J.C. Daniels (1)Critiques

leave me alone with effin love triangles.

While I like this series I really really REALLY dislike the whole "other" woman is brought into a story. Like the former lover who's perfect for the guy

Are you freaking kidding me! The ex boyfriend comes and puts a spell on her and she can't talk about this case. The one about her man/cat and One little fight and he walks away...ugh then the stupid vampire ugh!

Oh Damon you break my heart

Sucked in to this book from the first page. There's a free sample here on GRs and I hadn't read maybe 15 pages when I knew I had to buy it.

This was brilliant urban fantasy. It had the basic three groups, shifters, vampires and witches. An added race was a nearly extinct and forgotten race of non human assassins called the Aneiris. The heroine was half Aneiris and half human so she was considered worthless to the Aneiris. She now worked as a private investigator. The story involves her being hired by the Cat shifters in Orlando to find a missing boy on the cusp of his first change.

Let me tell you people, the world building here was phenomenal. The vampires were bad bad people. The shifters were a mix but the Cat alpha was a sociopath. The witches here were nice but you got the impression that there were all types. This world was fairly dark but not oppressively so. Also it was explained in enough depth that it was full and rich but it did not feel info dumpy at all. The plot all made sense and moved along at a brisk pace.

The characterizations were stellar. The heroine was strong and had a smart mouth but she wasn't so snarky that she seemed a caricature. She was strong but she was also vulnerable and she was written consistently throughout. The hero was the alpha cat shifter's right hand man. He was determined and a bit abrasive but he was super hot. His job was to see that the heroine got the job done and that she stayed alive to do it. He was very determined to protect her from the first but also determined that she get the job done. The secondary characters were also well rounded so that no one seemed a stereotype.

I don't want to tell you any thing else that happens because you all need to read this for yourself. Just trust me. The action is fast the writing is wonderful and the relationship that develops is believable and fulfilling.

This is not a romance although it has a bit of a romance element. It is also not romantica or erotica. Solid and stellar urban fantasy here. If you like Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series, you will like this one too. I can't wait for the next one.

A very odd short

Kit Colbana and Justin appear, but it's not really about them. This is backstory for a new character and it gives an avenue for restoring Kit to her badass self.

I would say it is useful if you are a fan; perhaps vital. But it doesn't really answer a lot of questions. In fact, you are left with more.

Worth the price.

Quality matters

Plot is awesome. Characters rock. The writing is great.

But I expect professionalism when I pay professional prices. The proofing was seriously deficient. So many missing or misplaced words, so many mangled sentences.

I would urge people to wait until someone decides to update this novel with corrections. This is not the quality I expected.

I will most likely buy the next book. But I will not recommend this to anyone as 'good'.

A very odd short

Kit Colbana and Justin appear, but it's not really about them. This is backstory for a new character and it gives an avenue for restoring Kit to her badass self.

I would say it is useful if you are a fan; perhaps vital. But it doesn't really answer a lot of questions. In fact, you are left with more.

Worth the price.

Quality matters

Plot is awesome. Characters rock. The writing is great.

But I expect professionalism when I pay professional prices. The proofing was seriously deficient. So many missing or misplaced words, so many mangled sentences.

I would urge people to wait until someone decides to update this novel with corrections. This is not the quality I expected.

I will most likely buy the next book. But I will not recommend this to anyone as 'good'.

First, let me say how much I enjoyed a strong female main character. This is the first book from the series that I read, and while it would have been easier to grasp all the names and situations if i would have read the previous books, I didn't get lost and was able to enjoy the story fully.

Haunted Blade is the story of Kid Colbana told from her perspective. She is a half-breed doing all kinds of jobs sent to her by the Assembly, an organization that deals with non-humans issues. As the story unravels, it becomes clear that all those happenings might be connected to something bigger going on and that she might be connected to them. This last fact brings back the ghosts from her past and she is once more forced to face them, only this time she is not alone.

I think my favorite thing from the book is that there are so many characters and none of them feel like duplicates. They all have well defined personalities and are so different from each other that they truly come alive. Kid is such great and complex character, I liked her a lot. She is strong and independent but not without fears and a turbulent past that haunts her. Even so, the way she deals with adversity and pushes forward makes her admirable. She is petite and a half-breed with less powers than those around her, characteristics that would make her easy target for intimidation, but she doesn't bend and relies on her sharp words and reactive personality to stand on same ground with others. At times it feels like she overdoes it in order to stick with her "I can protect myself" attitude, but that is okay, she is not a flawless character and that makes her even more relatable.

This book has action, mystery, shape-shifters, vampires, witches, gore, steamy scenes and a lot of Kid's quirky sense of humor (which i wholeheartedly enjoyed). Cant wait to read more from her adventures.

Kit is forced to investigate and find a reason why Damon is killing Assembly members, but is spelled so she can't discuss it. She has a variety of targets on her back, as well as suffering nightmares from the torture her grandmother inflicted upon her. If your sensitive to abuse, they may be a hard read, but it was very compelling. Make sure you have the next book on hand because the ending will have you chomping for what comes next.
Several editing issues, wrong words or used in the wrong tense.

aka Shiloh Walker. They are both half breeds, both are strong in spirit as well as talents, with dark histories. I liked it a lot, can't wait for the next installment.

Kit continues to heal and deal with her PTSD, reconnecting with Damon and dealing with vampires. Kit and Jason are investigating the disappearances of non-humans and the mysterious 'Hospital'. Oddities was an aggressive new comer at the beginning of the story but never re-entered the storyline. Maybe it's nothing or maybe it's setting groundwork for future stories? Engaging read, read straight through. Love the characters, ending leaves you on the edge. Must read next book.

I really liked this story, but it felt incomplete, which may or may not have been intentional. I believe it's a short to give back story for a future book. Mysterious new creatures that are not completely explained, we're given just enough to tantalize.

This novella covers when Kit met Justin and her first case working with him. It was great seeing Kit begin the transformation from an abused person running and hiding to taking those first steps believing in herself and facing the world. Another excellent read, loved finally learning more of Kit's back story.

Kit is working jobs for who she thinks is the president, but these supposedly simple jobs almost get her killed. Non-humans are continuing to disappear, including two people very close to Kit. Kit's past comes to her present, many surprises and new revelations. There's a big bad out there and Kit, Damon and more plot and plan to save as many as they can. Another great read, read straight through. There were some small editing issues and if you are not familiar with the previous story the beginning might be hard to follow. Some emotional moments, can't wait for the next book.

There's a new big bad, that has it's sights set on Kit, her grandmother is giving her nightmares and NH are fleeing or disappearing from Atlanta. Kit and friends trying to save as many as they can when the vampires that keep the younger in line are killed off and the younger vampires lose control and go on killing sprees. Kit's aunt makes an appearance and plots are unfolding. Loved the storyline, hated the editing issues. The ending epilogue will grab you for the next installment.

Kit is still traumatized, she's been hiding in Wolf Haven but finally starts to fight for herself. Lots of flashbacks, PTSD as she slowly takes on new clients and ends up having to save the world and paranormals from an old evil.

This is a Kit Colbana we haven't seen before. It's a Kit who has been through hell, who was tortured for so long that by the time she was rescued she no longer wanted to live. She's been working for a friend and hiding from every part of her life, including her boyfriend. Gradually, we see Kit decide to return to life. As part of that she designs a tattoo for herself and over the course of getting it done purges so many emotions. Even then, she still isn't quite ready for everything. She takes a small job to help out a friend and a vulnerable teenaged girl and that leads her straight back to her boyfriend--in his role as pack leader--and straight back to life.

I liked this book a lot. A lot. I was so drawn in by Kit that at times I had trouble putting this book down. I like this Kit. I might even like her more than the person she was in the first books of this series. And I really want to see what happens next.

(Provided by publisher)

3.5/5 stars. Book #3 of this series was Kit rebuilding herself after suffering a terrible incident. This book, book #4 breathes new life into this series, adapting to Kit's new circumstances and adding an entire new set of stakes. I'm impressed with how the author is keeping this series fresh. (Provided by publisher)

An interesting short story from the POV of a magical faith-healer (Frankie) who is briefly investigated by Kit and Justin. At the end of the story we still have no idea who Frankie is, nor from whom she's hiding, but we have a very good idea that she's powerful and dangerous. And we know someone possibly more dangerous and more powerful is after her. She gave Kit "a gift" and seems to expecting something in return, so I'll be waiting for her to show up in the series.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

A good short about a brainwashed assassin gambling everything to be free. Good, painful twist about the brainwashing because I like a little stab in the heart before my happy ending.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Read it to avoid studying math - all in all not a bad choice.
The ending was sadly rather abrupt, and I didn't realize it was part of a series either :S

... sigh ... I kinda don't want to continue reading, since I'm 90% done with urban fantasy romance book series that are never as good as a regular fantasy books.

Kit is a very complex character with a very tangled past—and sometimes present—that never ceases to amaze me even after 6 books. I haven't always loved each and every book, but I always enjoyed them and HAUNTED was one of the better ones.

There was a lot happening in HAUNTED BLADE. There was plenty of action, plenty of overall story development and plenty of twists. The suspense was pretty consistent from front to back and I can't even begin to tell you how many feelings—good and bad—each scene invoked. I wish the pace would have been a little smoother and there were a few points in HAUNTED BLADE where the scenes were a little choppy, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

As for the ending of HAUNTED BLADE all I have to say is what just happened? Is it really ending there? How long do I have to wait to find out what will happen next? Ahhhhh I definitely need more.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Published at Ruby's Books

No matter how many books from different genres I love, urban fantasy is still my favorite. Blade Song was an amazing read and I had a blast reading it.

J.C Daniels, also known as Shiloh Walker, managed to build an amazing world with this book. The first thing that stuck with me after I finished reading Blade Song was the fact that for once, vampires (or a certain vampire) weren't among the good guys. That was fresh and new for me. Even though a twisted part of me still thought that the vamp was incredibly hot (what can I say, I have a soft spot for the creatures), I liked the break from the usual image of the good blood-sucking guy. I also liked the fresh take on vampires and how they feed and their powers and the bond between them and their victims.

I enjoyed the fact that there were many creatures (some of them new to me) and the fact that we get to learn about their society and how they interact and the hierarchy and all that. It wasn't too much information, like it sometimes happens with a first book in a new series, but it was enough for me to understand the world in which the plots evolve. There aren't too many descriptions, but I loved that because I could let my imagination run wild and make the world of Blade Song unique for me.

I really liked Kit. She was one of those tough heroines that know when to be soft and compassionate as well. She's impulsive, reckless and has a thing for weapons, which I understood completely and I loved her for it. I also liked to see her interact with Damon (sexy name, by the way). Their relationship started off really wrong, but they managed to get past that.

There were things that I didn't completely understand in Kit's behavior at times, such as the fact that even though she's amazing with her sword, we never actually see her using it in battle. I would've wanted to see that. Also I felt that at times Kit felt the need to repeat herself more times than necessary. I understood her need to always lash out at people when they got too close, though. With her background, it's a wonder she doesn't kick everybody's ass before asking what they want from her and why.

If you love paranormal, urban fantasy and strong heroines, do check this book out. You won't be sorry. No to wait for the second book in the series, Night Blade.