Ashley hurried up the steps to the Milagro Gallery, she’s been tied up with a client and now she was late to the reception. Ashley had been adopted but after college she came back to learn about her heritage to Sena Pueblo which was her birth mothers home and had been here the last two years. Joe was the artist and one of her anchors to New Mexico. Joe had been in love with Ashley’s birth mother and had offered to marry her when she found out she had gotten pregnant by a cowboy drifter. But her mother had gone to LA instead. Joe hadn’t seen or heard anything till Ashley had shown up there. In two years Ashley and joe had gotten very close friends. Ashley knew Joe had been upset the last couple of weeks about something but wouldn’t talk about what. Luke was Joe’s nephew but not one of her favorite people. Luke walked aro0und with a chip on his shoulder. But Ashley understood Luke’s reason, he had been arrested for robbery and spent five years in jail until the real criminal confessed and then Luke was set free. Charlotte was the artist who the reception was for and she and Ashley were friends. Both returned to Sena Pueblo as adults and were trying to find their way in the world, where neither was completely comfortable in. Ashley worked at Pueblo Care Joe was suppose to be here and hadn’t showed up and Ashley knew she had to go to his home and check on him or she wouldn’t be able to relax until she knew he was ok. Ashley and Luke had got off to a rocky start when she had returned to Sena Pueblo. Ashley was attracted to Luke and saw the same spark in his eyes but it was soon plain they were not going to go anywhere with the attraction. Ashley had tried to become friends a couple times but Luke had a way of mocking her that set her nerves on edge. So Ashley finally just gave up. When Ashley got to Joe's every light was on in his home and the door was unlocked so she went in and Joe walked out of the shadows but his eyes wide and staring and he had a gun pointing at her like he didn’t even know her. He warned her to stay away. Then Joe took off and Ashley went to follow him when she found a hand on her arm and it was Luke with his usual attitude. Then Joe is found murdered and his paintings are locked up in the hotel. Luke is determined to find out who killed his uncle but Ashley is just as determined and stubborn about it. Finally look teams up with Ashley to solve this mystery of the man the cared deeply for. Joe’s killer has magical powers as black magic is suspected of being used.
This book is the first of a trilogy and I know I am reading the rest if I can find them. I liked this a lot but I wish it had been a lot longer. But if i like a novella I always wish it were longer usually. I loved the mystery part of this book but I would have liked everything solved and answered. I also really liked the paranormal aspect of the book I liked the plot and pace also. I loved Luke and Ashley being together. This grabbed me from the beginning and held my attention up to the very end. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend. I wish I could rate this 4.5

This was a shorter book, more like a novella. Whilst all 3 books in this series could be read separately I think they are best read as a trilogy, one linking to the next.

The characters are steeped in the mythology of the Native American people, something I find highly enjoyable and a great new word to explore. I'm a love of myths and legends of the world, I truly enjoyed getting to know these new ones.

I was left with more questions than answers by the end but that is not always a bad thing. What is the significance of Joe's artwork in the Casino Hotel? What was he trying to convey to Luke and Ashley? Is there really a witch involved, or just a very clever murderer at work?

Luke and Ashley were a great couple and I'm looking forward to reading more about them as the trilogy unfolds.

I loved this book and read it in one sitting. A great romantic read and definitely will recommend this to all my romance reading friends!! 5 Stars from me!!

Entertaining, mystery with a dash of romance and lots of are you really sure that is what happened? One of three stories in the series you get a full HEA for this couple but you are left with questions to the underlying mystery that brought them together. Short engaging nighttime read.

Luke Cordova is the strong, silent and broody type watching everyone around him. Ashley Donaldson is as smart, sweet and charming woman looking for roots and wanting to help those around her as much as possible. They are the complete package as far as couples go, and It was very interesting watching them dance around each other trying to get to the truth. Looking forward to reading what happens next in this murder mystery with a dash of romance series.

If you enjoy murder mysteries with a paranormal twist then you’d enjoy Luke (Renegade Magic). However – no matter what label you may use, series or serial or trilogy, this is a story where the main characters have their happy ending but the murder mystery continues on into the next two stories with that part concluding only at the end of the third story. There are often plot threads that an author weaves throughout a series so this isn’t all that different for me… but some readers like their story to be complete at the ending, this one won’t be, not completely.

Luke and Ashley make an interesting couple. Both have their reasons for their need to discover exactly what happened to Joe. They also have their suspicions of each other and others. I enjoyed their story, it’s short but the paranormal aspect grabbed my attention as I began searching for my own clues. This is a trilogy that I will follow through to the end. Luke has my attention and now I need to know what happens next.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This is a short story, book 1 of a trilogy with elements of magic, murder mystery and love story combined for a nice read. Luke and Ashley are both concerned about Joe, a man who helped both achieve their dreams. When he is murdered they work together to solve the crime and discover what he knew all along, they belong together.

Luke returns home to find the killer of his Uncle. Ashley returns home to find her roots at the pueblo. These two must join together to fight the evil in place.
First in the Renegade Magic series and Luke's story . Definite page turner.

Ebook from Net Galley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

Luke is part 1 of the Renegade Trilogy, each part has its own HEA but the background story intertwines. I liked Luke and Ashley however I felt the chemistry lacking something between them. Over all I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading Tom & Rico’s stories

Live post on Blue Cat Review on April 24, 2017
Disclaimer:
The eARC of Luke was provided by Pronoun and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, for which I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions are fully my own.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

My Review:
I'd like to be able to give half stars, in this case, I'd have given Luke three and a half. I liked the story, though it was short. I'm not a fan of novellas due to their brevity. I like my stories long. I did find it interesting that each book is a complete romance, but the mystery isn't complete until you read all three books. Another writer's technique I'm not really enamored of, as most of you know. In addition to long books, I like them complete. It's one thing to build a series over time with stories and characters that are complex and complete. It's totally another thing to use cliffhangers and such to string books together. That's not quite the case here, but you still don't solve the mystery without reading all three books.

The characters in the story are well written and developed quite well so that they have depth and relate well. I hope they appear in the next two books to mature a bit, but as these are novellas, probably not. The characters for the next two books are already introduced and interesting. And there are plenty of unanswered questions left from the first book to get things going for the murder of Joe. Why is Joe's painting locked up in the hotel? Did he see too much? Is that disagreeable cop dirty? Is there a witch involved? Or is it a straight murder?

Well, Luke and Ashley have done their part in book one. In book two, it'll be Tom's part as a lawyer. And book three will belong to Rico, the artist and gallery owner. So, if you enjoy Native American mysteries, try this one out and see if you can figure out who done it before the end of the third book. Luke, book one of Renegade Magic is due out May 1, 2017.