The back-and-forth banter and deadly quips between Levi and Ashira are a cover for the undeniable chemistry between them. The passion is hot and genuine, even if Levi’s actions annoyed me. The romance was served as a side to the case and is far from over. I trust the author to bring me around.

The case was clever and involved the killing of magic users. Ashira’s magic is powerful and unique. I have a feeling we’ve only seen the surface of her abilities.

Holly Jackson narrates quite a few of the cozy paranormal mysteries I listen to. She did an outstanding job of capturing the dynamics of Levi and Ashira. While I recognized some voices and tones; she made these characters their own. Blood & Ash is perfect for audio and I hope Jackson continues the series.

Blood & Ash was a fun beginning to this detective urban fantasy and I look forward to more Jezebel Files.

Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on September 3rd. Review link will be promoted on all social media, feeds and newsletter. It will also be reviewed on Goodreads & Amazon. (link included)

вlσσd αnd αѕh rєvíєw⁣
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💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⁣
Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.⁣
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𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘩 by Deborah Wilde is a snarky urban fantasy debut that puts a fun spin on the magic detective sub-genre. ⁣
I did love that Ash had a protective female friend and I have a soft spot for female leads who are blunt and witty (maybe I see a little of Ash in myself lol) ⁣
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I would check out the next in the series when I am in need of a fun, quick pallete cleansing read. Check it out at NetGalley or a bookstore near you!⁣
3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫stars!⁣
⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️💥⁣
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Happy Reading Everyone!⁣

Deborah Wilde’s ‘Blood & Ash’ has been so much fun!

I have listened to it in audio format, and I have enjoyed Hollie Jackson’s narration very much. There are some books that for me, personally, work better in audiobook format, and this one of these. I’m usually not a huge fan of the first-person narration, with a few notable exceptions, and yet I find myself enjoying it in audio.

Here, I have loved following Ashira Cohen as she discovers her magic and navigates her life in Vancouver. Ashira is such a fun narrator, which is made believable and engaging by Hollie Jackson’s great performance - she’s so good with accents as well!

Ashira, the only female private investigator in Vancouver, is a strong and charismatic lead, but the whole book is full of snarky, engaging and interesting characters - starting from Levi, leader of magic community and Priya, Ashira’s best friend and flatmate. The flow of Deborah Wilde’s book is great, I loved how fast-paced the action has been, and yet we were getting to know both the world and the characters as the story unfolded without necessarily long and overwhelming ‘information dumps’.

But perhaps my favourite thing about ‘Blood & Ash’ has been so many popular culture references in the book. From Sherlock Holmes to mentioning characters from Ilona Andrews’ series. Ashira and Priya constantly calling each other by aliases associated with the world of Sherlock Holmes made me smile so much.
Blood & Ash’ is a great beginning to urban fantasy detective series, and I would recommend it, especially in the audiobook format!

Blood and Ash by Deborah Wilde.
Thanks to ibpa members audiobooks and netgalley.
This is book 1 of the jezebel files series.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I loved Ash and Levi. Great story. Some great characters. I'm looking forward to the next book. 5*.

I have read many paranormal romance stories, however, I have to admit this one is really unique. It's not the expected plot and environment setup of a paranormal world. Deborah Wilde pleasantly surprised me with the originality of the idea.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great adding to the experience with their sweet voices bringing out the originality of the scenario and the clever dialogues.

I am looking forward to the next story of the series and to the next audiobook.

Ash is a private investigator on the case of a missing girl. Along the way, she runs into a huge pain from the past, Levi. Together they are set to find out what’s going on all the while fighting their draw to each other. Ash finds something out about herself that comes as a surprise.
Opinion
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Hollie Jackson, was one of the best I have ever heard. She does different voices for each character and reads with the characters attitudes perfectly.
The story is captivating. There is the optimal amount of mystery, love interest and humor to keep this story intriguing the whole way through.
If you want to treat yourself, this is a great read.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook.

In the first in a new series, Deborah Wilde introduces readers to Ashire Cohen, Human, Private Investigator and all around bad-ass:

Ashire Cohen has made a name for herself as a human private investigator in Vancouver and with the skill she has acquired over the years, she should be able to find a missing teenager. What she was not planning on was the mother lying to Ash about her abilities and ending up getting hit in the head, which revealed and disfigured a tattoo that she had on her head. A tattoo that Ash knew nothing about. The tattoo was preventing Ash's true powers from surfacing and she seems to be the only one who is able to see a deadly ghostly creature. So not only does she have to contend with new magic powers, a weird ghostly creature and there are a string of missing magical inclined teenagers that appear to be connected; All of Ash's skills, new and old, are going to be put to the test.

Ever since Ilona Andrews ended her Kate Daniels series I have been looking for a replacement series that had similar elements to it, and I think that Wilde succeeded on several fronts within this book; with her characters, magic and fast paced plot, even without the world possibly coming to the end. The investigation that Ash is hired to do is at the forefront of the novel, but there is also a personal mystery that she has that seems to be intertwined so it was a bit more complex than I was expecting. There were also some darker elements and scenes within the book that I was not expecting but was glad that Wilde added them in.

My absolute favourite part in this book is Ash, she is crude, crass and kicks ass with or without having powers. I like that she has been trying to make a name for herself as a private investigator, even though the top jobs tend to go to someone who has magic. This makes her not only smart but resourceful too. She also has some flaws, not really good at relationships, and well has a poor relationship with her parents. Ash is also extremely loyal to the clients that she has in this book and will stop at nothing in order to solve where the missing teenager has gone.

It was interesting to have the powers that people now have be linked to the Jewish religion, and I'm pretty sure I understand how magic came about in the world, and how/why certain people received magic and other do not but I will say I may need a refresher in the next book. I like that the magic one gets is linked to childhood, for example if they feel invisible, if your magic kicks in you'll probably end up with the ability to become invisible. This means the magic is not only linked to genetics but also nature as well.Makes you wonder what some people were experiencing within this book to achieve their powers.

You know from he beginning of the book and the first interaction between Ash and Liam that there was going to be something there in the future. I just wish it would have been in a future book, farther down the line, let their nemesis thing they have going on play out a bit more. I mean they have some great banter between the two of them. I like that they are in different positions within society and how they both use that to their advantages and use it against each other as well. So basically the romance moved a little bit too fast for me.

This is the first book that I have read by Wilde and I enjoyed the characters, world and plot that she introduces within this book. I look forward to picking up the next book in the series.

Enjoy!!!

While the story in and of itself, is full of one snarky, quick-witted heroine who often finds herself doing whatever it takes to do the right thing (even at the expenses of her last few bucks) and a sexy magic man. Put these two together as fast-paced adventure ensues (sexual tension included).

What is is a take away from the story is the narration of the story. The narrator that is chosen is so balls-to-the-balls with the snark and sarcasm that it often made it feel like I was listening to an angry, angsty teenager being forced to read the story out loud during Literature class. You know where you would look at the time to see many minutes here left instead of listening to the story, that was how the narrator was for me -- just too much. There was no way I was able to get into the story.

So the story for me was a 3.5 stars, but the narration was a 2 stars

** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **

Beware. Blood sizzling adventures lie ahead. Ashira Cohen, is a private investigator whose latest case is trying to find out where her clients daughter is spending her time. Taking on this case leads to way more than she bargained for. Filled with sarcastic wit, adventure, and a bit of steam for good measure Blood and Ash has got you covered for an enjoyable night at home.
As a reader who loves a hint of supernatural in her books, this one was a solid beginning to a new series. Deborah Wilde seems to have a knack for finding a sweet spot in this genre. A diverse and complicated world of characters keep you on your toes and gives a guilty pleasure sort of feel as it plays between the lines from time to time. The narrator on the audiobook did a great job of inflection and allowing my consciousness to focus on the story rather than get distracted the way at times it can with some readers. I am looking forward to hearing more in the future.

A quick, entertaining, urban fantasy novel with a touch of noir, set in present-day Vancouver—except magic is a part of everyday life.

Ashira (Ash) is a nonmagical P.I. trying to follow in the footsteps of her literary hero, Sherlock Holmes. When a kidnapping case gets her tangled up with the notorious Queen of Hearts, she’ll have to turn to her long-time nemesis to track down a mysterious organization before it’s too late. It’s a pretty unique story. I mean, I don’t know any other books with liberal references to not only Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland, but also the Old Testament?

I really liked the audiobook narrator. She did a great job bringing the characters to life—especially Ashira’s outward snark and inward second-guessing.

I received a free audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a hilarious and snarky sci-fi, crime listen! The narrator for the audiobook did an awesome job and made the book very entertaining. The storyline and characters were fun and enjoyable! Definitely recommend for a quick, fun read! 3.75 stars.

Not a bad start to a series. I want to give this a higher rating but I feel like the world building isn’t well developed and felt too derivative to me.

For example, magical ruling houses. It reminded me too much of Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series. IA don’t own this trope and there are other series who did the same thing. But other authors who did it made the trope their own like Jessie Mihalik’s consortium series. It didn’t feel like an imitation.

This book however, felt like a pale imitation which was disappointing because I liked the diversity in this book. We don’t get enough Jewish inspired stories with Jewish characters.

The main character is very snarky. Like it’s literally on the title. My problem is it was just too much snark and too little substance. It was kind of distracting and grating. Instead of laughing at the heroine’s snarkiness, I found myself gritting my teeth. The snark often got in the way of plot and character development. It was only when the snark was pulled back a bit where the story and the characters shined. And yeah, the jokes landed too because it didn’t feel forced.

Anyway, there is a bit of romance in here that kept my romance loving heart satisfied. It’s not a lot yet but the foundation is there and has the potentially to be epic.

Also, I love that this was set Canada, specifically in the Vancouver area and the characters reflected the diversity of that city.

