I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fire & Water is book 3 in the Kate Kane paranormal series. I have read each book as it has been published. I reread them back to back to fully understand what was going on. The series improves with rereading.

Book 3 resolves the story, but plenty is left for more stories, which is delightful.

We get to hang out with Kate and her world. The characters are great and multifaceted. Kate seems to be overly fond of roaring up to people and yelling at them which isn’t always helpful. In fact, reading the books back to back I was left very aware of Kate’s general limitations.

This book is somewhat darker than the previous two. This is a paranormal series, with a relationship arc.

Honestly my main takeaway is that Hall should drop all his other stuff and just write in this universe.

TL:DR
1. It’s great. This is desert island keeper stuff.
2. Start with book 1.
3. It’s a bit darker than 1 and 2.

Included in SBTB's monthly New Releases post, which highlights upcoming books for the next month: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2020/02/februarys-new-releases-part-two/

It’s been almost five years since I read the first two books in this series. So, I went into Fire & Water a little warily. I wasn’t sure I’d remember enough to follow the plot or if my memory of enjoying the earlier books was accurate. But Alexis Hall is one of my favorite authors, so I had faith. Hall catches the reader up on past events, in the beginning, carries Kate’s sardonic humor throughout and wraps everything up (while leaving an opening for more) in the end. All in all, it was another win for me.

However, I did think things just sort of happened. From the start to the finish, the book is a series of Kate did this, did that, then a small section fo Elsie did this and that, then more Kate did this before a lot of people did that. There isn’t really any pause in the series of events for any character development or even getting to know anyone if you don’t already.

Despite my one complaint, I look forward to more Kare Kane in the future. I just hope I don’t have to wait five years for this one.

I find myself in the enviable position of not being able to come up with enough words of praise for this series. The first series I read by Alexis Hall was on the opposite end of the literary spectrum to this one. I read the Spires series. It's firmly rooted in the contemporary world we are familiar with and its primary characters are men. What I loved immediately was the way that Hall writes characters.

The Kate Kane Paranormal Investigator books have some of the best characters I've read in the genre. I love Kate! She's a bit of a train wreck I'll grant you. She drinks too much, she can't be assed to dress up for anything. She certainly seems to have bad taste in terms of her relationships because she has a string of exes who provide nothing but complications and flat-out trouble.

But. Kate cares about her friends and even those troublesome exes. What's clear throughout this series is that every time she makes a connection with someone... good or bad ... she sticks with it. Oddly enough, she seems to just want peace and quiet. It's odd because when she's got it, she doesn't seem to know what to do with it!

So, in this book which I think maybe the final installment, Kate is hired to chase down one of the magical bits she has run into before. The problem is that this item has sparked an all-out battle between two factions of the supernatural world. Nim is on one side, and if you've read the rest of the series then you know that Kate has a magical oath binding her fealty to Nim. Of course, this causes Kate lots of problems!

There's no end of well-written fight scenes in this book. I do enjoy myself a strong female lead! But it's Kate's snark and wit that always get me. Let me explain to you about Alexis Hall's writing. When my husband asks me what I'm reading and I happen to be reading one of Hall's books then I simply respond with, "riding a pissed-off unicorn backward." Just that one phrase and he knows whose books I'm reading.

Hall has a talent. Yes, Hall is a good writer. This series has a great plot, it's well-paced and the characters are solid. What has always stood out for me the most is Hall's wit and humor. These books are hilarious! I have read very few books in my life that have made me laugh out loud, TJ Klune does it... and Alexis Hall does it. In fact, I'm actually aloud to read parts of Hall's books to Joel without him shooing me away.

I'm not giving any of this away as you're probably like me and have been reading the series. No need for spoilers. I can say what I want about this book without revealing anything about the plot really. Suffice to say that this is typical of Hall's writing. It's witty, smart, full of action, has lots of nasty things lurking around trying to kill Kate (probably half of which she had a relationship with in the past), and it's entertaining!

You'll enjoy this series if you love paranormal fun with a bit of mystery and a fantastic female lead.

4.5*

For reasons entirely unrelated to the book itself, it took me a week to read Fire & Water, the third episode of Kate “not Batwoman” Kane’s adventures by Alexis Hall. A novel that length, I usually read in one sitting, two days at the most. It’s a testament to the author’s sense of pacing and overall talent that I never had any trouble going back straight and deep into the story whenever I managed to sit down and read.

