A few weeks ago I helped do a cover reveal for Cut to the Heart by Janeen Ippolito. Now it’s release day and I back to tell you exactly why I liked it and why you should buy it. But first a refresher about the book:
All Josie Framer wants is a man with fire magic—and to find the truth-knife that’s rightfully hers.
However, neither of these quests is going well.
After her latest date-turned-disaster, she’s almost ready to give up—when she happens along the blade on the way home. Unfortunately, reclaiming her property makes her target of the Arcane Market, a nefarious underground trafficking ring for magical artifacts and magical beings.
To make things worse, she keeps running into Oliver Salamandras, a dangerously attractive fire elemental who’s on the run from his own hunters. Getting involved with him means more trouble. Plus he has enough baggage for an aircraft carrier.
If only he wasn’t just what she’s looking for–right at the worst possible moment.
Faced with deadly foes and an irresistible stranger, a woman might just do something crazy.
Drastic.
Life-changing.
Buy now and enjoy a humorous paranormal romance with a side of twisty plot. Features a sensible firebird shifter with a feisty side, a rascally fire elemental with a tragic side, and a completely adorable wolf pup. Clean PG-13 – there’s heat, danger, and fighting, but nothing graphic.
The Arcane Market Adventures is a two-book companion duology to The Steel City Genie urban fantasy series. Best read alongside that series and great as a springboard.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX8D7X7/
Goodreads – Add to want-to-read list
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56851000-cut-to-the-heart
My Dive in Review:
Cut to the Heart is the first book in the newest addition to Janeen Ippolito’s Multi series interconnected universe, The Arcane Market Adventures
The Arcane Market Adventures joins, the Steel City Genie series along with the My Alien Romance books, and features characters from all of these. I love these kind of interconnected, well thought out story universes.
This book centers on Josie Framer, Allis’s mild mannered secretary from the Steel City Genie books. Josie is much more than she appeared in those books. She is not only a very powerful shifter, she is also being hunted by some black market traffickers. She is also dealing with a rouge fire elemental who just showed up in her life, and he is very hot. Literally, he’s a fire elemental. But he also makes her feel things.
Being around Oliver brings out feelings she never expected to have for anyone. More passionate feeling than she ever had for her ex fiancée. Who is not hot by the way. He’s an ice dragon.
I was expecting this story to be a back and forth between the two romantic options. But Ippolito is really good at subverting expectations. Turns out Josie settles on one guy pretty easily. (I won’t tell you who.)
I loved watching as Josie’s relationship grows deeper over the course of the book, that even though the decision wasn’t a hard one to make it also wasn’t a hurried one.
If I have one complaint it’s that this book messes with the timeline I’ve already set in my head. Cut to the Heart takes place in between Steel City Genie books one and two and in between My Alien Romance book one and two. So instead of reading one series and then hopping to the next you need to read the first books of two different series and then this book and then go read the next book in each of the other series.
Did you follow that? I’m not sure I did either. Let’s just accept that you are probably not going to read these in chronological order. It’s probably better that way, because most of the fun of this book was catching all the references to the other two series.
Littered with Ippolito’s unique humor, her impeccable world building and her deep characters, Cut to the heart is a worthy addition to the ever expanding Ippolito verse.
*I was given an early review copy of this book for review. The above opinions are my own and are provided willingly and honestly.*
About the Author:
Janeen Ippolito believes you should own your unique words—and make them awesome! She’s a multi-published author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also an experienced book editor, marketing strategist, and businesswoman, plus the CEO of Uncommon Universes Press. When not writing, she can be found exploring random hobbies or posting cute animal memes. Join her on social media or at janeenippolito.com
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C. O. Bonham 