#Review - Assassin's Mask by Everly Frost #Urban #Fantasy

Series: Assassin's Magic #2
Format: Kindle, 294 pages
Release Date: March 10, 2019
Publisher: Ever Realm Books
Source: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Is love worth fighting for?
 
When Hunter Cassidy revealed her true power to Slade Baines during a fight for their lives, everything she wanted was ripped away from her.

Now, with her heart in pieces, Hunter is left only with her determination to find and destroy the deadly weapon that led her to infiltrate the Assassin's Legion in the first place.

But Hunter's quest proves more complicated than she expected, leaving her with no choice but to make a deal with one of the Legion's most formidable assassins—a deal that catapults her right back into Slade's life.

Now the Master Assassin, Slade's power grows by the day and so does his determination to fight the bond he formed with Hunter and the powerful attraction that keeps drawing them together. No matter what, he will protect her from the enemies she makes at every turn, including the new leader of the underground whose mission is to destroy them both.

When tragedy strikes, Hunter discovers that the weapon she sought is nothing like she expected. She and Slade will need to work together to defeat the rising power behind the underground. But can they fight together when their hearts are torn apart?

 

"Where the Valkyrie walks, darkness grows, paving the way for death with every step.”

Assassin's Mask is the second installment in author Everly Frost's Assassin Magic series. This story takes place several days after the tumultuous events of Assassin's Magic. At the end of the previous story, Valkyrie Hunter Cassidy, the assassin known as the Glass Arrow, made a choice. A choice that left her fleeing Boston, the Legion who she trained hard to overcome all sorts of hurdles, those that she loves, and enemies who wanted items that she needs in order to discover the so called weapon that her mother died protecting.

Quite the mouthful, yeah? Anyway, Hunter finds herself in Nebraska where she meets Vlad. Vlad is stationed on the border between the Legion and the Dominion. His real name is Alexei Vladimir Mason, the Dominion Master who was hoping to run into Hunter in order to form an alliance with her. An alliance that will force the pair back to Boston. Back to those she left behind. Back to her friends on Saber Lane, and back to Slade Baines who is now Legion Master.

The shock effect is that everyone believed that Hunter was dead, so her return from the dead throws a whole lot of questions at not only Hunter, but Slade as well. It also has made Saber Lane a dangerous place to be thanks to a new nemesis who has chosen to force Hunter into complying with her demands of finding her mothers weapon, or everyone she loves with perish. 

What's even more disturbing, is that Slade has changed so much, and become so powerful, that Hunter blames herself for allowing it to get to this point by running away. Err, she actually flew away, but you get the point. This is a story filled with twists, action, surprises, some romance, and some scenes that are more likely there for the shock and awe factor  and to make readers understand that Hunter is no longer the Alpha dog in this world.

It's fair to say that Hunter has some real eye opening moments in this book. Her mother really didn't do her any favors by keeping her in the dark of what she was doing until the day she was murdered. Hunter is now playing a game of catch up, a game that has suddenly become more deadlier than just fanatics at the Legion who hated everything about Hunter and wanted her destroyed. 

It is fair to say that I was saddened deeply by the devastating loss of someone close to her, as well as another character who has protected her since she was a baby. I can only presume that the author had reasons for doing what she did with both characters. I know that's vague, but I try to avoid spoilers at all costs. I did like the connection between Vlad and Tansy who grows even more amazing with each story.

I am glad that I won't have to wait that much longer until the third book is released this coming June. Can't wait to see what happens next. Should be a wild ride. 

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#Review -The Case for Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro #YALIT #Mystery

Series: Charlotte Holmes #3
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Mysteries & Detective Stories

The hotly anticipated third book in the New York Times bestselling Charlotte Holmes trilogy, in which Charlotte and Jamie finally face their longtime enemy…and their true feelings for each other. 

It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken. Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for. Until strange things start happening to him. Strange things that might mean nothing at all—or that someone is after him again.

Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex. Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows that her Watson can’t forgive her.
Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but there is someone who wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time. Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.

In this explosive third book in the Charlotte Holmes series, Holmes and Watson face the ultimate test: they must unravel the case of their lives without unraveling each other.

