Review: Bone Driven

Read if you like: original urban fantasy stories, interesting casts of characters, and plots that get better and better, full of mysteries, secrets, and shocks.

Bone Driven | Hailey Edwards

Series: The Foundling Series

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Released: May 31st 2018
Pages: 352
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

The bayou is burning, the battle is just beginning - and Luce Boudreau is smack in the middle of no-man's land . . .

Life as a cop in Canton Town, Mississippi, is never dull - particularly when hiding deep within you is a demon bent on the apocalypse. Luce is doing her best to pretend her two worlds aren't crashing into each other, but what should be a routine arson investigation takes a shocking turn when Luce discovers a link between the suspects and her own dark secrets. There's no turning back, even though her search for the truth threatens to burn her old life down around her.

Lines are being drawn in a war Luce barely understands, and she just might be on the wrong side of them. Now she must embrace her powerful destiny, or the ones she loves most will pay the ultimate price.

This series gets better AND BETTER. I'll be honest, I didn't think there was a way to top Bayou Born, but this is every bit as strong as the first book. It maintains the investigative cop element and builds on all the fantasy charun bits from the explosive end of book one. I actually love the new character (I totally pegged him as Ezra though, and was wrong.) Plus the coterie bonding and spending time together is everything I wanted. I could not have asked for more from this book - answers to some questions, even more questions raised, awesome supernatural stuff, action, cop drama, and Cole Heaton. This book is awesome.

5 stars

Review: Wolf Hollow

Read if you like: interesting worlds, stories with dystopia-survival elements, shifters and pack life.

Wolf Hollow | Nikki Jefford

Series: Wolf Hollow Shifters

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic
Released: October 23rd 2017
Pages: 415
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

A REBELLIOUS OUTCAST

Cocky. Coy. Wolf shifter. Tabor is the hollow’s only half-breed, scorned and forbidden to use his powers. Constantly overlooked despite his strengths, Tabor believes Sasha is as shortsighted as the rest of the pack until she proves there’s more to her than a blindly obedient lapdog to the council.

A DUTIFUL PUREBLOOD

Spirited, stubborn, and deeply loyal, Sasha feels the pressure from her pack to claim another pureblood, yet no one is brazen enough to defy the elders and toy with her . . . no one besides a sexy, hotheaded half-breed.

AN ATTRACTION THAT THREATENS THE FUTURE OF THE PACK

Bewildered by the deceptively proud and surprisingly sensual Sasha, Tabor would risk everything to claim her. Despite her vanishing bloodline, Sasha can’t resist the charismatic half-breed even as predators threaten their pack and the elders pressure her to breed with a pureblood.

In a fantastical post-apocalyptic world, where only the strongest survive, sometimes trusting the heart is the bravest act of all.

Ehhh I did not love this.

The beginning was pretty promising, though it was weird how it set up Aden as love interest and Actual Love Interest (I LITERALLY just finished and I can't remember his name) as antagonist. Pretty jarring. I didn't mind Sasha but never connected to her, and it was odd how she went from super against Love Interest to jumping his bones. Plus there was a LOT of gratuitous sex, which would have been fine if I liked the characters. The story itself ... there were so many of plot points one after another but even with so much happening, the book dipped in the middle. I just got bored, which was sad because I thought I'd love this book.

I guess this book and I were just a bad match.

2 stars

#FreeReads - Getting Wilde

Read if you like: kickass female characters, awesome treasure hunts, and the best of urban fantasy.

Getting Wilde | Jenn Bennett

Series: Immortal Vegas

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Released: August 18th 2015
Pages: 292
Format: Ebook
Source: Purchased

Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything—for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market.

Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself.

But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned.

Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic—including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope. . . but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past.

From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go.

No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde.

This is honestly my favourite urban fantasy series. I remember reading the prequel short ages ago and liking it but when I read this book I fell SO HARD for the characters. It doesn't hurt that there's some sizzling slow-burn romance, awesome perilous quests, and a story that keeps getting better and better. I love everything about this book, and even more about this series.

5 stars

Review: Bayou Born

The Foundling Series: Bayou Born | Hailey Edwards

Published by: Piatkus, October 17th 2017

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Pages: 336

Format: Ebook

Source: Piatkus, via Netgalley

Her beginning may be our end...

Deep in the humid swamps of the Mississippi bayou, a mysterious, half-wild child is dragged just in time from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in strange markings, the meaning of which no one is able to decipher. Adopted by the policeman who rescued her, Lucy Boudrou follows him into the force, determined to prove herself in the eyes of those who are still suspicious. 

However, there's more of a battle ahead than Luce could possibly imagine. She may be an orphan without a past, but no one - including Luce herself - could ever be prepared for the truth of her dark, powerful destiny...

Brand new urban fantasy series by Hailey Edwards, bestselling author of the Gemini and Black Dog series. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Estep, Darynda Jones and Ilona Andrews.

Oh my God this was SO GOOD. This is by all means not my first Hailey Edwards book but this blew me away. Every little thing, from character, to dialogue, to relationships, to plot twists had me holding my breath and flying through the pages. This is my favourite book of Hailey's since the Black Dog series, and I'd say it ties for favourite with Dog With A Bone, which is really saying something.

Everything about Bayou Born is epic and mysterious and dark, and I LOVE IT. So many secrets surrounding the swamp, a group of characters masquerading as a security firm, and around the main character herself, whose own history is shrouded in secret. Her actual secret, her history, BLEW MY MIND. I didn't predict anything anywhere near that immense Freaking Plot Twist, and I'm still reeling from it. This book hurt me so badly near the end and my heart still hurts when I think about it. But that ending has me so excited for the next book, which I need ASAP. I want to find out who Ezra is, where he ties into all this, and see where the story goes. I can't wait for book two!

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★

#FreeReads - Hex Appeal

Read if you like: steamy urban fantasy, paranormal dangers, and snarky female characters

Hex Appeal | Tricia Owens

Series: Moonlight Dragon

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Ebook
Source: Free on Instafreebie

BLURB FROM DESCENDED FROM DRAGONS:

To save Sin City, she must battle Hell. Too bad the odds are against her.

Beneath the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas lies another city. A secret city in plain sight, full of warlocks and demons, shapeshifters and golems. A city that feeds off the chance magick that is generated by gamblers and which is ruled by mysterious beings called the Oddsmakers.

It is in this strange underbelly of the occult that Anne Moody runs a cursed pawn shop for the desperate, the curious, and the magickally inclined. Though the job is boring, it keeps her under the radar. None of her customers have any inkling that she is a dragon sorceress with a power that's been feared throughout history. One day, a visitor to her shop pawns a stone statue that is more than it appears. The statue is a gargoyle named Vale, who is shrouded in mystery and secrets. When she learns that Vale is possessed, and that the person responsible for cursing him plans to take over Las Vegas with a horde of demons from Hell, Anne realizes it is up to her to defy the Oddsmakers and save the city, and possibly the world.

I love this series and this short was awesome. I got a bit annoyed by a few comments but I was able to ignore them in order of enjoying the story, the paranormal trouble, and the totally epic characters. I love Anne, and Melly, and Vale, and I would read any story with them to be honest. This one was awesome, and really creative.

#FreeReads - Born Of Faerie

Read if you like: fast paced urban fantasy, badass female characters, and supernatural creatures

Born of Faerie | WB McKay

Series: Stolen Magic

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Ebook
Source: Free on Instafreebie

Prequel to Stolen Magic series available from author website.

Sophie Morrigan knows she needs to set the tone for her new life. Being drowned by a dragon certainly sets a tone.

A newly minted agent for the Faerie Affairs Bureau, Sophie is excited to retrieve her first magical object. Unfortunately, her boss ruins it by assigning her a partner she doesn’t need. When her first day sends her limping home with water in her lungs, she has to consider that she might be in over her head.

Can Sophie quash her loner tendencies and learn to work with an annoying selkie partner? Or will she wind up another piece of junk in a dragon’s hoard?

