Title: Red Blooded

Author: Amanda Carlson

Series: Jessica McClain, #4

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: September 9th, 2014

My rating: 4 of 5

(Book read from September 6th to September 7th, 2014,  from the eARC received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.) 

Summary:

Jessica is going to Hell.

 
After settling a fragile truce between the vampires, werewolves and witches, the last thing Jessica wants to do is face the demons head on. But when the Prince of Hell kidnapped her brother, he set into motion a chain of events that even Jessica doesn't have the power to stop.

 
Now, Jessica must go into battle again. But Hell is a whole new beast -- new rules, more dangerous demons, and an entirely foreign realm. And when Jessica is dropped into the Underworld too soon, without protection or the help of her friends, she must figure out just how powerful she can be... or she will never make it out alive.

  

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Red Blooded is a great addition to the awesomeness that is the Jessica McClain series! Even though Red Blooded might not be as amazing as the previous books, Amanda Carlson showed again that she's amazing at world-building & creating lovable & interesting characters.

I have to admit that the first half of the book I absolutely loved. It was so amazing, the expanding of the world was crafted perfectly, and I loved the Underworld the author imagined. It was scary, interesting, fun & beautiful.

As for the second part of the book, even though I enjoyed it immensely, and it was kinda great, it wasn't as awesome, but I still had a blast finishing this book, mostly because of my love for the characters (yes, I kinda adore them), and it was one entertaining ride.

The only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger part. It was unnecessary, definitely not a good cliffhanger, and it's not like the reader learns anything knew, to be honest. I can't even call it a cliffhanger, it kinda totally sucked.

   

The story starts soon after Cold Blooded ended. Jessica & the gang  are getting ready for their newest rescue mission - their trip to Hell to save Tyler - when Jessica accidentally ends up in Hell without her backup. She's alone, and must try to survive (and maybe find Tyler) long enough until her backup arrives.

I've actually forgotten how much I love Jessica as a character. There's just something about her that I totally adore, and she makes me laugh, too! Also, there's a new character in this book, that from the moment Jessica met, I kinda adored. Lily is one scary, awesome, dangerous & intriguing supernatural. And despite what happened in this book, I still think she's one fascinating character.

As for the story, it was really, really good. Definitely not what I expected before I started reading Red Blooded when it comes to the way story developed & what exactly happened, but still action-packed, fast-paced, interesting & so entertaining! So, yes, there were a few surprises along the way, even though I knew something wasn't quite right, because I knew that someone is pulling the strings, and I loved learning more about why & how something happened previously, though nothing quite shocked me. I think I had so much fun, that I just went along for the ride, instead of trying to figure out what will happen next ;) That's rare for me, but it happens now & then, and it happened with this book.

I was also left surprised by some of the characters that showed up again, and I was bummed & kinda missed the characters that didn't. I knew that probably not all of them would be present in this book, but I still absolutely & thoroughly missed them. Hopefully, they'll be more present in the following book Pure Blooded. But, I absolutely adored Jessica, Rourke, Ray, Danny, Tyler, Naomi & Marci once again.

That's all I'm going to say about this book. No more details, you'll just have to read it for yourself & see why I adore the series. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book Pure Blooded.

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, with extensive & amazing world-building, that intertwines lots of different supernatural beings & their societies in a way that mind-blowingly works, and it's action-packed, funny, full of danger, chaos & mayhem, and entertaining, as well as full of awesome characters that you won't be able to stop yourself but love, and with interesting & intriguing storyline, then Red Blooded & the Jessica McClain series is for you, and I can't recommend it enough!

 

 

Challenges: 

Summer Bookish Bingo

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

September is for Sequels Challenge

2014 Fur & Fangs Reading Challenge

Yay, the cover for Amanda Carlson's Red Blooded (the 4th book in the amazing Jessica McClain series) is finally here, and I'm so excited, I love it so much, I just had to share it! ^_^

Gorgeous, isn't it?

 

Release date: September 2nd, 2014

 

BLURB:

 

 
(Minor spoilers ahoy!)
  

Jessica is on her way to Hell. After settling a fragile truce between the vampires, werewolves and witches, the last thing Jessica wants to do is face the demons head on. But when the Prince of Hell kidnapped her brother, he set into motion a chain of events that even Jessica doesn't have the power to stop.

 

Now, Jessica must go into battle again. But Hell is a whole new beast -- new rules, more dangerous demons, and an entirely foreign realm. And when Jessica is dropped into the Underworld too soon, without protection or the help of her friends, she must figure out just how powerful she can be...or she will never make it out alive.

 

 

 

The Jessica McClain series:

 

Title: Cold Blooded

 

Author: Amanda Carlson

 

Series: Jessica McClain, #3

 

Publisher: Orbit

 

Publication date: October 8th, 2013

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read on October 7th, 2013,  from an eARC received from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.)

 

Summary:

Magic, mayhem and madness explode in this third installment in the Jessica McClain series.

 
Jessica McClain is on the run... again.

 
Finally reunited with Rourke, Jessica arrives home to find that her best friend has been kidnapped, her father has vanished, and the supernatural Sects -- witches, demons, and sorcerers --- don't even have the courtesy to wait until she is unpacked to attack.

Now, mastering her powers as the sole female werewolf might not be enough to save them. Thrown together in a shaky truce with the Vampire Queen, Jessica must show all the different Sects what the true meaning of "the enemy of my enemy" is or her father will die... 

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Cold Blooded is another great sequel to the amazing Jessica McClain series. After finishing Hot Blooded, I've been dying to read the next book, and even though Cold Blooded might not have been as mind-blowing as Hot Blooded was for me, it was still quite amazing, and I thoroughly loved every second of it.

From the beginning, the actions starts & never stops. This is one action-packed book. It seems that everywhere Jessica goes, danger & chaos follows, but our Jessica can face it all ;)

The world-building was amazing, we learn a lot more about their world & all the supernaturals, and you gotta love the world Amanda has created. If you only hear about it, you might think it's too much, maybe too complex, but Amanda Carlson makes it work beautifully, and I can't wait to see what she'll think of next.

I won't say a lot about the story, except that I didn't expect for it to develop as it did, but I loved it. Also, once again I thoroughly loved all the characters: Jessica, Rourke, Danny, Tyler, Ray (surprisingly, I love this guy), Nick, Marcy, Naomi, Eudoxia, etc - I can go on & on. We also met some new interesting & intriguing characters, that I'd love to learn more about, as well as new supenaturals, and yeah, we learn more about Jessica & her powers, and we get to learn exactly what kind of cat Rourke is - that was so awesome.

And another thing we finally got - some Jess & Rourke alone time. I mean, finally - I was really glad  that Amanda squeezed in some time for them in all that mayhem, they're awesome together.

I can't recommend enough Cold Blooded & the Jessica McClain series. It's one of the few series I've fallen in love with this year - I love the world, the story, and especially the characters - and I already can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the next book, so yeah, do yourself a favor & get yourself a copy of this book or series.

 

 

 

Challenges:

 

2013 Spooktacular Paranormal Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

Title: Hot Blooded

Author: Amanda Carlson

Series: Jessica McClain, #2

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: April 23rd, 2013

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from May 4th to May 19th, 2013,  from an e-ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.)

 

Summary:

 

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

 

All in a day's work for a girl.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

Hot Blooded continues just where Full Blooded ended. And this book was absolutely amazing, I loved every second of it! If you haven't read Full Blooded, there will be some spoilers about it in this review.

So, after the Goddess Selene kidnapped Rourke - Jessica's mate, Jessica, accompanied by two werewolves: her brother Tyler & Danny, Ray - the reluctant human, and Naomi & Eamon - two vampire trackers, goes on a rescue mission to save Rourke before it's too late.

Most of the book was the adventure-filled journey to find Selene & Rourke. But, what I was surprised about it was how amazing it was. I didn't expect something like that in UF, because it reminded me of the journeys often found in epic fantasy when they go on a quest or a mission or something like that, and I'm a sucker for stories like that. So, yeah, I totally loved it! It was filled with lots of twists & turns, it was suspenseful, fast-paced, action-packed, and full of awesomeness.

I totally adored Jessica, Ty & Danny as characters once again. The guy that surprised me in the end with the fact how much I actually liked was Ray, and Naomi is now definitely one of my fav characters, too. She's so amazing! We also meet Eamon, and I really didn't like him, although I couldn't quite point my finger why I didn't like him at that moment. I guess I didn't trust him.

We also learn about the prophecy. I actually loved that there's a prophecy, I'm a sucker for books with that, too ;) We also learn a lot more about the Underworld, and we meet a lot of supernatural creatures along the way.

And then there's the epic showdown. Let me tell you this, that Selene (Goddess or no) is one evil crazy bitch. And I loved seeing her ass kicked. 

So, they return at home after they've saved Rourke, and of course something else have happened ;) Poor Jessica, she can't seem to catch a break ;)

Hot Blooded is one amazing sequel, that made me fall in love with the series even more, and now I'm dying to get my hands on the next book Cold Blooded. 

I can't recommend enough this book & the series. It's entertaining, action-filled, fast-paced, suspenseful, mind-blowing, kick-ass, interesting, intriguing, addicting, full of amazing characters, and most of all full of awesomeness, and it's definitely now one of my fav series, and Amanda Carlson will join my list of fav authors!
 

Challenges:

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

Title: Blooded

Author: Jessica McClain

Series: Jessica McClain, #0.5

My rating: 4 of 5

(Novella read on May 2nd, 2013)

Summary:

 

Jessica McClain was born the only female in an all male race. The only problem is - she's no wolf. Called a curse, a witch and the Daughter of Evil by the superstitious wolves, Jessica decides to fight for her freedom, at age nineteen, the only way she can - in the ring.

When she's brutally attacked right after her fight, is it enough to finally earn her freedom off Compound, or will she be forced to endure the hatred even longer...

My Thoughts on the Novella:  

 

Blooded is the prequel to Full Blooded - the first book in Amanda Carlson's Jessica McClain series. To be honest, I read a couple of chapters of Full Blooded first, then read this novella, and returned to Full Blooded asap. In Blooded we see examples of what Jessica had to go through being the only female born in a werewolf pack before she left the Compound. This novella is suspenseful, action-packed & I got a glimpse of the amazing characters & relationships between them in the series, and it only made me excited even more to read Full Blooded, which is the goal of a prequel, and Amanda Carlson achieved it, so I recommend it a lot!

 

Title: Full Blooded

Author: Amanda Carlson

Series: Jessica McClain

My rating: 4.5 of 5

(Book read from May 2nd to May 3rd, 2013)

Summary:

Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different - she’s feared.

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can't control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there's no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.

My Thoughts on the Book:  

 

I was really excited about finally reading Full Blooded, because lots of bloggers that I love wrote great things about it & the series, and I totally agree with them.

Full Blooded starts when Jessica McClain turns for the first time into a full-blooded werewolf. From the moment this book starts, it's fast paced & full of action & edge-of-your-sit excitement.

First of all, I have to talk about the thing I loved the most about this book: the characters & the relationships between them. All the characters in the series are so amazing, and I loved their interactions with each other. Starting with Jessica McClain (the daughter of the pack Alpha), then her best friends Nick & Marcy the witch, her brother Tyler, also Danny & James, as well as her father Callum, and ending with the mysterious Rourke. Yeah, I absolutely adored all of this guys, and it had nothing to do with the fact that they're all really hot. They're all like this one big family that loves each other & protects each other & will do anything for each other, and that affection is obvious between them while they interact with each other, no matter if they're actual family relations, lovers or only friends & pack members. The whole thing was absolutely perfect, and that's why they all joined my list of fav "families" in series.

Now, for the story itself, I loved it, too. Although it might be a little bit predictable as a whole, that doesn't really matter, because I loved the journey & all the details, and I found myself flying through the book, and when it was finished, I wanted more. I was really interested to find out more about the whole myth that surrounded Jessica since she was born, as well as Jessica & her wolf, because she really is different. I was also intrigued about the other supernaturals, and although there's a lot more to learn, what is revealed, I loved it. And there was lots of action, and plenty of humour & fun interactions that entertained me a lot, too.

And that ending was just so great, and it will leave you dying to pick up the next book.

Although I talked about all the characters as a whole, Jessica deserves a special mention. She's one amazing kick-ass heroine, and she's now one of my favs. She's smart, funny, great investigator & she can kick some butt (both before she turned into a wolf & even more now after she became one). And then there's Rourke. We didn't get to learn a lot about him, so there's a lot of mystery surrounding him, but I loved the interactions between him & Jessica, and their chemistry was great, so I'm looking forward to learning more about him later in the series.

Full Blooded is the perfect start of a new urban fantasy series with potential to become one of the best, with interesting premise & potential for where the story itself will go, engaging characters, and most of all entertaining execution, that will get you hooked, so I highly recommend this book & the series!

 

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge