The Black Rose Chronicles,
Deceit and Lies,
Book 1
by A K Michaels
Blurb:-
She is different, unique, and one of a kind. Even in this weird new world. In a world ravaged by an inter-species war and almost devoid of Witches, she has to hide, keeping her heritage a secret. Only two people knew the truth about her: her father and her mentor; her savior, Seth. A highly trained assassin, she kills with impunity if the target deserves such a sentence. Unfortunately, far too many do. The lawlessness that stretches from coast to coast allowing unspeakable acts to go unpunished.
Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, and a host of other species now run free upon the earth and some of them were downright evil. She tasks herself with dealing with wrongdoers whenever she can. She is strong, fearless and powerful. An anomaly, probably the only Witch/Wolf hybrid left alive. She shields herself from detection. If anyone knew she has Witch DNA they would all come after her and she couldn’t take such a horde on and live.
Her assignments as the ‘go to’ assassin for The Council give her plenty of opportunity to wreak justice upon those who deal in death and destruction. Her targets mostly found dead with black lips and tongue; a result of her spells and not just the poison everyone thinks. So, when the new Head of the Council, Basilius, a Demon, tasks her with taking out the most powerful Vampire alive she can’t refuse. Can she?
The Black Rose will strike again for the good of humanity. It’s what she believes she’s been born to do and she will tackle this as she does all of her missions; with deadly intent. There’d be no difference this time. Would there? Or is the dangerous Vampire, Cassius Allarde, not all that he seems?
Come follow Rose’s journey as she fights to find out the truth. About the Demon, the Vampire and the Witch hunt that destroyed most of her kind. Book 1 in A K Michaels new series, The Black Rose Chronicles. If you like your dystopian books with the added bonus of supernatural beings in abundance then this book is for you.
★★★★ 1/2
This
is the first book in a new series and boy did it kick off with a
bang! Once again AK Michaels has left me gob smacked, with every book
of hers that I've read so far I've been able to picture it all as if
it was playing out as a movie before me and this one is no different,
the detail is just incredible.
The
story had me caught hook, line and sinker by the end of the first
chapter, I was intrigued by not only Rose but by the whole war
ravaged world! I loved how all the different species had their own
unique characteristics and communities, it made them stand out more
as individual species and it even made them easier to identify. It's
written in the third person which helps with that movie effect that I
mentioned earlier.
Rose
is quite frankly brilliant... I mean what's not to love? She is a
total badass!!! Cassius was by far my favourite character... I just
adore him. His compassion is the thing that cemented him as the front
runner for me, so not what you'd expect from a vampire!! All the
characters are fully formed no matter how small their role is, Kuan
is one of my favourites he is just something else and gives the book
a touch of humour at times!
Overall
I found this to be a gripping read that held my attention from the
very first page, thank you for another great story Ava, I can't wait
to see where this series takes us.
★★★★ 1/2
This
is something very different for Ms Michaels, her first hoorah into
the dystopian future and frankly...one of the best attempts at it
that I've read by any author!
We're
transported into a era where the supernatural is as standard as rain
is in England! Every thing's out in the open in plain sight. We meet
a young, tough and seriously kick ass assassin called Rose, her
failure rate is pretty much zero, she's assigned to kill a vampire
called Cassius, she's told he is out to enslave the population...and
yet everything she learns about the elusive character suggests
otherwise.
Cassius
isn't your stereotypical vampiric character, he was written with
compassion and understanding which only adds to his appeal. He's
living in a world that seems determined to destroy itself and he
wants to do something to bring the human light back from the
darkness.
There's
a lot more to the plot line but I don't want to give too much
away...Exceptionally well written as always, a fabulous read with an
ending that will leave you panting for more! Highly recommend! 4 1/2
stars!
Excerpt:-
Hearing a laugh from her left, her head spun in that direction, a large bear of a man sauntering out. A dirty, unkempt beard covering his face, so all she saw clearly were his eyes. Eyes that were not in the least friendly, and held the red tinge of a hungry Vampire. She sighed before addressing the obvious leader. “I know you’re not on your own so why not call out your little friends and we can get this party started?”
“Party? Hey, guys, we’ve got a livewire here.” The man guffawed, bending over for a moment as laughter erupted. “So you want to party with us, little lady?”
