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Spellfire by Jessica Andersen – a Review

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Spellfire by Jessica Andersen – a Review


Spellfire is Jessica Andersen’s final book in her Nightkeepers (Final Prophecy) series.  We have waited for a year to get to the highly anticipated final showdown, the Mayan Doomsday. This  final story belongs to Rabbit and Myrinne, though all the Nightkeepers play a big part of this story.

When we last left off with our Nightkeepers, Rabbit was tricked  & then taken prisoner by the demons, leaving Myrinne just about at death’s door.   Rabbit has always been a wild card, not totally in control.  Myrinne was the one who changed his life for the better, and as time passes, Rabbit begins to mature and take on his role with the Nightkeepers. 

As we begin Spellfire, Rabbit is being tortured by the demons.  He no longer has his powers, as the demons try to take that from him.  The only thing that keeps him alive, is his thoughts of Myrinne.  He manages to make a last desperate attempt to escape, and just when he is ready to give up, the Nightkeepers come to his rescue. But the biggest shock is when he sees his worst nightmare, his dead father, Red Boar alive.  Back at the compound, Rabbit knows he has lost all his credibility with his friends, and as he looks for Myrinne, he sees her distant cold behavior.   

Myrinne is not the same person Rabbit knew when he almost killed her.  She was hurt badly by his believing the demon trickery, and thinking the worst of her.  The emotional memory of that time has frozen her heart.  Now that all of Rabbit magic belongs to Myrinne, she is also reluctant to give it back. 

Rabbit must earn back the respect and prove to the Nightkeepers and Myrinne, he is no danger to them, and he will be able to handle whatever is needed of him to help win the final battle.  We learn early on that Rabbit is the crossover, which no one really understands what that means.  As they have to work together, Rabbit and Myrinne slowly begin to resume their relationship, though Myrinne fights off her mistrust. 

One of the best parts of the story was Anna.  I have always loved Anna, and was worried that Andersen would put her at the end with the awful detestable Red Boar.  I had felt this way, as there was no one else that was available for Anna.  But Andersen does right by Anna, and I loved how things turn out for her. Seeing all the other Nightkeepers/Mates was awesome too. 

The final half of the book was very exciting, with a lot of action and twists along the way. Will Rabbit be able to control his magic, including his dark magic?  Will Myrinne forgive him to allow herself to fully love him again? Will Rabbit finally find out about his family? What will happen to Red Boar?  Will the Nightkeepers be able to solve the mystery of what needs to be done to win the War?  Will they win the war and stop Doomsday? 

So many questions, and Andersen answers them all. My favorite part of the final book was Anna.  My least favorite was unfortunately Rabbit and Myrinne.  I did like them, but something seemed to be missing. Perhaps it was that their pairing paled in comparison to the other couples in the Nightkeepers series, who were totally awesome, and this one was a bit of a let down.  I really enjoyed how at the end, we get to see what happens to each of the Nightkeepers, that we have come to know and love. Spellfire was a wonderful end to a fantastic series, and as I have said before, Jess Andersen is a wonderful writer.  If you have not read this series, you are missing a fabulous ride.

Reviewed by Barb

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An Interview with Jessica Andersen

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An Interview with Jessica Andersen

 

The Reading Cafe is thrilled to have the fantastic Jessica Andersen as our guest today.  Jess is one of our favorite authors, and we have given you a glimpse into her books all week.  So if you have not read them, it’s time you did so.

Without further ado…Jessica Andersen

 

 

Jessica, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. 

JA: Thanks for inviting me for an interview!

TRC:Your website jessicaandersen.com has quite a bit of information about your foray into the world of writing.  Will you tell us something about you-the person?

JA: Well, I like traveling, outdoor sports, long walks on the beach … LOL. Kidding (though I do like all those things.) I guess my big take-home on me-the-person is that over the past few years I’ve gone from being a type A, goal-oriented stress ball to being a far more laid back human being who tries to enjoy each day, put family first, and not sweat the little things. I wouldn’t say I’m a hundred percent on all of it yet, but I’m definitely a much happier human being for learning to stop and take a breath now and then.

TRC: You say that you write ‘smart, sexy, high-impact romance’.  Do you consider yourself a ‘romance writer’ first or a writer of paranormal romance and why?

JA: I definitely consider myself a romance writer first and foremost, because the Happily Ever After is incredibly important to me, both as a reader and as a writer. I want to know that no matter what those characters go through (be it in regency, fantasy, romantic suspense, etc.), they’re going to have a wonderful, loving ending. I write lots of romantic suspense in addition to the paranormal romances, but both series are smart, sexy and high-impact romances!

TRC: You have stated that the Nightkeepers idea was basically an ‘ooh, shiny moment’.  Was it that simple,-while researching for an idea, and the Mayan calendar and its’ final prophecy, that triggered an entire series?

JA: It really was that simple. I was researching another idea, came across the idea of the 12/21/12 doomsday (this was back in ’06, when it really wasn’t in pop culture yet), and said “wow, I’ve got to write about that!”

TRC: The biography information on your website states you have an undergraduate biology degree and a PhD in genetics.  Has your education aided in the research and background information for The Final Prophecy series?  Have you been able to apply your education and knowledge to any aspect of your writing?

JA: My background has been invaluable in researching the Nightkeeper books (all my books, really). More importantly, it’s been a good tool for me to figure out when to stop researching. Just as a scientific paper only needs to contain the background info necessary for the reader to understand the experiments in that paper, a story only needs the details that are relevant to the characters’ experiences at that particular moment in that particular story. I try to keep that in mind when I’m writing, because there are lots of really cool details I’d like to include … but if I put them all in, the story would get lost!

TRC: You have a new series, to be debuted in 2013.  Will you tell us about your new series-such as genre and some background information?  Do you have a set number of books in this new series?

JA: Hm… I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. LOL- okay, just kidding on the death threat thing, but at the moment the new series is being kept under wraps. The only thing I can really say is OMG, I love writing it!

TRC: TYPOS FROM HELL..a wonderful and apt name for your mistakes and errors.  Many are so funny and humorous, and sexually suggestive.  Auto-correct is a nightmare and many people suffer at the hands of auto-correct.  When and why did you decide to let the readers into your editing hell? 

JA: I’ve been Facebooking my typos for several years now (and later upload them to my website at http://www.jessicaandersen.com/Typos-from-Hell.html), and it’s definitely a reader favorite. I don’t really remember when or how it evolved, but I think it’s a fun way to involve people in my (sometimes insane) creative process and the naughty stew that my brain becomes when I’m writing.

TRC: Harlequin Nocturne series-The Royal House of Shadows was a project between 4 very popular and prolific authors.  Will you tell us about your experience writing ¼ of a storyline?  Will you ever consider doing a similar project again? Was there any problem with compliance, fluidity and story premise between the 4 authors?

JA:  The RHOS series was a blast to write! Gena Showalter, Nalini Singh and Jill Munroe are gifted storytellers and a ton of fun to bounce ideas off of. I’ve done a bunch of other continuity series (where authors get together to each write a stand-alone story that fits within a larger story arc told across multiple books), but this was the first one where the authors came up with the world themselves. We had a fab time brainstorming the Kingdom Realm, the Blood Sorcerer, and four royal siblings who must return home to save the day. I would totally do it again! Harlequin even made us our own website, with bonus content and downloads: http://paranormalromanceblog.com/royalhouseofshadows/

TRC: Who is your Muse?

JA: I think I am my own muse … not to be all egotistical or anything, but because there’s a piece of me in each of my characters, and I use that to really put myself in their heads. Rabbit’s character has always been one of the easiest for me to write, because I’ve so often felt like him—the person who has the best of intentions, but who personifies Murphy’s law. 😉

 

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD- Pizza, as long as it doesn’t have too many veggies or any hairy fish on it.

FAVORITE DESSERT- Chocolate in all forms except covering jalapeno peppers (that is just a cruel joke, in my opinion, especially when one finds its way into an otherwise harmless candy assortment … BTDT).

BOXERS, BRIEFS, COMMANDO- Boxers!

DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY– Mountain biking

FAVORITE AUTHOR- Linnea Sinclair

FAVORITE BOOK- Richard Bach’s BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING- I’m in-between books right now, but just finished up Suz Brockmann’s latest Troubleshooter/Team Sixteen book, and give it two thumbs up!

LAST VACATION SPOT– Vacation? What’s that? LOL!

Thank you, Doc Jess, for this great interview.  It has been such a pleasure working with you, and wish you good luck on Magic Unchained. For all of you who have not read The Nightkeepers….what are you waiting for? It’s a phenomenal series, and Jess Andersen is a wonderful author.

If you would like to find out more about Jessica Andersen, below are links to her sites:

Website: http://www.jessicaandersen.com

Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/DocJess

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/270312.Jessica_Andersen

  ************GIVEAWAY!!*********

Jessica is graciously offering a giveaway to one of our members.  She will send a copy of one of her Nightkeeper books to a lucky winner. Please note you must be a member of The Reading Café to have a chance to win (U.S. & Canada only). If you are not a member, please register today.  The contest will close midnight April 21, 2012.  Good Luck to all.

 

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Jessica Andersen Biography & Bibliography

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Jessica Andersen Biography & Bibliography

Though we have our interview with Jess tomorrow, below is a great biography direct from her website.  Enjoy!

