Killing Time (Early Review)

Killing Time by Elisa Paige

Time #2

 Genetically engineered warrior Sephti would go to any lengths to destroy the fae that made her their killing machine. Finally escaping servitude, she has meticulously planned revenge against her former masters, and time is running out. The last thing she needs is to be taken captive by a man who hates the fae as much as she does—and thinks she’s one of them.

Sephti learns her captor is Koda, an ancient Native American guardian determined to save his people from annihilation by the fae. Though he seems to loathe everything about Sephti, she can’t help noticing his incredible strength and powerful sensual allure.

As their distrust turns to desire, Sephti and Koda become allies. But their love will have to withstand their enemies’ supernatural onslaught—and Sephti’s planned suicide mission against the fae…

Sephti has had a horrible life, if you can even call the atrocities she has had to deal with a life, rather she has just existed with only one purpose; to destroy the fae who made her into what she is. Unfortunately she falls into the hands of a man who has reason to hate the fae almost as much as she does. You would think they would make a good pair to team up against their enemies, but there is one problem. Koda thinks she is one of the fae and seems to hate her with a burning passion. Surprisingly Sephti feels another sort of passion towards him, one that she isn't sure how to deal with, especially when he seems to start to feel the same way. With a love that may just be doomed from the start, these two have a very rough road ahead as they are thrown into the middle of a war greater than this world has ever seen.

I really enjoyed the romance between Koda and Sephti. They are so very different from each other and to be honest it almost seems like a miracle that they would even have the chance to start an attraction considering his extreme but justified hatred of all things fae, and her similarities to them. I'm actually surprised he just didn't outright kill her from the start, but am so very glad that he didn't The progression in their relationship was slow and steady and the author did a fantastic job of moving things along slow enough to be realistic considering their beginning circumstances, yet also keeping things from getting too frustrating at a lack of progress. I love a book where you are invested enough to become frustrated with the characters, yet the gratification isn't too long off, and Killing Time really fits that bill.

I did have a slight issue with Killing Time. There was one whopper of a cliffhanger at the end of Stealing Time, with the main gang being under siege. I had expected this book to pick things up right where they left off, or at least give us a clear picture as to how things worked out. Don't get me wrong we get a general idea of the outcome of who survives, but not what actually happened. Also it seemed that more happened in the final battle that we didn't see in the first book but was introduced at the beginning of this one. So I was a little confused at first, but it didn't inhibit my attachment to the characters or the story once things got going. I guess I just would have preferred a slightly smoother transition for lack of a better word, but in the end it all worked out anyway, so as I said, this is only a minor complaint.

While Stealing Time was a blend of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, it leaned more towards the romance side of things, whereas Killing Time leans a little more towards Urban Fantasy. Of course there is plenty of attraction and romance between Koda and Sephti, but the steaminess was just a little less. However, the action and danger more than filled my attention that I didn't miss the extra steaminess of its predecessor. I'm really glad I got a chance to read Killing Time as I thoroughly enjoyed it. Elisa Paige is a fantastic writer that you will want to keep a watch out for. This was the fourth novel I have read of hers and I cannot wait to read many more (hopefully) in the future.

(Received from the author for review)

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
Killing Time

Other Reviews:

• Beyond Twilight
• Obsession With Books

Previous Books:

1. Stealing Time

Challenge Categories:

• Outdo Yourself
• Paranormal Romance

(I was a little unsure of how to categorize it, but the Carina website lists it as Paranormal Romance, so I went with that.)

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Maelstrom

Maelstrom by Elisa Paige

Texas Fae Prequel

         Fae exile Amalie Shepherd, having served in the centuries-long war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, suffers from a supernatural version of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The only thing that helps stave off the ghastly flash-backs — and prevent her from triggering a catastrophic earthquake, since she’s Earth Kith – is running her small-town Texas horse ranch.

        Nick Fletcher isn’t your ordinary vampire. Adventurous and outgoing, he refuses to be bound by the Church’s rigid rules or his own Ancients’ dictates. And he’s been in love with Amalie for centuries, although she’s left him twice rather than kill him as her racist superiors ordered.

            After decades apart, Nick tracks Amalie to her ranch to check on her and they soon realize their feelings for one another are as strong as ever. His soothing presence eases Amalie’s PTSD symptoms and her memories begin to return, along with her Fae powers. But as her strength increases, she becomes more visible to the Dark Fae king, Cham Reiden, and his bodach hunters – vile creatures who have killed all but five of the remaining Light Fae still on the mortal plane.

            The Cham has a singular hatred for Amalie – the one prisoner of war who survived his special brand of torture and escaped. Learning she’s grown to care about humans and despising mortals for his own twisted reasons, the king creates a global environmental disaster that will make Katrina’s aftermath seem like mild clutter.

             To defeat him, Amalie will have to ally with those who betrayed her, reach out to those she herself betrayed, and unite her two selves – the person she once was and the person she wants to be.

Amalie, a light Fae, of the very few left, doesn't remember much of her past. What she does remember is so horrific that she cannot bear trying to remember more. When a vampire from her past, Nick, shows up to win her heart again, Amalie knows it's only a matter of time before she gives in. From her selective memory she knows she left him twice for his own safety, but cannot remember why, so she is absolutely terrified to let him close again. However, as her powers slowly return, the Cham of the Dark Fae refocuses his efforts on destroying Amalie once and for all. She will have to rely on Nick and his friends to not only survive the Cham's assassination attacks, as well as stop his plan to destroy the town she holds dear. That requires trust, something that may just be impossible to give, for she has been betrayed before.

In this prequel of Shadowplay, we learn more about Amalie and how she came to be Nick's mate, as well as how the group came together. While I already felt connected to the group dynamic, this prequel only helped to further my connection to the characters. I was happy to get a chance to see how this group bonded together, something that is extremely unheard of for vampires, as they are generally solitary creatures. Typically the largest grouping would be pairs, and only when they are mates, so it nothing short of miraculous how close this group is. Of course from time to time they have their snags and conflicts, but the resolutions of those incidents only seems to strengthen their bonds together.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Nick and Amalie. While Amalie is also a "damaged" Fae just like Mia (from Shadowplay), her relationship with Nick is very different than Mia and Roddie's. Some romance series seem very cookie cutter and aside from changing names and a few events, each installment is pretty much the same. So after reading this book I'm glad it didn't follow that cookie cutter routine of just rehashing and renaming events. The progression was very realistic, especially considering the pair's past history. There was one thing that surprised me; the lack of the mate bond that was so prevalent in Mia and Roddie's story. I'm rather curious as to why Nick and Amalie didn't form such a bond, as they were certainly close enough. Perhaps it was just a logistics issue since in the past Amalie left Nick several times, and if they were bonded, the distance would have destroyed them both.

This book is more Urban fantasy than it is paranormal romance, and the steaminess is much less than the author's other books. However, this did not detract from the book as the overall plot more than compensated for the lesser amount of steamy romance. Even though this is the prequel, I still think Shadowplay should be read first, as I think it is best to meet everyone through Mia's eyes first. This book was very enjoyable, and I highly recommend it as it only furthers the connection to these great characters. Major kudos to the Author!

(Received from the author for review)

Rating:

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Paranormal Romance

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Shadowplay

Shadowplay by Elisa Paige

Texas Fae #1

The world’s first Fae trouble-shooter, Mia has survived the centuries--and her royal father’s assassins--by trusting no one and by pounding the bleeding hell out of her enemies. Then she meets Roddie, an Irish immortal with the skill to dodge even her most lethal attacks. Intrigued by the spirit beneath Mia’s warrior exterior, Roddie resolves to recruit her for a new, cross-supernatural alliance--the Vampires' last, desperate bid to avoid extinction. Trained solely to fight, Mia is defenseless against the Irishman’s flashing blue eyes and killer dimples. And despite herself, she begins to consider a life that includes love. Trouble is, softening her hair-trigger reflexes could get her killed. But this time, Mia can't do her usual disappearing act. This time, she has to make a stand, and face her father's brutality and her own tortured past. Because now it’s not just Mia who’s targeted for assassination. It’s Roddie.


Mia, the only surviving half-breed between the light and dark Fae. She has had assassins on her tail for centuries and has never trusted anyone. When she meets a group of vampires in a resistance against ones who would see their way of life destroyed, she is intrigued by their group dynamic as it something she's never experienced. Then one of the group members, Roddie, takes a interest in her and she is almost helpless to resist. It becomes a battle between her heart and her head, with neither having a clear lead. Her instincts have kept her alive all this time, but what is life really worth without love?

Mia is one heck of a damaged character. Considering her past, this comes at no surprise. What amazes me is her strength and ability to survive against all odds. Her instincts are incredible, but it is because of those instincts that she has no friends nor understanding of companionship and love. What I loved most about this book was getting to see Mia grow and learn to accept others being close to her. I think she will have a greater appreciation for those relationships as she went so long without them, and she knows just how miserable and lonely that is. At one point in the book she seems to be almost amazed at her feelings, as she never really understood what she was missing before Roddie and the others came into her life. 

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Roddie and Mia. Despite her being so "flighty" and skittish, Roddie falls almost instantly head over heels for Mia. Mia on the other hand, kept him at arms length for a very long time. I'll admit the slow progression on her side was a little frustrating as I was reading it because I knew the two would have great potential, and I couldn't wait for them to finally make some progress. However, despite that frustration, the slow progression made the romance more realistic as someone with her past would have a very hard time accepting feelings for another person, let alone even beginning to trust. 

I really enjoyed this book. The setting is parallel to the world in her other novel, Stealing Time (Review). The same style and happy progression of romance found in Stealing Time, follows this book as well. There were plenty of tender moments as well as some pretty steamy ones, and she did an excellent job in balancing those two aspects. This author is definitely one to watch for as her books are very rich and leave you with a sense of happiness, yet still manage to leave things open ended enough to make you more than ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys flawed, but strong heroines, sexy heroes, and romantic happiness with plenty of danger in between. This book was a perfect blend of those aspects and I cannot wait to dive into the next book.

(Received from the Author for review)

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Shadowplay (BookStrand Publishing Romance)


Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Paranormal Romance 

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Stealing Time (Early Review)

Stealing Time by Elisa Paige
Time #1

It wasn't that she wanted to live forever. She just didn't want to die.

When artist James Wesley realizes Evie Reed is dying, he is so moved by the beautiful reporter's determination to live that he makes her immortal—a vampire, like him. She's the woman he's been waiting over 150 years for. Though initially shocked by the change, Evie quickly embraces her second chance at life, and love.

Just as James and Evie begin to define eternity together, a zealot breaks an ancient treaty, threatening a peace between humans and vampires that has stood for a thousand years. And when he focuses his hatred on Evie, the immortal lovers find themselves swept up in a deadly supernatural war...

The book starts with Evie getting the worst news of her life, the cancer is terminal and there is nothing they can do. She plans on living out the rest of the time she has left on her terms, but her time comes much quicker than anticipated when a truck hits her cab. To save her life a secret admirer, James, changes her into a vampire. Although her new life is very different and overwhelming at times, she still falls quickly head over heels for him. However, her bliss is cut short when a war breaks out and an ancient treaty is broken. With everything crumbling around them, they must stand strong to have any hope at surviving the war.

Evie had a rough childhood. At a very young age her mother dumped Evie off on the porch of a Grandmother she has never met. While her grandmother did care for her, she wasn't the type to coddle, so Evie grew up keeping herself at a distance from everyone. She struggled at first to accept her feelings for James, but once she did, it felt like a floodgate had opened. I really loved the chemistry between them as well as his determination to be a gentleman. At any point during her vulnerability her could have taken advantage of her weaknesses but he never once thought to despite the fact that is part of a vampire's instinct to claim the ones they turn. They work really well together, they had the comfort that ususally only comes from years spent together. Things were pretty steamy as well, but not overdone.

Something I have always liked in vampire/werewolf books is a very strong mate bond. Most of these type books talk about predator or animal like instincts, so it would make sense for them to be fiercely protective of their mates. Perhaps I am a romantic, but I love the whole "mate for life" idea or soul mates. James and Evie really developed this type of bond and I love how the author made the mate instincts very strong in this book, yet didn't make them seem over done.

Just to warn everyone, this book does have a pretty big cliffhanger ending. I had thought this was a stand alone novel, so the ending really caught me off guard. However, I am glad it will continue as I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more about their adventures. I highly recommend this book for both paranormal romance and urban fantasy fans as this book is a very good blend of both genres. There is plenty of romance, but the plot moves along nicely, and it more than kept my attention. Try this author out, you won't be disappointed.

(Received from Netgalley)

Rating:

Pre-order at Amazon:
Stealing Time

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Paranormal Romance
New Author 
Vampire 

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