Review (ARC): Fury Unleashed (Forgotten Brotherhood 1) by N.J. Walters

Title: Fury Unleashed

Series: Forgotten Brotherhood #1

Author: N. J. Walters

Release Date: March 23, 2020 
(ARC Version)

Published By: Entangled Amara

Category: Contemporary – Romance – Paranormal – Demons – Angels – Fantasy

Type: Digital – Paperback

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N. J. Walters Website

Blurb: 

Maccus Fury, a fallen angel, is trying hard to keep his sanity. Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She’s pretending to seduce him, and he’s okay with that. She’s smart and snarky—but she has no idea what she’s walked into. And he’s more than peeved that they only sent one person. They’re going to need an army if they want him dead.

Morrigan Quill is one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she’s working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer––that’s definitely too good to be true—she can’t say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.

Good thing he won’t see what’s coming next.

 By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Lines:

People thought Hell was fiery, but everyone’s experience was different. For her, it was cold. It was always being on the outside, never able to trust anyone, having to be aware at all times that someone or something might try to kill her.  ~  Morrigan

She should hate him, fear him, despise him. For some miraculous reason, she didn’t. Open and eager, she held nothing back. She scared the crap out of him.  ~  Maccus

Excerpt:

          Someone had invaded her space. Morrigan didn’t call it home. She didn’t have one of those, hadn’t in a long time. These days she lived in ratty motel rooms or in short-term efficiency apartments that rented by the week. 

          She surged out of bed, a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. 

          “Glad to see you’re not slipping, Morrigan. Still as sharp as ever.”The voice was cultured and smooth, and every fine hair on her body stood on end. 

          “Sir.”This was Lucifer himself, ruler of Hell, and her boss. As one of Hell’s bounty hunters, she was tasked with capturing any wayward demons and dragging them back. 

          Even Hell had rules. 

          She didn’t lower her weapons but motioned to the chair. “Please sit. What can I do for you?”Very early on in her career, she’d learned it was better to be polite to the Lord of the Underworld. Her stomach churned, and bile burned her throat. The times he’d been displeased with her were the stuff of nightmares and something to never be repeated. 

          He was a good-looking devil, with dark hair and a lean build, and favored three-piece suits. Custom, of course. After giving the chair with duct tape patching the cushion a dubious glance, he sat and waved his hand to the empty seat across from him. 

          Keeping a tight grip on her weapons, she sat. Not that a knife or gun would do her much good against him, but it was better than nothing. 

          “I have a job for you.

          ”This was highly unusual. Her work details came from her immediate supervisor, Emmett, not from the big guy himself. “Sir?”The drapes were open a crack in the center, and sunlight seeped in, allowing her to see him better. He frowned. Never a good sign. Of course, it was no better when he smiled. 

          He tapped his fingers on the table. As he continued to beat out a rhythm, his fingernails elongated. The tapping became more like scratching. Morrigan swallowed heavily and stayed still, not wanting to draw his anger. 

          “You will find and kill this man.”He snapped his fingers, and a picture appeared on the table. She glanced at it but quickly brought her attention back to Lucifer. He didn’t like to be ignored for even a second. 

          “Not return to Hell?”Her job wasn’t to kill but to capture demons and have them deported from the world. If he was a human who’d made a deal with the devil but was trying to weasel out, then her job was the same—capture and deport. In her ten years on the job, she’d never killed anyone. Injured, sure. Maim, she’d give him that. But she was a bounty hunter, not an assassin. 

          Lucifer drove his hand down hard on the photo, skewering the image with one of his sharp nails. “Not this one.”

          Morrigan swallowed heavily, fighting hard not to heave the contents of her stomach. “Sir, I’m not an assassin.”Capturing a demon was one thing; killing on command was quite another. 

          He smiled, and her blood ran cold. “You are now, my dear. Do this, and your contract is complete.”

