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Half-Breed #4
City of Lust
Italy is for lovers—unless those lovers are on opposite sides of a 900-year-old family feud.
Mastering the intricacies of winemaking isn't the only challenge Amber is facing on her and Irix's trip to Northern Italy. Two prominent families with secrets of their own are on the edge of war, and a young romance might be the spark that ignites their hostilities into flame. Romeo and Juliet ended in tragedy, but Amber and Irix are doing all they can to ensure this young romance has a happily ever after and that these two families come to a peaceful resolution of their ancient grudge.
Mastering the intricacies of winemaking isn't the only challenge Amber is facing on her and Irix's trip to Northern Italy. Two prominent families with secrets of their own are on the edge of war, and a young romance might be the spark that ignites their hostilities into flame. Romeo and Juliet ended in tragedy, but Amber and Irix are doing all they can to ensure this young romance has a happily ever after and that these two families come to a peaceful resolution of their ancient grudge.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2017
42 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Debra Dunbar
101 books1,277 followersDebra lives in a little house in the woods in Maryland with three sons, and a Noah’s ark of four legged family members. She has a corporate job during the day, and writes novels at night, after the kids are tucked in bed.
She drives an Excursion affectionately called The Beast, couldn’t carry a tune if you duct taped it to her back, and enjoys an occasional cosmopolitan (heavy on the vodka). On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground.
Her only known super power is ‘Identify Roadkill’.
She drives an Excursion affectionately called The Beast, couldn’t carry a tune if you duct taped it to her back, and enjoys an occasional cosmopolitan (heavy on the vodka). On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground.
Her only known super power is ‘Identify Roadkill’.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 15, 2017
Think of Italy, and I bet one word springs to mind, and...
Oh yes, Italy might be the romantic backdrop for Irix and Amber's vacation, but neither could have imagined that Amber's tryout for an apprenticeship position at an Italian winery would lead them to play guardian demons to certain beings not *quite* of this world. Let's just say dear old Gregory hasn't rid the world as thoroughly of a certain type of creature as he claimed to Sam. Those Grigori are proving quite incompetent, tsk, tsk;-)
... aaaand when said beings have since adopted the very Italian passione for
not to mention greed, possessiveness, young love and Melancholy, poor Amber and Irix are in for one Hel of a stay. (Trying to keep thing nice and vague here...)
If you haven't realized what an (undemonic) sweetheart Irix is on occations, this book will prove just how far he will go for his Amber, who, for all intents and purposes, has quite a few human ideas regarding pair bonding. I won't spoil the main event for future readers, just leave you with a little gem of a discussion:
"You'll make a wonderful father." No I won't. The kid will electrocute his classmates and I'll end up killing an entire SWAT team to protect him. You'll rue the day you ever talked me into siring your child."
(I'm kinda bummed we won't be seeing their adorable demon spawn in the books, btw!)
I loved how Debra incorporated little tidbits regarding other Imp characters in this book. Like Nyalla, with her almost slip-up regarding her boyfriend's identity, Little Red, even Sam, oh, and the angelic visitation. Poor angels, looks like their acclimatization isn't exactly progressing seamlessly. Mwahaa...
Knowing this is the final book in the Half-Breed series I was a little bummed we wouldn't be treated to the *main event* so to speak. Luckily, that is sure to take place in the novella Debra announced in the afterword. Whew. I'm foreseeing hilarity aplenty in THAT installment! :-D
As always: You can't go wrong with an Imp/Imp World novel and with the foreshadowing that took place at the end of this novel, I'm already looking forward to the next installment; the much anticipated Queen of the Damned! (Squee!)
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
** I was given an eArc in Exchange for an honest review **
Oh yes, Italy might be the romantic backdrop for Irix and Amber's vacation, but neither could have imagined that Amber's tryout for an apprenticeship position at an Italian winery would lead them to play guardian demons to certain beings not *quite* of this world. Let's just say dear old Gregory hasn't rid the world as thoroughly of a certain type of creature as he claimed to Sam. Those Grigori are proving quite incompetent, tsk, tsk;-)
... aaaand when said beings have since adopted the very Italian passione for
not to mention greed, possessiveness, young love and Melancholy, poor Amber and Irix are in for one Hel of a stay. (Trying to keep thing nice and vague here...)
If you haven't realized what an (undemonic) sweetheart Irix is on occations, this book will prove just how far he will go for his Amber, who, for all intents and purposes, has quite a few human ideas regarding pair bonding. I won't spoil the main event for future readers, just leave you with a little gem of a discussion:
"You'll make a wonderful father." No I won't. The kid will electrocute his classmates and I'll end up killing an entire SWAT team to protect him. You'll rue the day you ever talked me into siring your child."
(I'm kinda bummed we won't be seeing their adorable demon spawn in the books, btw!)
I loved how Debra incorporated little tidbits regarding other Imp characters in this book. Like Nyalla, with her almost slip-up regarding her boyfriend's identity, Little Red, even Sam, oh, and the angelic visitation. Poor angels, looks like their acclimatization isn't exactly progressing seamlessly. Mwahaa...
Knowing this is the final book in the Half-Breed series I was a little bummed we wouldn't be treated to the *main event* so to speak. Luckily, that is sure to take place in the novella Debra announced in the afterword. Whew. I'm foreseeing hilarity aplenty in THAT installment! :-D
As always: You can't go wrong with an Imp/Imp World novel and with the foreshadowing that took place at the end of this novel, I'm already looking forward to the next installment; the much anticipated Queen of the Damned! (Squee!)
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
** I was given an eArc in Exchange for an honest review **
November 16, 2017
BELLISSIMO!
I'm sad that this is the last of this series and hope that Debra Dunbar hears much more from these characters, a Amber and I fix are among my favorites! This story took me to stunning vistas, kept me turning pages late into the night, and taught me about wine! Win/win! You can never go wrong with a Debra Dunbar authored book, ever, but this one SCORCHED! Bravo!
I'm sad that this is the last of this series and hope that Debra Dunbar hears much more from these characters, a Amber and I fix are among my favorites! This story took me to stunning vistas, kept me turning pages late into the night, and taught me about wine! Win/win! You can never go wrong with a Debra Dunbar authored book, ever, but this one SCORCHED! Bravo!
November 15, 2017
Such a great book! I absolutely loved how the author brought Italy to life.
I really enjoyed the story too. There's humor, romance, mystery, and murder; it's so compelling that you won't want to put the book down!
I really enjoyed the story too. There's humor, romance, mystery, and murder; it's so compelling that you won't want to put the book down!
July 17, 2018
61 points/100 (3.25/5 stars).
Amber scores a chance to win an winetasting apprenticeship in Italy. When Amber and Irix get there, the find a Romeo and Juliet story playing out before their eyes. They just have to get involved!
This is the end to the Half-Breed series? This?? Okay. If you must. I can't believe Dunbar chose to spend the entire last book in this series on a story not about Amber and Irix. Author's prerogative though, I guess.
I wasn't over eager to get into the nitty gritty of winemaking. I guess I'm sort of glad that isn't what I got. Still not happy though. This book is pretty much 10% Amber and Irix, 10% sex, and 80% watching two teenagers fall in love and fight their families for their love. I just cannot fathom why Dunbar decided to turn to what is the most standard tale of all time. The fact that they're not human doesn't make it any better.
The only interesting part of the book was figuring out what the lovebird dumbasses were. It kept me going for a while, at least. Dunbar did do a good job of laying out the mystery, so I won't spoil it. That is basically the only good part of the book, after all.
Nope, I'm going back to it. Why in the hell is this a Romeo and Juliet story instead of a story about Amber and Irix?! This is the last book of the series! AAAAA
The little air time spent actually on on Amber and Irix was put to good use, though. It builds their relationship better than I would have expected from the way their relationship started. They actively talk about what is in store for them in their future.
Overall, severely disappointed that this is the ending to this series. I just don't understand.
Amber scores a chance to win an winetasting apprenticeship in Italy. When Amber and Irix get there, the find a Romeo and Juliet story playing out before their eyes. They just have to get involved!
This is the end to the Half-Breed series? This?? Okay. If you must. I can't believe Dunbar chose to spend the entire last book in this series on a story not about Amber and Irix. Author's prerogative though, I guess.
I wasn't over eager to get into the nitty gritty of winemaking. I guess I'm sort of glad that isn't what I got. Still not happy though. This book is pretty much 10% Amber and Irix, 10% sex, and 80% watching two teenagers fall in love and fight their families for their love. I just cannot fathom why Dunbar decided to turn to what is the most standard tale of all time. The fact that they're not human doesn't make it any better.
The only interesting part of the book was figuring out what the lovebird dumbasses were. It kept me going for a while, at least. Dunbar did do a good job of laying out the mystery, so I won't spoil it. That is basically the only good part of the book, after all.
Nope, I'm going back to it. Why in the hell is this a Romeo and Juliet story instead of a story about Amber and Irix?! This is the last book of the series! AAAAA
The little air time spent actually on on Amber and Irix was put to good use, though. It builds their relationship better than I would have expected from the way their relationship started. They actively talk about what is in store for them in their future.
Overall, severely disappointed that this is the ending to this series. I just don't understand.
January 13, 2020
There's romance, sarcastic humor, mystery, and murder - what's there not to like?
Amber and Irix continue their adventures in Italy - a place where wine matures to heavenlike nectar. And so does Irix's and Amber's relationship.
I loved how the focus in this book was a dramatic vendetta (that's much more complicated than it seems at first), but we still get to see how Irix's and Amber's love grows stronger.
There was one thing that I got a bit of upset with: the constant explanation of the characters and their backgrounds/compelling parts of their persona. I understand that one might forget that they are demons/half-demons/elfs/came from Hel, but is it necessary to read how Amber feels judged by people because they don't know that she feeds off sexual energy 15 freaking times??
The first book blew me away, the second one extended my expectations about it, the or 2.5th was quite disappointing - quite short, but very essential for the plot, 3rd one was really good, but a bit of "same old, same old" and now this one brought the old charm back! I am silently hoping that Debra changes her mind and continues with this series.
Amber and Irix continue their adventures in Italy - a place where wine matures to heavenlike nectar. And so does Irix's and Amber's relationship.
I loved how the focus in this book was a dramatic vendetta (that's much more complicated than it seems at first), but we still get to see how Irix's and Amber's love grows stronger.
There was one thing that I got a bit of upset with: the constant explanation of the characters and their backgrounds/compelling parts of their persona. I understand that one might forget that they are demons/half-demons/elfs/came from Hel, but is it necessary to read how Amber feels judged by people because they don't know that she feeds off sexual energy 15 freaking times??
The first book blew me away, the second one extended my expectations about it, the or 2.5th was quite disappointing - quite short, but very essential for the plot, 3rd one was really good, but a bit of "same old, same old" and now this one brought the old charm back! I am silently hoping that Debra changes her mind and continues with this series.
December 5, 2017
I had a hard time with this book, probably because it is the end of a great series. If you haven't read books 1 - 4, do that. They ate awesome as well but then it's Debra Dunbar… of course it is awesome.
About this one? I can't believe Amber and Irix are so clueless! I mean it is obvious the "bad guys" are… oops, I think I won't mention that. Let's see if you figure it out. As for the rest of it? Love story, make that two of them. A little mystery and some drama, and some really great writing, and some really detailed descriptions of what sounds like beautiful country. Everything about it is typical for this author - 5 stars plus!
Minor warning: If really hot sex scenes (absolutely NOT porn) are a problem, be prepared to skip a couple of paragraphs. They're not in bad taste but they're there. Just saying…
About this one? I can't believe Amber and Irix are so clueless! I mean it is obvious the "bad guys" are… oops, I think I won't mention that. Let's see if you figure it out. As for the rest of it? Love story, make that two of them. A little mystery and some drama, and some really great writing, and some really detailed descriptions of what sounds like beautiful country. Everything about it is typical for this author - 5 stars plus!
Minor warning: If really hot sex scenes (absolutely NOT porn) are a problem, be prepared to skip a couple of paragraphs. They're not in bad taste but they're there. Just saying…
November 24, 2017
One of my favorite series
I really enjoy the "Imp" series. Debra Dunbar is one of my favorite authors. Her characters are complex and the stories are not predictable. This is the last of the off shoot series involving Amber, a half elf / half succubus demon , young lady and Irix, her inccubus, boyfriend. Together they tackle Italy and become involved in a fued between dragons. Very fun read, especially since Ms. Dunbar did her research on Italy.
I really enjoy the "Imp" series. Debra Dunbar is one of my favorite authors. Her characters are complex and the stories are not predictable. This is the last of the off shoot series involving Amber, a half elf / half succubus demon , young lady and Irix, her inccubus, boyfriend. Together they tackle Italy and become involved in a fued between dragons. Very fun read, especially since Ms. Dunbar did her research on Italy.
August 19, 2018
Excellent As Always
I really love the half -breed series, and everything Debra Dunbar writes. This was set in Lake Comp and I do want to go there now! We get more Amber and Irix in this gorgeous setting, and there are more supernatural beings that have treasured this gorgeous locale. It's a great story and I loved it.
I really love the half -breed series, and everything Debra Dunbar writes. This was set in Lake Comp and I do want to go there now! We get more Amber and Irix in this gorgeous setting, and there are more supernatural beings that have treasured this gorgeous locale. It's a great story and I loved it.
February 8, 2019
Dragons!!m
Amber and Irix go to Italy for her to take a seminar and maybe a job. She rents a Villa and they meet two families. Turns out they have been feuding for thousands of years. Read to see what happens.
Amber and Irix go to Italy for her to take a seminar and maybe a job. She rents a Villa and they meet two families. Turns out they have been feuding for thousands of years. Read to see what happens.
September 7, 2020
Good series
I love Amber, and watching her grow, watching Irix grow as well. But these just weren’t quite as much fun as the Imp series, with Sam and all her antics. Still, a good series, 3.5 stars for the series, 3 for this book. For me, that means I enjoyed it, would recommend.
I love Amber, and watching her grow, watching Irix grow as well. But these just weren’t quite as much fun as the Imp series, with Sam and all her antics. Still, a good series, 3.5 stars for the series, 3 for this book. For me, that means I enjoyed it, would recommend.
February 12, 2021
Love!!
Love all the books in the Imp series and all it’s off shoots. Looking forward to more to continue the series:) Especially with the baby angels and hopefully a peace that reunites all the angels!!
Love all the books in the Imp series and all it’s off shoots. Looking forward to more to continue the series:) Especially with the baby angels and hopefully a peace that reunites all the angels!!
February 20, 2021
Noooooo... is wait be!!!!
It can't be the last in the series! I NEED more! I'm far too addicted to this series to go cold turkey! Please ms Dunbar, pretty please make this a 30 book series at least!
It can't be the last in the series! I NEED more! I'm far too addicted to this series to go cold turkey! Please ms Dunbar, pretty please make this a 30 book series at least!
November 20, 2017
It's a VERY slow start. The meat of the book doesn't really get started until nearly the halfway point. Prior to that, it's a big setup for a play on Romeo and Juliet. This book is much more of a mystery than an action book like the others. What I like about this store is the solution isn't one that can be powered through, it required empathy, intuition, intelligence, and bravery to pull off.
November 27, 2017
Please don’t end
I loved this series hopefully there will be more added on I fell in love. With all the characters in this book
I loved this series hopefully there will be more added on I fell in love. With all the characters in this book
July 4, 2021
Wo!
So much wine information in the books! I have no understanding of wine, except that I like to drink it! Moving on!
So much wine information in the books! I have no understanding of wine, except that I like to drink it! Moving on!
April 6, 2019
At the end of the series I finally really like it. She finally comes into her own and no longer fights it. This had more of the humor also, which was missing from the first 2 books.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews