I received a copy of the audiobook via Netgalley, however it would not download to my phone. Therefore, I took the risk of borrowing the book through KU and purchasing the audio at a reduced price. The risk paid off as I enjoyed the story, the characters and the world the author created.

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.

This certainly felt like the first in a series. The ideas are there but the plot and world building felt a little rushed and clunky. Overall, it was an easy listen and the characters and the series arc have potential.

Blood and Ash is an enemies to lovers romance with magic and a mystery. If you are a fan of the dynamic of Kim Harrison's Hollows books, you need this book in your library! There is really great story pacing and enough obstacles in the story to make it worth the time it takes to listen to it. I enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next book in the series!

The story (without spoilers): Set in Vancouver, Canada, Ashira (Ash) Cohen is a private investigator who discovers that she has blood magic, something that was quite a surprise. Children are tested for magic and Ash tested as having none, so she has a big life adjustment to accomplish. The magic system in this world is based on Jewish tenets (think golems) and fortunately for Ash, she is Jewish so she has a leg up on figuring things out.

This is a fast-paced, well-written, urban fantasy detective series. Ashira is a strong female lead and I really appreciated her snarky can-do attitude. The side characters are all super likeable as well and I found myself really liking Levi even though he is made out to be a bit standoffish. The mystery aspect was very interesting and really propelled the story forward nicely. The romance we are given was not the main focus but added a nice balance to the story and I really hope we get more in the next book. Unfortunately, the world building was a bit lacking and I was slightly confused as to what was happening in the beginning but as I got farther into the story things started to click into place. I listened to this on audiobook and at about the 35% point I realized I was having a hard time putting it down because I was so interested in what was happening.
.
I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blood & Ash by Deborah Wilde.

It’s a whirlwind adventure where Alice and Wonderland meets Sherlock Holmes.

The story takes place in Canada with a lot of Jewish mythology.

Ashira is a human private investigator working in a world where magic exits until obviously something happens that kick starts the story and now she’s got magic surprise surprise there.

Ashira was a fun character which i enjoyed to the fullest. I liked how her mind worked. She’s a mini Sherlock Holmes and theirs a lot of references to her love of Holmes. while reading this it kind of reminded me of the movie "enola holmes"

Levi her nemesis and the leader of the magic community. Boy!!!! he’s a sexy one, and i love sexy, if i can i would have put sexy in my middle name but also very put together. He needs to sex

the world building isn’t very well explained. stuff just happens and we dont know a lot of things
We get a lot of different things thrown at us and it can be a lot to take in especially the book being a audiobook.. We don’t get much time to digest until after you’ve devoured the book. I am hoping more things will be explained as the series progress.

The romance was secondary to the mysteries. Levi and Ashira are like oil and vinegar which i love love love to fullest. They have a lot of witty comments and comebacks for each-other,

but you can defiantly tell that theirs an attraction between them. I liked the banter, snarky comments, and witty humor in this novel. Though at this point in the story the romance just didn’t fit. These two have known each other for decades and for some reason they choose now to kick off a romance. I’m not won over on the romance end and I don’t think it’s needed in the series.

• Character development- 3☆
• Story Plot- 3.5☆
• Side characters- 4☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 3.5☆

I enjoyed the narrator. The story was well rounded. It had good world building. It had a nice will they/wont they romance. The characters were easy to connect to. I would call this urban fantasy with a hint of mystery. An enjoyable listen overall.

This book is a paranormal romance about Ashira who is a private investigator. Something happens and she finds out that she actually has powers, and along the way, she’s pushed to work with a nemesis from her past, Levi. I, unfortunately, didn’t really like this book. I couldn’t connect to the main characters at all. There was constantly something happening, and I was confused throughout the whole book and had no idea what was the point of anything, and where the story was going. It’s set in our world but it’s filled with people with all kinds of magical creatures. It kind of made me think about Mortal Instruments, it definitely had some of the vibes.
There were hints of a romance, but I didn’t really care for it at all, and not much happened, and they didn’t even spend a lot of time together. Which usually doesn’t happen to me, it’s not so hard for me to like a romance in books.
I’m slowly realizing that books that are super action-packed and plot-focused really aren’t for me when I don’t fully love the characters. But maybe you would enjoy this more if you like plot-focused books where a lot’s constantly happening.
Also, there were a few comments that made me feel a little uncomfortable. I didn’t fully catch them since I listened to it on audio, but it was still meh.
The one thing I liked though was that there was a lot of swearing and talking bluntly, which I love.

Ashira (Ash) Cohen was cocky and snarky. She was a determine woman in a male dominated field. She made the story all that for me. I had a mystery and a bunch of laughs. Ash was tough and fierce. Levi was not what she was expecting to be charming to work with. She was pushed just a bit too far. This for me was most certainly a kick-butt action involved mystery fantasy. There were no straight lines. This was turn filled.

Hollie Jackson has the perfect voice for narration fantasy. Her voices have that flare or whimsy and delight. She hit all the notes for me. I was in love. She made sure each character come to life.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
I have been searching for a good new urban fantasy and I may have found it.
It is set in Canada.
I love the snark and the push and pull. Ashira is a mundane or is she. She is a PI and she tries to work within the law. Her mother leads the group who does not want magic wielders to be on equal footing as non magical people. There is, of course, a hot powerful man who does not trust Ashira. They grew up together but clearly they are not on equal footing.
There is a hidden tattoo, secret things being done by secret groups, and the ability to hide people by making others see someone else.

Unfortunately I was unable to review this book. I requested it as an audiobook on NetGalley the other day and when I tried to download it on the netgalley app on my phone yesterday, it was so slow that it never did download. And when I tried today it no longer showed up on the app. So I pulled up the website but it was archived and no longer showing up. I will look for this to be released as a book and hopefully will be able to read it. The review is making me rate the book so I'm giving it 5 stars because I don't want to give it less stars without actually reviewing it!

If you are a lover of supernatural and dark stories and characters, this is a book for you.
I obtained this book as audio book and enjoyed listening to it. The start kind of throws you into the deep as you do not get too much information about what it is about before the action starts. However, you get to know the environment and the characters as the story unfolds. I found it quite dark (I do not mind at all) and packed with action. I could do with more insight of how the magic powers work in for the magic community in first book, if I am honest, as I felt that I am missing a lot in order to comprehend situations. I also liked the "daddy issues" of the heroine as I think that it gives her more character in the book and she is more humanised this way.
Overall, I will keep my eyes open for the sequel!

This is an urban fantasy novel (first in series) that I listened to on audio. I enjoyed the audio narration, and occasionally had trouble following the storyline, but that was probably totally me multi-tasking!

It is set mainly in Vancouver where the strong female lead gets kudos on my part! Not everyone in the story has magic, and I liked that it blended fantasy and some reality as well. Ashira is a private investigator (think Sherlock Holmes-esque!) who is human, and quickly she encounters Levi, head of the magic community.

There's a little peek at romance in the novel, that I am sure will play out further in the series. This makes it a draw for those romance lovers as well! I also liked that it took somewhat of a backseat to the mysteries unravelling in the novel.

I am here for the detective, urban fantasy- I can't wait to read the next book!

I was sincerely waiting for Audiobook review copies by Netgalley. I started checking out books within a month of audiobook launch. But my selective choices have delayed my Netgalley audiobook experience by 2 months. The very first book for which I applied and received a review copy in exchange for an honest review was "Blood & Ash" by Deborah Wilde. I could have reviewed the book within 15 days of approval, but a month was wasted as due to some technical issues in the app, I was unable to download the book. For another month, I waited for a technical bug to get resolved, which I was facing in the app. The bug was about forward and backward buttons, these buttons were kept playing chapter from the beginning. Also, the app was forgetful many times where I left last. One more thing I found was that this issue was with a certain set of audiobooks only, and unfortunately, Blood & Ash was one of them. Anyway, I don't want to downrate books because of technical issues.

As mentioned in the blurb, the story is portrayed in today's world. But magic is added as a fantasy flavor. The world is having two kinds of people mundane the normal humans, and the Nefesh, human with magical powers. There are separate rules and houses for wizards. The protagonist of our story is Ashira Cohen, a mundane private investigator. All she has in her life are her job as an investigator and her roommate/best friend Priya, a cybersecurity expert, and somewhat space for her mother. Things are changed when she discovers a hidden tattoo on the backside of her body, and she realizes that she can do magic. As if these complexities are not enough, she starts seeing mysterious shadows attacking wizards. She also learns that kids are disappearing from different locations. Read the book to know how things are related.

Coming to writing style, the author has covered multiple aspects in the book, but my favorite are
1. Badass female protagonist
2. Satirical dialogues
3. Action sequences
4. Suspense behind situations

The character of Ashira is unique. She is intelligent, kind-hearted, too much introspective, less friendly, to the point in nature, and last but not least bad mouth at times. Throughout the book, you will see Ashira's way of seeing her surrounding like you are living through it. Suspense creation in the book was good, but I was expecting more in the climax.

Anyways a good book series to follow.

I will give 3.75 out of 5 to this book.

This book is saucy and intriguing. I thought the storyline was absolutely fantastic. It was unique and kept my interest the entire time. The NSFW scenes seemed a bit much and unnecessary towards the beginning of the book, but by the end, they started to feel more normal. There's not too much which I appreciated it. I absolutely loved the idea that she's had a power that was suppressed her entire life. Ashira is not a likable person, but is a wonderful character. I really loved her! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

As a fan of fiction featuring StrongFemaleLeadsTM, magic, Judaism, and allusions to Sherlock Holmes, I was excited to dive into this first book in a new series featuring all four. As I began to get into the book and discovered world building that included a Kabbalist circle accidently bringing magic into the world in the relatively recent past, I was still more intrigued.
Unfortunately I found the representation of Judaism in Blood & Ash to be disappointingly reductive and one-dimensional so far.* Still, I was compelled enough by the characters, the world building, and the underlying thread of the Jezebel arc to want to read the rest of the books in the series. Unfortunately, I cannot find them available as ebooks or eaudiobooks at the present time. When that changes, I'll be ready to read them all!

*Yes, Judaism - like nearly every extant major religion on planet Earth - has roots and traditions steeped in patriarchy. Also like nearly every extant major religion on planet Earth, Judaism's roots and traditions are simultaneously threaded through with resistance to patriarchy's poisons. I remain hopeful that the subsequent books in the series will offer a deeper exploration of the latter and thereby better contextualize the former.

Blood & Ash is a book full of Snark, Smut, magic and mystery.

Blood & Ash is based in Toronto Canada with Jewish / lapsed Jewish characters. I liked these two elements as I haven't read, any books based in Canada and I can't think of a book where the magic was connected to the Jewish religion.




The leading lady Ashira "Ash" Cohen a P.I who loves Sherlock (I completely understand.) Has an amazing friendship with tech goddess Pryia. A difficult relationship with her mother. Ash is not really a people person, and I liked her. She uses snark and sarcasm to keep people at arm's length. I find it funny and entertaining to read.

Her snark and sarcasm give way to one of my favourite elements of the book is Ash and the leader of the Magic community in Toronto Levi. The tension and history between two give me life. I love the banter, the jokes and the sexual tension between the two. It kept the pacing and story interesting. I think the love-hate relationship between the two was my favourite element.

I liked the plot and the mystery surrounding Ash, her abilities and the smudges. The mystery about Ash was the element of the plot I was interested in more. Even though both are connected.

Blood & Ash is narrated by Hollie Jackson, I liked her performance and the voices she gave them. Especially Ash and Levi voices and how they change in different moments between them.

Overall I enjoyed the plot, characters and the magical world. Ash & Blood is an enjoyable urban fantasy and I plan to listen to the other books in the series.




My Rating for Ash & Blood is 4.3 out of 5.

I received with thanks an ARC copy of Blood & Ash (The Jezebel Files #1) from Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks UK and Netgalley.

This is my review of Blood & Ash (The Jezebel Files #1) by Deborah Wilde. This was published on 23rd January 2020.

I had the pleasure of listening to this via audiobook. This was a quick and easy listen. I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes style urban fantasy mystery element. Will be continuing on with the series soon.

Would recommend if you love urban fantasies with a twist.

This is a promising beginning to a new mystery series set in a paranormal world, one that mirrors our own with the addition of having had magic released in the 1700s. The author jumps right into her story, which is a bit disconcerting. I felt like I’d entered a movie theater five minutes after the movie began, wondering what I’d missed before this. The voice of the narrator grew on my quite quickly and she did an admirable job of voicing each character in a unique manner, making it easy to know who was speaking just by the voice.

Major characters are introduced fairly quickly, giving you most of the book to get acquainted with them and the interpersonal relationships between them. The main mystery is likewise introduced early, becoming more nuanced and complex as the story develops. Although various puzzle pieces come together in this first entry, there are still questions left to answer and individuals and motives to identify at the end of the book. My one complaint is the abruptness of the ending. It felt like the author just stopped writing. I actually opened the app on my phone to make sure the book was actually over. Cliffhanger endings are one thing, and this definitely points the way to further entries in the series to come, but usually you feel a sense of completeness in the story that was just told, even with unanswered questions. This ending left me feeling like they forgot to record the paragraph or chapter that winds things up.

In the scheme of things, that’s a small quibble, however. I found the characters interesting, found the mystery compelling and wanted to find out more, and really enjoyed the sparring relationship between Ashira and Levi and loved watching it develop and change as the story continued. I look forward to seeing how things progress in future entries into the series. This is definitely a series I’ll be following and picking up as new titles come out.

I really loved this book. It was funny, had a great story and added in a little romance. I want to read the next book in the series now. I like the characters humor and the everyone was relatable and real.

Blood & Ash is an engaging urban fantasy romance, read by Hollie Jackson, the story follows snarky paranormal investigator Ashira Cohen as she is forced to work with her long-time nemesis Levi while trying to unravel a magical mystery while trying to not get killed or kill each other. it's a close call. Hollie is a competent narrator, though her range of voices is somewhat limited so it wasn't always easy to tell who was speaking during some of the more intensive dialogue scenes, or ones with multiple characters.