Black Fallen by Elle Jasper (Dark Inc Chronicles #4)

 

Available: Dec 31, 2012 Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Signet

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

There’s only one thing more lethal than a vampire.
A Black Fallen. Rather, a fallen angel engulfed in the blackest of magic.

And three of the most dangerous have descended upon Edinburgh…

Tattoo artist, RILEY POE, has changed. After surviving the bites of three potent Strigoi, she has acquired traits from each that parallel those of the most lethal of vampires. Her strength, speed, hearing are unmatched. She’s a stick of dynamite, fuse lit. She’s about to put those unique powers to good use. And she’ll need them.

Now that the rogue bloodsuckers plaguing the Lowcountry are under control once more, and Riley, along with her guardian vampire, ELI DUPRE, Riley’s brother, SETH POE, and Eli’s brother, PHIN DUPRE, and Strigoi vampire VICTORIAN ARCOS agree to join JAKE ANDORRA’S elite WUP team. Worldwide Unexplained Phenomenon takes cases too powerful and dangerous for mere humans to handle. Comprised of vampires, humans with tendencies, immortal druids, werewolves and witches, there aren’t many situations the WUP members can’t handle. But there are unholy, lethal disturbances in the ancient city of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Riley and the others accept the mission.

.

It’s been a long road for Riley. At this point she’s gone from a very human, rockin tattoo artist to a semi human who has had 4 different vampires bite her…and only one of those was by choice. She’s learning how to adjust to these new found abilities she has acquired with the help of her incredibly sexy fiance, Eli.

Faced with an opportunity to become something more, she leaves behind her home to help a whole new set of friends across the globe. Riley must learn to trust and control her abilities quickly when a new foe presents itself bent on destroying everything she holds dear.

I will be honest. I think this book is flawed. Majorly. I have been a champion of this series since book one. I have felt that with each book the writing got stronger and the story got better with each curve that was thrown the characters way. Black Fallen takes away everything that the readers have come to know about these people and instead throws a bunch of new characters into the mix for the sake of extending the story arc. Riley has been asked to join an elite group of warriors that make up the WUP team. They consist of other supernaturals who make hunting down the baddest demons their only business. Along with Eli, Victorian and Eli’s best friend, they set off across the world to train. I hated this. I had come to love the supporting cast of characters these books have provided, and to suddenly be ripped away from them…well it sucked. As did the absence of the person Riley has been, a tattoo artist. A kick ass one.

Riley has the ability to touch someone and view their past. While I appreciated this first hand account of the new characters lives, I think Jasper leaned too heavily on it at times just for word count. I really don’t need to know about the first time someone had sex with their wife unless it directly relates to the story at hand…which it didn’t. These looks took page upon page at times and mostly didn’t further the story along at all. Now times that by a whole handful of characters…it was overwhelming.

Add to this the stripping away of everything Riley has come to count on, I was both furiously turning pages (in between the weird look backs) and being horribly frustrated with the story line. At points the book dragged like a two legged dog and then it got super manic towards the end, ending with a bang that made me want to throw the book across the room. As it was I yelled and scared my poor skiddish cat.

I love this series…but I did not love this book. I’m not happy with this weird locale change and brand new cast of characters who may or may not play a big part of the following books since Riley heads back home at the end of this one. Most everything about this book felt off, like the author was grasping at how to hold everything together for the next few books. I will continue with this series though despite all this because my love for the characters runs deeper then this one book. I can only hope that with Riley heading home, the old feel of the books will reappear.

I give Black Fallen by Elle Jasper 2.75 stars

Firefighter Series by Jill Shalvis

I just finished some old school reading. How I managed to fit it into my reading schedule is beyond me. Ok, well technically now I’M behind but whatever, this is a hard to find series. A few years ago I read book one in this delightful series but my local library didn’t have books 2 or 3 in the system. They claimed they were “lost”. I claim some person couldn’t handle the responsibility of returning a library book. Fast forward a few years to where I found myself a friend that works at a library. I’m so smart, I know. Anyway she ordered the book from another county and voila, I could finally finish this yummy series. If you love Jill Shalvis then check out her older books. These are out of print so you’ll have to search used sources (and no e-book either, WHAT), but trust me…her older work is worth it.

While these are all part of a series, they can be read as stand alones if you aren’t as anal as I am about reading things in order. Yummy firemen and strong women make these three solid romances that I really enjoyed. I miss the suspense element that some of her older books wove through them.

Great reads!!!

Available: June 2004

Publisher: Onyx

Bush pilot Lyndie Anderson lives only for her plane and the open sky. But when she’s hired to fly a brooding-but-gorgeous fireman to a forest fire, suddenly she’s struggling to douse a burning desire. And although it doesn’t show, Griffin Moore starts having feelings for her, too. But he’s suffered too much lately to open his heart. So when the two set off sparks, he wonders if Lyndie could be worth the risk…

.

.

.

.

.

Available: December 2004

Pubisher: Onyx

After San Diego firefighter Jake Rawlins is injured in a heroic, high-profile rescue, he decides to hide from the media and recover in solitude. So he retreats to the Blue Flame, the Arizona guest ranch he inherited from his father. The remote oasis under a clear azure sky might seem like a bit of heaven, but Jake finds himself longing to return to the city, where he can be lost in a crowd instead of alone with his thoughts–or-his spread’s tempestuous manager.

Callie Hayes has put into the Blue Flame her heart and soul–both of which are shaken when her wildly sexy employer returns, rekindling memories of the stormy past they shared. But Jake’s a different man, and soon he’s setting off sparks that could lead to a love hot enough to change both their lives.

.

.

.

Available: May 2005

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Summer Abrams nearly died trying to save her father from a warehouse fire that, in the end, took his life. Consumed by guilt, she never set foot back in the town where her world fell apart. But now, twelve years later, another fire has ripped through that very warehouse, drawing Summer back to Ocean Beach–and to the man who was once her best friend…and is now a wildly sexy fire marshal who ignites her deepest desires.

Walker Montana has spent most of his life keeping people at bay. Summer was the only person he’d ever let in, but she’d broken his heart–and then took off without a word. After all these years, she’s back–and she won’t leave until they track down the arsonist responsible for this latest fire. Now Walker, who swore he’d never fall for Summer again, discovers he can’t resist the scorching heat between them–and suddenly he’s wondering if all these hot nights could be become something more lasting…

Eventide by Elle Jasper (The Dark Ink Chronicles #3)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet

My Copy: Sent

Newly-bitten tattoo artist Riley Poe feels herself changing in unimaginable ways. Eli Dupre, her vampire lover, has seen the change in her and fears for her humanity. His rival, Victorian, tells her she must see the patriarch of the vampire cult that attacked her to save her soul. In the vampire cult’s fortress in Romania, Riley will face her worst fears-and the dark powers threatening to destroy her. And she’ll have to do the one thing she’s been determined not to do—put her trust in Eli.

.

Riley knew having vampire venom running in her veins would mean increasing un-human tendencies but she never thought she’d actually turn. Valerian’s venom is acting on its own though and slowly Riley is turning into the thing she never wanted to be. Flying across the world and putting her trust into people she doesn’t know may be the only way to stop the progression. Victorian and Valerian’s father may be the key to saving her from herself. But what will have three powerful vampires venom do to her and how will she be able to retain even a little part of herself? With Eli’s help and love she might be able to save herself from the darkness closing in, but for how long?

.

I can’t tell you how long I have waited for this book…but it seems like an eternity. Eventide is the third book in Elle Jasper’s Dark Ink Chronicles following Riley, a tattoo artist who isn’t quite human anymore and her fight against a vampire hell-bent on her destruction. Each book in this series gets better and better and I expected a lot going into this one and Elle Jasper seriously delivered by giving her readers one fun ride with the promise of more to come.

