The Banshee's Revenge by Victoria Richards--a review

 This is a repeat post, but since we are diving into summer, I wanted to bring attention to one of my favorite authors. Her books make for great beach reads!-- Mary Ann

 

I love trilogies, especially when the last book is the one that ties everything up and is action packed. I've read the first two books in the Banshee series by Victoria Richards and was thrilled to finally get my hands on the latest one: The Banshee's Revenge.

Here is the publisher's blurb:

 

Toby Williams is a wizard with a problem. He is very much in love with half banshee, Jacqueline Huston. Though she exists in the realm of the living, as a banshee she is also able to see death- and help those who have died to cross over to the other side. But something inside her has snapped. Anger and revenge is all she feels now. Jacqueline is hell-bent on revenge to the Brotherhood of Merlyn wizard’s for their past atrocities and their current attempts to kill her love, Toby; especially their ancient and powerful leader, Gwydion. One by one she tracks them down and destroys them. Jacqueline’s power grows with each wizard she reaps while Death’s voice taunts her from within. By pursuing a path of revenge Jacqueline isn't doing her job as a banshee, leaving those who have died unable to cross over and throwing off the balance of nature- with dire consequences.

Toby is at a loss how to save her, and the world. His answer comes in the form of Morrigan, a powerful Celtic goddess. Morrigan has a plan to help Toby save Jacqueline and regain her humanity, but at great risk.

Even the best laid plans can go astray, especially when evil Gwydion enlists the help from a god of the underworld.

Will Jacqueline be saved? Does she have any chance at regaining her humanity? Can Toby and Morrigan overcome a powerful wizard and a god of the underworld? Find out now in the exciting conclusion of The Banshee's Embrace Trilogy.

I have to say that this book answered a lot of questions I'd been wondering about--particularly who the heck are Jacqueline's parents! While I don't want to give that spoiler away, I will say that it made total sense and explained a great deal about why she is so strong. In this book, I felt that Jacqueline really came into her own and showed herself to be a strong woman who wants to believe that good is still inside her.

Toby remains our champion romance hero with just the right amount of humility, sex appeal, and strong warrior rolled into one.  Loved that he was willing to do whatever it takes to save Jacqueline.

We also meet a few new characters like Morrigan (Celtic goddess with a wicked sense of humor), and Arwan (a god of the Underworld) who really is too sexy for his own good. Both were excellent additions to the plot and made me laugh out loud at their antics.

Overall, this story was fast paced, humorous, and had just enough sex to sizzle the page, but not distract you from the overall plot. I have loved this series from beginning to end and highly recommend that you read all three books in The Banshee's Embrace trilogy.

 

THE BANSHEE'S REVENGE AMAZON LINK

 To learn more about the fabulous Victoria Richards click on the links below!

http://victoria-richards.com

http://twitter.com/victoria_rich1

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Richards/378425542218622

 

The Banshee's Desire by Victoria Richards--a review

Here is the first review in a series of romance books I'll be chatting about this month at All Things Writing. Drop by next Wednesday to meet Daisy Banks who will guest blog about the art of writing romance!

 

I've always been fascinated by banshees and Irish folklore. When I stumbled upon Victoria Richard's book The Banshee's Embrace a few months ago, I just fell in love with the story. I'd already checked out her book, Voodoo Love, so I knew this one had the potential to be another great read. I wasn't disappointed.  The Banshee's Embrace was funny, sexy, and very romantic. I admit that romance is not always my first choice when it comes to choosing a genre, but as you can see, Ms. Richard's has really hooked me!

Which is why I was delighted to read her follow up book, The Banshee's Desire which is free today and tomorrow at Amazon!

 

Here is the Amazon blurb:

This is Book II of The Banshee's Embrace Trilogy

Half banshee Jacqueline Huston is confused. With the Brotherhood of Merlyn looking for her, the specter of Death wanting her soul, and having to live with the knowledge that her wizard boyfriend's son killed her husband, sometimes life feels a little chaotic. Then the Brotherhood kidnaps the love of her life, Toby Williams, in an attempt to convince her to join their crusade for power over other supernatural beings.

In this book, Jacqueline comes to grips with her enormous powers--capable of reaping any soul, a temptation she must avoid at all costs. But will she be able to control her powers, or will she use them and risk losing everything in order to save the one she loves?

 

One of the things I liked about the first book is that it started with a strong hook. Banshee's Desire is no different! We learn right away that the wizards are majorly pissed off that Jacqueline has killed the son of one of their own and they demand vengeance.  The struggle Jacqueline is having with her powers becomes obvious when she kills a lawyer who attacked her friend--even though it wasn't her job to take his soul unless he was already at the brink of death. (Personally, I thought the creep got what was coming to him!) Now she struggles to maintain balance in her life and be a good person while at the same time dealing with the desires and wishes of the murdered souls who cling to the person that killed them.

Talk about a headache! Yikes!

I really liked seeing Jacqueline's inner struggle in this book. Her character has evolved a great deal and while we see some of her previous insecurities, the reader can also tell she no longer just adopts  a "wait and see" attitude about things. She is determined to make things happen--whether they are right or not.

Toby, a wizard, is her love interest. I also feel there was some interesting character development with him, too. Strong, mature, and unafraid to kick a little ass when called for, Toby has a lot to deal with between balancing his feelings for Jacqueline and making sure she doesn't decide to kill his son, Gabe, in her need for revenge.

My favorite character is Irish Death. I loved the idea that there are many Deaths and they are all working different divisions of the world. Irish Death comes across as a humorous fashion saavy chick who can turn into a total bitch at any moment. Lots of fun!

Since it is the month of love, let's talk about sex! Several steamy scenes stand out in Banshee's Desire and made me wonder where I can find my own wizard to create a little magic in the bedroom. However, I wouldn't say that this book is over-run by sexual situations.  There's just enough va-voom to keep you panting, but not lose interest in the story.

The action is fast paced and holds plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader invested in the characters. I felt that the ending was great, but left me wanting to know what happened next! I can't wait to read the final book in this fun and engaging trilogy.

So here is the great news about this book--it's free today (Wednesday) and Thursday!  Go check it out by clicking on the following link! Be sure to get the first book, The Banshee's Embrace, too!

 

FREE COPY OF BANSHEE'S DESIRE

KINDLE LINK FOR THE BANSHEE'S EMBRACE