'Blood Kissed' was an entertaining Australian Urban Fantasy novel that kicks off a series that I think will become a comfort read of mine. comfort read Urban Fantasy.

The story is a satisfying mix of magical thriller accented with sassy humour and a dash of romance. It has everything you'd expect in an Urban Fantasy: witches, werewolves, vampires and even a zombie but with enough trope twisting to keep everything fresh. The plot was good thriller material with lots of action: abduction, murders, attacks on the good guys and a few surprises along the way. It was also crafted to introduce the main characters who are likely to form the ensemble cast in a series and to speed up the world-building.

The thing I liked most about the book was the relationship between Lizzie Grace and her human witch Familiar, Belle Kent. The idea of a witch having a lesser witch as a Familiar was fresh and fun, especially as the chemistry between the two of them worked so well. I loved that they could speak into each other's minds, that they had complementary strengths and that they respected one another. They're both heterosexual so the partnership is not sexual but it is a lifelong commitment.

I liked the magic system used by the witches and I loved the addition of possibly sentient Wild Magic. The concept of werewolves in modern Australia living on semi-autonomous reservations in the bush and then encouraging tourism to generate revenue amused me. They share a secret past which I'm sure will fuel their future adventures and their banter lifted the book.

I'd been worried that 'Blood Kiss' might be an early example of Romantasy, a genre that doesn't appeal to me but it turned out to be a fantasy with eye-candy romance on the side. I liked that romance parts weren't too eye-rollingly gushy and that they helped move the plot forward. Even so, the romance was still the most trope-heavy part of the plot. Thankfully, the relationship between Lizzie and Belle stayed centre stage, making the romance a relish rather than a main course.

I recommend the audiobook version of 'Blood Kissed'. Katherine Littrell kept the text moving and provided distinct and appropriate voices for the characters.

'Blood Kissed' works as a standalone novel but the set-up offers enough promise that I'll know I'll be back for more. ( )

The first book was entertaining enough. Not particularly original but willing to subvert expectations and avoid at least some of the beaten path of the genre.

But the second, as well as the third book, are carbon copies of this one. The details are different but the whole plot construction template is identical.

I kept reading because I was intrigued by the overall plot but I am not willing to listen to a 300-page book over and over again just for 10 pages of main story arch in each. ( )

I won’t lie I have half way through this audiobook before I even knew it was based in Australia…. So for me the characters were really diverse or dynamic and I thought that was just because it was the first book and there would be room to improve. But it’s a pretty typical paranormal mystery series with nothing really different to make to it stand out about the others. ( )

Another book from LibraryThing's recommendation engine, and another good library book. Fortunately, as the author is apparently an Aussie, my local libraries have it; I think if I'd bought this one I might have felt more ambivalent about it.

Blood Kissed is a pretty standard Urban Fantasy story with your wares, vampires, witches, etc. and it's surprisingly well written for a self published book (yes, I'm biased and I'm comfortable with it as the vast body of self published works out there support my bias against them). It's not on a par with Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs, but it does a respectable job of coming close. The characters are engaging, the world building seems solid and the plot is very straight forward. An easy and engaging read for when one is in the mood for some urban fantasy.

My library seems to have the entire series, so I'll likely be dipping back in sooner rather than later. ( )

I have now found another favorite series. I have been in a reading funk for some weeks now, starting a book but not finishing because I somehow lost interest or found one of the main characters too annoying. Blood Kissed has effectively taken me out of this funk. I couldn't put the book down. I found the action exciting and the characters sensible and likable. ( )