Shadow of the Fox, by Julie Kagawa

Format: e-ARC, 416 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Australia, HQ YA

Published: September 23, 2018

ISBN: 9781489267368

Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA

Back cover blurb: One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

My review: Julie Kagawa has been a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me, but I was keen to try her take on Japanese mythology after enjoying the Talon series. The prologue was incredible, but as things went on, and each chapter became more like “the journey continues…oh, and here’s another new demon to fight” without really progressing the plot with the scroll, I began to wonder why I was continuing. There is a slow-burn romance brewing, but I’m not sure I’m keen enough to bother with book two to find out if it eventuates. The ending did redeem the middle 300 pages, especially the very last scene, so I’m glad I persevered. If only there had been more Suki and Lady Satomi throughout.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 2.5/5

 

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Razr (Demonica #11.8, Demonica Underworld #4), by Larissa Ione

 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Larissa Ione, comes RAZR, a passionate and spellbinding novella from the Demonica Underworld Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure you grab your copy today!

Today we have an exclusive excerpt and my review of this new book from one of my favourite authors.

 

About RAZR:

New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione returns to the Demonica Underworld…

A fallen angel with a secret.

An otherworldly elf with an insatiable hunger she doesn’t understand.

An enchanted gem.

Meet mortal enemies Razr and Jedda…and the priceless diamond that threatens to destroy them both even as it bonds them together with sizzling passion.

Welcome back to the Demonica Underworld, where enemies find love…if they’re strong enough to survive.

Amazon ** Amazon UK ** Amazon CA ** Amazon AU ** Paperback

 

 

 

 

Book trailer:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1491401952&f=pUL1aJCuj8jH8awUXbvWqA&d=0&m=p&r=360p+480p+720p&volume=100&start_res=720p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=

 

Excerpt:

He moved toward Jedda, his pulse inexplicably growing faster as he neared her. He’d been in the presence of blindingly gorgeous females with unmatched power in his centuries of life, and none of them had affected him like this. No, this was different, a mix of attraction and anticipation he would almost compare to battle lust.

The thought made him slow his approach, his mind tripping over the implications of that. Was he hoping she was one of the demons responsible for the theft of his property and the deaths of his friends, in which case he’d kill her, or was he hoping she wasn’t involved? And which was worse? Oh, he had no problems with killing demons—it was what he’d been bred for. But it seemed like such a shame to slaughter someone so unique. Or so attractive.

Idiot. You never drooled over demons when you were a full-fledged angel.

No, he hadn’t. There had been a clear separation of class and species back then. But ever since he’d had his wings bound and his powers muted and had been tossed in Sheoul-gra to serve Azagoth, he’d relaxed his standards. Not intentionally, but he had to admit that living life on the other side of the tracks had given him new perspective.

He just wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

Jedda looked up as he stopped in front of her. Up close, she was even more beautiful, with full, pouty lips made to stir up some wicked male fantasies. Her fine, perfect features made her seem delicate, fragile, even, but something told him she was stronger than she looked. Which made him wonder how that strength would play in bed.

Down, boy. Get what you want and get back to Heaven and females suited to your status. And species. “Hello, Ms. Brighton. I’m Razr.”

Cocking her head slightly, she gave him a long, assessing once-over before saying with just a hint of an English accent, “Razr? That’s not a common human name, is it?”

Either she couldn’t sense his species or she was testing him. Either way, he didn’t see any reason to lie. “It’s my fallen angel name. A take on my given name. Razriel.”

“Ah.” She gave him another long, measuring look, taking in the expensive suit Azagoth had given him for the event, and he wondered what she was thinking. “Until tonight, I’d never met a fallen angel, and now I’ve met two, including you.”

“Tonight? Is the other one here?”

She nodded. “Shrike, the event organizer. He owns this place.”

Well, that was mildly alarming. Fallen angels reveled in power and status, which meant that this shindig had probably been arranged for a purpose. An evil purpose.

 

My review:

Format: e-ARC, 120 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

Published: April 11, 2017

ASIN: B01N0LRIL2

Genre: Paranormal romance

My review: I’ve said many times that Larissa Ione is one of my favourite authors, and once again she’s proved what an amazing writer she is to be able to convey so much, and have us utterly engaged by the characters and world building, in such a short story. In this novella she expands the Demonica universe to include elves, and the idea of a gem elf who cries diamonds and bleeds other precious jewels is unique and fascinating. Of course Jedda is kickass as well, and she’s a perfect match for Razr, an angel we met in Z’s book who’s not quite fallen but needs a jewel Jedda possesses in order to return to Heaven. They are drawn to each other from the beginning and the sexual tension is great as they go from enemies to lovers. I also loved the humour – I loved it when he called her Dobby and referred to her home realm as Middle Earth. It’s great to see the other characters from previous books as well, and meet some new ones of whom I hope we’ll see more in future. Highly recommended.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the author via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 5/5

 

 

Larissa Ione’s RAZR – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

April 12th

A Fortress of Books – Review

Booklovers For Life – Review

Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt

The Romance Rebels – Review & Excerpt

April 13th

Abigail Books Addiction – Review

Calling All Bookaholics – Review & Excerpt

GraveTells – Excerpt

Smut Book Jukie Reviews – Review & Excerpt

April 14th

A Woman and Her Books – Review

Milky Way of Books – Review

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

The Ordinary Housewife Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

April 15th

danielriding.com – Excerpt

Deluged with Books Cafe – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads – Review & Excerpt

April 16th

Abibliophobia Anonymous Book Reviews – Excerpt

I Smell Sheep – Review & Excerpt

Shelf_life – Review & Excerpt

The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

April 17th

Bobo’s Book Bank – Review & Excerpt

Oh My Growing TBR – Review & Excerpt

Romancing the Readers – Review

That’s What I’m Talking About – Review

April 18th

Books, Baking and Other Objects of Beauty – Review & Excerpt

Feeling Fictional – Review & Excerpt

I’m A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review & Excerpt

Under the Covers – Review & Excerpt

April 19th

A Hopeless Romantic’s Booklandia – Review & Excerpt

Dirty Girl Romance – Review

Rambling Reads – Review & Excerpt

Somewhere Lost in Books – Review & Excerpt

April 20th

Adria’s Romance Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Loves Great Reads Blog – Review & Excerpt

Rantings of a Reading Addict – Review & Excerpt

Reese’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

April 21st

Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt

Jax’s Book Magic – Excerpt

The Romance Reviews – Review

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews – Excerpt

 

About Larissa Ione:

Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

 

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Happy Release Day: Z (Demonica #11.8), by Larissa Ione (plus excerpt and review)

 

Z is the latest in Larissa Ione’s incredible Demonica Underworld Series brought to you by the amazing team at 1001 Dark Nights! Be sure you grab your copy of this sexy new novella today!

 

Amazon ** Paperback

About Z:

Zhubaal, fallen angel assistant to the Grim Reaper, has spent decades searching for the angel he loved and lost nearly a century ago. Not even her death can keep him from trying to find her, not when he knows she’s been given a second chance at life in a new body. But as time passes, he’s losing hope, and he wonders how much longer he can hold to the oath he swore to her so long ago…

As an emim, the wingless offspring of two fallen angels, Vex has always felt like a second-class citizen. But if she manages to secure a deal with the Grim Reaper — by any means necessary — she will have earned her place in the world. The only obstacle in the way of her plan is a sexy hardass called Z, who seems determined to thwart her at every turn. Soon it becomes clear that they have a powerful connection rooted in the past…but can any vow stand the test of time?

 

 

EXCERPT:

Inside Sheoul, the demon realm sometimes called Hell, evil was everywhere.

It dripped off the sides of the sheer rock walls in streaks of black acid that ate into the stone with a hiss. It wafted through the humid air on tendrils of mist that reeked of sulfur and decaying flesh. And, as Vex watched, it oozed like toothpaste from out of a fissure in midair that only people like her could see.

Her purple-tipped black hair, already short and spiky, stood even more on end as the thing squeezing out of the fissure, a dead demon’s soul, popped free of whatever realm and mystical enclosure it had been inside. The toothpastey glob took a transparent, vaguely humanoid shape, but its glowing crimson eyes were sharp and clear. A malevolent wave of rage and hate rolled off the soul, and Vex backed away, even though escape was impossible for her.

She was what her parents had called a daemani, a demon soul magnet, a person to whom souls stuck like glue. According to them, most daemanis couldn’t prevent it from happening, and that was a serious pain in the ass. If a demon died near Vex, not even the Grim Reaper’s personal daemanis, creatures called griminions, had a chance to collect the soul before it got sucked into her and stored as a glyph on her skin.

The demon shrieked, a sound only she or another soul-sensitive person could hear, as it struggled to keep from being sucked into the prison of her body. In a futile attempt to avoid the inevitable, she fled, her booted feet nimbly negotiating the rock shard-strewn ground that was all too common in this part of Sheoul.

But no matter how fast she ran, every time she looked over her shoulder, the distance between her and the soul had decreased. Closer. Closer.

 

 

My review:

Format: e-ARC, 154 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

Published: April 26, 2016

ASIN: B015WSXZO2

Genre: Paranormal romance

My review: Larissa Ione is one of my favourite authors, and I’m a big fan of the Demonica series, although I’m a bit behind reading some of the later stories. Z and Vex were typical of her wonderful couples – strong, conflicted hero and kickass, snarky heroine – and I especially liked some of their banter. I became frustrated with Z as he kept preferring his lost angel soulmate Laura over Vex, but of course he comes around in a big way. Also loved seeing Revenant again, and I’m now very keen to go back and read Azagoth’s story, which I own but haven’t read yet.

This is a great addition to the Demonica universe, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Azagoth’s “gift” to Revenant.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the author via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 4/5

 

About Larissa Ione:

Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

 

 

 

Website | Facebook |Twitter | 1001 Dark Nights

 

Base Instincts (Demonica 11.7), by Larissa Ione

Format: e-ARC, 150 pages

Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Published: September 12, 2015

ISBN: 9781626493087

Genre: LGBTQIA, Sci Fi & Fantasy

Back cover blurb: As a Seminus demon, Raze’s life literally depends on having sex with females. The problem is that he doesn’t desire females, and it’s physically impossible for him to be with males. Thankfully, he and his best friend, Fayle, have an arrangement that keeps him alive . . . if lonely. He finds some solace in his work as a medic at Thirst, a vampire club known for its rough clientele. But his carefully structured world turns upside down when he meets a mysterious male who makes him want what he can never have.

Slake is an assassin used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Raze. But he also wants to earn back the soul he sold when he was a much different demon. All he has to do is capture a runaway succubus named Fayle and hand her over to her family. What he doesn’t count on is being caught himself by a web of lies—and his attraction to Raze.

Raze and Slake must navigate a dangerous world to be together. But as Fayle’s jealousy of their relationship turns deadly, they find themselves embroiled in a battle not only for their love, but their lives and souls.

My review: I’m a bit behind in my reading of the Demonica series, having not really gotten into the Four Horsemen spinoffs, but this novella reminded me of how much I missed these characters and has renewed my interest in going back and reading the ones I’ve skipped. Not only is it a hot M/M story, but there is a great underlying message of acceptance. I loved Raze and Slake together, and Ms. Ione was very creative in her writing of their HEA. The villains here were sickeningly bad, and the glimpses we got of Underworld General’s favourites were great. The star for me, though, was Revenant, who was an absolute hoot. I just have to read his book now! Highly recommended.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 5/5

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Pleasure Unbound, by Larissa Ione

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 389 pages

Published: June 20, 2008

Publisher: Forever

Back cover blurb:

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life . . .She’s a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.

Two lovers will dare to risk all.

Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul…

 

My review:

I wasn’t sure if I would like the whole demon thing, but it turns out these demons are the sweetest, hottest things around. It was Tayla I couldn’t warm to much, mainly becuase she kept trying to kill the lovely demons. But about a third of the way through I found I couldn’t put this book down.

My original copy had a large chunk of pages missing – all of chapters 21 and 22 – which was annoying, but luckily I found the book online and read the missing passages there. *slightly guilty look* It saved me returning it to the Book Depository in England, anyway. However, as Ione’s books aren’t sold here in New Zealand and I can’t buy them for my Kindle either (grumble – damn Asia Pacific region boxblocking me again!) I’ll have to risk the Book Depository to buy the next in the series. Cos, oh yeah, I’ll be reading it.

 

My rating: 4/5