Midnight Soul (Fantasyland #5) by Kristen Ashley @KristenAshley68

4.5 STARS This quote from Broken Dove haunted me for so long. Each time I came across the highlighted passage on my kindle, I had a feeling the mysterious woman would be Franka Drakkar. Despite the fact I loathed her character, I always believed she could prove worthy of the gallant Noctorno Hawthorne’s affections. I could have done cartwheels when learning Franka was destined for Noc, finally getting the chance to tell her story in the series finale ~ Midnight Soul.  Now if you’re a fan of the series, you might think I’m whacked, getting all excited over Franka. After all, she’s one fierce and traitorous shrew. Honestly, I loved hating her villainous, manipulative ways. Regardless, Franka fascinated me. I wanted to see what circumstances caused her to be so openly cruel. I craved to see Noc work his way through her defenses. Most importantly, no one writes a story of redemption quite like Kristen Ashley, the likes of which are my favorite type of read. In Midnight Soul, gone was the Franka I once despised and in its place, a strong heroine I’ve come to respect and adore. Noc and his “Frannie” were truly destined for each other and perfect together.They were two broken souls in need of healing and I was an emotional wreck seeing not only the life-long horrors Franka endured, but also Noc’s insufferable pain.   All her life, Franka believed she carried darkness within her soul, But through all the beauty that was Noc ~his gentleness, patience and love ~ Franka discovered her true self while starting over in a foreign world. I admired the person that was hidden behind the mask. Her strength, her bravery, her willingness to right all the wrongs, the sacrifices she made, learning to put trust in others and the way she supported Noc during his time of need... I was amazed how her character flourished into a lovingly kind and often humorous woman. In the end, I felt absolutely guilty for despising her in the first place. Noc was incredibly sexy and tenderhearted. A man with a heart of gold, troubled by his own darkness, yet selflessly tended to the needs of his woman before all else. I loved the way he consistently gave what Frannie needed ~ comfort, understanding the woman she needed to be in order to survive, support, time to mourn and the freedom to drop all her defenses and just be.  His gentleness and compassion were limitless. And when Franka’s circumstance came to light, I instantly fell for the way Noc stepped up to guard and protect her. He was a true noble hero in every sense of the word.   Franka and Noc’s romance was inspiring as well as beautiful. Midnight Soul was a powerful, slow burn love story of passion, forgiveness, healing and self-discovery. Low on angst in comparison to the other books within this series, the story told mainly focused on Noc and Franka’s journey from friendship to love. Kristen Ashley never ceases to overwhelm me with her magical story telling talents, which touches my soul and always leaves me wanting more from her imagination. (One character in particular ~ Valentine. I need her story). It saddens me that this great series has come to an end. But, I enjoyed seeing all the past couples heavily involved within the story line, as well as meeting new and lovable characters. And that epilogue…WOW! As I expected, Ashley brought me to tears yet again.  ARC received in exchange for an honest review      Fantasyland Series Available on

Wild and Free (The Three #3) by Kristen Ashley @KristenAshley68

5 Brilliant Stars
Arc received from author in return for an honest review

HOLY SHITOLY!

What a magnificent finale to a kickass paranormal romance trilogy. This story was jam packed with amazingly hot…  

Vampires

And

Werewolves

And a

Hybrid

Oh my!

  

I could not tear myself away from my kindle. Held my breath with each turn of the page. Unable to let go because I had the absolute need to see where this story was leading me. Totally consumed within the world Kristen Ashley has created. Once again, this author wowed me by penning yet another 5 star read. 

As in the first two novels (which I highly recommend reading prior to “Wild and Free”), the ongoing threat to enslave the human race is looming and it’s up to ‘The Three’ to help save the world, or die trying. The fate of mankind lies in the hands of three gifted couples - the Mighty Vampire Lucian and his human bride Leah. Super sexy King of the Werewolves Callum and his she-wolf queen Sonia. And Abel, part vampire, part wolf, all Alpha yumminess and his badass biker bitch Delilah. With Gregor at the helm, the stage is set, enemies have aligned, the ugliness of war is inevitable and all is at stake. ‘The Three’ have now come together and they are a force to be reckoned with.  

Wild and Free is so much more than Abel and Lilah’s romance. KA treats her fans to a saga filled with angst, plot twists and a dynamic cast of characters which brought me laughter, as well as to tears, while overwhelming me with sizzling passionate moments practically setting my kindle on fire. Now, just one Alpha hero with all their dominant ways and sexy talk is enough to send my heart racing. Imagine the intensity of four gorgeous men! Holy shit, the sexually lethal combination of Callum, Lucian, Abel and Yuri (YES! Yuri!! He was one sexy bastard), floored me. I swear my ovaries went into hyper–drive and exploded. They were like the supernatural Hot Bunch of the PNR world.

On a quest to find a way to fill the life long emptiness within her soul, Lilah is drawn to a small biker town, Serpentine Bay. She soon discovers her life is in danger and is attached by a wild pack of immortal bad guys. Her hero…a powerful and incredibly strong stranger. He’s handsome, he’s a biker badass and he freaks her the hell out as he claims her. 

Abel, sensing danger, is instinctively drawn to Lilah and saves her life. Clueless as to whom she is and the sudden need to protect her, he immediately finds the missing piece of his soul. For centuries he has been searching for someone to take away the constant yearning and pain. With one look at Lilah, Abel knows she’s the one. Together, they realize that destiny has united them, their souls are forever tethered with a connection so powerfully strong and they are the final couple fated by the prophesy of ‘The Three’. 

“Searchin’,” he whispered, his different colored eyes burning into mine. “My whole life, searchin’ for something, missing something, something I did not know. Until I found you. And my whole life is a long fuckin’ life to be needing something I could not find.”

Holy freaking hell, Abel was HOT! Take the intensity of Lucian, add the raw animal magnetism of Callum and sprinkle a heavy dose of a growling, sexy Chaos biker bad boy and voilà! We have an over the top dirty talking hybrid with a sexual appetite that had me swooning.   He could be a major jerk at times, majorly pissing Lilah (and me) off, but Abel was tender, passionate and sweet. Each time he called Lilah ‘pussycat’ and ‘boa  bei' (meaning precious) I melted. 

”I love you too, bao bei, with everything I am, 
and I’ll do it until the sun falls from the sky”

What touched me the most was the air of sadness and lack of confidence that surrounded Abel. The more I saw into the depths of his character, the deeper I fell in love. Left abandoned by his parents, Abel was taken in by a loving Chinese family. Never encountering another supernatural, he felt misplaced, believing he was a monster. This pulled on my heartstrings as I ached for his pain. I was overjoyed seeing Abel’s journey of self-discovery, coming to understand the ways of both vampires and werewolves and realizing his life has meaning. No longer seeing himself as a monster, but the protector and lover of his life mate. 

Can I just say that as a heroine, Lilah totally rocked. The perfect compliment to Abel, she was funny, stubborn and sassy. She accepted her destiny instead of annoyingly fighting it (what a refreshing change from the typical female lead). Her character was nurturing, but with an edge of ‘tough love’. I respected the way she stood her ground when facing her fears and adversaries. And she was one hell of a fierce chick when someone dared to flip her biker bitch switch. I loved her and her crazy family (especially her dad, Hooker). I adored the way she loved Abel unconditionally, feeding him confidence and sharing her strength. Lilah has become one of my favorite female characters. 

The biggest surprise for me in this read was Yuri. Oh man, did he turn my feelings for him around. At first glance, Yuri was annoyingly arrogant. But let me tell you, his suave and sophisticated sexiness was highly erotic.  He was de-lish-ous. 

As much as this was a love story, Wild and Free focuses on the ugliness of war and the constant battle of good versus evil. This read was long (I love savoring an epic tale) with a constantly moving storyline. There’s a fair amount of brutality, which brought me to tears, bawling my eyes out as my emotions were sent into a tailspin, especially reading the epilogue. It’s no secret that Kristen Ashley’s passionate and intense novels touch my soul, but I am never prepared for how deeply her characters and their situations affect me.

It goes without saying that like the first two novels, Wild and Free was exceptionally written. I liked seeing this story told from various points of view throughout and loved the ingenious way the battle scenes were depicted. I should note that sexual boundaries were pushed a bit in a way I have never experienced from this author, which added a different and edgier level to her writing style. But regardless, this story captivated me with its romance, passion, and love of the heart, of family and of friends. A truly fantastic way to end a great series.