#Friday Review - Birthright by E.J. Stevens (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Ivy Granger # 4
Format: E-Galley, 274 pages
Release Date: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Being a faerie princess isn't what it's cracked up to be...

Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn--Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.

Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father--and possible salvation.

Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all..

Birthright is the FOURTH installment in E.J. Stevens' Ivy Granger series. Welcome back to Harborsmouth, home to Psychic Detective Ivy Granger, and a plethora of Otherworld beings who can only be seen by those like Ivy who have the second sight. Ivy is also a bit different from the rest of the Otherworlders. She's a Wisp Princess who is supposed to be dead after the events of Burning Bright. 

Not appearing in public after dying and coming back to life, puts a real damper on Ivy and her best friend, roommate, and business partner Jinx's finances. With everyone in the community believing that Ivy died, she can't exactly expose herself without further troubles from the Faerie's who blame her for exposing the existence of the Otherworlders. She can, however, find ways to sneak out to spend quality time with Ceff.

Ivy is still set on traveling to Faerie on Solstice to discover more information about her father, and her abilities that have brought trouble down on her head. Her only stumbling block is that she can't tell any human, and that means lying to Jinx. Now that she has the key to Tech Duinn, and two traveling partners in her boyfriend Ceff, king of the kelpies, and Torn, the King of the Cat Sidhe,  she can hopefully discover truths about her heritage, her abilities, and the whereabouts of her father. 

I think of this story as perhaps a bridge to the rest of Stevens intended books she plans to write. We do get interesting new characters like the Baphomet (goat headed demon), Morrigan (the goddess of war), Donn, (the god of the dead), and an uncle Kade, that Ivy has never met, but wants a whole lot more than Ivy is willing to give. Birthright is the ideal name for this book and the cover brings to life a key scene in the book. 

The story unlocks a few head spinning secrets and mysteries that you can probably guess if you pay attention to the little bread crumbs Stevens' lays out for you. Ivy spends a great deal of time without Ceff and Torn but, I won't say why, or spoil what happens. Instead, she spends a lot of time with Kade learning about her abilities, and perhaps getting a whole lot stronger in the process.

Birthright will give readers a whole new sense about who Ivy really is, while also being the first book in the series that takes place mostly outside of Ivy's home. You can really tell that she values her friendship with Jinx, while putting up with Torn's antics because he and Ceff are the only ones willing to put their lives on the line for Ivy and her search for answers in Faerie. Things have a habit of happening around Ivy that perhaps might not be such a good thing. But, that is what makes this series so interesting. You never know what Ivy and her crew will be forced to face next.

**I received this book for free from (Publisher) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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#Review - Burning Bright by E.J. Stevens (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Ivy Granger # 3
Format: E-Galley, 282 pages
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Source: E.J. Stevens
Genre: Urban Fantasy

*Synopsis*

Burning down the house...

Things are not going well at the offices of Private Eye. Jinx is having demon problems, the city is overrun with pyromaniacal imps, and Ivy's wisp powers are burning out of control, attracting the attention of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

Along came a faerie queen... It's the worst possible time for the Green Lady to call in a favor, but Ivy's bound by her deal with the glaistig. Too bad there's no wiggle room in faerie bargains.

Ivy must rid the city of imps, keep Jinx from murdering her one solid link to Hell, and fulfill her bargain with the Green Lady—with sidhe assassins hot on her tail.

Just another day's work for Ivy Granger, psychic detective. 

Burning Bright is the third installment in the Ivy Granger series by author E.J. Stevens. EJ was kind enough to send me books #1 thru #3 plus (2) novellas in return for an honest review. Mission Accomplished. If you haven't yet read this series, let me summarize for you quickly. The Ivy Granger series is an urban fantasy series set in Harborsmouth. The series is told in the first-person point-of-view by Ivy Granger, a psychic detective who is half-fae (Father is the Willem of the Wisps). Ivy and her bestie, Jinx own and operate Private Eye Detective Agency and they have dealt with a whole lot of troubles since the first book.

They've saved the city several times, found love in the most unlikely places, and collected their very own Scooby Gang (Ceff, Father Michael, Forneus, Kaye, Arachne, Sparky & Torn). Ivy has been trying to deal with her second sight and her Psychometry which allows her to see raw emotions from objects that she touches. Along the way, Ivy has collected debts to various supernatural entities which comes calling in this installment. But, she's also accepted that sometimes a hero needs to get their hands bloody in order to save those she loves.

Burning Bright starts out with Jinx having a bad, bad experience which I correlated to having been unwillingly raped and drained of her energy. If that weren't enough, Ivy's debts to the Green Lady and the Vampire Master come home to roost, while fire imps burn down the city. This book could be called Ivy's MISTAKES come calling. Never let be it said that making too many bargains is a good thing! Especially when it come to the Fae, and Vampires. Last book readers were introduced to Torn, this time around we are introduced to Sparky, the demon who Ivy adopts as her own. Adopting a demon you say? Yep!

All three books so far have had a standalone story line, but you definitely need to read the books in order. Ivy is on a mission. I won't say a mission from God because that would be too Blue's Brothers like. Anyway. Her fae side is really causing problems to the point where, well, let's just say that things are extremely dangerous for her. Thankfully for Ivy, she has Ceff alongside as her sex partner and protector. He's also the sort of person who would walk into hell and back with her without constantly complaining. I like that in a character.

I am a pretty simplistic reader/reviewer. I like to be kept entertained. If I am not entertained, I have a habit of looking else where, like boring ass TV, because my brain is always on the go. Stevens keeps readers entertained with action, suspense, danger, romance, and an eclectic collection of characters that Ivy has found friendship with since saving the day in Shadow Sight. I am looking forward to reading Birthright to see just how much more Ivy can grow as a character and become a kick ass heroine that I expect her to be.

