ARC Review: Burning Bright by E.J. Stevens

Title: Burning Bright

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger, #3

 •Source: Author (Advance Reading Copy)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: June 17, 2014

Opening Line: Ever play whack-a-mole with a jincan?


   

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.

     
    

Review: Club Nexus by E.J. Stevens

Title: Club Nexus

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger, #2.5

 •Source: Author
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: December 3, 2013

Opening Line: Welcome to Club Nexus, a singular entertainment experience deep in the heart of Harborsmouth.

  

A demon, an Unseelie faerie, and a vampire walk into a bar...

ICED
A bargain gone wrong leads a highborn Unseelie faerie to life as an enslaved bartender with a taste for revenge.

DUSTED
Being a highly skilled predator doesn't necessarily put you at the top of the food chain at Club Nexus. A southern vampire with a hankering for blood and wanton violence may have bit off more than he can chew.

DEMONIZED
The demon attorney we love to hate has his eye on a certain rockabilly human. Too bad she's brought a crossbow loaded with holy water dipped bolts for this night on the town.

JINXED
Just when Jinx needs a carefree girl's night out with Ivy, a smoking hot demon tries to buy her a drink. She really is the unluckiest human on the planet.

  

Review: Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead Ever After

Author: Charlaine Harris

Series: Sookie Stackhouse, #13

 •Source: Purchased
 •Publisher: Ace Books
 •Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Opening Line: The New Orleans businessman, whose gray hair put him in his fifties, was accompanied by his much younger and taller bodyguard/chauffeur on the night he met the devil in the French Quarter.
  

There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart...

Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough...

    

Review: Dysus Dreamer by J.A. Garland

Title: Dysus Dreamer

Author: J.A. Garland

Series: The Halfling Chronicles, #2

 •Source: Author
 •Publisher: Burst
 •Publication Date: July 1, 2013

Opening Line: A solid assassination takes one part opportunity, two parts discipline, and three parts disposition.

  

"A powerful half-demon is kidnapped, bloodthirsty werewolves are on the rise, and a planet is dying. A demon warrior and a Dark elf joining forces are the least of their worries."

Demon warrior, Slade Aesus, is determined to destroy the werewolves controlling his cousin. But a beautiful elf, consumed by her own vengeance, finds the wolves first. Botching her assassination attempt, Annwyn has the most powerful Packs in the world biting at her heels. Both fiercely independent, can the two join forces long enough to fulfill their missions and stay alive?

     

Review: Instinct by J.A. Garland

Title: Instinct

Author: J.A. Garland

Series: The Halfling Chronicles, #1

 •Source: Author
 •Publisher: Burst
 •Publication Date: September 3, 2012

Opening Line: Anxiety prickled Rory's chest before fanning out to raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

   

Lone wolf, Rory Archer, never failed a single mission. Now the hunted instead of the hunter, Rory unwinds a twisted trail leading back to Amber Arlington, a spirited Halfling tied to a world of Shadows. Bound to vows initially forged out of necessity, Rory and Amber's relationship surges into more than either of them bargained for, tangling them in a web of passion. Scrambling to identify their attacker before joining the casualty list, Rory is faced with doing the unthinkable, or watching Amber turned into a slave for his species.