Book Review: Midnight's End (The Fae Games Book 5) by Jill Ramsower

Midnight's End (The Fae Games Book 5)

by Jill Ramsower
July 2, 2019
204 pages
Sorceress, enchantress, deceiver, murderer—I’ve been called all those and more, some that might make you blush. Lucky for me, I couldn’t care less what people think about me. I’ve had my sights set on one thing for the last thousand years, and that’s all that matters. I’ll do whatever it takes to find the cauldron, even if it means taking on a partner. They call him a knight in shining armor. For me, he’s my golden ticket. He fell into my lap, quite literally, and now he’s going to help me get what I want.

I don’t play particularly well with others, but he’s the best shot I’ve got, so I’ll hop on that train and hope it gets me where I need to go. He thinks he’s going to crack my shell and see what’s on the inside, like maybe there’s a warm, gooey center to make up for the hard exterior. He’s in for a world of disappointment. Everything soft and delicate about me became rough and hardened a long time ago. I’m Morgan Le Fay, and I’m the villain in this story.

In this thrilling finale to The Fae Games Series, Jill Ramsower ties together the four previous books in a romantic adventure full of jaw-dropping twists and heart-stopping heroics you won’t want to miss!
Warning: This is NOT a Young Adult novel! It contains graphic violence and scenes with adult sexual content.

Jill Ramsower’s Arthurian Legend-inspired Fae Games has been an overall winner. The series features action-packed storylines, smouldering romance, and strong female leads. Book five, Midnight’s End, is an especially strong installment. The tables are turned and we have a book written from the perspective of Morgan Le Fay, the big bad villain featured in the series’ earlier installments. The shift in perspective gives the series added dimension and interest.

While imprisoned by Merlin on fae lands, Morgan plots to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve her goals. While her motivations have been largely misunderstood, her notorious reputation makes it difficult for anyone to trust Morgan. Her assigned companion Knight is drawn to the sorceress, but wary given her laundry list of misdeeds. The plot of Midnight’s End is rich and Morgan’s quest unfolds with imagination. There are many twists and turns along the way to keep the reader wholly engaged. I was initially skeptical; how would I identify with or care for the much-maligned Morgan Le Fay? Ramsower met this challenge formidably. Morgan and Knight are now my favourite characters in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series and highly recommend it to urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans. Ramsower’s take on the King Arthur legend is modern and refreshing.
Review: The Fae Games Duet (The Fae Games #1, #2)
Review: Shades of Betrayal (The Fae Games #3)
Review: Born of Nothing (The Fae Games #4)
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 (INT) 

$50 Amazon gift card, a signed paperback of Midnight’s End, and sweet swag! 

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Book Review: Born of Nothing (The Fae Games #4) by Jill Ramsower

Born of Nothing (The Fae Games #4)
by Jill Ramsower
March 5, 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
It was over before it began.

A druid woman and a Fae man—we were two people from different worlds, only by chance did our paths happen to cross. He was beautiful and damaged and totally captivating. If only I could have continued to buy into the propaganda of fear and hate my people had taught me about the Fae, then maybe I would have believed him to be the savage he appeared to be.

Instead, I offered the cryptic man my help. The time I spent with him allowed me to see the man he was behind the chiseled, formal exterior. What developed between us was tender, intimate, and totally unexpected.

My druid family was not as enlightened as I was. My mom didn’t want me near the Fae; she certainly never would have understood that I had developed feelings for a Fae man. I tried to keep my private life a secret. I tried to keep the peace, but my mother’s threats and intolerance left me with no choice. I had to make the hardest decision of my life. I had to leave the only family I’d ever known. I just never imagined what I’d face when I didn’t make it out in time.

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Born of Nothing is the fourth instalment in Jill Ramsower's Fae Games series. The series is an urban fantasy centred in Belfast and the Fae realm that chronicles the adventures of young women, their entanglements with the Fae and relationships with the Fae warriors of the Wild Hunt. Readers meet Cat in earlier installments as the Druid receptionist at the Ulster Museum. Born of Nothing is her story.

I love this series; it's been one of my favourites this past year. I was, however, a little disappointed in book four. While I'd never been overly interested in Cat as a character, I was pleasantly surprised by her development and she was a character highlight. I didn't quite connect with Fenodree or his romance with Cat. I'd always imagined Fen as a grizzled old wizard-type and had a hard time adjusting my thinking. I guess that's on me.

I struggled a bit with the plot as well. I had difficulty engaging in the story. I feel Rebecca's role, though essential to the plot, was underdeveloped. She frequently seemed flippant and rather unhelpful to me. I also struggled with the dynamic between Cat and her mother.

In the end, I adore the world created by Ramsower and will continue to follow the series.

Review: The Fae Games Duet (books 1 and 2)

Review: Shades of Betrayal (The Fae Games #3)

Three sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

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Goodreads
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.

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:

Website-FB-Twitter

Goodreads
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