Thursday, September 28, 2023

Book Review: Hell Hath No Fury by Skye Jordan

 

Book Description

As a high-profile Washington lobbyist, Jessica Fury has all the coveted trappings of DC: money, connections, and influence. But five years ago, she had something far more precious: happiness. She shared a firefighting career with her husband and the love of her life, Quaid. Then one day her hazmat team walked into a chemical inferno--and Quaid never walked out. Jessica has been through hell to piece her shattered world back together. Then a rumor surfaces that could bring a miracle or destroy her--again.

Q has been a prisoner for as long as he can remember. The men who hold him have honed his mind and body into weapons, and he's developed abilities no one understands. They wipe out his memory, test him like a lab rat, and lie. Even though his past has been erased and he doesn’t believe he has anything to live for, instinct tells him different: there is a woman out there who needs him. And what his mind can't remember, his body can't forget. . .



My Review

Jessica and their firefighting team get called to a burning building. Quaid goes in first and spots some barrels on fire and melting. So he tries to get the numbers on the barrels so they know what they are up against but then one explodes. He knows this stuff is bad news and tries to get out and let his team know not to come in because another barrel is about to explode. But before he can, the barrel explodes, giving him a big blast of the chemicals and throwing him across the room and into the wall, breaking many of the bones in his body. Some of his other teammates also get exposed to the chemicals but most make it out alive. Back at the hospital Quaid dies because his injuries were so severe, or at least that's what his team are led to believe. In reality Quaid is kidnapped by some government officials and held hostage, tortured and experimented on because he ended up with the most supernatural abilities from the chemical exposure. 

Some of the other teammates that were inside the building when it exploded also have new abilities and 5 years later they realize that Quaid, now known as Q, had been alive this whole time and they set out to rescue him. 

After the rescue, the government, mostly officials from the DOD are after Quaid and the teammates because they know too much and some of them have abilities the government wants to use. But Quaid has unique abilities that not even he fully understands how to use. 

While Quaid and Jessica get to know each other again because he has no memory before his time being captured by the government and being used by them, they also have to try and find a way to stay one step ahead of the people after them and to use their abilities to help themselves. 

While this book started out a bit slow, things started picking up after they realized Quaid was a live. A few twists are thrown into the story which made things more exciting to read and the pace really picked up. It was fun to watch them learn how to work as a group again, watch Quaid get to know his team again and to watch the romance blossom between Quaid and Jessica again. It ended up being quite the action, drama, military, mystery read. This is book 3 in the Phoenix Rising series but I didn't feel like I was missing much. So for me at least, I was able to start in the middle of the series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Book Review: Warrior's Hope by Rebecca Zanetti

 

Book Description

This thrilling novel in the New York Times bestselling author’s popular Dark Protectors series takes readers on a wild ride as the only female vampire ever born brings a love triangle to its explosive conclusion—deciding the fate of battling factions as the forces of good and evil gather for the ultimate showdown.

As the only female vampire ever born, and the heir to two powerful immortal families, Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood has always felt the weight of fate and destiny. Now her heart is torn between two men and two different futures. It’s a choice between duty and love, peace and war, with the fate of everyone she loves hanging in the balance.

As the leader of the Kurjan nation, Drake has always known that mating Hope is the best path to avoiding war. He’s counting on her to know the same. . . . Paxton has been Hope’s best friend and protector since they were children. He would kill and die for her without a second thought. In fact, he’s always known that would be his path . . .

With deadly factions at her heels, Hope must decide whom to trust and where her loyalty lies—before the choice is taken away from her . . .



My Review

I've been reading this series since the very beginning so I know all of the characters that show up in this book and there are a lot of them. So for that reason I would say it's better to read this series from the beginning so you know what's going on with this story. 

Hope, Paxton and Drake have known each other for years, since they were kids. Drake is now the leader of the Kurjans. Paxton is part demon and had a really bad childhood because his father beat him after his mother died. It was only after Hope found out about it and told her father who is the leader of their kind that Paxton went to live with his uncle and was treated better. Hope is the only female vampire hybrid ever to be born but she doesn't have any special powers and the doctors and scientists have been researching her blood since she was a small child trying to figure out why she gets sick and can't heal herself. 

The Kurjan nation is at war with just about everyone else because they are kidnapping enhanced females. Plus Drake is helping Ulric who wants to perform another ritual that could destroy the Universe and many of the enhanced females as a sacrifice for the ritual. So Hope and the other immortals are doing what they can to stop him. Drake says he wants to stop Ulric but does he really? 

I really thought I knew what was going to happen with Hope, Drake and Paxton but boy was I wrong. Even though Hope can dream walk and bring Paxton and Drake along with her so they can all talk, all three of them have been keeping secrets from each other for as long as they have known each other. And the secrets were big, really big. All of those secrets come to light in this book which made the story have so many different twists so that I was kept guessing what might happen next with these three.  But I liked the ending even though I was a little sad because these three weren't exactly like I thought they would be after watching them grow up. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.