 

The Case for Jamie is the third installment in author Brittany Cavallaro's Charlotte Holmes series. To put things in perspective, this story takes place a year after the events that happened in The Last of August. Our main characters, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are separated because of what happened, and the fact that Charlotte is now running and hiding from Lucien Moriarty while trying to counteract and plans he has for her as well as Jamie. 

The main question still remains; will they or won't they? Readers have spent the past several books asking the question about Charlotte and Jamie. Some fans ship them and others wish they’d just stay friends—but if one thing is clear, it’s that these two teen sleuths have undeniable chemistry and beyond-witty banter. But, can they both survive the brutal reality of what is to come when they are separated by an ocean, and revenge is knocking on their doorstep?

Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident. He has a girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for even though she is pretty special on her own merits. Jamie can't help but compare his new girlfriend to Charlotte. Then strange things start happening to him. Things that seemingly mean nothing at all—or that someone is after him again. To make matters even more twisted, he receives warnings about no longer being safe at the school. In the meantime, Jamie's father and Leader Holmes attempt to find Charlotte since she is the common denominator in what is happening to Jamie.

Charlotte is on the run from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes that happened too frequently. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex—and Charlotte wants to keep it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. Charlotte desperately misses her only friend, but she knows Watson can’t forgive her. But, she's not so cold that she doesn't care what is happening to him. In fact, she has a spy within the school urging her to come back so that Jamie doesn't end up in prison, or worse for things he is being accused of doing.

A Study in Charlotte and The Last of August were told entirely by Jamie with bit parts from Charlotte. This time around, the author chooses to alternate chapters and narratives between Jamie and Charlotte. This is the first time you can actually get into her head and discover what makes her tick, and what she has had to suffer through, not only from her screwed up family and what they did to her, but from her own drug abuse, PTSD, and sexual assault. One thing that is apparent is that Charlotte is brilliant, flawed, vulnerable, and much in need of someone to tell her she will be okay.

For the record, this is not the final installment in the series. I know readers have been saying that after reading the ending, but it isn't factual. In fact, the fourth book is called The Question of Charlotte which I have read and will be reviewing shortly. The last half of this book was the most entertaining. The first part is a session that proves that both characters could use a brilliant psychiatrist to examine not only their guilt, but their fatal attraction towards each other that oftens finds them deep in bloodshed.  

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#Review - Off Planet by Aileen Erin #YALIT #SyFy

Series: Aunare Chronicles #1
Format: Paperback, 350 pages
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Publisher: Ink Monster
Source: Edelweiss/Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

Maité Martinez has always yearned for more than waitressing in a greasy diner, especially when most people have left the polluted ruins of Earth behind for a better life on other planets. It’s not just working at the diner that’s making life hard for her. Being a half-human, half-alien girl has never been trickier. With the corporate government hunting down the last of her father’s alien Auanare race living on Earth, hiding her growing special abilities has become a full-time job on its own.

Every minute Maité stays on Earth is one minute closer to getting caught. The stress is almost more than she can bear, and when a fancy Space Tech officer gets handsy with her at the diner, she reacts without thinking.

Breaking the officer’s nose wasn’t her smartest move. Now she’s faced with three years forced labor on the volcano planet, Abbadon. With the job she’s slotted for, it may as well have been a death sentence.

It doesn’t take Maité long before she realizes there’s more to the mining on Abbadon than Space Tech has let on. As she makes unlikely allies, Maité uncovers Space Tech’s plot to nuke the Aunare homeworld. The firepower stored in Abbadon’s warehouses is more than enough to do the job ten times over.

As the clock ticks, Maité knows that if she can’t find a way to stop Space Tech, there will be an interstellar war big enough to end all life in the universe. There’s only one question: Can she stop the total annihilation of humanity without getting herself killed in the process?

 

Off Planet, by author Aileen Erin, is the first installment in the authors Aunare Chronicles. 19-year old Maité Martinez lives in a reality that makes her very existence, the daughter of a Human mother and an Aunare Man who is second in line to the Aunare King, dangerous to her health. In fact, it could get her killed on sight if the truth ever gets out. But, what's even worse, is that if she is caught, it could lead to a war between Earth and Aunare that will likely see no victors when all is said and done.

For over 10 years, Maité and her mother Elizabeth have been on the run staying in the shadows, changing their names, living in poverty, and worrying that they are one wrong step from being captured by SpaceTech. The same SpaceTech that killed off every single Aunare living on the planet on a day that is being called Liberation Night. SpaceTech controls all of the Earth's governments as well as numerous colonies across the galaxy. Instead of making things better, they have created a world of too much violence, too much corruption, and too much poverty.

While Maité is trying to keep her cover from being blown in Albuquerque, she also teaches martial arts, waitresses at the same cafe as her mother, and is a member of the ABQ gang. She's changed her name so many times, that she sometimes gets confused as to who she really is and why so many people are after her.There are very few people who know of Maite's secrets. One of those people is Roan who is like her brother and best friend rolled into one person. Roan knows that Maité and her mother are high value targets that SpaceTech has offered a very large bounty for information that leads to their capture. But, he values trust over a large reward.

One night while waitressing at her greasy cafe, a customer gets grabby hands with her which triggers an immediate and bloody reaction. Covered in blood, with Roan as her only support, Maité runs without her mother. She is soon arrested and sentenced to a year on Abaddon, the dung heap of the galaxy. Abaddon is literally hell (volcano planet) for those who are sent there. But, it is Maité who ends up getting the worst of the treatment as she is forced to work in over 100 degree heat. Maité knows that she walked into a trap specifically designed for her. 

She is a pawn in a much larger game that will lead to war between Earth and Aunare if she just happens to die on the planet doing a job that only bots are supposed to do. She has to figure out a way to prevent a war while also making some new friends and allies including Audrey, Sebastian, Ahiga, and Tyler who watch as Maité fights and struggles for survival every day without complaining. She has to deal with hostile work environments, sabotage, and those who won't shed a tear if she dies.

I have to say that this story was petty damn good. It was better than I expected. That is until the end when the momentum got lost and the story switched to a Planet that she doesn't remember, a name that she hasn't been called in over 10 years, and a father who is a stranger to her. In the beginning, and for much of the book, Maité is a character who you can easily root for. Maité is also prone to making mistakes. Mistakes due to her lack of control, or the fact that she is tired of hiding and running. 

From her sham of a trial that gets her sent to Abaddon, to her meeting Declan and Ahiga, both who work for SpaceTech, the setting is set for some pretty twisted scenes. Then we meet Audrey and Santiago and Tyler who look at what is happening to Maité and understand that nothing about her situation makes any sense. Her relationship with Declan isn't one that I supported. Declan tries to help, encourages her to fight like hell to stay alive, but isn't there in a pivotal scene which sees another character make his debut.

My least favorite part of this book is the final chapters.
Maité turns into a character who I don't recognize. She now has to deal with lots and lots of things that she never had to think about when she was on the run. The question of the apparent romance angle between Declan and Lorne also must be sorted out as well as her new status as the lost heir of Aunare.  

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#Review - Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen #YALIT #SyFy

Series: The Nyxia Triad #3
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Publisher: Crown Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

In the highly anticipated Nyxia Triad series finale, Emmett and the Genesis team must join forces with a surprising set of allies if they’re ever to make it home alive.

Desperate to return home to Earth and claim the reward Babel promised, Emmett and the Genesis team join forces with the Imago. Babel’s initial attack left their home city in ruins, but that was just part of the Imago’s plan. They knew one thing Babel didn’t. This world is coming to an end.

Eden’s two moons are on a collision course no one can prevent. After building eight secret launch stations, the Imago hoped to lure Babel down to their doomed planet as they left it behind. A perfect plan until the Genesis team’s escape route was destroyed.

Now the group must split up to survive the hostile terrain and reach another launch station. As both sides struggle for the upper hand, the fight leads inevitably back into space, where Emmett, his crewmates, and their new allies will fight one final battle for control of the Genesis ships. Win this time, and they’ll survive Babel’s twisted game once and for all. As the Imago world falls, this is the last chance to rise.

 

Nyxia Uprising is the third and final installment in author Scott Reintgen's The Nyxia Triad. Things you should know: The story takes place right where Nyxia Unleashed finished. This isn't just Emmett Atwater's story this time out. The author actually uses several other key characters like Longwei Yu, Morning Rodriquez, & Anton Stepanov to tell what is happening in various other places on the planet of Magnia. Yes, I would recommend that you read the books as they were released so that you don't get confused as to whom you are supposed to be rooting for.

But, if you haven't read the first two books, all four of these characters are members of Genesis 11 or 12 which came from Earth to settle and mine for Nyxia for the Babel Corporation which has made claims that the survivors will be millionaire's once they return home. Each one of these characters comes from a background that doesn't offer much of any hope on Earth. Emmett and his teammates have discovered many of Babel's secrets along the which has set them on a course directly against Babel, especially DeFoe, the so called King of Babel.

Welp, let's just say from the first part of the book until the breath taking ending, this is an interesting ride. The story takes place not only on the planet, but also on Tower Space Station orbitting the planet as the struggle against Babel continues. The story is filled with action, suspense, a bit of romance, and enough diversity to keep even the most stringent hard ass diversity harpy happy. Emmett and his friends have made allies of the people known as the Imago. They even fought alongside them after Babel attacked the Imago.

But Babel has no clue what is about to happen. The Imago know that the moons are on a collision source and they need to get off Magnia quickly. If they can help the Genesis crew return home to Earth, they hope they will be welcomed as well. One of the sub plots of this story happens between Emmett and Morning. Working together against Babel brings Emmett and Morning together at last. Emmett’s recognition of Morning’s superior skills and smarts is fresh and appealing. One could say that Emmett knew when to shut up and let Morning take charge when things are the most dangerous.

Overall, I definitely feel satisfied by the ending even though there was more death than I was expecting. The death scenes were probably the hardest for me to read but also a truth that even young men and women are not indestructible when it comes to dying in order to save your friends, and fight for a cause that was thrust upon you by a greedy and unsavory corporation who has made trillions off your hard work.  

Longwei Yu


18 days 12 hours 11 minutes


Babel’s king bleeds.

For a moment, I think I’ve lost the trail. But I double back and find his blood painted across moonlit leaves. A great streak of scarlet marks the body of a swollen trunk. If I squinted any longer, I might have been able to convince myself the mark looked like the Chinese characters for dying.

I need this king alive.

Moonlight dominates the clearing. A creek angles west. It forks, and just there, I see where Defoe must have gone. There are no footprints, not in this ghostly place, but it’s the most reasonable decision. A massive tree has been exposed at the roots. They curl above and around a hollow. It’s the kind of burrow a deer might sleep in. I watch the shadows for several minutes.

No movement.

I follow the creek forward. The trees sway, their branches and leaves grasping at the light of the nearest moon. It almost feels as if the entire forest is flinching away from where Defoe is hidden. Fifty meters. I lift both hands innocently into the air. My eyes trace over the landscape, through the shadows. I’m not eager to die just because some creature has picked up our scent.

Twenty-five meters. I pause, hands still raised, awaiting an invitation. The shadows are too deep to see anything. Breathing. I can hear breathing. One shallow breath after another.

Reaching up, I tap the light on my shoulder. A beam flashes out—like a third moon—and highlights the makeshift cavern. Defoe is there. His eyes take in the sight of me before closing in pain. I can feel him grasping, the subtle trace of nyxia in the air. Clearly, he’s far too weak to do much with the substance. I have a choice to make. The consequences will echo.

The first choice ends here and now. How painfully simple it would be to finish him. One of Babel’s greatest threats, erased. It would eliminate any opportunity for him to hurt the others.

It would also eliminate any opportunity to infiltrate Babel. Show up on their doorstep without him and I become a prisoner. The other choice: Save him. Rescue. Subvert. Wait.

When I strike, I want to make sure I hit an artery. My two choices and their consequences play out in less than a breath. “Mr. Defoe.” I make my voice calm. “I came to help you.”

He wheezes. It’s almost a laugh. It is clear what he thinks of me.

