Jennifer Apodaca

"I love you, Axel! Please, please, you have to believe I wouldn't do anything to hurt you." - Darcy McAllister

Oh, wow, what did I just read?! I'm a fan of PNR and witches and stuff, but this went well beyond my expectations!

Darcy McAllister thought her childhood was tough. With everyone around her - her own adoptive father included - fearing her and calling her the spawn of evil, a freak, she believed this was as ugly as it could get. But she was dead wrong. Hunters are after her - witch show more hunters. Finding out she's actually a witch is shocking enough - being taken as a hostage under the pretense of being protected by one of them is seriously terrifying. But Axel Locke claims to be different. That his team has not surrendered to the curse compelling witch hunters to spill witch blood - yet. Can she trust this man to keep her safe, even when she knows he's only doing it so she can save his sister from a demon witch's death mark? Worse, can she keep away from bonding with him, when everything on Axel's being makes her want to do just that?

I simply loved this story! Not only was it something I haven't read as a concept yet, it was hot and funny and witty - yet made me wanna curl in a corner and cry at the same time. It had tons of suspense, action, romance and tension. Dialogues that touch the reader emotionally and pull at one's heartstrings - either in a good, or bad way.

But, most of all, it had a promising cast of characters that makes you want to come back and see them again. Even if you know that, for such a thing to happen, they'll probably be in danger...

I think this is the first time that the male lead has to try extra hard to keep himself from trying to kill the female lead. Not because of personal reasons - though there were plenty of those - but because he was cursed to that state. And that was new. And original. Giving the main plot of the book so much more suspense and meaning!

On the other hand, the female lead started as a weakling - and rightfully so. The poor woman was scared out of her wits, and everyone was out to get her when she barely even understood what was going on. But Darcy was stronger inside than that. She hit rock bottom, and from there, she gave a push downwards, and started climbing back up, even higher than where she previously stood. She exhibited a brilliant case of personal growth, which is rare in today's books. She became stronger, more determined, and sassier, and gave back as good as she got.

Now all this is good and wonderful, but there was one problem which cost this story the 5th star: Axel! Yes, he was hot. And funny at times. Sweet - if the day was a really good one and you prayed to God passionately that no stray sunray would piss him off.

Yeah, I'm being sarcastic. Too much? Fine, fine, I'll stop. Jeez...

Seriously, though, Axel was everything I would not want in a man - attractive but an ass. He treated Darcy like an animal, kept making her feel inferior, and generally acted in a way that, had I been in Darcy's shoes, I would have asked for intense psychotherapy and/or possible medication.

What's worse? The woman ended up believing all that, and acted in the worst way I could imagine even when she had started gaining a voice of her own and some backbone: she revered to being that caged animal he had made her into every time he was in the same building with her. She acted like a victim! And it kept breaking my heart how ruthlessly that man went on breaking whatever was left - from her adoptive father's abuse, her real father's hatred, and a whole community after her head - intact in her. And all that, despite the strength she showed and how loyal and kind she was.

But I managed to hold my tears, and waited. Because the story was good. Because it was worth it to give it a shot until the very last page, despite how much my stomach churned and I wanted to sob and break down after puking my guts out from the misery. Yes, I felt Darcy's misery as my own. And she didn't deserve it. No one should ever feel the way she did, no one should actually believe that they're a freak, an animal worthy only to be used and then locked up. An abomination.

You see, in her own way, Jennifer Lyon showed us something that has been taking place in a larger scale for as long as society remembers. The only difference is the lack of magic in real life. So yeah, that right there was the major example - apart from Darcy's growth - that she knows how to write, and how to do it good!

Still, I'm not heartless. And I do admit, I am pretty sensitive to some matters. So the tears was a sure thing, I just didn't know when they would come without me being able to stop them. Right after the ritual on the beach, they came - and boy was it hard. I had to take a break every other paragraph, trying to take deep breaths and calm the sobs down, and yet I couldn't. I swear to God, Axel, I wanted to destroy you at that moment!!!

Coming to a conclusion, despite my intense... let's call it dislike, yeah, of Axel, I think this was an all-around awesome book! Not only a hands-down, cry-but-want-more story, but also an addicting start to what looks like a seriously unique and breathtaking series. If you're not afraid of emotional roller coasters, feels that will leave you hiccuping to recover from the sobbing tantrums, and plot twists up to there, I say you should get your hands on it. It's definitely a read that will remain unforgettable!

