Caffeinated Reviewer

Cold-blooded kidnappers. Long-lost magic. When things get serious, she goes full Sherlock.

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.

Or the bitter icing on top: a spree of abductions and terrifying ghostly creatures on a deadly bender.

And don’t even get her started on the golems.

Reluctantly partnered with her long-time nemesis Levi, the infuriating leader of the magic community, Ash resolves to keep her focus on the clue trail and off their sexual tension because WTF is up with that?

But with a mastermind organization pulling strings from the shadows and Levi’s arrogance driving her to pick out his body bag, can Ash rescue the captives and uncover the truth or will the next blood spilled be her own?

Narrated by Holly Jackson, Blood & Ash by Deborah Wilde offered a snarky protagonist and an interesting case as the first audiobook in the Jezebel Files series.

Ashira Cohen is the only female private investigator in Vancouver. She is tenacious and thorough.

As a non-Nefesh, or non-magic user, she’s forbidden from taking any magical cases. Which is why she’s surprised when the missing person’s case she is working ends up involving magic. She gets the job done, but not before sustaining an injury, one that turns her life upside down and gives her the biggest case of her life.

The injury reveals a badly damaged tattoo. Apparently Ashira is Nefesh/magic user and the tattoo prevented her from using magic. Who put it there and why? Questions will have to wait as Levi, the infuriating leader of the magic community arrests her then demands her help.

While the world-building wasn’t heavy, I quickly slipped into this world steeped in Judaism. Ashira is snarky and grew up with Levi and his second in command, so there is a history between them.

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 author served the romance as a side to the case and is one that will progress over the series. I trust the author to bring me around.

The case was clever and involved the murder of magic users. It gave our protagonist a chance to share a wit and investigative skills, not to mention some of her new powers. 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 enjoy. 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.

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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