Aconite

by Christine Alvarez

Who knew that a truck stop post card would send Alexis Davis's life spiraling out of control only to discover a supernatural destiny that she never knew existed?

Not wanting to follow in her mother's footsteps she embarks on a new adventure. Armed with a fresh tattoo and desire for freedom, she winds up in the quaint fishing town of Reedsport, Oregon.

Alexis meets two men that awaken something frightening that was buried deep inside her very soul. Soon the lines between her past, present, and future become blurred. Now Alexis must decide who she can trust. A dark and mysterious coven that believes she is the only one who can restore their power that was lost long ago.......or the two men who have hated each other for centuries because of her.

Genres: Paranormal

358 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Lynde Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic debut novel by a talented new author! I had the pleasure of beta reading this book, and the story intrigued me. Alexis Davis is a young woman trying to find her way. She's always felt like she didn't belong. This leads her to Reedsport, Oregon and two mysterious men who each affect her in different ways. Strange dreams occur nightly, leaving Alexis with questions about who and what she is. In Reedsport, her past and present collide. The paranormal elements are well done and the chemistry between Alexis and the two men is sizzling. As we learn about Alexis's past we're left with many questions. Who are Jonathon and Sebastian to Alexis? Why do these two men hate each other? Who are the Elektita and what do they really want? As each day passes, danger mounts and Alexis doesn't know who to trust. The more questions that are answered, the more questions we're left with. But each unanswered question makes you thirst for those answers. And that makes a great story. One, I highly recommend.

[K. J. Coakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent start to a very promising series. There's a whole lot of mystery and intrigue that I can't wait to see unravel in future installments. The plot was solid and the character development will keep you on edge. Stories with flashbacks are not easy to write, but I never found myself pulled from the story or confused by awkward transitions. It was seamless and executed flawlessly. Well done!

[Sarah Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book. it is one of those stories that you can't put down. it keeps it's mystery. the men in this book are hot and you want to love them and hate them all at the same time! the leading lady is super strong even though she is kept in the dark. there are lots of secrets that she needs to uncover to find out who she is. i would recommend this book very highly. Christine Alvarez is now going on my list of favourite authors. i will be keeping my eyes open for more of her work.

[Undeniably Addicted to Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING: 5 STARS

Lupo, witches and reincarnation. A very interesting combination, delivered in a manner that was fresh and inviting. Christine has brought forth a book that kept me hooked from the first page.

Alexis finds her way to the small town of Reedsport. A run-in with Sebastian means a job opportunity loss, but she's quick to recover and begins working at the local cafe, where we meet Jonathon and Jo. Life is unsettled, and feels very odd to Alexis, with so many questions, and nobody being quick to answer, Alexis begins learning of a whole new way of life; reincarnate.

Everything in this book was simply amazing. Spanning from anguish to steamy, I just could not wait to find out what would happen next. I was basically gutted when my tablet decided to balk at 45% in! If you're not a fan of a good cliffhanger though, I highly suggest waiting until she's completed this series. She leaves you with a doozy!

Keri

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.)

[Elle Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. It draws you in instantly and you want to know more about these characters. There is so much happening and so much emotion. I enjoyed every minute of this book and highly recommend it. It will keep you guessing until the very end.

[Jerrie Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am impressed this is her first book. I was drawn into the story line immediately and I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aconite is an interesting read. At first i had no idea what to expect but it didnt take long before I was completely drawn into the story. I found the characters fascinating. I kept wondering what their story was, who they REALLY were, what they had up their sleeves lol. I wasnt sure who was good, bad or misguided. I did not know who to trust. Christine Alvarez has the unique ability to create such interesting and complex characters that you are constantly second guessing yourself. Is Johnathon bad, or is it Sebastain... Maybe it's Alexis..... A few pages later.. They are all good! another few pages,well maybe not. UGH i just didnt know what to expect! This is a brilliant debut novel and one that makes me very eager to keep reading this authors work. I was so into the story that everything else just went away lol.
Kids fend for yourselves, Mommy is reading!
Aconite had twists and turns I didn't expect, but enjoyed immensely! The detailed world was complex but I dont think it was ever over the top. I found the storyline to be unique and i look forward to seeing where the story line goes next. Let's rephrase that, I NEED to know where the story goes next! Is this a love triangle? Do we ever get a complete answer to whom to love best lol.
I have my opinion on who i LOVE best lol.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexis chooses her destination based on a postcard and her occuation based on proximity and financial need. At the beginning, where she first meets the men, the interaction between characters made me very uncomfortable. Everyone in this book starts out as unpredictable and strange.
And what is going on with Alexis's new tattoo?
This is a study in the abnormal with a lot of trust issues.
Doing what one must to survive, and being intrigued enough not to quit.

Wow. An interesting and amazing start to an intense new series full of magic.
Dreams mixing with reality, knowledge is dangerous.
Two men, too many lifetimes. Are Alexis' new friends here to protect or
do they have a hidden agenda?

"You have died many different ways, but death by sleep hasn't been one of them."
Murder seems to be the theme.
How will knowing about her past endanger Alexis now?
Why would others choose to be cursed to be there for her?
This reincarnation is both the same and different from the others.
As the danger escalates, the book ends!

I did read this as part of a blog tour. All observations and opinions are my own.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouldn't it be nice to choose a postcard and decide to go there. Well that's exactly what Alexis Davies does. She leaves her parents and there controlling ways to figure out what her life is meant to be. So she decides to go to Reedsport. But Reedsport doesn't give her the quaint little life she wanted. She is drawn to the two men in the town and can't figure out why. Hence follows the story of a power she never knew she had and a life she has had before. But who can she trust in this new world she never knew existed.

Can't wait for the next book.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the Elektita and Alexis' past. There are still a lot of questions that I felt weren't answered. I honestly didn't know whether to like or hate Sebastian & Jonathan. They both have done horrendous things but they do it out of love in a very misguided way, I suppose. I wanted to give this book a 4 star but it needs an editor in a very bad way. Words that sound the same but mean totally different things are all thru the book. Other than that, I truly enjoyed the story and want to know what happens next.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if everything you thought you knew about yourself ended up being half-truths? What if you discovered the life you now lived was only one of many? What would you do if the chance to learn more about yourself presented itself? Would you take it? Would you want to take it?

If my life weren't as complicated as Alexis', I would. But if I lived her life, I'm not so sure.

Alexis is a walking, talking, living, breathing complication. At first, I was super confused as to who she was, what she was about, why she was going to Reedsport, and the importance of her wolfsbane tattoo. But my confusion disappeared as I continued read. She literally fell apart because of everything she experienced after the move. I thought she was going crazy. The dreams, her feelings, her emotions, everything felt like it was coming undone. But then, right when it felt like she hit rock bottom and would stay submerged in a pool of confusion, everything started coming together and making sense.

This story was a nice blend of paranormal and fantasy. The men who love her are wolves. The women who want her dead are witches. Their entwined pasts have spanned centuries and several lifetimes. There's mystery, suspense, lust and love as Alexis navigates a past and a present that are slow to make sense.

I will warn you that this is a cliffhanger even though it is a full-length novel. It moves slow, has more narrative than dialogue (some of which felt unnecessary), and is only told from Alexis' POV. But it is an intriguing story, one that paves the way to what I hope will be a spectacular Book 2.

(Received from Wickedly Innocent Promotions for an honest review)

[Chelly Peeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexis Davis is sort of your average girl – average looking, going to college, working, but she is plagued with dreams. She decides she doesn’t want this life – the life her parents want for her – so she packs up and leaves. Starting out with a new tattoo and a postcard from a truck stop, she finds herself in a small fishing town in Oregon, and she soon learns that her life is FAR from average.

While looking for a job, she meets a couple of interesting (and insanely HOT) guys – Jonathon Evans, owner of the Shore Side Café, and Sebastian Gates, owner of Antiques & Oddities, and her life just gets more weird from there. She’s instantly attracted to both of them but has no clue why, and they act like they already know her.

As Alexis spends more time with each, both willingly and against her will, it only raises more questions. There seems to be a long standing feud between the two, but why? Why do they both insist on being so protective and dominant over her? Throw in the ever increasing dreams that seem too real, her new tattoo doing crazy things that physically cannot be explained, unexplained magic, unbearable waves of pain, and the instant lust she feels anytime Jonathon or Sebastian are around and she is utterly lost. Is she going insane? Is this real life?

Aconite is a very vivid, very complex story and the more you read, the more questions you start asking yourself, but stick with it…the answers will surprise you. And if you’re like me, you will still be torn between two very sexy, extremely alpha males. Witches and lupo, familiars and reincarnation, dreams and memories. Destiny.

[Cassidy O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great debut book by this author, I loved the depth and detail she used to help me feel like I was a part of the story. She created a great complex story line that kept me guessing through the entire story. I love the idea of these people in Alex's life who are so devoted to her they chose to turn immortal and follow her through her many lives. I can't wait for book 2!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I finally got to read this book. Totally had me on the edge of my seat throughout every memory! So many feelings I can't even begin to imagine being torn apart in trying to understand ones so called destiny. I must read part 2!

[MELODY · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful debut novel by Christine Alvarez! I have to say I couldn't put it down.

Alexis is at a crossroads in her life and when she sees a postcard of an idyllic little town she finds herself drawn to it. There the story begins. When she gets to town she meets to men Jonathan and Sebastian. She meets friends that she feels she has known forever and then her dreams and magic abilities start to surface. This leaves Alexis trying to figure out both who and what she is. With each answer she finds more questions surface.

Ms. Alvarez' characters are well rounded and complex. Just when you think you know who to love or know who to hate you can feel yourself living the confusion with gusto. I will warn it does have a cliff-hanger so once you are sucked in you will have to get the next one to see what happens. If you are in the market for a new author and series - love paranormal with a mystery and a bit of romance this one is definitely worth the time. Happy Reading!

I am an independent reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock.

[Terri Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am constantly coming across new authors and their series. I hate to start a series in the middle, so that means I need to go back a few years and catch up with all the previous books. This is a series I would like to binge read all in a weekend. If I could I would give it a 3.5. The story is an interesting twist and I believe the author will continue to develop the storyline and the characters.

[Sue Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS FIRST OF A NEW SERIES...DON'T MISS IT....THIS IS ONE GREAT STORY
I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW AND THIS IS MY HONEST OPINION
We have Ms. Alexis Davis leaving her mid-western Missouri parents home because they think they should decide everything for her and she wants to find out for herself where she belongs cause she knows it is not there. So she has come across a postcard from a station of Reedsport, Oregon and heads there. On arrival there ,with little money she checks into the Ocean View Inn, from the card, goes to her room to check the paper for jobs to check out the next day. She has had horrible dreams as long as can remember, In them she often finds wolfsbane so she got a tattoo of it when she left home. Little does she know that more then a postcard is drawing her to this very small unusual town. Her dreams have gotten worse and the tattoo begins to glow and burn by the third day after she has met two of the most attractive men she has ever seen . Sebastian Gates who she walked into and spilled coffee on he was furious, then he turns out to be the owner of the place she wanted to work in most , he flat out refused. But still she finds him in her dreams and is drawn to him. And then there is Jonathon Evans owned the Shore Side Cafe and he hired her, she thought as a waitress but it turned out to be as a manger, which she really wasn't qualified for. It seems very clear to her that they don't like each other and that they and the ones they seem closes to are all keeping some important secrets that include things about her that she doesn't know. She thinks about leaving but as she starts learning some of the secrets , decides she wants to finally know everything, then she will decide what she will do. She will learn of supernaturals, where they each fit in, her own past and powers. But when the dreams begin to change , not of the past as they have always been but to the future. A power they all say she never had before, it becomes clear they all need to talk to figure out how to help her because each has a reason that she is the most important thing to them, enough that they will agree no fighting as long as she lives. To late she realizes she has given them permission to go to war when she dies. Now you will have to read to read this wonderful book to find out all the secrets. And the whys of all the unexplained . Can she learn fast enough? Can she learn how to bring forth the powers they tell her she has? Can it be done in time for her to help herself and not just realize on the others....who are not as strong as she is? It is decided that she needs to be in the big house so all can stay together because after each has told their story (involving her) she feels she has to tell them all of the last dream, but at the outburst she decides to keep a small part secret by letting them think she doesn't know. They go to town to get her things, after they triple ward the house so no one can get in,they feel something off and head back to the house, but something has been there, it puts all four protector on alarm (on the full moon), then two robed figures arrive..inside the house, though the guards but masked. Alexis told them to show themselves. Enemies were know to the protectors, trusted. And I was kept interested from beginning to end and I WANT MORE....CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sucked into this one from the start and couldn't put it down til I finished it!

There was such a big mystery in this. Alexis is trying to figure out who she really is and with every new insight and question answered a ton more follow.

All of the characters are so complex. When you think one may be a bad guy the next chapter you find something new out. Nobody is who they really seem. I am so torn between Jonathan and Sebastian. Each are very egotistical and think they know what's best for Alexis. Both are so alpha male and demanding. Where I may love one guy one chapter I fall for the other the next.

This does end on a cliffhanger and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. This is such a complex story I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

[Charity Chimni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Alexis? Who is Sebastian? Who is Jonathon? How do they know Alexis? Aconite reveals the connection between the three characters in an interesting suspenseful story. Alexis left home to be on her own and find herself. She learns more than she bargained for. Will the past repeat itself? Or will the trio and their closest friends be able to write their own future? Although the book ends with a cliffhanger, which I despise, the story is worth the torture. Christine has woven a story to draw you in and capture your curiosity. Great characters with amazing depth and connection. A great read. I can't wait for the rest of the series to see where the journey leads us! Highly recommended if you are looking for paranormal romance with mystery!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting, well-written book. Alexis sees a postcard at a truck stop and decides to travel to Reedsport, Oregon. She starts to discover a supernatural destiny and the lines between her past, present and future become blurred. She meets two men and starts to have inexplicable feelings and dreams, as well as the conviction that these men are familiar to her in ways she doesn't understand. She doesn't know who to trust or what is real. I enjoyed this book and want to read the remaining two books in the series.

[Miranda Shanklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a unique one. I found myself unable to put the book down. It was full of surprises and twists that I didn't see coming. A new twist on the supernatural world.

As Alexis tries to control a power that she doesn't understand she is faced with so many more obstacles than she can easily deal with.

She avoids what she can't deal with at the moment and tries to figure out the best way to deal with the most important ones. Now she just has to figure out who she can trust.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aconite by Christine Alvarez is 5 star fantastic. I was pulled into this mysterious paranormal story line so quickly that I developed booklash. These characters are strong and consistently written but so full of secrets. Even now, amidst my book hangover, I have more questions than answers. This is no doubt going to be a great series. I am already looking for book 2.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

This is a new author to me. I enjoy stories with witches,werewolves, magic and mystery. I did have a little trouble following the story in the beginning but after a few chapters it was making more sense. It ends well leaving me wanting to know more. So I'm off to find out what happens next.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda felt like I was missing a whole lot during the entirety of this story. Like there was another story before I got to this one. It's a hit and miss for me, while it is an interesting premise, my attention wandered.

[anne pavlish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother

This book made no sense to me at all. I thought with an explanation all would be well, not.
I was lost from the beginning and nothing ever made sense, nor was any explanation forthcoming.