"You are my gift, Darcy. I love you and I will continue to love you for eternity. Always remember that." - Axel Locke

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** show less

In book 4 in the Wing Hunter Slayers, Key battles the curse of bloodlust every day and draws to unleash the violence and rage inside him. Drawing keeps him sane, and he’s turned his artistic talent into a popular comic book about an avenging dragon, Dyfyr. The dragon, however, is real and lives inside him. Plagued by visions of dead witches for years, Key is shocked when he sees one of the witches very much alive in Las Vegas at a comic con. He’s determined to help her before she ends up show more dead.
Roxy is a fertility witch who controls sex magic. They’re very rare and much more secretive than the earth and demon witches that have been prevalent throughout the series so far. She has a chance to be normal, a human (which she wants), but her latent, dying witch power blooms to life when she meets Key. Instead of whining about her lost dreams, Roxy embraces her new life and all the dangers in it. Her acceptance shows strength of character, and I really admired that about her.
Roxy and Key’s connection is instant. The sex is hot and pulls her closer to Dyfyr. The dragon and man are one, and she loves them both. Roxy and Key both had difficult childhoods, especially poor Key, but they soon learned to heal each other. Dyfyr’s past is heartbreaking, but his history with his mortal lover centuries earlier is one of the more interesting parts of the book.
A few typos took me out of the story, so I had to reread to find out what was going on. Still, I enjoyed this book and I’m glad I read it.
4 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. show less

Forbidden Magic by Jennifer Lyon
(A Wing Slayer Hunter novella)
4½/5 stars
Source: Purchase

The last full-length Wing Slayer Hunter novel (Sinful Magic) was released in late May of 2011 and so far I can’t seem to find the release date for the next installment  My sad panda mood was however lifted significantly when I ran across Forbidden Magic, a novella (hopefully) meant to tide fans over until the release of the next novel. Let me tell you, dear reader I am tided over!!

Forbidden Magic show more picks up where Sinful Magic left off with Ramsey Virtos (aka Ram) well and truly screwed. As with all hunters who have yet to find their soul mirror, Ram needs sex to tamp down the constant urge to kill a witch and take her blood. Of course, Ram is panty-dropping hot and can have any woman he wants but as of late his desire to have sex with random women has been hampered by two things: 1) he has found his soul mirror and she ran away screaming and; 2) he doesn’t actually want his soul mirror (so the running and screaming isn’t really so bad) because he is intensely attracted to Ginny Stone. Ram knows, without doubt he is bad for Ginny and though he tries desperately to stay away from her, the attraction is just too damn strong. On the bright side, Ginny is also extremely attracted to Ram. That’s pretty much the extent of the bright side.

Here’s the down side:
*Ram’s phoenix tattoo is waking up and is so not happy; even the witches aren’t sure why this is happening. The little bastard is so cranky he is likely the reason Ram has electricity coursing through his body and causing him to shock the crap out of everyone he touches. You can see how this might make sex a bit tricky, right?

*Sex with Ginny would be amazing but it would have to just be sex since Ginny isn’t his soul mirror and can’t help solve his long-term problem. It doesn’t take Ram long to figure out there can be no “just” with Ginny. After their first highly arousing round of sex, Ram comes to the startling realization he cares deeply for Ginny and will do anything to make her his own. But he already has a soul mirror . . . .BALLS!!

*Ginny is not a woman without secrets and those secrets just may be big enough to take out one of the Wing Slayers’ hunters. Can’t imagine that is going to make Wing Slayer happy! Oh, and she has some serious daddy issues.

Bottom Line: Forbidden Magic has caused me to seriously reassess my position on novellas. Generally novellas feel far too rushed and even though Ram and Ginny’s story is not resolved by the end of the novella their story is significantly advanced and there is still plenty of room for some ridiculously hot sex. Did I mention how smolderingly, ridiculously, panty-dropping hot Ram is?? Sorry, I think I did  While this isn’t a full-length novel it does fit nicely into the Wing Slayer Hunter series and contributes greatly to the future of this series. By the time you blaze through this steamy read you can clearly see there is indeed an intense and long future for the Wing Slayer Hunters. YAY! FOR! US!!!! show less

2.5 stars

I read this for the Urban Fantasy square for Romance Bingo and it was also my Kindle Freebie selection.

Staring at her, he said, "I'm here for you, Darcy."

Urban fantasy isn't usually a sub-genre I read in and I'm not sure if that was why I had a problem getting into this one or not. It seemed like the world rules were dealt out a bit randomly, making it feel incoherent at times. There were a lot of supernatural beings with earth and demon witches, witch hunters and rogue, and show more ancestors and gods. While I appreciated the lack of info dumps, I never felt like I could grasp the world fully because of all the moving parts.

The heroine is an earth witch but doesn't know it so when she is kidnapped by the hero who is a witch hunter to remove a death curse from his little sister, she has no idea how to. At first the hero has to control is "bloodlust" to want to kill the heroine:

"But you're one of them. How will you keep from killing me?"
He hit the very edge of his control. The hot lust seized his balls, while the compulsion screamed for her blood. Sweat beaded and ran down his back. "Sex," he said. "I want to screw you more than I want to kill you."

That's right, this kidnapped woman who has been thrown into a supernatural world is told my her captor that if she doesn't want him to kill her, she must have sex with him. Needless to say, this beginning to their relationship left a bad taste in my mouth. I know more leeway is given in fantasy/supernatural stories because of destined soulmates, magic, or whatever other supernatural elements but this thinking and element kept me from connecting with the hero and heroine's romantic relationship.

If you like urban fantasy stories, you might want to give this one a go, the world and supernatural elements seem interesting enough and with the introduction to everything already done, the next books in the series might make more sense. There's a slew of side male friends of the hero who were introduced who have hero potential written all over them. show less