Rage, Sex, and Teddy Bears: Review/–Alabaster Nights(The Josie Hawk Chronicles, #0.5) by Elle J Rossi

Published January 3rd 2014 by Black Poppy Books

A Vampire with a soul. A Huntress with a knife.
In Nashville, Blood equals Power. Will one taste of Josie Hawk cost Keller everything?

This book is told from Keller’s POV. Keller, a sexy Irish vamp, is on the verge of stepping over the line into irredeemable evil, when he meets Josie.

Alabaster Nights details his first meeting with Josie, his belief she is his soul mate, and his determination to become a better being for Josie.

Josie Hawk is a Huntress, a “take no prisoners”, snarky, wet working kind of woman, but she is also in business and besties with Keller’s sister. She takes care of her own, but Keller isn’t hers, and if he steps out of line in her town, well things might get ugly.

I am generally not a fan of Urban Fantasy, I like my HEA’s guaranteed at the end and I like my ending at the completion of the book. That’s not to say I don’t like series or recurring characters, because I luuuuuurve those, but they are absolutely apples and not apples. I am also very, very herocentric, so when I found out this was from Keller’s POV, for the most part, I took a chance. And Keller was KILLER!! *snort* At the beginning, Keller is more dark than light by a good bit, and is pretty resigned to the loss of his humanity. Then wham, he meets Josie! And it is like the hand of God reached down and restarted his withered soul. It was totally an Awwwww moment.

When the book moves to Josie's POV, it is written in first person, which is par for the course in UF so I wasn't horribly surprised. It is not my favorite but this was well done. Josie initially is totally underwhelmed by Keller, although she does acknowledge his utter gorgeousness. I was not a raving fan of Josie's but I didn't want to bury her in the woods either, so she came out pretty good on my heroine scale. I liked her toughness and her loyalty.

Since this is a novella, there was just time enough to get the flavor of the characters that will be showing up in future books. Alabaster Nights tasted delicious. Lots of flavor profiles and layers. From sweet, sour, salty and even bitterness, there is a plethora of literary ingredients, and they combine to make a dish best served again and again. Job well done, Ms. Rossi, brava.

Amazon

The Spring Equinox brings a slew of nasties to the streets of Nashville. Huntress Josie Hawk is determined to get her arch enemy to sign a treaty, whether the Assembly is behind her or not. But when Keller O'Leary--sexiest vampire alive--returns, will Josie learn to be a team player, or will she stake the heart that has captured hers?

Elle J Rossi grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by great people, a huge family and more animals than she could count. But the sites and sounds of the world beckoned, so she left her small town to escape into a creative world full of music. As a full time singer she was able to lose herself in a thousand different songs in a hundred different places. After meeting the love of her life and settling down, she yearned to find a new and fulfilling creative outlet. Overly fond of the happily ever after, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters lead her down dark and twisted paths. The very first word on the very first page sealed her fate. She’d found a new love. She’d found her escape. Now along with weaving haunting tales about the journey to love, she’s creating cover art for authors around the world and loving every second of it. For fun, she cranks country music to take her back to her roots, and sings karaoke anytime she gets a chance. Her husband, two children, and a cat that rules the roost keep her company along the way and guarantee she doesn’t get lost in the enchanted forest. She wouldn’t have it any other way.