Witch Blood

Very good, especially for a paranormal romance. I skimmed through the too-many sex scenes, especially since they happened too early, but the overlying story and battle was quite interesting.

I had this on the shelf for awhile and didn't want to read it - for some reason I seem to remember hating the first one, although now I'm doubting myself - but when I read it for a themed challenge I kicked myself for not picking it up sooner. It turned out well written and fun, much better than I anticipated.

Isabelle is tough and independent, but she's not obnoxious, so when she has to work with Thomas and others to bring down a demon who dared to kill hr sister and other witches in the coven, she does so with little hesitation. The villain in this show more one is a main reason the book is so enjoyable - he's surprisingly a little layered, and the demon lore about the hunted becoming fascinated with his hunters intrigued me. It's definitely dark in tone with some twisted deaths, but it's more than that in the end, especially when they get some unforeseen complications in a finale battle.

On the down side, there's too many sex scenes too early and it's kind of annoying. I learned to skim over them mainly for the story-line. That's to be expected with most paranormal romances, but at least this one has an actual story that's more than hormones with a cover.

I like how the author writes too - there's darkness lightened with genuine humor, the characters are strong enough to hold the story, dialogue is workable, and there's no isn't a mean cliffhanger to piss me off with. show less

As a child the heroine and her sister were pretty much abandoned by their mother who spent most of her time bouncing between one wealthy man and another. As such, the heroine grew up generally detached from the world around her. She has no friends, no one she cares about or really cares about her. Other than her sister. Her sister was the world to her. But now she's been murdered by a demon, taken from the heroine and leaving the survivor grieving the loss and thirsting hard for revenge. The heroine breaks from the Coven, disobeys their vow to not use their powers to harm another and actively hunts the demon responsible and the leader of the Outlaw wizards who summoned him. Just before she deals the killing blow, the Coven intervenes. show more The leader of the Coven, a man devoid of anything over than his job and his people, suddenly finds himself in the company of a woman whom sparks within him strange feelings. He convinces her to work with him, in stead of against him. It's plan to see that they both need each other and though the heroine puts up a brave front, the idea of killing a man never sat right with her conscious. So, they turn their attentions to the demon alone. As they search the night scene in hopes of stopping him before he kills again, the instant and powerful desire between them sees the hero and heroine become lovers. No strings attached sex is the plan but it's becomes quite apparent that there's something far deeper developing between them. The hero doesn't fight his growing feelings for the reckless but passionate heroine. In her he finds himself able to laugh and tease and seduce. And he falls for quite quickly even though his lover makes it clear that she's not offering anything other than a short term affair. The heroine finds herself falling for the beautiful strong yet vulnerable hero despite her best intentions. Her fear of losing another person pushes her to reject him but he refuses to let her run from her emotions. But when the demon they hunt turns his sights on her, she really has no choice but to run else another witch take her place. In his mind, the slaughter of her sister has bound her to him and in his overwhelming desire to go home he needs to kill witches to make the ritual complete. But when the possibility of the hero being killed or worse strikes fear into the heroine's heart, she knows that she could give him up. I adored this book and I was really hesitate to read it as the last book by this author left something to be desired. Still I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic chemistry between the hero and heroine and how drawn into the story I become. I thought it was a pretty good book. I loved the connection between the hero and heroine as it started out as lust than morphed seamlessly into love. I loved this hero. I thought he was perfect. Too strong and dominate to allow woman feel comfortable hitting on him, he's immediately drawn to the heroine as she's not nervous about taken what she wants from him. He was an equal balance of alpha male and vulnerable, loving and woman, knowing she loves him back, yet trying to convince her to allow them to be together. I loved the heroine because she was a kick ass fighter, able to hold her own against the demon when need be, yet smart enough to know when she was outmatched. She wasn't stubborn or reckless, despite how she was portrayed in the start, and I understood her inward struggle to battle her fears of commitment. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will happily read the rest of the series in future. show less

**Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques**

Ever since her sister was savagely murdered at the hands of the demon summoned by a cabal of evil warlocks, Isabelle Novak has had one reason for living – revenge. Failing to find the demon in question, she’ll settle for the next best thing – the leader of the warlocks that summoned the creature to the human world.

Foiled at the last stage of her vengeful plot by the irresistible Thomas Monahan, powerful earth witch and head of the local Coven, she reluctantly admits that revenge doesn’t taste quite as sweet as she’d imagined, and now there is a much more urgent mission afoot for which they need that very warlock’s grudging assistance with.

More witches are dying, in the most gruesome way show more imaginable, slaughtered by the very same demon that that killed Isabelle’s sister. It quickly becomes apparent that the selection of victims is by no means random, and Isabelle herself seems to be the demon’s end game.

Trapped between the demon intent on stealing her life and the sexy earth-witch determined to win her heart, Isabelle fights to save everyone she cares for, even if it means sacrificing herself to do it.

The moment I finished the first book in Anya Bast’s Elemental Witches series, I was ready to launch into the second. Unfortunately for me, it was nowhere near its release date at that time, forcing a patience I was loathe to give. Now the release date for Elemental Witches, Book 2: Witch Blood is imminent, and the advance copy I have been fortunate enough to read and review leaves me with this same yearning for the next book in this mesmerizing saga! In other words, this book was well worth the wait.

In this series, Ms. Bast crafts a world that is full and rich, but requires no effort on the part of the reader to absorb and understand. Indeed, once you finish these books, you are left with the odd feeling that perhaps somehow you have always known this fascinating world, and simply needed the author to prod distant memories from your own subconscious. Anya Bast’s world-building feels just that natural.

Having first met Thomas Monahan in the previous book, Witch Fire, I found him to be a charismatic leader, engaging more than just my curiosity. It was with great pleasure I found he was the hero of this new edition of the Elemental Witches series. With his solid leadership and empathetic nature, he proves himself as both the perfect lover for the skittish Isabelle and a hero capable of standing against the demon who threatens his people.

Isabelle herself goes through a profound personal evolution during the progression of Witch Blood. Although a powerful water witch and the very picture of courage when facing any opponent, inside she is too frightened to develop lasting relationships with anyone, preferring a nomadic lifestyle that prevents anyone from becoming too attached to her. Her forced proximity with Thomas as they hunt the demon affords him the opportunity to methodically break down her barriers until she needs him as much as he needs her.

Although the second in this series, Witch Blood can easily be read as a standalone novel, allowing readers new to this series the chance to read this release before reading Witch Fire. Of course, the stories are enhanced by reading them in order, but are not dependent on each other to make sense.

Lovers of magic and paranormal romances will doubtless find themselves enraptured by the gripping plot and intense sensuality of Witch Blood. Be prepared to read it straight through, because you will not be putting this book down once you begin reading it! show less

Witch Blood
3 Stars

Isabelle Novak is a water witch set on avenging the murder of her sister by freezing the warlock she holds responsible. Caught in the act by the head of the Coven, Thomas Monahan, Isabelle is recruited to assist in the hunt for a demon terrorizing the witch population. Unfortunately, by placing herself in its sights, Isabelle becomes the demon’s next target . . .

As this is erotic PNR, the abundance of sex scenes is to be expected. However, Bast is also skilled at incorporating solid storylines into her writing and the plot revolving around a serial killer demon targeting specific witches to fulfill his agenda is both suspenseful and action packed. That said, the ending is rather anti-climactic and the events show more detailed in the last few chapters are an obvious lead in to the next book.

The romance is also weak mainly due to the heroine’s inferiority complex. Isabelle has this whole "I'm not good enough and cannot be in a long term relationship" thing going on, which causes her to run hot and cold with Thomas. She also has a couple of TSTL moments in which she keeps important information from her allies that places them and herself in unnecessary danger.

Thomas, in contrast, is a yummy hero albeit not as Alpha male as one would expect from the Coven leader. He has endless patience with Isabelle’s issues, but there are times when this is not a positive personality trait.

In sum, although not as good as the first book, Witch Blood has some exciting scenes and the world building in the series is original and compelling enough to continue. show less

Very enjoyable...borderline mainstream/erotica.
Anya Bast is another author who is making the switch from erotica to more mainstream romance. She does a very good job in Witch Blood of bring on the heat.

Isabelle is a water witch out for revenge. She's dedicated her life to tracking and killing the demon who killed her sister. When she's unable to succeed, she goes after the head of the warlocks who called the demon.

Thomas is the head of the witches coven. He meets Isabelle as he captures the warlock she was about to kill. To say Isabelle doesn't appreciate his interference is quite the understatement.

These two join forces to track the demon that's killing witches. As they work together, their attraction grows...as do their feelings for show more each other.

Once I started this book, I didn't want to put it down. I'd read some of Ms Bast's erotic novels and actually think I like this one better. The sex is still smokin' and I think her focus on the relationship issues was very well done. show less

I just finished Anya Bast’s latest novel, Witch Blood, which is the second book in the Elemental Witches series. This time around, we’re focused on Thomas and Isabella as they hunt down a demon that is killing witches. We’re still continuing same plot ideas that were in Witch Fire (kind of), but this book could easily stand alone if someone missed out on the first one. I know I said the same thing about Rogue by Rachel Vincent, but this actually does it a lot better. We see Jack and Mira (from Witch Fire) occasionally, but they are by no means supporting characters in this novel. The only real problem I have with this novel is that it’s more romance than paranormal. We really don’t experience as much magic as we did in Witch show more Fire and the action is kind of null as well. Don’t get me wrong, there is action, but it’s not great. We are given a little more insight into the demons of Bast’s world, but it’s still doesn’t take into account all of the sexual overtures that the novel has.

Overall, the novel was still good, just not what I was expecting. I’m still enjoying this series and I can’t wait until the third one comes out (I think the third one is going to be called Witch Heart, but don’t quote me on that).

http://www.literaryescapism.com/2008/03/29/104/ show less

A water witch, Isabelle Novak has always led a chaotic, nomadic existence. But her life spins out of control when her sister—her only friend and emotional anchor—is killed by a demon. Driven by grief and a desire for revenge, she turns her back on the Coven and the rede they hold sacred: Harm thee none...

When Isabelle first encounters Thomas Monahan, she’s running on pure rage and sorrow, channeling her pain into power—and trying to freeze the life out of a warlock she holds responsible for her sister’s death. Together, they form an uneasy alliance to hunt and destroy a demon of tremendous power. As head of the Coven, earth witch Thomas must thwart Isabelle’s dark impulses, but his very presence stirs deeper desires she show more never knew she had… show less