Fractured Souls

Hellbent Halo #1

by E.A. Copen

He rescued the devil’s daughter, but Hell isn’t celebrating…

Rogue wizard Josiah Quinn never met a rule he wouldn’t break. Even though he knows he’ll face plenty of backlash from both good and evil, he braves the fires of Hell to spring Satan’s captive daughter. But before they return to their lives, he’s got to track down the missing pieces of her soul…

As he attempts to unite the fragmented spirit of the succubus by his side, Josiah has one little problem: a power-hungry wizard aiming to rule the underworld. And since that handsome devil also happens to be his old flame, fighting to protect millions of innocent lives is like battling his own heart.

With New York City in the crossfire, can Josiah pull off the impossible before all Hell breaks loose?

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, M M Romance, Fantasy, LGBT

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2019

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fractured Souls: An Urban Fantasy Thriller (Hellbent Halo Book 1) by E.A. Copen is a book I requested and the review is voluntary. A fast and exciting fantasy with great characters and plot. A succubus, who is the devil's daughter, a troll, angels, a nephilim, a power hunger mage, a magical tarantula, shape shifters, demons, and far all have a part in this thrilling ride! Can't wait to see where this takes us! This book has multiple people trying to kill the Belgium and the devil's daughter. The Devil is dead and the power grab is tempting too many! Full fantasy! Loved the air and interaction between characters!

[KC · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoever tagged this book as a MM Romance needs to re-check their definition of MM Romance. This was not a MM Romance by any stretch of the imagination. The only thing remotely MM about this book was that one MC had a childhood romantic interest in the male Antagonist of the story. That is not MM Romance if those two characters don't develop a relationship throughout the story and I come to a happy ending at the end of or at least some kind of resolution that doesn't involve the MC killing the Antagonist. Even the audio narration of this book was a male and a female with so much Hetro Sexual tension that I was gagging on it. So short story is don't read this book unless you are ok with an MF urban romance story with a backstory that involved the MC having a romantic relationship with the male Antagonist of the book. Now that I've got that out of the way. I loved the concept of this story. With all the wizards and spells that were being thrown around. If I was into MF Romance I would've been drooling over the relationship that developed between the MC and the Succubus. I'm considering reading the second book just for kick and giggles to see if this ever does truly turn into a MM romance at all or if I'm just going to be disappointed with the rest of of the second book.

[KMart Vet · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fractured Souls" by E.A. Copen dives into the world of rogue wizard Josiah Quinn, a rule-defying magician who plunges into Hell to rescue Satan's captive daughter. As they embark on a perilous journey to mend her fractured soul, Josiah faces not only the wrath of the underworld but also an old flame-turned-power-hungry wizard, threatening to plunge New York City into chaos.

So listen, this is basically an Aussie John Constantine. He's smarmy, annoying, insufferable, and annoyingly charming. He's a disaster and Khalida is too good for him, despite being a succubus. The heart of the story is their unconventional partnership. The characters are punctuated by the flawed yet captivating charm of its characters. I discovered that it is actually a spin-off of another series, which makes absolute sense. It is clear that this was a fan favorite and thus snagged his own book.

[Alisa]

TOD.....1 hour & 15 minutes in to the audiobook

First of this was labeled m/m romance which it's not even close to being. It's a (maybe?) m/f urban fantasy.

The male narrator is just ok. The female narrator is terrible.

None of the characters are likable at all.

The main character seems to be trying to have a Sandman Slim vibe but he's not entertaining at all. Just a misogynistic, obnoxious douche canoe.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fractured Souls - a review by Rosemary Kenny

A spin-off from EA Copen's excellent Lazarus Codex one, Fractured Souls is no 1 in the Hellbent Halo series. Its main characters are rogue Australian nephilim mage, Josiah Quinn, who has moved to New York city, with his familiar Millie - a magical tarantula - and Khalida Morningstar, a succubus who just happens to also be the (late) Devil's daughter, captured by a contender for the throne of Hell.
Josiah's quest is to brave the demons, trolls, shape-shifters, a Winter Knight and along with some angel interaction, rescue Khalida and find the missing pieces of her soul, so they can enjoy the rest of their lives and a burgeoning relationship between them - simple really!?!!

If you liked the Lazarus novels, you're sure to love Josiah and Khalida's paranormal fantasy romance, which explains each's background from the Lazarus series - how they came to know each other, who they were with before, (Josiah's trying to avoid his ex while rescuing Khaleda) and makes them even more interesting going forward. There's plenty of humor, no gratuitous sex scenes, wit galore and a soupcon of sarkiness that mixes really well to give a satisfying whole you'll definitely want to read much more of. Go get Fractured Souls and be prepared to be thrilled and amazed - it's a winner!

[Belinda McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero Josiah Quinn was introduced in the Lazurus Codex series, (and nearly stole the show) and thankfully, he's getting his own series.

Josiah is a powerful wizard with some secrets, including a carpet bag that would put Mary Poppins to shame. He's fresh from rescuing Satan's daughter from hell, and now feels this pesky obligation to help her recover the missing parts of her soul. He's a great anti-hero character, verging on amoral, but with a code of conduct that tends to be inconvenient.

There's a strong plot here, with a mega-powerful (and truly amoral) sorcerer out to destroy New York for his own ends. This fellow just happens to be an important person from Josiah's long-ago past.

I found Josiah's discomfort with his bisexuality a little whimsical, given his absolute disregard for norms. It was a little unclear if the conflict was due to the object of his attraction, or his personal discomfort with his sexuality. Its a good little glitch to give Josiah, because he's so comfortable in his own skin. It was fun to see him being a bit discombobulated!

Normally, I'm not big on magic in books, just not my thing. But I do like the world she's created and how magic is managed here.

If you like your UF with flawed heroes, tough heroines, sentient spiders and enough action to bring down tall buildings, you might want to check this one out!

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a little effort to get into. In truth, none of the characters are very likeable, which is usually really important to me... but I guess they sort of grow on you. Most of the time, Josiah acts like a complete jerk... but in his own strange way, he does actually care.

There's potential, and I am mildly curious to see where the series goes... but it wasn't the complete escape I might have liked.

[Susan1566 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josiah Quinn is a powerful rogue wizard as well a Nephilim, half fallen angel, half human, and the regular angels want him dead. That’s easier said than done.
He has just rescued Khalida Morningstar, a succubus and the dead king of the Devils daughter. She’s not recovering from the torture she received in Hell so Josiah is trying to help.
Josiah is not a really likeable character, he’s rude, violent, strange, seemingly uncaring. Khalida isn’t that nice either, she’s ungrateful, rude and bossy. They don’t seem to like each other but that could be deceiving, I haven’t decided yet.
While trying to get false papers for Khalida, Daniel, a wizard from Josiah’s past appears. They have a very convoluted association; they are both ex-lovers and friends as well as enemies. Of course, Daniel wants to become the new king of Hell and is hoping to rekindle whatever he had with Josiah or maybe kill him.
There is a lot of action, suspense, surprises, and a bit of humour.
I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would but I liked it enough that I will continue on.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this first book in the new noir, urban fantasy series by EA Copen, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
More dark & brooding than the Lazarus series, but still with great MCs & storyline to grab you & take you on a magical, supernatural humdinger of a tale.
Josiah, a nephallim wizard & Kheleda, the Devil's rescued daughter & a succubus; together with trolls, magic spiders, witches, mafioso-like God sect, a Winter Knight & a plethora of other brilliant paranormal characters show up along the way. Our good? guys try to stop a cataclysmic event being activated by Danny, a once very close friend of Josiah's, & also searching & retrieving Kheleda's missing part of her soul!
Loved Reggie & Milly, & how the 2 MCs develop & learn to like? & tentatively start to trust each other as the whole exciting story unfolds. Hope book 2 is soon to follow so we can find out how Noelle survived her 'fall' & how Josiah & Kheleda settle into their new 'employment' together!
Highly recommend you give this a read - you'll also be 'hellbent' on following this series too!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fractured Souls is Book 1 in the Hellbent Halo series. I loved this book with its unique story line. This is an excellently written story with exceptionally well developed characters especially Josiah (our rogue wizard) and Khalida (the Devil's daughter). Author E.A. Copen has taken us on a roller coaster ride that will keep you glued to the pages and continually turning them to the end and wanting more. There are many fantastic characters/creatures: a troll, angels, magical tarantula, demons, shape shifters, a power hunger mage who all contribute to this thrilling ride. If you want an action packed adventure with fantastic characters, then I highly recommend Fractured Souls. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Sharon Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark and twisty first in series urban fantasy novel with a couple of intriguing main characters. As a starter novel there was a whole world being established here but this didn't slow down the plot at all. For me the story really took off once the succubus character was introduced, whom I found myself more easily sympathising with as Josiah is an anti-hero type with few redeeming qualities. I loved the inclusion of Milly too, who added some humour to the mix. Highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy!

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this dark urban fantasy about Josiah who is a rogue wizard and an Australian yay who breaks every rule he can, he also has a pretty foul mouth and he’s bloody funny. In this story Josiah rescues Satan’s daughter Khalida who is a succubus, Josiah needs to help Khalida find her shattered soul. There’s also a magic spider well it’s a tarantula and his enemies that want him dead now what more could you want?. This is an amazing story and I can’t wait to see what E.A. Copen brings out next in this series and I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but this book was not interesting to me. I did not get past chapter 2, I maybe should of read further and it could have got better. I felt it was very slow and boring. It probably will be someone else's type of book. Again sorry for this review, but it is just my opinion, I like action suspense and more. I received a free copy for my honest review.

[Kari]

It's nice to run across a book with bi representation, but I wasn't feeling it. To me it read like a lot of other urban fantasy books, and this isn't the book's fault, but I've read so many over the years that a new urban fantasy series has to be exceptional for me to want to continue - I'm urban fantasy-d out.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with a very unusual hero who is kind of pushed into being a hero and complains and says he isn't the entire time. He certainly isn't your typical hero, but he saves an awful lot of people.

[C.H. Knyght · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of Copen’s so far! Well worth the read if you’re into urban fantasy. Extra points for unusual pets. ;)

[Amy Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting new series

This is a great spin off series starring two of my favorite characters. Exciting and fun! I'm ready for the next book!

[Aleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked from the first pages! Love the characters and the action!

[Audrey Cienki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a slow start and I only kind of liked the characters. But the plot is interesting and I will give book 2 a try.

[Diane Dannenfeldt · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNA - This reads like a m/f & not m/m.

[Throstur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple but fun

[Jenny Saul-Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I wasn't sure if I liked Josiah and was wondering if I'd regret my decision to listen. He initially came off as a bit of a callous, self-centered womanizer. As the book progressed though, it was possible to see that there was a lot more to him - not to say that he's the sweetest guy on Earth, but he definitely grew on me. (There are a couple of fun characters, including a talking tarantula. The talking tarantula was honestly the character that made me decide to continue on with the book when I wasn't sure if Josiah was someone I'd want to get to know).

The book is told in alternating first person POV, between Josiah and Khaleda Morningstar, a succubus he rescued from Hell just prior to the start of this book. Khaleda also frequently thought Josiah was a bit of a bastard too, even if he did rescue her. It was interesting seeing the contrast between what Josiah had going on in his head vs. what Khaleda thought he had going on in his head, (and vice versa). Khaleda definitely had her own issues, trauma to process, and flaws too. Although some readers might find miscommunication and misunderstanding tiresome, an ability to communicate well would not have been realistic for these two characters.

This book isn't a romance between Josiah and Khaleda though, even if (at the risk of a spoiler), there is a small amount of sex. (Khaleda is a succubus afterall). Instead, their relationship is a semi-reluctant allyship while they figure out how to tolerate one another and deal with their own internal issues in the midst of a rather large crisis. A part of the story that is almost a romance is one between Josiah and Daniel - all I'll say about that is that their feelings and interactions are seriously complicated and not exactly warm and fuzzy much of the time. Some people have a god complex - Daniel leans toward the other side, you might say.

As the book progressed, along with Josiah becoming more likeable, (at least I found him so), and Khaleda getting her head on straight, the suspense grew for the overall story arc too. I did not like when I had to stop listening for real life, because I wanted to see how things played out.

I had been meaning to read this book for some time, but I hadn't had a chance to get through all of the preceding Lazarus Codex books. I love audio books, (and find it easier to complete them while multitasking), so when this book came out on audio, I decided to take a chance and skip ahead. Having done so now, I definitely want to go back now to that series. This is not to say that I couldn't follow what was going on, but I think it would have added something.

With regard to the narration for the audio, the chapters from Josiah's POV have a male narrator (Cowlrick) and Khaleda's have a female narrator (DeWard). I personally found this jarring, as Cowlrick's voice for Khaleda was nothing like DeWard's voice, and DeWard's Australian accent left something to be desired, at least for me. I felt that Cowlrick did the various male characters' voices very well - I enjoyed those portions of the narration quite a bit, and for that, I would not hesitate to listen to another book with him narrating. (I will say that his female voices were on the deep side & I can't decide if they were good or bad, since DeWard's female voices were so incredibly different and it might have thrown off my perception). I might even listen to the next book, now that I've gotten used to the narration. For my own sanity, I decided to view it as Josiah telling the story from his point of view and Khaleda doing the same - and each mimicking the other characters' voices as one might do in real life.

All that being said, I definitely will be reading - or listening to - the next book. (And I've already started Lazarus Codex again to catch up.)

[Leigh Brooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep I'm in love again, with another rough around the edges male character
that I simply adored from the first chapter. Josiah comes across as selfish, stubborn and has a couple of surprises up his sleeve (no spoilers from me) that I simply could not get enough of, plus he has a gooey side when it comes to his pet tarantula which I thought was cute. Which brings me to the other character I loved.
If I like my men in books to be flawed, I just love me a strong female character who can hold their own and be totally kick ass, and Khaleda had that in spades. She might of seemed 'weak' at the beginning of the story but by the end you knew she was anything but. I also like how the story is divided into the two main characters POV within the chapters so you get a sense of who they are rather than just the one characters view on that person. And of course Josiah's and Khaleda's verbal sparring matches were vastly entertaining.

I will definitely be continuing this series to see how it all ends up, and be hopeful for a happy ending. A girl can dream right?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark urban fantasy 5-book series with LGBT+ MCs — purposely unlikeable/challenging MCs. The audiobooks are voiced by two, then three (enter Greg Tremblay) narrators. Since the series starts with male and female narrators alternately voicing their own POVs (including each other's dialogue), I suspect some readers with assume this is m/f, but the main relationship is m/m (bi/gay). The female MC is a succubus and omni-sexual. As others have noted this is not a romance, but there is a romance in the story. Intimate scenes between the two male MCs (in Book 2) are for the most part fade-to-black.

I purchased the audiobooks during a sale and midway through Book 2 realized that the female MC's voicing of the Aussie male MC was distracting me from the story, so I'm now alternating between the audiobooks and ebooks.

The story starts out darker and gets darker...

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best..

I like the author, just not really sure about this story. From TurbOTax series, this is not who Josiah was. The love scenes with Danny were too confusing and really didn't need to be part of this book. The part of our succubus was pretty well ignored. Did she get her soul back of what happen rd with that? This could have been so much better without the fluff stuff...