Review: Kindred Demon by RaShelle Workman

Title: Undercover Empath: Kindred Demon
Author: RaShelle Workman
Release Date: June 1^st 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Genre: New Adult/Urban Fantasy Romance
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Rating: 4 stars

Nineteen-year-old detective Rose Hansen has a secret. She can read a person’s intentions by touching their hands. It’s a curse! A power she never uses if she can help it.

Only one person knows. Her partner Jack.

At least that’s what she believes until a handsome, shirtless stranger appears on her doorstep in small town Blush Valley, California.

He leaves her an envelope, but not before articulating his disappointment in her for ignoring her powers.

The contents send Rose on a path toward the supernatural, solving her parents’ murders, and possibly even saving the world.

Aside from that, Rose and her partner have two important cases they’re working. The first involves a missing child. The other is the death of a stripper. Ruled a murder, a very hot FBI agent from L.A. shows up and is given lead. To make matters worse, he asks her to go undercover.

Her life is a disaster. Rose can’t strip. She doesn’t even own a dress.

RaShelle Workman introduce a new twist to the Urban Fantasy genre!

Kindred Demon gave me the same feeling of Lilith Saintcrow’s Dante Valentine series! The vibe of a badass female with a certain mission!

Seeing such a young protagonist gave me quite a shock. Usually it would be about 20 plus? A shock is a shock, but it’s also rather refreshing!

There are several things that confused me when I read this. Hmm…I think the correct term would be a…Love Rectangle? This…

THIS IS WHAT MAKES KINDRED DEMON SUCH AN INTERESTING READ!

There are at least 3 people that I can think of that could or might have already be involved with Rose Hansen! That’s a lot and I think all three of them have different intentions with Rose!

The plot is extremely intriguing! I am literally so curious about everything that is going on and honestly, I’m hoping there will be a sequel to this! I have so many theories swirling in my mind right now and the only one who can answer them is the author!

I’m curious whether Rose will pull of the undercover work, what the Kindred Demon is doing, how the FBI agent and her partner feels and…the list is endless!

Definitely highly recommended for urban fantasy readers!

*Thank you to Curiosity Quills Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)

Review: The Devil’s Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow

Title: The Devil’s Right Hand (Dante Valentine #3)
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Release date: March 7^th 2011
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages:  242
Rating: 4 stars

Dante Valentine, Necromancer and bounty hunter, just wants to be left alone. But the Devil has other ideas. 

The Prince wants Dante. And he wants her now. And Dante and her lover, Japhrimel, have no choice but to answer the Prince’s summons. And to fulfil a seemingly simple task: become the Devil’s Right Hand, hunt down four demons that have escaped from Hell, and earn His gratitude.

It’s a shame that nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Devil. Because of course, he doesn’t tell Dante the whole truth: there is a rebellion brewing in Hell. And there is a good chance that Lucifer is about to be pushed off the throne.

But Dante is getting really tired of being pushed around. And this time, she might be angry enough to take on the Devil himself…

So, after the second book’s torture of not seeing Japhrimel, my wish is granted in this book!

Just…well, after reading this book, I feel like my wish has come true too much. No wonder people always say, “Be careful what you wish for!” *sighs*

This book is well-paced as compared to the previous one, Dead Man Rising. There are lots of content in it and yes, my favourite couple is baaaaack! Japhrimel and Dante! The Devil’s Right Hand got me hooking onto every page from all the character plot twists!

So the book start out slow and relaxed, with Dante and her Fallen lover together. Everything was blissful until the moment where Dante finds Japhrimel hiding things from her. Though, that’s for her own safety.

Lucifer, the Prince, wants Dante to be his Right Hand and hunt down rogue demons. Japhrimel was once in that position until he fell for Dante and became a Fallen. That, my dear readers, is when the character plot twists will start!

Yes, yes, I did wish for Japhrimel to come back into Dante’s life BUT, he is being an arse towards Dante. Yes, an arse, ass, asshole! He needs to take on some counselling session on how-to-make-your-relationship successful. Dante only wants him to do one thing, and he didn’t.

How do you make a relationship successful? You tell and share with each other things! Not keep them to yourself, thinking it’s for the greater good that your other half not knows what’s going on! Especially so, if your other half is someone like Dante Valentine.

I’m done with my ranting. I would like to say that though I disagree with whatever Japhrimel did, I understand why he did it. Though, I still don’t like it. Whereas Danny, who has been my favourite person since the first book, is STILL my favourite gal because she is done being pushed around. She is going to fight with everything she got, even against her lover when the need arise.

I love how Danny is still the same woman who acts on her instincts and refused to be controlled by anyone! Well, the only thing that changed was her temper and no, her temper did not become mild. In fact, she’s more foul-tempered than ever!

You guys would never have guessed who is starting the rebellion in hell. Honestly, it was a shock and a pleasant discovery soon followed!

Be prepared for a book filled with action-packed fighting and constantly pissed-off Necromancer with a Fallen demon, which you will either really hate him or love him for what he did to Dante, in the third instalment of the Dante Valentine series!

High recommended for fans of Lilith Saintcrow’s writing and the Dante Valentine series! You will not be disappointed!

 

Review: Stake That by Mari Mancusi

Title: Stake That (Blood Coven Vampire #2)
Author: Mari Mancusi
Release date: December 5^th 2006
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 280
Rating: 4½ stars

Two sisters—as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for, but it seems destiny has something else in mind…

Rayne McDonald had it all figured out. Get turned into a vampire, become the mate of the Blood Coven leader, and live the high-life for all eternity. Too bad the head vamp took a bite out of her twin sister by mistake. Now, not only is Rayne still not a vampire, but she learns she’s a slayer instead—destined to destroy vamps gone bad.

After being recruited by a secret organization, Rayne is given her first mission: infiltrate a seedy bar downtown and expose its vampire owner, Maverick, for purposely spreading a nasty blood virus. Luckily the Blood Coven sends some help—in the form of sexy vampire Jareth. Will vampire and slayer be able to settle their differences and work together to bring down the evil Maverick? Or will they find their own hearts on the line?

I absolutely love this marvellous book! It was a fast-paced, exciting read that got me sitting down and finished it in less than two hours! I bought and read this book quite some time ago but Stake That has been one of my favourites which I have re-read many times.

In case some of you might find it strange that I read the second book before the first, I would like to say that when I first bought it, I thought it was the first novel or probably a stand-alone. This is one of the first few books that sparked my interest in Young Adult novels about 6-7 years ago.

So naturally, I was a little confused about the whole twin sisters thing but the author did bring up a few main points about the Rayne’s sister in this book. Okay so both sisters are blonde but Rayne, the sister who knows about the vampire world dyed her hair black and her sister, Sunny, is exactly what her name implies-blonde, bright and cheerful.

Rayne was supposed to be turned into a vampire and be the mate of the Blood Coven Leader, a.k.a the Vampire Leader Magnus, but instead, her sister was bitten.  Now, she isn’t a vamp, but a slayer who destroys vamps! Shocking twist, which is part of the reason that attracted me to this book. I wonder how someone who wants to become a vampire, now has to destroy the bad ones.

Rayne is constantly in her goth getup and oh wow, I would pay to see her in the outfit when her slayer mentor trains with her. Her reaction to that outfit was one of the most epic element in the book! It was supposed to be just a normal outfit for normal training but Rayne makes it sound like it’s the most hideous outfit ever made in existence!

(I had a laughing fit when I read it!)

So after some really late and little training, Rayne is off to her first mission! Go undercover at a bar downtown and expose the evil vampire owner, Maverick, for spreading a blood virus that makes vampires become sick. Now that her sister, Sunny and the Blood Coven leader are chummies, Rayne gets help – a sexy vampire named Jareth.

He is sexy alright, and brooding, but also hates Rayne’s guts for being a slayer. Of course, he has a story behind of his hatred for slayers but that is for you guys to read and find out! There are times of light banter between Jareth and Rayne that will have you cheering for the both of them!

The plot of the book is simple and relatively well-planned, fast-paced and be warned, there is a teeny tiny little plot twist. The twist is tiny, but its life-and-death!

I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a fast-read with elements of humour and bravado from a girl-who-is-not-to-be-messed-with!

Review: Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow

Title: Dead Man Rising (Dante Valentine #2)
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Release date: March 7^th 2011
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 247
Rating: 3 stars

When the dead call, she answers.

Bounty hunting is a helluva job, but it pays the bills. And it lets Necromance Dante Valentine forget her issues—-like struggling with her half-demon side and the memory of her lover’s death.

Now psychics all over the city are being savagely murdered—-and a piece of the past Dante thought she’d buried is stalking the night with a vengeance. Too bad she’s got no way to tell which fiend—or friend—to trust. Or that her most horrifying nightmares are gathering to take one kick-ass bounty hunter down for the count.

I am honestly tempted to give this book 2½ stars. This book was disappointing as compared to the first one. The content and the writing of this book felt like it was just there to continue the story, as if the writing was there to act as fillers. However, as I mentioned previously, Lilith Saintcrow has the amazing ability to infuse life into the characters she wrote and that, is why I have chosen to give the book 3 stars.

Dante is still the same person I have come to love very much from the previous book. Perhaps it could be due to the absence of a certain character, that made Dante seems like she is a living the life of a workaholic to escape her own reality – the reality that her lover is dead.

Honestly, Lilith Saintcrow is amazing. She is able to depict in the most realistic way on how someone like Dante would react in the situations she is placed in.

Grieving, for example. Dante is not the type to break down and cry, no, she rather become a workaholic and busied herself with bounty hunting. Of course, she isn’t alone. Jason ‘Jace’, the ex has make Dante his business to care for. He’s her bounty hunting partner. No matter what she do, the moment her mind is free to think, her Fallen lover would invade her mind.

I have nothing against Jace, I just prefer a certain green-eyed Fallen as compared to him. Its pretty accurate to say that when you are grieving and there’s a guy being a constant presence by your side, I believe most people would start to care for him. Dante’s feelings is like a whirlwind of emotions. She allows herself to worry for Jace but at the same time, she’s not letting him in her heart. Though…sometimes she does feel different for Jace.

Jace is almost like a guardian angel. I think he loves Dante very much, too much that perhaps he’s hoping she would forget about the demon. His character is so much well-developed as compared to the first book. He is a constant presence around Dante.

One of the elements that made the book bearable was Gabe and Dante’s friendship. Their friendship is just…wow. You know when you have a friend that would always come back no matter what you say, even if you use profanities at each other? That is exactly what Gabe is like to Dante. Both of them are fierce gals that greets each other with insults. Literally.

The second book focus more on Dante’s past, something her best friend’s lover and herself have in common. There is definitely more blood and detailed ways on how to kill people in the second instalment of the Dante Valentine series.

I would recommend fans of Working with the Devil and Lilith Saintcrow, urban fantasy lovers to read Dead Man Rising!

 

 

Review: Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow

Title: Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine #1)
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Release date: March 7^th 2011
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 252
Rating: 4 stars

Necromancer. Bounty hunter. Killer.

Dante Valentine has been all three in her life. But in the beginning, she was a Necromancer for hire. And while she was choosy about her jobs, there were just some she couldn’t turn down. Like when the Devil showed up at the door and offered her a deal. Her life – in exchange for the capture and elimination of a renegade demon. But how do you kill something that can’t die?

Meet Dante ‘Danny’ Valentine, the lady with the ability to raise the dead from even the ashes and the best Necromancer in her time.

That, and she is a smart-mouthed, suicidal bounty hunter with absolutely no sense for her own safety. The lady is practically a ticking bomb waiting to be exploded on anyone who gets in her way when she is on a hunt.

Her job is to raise the dead, gets paid for it and pay her bills. Her ability to raise them even with only the remains, the ashes, available makes her the best. Of course, she doesn’t just spend her time fiddling with the dead. She is a bounty hunter, which is why the Devil himself wanted her to hunt down a demon gone rogue. She may be choosy about her jobs, but when the Devil showed up, she couldn’t refused it. Not that she doesn’t want to, she has no choice.

Lilith Saintcrow has this great ability for infusing life into the character she writes, especially for Dante Valentine. I really love Danny so much. She is the most suicidal character I have ever read, suicidal in terms of impulsive behaviour. She acts on her instincts.

Now now, before anyone says Danny is just like Rose Hathaway, let me make something clear. Take Rose’s personality and amplify it, and there you have it, Dante Valentine, the impulsive Necromancer with a little mean streak in her!

Danny doesn’t filter her mind before speaking, so to others, she might seem like a raving bitch. To me, I think Danny is just speaking her mind and acting the way she should. She’s not a raving bitch, but someone with a foul temper and wants thing to be done quickly. She definitely works well alone, so she would get all angst up when Lucifer gave her a demon familiar, Japhrimel.

Japhrimel is this hot demon with green-eyes, Lucifer’s Right Hand and his Eldest. I would assume it means Japhrimel is Lucifer’s oldest child. This demon is Danny’s familiar to protect her, and if Danny succeeded, he gets his freedom from Lucifer. Although Danny is reluctant, she knows she need him. Afterall, she is hunting down a rogue demon, one that has stolen something from Lucifer.

This is where Danny’s even more determined to hunt down the demon, it was the very same demon that had killed someone she loved, someone close to her. I find the banter between Japhrimel and and Danny quite amusing. Danny is doing what she always do, yet to her demon familiar, she seems to be not very concerned with her safety.

Then something unthinkable happened.

No wait, actually, TWO UNTHINKABLE THINGS HAPPENED.

The second time worse than the first.

The first unthinkable thing was something I thought would be quite impossible, given the relationship between the both of them. Both Danny and Japhrimel seems to hate each other’s guts and the only reason Japhrimel rescued Danny every time she’s in danger because if she die, he might not be freed from Lucifer’s control. Of course, some of you may think its predictable that two protagonists would fall for each other but in Lilith Saintcrow’s writing, I totally did not see that coming!

The second unthinkable thing was…oh god, my heart wants to cry and break just at the thought of it. If I say anymore, I’m pretty sure spoilers would be coming so no.

Let’s just say…if you read the book, you reaction would be

THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPENED. WHY, HOW, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

Yeap…I have no idea whether this book falls under the Young Adult or New Adult genre. It is definitely urban fantasy. Well, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to try out a Necromancer-Demon (lots-of-other-stuff) fantasy!