In conclusion: I liked this one enough to invest in the next book in the series.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blood & Ash sounded like an interesting book. In the beginning, I was bit intrigued by a couple of things. For example, the world, the magic, and the characters. Yet, along the way I feel like I'm left with a lot more questions than answers.

Don't get me wrong, this book had some good things in it. Once a hidden tattoo came into play, I was down for anything and everything this book was going to offer. Give me a couple of twists and turns, especially ones I don't see coming, and I'm hooked. Then on top of all that, all the sexual tension a girl can want? Well damn, I'm already down for the count.

After meeting Ash, she was kind of cool. Doesn't mean she didn't annoy me every now and then but I was okay with her. The bantering between her and Levi was pretty hot and that's pretty much why I stuck around. I mean, the magic part was cool and all but I just don't know enough about it at this point.

Maybe the next book will dive into a bit more?

Blood and Ash is a good start to a new series. In this world, some people have magic, but most do not. People are born with magic. When a person has magic (Nefesh) they must register with the government. The Mundanes (those without magic) and the Nefesh (those with magic) each police their own people. Ash is a Mundane private investigator who suddenly develops magic. Ash stumbles upon a deadly kidnapping ring while conducting surveillance. Ash struggles with her new powers while trying to rescue a teenager.

This is my first time reading anything by Deborah Wilde; however I enjoyed this book so much that I have already read the second book in this series and started the third book. I quickly became enamored with the potential relationship between Ash and Levi. They were childhood nemeses but the sexual tension is off the charts between these two.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good enemies to lovers story, private investigator story or magic. The mysteries in the stories keep me intrigued too. I have so many questions I want answered.

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for the copy of the Audiobook to review.

This was my first ever audiobook, but it won’t be my last. I must admit that I had to get used to the narrator’s voice was not my own, but eventually I couldn’t imagine the book being read in any other way. Great “easy read” book, that I would highly recommend, and I would especially recommend the audio version. The fact that I already miss the characters is a great sign of good story telling. The end felt a bit abrupt and throughout it nagged me that a magic that did not exists had a name and everyone seemed to know what this was. I was very close to giving this a 5 star.

A fantastic mash-up of genres, blending the supernatural, detective, romance and snarky humour genres with a splash of European Jewish mythology.

Ashira, our heroine is a ‘mundane’ private detective living in a Canada where nefesh - those with magical powers - have an uneasy co-existence. Her childhood nemesis, Levi, leads the local magical fraternity. Fireworks are soon flying between them but in the meantime they have multiple plot lines to resolve, including a sudden and unexpected unleashing of Ashira’s own magical abilities.

The action moves at speed and a cohort of characters are nicely set up for future development. This is a great start to a series and would appeal to fans of the likes of Molly Harper. I listened to an audiobook version of this and thought that it was also well narrated.

With thanks to NetGalley, #Deborah Wilde and the publisher for an ARC of the audiobook in return for an honest review of this audiobook.

I love me some urban fantasy so I jumped at the chance to listen to this. Thanks to Net Galley for giving me this Advanced Listening Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ashira Cohen takes pride in being the only female private investigator in Vancouver. With her skills, her missing persons case should be a piece of cake. She wasn't counting on getting bashed in the skull, revealing a hidden tattoo and supernatural powers she shouldn't possess.

The first book in the Jezebel Files (Blood & Ash) feels like if Jim Butcher or Patricia Briggs decided to take on a world a new magic system based off Jewish folklore (with some secrets thrown in for good measure).

The bare bones of this book is very typical of the genre. A wise cracking PI who is usually in over their head, has a love/hate relationship with an authority figure, is barely making ends meet, is somehow both weak and strong in terms of special powers, and they just have to do the right thing. If you change a few details this could easily be a Mercy Thomoson or Dresden Files book.

But as typical as this book is, its also very interesting and unique. A cool power system and a great magic world come together to make this a good book.

Blood & Ash is typical in the ways you'd expect of the genre but different in the ways that count. Its a fun book thats good for anyone who is either already an Urban Fantasy fan or even new to the genre.

This is an adult book as there is both sex and swearing.

The narration by Hollie Jackson is solid. Each character has a unique voice and i never struggled to follow who was talking.

Blood & Ash by Deborah Wilde is a fun book.

AAAAA+++++ I loved this book - perfect blend of mystery, snark, fantasy/scifi and rom com! I love this narrator too, I have heard her read other books and enjoy her reading! Dive into a world where magic blends with reality from the view point of a human who suddenly becomes magic! All while investigating murder and conspiracy!

The narrator was great and drew me in.

My BIGGEST issue with the book is the storyline, plot, and characters. As I started to listen to this audiobook it was fine then all of a sudden I had to double-check to see what book I was listening to because I could have sworn I was listening to Ilona Andrews. This book is a mix between two of there series Kate Danials and Hidden Legacy. I could not listen after chapter 10.

An excellent start for a urban series, entertaining and engrossing.
I loved the world building, the quirky and fleshed out characters and the plot. The narrators gave life to the characters making this story compelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley, all opinions are mine