Loved the Buffy vibes with assassin and revenge tropes. Oh, and the steam was SPICY.
Was it the best I've read? No. Am I still trash for this series, though? Yes.

This unfortunately felt like a loose copy of Buffy.
There were very few Vampires but still Demons and instead of a stake a knife was used.
The story itself was ok but the characters lacked emotion.
Maybe I am too old for this now.
Not for me.

This novel is a good one that I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

First in the series, this is darker than many of the books I've read by this author but I must admit, I'm head over heels for this new series. It is absolutely fantastic!! The character development of the main character is excellent and you feel every step of her journey as she wrestles with the truths she is told and the doubts that she has. The current love interest is Dean and you have no idea for most of the book if he's a good guy or a bad guy. Extraordinary powers and prophecies are in play in a plot filled with enough twists and turns to give an Olympic contender a workout. At the time that I'm reviewing this, Born in Darkness is live on Kindle Unlimited and I highly recommend giving it a read!

Thank you to Julie Kenner, Author Collective 20, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Okay... for this review, please bear in mind that I'm currently very hard to please. I haven't been reading much for the past 8 months or so due to a terrible (book) funk I can't seem to shed, so the fact that I was able to finish this at all should speak for itself.

It was definitely a fun read. My lovely friends and followers should know by now how much I love myself a badass heroine, especially in the Urban Fantasy genre, and Lily aka Alice was a badass alright. She sported a healthy dose of egotism while still caring enough for a chosen few to kill for them (literally). I also liked Deacon, Lily's love interest, but there was some insta-love crap going on that didn't do it for me.
The premise was kinda neat, though, and some of the big twists I really did not see coming.

But that inner monologue, man. Oh my God, there was so freaking much of it. So repetitive and annoying, I just couldn't bear it any longer toward the end. I feel like this book could've been cut short by about 100 pages of inner rambling only, and it wouldn't have taken anything away from the plot or the characterization. Speaking of the plot... I did like the idea and it was certainly riveting enough, but sometimes the developments just felt too convenient to actually be believable or prompt any feeling on my part.

I can see myself continuing with this series, though. Considering that cliffhanger, how could I not?

Totally have to be honest with you... I believe this is the first book that I have reviewed and could not finish it. I got to 34% and just couldn't do it.

A wild ride of a story. This being my first Julie Kenner book, I didn't know what to expect, but what I found as I devoured each page was a thrilling story with great characters and a superb plot.

Sadly, I couldn't continue after 63%.

I will admit the beginning it totally dragged me in. The imagery was well written. By 30% the story already started to drag and for me its just in total the story was moving too slow. It just wasn't for me.

4 <b> Revenge Killing </b> Stars

I love J. Kenner/Julie Kenner however the pen name is given. I have actually never read any paranormal by her and I am actually quite impressed with how this turned out. Lily felt like she was channeling some “ Kate Daniels” energy ( find her in : [bookcover:Magic Bites|38619]). Lily set out one day to avenge the pain brought upon her sister and in a weird twist of fate died by the hands of the man who hurt her sister emotionally/physically. But instead of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel Lily discovered she is an assassin in some one else’s body. Without ruining the book it is her coming into herself and her future and the battles, comedy and sexual attraction she finds along the way. I think this book has some dull moments but it has some great redeeming moments. I love an ass kicking heroine who doesn’t take any shit! I can’t wait till the next edition of this series!

3.5 stars
BORN IN DARKNESS is a solid start to a new paranormal series by J. Kenner. Lily dies after a quest for revenge goes horribly wrong, and she wakes up in a different body. She gets a second chance at life in exchange for killing demons, but it means giving up everything and everyone she knew. Deacon is the sexy hero with a troubled past and dangerous secrets. Lily doesn't know if he can be trusted, but she can't help but want him.

When she learns more about the prophecy and the true circumstances surrounding her death and rebirth, she commits to doing everything her power to right the wrongs--even if it means staining her soul with more sins.

I liked the hints of romance, but wish it would have been more developed in book 1. I'm hopeful book 2 will expand on the potential relationship and give Lily more of a chance to settle into her new role and persona.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t what I was hoping for, the synopsis sounded really good. I didn’t like the insta-ability the character got to kick ass, how the MC personality changed after death etc. I did like the idea behind it and was paced well, but just not for me I’m afraid.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Reviewed for Netgalley.

This was an okay read for me. I enjoyed the strong protagonist; she was refreshing in a sea of manic pixie dream girl urban fantasy protagonists. The first half of the book was slow but ramped up to a fairly satisfying end. It was a quick read, so I may or may not keep an eye out for the next in this series.

A little different paranormal story with a lot of drama,some dark aspect in story,a possible romantic interest between characters.
About assassins and angles and beginning reborn
A okay story was intriguing enough to see what happens next.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Born in Darkness is the first in the Redemption Chronicle series. Lily dies trying to avenge her sister and somehow now she’s back fighting evil. I did have a hard time getting into the story at the beginning. I stuck with it and by the end, I’m needing more. Well written with an a$$ kicking heroine and forbidden romance that’ll suck you right in.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I read this back when it was Tainted. I liked it then but really don't like when an author republishes and gets me to buy the book again. When I read it the first time it was in paperback so it was long and I didn't remember it until I started reading it again. I'm just glad I got it through an ARC.

I will say it's an unusual take on assassin's. I found it a little difficult to keep up with who she was from moment to moment, but the storyline was pretty good. Not a great read, but a good one. The love interest is unusual as well. It's really pretty twisted, but to explain why would be to give away the story. Which I won't do. Suffice it to say it's different, in a good, if confusing, way. So I give it 3 stars because it's really just Ok.

I received this copy as an ARC copy but my opinions are completely my own.

3.5
I won't bother describing what the book is about. We are on Goodreads and you can see the summery for yourself. It's what got me to pick up the book in the first place. The only time I'll do that is when the description does not do it justice or gives the wrong impression.

I was dealing with a book hangover when I started reading this one. Still, the first thing was I noticed how well it was written and then it pulled me in.
I have a hard time judging first books in a series, because I know its not the full story. To me, all three books are the whole shape of the story. This one is good, but the cover kept intruding into my mind while I read, because the girl on there is not what our girl looks like. Bit odd that.

I can't say I loved it, because it didn't quite hit all the marks for me. BUT its interesting, and has a lot of pull, and makes me really itch to read the next book. The dark hints of romance were lovely, if you like that sort of thing and I do =) It was not over the top with mush or spent too much time dwelling on the attraction. It was simply part of the story and didn't detract at all from it.

I have faith in this story =) And do want to see what comes next.

Born in Darkness by Julie Kenner, an intriguing novel. Well written and pulls you in right away. A young girl does protecting her sister and wakes up in a new body, told and trained as the new hero who can save the world from demons but something is not right...

I really wanted to get into this book, but I had a tough time. The main character wasn't very likeable, and I didn't understand the hyper sexuality of her character. It was repeatedly mentioned how hot and bothered she got by several male characters, and I didn't see how it added to the plot beyond forcing a bit of romance into the storyline. I would have preferred an urban fantasy without romance, as I think the whole resurrection, new body, saving the world thing sounded really cool. But the romance plot got in the way a bit, and I found myself bored and confused early on. I found it super easy to put this book down. Not my cup of tea, but obviously I am in the minority based on the reviews. Will definitely try this author again with a different book.

I very much enjoyed this book. I liked the action and the story is very well written.

I recommend this book and I can't wait to read the next book.

3.5 Stars!

Good start to a paranormal series. It has a few things I love to see. The tough heroine who is strong and can take down evil, the dangerous hero who has a darkness to him but wants to be a good guy, and a storyline that wasn't cookie cutter.

There's not much romance in book one. I have high hopes that this part will be escalated in the next book. I see potential with this couple. They have a strong attraction that both can't resist but there were trust issues they had to overcome at first.

As to all start of a series, you have a lot to learn about what is going on and what direction the story is going to go. Due to that, it did feel a bit slow in the beginning. Once some truths were revealed, I enjoyed the rest of the book more as things escalated.

I'm hoping the next book ramps up the heat between Lily and Deacon!