“Longwei—of course you did.?.?.?.”

I watch as he leans his head back. Hidden at his hip, an explosive. Identical to the one he used on the battlefield. The same device that nearly ripped my friends apart with a single blast. Defoe lifts the device so I can see it more clearly.

“I thought—well, never mind what I thought.” A cough shakes his body. “Take this. Replace my fingers on the pin and get rid of it. Three-second charge. Throw it as far as you can.”

His arm shakes, but I am steady. I replace his fingers quickly, device secured, and turn. Twenty paces bring me back to the edge of the creek. With a deep breath, I throw the grenade as far as I can. Moonlight dances across its spiraling surface; then the grenade falls below the tree line and vanishes briefly from sight. A second passes before an explosion tears the darkness in two.

Bright and loud. A pair of birds take to the air. Something massive stirs deeper in the forest. I move back to Defoe’s side. “I can’t—stop the bleeding,” he gasps. “The nyxia won’t take.”

I kneel so that my shoulder light is centered on the curled, covered stump of his arm. He has a soiled towel wrapped around it. Ineffective. I set down my own pack and start digging.

A new bandage, gauze, a plastic bag.

“I need to unwrap your current bandage.”

Defoe nods once. I pinch the gauze between two fingers, carefully avoiding the blood, and lift one corner. The folds unravel. Defoe doesn’t protest as the material rips and snags. The wound exposes the bloody interior of his arm. Babel’s king. How human he seems now. For too long I thought him a god. Seeing him this way will help in all that is to come.

I pack the gauze in tight around the exposed areas before wrapping the bandage tightly. Layer after layer. I use a piece of nyxia to seal it to his arm. Defoe lets out a groan as I pull the plastic bag over the entire wrapping, cinching it on his forearm, closing everything within.

“It needs to be iced,” I say.

“It needs a lot more than ice,” he replies. “I haven’t slept. I’ve forced myself to keep moving. I need you to seal us in here. Keep us safe. Do you know how to do the manipulation?”

In answer, I reach for my nyxia. The substance pulses. A firm thought casts it out like a curtain, big enough to drape over the entrance of the hollow. “Like this?”

“Adjust it,” Defoe gasps back. “So we can see out, but nothing can see in.”

The change takes a few attempts. Defoe worms his way deeper into the hollow so there’s room for me. I reach up, tucking the top of the nyxian drape between a set of exposed roots. I test it with a tug and it holds. The fabric stretches as I adjust the flaps and enclose us. There are gaps to let oxygen in, but we’re hidden from prying eyes now. Defoe turns his back to me, injured arm balanced delicately on his hip.

“Sleep. I need sleep.”

For the second time, I consider killing him.

The moment slips by like a long, slithering snake. Understanding shivers down my spine. I can feel the goose bumps run down my neck and arms. I know what keeping him alive will mean. Someone will die. A friend of mine, perhaps. Defoe is formidable. He can turn the tides in a single battle with ease. His intelligence will also give Babel the upper hand in the coming days.

Who will die because I let him live? What will the cost be?

I force myself to swallow those fears. I chase the dark thoughts away and remember that it’s wise to lose a battle if it means we can win the war.

Unbidden, my eyes roam up to the distant moons. Glacius looks like an unpolished pearl; Magness like a bloodshot eye. The two moons appear hammer-struck into the sky. It’s hard to remember they are moving, spinning, spiraling. I know their paths are drawing them inevitably toward one another. I keep the thought quiet—almost afraid Defoe might hear it if I think about it for too long. But no matter how much I try to bury it, the truth is impossible to ignore.

This world is coming to an end.

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#Review - Nocturna (Nocturna #1) by Maya Motayne #YALIT #Fantasy

Series: Nocturna # 1
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Publisher: Balzer + Brey
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

The first in a sweeping and epic Own Voices debut fantasy trilogy about a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince who have to team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed—set in a world inspired by the author’s Dominican heritage. 

