Ever Strange

Publisher's Summary

It takes a monster to catch one.

Zane Walker - FBI, Magickal Crimes Division

There's a reason the bureau sends me undercover with the worst drug cartels in the world - my magick is as illegal and dirty as the enhancers they peddle. Just the kind that "Pennies" Machnik - Dziki crime lord - likes to use on his enemies. Being his enforcer lets me keep my own monster locked up while I build a case against him. If I can bring Pennies in, maybe I can finally put the stigma of what I am behind me. But when people start overdosing on his street drugs, a beautiful witch storms in, making demands she thinks she can back up with magick. I have to make a split second choice...and the monster comes raging out. 

Ever Strange - CEO, Strange Medical Technologies

Someone has killed my father. They made it look like an overdose, but Asher Strange, the world-renown researcher of medical magick, never took an illegal drug in his life...much less tawdry magick enhancers. I run the family empire, but no one was more proud of the Strange family name than my father. A long line of us stretches back to the first days of High Magick - no way he would throw that away chasing a quick high. But before I can get an autopsy, my father's body disappears...and being a Level One mage and one of the richest women in the city means I will get answers. 

Someone's putting deadly magick into street drugs...and it's killing people all over Chicago.

Zane's magick is monstrous, and Ever's power brings out his beast. But she insists on finding her father; keeping her safe has suddenly become his job - on top of stopping an epidemic of overdoses that just might be cover for a serial killer. Together, they work to stop the dark magick that's stalking the streets of Chicago..and try to keep their own secrets from consuming them both. 

Ever Strange is the first book in a new paranormal romantic suspense series from best-selling romance author Alisa Woods.

The first three books in the series (Ever Strange, Mercy Strange, Verity Strange) follow the three Strange sisters, each powerful witches in an influential magickal family embroiled in a mysterious plot to change everything about the magickal world. Part urban fantasy, Legal Magick takes place in an alternate Chicago where High Magick returned in 1859 and is now integral in every aspect of the legal - and illegal - world. Each book is a stand-alone romance.

©2019 Alisa Woods (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

A Must Listen!

There are some adult only segments. That said, this is for any adults who enjoy a story that sucks them in and won’t let go! Looking for the next in the series!

Another great series starter from Alisa Woods.

I've read her entire dragon and wolf shifter backlog, so I was excited to read this new series from the moment it was mentioned. This is the first book of hers I've listened to (I read a bit of it, but mostly listened) and I have to say I'm well pleased to have purchased it.

I really enjoy audible books being done in duet (either true duet or by chapter like this one) so I was majorly excited to find this was done that way. For clarity, each chapter is written from either Zane or Ever's perspectives and the narrator is different for each character. I find it makes listening to a book much more immersive when each perspective has its own voice.

Mr. Greenfield's performance was highly enjoyable and I look forward to future books he might read. Mrs. Hayden had great inflection but she had very little voice variation between characters. Far from bad though, I still enjoyed her reading. She did mispronounce a few words that made me giggle. Chaste being the standout. But she gave good emotion and energy, so 3.5 stars at least. :)

The story was immersive and the world building well though out as I've come to expect from Mrs. Woods' works. The world is essentially ours just a little in the future but in which magic is an every day part of life and pretty much decides the hierarchy of the world. Zane being an Incubus was as much fun as I hoped. Don't get me wrong, he was definitely a dark and damaged character, but he was also thoroughly fleshed out and extremely captivating because of it. Ever was a similar level of broken in a different way that made them a perfect fit. They're journey to discovering that really made this book the romance it is.

The overarching story plot was not completed in this, of course, as we still have two sisters yet to get stories for. The idea of drugs and crime trying to change the world isn't new, but the spin on it in this is definitely a new take. I won't say more so I don't spoil anything, but suffice to say this is a crime drama/magical/romance story that also brings in family as a strong element. Also, know that it's definitely steamy and 18+.

Starts slow but does get better

Zane is an undercover FBI agent & an incubus. Ever is a witch. She gets caught in a situation that could get her killed, but Zane saves her. They end up teaming up together for an undercover sting on a drug boss that Zane has been trying to take down. I won't give any spoilers tho.

This is not one of my faves from Alisa. It has a really interesting plot with well-developed characters. I found the first few chapters slow & hard for me to get into, but I ended up enjoying the storyline. It has plot twists & surprises along the way. It has a HEA but it ends on a big cliffhanger with more unanswered questions. I rated this down since it started out slow & I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into the storyline. It deserves more than 3 stars but not a full 4, but that's just my opinion. Pick this one up & try it for yourself.

