Fire Season by Stephen Blackmoore
The fourth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.
Los Angeles is burning.
During one of the hottest summers the city has ever seen, someone is murdering mages with fires that burn when they shouldn't, that don't stop when they should. Necromancer Eric Carter is being framed for the killings and hunted by his own people.
To Carter, everything points to the god Quetzalcoatl coming after him, after he defied the mad wind god in the Aztec land of the dead. But too many things aren't adding up, and Carter knows there's more going on.
If he doesn't figure out what it is and put a stop to it fast, Quetzalcoatl won't just kill him, he'll burn the whole damn city down with him.

When I saw this was available, I immediately jumped at the chance to read it. I’d read Dead Things, the first in the Eric Carter series and had enjoyed the gritty feel of the storytelling. “Fire Season” is the latest in the series and the premise is intriguing. The action flows and the characters are engaging. Before you even realize what’s going on, you’re deeply immersed in the story and won’t come up to breath until you finish.
First, I love that Stephen Blackmoore isn’t trying to write the typical mage series. Eric Carter is grittier and darker than that and following a necromancer much more interesting than the typical urban fantasy. Don’t get me wrong, I love most urban fantasy but I like that the premise is different and the story darker than the typical story out there. I also appreciate the refreshing lack of romance or at least not anything overt.
The main character, Eric Carter is engaging. You can’t ever quite decide if you like him or not but while you’re waiting, he grabs your attention and never lets go, almost like a punch to the guts. The story is visceral since it’s told in first person point of view and in present tense. The decision to use first person immerses the reader in the story and never lets them escape. Much like Eric, you’re along for the ride but unlike him, you’ll enjoy every moment of figuring out what Eric will do next and if he’ll figure out what to do about Quetzalcoatl and the mad assassin he’s enlisted to light the city of LA on fire. That level of engagement in a book is rare and I give kudos to Stephen Blackmoore. The pacing kept me turning the page and reading as quickly as I could so I would find out what happened next.
Beyond the main character, the other secondary characters are equally interesting, from the antagonists to the people Eric recruits to help him along the way. No one is black and white and so few are pristine or perfectly good. This is a dark story but there are those you empathize with along the way, even Eric.
The world building is awesome, every detail shining a light on either the main character, the secondary characters or the plot, with every detail mattering. We even get to delve into Eric’s family history, with more details about his family, some of their collection of artifacts and how his Browning works. I loved the attention to detail and the work that went into this, including the development of Eric with his language choices, dialogue, his tattoos and all the little quirks that make up the character.
The plot is intriguing, with enough mystery to hold your attention. I loved the flow. The only detail that took me by surprise and took me a bit to get used to was the use of the extreme first person, present tense. But overall, the end result was a very immersive story so the technique works well for this novel.
In my opinion, the author gets better and better. I loved the story and look forward to more.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed the story. The plot was well done. I didn’t see any holes in it. The characters were relatable. If someone liked the genre, they’d like the story as a whole.

During one of the hottest summers the city has ever seen, someone is murdering mages with fires that burn when they shouldn't, that don't stop when they should. Necromancer Eric Carter is being framed for the killings and hunted by his own people.
This was a different book than what I normally read by an author I hadn’t heard of so I started with no expectations. I actually really loved it. I really liked getting to know Eric and figuring out the world this author built. It was a great break from my standard books. I look forward to reading more from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Eric Carter is everything!!! The perfect anti-hero hero. He's rough around the edges and despite his many flaws you cant help but love him!

Reviewed by Shyla
Book provided by NetGalley

Action packed, myth-heavy magical adventure you have to take! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the book. The blurb was intriguing, and the cover eye-catching, but I’ve been burned before. So, I stepped into it cautiously. From page one, Eric Carter is a smart-mouthed, fast thinking, magic wielder, firmly placed in the gray area with very lose moral convictions. It was refreshing and fascinating to see the world Blackmoore created, where “normals” are the unimportant ones kept in the dark.

He plops you down into a world within a world where things aren’t what they seem, and impossible things exist in plain sight. Married to the saint of the death, he’s got a past that’s always haunting him. To be frank, the mage can’t catch a break. Framed for mass murders he hasn’t committed and hunted by an Aztec god who holds a grudge, he’s facing some serious odds.

Luckily he has some acquaintances with unique talents and a willingness to help, sometimes for a price. Eric Carter is a man you love as much as you hate. With a tragic past and jaded personality, he’s a complex character I can’t wait to read more about.

Wow. This was an eventful book. Hold on to your seat when you start, because it is a ride. This a strictly urban fantasy with no romance, but considerable violence and cussing. Spell slinging and danger are the by products.
I love Eric Carter books. He flies by the seat of his pants but never seems to get dead. He gets into some very tight spots, actually practically impossible spots, but somehow he always finds a way. The thing about Eric Carter right now is that he is involved with some ancient gods and Aztec history. I know neither so it was a tidgy difficult to follow, but he does recap to make it more understandable to people like me.
Eric has to employ a lot of his gut feelings in this story. Who to trust and how to play a situation by knowing how certain kinds of people (greedy people) will respond. He loses some of the population due to the gods and their lack of consideration of human life. He feels every one of those lives expire. He risks a lot to save who he can when he can, but he still beats himself up over it all. He knows he has made bad choices, but often those choices came from no choice at all.
If you like necromancers (not the creepy kind), then Eric Carter would be a good series to start. He grows a lot in the first couple of books and then when he takes off, he takes off like a rocket.
I give this book a solid 5 because it was edge of my seat, one sitting read.

