A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

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             A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries #1)

by Elizabeth Hunter

"No secret stays hidden forever."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

Review

How the heck did this sweet gem almost slip under my radar? And at no cost!!! 

A Hidden Fire is probably the smartest book in it’s genre that I have read all year. It’s intellectual but lacks pretense. It’s sexy with a lot of class. The characters are intense and complex sans all of the annoying drama.

I simply fell in love with this book and let me tell you why. It takes its time and doesn’t rush the reader from one action packed scene to the next. The romance develops very slowly, but not too slow that you’re just fed up with all the tension. I found that I too wanted to slow down and take my time with this book. Just sit back and take it in slowly like a fine wine. And at 449 pages, it does not disappoint.

Are you hooked yet? You should be!

I appreciated all of the research, hard work and dedication that it must have taken to write this novel. The richness of history, language and literature, was so refreshing. I was very impressed . Like I stated before,...smart! 

A Hidden Fire is a para-romance but it also falls into the Mystery category. Gio, being a finder/ tracker of lost and hidden treasures is on the hunt for his own lost piece of personal history. B is a librarian and helps Gio in his research and investigation. B also has a haunted past and hopes Gio can help her gain some understanding and closure so she can move on with her life.  I loved the pacing of trying to locate Gio’s lost past personal treasure as well as his struggle with his heart. These problems weren’t solved over night, and kudos for that. I mean why rush a good story, right?  B and Gio's working relationship, investigative work and developing romance spanned over a period of months. For me, that just made the story feel so real. 

 When I read quality of work like this it tells me that Elizabeth Hunter is a mature and confident writer. 

The characters B and Gio were so multi-faceted and alluring. They are very three-dimensional. I honestly I felt like I knew them and that I was right along side them through their whole journey. 

The supporting characters are quick witted and lovable. Almost like a favorite aunt or uncle. As a reader, I felt connected to the characters. I cared a lot about them. I wanted them to be successful. I wanted them to triumph. I felt heartache for Gio when... (oops I won’t give it away). Sorry, no spoilers here :)

Basically, A hidden Fire is a big fat hit in my book.  Check it out! It’s free for on Kindle at the moment. Why wouldn’t you?

5 stars for A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter!!!

I already have the rest of her series lined up in my queue to read. I am excited to see what becomes of B and Gio!

Madley and the Jackal by M. Leighton

                                       Madley and the Jackal (Madley 3) by M. leighton 

How deep does love run? Deeper than the ocean? Deeper than memory? Deeper than magic?

Following their plan to save Atlas, Madly and Jackson return the spirit of Wolfhardt to his prison beneath the sea. But even the best laid plans couldn’t account for the surprises they find. This time, Lore aren’t their only challenges.

Madly is special in ways no one could have guessed and dark forces seek to control her. They want her power, but first they must weaken her. They need her beaten. Vulnerable. Near death. And alone. But that task isn’t an easy one with Jackson at her side. The strongest of their kind, the only way to separate Jackson from Madly is to destroy his love for her, to erase it from his mind. And his heart.

Is it possible to steal Jackson’s love from Madly? Or is their love the only truly unbreakable thing?

Review

I must confess I should have been reading other novels and writing up reviews for those first. But the sweet, sweet siren’s call of M. Leighton’s beautiful and lyrical writing pulled me asunder; deep into the world of Madley James.

Madley and the Jackal is the third installment in M. Leighton’s Madley series, and it does not disappoint. It starts off right where book 2 ends. Jackson and Madley have finally declared their love for one another. And with their combined strength, they make their way to atlas to return the first Lore that has escaped. Returning him to his imprisonment. This is the first look the reader gets of Atlas and of the neat little world Ms. Leighton has created. 

I won’t spoil what happens in Atlas. But lemme tell you, the end result is swoon worthy...sigh. Yep, I think all women will “heart “ Jackson after reading this book. 

Madley has upped it a notch in book 3. Her maturity, strength and confidence really shine through. She really has to suck it up and rely on her own strength in order to save her mate and ultimately the world. She can’t lean on Jackson this time around. Madley has to depend on her years of training and upbringing as a Royal in order to save the day. This is where I really give props to Ms. Leighton in staying true to Madley’s character. At no time do we find Madley sitting in a big pile of emotional mess, all tears and snot. No, not really, not even in her darkest hour of heartache and terror. However, Madley isn’t queen of stoicism either. The way she deals with her emotional struggles, fear and stress seem very realist. This is what makes Madley a very relatable and likable character. 

I have just been wow’ed time and time again by M. Leighton’s work.  All that I have read thus far has been nothing less then exceptional. Her work is so diverse. Spanning the gamut of YA Paranormal Romance to New Adult Romance. Each series has it’s own voice, tempo and feel. I have yet to read something from one of her series and say, “oh, this is just like what happened in...”  or, “ This protag is just like the one she wrote in ...”   That is the mark of a smart and creative mind IMHO.

Well folks as you can probably tell, it’s official. I have crossed the line and have gone all fangirl for M. Leighton!

I highly recommend reading anything from her work. If Madley’s world doesn’t sound like your bag, then I know there is defiantly something that Ms. Leighton has written that will appeal to anyone.

I gladly give this book 5 stars! And eagerly anticipate book 4.  

The Forever Girl

The Forever Girl: Sophia's Journey (Forever Girl #1) by Rebecca Hamilton

Sophia's family has skeletons, but they aren't in their graves.

At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.

Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she'd settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.

One of them is a man named Charles, who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that might help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor's hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him.

Survival in his world, she learns, means not asking questions and staying out of the immortal council's way. It's a line she crossed long ago. If Sophia wants to survive the council and save the people she loves, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.


The Forever Girl is a full-length Paranormal Fantasy novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, vampires, ghosts, paranormal mystery, and paranormal horror.

Review

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised by this novel! While I do enjoy para-romance and urban fantasy, the occult and wiccan’s don’t really pique my interests. So, I thought I would go out on a bit of a limb in choosing this book and I am very glad I did.

While I sat down to start reading this novel, I was thinking,  “ Oh boy, is this gonna be some emo-goth girl grumbling about her life, meet some hot guy and all the while, get sucked into witchcraft and the occult sort of story?”  However, I set that thought aside,  opened up my ereader and began. As I read the first chapter I soon realized this book was not what I expected and I was in for a treat.

Author, Rebecca Hamilton weaves such an imaginative tale that it makes one sit-up and take notice of the rich complexity and creativity between the character’s and story line. All is not totally how it seems, and as the story unfolds most, if not all is revealed leaving the reader wanting more.

The story is from Sophia’s POV. She isn’t the strange, goth-girl pariah that the small town of Belle Meadow makes her out to be. She is very likable and sweet. Sophia also isn’t a push over and she stands her ground on her convictions. 


There is a buzzing in Sophia’s head that forces her to perform a ritual in the hope that it would silence the sound. Instead she sets off a chain of events that lead her to discover who she really is and was destined to become.

During this journey she falls in love with Charles. At first I wasn’t a big fan. He later grew on me though. My initial impression was that he was a smug, indifferent, I think to highly of myself type. He gives Sophia mixed signals and ,well frankly, it just irritated and annoyed me. However, as the plot thickens and the story progresses, Charles drops his guard and softens into a character any woman would fall for. The reader learns that both characters (Sophia and Charles) have fears and trust issues. Hence, all the tension. But, I won’t spoil the plot by revealing what those are. However, know that what’s revealed makes total sense and the characters become more personable and forgivable.

The Forever Girl spans over time and distance and as the reader we are blessed to get some delicious back story. So much so that it made me say, “ Well, I didn’t see that one coming!” I love it when I am taken by surprise by some sort of twist and that’s just what Ms. Hamilton did.

This story was not formulaic at all and I am in awe of the creative genius that went into this endeavor. Therefore I give this story 4.5 stars.

I look forward to reading more of Rebecca Hamilton’s work!

To Kill A Warlock (Dulcie O'Neil #1) by H.P. Mallory

To Kill A Warlock (Dulcie O'Neil #1) 

by H.P. Mallory

The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator—a law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world. When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim.

Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full. As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

If you looking for a fun, fast paced urban fantasy with out any pretense or deep character drama, then this is the book for you! 

My Review

To Kill a warlock is the first installment in the Dulcie O’Neil series. This book reminded me of (dare I compare?) the Sookie Stackhouse novels. However, and here’s my caveat; it’s cleaned up in the bedroom department and laced with a bit more humor.

The main character, protagonist and first person POV is Dulcie O’Neil. She is a likable, saucy gal with a great sense of humor. Dulcie is very relatable, she may be strong and miss independent but she still possesses many human flaws (even though she is a fairy). She struggles with self-esteem and rejection issues, and hey, what women hasn’t walked through that raging inferno a few times in her life? So yeah, I found myself really rooting for ol’ Dulcie. Oh, and I just loved that she was an aspiring writer. We get a  peek into Dulcie’s novel and writing process and it-is-a-hoot!

Her male counter parts and bff Sam are just delightful in their own ways. They each have very distinct personalities and play to their roles quite nicely. Sam, the bubbly and supportive friend, Trey the gross, kind of frat-boyish partner, Knight who is tall dark and sexy, Bram the snarky seductive vampire and Quill the handsome, encouraging boss. All of these characters played well off of one another and remained consistent and true through out the novel.

With murders to solve, a book to write, and betrayal looming around the corner Dulcie O’Neil is the girl,...er, um,... fairy, who can tackle it all!

A very fun read, that I defiantly recommend. 

I give it 4 Stars  

To Kill an Angel (Blood Like Poison #3) by M. Leighton

To Kill an Angel (Blood Like Poison #3)

by M. Leighton

Ridley Heller thought her life would be perfect and trouble-free once she had Bo back. Unfortunately, she couldn’t have been more wrong. Learning Bo’s true identity has left them with their most difficult decision yet. They have two options. One, they can run away together and spend eternity looking over their shoulder, hiding from both God and Sebastian. Or, two, they can find a way to kill Sebastian. Ridley feels like there’s really only one choice, but killing Sebastian has a major down side for her—it will leave Bo mortal and her a vampire. She’ll be doomed to walk the earth alone for all eternity.

What will they choose? And who will have to die in order to see their goal accomplished? Find out in the exciting conclusion of the Blood Like Poison series, To Kill An Angel.

My Review 

 Angels, vampires, and demons all in one! Score!  Another fantastic series by indie writer M. Leighton. To Kill an Angel is the final installment in the Blood Like Poison series and Ms. Leighton wraps things up quite nicely with a pretty red ribbon on top.

This was a great series. Each book had its own vibe and feel. The pacing and tempo of each novel was spot on. Nothing felt clunky or stilted and I really couldn’t find any inconsistencies or gapping plot holes.

This isn’t to say I wouldn’t have minded a little more back story on some characters. For instance, we are introduced to a couple of new characters, Cade and Annika. These two characters just seemed a little thin and watered down. I would love to have had a little more backstory on Cade. He’s a sweet sweet piece of candy that doesn’t mind stirring the pot every once in a while. Gotta love that!  It would have been cool to see the relationship between him, Bo and Ridley develop a bit more. It is my sincere hope that in the future, Ms. Leighton will expound upon these two.

All in favor of giving Cade his own novel say, “Aye!”

What made this series a winner for me, were the characters themselves and their relationships with one another. Our main protagonist and POV comes from Ridley. Ridley is a very strong gal. She is compassionate, but she isn’t a push over. Nor will you find her wallowing in self pity. She is a pick yourself up by the bootstraps kinda girl. She gets a wake-up call in book one.  From that point on, she decides she is finally going to be the person that she wants to be and not the person others want or expect her to be. As a reader you get to see her transform into that particular person and I always love to see change, growth and development take place within a novel or series.
Bo, well, what can I say except,...sigh. He is divine, pretty much perfect in every way. Seriously! I think M. Leighton can pat herself on the back for conjuring up the most perfect boyfriend ever!
The supporting characters, Savannah, Devon and Lucien all add to the humor, strength and gravitas of the novel. This story just wouldn’t have worked with out them.
Then, there is the antagonist, Sebastian. He’s defiantly Mr. beautiful and deadly. A great villain.  

One major thing I really appreciated about this book and series is the smart balance of combining a love story, with personal tragedy, with growing up; all while trying to destroy evil and save the day. Normally, with this genre, one would find a large portion of the plot devoted to trying to destroy the “bad guy.” This book didn’t do that. It was a perfect amalgamation of all key emotional elements. Fear, humor, anxiety, sadness, hope and love. It was beautifully executed and awesome.

I very much recommend this book. If you liked twilight (eye roll) then seriously, read this! I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.

I give this book 4.5 stars. I knocked off half a star because, I selfishly wanted more Cade!