Hi all, and thanks for being interested in learning a bit about little old me.

Hm… where to start? Well, I’ve lived in New England all my life, growing up in Massachusetts and spending the past decade or so in eastern Connecticut. As a kid, I survived the 80s with no lasting scars aside from a few photos of me with spiked hair and a rat tail (and no, I’m so not posting those). During the 90s, I did a double stint at Tufts University for an undergraduate biology degree and a PhD in genetics, with a year-long break in between that can best be described as: “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up; I think I’ll do some landscaping”… followed by “um, okay; I think I’ll go back to school now.”

During grad school and for a year after, I worked at the New England Eye Center, helping search for the genetic mutations that cause glaucoma. It was very cool work, but I liked the scientific writing more than the labwork. It wasn’t until the committee head complimented my doctoral thesis by saying it “read like a mystery novel” that I admitted I was… um… writing a romantic suspense novel in my free time. A year later, I left the lab and spent the next while freelancing as a scientific editor and riding instructor while I worked on getting my writing career off the ground.

Released in October of ’03, my first Harlequin Intrigue, Dr. Bodyguard, was an RT Top Pick and kicked off a string of science-themed romantic intrigues that have hit the category bestseller lists and been nominated for Reviewers’ Choice and RITA awards. While writing the Intrigues, I kept honing my craft and submitting new ideas, hoping to make the jump from category to single title success.

I love learning about new things and rediscovering old interests- that’s the researcher in me, I suppose. So one day while I was working on a story idea, I came across a reference to Aztec serpent worship, had an ‘ooh, shiny!’ moment, and followed where the information flow led me… straight to a mention of how the Mayan calendar will end on December 21, 2012. Thus was born the Nightkeepers, and an exciting new direction in my writing!

The first of them, Nightkeepers, was a June 2008 release, and kicked off an eight-book (plus one novella) series about the modern-day magic wielders destined to save mankind from the 2012 doomsday. With appearances on various national bestseller lists, including the NY Times list, the Nightkeeper novels have been an awesome ride! Keep your eyes open for the last two of the Nightkeeper books, coming in April and November 2012.

In late 2011, I ventured into the world of Harlequin Nocturne with Royal House of Shadows: Lord of the Wolfyn, which is part of a four-book miniseries with super-authors Nalini Singh, Gena Showalter and Jill Munroe … and in 2013, be on the lookout for the start of an exciting new series!!

Bibliography

The Nightkeepers

Night Keepers
Dawn Keepers
Sky Keepers
Demon Keepers
Blood Spells
Storm Kissed
Magic Unchained
Spellfire (November 2012)

Intrigue

Bear Claw Lawman
Bear Claw Bodyguard

Harlequin Intrigues

Dr. Bodyguard
Secret Witness
Intensive Care
Body Search
Covert M.D.
The Sheriff’s Daughter
Bullseye
Ricochet
At Close Range
Rapid Fire
Red Alert
Under the Microscope
Prescription: Makeover
Classified Baby
Meet Me at Midnight

 



 

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Magic Unchained by Jessica Andersen – a Review

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Magic Unchained by Jessica Andersen – a Review

Magic Unchained is the 7th book and latest book in Jess Andersen’s Nightkeepers (Final Prophecy) series. Magic Unchained belongs to Cara and Sven, and we have been waiting for their story almost from the beginning.  I had mixed feelings going into this book, since Cara, who so wanted to be a full Nightkeeper, and hated being a Winikin (a servant to the Nightkeepers), was hardly around throughout this series, until near the end of the last book.  Sven, a coyote Nightkeeper, has been with us, but somewhat distant, but I loved when Mac, his coyote familiar became part of the story.  Because of their history, her hidden love of Sven, and the fact that a Mage and Winikin pairing is forbidden, I wasn’t sure that this would ever work, and of course I was so wrong.  As Andersen usually does, she makes it work, and boy does she. 

I loved Cara from the start….loved her strength, determination to lead the winikins, her vulnerability; and her ability fight off her love of Sven.  Cara knew it was a lost cause, as he did not feel the same for her, and he was never there for her.  At first, I was not too crazy about Sven, and his insistence to ignore his feelings for Cara, and always running away. But when he opens himself up, that totally changes and I ended up loving him.  Wow…their first mating was awesome.  I have always said, Andersen has a wonderful personal touch to her steamy sex scenes, and that was hot. I also loved loved Mac, and his ability to mind talk to Sven, and even to Cara.  A very nice touch.

Dez is back, as he is the King, and it is only a short time to equinox.  The Nightkeepers need help to fight their battle against the demons.  Dez enlists Sven’s help to bring in the Winikins into their battle as warriors instead of servants to the magi, as he wants Sven to work with Cara.  Cara, who is the Winikins leader, must bring them together to help, but there is dissention within her group, as the bond between the Nightkeepers and Winikin has been split, with much anger.  It is a betrayal within the Winikins that brings Cara and Sven together, and upsets the balance that needs mending, in order for all to survive.  With the end of days near, they must all work together to have any chance to win this war, and save the world.  The question is can Sven stop running away, face up to his love for Cara, and can Cara forgive Sven….all this besides fighting together to beats the demons they have to face.

Magic Unchained was an exciting story from start to finish.  So much action, whether it was with the Winkins, the demons, the adventure to steal the artifact necessary for them to win the war, and the equinox battle.  But the romance between Cara and Sven was wonderful, and frustrating at the same time.  Everytime you think ..thank god..they are finally together, then something else happens.  But their chemistry together, their sexual scenes were always steamy, and they so belonged together.

It was nice to see Dez and Reese, and Rabbit had a big story in this book, which is leading up to the finale….the end of days is almost here.  I felt though that even if we saw some of the others, it wasn’t like the other books, where they did play a bigger part in the stories.  Hopefully, in the finale, we will get to see them all more.  Rabbit and Myrienne will be the main characters in Jess Andersen’s Spellfire coming in November, 2012. Anna will also get her closure in that book. I made a prediction in my first review of this series that I will not repeat…no spoilers.   I did not want to see this…I feared this would happen, and now with that spoiler at the end…I am sure it’s going to happen.  

Once again, Andersen does a fantastic job in keeping this series fresh, and heading to an exciting finish.  Magic Unchained had a wild and climatic ending, with a big surprise twist.  On to Spellfire, and the finale of Nightkeepers in November.  I will miss them all.  But having loved this series, and love love Jess Andersen’s writing..I will always follow whatever else she comes up with in the future. 

Reviewed by Barb

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Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen – a review

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Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen – a review

 

Since we are featuring Jessica Andersen through to next week, we thought we would repeat this review of her book Lord of the Wolfyn.  This was part of the Royal House of Shadows series, which 3 other authors took part of.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Jessica Andersen’s “Lord of the Wolfyn”, is the third of four books in the Royal House of Shadows series.  As I have mentioned previously, each book of this series has somewhat of a take off on fairytale themes.  “Lord of the Wolfyn” uses Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf as it’s theme. 

Dayn is the third sibling, who was magically swept away, when his parents, the King and Queen of Elden were dying.  Dayn ends up in the Wolfyn realm, which also has connections to the human realm.  When Dayn realizes where he is, his immediate thought is to get back to Elden, to help his parents, who were under attack, when he was swept away.  But before he could do anything, he heard his father mind speak to him.  The instructions from his father were that he had to wait for a guide to come to him to lead him back to Elden.   Only when the guide comes, will he be able to return to Elden,  and at that point, he had 4 days to get back to get back, or he and all of his family will die.

20 years later, Dayn is still in the Wolfyn realm, waiting for his guide.  He has learned to live with the other Wolfyns, and has made some friends. Wolfyns in the human world are known as werewolves.  But he still has the intense need for revenge against the blood sorcerer for the murder of his parents, and possibly his brothers and sister.  Dayn has not seen or heard from any of them in 20 years.  

Reda Weston is a cop in present day human realm, who has been having a tough time recovering from the death of her partner.  She blames herself for freezing, when he was shot and killed. With her confidence gone, she becomes attached to a fairytale book that belonged to her when she was a child.  The book was a version of Red Riding Hood and when she finds this special book, Reda sees in the book about the woodsman that she has been dreaming about.  It was Reda’s mother who taught her about magic, and fairytales, before she died.  The book and any discussions of magic was taken away from her by her father after the mother died.  But now Reda begins to have dreams about her Woodsman and the Big Bad Wolf.   When she chants a spell taught her by her mother many years ago, Reda is magically swept away to the Wolfyn realm, where she sees the woodsman of her dreams.

Dayn immediately knows Reda is his guide.  However, Reda does not believe this is real, and thinks she is hallucinating, and must be dreaming.  It takes Dayn some time and danger ahead of them to convince her otherwise.  First they must fight the wolfyns to escape and head on to Elden, as Reda must be the one to lead him.  The trip traveling back was exciting, and when Reda finally comes to realization that this is real, which did take a bit too long, she begins to take control and help Dayn.  Throughout they face much danger, and the sexual tension between them was dynamic. The end was intense, both taking turns saving each other from a creature or a witch, and the black unicorn at the end was a nice touch. 

I enjoyed this story very much, and I am a big Jessica Anderson fan.  Though perhaps I would have shortened Reda stubborn blindness to where she was, I just loved the way Andersen portrayed their romance.

Reviewed by Barb

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