Finding out you’re an illegal dragon shifter is bad. Getting thrown in supernatural prison? So much worse.
When Trouble Garcia accidentally sets London ablaze, she’s immediately taken to Blacktower Prison, the secret supernatural prison beneath the Tower of London, where her innocent pleas go unheeded. Trouble doesn’t have a single memory from before the inferno, but the wardens don’t care—especially not the cruel Ravenmaster.
Thrown into a cell block full of dangerous shifters and deadly magic, Trouble has one chance to reduce her life sentence: unleash her dragon so the Ravenmaster can clip her wings. But no matter how many towers he throws her from, no wings burst out of her back, and no horns grow from her head.
The Ravenmaster thinks she’s stalling. But Trouble’s starting to suspect she’s not a dragon at all.
And if she doesn't unravel the truth soon, she'll end up dead—or worse.
Blacktower Prison for Supernaturals is a magical prison series, with a tough heroine and the sexy shifter mates who vow to keep her safe—not to mention the gravelly voice in Trouble’s head who knows her too well, and the darkly alluring Overseer determined to unearth her secrets.
This book is medium burn, with moderate heat, and multiple love interests. 50,000 words.
Leigh Kelsey is the author of romance and reverse harem books for anyone with a soft spot for steely women and the tortured men who love them. No matter what stories she's writing - vampires or shifters or bad boys - they all share a common thread of love, heart, and action. She is the author of the Lili Kazana series, the Moonlight Inn series, the Dead Space stand alone, and the Blacktower Prison for Supernaturals series, plus many more books.
4.6 stars. This was very entertaining. Which I greatly appreciate after my last read. And it went by super fast, something I also appreciate and enjoyed.
Also there was a lot of hot men and some smut thrown in. A real winner for me😂
Hopefully the rest of the series is just as entertaining and gets even more interesting.
Who knew that theres still a working prison at The Tower of London? No one including Trouble (FMC) who ends up there after she becomes a one woman fire-starter. Shes completely clueless about who or what she is Trouble is given a crash course in Supernaturals. Being put right in the middle of a lot of them in prison. Add to that one hot firefox - Azariah, One hot Dragon - Clairmont, A dark violent guy - Ravenmaster as well as a sexy voice that guides Trouble. Its a brilliant start to this series and one i totally loved reading. Oh boy that ending though??? Just knockout!
It’s a pretty short book with not a lot of ground covered, not much really happens. I didn’t care much for the lead, she was just sort of bland and a little frustrating. If I had to read her refusing to be anything more then human one more time while her hands were actively on fire I might scream. Overall it was just sort of fine. The only thing I didn’t really like; spoilers ahead: She finds one of her mates who is an inmate that was raised in the prison since he was a child. He reveals he has a computer with a webcam hidden in a cabinet in his cell and he uses it to talk to his boyfriend. Ok we are going to pretend like this makes sense. He then goes on to say that he can’t accept her as his mate unless she also brings in his boyfriend...? Lol what? He continues to say that they both knew one of them would find their mate eventually and their plan was always to go together. Umm so this dude still has a mate out there too...? What? And she is hesitant for like a second and then starts messing around with both of her mates for the other guy to watch? I hated the entire thing. She’s basically strong armed into accepting this dude she’s never met, knows nothing about, isn’t her mate and she’s fine with it despite the fact that she’s been kind of fighting having mates in the first place. All the characters are kind of blah except ravenmaster which probably says something bad about me that I know he’s going to end up as a mate eventually too even though he’s done things that can’t be forgiven. (Which I also have a problem with). I like enemy’s to lovers but you have to make their love make sense and doing unforgivable things is pretty hard to overcome. He’s literally torturing her and threw her off a tower. But sure. Love. Lol. I do like that the villain, the sister is jealous of her better sister and power hungry. I like that. Writers often put women against each other, which I hate but it’s usually for stupid reasons like the ex lover or she just wanted the guy that never noticed her or whatever but I liked this route.
I was immediately hooked by this book. I sometimes feel that when authors try to do the whole amnesia idea it is never done well, but Leigh Kelsey did a phenomenal job with it! It added so much to the mystery behind Trouble's character. Not only could she not figure out who or what she was, but neither could anyone else. The little episodes of déjà vu or subtle hints of things she knew from before her memories went missing made the guessing game a fun one while reading. Signs pointed to her being dragon, but it was clear that she was much more than anyone anticipated. Seeing her body remember things that her brain couldn't, relying on muscle memory and trusting that her body knew what she was capable of instead of floundering in unfamiliar and possible dangerous situations, showed just how strong Trouble is, strong enough for her body to combat the trauma or whatever is causing her brain to block out her past to at least help her stay safe. One thing I was happy about was that Trouble didn't lose her attitude when she lost her memories. Honestly, who knows if she was that sarcastic and snarky before, but if she wasn't, I hope it sticks around. I loved her little commentary and reactions to the situations she got herself into. It made for an entertaining and hilarious read, making me wonder what would come out of her mouth next. It's one of those things that made me instantly like her. She's a likeable person. Just ask any of the fated mates or guys that are fascinated by her in the prison she is stuck in. Finding your fated mates in a prison of all places is insane, but I loved how it played out that way. It seemed like Trouble ended up exactly where she needed to be. The guys she had drawn in were pretty amazing so far in their own ways, even if a couple of them were forced to do things they didn't want to or had this compulsion to kinda sorta torture her nonexistent dragon out of her..but, hey, I'm sure they will grow on us as we get to know them more. I'm excited to see what happens in the next book after that amazing cliffhanger Kelsey left us with.
I will say that this author has improved since the last time I read one of their books (it was awful). Grammatically it's well done, I love the multiple POVs, and it seems that we have some okay characters, lots of diversity in the group, and I like the sassy attituded of the FMC.
Now what I -don't- like: * I think we should evaluate what "fated mates" means because I'm not sure the author understands? It's made to be a big deal in the book, and the FMC is pretty adamant about denying the bonds....but once one of her mates reveals he has a lover on the outside....it all doesn't seem to matter? What part of fated mates means that it's okay for an outside lover? If fated mates doesn't mean that 'there's only one' then why was it made into such a big deal? Like, the fated mate and lover knew they would have a mate out there and they had a deal that whoever found their mate would ask for the other to be accepted too. But...???? Like what would happen if they BOTH found their mates? And how is a fated mate still able to have feelings for a non-mate?? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and while I"m cool with mm....this was just a stretch to have it included and doesn't seem natural to the story and world at all. * In regards to this fated mates and outside lovers thing....not once does the FMC stop to evaluate their feelings or thoughts. She has one internal talk (less than half a page) and then just goes for it all. That was a prime opportunity to give some depth to a character and it was bypassed to get closer to a subpar sex scene.
So overall, not a horrible story, but still lots of improvement to be made. Characters are pretty one dimensional since we don't get any real looks into feelings and thoughts. Pretty basic.
🗝️🗝️ONE AWESOME ADVENTURE🗝️🗝️ Blazing blizzard! Leigh hit the jackpot full tilt with this enthralling rollercoaster ride through hell, serving up one delectably scrumptious deep dish delight, hooking you from the start and reeling you in for the duration, catapulting this baby to staggering heights. Observing the arduous struggles and thrilling triumphs noting the deadly twists and hairpin turns, putting our characters through their pacing, blasting this baby to life flawlessly. Stumbling through brutal territory of daring drama, relentless torture, perilous intrigue, growing confusion, ruthless brutality, escalating danger, spiraling suspense and unnerving encounters, along with a boatload of revelations, blasting this gem to life spectacularly. Chicanery runs rampant and violence is rife, broken boundaries are amplified and exploited, drawing deep for every ounce of strength in a fierce surge of self preservation, powering through with such intensity and vigor, wrapping this gem up sleek, shiny and tight. The characters, banter, dialogue, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits, blend and flow adding depth and diversity, transforming into outstanding personalities. The scenes are abundantly descriptive with colorful details that blend and flow, creating one vivid backdrop that's so rich and lively it feels as though you were transported to ground zero with them. Remarkable job Leigh, thanks for sharing this thrilling block buster with us.
WARNING! Cliffhanger! Fortunately for us, the series is complete, so you can easily have book two waiting for you (or read in the omnibus edition). This is about 4/5 on the trauma scale as cliffhangers go.
Trouble has no memory of the past, her memories stem from finding herself naked in the middle of Leicester Square as it burns around her. As a result of that catastrophe, she finds herself incarcerated at a supernatural prison, housed within the Tower of London. There she is introduced to the supernatural world, while she tries to figure out what happened, and while the Ravenmaster tries to prove she is an illegal dragon. And it is there that she meets the first of her mates…
This is a paranormal/urban fantasy reverse harem tale, with a fiery heroine who won’t be pushed around. Trouble definitely lives up to her name, in this rather enjoyable tale. She’s fiery in both magic and temperament, and not quite sure how to deal with the world around her. It’s a relatively quick start to this four book series, and can be a little dark at times, but it’s an entertaining read, and one those urban fantasy and reverse harem fans will enjoy working their way through.
