Foster girl. Trash. That’s all I am to the world. And that’s fine. After surviving New Jersey’s foster system, I can survive anything. Even taking a dangerous job from a tall, gorgeous stranger so I can keep my little sister safe—a job that goes very, very wrong.
Suddenly I’m facing a brutal choice: a decade in jail or four years as a ward of Talonswood Reform Academy—a place with an all too … all too perfect correction record. A place that makes bootcamp look like a spa.
But Talonswood and its cruel cadets are far more than they seem, and so are the four men who rule it. Ellis. Asher. Reese. Cassis. Powerful, impossibly beautiful men who ignite a wildfire inside me—and who will stop at nothing to make my life a living hell.
But it turns out I’m more than I seem, too. And I’m not going down without a fight.
LAST CHANCE ACADEMY is a full length dark reverse harem paranormal romance. This is the first of four books in Immortals of Talonswood, a new series from Amazon’s top-100 author Alex Lidell. With hot shifter-fae, delicious vampires, one lone witch, Talonswood isn’t your normal reform school.
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I am a huge Lidell fan so when I saw we were getting a new series I was dying to get my hands on it. It lived up to every expectation that I could have ever had!! Sam is a successful thief with some awesome skills after being raised in the foster system. She takes a job only to end up in jail when things go horribly wrong. Given the choice of jail time or Talonswood Reform School she decides to go to school as the best option. Little did she know this would change everything as she finds out she is a witch once she gets there as well as all the other parts of the supernatural world. Makes for an interesting situation as she tries to survive deep set hatred, training from hell, and the four horsemen that keep interrupting her life. Fantastic writing that brings to life a world of magic and mayhem that you won’t want to put down. A total must read!!! I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
Sam Devinee is a thief. She’s excellent at it, and that has brought her to the attention of Ellis.
Ellis is a bastard. He’s King Bryant’s son and chosen assassin. He’s looking for something for his King that only Sam can get. And she proves quite successful until it all goes to hell.
Now both Sam and Ellis are at Talonswood Reform Academy. A school for supernaturals where Sam finds out how to be a witch and Ellis is unsufferable. But now, it’s not just Ellis. Add his brother Asher, the chauffeur-not-chauffeur Reese, and the hot vampire who didn’t murder her Cassis. Everyone is immortal, except for little ol’ her. What a pickle?
I love Alex Lidell. The Power of Five is one of my favorite series, and this first book in the Immortals of Talonswood series is fantastic. I adore Ellis for being a grumpy, arrogant jackhole. He’s my favorite character. I don’t mind Sam despite her given to fits of stupidity at times. I can deal. I can’t wait to read book two!
Highly recommend!
Power of Five: Power of Five, Book 1
Another great start to a new series from Alex Lidell. So we have Sam who is trying to survive making a living and watching out for her younger sister. Only to get caught and given a choice to go to jail or the academy. When she met Ellis she seemed to have second thoughts until something put her choice in motion. So when she ends up at the Academy not knowing what to expect, she did not think she would see Ellis again. Ellis, Asher, Cassis and Reese are all in Talonswood. These four are connected in some way or another and somehow that involves Sam. We find out that Sam is a witch and not liked at all. So let the bullying begin. She is trying to find out answers to her questions but is getting no where. Ellis is not forthcoming and neither are the rest of the guys. The story line is great and will keep you on your toes. Also it is a slow burn but I love that we get more from the characters from this. I am excited to read the next book in this series to see what will happen.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
*Spoiler Alert*
A job goes wrong for thief and housebreaker Sam (FMC) when shes given a job to steal a precious jewellery box. All of which has her ending up in lockup & given the chance of a long sentence or 4 years at Talonwood Reform Academy. So shes obviously going to pick the latter of those options. Except going to Talonwood might not be the best of ideas when she finds out that shes a witch and everyone hates her. Including Ellis (the guy that hired her for the job), Commander Asher (head instructor, acting headmaster and Ellis’ brother), Reece (quiet, Hard-faced but im still trying to work him out??) and Cassis (swoon one hot vamp!! and the club owner of Dusk). Blimey four lots of hotness. Its a brilliant face-paced, steamy kick off to this series and im totally loving it. So flaming good!!
I don’t usually end up reading the whole thing at once but this was just too compelling
While it didn’t end on a cliffhanger and I can see where it’s going I desperately want to read on
I’m also not always into reverse harem books but this was not heavy on the I want you and you and you that I could overlook it
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sam suffered abuse and neglect in the foster care system. Now that she’s aged out she’s surviving by stealing for clients and using the money to support herself and help her little sister’s foster mother out. Sam gets caught after being set up by Ellis, who turns out to be the fae king’s illegitimate son and assassin. She is forced to go to Last Chance Academy to stay out of jail, where the other students are all half fae and hate humans. Ellis’s brother, Asher, is the head of the Academy while an old friend/current enemy, Reese, is head of security and the vampire Cassis – another old friend – runs a high end club nearby. They all hate witches yet are all somehow drawn to Sam and do what they can to protect her. I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.
Loved it. Great start to a new series
Samantha “Sam” Devinee , has had a rough life. Grew up is care, suffered abuse, aged out. Now she works as a thief for higher. Her last job, she should have trusted her gut and walked away, but the pay was to good. Now she finds herself at Talonswood Academy. A rehabilitation program for delinquent paranormals. Mostly half breed fae and vampire. Sam is unique and despised. A mortal witch, something she didn’t even know she was. Her life has just been places in the hands of her last employer, the man who tried to kill her, Ellis.
Ellis is the bastard son of the Fae King Bryant. For centuries he has been his father’s bounty hunter, punisher, and assassin. Now he is being punished for his failure. His father needs Sam alive but broken. He need to be able to bend her to his will. Ellis has been charged with the task.
Ellis is not alone. His half brother Asher, also a bastard son is commander of the Academy. Reese his vampire friend, is a trainer. Then their is Cassis,.a vampire who was once a friend. His love for a witch nearly destroyed the 4, centuries ago. None of them have any love for witches. There is something about Sam that brings out Ellis’s protective side, despite his hatred of what she is. Asher sees his brother falling for the witch, and confronts him. Reece is out right hostile. Cassis is using her a a pawn in a game all his own. Ellis finds that Sam is something more to him, after she tapps into her magic to save them. What he found is something he has to deny.
Sam is trapped. There is no walking away from Talonswood until you are let go.
Fast paced and a little steamy, dark romance. A ends in a cliffhanger. Can’t wait for the next book.
I was first introduced to Alex Lidell when I read her series Power of Five, an intricate story that left you wanting more, and sad when you finally said goodbye to the characters. She’s done it again with Talonswood.
The story she weaves makes the characters with all their anger, fear, and confusion come to life. Though there are some parallels to Power of 5 – such as a broken and abused woman learning about power she didn’t know she had – it doesn’t feel like you are reading the same book with different characters. You are left wanting to know how Sam ultimately connects with the men in her life and how they are going to change the world as they know it.
Can’t wait for Book 2 of the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Amazing read great characters and the world is PHENOMENAL I couldnt put it down sucks you in from page one!
Beat My Expectations!
I started reading this book with a modest understanding of the premise. I wasn’t expecting a lot.
While part of the story arc was pretty obvious (almost from the first chapters), the manner of getting there and the additional story arcs were well-done and interesting. We get to know the main characters pretty well and there is a sold job of worldview building.
This is a stand-alone story (i.e., it does have a clear ending) while also setting up the next three books in the series.
Slow burn, and I can’t wait to see how the characters develop.
I have read other books by this author, so when I got a chance to read an ARC of Last Chance Academy, I stopped reading my other book and downloaded this.
I enjoyed meeting these characters. I like the depth of the characters and the dialogue is well written.
This is a slow burn, building back story.
I am choosing to write this review, I did receive a free ARC copy.
I enjoyed the first installment of this series but feel the author needs to give the reader more of the back story and development of the main characters, especially Samantha, the heroine. She is a young woman living a precarious life in Newark as a thief after aging out of foster care who suddenly encounters Fae and vampires after a burglary goes wrong. Samantha is then given the choice of prison or four years at Talonswood Academy. There were quite a few plot points that seem important to the series that were introduced and then dropped and the overall plot seems rushed..
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story started out a little slow, but got better as you went on. We have Sam who is a foster kid that steels for a living now. Ellis has her do a job, that went wrong now she is at the Academy. What will these super human’s do to her? Why do they call her a witch? Will she live through these four years?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved this new series from start to finish, you have Fae, Vampires and a Witch all at a prison/academy where the strong will prevail, a must read for everyone
I really enjoyed this book! The storyline is entertaining, suspenseful, sexy, and intriguing! The characters and the character development are fantastic! This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I have to say I love her writing! This is an awesome start to this new series and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
This is a story about a witch who doesn’t know she is a witch. Vampires, Fae and Witches are the supernaturals of this world. There is intrigue and mystery aplenty in this book. I would have given it 5 stars, but the book needs to be deeply re-edited as typos, partial sentences ,singular instead of plural words used, misspelled words, and misused words abound in the story. The characters are interesting and I can relate to them easily. The world building is quite good as well. After it is well edited, I think it would be a much better story as the errors are glaring and take away from the enjoyment of the book. At the moment, all I can say is that the basis of the story is good and if the errors were corrected, this story would be a very good read and well worth being recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Samantha Devinee (“Sam”) has aged out of foster care but is trying to make sure her foster sister is cared for and protected. To get the money to help her, she uses her skills as a thief, but she gets caught. She is sent to Talonswood reform school, where she finds that paranormal creatures are actually real, and she is not quite human either.
We are introduced to the guys who will be part of her life there, Ellis, Asher, Cassis, and Reese, as she becomes attracted to them. The guys want to protect her, and yet may have to stop her before she gains all of her power. Can Sam stand up against the bullies she will meet at this tough school?
The author has done a good job with developing the characters to make them more real to the reader. I look forward to watching Sam grow into her powers so she can protect herself at the school among the wide assortment of paranormals who will likely make a move against her. It’s going to be a wild ride with this story, so grab your copy and come along!
With the state of the world I have found myself having a hard time maintaining my attention on anything… and this book was also victim to that so please don’t think too harshly on the book or author, who I have followed for years. While I enjoy the idea of our MC’s discovery and some of her back story, I felt like there were some gaps but I don’t want to spoil anything for you. I want to see how the harem evolves and hopefully I will be able to come back to this one soon and be able to say everything has been answered in the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great start to a new series. Love this authors work! The power of five was a great series this is a joy and a pleasure to read. The heroine is great the male and side characters are amusing and great to learn about
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A fantastic start to what is prepped to be another fabulous series by Alex Lidell. If you love The Power of Five series, you will not be disappointed with her new offering. Once started and found myself unable to stop, this really is a page turner and one I shall definitely be re-reading when Book 2 comes out.
This story’s heroine is an ex-foster home survivor called Sam. Believe me, you cannot help but love her. She is brave, bold and a real fighter in a tiny form. She is a talented thief, who gets caught up with the wrong sting. She is removed to Talonswood Academy to be rehabilitated. It is then she finds out mystical creatures are not only figments of people’s imagination, but they really do exist. Fae and Vampires are here and she has to survive alongside them.
Meet Ellis, Cassis, Amber and Reece, brothers, ex-friends, hero’s who have survived centuries together, driven apart by their pasts, brought back together and knocked sideways by this pint-sized bundle of trouble who is thrown into their world. In true Alex Lidell style, you will love her hero’s. This is Sam’s initiation, can she stand up to her captors? Will Ellis stop torturing her with his training? Who is the mysterious Cassis? What will Amber do with the new pupil at his school, will Reece be able to stand his ground.
Guaranteed to leave you with a mammoth book hangover, I’m now counting down until Book 2, and I can fall back into Talonswood Academy, and rejoin Sam and the gang.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.