Burning Ash by N.J. Walters

Century upon century had passed. Duty and service his only solace. For ten thousand years, the world had changed but he had remained the same.
Until Jo.

Burning Ash by N.J. Walters

No one is more surprised than Asher, one of the oldest vampires on Earth, that he's attracted to vamp hunter Jo Radcliffe. She's smart, a talented slayer, and she's gorgeous. Something about her pulls at him, like no one ever has before. For a man, whose name strikes fear in everyone—this is something new and intriguing. And quite possibly deadly, if she discovers his secret.

Jo has two things in common with the handsome Asher—they are both slayers and someone is messing with them in a very-much-trying-to-kill-them way. She's not so happy about joining forces with a dude she doesn't know. But he's sexy as hell and really good at his job as one of the Forgotten Brotherhood, whose business it is to execute misbehaving paranormals.

She knows she's bait in a larger plot to harm Asher and the Brotherhood. And there is nothing he won't do, no line he won't cross, to keep her safe—which may be the weakness that destroys them both.

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Three books into the Forgotten Brotherhood series and N.J. Walters has once again proven why she is my new go-to author for paranormal romance! Her stories are full of danger, intrigue, suspense, supernatural creatures, and so much heart.

If he'd planned to hurt her, he'd had ample opportunity. And motive. She had tried to kill him. Twice. That hadn't even fazed him.

Plot: 5/5 - someone is out to hurt the members of the Brotherhood. One by one they've been set up and luckily enough came out somewhat unscathed, finding their soulmates in the process. When Asher receives an email to his personal inbox, a message he can't trace despite his immense talent at hacking, he has to check it out. All roads lead to Jo, who also got an untraceable email and the two band together to solve this mystery. Why were they drawn to each other? Who was working behind the scenes to target each of the assassins? With a malevolent presence haunting their every step, the hunt for answers was at times creepy, violent, vicious and entertaining. Asher and Jo should be enemies, but something sparks between them and not even the certainty of death can quash it.

Hero: 5/5 - Asher, a powerful vampire and member of the Brotherhood of supernatural assassins, has walked the Earth for ten thousand years and has carried out his duty, with the blessing of a goddess, with both humility and strength. His name strikes fear in even the fiercest of vamps and most believe him to be a legend, a boogeyman to put them in their place.

"No matter how strong or badass you think you are, there is always someone else bigger or badder."

Asher was everything great about this book. I loved learning more about this vamp I only heard mention of before. His history was heartbreaking and the humanity he grasped onto endeared him to me more. He was such a stunning male who was lethal, loyal, dedicated, protective, and extremely passionate. The many glimpses of his heart made him even more beautiful and he was definitely book boyfriend material.

Heroine: 3.5/5 - Jo was a survivor and she turned a horrific experience into a lifestyle. A vampire slayer, she was lured to Asher and despite knowing that she should hate him and everything he stands for, she can't help feeling like he's exactly who she didn't even know she was looking for. I didn't love this character, which bothered me because I've loved the heroines from the first two books, but I did like her well enough. I just couldn't really connect with her. Despite knowing what happened to turn her into a hunter, I didn't know how she found the skills and proficiency to do what she did. She was badass and I couldn't help but admire her for her courage and loyalty to Asher. She had his back and even when she was absolutely terrified, she didn't back down. How can you not respect that?

Jo was no shrinking violet. The hardships of her past had shaped her, honed her, turned her into a deadly fighting machine, a woman with a mission.

As a duo, these two were virtually unstoppable. The fact that Jo was human didn't stop them from taking on all comers and it was so exciting to read! Jo with her knives, sword and crossbow were a sight to imagine. Asher with his... everything... yeah, they could do no wrong in my eyes. Seeing Maccus and Morrigan? BONUS!! We even meet another sexy and deadly Viking assassin, the father of werewolves, Bjorn. His backstory broke my heart into pieces. Will his book be next?

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded of the tall, lean man who was still mostly in the shadows. Whoever he was, he was dangerous, maybe even more so than the creature she'd just beheaded. He'd come out of nowhere and snatched the crossbow bolt out of the air like it hadn't even been moving.

A shiver raced down her spine.

Dressed all in black, he blended with the dark. She hadn't known he was there until he'd deliberately come forward. And she always had total situational awareness. It was a matter of survival.

Her profession had a very high mortality rate.

A nudge of his foot sent the vampire's head rolling back toward the body. The undead would need to be burned if he didn't start disintegrating soon, but she was keeping her distance from the man in black.

"Asher." He gave her a half bow. "And you are?"

A quick shake of her head. "You don't need to know."

"That hardly seems fair considering I saved your life."

"It didn't need saving," she asserted. "I'd already moved."

"True," Asher conceded. "You're fast, but I didn't know that. I should get points for the attempt." He sauntered out of the dark and fully into the candlelight. The flames flickered over his face, exposing a strong jaw, straight nose, and high forehead. His blond hair was pulled back in a short tail at his nape. His skin was olive-toned or tanned, hard to say. Piercing brown eyes stared at her.

Good looking was much to tame. Handsome didn't fit either. There was something dangerous and predatory lurking beneath the surface. Primal. Compelling. Yeah, that was it.

It was time for her to leave.

"While I appreciate the assist, I've got this." She jerked her head toward the door, hoping he'd take the hint.

A ghost of a smile flickered on his full lips before it disappeared. "I've got nowhere I need to be."

"Great," she muttered.

His laugh slid down her spine, a whisper of heat. Her nipples puckered and rubbed against her bra. Uh. No. The last thing she needed was some kind of fatal attraction. Because he was one of two things--a fellow hunter or another vampire. Neither of which were good for her.

"Come now, I'll help you clean up this mess. Then we can get a cup of coffee somewhere, maybe talk."

"It's almost one in the morning. Nothing around here is open." God, she was tired. She just wanted to fry this vampire and leave. Usually they disintegrated fairly quickly. This one was taking his sweet time. He either wasn't truly dead yet or he was very young. The older they were, the quicker they turned to ash.

Ash.

"Your name is Asher?"

He inclined his head. "At your service."

Once upon a time N.J. had the idea that she would like to quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown, and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for another seven years.

One day she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel and life would never be the same. N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

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