Blood & Ash: A Snarky Urban Fantasy Detective Series

The Jezebel Files, Book One

By: Deborah Wilde

Narrated by: Hollie Jackson

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Missing teens. Long-lost magic. Can one determined private eye topple a dark conspiracy?

Detective for hire, Ashira Cohen is having a no-good, very bad day.

When Ash was 13, her con artist father disappeared, leaving her with emotional scars and a limp she can't hide. But she toughened up, determined never to be played again. Is history repeating itself?

First, she’s hit on the head during a stakeout, revealing a mysterious tattoo on the back of her skull.

Even worse? It’s a now-broken ward unleashing dangerous magic that as a Mundane, she shouldn’t possess.

And the icing on this crap cake? Her unruly powers nearly kill her long-time nemesis, Levi, the uptight leader of the magic community. One word from him revealing her forbidden abilities, and everything she’s built will be taken from her…by force.

The only bright spot is that Levi requires her supernatural skills to solve a spree of abductions. After years of being underestimated by him, it’s Ash’s chance at payback and she’s going to enjoy bringing him to his knees — or stuffing him in a body bag.

Crackling with humor and suspense, Blood & Ash features a headstrong heroine tackling paranormal conspiracies and an enemies-to-lovers romance.  

"Wilde combines hardboiled noir and Jewish folklore in this action-packed, perfectly paced paranormal romp.... the real star is Ash's hilariously snarky narrative voice which is archly sarcastic but never mean.... Wilde balances exuberant wit with deep compassion and handles Ash's chronic pain and fragmented family with care. This giddy, sexy series launch is a delight." (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review) 

©2020 Deborah Wilde (P)2022 Deborah Wilde

Same Story Different Names

The main character, Ash, is constantly telling us what her personality is like. It works better when the reader is able to make those determinations based on the character's behavior. An example is when Ash describes herself as being closed off because she has issues with abandonment. And then she keeps reminding us.

The world building is minimal but I think for the mood of the book it doesn't hinder anything. As the story continues and things get more complicated, they'll need to be some more details added.

To be honest, I started this review at the beginning of the week and hot distracted... its Wednesday now and I cant even remember what this book was about 😬 soooo, I'll listen to it again and get back to you.

Ok, I listened to the first two chapters and it all came back to me.

I found this series much better than the Unlikeable Demon Slayer by this author, but the plots are very very similar. In both books the lead female randomly learns of her magic. The lead guy is a famous magic user. The two leads don't get along but secretly love each other. The only difference in the books are the type of jobs the characters have. Like I said, very similar.

Filler book

I chose this book because I am waiting for the new Dresden book (Jim Butcher) and the new Guild Codex (Annette Marie) book to drop. it was a nice quick book and satisfied my detective urban fantasy craving. Narration was good, no page shuffling or background noise. Story could be smoother....but it is the first book of the series....so it will most likely improve.

Explicit mind candy

The story is entertaining as long as the listener realizes this is pure mind candy. Be aware that it is very explicit regarding language and sex; listener must be willing to accept constant F-bombs and sex descriptions.

Predictable

Predictable and trite. Don’t bother. No character development. Shallow characters. Heroine is a mundane detective. She gets an injury during a fight and a tattoo hidden under her hair is marred, this releasing magic she never knew she had. Not just any magic, but blood magic. She knows it’s blood magic even though no one has ever heard of blood magic because ? Who knows? Suddenly she can expertly wield her magic, creating weapons and armor made of blood. Oh, and if ripping off that idea of Ilona Andrews’ wasn’t bad enough, she also takes on golems. Somehow she Intuits that if she erases the e from the word emet written onto the golems’ forehead, that will kill the golem. (Sound familiar readers of Ilona Andrews?) Bland, predictable, and done a million times over by better writers. Don’t waste your money.

LOVED!

The story was awesome. It had moments of seriousness but buffered with humor. I didn't want to stop listening to the story because I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Hollie Jackson did an amazing job narrating the story. She did the different voices well and even at the fast pace I listen to books didn't sound weird.

Will definitely pick up more by this author and narrator.