Solid entry in the Eric Carter series, with an interesting new twist concerning Eric's family that should allow for future exploration. Although I believe this entry is starting a new story arc, it was still very much integrated with the previous series titles so I would recommend you read them first in order to have context on much that is discussed in this book.

This is my first read by Stephen Blackmoore but I’m sure it won’t be my last. Although, I’m jumping into this series four books in, I was quickly sweep away into the marvelous world Blackmoore created for Eric Carter.

Carter has been framed for gruesome murders while he hunts for the deity causing all this mayhem.

The story proceeds at manic pace keeping you riveted to every single word.

I received this ARC copy of Fire Season from Berkley Publishing Group - DAW. This is my honest and voluntary review. Fire Season is set for publication on April 16, 2019.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Stephen Blackmoore
Series: Eric Carter (Book 4)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN-10: 0756412943
ISBN-13: 978-0756412944
Genre: Dark Fantasy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Season-Er...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire...
Itunes: https://books.apple.com/bo/book/fire-...

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I really enjoyed the previous volumes, and I rushed to this sequel as soon as I had the opportunity.

After the clashes with the gods, Eric tries to understand the consequences, although none of this is simple. He doesn’t know what happened with Santa Muerte or what became of her, just like Tabitha, and it seems like new problems are coming up! Indeed, it seems that someone is trying to blame him for the death of several mages. Everyone thinks that it’s him and everyone wants to kill him. But that’s not all, the gods are back, and some are willing to do anything to make Eric pay! Our hero will have to do everything possible to save his city, and especially to save himself!

I really had a great time, once again, and I was delighted to see all the characters again! This novel allows us to understand a little more about Darius for example or other points discussed. The author’s universe is really interesting and unique. Eric always does everything to save himself, and the others come after him. He will have to use his power to the maximum of his abilities, and he will discover more about his past and his family, and above all he will make new agreements, the continuation of which I am curious to see!

I was so happy to see this next installment in the Eric Carter series. I love pure urban fantasy, and this series more than fits the bill. This latest is filled with the pulse-pounding action, explosion-laden plot we’ve come to expect with our not-very-nice protagonist Eric. He isn’t sure if his “wife” survived the events of the last book, but he wonders if it is his wife’s other husband who’s setting fires all over LA and setting Eric up. Buy why? I loved this book, but I do kinda wish at times we could slow down a little bit and have more character interaction. Don’t get me wrong as I love all the action. I’d just like to get to know the characters a little more. I am very intrigued with where the next book is going to go after Eric made his deal. I don’t want to say too much to spoil it, but this changes the surroundings. Curious? Read the book to find out what I mean! Great urban fantasy! I recommend this book highly and was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Blackmoore once again brings necromancer Eric Carter to life, and boy is this guy a complete jerk. One we love to admire while shaking our heads at his pig-headedness and poor decision-making. I love this series. Start at the beginning and read them in order to get the full experience.

Yeah! I've really been enjoying this series, so yeah, I was really excited to read this book! After the ending of Hungry Ghosts, I couldn't wait to see how things would play out from there, with Santa Muerte and Tabitha, and with the missing objects of power, the blade and the lighter. Yeah.

We got a few new characters in this book, Leticia, and others. I really enjoyed her interactions with Eric and the others, especially when the 3 ladies got together, that was a great scene! We also got to see Eric's inheritance that he was given at the last book, and there were some weird and important items collected!

I did kind of guess a bit of what was going to happen. I only got half of it, but yeah, that was a great feeling. In all the books but Hungry Ghosts, which had the whole hidden memory thing, Eric has come up with some crazy plans that are always so awesome to read!

One thing I'm really excited about, isn't exactly in the book itself, but the "also available from this author" at the beginning has Ghost Money as an upcoming book. So we're getting a 5th book in this series, and yeah, I'm really excited about that!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more!

This is the best Eric Carter book yet. Blackmoore really stepped up his game and nailed the story and the ending of FIRE SEASON. This one is a page-turner. I love Eric Carter and I can't wait to see what's next.

In this fourth installment of Stephen Blackmoore's series about LA necromancer Eric Carter, Carter is again on the run after antagonizing a vengeful deity. (He still hasn't learned from his mistakes.) To complicate things, he's also being framed for a series of grisly murders, there's a crazy sicaria running around lighting everything on fire, and the families of the murder victims have put a bounty on his head. Luckily, he knows some powerful people -- namely, a dangerous witch called "La Bruja." a police detective named Letitia, and his complicated wife, Santa Muerte herself.

If it sounds like there's a lot going on, it's because there is. You might need to take some notes.

Eric Carter is a jerk -- he's irreverent, rude, and indifferent towards the innocent deaths he leaves in his wake, hellbent on winning every Pyrrhic victory he can. And I'm eagerly reading these books, rooting for him. What is wrong with me? I liked it, and I will keep reading the books in the series, but I can't help but wonder when La Bruja, Letitia, or some other character will wise up to the fact that LA would be a lot safer if Carter joined his wife down in the Aztec underworld.

arc received from the publisher

TOTALLY hooked!! I got hooked before I realised this was book 4, and needed to go back and read the prior books. BLEW through them to catch up to this, and now am waiting desperately for the next. This will be EASY sales to my customers, and you're going to love it! Can't wait for more!