Deep in the cave kingdom of Nightendale, a vampire king holds me captive.
The deal with King Ravage seemed simple: become his blood consort for a year and all my debts would be absolved. I had no way to know of the steep price I would pay.
Daily feedings. Constant surveillance. For one night I will be his possession... mind, body, and soul.
Returning to the life of a vampire consort should have been easy. Yet I ache for the touch of the three lovers I was ripped away from. As the night with the vampire king looms, I suspect our devil’s bargain serves a darker purpose. If I hope to escape, I must act fast and know he will hunt me to the ends of the earth.
But my time in captivity has changed me. A dark power is rising within me that thirsts for vampire blood. Whatever this malicious threat is, it connects me with the king’s cruel mind. How do I escape a man who can find me in the shadows of my dreams?
The Fire & Blood series, written by Alexa B. James, is an 18+ Reverse Harem Romance weaved together by secrets, fangs, and passion. This is a full-length novel.
Alexa B. James is the contemporary romance pen name for a 2-time USA Today Bestselling author of YA paranormal romance.
Alexa is a mom, wife, librarian, and country girl at heart. When she's not pounding away on her keyboard, you can find her in her garden, chasing chickens around the yard, or holed up under a blanket with a cup of coffee and a book with lots of kissing. She loves romance novels of every variety (why choose?) and plans to publish more this year.
We continue the story pretty much right after the first instalment. Kori is trapped by King Ravage and only by agreeing to a consort contract can she reduce her 'sentence' to a year. The world is still dark and gritty with clear and well-detailed descriptions of all environments. Which, trust me, is pretty necessary when running through the dark underground.
Character development was good, Kori is not taking her imprisonment lightly, but doing everything she can to plot her escape. That Ravage has her Tempus powers and can pretty much see everything and every decision played out... is annoying, to say the least. But she doesn't stop trying. When her three former Portland Kings come for her and Death challenging Ravage, new plans will have to be made and discarded, for them all to get out of Nightendale alive. But unknown to everyone, Kori has been altered, changed, on the cusp of transformation into something altogether different. Ash, Ruin and Death (yeah, Death is by far my favourite) all try to do what they think is best for Kori, never mind them. And Ravage... Yeah, I don't like Ravage, as much as I understand him at times, nope, not happening.
Pacing and flow were good. There is a lot happening, but at the same time, a lot feels repetitive, making it a tad drawn out. Twists and turns, over and over and over again. You really won't find out what is going to happen until it smacks you in the face.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and all in all I must honestly admit I prefered the first one over this, as this just felt lacking that certain 'je ne sais quoi'.
If you like your romance dark and gritty, full of twist and surprises? Be sure to try this series out!
This series just gets better and better!! Thoroughly enjoyed book 2 in the Fire & Blood series. Alexa B James has written a story that has pulled me in from the very beginning and that just got more intense in book 2. I could not stop reading. I'm loving the development of all the characters, especially Kori. And lord help me I even love Ravage. Very excited for the next book.
Goodness, get ready for Ash which is book 2 by Alexa B James in the Fire and Blood series. And you really should read book 1, Ruin to totally enjoy this detailed story. Once again Kori is tested at every twist and turn and you really are left wondering who she can trust. Great fantasy world full of vampires and other mythical creatures. Ruin, Death and Ash are still awesome characters but hello Revenge...….. It’s got lots of spiciness, action and emotion but it is certainly not resolved in this book. Book 3 is going to be great!
I have 2 words! HOLY CRAP!!!! Kori cannot seem to catch a break and just when she thinks everything is going to work out her world is flipped on its head. If its possible, this book was better than the first! Which means book 3 is going to be AMAZING! Can't wait to see what happens next!
This second book starts where book one finished and draws you in from start to finish. The story moves at a beautiful pace and the characters grow more and more throughout the book. I loved Alexas take on vampires and consorts. Fantastic fantasy world to be drawn into and I look forward to where this story is going.
This was even better then the first. I really enjoyed it. Kori is fighter. She has to find a way out of Ravage's grip. Her mates want nothing more then to rescue her and run away but Ravage has many things up his sleeve no one knows about. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
She did it again!! What an awesome second installment to this story. I cannot get enough of these characters. I can't wait to read Death when it comes out!!
Just when i think ive gotten this series worked out book 2 throws me for a loop. As Kori's (FMC) year and a day indentured into servitude to the vicious, power hungry vampire Ravage comes to an end (in this book) she tries to find a way to escape. As she knows he has no intention of releasing her. Until Ruin, Death and Ash turn up hoping to help her with that but things dont go according to plan. So many plot twists and turns in book 2 i could barely keep up with it. Creepy trees, trolls, premonitions, unearthed powers. rekindled love....etc this book is chock full of it and blimey its a great read. Dying to read book 3 to see whats going to happen next
Well, I shouldn't have binged these two books as quickly as I did. I love the concept of them and the dynamic that Kori has with her warriors, and even her interactions with Ravage have you questioning everything you thought you knew. Certainly a series worth reading, although there were a few spots in this book where the plot seems to drag but Alexa James manages to get it back on track fairly quickly.
The only thing that bothered me is that Kori still has more of an allegiance to her siblings than to anyone else and I feel that at this point in the story it should be more even.
I couldn't wait for this one! What a book! Kori, her family and her mates are in even deeper trouble as before. Even as she still doesn't remember her time with her mates Ruin, Ash and Death, she feels that they are very important to her. And as their journey begins, bits and pieces of her memory come back. But King Ravage is not going to stop his wicked plans....
Alexa B James did it again! Hurry up with Death please...! Because I can't hardly wait!
Soooo good!! I was dying for this book come out. I read it all in one day like a glutton. Now I’m dying for the next one to come out!!! Great characters, great sex, the cliffhangers hurt a little... but sooo worth it!!
Wow! This book is so twisters! Just when you think you have the story and the characters figured out the author throws a curve ball at the reader. This is a must read series! I need book three asap!
I can say that this is one of the best books I have read so far. Ash is an increase in speed, the amount of twists and turns of the tale, the tragedy of the apocalyptic world that Kori lives in, the depth of love that Kori shares with her family and her vampire mates as well as the strong will to survive no matter what.
We get to know the characters from different perspectives which I very much enjoyed. It is revealed who Ravage once was and what stands behind his motivation. The delicate relationships in the post-apocalyptic world between the different kingdoms are revealed. It becomes clear what is at risk in this world.
Kori is an eternal fighter which (to me) is shown even more in this book than in the first. Her vampire mates Ruin, Ash and Death while staggering with the consequences of the ending of the first book, find their way back to Kori.
The ending is again a cliffhanger which leaves us in eager anticipation for Death which as it seems will focus on the final battle that will decide it all.
I needed about 6h to read this book for the first time and I can count the number of comparable (meaning awesome) books on one hand. If you enjoyed Ruin, you will most likely enjoy Ash!
Second book in this intense series. This one starts right where the first left off. Kori has lost her recent memory and is being held by King Ravage. His plans for her are devious and there is way more to them than can be fathomed. Kori’s character is tough but she will have to learn who and what she is the hard way. The three men never stop when it comes to her. Ruin is always there to make her smile. Ash seems to have some issues that hurt him and everyone around him. Death opens up more but his loyalty to her is never in question. The secrets only get deeper and more intense as the story goes. I so can’t wait for when book three comes out.
I see why this series never continued. Wtf would she not kill the fae. All this hocus pocus about feeling sorry for a man who slaughtered her family. This is one of those times where I hope this series allows for villains to win. I cannot understand her sympathies and why everyone is playing into the FMC sympathy for a freaking psycho. They all deserve to die. She killed everybody and she and Savage need to be the last ones standing so she’s stuck with the mess she made. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I want my 3.99 back. What a waste of 3 hrs
OkY seriously where is book 3. It seems like it is out and enough time has passed since 2 came out, it def should be out but I can’t find it anywhere? Did it get taken off KU? I see a few reviews for it but that’s it. I need book 3!!
This review applies to "Ruin" (Fire & Blood #1) and "Ash" (Fire and Blood #2).
Notes: This series is incomplete, with Book #3 expected to be available at the end of this year (2020). (I keep searching Amazon's "Kindle Unlimited" for "complete series," and I keep getting incomplete ones...go figure.) I will NOT be picking up Book #3 because the first two books are driving me a little batty...
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My curiosity was the only thing that kept me going through this series – curiosity as in, “WTF is going on?!?”
There were so many things about the first two novels of this series that left me scratching my head – from the absurd heroine (a “strategist” who kept making really stupid strategic errors), to the cobbled-together feeling of what little plot there was, to the author’s lack of language, storytelling and technical skills – but I kept reading because it was one of those “train wreck” situations, you know? I just couldn’t look away. And, after finishing Book #2, I was left thinking that maybe I should have moved along when I had the chance and just caught the synopsis on the evening news.
I understand that these novels are all about the erotica – and, warning to readers, some of the sexual content was not only explicit, but pretty kinky. That said, I believe that well-considered stories involving realistic, three-dimensional characters, told with clear, engaging and skillful narratives are not anathema to novels that feature sex and/or romance as their main components. I've read a few of those and they are always infinitely more satisfying to me.
—>>> This second installment of the series pivots around Ash, one of Kori’s three vampire king mates, who has a major struggle to balance what he feels for her and what he should do to protect her. On her own, negotiating terms of her captivity at the mercy of King Ravage gives Kori something she can live with, whittling down the initial period he had demanded in payment for use of his Tree of Life petals from five years to only one year plus one day owed to him as his blood consort. Being with Ravage has irrevocably changed her…she cannot even remember being with Ruin, Death and Ash, yet she still retains strong emotions which he did not succeed in erasing from her mind. And that is just the start of the list of what is to come for her. A frantic-filled and angst-ridden journey to reach the Queen of the Deep seems the only way to escape Ravage, but whether they will succeed in gaining anyone’s aid is yet another monumental task in their quest to seek refuge from their pursuer, hellbent as he is on following through on his evil plans with Kori by his side as his Queen. Eagerly awaiting the next story!
I received a free copy of this book via 💜 Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Well this book mainly focuses on Kori and King Ravage. So we continue where we left off. We find out what King Ravage did to Kori. However, I do get a bit upset with Kori and her constant saying about her family. Yes she is trying to protect her family but at what cost though? Time goes by and she is still in Nightendale and King Ravage has more plans for her. Except now the Three Kings Ash, Ruin and Death are back and they want their mate back. Death throws down the gauntlet. So what will happen? So we know that King Ravage is very powerful, and so how do we know that he isn't altering her mind even more. He is tricky and twisted. So what happens? There are so many twist and also unpredictable. So does Kori eacape? Does anyone die? Ahh so much happens and still not all the answers. Now I have to wait to see what happens!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ash is book two of the Fire & Blood series and picks up where book one left off. I highly recommend you read book one to fully understand what's going on in this book. Kori's story is riveting and filled with vampires, human courtesans, steam and unexpected twists that pulled me into the story. There is so much going on in this book and the world this author has created is mesmerizing with so many fascinating characters. Ash ends in a cliffhanger leaving me anxious to read the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
So I wasn't sure how I was going to like book 2 since book 1 left Kori paying off her 5 yr sentence to Ravage. I find myself really liking Ravage and intrigued where the story takes us with his plotline. Fear not for Ruin, Ash, and Death...they appear very early on in the book and you find yourself sucked in to the story midway through Chapter 2. I would have scored 5 stars but felt the story dragged on in some parts. I really like the twist for Kori. I am SO hoping the Ravage plot doesn't end up as a disappointment. Fingers crossed.