Sandy M’s review of Ravenous (Dark Forgotten, Book 1) by Sharon Ashwood
Urban Fantasy published by Signet 3 Feb 09

I usually don’t read a lot of urban fantasy.  I like my HEA and a nice wrap-up at the end of my stories. But, as they say, a good book is a good book, and I’m now hooked on this Dark Forgotten series after reading Ravenous. I’m obviously a little behind in starting it all, with Scorched now on the shelves as of a few months ago. I at least have something to look forward to sooner instead of later.

Holly is a witch who stays away from big M-magic. Her magic was repressed years before as a young girl when a spell went wrong, so now to avoid pain when practicing her magic, she sticks to the small “m” kind. Her current assignment is to take care of a demon-possessed house, which she does, but the results are a little more than she bargained for.

Her business partner, Alessandro, aids her in this endeavor. He is a vampire who is interested in Holly for more than business, but since there doesn’t seem to be a relationship for them in the near future, he settles for keeping her as safe as possible. When a female body sporting a vampire bite is found in the house, they have their first clue that leads them into a supernatural mystery they never expected.

Both of these characters are very intriguing, and when Alessandro must bite Holly later in the story, she isn’t happy at all, because it basically turns her into his sex slave. She resists as best she can – and does a darned good job of it, considering – wanting to be her own woman. Of course, as handsome and sexy as Alessandro is, I kept telling her to go for it, he’s worth it! She didn’t listen to me, however, but at least a new bond is forged between them for future books.

The paranormal elements in this book are simply terrific, and neither that nor the urban fantasy elements overshadow the romance between Alessandro and Holly. Even the secondary characters are larger than life. Ashwood’s writing is amazing. I kept turning those pages as fast as I could, she had me enthralled with every turn.

So if you’re like me, you read an urban fantasy now and again, don’t pass this series up. It’s definitely worth the time to take a day and devour it one sitting. Believe me, you’ll have a hard time putting it down.

Grade: A-

Summary:

One kiss is all it takes to lose your soul…

Holly Carver is a small-time witch who busts ghosts for tuition money, but ends up wrangling a demon when a haunted house job goes bad.

Her Undead business associate, Alessandro Caravelli, suspects the demon is somebody’s not-so-secret weapon. The supernatural community is at war, and Holly’s unpredictable magic holds the key to hell’s doorway. Soon Holly is on everyone’s “must have” list, and not in a good way.

Alessandro wants her for more than magic. A lover with six centuries of experience, the vampire is walking seduction, but he’s also a predator. Every moment he spends guarding Holly, every second he spends falling under her witch’s spell, he becomes more and more of a threat himself. As Holly’s sharp-tongued grandma warns her: vampires are like a box of rich chocolate—they seem so tempting, but over-indulgence is a killer…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: