Midnight Magick (Amber Lee Mysteries #1)
The search for love leads a lonely witch into the arms of a man with a dark secret.
Amber Lee isn't a freak, she's just an introverted wiccan who likes to wear black. It never much bothered her when she had a boyfriend, but ever since her last break-up she finds the word bites a little deeper into her skin every time it's said. And to make matters worse, her two best friends are having a baby and soon she won't even have them for company!
So when a mysterious, but handsome stranger, comes waltzing into her life and actually talks to her like a human being she finds herself unable to escape the pull of his gravity. His name is Damien, he's also a witch, and he wants to help her unlock her true potential. It's a perfect match. But this stranger has baggage. The spectre of death clings to him like a dark cloud, and Amber discovers that Damien is more damaged than she could have imagined; and Amber doesn't have time to bandage his wounds over time.
Someone is killing witches in the sleepy town of Raven's Glen, and Amber could be next.
It becomes a race against the clock as Amber and Damien attempt to catch the killer before he, she, or it, catches them. Because if they don't succeed, they're dead. And if they're dead Amber won't get to feel the love she so desperately desires.
Review
For my review on Midnight Magick go HERE.
The Rule of Three (Amber Lee Mysteries #2)
A tired witch must take hold of her life before it starts to slip through her fingers.
Amber Lee unmasked the murderer killing the witches in Raven's Glen and came out of the ordeal intact. All she wants to do now is settle down, relax, and enjoy her status as a True Witch with real magick power. But she's been having nightmares lately which have caused her to go without sleep and the cracks in her composure are starting to show.
What's worse, her grades are starting to slip and she has the distinct impression that someone is stalking her around town. With Yuletide around the corner, Amber has to figure out who the hooded figure is and why he's following her, but the answer to that question shakes her to the core and opens Pandora's box.
Amber is faced with yet another crisis, and once again time is running out. Only this time it isn't her life and romantic interests that are at stake, but her very soul and the soul of someone she once held dear.
Will Amber beat the odds a second time and learn from past mistakes? Or will she be brought to her knees and forced to pay the price for her hubris?
Buy: Amazon
Review - 4 stars!
I was sooooooooo upset about the way this book turned out. I literally screamed out a very loud, “OH MY GOD!” at a certain point in this book. I am also very anti-Damien right now. He sucks. I’m mad at him. He’s no longer on my nice guy list. He’s actually on my shit list right now.
Don’t let my rant up there deter you from reading this book, though! Seriously, it was awesomely done. I was simply full of angst about how it was going. Which means, despite me NOT liking where it was going, the author did an AWESOME job. She got me hooked into it, made me like and root for characters, and caused a huge ass reaction when the shocking developments I can’t talk about happened. Honestly, awesomely done. Despite my hissy fit on how the book is going, I really enjoyed the ride.
This author will shock and amaze you with twists you never see coming!
However, the next few installments have to hook me too now that I’m sad about certain events in this novel….
Regardless of that, 4 stars!
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Forged in Moonfire (Amber Lee Mysteries #3)
Set in the space between the Rule of Three and the Necromancer, this Novella follows Aaron's transformation into a werewolf and his decision to leave Raven's Glen in search for his father, and for answers. His trip to Las Vegas sees the pair reunited after almost a decade, but Aaron and his father aren't exactly on speaking terms and that pushes the newly changed werewolf to want to prove himself to an extent he may not yet be ready to handle.
Spurred on by an unhealthy need to show his father what he's made of, Aaron embarks on a trial not intended for such a fresh wolf and soon learns he may have bitten off more than he could chew.
This Novella can be read as a stand-alone story and doesn't influence the rest of the Amber Lee Series, but you won't want to miss the mystery female that enters Aaron's life and the strange chemistry that flows between them!
Does their connection bode well for Aaron's relationship with Amber?
Review - 3.5 stars!
Honestly, this little novella about Aaron’s time finding his father was very awesomely done. Like I would say 4.5 stars if I actually enjoyed it more. It’s really well-written and engaging, but I am drawn to more emotional aspects and such so I don’t enjoy some stories that are more of an story for the sake of imparting information. I like reading them to understand things, of course, but I don’t feel the same draw, I guess. I need emotional stuff - whether deep friendship, romantic interest, lust, heck, even hate and anger, I need that. And Aaron at this point hadn’t been a favorite character and he’s interacting with people I don’t really care about as they aren’t part of Amber’s story, really.
Heck the fact that Aaron was turning into a major character shocked the shit out of me. It was a pleasant surprise after the crap Damien pulled in the previous book. To be honest, after this novella I felt a lot more warmly towards Aaron as he stayed true.
So nice way of informing us what happened and how the werewolves fit into the story with this one. And it’s only my personal taste that didn’t let me enjoy it as much as I should have. So 3.5 stars!
The Necromancer (Amber Lee Mysteries #4)
To defeat the wolf at her door, a determined witch must first side with darkness.
Amber Lee may be a powerful witch, but she's also a target. A mysterious figure has an agenda for her which has been getting in the way of her being able to enjoy her life. So now it's time for Amber to strike back.
It's time to track down the person pulling the strings; the one orchestrating the terrible events that have taken place at Raven's Glen; the mysterious figure known only as Linezka. But history repeats itself in the form of a familiar stranger with a plight, and Amber has no choice but to put her personal quest on hold and help... because Amber's triumph or failure over her unseen adversary rests firmly on the stranger's survival.
Is Amber prepared for the danger she is about to face? Can she trust a Necromancer? And after all this time spent waiting for Aaron's return, will she be able to rip herself from him again? Or will she drag him with her and risk his life in the process?
Review - 4 stars!
Out of all the Amber Lee books, this one is my favorite. The unique way Katerina Martinez creates her world, merging fantasy magic with Wiccan magic is amazing. I love how detailed the magic is. Adding in a Necromancer was also brilliant.
The writing was as always superbly done. Also, the characterization was nicely done as well. The only issue I had with that was the lack of emotion for some things. Like Amber just ‘getting over’ what Damien had done, with little resentment. Honestly, I felt like I was missing a huge chunk of healing and forgiveness that Amber needed to go through. After all, she was nearly in love with him.
I still want to hit Damien right now. And he had little opportunity in this novel to fix my perception of him.
As for Aaron, he’s growing on me. However, I wish there was more of him in here as well as more interaction with Amber. However, this series isn’t a romance, despite having romance in it. So I’ll live. ^_^;
Lastly, I do like - while at the same time DISLIKE - how realistic everyone’s decisions are. Like Damien’s huge mess-up. That is realistic and happens so much in 'real life' and the fact that Katerina Martinez addresses it even in a fantasy-type series is great. But I also don’t like it because the situation sucks. But the author incorporating realistic romantic failures for horrible reasons makes this series more realistic despite how fantastical it is. Which makes for good writing.
Although, I secretly wonder if after the first book, the author decided to change who should be with Amber suddenly and needed a reason they split up. Or if it was planned from the beginning… Something to think about.
4 stars!
Forged in Darkfire (Amber Lee Mysteries #5)
Before Amber, there was Natalie
Damien Colt came from a dark place. Growing up in a Compound of twisted Witches, secluded from the world, was a harrowing experience for Damien and his sister Lily. But they escaped, and they made their new life in San Francisco, away from the strangling hands that would make them accomplices to their evil. Together, Damien and Lily carved out their very own uncomplicated life. That is, of course, until Natalie showed up.
Natalie, the witch of honey and cinnamon.
The pair had been getting close ever since her introduction into the Coven, but Damien forced himself to bury his emerging feelings for the witch for the good of the Coven; and because he didn't want to tell her the truth.
Now his hand has been forced. When a memory returns, the truth must be revealed. And at the end, Damien has to make the decision whether to give up a part of himself, or allow an entity known only as the Dark Fire to consume the soul of an innocent woman.
Released: July 28, 2015
Author
Katerina Martinez is the pen name of a husband-and-wife writing duo living on the Rock of Gibraltar. By day Katerina (that’s her on the picture, by the way) takes care of their five year old daughter and three cats, brainstorming ideas and writing down story beats while Lee works his nine to five in a big office to bring home the bacon. But by night the pair team up to put their ideas together, and when their story is in firmly within their crosshairs they take to their keyboards and bring it all to life.
Pooling their individual strengths to create a single, unified force, Katerina and Lee vaulted into their very first series - the Amber Lee Mysteries, a Paranormal New Adult series - in September of 2014. Nine months later, they’re celebrating the release of their fourth book in the series, with plans to finish all eight books by Halloween of 2015. After that, who knows?
Stalker Links:
Michelle Irwin has been many things in her life: a hobbit taking a precious item to a fiery mountain; a young child stepping through the back of a wardrobe into another land; the last human stranded not-quite-alone in space three million years in the future; a young girl willing to fight for the love of a vampire; and a time-travelling madman in a box. She achieved all of these feats and many more through her voracious reading habit. Eventually, so much reading had to have an effect and the cast of characters inside her mind took over and spilled out onto the page.
