Review: Blood and Ash by Deborah Wilde

In a world where there are those with magic and those without, Ashira Cohen works hard as a private detective without magic. She picks up a missing person's case and begins to work it using her prodigious skills. Along the way, after being hit hard on the head, she sees a ghostly being leave one person and jump into another. This complicates matters as it is evidence that Ashira has somehow developed magical abilities when she has never shown any inkling of magical talent up until now and most magic users show their talent by puberty.

Ashira ends up partnering with Levi, the head of the regional magic community. She's known him a long time and they have somewhat of an adversarial relationship. Levi wants to be the boss of her. And Ashira is fiercely independent.

As Ashira investigates, she runs across a mysterious organization, a hidden realm, and golems among other things. Ashira struggles to work with Levi. He brings out the snark in her and drives her up a wall. Will she find the missing girl before her own blood is spilled?

I really enjoyed this book. It's urban fantasy which I do enjoy. I liked the magic system. The way that the magic users are registered and under a regional leader reminded me a little of the X-Men. The way it's set up, it has the potential for conflict between magic users and the mundane people who don't all trust them.

Ashira is a likable character. She is stubborn almost to a fault. And she is loaded with snark. She makes for a good strong female lead. Levi is a little bossy, but he comes by it honestly being the regional director of the magic users. He is handsome too. The scenes where they work together have good dialog.

What else did I like? The book is fast-paced and full of action. Golems are just one example of what they encounter.

There are a couple of racy sex scenes. They are well-written, but definitely on the hot side.

Overall I give this book 5 stars. It's a good start to a new series. I look forward to more adventures with Ashira and Levi.

Blood and Ash by Deborah Wilde was published January 14th, 2020 by Te Da Media.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #314: Fields' Guide to Pharaohs by Julie Mulhern

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From Goodreads:

Poppy Fields, Hollywood IT girl and super-secret spy, travels to Egypt looking for answers.

But amidst assassination attempts, money launderers, and missing treasure, answers are hard to come by.
Poppy must trust new allies, forgive old wrongs, and find a forgotten pharaoh or the next tomb she enters may be her own.

Fields' Guide to Pharaohs by Julie Mulhern is the fifth book in the Poppy Fields Adventures series. It's expected out March 31st, 2020 from J & M Press.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've read the other books in the series and have enjoyed them. Poppy Fields is an interesting character. She's the last person most people would suspect of being a spy. Her persona is a ditzy type, beautiful woman when in reality she is smart, savvy, and stubborn as well as beautiful. She is a capable shot as well. And she is very capable of getting herself into trouble. I'm hoping that "Thor," a Chris Hemsworth look-alike that works with her, will also be in the book. The two of them work well together and have chemistry. There is humor as well as action in this series making it a fun read.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #313: You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From Goodreads:

You Let Me In delivers a stunning tale from debut author Camilla Bruce, combining the sinister domestic atmosphere of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects with the otherworldly thrills of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Cassandra Tipp is dead...or is she?

After all, the notorious recluse and eccentric bestselling novelist has always been prone to flights of fancy--everyone in town remembers the shocking events leading up to Cassie's infamous trial (she may have been acquitted, but the insanity defense only stretches so far).

Cassandra Tipp has left behind no body--just her massive fortune, and one final manuscript.

Then again, there are enough bodies in her past--her husband Tommy Tipp, whose mysterious disembowelment has never been solved, and a few years later, the shocking murder-suicide of her father and brother.

Cassandra Tipp will tell you a story--but it will come with a terrible price. What really happened, out there in the woods--and who has Cassie been protecting all along? Read on, if you dare... 

You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce is expected to be published April 21st, 2020 by Tor.

Why am I waiting on this one? I'm intrigued by the description of a book with the "sinister domestic atmosphere of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects and otherworldly thrills of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane." While I haven't read the Gillian Flynn book, I have read The Ocean at the End of the Lane and it was strange yet enjoyable and suspenseful in its own way. I'm also wondering who or what was let in. It sounds like it has real potential to be a page-turner.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Other Wife by Claire McGowan

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"No more trips to London for a while, I think," he said, and I found myself agreeing with him, the suggestion that I should no longer go anywhere by myself. This is how easy it was to lock your own jail cell, from the inside. (p. 147)

The Other Wife by Claire McGowan was published on October 24th, 2019 by Thomas & Mercer. This book kept me turning pages for the twists right up to the end. I gave it 5 stars.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #312: Stayin' Alive by Julie Mulhern

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From Goodreads:

Springtime. Love is in the air. So is murder.

When Ellison Russell, reluctant finder of bodies, chairs a gala in conjunction with the museum’s Chinese funerary exhibit, she expects disaster. So, she’s not remotely surprised when a body turns up.

Ellison is willing to leave the investigation to the police till an attempt is made on her life.

Now she’s juggling evading a killer, her aunt’s overly-amorous beau, her dog’s new love interest, and Mother’s displeasure.

With bodies piling up, if Ellison’s not careful, staying alive might be impossible.

Stayin' Alive by Julie Mulhern is #10 in the Country Club Murder series. It's expected to be published on February 25th, 2020 by J & M  Press.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've been reading this series for a while now. I'm almost caught up. I enjoy the eccentricities of the characters. Ellison has a love for coffee. Her mother has a love of things being proper. No matter what oddness the characters have, in the end many of them are family and will stand by each other. It's a fun series to read and I look forward to this installment and seeing what strange things befall Ellison as she discovers yet another body.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He had loved his father and had been in awe of him, but he had never felt as close to him as he did right now. You are the man I admired most of all, Julien would say to him if he could, if they were lying side by side watching the universe expand around them. (p. 284)

The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman was published September 24th, 2019 by Simon & Schuster.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!