A great addition to the Stolen Magic series. I loved seeing the start of Sophie's and Art's partnership, and how the main threat was a water dragon instead of the usual fire-breathing kind. Fast paced and awesome and a great entry into the series if you haven't started it yet.

Review: Graveyard Shift

Graveyard Shift | Michael F. Haspil

Published by: Tor Books, July 18th 2017

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

Pages: 352

Format: Hardback

Source: Tor Books

Police procedurals go supernatural in this gritty urban fantasy debut 

Alex Menkaure, former pharaoh and mummy, and his vampire partner, Marcus, who was born in ancient Rome, once hunted evil vampires for UMBRA, a super-secret unit of the NSA. That was before the discovery of a blood substitute and a Supreme Court ruling allowed thousands of vampires to integrate into society.

Now, Alex and Marcus are vice cops in a special police unit. They fight to keep the streets safe from criminal vampires, shape-shifters, blood-dealers, and anti-vampire vigilantes.

When someone starts poisoning the artificial blood, race relations between vampires and humans deteriorate to the brink of anarchy. While the city threatens to tear itself apart, Alex and Marcus must form an unnatural alliance with a vigilante gang and a shape-shifter woman in a desperate battle against an ancient vampire conspiracy.

If they succeed, they'll be pariahs, hunted by everyone. If they fail, the result will be a race-war bloodierthan any the world has ever seen.

Gritty urban fantasy and hard-boiled noir packed into a hand grenade of awesome! Mario Acevedo, author of Werewolf Smackdown 

I wanted to like this book SO MUCH. A guy who used to be a mummy but who's now part of a special vampire branch of the police? Sign me the heck up. But I just could not get into the writing style. It's very detail-packed, down to the specific type of gun used, and I just could not connect with the voice. But that's a 100% personal thing, and I know a tonne of people will love this book.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★☆☆☆

Review: Royal Enchantment

Camelot Reborn: Royal Enchantment | Sharon Ashwood

Published by: Harlequin Nocturne, July 1st 2017

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Mythology

Pages: 304

Format: Ebook

Source: Harlequin Nocturne, via Netgalley

She married the king. She wanted the man. 

Guinevere's marriage to Arthur was a political partnership, never a romance. Merlin knows that the king's court, newly restored at a medieval theme park, will only be complete if Arthur has his lady. Little did anyone suspect that once Guinevere gets a taste of twenty-first-century freedoms that this ancient queen would lose interest in belonging to any man—even a royal one. 

It takes a dragon, and some passionate nights spent in each other's arms, to lure her back to her husband's side. Arthur is willing to accept Gwen's help in protecting the new Camelot from a fae menace, but the bigger challenge will be wooing back Guinevere for a second chance at love…

Oh hey, this was awesome.

I had some reservations in the beginning, when Arthur was (accurate to his era's attitudes, to be fair) controlling, belittling of Gwen, and an all-around DICK. But the best thing about this book by far is the GROWTH. These characters grow so much, Gwen from a downtrodden woman who has no voice to a woman who talks up for herself and takes action despite the restrictions placed on her, and Arthur from a domineering, controlling prick to a man who listens, learns, and does better. Honestly, I love how flawed they are. Their relationship is a real one - messy, hurtful, and ultimately hard won and hopeful and fulfilling. The writing is exceptional, and made the love, the hurt, (and yeah, the awesome fantasy elements) so vivid and real.

To touch on the fantasy an action parts of this book (of which there were SO MANY MORE than I expected, which I loved), there's so much myth and legends and awesome creatures packed into this - it's exciting from page one. Arthurian legend, a theme park, dragons, fae, and knights, all packed into modern day times. One of the things I love about romance series is I can (like I did with this book) come into the series at any book, but I really want to read the first two of this series!!

Fantasy, mythology, and vividly real romance make this book stand out. I loved it!

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: Angel Unleashed

Angel Unleashed  | Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

Published by: Harlequin Nocturne, April 1st 2017

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Mythology

Pages: 304

Format: Ebook

Source: Harlequin Nocturne, via Netgalley

A fine line between vengeance and desire… 

As an immortal Blood Knight, Rhys de Troyes is familiar with quests. It's obvious that the ethereal beauty who just arrived in London is on one of her own. But Avery Arcadia Quinn seems intent on keeping her secrets, even as Rhys strips away all her defenses. 

A grounded angel, Avery seeks to recover the wings stolen from her centuries ago when the Knights were created from her suffering and pain. She swore vengeance, but her burning connection with Rhys threatens to consume her anger, her mission…and even her vow to destroy him.

This was not what I expected - it was SO MUCH better.

Urban fantasy and romance blended with all my favourite parts of Arthurian legend.  I want to read the author's other books - that's how much I enjoyed this. There was a bit of instalove, which is to be expected of the genre - but I kept expecting the big reveal that they were together in the past, before Rhys had died, and his memories of that had been lost too. But that didn't happen.

I loved a whole lot about this - great world building and setting (yay, London!), interesting characters (the MC is no damsel), and secrets that make this story even better. I want to read more in this world!

The only things that really bugged me were I thought it went on too long, there were SO MANY action scenes basically one after the other, and Avery didn't really defend herself in the beginning (Rhys came to her rescue A LOT when she could have handled it.)

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: Legion

Talon: Legion | Julie Kagawa

Published by: HQ, April 25th 2017

Genre: Urban fantasy, Dragons

Pages: 384

Format: Ebook

Source: HQ, via Netgalley

The legions are about to be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragon slayer can stand against the coming horde. Book 4 of 5 in The Talon Saga from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa.

Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who refuse to yield. 

(I am so happy no one died. So, so happy.)

I didn't love this nearly as much as the other books but it was still packed full of action, heart, and intrigue. I really liked how we saw Dante's role more, even though I don't like him at all, and how far he's willing to go for Talon (way, way too far.) Garret and Ember continue to be couple goals, and I love them supporting each other. And Riley, poor Riley - I actually felt sad for him in this book. Please let him find someone to love him (hi, Mist, looking at you.)

This series is one of my favourites, and this was another strong installment. There's nothing I don't like in these books. Everything's going to hell in the next book but I'm actually looking forward to it. Plus, I'm super excited to see the fallout of Riley saving Garret (please can we give him a dragon form? That would be AWESOME!)

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: Agent of Enchantment

Dark Fae F.B.I: Agent of Enchantment | C.N. Crawford, Alex Rivers

Published: April 12th 2017

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fae

Pages: 250

Format: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

The fae live among us. And one of them is a serial killer.

I thought this would be a simple profiling case. Just another Jack-the-Ripper wannabe, prowling London’s streets, searching for easy kills. I was wrong. This killer is fae, and he’s as elusive as smoke on the wind. But I’m an FBI profiler, and it’s my job to track him down.

It doesn’t matter that one of the main suspects--a lethally alluring fae--is trying to seduce me… or kill me, I’m not sure which. I won’t be stopped, not even when panic roils through the streets of London, or when the police start to suspect me.

As I close in on the killer, I follow him to a magical shadow realm that’s like nothing I ever expected, where I’m hunted like prey. Fine. Bring it on. I’m an FBI Agent. And it turns out I have magical powers of my own.

This book reminds me why I love urban fantasy so much. A stand-out heroine who is badass in her own way without 100% relying on masculine tropes. A love interest who has many secrets (but did he hire guys to beat Cassandra up?? I'm not on board for this romance if he did!) and supporting characters who are pretty great. Plus, the world is super interesting and different to most fae realms (lush, dangerous opulence instead of that OTT weirdness of other books) and I ADORE that it was set in my fave city, London, and wound history so well through the book. 

Other stuff that were awesome: interesting, non-predictable mystery (I guessed the wrong guy!), murder solving wound so well with fae otherworldliness and a darker plot, a female MC with agency, and promise of more complicated events for later books.

Awesome, dark, and deadly. I love the world of Dark Fae FBI.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