At the end of the second book, Everdark, Riley was being kidnapped by Victorian, who claims to be doing it for her own good. Talk about a cliff hanger huh? Victorian is constantly at odds with Riley’s vampire boyfriend Eli and Eli’s family. Victorian comes from an extremely powerful vampire family and with his venom as well has his crazy brother Valerian’s vemon now inside Riley he feels he should be able to claim her as his own. Only problem is that with so much powerful vamp venom in her Riley is acquiring tendencies that are not merely human but not quite vampire. Slowly she is becoming a blood sucker against her will and Valerian’s power over her seems to be increasing. She is suffering from time loss as well her vision that she can’t be sure if they are real or just a figment of her fragmented brain. I envied her ability to stay sane as long as possible. Riley is one tough cookie.

On a last ditch effort to cleanse her blood of Valerian’s evil toxins Eli lets Victorian’s dad inject his venom to overpower that of Valerian. What results is a quirky triangle in which Riley loves Eli, Victorian pines for her and Victorian father offers her the throne. The love triangle was a bit expected given the direction of this book, but still I found it hot. I am curious to find out if Riley feels a connection to Victorian simply because of his venom running through her veins or if its…deeper. Throw in a new group of HOT warriors that need Riley’s help to overcome their own enemies and you’ve got a well rounded book with the possibility of more heart pounding stories to come. The world building throughout the series continues to grow and with the addition of the new characters becoming even more shadowy than before. Nix is back of course with her perky, loving attitude which I have always adored. I hope we continue to see more of her in the following books even though it sounds like Riley may be hanging up her tattoo gun for bigger and definitely more dangerous things.

I have always enjoyed Eli’s band of family even though they sound a whole lot like the Cullens to me. Nevertheless, everyone needs a family and so I suppose after the huge success of Twilight any other vampire family would probably sound the same. Together they move like a team, completely in sync and the camaraderie is well done. Each has their own personality but I like how the story stays true to Eli and Riley and what they face with the family just acting like supporting characters. Like previous books the heat level between Eli and Riley was scorching. I absolutely love Eli. Dark and protective? SWOON.

Don’t start with this one, go back and read Afterlight first and then Everdark.  You need to appreciate the way the world and author alike are growing. Plus you won’t fully understand this series without first reading the previous books. Eventide is a great addition to a series I continue to love and I simply can’t wait for the next book!

I give Eventide by Elle Jasper 5 stars! 

Midnight Enchantment by Anya Bast (Dark Magick #4)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Signet

My Copy: Sent

A QUEST FOR FREEDOM MAY BE DERAILED BY THEIR INTENSE ATTRACTION… 

Niall Quinn, mage and the finest thief in the Black Tower, is the fae’s best hope for freedom. Only he stands a chance of tracking down and retrieving the missing bosca fadbh pieces from the Summer Queen. But he meets his match in Elizabeth Cely Saintjohn, who has taken control of the pieces on the Summer Queen’s behalf—and has refused to give them up. 

Elizabeth is an asrai, a rare English water fae, and she may be the only one in Piefferburg stealthier than Niall. She has her own reasons for guarding the two pieces and wanting the walls of Piefferburg to remain intact—even if it means denying her fae sisters and brothers their freedom. Her mother’s life depends on it. 

Torn between his duty to obtain the pieces at any cost—and the shocking lust Elizabeth has stirred in him—Niall must convince Elizabeth to surrender the pieces, or else he may have no choice but to destroy her and all she holds dear…

.

Elizabeth knows that keeping the hidden pieces that hold the walls around her world together is the only way to save her mothers life. Doesn’t mean she wants to work with the enemy but seeing no other choice she agrees to do so. Her species of fae is so elusive that no one knows her secrets anyway so she feels safe in being able to keep the pieces hidden from prying eyes.

Niall has been sent to collect the pieces no matter the cost. One small, although incredibly beautiful, fae can not stand in his way. He is prepared to do everything in his power to catch the rare female and get the information he seeks. When her capture proves to be harder then he anticipated Niall decides that torture might be the only way to gain the knowledge he seeks.Except when he finally gets her within his grasp the last thing on his mind is torture.

.

Midnight Enchantment is the fourth book in Bast’s Dark Magick series. I will start this review off by saying I highly recommend you read this series in order. Anya Bast does an incredible and complex job on the world building. Every piece of information and every character has a part to play.

Elizabeth is a very rare form of fae. So rare that she is the only one in existence in her homeland. No one seems to know anything about her kind, though Niall comes the closest is understanding her strengths and weaknesses. Elizabeth has formed an uneasy alliance with a common enemy only to try to save her mother’s life. The fae want the walls surrounding their forest prison to come down but in doing so the sprae (a tiny fae organism) would also leave making it impossible for her sprae dependent mother to survive.  I could understand her desire to protect her mother even though I also understand the fae’s need for freedom. There were times I thought Elizabeth should have understood that what she was doing was selfish, even if she still did what she did. She came off as very young a lot of the book, but also very strong. Even when put through the worst she still held her ground and refused to give in.

There were a few times I couldn’t understand what was going through Elizabeth’s head. She was so all over the map with her emotions it was hard to keep up. One minute she’d hate Niall the next she was interested in him. When Niall finally tells her he loves her she basically tells him off. I think a lot of that had to do with her maturity and I wondered what a creature as old as Niall could possible see in her sometimes. Sure she was beautiful and strong. Had a will of steel even. But her temper tantrums (for lack of a better word) got old kind of fast.

Aside from the complex world building I was often confused because the first quarter of the book felt like a dream within a dream within a dream. Nothing was as it seemed. It was hard to follow certain points because of that and I kept thinking that at the end everything was going to be fake (it wasn’t, don’t worry). Niall was on a mission to collect the pieces that Elizabeth hid and he’d stop at nothing to get them. He used everything in his arsenal to break her down, even changing her perception of reality. I often thought he wasn’t cut out to do the dirty work because he showed so much restraint and emotion.

I found the love-making to be sensual and sweet since Elizabeth was a virgin and had no experience with men at all. Niall was exceptionally great at understanding what she needed and when she needed it. I loved his range of emotion. From the man who wanted to keep his word and locate the missing pieces to the man who would do anything to save someone he loved.

I still really liked this book! Some series you can read on their own, this is not one of them. The relationship of Elizabeth and Niall was spot on, I just had a bit of trouble with her character and understanding the complexity of the continuing story arc. I am curious to know the fate of their enemy and refuse to believe it was as easy as just crumbling a fortress to be rid of them. Anya Bast is a master at her world building and story telling, Midnight Enchantment is no exception!

I give Midnight Enchantment by Anya Bast 3.50 stars! 

Everdark by Elle Jasper (Dark Ink Chronicles #2)

Available: June 7th 2011 Amazon/B&N/Borders

Type: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

My Copy: Sent From Publisher

When Savannah tattoo artists Riley Poe is ambushed by an undead enemy, she inherits some of the traits of her attackers-and a telepathic link with a rampaging vampire. Now, she’s experiencing murder after murder through the victims’ eyes. And her new powers will not be enough to stop the horror-or the unending slaughter…

.

.

Everdark picks up again right after the ending of Afterlight. Riley has been bitten by not one but two vampires with the strongest bloodline ever known. She awakens at a detox camp where she has been for several weeks going through withdrawals like a drug addiction. Riley now has special abilities. She can run faster, jump from building tops, fight just as good as a vampire and will live for a very long time. Along with Eli and his family she now hunts rogue vampires. Her brother Seth also now has some enhancements after nearly escaping becoming a vampire in Afterlight.

While Riley is recovering from her attack she starts getting debilitating visions of horrific killings. Victorian has also become obsessed with her and has started visiting in her head again. Though not nearly in the manner as in Afterlight. Much more talking and less dirty fun. His progression from evil vamp to misunderstood and obsessive was a intriguing plot twist. He’s still creepy in his own right, in a stalkerish way, but not nearly as evil as before. Instead his brother Valerian’s soul reincarnated into another vampire is the true villain.  Eli, being the overprotective one instantly becomes enraged on the encroachment of what he views is his territory. He sets out to find the person responsible for the killings as well as Victorian for daring to touch his woman…physically or mentally. I love Eli. I love his protectiveness just about as much as Riley hates it. I would get tired of him reading my mind so much though. A girl does need her privacy from time to time and it seems like such a infringement of privacy to be sharing thoughts not only with her extremely hot boyfriend, but also his entire family. The sex was still as hot as in Afterlight and I reveled in it. I wanted it to never end. Eli’s fathomless eyes are just so damn sexy.

