Cask Strength by Layla Reyne

Professionally, the FBI team of Aidan "Irish" Talley and Jameson "Whiskey" Walker is as good as it gets, closing cases faster than any team at the Bureau. Personally, it’s a different story. Aidan’s feelings for Jamie scare the hell out of him: he won’t risk losing another love no matter how heart-tripping the intimacy between them. And loss is a grim reality with the terrorist Renaud still on their trail, leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.

Going undercover on a new case gets them out of town and off the killer's radar. They're assigned to investigate an identity theft ring involving a college basketball team in Jamie's home state, where Jamie's past makes him perfect for the role of coach. But returning to the court brings more than old memories.

As secrets and shocking betrayals abound, none may be more dangerous than the one Jamie’s been keeping: a secret about the death of Aidan’s husband that could blow his partner's world apart and destroy forever the fragile bonds of trust and love building between them.

Book 2
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Carina Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
Holy crap! I was hesitant with this book because the previous book was really wordy in my opinion, but I wanted to know what was on that jump drive and what really happened to Gabe. Let me tell you, I didn't want to put this book down! I was ticked when I had to stop reading and go to work! This book was awesome. I liked the storyline and loved how much Aiden and Jamie we got. Of course, the hot sex was good too! The story ends on a high note but with a bit of a cliffhanger. I seriously need the next book now!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Five months on since we left our FBI pair and the story begins with a very hot scene between Aiden and Jamie. We quickly learn things have a changed a little between them and Aiden has pulled away emotionally. I was shocked. I was also pissed at Aiden and my desire smack him in the back of the head until he came to he senses was strong.

Terrorist Renaud is continuing to cause problems for our pair, and to keep them out of the line of fire, Aiden and Jamie are sent undercover to bust a sports betting/identity fraud ring. Jamie goes undercover as an assistant coach for a college basketball team, which puts his old life on a collision course with this new one. This, in turn, causes more issues between him and Aiden.

Cask Strength is a fantastic blend of crime fighting, heart pumping action, and heart squeezing emotion. I love crime solving mixed with relationship drama and this book has done it perfectly. An unexpected twist in the story has left me hanging for the next instalment of this series. I can't wait for more.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The second book in the series, the plot grows increasingly complicated as they prod the secrets surrounding Aiden’s husband’s and partner’s deaths. While that investigation runs through the whole series, this book focuses on an undercover assignment where Irish and Whiskey investigate an illegal sports betting ring.

The plot construction in these books is fantastic. This is a fast paced read with threads of several layered storylines running through it. I love the secrets, the tiny clues, and the way the author makes us suspicious of everyone.

The relationship between Aiden and Jamie is even more complicated in the second book. As work partners, they complement each other perfectly. I love the banter, the instinctive trust, and the generation gap. Their personal relationship is more complicated. Aiden insists on no-strings attached sex. Jamie wants to stay closeted. Neither man has much emotional intelligence. And in this book, Aiden isn’t the only one with an ex.

Jamie’s history as a famous ball player is at the heart of this book. The sports action adds a whole new layer of excitement to the series about gunrunners and FBI corruption. I enjoyed the college setting for this book and I loved the undercover element of the investigation.

I am completely hooked on this series and I can’t wait for the next book. These are such great stories!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is book two in the series, and thankfully, book three is not too far off publication, as there is a bit of a cliffhanger here. I really think you should read book one before you read this, as the story is ongoing.

Aiden and Jamie had succumbed to their attraction – but it is not appropriate given they are partnered FBI agents. This leads to an uncomfortable situation for both of them, which is incredibly frustrating to watch, but plays into the FBI plot. As in the first book, there is a top layer plot, which is interesting, with the Renaud terrorism angle flowing through it too.

As things start to become clearer in their private lives, the mystery surrounding Gabe may finally be resolved – but you will have to read to find out!

Also Available in the Agents Irish and Whiskey Series

Book 1
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Carina Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Single Malt post.

Love, Coast-to-Coast.

Author Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up surrounded by generations of Southern storytellers and at the knee of her soap-opera-loving grandmother (and her grandfather, too, though he’d never admit it), she began spinning tales of romance at an early age. Now writing romantic suspense and contemporary romance, Layla is inspired by her coast-to-coast experiences and delights in weaving elements of the people she’s met and places she’s been into her stories for readers everywhere to enjoy. Layla, a 2016 RWA Golden Heart® Award Finalist in Romantic Suspense, is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Silicon Valley, Kiss of Death, Golden Network and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters.

Connect with Layla

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cask Strength (Agents Irish and Whiskey #2) by Layla Reyne to read and review.

Somewhere on Mackinac by Jeff Adams

How far would you go for the man of your dreams?

Now that he’s single, Chicago businessman Jordan Monroe can finally take his long-desired trip to Mackinac Island for the Somewhere In Time fan celebration weekend. On the first day, Jordan finds himself attracted to Miles Colter, a handsome local stable owner who is giving horseback tours of film locations.

Jordan is surprised and charmed that Miles pursues him. When Jordan learns the stable is in trouble, he wants to help despite Miles’s resistance. As their relationship grows personally and professionally, Jordan dreads the issues that face them—an ex who won’t let him go, the complications of a long-distance relationship, and a secret he knows he shouldn’t be keeping.

Can Jordan and Miles find a way to forge a love as timeless as the romance in their favorite film?

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I have read a number of books in this series – and it is fun to suspend belief and go with insta-love every now and again. Given the short window of opportunity first presented to these men, it is inevitable that usual timelines get cut tightened.

I have not watched the film that the 'weekend' is dedicated to, so maybe there was an element of nuance that I could not appreciate. But I enjoyed the romance, and whilst I had a good idea where it would go, I enjoyed the journey.

If you are prepared to accept that this is a start to a great love, rather than a fully finished story, then this is certainly a good way to spend an evening. Thank you, Mr. Adams.

JEFF ADAMS has written stories since he was in middle school and became a gay romance writer in 2009 when his first short stories were published. Since then he’s written several shorts and novels and he plans to keep writing as long as wonderful readers keeping picking up his books.

Jeff lives in rural northern California with his husband of twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musicals Rent and [title of show], the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition So You Think You Can Dance. If forced to pick his favorite book, it would be a tie between Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and David Levithan’s Every Day.

Jeff is the co-host of Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast, a weekly show devoted to m/m romance as well as pop culture. New episodes come out every Monday at biggayfictionpodcast.com.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Somewhere on Mackinac (States of Love) by Jeff Adams to read and review.

Sex in the Sticks by Sawyer Bennett

Wake up and feel the wood!

In the first of a series of irresistible standalone romances from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett, a city girl rediscovers love and lust in the Alaskan wilderness.

Valentine French may be the sassiest dating columnist in New York City, but the abundance of metrosexuals in her adopted metropolis is seriously cramping her style. Where are the beefy all-American boys? Hoping to find some inspiration, Val heads to Alaska, where the men outnumber the women fifteen to one and wrestle grizzly bears for sport. Or so she can only imagine. Suddenly the most eligible bachelorette in a town full of horny lumberjacks, Val is writing her best columns ever. But if she doesn’t get her nose out of her laptop, she just might miss out on Mr. Right.

Logan Burke is the sheriff of the little podunk town that Val finds so charmingly backward. He’s not that different from the guys she’s using for her little experiment; it’s just that one date would never be enough for Logan. As he listens to Val complain about love over beers in the local tavern, he realizes that she can’t see the forest for the trees. Because if she would ever give up her Prada bags and fourteen-dollar martinis, Logan would give her the only luxury that matters: his heart.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Rachael – ☆☆☆☆☆
I absolutely loved watching Valentine turn from a city girl into a country girl or well, an Alaskan girl. It was amusing to watch her make all the mistakes someone who has never lived out of a sprawling concrete area as she steps into a bear-infested, man-dominated town.

Her blog writing was pretty humorous, but I love how even that changes as she does as she grows. The conflicts she has to deal with inside herself are really interesting to follow along with.

It's hard to say too much since there are a lot of surprises and turns in the story, but just trust me when I say that you don't want to miss this story! A strong heroine with a super sexy and just as dominating hero leading the way, you won't be able to put it down. I know I couldn't.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Loved the story and the characters. Valentine is a city girl from NYC who is tired of the same old dating scene. She wonders what it would be like to date men from other parts of the country. Thanks to her cousin, Jeremy, she's off to the wilds of Alaska to see if location really does make a difference.

Watching Valentine out of her element is both funny and scary and very relatable. Everyone has their own comfort zone and rarely do we strike out in such a way that we leave everything we know, and Valentine did just that. Logan is the first person Valentine meets in Alaska – aside from the ferry boat captain – and she immediately is charmed by him.

Logan, on the other hand, is slightly wary of the city girl who invades his town. Not in a "she's out to run amok" kind of way, but in a "why is she here" way. He knows she's way out of her element and the more he runs into her, the more he realizes that she's getting under his skin.

Valentine's trials during her stay in Alaska bring them closer together until her past and her job catch up with her. Turns out that what Valentine likes to blog about can cause deep and hurtful feelings that are hard to overcome.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Sex in the Sticks tells the story of Valentine, a New Yorker living off her trust fund, who runs a blog where she shares dating tips and her dating life. Sick of New York men, and at the urging of her cousin, she heads to the rural town of East Merritt, Alaska, to try a new dating pool.

The story switches between Valentine's point of view and the point of view of Logan Burke, East Merritt's police chief, who rescues Valentine when she first arrives in Alaska. Logan helps Valentine adjust to life in Alaska, has meals with her, and they become friends. While this is going on, she is checking out the local dating pool with interesting results.

The situations Valentine finds herself in make for some great laughs. Despite that fact that she is a city girl, she gets on well with most of the town's folk and there is a good supporting cast of characters. There is never a dull moment with Valentine around. But the story isn't all about the fun, it is very hot too. I loved the way the romance plays, it is perfect.

This is the first book I've read by Sawyer Bennett and she has the rom com thing down pat. Sex in the Sticks is thoroughly entertaining and is a great romance. I have to say I think this would make a great movie too.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆
I just really couldn’t get into this book, it was kind of disappointing and definitely predictable.

You’ve got a rich diva from New York, Valentine, who is a man-eater that blogs about it. She’s gone through pretty much all the men in her area and is ready to step way out of the “metrosexual zone.” So, she packs up and heads to a town of practically all men, in Alaska. Immediately upon arriving, Val meets the sexy sheriff, Logan, who is an absolute sweetheart. Though the attraction is immediate for Val, she didn’t move across the country for one man – she needs fodder for her blog and sets out to serial date the entire town. Of course, Logan wiggles his way into her heart and the two begin exclusively (or so Logan thinks) seeing one another… then he hears about her on a date with another man and things quickly turn ugly.

I will say that though I didn’t much care for the storyline, I’m giving three stars because I really liked Logan’s character and the book not only held my attention enough to finish it, but had me laughing out loud on more than once occasion. Val’s character wasn’t my favorite, I found her a bit shallow, but did love that she helps one of the local girls get a man she’s had her eye on by giving her a makeover and boosting her confidence. I especially love when Val gets caught table dancing and winds up being arrested by Logan – definitely my favorite part of the book. This isn’t my first Sawyer Bennett book and I was just really expecting more with this one, with as much as I’ve loved her previous ones. All in all, a 3-star rating and sadly, I probably won’t be reading book #2.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a really fun story which introduces small town Alaska to Valentine French, and to us. She is one of the upper echelon of New York society, but is getting rather jaded of NY metrosexual men. Her blog on the subject and is in need of more material – so rather on a dare from a friend, she ends up in Alaska.

We get to see all the ways in which she manages to miscalculate life in a cold climate – and her handbag dog, Sassy, has some big adventures. It only helps to make her like her regular hero and saviour, Police Chief Logan even more. To the extent that maybe her plan to date lots of locals may be under threat. Indeed, Logan seems to tick every box she didn't even know she had.

Watching these two seemingly mismatched people get it together in a snow-meltingly hot way is both fun and fan-worthy. But knowing there is a potential expiration date ups the stakes, as does a badly timed revelation which puts it all in jeopardy.

Highly enjoyable read, with a cast of fun side characters. I am very curious to see where this series goes next, and can't wait to find out!

USA Today and New York Times Best-Selling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series, the Legal Affairs Series and the Last Call Series. She will be releasing her third book in the Cold Fury Hockey Series with Random House Loveswept, June 2015.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Sex in the Sticks (Love Hurts #1) by Sawyer Bennett to read and review.

The Bad Luck Bride by Janna MacGregor

All were shocked at the announcement of the “cursed” Lady Claire Cavensham to Lord Alexander Hallworth, the Marquess of Pembrooke, especially since she is already engaged to another unfortunate Lord. Perhaps she will make it to the altar this time with one of these fine gentlemen! Could her run of bad luck finally be at an end? It’s highly doubtful in this writer’s humble opinion. —Midnight Cryer

No one is left breathless at the imperious pronouncement of her engagement to Lord Pembrooke more than Claire. She hardly knows the dangerously outrageous man! But after three engagements gone awry and a fourth going up in glorious flames, she isn’t in a position to refuse...especially once she realizes that Lord Pembrooke makes her want to believe she’s not a bad luck bride anymore...

Alexander requires the hand of his enemy’s fiancée in marriage in order to complete his plans for revenge. It’s his good fortune that the “cursed” woman is desperate. However, what begins as a sham turns into something scandalously deeper. The beguiling lady has no business laying claim to his heart. But as a mission of revenge turns into fiery passion, Alexander wants nothing more than to break Claire’s curse...and lead them both to their hearts’ desire.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Dawn – ☆☆☆
This is a difficult one. The book started off quite slow, then when it got going I found the main character to be very annoying.

I liked the writing style, which is why I gave three stars.

I just didn't enjoy the characters, and sadly, wouldn't read the second book. 😞

Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to hear from readers. The Bad Luck Bride is her first novel.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Bad Luck Bride (The Cavensham Heiresses #1) by Janna MacGregor to read and review.

Hundreds by Pepper Winters Release Blitz

“I'm done hurting her. She's been hurt enough. It's time I set her free...”

Once upon a time, I wished to go home and forget.

Now, I’m strong and ready to fight.

Seduced and claimed, Elder no longer just demands my voice, he commands me to be a thief like him.

I refuse.

But he offers me things I shouldn’t want, favours I should run from.

In return for his protection, I’m ordered to steal enough pennies and dollars to buy back my freedom.

Only, we both aren’t prepared for how he changes me, evolves me.

It’s my turn to learn about him.

It’s his wish to teach me how to be normal.

Until something goes wrong.

And our life together comes to an end.

Book 3 in the USA Today Bestselling Romance, Dollar Series

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book has left me wanting more and I knew it would. The way that Elder and Pim are together and the pain of their past will rip your heart out. Yes, we learn more about Elder's past in this book and to say I understand him more is not even close. I am still just as confused about him as I was before. Oh, I know more about what he went through, but his past still broke me.

While Elder needs to release Pim and give her back her freedom, she needs him for his protection. She is strong and he is showing her that she can be strong on her own. But Pim wants to stay with Elder. But she doesn't fully understand what is really going on inside him and what it might mean to her personally.

Can Elder release her before he destroys them both? Can Pim move on without him and learn to live on her own? Or will Pim finally learn to trust what love is?

I fell in love with this series from the very beginning because of Pim's strength and determination. She was either going to live or die, but it was going to be her choice. Now she thinks she has found someone that cares for her to help her live, but Elder can't be that someone for her.

If you are looking for a fantastic dark read, then please start from the beginning and read them all, you do not want to miss anything in this story. I can't wait for the next one because the way this one ended left me ready to throw my Kindle and wanting more.


Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
You must read these books in order.

Holy. Crap. On. A. Cracker. I just can't believe how amazing of a writer Pepper Winters is. I am seriously blown away. I am certainly not a writer and I could never write a review good enough to convey my feelings for this book and series. You can feel each of these characters and their emotions as if you are living and breathing everything right along with them. I loved both Pim and Elder before this book and I loved them even more after this one. We do find out more about Elder and my heart just melted even more for him. These two together are hot as all get out and you can't help but want them to get their happily ever after. I can't wait to read the next installment of their journey.

Also Available in the Dollar Series

Book 1
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For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Pennies Blog Tour.

Book 2
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For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Dollars Blog Tour.

Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today International Bestseller.

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s a multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. With 19 books currently published, she has hit the bestseller charts twenty-six times in three years.

Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.

Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian and Turkish. Audio Books for her entire back-list will be available in 2017.

Connect with Pepper

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Hundreds (Dollar #3) by Pepper Winters to read and review for this tour.

Toxic by Avylinn Winter

When true love is a lie and pleasure turns to pain.

Adam Webb spent most of his teenage years in love with his best friend, Gabriel Connor, only to be thrown out of their shared apartment when he finally found the courage to reveal his feelings.

Seven months later, Adam’s effort to save their lost friendship finds him more than he ever asked for. After all, being thrown out has to be better than thrown into a wall. However, Adam isn’t ready to give up. Trapped and isolated in a dangerous relationship, he falls deeper and deeper into Gabriel’s world.

Despite Adam’s attempts to push them away, his friends are determined to help, but the man who fights hardest is Cameron McCain, Adam’s photography teacher—a man who treasures what Gabriel does not.

They say love should conquer all. But when passion breeds fear and love turns toxic, will Adam make the right choice?

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of domestic violence, emotional abuse and dubious consent.

Publisher's Note: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series.

Book 2
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Pride Publishing

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 Triggering Stars. If you are a survivor of domestic violence, it will be up to you to judge whether or not you are capable of reading. It's an accurate portrayal, you need to know that before going in.

Avylinn Winter is a new-to-me author.

I'm not entirely sure how to review Toxic. Mostly due to the subject matter being too close for comfort. I spent a great deal of the book being thrust into the past, not that that was necessarily a bad thing per se. I could completely empathize with Adam during 90% of the pages. There was just too much mirroring with my past, similar situations dealing with a childhood best friend turned partner, turned abuser.

Gabriel was Adam's protector growing up, his next door neighbor. When they went to college together, they roomed together, until Adam told Gabriel his true feelings. After being tossed out, cut to six months later, where Adam is trying to make amends and get his friend back.

What was a relationship built on safety and security turned toxic.

Toxic was written with compassion, accuracy, and the classic trajectory of an abusive relationship.

Gabriel's gaslighting, possessive behavior being seen as love, the 'I'm sorry' attention afterward, the isolation from all those who would notice a difference... even how the abuser begins to hate their victim because their victim was weak enough to change into the creature they created...

The feelings of guilt and shame the victim feels – but worst of all, the feeling as if you're betraying your abuser's trust and love by getting help, by leaving, by moving on. Surely you should do something to get them help. Then another set of guilt and shame settles due to judgement cast by people not in your shoes. Why didn't you leave sooner? Why didn't you get help immediately? It's layers upon layers of emotional damage, especially during the healing process, and those feelings never truly cease to exist.

Followed by hope, by opening your eyes, by realizing you're never going to be the same person again, and things that would have never bothered you have you phasing out for a few moments in time at random. It's written on the very fabric of what makes you who you are. Your mind and emotions don't operate on the same wavelength they did prior to the abuse. The feeling of safety and security never truly returns.

But one day, you'll realize you're not a victim but a survivor.

I apologize that I can't leave a true review of the book because it hit too close to home.

Just in reality, Toxic was an arc – a progression from normalcy, to victim, to survivor.

Raised in one of the cold corners of the world, Avylinn spends her days either wrapped up in a blanket or basking in the precious sunlight. When she can’t choose herself, she’s holed up in an office working with climate research that has little to do with the worlds and characters she creates in her vivid dreams.

Always the emotional one, she has found her outlet in writing, voicing thoughts, emotions and fears through her characters that feel very much alive to her. And, what began as a hobby soon took more and more time in her life until she realized that she had left her old life behind and entered a new one where her emotions turned into a super power—ready to launch at her poor readers.

She recharges with the help of coffee, cinnamon buns, popcorn and occasionally a healthier alternative.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) by Avylinn Winter to read and review.

Cold Reign by Faith Hunter

The adventures of Jane Yellowrock continue with a thrilling new installment in the New York Times bestselling series that captures “the essence of urban fantasy” (SF Site).

Jane Yellowrock is a shape-shifting skinwalker…and the woman rogue vampires fear most.

Jane walks softly and carries a big stake to keep the peace in New Orleans, all part of her job as official Enforcer to Leo Pellissier, Master of the City. But Leo's reign is being threatened by a visit from a delegation of ancient European vampires seeking to expand their dominions.

And there’s another danger to the city. When she hears reports of revenant vampires, loose in NOLA and out for blood, Jane goes to put them down—and discovers there’s something unusual about these revenants. They never should have risen.

Jane must test her strength against a deadly, unnatural magic beyond human understanding, and a ruthless cadre of near-immortals whose thirst for power knows no bounds…

Book 11
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Forever ago, I primarily read Urban Fantasy and little else. Now I read mostly everything, but I was pleased to have found this series about a year ago, with so many books in the backlist to binge-read.

Jane Yellowrock is one of the most consistent Urban Fantasy series I’ve read to-date. I immerse myself in the novel, finding it a comfort while reading, and it never fails to re-spark my love of the genre.

As a fan, why am I giving four instead of five stars? Cold Reign had a bit of a slow start for me. There was a comfort in seeing the same characters with little changing, like visiting an old friend, but it felt as if it took forever to get to the meat of the storyline. After which, while it was thrilling and exciting, it had a bit of a wash-repeat feel to the storyline. Jane would encounter baddies, get filthy in the pouring rain, run home to change (or not), fight more baddies, go to HQ, run home to save Alex, wash repeat, all in the same limo, in what felt like a never-ending day.

While I enjoyed the story, some deviation would have been appreciated. Then there are always the baddies from past books popping up because they weren’t eradicated when they should have been.

Other than the redundancy, I struggled with all the European vamps and their histories. While I don’t doubt that it all tied together, was well researched, and the author did a good job, it all sort of just went directly over my head, and it was recently that I’ve read the latter books in the series. A case of too much, too soon, in a complicated info-dump I just skimmed because it was making my head hurt. I still got heads and tails, but I didn’t feel like I needed a history lesson to keep up.

Jane and Beast, her business partners (Eli and Alex), Bruiser (her boyfriend), Edmund (her primo), Brute (the werewolf stuck in wolf-form), the vampire gang and their entourage, and last but never least, Leo (MotC) all make an impressive showing on the pages. Even Ricky-Bo makes a rare appearance.

The wash-repeat of the storyline didn’t erase my overall enjoyment. I adore Jane’s interactions with her posse, especially Beast’s commentary never failing to tear laughter out of me. I read Cold Reign with a happy grin on my face, even while frustrated.

As Leo’s enforcer, Jane and company are trying to rid New Orleans of a little reverent problem. Long-dead vampires are rising in cemeteries across the city, a never-ending storm is plaguing the landscape, Jane is struggling with her magic as lightning keeps opening up the gray between, and the European vampires are sneaking into New Orleans long before they were due to arrive. Everything is falling apart, and only Jane Yellowrock can save the day.

Even with it being slightly redundant, I loved reading Jane’s adventures. Rick popping back up into her life, and every page featuring Bruiser, was angsty deliciousness. The werewolf messing up Alex’s bed had me hooting in laughter. Then there were the heartwarming moments as Jane tried to draw her clan together into a real family.

Overall, I loved Cold Reign, and I can’t wait to see what adventures Jane and Beast are up to next. Faith Hunter is a writer who has mastered the Urban Fantasy genre, with intriguing, intricate world-building, relatable characters, and raw emotion.

Recommended to Urban Fantasy fans. However, this absolutely cannot be read as a standalone. It’s best to read the series from the beginning, to truly experience the evolution of the characters, the politics, and their magical abilities.

New York Times Bestselling author Faith Hunter writes three series: the Jane Yellowrock series, dark urban fantasy novels featuring Jane, a Cherokee Skinwalker; the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy/post-apocalyptic series and role playing game featuring Thorn St. Croix; and the Soulwood Series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cold Reign (Jane Yellowrock #11) by Faith Hunter to read and review.