AWAKENED BY FIRE by Erin Kellison

Awakened By Fire by Erin Kellison
Book 2 of the Dragons Of Bloodfire series
Read by Bernard Setaro Clark
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: kindle ebook & audiobook

About Awakened By Fire:

Billionaire dragon shifter and Bloodkin Triad member Warrick Voclain is no stranger to power. But when his trusted steward’s beautiful granddaughter — all grown up and successful in her own right — seems to be using illegal magic in his presence, he is thrown for a loop. And the fact that she’s doing so to protect him? Alarming.

Samantha Vine needs to stay under the radar, or her secret gift will get her and her granddad killed. She didn’t intend for her quick visit home to stretch into weeks in Warrick’s company, but anyone striking at Warrick would also hurt her granddad. Only she has the ability to see what’s coming… though she’ll need Warrick’s help to stop it.

The use of such magic is punishable by death, and Warrick’s position on the Triad requires that he adhere to the rule of law. But the attraction between them is electric, stirring his blood and straining his control.

Adversaries wait in every shadow, and the easiest way to strike down a powerful dragon is to go for the heart… in Warrick’s case, Samantha. With fire and blood, he’ll reshape the world into one that’s safe for her. And those that don’t bend to his will? They will burn.

Source: Info in the About Awakened By Fire was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27802060-awakened-by-fire on 15/07/2018.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot, so of course the second book got bought and read!

This book is a whole lot longer than the first one. Ten hours worth of listening time as opposed to the four hours of listening time with Tempted By Fire. With the first book, I was dazzled with the fantastic world building and marvellous story telling quality. With this one, the novelty kind of started to wane already. I had time to digest and the character development was not as good as I first thought it was. Also like the first book, I like Bernard Setaro Clark's narration, even though, Thane and Warrick now have the same growly voice.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (10 hrs and 16 mins listening time)
Plot = 2.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Dragons Of Bloodfire Series:

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook was downloaded for free, as a freebie item on amazon. The audiobook copy of the book was purchased with private funds. No money received for this review.

THE HIDDEN

The Hidden by Ivy Asher
Book 1 in the Shadowed Wings series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: kindle ebook

About The Hidden:

I am a latent wolf shifter.
Or so I thought.

Then life as I knew it changed in a flash — or more accurately, an electrocution.

I’ve woken up in a strange place, surrounded by strange people who hate me. They’re in the middle of a war, and I look like I belong on the wrong side of it.

If that’s not enough to qualify as a really bad day, I now have wings and a strange animal to figure out, because it turns out that there’s not a damn latent thing about me.

If I want to live, I have to prove that I’m not the spy I’m accused of being. Then I need to figure out how the fuck to get back home before all hell breaks loose. Too bad my animal has zero interest in working with me unless it has to do with the two hot assholes that lead this rebel group.

I’m on my own, in a place I’ve never even heard of, with threats I don’t know how to defeat. And lucky me, I might as well have a rotisserie chicken living inside of me for all the help my newly discovered gryphon is.

Perfect. Just fucking perfect.

Source: Info in the About The Hidden was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47762658-the-hidden on 23/10/2019.

My Thoughts:

This book got bought because I like the premise. Plus, one can never underestimate the drawing power of gryphons! It's almost like dragons! Plus the cover is intersting! And, I like this author's story telling quality and the pace was quite quick. However, I did not like the way the book ended in a whooping cliffhanger! Not to mention that the book did not have much of a plot. In essence this book is just a couple of chapters of a bigger book. That tend to dissuade me from reading that kind of authors. Specially when the next book comes out a year after and by then I have forgotten what the book was all about already plus I have already formed a not very positive impression of the author. Not a good thing.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 2
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 1
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 4
Plot = 1

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

The Author

About Ivy Asher:

Ivy Asher is addicted to chai, swearing, and laughing a lot (but not in a creepy, laughing alone kind of way). She loves the snow, books, and her family of two humans, and three fur-babies. She has worlds and characters just floating around in her head, and she's lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing people who support that kind of crazy.

