Sevyn

Smoke & Fire #4

by Michele Wesley

***Contains Strong violence and Sexual Content, 18+ please. This book is Standalone, #4 of the Smoke & Fire Series*** Dana is the pampered princess of a wealthy diplomat by day, but she hunts monsters at night. After surviving a brutal home invasion that resulted in her mother's death, Dana takes extreme measures to avenge her. Tracking the men responsible is hard work, but killing them seems impossible. When Dana's nightly activities seep into her prim and proper life, her father hires her a bodyguard. Intrigued, Dana hardly notices the large scar on her mysteriously charming protector's face. Neal Erickson thinks his new assignment babysitting the diplomat's daughter will be a walk in the park. Trained for combat, the last thing Neal wants is to babysit some spoiled, rich woman. When he stumbles upon Dana's secret life of monsters and mayhem, he finds he may be the one that needs protecting.

Genres: Interracial Romance, Romance, Paranormal

220 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2016

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I love it when authors write about kick ass women! I loved this book for that fact alone. She was no wallflower or princess or anything silly like that. She could hold her own against anybody!
What I really liked was that Dana/Sevyn knew what she wanted and didn't beat around the bush to get it sexually. She was attracted to Neal and knew he was interested in her, so she went for it.
Although some more character development would have been nice, even developing Neal and Dana's relationship a bit more would have been a nice addition.
We know a lot about Dana but very little on Neal and that could have been developed. Also, falling in love after a month would be believable had the reader seen it happening. More chapters of the flirtation and day to day actions of these two would have helped their story along.

I'm pretty sure though that I should have read the first three books to get a grasp of the world the author was trying to portray.
At times this book felt rushed to me because I didn't really know what was going on. What was Top? Who were these people Sevyn was after? What was going on?!
So if you're interested in this book, try reading from the beginning and not from here.

Definitely going to give this author's others works a try after this.

[Kimmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a book. How the hell did I not only miss this book,
but the other three in the series. I love paranormal romance.
If you follow my blog I am sure you know. But man if this
book was not suggested to me to read. I will tell ya to check
nback as I plan to read the other books in this series.

This book is about agent Sevyn and Neal’s story. The story
starts with a bang. Latterly it does she is in deep trouble and
now way to get out. After her dad finds out he hires Neal to
protect his precious little girl Dana, Sevyn’s real name. But
she really does not need them or so she thinks. But she is
not your typical girl. She is not sure how it happed but the
can take out the monsters in this world. Only knowing her
as Dana, Neal can since something different about her. And
when she slips out with out him knowing, he is determined to
find out her secret. But Neal has his own secret too. When
she learns who is behind her mother’s death she is floored.
I was shocked to. Some could say, almost like she saw a ghost.

Now before I ruin this for you I will leave off here. I hope you
enjoy this book as much as I did. If you do like this book,
please consider leaving a review. The Authors really like it
when you do; they value your opinions too.

[T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Sevyn as a review copy through Reading Deals. The gifting did not determine the review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion. Sevyn had one of the best opening chapters I've read in a long time, and the author managed to maintain a tight level of suspense with a few added twists. For the most part, I really enjoyed this whole book. Great plot, and engaging characters. Some of the dialog got cheesy, but not so bad I ever wanted to put the book down. First time reading this author, but I'll be looking for more work by Wesley.

[Mollien Fote Osterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Sevyn: Paranormal Romance (June 30, 2016)
Author: Michele Wesley
Series: The Smoke & Fire Series Book 4
Publisher: Michele Wesley
Reviewer: Mollien
Release Date: June 30, 2016
Genre(s): BWWM Romance with vampires
Page Count: 216 pages
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Get this book at a discounted rate for a limited time! ***Contains Strong violence and Sexual Content, 18+ please. This book is Standalone, #4 of the Smoke & Fire Series***


Dana Diallo is the pampered princess of a wealthy diplomat by day, but she hunts monsters at night. After surviving a brutal home invasion that resulted in her mother's death, Dana takes extreme measures to avenge her. Tracking the men responsible is hard work, but killing them seems impossible.


When Dana's nightly activities seep into her prim and proper life, her father hires her a bodyguard. Intrigued, Dana hardly notices the large scar on her mysteriously charming protector's face.


Neal Erickson thinks his new assignment babysitting the diplomat's daughter will be a walk in the park. Trained for combat, the last thing Neal wants is to babysit some spoiled, rich woman. When he stumbles upon Dana's secret life of monsters and mayhem, he finds he may be the one that needs protecting.

Review:
This was the first book of this series that I read. What a fun wild ride. I love stories with a strong dominant woman that can take care of the situation at hand including monsters. Pair her with a hot sexy guy that welcomes her abilities and has a few of his own you just put me in paranormal nirvana. This was an exciting story with many surprises. Plot Dana leads a double life. Family business woman by day. Monster hunter by night. When her unsuspecting father hires yet another bodyguard for her protection, Dana plans on ditching him just like the countless others. Neal has special ways to keep his charge in his rader. When he sees her doing things that no human should be able to do his attraction to her becomes more that just a job. The chemistry between Neal and Dana sparks from their introduction and only gets stronger as the story continues. The pacing is fast and exciting. This standalone story has a good ending. The character development was pretty good. We get a true understanding of Dana’s need to kill monsters. Even though this is a standalone, I hope that we get to see more of Neal’s story.




SCORES on a scale of 1-5 Stars rate each of the Following 5
Categories
PLOT 4 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 4 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 4 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4 Stars


Review Copy of Sevyn provided by the Michele Wesley I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book. It is very different. My attention was captured from the beginning when it introduced the new bodyguard for Dana. Neal is mysterious and is a complete draw to Dana. They immediately have a connection. When she sneaks out at night, Neal follows her finds out she is leading a double life. Instead of wealthy business woman, he discovers her fighting a group of bad men and winning. She has super speed and totally beats the men up and captures them. When Neal steps in to help, he realizes the men aren't men, they are monsters....namely, vampire type monsters. It turns out Dana is really Sevyn, a hunter, hired by a top secret government agency to get rid of these creatures. It's a total twist in the story that sends it completely in a different direction....I won't reveal more, but to say that Neal and Dana start a grand, steamy romance that makes for a fun story. I recommend this book and series...looking forward to more.

[Kristin King · Rating 4 out of 5]

With hyped/gifted humans, a secret government agency, and monsters to boot, Sevyn promised a page turning ride and delivered. I appreciated the warning about being written for adults 18+, and the explicit scenes didn't proliferate too much and were easy to flip past. Author Michele Wesley gives time for the romance and trust to build between Sevyn and Neil, which makes for good story telling and character development. The first two chapters dragged for me even though the book starts off in an intense life-threatening situation. Both chapters seem crammed with back story that drags, but if you hang in there the roller coaster read hits its stride. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review and am glad I took the chance.

[Tashia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a wild ride. I was not expecting that ending of how things turned out for Sevyn and Neal. I'm not going to give away any spoilers but for the next readers of this book, you are in for one serious unexpected surprise. I couldn't even predict those last 3 chapters even after trying to figure out what was going on. We are still left with the cliff-hanger that involves Neal though as his amnesia related past is still not revealed. This has been one of the best books I have read in quite some time. Very well written with a huge unexpected twist. Kudos to the author on this one.

[michelle davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Dana/Sevyn was great. Neal was amazing. I hope to see them in future books.

[Nay Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received a copy for review.

This was absolutely funny and cute. A quick read with great paranormal aspects, secrets and a romance to boot. The characters were amazing in every aspect.

Dana is sweet, polished and pampered woman. Her father is a millionaire so she's always had a sort of sheltered life. However, she lives a double life as a Top agent named Sevyn. When she is herself she's just a woman looking for freedom from her father, his rules and hired guards for her. When she is Sevyn the woman is fierce as ever with her combat skills and into all types of danger. As a whole she is absolutely beautiful and powerful. I love her sarcasm, the tough skin she had and how bold she was overall. I loved her ability with speed. Just amazing. Dana had an obsession with killing monsters since she witnessed them kill her mother, but she never thought for a minute that she could be wrong.

Neal is a Top agent, but he will be a bodyguard and he's not sure whether he's happy about it. Neal was a different kind of male character. He was very confident and bold, but he was just as doubtful of himself. Neal just had everything right for him. He considered himself unattractive because of the huge scar on his face, but that just gave him a bad boy, mysterious edge to himself. He also considers himself damaged since he can't remember anything before he turned 19. His ability was just as awesome as Dana's. I loved that he could transport/teleport in the blink of an eye.

The romance was cute. I think that Top intentionally paired the two of them together if not for romance, but to work together. I loved how they had their little spats that never scared the other off. I love watching Dana try to scare Neal off with her sexual remarks, but that man took it all and dished it back times three. They were both cute and the sexual tension was funny.

The truth that was revealed to Dana at the end about her mother was insane. The truth about the monsters and who she was just shocked me. I didn't expect that at all, so now I wonder if that means the same thing for all the others that have an ability.

I definitely think I'll be reading the other books in this series. The others with abilities just seems like something I need to read. I can't wait for more Neal and Dana-Sevyn.

[Yellagirlgc · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

Danalyn Diallo appears to be an elegant, beautiful, rich, pampered princess but she's really a government agent. While working for Top she kills targets for them and vampires for them both. Neal Erickson is a sexy, tall, bodyguard hired to look after Dana but he's secretly also a Top agent. They both posess supernatural abilities and they don't know how or why they're more than most humans.
The sexual tension between these two was HOT from their first meeting. I haven't read the first three books in this series but I didn't feel lost or clueless following the plot.

[Teresa Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read!

This series has been surprising and entertaining. I have thoroughly enjoyed the steamy romance, interesting characters, and powerful action. The storylines have been interesting enough that I have found myself up in the middle of the night unable to put the books down. I look forward to reading more of this series!!!

[Regina Eberhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg can't wait for more.

I have read every book in this series in less than two week. The the strong female characters and the complex storylines has me begging for more. Please don't stop writing this series

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

3. 5 stars. This is my first read from Michele Wesley and I would read more from her based on this book. There seems to be mixed reviews about the beginning of the book. I found it to be very stimulating. The author does a nice job of setting the scene and building the world that Dana (Sevyn) lives, works, and shall we say... plays (?) in. The reader is sufficiently drawn into the story and curious as to all the nuances of her life. In walks the new bodyguard, Neil, and its no secret where that relationship is heading. Overall, I liked their evolving relationship. There was mutual respect, intrigue, and lots of chemistry. There wasn't a lot of romance though, so if that's your thing, you will most likely be dissappointed. It was more covert conversation firting, lots of eye lusting, forced secret sharing, and then sexy times. However, (and it has to stand out for me to ever comment on this) I did have a couple issues with the intimate scenes. The language used to describe body parts and the action seemed too clinical. Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly fine to write a "clean" paranormal romance, but this isn't, so don't use textbook terms for the anatomy the whole time...its weird in this context. Also, I felt the dialogue during the sex scenes was kind of on the corny side and it all felt rushed. Overall hotness on a scale of 1-10 was about a 2. This was unfortunate, because it didn't do justice to the build up of their chemistry and desire for one another. However, there was a particular "caught in the act" scene that was quite funny, so cudos for that.
I thought the action and suspense were entertaining. The plot moved along quickly and there wasn't a point at which I felt bored. The last couple of chapters (the revelation) was not as big of a shock to me as I believe the author intended. Perhaps I am in the minority, because it seems a lot of the reviewers were taken aback and surprised. I still think it was a rewarding turn of events, however I wish it had not wrapped up quite so quickly. There was a lot of material that could have been explored more in depth, and that would have been so much more satisfying for the reader. On the whole, that was my biggest critique of this book, there was a good story that could have been amazing if it were flushed out more. (Not related to the previous comment), the author intentionally left many questions unanswered. If that bothers you, well...it is a series afterall and you are suposed to look forward to finding out all the mysteries.
I enjoyed this fast paced story with its gifted chatacters and grusome yet mysterious past. I look forward to more revalations.

[Cyrene Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncaged Book Reviews:

This was a pretty good book, but the beginning part drug on a bit for me. I was over 30% through the book before I discovered the paranormal part of the book, and at first it came in bits and pieces and then you were tossed head first into it. I liked the book quite a bit after the halfway point, when it finally picked up the pace.
Sevyn (Dana’s code name and alter ego) works for a secret government agency known as Top, and is part of one of the richest families in the city. She works at her family’s financial firm at day, and at night she hunts the creatures that killed her mother when she was 10 yrs old. Her father keeps assigning her bodyguards, and she keeps “losing” them, until Neal comes She can’t get rid of Neal so easily, and she comes to find out that she really doesn’t want to. Sevyn and Neal both have special abilities, even though they don’t know why they do.
The book has some pretty good suspense elements, and a touch of romance – and after that halfway mark, there is some good action sequences.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hoped that I borrowed this via Kindle Unlimited, but I didn't. I paid $.99 for it and I'm disappointed. I read to the 20% mark - part way through the fourth chapter. This is very poorly edited. And the first few chapters are nothing but an information dump about the heroine and what a badass she is. Sevyn/Dana is perfect. She looks perfect. She acts perfect. She dresses perfect. She can fight. She's a business genius. Her brothers and father want only to marry her off because that's what they think she's built for, even though they take business advice from her. Neal is the 10 zillionth body guard that's been assigned to her. I quit and marked this DNF just after he meets Dana and she tries to shake him off/lose him, as she's done all the other body guards. Their first interaction is cheesy and I was bored.

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how the book started out. It pulled me in quickly making me want to see what happened next. The main character, Dana, is smart, beautiful and can kick some butt like nobody's business when she is her alter ego, Sevyn. There was some strong chemistry between her and her bodyguard, Neal. I really liked the first half of the book best. The book started to go all over the place from there when Dana was trying to get revenge for her mother's murder and then story evolved into something else. I love my paranormal stories and was hoping that this one would go along and keep me interested. The book fell short on that mark. I'm not sure where the book will go, hopefully it will improve when they write the next book in the series. It had promise but needs tweaking.

[Mandy J]

a close 3 stars for me. Honeatly this book wasnt bad, but i couldnt really say i truly liked it. I did find it interesting, action packed, and it had components that i was craving, but after spending a weekend trying to read this book, i realized it was just sort of not as good as I would have hoped. Characters were cool, stiry line was ok, with minir mistakes.


edit review / ramble later

[Lorice DeBlanc-Brim · Rating 5 out of 5]

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