Title - Cursed by Fire
Author - Danielle Annett
Series - Blood & Magic #1
Genre - Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date - January 28th 2015
Designer - Mae I Design
Synopsis
It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.
Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined.
When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.
Behind the scenes look at how Cursed by Fire's cover came to be
Except
The light began to fade from his eyes as I crawled across the floor in an effort to reach my father. My nails were raw and bloody as I struggled to carry myself closer to him, digging into the rough wooden floors with each drag of my body.
“I’m coming,” I panted in between breaths. “Just hang on, Papa, I’m coming.”
I woke gasping for breath, drenched in a cold sweat, clutching the hilt of my dagger as if my life depended on it. I frantically looked around the room in search of our attacker while also taking stock of any injuries. I was perfectly whole.
“It was just a nightmare,” I told myself, though that did little to ease the ache in my chest over the remembered pain. I miss you so much.
Rubbing my hands over my face, I pushed back the wet, loose tendrils of hair that had escaped my braid during my fitful rest and returned my dagger to its resting place beneath my pillow. Taking another deep breath I registered a hint of smoke.
Shit!
My eyes roamed over the room, frantically looking for the source of fire.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
I untangled my body from the sheets, tripping and falling into a heap on the floor before I was able to crawl out of my covers and retrieve an old shirt. I frenziedly swatted at the bedroom curtains with the old t-shirt but the flames continued to rise. Deciding there was no other choice, I ripped the curtains from the window and rushed to the kitchen.
Throwing the curtains into the sink and turning the faucet on all the way, I watched as the flames were snuffed and steam began to rise. The curtains ruined.
Turning the water off, I allowed my body to slide down the smooth wooden cabinets until my bottom met the cool tile floor. I folded my arms across my knees and rested my forehead against them. Closing my eyes I took several deep breaths, my heart still racing from the effects of the recurring nightmare. This was getting out of hand. I had thought the nightmares were fading, but something was bringing the memories back with a screaming vengeance and this was the third time this week they’d plagued me. I missed my parents but it’d been over six years now. They weren’t coming back and I needed to let it go. My subconscious needed to let it go and I needed to let Daniel’s death go. Not the case, no, I wouldn’t let that go. But his death was affecting me in ways I couldn’t allow to continue.
I breathed deeply in an effort to calm my nerves. Small tremors racked my body, the nightmare had shaken me more that I’d like to admit. My skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. A physical reminder that I needed to relax before I accidentally caught something else on fire.
Review
I received Cursed by Fire in return for an honest review
from the author as part of the tour hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Aria
lives in a world that not only humans live in but the supernatural vampires,
shifters, fae, harpies and many others are roaming about. She’s not just human
she has the ability to control fire making her a psykers even though her
parents hadn’t been but her grandfather was one. She works as a mercenary who
investigates non-human cases and her current case was to find a missing boy.
However she ended up finding a body which appeared to have been attacked by a
vampire, only after the fact learning that he’s the child of a shifter.
Hired by the pack to solve the case she’s partnered up with
her friend and shifter hunter James together they dive deeper into the mystery
of what happened to the boy and why the vampires are crossing the line. When
more bodies start showing up that of a shifter and vampire they start to
suspect that maybe it’s not the vampires attacking the shifters but someone
attempting to start a war between the two races. As if Aria doesn’t have enough
problems a pyskers has found her even saving her life but what does he really
want with her?
I liked Aria right from the start she’s human but she runs
with the supernatural community trained to take care of herself she’s one of
those kick-ass heroines that you can’t help liking. While Aria has some issues
it doesn’t detract from her as a character just makes her feel more human. I
like that the author hinted at a possible relationship with James so we will
have to see where this goes in future books. I also liked the glimpse into the
world that Aria lives in like the Harpy Mel who keeps stealing food from the
guy she’s crushing on.
My curiosity was instantly peaked when I saw the cover for
Cursed by Fire it captured my imagination and I couldn’t wait to know what it
was about. The synopsis just made me more eager to check out this paranormal
world that had been changed with the Awakening which is really a coming out for
the paranormal. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Spokane but I loved
the I was familiar with the area who doesn’t love the Pacific Northwest. I
think the author did a great job creating an exciting addition to the urban
fantasy world with her own unique twist on the concept. I like the characters I
was able to connect with Aria and enjoyed reading her story as the novel
progressed. Cursed by Fire is a fast packed quick novel that I found hard to
put down I ended up finishing most of it in one sitting only reading the end
first thing this morning. My only complaint is it’s just not long enough I
wanted more I wasn’t ready to be done with Aria’s world toss in the cliffhanger
and I’m dying to see what will happen next. Overall the writing style flows
along smoothly and it’s an enjoyable story.
About the author
Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA, the primary location for her Blood & Magic series. Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.
Website: http://danielle-annett.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danielle_Annett
Giveaway
The excerpt has me intrigued I would love to find out more in a print copy of the book. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity !
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