Release Date: 19/08/16
Publisher: Titan
SYNOPSIS:
After the shocking revelations of the previous book, Bitter Bite, the world of Ashland’s become even more sinister, and Gin Blanco (aka Ashland’s most fearsome assassin, the Spider) no longer knows who—or what—she can count on. Only one thing is for certain: danger and new enemies await Gin in Unraveled, Book 15 in the New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series that RT Book Reviews calls “unbeatable entertainment!”
What could go wrong when you’re trying to unravel a decades-old conspiracy?
As the current queen of the Ashland underworld, you would think that I, Gin Blanco, would know all about some secret society controlling things from behind the scenes. I might be the Spider, the city’s most fearsome assassin, but all my Ice and Stone elemental magic hasn’t done me a lick of good in learning more about “the Circle”. Despite my continued investigations, the trail’s gone as cold as the coming winter.
So when Finnegan Lane, my foster brother, gets word of a surprising inheritance, we figure why not skip town for someplace less dangerous for a few days? That place: Bullet Pointe, a fancy hotel resort complex plus Old West theme park that Finn now owns lock, stock, and barrel. At first, all the struttin’ cowboys and sassy saloon girls are just hokey fun. But add in some shady coincidences and Circle assassins lurking all around, and vacationing becomes wilder—and deadlier—than any of us expected.
Good thing this assassin brought plenty of knives to the gunfight...
REVIEW:
Having really enjoyed the novel telling in the original novel, I was more than interested to see how the characters of not only Robin and his merry band would change but also how devious the Sheriff would become in later outings as he got to know his foe. So when this title landed, it was one that was out of the envelope and opened within 10 minutes. (Hey I needed a coffee and some biscuit for strength first.)
As with the previous Debbie and James manage to weave the wonderfully dark magical elements into the story without it feeling completely unnatural for the overall arc, its inventive, it brings the darkness before the dawn feel and overall makes a cracking outing that really should be made into a TV series.
Back this up with character development, personal growth as well as strengths found within and overall I was a more than happy reader. Cracking.
Release Date: 14/08/15
Publisher: Titan
SYNOPSIS:
A vast darkness is spreading. If left unchecked, it will engulf the world, and so Richard the Lionheart must depart England on a holy mission. In his absence, the safety of the realm is entrusted to his brother, Prince John. When the king departs, black sorcery begins to grip the land, threatening noble and peasant alike. Horrific creatures stalk the forests, yet the violence they commit pales when compared to the atrocities of men. A handful of rebels fight back, but are doomed to fail unless they can find a hero to lead them.
REVIEW:
I’m a huge fan of Historical Fantasy and when you throw in some Robin Hood with it, then I’m usually pretty well sold. That said, I do have high expectations from a book and expect it to deliver. After all when you’ve got good blurb, alongside a cracking concept it should be highly entertaining.
Whilst I’ve not always have the best relationship with Debbie Viguie, I have to say that she is not only prolific but an author who can deliver exactly what I want at times and this is one of those cases. Within the pages you get great action, solid characters and of course dialogue that helps move the tale on in its, if you’ll forgive the pun, merry way.
All round a cracking opening to a series and one I’ll look forward to seeing how each character will shape the world in which they live. Magic.
Release Date: 09/10/14
Publisher: Arrow Books
SYNOPSIS:
Samantha Ryan-cop by choice, witch hunter by necessity-is about to confront the witch who has been secretly manipulating her life. But her search for the truth about her past may end in her death. All her life, Samantha Ryan has been haunted by a circle of blood, which she has tried to keep at bay-ever since she escaped a vicious Salem coven of witches as a child. But now her carefully constructed life has given way to the darkness she might have embraced, had she not run away. Angry, focused, and more than willing to use her powers on anyone who gets in her way, Samantha travels to New Orleans to confront Lilith Black, the witch who has been mercilessly shaping events around her for months. But little does Samantha know that her own nightmarish past and Lilith's are inescapably intertwined - and that what Lilith wants most of all is for Samantha to suffer until her final breath.
REVIEW:
Having been a fan of the first two books in the series I really was looking forward to the third, especially with the cliffhanger that the author left us with at the ned of the second. As readers are coming to expect from Debbie, this third (and conclusive title to the Witch Hunter series) is a title that not only gets to the heart of the matter but explores the characters point of view from a younger self. Its definitely something unusual and with some cracking supernatural writing, I really couldn’t wait to see how the tale would develop, after all in the conclusive part all bets are off as to the survivability of the principle character.
What Debbie does is weave a wonderfully delicious dark tale that has stunning prose and cracking dialogue which when added to an overall arc that will more than sate the reader, all round goes to show that she not only knows her market well but delivers satisfaction in spades. Great stuff.
I love writing series. As a writer you get the chance to delve very deeply into the psyches of your main characters and really put them through a lot of pain and trouble before they come out victorious at the end. I love building in long term story arcs and seeding in things throughout early books that seem rather innocuous but become crucial plot points in the final book. It also makes it easier to stretch problems out over longer periods of time.
In real life when people are facing intense difficulties of whatever type they are rarely solved in a day or a week. Some can last for months or even years. I think having fiction reflect this sends an underlying message that even though things seem bleak and your struggle has been going on for what seems like forever, there is an end coming to it and what that end is depends entirely on the steps you take on the road to it.
For me, and many other writers, writing the middle of a book is the hardest part. You know where you’re starting and you know where you’re ending, its how you get there that can get muddled. At other times it’s just plain frustrating! The same is also true for the middle book in a series, that book can be the hardest and most frustrating to write. You’ve already done all the work of introducing your characters and the universe and taking them through their first major hurdle in book one. You’re not yet ready to write all the big reveals, revelations, triumphs and tragedies of the third book. You have to build on the momentum of the first book without jumping too quickly into the payoff of the third.
Like I said, though, life rarely wraps itself up in neat little packages with bows on top and this is where you can really highlight that. There may have been a major triumph at the end of the first book, but now is the time for the character to learn that what they thought was the war was just the opening battle. They have to dig in and find the courage to keep moving forward, even when they’re tired and wounded and just want to believe that they’re done already.
That said, the middle book really is special because it’s not just a bridge from the beginning to the end of a series, but it’s also the place where you can really change things up. This is the time to pose the hard questions about their fate and their resolve. I usually like to have my characters experience something life-altering at the end of the second book, something that will change the way they interact with the universe around them and ultimately save or doom them.
My Witch Hunt series has been an incredible joy to write, the fulfillment of a dream I had several years ago. In the first book, The Thirteenth Sacrifice, I was excited to introduce readers to the character of Samantha Ryan, a cop with a dark past, and to the world of witchcraft.
Now, in the second book, I get the opportunity to take everything Samantha thought she knew about her life and the events of the first book and challenge those beliefs. I also isolate her from the support network she enjoyed in the first book making it even more introspective and about understanding the darkness within as well as the darkness outside. Then, like most of my middle books, I’m happy to say that I threw in a twist for her character to grapple with at the very end. I’m excited for readers to see what I mean, because all I can say now is that it is a game changer.
Release Date: 04/04/13
Publisher: Arrow Books
SYNOPSIS:
Police Detective Samantha Ryan is doing whatever she can to forget her terrible childhood in a dark and evil coven. But escaping who you are isn't easy. She is called in on a bizarre and horrific murder case, one is steeped in the occult, and Samantha is soon led deep into a powerful coven. As she works to uncover the connection with the murder, an earthquake rocks the Bay Area. That's when Samantha has a premonition: Something is coming. Something evil.
REVIEW:
Having enjoyed Debbie’s last title in this series, I really couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book as I knew that the way that she weaved magic, characters and storyline would more than give me something special to savour. What unfurled was a story that not only gave me what I wanted as a reader but helped expand upon the world of the original.
As with the first, the principle character was fun to be around, you cared for her and when added to some cracking twists, some real danger that made you want her to survive backed up with a real kickass plot made this an experience that I was more than pleased to enjoy.
All round a great book and a series that I can’t help but recommend to fans of the Urban Fantasy.
Release Date: 25/10/12
SYNOPSIS:
For the last twenty years Sir James Monmouth has been a gentleman adventurer, journeying all over the globe in the footsteps of his hero, the great pioneering traveller Conrad Vane. One rainy winter night, Sir James returns to London. Orphaned at five, it is now time to find out more about his family and origins, and also to learn about the early years of Conrad Vane. But at every turn James is warned off his investigation into Conrad Vane. Do these warnings explain his flashes of intense fear and feelings of being watched? And what of the boy who has started haunting his every step and the mysterious mirror with its inexplicable reflections? Eventually, Sir James' quest leads him to the old lady of Kittiscar Hall, and deep into a past that binds him to his hero in ways he never could have imagined.
REVIEW:
Whilst I haven’t always seen eye to eye with Debbie’s writing, this title more than grabbed my attention as it brought a whole host of elements to my attention that I just couldn’t ignore, after all when a tale brings crime alongside urban fantasy you know that all bets are off and that anything can happen.
What Debbie brings to the fore is a tale that has quite a few twists, brought together with solid pace and cracking dialogue. Yet whilst this all works extremely well what really made this stand out was the principle character who was a strong woman with brains, some street smarts and of course an attitude that has her facing her own demons head on. It’s definitely a book that I had fun with and one that I had a hard time putting down. All in a cracking title all round.
BOOK BLURB:
Holly Cathers' world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.
But as she struggles to settle into her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon gives way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And then there's the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows…
Holly and her cousins, Amanda and Nicole, are about to be drawn into family feud spanning generations. And as they uncover a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magic yields dangerous results, the girls learn of a shared destiny that is beyond their wildest imaginations...
REVIEW:
Paranormal Young Adult Urban Fantasy as this beautifully priced two book compendium hits the shelves. Not only is it good value but these two authors combine historical background with a has to be seen to believe detail that doesn’t come across as an info dump but as genuinely interesting factoids. These two tales are not only beautifully conceived but are the start to a major series that from these two offerings will only get better. Whilst the second novel is darker than the first its so engrossing that I quickly lost track of time and didn’t stop until the last page was turned. What more can an author ask for?
BOOK BLURB:
Holly Cathers is not the same person she was almost a year and a half ago. After discovering her connection to an ancient legacy of witches, Holly has accepted her destiny as a descendant of the House of Cahors. Determined to end an intergenerational feud that has plagued her family for centuries,
Holly will have to overcome unworldly obstacles as she battles to protect her loved ones - including Jer, a member of the rival House of Deveraux and her one true love.
A war of magical proportions is being waged, and Holly is at the centre of it all. Lives will be lost, and sacrifices will have to be made...
REVIEW:
Having loved the first two novels I really was quite pleased when this second offering landed. But then a slight fear crept in. Was it going to be as good as the first compendium? As you know I’m a fan of any format that saves the readers a bit of cash so yet again I was pleased that this was released in a twofer type deal. So apart from a good price, did this offering live up to my expectations?
In short, it didn’t, it exceeded them as new characters are introduced, the story arc continues to expand with some real twists and turns that will leave fans reeling at each twist of fate. Add to this the fact that its beautifully written, masterfully constructed and has characters that are fast becoming old friends to the reader and its something that really will have people in a spin. In certain respects I’m pleased that I arrived at these novels late as I don’t have to wait from one cliff hanger ending to find out about the next. A genuinely top notch series that if you’re looking to encourage readers or help them take the next stage with their selection will more than do the job.