          He reached out and caught her face in his hand. Her skin burned on contact, but she didn’t dare pull away. The stink of scorched flesh stung her nostrils, and she trembled. 

          “Kill this man, and you’re a free woman.”

          When she’d signed on for twenty-five years as a bounty hunter, she’d never believed she’d live long enough to complete her contract. And if she died on the job, she forfeited her life and would spend eternity in Hell. 

          Now here was a way out. It seemed too good to be true. And if she’d learned one thing when it came to working with the devil and dealing with demons, it was that if it seemed too good to be true, then it usually was. There was always a loophole or some detail omitted. 

          He slowly released her and stood. “Fail, and you’ll spend the remaining fifteen years of your contract in Hell.”The smile he gave her chilled her blood. “And if you’re still alive at the end of those fifteen years, you’ll be free.”

          Yeah, like she’d be able to stay alive for a week on her own in Hell. Not with all those bounties she’d returned over the years actively hunting her. No, if she failed, she’d spend eternity being tortured. 

          “Do whatever it takes to get close to him.”He pointed at the picture and then ran his gaze over her body. She wanted to pull her legs up and curl into a ball. But he’d only make her stand, maybe even strip her naked so she would be even more vulnerable. “Anything,”he repeated. 

           After making his position crystal clear, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Coughing, she sheathed her weapons and waved her hand in front of her face, gagged a couple of times, and swallowed heavily to keep from throwing up. Oh, she understood completely. She was to sleep with the guy in the picture if it allowed her to get close enough to kill him. 

          Not willing to look into the face of the man she was supposed to kill, she picked up the photo and turned it over first. There was only a name on the back—Maccus Fury. 

          She slowly flipped the picture around and studied him. Black eyes glared back at her as if he was already fully aware of what she’d been ordered to do. Jet black hair was cut short on the sides, with the top long and pulled back into a short tail. The image was only of his upper body, but peeking out from beneath his shirt were several tattoos. She picked up the photo and brought it closer but couldn’t quite tell what the images were. 

          “What have you done to piss off Lucifer?”He wouldn’t win any prizes for beauty. His features were too rough, too rugged for that. But there was something so compelling about him, and she took a second and then a third look. 

          She was going to die. 

          A sense of inevitability filled her. This man was no easy mark, no demon drunk on a furlough to earth so he could enjoy all its forbidden pleasures, no scared human trying to hide from the devil. 

          He’s a warrior. It was written in every line of his body. 

          I’m totally fucked. 

          Morrigan sucked in a deep breath. She didn’t cry, had lost that ability ten years ago when she’d given up her humanity to save the only person she’d ever truly loved—her baby sister. Everything she’d been through had been worth it to save the then misguided eighteen-year-old. Kayley was now twenty-eight and out there somewhere living her life. That was enough. It had to be. It was all she had. 

          The picture burned her fingers, and she dropped it on the table. The paper curled as fire licked over the edges. When it disappeared, there was writing burned into the table. “New York.”As soon as she said the words, the letters faded. She had her starting point. 

          Time to hunt.

Highlight:

          The back of his neck itched as he walked across the parking garage toward the private elevator that connected to his suite. Owning the building came with perks. 

          It went against all his instincts to allow someone at his back. In this case, it served a purpose. If Morrigan relaxed, she’d be more likely to talk. 

          And to have sex. 

          Right now, both were a priority. 

          And it was a calculated risk. If she attacked, he trusted he was faster. Maybe that was nothing more than hubris, but it was a chance he was willing to take. 

          Morrigan didn’t fidget, even though he knew she had to be uncertain about what awaited. Calm and cool, she strode to whatever fate awaited. 

          By the time the bell dinged and the door opened to his home, he was sure she’d cataloged every possible weakness and escape route in the garage and elevator. He’d have done the same. 

          They were alike in many ways. 

          When he stepped off, she remained inside. There was one sure-fire way to get her off. “Scared?”he taunted. He’d only known her a short time, but she had no shortage of confidence or faith in her ability to handle herself. Her job demanded both. They had that in common. 