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks. As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn’s and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darknesses in their pasts

 

Nocturna is author Maya Motayne's debut novel. It is the first in what the publisher is claiming will be a fantasy trilogy. Goodreads has this listed as part of the A Forgery of Magic trilogy, but the publisher's mailer states the trilogy is called Nocturna. I'll go with the publisher. This story features two prominent characters in Prince Alfehr (Alfie) Reyes, and Finn Voy, a thief who is able to shift her fact to become anyone she's ever met. The story kicks off with Alfie returning home to Castallan after failing to discover a way to find out what happened to his brother Dez, who just happened to be the Crown Prince.

Alfie and Finn first meet while he is trying to win several illegal books on forbidden magic hoping to find a way to bring his brother back after a near coup sent him into a void where there's no escape. Alfie also has the ability to open a door to anywhere he needs to be while also having an affinity for water elemental. Bad things start when a dark figure from Finn's past decides to stalk her to Castallan where he finds a new calling as the vessel for an evil called Sombria, and Alfie is forced into working for a crime boss in order to regain her magic.

The idea of the prince and the thief teaming up to defeat an evil magic was a wonderful premise but the story was a bit too long. I admit that I had difficulty paying attention and not drifting off to do other things. The villain in this story is absolutely relentless to the point of being comical. It seems that every time Finn and Alfie get one step ahead in trying to defeat him, he leap frogs over their plans and they end up in a cat and mouse game that leads to a twisted ending. I am glad that Alfie's cousin Luka was able to play a part in this story. He's got some issues, but he's also loyal.

I took points off for world building because the author pretty much ignores a large parts of Castallan history while being occupied by what I supposed is the English (Englass). I liked the idea behind propios (people's own magic). It is fair to say that Alfie is an intelligent character who makes plenty of dumb mistakes. Finn is on the snarky side and it is her past that is truly emotional knowing what she has had to do to even survive against near ridiculous odds. Her relationship with the creepy villain had my skin crawling.   

I say it's a twisted ending, because the book really wraps up fairly well. I don't believe there is a need for a sequel in this series. I think that if the author uses other characters, like Luka for instance, it might be an interesting book to read. After the way things were left with Alfie and Finn, how do you reconcile bringing them back for another story? It is fair to say I had no issues with the diversity in this book, or the setting. I don't care what color skin a character is, or what religion they are. I only care if the story is entertaining, has plenty of action, and adventure, and makes me want to care about the characters who the author has spent time writing about.

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#Review - 8 Souls by Rachel Rust #YALIT #Paranormal

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Book, 253 pages
Release Date: May 6, 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Horror

All her life, seventeen-year-old Chessie has had recurring dreams about a little white farmhouse. Quaint? Not quite. The house is the site of the unsolved murders of Villisca, Iowa, where eight people were slaughtered in 1912. With her parents on the verge of divorce, Chessie is stuck spending the summer with her grandparents in Villisca—right across the street from the axe murder house. 

She’s soon hearing voices calling out for help and begins unraveling a link between herself and the town’s bloody history. And when she falls for a cute boy harboring a big secret, the pieces fall into place as she at last discovers the truth of Villisca's gruesome past…

 

8 Souls, by author Rachel Rust, tells the story of 17-year old Francesca (Chessie) Carpenter. Chessie has had recurring dreams about a little white farmhouse. Quaint? Not quite. The house is the site of the unsolved murders of Villisca, Iowa, where eight people were slaughtered in 1912. 6 of those who were murdered belonged to the Moore family, while 2 other were the Stillinger sisters who unfortunately, picked the wrong night to have a sleep over. 

For the record, this is an actual picture of said house.

With her parents on the verge of divorce, Chessie is stuck spending the summer with her grandparents in Villisca—right across the street from the axe murder house. She’s soon hearing voices calling out for help and begins unraveling a link between herself and the town’s bloody history. Things quickly happen that sends Chessie seeking the help of some boys in the town, Mateo and David. And when she falls for David, she learns he is harboring a big secret. Could David hold the answers to the truth of Villisca's gruesome past?

Let it be known that I liked this book more than I expected. I also did some research of my own, and apparently this really did happen in 1912 when a family was murdered along with 2 young girls who just happened to be visiting. In 2016, there was a movie released called The Axe Murders of Villisca that featured three ghost hunters who found more than they expected. For the sake of this book, the author doesn't really dive that deeply into the horror realm as the movie did.

The murders are still considered to be unsolved cold cases. The house holds answers as to who is responsible for the murderers, but this story dives deeper into the connection between Cassie's family, an apparent witness to the crime who ends up being reincarnated over and over again until he can redeem himself by saving 8 people, and perhaps answers to who was really behind the killings. I am satisfied with the way this book ends. I was happy to see Chessie stand on her own without relying on her apparently unhappy family, her grandparents, or even David.

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#Review - A Vampire's Bane by Raven Steele, Ava Mason (#Urban #Fantasy)

Series: Rouen Chronicles #4
Format: Kindle, 336 pages
Release Date: March 11, 2019
Publisher: Amazon
Source: Amazon

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance

“The monster isn’t under my bed. It’s screaming inside my head.” 
 

Cursed by the Kiss of Eternal Night, Samira lives her life as an ancient and powerful vampire, guarding her emotions carefully. One slip up and the darkness inside her could send her on a rage-filled, bloodlust path of death and destruction. It’s happened once before, and it could easily happen again. 

For over a century, she’s managed to keep the beast inside her at bay, but when someone from her past shows up unexpectedly, her emotions hang by a thread. Especially when she finds out they are working with the Phoenix, the source of the growing evil in Rouen.

Maybe it’s time she stops controlling the monster inside her. It may be the only way she can save those she loves.

 

A Vampire's Bane, by co-authors Raven Steele and Ava Mason, is the fourth installment in the Rouen Chronicles. This is a story that takes place in the fictitious town of Rouen, Louisiana where something evil is brewing and a group of vampires, witches, and shifters stand guardian. While the first three stories of this series focused on Briar, this book focuses on Samira Chevoky. Samira is a centuries old vampire who is roommates of Briar (Alpha shifter) and Lynx (Witch). 

She's a vampire who holds something very dark within her. If she let's it out, there could be major repercussions for everyone. To make things even more twisted, Samira's maker, Korin Khalid, shows up in Rouen and he's not to be taken lightly. Neither is the Phoenix who readers met in A Shifter's Revenge. The Phoenix is portrayed as a man throughout this book, but who is in fact a woman who can shift at will into anyone she wants. Truly makes who you trust with your life even more important now.

The authors reveal a prophecy that Samira, Briar, and Lynx are apparently part of. If the prophecy is taken seriously, it would mean Trianus will be summoned from the Underworld and subjugate humans as well as supernatural who stand against it. Samira has had relationships with Mateo, as well as other more interesting characters who come out to play in a major way in this story. Since I mentioned the evil that has arrived in Rouen, I would suggest that you read, at least, the final book in Briar's story so that you can understand what has happened. 

Even though Samira is main character in this book, don't forget about Briar or Lynx since they help out with pretty much all of the trouble that is faced in this story. Samira has some unusual friends which include Mateo, but also several others who we finally discover have been in Rouen for a very long time. Yes, I am talking about the Fae. There are several key Fae characters who join with Samira, Lynx, and Briar to keep the villain in check. Good luck with that! 

I understand that the authors have chosen to write several books featuring a character who doesn't appear in this book, but has connections with Samira and a group known as Ames de la Terra. Not sure why they didn't finish Samira's trilogy first, but it is what it is. Especially if this particular character isn't going to show up in Samira's story.  

I am more curious about Lynx now, than I was during Briar's books. Lynx is thought of as being part of the prophecy with Samira and Briar, no spoiler, yet we know next to nothing about Lynx's magic or her abilities. She does shine a bit brighter in this book, but she also is prone to trying to prove her self by overextending herself.  In case you were wondering, Briar has reverted to someone I didn't recognize for much of the story. Samira pretty much has to play social worker to her in order to keep her emotions and her attitude in check and not letting it get the best of her which at times it does. I am also tired of the triangle between her, Angel and Luke. She is obviously in love with both of them yet doesn't have any idea what to do about it.

I can't say whether or not I will read Aris Crow's books unless they somehow connect to this story.  If they do, then, of course I will read it.

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