She shook her head sadly as two other men appeared, staring at her with lust and hunger on their faces. “You misunderstood my definition of party, big guy. Let me explain. This can go one of two ways. You and your men,” her arm arced around to take in the other two standing in the shadows, “can leave me in peace and let me pass. Or, and looking at you I’m guessing this is the way it’ll play out. I kill you all. Simple.”
The main man stood straighter, showing off his bulk as he stepped closer. “You’re goin’ to kill us? All three of us? You’re aware that we’re Vampires, aren’t you? But just what the fuck are you? I can’t quite make up my mind.”
“Yes, yes, and none of your damn business.” She snapped out, waiting to see who’d make the first move. The large one, the leader, flicked a finger at one of the others still in the shadows.
Her eyes flitted towards him, her arm moving with lightning speed and retrieving her katana. Brandishing the long blade in front of her as the smaller Vampire sped towards her. She tracked his movements, knowing a nano-second in advance his intentions. She stood calmly, waiting until he was within reach, then weaved her sword in an impossibly fast arc towards him.
The razor sharp blade relieved the Vamp of his head, quickly, cleanly, and with ease. His body collapsed to the ground with a soft thud, his dark blood seeping into the hard-packed earth beneath him. She didn’t give his body a second glance as she took up a defensive stance, her knees bending and her sword now before her, held in both hands as she smirked at the leader.
“What the fuck?” He cursed, motioning again at the other Vampire to attack.
This one was faster but she was ready, her blade slashing through the air to slice across his thigh as she spun around to miss his grasping fingers. The sword passed all the way through, causing him to fall onto his other knee. Her blade glinted in the moonlight as she quickly slashed down fiercely, decapitating him in an instant. Pulling her blade free before she eyed the larger man, seeing his fury seething inside.
“What are you?” he ground out between clenched teeth.
“Again, none of your business.” She grinned at him, her eyes flashing with anger. “You’ve missed the most important question. Not what I am, but who I am.”
He didn’t respond other than to roar as he flashed towards her. She stepped forward, away from the two dead bodies and waited. As he drew nearer she dashed to the side impossibly fast, twirling her blade above her head as she went. A hiss of anger from the Vampire as she sliced downwards and into the back of his knee.
She gave him credit. He didn’t slow down, only cursing loudly as he whirled around to come after her again. Once more she danced out of his reach, her blade inflicting even more damage as he tried to get his hands on her. Not happening.
“I’ll fucking rip you apart and drink you dry!” His rage clear in the roar as he stumbled up onto his feet.
“Nope.” She shook her head.
This time she wove out of his grasp, bringing her blade backwards, the tip of her blade sinking in and piercing his lower back, severing the spine and causing his large body to collapse. Not a death blow. He was a Vampire and if left alone the wound would heal, but she wasn’t leaving him alive to hunt her down. Stepping over to him she flicked her hair over her shoulder as he stared at her.
“Who are you?” he finally asked.
Staring down at him totally emotionless she answered. “If you’d asked that first then maybe, just maybe, you and your men might’ve survived this little dance. Me? I’m The Black Rose.” She winked at him before raising her blade to end him. Seeing the recognition in his eyes a second before she tore his head from his body. “Another one bites the dust.” She sang as she wiped her blade on his clothes before returning it to its sheath.
Teasers
Author Bio:-
A K Michaels, Ava, is a best-selling author whose books have won awards within the Paranormal Romance scene. She was born in Scotland quite a number of years ago and was married at a young age, and is mother to three much loved children. After the birth of her last child she went back to higher education to study, before gaining employment within the banking industry. She worked in that role for a number of years before leaving; both the job and the country.
She lived abroad for a few years before returning to Scotland and finally taking up her dream - writing.
She is the author of the Defender's Blood series, The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire series, Supernatural Enforcement Bureau series, Highland Wolf Clan series, Sabrina's Vampire series, and her latest series The Black Rose Chronicles, together with a Wolf Erotica Novella, Lori's Wolf. Her books fall into the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre and she loves writing those particular kinds of stories where she can let her imagination run wild!
She now spends her time reading - everything from Sci Fi to Crime, Erotica to Fantasy, Thrillers to Paranormal Romance. She loves spending time with her family and, of course, writing!
She has twitter, Facebook and a mailing list.
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