, fun paranormal romps to brighten your day.”

I think I’d like to ask the author if she knows what a romp is? If you consult a dictionary it’s often found as something that’s enjoyable and lively, often humorous. Maybe sexual and fast paced.

That does describe her first story, Little Pest.

But after that the series definitely removes itself from the romp category. And while the middle story has some interesting elements and a relationship that evolves from bite /bang into something approaching realness, this finale book is a series of moments where I ask myself should I DNF here.

And it’s a very short story.

This story has a teenage vampire , Aaron (Cosmic Cardio) who hasn’t recovered from the rape he suffered when he was turned . He falls into instant lust/love with a traumatized older psychologist who was bitten and turned by a vampire clown.

Wait it gets worse. And spoiler alert 🚨

The older psychologist, Jake, who’s now a baby vampire himself and dealing with that forced change , is also hiding the major issues. One being that he’s a heavily traumatized man, dealing with years of domestic abuse and violence. Oh yes. And he’s instantly having sex with, yes, the teenage vampire who found him.

The teenage vampire can hear Jake’s thoughts but he doesn’t tell him he’s listening instead he’s just pretending he’s hearing normally. Any flags here?

But wait there’s more! The teenager, Aaron ,who found Jake, the psychiatrist, was on his way to see his new , yep, psychiatrist. Who is Jake. Who starts to counsel him.

Much is made of the fact that now they are vampires, that changes perspectives on many things. Uh maybe not. I stopped throwing flags a while back. My arm got sore.

Then to wrap up, tiny fast forwards in time where everyone is in love, a bad guy has been vanquished, and HEA.

It’s a story where you read and you think it can’t be this bad. It will redeem itself and then it doesn’t.

Nothing narratively flows. That bit with the ex boyfriend is horrifying and should come with ginormous trigger warnings. Especially for anyone who has been a victim of Domestic violence or abuse. Especially the use of a deeply seated phobia against the victim to further increase the physical /emotional traumatic damage his stalker is causing. All of which the reader will experience with the victim on the page through his eyes and emotions.

That’s as far from funny or a romp as anything I can think of.

So no recommendations here, except for the first one in the series, Little Pest. Skip the rest.

Especially the last. It should come with trigger warnings for domestic violence and abuse, as well as rape recovery.

Once Upon A Bite:

✓ Little Pest #1

✓ Cosmic Cardio #2

✓ Must be Clowning Me #3 🚩

Buy Link:

Must be Clowning Me (Once Upon a Bite Book 3)

Description:

All Jake wants is a fresh start. He REALLY gets his wish. Now he’s trapped for eternity as a night dweller.

Only Jake could get attacked by a vampire clown the moment he moves his therapy practice to New Orleans. Fortunately, the town is rife with supernatural clients to keep his business afloat. But life has always enjoyed a good laugh at Jake’s expense, and he can’t stop thinking about one client in particular. The vampire who found him and saved him.

Having a vampire therapist is a bit of a dream come true for Aaron. He’s been needing one for a while. Aaron has a barrel full of issues to work out, and it’s easier if his therapist knows about the supernatural world. Unfortunately, Aaron never expected his therapist to be so hot, and they have a connection from day one. There’s no way for him to stay on task. Aaron doesn’t know if he’s getting better or if he’s falling in love. Truthfully, he’s also not sure if he cares anymore, as long as he gets to keep seeing Jake.

Must be Clowning Me is the third book in Charity Parkerson’s Once Upon a Bite series. These books are meant to be short, fun paranormal romps to brighten your day.

Review: How To Date A Dragon (a Here Be Dragons prequel) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 3.5🌈

How To Date A Dragon is a short cute prequel to Louisa Masters Here Be Dragons series. This quick romance between Hagen, a dragon, and real estate agent, the vampire Jaiden is about 88 pages long. That doesn’t allow much time for character or relationship development. It comes with the expectation that the reader is already familiar with the characters and the world building behind it.

The purpose of Hagen and Jaiden meeting is to find the location for what will become in the series Here Be Dragons, the seat and home of the dragons on Earth. They meet hot and heavy, go on a couple of romantic dates, and then the epilogue flashes forward to find them into an established relationship.

