Eye for the Prize by Darcy Abriel

eyefortheprizeTitle: Eye for the Prize
Series: AmberPax: Tales From The 77th Precinct
Author: Darcy Abriel
Genre: Contemporary / Mystery / Detective / Paranormal
Length: Novella (55 Pages)
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (May 24th 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Blurb: Detective Larke Ava doesn’t believe in magic or the paranormal. And he joined the Seattle PD in order to uncover and expose the unscrupulous, those like his mother and his brothers. Larke has few cherished memories of growing up on Vashon Island, except for the time he spent with his best friend, Roan Dwellen. But Roan, the adventurer, with a belief in the magical running deep in his veins, left the island when he was eighteen on a mission for his family—his Roma tribe—leaving Larke behind.

Now a part of Seattle’s 77th Precinct, Larke has been assigned a new case—to discover the secrets behind a recovered stolen artifact named the Eye of Anu. Little does Larke realize the unique artifact is about to change his life. Not only will it reunite him with the boyhood friend he has never forgotten, but it also draws the attention of dangerous foes, including his own family, who will stop at nothing to acquire it.

Soon, caught between the family he’s always tried to love but couldn’t, and the best friend he could not stop loving but doesn’t necessarily trust, and all the while tempered by his duty to the city he serves, Larke’s next move could mean life or death—especially his own.

ISBN: 978-1-68175-029-3

Product Link: http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2191-Eye-For-The-Prize.aspx

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: This is part of the AmberPax: Tales From The 77th Precinct. When I choose to read this story I was impressed with the paranormal police part of the story. However I was not impressed with this story. It had a good chance but it seem to be missing something important to make it an amazing story. I hate short stories that come off like they are rushed through. That was the way this story came off.

Larke is a detective in Seattle at the 77th. His department worked with what cannot be explained or are just flat out strange. So when he is given a case that involves a creepy looking eye, he knew who he needed to call. Too bad he didn’t want to call Roan. He had moved to Seattle to get away from his family. His mom is a bitch who should be shot off that is for sure. So he gives in and starts looking for Roan. It didn’t go as he planned however. Oh he got Roan’s attention but his family noticed also.

He weasels his way out of his family’s home only to find Roan in his house. Things are starting to get even stranger, but at least in the end he finds out more about his and Roan’s connection.
It has a great start at being a story but it was not for me. Which is a bit strange because I love paranormal stories that have danger, excitement, mystery, suspense and some hot sex.

Too bad that this one had the exact opposite of the effect I expected.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

My Soul He Seeks by Darcy Abriel

MySoulHeSeeksTitle: My Soul He Seeks

Series: N/A

Author: Darcy Abriel

Genre: Gothic Paranormal

Length: Novelette

Publisher: Amber Allure (July 21st, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb: In Ternekill, Terne House was said to be haunted. Auction house researcher Byron Shepley knew that all too well because he’d broken into the then-vacant, ominous mansion when he was sixteen, and he’d never forgotten the chilling experience. Or perhaps it was the house that never forgot him. Now, the old estate is no longer vacant, and on this night, the delivery of an expansive instrument has Byron returning once more. Will the house let him leave this time?

Ravol Nova appeared in Ternekill and took up residence at the Terne House two years ago. Once a well-known guitarist, Ravol formerly played his music for no one but his lover, the flamenco dancer Francisco Caspar, until the man died a horrible death at the hands of an unknown killer. Ravol, now a recluse with a dark, mysterious past, came to Terne House for a specific purpose, and has been waiting a long time.

On a dark and stormy night, one man may trade his soul for passion, while another may find the redemption he’s been seeking for so very long. What dangers await these two men when they finally unite and come face-to-face with destiny? 

Product Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/MySoulHeSeeks.html

Review: Well, this short certainly had a dark feeling to it. Byron has once come across Terne House when a teenager and left without specific memory of what happened, only the feel that it was something he didn’t want to know.

Many years later, he’s forced to go back as he’s to deliver a very expensive instrument to recluse former artist Ravol Nova, who now inhabits the House. Well forced is perhaps not the right word as Byron seems drawn there and almost craving to return?

The majority of this story takes place during two nights with only the end stretching time. During the first stormy night, certain events happen that left me in a weird state. A long-lost ghost returning to possess a body that has been claimed or perhaps marked a long time before, a dark and mysterious creature wrapped in sadness and longing, and a lonely man bound to a place in manners he doesn’t understand, yet craving to be released in the purest way. A night full of passion, mystique, carnal cravings, and blood. A night that mixed both intensity and sensuality with the slightest hints of danger lurking in the corners.

Yes, this was the kind of read I do enjoy. If it weren’t for the questions that were left unanswered, I might have been completely enthralled from this book. As it is, I enjoyed it a lot and won’t hesitate to recommend this read to fans of the genre.