Cover Image: Bad Blood

Bad Blood

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Another winner in the Goddess with a Blade series, it had everything that I enjoyed from the previous books. Lauren Dane has a great writing style that the characters worked overall in the genre. It had the romance that I was looking for and enjoyed everything going on.

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Every time humanity or the status quo of the world we live in is threatened, Rowan Summerwaite stands as a shield.  Every time she thinks she's defeated the threat and will have a chance to rest on her laurels a new one pops up. Clearly there's more to come despite the exciting events in this book which include vampires posturing for more power, magic users wanting to manipulate humans and the Fae, God knows what role they'll be playing.
Witches have been going missing for some time.  Rowan and Genevieve thought they had solved the problem and ended the threat but apparently witches are still going missing.  In addition, someone is seeking to stop the collaboration of vampires, hunters and witches to create teams to stop supernatural threats.
The vampires are posturing and writing memos and Rowan is going to nip this nonsense in the bud if the vampire nation won't take care of its internal problems.  In the meantime, witches want to manipulate humans ostensibly for entertainment purposes. Genevieve has a stalker who has no qualms about using compulsion spells.  In the midst of this chaos, Genevieve's romance with the dare devil leader Darius is flourishing, as is her bond with Rowan.
The werewolves or the shifters come out to play for the first time in this series so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of them as the series progresses. Well, that is if they survive since they came out to play on the wrong side and attacked Rowan, so their existence is probably in question if Clive, Rowan's vampire mate has anything to say about this.
All in all, this is a great story to revive the series and keep it going. Can this book be read as a standalone? I suppose any book can be read out of sequence and I am often guilty of this, but I had read the series and actually went back and reread the entire series which I personally think helps with all the subtext and relationships. I absolutely hope the next chapter comes soon.

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This series has really grown as it progresses. I live a strong female main character who doesn't need others to take care of her, but support her strengths. Really enjoy this series, however recommend that you read the others so you know what is going on without having to figure it out.

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The seventh installment of the Goddess with a Blade series is finally here! I am such a fan of Lauren Dane and I loved reading this new book. Bad Blood by Lauren Dane is definitely not a stand-alone read, although the writing is so good that you could read it alone and enjoy the story, but you'll miss out on so many significant details that make this book so good.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Bad Blood was the POV changes. There is a more in depth look at both Rowan Summerwaite and Genevieve Aubert, their struggles and triumphs as they navigate new threats to the Treaty. Oh, and we get to see much more of the Trick!

There are several interesting plot twists in this one (I don't want to give you any spoilers,) plus what I think is some pretty great setup for the next book. Bad Blood kept my constant attention and if that pesky work thing hadn't gotten in the way, I would have read it all in one session. I loved it so much that I also re-read it nearly immediately.

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Bad Blood is another great instalment to the Goddess of the Blades series. It has a great balance between love, humour and suspense that keeps the reader from putting the book down until it’s finished. Rowan and Clive continue to be an amazing and quirky couple that work together to protect the ones they love. The addition of Geneiveve, a powerful witch and Darius, a Dust Devil, as a new power couple was fantastic. I really enjoyed watching their connection grow and their chemistry explode, all the while battling several unknown threats to the Joint Tribunal. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to see how both of these relationships continue to grow and develop in this chaotic paranormal world.

I received an ebook copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

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This is a series I loved and each instalment is better than the previous. Fast paced, action packed, well rounded characters and intriguing world building.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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Great new episode in Rowan's journey! Action, romance, and interesting language

The witch Genevieve is now a main character as we learn more about magic and what it means to be priestess to the Trick.

Whether Rowan and Clive or Genevieve and Darius, the romance is a solid element of Lauren Dane's Goddess with a Blade series!

I recommend a recent re-read of the rest of the series for a better connection with the characters

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Last summer, I finally picked up the first book in the series and I loved it. For those who may have missed the earlier books in this series, this book may be a little confusing. Still, it can be read as a standalone. Be forewarned, it may cause you to pick up all the previous books to get caught up.

Fast forward to this summer and a lot has happened since we first met Rowan and her now husband, Clive. There is a case to be solved yet vampires are beating their chests to show their dominance. Witches are casting coercive spells. These are all noisy distractions. Why?

This is exactly what Rowan and her BFF Genevieve are trying to determine. This meaty novel feels is satisfying even if at the end of the book, there isn't an answer to the missing witches and humans. There are several subplots going on which look to be coming together into explaining the main story arc going across several books. What I liked is how the tangent distractions reveal more about the corruption in the different supernatural groups. I also like how this story has two strong female leads. They are not competing against each other, instead, Rowan and Genevieve support each other. It isn't too often I find an urban fantasy/paranormal romance with strong female characters who work great together.

Whilst Rowan and Genevieve try to solve several cases at the same time, the men in their lives are no slouches. Rowan's husband Clive is a powerhouse. With this being a Ms. Dane book, there is going to be sexy times. Both Rowan and Genevieve receive some loving attention from their males and it is delightfully written. It is a bit more tame than I'm used to now, but still a bit spicier for those who are used to "clean" romances.

I feel like this book is setting up for the next book in a big showdown. I'm excited and I cannot wait to see what happens next. As both Rowan and Genevieve jump up a quantum level in power, it hints of something really bad coming down the pipeline. This urban fantasy is recommended to readers who enjoy a multilayered plot and snarky strong female leads.

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All our favourites are back. Rowan is having issues with the vampires at the moment as there is a split off group that wants to cause trouble but she knows that they will back down. Clive knows that he needs to worry less about Rowan but she is his life. He might be a Scion of North America but he still worries about her safety.
Genevieve is enjoying getting to know Darius the dust devil she is happy to have him around. And they both want to see what happens with their relationship.
But they all have the same pest that keeps on trying to get to Genevieve there is no way that any of them will stay back from this fight.
But what will the cost be?
Another great read in the series.
My favourite is Rowan as she is a tough woman but she is still very vulnerable even with her powers. She is a good friend that won’t stand back when someone is willing to hurt one of her own. Clive worries about Rowan even though he is tough fair man. Darius & Genevieve make a cute couple. Love the other characters they only add to the storyline.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

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I absolutely love this series. The characters are strong, complex yet very likable. The world building is very complex, but well written. I really have enjoy Rowan and Clive relationship and how it has grown since the 1st Book.
I am so glad that we are getting more Darius and Genevieve in this Book. They are a great couple too.
The story is full of drama, danger and a mystery to solve that it pulls you right in.
I strongly suggest that you Read the other Books first to get the full enjoyment out of this one.
Fair warning it does end in A cliffhanger.

I receive a free ARC from NetGallery for my honest review.

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This book was amazing, it was great to see the next chapter of Rowan and where she is heading with HunterCorp and her new species of hunters :) it was also really touching to see a smaller more vulnerable side of her during this book. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to see more of Star considering she was such a big part of the last book but fingers crossed she comes back with a vengeance in the next book. Man oh man the Sicons are in for a world of hurt. I'm half hoping they don't fix things and we get to see an uprising but man oh man I can't wait of those seeds to come through. The other big part s Genevieve and Darius ohh my oh my it was amazing to get more of an in-depth look into them and their lives. it felt to me the book was half Rowan and half Genevieve and the further insight into the dust devils I can't wait to see more of. one of my fav parts was the interaction between Konrad and Rowan its almost like looking in a mirror lol fingers crossed we get to see more of them in the future. Plots and intrigues I can't wait for more amazing book by Lauren Dane.

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I really enjoyed this story. I had to really pay attention as I had not read the prior books (which I will now do) and had to figure out who was what and how they fit in the story. Rowen was very strong and the Goddess helped her when needed and was married to a very important vampire. Together they were a strength not many could break. She was becoming best friends with Genevieve who was a powerful witch with a romantic interest in Darius. The story revolved around a witch who was obsessed with Genevieve and saw Rowen as in the way so tried to get rid of her. The interaction of the 4 main characters was powerful and very interesting to watch.
I do enjoyed Lauren Dane's writing and have gotten away from paranormal for awhile, but this story peaked my interest again

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

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5/5 stars: Dane and the Goddess with a Blade series have been long time favorites I love seeing this newest entry. The world Dane's crafted is fantastically well-written; you'll find a modern world filled with vampires, witches, magic and goddesses. Dane's cast of characters is one of the best I've ever read; they're infinitely complex yet incredibly likable. Rowan's a kick-butt heroine who's growth has been a joy to read and I love her relationship with Clive. It's also great reading more about the series secondary characters, particularly Darius and Genevieve in this book. Additionally, Dane has written a heck of a compelling plot that weaves political wrangling, action and old fashioned investigation. As always Dane brings the sexual heat, whew... so sexy. This is the seventh book and I would strongly suggest starting at the beginning with Goddess with a Blade to get the most out of this great series.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

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I love this series! Rowan and Genevieve have to be 2 of the baddest heroines on the planed and their men, Clive and Darius, are no slouches either! It seems a long time between this installment and the last and I had to refresh my memory. This was a great book in that it has us headed into another big over-arching storyline. So I am really looking forward to more.

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