Ancient Bond by Dora Esquivel

 

 

Sometimes you need to fall on your knees to rise.

Centuries ago Lucien’s family and pack were slaughtered and betrayed by family. Lucien was then enslaved for five hundred years by the demon who killed his succubus mother.

One thousand years later his powers as Alpha and Incubus are growing. He is now ready to take his rightful place as Alpha Supreme, but first, he must claim a reluctant mate and escape from under the heel of his possessive Vampire master Sargon.

Lucien is a hybrid shifter in a world where being unpure is not tolerated. Lucien should have never been born. Enter a dark and savage paranormal world, where being weak is stamped out and exploited. Being dominant and unapologetic is key to survival.

Follow Lucien as he seeks vengeance against the uncle that betrayed him and the demon who enslaved him and murdered his mom. Where secrets, allies with hidden agendas, and political jousting determine the fates of many.

A dark, sensual, and paranormal fantasy series by new author Dora Esquivel.

Kimi’s thoughts:

As debut novels go, this was one offering I am glad I didn’t pass up. I picked this up via KindleUnlimited, which has been a fab way for me to try new authors (and to sate my hefty reading appetite without bankrupting us, haha).

This was definitely not your run of the mill shifter story. Esquivel took many of the tropes and stood them on their head, breathing new life into this popular genre. It’s not a light and fluffy romance, so if you need that, this is not going to be your cup of tea. Her characters were engaging and her prose sucked me in from the very first page. I ended up reading this in one sitting, luckily it’s a fairly fast read. Be warned though, there is a cliffhanger.

You can get it on Amazon, where it is in KindleUnlimited for those who read using the subscription service. 

5

Sinister Hunger by Katze Snow

Vincent Hudson is a vampire hunter and his life is about to be ruined.

When a hunting trip ends in tragedy, he is forced to do the unthinkable—seek refuge in Sanctuary Hope, where each family must nominate a member to the city council. It is seemingly a minor price to pay in exchange for medical aid and refuge. But it is a dangerous trap, and unaware of the gut-wrenching reality, Vincent nominates himself.

Now a life of war awaits him. . . and captivity to a vampire master known as Maddox Caine.

This trilogy is for mature audiences only (18+) and contains scenes of graphic violence and high heat that will have you flustered and swiftly turning the pages. These books are dark, raw, gritty, and not for the faint-hearted. Please read with caution.

 

If you loved Dark Silence, you will adore this. It’s not a simple re-release with a new title and a new gorgeous cover (Jay Aheer’s art, is as always, stunning), but a complete re-write. All of the basic premises of the original release are here, but it is a new book with more scenes added. The writing  was good to begin with, but with experience comes maturation and Katze’s writing in this has definitely done so. It’s grittier, with some scenes that made even me catch my breath and sent delicious chills down my arms.

I can’t wait to read book 2 and will be reviewing it here, so watch this space!

4.5