BOOK TOUR: "Awakening The Fire (Guardian WItch #1)" by Ally Shields

Description:  

It's her first murder case...

Twenty-three-year-old Ari Calin has sworn to keep the peace in the Olde Town district of Riverdale, and most of the time the Otherworlders cooperate. The vampires, werewolves and other magical creatures go about their business, living side by side with humans, until the foreign wolves arrive and a virtual reality drug hits the streets. Violence erupts, and Ari needs more than her witch fire, weapons, and potions to stop the madness.

Joining forces with a human police officer, Lt. Ryan Foster, and a way-too-sexy vampire singer, Andreas De Luca, Ari hunts for the enemy—from the vampire strip clubs to the caverns under the city. Every step draws Ari and her companions deeper into an old feud and closer to the brink of a supernatural war.

Excerpt :

(Despite the friction and mistrust between them, Ari has come to Andreas's supper club to ask for his help on her murder case.)

The vampire's coal-black eyes found her and silken threads of magic wrapped her in a soft web. The room faded away. She floated as in a dream, warm and safe. A place to linger forever. Her witch magic began to sing in concert with his, and Ari called it back to her. The effort brought her out of his web with a jolt.

Damn, how strong was he? She wrapped her magical aura around her. As long as she kept it in place, his magic was held at bay. Then, mercifully, the song was over. Andreas bowed to a wildly applauding audience and left the stage.

“Good evening.” Startled, she stared at him.

“Uh, hello.” How did he move so fast? He produced a polite smile.

“If you will come this way.” He waved a hand toward a hallway on the left.

Ari hesitated. A meeting in private? She hadn’t anticipated that.

His brows rose. “We have twenty minutes.”

Swallowing her doubts, Ari preceded him down the hall. It was better this way, she told herself. Fewer interruptions. At least she knew her time parameters. He ushered her past four closed doors, not stopping until they reached an exit door at the end. He touched a security panel, the door opened, and they stepped into a paved lane leading to the rear parking lot. Dense trees lined the opposite side of the lane. Total privacy.

The night was pleasantly cool. The crisp cleanness of fall filled the air. Ari hung back and watched her companion as he stopped in the middle of the lane. Andreas arched his shoulders and threw back his head, breathing deeply. For a moment all Ari could think about was how sexy he looked.

My Review:
A witch guardian falling for a sexy vampire. A story that promises sexy times and a very intriguing plot. And a heroine who can really kick a** and look great doing it.
Paranormal romance is a very popular genre, and my second favorite after horror. I love anything to do with vampires and magic, and if you add in a sexy male vamp, you can guarantee I'll be interested.
What I loved most about this book wasn't that it was sexy or even that the characters were very three-dimensional, but that the author didn't stick with one creature. You've got weres, witches and vamps, amongst other things. I love it when an author doesn't pigeonhole themselves and brings a wider variety of character into the story. You don't get it all the time, but when you do, it just makes the book better.
The plot was very straightforward, with a few twists and turns here and there. There weren't so many that you got confused, but enough to keep this book interesting and hold your attention. What I loved was the obvious chemistry between Ari and Andreas. That gripped me more than anything else, because I wanted to know what would happen between the two. Some characters don't click with me in a romance, but these two did.
I think every fan of paranormal stories will clamor to read this one!

4/5--very well-done!