It's her first murder
case...
Twenty-three-year-old
Ari Calin has sworn to keep the peace in the Olde Town district of Riverdale,
and most of the time the Otherworlders cooperate. The vampires, werewolves and
other magical creatures go about their business, living side by side with
humans, until the foreign wolves arrive and a virtual reality drug hits the
streets. Violence erupts, and Ari needs more than her witch fire, weapons, and
potions to stop the madness.
Joining forces with a
human police officer, Lt. Ryan Foster, and a way-too-sexy vampire singer,
Andreas De Luca, Ari hunts for the enemy—from the vampire strip clubs to the
caverns under the city. Every step draws Ari and her companions deeper into an
old feud and closer to the brink of a supernatural war.
Excerpt :
(Despite the friction and mistrust between them,
Ari has come to Andreas's supper club to ask for his help on her murder case.)
The
vampire's coal-black eyes found her and silken threads of magic wrapped her in a
soft web. The room faded away. She floated as in a dream, warm and safe. A
place to linger forever. Her witch magic began to sing in concert with his, and
Ari called it back to her. The effort brought her out of his web with a jolt.
Damn, how
strong was he? She wrapped her magical aura around her. As long as she kept it
in place, his magic was held at bay. Then, mercifully, the song was over.
Andreas bowed to a wildly applauding audience and left the stage.
“Good
evening.” Startled, she stared at him.
“Uh, hello.”
How did he move so fast? He produced a polite smile.
“If you will
come this way.” He waved a hand toward a hallway on the left.
Ari
hesitated. A meeting in private? She hadn’t anticipated that.
His brows
rose. “We have twenty minutes.”
Swallowing
her doubts, Ari preceded him down the hall. It was better this way, she told
herself. Fewer interruptions. At least she knew her time parameters. He ushered
her past four closed doors, not stopping until they reached an exit door at the
end. He touched a security panel, the door opened, and they stepped into a
paved lane leading to the rear parking lot. Dense trees lined the opposite side
of the lane. Total privacy.
The night
was pleasantly cool. The crisp cleanness of fall filled the air. Ari hung back
and watched her companion as he stopped in the middle of the lane. Andreas
arched his shoulders and threw back his head, breathing deeply. For a moment
all Ari could think about was how sexy he looked.
“I hope you
don’t mind talking out here. It has been a long evening, and I needed the fresh
air.”
“Not at all.
It’s nice.” She looked up at the stars, pinpoints in an uncluttered sky, to
keep from looking at him. “What was that last song you sang?”
“An Italian
love song. Did you enjoy it?”
“Amazing.”
He turned to
look at her. “It was, or I was?” His voice invited a broader interpretation.
She smiled. “Both,” she said, not bothering to
hedge. “But who’s fishing for compliments now?”
“Touché.”
His familiar laugh came then, rich and intimate, strangely companionable.
Bio
Ally Shields
grew up in the Midwest, taught school on the East Coast, has visited forty-two
of our states, and currently resides near Des Moines, Iowa, with her miniature
pinscher, Ranger. Writing has always been a part of her life, and in late 2008,
after a career in law and juvenile
justice, she turned to full-time fiction writing. Her first urban fantasy
novel, Awakening the Fire, was published in 2012, followed by six additional
books in the series. She loves to travel in the US and abroad and incorporates
many of those settings into her books. Ally enjoys talking with readers and is
active in social media.
Author links
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My Review:
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This book was very entertaining in its adventurous and full of nail-biting action. The action and suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat reading until the very last page.
The main character, Ari, was a very strong protagonist with a lot of fire. I loved her ambition and most of her decisions didn't irk me as much as they probably should have. The romance was sizzling and kept me rooting for them to pull through the entire time.
This was a great fresh read, with a new take, from a new voice. I highly recommend this novel to anybody looking for great action, sizzling romance, and a world full of vampires, werewolves, and magical creatures to keep you interested.
Thanks for hosting my book. It's always an honor when someone takes time to write a review. Thank you!
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