My name is Ace Bissett, and I used to think magic was a hoax. Now I’ve got four dark, sexy gargoyles at my beck and call, magic bursting from my fingertips, and a curse that’s proving ridiculously hard to break. Juggling all of that would be a challenge on its own, but when you add in my day job as a detective? It’s almost impossible.
But all of that stuff is the least of my worries. A new threat has risen in my city, and it looks like the murderer is going after anyone with an interest in the occult. That makes me the perfect person to stop him…but also the perfect target. And the deeper I dig, the more I realize that this isn’t an accident. The murderer is trying to get my attention, and if I don’t unmask him soon, this could be the end for not just me, but the four gargoyles who have become more important to me than life itself…
I love how these books blend the mystery and action of police detective work alongside hot and steamy reverse harem romance, and a big dose of magical intrigue. Can't get enough of Ace and her men...
This is possibly better than book 1 and I’m hanging out for the next one. Ths four guys are given distinctive personalities which give each of them equally differing relationships with Ace. The streamlining plot thickens as the strain of the story comes together so I can not wait to get stuck in.
Absolutely loving this series. Kissed my night the second book in a series of four.
Emma stark keeps the pace in this story, gripping the reader and making it hard to put down. I read this book in less than 24 hours then flew onto book 3.
Detective ace Bissett our lead character, loveable, strong she is just perfect. Loving the relationship between Ace and the Guys. The sex scenes are steamy and fab.
This is a good story and has lots of action. The love story seems kind of forced and other time it seems like it is flowing. I can't figure out why that is. I love the characters and the way the story is progressing with the witches side. I can't wait to find out the family side though and I'm sure it will be wicked.
honestly, ace is annoying. let's just get that out there. the writer has fair writing ability but the story is overwhelmed by cliche. book #1 already set the bar low with every sexist romantic introduction ever: "i'm not a virgin- so i'm not a prude. but i'm virgin adjacent and had bad sex- so i'm shy being a slut. plus! the big strong man (in this case men) have so much experience whoring so they're ribbed for my pleasure." Ugh! In any case, I find myself frustrated reading a book from a "smart" character's point of view but she gets dumbed down specifically to further the plot. That just defeats the point of being smart. Why even bother? She could just as easily be a dumb chick that just lucks out. I do understand that I am a reader and not the character but that point is especially moot given the supposed capabilities of said character. to reiterate, it's cliched. There's also so little interest, even between characters who are lovers that the sex scenes are just too much. If those were reduced or removed, maybe more writing could have been done to naturally progress the relationships to believability. Like maybe they could have included Ace using a copier to start copying her precious grimoire- or use the phone she takes homicide notes on to take pictures. Maybe after the first time she almost lost it, she'd put it away more safely. Maybe, being a homicide detective might give her more observation/self-preservation skills and paranoia so that she might not be so simple to take advantage of. she is also very illogically/irrationally obsessed with her crime solving ability and her "duty". All in all, the books so far seem generic and an attempt to cash in on a very profitable market. I just expected more from a writer like this.
*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received from the author*
It's a 3.5 - 3.7 for me. Story-wise, I thought the story was better than the first installment. Now that they've all got a sense of their relationship, this book was able to focus on other things more, like her magic and learning how to better deal with it, and her work, like the new case that just seems too weird but so up her alley. Getting into this was hard at first because in my mind, she's a good detective who's relied on her gut a lot, but for whatever reason, she just decided to not listen to any of it. It made everything with the bad guy seem extremely obvious. I do think I appreciate her cynicism with the paranormal despite living with four samples of proof. Five, if you count herself. I actually thought it pretty funny that she could still be so cynical when she's wielding fire hands a few chapters later.
I liked the guys and her time with them. I do wish the romance was stretched a little, strengthened a little. It's almost insta and she's still such a hard person to get to really know (or I mean she was in the last book) so it left me a little wanting when she'd think about how great life is with these men who are now in her life. Nonetheless, I'd recommend this if you like gargoyles and doing some detective work.Her line of logic was a little confusing to follow, but that's just me lol.
Kissed by Night: a Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Her Dark Protectors Book 2) Kindle Edition by Jada Storm (Author), Emma Stark (Author), Jasmine Walt (Author) I borrowed this book from the Kindle Unlimited program and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Let me say, it is probably Disney's fault, but I love Gargoyles. I love, love, love them. I also love the Knights Templar, so yeah, this series is pretty much my jam.
Ace is THE detective to go to when there is something weird or occult is involved in a murder. She used to be the world's greatest skeptic, always, ALWAYS finding a rational explanation. That is until she inherited her aunt's ancient mansion and awoke four guardian Gargoyles.
Now that she has come to terms with the fact that the supernatural can and does exist, her life has fallen into a pattern. Until she is called to what looks like a murder scene, walls painted with strange symbols under layer after layer of blood. Something doesn't seem to be quite right. Nor does the next murder scene she is called to, where the wrong symbols are used.
Not only does she have more crimes to solve than gargoyles, she has a teen age neighbor who can't keep his nose out of her business and his camera off her men.
Her men, by night and her gargoyles, by day have come to enjoy the twentieth century and come to love her. She wants nothing more than to free them of their curse. And in trying to do so, she finds out more about her family than she ever wanted to.
With the police procedural of LKH and the hot, smexy time of a RH of Rebecca Royce, this book couldn't possibly better. I can't wait to hop into book three!
Ace Bissett no longer thinks magic is a hoax but has to pretend it still is even though she has four hot gargoyles who will do anything for her and has magic at her fingertips. However she is trying to find the cure to the gargoyles' curse while also working as a homicide detective. Then life gets even more complicated when I new threat is in the city and the murderer is going for anyone who has anyone who is interested in or connected to the occult and Ace is the person who has to find them. Ace then realises that the murderer is actually trying to get her attention and if she doesn't find them soon even the gargoyles could be in danger - which Ace is now realising have become more important to her than life.
This was an action packed instalment to the Dark Protectors series which got much closer to all that Ace holds dear. The story covered a lot of thought by Ace about life, priorities and what was really important to her - which I'm sure we could all do with ourselves. I loved the action, drama and danger in the story and how it was written so that you wondered if this was the end only for something to happen and them to live to fight (and love) another day. The writing was good and I found it easy to read the story and pick up the emotions that the characters were feeling during some of the times where deep thought was involved about their past, present and future.
Sometimes I’ve never exactly sure what to say and that is case here, and that’s not a bad thing in this case as I really, really enjoyed this one. The book was better than the first one, which I also really enjoyed, I loved the interaction with the men in Ace’s life, and the mystery in the book was icing on the cake. Yes, I sort of knew what was happening with the mystery but not all elements of it. I like that we get to see Ace doing her job. One tiny thing did bother me a tiny bit in this book was Ace’s friendship with Gemma. I have to really subtle about this because I don’t want to give away spoilers, but I like it when women in reverse harems have women friends. Then it’s not all about their relationship with the men. How this friendship progressed at the end bothered me a little because of that. Really, that’s all I can say without spoilers. That aside, I really enjoyed this one and I do recommend and can’t wait to see what will come next with Ace trying to expand her magic! I was provided a complimentary copy of the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily.
Cursed by Night, Book 1: When Detective Acelina Bissett, better known as Ace, inherits a big old house from an aunt she'd never heard of, she wasn't expecting to inherit four big old gargoyles that come to life at night along with it. Jacques, Hasan, Thomas and Gilbert are just as surprised to be woken up as she is to find them shirtless in her front yard just after sunset. There are a lot more surprising things in this world that she wasn't expecting as well. Time to reevaluate herself and everything she thought she ever knew. Who better to help than her new found gargoyles, who were Templar Knights before being cursed about a thousand years ago? So continues the story of Ace and Her Dark Protectors. Each book finds them facing a new enemy, a new mystery for this feisty detective to solve. Will it be human or paranormal? Will it end with her getting the bad guy? Great writing, wonderful characters and a very imaginative story line. Read and enjoy!
I really struggled to get through this. I want to like this series and I want to like Ace, but it’s all missing something.
The sex scenes are repetitive. These people have the same sex over and over. If you’re going to have a reverse harem, there needs to be some bedroom personality to keep it interesting.
Ace keeps ignoring her police instincts throughout this book, which I do not understand. The interesting part about Ace as a MC is that she’s this badass cop with awesome detective instincts. She ended up bland and frustrating in this book because it took away the best part of her.
The murder mystery aspect was also bland. I think this book gets really hamstrung by the fact that the gargoyles can’t go out in the day, leaving Ace alone. She needs a partner or some kind of interaction to make the daytime hours more interesting.
I doubt I’ll continue with this series after this book. Too much of a slog.
So I found this series by accident through Facebook. Received the first book free and just had to keep reading. So each book has a hook that makes you want to keep reading til the end. I’m just thankful it ended happily. Ace Lina is a police officer that lives for her job. When she was a child she lost her parents tragically. Her whole life she feared of getting close to someone and losing them so work was it. She inherits a large historical house from an aunt she has never met. And that is when her life changes forever. Magic, gargoyles, vampires, and anything else paranormal you can think of is all in here. Definitely recommend it. It’s a great series. The journey made me laugh and cry. Characters are really full of personalities that make you reach out and want to hug them. Plenty of sexy time too. Read and enjoy!
I was hoping that there would be more character development in this second book of the Dark Protectors series. Unfortunately the characters are as unknown and one dimensional as they were in the beginning of the first book. The reader keeps being reminded that Ace is a great cop and detective who is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Yet, whenever there is an action scene and Ace needs to rely on her years of defensive training, she invariably makes some miscalculation and gets knocked unconscious. Instead of concentrating on developing a backstory for Ace and her Templar Knights, we have this convoluted storyline to plod through. There are some amusing moments and some suspense but nothing particularly outstanding. Overall, this is an okay read but definitely not a great one.
This tale gets more exciting as it progresses. Ace has now started learning magic with the help of one of her cursed gargoyle lovers. A new murderer is on the loose making the murders look like a satanic cult is behind the deaths. Ace finally meets a friend, but is she really? Someone is out to get her and it is unclear who. After the ghoul attack, an answer needs to be found. Can Ace catch the sicko killer or will she end up dead herself? Well, spoiler alert, she is still alive and kicking, but with more questions than answers. Looking forward to book three now some things can be brought to light. Good boo!
Wow! So incredibly good! I love Ace and her no holds barred attitude. She’s so open to the multiple men aspect and even admits to dating more than one person to a friend she barely knows. I loved that! The story had me hooked! Ace is a little famous after solving the vampire murders and locking up the “killer”. On the heels of this another serial killer starts targeting her town. We start to learn more about the curse and ace’s family history along with the guys history in this book and it added so much to the story. I cannot wait to read book 3! To learn more about the dark ones and what is up with Ace’s family
2.5 stars. Written like a rough draft. Too many unnecessary sex scenes that slowed down the story or were just dumb (ie. right after getting an almost fatal wound). The romance and I love you's came way too quickly. All the event felt disconnected. Not enough plot or info about anything. Ace continues being always tired and she's constantly sleeping. I like the concept of the story so since these are so short I'll probably continue reading just to find out what happens next. This series has 4 books and I'm starting to feel like maybe with a little bit of effort, and more revisions, this series could have been neatly wrapped up in max 2 books...
I really enjoyed the first book in the series. In the first, Ace explained cop's intuition and how she always followed her's. Cut to this installment and she blatantly ignores her intuition, repeatedly. And every cop knows there's no such thing as a coincidence, yet Ace just chalks everything up to one. AND the guys she's with, "men" who admittedly spent many years fighting supernatural creatures and who vow to protect her just brush it off too....
Otherwise the plot was good. Predictable but good. Giving it 4 stars instead of the 3 I think it really deserves because when there is action, of any kind, it's well done.
You'll want to get comfy when you read this book, it's just so captivating. Ace is intelligent, brave, focused, strong and determined. I love how she's exploring her new abilities and her gargoyles are only too glad to help. Ace is called in to solve multiple strange murders and she won't quit until she brings the killer to justice, not even when her life is threatened. This book has action, romance, magic, sex, danger, adventure, gargoyles, murders, suspense and ghouls. I love this series!
This book was better then the first. But it was not a 5 star book either. I love everything in the books. But I have to say , the chemistry is not always there. Sure , the I love you's were said but you don't really feel the love. And I am all for chemistry. I read all kind of different genres : fantasy, mystery, suspense, thriller, contemporary and so on. But the one thing they all have in common is : Romance .. So the chemistry is a big deal for me and this series lacks that. But they aren't bad books. They keep my interest so ..
Ace just inherited her aunt's house, along with the 4 cursed gargoyles there. Turns out she's a witch, even though she doesn't believe in that, and she might be able to help them break their curse. But in the meantime she needs to track down the also real vampires that are killing people.
This wasn't terrible. I just didn't like the whole thing where Ace had flashbacks that she was one of the gargoyles ex girlfriends. That was a little off putting and kinda ruined it for me. I don't think I will read any more of this series.
4 stars for Kissed by the Night by Jasmine Walt and Emma Stark. This is book 2 in the Her Dark Protectors series. Ace now knows that magic is real and now has 4 gargoyle protectors. The only problem is they are cursed and Ace knows they need to break the curse. I am loving how the relationship is building between Ace and with each one of her Gargoyles. I liked this book more than book 1. For me it had more depth than the first book. It does end is sort of cliff hanger. I am starting book 3 now.
I enjoyed this book. It's really awesome to see how the guys are helping her to develop her powers. It's cool to see Ace embrace her powers and try to figure out how to break the guys curse. I like how there is case involved with the story that is furthering the story line. I though that her new friend was in on what was going on with the ghouls. I'm curious where the neighbor thing is going to go. Like how far are they going to let his curiosity go. I'm really liking the story though and that cliffhanger! I can't wait for the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Note: I received an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed book 2 in the series. I loved seeing the relationships of these characters evolve and deepen.
I enjoyed the overall story, had you in on the mystery that our heroine is trying to solve.
I won’t spoil anything - but know, it’s just as good as the first book. This has become one of my fav series by the authors so far. Great for any paranormal romance fan.
If you haven’t read the first book, you should pick up a copy and then read this one. You won’t be disappointed.
*I received an ARC copy of this book. Kissed by Night was a great sequel to the Her Dark Protectors series. It has action, mystery and a good dose of steam. Ace is finally starting to figure things out and is getting answers to some of her questions, though there are still those that remain unanswered. Her relationships with her gargoyles continue to develop and she also tried to make a friend. There was a fairly mild cliffhanger at the end and I need to know what happens next.
This book focuses in a string of seemingly religiously motivated murders. Ace also makes a friend, which is new for her.
Ace is one of my favorite female leads. She’s strong, but learning how to show vulnerability to her guys. She grows as the books progress, as do her guys. How can you not love her warrior, scholar, and fun, hot twins? I adore this world and cannot wait for more books.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.
Jasmine never disappoints and this book is no different. Homicide detective Ace is at it again when occult ritual murders get her attention, all while she is trying to break the curse and learn how to master her magic. Another amazing story line that keeps you on your toes and constantly guessing but with some foreshadowing to what is to happen. Super steamy. Can’t wait to find out what happens next after a surprising ending.
I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest The characters + storytelling were very captivating This is the 2nd book in the Dark Protectors series. We are still following the adventures of Ace Bissett and her gargoyles. This book is packed w/ action, drama, danger, sex, and much more. The storytelling + the character's build were awesome! It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book! I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Wow! This book was fantastic. I love Ace, she's smart, strong, and capable. And has really grown, and learned to open up more. She cares about the people in her life, and her romantic partners. Who are smoking hot, and really care about her. The intimate scenes are electric, and really well written. I pretty much loved Everything about this book! I'm so ready for book 3!!