Review: Protecting His Witch by Zoe Forward

Protecting His Witch (A Keepers of the Veil novella) by Zoe Forward
Published by Entangeld: Covet on October 27, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

The last thing he wanted was to fall for a witch...

Veterinarian Kat Ramsey hasn't a clue that she's a witch. Sure, she can read minds, and there's the whole “dimension-hopping” issue that she can't quite control, but Kat is determined to keep things normal. That is, until she accidentally hops into the Otherworld, and runs smack into Matthew Ryan–the seriously hot one-night stand from years ago who shoved her out of his dorm. Naked.

And there's the tiny matter of the curse she gave him.

May you never find satisfaction with another woman. Billionaire and former druid Matthew Ryan hasn't forgotten the curse, or the witch who gave it to him. Kat's unexpected return means the curse will finally be broken. Unfortunately, his libido has other ideas–like how to get her back into his bed one last time. But far more worrying is his suspicion that Kat is the seventh Pleiades witch. Because while he's turned his back on his druidic ways, he's still bound to protect the woman who made his life hell...

My Thoughts:
I have been a long term fan of Ms. Forward and I was super excited to dive into her newest series.  Protecting His Witch is everything the Covet imprint is known for.  Off the charts sexiness, gorgeous alpha male, and a female heroine who can hold her own.

Paranormal isn't a new venture for Ms. Forward, but the introduction of the Pleiades is and I was really intrigued with this myth.  Kat has no idea why or how she can "dimension hop".  She finds herself always falling right into Matt Ryan's hands and that isn't exactly a bad place to be.  That is until she finds out he is a lying cheater.  When a chance encounter brings them together again Kat and Matt both realize that there might be more to their bump ins and fate might have bigger things in store for them.

Matt and Kat were great characters.  I really enjoyed reading their story and it was with minimal drama which I am all about these days.  There was a few angsty moments, but for the most part they both wanted each other and showed it.  Their interactions were really steamy and fun.  Matt always seemed to be caught in a bad situation and it took me awhile, but I did eventually root for him.  He was what Kat needed and I thought he did an awesome job when he finally came around.  I also really enjoyed the storyline.  

This is my first Druid/ Pleiades story and I can tell you it won't be my last.  The story really came alive for me at the end though when a lot of my questions were answered.  I found throughout most of the story I was a little lost and I didn't understand the dimension hopping aspect.  I honestly still don't so I wish the author would have developed this a bit more.  It would have been nice to see more world building in general too.  I think I would have loved this world had I gotten more explanation.  The ending did reveal quite a few answers, but I still have a lot of questions and I am hoping that this will turn into a series and get some answers.  I don't like feeling lost, but the characters were pretty great so I went with the story for them.

One thing I really liked though was the surprises that were thrown in.  With these types of stories not much surprises me but man Ms. Forward really threw some doozies out there.  There are 2 that really grabbed me and I won't lie I was floored with both.  I am a little shocked at how future situations were handled when one particular bomb was dropped.  I would have thought that Kat would have been a little more aware of certain possibilities, but I guess in the moment logic sometimes fails us.

So all in all this was a really good start to what I hope becomes a series.  I liked the story even with the underdeveloped world and I really loved the characters.  

3 suns

Review: Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward

Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward
Published on September 22, 2013 by Wild Rose Press

About the book
After an unjustified two-century stint in purgatory, Scimitar Magus Dakar returns to the human realm, renewing his eons-old curse. Once again he must murder the woman he loves. To break the vicious cycle, he must kill her before she strikes her deathblow, something he's never done in the past.

Archaeology grad student, Shay McGinnis, suffers a near-death attack in pursuit of a piece of Scimitar Magi lore. But did the magnificent warrior who pinned her to the wall injure her or the daemon he fought? In her search for answers, she draws the attention of both an ancient evil sorcerer and the warrior Dakar. The attraction between her and Dakar is instant, and for Shay confusing. She wants to be with him, but intuition equates him with death. Not random death. Hers.

Will this be the lifetime they break the curse before they are murdered by an age old enemy or worse kill each other yet again?

My Thoughts:
Oh how I love this series!  The first book Dawn of a Dark Knight completely grabbed my attention and I am so excited to say that this installment was even better!

Forgotten in Darkness starts off with a bang and the action never stops.  I thought this book would have been about one of the guys we previously met, but I was wrong and I am so so glad that I was wrong.  Dakar is full of awesomeness and I am happy that he got his story before the others.  I think we needed his story so that some of the dots could be connected and pave the way for the others. Without Dakar I am not sure I would have understood half of what I needed to.

This story definitely answers some of the questions I had from DoaDK.  I have to give Ms.Forward major props for creating this whole Scimitar world.  The details that she throws into each book especially this one are just amazing.  I honestly don't get how she can keep everything straight while trying to weave in characters and settings.  Her writing though makes it all seem effortless.  I understand who everyone is and I have a pretty good grasp on this world.  I still have a few lingering questions but I have a feeling that with every book we get those will all be answered.

 I know I said before that this world resembles my other favorite series BDB and I can now say that Ms. Forward has pulled ahead on her own.  Yes there are still those few small similarities, but her series can definitely hold its own among the others on the shelf.  It is different and unique with all the magik flying and the guys are just awesome.  I love that they have each lived before and they will each have their memories restored.  I can't wait for them all to have their story especially Javan.  He is one messed up person and well we all know the messed up ones always have the best stories!

Okay I have rambled on and on about the awesomeness of this book and I haven't said a word about the plot I know.  So here you go!  Basically this revolves around an ancient curse that states when Dakar meets Shani in each lifetime they are destined to love each other and then in two weeks time one will kill the other.  Bummer right?!  So this time around things are different and Dakar makes a vow to try and change their fate.  I am not totally convinced that their story is over so I am excited to see the other guys' story play into this incredible storyline.   

Dakar and Shani are perfect for each other.  My only complaint is that I wished Shani would have stopped all the inner monologue about what she needed to do.  Either get over what he tried to do or walk away woman! Other than that I really did like these two together. They had crazy chemistry and I loved their feistyness!

Okay one thing I must drop in before I close this review.  We are told that only one will end the big baddie and OMG I want him to return like NOW!  From what we are told this guy is totally unstable and unpredictable...I say sign me up!  LOL!

4 suns

Thank you to the author for sending this for review! 

Cover Reveal: Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward

Today on Waves of Fiction we are participating in the cover reveal for Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward!  I absolutely loved the first book in this series and I am super excited to show our readers this amazingly hot cover and an excerpt!  Take a look!!

Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward 

Series: Scimitar Magi #2

Expected publication day on January 3rd, 2014 by Wild Rose Press

Page Count: 356 

Genre: Paranormal Romance

About the book

After an unjustified two-century stint in purgatory, Scimitar Magus Dakar returns to the human realm, renewing his eons-old curse. Once again he must murder the woman he loves. To break the vicious cycle, he must kill her before she strikes her deathblow, something he's never done in the past.

Archaeology grad student, Shay McGinnis, suffers a near-death attack in pursuit of a piece of Scimitar Magi lore. But did the magnificent warrior who pinned her to the wall injure her or the daemon he fought? In her search for answers, she draws the attention of both an ancient evil sorcerer and the warrior Dakar. The attraction between her and Dakar is instant, and for Shay confusing. She wants to be with him, but intuition equates him with death. Not random death. Hers.

Will this be the lifetime they break the curse before they are murdered by an age old enemy or worse kill each other yet again?

Excerpt!!

Shay's brain ordered her body to make a break for it, or at least let loose a scream to draw attention, but she stood there, dazed and staring. It was the throw-your-panties-off-gorgeous bad boy from her hotel room.
My God, this guy was a brick shithouse oozing don't-screw-with-me vibes. And didn't that just make her knees weak. She was so not a swooning type of girl.
Despite the warmth of the day, he wore a knee-length black leather jacket. No doubt, he was armed out the wazoo beneath it.
He subjected her to a scrutinizing once-over. A swirling black substance in his irises mesmerized her. She hadn't noticed that last night.
What was this guy? Definitely not completely human. A month ago, she would've rationalized the sludgy black substance obscuring the real color of his irises into normalcy and remained in complete denial of anything amiss.
She wondered if this guy might just be the real deal--one of those mythical, sorcerer-like immortals obligated to fight daemons for all eternity. A Scimitar Magus. Shouldn't he be a good guy? A hero figure? Why then did her intuition demand immediate evasion? For some reason, her gut equated this guy with death, but not random death. Hers.

About the Author

Zoe Forward lives in the South with her supportive family and an assortment of pets. She has a special love for archaeology, especially anything Egyptian. A deep part of her wishes she had a career that would have her at a dig site in a sandy country. But she is a small animal veterinarian, caring for everything from chinchillas to dogs...and there was even one hermit crab in there.

Facebook / Website / Goodreads / Blog

 

Review: Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward

Dawn of a Dark Night by Zoe Forward
Published on March 1, 2013 by Wild Rose Press
Purchase: Amazon

About the book
In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.

An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods' choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn't have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.

Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable.

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm's length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision--follow the gods' rules or follow their hearts.

My Thoughts:
Dawn of a dark Knight was all kinds of Urban Fantasy fun!  I knew from the synopsis that I was going to like this and it didn't disappoint one bit.  This genre has always been a favorite of mine and recently I have neglected it, but after reading this I know I will never neglect it again!

Kira has a special ability that if found out would put her either in a very dangerous situation or put her in servitude to a group of people that would just use her.  She spends her days working towards her medical degree and her nights trying to keep her cousin out of trouble.  When her greatest fear find her and her cousin she knows she has to run.  Unfortunately she runs right into the one guy who has dominated her fantasies ever since she met him him years ago.  Ashor is what every bad boy wants to be and has the reputation to back it up.  He is dangerous and is exactly what Kira doesn't need not to mention is a magus, the group that wants to use Kira.  With chemistry off the charts and nowhere else to turn Kira goes with Ashor and discovers that there might be more to this man than she ever thought.

I always forget that when you read Urban Fantasy it takes a few chapters to understand everything and this book was no exception.  If done right this can be fun and it was definitely done right.   I really enjoyed this world that the author created.  It was very unique to a point, but I will say I see a lot of influences from another favorite series of mine The Black Dagger Brotherhood.  I don't know if this was intentional or not, but I picked up on the similarities and it made me look at the book a little different after awhile.  There were a couple of scenes and characters I wish had been a little more different, but for the most part I wasn't really bothered and still enjoyed the story.  I really liked the Egyptian Lore that was used throughout.  I haven't ever read a book that used this type of mythology and I honestly want more.  I would love to have read more about Ashor and the Magus history.

Kira and Ashor were fun and hawt!  I really enjoyed their romance and it was so much fun reading their relationship unfold.  I am a huge fan of the whole MINE alpha male and Ashor didn't disappoint me at all.  They were perfect for each other and I loved how Kira stood up for herself.

I actually enjoyed every character that was written.  The guys were hilarious and I am really hoping that more books are planned in this series.  They all really piqued my interest!  Even Terek the bad guy has me intrigued.  He is icky beyond belief but I can't lie his history and world intrigue me.  Do I want a HEA for him definitely not and seeing as how things played out for him there is no way that is possible, but I still want to see more.  I think that is what makes a wonderful author, when you want to know more about every character not just the heros.

This book did feel a little rushed and I would have liked more backstory and history, but I am officially hooked.  I have been craving a book like this and I am so glad that I had a chance to read it.

 3.5 Suns

*copy was provided by the author for an honest review*