Fire & Water picks up six months after Shadows & Dreams. Kate is once again looking for the Tears of Hypnos. If you remember, these were what brought all the mayhem in the previous episode. Every wizard and his brother is looking for them because they’re the stuff dreams are made of. Literally. Whoever owns them can have power over the whole world. Or the whole world that matters to them. I got a bit discombobulated about the details when Julian (the sexy Vampire Prince Kate has been shagging since Iron & Velvet) mentioned she didn’t feel concerned. But hey, everyone else in Kate’s environment is, so Kate’s on a mission to find the Tears and hand them over to the least dangerous supernatural being.

One of the things I enjoyed about the previous books was their lightness even though they were about death and war. The humour made me smile and snort and snicker. This third one is darker. The characters are still great and I uber-love Kate Kane, but it doesn’t read as easily. It’s more intense. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. And it’s as sarcastic and as snicker-worthy as ever. I mean, even in the direst circumstances, Kate is so deliciously snarky.

It didn’t strike me before but Kate Kane (still not Batwoman) reminds me a lot of Jessica Jones if Jessica Jones was into paranormal. You know, more than superpowers and terrifying villains. Also, as I’ve said above, I love Kate, but for the first time, I also found Elise, the magically animated statue, incredibly interesting. Watching her become, in a way, is captivating. Like the first time your child reads a whole sentence by themselves.

One word of warning, however: despite Carina Press’s promise of HEA / HFN, Fire & Water definitely doesn’t end well. Nor is it a romance, really. But please don’t let that stop you from reading it. It is so very good, like a more mature sequel to the previous instalments.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I have started this series ages ago, and I was madly in love with it. But we had just two books to go around and I had waited soooo long for a sequel! So, when I learned that they were publishing it I was excited. Really, really excited. And, to be better prepared for this book, I have re-read the first one (re-edited, and you can find my review here).
What I discovered is that I have fallen out of love with this series, sadly. But, there is a big but. It is true that I am not in love with it anymore, but I enjoyed the re-reading anyway, as I have enjoyed this third book.

Kate Kane is a PI that seems straight from the noir movies. And I adore her! She is witty, cynic, and she has a penchant for reciting her own obituaries every time she is doing something stupid and very dangerous (alas, very often!). So, you see, you have to love her!
And she has a cast of great characters with her! I think that my favorite is Elise, and in this book, we see more of her. In more than one sense! But you have to read it to know what I mean, because I won’t do spoilers here! And we have even some chapters from her POV. That was fantastic!
But the other characters are quite good, too. They all have personality and are not just simply wallpaper to the action.

And then we have the plot. We have a lot of action, mysteries, battles, relationships and more, all wrapped up nicely in a small package. The story is well developed and it keeps your attention, but we have some things that are unsolved, like the ending (and the relationship between Julian and Kate, but I can’t really say more, here, because… yeah, spoiler again!) and so, even if things here have a sense of… finality, I really hope to see a sequel.
I think that the ending was pretty good, if we have another book coming out, sooner or later, but if this is the ending of the series well… if it is so, I am not satisfied with it. Because it could be a good ending for a book, but for the ending of a series it feels hurried and not so well done. So here I am, hoping for more to come!

All things considered, it was an enjoyable read, that made me smile here and there, and that kept my attention from the start to the end.

Everything is amazing! I love my Kate Kane and her Lady. Troubles. This 3rd book in the series draws heavily on the the plot strands teased throughout the first and second books to wrap up a bunch of character arcs. Kate herself is as acerbic as ever, "piss and vinegar," is the technical term, I believe. It was also a delight to get to know Elise better, it makes sense that her physicality is so different that she would also have a very different relationship with other non-water based ..... ah ..... architectural entities? Establishments? This is hard to quantify, but delightful nonetheless. I like that Elise got point on the quest part of things, resonating with Kate's recruitment efforts at the end of the first book. It was also fascinating to watch Elise interact with some of the new characters, I suppose she's a bit like Data from TNG, except I like her better and she's made of marble. Somehow her existential questions seem very graceful.

Stay tuned for relationship drama near the end. It is completely in character for the participants - except for Ashriel, looking forward to updates on his love life!!

ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review

I jumped for joy - I had finally been approved for an Alexis Hall ARC.

Now, I am new to the Kate Kane series, jumped into book 3 without reading the first two, so it did take me a little while to get into the rhythm of the book.

Once I was there, I really had a fun old time reading and I just adored Kate and her friends. I love the banter, the fight scenes were wonderfully executed.

Now, because I haven't read the previous books, I was a bit confuzzled with whom was who and what was what, but that didn't at all take away from my involvement in the story.

I loved the way all the different "beings" saw relationships, and how they all intermingled and got on.

Now I find myself needing more, and having to go back and read the first 2 books.

I thoroughly enjoy this book. The sarcastic tone was delightfully british and the plot and characters were interesting. I absolutely love Elise, the main character's flatmate and coworker, who is also an animated statue. Her character is so hilarious and well written I just wanted an entire book of her. The only drawback is there is a fair amount of reference to previous stories in the series and it really felt like I was missing a bit of context. Still finished it. Still enjoyed it. Cheers.

4.5 stars
I'm a bit torn about this one. The third installment of the Kate Kane series was fast-paced and kept upping the ante, the world once again at risk, on a much bigger scale than before.

And for the most part that was amazing. Kate and her various friends, exes, acquaintances, former enemies, current enemies, and more made for an amazing crew that was never boring to read about.

Content warnings include: violence and gore, injury and death, casual sexism, relationship between a teenager and an adult, abduction, very mildly explicit sex on-page, pretty unhappy ending.

We even got a couple chapters from another character's POV towards the end, which was amazing, and just as hilarious as Kate's voice, if in another way. However... the ending. I was not a fan. It felt just so bleak, and gave me mixed feeling as I finished the book, rather than ending on a high note like the previous books. Which, sadly, also painted my entire view of the book in retrospect in a more dim light than before.
It also makes me really hope for a fourth book - there are sooo many open ends despite the final feeling conclusion that it would be a shame to stop the series here.

Overall I did really enjoy Fire & Water, though. I adore Kate & friends, the plot connected nicely to what happened before and picked up previously forgotten threads, there were both old and new elements and it was exciting to read and made me laugh as often as the prequels. A few of the new elements felt kind of lacking in the explanation/ground work department, but it wasn't too distracting.

Fun little paranormal tale involving witches, vampires, werewolves and otherworldly creatures who battle for domination of the unnormal.

Well written with a little dose of humor thrown it for good measure. I enjoyed this easy to read story very much.
Thanks for letting me read and review.

I love this series! When I received the ARC for this book, I went and re-read books 1 and 2 just to re-acquaint with the world. I highly recommend reading them before starting this one. That way, one gets to know Kate Kane and the cast of characters surrounding her. Kate in one of my favourite characters in all the books I've read. She's cynical and jaded, but also loyal and truly bad-ass. This time, Kate finds herself in the middle of a mage war. She's supernaturally obligated to help Nimue. At the same time, the Merchant of Dreams have asked her to look for the thieves who stole the Tears of Hypnos from his shop. Of course, things are never straightforward when they involve supernatural forces. Kate Kane, paranormal investigator, has to navigate these choppy waters while trying not to get killed. I am sincerely hoping that there will be more books in this series.

**Huge Thank You to Harlequin Carina Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!**

Kate Kane is back in this greatly anticipated third book - and so is an old enemy. This is the most gripping episode to date, with Kate's past catching up with her and hobbling her in the present. The threat is even bigger and badder, while Kate is as gloriously irreverent and reluctant a hero as you could wish. Several enjoyable plot threads advance here and the action is crisp and kick ass. Best of all the snarky dialogue is on point. I love this series so much. Highly recommend.

Disclaimer: ARC provided in return for an honest review

Ah this was FUN. Serious fun. Things come to a head in this book as an old enemy of Kate's comes back with a vengeance. Kate is a little older and a lot wiser now, but she's going to need all the help she can scrouge up to take on good old Arthur.

As always, I'm impressed by Alexis Halls ability to weave several character threads and arcs together. The banter is perfectly executed, the fight scenes are gloriously choreographed, and arses are kicked judiciously. Everything that makes Kate Kate, Kate Kane is here; cynicism, snark, bad taste in bad exes, and a streak of caring that gets her into trouble all the damn time.

I really also enjoyed how Julian and Kate saw relationships and loyalty very differently because well...one is nigh immortal and the other is not. Their approach to the world, to other people, and to problems are starkly different and the book doesn't shy away from showing how that can effect their relationship.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. I did not see the plot twists for this book coming.

Kate Spade is back. She is trying to find an artifact that will tip the scales of the world as she knows it.

Eliseo continues to grow as a "person" and discovers she has sisters created, animated and discarded by the same evil sculptor.

The vampires continue to conspire and betray - will anyone survive?