www.ivyasher.com | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

TEMPTED BY FIRE by Erin Kellison

Tempted By Fire by Erin Kellison
Book 1 of the Dragons Of Bloodfire series
Read by Bernard Setaro Clark
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: kindle ebook & audiobook

About Tempted By Fire:

Dragon shifter Thane Ealdian has waited six hundred years to avenge the loss of his family, and finally a clue has surfaced that implicates an old adversary. Thane will stop at nothing to seek his revenge, but to prevent violence between the clans, the Bloodkin Triad has forced a mediator on him. Some upstart named Emerson Clark...

Emerson is fed up with all Bloodkin and how they've managed to control every aspect of her life. While she doesn’t believe that Bloodkin can shift into dragons — because, really? — she has to admit, they are exceptionally nice to look at. But once the mediation is over, she wants nothing to do with them ever again.

When Thane discovers that the clever and beautiful Emerson is the key to uncovering the truth, he has no intention of letting her go. Although she wants to run, she can’t turn her back on Thane or her intense feelings for him. His quest pulls at her heart, just as his nearness sparks something dangerous inside her. With evil in hot pursuit, sooner or later everything will ignite — the mediation, the shifter within her... and their passions.

Source: Info in the About Tempted By Fire was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25780917-tempted-by-fire on 15/07/2018.

My Thoughts:

Promising start to a new-to-me series.

The world building and the story telling quality were fantastic!! The plot though was a bit thin on the ground. And then I liked the way the narrator gave Thane a growley voice!

At barely five hours listening time, I wouldn't really call this a full novel. However it is a whole lot longer than a novella. Either way, its a quick nice read. Enjoyed the book and would give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Short and sweet.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (4 hrs and 56 mins listening time)
Plot = 2.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Dragons Of Bloodfire Series:

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook was downloaded for free, as a freebie item on amazon. The audiobook copy of the book was purchased with private funds. No money received for this review.

SMOKE BITTEN

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs
Book 12 of the Mercy Thompson series
Read by Lorelei King
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Smoke Bitten:

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, faces a threat unlike any other in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

I am Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman.

My only “superpowers” are that I turn into a thirty-five pound coyote and fix Volkswagens. But I have friends in odd places and a pack of werewolves at my back. It looks like I’m going to need them.

Centuries ago, the fae dwelt in Underhill — until she locked her doors against them. They left behind their great castles and troves of magical artifacts. They abandoned their prisoners and their pets. Without the fae to mind them, those creatures who remained behind roamed freely through Underhill wreaking havoc. Only the deadliest survived.

Now one of those prisoners has escaped. It can look like anyone, any creature it chooses. But if it bites you, it controls you. It lives for chaos and destruction. It can make you do anything — even kill the person you love the most. Now it is here, in the Tri-Cities. In my territory.

It won’t, can’t, remain.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

Source: Info in the About Smoke Bitten was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44571368-smoke-bitten on 14/07/2019.

My Thoughts:

Being an old Patricia Briggs fan, of course this book is a 5 out of 5! I knew it was going to be a 5 out of 5 even before I've read it! What I didn't expect was a killer bunny! Now that, is a fun thing to read! Then there is Wulfe making more of an appearance which I love! Love! Love! And other things I love which I cannot mention here without being spoilery.... What I kinda was disappointed though is that Sherwood did not bring Pirate to the 5 o'clock meeting...

What this book is starting to feel though, is like Lt. Eve Dallas in the In Death series by JD Robb where only Dallas ever knows whodunit. That kind of gets old fast.

Not the best book in the series, however, I still enjoyed it immensely!!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 5
Plot = 5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Mercy Thompson Series:
Click on the cover image to go to my review or to the GoodReads page of the book for more info.
                     

 

About Patricia Briggs
	Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.
www.patriciabriggs.com | facebook | twitter | goodreads | Amazon

FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.