DNF at 34%. I'm so sorry, I hated the main character so much and was completely not on board with this story.

Spies, assassins and agents? These are a few of my favourite things to read about! Add in a female lead and the synopsis had my attention.

I love James Bond so I don't mind spies with a sex life, but for me, the sex in this book felt performative instead of cheeky or empowering. The plot is high octane/action flick style and you need to suspend a lot of belief to get into the story. Ultimately I didn't get there and combined with the characterization of Winter, this wasn't the book for me. I know others have loved this one so as always, I encourage others to see if it's for you.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Though not totally believable, this was an entertaining and interesting read. I really liked the character of Winter and look forward to her next adventure. The plot was good and there was quite a bit of action.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a wonderful spy thriller, with a lead character reminiscent of a female James Bond. Lots of great action, strong characters, and a unique premise. I liked the lead character Winter, she was well developed and I liked that she had a strong moral fiber while still being kick-ass. A really fun read and I look forward to more books in this series.

An exciting, fast-paced spy thriller. Great for any James Bond fans.

Set in a not-so-distant future, explores some scary uses of tech and social media, wrapped up in world-wide conflict and organized crime.

I volunteered to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This Book is well written and the characters are described well. This book kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next. I cant wait to read more by this author. I like how they talk about different countries. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book is ready for purchase at your local bookstore. So take my word for it go to your local bookstore or on amazon to get the ebook version of it, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. 5 star read in my book.

This has to be one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a while especially one that features a kick ass female lead.

I totally was drawn in from the prologue, I liked the scenes in this book just how I like my action movies and this was one hell of an action book for me.

I hope to know more about Firestorm too.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Winter Dark By Alex Callister
Winter is a female spy who goes under cover as an assassin. I love a strong female character, and Winter is definitely that.
I originally received and advanced e copy of this book, but decided to buy the book on audible. The narrator did an amazing job, especially with the accents. There are scenes of a sexual nature in this book, and Winter just oozes sex appeal.
Really looking for to the follow up book.

I loved this book! Since the emergence of James Bond, people have been looking for a female equivalent. A strong female protagonist makes this book such a good read.

Winter works for the British Government, and is on the trail of a group that run a online torture site. Eager to prevent more victims being hurt, she tries to find out who is behind the group, unaware that he knows exactly who she is. His new target is her….

I really hope that this will be the beginning of a series as Winter is such a complex character it will be interesting to see her develop in further outings.

Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed reading this book and as it says in the “Letter from Alex” section she wanted to write a female Bond and she most certainly has. Alex has written an action packed thriller that is right on par with today’s surveillance age and the world we live in.

One thing I did enjoy about this book is that Winter isn’t bullet proof, she makes mistakes and gets hurt. She is also born to be out in the field and not locked up in a secure location watching footage and trying to hack into someone else’s mainframe. She is a new kind of agent who is tech savvy but also can handle herself when she needs to.

The author has also crafted some great character’s around Winter that though she thinks she is invincible and she doesn’t need anyone they have her back.

Alex has also crafted a likeable criminal mastermind Alek Konstantin, and only Winter knows who he is and what he looks like thanks to her photographic memory. But will be Winter be able to kill him if it came down to it?

I really enjoyed the rocky ride and this book undoubtedly provided and look forward to reading future novels from Alex. There is a new secret agent on the scene but this one is female and will quite happily kick your arse.

Winter Dark is based on the story of Winter, a female spy intent on bringing down a criminal mastermind who murders children for fun. She pretends to be an assassin, known as Snow White, to get into the inner circle of the man behind the murder auction. However, a man from her past resurfaces as dead and she realizes not everything is as it seems. 

This book was intense. Winter was perfectly portrayed as a female James Bond with superlative fighting skills. She was also extremely sexual (please note this is not a book for children or teens). I thoroughly enjoyed this book mainly because of how badass she was.

The plot moved at a quick pace with a lot of action. My favourite scenes were those when she finally met who she was chasing. I also particularly enjoyed the ending (I am pretty sure you would too).

If you like spy stories, you would enjoy this story. This book is also suitable for people who enjoy books with a lot of action. I cannot wait to see what this series has in store for Winter.

Violence: Many violent scenes with graphic descriptions. Many of the scenes involved violence against a female.
Sexual Content: Multiple scenes with many graphic descriptions
Profanity: Multiple uses of profanity
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Instances of all three socially

A unique and gripping premise, this book takes you on a wild ride inside the mind of a diabolical killer...one who ends up hitting a bit too close to home. Eye-opening twists keep you engrossed in the story for hours on end, and culminates with a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.

**My sincere thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

Timely and thought-provoking, this new thriller series is one to keep an eye on. The female protagonist is someone to root for (plus she has many mad skills), and the plot is quick and action-packed. The first book in a series is sometimes rough, but that’s not the case here. It took me a little while to get all of the characters at GCHQ straight, but that was minor. If this introduction is any indication, I will be looking forward to the rest of the series. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.

