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Hoodoo #2
Black Heart Loa
"An eye for an eye is never enough.”
Kallie Riviere, a Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a bent for trouble, learned the meaning of those ominous words when hoodoo bogeyman Doctor Heron targeted her family for revenge. Now, while searching for her still-missing bayou pirate cousin, Kallie finds out the hard way that someone is undoing powerful gris gris, which means that working magic has become as unpredictable as rolling a handful of dice.
The wards woven to protect the Gulf coast are unraveling, leaving New Orleans and the surrounding bayous vulnerable just as a storm–the deadliest in a century–is born.
As the hurricane powers toward the heart of all she loves, Kallie desperately searches for the cause of the disturbing randomness, only to learn a deeply unsettling truth: the culprit may be herself.
To protect her family and friends, including the sexy nomad Layne Valin, Kallie steps into the jaws of danger . . . and finds a loup-garou designed to steal her heart–literally.
Kallie Riviere, a Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a bent for trouble, learned the meaning of those ominous words when hoodoo bogeyman Doctor Heron targeted her family for revenge. Now, while searching for her still-missing bayou pirate cousin, Kallie finds out the hard way that someone is undoing powerful gris gris, which means that working magic has become as unpredictable as rolling a handful of dice.
The wards woven to protect the Gulf coast are unraveling, leaving New Orleans and the surrounding bayous vulnerable just as a storm–the deadliest in a century–is born.
As the hurricane powers toward the heart of all she loves, Kallie desperately searches for the cause of the disturbing randomness, only to learn a deeply unsettling truth: the culprit may be herself.
To protect her family and friends, including the sexy nomad Layne Valin, Kallie steps into the jaws of danger . . . and finds a loup-garou designed to steal her heart–literally.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 28, 2011
17 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Phoenix
19 books928 followersAdrian Phoenix writes urban fantasy and is the author of The Maker's Song series, (currently working on book 6) and the Hoodoo series, the third book, Black Moon Mojo and the forthcoming Sons of Darkness series. Her humorous paranormal Thinning the Herd was released January 2016.
She lives in Springfield, Oregon in a zombie-free home (except when meeting deadlines) with three cats, Keats, Emily, and Raven and has two sons, three grandchildren and three granddogs.
She loves to read and see movies, enjoys hiking with her granddog, Cielo, (immortalized in Black Dust Mambo and Black Heart Loa), and hanging out with friends.
She also loves creepy things and yearns to go on a paranormal investigation. She also hopes to do a haunted tour one day.
She also loves, loves, loves music – and anything by Trent Reznor is high on the list. She also loves to hear from my readers and fans, So please feel free to contact her!
Website: http://www.adrianphoenix.com
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian...
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/adriannikolasp...
She lives in Springfield, Oregon in a zombie-free home (except when meeting deadlines) with three cats, Keats, Emily, and Raven and has two sons, three grandchildren and three granddogs.
She loves to read and see movies, enjoys hiking with her granddog, Cielo, (immortalized in Black Dust Mambo and Black Heart Loa), and hanging out with friends.
She also loves creepy things and yearns to go on a paranormal investigation. She also hopes to do a haunted tour one day.
She also loves, loves, loves music – and anything by Trent Reznor is high on the list. She also loves to hear from my readers and fans, So please feel free to contact her!
Website: http://www.adrianphoenix.com
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian...
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/adriannikolasp...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
September 1, 2014
Possible spoilers for the first book.
While I liked the first book in this series, it wasn't as rich and action packed as this one. It starts right where Black Dust Mambo ended. Kallie is after her missing cousin.
Kallie's secret is not the only one that comes to light here. Jackson, her cousin, has his own problems. Someone buried him alive trying to make him a zombie. Fortunately for him, his dog doesn't give up easily. And the ones who buried him didn't know just how special he is.
Something is wrong with magic. Nothing comes out as the practitioners want. A storm that is picking up speed and strength is going to hit Louisiana and the wards placed after Katrina aren't working anymore. Baron Samedi is summoned but that too backfired. He is an interesting addition to this story.
There are too many instances of magic going wrong to list here. Let's just say nothing comes out as it should.
And Kallie is in the middle of it all.
The main quest in this book is to find Jackson, and after that to save everyone of course.
The characters are great. Kallie is not stupid. Layne/Augustine has a very important role in these events (that part was a bit too convenient and easy, but it doesn't matter). Augustine trying to touch something and fails: 'Hmmm. Apparently I lack what it takes to be a poltergeist. A shame. Hurling things and moving objects might've come in handy.'
Belladona still has the best comments about pretty much everything. Even Mc-Kenna's jealousy wasn't petty. Her hostility is still annoying, but understandable when you know how much she lost. The good thing is that the author didn't grab that all too convenient trope and made her even worse. She is jealous and really you could say she hates Kallie, but when it comes to the real danger, she is there to help.
In the middle of total disaster, magic gone wild, an unknown loa, hurricane, ghosts and a lot of other nasties, every now and then this book unexpectedly throws a humorous and silly remark or two. It interrupts the gloom perfectly. Full of dark humour, this book.
Another thing I liked and won't explain because it would be a huge spoiler: there is a great new and interesting character. Devlin Daniels is introduced and I wouldn't mind him having a greater role in future books and Kallie's life. Even with her strange connection with Layne, I wouldn't mind.
There isn't a cliffhanger in the end. There are a few openings though: one of the members of Augustine's Hecatean Alliance turned out to be a vengeful person whose goal is to get to Kallie now that she isn't hidden anymore. Kallie's aunt is right: her mother didn't act alone when she tried to kill her. It is a great teaser. I am looking forward to reading about that and about Devlin.
There are some things that didn't quite work for me. The ceremony that had to performed near the end is a bit out there, but the characters, the colourful mambos, hoodoos, root doctors, nomads, loas, loup garous and the dark and great humour makes this story a great urban fantasy. This book was fun.
August 16, 2011
Originally posted at
Favorite Quote: “I can find you anywhere. Anytime. Yo’ heart be mine Kallie Riviere, hoodoo woman.”
At the end of Black Dust Mambo, Kallie learned a lot about her family and none of it good. She has a black loa in place of her soul, her aunt stole someone else’s identity and they want it back, and her favorite cousin has vanished. Now spells are backfiring, wards are failing, and a category five hurricane is heading towards New Orleans. Kallie fears that Doctor Heron may have triggered something when she shredded his soul. It’s only when another Loa declares war on Kallie that she realizes that she herself is the cause of all the magical trouble. Only with the help of her friends, sexy nomad Layne and voodoo in training Belladonna, can Kallie rescue her cousin and find away to circumvent the disaster she has created before she loses everyone and everything that matters to her.
Black Heart Loa picks up right where Black Dust Mambo left off. In here, the storyline takes a decidedly different route in that the villain(s) here are not flesh and blood but magical entities and consequences of using one’s power. It takes a little while to become comfortable with the flow and ebb of this particular storyline, but once we settle in, the ride is fast and furious as Kallie is not only fighting for her life but the life of her cousin.
This series has captivated me from day one. Unique world building-who doesn’t love the sexy and vibrant cajun side of NOLA-combined with engaging, humorous characters and intriguing plots makes for an intoxicating read. I was in tears reading about Ms. Phoenix’s judgmental chicken. I’m almost positive he is modeled after my Crazy Bob. I’m going to pretend he is regardless.
What I truly enjoy about this series is the closeness of family and the innate strength of the women in here. No man vs woman in here. The men and woman of this series respect each other and the powers they hold. I love the dynamics that flow between Kallie, her best friend Belladonna and Kallie’s aunt Divinity. While the sarcasm and snark flow freely through here, none of it is mean or cruel. The characters wear it well and it shows in the easy going bantering dialogue between them. Like this conversation between Kallie and Belladonna:
[Kallie] “So ….. if you could eat that slice of cake off anyone’s six-pack abs, who would it be?”
“Oooo. I like this game.” Her gaze shifted, caresses Layne’s stretched-out length. “Anyone?”
“Yup. Anyone but Layne.”
“Phooey. Spoilsport.”
“If anyone is eating cake off his goddamned abs, it’s gonna be me.”
“I’ll be sure and tell him that. I’m betting it’ll please him to no end”
“You do and i’ll-”
“If you’re going to eat cake off my [Layne] goddamned abs, I’d prefer red velvet”
There are actually two storylines that run side by side intertwining occasionally as we travel deeper into the magic and legends of the swamps. Jackson, Kallie’s cousin, plays a major role in here. We are given more background into his complicated childhood and job description and Ms. Phoenix does a fabulous job of using that storyline to introduce some new and very interesting characters to the series. Hello Devlin Daniels! I am looking forward to getting to know him much, much better. *wink-wink* Kallie and Layne further their association and we see infinite possibilities about where their romance could go. I like the easy yet steamy hot chemistry between these two. It feels so natural and I like the distinctive lack of emo posturing. While this is an important part of the arc, it doesn’t overwhelm or take over. It flows nicely along side the main conflict and is used to elevate the storyline to a pretty fantastical level. RAWR!
I would have enjoyed hearing a bit more about Kallie’s mom as to the whys of what she did and perhaps had some interaction with her. Hopefully this storyline will be further explored in book three.
The ending is climatic and exciting, bringing closure to the story lines while allowing enough open ends to carry us into the third book in this seres- title to be announced. All in all, Ms. Phoenix’s Hoodoo series is a dark urban fantasy readers dream come true and I can’t recommend it enough. I do recommend you start with the first in the series, Black Dust Mambo, as this is not a stand alone.
Overall Rating: B
Favorite Quote: “I can find you anywhere. Anytime. Yo’ heart be mine Kallie Riviere, hoodoo woman.”
At the end of Black Dust Mambo, Kallie learned a lot about her family and none of it good. She has a black loa in place of her soul, her aunt stole someone else’s identity and they want it back, and her favorite cousin has vanished. Now spells are backfiring, wards are failing, and a category five hurricane is heading towards New Orleans. Kallie fears that Doctor Heron may have triggered something when she shredded his soul. It’s only when another Loa declares war on Kallie that she realizes that she herself is the cause of all the magical trouble. Only with the help of her friends, sexy nomad Layne and voodoo in training Belladonna, can Kallie rescue her cousin and find away to circumvent the disaster she has created before she loses everyone and everything that matters to her.
Black Heart Loa picks up right where Black Dust Mambo left off. In here, the storyline takes a decidedly different route in that the villain(s) here are not flesh and blood but magical entities and consequences of using one’s power. It takes a little while to become comfortable with the flow and ebb of this particular storyline, but once we settle in, the ride is fast and furious as Kallie is not only fighting for her life but the life of her cousin.
This series has captivated me from day one. Unique world building-who doesn’t love the sexy and vibrant cajun side of NOLA-combined with engaging, humorous characters and intriguing plots makes for an intoxicating read. I was in tears reading about Ms. Phoenix’s judgmental chicken. I’m almost positive he is modeled after my Crazy Bob. I’m going to pretend he is regardless.
What I truly enjoy about this series is the closeness of family and the innate strength of the women in here. No man vs woman in here. The men and woman of this series respect each other and the powers they hold. I love the dynamics that flow between Kallie, her best friend Belladonna and Kallie’s aunt Divinity. While the sarcasm and snark flow freely through here, none of it is mean or cruel. The characters wear it well and it shows in the easy going bantering dialogue between them. Like this conversation between Kallie and Belladonna:
[Kallie] “So ….. if you could eat that slice of cake off anyone’s six-pack abs, who would it be?”
“Oooo. I like this game.” Her gaze shifted, caresses Layne’s stretched-out length. “Anyone?”
“Yup. Anyone but Layne.”
“Phooey. Spoilsport.”
“If anyone is eating cake off his goddamned abs, it’s gonna be me.”
