Book Review: Shades of Betrayal (The Fae Games #3) by Jill Ramsower

I absolutely adored the first two books and have even proclaimed Fae Games one of my new favourite series of 2018. -I Smell Sheep reviewer Bianca Greenwood

Shades of Betrayal (The Fae Games #3)
by Jill Ramsower

December 1, 2018
Ashley
All my wildest fantasies have come true, but reality is never quite as simple as we imagine. I dreamed of living in a wondrous world of the supernatural and having magical powers of my own. Now, I have all of that, but it comes with a caveat—a six foot Fae brute who is supposed to train me on all things Fae. He’s a dauntless warrior of the Wild Hunt. A beautiful bigot. He’s my lover and my burden, my savior and my curse.

There’s a monster lose in the city leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. I want more than anything to help others with my new abilities—what better use of my power than to stop a killer? Too bad Michael doesn’t feel the same.

Michael
She’s a born fighter. Courageous and brash like the heroes she reads about. Two weeks ago I carried her lifeless body out of a dirty alley. Ever since, my carefully constructed world has been leveled, despite my endless efforts at damage control.

Ashley Moore is a force of nature. Her best friend is the Erlking’s woman, and together, Ashley and Rebecca have infiltrated our brotherhood. Everything about our lives is dangerous, so I’ve done what I can to protect her—even if she ends up hating me for it.
Author's Note: This is NOT a Young Adult novel! It contains graphic violence and scenes with adult sexual content.


Shades of Betrayal is the follow up to Jill Ramsower's Fae Games duet. The duet set the stage for unfolding Fae drama, action, and romance in the urban setting of Belfast. I absolutely adored the first two books and have even proclaimed Fae Games one of my new favourite series of 2018.

Readers are introduced to Ashley in the first two books as the best friend of Rebecca. Ashley's devotion to he friend ensures her own entanglement in the world of Fae, particularly a group of Fae military-esque elite, the Huntsmen. Shades of Betrayal is the unfolding of Ashley's story as she tries to navigate the world of Fae.

Initially, I was hesitant to read this installment as I wasn't overly taken with Ashley as a character. I was absolutely delighted to find Ashley to be both captivating and refreshing. I devoured her story, eating up every tidbit of the tumultuous unfolding of her relationship with the powerful, brooding Michael. I'll not deny I read several passages twice.

Ashley is an entertaining, empowered female main. Her refusal to succumb to her every emotional whim is a rare characteristic in this genre. Ashley is assertive, sassy, and smart. She's analytical and rational and, quite frankly, urban fantasy and paranormal romance needs more characters like her.

In speaking with the author, two subsequent releases for this series are planned. Book four will be Cat's story, and the premise for book five is still under wraps.

It's December! Find a cozy corner and check out this series.

Review: The Fae Games Duet

Five sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:
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Daughter of Arthur and Jane Bedrosian, Jill Ramsower is a life-long Texan having been born in Houston, raised in Austin, and currently residing in West Texas.  She attended Baylor University and subsequently Baylor Law School to obtain her BA and JD degrees.  She spent the next fourteen years practicing law and raising her three children until one fateful day, she strayed from the well-trod path she had been walking and sat down to write a book.  An addict with a pen, she set to writing like a woman possessed and this is her happily ever after.

Book Review: The Fae Games Duet by Jill Ramsower + giveaway

The Fae Games Duet
Shadow Play (The Fae Games Book 1)
Jun 23, 2018
Twilight Siege (The Fae Games Book 2)
Sept 1, 2018
by Jill Ramsower
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

When Rebecca Peterson walks away from everything she knows to follow her dreams in Ireland, she never expects to be thrown into a world of vicious Fae and deadly secrets. On the dreary streets of Belfast, her terrifying nightmares are rekindled, and this time they aren’t confined to her imagination. Complicating her life further, Becca crosses paths with two mysterious strangers—both alluring in different ways, but are either of them to be trusted?

Her journey takes her deep into the treacherous Shadow Lands, where both her knowledge and courage will be tested. Navigating this new landscape of deceit and manipulation is paramount if she is to stop hordes of blood-thirsty Faeries from invading Earth. With time running out, will her limited training be enough to take on a centuries old enemy hell-bent on death and destruction? To keep those she loves safe, Becca is willing to risk it all.

In this captivating duet, Jill Ramsower takes her readers from the streets of Belfast on a harrowing journey to the most dangerous corners of Faery, where fear is a lethal enemy and trust is a luxury few can afford.

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Rebecca Peterson, a young burgeoning art historian, is desperate to reach her full potential. Feeling the pull to move beyond her New York City waitressing gig, she pursues a job opportunity abroad at a Belfast museum. With little hesitation, Becca accepts the offer and embarks on her new adventure. She’s barely settled in her new home when her world is vastly altered. Becca almost immediately finds herself thrust into the supernatural world of fae politics and espionage. Ramsower’s creative alternate-Belfast complete with intrigue and combustible romance easily make Fae Games one of my favourite new urban fantasies of 2018. The Fae Games Duet contains the first two books in Jill Ramsower’s new series; Shadow Play and Twilight Siege.

The Fae Games Duet was difficult to put down. Initially I found Becca’s voice slightly juvenile and the idea of Becca’s gal pal accompanying her on her journey slightly silly. However, in the larger context, Ramsower’s creative choices make better sense. Becca’s transformation as a character is well-told; from her initial arrival in Belfast in Shadow Play to her dramatic transformation and personal realization in Twilight Siege. Both books are entertaining, quick reads. The second book is even better than the first as the storytelling becomes more confident.

Becca’s journey is linked to the work of the Huntsmen, a group of elite royal-appointed male fae living on earth and protecting the interest of the Seelie court. Among the group are a formidable cast of powerful fae, two of which – Locklan and Ronan -- zero in on Becca quickly. The romantic tension unravels at a deliciously torturous pace, a device I find wholly entertaining.

Shades of Betrayal, the third Fae Games installment was released last week. A review of book three, Ashley’s story, is forthcoming.

Shadow Play: Four Sheep

Twilight Siege: Five Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

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Jill is a Texan, born and raised. She manages the hectic social calendars for her three active children and occasionally spends an evening with her dashing husband. Aside from being an author and a mom, she’s an attorney, travel junkie, and voracious reader.

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (US/CAN)
A tumbler, $25 Amazon gift card, signed paperback of the duet, + author swag 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sheep Review: Shadow Play by Erin Kellison

SHADOW

The world is growing dark with it as mysteries from antiquity and legend creep into our time, bringing a new world of danger, beauty and…

MAGIC

Dr. Cam Kalamos has dedicated his life to studying its strange properties, but nothing is more intriguing than a woman whose soul is split in half, one part under her control, one part bent on…

SEDUCTION

How can he resist the lure of a lover with no inhibitions and an insatiable desire to possess him? Both Ellie and her shadow want Cam, but there is an innocent child to be rescued from the forest and the strange fae creatures of…

TWILIGHT

Love, loyalty, betrayal—which will rule? As Ellie sends her other self into the darkness, there is only one certainty: Trusting in shadows is a dangerous game.

It is no secret I love Erin Kellison’s writing and adore the world she built in her Shadow series, so I will try to keep the fangirl moments to a minimum. Shadow Play is the second novella in her Shadow Touch series, which is a spin-off of her Shadow novels. And for our readers not yet introduced to Kellison's books, you don’t have to read the novels to enjoy the novellas. Kellison does a great job of catching the reader up on the important world building elements, so you haven't tried a novella yet or not impressed with them, then give Kellison a try. She has perfected the art of the novella, giving the reader a whole novel experience in a small package.

In the first novella, Shadow Touch (my 5 Sheep review), we meet Cam, a researcher working for the Segue Institute. Segue is an organization that was created to study Shadow, the magic that is slowly spilling into our world from a place called Twilight and the subject of Kellison's novels. Twilight is home to the Fae and the barrier between our realm and theirs is thinning. Ellie comes to Segue looking for help, her shadow can separate from her and acts on primal urges like sex and rage. Ellie can’t control her shadow and wants to be free of it before something bad happens. Ellie starts out as a subject to be studied, but Cam soon starts to have feeling for her and good romance stuff happens <G>.

Shadow Play takes place a few months after the events of Shadow Touch. Cam and Ellie are working to control her shadow and trying to make their relationship work. Ellie is resentful of her shadow self and sees it as an obstacle to her happiness. While I enjoy the romance developing between Cam and Ellie, it is the imaginative world building and storytelling I love most. The main plot focuses around a waterfall from Twilight which has appeared and spills from midair in a desert. Segue is called in to help rescue a young boy who was lured into it and turned with a Fae changeling. The story is full of action and suspense and a new faction has been added, Mages. At this point I am not sure if they are good or evil, but I love the direction the story is headed.


The Shadow Touch series is a perfect way to check out Erin’s writing and get a taste for her Shadow world as well as a great introduction to the Urban Fantasy genre if you have been curious. You can get an ecopy of the first novella Shadow Touch for $1.49 and Shadow Play for $1.99.

5 Shadow Sheep

SharonS (edited by BAK)

Find Erin Kellison online
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amazon link to all Erin's Shadow books

Sheep Interview: Erin Kellison + give away (INT)

ain't she purty?

Today we have Erin Kellison hanging with the flock. Her second novella, Shadow Play, in her spin-off series recently released! The first novella, Shadow Touch, was my introduction to Erin's writing and I have been a fangirl of her writing ever since. Her tech savvy husband made an interactive website based on her Shadow novels for fans to play at. So after you check out the interview, enter to win the whole set of Shadow novels, and buy her novellas...head over and check out the Segue Institute!

Sharon: *lights candles* Hello, have a seat and help yourself to some Moonpies and Kool-Aid. Sorry we don’t have any lights, but Katie stuffed the very last of our money into the pants of a previous guest instead of paying the electric bill! But you got to admit, the shadows cast by the candles adds to the mood.

Katie: *pulls out violin*

Erin: I happen to love shadows! And… yum!

Sharon: Today we are going to talk about your Shadow Touch novella series, which is a spinoff of your fabulous Shadow series. Can you tell the poor unfortunate souls who don’t know the Shadow series a little about it?

Erin: My Shadow series is contemporary dark fantasy with a twisted take on fairy tale and comprises three books: Shadow Bound, Shadow Fall, and Shadowman. I’ll be giving away a set of them today. Shadow in my world is synonymous with magic, and it’s seeping into modern life from a place I call Twilight, a realm between earth and the hereafter. The fae live there and they want nothing more than to cross into our domain.

Katie: Did you just mention Twilight??? *perks up straighter* Are we talking about sparkly vamps Twilight?

Erin: Alas, I have neither vampires, nor sparkly-skinned people. (Although, once upon a time, before publication my first book, Shadow Bound, was titled Touch of Twilight. Still no relation to the Cullens.)

Katie: How many smexy heroes do we have in the Shadow Touch Novella series?


Erin: We have… ONE! Dr. Cameron Kalamos (picture Ian Somerhalder)

*everyone, a moment of silence while we picture Ian...le sigh*.

He’s a scientist, likes his quiet research into Shadow and the fae, but when Eleanor Russo comes to him for help, both his intellect and his passions are aroused. See, Ellie’s got a unique problem: To her constant humiliation, her shadow is able to move, speak, and act on its own. Her shadow is the naked embodiment of her id and is motivated by instinct and curiosity, and thus stirs up a whole lot of trouble. Ellie’s situation forces Cam out of the lab and into life and death situations he could never have anticipated. I settled on a thinking man—someone who used to be content to work in the lab, but is called upon to do great things.

Sharon: I have read and reviewed the first novella Shadow Touch and it was my introduction to Erin’s writing. I have been a fan ever since! Katie, if you want lots of smexy man candy, you can read the Shadow Series.

Katie: Now, how could I ever say no to that?

Erin: Katie, send me your email and e-format of choice, and I’m happy to send them to you.

Sharon: What brought about the creation of the Shadow Touch novella series? Why did you decide to do novellas instead of novels for this series?

book #1

Erin: Ellie and Cam were actually intended for a book. I loved the idea of a disembodied shadow that said whatever she wanted to without reference to whether it was socially correct or not. I loved that the shadow would not be shy about her sexual interests, and I was gleefully excited to explore what would happen when Ellie (and her shadow) were forced to fight for what was important to her. And I loved the dynamic I had envisioned between her and Cam. This would have been the third novel in my Shadow series, but I abandoned it in favor of Shadowman. I wanted to do a novella in between releases, and I used Ellie and Cam for what became Shadow Touch. But as soon as I finished, I knew I wanted to continue with their story—I had so much more that I wanted to do with them. Luckily, my publisher was behind me, and they agreed to three more installments, for a total of four, to complete Ellie and Cam’s arc.

Sharon: Actually that is a win-win for everyone. You get to write their story and we get something to read while waiting for your novels to come out.

(Heaven forbid if Katie’s shadow ever got out!)

Erin: *snort* Mine would be pretty bad too.

Book #2

Sharon: The second novella, Shadow Play, is a continuation of Shadow Touch. Should people read the first novella before Shadow Play?

Erin: I’m writing each as a stand-alone adventure, so readers should be able to start anywhere. But to get the complete evolution of Ellie and Cam’s romance, I’d recommend starting at the beginning, when he has her thrown in a prison cell reserved for monsters.

Katie: Growing up what stories did you read? Did they help bring you into this writing world?

Book #3

Erin: I read everything! I don’t remember much before sixth grade, except the Narnia series. But I can remember reading Judy Blume and Lois Duncan and Joan Aiken. When I was about twelve I asked my mom about Jane Eyre and she told me that it was too hard for me. Which ticked me off so much that J.E. was the very next book I read, even though it took me about five months to complete. I loved the classic gothic romances. I loved Tolkien. I loved Anne McCaffrey. I gobbled books. Still gobble them.

Sharon: *discretely moves my TBR pile away from the book gobbler*

Sharon: How many novellas will there be in the Shadow Touch series and will they all be about Cam and Ellie or will there be other people’s stories to tell?

new series July 1st


Erin: There are officially four novellas in the Shadow Touch series: Shadow Touch (out now), Shadow Play (April 24), Shadow Hunt (Dec 2012), and Shadow ?? (2013). They are all about Ellie and Cam, each story furthering their romantic and character arcs. They also bridge the parallel worlds of my Shadow series and my soon to be released Shadow Kissed series (Fire Kissed, July 1!) so readers get a tiny intro into both. Hopefully, they will want to read more.

Sharon: Now that we have the business end of this interview done, let’s talk about some uncomfortably personal things like what you do behind closed doors…

Erin: Ummmm…..

Katie: *evil laugh*

Sharon: Hey, get your minds out of the gutter people! I just wanted to know what flavor toothpaste do you use?

Erin: Oh… mint.

Katie: If you could go away for a romantic weekend with anyone, fictional or not from past or present, who would it be and why?

Erin: It’d have to be my sweet husband—he’s sane to my crazy, a rock to my storm, and he has all the right moves. ;)

Sharon: awww, and now that he isn’t in the room anymore? Care to change your answer? <G>

Erin: Nah… I’d still take him. I’m in lerve.

Sharon: If every time you walked into a room theme music/song would play, what would yours be?

Erin: She’s a maniac… maniac… (kidding. No idea.)

Sharon: going to go with option one unless you come up with something else! <G>

Katie: And she's dancing like she's never danced before!

Katie: what’s a tv show you're addicted to right now?

Erin: Game of Thrones and Castle are my faves

Katie: For real! Season 2 of Thrones is really building up all the players that are going for the Throne. And Castle now has Worf on it!!

Erin: I’m actually watching Game of Thrones right now.

Sharon: What is something you consider beautiful in: Art, music, dance, nature and you.

Erin: Art: My kids’ efforts to draw anything. Music: My husband plays the guitar and has written me some amazing songs. Dance: I used to be pretty serious about ballet and still think it is exquisite. Nature: Spring. Moi: I’m at my best (most goofy, most creative, most happy) with my family.

Sharon: Where/when do most your best ideas come to you? Car? Shower? While eating Fruit Loops?


evil torture device

Erin: Alas, the best ideas come to me when I am working out, which I hate (loathe, despise) to do.

Sharon: lol, what kind of work out do you do that inspires so much disdain?

Erin: The dreaded elliptical machine. It’s a torture device.

And now some Rapid Fire questions!

Sharon: Nickelodeon or Disney?

Erin: Disney

Katie: Chick rock or chick rap?

Erin: Rock

Sharon: does chick rap even exist?

Katie: *shrugs* No idea.

Erin: I didn’t know either.

Sharon: hammock or chaise lounge?

Erin: Lounge

Katie: Snow bunny or Beach bum?

Erin: Bum

Sharon: I prefer tight bums…oh, wait, you were referring to something else <G>

Katie: No, no. Let's refer to that.

Erin: LOL

Sharon: lefty or righty?

Erin: Righty

bet y'all would have preferred a pic of boxers

Sharon: berries or melons?

Erin: Berries

Sharon: favorite?

Erin: Straw

Katie: Boxers or Briefs?

Erin: Boxers

Sharon: mountain forest or Tropical Island?

Erin: Both

Sharon: *shoots irritated look at Erin* cheater!

Erin: Okay, fine. Mountain forest. After a while I’d feel too isolated on an island.

Katie: Cherry pie or peach pie?

Erin: Cherry

Sharon: giggle or laugh?

Erin: Guffaw

Katie: snort.

Sharon: Mwahahaha!

Katie: Sexy superhero or twisted villain?

Erin: Superhero!

Sharon: got a favorite? I like Thor.

Katie: *head desk* Just wait till she brings up Prime.

Erin: Thor is mighty nice, but only if he has his shirt off.

Sharon: well, if you insist...

Katie: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us, would you like to add anything before we wrap?

Erin: Thanks so much for having me! This was a blast. Stop by my website for more info on my upcoming releases, and to read excerpts from all the books in my Shadow series. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook – links are below:

My website:

www.erinkellison.com

Twitter (@ekellison):

www.twitter.com/ekellison

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/erinkellisonauthor

Amazon link to all Erin's Shadow books