Ok - I'm a fan of kick-butt heroines. I'm a fan of spy books. I'm a fan of James Bond. I don't mind suspending disbelief in the interest of action, if it makes for a fun read. I liked this one because it encompasses all of those things... It's not going to change your life. It is going to let you escape it for a while in a world you're unlikely to ever actually visit - which is a very good thing, because someone is constantly trying to kill Winter in the most inventive ways possible. It's a fun, high-octane, full-on action adventure spy story - there are explicit moments (sex and violence), that often made Winter feel like a female action hero created by teenage boys, and I wouldn't call it the most original thing I've ever read, but there's enough intrigue and snarky one-liners and pull-no-punches action sequences that I didn't even mind. This is my particular flavor of brain candy - the reading equivalent of a Michael Bey movie. Stuff blows up. Bad guys aren't always bad. There are great sarcastic lines. The women are all gorgeous and insanely omni-talented while wearing heels and having great hair. It's a fun, fast read and I'm definitely in for more!

"Men are monsters but that doesn't mean they have to be monstrous."

What a ride! Full disclosure: I had this on my TBR and passed it over many times, picking another title instead. A mistake. I'm not sure why I circled back, but am sure glad I did. I've been in a bit of a slump and this catapulted me out and away before I even finished the first chapter. It was original, refreshing and action-packed -- a thriller with an unusual female protagonist as the main character.

The author said he wanted to create a female James Bond but Winter is a complete badass that some have compared to Lisbeth Salander, but actually she's much more hardcore and somehow, even likeable despite all the things she says and does. She's a sexually omnivorous (OK there is a lot of sex in this book) top agent for the snoop police in in the UK -- the GCHQ, an organization that has the power and ability to track almost anything and everyone in the world.

Set in the near future when any life can be taken by a contract killer hired by anyone with a web connection, Winter is most disturbed by a new sensation called Slashstorm -- basically an Internet voting phenomenon which allows the public to vote on which of 12 children will be killed online right in front of them. Rumored to be run by crime boss Alek Konstantin and his brother, Roman, it is Winter's mission to hunt him down and kill him before the next episode airs. I won't say more but I assure you that once you get on this roller coaster, you won't be able to put the book down until the end of the ride!

I really liked this and am giving it 4.5 stars. This screams out for film adaptation and I cannot wait for the second in the series as I enjoyed the writing quality, the details, the action, the characters and the wild romp over Europe and beyond. The narrative is told in first person from Winter's POV in a linear style and there are surprises and twists along the way. More, please, and soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. Warning -- lots of graphic violence and descriptive sex scenes so be aware before you begin. And if you don't like reading those parts, just skim or skip over them like I do!

I read the synopsis for 'Winter Dark' and it certainly sounded like just my kind of read. A strong thriller with a kick ass female heroine in. 'Winter Dark' was certainly that and so much more. 'Winter Dark' just blew me away and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it.
What can I say about Winter? She is a bit of an enigma to be honest. We first meet her when she is rather young and she has come to the attention of the authorities. Winter is a computer whizz kid and she is able to hack into the securest of systems. The story moves forward a few years and we meet Winter again. All I can say is bloody hell James Bond has nothing on our Winter. She kicks ass, roughs up some baddies, she is hugely talented in more ways than one and she is drop dead gorgeous to boot. To be blunt, she frightens me as she is literally a one woman killing machine. Let's just say that she is somebody you would want on your side and not against you. Time and again she does the impossible. Whilst I was sat reading this book, I kept thinking to myself 'surely she can't get out of this situation' and each time I was left speechless, which doesn't happen often believe me.
I was a bit unsure as to what I was reading when I first started the book because the start of the book made me feel a bit confused. It doesn't take much to confuse me. However, when I read a bit more and then met the adult Winter all became clear as it were. After that I just couldn't put this book down! 'Winter Dark' wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I did not want to miss a single second of the story. To say that 'Winter Dark' was addictive reading has to be THE understatement of the year. I binge read this book over the course of a day which is pretty good going for me. I had to keep reading to see just what fate threw at Winter next and whether or not she could get herself out of the next impossible situation.
'Winter Dark' is brilliantly written. I had a hard time believing that this was a debut novel as the writing is so slick, the characters so believable and the author has a level of confidence that you would only usually see in the work of more experienced authors. She certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into the story. Alex has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. The author uses such powerful and vivid descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself.
Reading 'Winter Dark' felt like being on the scariest and most unpredictable rollercoaster ride known to man. There were twists, there were turns and there was more than one stomach churning moment. As for nerves, well it's a wonder I have any left after all that adrenaline rush causing, heart pounding action, which is guaranteed to send your blood pressure soaring.
In short, I think that you can tell by now that I absolutely loved, no make that ADORED reading 'Winter Dark'. I will definitely be recommending this book to other readers. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Move over Bond and Reacher, there's a new kid in town. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Winter is the post=modern heroine you didn't know you needed. A deadly reimaging of James Bond as a 21st century beautiful, strong, smart, and deadly young woman.

The dark web isn't so dark anymore, and lots of nasty things are happening in plain view. Including a horrifying "game show" where people bid on which contestant gets tortured and killed. Enter Winter, an agent for British intelligence, Winter is on the hunt for the head of a global crime organization who controls the "show" and everything else. He's the man who's managed to unite all the world's various crime families under his umbrella. He's a man so secret no one's seen him (until Winter does, by chance). And she's determined to bring him down.

Winter Dark is heart-pounding and terrific. Once I started, I was reading well into the night.

Reviews posted to Amazon and GoodReads.

Winter Dark is the first book in a futuristic spy series set in a dystopian future. Agent Winter is depicted as an almost perfect agent of GCHQ and a desirable young woman. She has an eidetic memory, is beautiful, tall, and can fight anyone, even men five times as big as her. Her moral compass is however all pure. Winter is kick-ass, smart-ass but not bad-ass.

Alex Callister describes Winter as a sexual omnivore right at the start. That's perhaps interesting to a man but not to all readers. Actually, all Winter seems is promiscuous, and not at all selective when we've been led to. believe that, with her good looks, she can take her pick of sexual partners. The sex scenes are gratuitous and stilted, seeming to come from a teenager's pen.

Winter goes in disguise and undercover to find - and kill - the unknown man behind Firestorm, The Prince of Darkness, aka Alek. Firestorm is variously a dark website showing graphic killings and a conglomeration of the most vicious, dangerous crime gangs from around the world.

So ensues a cat and mouse chase between Winter and her nemesis. Winter must infiltrate this dangerous crime-ridden world of torturers and killers, putting her life on the line.

The setting changes from London to Italy to army camps in the desert to an island.

What I liked:
* Winter is a capable fighter and a powerful protagonist
* Winter has heart and a strong moral compass
* Alek has depth and heart too. Twists abound once the reader and Winter get to know him
* There were moments of brilliance as the twists and turns took shape.

What I didn’t like:
* The violence and fight scenes appeared gratuitous, and occasionally it seemed like a teenager had written them.
* The writing was patchy, the story-telling imprecise. Some sentences did not make sense.
* The turn of events between Winter and Alek has been done so many times. The line between hate and love is one only fiction crosses frequently - too frequently.
* For a genius intelligence, the heroine sure made some dumb choices, keeping fighting when she had no reason to, and no way of getting out or off
* Winter seems spawned from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. An assassin, bisexual, computer hacker. Alex Callister could have employed more ingenuity.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an ARC of Winter Dark.

This review also appears in Goodreads.com and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2020/01/winter-dark-by-alex-callister.htm

Winter Dark is the first in epic new spy thriller in the destined to be bestsellers The Winter series by new/etc. What struck me was just how superb and exciting it sounded and I am always a sucker for technothrillers. I particularly enjoyed that the main storyline was at the centre and there was very little in the way e.g. minor threads. Secret Service Agent Winter Dark and GCHQ employee has two weeks to collar crime kingpin Alek Konstantin who appears to be running a site whereby he streams torture to a sick group of people who pay to get their kicks out of watching someone suffer in pain. The thought of each screaming emerging from them makes them giddy with excitement. These people vote on what they want to see happen to those being streamed with money constantly changing hands. Little does she know that Konstantin is also after her and so ensues an action-packed, thrill-a-minute game of cat and mouse through various countries and with changing identities.

Set in a future dystopia where a single and despicable crime boss has control over all of the worlds nefarious criminal organisations. The two most disturbing websites he is running have been named Firestorm and Slashstorm. Firestorm is a site where you can facilitate a hit on someone and Slashstorm is a site for those who enjoy seeing a person being brutally tortured and murdered. This is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of heart-pounding tension, a plethora of unbelievable twists and turns and excitement on every page. I can relate to Winter quite a bit as I am a recluse myself and I am excited to see more of her kick-ass character in future instalments. I think her and I would get along just fine. The plot barely gives you a moment to breathe and moves at a swift pace from start to finish. I can not recommend this superb book highly enough; it surprised me by how gripping and compulsive it was. A fun, riveting and highly entertaining thriller. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

Winter Dark by Alex Callister
The Winter Series #1

Excellent story that grabbed my attention immediately and kept it till the last page. I am glad this is a series because I really would like to see what will happen next.

What I liked:
* Winter: strong, lethal and smart she works for GCHQ as an operative – would have liked to know more about the ten years between the prologue and beginning of this story. She reminds me a bit of La Femme Nikita
* Alek: I do like a bad guy with heart...he is a man I would love to get to know better.
* The dynamics between Winter & Alec – do wonder if they will get together again or not
* Wanting to know more about Simon, Max, Leon, Roman and a few others that were mentioned in the story
* That there are levels of “bad” and sometimes the person you think is The Prince of Darkness might have redeeming qualities
* The pacing of the story
* Great debut novel that makes me want to read more

What I didn’t like:
* The truly bad guys – wanted them taken out in the worst way
* Having to wait for the next book in the series

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more books by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars