Review: Magic Redeemed (Hall of Blood and Mercy Series Book 2) by KM Shea

Magic Redeemed by K.M. Shea
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Politics and the Nature of Trust

I’d probably give this book 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

This is the second book in a continuing series. You need to have read the first book to make sense of this one.

Now Hazel has unsealed her power she has to learn how to use it. She knows how to do all the standard spells from learning how to manage her much lesser powers, but to take on the vampires at Drake House in training, she has to think outside the box. As she starts to think experimentally things start to click together for her.

As she thinks once more about retaking her House, she knows she has to get the signet ring that belonged to her Father that is used to unite the House and the Adept together when the care of the House passes to a new Adept.

Killian faces more antagonism from the Night Court and seems to be using Hazel to do it. Killian finds he has become very protective of his little wizard, as have many of the vampires in his family.

There are a lot of politics in this book. Hazel has to try and wrangle the House back from her cousin Mason because her family are suffering whilst at his mercy. To do so, she needs the support of the other wizard Houses and the Wizard Council but somehow Mason seems to be beating her at every turn. We also see Killian pull out all of the political stops to help keep Hazel safe, even though he can’t quite understand why.

It’s nice to read an Urban Fantasy book that isn’t just all about the magic and the fighting but also accepts the strength of political manoeuvring. It’s not just how to fight that Hazel learns from Killian, but also his political acumen.

I like how gradually Killian and Hazel start to grow closer and develop feelings towards each other. They are cautious of each other but gradually start to trust a little it each day.

This really is a fantastic series and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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Review: Droscal (Ka'atari Warriors Series Book 3) by Kenzie Kelly

Droscal by Kenzie Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Politician and The Smuggler

This is the third book in the series and though it deals with a specific couple, there is a story arc that makes sense only if the books are read in order.

We met Droscal in the previous book in the series. He is the ruler of a smuggler’s haven, outside Alliance territory. For a smuggler, he’s an OK guy. He’s a big scary warrior alien, but instead of ruling by blood, which is what everyone expects, he’s excellent at negotiation.

Zoranna is a politician. She was an aide on the UN Space Station when it was attacked and when the human women were rescued she opted to stay on the planet which housed the ruling body of the Alliance. She has been working as an aide to the Warrior Chief, who really doesn’t want to be a politician but is kind of stuck with the role. Zoranna is his perfect assistant because she loves the politics side of things and covers for him a LOT.

When the Alliance needs something from Droscal, his payment is to meet the non-mated human women to find out if any of them are his rhun, or a woman he can mate with. They send Zoranna to be his ‘liaison’ and of course they are rhun, even if Droscal is the very thing Zoranna abhors the most, a criminal.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline fits nicely as a follow on from the previous two and it makes you want to find out what happens next, which was a problem because book 4 isn’t out yet, but it is obviously set up for that book to follow. There is, however, a HEA for this couple.

On the face of it, this couple shouldn’t work because Zoranna really is quite vehement about being mated to someone like Droscal and how it will affect her career, something very important to her. However, they have more in common than she thinks.

As in previous books, the warrior is sweetly protective and there is a cute pet alert. There is heat between the two and though Zoranna overcame her initial reluctance a little too quickly for my liking, the book is only novella length, so it’s understandable.

This is an enjoyable bite-sized book, with an interesting and entertaining plot and an amount of chemistry that isn’t the only thing that’s important but is still central to the book.

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Review: Edge of Eon (Eon Warriors Series Book 1) by Anna Hackett

Edge of Eon by Anna Hackett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun and Feisty Main Female Character

Eve is in a prison orbiting Earth, after being falsely imprisoned due to a well-connected captain covering his own backside after causing the deaths of innocent civilians. When she’s blackmailed into taking an impossible mission she thinks she is probably going to her death but needs to go in order to keep her sisters safe.

Setting off to kidnap Eon Warrior Commander Davion seems a futile activity, especially as it requires taking him off his own space ship and getting past the alien symbiotic life form that helps keep him healthy and provides armour and weapons at the speed of thought. I should be impossible, except it isn’t and they wind up in a ship she can’t steer, heading towards a hostile artificial planet that’s set up to test the Eon Warriors.

This was a really fun and easy to read book. It was uncomplicated and it got devoured in a few hours. The plot was very straight forward but the world-building is pretty interesting and I liked both the main characters a lot. Eve is strong, fierce and loyal. She’s got a good sense of humour and laughs even when it’s not appropriate to the situation. There’s also plenty of sexy encounters and romance too.

It’s a fun easy read and I’ll probably read more books in the series.

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