ARC Review: Birthright by E.J. Stevens

Title: Birthright

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Ivy Granger, #4

 •Source: Author (for review consideration)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: July 14, 2015

Opening Line: I grimaced at the noodles currently taunting me with their salty broth and rubbery texture, and pushed the steaming bowl away with gloved hands.

   

Being a faerie princess isn't all 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...

ARC Review: Hunting In Bruges by E.J. Stevens

Title: Hunting In Bruges

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Hunters' Guild, #1

 •Source: Author (Advance Reading Copy)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: November 11, 2014

Opening Line: I've been seeing ghosts for as long as I can remember.

   

The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.

Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters' Guild is understaffed, the canals are choked with dead bodies, and there's no shortage of supernatural
predators as likely suspects.

On second thought, maybe Bruges isn't so bad after all.

With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters' Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city's scenic canals. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.

Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions--but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

    

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: Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

Title: Affliction

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Series: Anita Blake, #22

 •Source: Purchased
 •Publisher: Berkley Books
 •Publication Date: July 2, 2013

Opening Line: My gun was digging into my back, so I shifted forward in my office chair.

   

Some zombies are raised.
Others must be put down.
Just ask Anita Blake.

Before now, she would have considered them merely off-putting, never dangerous. Before now, she had never heard of any of them causing human beings to perish in agony. But that’s all changed.

Micah’s estranged father lies dying, rotting away inside from some strange ailment that has his doctors whispering about “zombie disease.”

Anita makes her living off of zombies—but these aren’t the kind she knows so well. These creatures hunt in daylight, and are as fast and strong as vampires. If they bite you, you become just like them. And round and round it goes…

Where will it stop?
Even Anita Blake doesn’t know.