Carole's Sunday Review: A fistful of fire - Rebecca Chastain

Author: Rebecca Chastain

Title: A Fistful of Fire (Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer #2)

Genre: UF & Fantasy

Pages: ebook

First Published: October 2015

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Madison Fox survived her first week as California’s newest illuminant enforcer, defending her region against imps, vervet, hounds, and one lascivious demon. If her grumpy boss, Mr. Pitt, was impressed, he hasn’t told Madison. In fact, there’s a lot her boss has been closemouthed about, including the dark secret haunting his past.

But Madison’s problems are just igniting. Neighboring regions report an uncharacteristic flare-up of evil, fire-breathing salamanders blaze unchecked across the city, and Black Friday looms. Trapped doing cleanup amid mobs of holiday shoppers, Madison watches from the sidelines as dubious allies insinuate themselves in her region.

As suspicions kindle and the mysterious evil gains strength, Madison must determine who she can trust—and whose rules to follow—before her region and career go up in flames.

This is the second in the series. It could be read as a standalone, but I do encourage reading the first book first. 

Poor Madison! I get that she is a newbie, but I feel bad about how rudely everyone is treating her. Even in the paranormal world politics runs rampant. I also felt bad for Mr. Pitt the whole time. Poor guy...I'm happy to see that he really does like Madison and cares for her safety. She certainly has her dumb moments, but you can't really blame her. I would probably pull some of the same dumb things. She is new to this world and this role which people are trying to pull from under her feet. Again...poor girl.

Hilarious that this takes place on Black Friday. It proves my point about how horrible that event is. Its a day of greed, stupidity, and selfishness. It was awesome how the author incorporated this in this world. Clever, clever. 

The beginning was a little slow, but it was certainly the calm before the storm. So much drama. So many baddies. And so many twists that I wasn't sure what was going to happen and who was to blame! I love it when a story keeps me on my toes. I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm certainly glad the possible love triangle is still being avoided. I adore Nicko, but Madison needs a guy like Dr. Love to keep her sane. Nicko can find someone else. Maybe Madison's friend ;D. 

Honestly, I am so glad this series found me, because I was losing faith in the UF genre. The characters are interesting, the world new/different, and the story fresh and creative! Love it! I am curious to see what happens next.

In the end, I highly recommend this series. I advise reading the first one first though, because there are a lot of backstory I feel is essential. Granted, I can see this being read alone. The beginning was a little slow, but after a couple of chapters I could NOT put this down. A fun world and characters that entertain me. Too be honest, this was better then the first book which is rare! Out of five stars, I stamp this with 5. 

Carole's Sunday Review: A fistful of evil - Rebecca Chastain

Author: Rebecca Chastain

Title: A Fistful of Evil (Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer #1)

Genre: Urban Fiction, Fantasy, YA, & Paranormal

Pages: ebook

First Published: August 2014

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given by an author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing. 

On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.

When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.

This is the first of the Madison Fox Illumnant Enforcer series. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here. 

Madison has an interesting power, she can see souls of people and things. She randomly finds a job posting and goes for it. Well, it leads her to use her ability to fight pure evil. However...she is a complete newbie and is thrown to protect a whole region. She meets new people and a new world.

I love the whole concept of the book/series. This is an interesting ability she has and it was very refreshing for this genre. I did like Madison. She's not kickass yet, but she is learning and is funny. Honestly, I'm glad she wasn't a "natural" at battle the forces of evil, she has LOTS and LOTS to learn. There is a lot of training still in her future. Yes...she does have her dumb moments which made me roll my eyes, BUT she is a complete newbie in this world and this job. 

Ooooh Niko you hot, hot man. ;) I liked him a lot and I want to learn more about him. But I did like Dr Love the Vet as well. I know, I know - Dr Love is a lame name, but I think its kinda funny and clever. I feel like there is a possibility of a love triangle in the future....BUT I have some suspicious on Dr Love...I hope he's not a baddie, but he seems too perfect hmmmmm. HOWEVER, what I really REALLY liked was that romance was not the center of this story. It wasn't Madison's main goal to find love, yes, she thought Niko and Dr Love were hot, but her main concern was saving her region. Major props to avoid the pitfall of a making the story to loved filled. I hope this remains the same in the second book.

My only issue was the lag that occurred after her first meet with a stronger evil. The lag only lasted about 25 pages, but it picked up again and thank goodness. 

In the end, this was a fun read. It was a refreshing read. Urban fantasies were blending together, but this was a fresh new story with an interesting cast and power. Also, I loved the fact that the romance was there a little bit, but it wasn't the center/core of the story. The lag killed me, but it didn't last too long. However, I am super excited for the second book in the series! I can't wait to see what Madison is up to next. I highly recommend this to those that want to read UF, but want something refreshing and fun. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars.