I’m Natasha. Friends call me Tash. The world calls me loser.No one knows I possess a deadly magic.It was supposed to be a simple surveillance job, just like the zillion others I had run for my tough-guy benefactor, Tobias. An hour into it, I’m sitting with a dead body after barely surviving a warlock’s rampage.I thought things couldn’t get any worse, but what did I know? Running point for Tobias … know? Running point for Tobias or being witness to a murder was the least of my worries. Now I’ve been blackmailed into working with sexy paranormal cop Ian, and I must help him find what the warlock is up to before he destroys whatever is left of our world.
Piece of cake, right? Sure, if you ignored the dark magic I was born with. I just might save the world from a warlock’s evil plans, but can I save it from the darkness that lies within me?
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Very intense. A lot going on so there is excitement, danger and trying to find a killer. It is not what I expected. The story is a lot better. I enjoyed it very much. I received a complimentary review copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
First let me state that I received an Advance Reader Copy, (ARC), but this in no way influences my review. I always leave an honest review. Also note that this is my first time reading this author, and I hope it won’t be my last.
Holy shiznet!!! This story is awesome. From the moment I picked it up I was totally wrapped up in it. Tash is a strong, sassy character and I fell in love with her right away. Her world is a future earth that doesn’t seem very good. Ian is a cop with the paranormal unit, and through him she learns of light & dark magic. The storyline has an evil warlock trying to end\takeover the world. I can’t wait to read the next story to see if her Ian book up or not, to see what’s up with her sister, if her brother gets better, to see where Tash’s life is headed, & what happens to Dee. I recommend this read. 5Thumbs up.
This story has a lot of action and drama throughout it. It is definitely a fantastic storyline. I love how it draws you in and keeps you glued to it. Yes, there are a few parts that can be developed more and explained a bit more but overall it is extremely good. It has Tasha who at times lets herself fall in self-loathing but at other times she is a kick butt lady. I get where Nikki Hayes is coming from on this point. We all have times of self loathing but it is how we pull ourselves out of it. Our leading lady does just that and it adds to the story very well. Ian is this leading man that has so much potential in his work. He is well developed but at times seems like he could have been developed a little more with strength. I loved the chemistry between Ian and Tasha. The side characters were extremely well developed as well and added that little bit of extra that was needed. It is definitely worth reading and doesn’t disappoint. I received an advanced copy for free and I voluntarily am leaving a review.
Dark Blood (Lethal Magic Book 1) Kindle Edition
by Nikki Hayes
I received a review copy via Booksirens.com and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Dark Blood is an interesting new Urban Fantasy. Interesting and a bit of a mixed bag, with a bit of the good and a bunch of the bad.
Like any good critic, I’ll start with the bad.
The biggest and the worst of the bad is the two dimensional villain – at times Kevain Nightwing lacks both dimensions at that. At his first appearance, just a brief how do you do, he held promise but ended up being your less than average, monologue at the worst time, take over the world because I can villain that crawled out a Stereotypes R Us dictionary.
The heroines relentless self-loathing and her odd and at times overwhelming horniness for her new cop partner. Hey, I get it. This is UF so a sexy, smexy love interest is necessary. But as we can see from the Rachel Morgan series (amongst otheres) that can be drawn out. Also, self-loathing turns into self-pity which becomes self-hate.
The way magic – both light and dark – is treated. There is no price for magic’s use for a start, and for a finish, the way they discuss it rings like a bad Star Wars prequel. Magic is discussed like the Force. “The magic in you is strong Natasha. Your presence – once you’r fully trained – will make a difference…” Obi-Wan would be jealous.
Dee, a side character, is described as a person of color from what I can tell. She has a habit of referring to our heroine and her sister as Miss Tash or Miss Lara. Um, yeah. Not to mince words, but that borders on slave speak from Gone With the Wind.
The good, now.
The world building is excellent. It is a new version of a dystopian world sprung from the very real threat of what happens after the waters rise due to climate change. I also appreciated the geographical hints and descriptions. It gave an authentency.
The apocalyptic disease, The Scourge, is awesome. Not only did it wipe out a bunch of the population, it left the survivors with ‘gifts’. Max, Tash’s brother gets the short end of the stick with the gift he receives. He is chronically ill with a blood disease. Tash, on the other hand gets magic, even if comes from the Dark Side (queue Imperial March from Star Wars). I realise that George Lucas didn’t start the dark vs light thing, it goes way back to the Zoroastrians and Manicheans, but Ms Hayes writes like a Lucas fan.
The side characters are some times really awesome! I really appreciated the bookstore owner, Simone. She is my favorite thing in this book.
The final knock-down, drag out climax is well-staged with interesting magic.
All in all, not bad. Not over the top awesome but a solid read for UF fans.
3 ½ stars rounded up to 4 stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Blood-Lethal-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B07NWRGJN
This was such an intriguing and captivating story. The main character, Natasha, is flawed (but then aren’t we all) but in a way that I could relate to. She is loyal but with a mouth that gets her into trouble sometimes. Ian is grounded and has patience (most of the time) to deal with her. Plus he’s the one that is willing to help her with her new powers. The other characters just add to the layers that make Tasha who she is. I was really impressed with this book and look forward to the next one. I want to find out more about Dee, Max and if Lara has a power also. Besides, Ian and Tasha would be great together. I requested an advanced reader copy and am under no obligation to leave this review.