Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner

Chronicles from the Applecross, Book 2

Synopsis: The long-awaited sequel to Chaos Born takes us back into the Applecross, where Lora faces increasing threats to her survival and her chance at love.

Lora Blackgoat — mercenary and smuggler — has only just recovered from the last threat on her life and hasn’t even begun to sort out the mess of having both a nephilim warrior and a reborn hellspawn as potential lovers. Work should be a refuge, but a job finding missing persons puts her in the crosshairs of a violent gang and a merchant with a taste for blood sport.

Reluctantly, Lora turns to the two men in her life for help. Roman — the nephilim — professes to be her soul mate and turns to her when he feels the darkness of nephilim madness descending. But though Lora is drawn to Roman, it is Seth, ex-lover and reborn hellspawn, who Lora must ultimately ask to protect those she loves. Can she trust Seth to save Roman and her adoptive family, or will this be a fatal mistake?

Review: I was really curious to find Lora after a first colorful volume. And I must say that I was not disappointed. Well it is true that I would have liked to learn more about everything and how the whole organization was governed, which is not really the case here, but this is a tiny detail compared to the story.

We pick up the story shortly after the end of the first novel and so we find our heroine who tries to deal with the consequences of what happened. Working a lot to forget about everything, she will find herself in a situation more than problematic. After having to play the bodyguard of the daughter of a mafia man, she must also work to find a missing person who will change her life in the novel. And when in addition to this, she has to protect this girl who decides to marry the man she loves and who is not the man to whom she is promised to by her father. And when Roman, the nephilim, she appreciates more and more every time she sees him, is driven away by the madness, that Gideon asks her if she wants to take over the company while it is sinking slowly and when our heroine finds herself accused of murder, you can imagine that it’s a heavy weight to carry for a single woman. But as always, there is much more and Lora must also deal with what her heart really wants: Roman or Seth. Both are very different and we see very quickly that this is a big decision. Roman has everything to be the valiant knight in white armor and yet the possibilities of what he is becoming are pretty scary. Regarding Seth, it is always a bit difficult to really decide about him. He is a real bad boy and it is true that despite the bad decisions he takes, I can not help but want something between them. He is always there for Lora to help or save her, whether she likes it or not. He says he loves her and I admit that I still don’t know if it’s really true. It’s hard to really know if he really likes her or if he wishes for more powers so he could have her at his side. But once again I am curious to read more to find out what he’s hiding and what is real. This is a complex a character and it’s complicated to know him after only two books.

In terms of the story, given all the big events that happen, I can definitely say that there is no dead time and I was carried away by the adventures of our heroine that never stop. There are also many surprises and I was really curious to see how everything was going to be resolved in the end. And of course there is Lora. She will realize in this novel that even if people are always there for her, to support her in all circumstances, she sometimes has to manage her own problems. I wish she gets to choose between the two men in her life, as every time it hurts both ahead. Yet whatever happens, in the end she always turns to Seth. I thought it was strange given her feelings toward him at the beginning of the story, but she knows he is the only one who will do anything for her. We also discover a little more about the Grigory, as well as her powers and I can not wait to learn more as always.

It was again a very good novel and I can not wait to have more!

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Chaos Bound de Rebekah Turner (VO)

Chronicles from the Applecross, Tome 2

Résumé (traduction personnelle) : La suite tant attendue de Chaos Born nous ramène dans l’Applecross, où Lora doit faire face à des dangers qui menacent de plus en plus sa survie et sa chance à l’amour.

Lora Blackgoat – mercenaire et contrebandier – vient tout juste de se remettre de la dernière menace qui pesait sur sa vie et n’a même pas commencé à régler le problème d’avoir à la fois un guerrier nephilim et un fils de démon déchu comme amants potentiels. Le travail devrait être un refuge, mais un emploi pour retrouver des personnes disparues la met dans le collimateur d’un gang violent et d’un marchand avec un goût très prononcé pour le sport et le sang.

