This was my first Jocelynn Drake book. I'd actually picked up her Nightwalker book YEARS ago, when it first came out, but like so many books on my TBR pile, I'd never picked it up. (How's that for a run on sentence and a sad admission? *ggg) I realize now that was a mistake. Her writing is quite lush. There's something about her style that draws you into the world and doesn't let you go.

Bronx is a prequel to the Asylum series. It introduces the main character in quite a vivid fashion. Not sure I'll ever look at a dirty women's restroom in quite the same way again. LOL! We also meet Bronx, who if I remember correctly is a Troll. I really liked this character. As a reader, you learn a lot about him through his actions, which frankly only makes you like him more. My only quibble (which really isn't one for me) is that the story is a LOT like the Harry Dresden series. You have a wizard/warlock, who isn't allowed to practice magic. A wizard/warlock governing body waiting for him to screw up, so that they can kill him, etc. If you've read Jim Butcher, some of the things in this new series are really going to sound familiar. That said, I still really enjoyed the story, the writing, and characters. So for me, I don't mind having a series that's a little similar. My guess is that it will not remain so as the series progresses.

So if you like Jim Butcher's work, then I highly recommend picking this series up. You won't regret it. :) ( )

I am really liking this new series. I've just started reading the first full length book in the Asylum series. Yes, it still reminds me a little of the Harry Dresden series, but not enough to ruin my enjoyment. The characters are interesting. The author takes the stories in different directions that I anticipate. What more could you ask for? I cannot wait to read more books set in this world. ( )

Just ok. ( )

I found this book a bit hard to get through for some reason. Took me ages to read, and I had a hard time getting into the characters. I read the next book though, and that one I really liked, so it was worth 'muddling' through this one. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Entertaining look into a new series about a loyal tattoo artist.

Opening Sentence: “What the … Get the hell out of here!”

The Review:

The Asylum Interviews: Bronx is the first of two short stories about how Gage, the mysterious tattoo artist of Angel’s Ink, meets one of his two employees. First up is Bronx, a talented tattoo artist who happens to be a troll. Gage meets Bronx in a most hilarious yet uncomfortable situation while at a bar. Undeterred, Bronx tells Gage he is looking for a new job but then gets sucked into a search for Gage’s friend Parker. Parker is an incubus. He is looking for a way to suppress his feedings and the best way to do that is by getting a tattoo. Unfortunately the tattoo doesn’t work as planned and Gage and Bronx undergo an adventure to fix Parker’s tattoo.

This was a highly enjoyable look into Gage and the supernatural world around him. Gage is quite mysterious and the hints into his background really left me wanting to read more about him. Gage claims to not really have any close friends but he went out of his way to help Parker (one of the few people who put up with Gage). This really shows the limits that Gage will go in order to help a friend. Gage comes off as someone I would really want as a friend even though it is obvious he is hiding something.

The “Interview” part of the title did confuse me at first. I really thought the novella’s would be told from the secondary characters of Angel’s Ink point of view, in this case Bronx but the tale is told from Gage’s point of view.

The Asylum Interviews: Bronx is a pleasant look into a world where the supernatural are known and living among us. I enjoyed this look into Gage, Bronx, incubi and Vestal Virgins. I was intrigued enough by Gage’s mysterious past that I would definitely pick up Angel’s Ink.

Notable Scene:

“Then Bronx isn’t your real name? It’s a nickname?”

“It’s my birth name. Trolls are named after the places in which they are born.”

My face scrunched up as I mentally digested this unexpected bit of information. I had only spoken to one or two other trolls in my entire life and I hadn’t caught their names. Truth was there wasn’t a lot known about trolls because they didn’t tend to be very talkative. Most people thought that they just weren’t very bright and tended to avoid them because they weren’t pleasing to the eye like elves and were frighteningly strong like ogres.

“So, there could be several other trolls running around with the name Bronx,” I said.

“I would imagine so, but then there are other humans running around with the name Gage, correct?”

“Probably. But do you also have siblings with the same name as you?”

“No, I’m an only child. Most trolls have only one child.”

“Really? Why?”

“The mother tends to eat the spares.”

FTC Advisory: Harper Voyager/Harper Collins provided me with a copy of The Asylum Interviews: Bronx. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )