{Review} Burned by Fire (Blood & Magic #3) by Danielle Annett

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: September 30th, 2016
Finished Date: December 22nd, 2016

Publishers: Self Published 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 175
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

 

Aria’s pyrokinetic ability has always been hard to control, and being pulled in so many directions, isn’t making it any easier. Now she has to help Inarus, a foe turned friend who is being targeted by the Human Alliance Corporation—the very organization he once worked for.

But the HAC has more than just Inarus in their sights. Aria finds herself going deep into enemy territory to save a witchling child with never before seen powers, that the HAC has kidnapped to further their own ends.

Aria has been hired to save a child once before, and she failed. That failure has haunted her even to this day and she won’t let herself fail again. With the HAC closing in, and complications between herself and the Pack rising, Aria has no choice but to succeed. A child’s life is on the line and Aria will risk everything to save that life.

The Review: Burned by Fire is the third book in the Blood and Magic series and there is definitely no let up in the action and drama for our heroine Aria.
We join Aria when she finds a near fatally wounded Inarus in her home and discovers that he is now under a death sentence after having his identity exposed to the Human Alliance Corporation. Aria plans to protect him and decides to bring him in on an urgent investigation that arises when a child of the coven is kidnapped.
Whilst investigating this situation, many more problems arise when her ‘mate’ status is put to the test in more ways than one – leaving her confused and feeling used. As always, the HAC has some dastardly plans afoot which has a lot more going on than meets the eye.
Aria certainly has her work cut out for her in this book, where both body and heart will take a battering.
Now...I love this series! You can tell too since I came out of review exile for it.
Aria has grown and developed as a character once again. She let’s a little vulnerability through here and we can see the growth through the houses she makes and how she comes to those decisions. Aria and Declan are still clashing -in good ways and bad-which is always a good thing but I liked how she seemed to weigh up her decisions a lot more and even though she tends to run when things get difficult, she is beginning to realise her actions are really a defence mechanism and chooses to acknowledge that. Also, even though her status in the pack has questionable beginnings, it seems as if progress is being made towards an understanding.
This book had it all for me. Whilst matters of the heart were important in the story, we can’t forget that there is an actual investigation happening into another kidnapped child and the finger is again pointed solely at the HAC. So not only do we have that but we have Intrusion being constantly targeted too which brings random bursts of action and drama to the plot. This added a lot of excitement to the story especially when Aria is targeted too, because of course when Aria is in trouble...... the pack will follow.
There is a big sense of foreboding throughout that hints at some bigger picture happening and whilst some avenues are dissolved, some powerful alliances are formed with Aria being the facilitator. This gives me high hopes for the series and the possibilities it represents. Aria seems to be having trouble with her power to and this could be very interesting in the future due to happenings in this book plus I don’t think we’ve seen just how powerful she really is..... yet. 
As always, the book is well written, has amazing characters that are set in a rich background of magic, mayhem and power struggles. The action and adventure we have came to love is there in abundance and it definitely keeps your interest in the series alive with the want for more. I couldn’t recommend this series enough if you’re after a great urban fantasy read.

Thank you to Danielle Annett for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Blog Tour} Kissed by Fire (Blood & Magic #2) by Danielle Annett

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: September 1st, 2015
Finished Date: September 19th, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: Urban Fantasty
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
 

As Friend of the Pack, Aria Naveed should be untouchable, protected by the most influential group in the Pacific Northwest. But someone is unleashing rogue vampires to hunt her down, and she is determined to find out why.

When Aria gains command of Sanborn Place and takes on a case involving a mysterious paranormal, her life is put in more peril than ever as she finds herself bound to an influential power player. She doesn't want to be anyone's puppet, but must tread carefully as she traverses the streets of Spokane, WA, or risk being overwhelmed by the forces moving against her.

As the only known pyrokinetic in the area, Aria is in high demand, but not for her services. It seems that to those in power, she's worth more dead than alive, and if a mysterious enemy has their way, she won't live long enough to find out why.

The Review: Kissed by Fire is the second book in the Blood & Magic series and it was definitely as fab as the first!

As the dust settles on the aftermath of book 1, Aria finds herself dealing with mixed emotions – grieving for the loss of her father figure and employer Mike, guilt over his death, betrayal by more than one person which is seriously messing with her emotions and the need for normalcy. When she finds out that Mike has left her Sanborn Place in his will, she’s uncertain how she feels about it but after a talk with his widow she finally sees it as her chance to keep living. She dives straight into a case but seeing as she is staying on pack property, she gets a babysitter and that is stifling…… but when she finds herself hovering between life and death…. She gets a whole lot more than a babysitter – she gets bonded!

The bond makes her feel even more of a prisoner than she did already but it could come in handy when enemies start emerging and wanting her dead. More than one power player is fighting for her attention and they are not above taking what they want – forcing Aria to make some serious decisions herself.

I seriously loved everything about this book! My only grumble is that it is too short – I want more!

As I mentioned – Aria is going through a rough time following the loss of Mike and feeling guilt for it which is totally understandable, she is also reeling from the discovery about her mother & betrayal by someone she was becoming emotionally attached to. I really like Aria’s character, I like that she is fiercely independent and hates to rely on anyone but that is also a danger to her when she can’t accept help and it’s going to come to a head here. I liked the vulnerability she showed here as well, her grief for Mike was endearing and showed her in a softer light. Her love life is still a little tangled but I like where it seems to be going and I love the chemistry with the one she gets bonded to.

They may have diverted a war between the shifters and the vamps but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others actively seeking to create one still. She’s stuck on who to trust but the pack have her back and have given her a place to stay that brings safety to her life. Aria is put into dangerous situations time and again as she tries to work out who is behind the latest attempts on her life because it’s clear someone wants her out of the picture and she’s going to need to put that stubborn streak to one side and get help. She ends up in some precarious positions as it seems as if her life is spiralling out of control and she is being pulled in all directions. When she does find out what is going on… she’s in for a few shocks. Once again this book is fab! It is well written with great characters, the author has created a really good world & scenario and it’s everything you want from a book in this genre, it was perfect to me right down to the pacing and again, I am left wanting more! 

Thank you to Danielle Annette for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

About the Author: Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA, the primary location for her Blood & Magic series. Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.You can learn more about Danielle on her website at Danielle-Annett.com or follow on on facebook at                                                       https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaniel... and on twitter @Danielle_Annett 

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{Blog Tour} Cursed by Fire (Blood & Magic #1) by Danielle Annett

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: January 28th, 2015
Finished Date: January 18th, 2015

Publishers: Self Published 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: EBook

Pages: 157

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US  

It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.

Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined.

When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.

The Review: Cursed by Fire is an awesome introduction to the Blood & Magic series…..

A few years ago there was the ‘Awakening’ in which supernatural beings came out of the closet, Humans are no longer the top of the food chain. Everything about the world has changed including who holds the power and how they are governed; Vampires and Shifters are rivals for that power and always seem to be teetering on the edge of war with Humans stuck right in the middle….. what the supernaturals don’t know is that the Humans are evolving too and some come with their own abilities that just might be able to help them fight back.

Aria Naveed is one such human, she uses her abilities to investigate crimes – a mercenary if you will. After a particularly bad case involving a child murder that weighs heavily on Aria, she is forced to reopen the case when some new information comes to light. With the reassignment comes a partner, none other than her friend and Shifter – James – and she finally feels they will be able to put this case to bed…… but what if it’s just the beginning? What if the childs death is part of a bigger issue? Can Aria find out before it becomes too late?

If that’s not enough, Aria has a stalker, a strange man that evokes something in her each time they collide, he can do things Aria has never seen….. but can she trust him? Why is he following her?..... all will be revealed

I thought Cursed by Fire was an awesome read and a great introduction to the series. Aria is a character that is very likable, she has lost everyone she cares about and only has a couple of people who she trusts and loves, she gives off a slightly lonely vibe but doesn’t let it get in the way of her work. I really liked her magical status (I don’t really want to spoil anything but the clue might be in the title) and how handy it is in dangerous situations but saying that, I thought she needed to master it more.

The story was great and what started out as one thing totally turned into something else but that isn’t unusual for a UF and one of the reasons I love this genre so much. We are introduced to a much different world; with supernaturals being outed, the power dynamic has shifted greatly and the supernaturals have more power than humans, when you have a scenario like this you know what’s going to happen….the underdog is going to rise up and cause hell. We get the stirrings of war and meet all involved but no clear ‘good guy’ just yet because we are just getting to know everyone. I always like the investigative scenario that Aria finds herself in and it unravels some pretty interesting stuff as well as jaw dropping discoveries that come from nowhere. There is a smidge of romance and love triangle but it’s only a smidge and doesn’t detract from the story. I would say that I preferred one to the other and maybe routing for him but the other is more intriguing and I’d be happy to see either develop into something.

I would say the book was very well written and had a Kate Daniels feel to it, which is so not a bad thing in my mind. With it being the first book, it is very much a getting to know you and the world you live in plot but it builds a very strong basis for the series to expand from and plenty of potential for where it could go. I can’t fault it in anyway and thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to more.

Thank you to Rock Star PR and Danielle Annett for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

About the Author: Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA, the primary location for her Blood & Magic series. Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.You can learn more about Danielle on her website at Danielle-Annett.com or follow on on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaniel... and on twitter @Danielle_Annett