À contrecœur, Lora se tourne vers les deux hommes de sa vie afin d’obtenir de l’aide. Roman – Nephilim – prétend être son âme sœur et se tourne vers elle quand il sent les ténèbres de la folie nephilim s’emparer de lui. Mais si Lora est attirée par Roman, c’est vers Seth, ex-amant et enfant de démon déchu, que Lora doit finalement se tourner pour protéger ceux qu’elle aime. Peut-elle faire confiance à Seth pour sauver Roman et sa famille adoptive, ou serait-ce une erreur fatale ?

Avis : J’étais vraiment curieuse de retrouver Lora après un premier tome haut en couleur. Et je dois dire que je n’ai pas été déçue. Bon il est vrai que j’aurais aimé en apprendre plus sur tout ce qui était organisation et comment le tout était régi, ce qui n’est pas vraiment le cas ici, mais cela reste un infime détail comparé à l’histoire.

Nous reprenons l’histoire peu de temps après la fin du premier roman et nous retrouvons donc notre héroïne en train de gérer les conséquences de tout ce qu’il s’est passé. Se lançant dans le travail pour oublier tout cela, elle va se retrouver dans un cas des plus problématiques. Après avoir dû jouer le garde du corps de la fille d’un grand mafieux, elle doit aussi travailler conjointement à trouver un disparu qui pourrait bien changer sa vie du tout au tout au cours du roman. Et quand en plus de cela, la fille qu’elle devait protéger décide de se marier avec l’homme qu’elle aime et qui n’est nullement l’homme à qui elle est promise par son père ; que Roman, le nephilim qu’elle apprécie de plus en plus chaque fois qu’elle le voit se retrouve emporté par la folie tout au long des chapitres ; que Gideon lui demande si elle veut reprendre l’affaire pendant que celle-ci est en train de couler petit à petit et que notre héroïne se retrouve accusée de meurtre, vous vous doutez que ça fait un gros poids à porter pour une seule femme. Mais comme toujours, il y a plus et Lora doit aussi faire face à ce que son cœur désire réellement : Roman ou Seth. Les deux sont très différents et on voit très vite que c’est une grande décision à prendre. Roman a tout du preux chevalier en armure blanche et pourtant les possibilités de ce qu’il est en train de devenir sont assez effrayantes. Pour ce qui est de Seth c’est toujours un peu difficile de vraiment statuer. Il a tout du bad boy et c’est vrai que malgré les mauvaises décisions qu’il prend, je ne peux m’empêcher d’espérer quelque chose entre eux. Il est toujours là pour Lora, pour l’aider ou la sauver, qu’elle le veuille ou pas. Il affirme qu’il l’aime et j’avoue que j’ai toujours du mal à statuer à ce sujet. C’est difficile de savoir s’il l’apprécie vraiment ou s’il désire tellement les pouvoirs qu’ils pourraient avoir ensemble qu’il s’est imaginé plus. Mais une fois encore je suis curieuse d’en lire plus pour savoir ce qu’il cache et ce qui est réel. C’est un personnage trop complexe pour arriver à le cerner au bout de seulement deux romans.

Pour ce qui est de l’histoire, au vu de tous les gros événements qu’il se passe, je peux définitivement dire qu’il n’y a aucun temps mort et on est emporté par les aventures de notre héroïne qui ne s’arrête jamais. Il y a aussi de nombreuses surprises et j’étais vraiment curieuse de voir comment le tout allait pouvoir se résoudre au final. Et bien sûr il y a Lora. Elle se rendra compte dans ce roman que même si les gens sont toujours là pour elle, pour la soutenir en toutes circonstances, il faudra parfois qu’elle gère elle-même ses problèmes. J’aimerais bien qu’elle arrive à choisir entre les deux hommes de sa vie, comme à chaque fois elle blesse les deux qui l’attendent. Et pourtant quoi qu’il se passe, au final elle se tourne toujours vers Seth. J’ai trouvé que c’était assez étrange au vu des sentiments qu’elle a au début de l’histoire, mais elle sait qu’il est le seul qui fera tout pour elle. Nous en découvrirons aussi un peu plus sur les Grigory, de même que sur ses pouvoirs qui s’amplifient et j’ai hâte de pouvoir en apprendre plus comme toujours.

C’était encore une fois un très bon roman et je suis impatiente d’en avoir plus !

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Chaos Born – Rebekah Turner – Excerpt

Hey everyone !

I don’t know if you know the book, but Chaos Born was a really nice surprise for me. You can discover my review here. To let you discover a little more about the book, I’m happy to present you this nice exerpt:

“Lora?”

With a start, I realised Caleb Haskett was standing over me. It had been a long time since we’d seen each other and age had only complimented his good looks. He took off his mud‐splattered greatcoat and sat down opposite me, back placed unwisely to the room. He wore a Watchman uniform, the four gold stripes on his jacket shoulder announcing his rank as Captain. Now, Caleb always had been ambitious. Considering the nerve it took to wear his uniform in a place like this, I wondered if he’d turned stupid as well. Nervous eyes watched him and the dice game was quickly disbanded. The guard threw me an exasperated look and I flushed, wishing Caleb had the sense to be a little more discrete.

“Thank you for meeting me Lora.” Caleb smiled. “It’s been a long time.”

Puffing a few smoke rings, I shifted my boots to where he could see them, knowing he had always hated my love of Outland fashion. “Last time we saw each other, I recall you lecturing me about my inevitable descent to The Pit,” I said.

He gave a short, bitter laugh. “In all fairness, Lora, you’d just killed a man in your kitchen. You’re lucky I didn’t throw you in jail. Again.”

“In all fairness, he had it coming.”

“The man was unarmed.”

“The great big axe was a conversation piece?”

“You had already disarmed him.”

“Enough.” I took the cigarillo out of my mouth, and ground it out on the table. I’d been flattered and curious when Caleb had sent a message, requesting a meeting. He’d long since

cut me out of his life. I leant back in my chair, observing him from under lowered eyelashes. Approaching middle age, Caleb still had that type of open, honest face that stood out in a crowd, especially this one. I watched as he turned in his seat, searching for the barmaid. He spied her chatting to a sailor with periwinkle blue tattoos on his arms and motioned at her with a gesture that demanded attention. Her eyes flicked to Caleb’s raised hand, and he indicated he wanted two beers. The barmaid’s eyes shifted to me. Making the forked sign of evil, she turned to the bar to get us drinks.

I looked pointedly about the now subdued room. “Strange place to want to meet.”

Caleb held a hand up, as if halting a barrage of questions. “I needed somewhere out of the way, I have a favour to ask. Something I want to keep unofficial.”

“No small talk then?” I smiled. “I’m surprised you knew of this place. I thought you’d been keeping your nose clean in High Town, never to return.”

Caleb frowned. “No one forgets where they came from. I grew up on the same streets as you.”

“Not quite the same as me,” I murmured. Caleb’s father had been a wealthy oil import merchant who had lived in a respectable home that skirted the border of Applecross. Caleb had been a fearless kid who had loved to escape his nanny and explore. Our paths had crossed when he’d arrived one day in Abraham’s Alley, chasing a kid who’d stolen his shoes. Charmed by his clear blue eyes, I’d helped him get those expensive shoes back, though I’d gotten a cracked rib in the process. We had been friends for many years after that.

The barmaid appeared, heaving two pewter tankards of the murky local beer. She set them down and took Caleb’s offered coin. Sneaking a sullen glance at me, she hurried away, back

to the bar. Caleb wiped the rim of the tankard with his sleeve, then took a tentative sip. He grimaced, put the heavy cup down and pushed it away, lips puckered like he’d sucked a grapefruit. “Do you know the barmaid?” he asked.

“Why?” My eyes skipped over to her automatically. She was behind the bar again, making every effort not to look at our table. I hoped she wasn’t one of Gideon’s conquests or spies.

“She didn’t seem to like you much.” Caleb’s face was blank. “Maybe she thought you had your eye on her tattooed friend.”

I took a long drink from my tankard, wincing as the cold, bitter taste washed down my throat. Watching Caleb over the rim, I felt irrationally annoyed he hadn’t noticed my boots. Warmth began to radiate from my chest from the strong brew. It eased the ache in my leg, which always grumbled more in winter. I could ignore Caleb’s personal attack, even though it stung. We’d had many fights after he’d joined the City Watch. He’d been forced to bail me out of jail a few times and I got tired of seeing the disappointment in his eyes when he looked at me. I placed my half‐empty tankard down and gave him my best deadpan stare. “You notice her hair?”

Caleb glanced over his shoulder, searching the room before spying her behind the bar serving drinks. “Why?”

“Not very observant for a Constable.” I pretended I hadn’t noticed the ranking on his jacket, knowing it would rankle.

“I’m a Captain now. I was promoted a few weeks ago and have an office in Piccano Square.”

“Piccano Square? You don’t say.” I drained the rest of my beer then banged the tankard down. “What was in the barmaid’s hair?”

Caleb thrust a hand through his hair, eyebrows drawing together. “Hellfires, Lora. I don’t know. Lice?”

“Hilarious.” I found myself leaning forward, as if trying to catch his smell, something to bring back a glimpse of the past, a time when anything had seemed possible. But the air was full of sour sweat and testosterone, so I caught nothing to rush back old memories. Leaning back in my chair and feeling somewhat disappointed, I laced my fingers behind my head. “She’s got a plait, woven with black thread. Surely you remember the traditions of the craft wielders here?”

“It’s been many years since I’ve had to think of such things,” Caleb said. “Where I come from now, magic and such dealings are considered taboo.”

“Black thread announces she’s trained to teach darkcraft,” I reminded him. “White indicates a lightcraft teacher.”

Caleb smiled, but the good humour fell short of his eyes. “I remember now. And no one likes poor Lora, because she’s a Witch Hunter for the Order of Guides.”

I wondered why he was trying to piss me off. “You’re quite catty for someone who asked for this meeting. Why don’t you tell me what you want then we can both be on our way?”

Caleb cleared his throat, the previous brashness softened by sudden uncertainty. “How does Gideon fare these days with his business? Are you still in his employment?”

“Why?” I laughed. “Looking for night work? You don’t strike me as the type to sell your services to the highest bidder.”

“Don’t make fun of me.” His eyes glinted in a way that made me feel uneasy. It spoke of something dark lurking just beneath the surface. I took in his furrowed brow and hard eyes and wondered what had tarnished this white knight. I had the horrible idea he was going to threaten me. I didn’t respond well to threats.

“I wasn’t making fun,” I said carefully.

He leant forward, elbows on the table, steepling his fingers. “I’ll be honest, Lora. I need your help. I’d do anything to—” he stopped abruptly, his jaw jamming up tight, lips thin. His eyes flashed with something I’d seen in clients: helpless rage.

I leant forward and placed a hand over his, relishing the warm contact. “Alright. Tell me what you need and I’ll see if I can help.”

He removed his hand after the moment went too long. “Did you hear what happened at the Church of Saint Pendergrast?”

I tucked my own hands into my armpits, an old comforting gesture from my childhood I never could seem to shake. As long as it wasn’t thumb sucking, I figured it was all right. “Sure,” I said. “A Regulator went bonkers in a Higher Path church. Or beserked. Or whatever it’s called. Killed a few priests. Not the first time The Order has had to clean up after their pet nephilim.”

 

Want to know more? You can check the author’s website : http://rebekahturner.net/

 

Chronicles from the Applecross, Book 1

Synopsis: A fresh and exciting debut novel introducing the Chronicles from the Applecross.

Lora Blackgoat, smuggler and mercenary, has been lying low after a job gone bad made her a laughing stock in the industry. When a childhood friend turns to her for help, Lora leaps to restore her reputation and starts hunting a killer who is stalking the gas-lit streets.

She never expects that her path will lead her to the Order of Guides, a sadistic militant religious organisation – or to Roman, a deadly and dangerously attractive half-angel warrior who also hunts the killer.

When Lora discovers that the killer has broken fundamental laws of magic to enter the city, she also uncovers a conspiracy that leads back into her own dark past.

 

 

Chaos Born by Rebekah Turner

Chronicles from the Applecross, Book 1

Synopsis: A fresh and exciting debut novel introducing the Chronicles from the Applecross.

Lora Blackgoat, smuggler and mercenary, has been lying low after a job gone bad made her a laughing stock in the industry. When a childhood friend turns to her for help, Lora leaps to restore her reputation and starts hunting a killer who is stalking the gas-lit streets.

She never expects that her path will lead her to the Order of Guides, a sadistic militant religious organisation – or to Roman, a deadly and dangerously attractive half-angel warrior who also hunts the killer.

When Lora discovers that the killer has broken fundamental laws of magic to enter the city, she also uncovers a conspiracy that leads back into her own dark past.

Review: I did not know this series, or even the author but when I saw that the first and second book were available on NetGalley, I was curious to see how they were. And, well, when it comes to urban fantasy I’m always up for it!

Lora Blackgoat does not really know who she is or what she is. She knows about her mother, who abandoned her when she was a child, but his father is completely unknown, as well as her origins. She has evolved into an area of the city where all sorts of creatures live, trying to pass more or less unnoticed. She herself was raised by a woman of great powers, as a satyr who has now become her boss. She accepts any work that might make her earn some money, whether exorcisms, researches for some objects or other things like that. Yet despite that her life was quite normal for her, her last mission will initiate an abrupt change. Indeed, during an exorcism, Lora will be forced to kill someone in self defense. But this event has many consequences: a price on her head, a lack of money, or even the announcement of something big coming.

Many things happen in this novel and I admit that I was really fascinated by the world that the author presents here. Everything is quite complex and it is true that it was interesting to discover the subtleties. The only thing that bothered me a little, it is true, may be the lack of explanations that leaves us somewhat in the dark regarding certain points. I also hope that we’ll know a little more later in the second volume. Lora is a strong young woman who has yet faced many events in her life to become the person she is. She is also determined and stubborn despite what she undergoes daily. A new life will open to her in this novel, something that she did not expect and nor did we. But she will have to accept what it is and what it means for her future. Here, Lora will have to pursuit a killer that everyone seems to be looking for. She didn’t expect that this story would change her. I admit that I was really surprised to see the turn of this situation, I don’t think we can imagine some of the tracks before having them in front of us. A story mixing demons, Nephilim, conspiracies and magic. A very good mix in a story such as this one!

Then of course, there is more than Lora and I still have to talk to the two men who will have an impact on her life. Roman, the mysterious Nephilim we don’t know anything about and yet who seems to be linked to our heroine. And Seth, a man who himself is quite intriguing. It’s hard to decide about his fate, and it is clear that he appreciates our heroine even if at the same time we do not really know what he wants from her. However we understand in the story that everything is ultimately more complicated than we thought and things will unfold in due course.

It was to conclude a very good first novel, although I have a lot of questions, including many about this different world. I would like to understand a little better how it is governed and organized with that many groups with highly placed people. But as I said, we have characters we can only appreciate and I ‘m curious to see how the story will evolve now. Of course, a good plot is profiling here and I had no idea, not even one second about the real culprit who hides his game. A series to discover!

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Edit: Chaos born is free for now on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Born-Rebekah-Turner-ebook/dp/B00A1UEBFO/

Chaos Born de Rebekah Turner (VO)

Chronicles from the Applecross, Tome 1

Résumé (traduction personnelle) : Un premier roman original et passionnant présentant Chronicles from the Applecross.

Lora Blackgoat, contrebandière et mercenaire, fait profil bas depuis qu’elle est devenue la risée de l’industrie à la suite d’un travail mal fait. Quand un ami d’enfance se tourne vers elle pour de l’aide, Lora saute sur l’occasion pour rétablir sa réputation et ainsi commence sa chasse d’un tueur qui rode dans les rues éclairées au gaz.

Elle ne s’attend pas à ce que son chemin la mène à l’Ordre des Guides, une organisation religieuse militante sadique – ou à Roman, un guerrier mi- ange dangereusement séduisant qui chasse aussi le tueur.

Quand Lora découvre que le meurtrier a violé les lois fondamentales de la magie pour entrer dans la ville, elle découvre aussi une conspiration qui la ramène dans son sombre passé.

Avis : Je ne connaissais pas du tout cette série, ni même l’auteure mais quand j’ai vu que le premier et le deuxième tome étaient disponibles sur NetGalley, j’étais curieuse de voir ce que cela donnait. Puis quand on parle d’urban fantasy je suis toujours preneuse !

Lora Blackgoat ne sait pas vraiment qui elle est, ni ce qu’elle est. Elle ne connait que sa mère qui l’a abandonné très tôt mais son père reste complètement inconnu, de même que ses origines. Elle a évolué dans une zone de la ville où toutes sortes de créatures évoluent, essayant de passer plus ou moins inaperçues. Elle-même a été élevée par une femme aux grands pouvoirs, de même que par un Satyre qui est devenu maintenant son patron. Elle accepte tout travail qui puisse lui faire gagner un peu d’argent, que ce soient des exorcismes, des recherches d’objets ou autres choses. Pourtant alors que sa vie continuait dans une routine habituelle, sa dernière mission va amorcer un changement brutal. En effet, lors d’un exorcisme, Lora va être obligée de tuer une personne en self défense. Mais cet événement aura de nombreuses conséquences : un prix sur sa tête, un manque d’argent, ou même l’annonce de quelque chose d’énorme à venir.

Il se passe énormément de choses dans ce roman et j’avoue que j’ai été vraiment conquise par le monde que l’auteure nous présente ici. Tout est assez complexe et c’est vrai que c’était fascinant d’en découvrir les subtilités. Le seul point qui m’a un peu gêné, il est vrai, est peut-être le manque d’explication qui nous laisse un peu dans le flou s’agissant de certains points. J’espère d’ailleurs que nous en saurons un peu plus par la suite. Lora est une jeune femme forte qui pourtant a dû affronter de nombreux événements dans sa vie pour devenir la personne qu’elle est. Elle est aussi déterminée et têtue malgré ce qu’elle subit au quotidien. Une toute nouvelle vie va s’ouvrir dans ce roman, quelque chose à laquelle elle ne s’attendait pas et nous non plus d’ailleurs. Mais elle devra accepter ce qu’elle est et ce que cela implique pour la suite. Ici, Lora va devoir se lancer à la poursuite d’un tueur que tout le monde semble rechercher. Elle ne s’attend pas à ce que cette histoire la touche de si prés. J’avoue que j’ai été vraiment surprise de voir la tournure de tout cela, je ne m’y attendais vraiment pas et je ne pense pas qu’on puisse entrevoir certaines pistes avant de les avoir sous le nez. Une histoire mélangeant démons, nephilims, complots et magie. Un très bon mix dans une histoire telle que celle-ci !

Alors bien sûr, il n’y a pas que Lora et je suis tout de même obligée de parler des deux hommes qui auront un impact sur sa vie. Roman, le mystérieux nephilim dont on ne connait rien et qui pourtant semble être lié à notre héroïne. Et Seth, un homme qui lui-même est assez intrigant. On a du mal à statuer sur son sort, on voit bien qu’il apprécie notre héroïne et en même temps on ne sait pas vraiment ce qu’il cherche à obtenir d’elle. Cependant on comprend alors que l’histoire avance que tout est finalement plus compliqué et les choses se dévoileront au moment voulu.

C’était pour conclure un très bon premier roman, même si j’ai énormément de questions, notamment sur ce monde si différent. J’aimerais bien comprendre un peu mieux comment il est régi et organisé avec tant de conseils et personnes hautement placées. Mais comme je le disais, nous avons des personnages que l’on apprécie et je suis curieuse de voir comment l’histoire va évoluer à présent. Bien sûr, une bonne intrigue se profile ici et je ne me doutais pas une seule seconde du véritable coupable qui cache bien son jeu. Une série à découvrir !

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Edit : Chaos Born est gratuit en ebook sur amazon pour le moment : http://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Born-Rebekah-Turner-ebook/dp/B00A1UEBFO/