**I received this book for free from author EJ Stevens in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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*Review - Ghost Light by E.J. Stevens (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Ivy Granger # 2
Published by: Sacred Oaks Press
Release Date: July 9, 2013
Source: Author
Format: E-book, 248 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy

With a vengeful lamia that only she can see on the city streets, reports of specters walking Harborsmouth cemeteries, and an angry mob of faerie clients at her office door, it's bound to be a long night. Add in an offense against the faerie courts and a few foolish bargains and one thing is clear—Ivy Granger is in some seriously deep trouble.

Ivy Granger is back, gathering clues in the darkest shadows of downtown Harborsmouth. With the lives of multiple clients on the line, she's in a race against time. Ivy finally has a lead to the whereabouts of the one person who can help her control her wisp abilities, but will she put the needs of her clients above her own?

If Ivy doesn't find a solution soon, she could wind up a ghost herself.

Ghost Light is the second installment in the Ivy Granger series by E.J. Stevens, who graciously offered me this book in lieu of an honest review. Easy Peasy. 24-year old Private Investigator, Psychic, half fae Ivy Granger is back four months after the end of Shadow Sight. Her life is a bit more interesting these days. After helping save Harborsmouth and the king of the Kelpies from nasty evil creatures, Ivy and Jinx's business is booming. Ivy even has a new boyfriend in the Kelpie King Ceffyl Dwr aka Ceff. What could possibly derail their happiness?

How about Ceff's vindictive, murdering ex-wife Melusine who is stalking Ivy? How about dozens of fae children disappearing into the night? How about the fact that Ivy's fae side from her missing father is suddenly becoming more and more powerful to the point where she's glows when she gets emotional? EJ also tosses in a rather interesting new character by the name of Sir Torn, the Cat Sidhe Lord. I can't help myself, I started calling him Rip Torn almost from the get go. I know, I am totally weird. 

If you missed my previous review of Shadow Sight, my one complaint about Ivy

was that she didn't really stand out as a kick-ass heroine. She was a character who stood in the background as her friend Kaye and her hunters fought to save their town. She collected on favors, and brought all sorts of supernatural together in order to save her town. Her ability to see visions via psychometry is a pain in the ass at times. She has to wear gloves all the time, which doesn't really allow much sexy time with your dashing boyfriend. But, thankfully, that definitely changes this time around.

Ivy is eager to find a way to defeat Melusine, and return the Fae children to their homes. She is eager to go further with Ceff. She's also eager to remove the black from her mind so that she can get answers from her missing father. She even goes as far as exposing herself for what she really is; A fae princess of the Wisp. I'm kind of scared that Ivy is over extending herself with all the favors she's offered to various supernaturals, including the vampires. One might ask if this is leading up to something big. One might also question certain allies to ensure they don't stab a katana in your back. 

In conclusion, the first 3/4 of this book was really entertaining. The last 1/4 wasn't as exciting but stills sets things up for the next book called Burning Bright which I will be reading and reviewing soon. I feel for Jinx at times. Girl can't cut a break with all her accidents. I want to see how the unicorn Galliel comes into play. He's just sort of a background prop at this point. 

**I received this book for free from the AUTHOR in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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*Book Review* Shadow Sight by E.J. Stevens (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Ivy Granger # 1
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Released: July 1, 2012
Source: Author
Format: E-Galley, 240 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy

*Synopsis*

Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans…except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.

Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills—most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client—until a demon walks through their door.

A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.

Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.

Welcome to Harborsmouth boys and girls! Harborsmouth is a place where dozens of Otherworlders like fae, trolls, vampires, and kelpies call home. It is also the home to Psychic Investigator Ivy Granger who has the ability to see visions through psychometry. Sometimes it's a real pain in the ass having to wear gloves all the time. Especially since any object she touches may have experienced something traumatic. Ivy is also able to see past Otherworlders glamour through what she calls her second sight.

Ivy and her bestie Jess aka Jinx (named because she is the unluckiest girl on planet Earth) operate Private Eye Detective Agency. They're not exactly rolling in the dough, or can suddenly retire overnight, but they do try to have fun at what they do, and they do have a good reputation at finding lost things. Ivy's go to expert in all things supernatural is hunter/witch Kaye O'Shaye who is a wealth of information and experience. 

When Ivy/Jinx are hired by a Demon attorney to find something that has been stolen from the Kelpies, little does she or Jinx know that they will end up in the middle of a major threat to humans. Ivy sets out to fight the threat by using any means at her disposal. That means collecting favors from a variety of Otherworlders like vampires, merrow, pookas, and the Green Lady to save the humans in her city. But, at what cost will Ivy's favors to others come back to haunt her?

A minor disappoint with Shadow Sight. Ivy isn't necessarily a strong or kickass heroine because of her psychometry. Unlike Gwen Frost from Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy who learns how to wield a sword through her connection to the object, Ivy mostly runs from supernatural to supernatural collecting a powerful team to defeat the nasties. The overall fight with the nasties finds Ivy mostly acting as a support mechanism, or messenger between Hunters, Vampires, and Fae. I would like to see this change in the next installment. 

I accepted the authors request to read this book because I had previously read her young adult series called Spirit Guide. Stevens has a unique style of writing. You have an off cut lead character who has a bit of snark to back up her bite. You have a slew of mysteries surrounding her abilities, and her heritage. Shadow Sight is filled with so many different fae, that I found myself trying to look up what they actually were. Apparently, there is an index in the next installment which I should be reading shortly.

**I received this book for free from author E.J. Stevens in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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