          Her frown deepening, she raised her chin in defiance and stepped into the room. The doors slid shut behind her. 

          In the decade he’d lived here, the only other person who’d been inside was Gabriel, and he’d been uninvited. The space was vibrant, more energized with her in it. 

          “So, this is your home.”She wandered into the living space, her boots barely making a sound on the gleaming hardwood floor. It was the tread of a hunter. 

          The room was stark with only a long leather sofa to break up the expanse. A large screen television hung on the wall for those rare occasions he indulged in what passed for entertainment among humans, most of it ridiculous, if not downright boring. Although, he did enjoy movies. They reminded him of the plays of old. The open area, he mostly used as a workout space. 

          “Minimalism.”She trailed her fingers over the back of the sofa. “Not surprising.”

          “What were you expecting?”Curious, he crossed his arms and studied her. She moved with the grace of a dancer…or a fighter. 

          Their verbal sparring was invigorating. Those that crossed his path feared him. They either fought or ran. Morrigan was a challenge, one he couldn’t wait to explore further. 

          She gave a quick shrug. “I admit I wasn’t expecting the penthouse.”Then she motioned to the view of the city beyond the window. “I figured something smaller and in not quite as good an address.”

          The dent in his wall, the one he hadn’t had bothered to fix yet, caught her attention. “Redecorating?”

          “Something like that.”

          They were circling each other. It was a dance of sorts, like two wary combatants, both of them advancing and retreating, giving no ground. 

          The smell of sulfur from the demon she’d fought lingered on her clothes and skin, stirring something dark and dangerous inside him. 

          He prowled toward her. Rather than run, which would have roused predator inside him, she faced him without flinching. 

          When her hand went to the knife tucked at her waist, he smiled. 

          “What are you doing?” Her words were level, but he detected the slightest quaver in her voice, caught a whiff of fear. 

          “What do you think I’m doing?” he countered. 

          When he took another step closer, she pulled the dagger and held it in front of her. The stance, the way she held the weapon, was that of someone with some skill. The blade was dull, not shiny. It was for killing, not for show. And contrary to what popular television shows would have people think, shiny blades gave away your position to the enemy. Silent and deadly was best. The target should never see you or the knife coming. 

          “I think you’re trying to intimidate me.”

          “Is it working?” he asked. Over a few millennia, life could get predictable, even monotonous. Not that he was complaining. Boring was good. Much better than the alternative. Usually, he dealt with any problems and went back to his calm life. 

          Then he’d met Morrigan. Coincidence or design? He wasn’t a betting man, but he didn’t believe in coincidence. When he was around her, all his senses fired. All of her seemed designed to attract him. She smelled sweet underneath the blood and demon funk. Her voice soothed the savage beast inside him. And she was certainly easy on the eyes. 

          Dressed in black leather and brandishing a weapon, she was long and lean and deadly. A light sheen of sweat covered her face, making her skin glisten. She wore no makeup but needed none, striking enough without it. 

          He already knew her lips were soft. Now he wanted to peel away her clothes and discover the woman beneath. 

          They might be enemies, but that just added spice to the mix. 

          “I’ve faced more dangerous than you.” The light from the chandelier caught the reddish tones in her auburn hair, making it snap like fire. 

          “I seriously doubt that.” Anticipation threaded through him. First, he’d spar with her, and then he’d fuck her. 

          “You know what I am, don’t you?”

          No point in lying. “You’re one of Lucifer’s bounty hunters.”

          She nodded slowly, as if he’d confirmed something she’d already suspected. “So, you know what I’m capable of.”The knife flipped between her fingers. 

          “Yes.”Drawn to her beauty and strength, he took another step toward her. Lust pulsed through him, powerful and deep. He hadn’t desired a woman this badly…ever. 

          “What are you?”She took a step back, putting herself in the middle of the hardwood floor with an expanse of eight feet on either side of her, giving herself room to fight. 