I was not a fan of the narrators.

Loved it

This is book 1 of the new series and wow does it hook you right off the bat. Could not put it down. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Narrators doe an awesome job.

Entertaining and Unique

Interesting and entertaining! The narrators do a good job, and I liked that there was a male and a female narrator. This story felt unique to me, and I enjoyed the premise. Zane is an incubus that works for the FBI, he is currently working undercover to gather evidence to catch a bad guy named Pennies. There's some bad drugs killing people and it's looking like there may be a serial killer on the loose too, so Zane's job is about to get much harder; especially when Ever Strange gets caught up in the mess. Ever's father supposedly died from the bad drug and his body has gone missing from the morgue, so she's out to find out what the heck is going on. She ends up in a very dangerous situation. I'm not a huge fan of the incubus angle because I don't like the whole sex magic scenario. Also, I didn't like the sex worker talk, but luckily the story didn't go too much into that. I loved the action and how the story unfolds; it made for a fun read. The story feels a little on the gritty side, which I liked. There is some romance, but I would've liked for there to be a bit more in the end. Overall, very enjoyable read! Looking forward to more!

Paranormal and the FBI

Amazing blend of paranormal,romance and grime fighting. If you enjoy stories like The Krewe of Hunters by Heather Graham. This is for you.

Wonderful book and narration..

At first, I was skeptical about this when I read about the whips Zane used on himself but he explained it to Ever so I was okay with it after that. AND he only whipped himself once to control the Incubus monster inside him.

Anyway, this wasn’t your usual romance, which is why I enjoyed it so much. Yeah, they had sex BUT it didn’t overpower the storyline. It was about a drug that people were overdosing on, only they weren’t, AND the dead who were disappearing from the morgue. Ever’s father was one of them that was supposed to have OD’d and disappeared but Ever wasn’t just going to let it go. Zane was an Incubus FBI agent who ended up working with Ever, so that’s how that came about.

It was a very good story and I will definitely read the second book when it comes out in May.

There was explicit sex in this but not until about 90%. And the F-bomb was used 89 times.

As to the narration: Absolutely perfect. Yeah, it had 2 narrators and they took turns, instead of her doing the female voices and him doing the males, but it was all wonderful. Lance Greenfield did a great job, but Brooke Hayden was phenomenal. She whispered and yelled and really sounded like she was crying a couple of times. I had never listened to her before but I will from now on.

Ever and Zane

This is the first book in a new series and because of that Alisa Woods has taken the time to give us enough background information to allow us to feel that we know the who, what and why of this story and any future books in this series.

I couldn't help but love Zane Walker who works in the FBI, Magickal Crimes Division. He's not your typical hero, he's an incubus whose power is incredible but he has trouble controlling it once he lets it loose. He is working undercover for the bureau trying to bring down Pennies Machnik a Dziki crime lord who is flooding the streets with his magic enhancing drugs. Whilst working as his enforcer he is able to rescue Ever Strange but will this act of kindness cause his cover to be blown?

Ever Strange is the CEO, Strange Medical Technologies and someone has murdered her father, they made it look like an overdose, but Ever is convinced that Asher Strange, would never take an illegal drug, much less tawdry a magick enhancer. Now to make matters worse her father's body has disappeared from the morgue. Ever is a Level One mage and one of the richest and most powerful beings in the city and she is determined to get answers.

Ever follows various leads and ends up confronting Pennies over her father's death and the disappearance of his body. Pennies is about to have Ever killed when Zane steps in and demands that Pennies turn her over to him, supposedly for his personal enjoyment.

What follows is a wonderfully exciting story about learning to love and learning to trust, not only each other but themselves. Both of them lost their first loves because they could not control their magic when they were making love and both of them have decided to live their lives alone because of this. But as Zane tries to keep Ever safe from Pennies and whoever is stealing the bodies from the morgue the two of them form a bond, firstly of trust and then of love.

Whilst working together to solve both the illegal drug trafficking and the body stealing they come up against much more than they expected.

The writing style is excellent and very descriptive and the narration by Lance Greenfield, Brooke Hayden could not be improved upon. I loved this book and am really looking forward to listening to more in this exciting series.

I was given a copy of this audiobook as a gift and am voluntarily writing my review.