Vampires aren’t real, right?People say I’m a weirdo. Sure, my idea of a party is a mini box of wine and hanging out with a feral raccoon, but it works for me. When I’m accused of murder, things get crazy. One, I learn that I have magic. Two, there’s a secret magical city hidden right in London itself. And three, my only hope is a vampire who’s sexy as sin and scary as the devil himself. He’s … the devil himself. He’s called the Devil of Darkvale, and he all but owns Guild City.
Some say I should just quit and turn myself in. Not a chance. I’m going to solve this murder myself, which means surviving in a new world of witch parties, magical guilds, and a vampire with a tortured past. The vampire and I are like colliding stars, and the heat is irresistible. I should avoid him, but if I want to save my own life, he’s my only hope.
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Even with murder and death involved this book has a friendly happy go lucky vibe to it. This is a whimsical world of magic with it’s own version of beer pong.
‘Once Bitten’ is book one in Linsey Hall’s Shadow Guild: The Rebel series. The Guild series is a fresh new series, but a continuation of the Dragon’s Gift World. You can count on the same magic, kickbutt heroines, and powerful heroes but get ready for some new adventures. If you haven’t read all of the Dragon’s Gift World don’t worry, you will still enjoy this series.
Carrow is no ordinary person, she has visions when she touches people or objects. She sees the past, present and future, but isn’t able to control what she sees, just what is given to her. When a friend is killed she was unable to save her, or catch the killer. The killer is back and has striked again, Carrow shows up to the scene before the police to try and find clues to who the killer is. She is caught and arrested or the murders. Carrow must clear her name and catch the real murderer, what she didn’t expect to find while investigating and avoiding the police was a magical world full of magic beings.
I had no idea what to expect when went into this book, I’ve been a fan of Linsey Hall’s work for a while and you never know what you are going to get. I do have to say I don’t think this is one of her best books, but it’s still enjoyable and I’m intrigued to see where it goes. I feel that as the series goes the characters will grow and develop.
The plot was fast paced with so much happening in such a short time. That it felt like a few of the scenes were rushed through, when others could have been skipped or shorten. The story is full of secrets, mystery, half-truths and so much more. I’m invested to get to know more about The Devil of Darkvale, he is wrapped in mystery. Carrow, Mac and Eve seem like they are going to be fun to read about. The instant bond between them needs to be explored more.
All up I think this was a good start to a new series and can’t wait to see what is in store for Carrow and The Devil in ‘Wicked Deal’.
Brilliant Start to a Fascinating Series! Great Audible Listen
Once Bitten
Shadow Guild: The Rebel, Book One
By: Linsey Hall
Narrated by: Laurel Schroeder
This is one entertaining and fascinating book and I loved every word of it. I enjoyed Linsey Hall’s writing style and the imaginative storylines, characters and world dynamic she created. I was swept right into the story and it captivated my attention from start to end. I found it all enthralling and did not want to put the book down beaus I needed to know what happens next. This book takes you into a world hidden in the shadows of the world we know, it is a magical world filled with different types of paranormal beings. Carrow lived her life not quite fitting in, her best friend was a raccoon who lived in the alley next to her apartment. She always had a special power to see things and when she if found at the scene of a murder, she is arrested as the prime suspect. One of he officers believes she is innocent and gives her the opportunity to prove it and she finds herself on the run and runs straight into a hidden world looking for someone she saw at the scene of the crime. She makes a friend, Mac, and then learns things about herself, her friendly raccoon too. There is never a dull moment in this book, the story is brilliantly plotted with plenty of drama, action, twists and turns, mystery, some heartfelt and emotional moment and even the start of a diabolical romance. Linsey Hall, thank you for this wonderfully fascinating story, I am looking forward to what comes next for these amazing characters. Carrow is such a bad@ass, love her new friends, even liking the mysterious Devil of Darkville.
I listened to the Audible edition, Laurel Schroeder is a fantastic narrator and voice artist. She does an awesome job portraying, bringing them to life, giving each their own voice and personality. Her take on Carrow was perfection, she grasped her persona with perfection, she handled all the secondary character perfectly too including her take on the Devil, which was spot on too. She is a talented and entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen
It’s so good when you are gripped by not only the story, the characters, but also by the great painting of worlds. Carrow carries us to see a London from a different point of view and presents us the Guild city with a peculiar vision being an outsider just like us. This is a story of someone not only imbued with the task to clean her name but also to learn her origins and how to deal with it. It’s an enchanting and amazing Serie.
Ok, we’ve got a heroine with a pretty freaky power, able to sense the past, present, and future of any thing or person in the loose, a murderer in the lose who has killed several already, including her best friend, cops who think she’s the killer, and a hide out that’s so very much more – the “witch parties, magical guilds, and a vampire with a tortured past” promised on the publisher’s blurb. All in all a pretty heady mix. I loved Carrow, the lead here, and this well written tale as a whole. It’s clear to me that Linsey Hall has struck gold again with Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel, Book 1) and I’m very much looking forward to the books that follow.
Carron Barton’s life has been taking adverse turns and what appears to be a gift has failed her when she has needed it most. The loss of her friend, the only one she had, sent her to a search for answers that had her involved in a criminal mess worsening her situation. But her great adventure was about to begin and in a world of magic that she never imagined could exist. As the first book in the series I found it intriguing, the action and the suspense did not wait, we have the point of view of the two main protagonists and several mysteries to discover. At first Carron did not impressed me as a strong heroine but soon I discovered the girl has her thing, was funny and special. Magic, interesting paranormal characters, camaraderie, some fun situations and others not at all fun, the bad guys who cannot miss to give more excitement to the story, romance and an ending that leaves us intrigued with the expectation of much more
This book is AMAZING!!! there is so much to it!! Romance, STEAMY romance, partying with the hilarious and dangerous witches–so much fun!! tragic, lonely heroine with magic she doesn’t know about , murder, necromancers, vampires and a slew of otherworldly creatures in a magical world in the center of London that mortals know nothing about. I laughed, I SNORT laughed!!! I was terrified for our heroine and her friends, I swooned many times when the hott vamp. was around, Can NOT wait for the next book!!! gotta see if the t.p. store is ever open!!! ahahahaahhah