Review: The Heart of Malice

Title: The Heart of Malice

Author: Lisa Edmonds

Publisher: June 13th 2017 by City Owl Press

Pages: 381 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre:  Urban Fantasy

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The first time Moses Murphy’s granddaughter killed on his orders, she was six years old.

For twenty years, she was a prisoner of an organized crime syndicate, forced to use her magic to make Moses the most powerful and feared man on the East Coast. To escape his cruelty, she faked her own death and started a new life as Alice Worth. As a private investigator specializing in cases involving the supernatural, Alice walks a precarious line between atoning for the sins of her grandfather’s cabal and keeping her true identity hidden. Hired to investigate the disappearance of a mysterious object of power, Alice enlists the help of Malcolm, a ghost running from a past as nightmarish as her own. It soon becomes clear the missing object was taken by someone with a dangerous secret and an unknown agenda. When her client is kidnapped, Alice must find her and the object of power before a vengeful killer destroys the city and slaughters thousands—starting with Alice.

My Thoughts:

Heart of Malice is the first book in the 'Alice Worth' series by the debuting author Lisa Edmonds and she really kicks this series off in great style! It is Urban Fantasy at its best; with fast paced action, humour and magic bursting off the page from the very first chapter.

“Nice car,” I remarked as we approached it.

“Thanks,” he said, and punched me.

I felt him tense up and managed to turn a fraction of a second before he swung, so his massive fist connected with my side instead of my stomach.

Pain exploded in my ribs. I gasped and hit Scott’s chest with both hands. Magic flared, and he flew backward into the side of the restaurant, leaving a man-sized crater in the brick wall. He landed in a crouch with a snarl, his eyes blazing bright red.

For 5 years, Alice Worth has been in hiding from her grandfather Moses Murphy, a powerful and vicious Cabal leader. After fleeing her horrifying imprisonment, Alice fakes her own death, changes her identity and tries her best to keep under the radar of the Cabals and the Supernatural and Paranormal Entity Management Agency while working as an MPI (Mage Private Investigator). Alice is a mage of great power; however, remains scarred physically and emotionally by the horrors she experienced at the hands of the East Coast Cabal, and her aura is tainted by the blood magic she was forced to perform. Alice is a kick ass MPI with a sassy mouth and a tough, take-no-prisoners attitude but her trust issues confine her to a lonely, isolated existence. That is, until Malcolm, a ghost with unusual gifts and a terrible past of his own, becomes mysteriously bound to her. When Alice takes on a case to find an magical object her client believes to be missing from their library, she and her new side-kick, Malcolm, embark on a terrifying series of twists and turns. Their torturous journey leads them to a crazed killer who plans to destroy everything in their path. Added to the craziness is an alpha werewolf, Sean, who lets Alice be the person she needs to be while reigning in his inherently protective nature; as well as a crafty, manipulative vampire with a hidden agenda, and a SPEMA agent who follows the hints and blood trails to her door. I am a big fan of the Urban Fantasy genre with its imaginative world building and exciting story-lines and I feel that Heart of Malice fits the mould beautifully. There is a lot to love about this book as it really has something for everyone! Lots of action, some very cool magic, some fun romance (and a little bit of sexy-time), laughs, and great secondary characters. I feel that Lisa Edmonds is going to be someone to watch closely in the future, and I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve! Overall, Heart of Malice is a well written, entertaining story and I am very much looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.