4.5/5
I don't think it's fair to say that the first book was stronger than the second. Not really. What throws people off the track is the change of pace and accents on different issues.

I love Adrian Phoenix. She is one of the best in urban fantasy, and one of the most underrated authors. You should read Her Maker's Song series, they are superb! Although Hoodoo series take place in the same sort of area, they are inherently different.

As in book#1 all the action happens within 24 hours. There are plenty of life and death situations, horrifying discoveries and layers upon layers of lies. Everything gets too complicated because the magic is messed up and backfires 10 times out of 10, the hurricane is getting close, Baron Samedi, the loa of death is hunting Kallie, and Layne picks up a second ghost rider...

Also the loup-garou angle was intriguing. What's up with the demon wolf? I thought he was awesome. The idea with the ritual in the end... mm-m, very vivid and intense.

I would have loved to see more Augustine, but the girl can't have everything. Overall, good second installment which left me with more questions than answers in the end. Can't wait for the third book. ( )

4 ½ Stars

This review is also published at http://thebookaholiccat.com

Black Heart Loa starts immediately after the events in Black Dust Mambo (book 1). Jackson is missing, Kallie, Belladona, Divinity and Gabrielle are deciding what to do next, when two men wearing ski masks and carrying guns break into their house, they are demanding the goods Jackson stole from them. But they underestimated this group of women. Minutes after their break in these men (Cash and Kerry) find themselves gun-less and cowering. After some interrogating they disclosed information regarding Jackson whereabouts. They were not the men that took him, but they saw when he was taken and they didn’t do anything to stop it. To infuriate Kallie and the others even more they acknowledge to have followed Jackson’s car and seeing how this group of people had buried Jackson alive. Kallie and Belladona take Kerry with them and go in search of the place where Jackson is buried hoping they won’t arrive to late to rescuing him.
Other things are happening at the same time, magic is backfiring, spell casts are going a skew and to complete this madness the wards designed to protect the golf coast from hurricanes are acting contrary as they should, calling a big hurricane to the land.

The characters in this series are different and non-ordinary. The world Mrs. Phoenix has created is unique and interesting, with the hoodoo, voodoo, Loas and its magic.

The characters have strong interrelationships. They know and care for each other. Their love is real and tangible, even though sometimes the “methods” they use on each other seem a little bit unorthodox.
I love the relationship between Kallie and Belladona; they felt almost as sisters. Their banter and witty remarks made this a still more enjoyable read.

We see again the sexy nomad Layne Valin… I usually don’t like dreads but I think they should look mighty sexy on Layne, so he is forgiven for having them. We learn a lot more about Jackson, Mrs. Phoenix really surprised me with his story, in a good way, as always. A new character is introduced his name is Devlin Daniels and let’s say he intrigues me very, very, very much. I can’t wait to see what Mrs. Phoenix has in stock for him.

My final thought: Black Heart Loa is a great addition to this series. It has everything a good Urban Fantasy book should have, action, intrigues, smexiness, great plot and interesting characters. Mrs. Phoenix entangled me with her magic writing in this wonderful book, demonstrating me once more why she is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors.
This book should not be read as a stand-alone, it should be read afterBlack Dust Mambo.
I cannot recommend you enough this book, this series and this author. If you haven’t read anything from Mrs. Phoenix you are missing one of the best masterminds of this genre. ( )

The Hoodoo series is an oddity in the urban fantasy - it focuses on voodoo, hoodoo and witchcraft. Continuing immediately after the action of Black Dust Mambo, Kallie's story continues the intrigue, mystery, magical murders, hexes and curses and mystical things. Well written and highly unique, the Hoodoo series is exceptional.

The setting, as to be expected, is the rich, Gothic landscape of New Orleans. The characters are fascinating, well written, and I look forward to the next installment of Hoodoo! ( )

Black Heart Loa RATING: 1 stars (regrettably, because the concept wasn't half bad...)
 
What a mess of a book. Kallie Rivière is supposedly the main character but after two books there is almost zero development. Why? Because everyone and their uncle has a POV in the damn book: Kallie, her aunt, her friends, her crush, random witches, hoodoos and the likes, villains, magical beings, even, I kid you not, a dog (although I rather liked the dog, actually). Inside each POV you have multiple flashbacks (told in present tense) to add to the confusion. The entire book is resolved by flashbacks. There is no investigative work and very little magic actually happens.And let me just say how weird I think it is when a female character is searching a male character's body for injuries and feeling him up at the same time. What? Priorities here? And there are a lot of dangerous situations where the heroines are all "Mmmm-mmm, what a fine piece of ass", "Mmm-mmm, what a pair of pecks", "Mmmm-mmm, I'd so do him", etc, etc. I mean, erm. Sexism anyone? And it's a dangerous situation!!! What are they doing checking men out? O_O
 
I just... this one was a chore to read through. It was ridiculous. The only thing half decent was the concept and the writing. ( )

The Hoodoo series is an oddity in the urban fantasy - it focuses on voodoo, hoodoo and witchcraft. Continuing immediately after the action of Black Dust Mambo, Kallie's story continues the intrigue, mystery, magical murders, hexes and curses and mystical things. Well written and highly unique, the Hoodoo series is exceptional.

The setting, as to be expected, is the rich, Gothic landscape of New Orleans. The characters are fascinating, well written, and I look forward to the next installment of Hoodoo! ( )