Well, despite their popularity, this was my first honest attempt at reading an RH in a prison setting.
This isn't a bad 3 star, just an underwhelmed 3 star.
I find I'm pretty neutral on this book. There just wasn't a lot that kept me tied in or riveted. The plot was pretty slow, I kept waiting for something to happen and it was all just kinda meh. The fmc annoyed me more often than she endeared me to her struggle. If she blacked out or proclaimed she was human, as her hands lit with flames, one more time... And the way she was with the guys felt inconsistent from one scene to the next. Anyway, for their part, the guys were so-so, too. The Ravenmaster was the most interesting and I don't want to get into why that means I'm messed up. Lol.
Spoiler ahead...
The one bit that I am appreciative of; the sister is acting out of need for power and not the typical scorned lover trope female villains are so often bagged down with.
All in all, had the next book been out already I'm sure I would slid right into it because I dislike leaving a series unfinished.
Okay so the premise for this book intrigued me. A supernatural prison and an unknown shifter FMC?! Sign me up!
I really enjoyed Trouble (yes that's her name), I liked her personality and we got to know her as she learnt more about herself which was a nice touch from the author. It was a journey to figure out what had happened to her and how she had ended up at blacktower prison. I loved the side characters in this (Queen is so fun) and the harem men (yes its RH, shocker I know what I like to read lol), Az is such a cutie, he's a Firefox with a sweet side and adores trouble. Claiirmont is a dragon shifter whose wings remain unclipped, he's Ravenmasters spy into the fire block, he's rough around the edges but he cares for trouble.
The smut was decent and blended well with the plot.
The ending was interesting as we got to see what happened to Trouble and what species she is. I look forward to reading book two and seeing more of Trouble and the gang.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’m not sure if the omnibus version has been edited/rewritten. If it had skip this one and go to that book instead. I’m giving this book more of a 3.75 (thanks zon for not allowing partial stars) because there are quite a few things that don’t make sense. I’m not talking about the amnesia of the fmc or anything but like body placement in the truck scene (where her hands were behind her back but then somehow in front of her?) and how some of the scenes are rushed, events being forced at times, and characters being two dimensional. Like… we have zero reason why Natalya hates her. She just comes out of nowhere mean girl attitude… and the fmc is just so blasé over everything. Like, she honestly doesn’t care what happens. Then you have smaller things like I f she is in the fire block why is there a mermaid and a wolf shifter there? Water and forest creatures who have zero immunity to fire.
Fast-paced, jumpy and eager to intrigue, this book offered a suprisingly deep introduction to the series - particularly when considering the amnesia our fmc is struggling with. We're thrown equally in the deep end with Trouble as she fights to survive and learn her truths, and it's enough to have kept my attention for the whole read. While her narration isn't the best, it is metered by an interesting array of side characters and love interests. While the add-on with Grizzly's friend was a bit dry in comparison to the charisma and chemistry felt between the harem, I have to admit that it lent a nice complexity to the situation. If you're searching for a multi-paranormal world to jump into that is heavy on the sarcastic and surreal, give this one a go.
Waking up with surrounded by an inferno, no memory and naked sounds like the start of a horrible day. But it gets worse for Trouble when she gets locked up in a supernatural prison.
Trouble is full of snark even though she doesn't remember who she is. Can't a girl with no memory get a break, probably not in a prison. There is the classic prison hierarchy, mates coming out of the woodwork, some random guy in her head and the ravenmaster who wants her to say she is something she isn't.
We get a good amount of information on the guys surrounding trouble. Looking forward to see what else happens
A supernatural prison under the Tower of London, complete with the ghosts of Anne Boleyn and Jane Grey…not the best place to find herself when she’s just human. Or is she? Trouble has amnesia and all she can remember is waking up in the middle of Leicester Square while it burns. Then she’s imprisoned and a dark forbidding man has made it his mission to force her dragon out - the dragon she’s convinced she is not. Add in the discovery that not only do fated mates exist, but she has more than one.
A promising series starter that has me intrigued enough to keep reading.
TW: some dubcon; imprisonment & torture (not explicit but still exists on page)
When one of the MC forced the mating bite (taking away her choice at forever) then turned around and expected the main FC to accept he was going to keep his lover on the side. The MC was at least honest about having a boyfriend already but just expected her to be okay with him having another lover. I get that it is reverse harem but usually the point is the FC has multiple love interests, not a polycule where her love interest is with another love interest. Totally okay to happen, but he forced the decision on her as soon as he met her then pulled this stunt…wtf?
Otherwise the rest of the story was interesting and dark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This story hooked me from the beginning. London on fire, and a naked girl in the middle. Yes I need to know what's next, especially with the voice in her head helping her. Thrown into prison, accused of being a dragon, even though she thi is shes human, which shes obviously not, it one heck of a turn of fates. And speaking of fate, there are mates. This book had so much to offer. Deep dark secrets, naughty times, friendships and enemies, and just amazing characters. I fell in love with it and the ending left me clapping that I finally guessed right, and anxious to see what's next. Fantastic!
This is such a great read that you will not be able to put it down once you start. It moves along at a great pace which makes for an easy read. The characters are so well written that you feel as though you know them and no matter what you cannot help but fall in love with them. You want to see them happy and to succeed. This story will keep you reading from beginning to end, you will not be able to put the book down till the last page is done. This needs to be on your TBR list, no doubt about it.
Wow, what an fiery start to a new series, literally. I loved the premise of the prison and how Trouble (our FMC) thinks she's human... But obviously not. There's mates, enemies and lots of twists and turns to satisfy any paranormal fan. The plot is fantastic, non stop action and has you falling down a rabbit hole not wanting to get out of. There's a mystery of who Trouble is and how she got to where she is, which entwines with the plot is a delicious way. I can't wait for more and to see what's to come of Trouble and her men!
Spoilers . . . . . . . . Waking up naked to a burning Leicester Square with no memory of who she is, Trouble discovers she's on fire but not burning. A voice in her head urging her to move. Believing herself to be human, she's cornered by yeomen and taken to the supernatural prison housed in the Tower of London. The Ravenmaster insists she a mythological dragon which are illegal and need to have their wings clipped which removes them from accessing their magic.
A medium burn RH that promises to get better as the series continues. I can't wait.
This had potential but it fell flat. The FMC’s personality consisted of being mean and snarky. No tension in the romances. There were situations that could have contained conflict and growth with the characters but instead the story just moved on. Oh one of my fated mates has a boyfriend he didn’t mention before sealing our bond? Cool, let’s just make out. Come on!!
This series may get better and I can see something there but there wasn’t enough in the first book for me to continue.
I am looking forward to reading the entire series. Can’t believe I ve been missing out when this has all the elements; strong capable independent heroine with a unique back story. I love how we uncover the mystery with her and that we uncover an unexpected nemesis. I don’t really like antagonistic love in the form of her torturer. He better make it up to her. But love that there isn’t any insta love either!
Trouble with a capital T! I loved this book I didn’t want to put it down. I love how you are finding out stuff as you go like Trouble is. The start of the book was great it kept on pulling you in to see what’s going to happen next, It’s so intriguing. Loving all the characters they are all different and unique trouble is feisty and the name aptly fits ! Can’t wait for the next book !
I’ve not read many prison RH books, but this one seems so unique and I loved it. I love how Trouble doesn’t remember anything about who she is and her past, and how hat causes conflict with the Ravenmaster. I can’t wait to find out more about her and why she as in the middle of Leicester Square, naked, when it was on fire.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I initially started Prison of Embers. I’ve read a lot of reverse harem paranormal just never in this context. It was a wonderful surprise and I LOVED IT! Trouble kept me riveted throughout and was a very likable FMC. She’s adorably funny and her men are sizzling 🥵! Great read!!
This enthralling RH Paranormal will keep you turning pages. The main characters are defined, supernaturals, in prison to boot, while our poor heroine has no memory of a pivotal point in her life. She must solve this mystery before she winds up dead. Excellent start to a new series, and I loved it. I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my honest review.
OMMFG I'm in love with this book and am so glad it will be a series!! Our MC is amazing and her men 😋😋!! I cannot wait to read the next books because that ending was crazy!! Idk why villains always think it is a good idea to take one's mate because it just makes them more motivated to destroy them!!!!
This is a brilliant read. Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start. Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable. Great suspense and action with wonderful world building. Can't wait to read what the author brings out next. Recommend reading.
I wont lie, the end didnt surprise me. But, I am an avid pnr reader. This book is well written and will keep you on the edge of your seat. What is the Warden going to do next?
Wow, loved this so much. Can not wait for the next instalments in this series! Just enough intrigue to keep you guessing and panting for more. Great character development.