Sometimes I find an author that just hits all my buttons, like this one. Love the characters and a great plot line with some romance and action and paranormal mystery, all blended together with finesse. I most definitely will a waiting for the next in this series. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

I loved this book and can't wait for the next one in the series. Deborah Wilde is great at creating flawed but fun characters.  While this is the first of a new series and there is plenty of world building going on the story doesn't get bogged down in it, which many first books in a series do.

BLOOD & ASH by Deborah Wilde is a well-written urban fantasy detective book with a side of romance. It is book one in the Jezebel Files series.

This story mainly takes place in Vancouver, Canada where some people have magic and others don’t. Ashira Cohen is the only female private investigator in Vancouver and she works on non-magical cases. When she takes on a missing person case, she feels it will be an easy case. However, she is attacked and hits her head. A hidden tattoo is revealed and, much to her amazement, she finds that she has supernatural powers. Added to this there are multiple abductions, an evil mastermind organization and a need to work with Levi, the leader of the magic community.

This book is described as a snarky urban fantasy detective series. I agree that it delivers on this, but it is much more than that. It has a strong protagonist, complex mysteries to be solved, likeable secondary characters, great world building and some steamy romance. The main characters are someone you can root for and they definitely have distinct voices. The relationships between the characters are believable. There is plenty of action as well as some humor to offset some of the darker scenes. The romance has potential as the series develops.

I recommend this fast-paced book to those that enjoy urban fantasies with both mystery and a bit of romance. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I also want to check out this author’s Nava Katz series.
Thanks to Te Da Media / Xpresso Book Tours and Deborah Wilde for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I believe the tagline of "snarky urban fantasy detective series" says it all. After living her life as a mundane surrounded by magical problems, detective Ashira Cohen take a major blow to the head and the magical tattoo that has been blocking her powers is no longer doing it's job. To make matters worse, Ash didn't realize she has the tattoo to begin with. Suddenly she deep into the magical community with only her childhood nemesis to guide her. Ash needs to solve her case, get a handle on her magic, figure out who bound her in the first place and not fall into the arms of the man she's railing against.

Blood & Ash was funny, well-paced and just this side of a comedy of errors. I much prefer this series to Wilde's other series - Unlikeable Demon Slayer. I look forward to the next book.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are believable and I see how they'd be appealing in terms of a series. The world/book is a little hard to break into though as there is minimal world-building. Greater emphasis on this would make it much easier to follow. Instead of being immersed in the world, I had to do a lot of guessing/calculating to work out how everything fitted together.

I'm floored! I've been a bookseller for 25 years, and this is the first TRULY original UF that I've seen in a very long time - and I can't praise it highly enough. Drawn from Jewish legend and lore - something I've been saying for over a decade was missing from this genre - is PERFECTLY rendered! With humor, amazing world building, and a depth of understanding of the Jewish faith and how it could perfectly fit into UF worlds, this is a MUST READ for any fan of urban fantasy!

This book was ok. I thought it was your typical urban fantasy. It had a strong female lead who could think for herself which was nice. I hate when the character spends the book acting like a damsel in distress. She has a good friendship with someone who knows her secrets but doesn't care.

I really liked this novel. It pitches itself as snarky and it delivers in that respect. I particularly enjoyed the diversity - a Jewish heroine and her best friend was of Indian descent. And it was set in Canada! It makes a pleasant change from the usual US set urban fantasy novels. The plot itself was so-so, decent but not terribly different or exciting. The romance was lukewarm. It had potential but at this stage it did not quite hit the mark. However, these few things did not impair my enjoyment of it. The great characterisation, good writing and Sherlock Holmes references elevated it to one of the better UF novels I've read recently and I will eagerly await the second novel in the series.

Man, this book was just so fantastic! I loved the world, it was so unique and original, and what we know about the magic, and just how much more there is to learn, about Jezebel's and the history there! And of course the writing is awesome, with such snarky, amazing leads!

The idea of 10 Jewish men, coming together to bond with God on the 5th level and getting magic on the 1st level (a simplified version without using the terms since I'm not familiar with them) yeah, I can see that happening. In her other series, it's mentioned that women aren't treated the best in the Jewish community, so in this book, there's a comment that if it had been women, it would've been done well. Oh course!

We do dive into this world pretty quickly, and there's some terms that are unfamiliar in the first chapter or two. The explanations are organic and there's confusion with the appearance and mystery surrounding a tattoo. It was all so fascinating to read!

Really enjoyed the mystery, of what the ghostly creatures are, where the missing people are. It led to some really awesome confrontations between her and Levi, clashing over what to do next. They had a pretty explosive relationship that I enjoyed reading about!

It was a pleasure reading this book, and I can't wait to read more from this series!

I can not wait for book two! This book's non stop action and fast pace kept me hooked in from beginning to end. Ash is tough and brilliant and I live for Ash and Levi's interavtions.
Another instant favorite for me by Deborah Wilde!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommend this book to everyone. Can't wat to read more from this author.

Set in a world similar to our own, where some people are magical and others Mundane, Ashira is a tough, effective female PI - the only female in her city. As a Mundane, she is only allowed to deal with Mundane cases. When one of her cases strays into the magical side, Ash learns there is more to herself than she first thought. While Ash is definitely snarky, borderline rude, often says the wrong thing, and very protective of herself, she does have a lot of redeeming features that make it easy to cheer for her. Her complex relationship with her childhood nemesis Levi (head of the magical house that rules her city) gets even more complicated, leading to an interesting entanglement. The development of the plot is a non-stop adventure as Ash delves further into her own mystery as well as her case.

The characters surrounding the mystery are interesting and build a fun, fast-paced adventure in this first book of the series. Can't wait until the next one!

Snarky is exactly what this detective is in an interesting nod at Sherlock Holmes, which packs tons of action, heaps of attitude and a romance which fits right into the slot.

Ash is a mundane detective, who despite laws and regulations, dabbles in cases of which touch upon the magical world as well. While tailing a teenage girl, whose mother is convinced she's on drugs, Ash stumbles across not only teens, who are hiding their magic, but upon something much more sinister. To make things worse, a hit to the head uncovers a secret tattoo hidden underneath her hairline, and with this discovery comes magical powers she never realized she had. And they aren't good ones. Add the pain-in-the-neck leader of the magical world, who's convinced she's a liar, a shadow out to kill, and her own magic, which holds horrible secrets she'd rather know nothing about, and this detective is in for non-stop adventure.

Snarky is an understatement when it comes to Ash. She has an attitude, is down-right rude, and lets her own walls block her out of life. And while this does make her a little harder to cozy up to as a reader, she still miraculously is easy to cheer for and even to like. She makes mistakes. Tons of them. And really needs to learn to hold her mouth, but for all of that, she does have her heart in the right place and slowly lets people in. The mix of characters at her side is colorful, and each one packs a personality punch of their own kind, which makes Ash more bearable. There's romance, which is as rough as Ash herself, and goes along fine.

This book is packed with action. There was a scene at the end, which I wasn't clear why it was the way it was, but it by no means diminished the excitement of this read. Every page brings something new, magic abounds, intrigue abounds, and their are evil characters which fall so into the shade of gray that this promises to be a series with many more surprises on the way. It's not about depth, but simply about magical fun. Fans of snarky heroines, a little steam in the romance and urban fantasy will enjoy this one.

I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and was surprised at how grabbing this read was. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts

Deborah Wilde never disappoints! I read Blood & Ash in one sitting and am already eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. Ashira is a kick ass and take names PI who is great at her job. She's known Levi since they were kids and they currently have a lust/hate relationship. A rebel to the core, Ash is determined not to be ruled by anyone, especially a man like Levi. Unfortunately, when Ash realizes she is not just a Mundane but has powers after all, Levi is the only person to whom she can turn. As head of House Pacifica, Levi is used to being in control but Ash challenges him at every turn.

I loved the humor, action, magic, and interaction between the characters. Snark at its best. More please!

I received a free copy of BLOOD AND ASH: A SNARKY URBAN FANTASY DETECTIVE SERIES (Book 1 of the Jezebel Files) by Deborah Wilde in exchange for an honest review. Ashira Cohen’s a bit of an anti-social, rulebreaking rebel. Ashira ditched her mother’s world of wealth, schmoozing, and anti-magic activism to be the only female private investigator in Vancouver. Though not anti-magic like her mom, Ashira frequently comes into conflict with her childhood nemesis Levi Montefiore, who now heads one of the city’s magic communities-House Pacifica. Ashira’s overdue bills stack never gets any smaller because Levi takes over Ashira’s cases whenever it becomes clear magic is involved (and it always does) since Ashira, herself, is non-magical and not equipped to handle magical foes. When one of Ashira’s cases goes unforeseeably magical, it reveals that Ashira actually does have magical powers, that someone has been abducting and murdering the homeless, that spectral entities are also killing random citizens, and that someone has set golems loose on the city. When Ashira is forced to work with Levi , can Ashira and Levi solve the crimes and rescue the survivors before one kills the other out of sheer frustration?

