A POCKET FULL OF SPELLS

A Pocket Full of Spells by Ash Stirling

Braeden Wolf Series Book 1

Synopsis (LazyDay Publishing)

When a suburban warlock juices his gang up on a cocktail of drugs and magic there is an explosion out on the streets. Rival gangs can't compete and the police, corrupt and inefficient, have better things to do. The power brokers who control The City pay them little attention, the events out in the 'burbs of little threat to them.

Only crazies of the type of Braeden Wolf are willing to do what needs to be done. With wires in his vein, fire in his blood and a gun in hand, he will need all of his street smarts to survive against fearless killing machines that just won't die.

For once he is not alone. A stranger, crazy even in a city full of crazies, is there to confront the warlock as well. A crazy who brings a sword to a gun fight....

Review

A Pocket Full of Spells was a great intro to a promising new series. Ash Stirling combines some of my favorite paranormal elements into his Cyber-punk world. Our “hero” Braeden Wolf is just cool. I love that he’s confident without being arrogant, yet doesn’t take himself too seriously. His snark and quick come-backs were great. The fight scenes were awesome and full of action. Braeden also has a habit of giving nick-names to the people he meets, which I got a kick out of (I have a nick-name addiction).

This brings me to some of the secondary characters/ sidekicks. I’m a big fan and to me they can make or break a book. These characters were great. Isaiah, Raven/Blue, Haphazard, Zoe and the hybrid zombies are interesting and fun. I would definitely like to read about them again and see what else they have to offer.

I would also like to mention that, as the first book in a series, it was really nice to not be overwhelmed with backstory. Sometimes “Book 1” can be all about setting the reader up to understand future books. I didn’t feel the Braeden Wolf series needed it and I never had a sense of missing anything. A Pocket Full of Spells was not an information booklet to the rest of the series. It was a great story as a stand-alone as well as part of a series.

Available for B&N Nook and Amazon Kindle

Deep In The Heat Of Texas

Deep In The Heat of Texas (anth) containing the novellas:

Tempted In Texas by Alta Hensley

Tamed In Texas by Amy le Blanc

Taken In Texas by Melissa Ecker

When three career minded friends from LA agree to stay at a Texas dude ranch, they find some of the sexiest cowboys around. The men of the Weston Ranch have their hands full with Sophia, Maggie and Payton in this anthology by three of the hottest new authors in Erotic Romance. Alta Hensley, Amy le Blanc and Melissa Ecker combine the stories of three unique, strong and smart women into one seamless and steamy book. Each of these stories do well on their own, offering characters that you would love to see again. Deep In The Heat Of Texas gives us a copious amount of unrestrained (or in some cases, restrained) sex. It was fun and exciting watching these couples fall in lust and then in love.

Deep In The Heat Of Texas opens with a prologue written by author Melissa Ecker. Ecker does a wonderful job introducing the reader to not only her own character, Payton, but also Maggie and Sophia. We meet these three ladies while they are traveling to a dude ranch in Valentine, Texas for a two week stay. The prologue also gives us a brief look at each woman’s personality, their friendship and expectations for their stay at the Weston Ranch.

Tempted In Texas by Alta Hensley introduces us to Sophia. As a self-reliant business owner, Sophia isn’t used to being told what to do. When Deacon realizes that Sophia is a workaholic, he informs her of his rules, which include no phones, internet or work in general and clearly expects them to be followed. When Sophia breaks Deacon’s rules, she finds out he is more than willing to enforce his rules with some steamy yet loving punishment.

~quote~

“What? Did you just say you would spank your woman?”

“Yes, ma’am, I did.”

“Why?”

“Darlin’ that is something that I’d have to show you, not tell you.”

Tamed In Texas by Amy le Blanc gives us not one lusty cowboy, but two. Maggie is a newspaper reporter, reluctantly sent to a dude ranch. While at the Weston Ranch, Maggie meets Dylan and Chase, lifelong best friends. At first sight these two cowboys inspire carnal thoughts as they take Maggie on an unbridled, sexual adventure. No one would blame a girl for enjoying both of these sensual and virile men.

One of my favorite quotes is actually from a secondary character, Dylan’s mother, Ann.

~quote~

“Where do you get this tequila? It’s lovely.”

“I’ve got a cowboy across the border that has a bit of a crush on me,” she whispered. “He sends me six bottles a month and I send him a nice, long dirty letter.”

Taken In Texas by Melissa Ecker is the story of Payton and Drake. This is an erotic treat meant to be read repeatedly. Payton is a police officer quite capable of taking care of herself. Drake is a jaw dropping, dominant cowboy that is unbelievably sexy. He is also a self-proclaimed womanizer that has no intention of settling down. When they meet there is a clash of personalities that stimulates the sexual tension between these strong individuals and it’s instantaneous and palpable. As hot as this story was, from the attitudes and arguments to the incredibly amazing tractor sex, I think it was at the end that I really fell for Drake. It’s hard to resist a man willing to lay himself on the line to get the woman he wants.

~quote~

“I told you more than once that I’m not a liar. Never have been. I said I loved you because I do.”

Available for B&N Nook and Amazon Kindle