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Pierce Ambrose. That was the name of the man I'd been sent to kill. The man I'd failed to kill. I have one day left to make good on my contract before the thugs holding my sister and her son start sending me pieces of them.
Pierce Ambrose. A man with a secret I didn't uncover until it was too late to turn back, too late to give up on trying to kill him.
Now, if I want to see my sister and nephew again, I have to try one last time.
My name is Mac Brennan, and this time, I'm playing for keeps.
*Book 1: Cursed ( B01BK6PW6Y) is on sale for only $2.99!*
*Book 3: Burned ( B01DLIN0UO) is on preorder for only $2.99 until 5/3/16!*
Pierce Ambrose. A man with a secret I didn't uncover until it was too late to turn back, too late to give up on trying to kill him.
Now, if I want to see my sister and nephew again, I have to try one last time.
My name is Mac Brennan, and this time, I'm playing for keeps.
*Book 1: Cursed ( B01BK6PW6Y) is on sale for only $2.99!*
*Book 3: Burned ( B01DLIN0UO) is on preorder for only $2.99 until 5/3/16!*
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2016
92 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Cipriano
92 books585 followersWhen New York Times Bestselling author, J. A. Cipriano was in second grade, his teacher gave everyone in class a journal to write down whatever they wanted. Their first subject was to write about something they didn’t like. J. A. chose to write about why he didn’t like writing. His reasoning was simple. He had bad handwriting. Even then, he was destined to be an engineer due to his messy scrawl.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 1, 2017
Marked (The Thrice Cursed Mage #2) by J.A. Cipriano is the second book in the series but could be read without reading the first one first. In this book, Mac is sent to kill a deadly killer. This killer also has a werewolf's brother. Mac and the lovely werewolf work together to try to track down this killer and that is where all the fun begins. Lots of action, adventure, fights, touch of romance, humor, great plot, creatures, and great fantasy. Great ride of a read!
June 17, 2017
Better
I actually enjoyed this one better than the last. Perhaps I'm getting used to the writing style and Mac. Mac still has a lot of internal dialogue but there is a lot of action and suspense to keep me occupied. I am also enjoying the relationship that Mac has with Ricky. There are still a lot of unanswered questions though.
I actually enjoyed this one better than the last. Perhaps I'm getting used to the writing style and Mac. Mac still has a lot of internal dialogue but there is a lot of action and suspense to keep me occupied. I am also enjoying the relationship that Mac has with Ricky. There are still a lot of unanswered questions though.
May 28, 2020
The camp is here to stay and the witty banter between characters makes you feel as everyone is an action hero throwing one liners like grenades.
April 30, 2016
Mac is a man on a mission, a very strange one.
Equal parts crazy, funny and exciting, I found this a great read. A strange kind of hero, Mac's back story is revealed a little more, to show us how he has managed to get himself into the world of vamps, werewolves and zombies. Not to mention the demons, they're the strangest ones of all!
I would happily recommend this book to everyone I know.
Equal parts crazy, funny and exciting, I found this a great read. A strange kind of hero, Mac's back story is revealed a little more, to show us how he has managed to get himself into the world of vamps, werewolves and zombies. Not to mention the demons, they're the strangest ones of all!
I would happily recommend this book to everyone I know.
December 13, 2016
Pretty much pure action and motion and snark with little to no character development but it's good popcorn reading. I'm sure I'll read the rest but they aren't exactly rushing to the top of my list. Fun read though.
June 13, 2017
Snarky Action
Mac remembers a little more about his previous life. However, he is still clueless about the big picture. The story action rolls rapidly from one peril to the next as Mac and his beautiful werewolf girlfriend Ricky disintegrate, shoot or slash the really bad guys. Mac must kill Pierce Ambrose by the end of the night or a demon will torture and kill his kidnapped sister and nephew. Fortunately Pierce is dirtbag alpha werewolf who gets off on subordinating beautiful female werewolves to his will. He tries this with Ricky which sets Mac on a murderous rampage. The ending leaves Mac up in the air. I like the smartass humor in the story and Mac trying to find a moral compass. I look forward to the next book.
Mac remembers a little more about his previous life. However, he is still clueless about the big picture. The story action rolls rapidly from one peril to the next as Mac and his beautiful werewolf girlfriend Ricky disintegrate, shoot or slash the really bad guys. Mac must kill Pierce Ambrose by the end of the night or a demon will torture and kill his kidnapped sister and nephew. Fortunately Pierce is dirtbag alpha werewolf who gets off on subordinating beautiful female werewolves to his will. He tries this with Ricky which sets Mac on a murderous rampage. The ending leaves Mac up in the air. I like the smartass humor in the story and Mac trying to find a moral compass. I look forward to the next book.
February 12, 2020
This was a fun one! Mac is still searching for his sister and nephew. Along the way he works with some pretty interesting characters and seems to be making a few friends in the supernatural community. His enemies? Well they don't seem to last very long... Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
May 20, 2017
have to say i am enjoying these books...and loving mac a bit more each time
so much action in these books wow..well worth a read if you are into magic, zombies, werewolves and things that go bang in the night
so much action in these books wow..well worth a read if you are into magic, zombies, werewolves and things that go bang in the night
December 30, 2017
Fast Paced Badassery
Book two of Mac Brennan's life as a Cursed is more fun than the first. The story takes place on the second day after our hero wakes up in a dumpster with demon fueled magical abilities. Think supernatural 007.
Book two of Mac Brennan's life as a Cursed is more fun than the first. The story takes place on the second day after our hero wakes up in a dumpster with demon fueled magical abilities. Think supernatural 007.
February 23, 2017
Sooo fun!
I love the sarcasm, the fast pace and the variety of characters! Mac Brennen is a good soul in a devil's deal and I freakin love him!
I love the sarcasm, the fast pace and the variety of characters! Mac Brennen is a good soul in a devil's deal and I freakin love him!
September 3, 2018
Another good tale
Again very much enjoyed look forward to
Next one in series , very well written
Fast paced and full of Twists and turns
Again very much enjoyed look forward to
Next one in series , very well written
Fast paced and full of Twists and turns
March 9, 2017
Rollicking fun!
The second book in the series packs a punch in terms of action. Really starting to like (most) of the characters. I will have to see how things go in the third installment.
The second book in the series packs a punch in terms of action. Really starting to like (most) of the characters. I will have to see how things go in the third installment.
October 15, 2017
Marked is the second book in The Thrice Cursed Mage series. Mac Brennan is back, just as full of sarcasm and wisecracks as ever. Fast passed action from start to finish!
August 7, 2016
Marked: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 2) by J.A. Cipriano Marked: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 2) by J.A. Cipriano is an action packed, riveting, magical story that has demons, werewolves, sirens and all other sorts of magical or paranormal creatures. It picks up where Cursed stopped. Mac Brennan, the protagonist with the demon-blackened arm with red tattoos still has only snippets of his previous memory. His goal is to kill Pierce Ambrose who has kidnapped his sister and nephew.
It has a need for editing for typos and homophones. Because of that I gave it four stars. That does not reflect on the quality of the author's writing.
He has just the right amount of cockiness mixed with snark that kept it entertaining. "It only took me less than a minute to make my way out of the neighborhood and onto the main street, which was good because across the street, I could just make out what looked like a swap meet filled with people. I could definitely hide there, assuming, of course, I didn’t get shot in the back or hit by a car."
Ricky is the alpha werewolf who he met in Cursed and has agreed to help him find Pierce. She is still a dangerous character as evidenced by this conversation. "“Mac, if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead, and I’d be using your entrails as a jump rope.” Her words conjured an image in my head I was very keen to dismiss."
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
It has a need for editing for typos and homophones. Because of that I gave it four stars. That does not reflect on the quality of the author's writing.
He has just the right amount of cockiness mixed with snark that kept it entertaining. "It only took me less than a minute to make my way out of the neighborhood and onto the main street, which was good because across the street, I could just make out what looked like a swap meet filled with people. I could definitely hide there, assuming, of course, I didn’t get shot in the back or hit by a car."
Ricky is the alpha werewolf who he met in Cursed and has agreed to help him find Pierce. She is still a dangerous character as evidenced by this conversation. "“Mac, if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead, and I’d be using your entrails as a jump rope.” Her words conjured an image in my head I was very keen to dismiss."
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
March 18, 2016
In this installment Marc Brennan is still trying to kill Pierce Ambrose and he is down to one day before his family will be hurt. Marc agrees to help werewolf alpha Ricky to save her brother from Ambrose because it would help him in is mission to have extra back up. That is until he started having feelings for her. The beginning was a little slow the first few pages but when it picked up it went fairly quick. I laughed out loud at some of the things Ricky said or did. This was a good installment to this series you get taken into their world that has a weird bunny, zombies and lets not forget the gargoyle. Will Marc finally complete his mission and is his feelings for Ricky real or just from her imprinting on him? You'll have to read the book yourself to find out.
March 15, 2016
I received this book in exchange for a fair review.
This is the second book in the series, and if possible, better than the first one.
The big question here is it true love, or imprinting when you are with a werewolf?
The book is full of action, and enough of a comic relief to make you laugh out loud, but also scary enough to make you jump at noise around you.
I love the new character Dante, he is a mix of so many great things, and is a perfect buddy for Mac, I hope they do more together.
Throw in a knock off Sea World, a vampire winery, some zombies and an ending that makes you cheer, and also make you want the next book to come out soon.
This is the second book in the series, and if possible, better than the first one.
The big question here is it true love, or imprinting when you are with a werewolf?
The book is full of action, and enough of a comic relief to make you laugh out loud, but also scary enough to make you jump at noise around you.
I love the new character Dante, he is a mix of so many great things, and is a perfect buddy for Mac, I hope they do more together.
Throw in a knock off Sea World, a vampire winery, some zombies and an ending that makes you cheer, and also make you want the next book to come out soon.
March 22, 2016
I really wasn't sure if the author could retain the pace and the energy of the first book in the second. I was glad to find that it was better.
The romantic in me enjoyed the book even more as Ricky is such a nice gutsy character. It's such a pleasure to read her scenes with Mac. The humor is the best part of the book. It's irreverent and cracks you up even in the most gory of scenes. This is the last place I expected a frozen reference, but there it was, making me smile right in the middle of a tense Gore fest.
Great job! Really looking forward to the next book.
The romantic in me enjoyed the book even more as Ricky is such a nice gutsy character. It's such a pleasure to read her scenes with Mac. The humor is the best part of the book. It's irreverent and cracks you up even in the most gory of scenes. This is the last place I expected a frozen reference, but there it was, making me smile right in the middle of a tense Gore fest.
Great job! Really looking forward to the next book.
April 29, 2016
Rock and roll the magical blood and guts!!
Wow! What a pace! More murder and mayhem per square inch than Quentin Tarantino. But these books are lots of fun with a wisecracking protagonist who doesn't have much time to introspection. It's fantasy on the cartoon edge of things, not my usual taste. However I just like these books. I've read two and I'm up for number three. They're kind of like candy, a little addictive.
Wow! What a pace! More murder and mayhem per square inch than Quentin Tarantino. But these books are lots of fun with a wisecracking protagonist who doesn't have much time to introspection. It's fantasy on the cartoon edge of things, not my usual taste. However I just like these books. I've read two and I'm up for number three. They're kind of like candy, a little addictive.
July 12, 2016
This series remains a mixed bag. The writer tends to stitch a lot together from old pop culture (80's/90's), but the writing itself outside of that tends to blur together without saying very much. Mix of choppy and blocky.
The characters are good, and the idea is interesting, but the actual writing kills the overall effect. I'll finish the series to see where it goes; but, I probably won't read much beyond that.
The characters are good, and the idea is interesting, but the actual writing kills the overall effect. I'll finish the series to see where it goes; but, I probably won't read much beyond that.
July 16, 2016
this was amazing. just simply amazing. IMO it was better then the first, the writing was smoother and faster moving. It had more intrique and delight. it made me laugh a lot, it made me smile and happy and sad. it was better and i cant wait to see what book 3 brings around. i am so glad i got to review it
August 9, 2016
Fast paced
Almost too fast, non stop action. Yay, got to be too unrealistic for me. So, although there are more books in this series, this is the last one for me. Characters are kept at a superficial level due to the unending exploits so it just became one unending brawl with sarcastic quips . Some will love it, but it got old fast.
Almost too fast, non stop action. Yay, got to be too unrealistic for me. So, although there are more books in this series, this is the last one for me. Characters are kept at a superficial level due to the unending exploits so it just became one unending brawl with sarcastic quips . Some will love it, but it got old fast.
March 21, 2016
Lights, camera, action....
It was a non-stop rollercoaster ride of death, murder, and mayhem. The body count kept stacking up as Mac rushed to his original mission and his deal with the devil. Lots of betrayal and back stabbing..... who can ask for me...keep them coming
It was a non-stop rollercoaster ride of death, murder, and mayhem. The body count kept stacking up as Mac rushed to his original mission and his deal with the devil. Lots of betrayal and back stabbing..... who can ask for me...keep them coming
October 26, 2016
Author shows promise
Story is fairly well told. Author needs to invest in an editor, it takes away from the story when the wrong words are used. Unfortunately this happens quite frequently in these novels.
Story is fairly well told. Author needs to invest in an editor, it takes away from the story when the wrong words are used. Unfortunately this happens quite frequently in these novels.
March 22, 2016
New, different and fun
New direction for urban fantasy. I'll probably re-read it soon. Looking forward to the next one. When is the next one?
New direction for urban fantasy. I'll probably re-read it soon. Looking forward to the next one. When is the next one?
March 26, 2016
Action packed adventure, now with a little romance. Have enjoyed the series so far.
March 24, 2016
Great book
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the rest of the series. I'm hooked.... what more can I say.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the rest of the series. I'm hooked.... what more can I say.
April 9, 2016
Holy Zombie Chow!
What an ending.
And now I have to continue with seven teen more little tiny tiny words, in order to....
What an ending.
And now I have to continue with seven teen more little tiny tiny words, in order to....
April 24, 2016
Great read
As good as the first book. The action continues. Hard to put down.. I recommend this to all urban fantasy fans.
As good as the first book. The action continues. Hard to put down.. I recommend this to all urban fantasy fans.
June 20, 2016
What an entertaining read! I enjoyed the comedy as well as the action and all in an urban fantasy setting.
October 12, 2016
I like the characters. Everyone seems to be double crossing everyone else. Fast paced.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews