Love it!

Blood & Ash is a great start to a new paranormal series. I love a snarky PI, and Ash delivers. Her best friend Priya, the consummate hacker, is a great sounding board, and Levi, the super-hot boy next door who is now a multi billionaire is a great antagonist.

I found this book closer to Stephanie Plum than Kate Daniels, which works for me. It does not take itself seriously, and the breakneck speed of the plot carries the reader along.

The audio narrator, Hollie Jackson, is an excellent fit for this series with her dry tone and great male voices.

Looking forward to the next one!

I was lent an ARC of the audiobook version of this book for review purposes from Netgalley.

Great Urban Fantasy series to start.

Ash has just learned she can do magic. She's snarky and sassy and I just love that about her. She runs around trying to find out how she got this magic. The story is fast paced and leaves you wanting to keep reading to see what is going to happen next. I like books where the magic is different and this book gave me just that!

The book lost me with the religious talk. I understand it's place in explaining her name and some other story plots, but it's just something that never holds interest for me in any book. Thankfully its not so much that it took away from the story as a whole for me.

Hollie Jackson did an excellent job narrating the story and portraying the different characters. Loved when she spoke Spanish!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Deborah Wilde for providing me an audio copy for an honest review.

Audiobooks take me a lot longer to read than ebooks or print novels, but this felt very much worth the wait. I enjoy the take of magical vs. nonmagical people and the divisions in this world. I was definitely drawn into the mysteries dogging our intrepid investigator, the magic skill she suddenly had, and the missing teen she was trying to find. The classification of a Jezebel is explained late in this novel, but explains why the entire series is called the Jezebel Files.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and how they had their witty banter. The narrator does a great job with differing voices and accents, and really infusing each character with a life of their own.

I was not expecting much from this book but I really loved it. Ash is a strong female and I appreciate that in a main character. I hope that when it is published, the cover is a bit cooler because I would have never picked this up as is. It would be a huge miss because it's a really great book.

This book had me going on extra long walks with my baby just so I could listen to more of it. It was funny, Canadian, had a strong female lead and was snarky as promised.
I really enjoyed the authors’ take on this world with some magic. I’m excited for the second book in the series. I’m completely sucked in and need to know where the storyline goes.

The narrator wasn't that bad so I had a hard time between yes I liked or no I didn't. I ultimately chose didn't like because the voice I disliked the most was the one she used for the main character. Ash is mouthy so I heard it a lot and found it irritating and grating. For that reason i would not get this series in audio.

A moderate like.
I received copies of this book from Netgalley in both ebook and audiobook form. Sometimes the audio version demonstrates how weak a story is (one of Heather Graham's novels) is or can actually make it better Harris' Midnight, Texas series). In this case they were both a decent experience. Wilde's story was interesting enough that I immediately got book 2, Death and Desire, from Kindle Unlimited. She tweaks the UF world building and gives me the first Jewish, albeit non-practicing, UF main character. The ones I've read have been either pagan, Christian or non-believers of any sort. **Added, I'm wrong, I also read the first book in her Nava Katz series which I did not like and also features a Jewish main character.**

My one issue is some over the top, in your face elements, like the dildo mentioning more than once type thing. In the audio book, I found the narrator, probably a good choice for the main character cause she was really live, almost manic at times. However, her voice as was a bit grating, and less noticeable as other characters.

If it was good enough for me to seek out book 2 it's a like review. After listening to the audio book more recently, I'm not sure I'm that excited to read books 3 and 4. So, it's a marginal like, maybe 3.5/5.

I really enjoyed this audio book and the narrator did a fantastic job! This is an urban mystery with a big dash of Science Fiction. Ash the main character is very complex and interesting. She has a smart mouth on her and an attitude to match. Ash is an independent and headstrong woman who fights for what she thinks is right. I really enjoyed her back handed comments. This is the first book in what I hope to a long series. The main players and plot lines were introduced, I want to see where they lead. There was even a steamy twist toward the end, I cant wait to see how it develops.

Heat Factor: This is some drawn out will they/won’t they business
Character Chemistry: I want them together soooooooooooo badly
Plot: It’s super involved: abductions and political machinations and self-discovery and mysteries to solve
Overall: So it was super fun, but also I do not want to have this relationship business dragged out for four books

This book is one I guess I passed on when it was an e-galley, but now, because it was an audiobook galley, I grabbed it. I’m really glad I did...with caveats. Actually just one caveat. It’s not really a romance. Everything that should have been present for a romance was there...but there’s really not even a HFN in this relationship. I’m struggling with this a little bit, because I really want Levi and Ash together, but I really do not like to be yanked around for books on end a la Stephanie Plum. But also the book takes place over the course of days, so is it even reasonable that childhood nemeses would get over whatever relationship baggage they have in that time? Probably not in real life, but I WANT MY ROMANCE, AND I DIDN’T GET IT. But the tension between Levi and Ash was LIT. So I’ll probably read the whole dang series just because I want that romance. Well played, Wilde. Well played.

Anyway, if you’re just here for the romance, you’ll probably want to take a pass.

BUT if you’re here for the urban fantasy, this was delightful. If Wilde is a new to you author, I’m thinking if you’re an Illona Andrews fan, this series would be right up your alley.

Ashira Cohen, or Ash, is a private investigator who tries to mind her own business, except that she’s been frenemies with the current head of the Magic House of all of Western Canada since childhood. So of course they antagonize each other. Levi also takes his role as the head of his house very seriously, so when Ash bangs her head and can suddenly use magic, he books her for being a rogue magic user.

Then things start to heat up when, as they’re interrogating her, Ash prevents a “Smudge” (the book’s mysterious Bad Thing) from killing Levi’s best friend (and her own childhood frenemy-by-extension). Because her previously unknown magic is the only thing that can see or destroy the Smudges, Levi decides to bend the rules by making the paperwork for processing her magic get super bogged down, and he hires her to prevent Smudges from wreaking havoc in Vancouver, which would give the anti-magic, racist political party - led by Ash’s mother - fuel for passing anti-magic legislation.

Okay, so you can see here that I’m trying to summarize in a big way, and there’s a lot going on. Right? The voice is Ash’s 1st person POV, so it’s a little bit edgy and sassy, which is really fun, especially when she gets into scrapes. Of which there are many, from accidentally conjuring a dildo at a fancy fundraiser to arguing with the criminal underground’s Queen of Hearts and her White Rabbit to fighting a room full of golems. Wilde also populates the narrative with numerous pop culture references, from Alice in Wonderland (which comes up before we meet the White Rabbit, so that full circle situation was fun) to Harry Potter to 90s rap and so on. Ash was inspired by Sherlock Holmes, so Holmes and all his relationships come up frequently, from her unreliable car being named Moriarty to her nickname for her best friend being Adler.

The other fun thing about this book is that it’s steeped in Jewish culture and folklore (please see golems above). In this world, magic appeared when ten men purported to be descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, decided to be lazy about practicing Kabbalah, so they decided to skip steps to reach the highest plane of the soul, and magic was born! But it didn’t just impact the ten men, it accidentally spread through the whole world. Whoops! It was nice to have a story not centered in a Western Protestant worldview.

Because this was an audiobook (which I’ll remind us all that I listen to at 1.5x because listening at 1x sounds like people talking under water), a note on the narration: it was great. Hollie Jackson was the narrator, and she executes the 1st person POV exceptionally well, bringing to live all the vibrancy and sass that is Ash. A good narration totally makes an audiobook, and Jackson was definitely part of the hook for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I decided to listen to this on a whim because I am also a fan of Sherlock Holmes.
I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. Levi is probably my favorite with Miles as a close second.
Overall, I gave this a 3.75 (rounded up to a 4) because it kept my attention and I actually completed this in one day.
The only issue I had was that even though the characters were supposed to be in their late twenties, I kept forgetting that fact. It felt more like they were in their late teens/their early twenties. They just seemed a little immature to me.
I still really enjoyed this first book!
After finishing this, I immediately got the second and third in this series and am still loving it.

I have always liked a series with a female main character who has a bit of snark and a lot of logic. Ashira Cohen does her best to deliver. At first the narration style is kind of manic, so listener beware. As that is the way that Ash mulls through a problem it quickly becomes easier to manage.
Ash is a mundane private detective. she investigates the gambit from cheating husbands to lost pets. As a non-magical person she is not allowed by law to investigate those with magical ability. What should be a routine investigation for a worried parent becomes something else entirely.
After this "routine" job goes sideways, Ash has to go to the hospital and soon discovers that she has a Star of David tattoo on the back of her head underneath her hairline. Not something that she would be particularly partial to, and positive that she didn't get it in a drunken trip to the tattoo parlor, the mystery of this mystical tattoo soon manifests into her magical side.
This book is partially Ash's journey into trying to figure out what is going on and partially a very serious investigation.
Side characters are strong and well fleshed out, and there is a potential love interest.

The narration is a little unbalancing at first, but Hollie Jackson does a good job of creating distinct voices and they are easy to discern.