“I’ll be sure and tell him that. I’m betting it’ll please him to no end”
“You do and i’ll-”
“If you’re going to eat cake off my [Layne] goddamned abs, I’d prefer red velvet”
There are actually two storylines that run side by side intertwining occasionally as we travel deeper into the magic and legends of the swamps. Jackson, Kallie’s cousin, plays a major role in here. We are given more background into his complicated childhood and job description and Ms. Phoenix does a fabulous job of using that storyline to introduce some new and very interesting characters to the series. Hello Devlin Daniels! I am looking forward to getting to know him much, much better. *wink-wink* Kallie and Layne further their association and we see infinite possibilities about where their romance could go. I like the easy yet steamy hot chemistry between these two. It feels so natural and I like the distinctive lack of emo posturing. While this is an important part of the arc, it doesn’t overwhelm or take over. It flows nicely along side the main conflict and is used to elevate the storyline to a pretty fantastical level. RAWR!
I would have enjoyed hearing a bit more about Kallie’s mom as to the whys of what she did and perhaps had some interaction with her. Hopefully this storyline will be further explored in book three.
The ending is climatic and exciting, bringing closure to the story lines while allowing enough open ends to carry us into the third book in this seres- title to be announced. All in all, Ms. Phoenix’s Hoodoo series is a dark urban fantasy readers dream come true and I can’t recommend it enough. I do recommend you start with the first in the series, Black Dust Mambo, as this is not a stand alone.
Overall Rating: B
July 7, 2011
At 416 pages, it says an awful lot that I wanted this book to continue. I didn't want it to end. As much as I enjoyed Black Dust Mambo, I liked Black Heart Loa more.
BHL begins immediately where BDM left off. Kallie, Belladonna, Gabrielle and Divinity are still in Bayou Cypres Noir, dealing with the events of BDM. Jackson, Kallie's hot pirate cousin, is missing and his mojo bag is discarded on the floor. Kallie knows there is something wrong, and sets out to find Jackson.
Layne, who had been driving home, changes direction to go to Dr. Herron's home in Chacahoula to confront the spirit of Dr. Herron's wife. He wants to avenge Gage from the previous book, and make sure that Kallie is protected. Layne's bike gets hit by a truck and he is then knocked out cold until Belladonna and Kallie find him. Unfortunately, Layne has a passenger in addition to Lord Agustine.
A hurricane is raging towards Louisiana at the same time this story is taking place. For some reason, since the end of BDM, all of the magic in Louisiana is going wonky. For example, the wards the hoodoos set up to deflect tropical storms are suddenly attracting them like a magnet. Of course, it has to have something to do with Kallie, her loa, and the black dust hex she breathed in previously.
Kallie rushes to save her cousin, Jackson, who has been taking in by an interesting group of people in the swamps of Louisiana. I don't want to say too much about them, because I don't want to spoil it. All his time, Baron Samedi, the loa of death, is chasing Kallie, trying to free her loa. We see our favorite pixie-leprechaun-devil McKenna show up to help Layne exorcise one of his passengers. Once Layne is free, he does whatever he can to help Kallie.
Along the way to finding Jackson, we are introduced to a new character, Devlin Daniels, who seems sexy, scary and powerful. I really hope we see more of him, but not to the detriment of the wonderful Kallie-Layne relationship. I am especially looking forward to seeing Devlin again, after this quote:
I've got yo' scent," he said, nostrils flaring. "I can find you anywhere. Anytime. Yo' heart be mine, Kallie Riviere, hoodoo woman."
Kallie eventually finds out, with the help of Devlin, how to make things right for everyone, which requires a lovely chapter of her exploits with Layne. Yum :) Layne and Kallie's relationship definitely grows in this book, and it seems to be solidifying. The connection between Kallie and Layne seems to be something special. There is a physical shock between them when they touch, and if I were Kallie, I'd be touching Layne Valin as much as humanly possible! The book ends with the two of them making plans, which I assume is what we will read about in Book 3.
I also look forward to reading more about Belladonna. I love her relationship with Kallie, and I hope she get s storyline. In this book, she served more as comic relief and as a companion to Kallie. I want to hear more about Dallas, as well, who spent this entire book recuperating from the events in Black Dust Mambo.
I recommend that you read the first book in this series, Black Dust Mambo, before reading this one. There are a lot of things mentioned in Black Heart Loa that happened in the previous book, and Adrian Phoenix, to my happiness, doesn't rehash the storylines completely. I would have been lost if I read Black Heart Loa without reading the first book in this series.
BHL begins immediately where BDM left off. Kallie, Belladonna, Gabrielle and Divinity are still in Bayou Cypres Noir, dealing with the events of BDM. Jackson, Kallie's hot pirate cousin, is missing and his mojo bag is discarded on the floor. Kallie knows there is something wrong, and sets out to find Jackson.
Layne, who had been driving home, changes direction to go to Dr. Herron's home in Chacahoula to confront the spirit of Dr. Herron's wife. He wants to avenge Gage from the previous book, and make sure that Kallie is protected. Layne's bike gets hit by a truck and he is then knocked out cold until Belladonna and Kallie find him. Unfortunately, Layne has a passenger in addition to Lord Agustine.
A hurricane is raging towards Louisiana at the same time this story is taking place. For some reason, since the end of BDM, all of the magic in Louisiana is going wonky. For example, the wards the hoodoos set up to deflect tropical storms are suddenly attracting them like a magnet. Of course, it has to have something to do with Kallie, her loa, and the black dust hex she breathed in previously.
Kallie rushes to save her cousin, Jackson, who has been taking in by an interesting group of people in the swamps of Louisiana. I don't want to say too much about them, because I don't want to spoil it. All his time, Baron Samedi, the loa of death, is chasing Kallie, trying to free her loa. We see our favorite pixie-leprechaun-devil McKenna show up to help Layne exorcise one of his passengers. Once Layne is free, he does whatever he can to help Kallie.
Along the way to finding Jackson, we are introduced to a new character, Devlin Daniels, who seems sexy, scary and powerful. I really hope we see more of him, but not to the detriment of the wonderful Kallie-Layne relationship. I am especially looking forward to seeing Devlin again, after this quote:
I've got yo' scent," he said, nostrils flaring. "I can find you anywhere. Anytime. Yo' heart be mine, Kallie Riviere, hoodoo woman."
Kallie eventually finds out, with the help of Devlin, how to make things right for everyone, which requires a lovely chapter of her exploits with Layne. Yum :) Layne and Kallie's relationship definitely grows in this book, and it seems to be solidifying. The connection between Kallie and Layne seems to be something special. There is a physical shock between them when they touch, and if I were Kallie, I'd be touching Layne Valin as much as humanly possible! The book ends with the two of them making plans, which I assume is what we will read about in Book 3.
I also look forward to reading more about Belladonna. I love her relationship with Kallie, and I hope she get s storyline. In this book, she served more as comic relief and as a companion to Kallie. I want to hear more about Dallas, as well, who spent this entire book recuperating from the events in Black Dust Mambo.
I recommend that you read the first book in this series, Black Dust Mambo, before reading this one. There are a lot of things mentioned in Black Heart Loa that happened in the previous book, and Adrian Phoenix, to my happiness, doesn't rehash the storylines completely. I would have been lost if I read Black Heart Loa without reading the first book in this series.
February 18, 2013
Wow. That was fun....
Black Heart Loa is the second book in Adrian Phoenix's Hoodoo series. The book picks ups immediately after the events of Black Dust Mambo and works up into an exhilarating pace as it continues the story of Kallie Riviere, a young hoodoo who carries an unknown loa inside her. If you've read the first book, you couldn't have possibly missed the fact that Kallie spent nearly 75% of that book in her underwear. Well, in this book, she is more suitably attired - well, at least 75% of the time.
This series is so much fun to read. It's set in the south and in the bayous of Louisiana and the author uses the lore and mythology of that area to create a captivating atmosphere. In addition, Hurricane Evelyn is bearing down on the area, growing in intensity by the hour. All of the magic and wards have gone wonky and the Hecatean Alliance is working hard to correct the situation. There's lots of dark magic, voodoo, and even a visit from Baron Samedi. Throughout all this, Kallie is working with her friend Belladonna Brown to find her missing cousin Jackson Bonaparte. (I love the characters' names in this series; my favorite has to be Felicity Fields - a real Bond girl name if there ever was one).
One of my favorite chapters in this book was written from the point of view of a dog. Yup. Cielo is a special dog and the Siberian Husky had been tracking the whereabouts of his owner, Jackson. The author captures the dog's voice and feelings well. Dog lovers should enjoy that chapter.
A lot happens in the space of this book and it's hard to believe that it takes place in such a short time frame. There are some surprising turns of events and a few loose ends, but on the whole this was a most satisfying read. For those interested, the author has an excellent glossary of terms on her website here.
Black Heart Loa was an awesome read. I can't wait to read more books in the series.
Black Heart Loa is the second book in Adrian Phoenix's Hoodoo series. The book picks ups immediately after the events of Black Dust Mambo and works up into an exhilarating pace as it continues the story of Kallie Riviere, a young hoodoo who carries an unknown loa inside her. If you've read the first book, you couldn't have possibly missed the fact that Kallie spent nearly 75% of that book in her underwear. Well, in this book, she is more suitably attired - well, at least 75% of the time.
This series is so much fun to read. It's set in the south and in the bayous of Louisiana and the author uses the lore and mythology of that area to create a captivating atmosphere. In addition, Hurricane Evelyn is bearing down on the area, growing in intensity by the hour. All of the magic and wards have gone wonky and the Hecatean Alliance is working hard to correct the situation. There's lots of dark magic, voodoo, and even a visit from Baron Samedi. Throughout all this, Kallie is working with her friend Belladonna Brown to find her missing cousin Jackson Bonaparte. (I love the characters' names in this series; my favorite has to be Felicity Fields - a real Bond girl name if there ever was one).
One of my favorite chapters in this book was written from the point of view of a dog. Yup. Cielo is a special dog and the Siberian Husky had been tracking the whereabouts of his owner, Jackson. The author captures the dog's voice and feelings well. Dog lovers should enjoy that chapter.
A lot happens in the space of this book and it's hard to believe that it takes place in such a short time frame. There are some surprising turns of events and a few loose ends, but on the whole this was a most satisfying read. For those interested, the author has an excellent glossary of terms on her website here.
Black Heart Loa was an awesome read. I can't wait to read more books in the series.
January 7, 2012
So amazingly awful.
1. Truly unlikable characters
2. Cringworthy reverse sexism throughout. I was flinching every time another female character referred to a man in the room as a "fine piece of ass" just revolting. Sexism is not okay.
3. Characters with little or no emotional depth.
4. Unimaginative plotting
5. Confusing back stories - she was pretending to be her and that one was pretending to be her... ad nauseum
6. patronising use of cajun slang in the written form. We all have accents that deviate from the written pronunciation yet only the 'back-water' folk got the special treatment in the text by the author.
7. Confusing people and their baffling and pooorly explained jobs I still have no idea about the difference between a mambo and a hoodoo, and really don't care now - rather than using a core character's name she is often refered to as "the mambo in training" really? - you call your best friend by their job title - very impersonal, and just weird.
8. The never ending flashbacks! In some cases to dialogue that only happened on the previous page! Are we that stupid? Or did the author have a word count she was struggling with? I had to flash past them or I would get too annoyed.
You may have guessed, I really didn't like this book. I found it quite offensive with nothing to redeem it.
1. Truly unlikable characters
2. Cringworthy reverse sexism throughout. I was flinching every time another female character referred to a man in the room as a "fine piece of ass" just revolting. Sexism is not okay.
3. Characters with little or no emotional depth.
4. Unimaginative plotting
5. Confusing back stories - she was pretending to be her and that one was pretending to be her... ad nauseum
6. patronising use of cajun slang in the written form. We all have accents that deviate from the written pronunciation yet only the 'back-water' folk got the special treatment in the text by the author.
7. Confusing people and their baffling and pooorly explained jobs I still have no idea about the difference between a mambo and a hoodoo, and really don't care now - rather than using a core character's name she is often refered to as "the mambo in training" really? - you call your best friend by their job title - very impersonal, and just weird.
8. The never ending flashbacks! In some cases to dialogue that only happened on the previous page! Are we that stupid? Or did the author have a word count she was struggling with? I had to flash past them or I would get too annoyed.
You may have guessed, I really didn't like this book. I found it quite offensive with nothing to redeem it.
October 1, 2013
Black Heart Loa RATING: 1 stars (regrettably, because the concept wasn't half bad...)
What a mess of a book. Kallie Rivière is supposedly the main character but after two books there is almost zero development. Why? Because everyone and their uncle has a POV in the damn book: Kallie, her aunt, her friends, her crush, random witches, hoodoos and the likes, villains, magical beings, even, I kid you not, a dog (although I rather liked the dog, actually). Inside each POV you have multiple flashbacks (told in present tense) to add to the confusion. The entire book is resolved by flashbacks. There is no investigative work and very little magic actually happens.
And let me just say how weird I think it is when a female character is searching a male character's body for injuries and feeling him up at the same time. What? Priorities here? And there are a lot of dangerous situations where the heroines are all "Mmmm-mmm, what a fine piece of ass", "Mmm-mmm, what a pair of pecks", "Mmmm-mmm, I'd so do him", etc, etc. I mean, erm. Sexism anyone? And it's a dangerous situation!!! What are they doing checking men out? O_O
I just... this one was a chore to read through. It was ridiculous. The only thing half decent was the concept and the writing.
What a mess of a book. Kallie Rivière is supposedly the main character but after two books there is almost zero development. Why? Because everyone and their uncle has a POV in the damn book: Kallie, her aunt, her friends, her crush, random witches, hoodoos and the likes, villains, magical beings, even, I kid you not, a dog (although I rather liked the dog, actually). Inside each POV you have multiple flashbacks (told in present tense) to add to the confusion. The entire book is resolved by flashbacks. There is no investigative work and very little magic actually happens.
And let me just say how weird I think it is when a female character is searching a male character's body for injuries and feeling him up at the same time. What? Priorities here? And there are a lot of dangerous situations where the heroines are all "Mmmm-mmm, what a fine piece of ass", "Mmm-mmm, what a pair of pecks", "Mmmm-mmm, I'd so do him", etc, etc. I mean, erm. Sexism anyone? And it's a dangerous situation!!! What are they doing checking men out? O_O
I just... this one was a chore to read through. It was ridiculous. The only thing half decent was the concept and the writing.
January 4, 2015
As far as I can tell, this is the last book of the Hoodoo series, which is kind of sad. The story was good. The only thing I didn't like was the sex. I really wish that there was a way to tell which books are going to have so much sex. I know, there's the paranormal romances, but a lot of good books, without having the all the sex stuff are not classed in that category. There is even a list here on Goodreads for Paranormal books without sex (not sure of exact name), so there is definitely a group of people who prefer their books not to be all about sweaty loins & such. I don't think of myself as a prude & in the past I have enjoyed some of the sweaty loins books, but I'm over it. I have quit series due to too much, or stupid sex (as in females being dominated without consent, raped, etc & writer's going for the SEXY cover over something more pertinent to the story). I obviously will read these books & skip over the sex if I like the story, but it's not going to get 5 stars from me.
September 14, 2012
Second in the Hoodoo urban fantasy series that revolves around Kallie Rivière, her family, and her friends. This one takes place in the Louisiana bayous.
My Take
I'm a little bummed that this wasn't as good as Black Dust Mambo . It was, however, still a good read. The stupidity of the two home invaders was pretty funny with some scary moments.
Hmmm, I did wonder if Basil would give up being in Layne's body. It's just too much fun having him in there! I also enjoyed Cielo's thoughts with her "Daddy's Get-in-the-Truck" and her decision that "Daddy wasn't a squeaka". I do enjoy the irreverence from Bella. She and Kallie have a unique and completely fun and honest relationship! Then there's Dallas' wet dream...literally.
Whew, an interesting example of how different one's perspective on an event in childhood can be. We first hear what Jackson believes happened the night his family died and then we get a different version much later on. We also learn the truth, from the horse's mouth, about Dr. St. Cyr's conviction.
Why didn't Jubilee and René stop to help Valin??
Be aware that Ti-tante Divinity has one heck of an accent which some might find hard to read. It certainly does add to the atmosphere. The betrayal Divinity experiences is also rather hard to read. You'd think these people she's been a part of for so long would stop long enough to hear her side of things.
The Story
Ti-tante Divinity's plan to protect Kallie backfired in Black Dust Mambo, setting Doctor Heron, St. Cyr, on the wrong people to hurt. Now Jackson is missing and has been buried alive and Kallie and Divinity learn just how bad a boy he has been.
It just goes from bad to worse when magic goes awry. A sleeping spell backfires, Baron Samedi's possession of Cash takes an unexpected, very bad twist, and the wards that are supposed to repel hurricanes are now summoning Hurricane Evelyn.
Lucky for Jackson, a side of the family he's completely forgotten about comes to the rescue. Well, the sorta rescue.
With unnecessary backup from Layne, who needs to avenge his clan-brother's death. Part of that vengeance is keeping Kallie alive, giving Gage's death meaning. Sounds like a good excuse to me…
But the Rivières need to get a move on, for Baron Samedi himself has been hijacked and he's after Kallie and Jackson while the Baron, he just after Kallie because he can read what's missing and the loa that is trouble that is inside her.
The Characters
Kallie Rivière is a Cajun hoodoo apprentice from Bayou Cyprès Noir, raised by her Ti-tante Divinity Santiago, who stole Gabrielle LaRue's identity to protect Kallie from the people who helped her mama who stole her daughter's soul. Her cousin, Jackson Bonaparte (also raised by Gabrielle) has been kidnapped. Cielo is his faithful Siberian husky.
Belladonna Brown is a mambo and Kallie's best friend. Dallas Brûler, a.k.a., Doctor Snake, is a former student of Gabrielle's, a root doctor, and friends with Kallie and Bella. Well, actually, his dreams indicate that he has much warmer ideas about Bella.
Layne Valin is a nomad and a Vessel, a human capable of holding the spirit of the dead---currently Lord Basil Augustine, the former Master of the Hecatean Alliance. McKenna Blue is a leprechaun and Layne's extremely feisty ex-wife. Valin divorced McKenna because he kept coming back from being possessed and not knowing who she was. He didn't think it was fair to her. Now he's interested in Kallie which does not make McKenna happy at all. Jude and Maverick are also nomads.
Jubilee Fontaine and René are the wolves who rescue Jackson. Angélique Boudreau is a werewolf and the pack's traiteur; she's married to a human, a nomad, Merlin Mississippi. They have two children, Ember and Chance, who are just too funny. She's also Jackson's aunt; her father is Ambrose Bonaparte, brother to Jackson's father, Nicolas. Ambrose and his wife, January, are the pack alphas. Moss is Jubilee's twin.
Baron Samedi plays a large role---if only to tip us off that the magic has gone really wrong and his cheveaux has some very decidedly evil plans for Kallie.
Devlin Daniels is the demon wolf of the bayou and Gabrielle's godson. The Baron wants him bound to seek out and kill Kallie while Gabi uses their old loup-garou sign language to tell him the truth.
Felicity Fields, the Bond-babe Brit, was Augustine's very chirpy assistant who is appointed Master, temporarily. She is looking for a permanent home for Basil. Helena Diamond has arrived from the Hecatean Alliance in the wake of Basil's death and she is absolutely thrilled. Seems she's about to solve a nine-year-old mystery---the disappearance of the body holding the loa that Helena, Sophie, and other friends implanted in the baby. There's a Rémy mentioned who appears to have died and Helena has vowed vengeance. Against the Hecatean Alliance.
Gabrielle LaRue was St. Cyr's lover. And Jean-Julien St. Cyr's dead wife, Babette is still on this plane.
Cash and Kerry are the home invaders who should have done their homework.
Addie Thompson, Doctor Coyote, Auntie Dominique, and John Blaine are colleagues and supposedly friends of Divinity's.
The Cover
The cover is a spooky scene at dawn in the bayou. A rickety cabin with a long, long stairway leading up to it, bare trees towering around it with a barely dressed Kallie in her black, cropped tank top and itty, bitty black shorts, her long, black hair lifting in the breeze as she carries a red mojo bag and steps up out of the waters of the bayou.
It is the Black Heart Loa that is central to events in this story, in this series. Only, Phoenix provides yet another twist.
My Take
I'm a little bummed that this wasn't as good as Black Dust Mambo . It was, however, still a good read. The stupidity of the two home invaders was pretty funny with some scary moments.
Hmmm, I did wonder if Basil would give up being in Layne's body. It's just too much fun having him in there! I also enjoyed Cielo's thoughts with her "Daddy's Get-in-the-Truck" and her decision that "Daddy wasn't a squeaka". I do enjoy the irreverence from Bella. She and Kallie have a unique and completely fun and honest relationship! Then there's Dallas' wet dream...literally.
Whew, an interesting example of how different one's perspective on an event in childhood can be. We first hear what Jackson believes happened the night his family died and then we get a different version much later on. We also learn the truth, from the horse's mouth, about Dr. St. Cyr's conviction.
Why didn't Jubilee and René stop to help Valin??
Be aware that Ti-tante Divinity has one heck of an accent which some might find hard to read. It certainly does add to the atmosphere. The betrayal Divinity experiences is also rather hard to read. You'd think these people she's been a part of for so long would stop long enough to hear her side of things.
The Story
Ti-tante Divinity's plan to protect Kallie backfired in Black Dust Mambo, setting Doctor Heron, St. Cyr, on the wrong people to hurt. Now Jackson is missing and has been buried alive and Kallie and Divinity learn just how bad a boy he has been.
It just goes from bad to worse when magic goes awry. A sleeping spell backfires, Baron Samedi's possession of Cash takes an unexpected, very bad twist, and the wards that are supposed to repel hurricanes are now summoning Hurricane Evelyn.
Lucky for Jackson, a side of the family he's completely forgotten about comes to the rescue. Well, the sorta rescue.
With unnecessary backup from Layne, who needs to avenge his clan-brother's death. Part of that vengeance is keeping Kallie alive, giving Gage's death meaning. Sounds like a good excuse to me…
But the Rivières need to get a move on, for Baron Samedi himself has been hijacked and he's after Kallie and Jackson while the Baron, he just after Kallie because he can read what's missing and the loa that is trouble that is inside her.
The Characters
Kallie Rivière is a Cajun hoodoo apprentice from Bayou Cyprès Noir, raised by her Ti-tante Divinity Santiago, who stole Gabrielle LaRue's identity to protect Kallie from the people who helped her mama who stole her daughter's soul. Her cousin, Jackson Bonaparte (also raised by Gabrielle) has been kidnapped. Cielo is his faithful Siberian husky.
Belladonna Brown is a mambo and Kallie's best friend. Dallas Brûler, a.k.a., Doctor Snake, is a former student of Gabrielle's, a root doctor, and friends with Kallie and Bella. Well, actually, his dreams indicate that he has much warmer ideas about Bella.
Layne Valin is a nomad and a Vessel, a human capable of holding the spirit of the dead---currently Lord Basil Augustine, the former Master of the Hecatean Alliance. McKenna Blue is a leprechaun and Layne's extremely feisty ex-wife. Valin divorced McKenna because he kept coming back from being possessed and not knowing who she was. He didn't think it was fair to her. Now he's interested in Kallie which does not make McKenna happy at all. Jude and Maverick are also nomads.
Jubilee Fontaine and René are the wolves who rescue Jackson. Angélique Boudreau is a werewolf and the pack's traiteur; she's married to a human, a nomad, Merlin Mississippi. They have two children, Ember and Chance, who are just too funny. She's also Jackson's aunt; her father is Ambrose Bonaparte, brother to Jackson's father, Nicolas. Ambrose and his wife, January, are the pack alphas. Moss is Jubilee's twin.
Baron Samedi plays a large role---if only to tip us off that the magic has gone really wrong and his cheveaux has some very decidedly evil plans for Kallie.
Devlin Daniels is the demon wolf of the bayou and Gabrielle's godson. The Baron wants him bound to seek out and kill Kallie while Gabi uses their old loup-garou sign language to tell him the truth.
Felicity Fields, the Bond-babe Brit, was Augustine's very chirpy assistant who is appointed Master, temporarily. She is looking for a permanent home for Basil. Helena Diamond has arrived from the Hecatean Alliance in the wake of Basil's death and she is absolutely thrilled. Seems she's about to solve a nine-year-old mystery---the disappearance of the body holding the loa that Helena, Sophie, and other friends implanted in the baby. There's a Rémy mentioned who appears to have died and Helena has vowed vengeance. Against the Hecatean Alliance.
Gabrielle LaRue was St. Cyr's lover. And Jean-Julien St. Cyr's dead wife, Babette is still on this plane.
Cash and Kerry are the home invaders who should have done their homework.
Addie Thompson, Doctor Coyote, Auntie Dominique, and John Blaine are colleagues and supposedly friends of Divinity's.
The Cover
The cover is a spooky scene at dawn in the bayou. A rickety cabin with a long, long stairway leading up to it, bare trees towering around it with a barely dressed Kallie in her black, cropped tank top and itty, bitty black shorts, her long, black hair lifting in the breeze as she carries a red mojo bag and steps up out of the waters of the bayou.
It is the Black Heart Loa that is central to events in this story, in this series. Only, Phoenix provides yet another twist.
July 3, 2011
Originally posted at WickedLilPixie Reviews
Black Heart Loa is the much-anticipated second book in Adrian Phoenix’s Hoodoo series, and picks up immediately where Black Dust Mambo ends, with the characters sitting in Divinity’s living room. Kallie Riveiére is a Hoodoo, meaning she handles juju and potions and medicines. Her best friend Belladonna is a mambo-in-training. Kallie’s aunt Divinity is also her hoodoo teacher and sits near the real Gabrielle LaRue who is a mambo, or voodoo priestess, and deals with the loas. Kallie is doing a reading of her cards trying to locate her cousin Jackson, because it is clear he and his dog have been kidnapped. Abruptly, two men in ski masks break in to her aunt’s home with a shotgun, demanding to know where Jackson has hidden their money. Kallie and Belladonna are able to outsmart them and turn their own guns on them in an attempt to find out where Jackson is:
----
Kallie handed the shotgun to the voodooienne, then stepped aside. Belladonna swung the barrel back into place, aimed at Cash’s hand-protected crotch.
Belladonna tsked. “Tiny target.”
“That the best y’all can do?” Cash said, blood oozing from his swollen nose. The skin beneath his eyes was just starting to bruise and puff up. “Small-dick jokes?”
“Nope,” Kallie replied, drawing Cash’s attention back to herself. “We can gris-gris that small dick into reality. Lay a shrivel package trick on you. How about that?” pg. 30
-----
The bad news is, the burglars admit to witnessing Jackson being beaten and buried alive an hour away in Chacahoula. Kallie refuses to believe he is dead and will not give up on finding him alive. She gets them to give her their location and all four women go off to do what they do best to rescue Jackson.
The thing that stands out the most in this book are the women and their incredible strength and their relationships with one another. The dialog I enjoyed the most between Kallie and Belladonna and Divinity and Gabriel. The female characters in this series really do steal the show. They are so strong, so confident, have such a sense of right and wrong, and you genuinely care about them even if they are coming from very different perspectives. They are snarky but humorously so, never mean spirited. And the affectionate snarky banter between Kallie and Belladonna just makes you all that much more charmed by them both and you feel the love between them. When playing rock-paper-scissors to determine who would get the shower first after one nasty dirty brawl with loas and burglars:
--------
Kallie’s scissors won over Belladonna’s paper, so she eyed her friend suspiciously. “Did you just let me win?”
“What? Me?” Belladonna shook her head, her blue and black curls swaying. “Hoodoo, please. Why would I do that? It’s not like you’ve been rolling around in the mud or chasing judgmental chickens or going five rounds with death or anything.” She flapped a hand at Kallie. “Get over yourself, girl.”
Grinning, Kallie stretched across the seat and planted a kiss on Belladonna’s cheek. “You’re the best friend ever.”
“Again, stating the obvious.” But a pleased smile lit her face. pg. 200
----------
The storyline we get of more of Kallie’s cousin, Jackson, and his backstory is awesome! I had no idea how things would turn out, where events were going and I was so pleased with what Ms. Phoenix did with his character development. Not only are Kallie, Belladonna, Divinity & Gabriel on the hunt for Jackson, but it is quickly discovered that magic has completely gone wonky. Hoodoos, conjurers, voodooists, and voodooiennes magic have all gone awry and fear of what could happen is high. Some of the backfired magic results in awful tragedy, and some of it simply harmless, but creepy!
---------
Addie watched from her front porch, hands on the hips of her bluebell-printed sundress, as the scarecrow—missing one black button eye—plowed straight into the palm tree near the cracked sidewalk leading up to the steps, bounced, then fell into a heap of faded cloth and straw on the lawn.
“One of your backfires?”
Addie nodded. “At least I think so. The result of a spell I fixed this morning for good health—of all things.”
“Whatcha gonna do about that?” John nodded his head at her yard.
Addie sighed as the scarecrow heap twitched and rustled as though the straw were crawling with beetles, then pulled itself up onto its straw feet. Again.
“Ain’t a whole helluva lot I can do without laying a few tricks,” she said. “I thought about burning it. But I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if it started screaming.” pg. 258
--------
Of course, the beautiful fine nomad that is Layne Valin re-enters the story despite his attempt to head back to New Orleans for his best friend’s funeral services. Once Kallie and Layne unexpectedly reunite, the heady tension between the two is combustible. And of course our favorite little “pixie-leprachaun-devil”, Layne’s ex-wife, McKenna joins in on the action as her skills are needed. The tension between Kallie and McKenna might be just as combustible as well, but certainly not in the same way as with Layne:
---------
As Kallie and McKenna tried to murder each other with increasingly strained and saccharine Die bitch die smiles, Belladonna piped up with, “Speaking of tiny skivvies, I think that’s what you both should wear during your inevitable cage fight. We can even call your sure-to-be-epic battle the Die-You in the Bayou. Sell tickets.” pg. 277
So much happened in the previous book, and Ms Phoenix is brilliant when it comes to intertwining the events from Black Dust Mambo in to this story carefully throughout so that it flows naturally. You are never given too much information than you can handle, and the story plays out seemingly effortlessly. While you are reading this new book, you are also given a refresher in small doses. You will also be satisfied with the romance element of this book, as it’s played out very nicely and there is some element of resolution and possibility that will make all you Layne fans vera vera happy!
This series is incredible and if Black Heart Loa is any indication of how the series will grow, you will really miss out by not picking this up. For me, this book was perfection in Dark Urban Fantasy. Start with Black Dust Mambo, this book should not be read stand-alone, and you will thank me. I promise!
Black Heart Loa is the much-anticipated second book in Adrian Phoenix’s Hoodoo series, and picks up immediately where Black Dust Mambo ends, with the characters sitting in Divinity’s living room. Kallie Riveiére is a Hoodoo, meaning she handles juju and potions and medicines. Her best friend Belladonna is a mambo-in-training. Kallie’s aunt Divinity is also her hoodoo teacher and sits near the real Gabrielle LaRue who is a mambo, or voodoo priestess, and deals with the loas. Kallie is doing a reading of her cards trying to locate her cousin Jackson, because it is clear he and his dog have been kidnapped. Abruptly, two men in ski masks break in to her aunt’s home with a shotgun, demanding to know where Jackson has hidden their money. Kallie and Belladonna are able to outsmart them and turn their own guns on them in an attempt to find out where Jackson is:
----
Kallie handed the shotgun to the voodooienne, then stepped aside. Belladonna swung the barrel back into place, aimed at Cash’s hand-protected crotch.
Belladonna tsked. “Tiny target.”
“That the best y’all can do?” Cash said, blood oozing from his swollen nose. The skin beneath his eyes was just starting to bruise and puff up. “Small-dick jokes?”
“Nope,” Kallie replied, drawing Cash’s attention back to herself. “We can gris-gris that small dick into reality. Lay a shrivel package trick on you. How about that?” pg. 30
-----
The bad news is, the burglars admit to witnessing Jackson being beaten and buried alive an hour away in Chacahoula. Kallie refuses to believe he is dead and will not give up on finding him alive. She gets them to give her their location and all four women go off to do what they do best to rescue Jackson.
The thing that stands out the most in this book are the women and their incredible strength and their relationships with one another. The dialog I enjoyed the most between Kallie and Belladonna and Divinity and Gabriel. The female characters in this series really do steal the show. They are so strong, so confident, have such a sense of right and wrong, and you genuinely care about them even if they are coming from very different perspectives. They are snarky but humorously so, never mean spirited. And the affectionate snarky banter between Kallie and Belladonna just makes you all that much more charmed by them both and you feel the love between them. When playing rock-paper-scissors to determine who would get the shower first after one nasty dirty brawl with loas and burglars:
--------
Kallie’s scissors won over Belladonna’s paper, so she eyed her friend suspiciously. “Did you just let me win?”
“What? Me?” Belladonna shook her head, her blue and black curls swaying. “Hoodoo, please. Why would I do that? It’s not like you’ve been rolling around in the mud or chasing judgmental chickens or going five rounds with death or anything.” She flapped a hand at Kallie. “Get over yourself, girl.”
Grinning, Kallie stretched across the seat and planted a kiss on Belladonna’s cheek. “You’re the best friend ever.”
“Again, stating the obvious.” But a pleased smile lit her face. pg. 200
----------
The storyline we get of more of Kallie’s cousin, Jackson, and his backstory is awesome! I had no idea how things would turn out, where events were going and I was so pleased with what Ms. Phoenix did with his character development. Not only are Kallie, Belladonna, Divinity & Gabriel on the hunt for Jackson, but it is quickly discovered that magic has completely gone wonky. Hoodoos, conjurers, voodooists, and voodooiennes magic have all gone awry and fear of what could happen is high. Some of the backfired magic results in awful tragedy, and some of it simply harmless, but creepy!
---------
Addie watched from her front porch, hands on the hips of her bluebell-printed sundress, as the scarecrow—missing one black button eye—plowed straight into the palm tree near the cracked sidewalk leading up to the steps, bounced, then fell into a heap of faded cloth and straw on the lawn.
“One of your backfires?”
Addie nodded. “At least I think so. The result of a spell I fixed this morning for good health—of all things.”
“Whatcha gonna do about that?” John nodded his head at her yard.
Addie sighed as the scarecrow heap twitched and rustled as though the straw were crawling with beetles, then pulled itself up onto its straw feet. Again.
“Ain’t a whole helluva lot I can do without laying a few tricks,” she said. “I thought about burning it. But I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if it started screaming.” pg. 258
--------
Of course, the beautiful fine nomad that is Layne Valin re-enters the story despite his attempt to head back to New Orleans for his best friend’s funeral services. Once Kallie and Layne unexpectedly reunite, the heady tension between the two is combustible. And of course our favorite little “pixie-leprachaun-devil”, Layne’s ex-wife, McKenna joins in on the action as her skills are needed. The tension between Kallie and McKenna might be just as combustible as well, but certainly not in the same way as with Layne:
---------
As Kallie and McKenna tried to murder each other with increasingly strained and saccharine Die bitch die smiles, Belladonna piped up with, “Speaking of tiny skivvies, I think that’s what you both should wear during your inevitable cage fight. We can even call your sure-to-be-epic battle the Die-You in the Bayou. Sell tickets.” pg. 277
So much happened in the previous book, and Ms Phoenix is brilliant when it comes to intertwining the events from Black Dust Mambo in to this story carefully throughout so that it flows naturally. You are never given too much information than you can handle, and the story plays out seemingly effortlessly. While you are reading this new book, you are also given a refresher in small doses. You will also be satisfied with the romance element of this book, as it’s played out very nicely and there is some element of resolution and possibility that will make all you Layne fans vera vera happy!
This series is incredible and if Black Heart Loa is any indication of how the series will grow, you will really miss out by not picking this up. For me, this book was perfection in Dark Urban Fantasy. Start with Black Dust Mambo, this book should not be read stand-alone, and you will thank me. I promise!
July 28, 2011
“….dis ain’t just a house full o’ women. Dis be a house full of hoodoos”……. (My favorite quote)
Kallie is a headstrong hoodoo apprentice, but what lies beneath the surface may be a ticking bomb. When Kallie was a little girl her mother removed her soul and replaced it with a sleeping loa. If finding out how to remove this loa without causing her own death was not enough, Kallie must struggle to survive the revenge Doctor Heron has brought upon her family. She already escaped him once, but not without ill effects.
Something’s undoing all the powerful gris gris and creating chaos, a great storm is coming their way and the protection spells seem to be drawing it in instead of keeping them safe. Kallie believes the weather and the issues with the gris gris being on the fritz is caused by the loa she has inside her. Something is causing this magical feedback and if she doesn’t do something soon they may all be in trouble.
But all of this takes a back seat to the fact Kallie's cousin has been taken. Kallie and her friends must find him before death does, but death may not be the only loa hunting them. Kallie has attracted a loup garou that is out to claim her heart literally.
With the death of his fellow nomad Gabe, Layne felt he still owed him vengeance. He set out to find the ghost of the Dr. Heron; she is the one who caused the death and mayhem to begin with. If not for her jealousy and lies none of this would have happened and his brother of the road would still be alive. What Layne did not expect was to be sideswiped by a truck hell bent to get away. Unconscious and venerable, a head wound may not be his biggest issue.
This was a great addition to the series I loved the introduction to the new characters wail still learning about the old ones more. This series has the potential to branch off in other directions with so many strong side characters. There is not a slow point to this book once you open the book your engaged. Be prepared to be up late because you will not want to put it down. I loved the story line for Jacks, it is an interesting twist I would love to see more of. There is such a connection between Layne and Kallie but I understand each of their reservations. Even though there is a great love story waiting there for them it does not take presentence in this story. It is just enough to long for it but it is not over whelming and the whole biases of the story.
There just is so much going on its hard to keep up at times. I think it may have bit too many story lines going on at the same time. Then again I think that may be why it is so engaging. Either way I enjoyed this book a lot, it’s been a while since I read a book that kept me so sucked in till the very end.
The relationship between Belladonna and Kallie is hilarious it reminds me of myself and Steph. They bicker and poke fun at each other all the time, I love it. Here are my favorite quotes of their’s from Black Heart Loa:
“…since you ruined one of nails when you yanked that damned gun out of my hands, you owe me a manicure, Shug. And dessert of my choice at Mama’s House of Cake”. –Belladonna
“The manicure, sure, but cake?” – Kallie
“Mmm-hmm. For Pain and suffering”-Belladonna
-------
“So ….. if you could eat that slice of cake off anyone’s six-pack abs, who would it be?”- Kallie
“Oooo. I like this game.” Her gaze shifted, caresses Layne’s stretched-out length. “Anyone?”-Belladonna
“Yup. Anyone but Layne.” – Kallie
“Phooey. Spoilsport.” – Belladonna
“If anyone is eating cake off his goddamned abs, it’s gonna be me.” – Kallie
“I’ll be sure and tell him that. I’m betting it’ll please him to no end” – Belladonna
“You do and ill-“ Kallie
“If you’re going to eat cake off my goddamned abs, I’d prefer red velvet”-Layne
----
Love it as you can tell it is a great book a must read, you have to read Black Dust Mambo first though. There are a lot of unanswered questions and things still needing resolved so I hope that we will be seeing more of Kallie Layne and the gang soon.
Athenna
Kallie is a headstrong hoodoo apprentice, but what lies beneath the surface may be a ticking bomb. When Kallie was a little girl her mother removed her soul and replaced it with a sleeping loa. If finding out how to remove this loa without causing her own death was not enough, Kallie must struggle to survive the revenge Doctor Heron has brought upon her family. She already escaped him once, but not without ill effects.
Something’s undoing all the powerful gris gris and creating chaos, a great storm is coming their way and the protection spells seem to be drawing it in instead of keeping them safe. Kallie believes the weather and the issues with the gris gris being on the fritz is caused by the loa she has inside her. Something is causing this magical feedback and if she doesn’t do something soon they may all be in trouble.
But all of this takes a back seat to the fact Kallie's cousin has been taken. Kallie and her friends must find him before death does, but death may not be the only loa hunting them. Kallie has attracted a loup garou that is out to claim her heart literally.
With the death of his fellow nomad Gabe, Layne felt he still owed him vengeance. He set out to find the ghost of the Dr. Heron; she is the one who caused the death and mayhem to begin with. If not for her jealousy and lies none of this would have happened and his brother of the road would still be alive. What Layne did not expect was to be sideswiped by a truck hell bent to get away. Unconscious and venerable, a head wound may not be his biggest issue.
This was a great addition to the series I loved the introduction to the new characters wail still learning about the old ones more. This series has the potential to branch off in other directions with so many strong side characters. There is not a slow point to this book once you open the book your engaged. Be prepared to be up late because you will not want to put it down. I loved the story line for Jacks, it is an interesting twist I would love to see more of. There is such a connection between Layne and Kallie but I understand each of their reservations. Even though there is a great love story waiting there for them it does not take presentence in this story. It is just enough to long for it but it is not over whelming and the whole biases of the story.
There just is so much going on its hard to keep up at times. I think it may have bit too many story lines going on at the same time. Then again I think that may be why it is so engaging. Either way I enjoyed this book a lot, it’s been a while since I read a book that kept me so sucked in till the very end.
The relationship between Belladonna and Kallie is hilarious it reminds me of myself and Steph. They bicker and poke fun at each other all the time, I love it. Here are my favorite quotes of their’s from Black Heart Loa:
“…since you ruined one of nails when you yanked that damned gun out of my hands, you owe me a manicure, Shug. And dessert of my choice at Mama’s House of Cake”. –Belladonna
“The manicure, sure, but cake?” – Kallie
“Mmm-hmm. For Pain and suffering”-Belladonna
-------
“So ….. if you could eat that slice of cake off anyone’s six-pack abs, who would it be?”- Kallie
“Oooo. I like this game.” Her gaze shifted, caresses Layne’s stretched-out length. “Anyone?”-Belladonna
“Yup. Anyone but Layne.” – Kallie
“Phooey. Spoilsport.” – Belladonna
“If anyone is eating cake off his goddamned abs, it’s gonna be me.” – Kallie
“I’ll be sure and tell him that. I’m betting it’ll please him to no end” – Belladonna
“You do and ill-“ Kallie
“If you’re going to eat cake off my goddamned abs, I’d prefer red velvet”-Layne
----
Love it as you can tell it is a great book a must read, you have to read Black Dust Mambo first though. There are a lot of unanswered questions and things still needing resolved so I hope that we will be seeing more of Kallie Layne and the gang soon.
Athenna
August 14, 2011
Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2011/08/book-review-black-heart-loa-hoodoo-2-by.html
Black Heart Loa picks up immediately after Black Dust Mambo. Kallie is on the search for her cousin, Jackson, who has been kidnapped. It is up to her to find out by who and why. She has a feeling it is connected to Doctor Heron, but there is a lot more going on than anyone knows. While being robbed by two idiot robbers named Cash and Kerry, they find out that Jackson is in bigger trouble than they thought and they are running out of time. The hoodoos quickly try a spell to help get rid of the robbers. But it backfires, as a matter of fact, all magic is backfiring and it is because of Kallie. Magic backfiring wouldn’t be so bad if not for the magic holding hurricanes at bay might be the reason one is set to destroy Louisiana and it all might be because of Kallie’s loa.
Now everyone knows of my love for Black Dust Mambo. I am such a huge fan of Adrian Phoenix, so I had very high expectations for Black Heart Loa. And well, my expectations were met and more. All my favorite characters were back and we have a few new ones I am very interested in. We get a backstory of Jackson’s past that had me In tears and find out Jackson is way more than just a pirating human.
This book was full of action. So much is going on, it is impossible to be bored with this. Kallie and Belladonna (the world’s greatest best friend, by the way) are trying to find Jackson who has had a spell put on him to turn him into a zombie. Kallie is battling with a badass hoodoo spirit named Baron who has accidentally taken over Cash body, but Kallie’s loa might be more powerful than the Baron himself. Layne (and Augustine) are fighting to get rid of an unwanted to spirit trying to overtake them. Kallie needs to figure out why the loa was put in her body and where her mother stashed her soul and now Kallie is being chased down by a sexy demon wolf who may want to kill her or sleep with her. Phew!
What is so great about this series is that there is so much to grab you. Phoenix talent for storytelling is incredibly rich. And with all I just mentioned, that is just the surface. There was one chapter in this book where we meet a new woman who has her eyes set on Kallie and her family. We don’t know what her agenda is or why she wants her, but I know this will only get juicier.
The characters, of course, are too fantastic! Layne is out to get vengeance for his best friend Gage, who died at the beginning of Black Dust Mambo. He gets knocked out and was unconscious for a lot of the book. But when he wakes up, he was as charming as ever. We get a little of Dallas as well. He is still in the hospital and not even having his throat slit in half stops him from being a perv. Kallie is such an amazing heroine; she does everything she can to save her friends and family. Doesn’t wait for others to take up the slack. I love that. But my favorite is Belladonna. This book can get intense, but even in scary moments, Belladonna will put a smile on your face. Like I said, she is the greatest best friend ever. If you were in trouble, she would be the best person to have by your side. The chemistry between these characters is just brilliant. They are so well-balanced especially between Kallie and Belladonna.
You must, MUST, start this series. It will never let up and puts you through the ringer. We get quite a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. And we finally get a sex scene between Kallie and Layne (which lasted several hours). But the love story still isn’t quite 100% between them. Given what they have gone through, I understand, but I love the simmer. I can’t wait until the connection gets deeper because it is there. Like I said, you won’t get bored with this and you will be on the edge of your seat from page 1. Definitely on my top list for this year. Thank you again Ms. Phoenix.
Black Heart Loa picks up immediately after Black Dust Mambo. Kallie is on the search for her cousin, Jackson, who has been kidnapped. It is up to her to find out by who and why. She has a feeling it is connected to Doctor Heron, but there is a lot more going on than anyone knows. While being robbed by two idiot robbers named Cash and Kerry, they find out that Jackson is in bigger trouble than they thought and they are running out of time. The hoodoos quickly try a spell to help get rid of the robbers. But it backfires, as a matter of fact, all magic is backfiring and it is because of Kallie. Magic backfiring wouldn’t be so bad if not for the magic holding hurricanes at bay might be the reason one is set to destroy Louisiana and it all might be because of Kallie’s loa.
Now everyone knows of my love for Black Dust Mambo. I am such a huge fan of Adrian Phoenix, so I had very high expectations for Black Heart Loa. And well, my expectations were met and more. All my favorite characters were back and we have a few new ones I am very interested in. We get a backstory of Jackson’s past that had me In tears and find out Jackson is way more than just a pirating human.
This book was full of action. So much is going on, it is impossible to be bored with this. Kallie and Belladonna (the world’s greatest best friend, by the way) are trying to find Jackson who has had a spell put on him to turn him into a zombie. Kallie is battling with a badass hoodoo spirit named Baron who has accidentally taken over Cash body, but Kallie’s loa might be more powerful than the Baron himself. Layne (and Augustine) are fighting to get rid of an unwanted to spirit trying to overtake them. Kallie needs to figure out why the loa was put in her body and where her mother stashed her soul and now Kallie is being chased down by a sexy demon wolf who may want to kill her or sleep with her. Phew!
What is so great about this series is that there is so much to grab you. Phoenix talent for storytelling is incredibly rich. And with all I just mentioned, that is just the surface. There was one chapter in this book where we meet a new woman who has her eyes set on Kallie and her family. We don’t know what her agenda is or why she wants her, but I know this will only get juicier.
The characters, of course, are too fantastic! Layne is out to get vengeance for his best friend Gage, who died at the beginning of Black Dust Mambo. He gets knocked out and was unconscious for a lot of the book. But when he wakes up, he was as charming as ever. We get a little of Dallas as well. He is still in the hospital and not even having his throat slit in half stops him from being a perv. Kallie is such an amazing heroine; she does everything she can to save her friends and family. Doesn’t wait for others to take up the slack. I love that. But my favorite is Belladonna. This book can get intense, but even in scary moments, Belladonna will put a smile on your face. Like I said, she is the greatest best friend ever. If you were in trouble, she would be the best person to have by your side. The chemistry between these characters is just brilliant. They are so well-balanced especially between Kallie and Belladonna.
You must, MUST, start this series. It will never let up and puts you through the ringer. We get quite a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. And we finally get a sex scene between Kallie and Layne (which lasted several hours). But the love story still isn’t quite 100% between them. Given what they have gone through, I understand, but I love the simmer. I can’t wait until the connection gets deeper because it is there. Like I said, you won’t get bored with this and you will be on the edge of your seat from page 1. Definitely on my top list for this year. Thank you again Ms. Phoenix.
September 7, 2012
Have you ever read a book that failed to keep you interested for about 80% of the time, but you still were determined to finish? That's exactly how I feel about this series...and for that reason, I do not know how to rate this book.
The start did not pull me in like the first book in this series, but I still wanted to continue because I was hoping more of a romance would be developed...too bad it never does, but there is a new love interest. The middle dragged, much like it did for me in BLACK DUST MAMBO. I began skimming certain character scenes because I did not want to listen to the same thing repeated for a new character--which brings me to my biggest complaint: the POV swaps hurt the book more than they helped.
I could understand three POVs tops (like the hero, heroine, and a villain), but I find that anything more detracts from the story and starts to become repetitive--like this series seems to be. It almost makes me wonder if Phoenix is having commitment issues with her characters, because they all sound the same in all the POV swaps. Instead of developing Kallie and Belladonna further, they are two dimensional, though when together they do add comical relief. I'm not sure if she wants Kallie with Layne, and if she does, she is making it incredibly hard to support the two when McKenna is lurking in the shadows and Layne is feeling guilty.
Instead of maintaining a plot full of action that would keep the reader glued to the pages, BLACK HEART LOA beats its readers over the head with the same few scenes over and over: the memory of Kallie's mother's betrayal, everyone being pissed at Divinity, and everyone wanting to sleep with everyone else. These are the horniest characters I've ever read about, and they all feel like they're the same person talking at times.
Deflections also annoyed me this time around. I think it is high time that Divinity stops pushing off the inevitable explanation and finally fesses up (which she has done...kind of). Either have her fess up, or have the characters accept her actions. At this point, I don't care anymore about her motives...just spit it it already and focus on something new, please, instead of having every character mull over her thoughtless actions.
Saying that is awful... I understand the indignation, but showing three different characters being pissed over the SAME exact thing is distracting me from the story and simply exasperates me because I'm reading the same scene over and over.
I probably sound harsh, and I bet many of you are wondering why I even finished the book if I had this much to complain about. There WERE good points in this story: Baron Samedi was amusing, Belladonna made me laugh my ass off, and our demonic wolf and his sneaky actions has me intrigued. I hope he makes more of an appearance in the next few books. January's announcement about the scratch on Kallie is what made me intrigued with the potential of this series...all over again. Will it get more attention in book three? I really hope so...
Am I hopeful that the third book will feature fewer character POVs, focus more on a plot that keeps me interested for more that 15% of the book, and perhaps delve into more character development...and even a romance? I'm not holding my breath, but I still want to read the next release to see what happens next.
The start did not pull me in like the first book in this series, but I still wanted to continue because I was hoping more of a romance would be developed...too bad it never does, but there is a new love interest. The middle dragged, much like it did for me in BLACK DUST MAMBO. I began skimming certain character scenes because I did not want to listen to the same thing repeated for a new character--which brings me to my biggest complaint: the POV swaps hurt the book more than they helped.
I could understand three POVs tops (like the hero, heroine, and a villain), but I find that anything more detracts from the story and starts to become repetitive--like this series seems to be. It almost makes me wonder if Phoenix is having commitment issues with her characters, because they all sound the same in all the POV swaps. Instead of developing Kallie and Belladonna further, they are two dimensional, though when together they do add comical relief. I'm not sure if she wants Kallie with Layne, and if she does, she is making it incredibly hard to support the two when McKenna is lurking in the shadows and Layne is feeling guilty.
Instead of maintaining a plot full of action that would keep the reader glued to the pages, BLACK HEART LOA beats its readers over the head with the same few scenes over and over: the memory of Kallie's mother's betrayal, everyone being pissed at Divinity, and everyone wanting to sleep with everyone else. These are the horniest characters I've ever read about, and they all feel like they're the same person talking at times.
Deflections also annoyed me this time around. I think it is high time that Divinity stops pushing off the inevitable explanation and finally fesses up (which she has done...kind of). Either have her fess up, or have the characters accept her actions. At this point, I don't care anymore about her motives...just spit it it already and focus on something new, please, instead of having every character mull over her thoughtless actions.
Saying that is awful... I understand the indignation, but showing three different characters being pissed over the SAME exact thing is distracting me from the story and simply exasperates me because I'm reading the same scene over and over.
I probably sound harsh, and I bet many of you are wondering why I even finished the book if I had this much to complain about. There WERE good points in this story: Baron Samedi was amusing, Belladonna made me laugh my ass off, and our demonic wolf and his sneaky actions has me intrigued. I hope he makes more of an appearance in the next few books. January's announcement about the scratch on Kallie is what made me intrigued with the potential of this series...all over again. Will it get more attention in book three? I really hope so...
Am I hopeful that the third book will feature fewer character POVs, focus more on a plot that keeps me interested for more that 15% of the book, and perhaps delve into more character development...and even a romance? I'm not holding my breath, but I still want to read the next release to see what happens next.
September 30, 2012
Black Heart Loa starts at the exact moment that Black Dust Mambo ends. There are many problems that the main character Kallie Riviera and her friends and family experience in the first book and they have to deal with the aftermath of those original issues along with some new ones: Finding her cousin Jackson, taking care of her love interest Layne, dealing with secrets and a hurricane that is on it's way to Louisiana.
I feel that this book is a bit more focused than the first and the points of view didn't overlap, which I liked better. Also, a lot of the banter that I feel is distracting in the first book is not present, but there is still snappy one liners and sarcastic teasing. The dialogue is more focused on the story and the problems at hand. There are several points of view, but not as much in the first book, or maybe I'm just more used to it and it didn't throw me off as much. However, there are a lot of characters in certain scenes and I had trouble keeping a few of them straight, but the point of their feelings came across and this didn't interfere with the plot. Also, their physical characteristics are described well and I feel this is not only the author's style, but it helped me a little more in keeping track of certain people.
I love Kallie. What's that saying? "Women want to be her..." Well I certainly do. She is a gorgeous young lady with violet eyes ala Liz Taylor, studying to be a Hoodoo practitioner who has a very hunky, hot, self possessed, protective and caring Nomad named Layne interested (okay, more than interested) in her. And she lives near New Orleans (a city I love). So yeah, I'd like to walk in her shoes, which reading these books allows me to do. Like in Black Dust Mambo the setting of the Bayou and the swamps are rich and detailed. The magic, the danger and the beauty of that area are prevalent.
I love the main plot device that has to do with Kallie's past and her mother. It is so intriguing and I'm so impressed with the author's ideas on that. There are also several surprises in Black Heart Loa that are directly related to the aforementioned secret making the characters pull together, even Layne's ex-wife McKenna, who really dislikes Kallie, joins in to help. McKenna wasn't featured a whole lot in this book, but I just want to point out that I love this triangle between Layne, Kallie and McKenna. It's not a typical love triangle since Layne and McKenna still care about each other yet Layne and Kallie have an attraction that to me is akin to being soulmates. I also love the out and out friction between Kallie and McKenna. There is also quite a detailed intimate scene and some people have complained that it is just a plot device for them to engage in sex, but it read believable to me and I just went with it. I'm not into erotic fiction, but the love scene is well done and steamy without being vulgar.
This is a fun, fast read with non stop action and I want to find out what happens next and discover the secrets of Kallie's past.
I feel that this book is a bit more focused than the first and the points of view didn't overlap, which I liked better. Also, a lot of the banter that I feel is distracting in the first book is not present, but there is still snappy one liners and sarcastic teasing. The dialogue is more focused on the story and the problems at hand. There are several points of view, but not as much in the first book, or maybe I'm just more used to it and it didn't throw me off as much. However, there are a lot of characters in certain scenes and I had trouble keeping a few of them straight, but the point of their feelings came across and this didn't interfere with the plot. Also, their physical characteristics are described well and I feel this is not only the author's style, but it helped me a little more in keeping track of certain people.
I love Kallie. What's that saying? "Women want to be her..." Well I certainly do. She is a gorgeous young lady with violet eyes ala Liz Taylor, studying to be a Hoodoo practitioner who has a very hunky, hot, self possessed, protective and caring Nomad named Layne interested (okay, more than interested) in her. And she lives near New Orleans (a city I love). So yeah, I'd like to walk in her shoes, which reading these books allows me to do. Like in Black Dust Mambo the setting of the Bayou and the swamps are rich and detailed. The magic, the danger and the beauty of that area are prevalent.
I love the main plot device that has to do with Kallie's past and her mother. It is so intriguing and I'm so impressed with the author's ideas on that. There are also several surprises in Black Heart Loa that are directly related to the aforementioned secret making the characters pull together, even Layne's ex-wife McKenna, who really dislikes Kallie, joins in to help. McKenna wasn't featured a whole lot in this book, but I just want to point out that I love this triangle between Layne, Kallie and McKenna. It's not a typical love triangle since Layne and McKenna still care about each other yet Layne and Kallie have an attraction that to me is akin to being soulmates. I also love the out and out friction between Kallie and McKenna. There is also quite a detailed intimate scene and some people have complained that it is just a plot device for them to engage in sex, but it read believable to me and I just went with it. I'm not into erotic fiction, but the love scene is well done and steamy without being vulgar.
This is a fun, fast read with non stop action and I want to find out what happens next and discover the secrets of Kallie's past.
July 29, 2011
This is one of those awkward books where we find ourselves having differing opinions about the series – however we believe this is one of taste than impressions or fails – more a case of your mileage may vary. Still, one of us is quite happy to read this series, another would rather clean tile grout.
Keille Riviere, hoodoo and persistent user of a right hook to solve all problems is still facing the fall out of the events of Black Dust Mambo. Doctor Heron's misplaced crusade of revenge still casts long shadows – and her cousin, Jackson, has gone missing, perhaps Dr. Heron's latest victim. But, more pressingly, magic is failing. Every hoodooist, voodoo priest, magician and conjurer through Louisiana is finding their spells go awry. Some reflect back against their casters, some warp – some just become completely random. Worst of all, after Katrina, wards were set across the Louisiana coast to prevent another disaster. The wards have reversed – they're now attracting and increasing hurricanes – and another Katrina is on the way.
And if that wasn't enough to be getting on with, the loa Baron Samedi thinks Keille is responsible and is quite willing to kill her to solve the problem. Then throw in some werewolves and ongoing issues with her aunt's identity theft and you have a full set.
As I said, I liked the story. It has a wide world and it manages to maintain tension surprisingly well. It also managed to cover a lot of different things happening, often at once, without it ever getting lost, confused or any element feeling completely superfluous. It's a wide world,a deep, nuanced and fascinating story with plenty of twists to keep you amused and lots of curiosity to pull you further forwards – I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, I wanted to see how various things worked, I wanted to see what the solution was, what the consequences where, how the world fit together
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Keille Riviere, hoodoo and persistent user of a right hook to solve all problems is still facing the fall out of the events of Black Dust Mambo. Doctor Heron's misplaced crusade of revenge still casts long shadows – and her cousin, Jackson, has gone missing, perhaps Dr. Heron's latest victim. But, more pressingly, magic is failing. Every hoodooist, voodoo priest, magician and conjurer through Louisiana is finding their spells go awry. Some reflect back against their casters, some warp – some just become completely random. Worst of all, after Katrina, wards were set across the Louisiana coast to prevent another disaster. The wards have reversed – they're now attracting and increasing hurricanes – and another Katrina is on the way.
And if that wasn't enough to be getting on with, the loa Baron Samedi thinks Keille is responsible and is quite willing to kill her to solve the problem. Then throw in some werewolves and ongoing issues with her aunt's identity theft and you have a full set.
As I said, I liked the story. It has a wide world and it manages to maintain tension surprisingly well. It also managed to cover a lot of different things happening, often at once, without it ever getting lost, confused or any element feeling completely superfluous. It's a wide world,a deep, nuanced and fascinating story with plenty of twists to keep you amused and lots of curiosity to pull you further forwards – I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, I wanted to see how various things worked, I wanted to see what the solution was, what the consequences where, how the world fit together
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July 9, 2011Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
While I knew BLACK DUST MAMBO was going to be a hard act to follow, my surprises in reading BLACK HEART LOA had nothing to do with those high expectations. LOA was a different breed of book all together, as the story line changes from the human villains of BLACK DUST MAMBO to the more amorphous magical threats. It took me a few chapters to change gears, but despite that slow start I devoured the last two thirds of this book.
One of the changes that took me a bit to adjust to was the lack of a human villain to drive the action. Despite the time constraint of a hurricane about to make landfall, I felt that the obstacles in this book had less forward momentum than those in BLACK DUST MAMBO. The magical issues in LOA were more difficult to keep track of and predict, which meant that the dangers Kallie and her companions faced were less compelling to me as a reader.
Luckily, though I was less interested in the plot, Phoenix once again wrote tantalizing and messy love lives. Fantasies, realities, old loves and new... that was the fuel that kept this book moving for me. LOA teases with just enough heat to keep you glued to the page, but not so much that a Happily Ever After is assured. Kallie and Layne share some hot moments, but Phoenix structured their interactions in a way that still leaves lots of seductive possibilities.
One such possibility was Devlin Daniels (am I the only person who read "demon wolf of the bayou" and thought "Yum"?), who has me at the edge of my seat to read more of his story. Kallie and Belladonna have lots of wonderful page time, and Kallie’s cousin Jackson vies for center stage with his Robin Hood antics and complicated history. While BLACK HEART LOA fell one bat short of BLACK DUST MAMBO in my affections, it definitely sets the stage for sequels that I can’t wait to pre-order.
Sexual Content:
References to sex, one explicit sex scene.
While I knew BLACK DUST MAMBO was going to be a hard act to follow, my surprises in reading BLACK HEART LOA had nothing to do with those high expectations. LOA was a different breed of book all together, as the story line changes from the human villains of BLACK DUST MAMBO to the more amorphous magical threats. It took me a few chapters to change gears, but despite that slow start I devoured the last two thirds of this book.
One of the changes that took me a bit to adjust to was the lack of a human villain to drive the action. Despite the time constraint of a hurricane about to make landfall, I felt that the obstacles in this book had less forward momentum than those in BLACK DUST MAMBO. The magical issues in LOA were more difficult to keep track of and predict, which meant that the dangers Kallie and her companions faced were less compelling to me as a reader.
Luckily, though I was less interested in the plot, Phoenix once again wrote tantalizing and messy love lives. Fantasies, realities, old loves and new... that was the fuel that kept this book moving for me. LOA teases with just enough heat to keep you glued to the page, but not so much that a Happily Ever After is assured. Kallie and Layne share some hot moments, but Phoenix structured their interactions in a way that still leaves lots of seductive possibilities.
One such possibility was Devlin Daniels (am I the only person who read "demon wolf of the bayou" and thought "Yum"?), who has me at the edge of my seat to read more of his story. Kallie and Belladonna have lots of wonderful page time, and Kallie’s cousin Jackson vies for center stage with his Robin Hood antics and complicated history. While BLACK HEART LOA fell one bat short of BLACK DUST MAMBO in my affections, it definitely sets the stage for sequels that I can’t wait to pre-order.
Sexual Content:
References to sex, one explicit sex scene.
September 22, 2011
Fast-paced, (which I love in a book)excellent descriptive narrative, interesting characters. Adrian sucks you into her world and keeps you on the edge and wanting for more. Black Heart Loa is the follow up from Black Dust Mambo. A fiery Cajun hoodoo woman who likes to emerse herself in serious life-threatening problems that nearly kills her and everyone in near vicinity.
This book picks up 24 hours after Black Dust Mambo finished. Kallie Riviere finds her cousins mojo protection bag that was hanging around his neck broken and discarded in the front yard. She instinctively knows something bad has happened to Jackson Bonaparte and is determined to find him no matter what. Layne, the nomad/bike riding/Vessel returns in this book. While trying to trace Jackson's whereabouts they stumble upon Layne after he has a motorcycle accident, which is due in large part to the were-wolves who snatched Jackson literally from the grave 3 men buried him in. With a catagory 5 hurricane baring down upon southern Louisiana thrown into the mix, magic running afoul, a demon Loa in charge of death trying to kill Kallie and Jackson, a pissed off Scottish ex-wife of Layne's who also would not weep if Kallie turned up dead, a demon-devil werewolf named Devlin Daniels hunting for Kallie's heart and you get a blowdown of epic proportions. There is also a deepening of Layne's and Kallie's relationship, hence the pissed off ex-wife.
You do need to read Black Dust Mambo before delving into Black Heart Loa as it is one continuous storyline. Some reviews seem to be upset with the different narratives from different characters. I guess they have a hard time concentrating. I didn't find it difficult at all and liked the different perspectives. Black Heart Loa is just as good if not better than Black Dust Mambo. Adrian Phoenix is very adept at the Cajun language, voodoo-hoodoo and everything southern Louisiana. You will enjoy this series as much as I, especially if you love all things Cajun.
This book picks up 24 hours after Black Dust Mambo finished. Kallie Riviere finds her cousins mojo protection bag that was hanging around his neck broken and discarded in the front yard. She instinctively knows something bad has happened to Jackson Bonaparte and is determined to find him no matter what. Layne, the nomad/bike riding/Vessel returns in this book. While trying to trace Jackson's whereabouts they stumble upon Layne after he has a motorcycle accident, which is due in large part to the were-wolves who snatched Jackson literally from the grave 3 men buried him in. With a catagory 5 hurricane baring down upon southern Louisiana thrown into the mix, magic running afoul, a demon Loa in charge of death trying to kill Kallie and Jackson, a pissed off Scottish ex-wife of Layne's who also would not weep if Kallie turned up dead, a demon-devil werewolf named Devlin Daniels hunting for Kallie's heart and you get a blowdown of epic proportions. There is also a deepening of Layne's and Kallie's relationship, hence the pissed off ex-wife.
You do need to read Black Dust Mambo before delving into Black Heart Loa as it is one continuous storyline. Some reviews seem to be upset with the different narratives from different characters. I guess they have a hard time concentrating. I didn't find it difficult at all and liked the different perspectives. Black Heart Loa is just as good if not better than Black Dust Mambo. Adrian Phoenix is very adept at the Cajun language, voodoo-hoodoo and everything southern Louisiana. You will enjoy this series as much as I, especially if you love all things Cajun.
August 2, 2011
Now don't get me wrong, I do like this series, but I'm having a hard time believing that Kallie is the main character. Honestly "sassy comeback line" or "smelly smells of something smellygood" seem the likely candidate of the main... nevermind.
After two whole books I really don't know as much as I would like to know about well.. a lot. And I hate unanswered questions that are left open just for the purpose of having a next book. It leaves me grumpy and unsatisfied. The book I read before this one (dance with dragons) left it that way but was written a hellaton better. SO I IS A GRUMPYHEAD NOW!!
Damn. All I am doing is bashing. I don't mean to. Really.
Buuutt..It was pretty enjoyable. Kinda fluffy, but tolerable for the Layne bits.
After two whole books I really don't know as much as I would like to know about well.. a lot. And I hate unanswered questions that are left open just for the purpose of having a next book. It leaves me grumpy and unsatisfied. The book I read before this one (dance with dragons) left it that way but was written a hellaton better. SO I IS A GRUMPYHEAD NOW!!
Damn. All I am doing is bashing. I don't mean to. Really.
Buuutt..It was pretty enjoyable. Kinda fluffy, but tolerable for the Layne bits.
June 30, 2011
Layne Layne Layne...you are so sexy, even when you are unconscious for half of the book.
This book was fantastic, it picks up right where book one ended. Jackson is missing so it's up to Kallie and Bell to find him. But they are delayed by two gun toting idiots demanding Jackson's 'stash' of goodies. Then Kallie is attacked by a Loa of Death, on top of that magic is backfiring and they need to figure out why because it's causing wards to malfunction and act as a magnet for hurricanes. Kallie has her hands full and still manages to cart around a passed out Layne after he gets hit by a truck on his bike.
I really enjoy this series and how it changes POV. We get to see Jackson's past and learn more about his family. Mc Kenna is still her bitchy self and glares at Kallie every chance she gets. Belladona still gropes any good looking man she sees and Kallie...well she actually wears clothes in this book! Also lets not forget Layne...I never thought dreads were sexy until I read this series. He is sooooo drool worthy, there was some progress between him and Kallie is this book and can't wait for the next one.
There is also a new addition in this book. Devlin Daniels, his character should be very interesting and I hope he's in book three. This little chapter had me jumping up and down in my chair in excitement.
Devlin pulled her close, then leaned in, his cheek next to hers, but not quite touching. He inhaled. "I've got yo' scent," he said, nostrils flaring. "I can find you anywhere. Anytime.
Yo' heart be mine, Kallie Riviere, hoodoo woman."
This book was fantastic, it picks up right where book one ended. Jackson is missing so it's up to Kallie and Bell to find him. But they are delayed by two gun toting idiots demanding Jackson's 'stash' of goodies. Then Kallie is attacked by a Loa of Death, on top of that magic is backfiring and they need to figure out why because it's causing wards to malfunction and act as a magnet for hurricanes. Kallie has her hands full and still manages to cart around a passed out Layne after he gets hit by a truck on his bike.
I really enjoy this series and how it changes POV. We get to see Jackson's past and learn more about his family. Mc Kenna is still her bitchy self and glares at Kallie every chance she gets. Belladona still gropes any good looking man she sees and Kallie...well she actually wears clothes in this book! Also lets not forget Layne...I never thought dreads were sexy until I read this series. He is sooooo drool worthy, there was some progress between him and Kallie is this book and can't wait for the next one.
There is also a new addition in this book. Devlin Daniels, his character should be very interesting and I hope he's in book three. This little chapter had me jumping up and down in my chair in excitement.
Devlin pulled her close, then leaned in, his cheek next to hers, but not quite touching. He inhaled. "I've got yo' scent," he said, nostrils flaring. "I can find you anywhere. Anytime.
Yo' heart be mine, Kallie Riviere, hoodoo woman."
September 18, 2014
I found this book truly difficult to read. I really enjoyed Pheonix's other series and hoped I would like this one. I read the first book and liked the concept and the world of Voodoo that was created. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the first chapter in the second book. This was not due to the story or the concept but due to the over usage of certain words. I think the heroine said "Goddamn" in almost every sentence. The dialogue was so awful that it distracted from the story completely and I had to stop reading. I'm not sure how this got through editing since a good editor would see this over usage of certain phrases and I hope would advise the author to correct or change the dialogue.
March 12, 2012
*Rating* 4.0
*Genre* Paranormal Romance
*Review Later*
First thoughts..
I dislike having so many character story lines and points of views.
I enjoyed the interaction between Belladonna Brown, Kallie and Jackson. Some really good lines and quotes coming in my full review.
Obviously, there must be a third book in this series because there are still a bunch of unanswer questions including why did her own mother force a loa into Kallie's body? Who else was working with Sophia when she put the loa in Kallie? What is happening between Layne and Kallie? Is it long term or just a long 8 hour sex-a-thon?
More later.
*Genre* Paranormal Romance
*Review Later*
First thoughts..
I dislike having so many character story lines and points of views.
I enjoyed the interaction between Belladonna Brown, Kallie and Jackson. Some really good lines and quotes coming in my full review.
Obviously, there must be a third book in this series because there are still a bunch of unanswer questions including why did her own mother force a loa into Kallie's body? Who else was working with Sophia when she put the loa in Kallie? What is happening between Layne and Kallie? Is it long term or just a long 8 hour sex-a-thon?
More later.
January 2, 2013
The Hoodoo series is an oddity in the urban fantasy - it focuses on voodoo, hoodoo and witchcraft. Continuing immediately after the action of Black Dust Mambo, Kallie's story continues the intrigue, mystery, magical murders, hexes and curses and mystical things. Well written and highly unique, the Hoodoo series is exceptional.
The setting, as to be expected, is the rich, Gothic landscape of New Orleans. The characters are fascinating, well written, and I look forward to the next installment of Hoodoo!
The setting, as to be expected, is the rich, Gothic landscape of New Orleans. The characters are fascinating, well written, and I look forward to the next installment of Hoodoo!
December 22, 2017
French & English reviews
*quelques petits spoilers, surtout sur le tome 1*
Ce deuxième tome reprend tout de suite après les aventures du premier livre avec la disparition du cousin de Kallie, la mort du méchant, les grosses révélations sur la grand-mère de Kallie ... Et on n'a pas fini avec les révélations =D
Comme pour le précédent tome, j'ai aimé les personnages, les intrigues mais surtout j'ai adoré visiter la Nouvelle-Orléans et ses alentours, l'enrichissement de la mythologie avec l'apparition de Baron Samedi mais aussi des loups-garous et le développement des nomades (j'adorais une série sur les clans nomades =D)
Niveau romance, on a le droit à l'introduction d'un nouveau personnage qui a ENORMEMENT de potentiel et que je sens que je vais adorer : Devlin Daniels le neveu de Gabrielle ET juste le mec mystérieux et canon que j'attendais pour Kallie =D Bon on ne le voit quasiment pas (en quantité pas en qualité parce que PFIOU quand on l'a vu, c'était pas les fringues qui l'étouffaient xD) mais je place tous mes espoirs en lui pour la suite x)
Bon clairement, le rituel de fin était là uniquement pour le gros marathon de sex entre Kallie et Layne xD J'avoue qu'il tombait un peu comme un cheveu au milieu de la soupe ><
Bref, une super série d'urban fantasy dans un univers assez coloré et unique, personnellement j'ai ultra hâte de lire la suite pour en apprendre plus sur les secrets de Kallie ... Et sa future vie amoureuse <3
PS : #TeamDevlin<3
PS2 : je viens de découvrir qu'il n'y avait pas de suite ... WHAT THE F*** ????? J'ai besoin d'une suite !!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* some small spoilers, especially on the book 1 *
This second volume starts right after the adventures of the first book with the disappearance of Kallie's cousin, the death of the villain, the big revelations about Kallie's grandmother ... And we have not yet finished with the revelations =D
As for the previous volume, I liked the characters, the intrigues but especially I loved visiting New Orleans and its surroundings, the enrichment of the mythology with the appearance of Baron Samedi but also loups-garous and the development of nomads (I loved a series on nomadic clans =D)
Concerning the romance, we have the introduction of a new character that has a lot of potential and that I feel that I will love : Devlin Daniels the nephew of Gabrielle AND just the mysterious and hot and dark guy that I waited for Kallie =D Well we hardly see him (in quantity not in quality because PFIOU when we saw him, it was not the clothes that bothered him xD) but I place all my hopes in him for the next book x)
Well clearly, the ending ritual was there only for the big sex marathon between Kallie and Layne xD I confess that it fell a bit like an Inuit in the middle of the Sahara ><
In short, a great series of urban fantasy in a universe quite colorful and unique, personally I can't wait to read the next one to learn more about the secrets of Kallie ... And her future love life <3
PS: #TeamDevlin
PS2: I just discovered that there was no next book ... WHAT THE F *** ????? I need another book !!!
*quelques petits spoilers, surtout sur le tome 1*
Ce deuxième tome reprend tout de suite après les aventures du premier livre avec la disparition du cousin de Kallie, la mort du méchant, les grosses révélations sur la grand-mère de Kallie ... Et on n'a pas fini avec les révélations =D
Comme pour le précédent tome, j'ai aimé les personnages, les intrigues mais surtout j'ai adoré visiter la Nouvelle-Orléans et ses alentours, l'enrichissement de la mythologie avec l'apparition de Baron Samedi mais aussi des loups-garous et le développement des nomades (j'adorais une série sur les clans nomades =D)
Niveau romance, on a le droit à l'introduction d'un nouveau personnage qui a ENORMEMENT de potentiel et que je sens que je vais adorer : Devlin Daniels le neveu de Gabrielle ET juste le mec mystérieux et canon que j'attendais pour Kallie =D Bon on ne le voit quasiment pas (en quantité pas en qualité parce que PFIOU quand on l'a vu, c'était pas les fringues qui l'étouffaient xD) mais je place tous mes espoirs en lui pour la suite x)
Bon clairement, le rituel de fin était là uniquement pour le gros marathon de sex entre Kallie et Layne xD J'avoue qu'il tombait un peu comme un cheveu au milieu de la soupe ><
Bref, une super série d'urban fantasy dans un univers assez coloré et unique, personnellement j'ai ultra hâte de lire la suite pour en apprendre plus sur les secrets de Kallie ... Et sa future vie amoureuse <3
PS : #TeamDevlin<3
PS2 : je viens de découvrir qu'il n'y avait pas de suite ... WHAT THE F*** ????? J'ai besoin d'une suite !!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* some small spoilers, especially on the book 1 *
This second volume starts right after the adventures of the first book with the disappearance of Kallie's cousin, the death of the villain, the big revelations about Kallie's grandmother ... And we have not yet finished with the revelations =D
As for the previous volume, I liked the characters, the intrigues but especially I loved visiting New Orleans and its surroundings, the enrichment of the mythology with the appearance of Baron Samedi but also loups-garous and the development of nomads (I loved a series on nomadic clans =D)
Concerning the romance, we have the introduction of a new character that has a lot of potential and that I feel that I will love : Devlin Daniels the nephew of Gabrielle AND just the mysterious and hot and dark guy that I waited for Kallie =D Well we hardly see him (in quantity not in quality because PFIOU when we saw him, it was not the clothes that bothered him xD) but I place all my hopes in him for the next book x)
Well clearly, the ending ritual was there only for the big sex marathon between Kallie and Layne xD I confess that it fell a bit like an Inuit in the middle of the Sahara ><
In short, a great series of urban fantasy in a universe quite colorful and unique, personally I can't wait to read the next one to learn more about the secrets of Kallie ... And her future love life <3
PS: #TeamDevlin
PS2: I just discovered that there was no next book ... WHAT THE F *** ????? I need another book !!!
September 8, 2017
Black Heart Loa is actually the second in Phoenix’s Hoodoo series, the first being Black Dust Mambo. Even without reading the first one, Black Heart Loa is easy to follow, and the events of Black Dust Mambo are easily understood, without really having them rehashed to the reader. Part of that, I expect, is because Black Heart Loa is dealing with the fallout of the events of Black Dust Mambo, so things get explained in a natural progression in the book.
BHL was a rolicking fun ride through the swamps of Louisiana. I can’t speak for the accuracy of how the hoodoo belief system is represented, but most religious beliefs in urban fantasy get a vigorous twisting from the author, as miracles and magic become real in the fictional world. So I’m not terribly worried about the accuracy, as long as they’re not portrayed solely in a good or bad light. And in BHL there are both good and bad practitioners of hoodoo, illustrating the point that it’s not the religion that is inherently good or bad, but the person practicing it. So that moral quandary aside, I really, REALLY enjoyed this book. Kallie is a fun, ass-kicking, smart-talking protagonist, though I found myself wanting to know more about her best friend, a mambo-in-training.
I especially want to know more about a character who was introduced late in the book, but the ending of the book implies more books to come, and more focus on the character I’m intrigued by, so I’ll have to see if I can dig up more of this series. Amazon says this book is 2 of 2 in the series, but it was published in 2011 and I don't see any more in the series, which is sad. Goodreads mentions a third book, Black Moon Mojo, but I can't find any news about a release date.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
BHL was a rolicking fun ride through the swamps of Louisiana. I can’t speak for the accuracy of how the hoodoo belief system is represented, but most religious beliefs in urban fantasy get a vigorous twisting from the author, as miracles and magic become real in the fictional world. So I’m not terribly worried about the accuracy, as long as they’re not portrayed solely in a good or bad light. And in BHL there are both good and bad practitioners of hoodoo, illustrating the point that it’s not the religion that is inherently good or bad, but the person practicing it. So that moral quandary aside, I really, REALLY enjoyed this book. Kallie is a fun, ass-kicking, smart-talking protagonist, though I found myself wanting to know more about her best friend, a mambo-in-training.
I especially want to know more about a character who was introduced late in the book, but the ending of the book implies more books to come, and more focus on the character I’m intrigued by, so I’ll have to see if I can dig up more of this series. Amazon says this book is 2 of 2 in the series, but it was published in 2011 and I don't see any more in the series, which is sad. Goodreads mentions a third book, Black Moon Mojo, but I can't find any news about a release date.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
December 14, 2017
Liked where this character's narrative was going. Sadly, no books after this one left too many open-ended questions. Where's her soul? Do they get it back? What's in there in place of a loa? Not to mention the sexual tension between the two MCs.
I would have loved to finish out the series. Meh, maybe one day?
I would have loved to finish out the series. Meh, maybe one day?
April 11, 2018
FINALLY finished. It wasn't bad but it just took me so long to read it all. I feel like it was because there was SO MUCH packed in there that it was just a lot to read. I'm sad there isn't another one but this was good enough to end it and for me to be "satisfied".
September 24, 2019
Whooo!
Worth reading just for "chicken rage". This was a great blending of complex, interesting characters, action, plot, and magic. It was a page turner from start to finish. I hope this series goes on for a long time.
Worth reading just for "chicken rage". This was a great blending of complex, interesting characters, action, plot, and magic. It was a page turner from start to finish. I hope this series goes on for a long time.
February 10, 2018
Review to come
February 7, 2023
This was just not for me.
The writing was full of stereotypes. The story was not bad but the writing really put me off.
I just DNFd.
The writing was full of stereotypes. The story was not bad but the writing really put me off.
I just DNFd.
October 21, 2023
God, this series is annoyingly cheesy. I can see why there are only 2 books in the series.
April 1, 2026
Wow the book looks good
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