It’s sexy, the couple engaging, and the entire thing short. Definitely a story that could benefit from more exposition and length. But it’s a cute addition to Louisa Masters series and dragons.

Read it if you’re a fan of both!

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › How-Da…How To Date A Dragon (Here Be Dragons)

Description:

Tip #1 for dealing with dragons: be prepared for anything

My whole life, I thought dragons were majestic, wise, and fearsome creatures. Not to mention fictional. It’s been less than a year since that last belief was debunked. Dragons are real, they’re now living among us, and I’m the lucky realtor who gets to sell a house to their leader. I just have to impress his representative first. No problem—I’m a professional.

Except the dragon rep turns out to be the guy I hooked up with last night, and he’s fast disproving everything I believed about dragons. Unless “wise” actually means “addicted to glitter” and “majestic” is a euphemism for “overgrown frat boy.”

Hagen might actually be the most annoying person I’ve ever met, yet I can’t resist going on a date with him. One thing’s for sure, someone needs to write me a how-to guide for dating a dragon… glitter not included.

Related to: Here Be Dragons

Review: Little Pest (Once Upon A Bite Book 1) by Charity Parkerson

Rating: 4.5 🌈

If you’re in the mood for a cute kinky adult bedtime story, I’ve got a new trilogy for you! Author Charity Parkerson is offering up a trio of short adult paranormal tales, a mixture of fang, kink, and love done weird vampire style.

Little Pest’s unique bag of elements include BDSM Daddy play, amorous tiny bats fielded by a fly swatter, a lonely ancient vampire who loves Vegas, and a sad young man who picked the wrong night to be brave and find a Daddy.

As odd a group as this sounds, as a short story, it comes marvelously together. Even if Daddy play or BDSM isn’t a trope you read, the way it’s written is done well and easy for a reader to understand why it fills such an emotional need for Tate.

The ancient vampire? Draco, lonely in Las Vegas and unaware of how his long undead life is about to change. A terrifyingly good vampire and terrific character. I always suspected magicians were vampires anyway.

Tate is, uh was a vulnerable young man with a short unhappy life behind him. Parkerson creates in Tate a character of such bravery, self knowledge, and honesty that it’s impossible not to root for him and love him. Onesie and all.

And turns out he’s actually perfect for Draco, if only he can get past the ancient fears.

Little Pest is a quick fun Paranormal romance. It’s quirky, gives the reader a new slant on types of vampires (pesky young things), and mild kinky romance.

I’m looking forward to the remaining two tales. They look to be equally weird , different, and daffy while fangy and romantic. Gotta love that!

Once Upon A Bite:

✓ Little Pest #1

◦ Cosmic Cardio #2 – April 25,2023

◦ Must be Clowning Me #3 – May 8, 2023

Note: love these covers!

Buy Link:

Little Pest (Once Upon a Bite Book 1)

Description:

Draco is the oldest vamp around. Tate is the newest and possibly the most annoying. They’re the perfect pair.

As one of the oldest living vampires, Draco has seen a lot of history. He’s also extremely powerful. With that power comes an allure that draws younger supernaturals to him like flies, hoping for a taste of his… expertise. Draco wants none of that. He lives a quiet life as a magician at a casino in Vegas. It’s a fun gig for a retired vamp with no real responsibilities left to his name. Then Tate flies into his life. Now nothing is the same.

Tate is a little hapless. He’s a little everything, actually. In fact, that pretty much sums up his personality. He’s a Little. At least, he was before some dude bit him in a nightclub and now Tate is stronger than ten men, can control minds, and turn into a bat. He has no clue how he’s doing any of that. No one taught him how to be a vampire. In fact, he doesn’t know how to survive. Without Draco’s help, he won’t. If it means Tate has to make a pest of himself to get Draco to notice him and teach him the how-tos of his new life, then so be it. Falling in love, that was just another one of Tate’s little mistakes, but it might be his best one yet.

Little Pest is the first book in Charity Parkerson’s Once Upon a Bite series. These books are meant to be short, fun paranormal romps to brighten your day.

Review: Violent Desire (Blackrose Brotherhood #1) by Ariana Nash

Rating: 4.25🌈

I’m a fan of Ariana Nash’s books. This author’s highly imaginative ability to create exciting stories and interesting , layered characters in urban fantasy or paranormal worlds just captivates me.

Violent Desire sees Nash plunging into the world of chaos and darkness by way of warring factions of vampires, unknown to the human population. It’s a campaign that spreads across the globe and has been ongoing for centuries. Perhaps since the beginning of creation.

Nash starts In immediately with the dark elements. It’s that sort of story that comes with trigger warnings at the beginning.

Everyone here is a murderous sort of person. The body count is extremely high. These aren’t your sparkly vampires. Even the “good guy “ vampires aren’t especially good. All are killers, just with more rules.

Nash threads the world building with more myths and mysteries than actual facts which is a bit frustrating but probably speaks towards the plots coming in the future stories, if I’m picking up on the hints here.

Trust no one. Got it.

Det.Eric Sharpe is a grieving, determined man on a course of revenge when we meet him. That’s the first layer, which when pealed away when a plan goes so wrong, reveals the brutalized, traumatized man his broken mind has tried to forget.

Nash does this type of character so well. Someone who’s undergone immense trauma, undeniable pain and suffering, been brutalized and is still struggling with the mental and emotional effects. In Eric’s case, it’s even more complicated because his is has its origins in something so monstrous no one believed him.

It’s such a great hook. As one of our narrators, it pulls you in emotionally and you stay connected, even as he struggles through the darkness of his past. FYI, trigger warnings.

The other narrator is a vampire. Honestly, I found him less compelling, at least until towards the end. Zaine, one of the Brotherhood. It’s hard for Zaine, even as a vampire, to match up with the pathos and complexity that is Eric. We just get bits and pieces of Zaine’s history, a lot of posturing at Atlas, the headquarters of the Brotherhood, but not a ton of depth.

The hunt is focused around a old vampire named Sebastian, who has ties to Eric. So the story’s narrative “dance” remains in many respects on Eric and Sebastian, not Eric and Zaine. And the boss of the Brotherhood. Hmmmmm.

Plus there’s so many twists that Nash is weaving into the series and story that have no solution here. Fascinating mysteries that will flow all the way through the series and probably other characters, as has happened with other series.

So I’m recommending this book and I’m onto the next.

It features another couple. That should be interesting. I’ll let you know. I always am up for new takes on the paranormal and their origins. Should be quite the ride!

Blackrose Brotherhood series:

✓ Violent Desire #1

◦ Violent Mistake #2

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showViolent Desire (Blackrose Brotherhood #1) by Ariana Nash

Description:

Twelve immortals, twelve outcasts, one mission.
To kill their own kind, before it’s too late.

Detective, killer, vigilante. Eric Sharpe is tired of watching criminals walk free. When a lowlife drug dealer kills his partner and escapes justice, Eric plots his own revenge. His plan is faultless but for one thing: the handsome, mysterious man who arrives moments before Eric’s plan comes to fruition. Not only does the mysterious man know Eric’s an undercover cop, he knows exactly what Eric did fifteen years ago—an event so traumatic Eric has been trying to bury it ever since. And the mysterious man? Fifteen years ago, Eric killed him.

Now he’s back to reclaim what’s his: Detective Eric Sharpe.

Immortal, predator, vampire. After betraying himself and the Blackrose Brotherhood fifty years ago, Zaine can’t afford another mistake. There’s one rule above all others the Brotherhood stand by. One rule that can never be broken. Never, ever care. All Zaine has to do is hunt and kill the savage nyktelios vampires and keep his head down. And he was doing just fine until he saved Detective Eric Sharpe from a vicious vampire attack. He can’t stop thinking about the intelligent, handsome, haunted man. Walking away is the right thing to do, but the detective and Zaine are hunting the same killer—a vampire who knows more about both of them and the Brotherhood than anyone realizes.

A vampire seeking to bring down the Brotherhood for good.

Zaine can’t walk away. Eric won’t walk away. The vampire must be stopped, Brotherhood rules be damned, and they’ll go down fighting together to end him.

***

Violent Desire is the first book in an all-new fast-burn MM paranormal romance series. Each book features a new gay couple ending in a HEA/HFN.

Content notice: These are adult books with dark content. These vampires do not sparkle. They’re relentless in their mission. They do bad things for good reasons, and some do good things for terrible reasons. They DO NOT CARE. The members of the brotherhood have been described as psychopaths with fangs.

For content warning, see the paperback copyright page.

Review: Night Tricks ( Midnight Magic #1) by Richard Amos

Rating: 2.75

“I considered the Arcana, wondering if it had some healing properties. Decided to not try or suggest such a thing. I didn’t know what was inside me, what it could do. Just because it whispered things at me, we weren’t joined at the hip.”

— Night Tricks (Midnight Magic Book 1) by Richard Amos

If reading that made your brain hurt, you’re not alone. That’s Clayton or Clay as he prefers to be called, warlock and the POV of the novel and series.

This novel has some promising elements to its plot, and overall series arc. It has some interesting secondary characters like the button-eyed demon. But to get to those and others, the reader must have an either a love for certain clichés story elements, a character that’s so unbelievably dimwitted, that he repeatedly does the wrong thing , leaps into sex, hides who he is but doesn’t really know who he is, does amazing things NO One can do but has basically a meh , that’s sorta neat, attitude.

Anyway see below:

Cliché:

🔹Rift in universe caused by magical war. Literally called The Rift. Soo many books with exact element down to that name. Please find another name, someone.

🔹Billionaire Vampire with black rose tattoos, because dark beauty with thorns. Yep. Complete with alabaster glowy body.

MC is hard to read as the book is from his POV and he often comes across as someone with the emotional maturity of a tweenage valley girl. There’s a lot of EEKs everywhere! In that exact manner.

As in “I mean…EEK!”

At the end of the first quarter of the book, I was seriously thinking of not finishing.

Tae Frost and Clayton Christmas’s relationship is along the lines of I want you, let’s have sex. Oh, no, it’s you, not me. Let’s have sex. More woe is me. More, sex. Oh , no. Look what we did. More woe. Rinse , repeat. Add lies, weepy history, lies.

You get ready at one point to say to any villain “have at them”.

By the end, the author has telegraphed who or where the villain of the plot is. And they are on the run with the hero still lying his brains out.

If I continue on, it will be only to flip through the pages to the end to see if I’m right.

No more EEK for me.

For fans of this author, I’m sure you’ll already have found this book and series.

For other lovers of magic and Urban Fantasy Romance fiction, I’ll leave it up to you.

Midnight Magic series:

Night Tricks #1

Night Troubles 2

Night Trials #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showNight Tricks (Midnight Magic #1) by Richard Amos – Goodreads

Synopsis:

They say warlocks are lesser beings. I’m about to prove them wrong.

The streets have been my home for as long as I can remember. To get by, I use my magic tricks, bringing smiles to the faces of adults and children alike.

As a warlock, my powers are limited. Nothing like a witch’s magical skills. Basically, I’m a glorified magician as well as a second-class citizen. Fine. It doesn’t get me down. I have my cat Fizz and Kylie Minogue’s music to keep me going as I dream big.

I know there’s a better life out there for me.

When I accidentally summon the lost magic of arcana, something not even a powerful witch can do, my world is turned upside down.

Enter Tae Frost. Mysterious billionaire vampire. Deliciously handsome and brooding. Able to set my pulse racing with just one look. A man who offers to change my life for the better. I just have to move into his penthouse and help him hunt demons first.

Hmmm. I have a big decision to make. Do I take this Cinderella-like opportunity? Especially with the dangerous secret I’m hiding from the world. And if the witches discover I’ve summoned arcana… Well, it won’t be fun to be me if they do.

There’s a demon making a big impression—a creepy, button-eyed man spilling blood across London. Seemingly uncatchable, as well as unhinged. The city is trembling in the wake of his shadow.

With my new powers, I’m the only one to stop him.

Damn.

Night Tricks is the first book in an Urban Fantasy Romance series packed with magic, demons, action, and steamy moments. Step into the world of a warlock who always tries to see the sunny side of life, and the sexy vampire who makes his knees go weak.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: