Temptation

Blood Trails #0.5

by Jennifer Blackstream

A dinner party ended with a dead body.

A young officer recognizes the foul stench of demon at the crime scene.

It’s time to call for backup.

Not a cop.

A witch.

It’s time to join Shade Renard and her mostly trustworthy pixie familiar Peasblossom for a little magic, mayhem…and murder.

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery

63 pages, ebook

First published August 21, 2019

About the author

Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is amazed and grateful to have made a writing career out of a Master’s degree in Psychology, hours of couch-detecting watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and endless research into mythology and fairy tales. She firmly believes that whether it’s a village witch deciding she wants to be a private investigator, or a single mother having a go at being a full time writer, it’s never too late for a new adventure.

A fervent devotee of cooperative board games, Jennifer sets aside at least two nights a week for team-based adventures such as Mice & Mystics, Sentinels of the Multiverse, or Harry Potter: Battle at Hogwarts. She uses games with dice-based mechanics to lure in her ridiculously lucky-rolling son and daughter in the hope that they too will develop a passion for cooperative escapism.

Jennifer currently has three series going:

BLOOD PRINCE SERIES (PARANORMAL ROMANCE, COMPLETE):

Book 1 – Before Midnight

Book 2 – One Bite

Book 3 – Golden Stair

Book 4 – Divine Scales

Book 5 – Beautiful Salvation

Bonus Adventures in the Blood Prince World:

Book 2.5 – What Big Teeth You Have (free when you sign up for mailing list mentioned below)

Book 4.5 – The Pirate’s Witch

Book 5.5 – Dead to Begin With (available only between Thanksgiving and whenever Jennifer takes her Christmas tree down)

BLOOD REALM SERIES (PARANORMAL ROMANCE, IN PROGRESS SPIN-OFF OF BLOOD PRINCE SERIES):

Book 1 – All for a Rose

Book 2 – Blue Voodoo

Book 3 – The Archer

Book 4 – Bear With Me

Book 5 – Stolen Wish



BLOOD TRAILS SERIES (URBAN FANTASY, ONGOING)

Book 1 – Deadline

Book 2 – Monster

Book 3 – Taken

Book 4 – Corruption

Book 5 – Mercenary

Book 6 – Caged

Book 7 – Betrayal

Reviews

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun start to the series!

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to give the next book a chance because oftentimes a prequel is written afterwards and lacks the very elements that draw a reader in. This prequel definitely suffers from that lack. The characters of Shade and Pea are intriguing yet I have no idea how old they are, how they came to be who they are, or even our exact location. The last point bothers me the most. Are we in Europe or America? The ambiguous descriptions and word choices could lead you to believe either one.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars... A short read that packed a big punch... I am intrigued:)

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: this is Blood Trails Book 0.5, not Black Trails. This short story is a great introduction to the Blood Trails Series, featuring the witch, Mother Renard (Shade), whose ambition is to become a private investigator; and her pixie familiar, Peasbottom. It's a murder mystery with a supernatural twist; a mortiferum demon is involved as the instigator, but the murderer, and the reason for the murder, are a surprise ending. The writing is smooth, the plot is well-thought-out, and the characters are very interesting and well-developed.

[Mark Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually like this better than Deadline, even though it’s a free prequel. Great way to learn the main character and get started with the series.

Interesting ways the Otherworld intersects with the mundane world, and ways evil can try to corrupt and pervert good

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enticing appetizer to get you addicted to the series.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shorty to get to know the main character.

[Meggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fine introduction of a new main character Shade. I liked the short.