Snarky Heroine

Blood and Ash by Deborah Wilde, the first book in The Jezebel Files series took me on a journey to a world filled with magic, adventure, mystery and romance. The story took place in Vancouver and it introduced me to Ashira Cohen, a private investigator who investigates cases which don’t involve magic. She is a Mundane, someone who doesn’t possess magic, hence the reason for investigating non-magical cases. So, imagine her surprise upon discovering her current case involved magic. The surprises, however, did not end there, as in the aftermath of solving the case, she discovered she possessed magical abilities. A Star of David tattoo placed on the back of her neck was responsible for the suppression of her abilities. Who placed it there and why were questions she vowed to find answers for? Meanwhile, a mysterious and evil entity is on the loose in the city, murdering users of magic and Levi, her nemesis and leader of the magic community hired to investigate. Her quest for answers would have to take a back seat as she sets out to find out who is behind the villainous magical creature and stop them.

I loved Ashira, smart, independent, determined, caring and a no-nonsense private investigator. Her association with Levi stemmed from their times together at summer camp. They never seen eye to eye then, and it has not changed. Their back-and-forth banter sprinkled with witty comments and snarky comebacks had me laughing throughout the story. The thing that amused me about these two were their lame attempts to deny their chemistry. Seriously, anyone worth their salt could see that they had the hots for each other.

I loved how the case developed throughout the story. It allowed Ashira to use her magical skills, which proved powerful, unique and dangerous if not kept under control.

Blood and Ash offered a fast-paced, action-packed and magical story with the romance being served as a delicious dessert. All these combined made for an entertaining read.

The author created an intriguing world, but it could have been better developed. I guess as the series progress, we will see an improvement in this area.

I enjoyed Holly Jackson’s narration. She did a fantastic job of bringing each of the characters to life. Her distinct voices made it easy to distinguish between each character.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Blood and Ash provided a pleasant escape and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Sensational & Snarky

I loved theis first in series. The female lead is sensationally snarky & flawed but strong. The way magic is portrayed in this world is quite original. The narrator was fantastic at bringing the story and characters to life. I look forward to more from this author and in this series

Entertaining and Sexy

This is my first book by this author and narrator and I wasn't disappointed. The storyline was intriguing and the sarcasm was fun. The narrator did a great job of conveying the snarky attitude of Ash.

There was never a boring moment in the book and the character development made me become invested in their lives.

There's definitely some steamy scenes in this book, but it wasn't overdone or distracting from the story. I think I'll give the next book a listen.

Good story!

This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. The world building was different and new but also reminded me of the Kate Daniels and Charlie Davidson series, which are two of my favorites. Very good paranormal romance with lots of different magical characters. I always love Hollie Jackson narrations. I will purchase the next book in the series. It's well worth a credit!

Loved it!!

I absolutely loved this story!! The characters are spunky and the heroine is great.. she isn’t whiny, she’s a problem solver and she’s awesome!! Great listen and book!!

Great start to a new series

Having purchased the kindle version of this book I was offered the opportunity to try the audible version for free - it didn’t disappoint! Great start to the new series and with a narrator the British ears can listen to without trouble (not always the case with UF set in NA). Skipped straight to the audible version for book 2 and anticipating the 3rd in the series coming soon.

fantastic first book in series

totally loved it, the action the magic the emotional journey and the romance filled with snark...I will be buying the whole series

laugh out loud

I totally loved this book and can't wait for any more in the series.
the humor is spot on and the characters are interesting and engaging.
the best book I've had in ages

same old story

girl fights with male, both secretly fancy each other, Throw in life and death situation.
book done

Full of sass and snark!

Enjoyable storyline and nice characters. The story gets fun and exciting from the start and is not lagging anytime. It's fun production. I enjoyed the variety of ethnicity in the characters.

Good job narrator.

Awesome

First book for me by DW and really enjoyed it!! Have down loaded book 2.

Cracking start to a new series

This is a fantastic start to a new series, with well thought out plot lines and captivating characters. This book is really fast paced and hard to put down, I devoured it in one sitting. I especially enjoyed the interplay between Ashira and her nemesis, Levi. She's a great character who's clever and funny, with just enough to snark to keep her likeable and not abrasive. The secondary characters are well developed, interesting and really add to the story.

The narrator is the perfect fit for this series, she really brings the story alive.

Awesome UF Detective Series

Wow! Book one and I am hooked. I have this in ebook format too but with audio version I have the best of both worlds. Love Ash, she's a force to be reckoned with, add sharp witty dialogue that hits the mark every time and it's Audiobook perfection! I can't wait to dive into the next one!

Not for me!

I really enjoyed the narrator's voice in this book unfortunately I really struggled with the story as it was so slow and boring. The narrator did her best with it and I do appreciate that.

It's fun

Enjoyed this book. It was funny and interesting, there is plenty of action and highly entertaining.