All in all I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars and will look forward to the next book in this Jezebel Files series.

Wilde did a good job with setting up her world. It’s almost an alternate-Earth, where magic has been present for hundreds of years and everyone knows of its existence. But we get the actual origin story of the magic, which is actually really cool, and the magic itself is well explained. Each character’s childhood/adolescent desires influences what type of magic they have, so you can learn a lot about someone by simply knowing their magic.

I loved Levi! He was an interesting character and his reactions all seemed really genuine. I really want to know more about him. I didn’t love where his and Ash’s relationship was at the end of this book though. Their moments together just seemed to come out of the blue, especially since nothing has happened between them in the fifteen years they have known each other. So the ending just didn’t seem like the right choice for their relationship arc.

I think that readers will love Ash’s snark. For me, Ash’s snark was over the top. Some of her sarcastic thoughts/comments just came across as annoying and whiny. Ash is also pretty immature. She’s supposed to be 28, but most of the time she sounds like she’s about 15.

I also listened to the audio version, but I recommend reading this book. I’ve listened to this narrator before and I have a hard time enjoying her voice.

The back-and-forth banter and deadly quips between Levi and Ashira are a cover for the undeniable chemistry between them. The passion is hot and genuine, even if Levi’s actions annoyed me. The romance was served as a side to the case and is far from over. I trust the author to bring me around.

The case was clever and involved the killing of magic users. Ashira’s magic is powerful and unique. I have a feeling we’ve only seen the surface of her abilities.

Holly Jackson narrates quite a few of the cozy paranormal mysteries I listen to. She did an outstanding job of capturing the dynamics of Levi and Ashira. While I recognized some voices and tones; she made these characters their own. Blood & Ash is perfect for audio and I hope Jackson continues the series.

Blood & Ash was a fun beginning to this detective urban fantasy and I look forward to more Jezebel Files.

Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on September 3rd. Review link will be promoted on all social media, feeds and newsletter. It will also be reviewed on Goodreads & Amazon. (link included)

вlσσd αnd αѕh rєvíєw⁣
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💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⁣
Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.⁣
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𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘩 by Deborah Wilde is a snarky urban fantasy debut that puts a fun spin on the magic detective sub-genre. ⁣
I did love that Ash had a protective female friend and I have a soft spot for female leads who are blunt and witty (maybe I see a little of Ash in myself lol) ⁣
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I would check out the next in the series when I am in need of a fun, quick pallete cleansing read. Check it out at NetGalley or a bookstore near you!⁣
3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫stars!⁣
⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⁣
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Happy Reading Everyone!⁣

Deborah Wilde’s ‘Blood & Ash’ has been so much fun!

I have listened to it in audio format, and I have enjoyed Hollie Jackson’s narration very much. There are some books that for me, personally, work better in audiobook format, and this one of these. I’m usually not a huge fan of the first-person narration, with a few notable exceptions, and yet I find myself enjoying it in audio.

Here, I have loved following Ashira Cohen as she discovers her magic and navigates her life in Vancouver. Ashira is such a fun narrator, which is made believable and engaging by Hollie Jackson’s great performance - she’s so good with accents as well!

Ashira, the only female private investigator in Vancouver, is a strong and charismatic lead, but the whole book is full of snarky, engaging and interesting characters - starting from Levi, leader of magic community and Priya, Ashira’s best friend and flatmate. The flow of Deborah Wilde’s book is great, I loved how fast-paced the action has been, and yet we were getting to know both the world and the characters as the story unfolded without necessarily long and overwhelming ‘information dumps’.

But perhaps my favourite thing about ‘Blood & Ash’ has been so many popular culture references in the book. From Sherlock Holmes to mentioning characters from Ilona Andrews’ series. Ashira and Priya constantly calling each other by aliases associated with the world of Sherlock Holmes made me smile so much.
Blood & Ash’ is a great beginning to urban fantasy detective series, and I would recommend it, especially in the audiobook format!

Blood and Ash by Deborah Wilde.
Thanks to ibpa members audiobooks and netgalley.
This is book 1 of the jezebel files series.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I loved Ash and Levi. Great story. Some great characters. I'm looking forward to the next book. 5*.

I have read many paranormal romance stories, however, I have to admit this one is really unique. It's not the expected plot and environment setup of a paranormal world. Deborah Wilde pleasantly surprised me with the originality of the idea.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great adding to the experience with their sweet voices bringing out the originality of the scenario and the clever dialogues.

I am looking forward to the next story of the series and to the next audiobook.

Ash is a private investigator on the case of a missing girl. Along the way, she runs into a huge pain from the past, Levi. Together they are set to find out what’s going on all the while fighting their draw to each other. Ash finds something out about herself that comes as a surprise.
Opinion
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Hollie Jackson, was one of the best I have ever heard. She does different voices for each character and reads with the characters attitudes perfectly.
The story is captivating. There is the optimal amount of mystery, love interest and humor to keep this story intriguing the whole way through.
If you want to treat yourself, this is a great read.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook.

In the first in a new series, Deborah Wilde introduces readers to Ashire Cohen, Human, Private Investigator and all around bad-ass:

Ashire Cohen has made a name for herself as a human private investigator in Vancouver and with the skill she has acquired over the years, she should be able to find a missing teenager. What she was not planning on was the mother lying to Ash about her abilities and ending up getting hit in the head, which revealed and disfigured a tattoo that she had on her head. A tattoo that Ash knew nothing about. The tattoo was preventing Ash's true powers from surfacing and she seems to be the only one who is able to see a deadly ghostly creature. So not only does she have to contend with new magic powers, a weird ghostly creature and there are a string of missing magical inclined teenagers that appear to be connected; All of Ash's skills, new and old, are going to be put to the test.

Ever since Ilona Andrews ended her Kate Daniels series I have been looking for a replacement series that had similar elements to it, and I think that Wilde succeeded on several fronts within this book; with her characters, magic and fast paced plot, even without the world possibly coming to the end. The investigation that Ash is hired to do is at the forefront of the novel, but there is also a personal mystery that she has that seems to be intertwined so it was a bit more complex than I was expecting. There were also some darker elements and scenes within the book that I was not expecting but was glad that Wilde added them in.

My absolute favourite part in this book is Ash, she is crude, crass and kicks ass with or without having powers. I like that she has been trying to make a name for herself as a private investigator, even though the top jobs tend to go to someone who has magic. This makes her not only smart but resourceful too. She also has some flaws, not really good at relationships, and well has a poor relationship with her parents. Ash is also extremely loyal to the clients that she has in this book and will stop at nothing in order to solve where the missing teenager has gone.

It was interesting to have the powers that people now have be linked to the Jewish religion, and I'm pretty sure I understand how magic came about in the world, and how/why certain people received magic and other do not but I will say I may need a refresher in the next book. I like that the magic one gets is linked to childhood, for example if they feel invisible, if your magic kicks in you'll probably end up with the ability to become invisible. This means the magic is not only linked to genetics but also nature as well.Makes you wonder what some people were experiencing within this book to achieve their powers.

You know from he beginning of the book and the first interaction between Ash and Liam that there was going to be something there in the future. I just wish it would have been in a future book, farther down the line, let their nemesis thing they have going on play out a bit more. I mean they have some great banter between the two of them. I like that they are in different positions within society and how they both use that to their advantages and use it against each other as well. So basically the romance moved a little bit too fast for me.

This is the first book that I have read by Wilde and I enjoyed the characters, world and plot that she introduces within this book. I look forward to picking up the next book in the series.

Enjoy!!!

While the story in and of itself, is full of one snarky, quick-witted heroine who often finds herself doing whatever it takes to do the right thing (even at the expenses of her last few bucks) and a sexy magic man. Put these two together as fast-paced adventure ensues (sexual tension included).

What is is a take away from the story is the narration of the story. The narrator that is chosen is so balls-to-the-balls with the snark and sarcasm that it often made it feel like I was listening to an angry, angsty teenager being forced to read the story out loud during Literature class. You know where you would look at the time to see many minutes here left instead of listening to the story, that was how the narrator was for me -- just too much. There was no way I was able to get into the story.

So the story for me was a 3.5 stars, but the narration was a 2 stars

** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **

Beware. Blood sizzling adventures lie ahead. Ashira Cohen, is a private investigator whose latest case is trying to find out where her clients daughter is spending her time. Taking on this case leads to way more than she bargained for. Filled with sarcastic wit, adventure, and a bit of steam for good measure Blood and Ash has got you covered for an enjoyable night at home.
As a reader who loves a hint of supernatural in her books, this one was a solid beginning to a new series. Deborah Wilde seems to have a knack for finding a sweet spot in this genre. A diverse and complicated world of characters keep you on your toes and gives a guilty pleasure sort of feel as it plays between the lines from time to time. The narrator on the audiobook did a great job of inflection and allowing my consciousness to focus on the story rather than get distracted the way at times it can with some readers. I am looking forward to hearing more in the future.