I thought this was a good start to a new series. I especially enjoyed bits when the storyline was progressing on solving the mysteries instead of focusing on the intense hate-sex attraction and hate-sex scenes between Ashira and Levi. I would call this a split between actual urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

#BloodAshASnarkyUrbanFantasyDetectiveSeries #NetGalley

I loved this book! Ashira works as a private investigator and ends up investigating her new skill set and how it happened. Levi is powerful, attractive and has been a thorn in Ash’s side since they were children. Their relationship is funny and explosive. I can’t wait to read more! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley.

This is the first book in a new series by this author. This is the second series that she's done and I've read, but it feels like they may be playing in the same world as the previous. In the Nava Katz series, they were Jewish mystic warriors, witches and demons. But, they never really did too much in regards to how the public saw magic, or the governmental structure of the public at large. But, this book has magic out in the open, and regional houses that police and protect the Nefesh (magical people). In this novel, instead of crashing someone else's ceremony and finding she has magic, Ashira is a bounty hunter who reads as, and believes she is, non magical. Both of these books draw from a Jewish background for the characters, and both are wonderfully snarky. But, this story is a more grown up version. I.e., she pays her own bills, does her own laundry and adults tolerably well, whereas Nava is a hot mess in her series.

Honestly, as much as I liked Nava's series, I think I will end up liking this one more- even if they have similar Jewish backgrounds, this is a well written character and though she's flawed, and has both mommy and daddy issues, it's possible this could ultimately pay off in terms of a well rounded series. She's got issues, yes, but this means she can grow and deal with it through the books. I love the fact that she's a P. I. in this as well- she's got a job and plausible skills for solving the problems instead of accidentally solving everything in a way that just makes no sense.

Ashira and Levi have been butting heads since they were young. Pretty much do the same as adults, but add in some mystery, sexual tension and they’re off. Deborah Wilde has created another snarky, taking names and kicking a$$ heroine that I can’t get enough of! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Now I really need more. Like right now!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. It's fast paced and the action doesn't stop. It's just what I expected from Deborah Wilde. I can't wait until the next book. #BloodAshASnarkyUrbanFantasyDetectiveSeries #NetGalley

I'm pretty torn on this one. On one hand, we have Wilde's signature humour, good technical writing, and some nice diversity; on the other hand, we have an absolutely TERRIBLE plot and somewhat unenthusiastic romance.

Also, you know what? This felt WAY too much like reading Wilde's other series, the Unlikeable Demon Hunter, to the extent that I was getting deja vu.

Quick Summary

Ashira Cohen is a PI who's always thought she was Mundane, aka without magic. She discovers a tattoo on the back of her head which was suppressing all her magic - turns out she has blood magic, a heretofore unknown branch. Kids are disappearing and she teams up with her childhood enemy Levi Montefiore to find them. Also, there's a weird 'smudge' thing going around Vancouver killing people and only she can see it to stop it.

The Good

✔️ Like I said, Ash is hella funny.

✔️ I like the concept of Levi... just not so much his execution.

✔️ Diversity - Ash and Levi are Jewish, Ash's best friend Priya is Indian, and the whole worldbuilding is rooted in Jewish mythology.

The Good

❌ I swear to God, sometimes it felt like I was reading a bad fanfiction of The Unlikeable Demon Hunter. The humour is the same (they literally make some of the same jokes) and there was even one character with the same name!!!!! Plus there's the same set-up of main characters. Ash/Nava (from TUDH) are both black-haired heroines with Levi/Rohan the black-haired heroes. Levi/Rohan has a blond best friend (Miles/Drio) who has a crush on Ash/Nava's best friend, Leonie/Priya. You see????

❌ The world was vaguely the same, but very confusing and not at all well explained (like, there was no discussion of the various types of magic). All in all, I spent most of my time feeling bemused. This is partially because the pace is breakneck. Wilde throws a lot of things at the reader without bothering to explain them properly, and (as I noted in previous reviews) she packs her plots with WAY too many events and occurrences, to the point of reader overload. I stopped trying to understand anything at about 40% in and just went along for the ride.

❌ The romance was pretty lacklustre. Levi and Ash have known each other for decades, like since they were kids, so I found it weird and implausible that they chose now of all times for their romance to kick off. Like, what was the catalyst?? It was like they existed in stasis before the book began, which is never a good thing for a reader to think about a character. Also, Levi went on a date with an OW (admittedly arranged weeks in advance) after he and Ash kissed, and I didn't feel any sparks from their relationship at all.

Overall

This is looking like it'll have all the flaws of the UDH series, with not as many of its positives.