Everdark still had tons of descriptive writing but I found that this one was much easier to read. Maybe because I was used to the style of Elle’s writing…or maybe because this book had more action and all the other stuff didn’t bother me as much this time around. I still heard about every single outfit Riley put on and every time the dog needed walked or fed, but for each of those instances there was a pulse pounding steamy scene or action packed scene to help further the plot. Oh..and between the two books I now know every song Riley has ever heard in a club or has on her ipod play list. Those types of things date a book really badly and they grate on my nerves a bit. However they do fit her personality so I am willing to overlook it…mostly.

I did have one huge pet peeve in the book. Several times Elle refers to the Dupres French heritage and one of the characters says “sack ray blue”. Now maybe because Riley isn’t French and so to her that’s what it sounds like but its “sacreblue” And I don’t think I have EVER heard a true French person ever say it. In fact I went and looked it up online and several sites claim it’s like saying all French people wear berets. Leaving it as saying “sack ray blue” just sounds weird and irked me A LOT.

The ending to Everdark is a true cliff hanger and now I have to wait till next year for Eventide to come out. *Hear me wailing* Why why does it have to be a year…WHYYYYYYYY. I want more Eli!!!!

I give Everdark by Elle Jasper 4 stars!

Afterlight by Elle Jasper (Dark Ink Chronicles #1)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N/Borders

Type: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

My Copy: Bought

Savannah’s most unconventional tattoo artist, Riley Poe, lives on the edge. Now she’s put over the edge when her younger brother is taken by a sinister cult led by vampires. Her only ally is the hot-tempered vampire Eli Dupre, attracted to Riley’s beauty and rare blood type. To save her brother from certain un-death, Riley faces dangers she’s never dreamed of, ruthless bloodthirsty enemies, and an evil of endless hunger that wants to devour it all…

.

Riley Poe is one of Savannah’s most sought after tattoo artists. She is extremely talented and so those who are looking to get some ink done flock to her studio, Inksomnia. Riley has led a rough life and has turned it all around in order to run her successful business and raise her baby brother Seth. She owes everything to her savior, Preacher Man and his wife, powerful Gullah followers. After the untimely death of her mother when Riley was 17, they and Seth, are all she has left.

When Seth becomes a victim of a centuries old vampire spirit, Riley is sucked into a world she never knew existed. Vampires are very real, and now in order to stop her brother from turning into one…she has to trust another one. Eli is a bad tempered vamp who has been put in charge of Rileys safety until they can get her brother back. The heat that flares between them is impossible to ignore and makes it increasingly difficult to focus on the job at hand.

In order to get her brother back, Riley must entice the vampires with the only thing she has…her special blood.

.

At first glance this book is an adult version of Twilight. With the exception that Riley insists on trying to kick vamp ass with her measly human strength..while Bella just wanted to hide. Both books were written with a TON of descriptive writing. Page upon page of what Riley was wearing, what was going on around her, walking her dog every day….twice. Now when I read Twilight (well the entire series actually), I freely admit that I did some skimming of the boring parts. Afterlight was a much shorter book so there was no skipping going on but there were parts I thought, why? I mean the book is riddled with pop culture music references and Hot Topic catalog ideas. I get it…punky gothy crowd. It seemed like Elle was just trying way to hard to get that across. By the end of the book I’m pretty sure I knew every outfit in Riley’s closet.

Riley’s character did a whole lot of thinking about how flawless Eli was…ala Edward from Twilight. Yes, they are purty…I get that too. The guy had to have been getting a big head since he spent a lot of time reading her mind. Riley was a bit hard to warm up to, but I did somewhere in the middle. She put up a good front of being completely in control which I thought was funny because Eli read her mind all the time. Why bother putting up the front then? I enjoyed her being a tattoo artist. That was something I hadn’t read prior to picking up Afterlight. Being a fellow ink lover, I really liked that aspect. Though to be honest the cover artist, as beautiful as it is, didn’t do justice to the dragon tats covering her back and arms. They are wrote with much more detail then I believe the pic shows. Plus everyone in the book is intrigued with them, and the ones on the cover wouldn’t even catch my eye in a crowd.

I LOVED Eli. A man of few words, but he had a smoldering sexuality that I wanted to ravage. Especially when he went all dark and dyed his hair black to fit in with Riley’s crowd. I’m not huge into Hot Topic clothing but the hair, ripped jeans and motorcycle I could get down with. Plus he was über protective, *le sigh* Eli came with a vamp family as well which I kind of laughed about. At one point Riley thinks there must not be another vamp family anywhere like Eli’s and I thought…yeah, uh The Cullens. Eli has a mother, father, 2 brothers and a sister. Now, unlike The Cullens, they ARE all related, but just like in Twilight there is a contract in place that they will not feed on living beings…if that contract gets broken, well, all hell is going to break loose. Except no Native Americans, we instead have The Gullah, a mystical group of people who work with Eli’s family.

Afterlight does give us some AWESOME sex scenes. Even ones with no touching. Yeahhhhh boy. Elle does write a good sex scene.

At its heart, Afterlight is a good book. I think the author could have done a better job distancing herself from the popular works of Miss Stephenie Meyer and cut down the pop culture references…but something kept me reading. Something told me not to give up on this one. In the end I enjoyed the book. It kept me coming back and reading just a bit more. I wanted to root for Riley to get her brother back. To let down her guard for Eli. And to finally get to kick butt without it being handed back to her. Really, that’s all that matters. And besides, let’s be honest, what was Twilight missing? SEX. So yeah, I liked Afterlight. I am hoping the next installment, Everdark will make me a true believer.

I give Afterlight by Elle Jasper 3.50 stars

Visions Of Magic by Regan Hastings

Available: NOW Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Borders

Type: Novel

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

My Copy: Library

In the ten years since magic has reemerged in the world, witches have become feared and hunted. For weeks Shea Jameson has been haunted by visions of fire. When she unintentionally performs a spell in public, she becomes one of the hunted. Her only hope is Torin, a dangerously sensual man who claims to be her eternal mate.

Visions Of Magic is the first book in the “Awakening” series for Regan Hastings. I enjoyed this book a lot. It combined my love for the paranormal, mystery and hot men..which is always awesome for me to find when I pick up a book.

Shea is a woman who has been fighting her past for some time. She has denied the surges of witchcraft running through her body and tried to stop the inevitable. With hunters on the loose trying to destroy all witches, Shea just wants a normal life as a school teacher. But people are quick to point fingers and with Sheas family tree already containing those burned at the stake she is constantly on the run. When she is attacked and her magic leaks out, she is cornered by those that want to see her dead.

Torin has been watching his witch through incarnation after incarnation for centuries. He certainly isn’t going to stand around now while she is being cornered. Being the hero is something that has been ingrained in the soul that she alone can set on fire. Shea doesn’t want to trust this stranger that says he is her soul mate, but when he jailbreaks her she doesn’t have much of a choice.

The Awakening of the witches is upon them. They must find and contain an artifact hundreds of years old if they have any chance of saving this world they doomed so long ago.

 

This book had me from page one to the last sentence. It’s filled with pulse pounding action and a story line to keep you coming back for more. Torin is a smoking hot Eternal who only has eyes for Shea. Seriously, how romantic to wait centuries for your soul mate. Until the one lifetime when she remembers her past and touches you once more. *le sigh*.

The villain in the book leads me to believe there are more people involved then what we were shown in this book. This book is just a taste of the battle that will ensue I’m sure. However, a power hungry witch is never a good thing. Especially one so strong. I would have liked more on the President of The United States position. We are given a brief glimpse into the bigger picture, so I can only assume that will be delved into more fully in future books.

The underlying theme of difference really made the book for me. The human race is fickle and we tend to shy away from difference. What would you do if witches were real? Would you turn your neighbor in? Your best friend? Out of fear of the unknown? Or would you stand and fight for those you love? Books that make me think always win in the end.

I give Visions Of Magic by Regan Hastings 4 stars!