          Smart move. 

          “I could say I’m your worst nightmare, but that’s so clichéd.”

          “Then why do I think you’re not joking?”Her slender throat rippled when she swallowed. 

          “Because I’m not. I won’t harm you unless you try to hurt me.”For a second, she glanced at the floor. 

          She’s here to kill me. 

          He’d suspected as much. It didn’t matter, didn’t change the fact he still wanted to have sex with her. 

          Some might find that disturbing. He called it foreplay. 

          He curled his fingers inward and made a come-and-get-me motion. She frowned and glanced down at the knife in her hand. “You want to fight?”

          “Isn’t that what you came here for?” he countered. Would she try to kill him now, or would she backtrack and seduce him, trying to make him lower his guard before taking a shot? 

          Maccus was more alive than he’d been in a very long while. Aware of the cadence of her breathing, the pungent scent of blood and sweat from her body, combined with the faintest hint of soap. 

          Morrigan stalked toward him, her long legs closing the distance quickly. Outwardly relaxed, he was ready for anything. The sharp blade remained loosely clasped in her hand by her side. 

          She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Review: 

Morrigan is tired. She’s been a bounty hunter for Hell for more than ten years now. The position wasn’t by choice, she took it on contract to save her sister’s soul. Seems her sister had a unique ability to summon the devil himself, which didn’t go so well. Now she’s locked in for another 15 years, constantly on the run, always checking her back, knowing someone could be trying to kill her at any time. If she happens to die while under contract, she still goes to Hell, so dying isn’t really an option either. But Lucifer has a proposal and if she completes the deed, she will be free of the contract and free not only her own soul, but her sister’s as well. It isn’t exactly a job she can refuse, nor can she tell the devil no either. What she didn’t count on was that her contract was put on a fallen angel. He’s gorgeous, haunted, a loner, and she can’t seem to resist him. Even knowing Gabriel wants her dead and  Maccus the one chosen by him to kill her isn't diminishing the primal attraction one bit. But Morrigan is tied to Maccus in unexplainable ways and rather than try to kill him, even knowing his death will free her, she determines to save him – even if she has to give up her life to achieve his redemption.

Maccus fell from heaven thousands of years ago. Thrust into the bowels of Hell, he eventually escapes and turns rogue assassin on earth. Except Maccus has a requirement. Anyone he kills deserves it. He never involves or harms innocents. He never figured out why Gabriel turned on him in Heaven, and there is no love lost between them now. When Gabriel attempts to trap him into a contract to kill someone, he is immediately suspicious and avoids the trick. But Maccus needs to know what is so special about Morrigan that an angel wants her eliminated. He never thought he’d find his salvation in her. Maccus has a small sliver of his soul left, but the more he is forced to kill, the more that tiny light dims. He’s smart enough to know that if Lucifer and Gabriel are working together, that they are hoping Morrigan will toss him over the cliff he edges precariously close to each day. If he loses himself, both Heaven and Hell will come after him and sanction him. Not an option. So he fights with everything he has to thwart the conspiring angel and demon and keep Morrigan safe. He’s also figured out a bit about her heritage that she knows nothing about. Dropping the bombshell might push her away from him, but it’s a chance he has to take. If she turns away from him, it would be what he rightly deserves given his fall from grace and the multitudes he has killed.

Holy crap! I have read N.J Walters previously. I am sure I have, but I cannot seem to remember what it was that I read. I picked up this book because the blurb sounded intriguing, but the cover completely caught me. Once I saw that, I was reading it for sure. Being unfamiliar with Ms. Walters work, I would have to guess that this is not Maccus’s first appearance within one of her books. I couldn’t say when or where, but based on the interactions between Maccus and Asher, they both have appeared prior to this series. Very little was said, yet there was an entire story beneath the words. So … given that assumption, there is another series or book out there by this author and the Forgotten Brotherhood seems to be a spin-off from it. I aim to find out all I can about these particular books. Maccus is extraordinary. He’s the quintessential example of the brooding, reluctant hero. Alone for thousands of years with only himself to rely on, he’s resigned to his life and basically existing. He ceased to live once he fell and knows there will never be any other kind of existence for him … until he meets Morrigan. She makes him feel things and want things that he closed his mind and heart to thousands of years ago. But, even knowing she is the one brought in to kill him, he is unable to resist her. If he can only have her for a while, he’ll take what he can get. Morrigan is of a similar mindset. She has no disillusions of any kind regarding a happily ever after in her future. With the heaviness of possibly murdering Maccus resting on her shoulders and still not entirely sure of which side of the fence she will come down on, she might as well indulge in the addicting passion that sparks whenever they are near one another. But the more time they spend together, the more their bond strengthens. Nefarious intent may have brought them together, but there is something else at work here – something bigger than either of them – even bigger than Gabriel and Lucifer – two conspiring idiots who may have just created a situation they never saw coming and sure as hell didn’t want.

This is the kind of book that I read for. When I complete the book and I can’t wait to get my hands on more … when I realize there was more to this story in some way and feel the need to seek it out … when I am well and truly caught from beginning to end. This! This is why I read! Not many books have the power to influence me in such a way. Not even books I absolutely adore and would likely read again. This is a different kind of draw – an all-consuming draw. I was pulled into this book from the very start and with the fast-paced, non-stop, thrilling content, I had little choice except to dig in and go along for the ride. And what a ride it was. Angels, demons, vampires, bounty hunters from hell, fallen angels … what’s not to like? I can’t say I was entirely surprised over how things with Kayley turned out, but the other reveal regarding Morrigan’s heritage was well played. And when you think about it, it makes sense. But the star of this book is definitely Maccus. When you take into consideration everything he has gone through over the last ten thousand years or so, his transformation is phenomenal. It isn’t hard to believe his internal struggle in disbelieving that Morrigan could love him. Not so quickly and certainly not so unconditionally. Admittedly, everything happens rather quickly within this story, but given the dangerous nature of Maccus and Morrigan’s lives, they don’t really have the luxury of time. I will say that Morrigan’s father makes an appearance and while I expected that it would happen at some point, I wish they could have had some time. However, with all of the information hinted at, the reader is left to make a few assumptions. And sometimes that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The outcome for both Maccus and Morrigan is just a bit rushed. I do not want to provide any spoilers, but it’s rather quick between impending doom and salvation and I wasn’t all that clear on exactly how it all came to occur. I mean, there was a prophecy and I get that, but man. It was quick. If I had any complaint, it would be how rapidly everything wraps up. I felt like we needed a bit more to the Epilogue. However, it also sets up the next book fairly well and I look forward to discovering more about the Forgotten Brotherhood and what Maccus’s role in it will be as they move forward in their new positions. What concerns me slightly is that the series claims each book can be a stand-alone, so I truly hope that doesn’t mean we won’t get to revisit with both Morrigan and Maccus in the future.

Besides the supernatural beings, this book is jam-packed with suspense, thrills and some passionate af sex between our lead characters. I mean, fan yourself, down and dirty, give me more, delicious sex. If you like the idea of a fantasy world in which these supernatural beings coexist with the average person and being taken on a crazy wild ride with edge of your seat suspense, then get the book. Ms. Walters delivers an action-packed, super-steamy, engrossing read that is sure to leave you hungry for more. And if none of that does it, then take a long look at that stunning cover. As a bit of a cover slut myself, this one couldn’t be more appropriate for this book. Who wouldn’t be hooked by that deliciously sexy piece of art? I, personally, cannot wait to see the next cover, and definitely can’t wait to read the next installment as soon as I am able. I don’t know if Ms. Walters writes other than paranormal romance, but she’s definitely become one of my top authors in that genre overnight.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Entangled in exchange for an honest review.