"Dead Witch Walking," by Kim Harrison

Synopsis: The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But, after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy Tamwood, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

I really enjoyed reading this book, Dead Witch Walking, by Kim Harrison. It is slightly different from any other books I’ve read. Generally, I stick to vampires and werewolves. However, I thought this might be a nice break to read something just a little bit different.

Ms Harrison writes beautifully as she describes the world of Rachel Morgan. I pictured a world that consisted of witches, vampires (both living and dead), pixies, fairies, and so much more, living along side humans. It's a world where humans live in fear of "Inderlanders," supernatural beings. The Hollows, where most Inderlanders live, seems more like a slum where people who must go into, tend to walk straight through, never looking at anyone they pass. It's a rough place to be. All know to enter the Hollows at their own risk.

Rachel Morgan is an Earth witch and a bounty hunter. She’s good at what she does, but creates mess of everything on her way to achieving her tags. She gets tired of doing all the small petty jobs that take her nowhere in her career. Not seeing advancement in her career, she decides to leave the Inderlander Service (I.S.). But, runners can’t just leave the I.S. Breaking contract and leaving the I.S. department is a sure fire way of having a hit put out on you.

When Rachel decides it’s time to leave the I.S., Ivy Tamwood, living vampire and the best runner for the I.S., decides to leave the I.S. as well. She convinces Rachel that she needs a protector to help keep her from harm. Reluctantly, Rachel agrees, but no matter how hard Ivy and their pixie partner, Jenks, try danger follows Rachel where ever she goes.

Let me preface first that I really liked this book. However, the book started a bit slow for me. Within a few chapters though, it began to pick up speed and kept its pace to the end. I found myself wanting to kick Rachel’s ass because every time she came up with one of her hair-brained ideas, she jumped right into trouble. Jenks, her pixie bodyguard, was always at her side. He knew that Rachel wasn’t a half-assed I.S runner. It was all of her or none of her and it had to be right now! She jumped in with both feet. Ivy on the other hand was cool and calculated. She preferred planning, strategizing. She kept trying to get Rachel to think before she leaped. However, Ivy was too slow for Rachel. Yet throughout the book, Rachel begins to realize that Ivy might not be wrong. It might be better for her and everyone around her if she would rein herself in from time to time. I really like Kim Harrison’s writing style in this book. She is very descriptive thus giving the reader a great image to base the story on. She builds up the characters well, giving the reader a full image of each.

I give this book a 4-star rating. I would have given a 5-star, but I felt like Ms. Harrison rather dropped the Ivy/Rachel storyline. It really began to feel like the two would either have a love-story-type relationship, or have a sit down together and discuss more a detailed friendship. But, that didn’t happen. In fact, toward the end of the book, she brings in Nick who Rachel helps to change back into his human state. She has Rachel put all her trust in Nick who she’s only just met and is completely human. She has history with Ivy and Jenks! Hopefully, in the next book we’ll see more trust in Ivy and Jenks.

I do recommend this book. If you like stories vampires, fairies, pixies, witches, and demons, you’ll love this book! It has them all!It has them all! You can purchase your copy at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble (bn.com)

 

"Lover Reborn," by J.R. Ward

Synopsis: Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been unrecognizable from the vampire leader he once was. Physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair, he has been brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel. Now, fighting once again with ruthless vengeance, he is unprepared to face a new kind of tragedy.

When Tohr begins to see his beloved in his dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld far from the peace and tranquility of the Fade—he turns to the angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. But, because Lassiter tells him he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed...

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past and a very hot, passion-filled future…but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

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I love J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She writes with great eloquence and really seems to connect with each of her characters, no matter how great or how small a part each takes. Each book portrays a new brother and his life. I love how she carries her characters throughout the entire series, only to write about each individual brother in his (or her) own book.

Lover Reborn, written by J.R. Ward, is book ten in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I have love Tohrment throughout the entire series, even worried about him when he came back to the Brotherhood. He seemed to be the strongest, most well balanced brother in the beginning. However, when his enemies murdered his shellan, he completely fell apart. In my mind, Tohr was suicidal, but not in the way you might think. He couldn’t take his own life by means of eating his own bullet, or slashing his wrists. That would mean that he couldn’t cross over into the Fade. No, he was suicidal by means of starvation, or at the hand of his enemies.

Tohr dreamt often about his passed shellan, Wellsie. Each dream seemed to be less and less of her. Through the subtle coercion of his fallen angel, Lassiter, Tohr learned that Wellsie was not in the Fade. She and their baby boy were stuck in the In Between, a Purgatory of their own. Tohr needed to figure out how he could help them move on into the Fade.

Tohr reaches out to No’One as a confidant. Their friendship grew throughout the book. They both had issues that needed work. As their friendship grew, their love blossomed. As they begin to fall in love, Tohr tells No’One that he hates her name and ends up giving her the name "Autumn".

The part that really bothered me, and I suppose this is why I give this book four stars and not five, really has to do with the ending. I felt the ending was weak and unrealistic. With all that occurred, we read that they go to eat hamburgers as if nothing happened. For some reason, I felt gypped.

I struggled with another storyline in this book. John Matthew and Xhex were experiencing marital problems. John Matthew found it more difficult to watch his shellan fighting with their enemy, which made it difficult for Xhex to accept. Xhex was a fighter, not a lady in waiting. So, I began to worry that these two might become divorced or at least separated long term. However, like many other times, we see John Matthew come around to accepting that he chose a mate that was a fighter just as he was and therefore he needed to find a compromise that both could accept.

I found myself drawn to Blay and Quinn in this book as well. It seems as if their love for each other was brought out a little bit more and, hopefully, we’ll get to hear about their relationship in the next book in this sequence.

I still feel loose ends with the Band of Bastards. I’m left wondering if perhaps Throe may be Autumn’s brother. Will there be a relationship between Xcor and Layla?

I have heard many rumors but until Ms Ward writes the next book, we will never know.

If you have not read any of these books, I recommend you do. If you’re just not sure about this book 10, it is well worth the read. You will struggle to put your book down. You will cry, laugh, swoon, and root for your favorites.

You can order your copy of Lover Reborn from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.