Heart of Malice (Alice Worth, #1)

by Lisa Edmonds

[stacey_is_sassy]

IT'S ALIVE!!

Taking a risk has its rewards.

***4.5 Stars***

I received a friend request on Goodreads the other day, and while I was checking out her profile I came across a book that caught my eye. Now the cover, while not perfect, was very eye-catching. A strong woman with determination in her eyes has a flash of green fire wrapped around her. The background looks a little dark and gloomy which makes the green fire POP. Now, I won’t say that a cover will make or break a book, but if my attention is grabbed and the blurb is interesting, I’m more than willing to look a little closer. Hmmm…a new author? Hmmm…it’s on NetGalley? Hmmm…a strong heroine, an Alpha shapeshifting werewolf hero, a ghost for a sidekick and a mission that is a race against time? SOLD TO THE SASSY READER, who can’t resist stepping into a world full of magic, lust and adventure.

So, I took a risk on a new author and I’m so bloody glad I did. There is NOTHING better than finding a fantastic new paranormal series. Lisa Edmonds has started a series that grabbed and held my attention. What made it even more amazing is that I didn’t suffer the dreaded boring, dull, snooze-worthy, introduction to a new world. I have been known to struggle with stories that tell me all about the magic, rules, characters and world. Heart of Malice successfully shows me the new world as it’s experienced. With a little info here…and a little info there, I wasn’t bombarded all at once and I got to see it all live and in action. SUCCESS!!

Now, it turns out our new author happens to be a brainiac (in the best possible way). She actually teaches both writing and literature courses. I hope she teaches as she writes because it gives me hope for authors of the future.

Alice is not one to take risks when it comes to her privacy and letting people in. We meet Alice as she hunts down a demon. Things don’t exactly go to plan but at least she’s alive and ready to fight another day. Alice is a private investigator who also happens to be a mage. She uses her powers to help people, while also trying to avoid run-ins with SPEMA (Supernatural and Paranormal Entity Management Agency). Unfortunately, her altercation with the demon brought her face to face with two agents of SPEMA, and that is NOT what Alice wants or needs. We are lead to understand pretty quickly that Alice likes to keep on the down low and bring as little attention to herself as she can. With a little sweet talking…of the abrupt and straightforward kind, Alice manages to avoid being taken in.

From the introduction, we work out that Alice has strong abilities that she seems to want to hide. What follows is learning more about Alice, why she is keeping secrets and how she comes to meet her partner in crime, Malcolm the ghost. We also meet Charles the manipulative vampire who wants to suck her blood, and her new client Natalie, who I really hope to see in future stories as well. Alice has a few more ‘friends’ but I think they’re more acquaintances. Their dedication to Charles (their boss), makes any loyalty to Alice non-existent.

My favourite additional character is Sean. Oh, my lordy. I loved meeting the strong, sexy, Alpha Werewolf who started out as a one-night thing, that turned into something more. Seriously, this guy won my heart from the very start. He is growly, possessive, understanding and sweet…just the way I like them. There is a time in the story where his loyalty and feelings for Alice are questioned but I never doubted him. I always knew he was a good guy and I wanted to shake my finger at Alice for questioning his loyalty and not giving him a chance to explain himself.

Well, paranormal romance lovers, I can confirm that I have found a WINNER! Alice Worth is one cool character and I can’t wait to see what adventure she’s up to next. My fingers are crossed that Sean stays in her life, Charles backs the hell off and Malcolm gets to hang around a bit more before he heads to the afterlife.




I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -