Anna Windsor - Captive Heart

As the world’s only fully trained water Sybil, Andy Myles is too busy battling New York’s demonic population and coping with personal tragedy to trust her broken heart to the wrong man. Jack Blackmore, FBI adviser to Manhattan’s Occult Crimes Unit, is Army-tough and rattling Andy’s nerves big-time, criticizing her strategies for attacking the powerful flesh-feasting Rakshasa. She could happily drown Jack with a rogue wave of her water energy -- or her kisses. Honestly, when did hating a man become so hot? Jack’s all human -- and he puts his trust in bullets, steel, and fists, not magic. Tough and confident, he’s never met a problem he couldn’t handle. Then again, he’s never fought alongside warrior witches who can kill with a flick of a finger or lost his heart to a wild, unpredictable woman whose kisses taste like sweet southern rain. As a tide of despotic evil sweeps through the streets of New York, Jack’s got one chance to stop a malevolent rampage -- and claim Andy’s heart.

Comment: The final book in the series (as far as I know).
I have to confess I only read this book because I wanted some kind of closure in the series. These stories don't have the same meaning as they had before. I feel sorry this happened because the characters are interesting and the writing is too but there's something not quite right for me in the books. The simplest reason is they're just too serious, they don't entertain as much I wanted them to. This wouldn't be a problem if the plots had more vitality but even with things happening all the explanations are just too serious to make me enjoy the world, so...I've read them all, but I've lost the love for them.I still respect the plots and the author for having written this, but I no longer love the books, I'm sorry.
I've read them all because of Andy. The author recognizes she was a character most people were curious about and says so in a note in the first page of the book. I have to agree...Andy's character had the most interesting path and in her story many things were expected.
I was happy with the things worked out for Andy..she learns more about being a water sybil, about her role and what people expected from her. She takes a stronger position about some issues and I liked seeing that part of her. We also see her falling in love and it's good it makes us happy for her.
The plot...well, I was quite bored with reading the villain's parts...

- > enter rant
honestly authors...one things is to write one or two paragraphs... fine, one or two pages with villains and what they're doing or worse, their POV's if you must, but to dedicate many pages with their evil plans and motivations?? To me, it's the quicker way to skip pages. Ok I don't do it all the time but I do tend to not pay much attention to them because it's boring and it's not what I want to read about in a book, especially if it's a romance...not always in other books, but still.
(You gotta love Tess Gerritsen, yes you do)
-> end of rant

...but I liked the overall way the good guys solved the problems they had to in order to save the world. It was well done but I have to confess it wasn't the most interesting thing because the initial issue changed since the first book and things got confusing to follow.
The end of the book was sweet, as expected.
I don't have much to say, especially nice things and I feel a bit bad because I couldn't enjoy the books more, but it's fiction and I've tried and sometimes it's the best you can do.

Anna Windsor - Captive Soul

Her flame power nearly extinguished in a battle against the dark forces attempting to control Manhattan, fire Sybil Camille Fitzgerald is down but not out. Joining a new squad of warrior witches, she hopes to reclaim her fighting spirit and, with luck, her pyrotechnic mastery. Two problems on that front: a new army of cannibalistic demons and her superheated lust for John Cole, an unholy blend of demon and U.S. Special Forces agent now working undercover for New York’s Occult Crimes Unit.
John knows he can’t be trusted -- hell, he can’t trust himself. His warrior soul has entered a new, supernaturally fit body. Unfortunately, it’s a body belonging to the Sybils’ worst enemy, whose supernasty essence still lingers. But when John’s demon energy seems more alive than dead, it’s Camille whose scorching kiss keeps him human -- for now. All he’s got to do is master his dark side and save Camille and the Sybils from an army of satanic hellboys planning their ultimate destruction.

Comment: Well, this author has a good thing in her favour, she writes well. Her books have emotion and the sentences sound good, both in grammar and in a literay way.
The problem? The story is a little bit boring.
Camille isn't the most talented sybil, at least in the usual powers a sybil has. But she's still chosen by Bela to be part of a squad (the only squad in existence) and learns to cope with her lackings in order to help the team. In the end of the previous book she does a spell somehow and her soul touched the soul of John Cole, the "spirit" that lived in another chaarcter's head (can I say lol?). After that it's like they recognized each other and it's understood they will belong together.
It's not like I have many issues with the book, I don't, but as it is a bit boring, it obviously takes longer to finish it, which makes the book feel...well, not heavier, but more tiresome, so it clouds my judgement a bit. I'm not sure how this book could be better, the feel of it it's not easy banter or funny team work, but it's not high drama either, so...I guess the problem is there's exactly no fun in this. Even the dialogue - that usually provides the easier moments in the story - isn't as easy and funny as it could be, which makes the book too serious and one has to be paying attention all the time, it's like we can't rest from the problems...I can't explain why this feels like this to me, there are other authors who write in this way and I don't share this opinion about them, so...it's the author, I know, but in a way, this one just makes her chaarcters a bit more plain, a bit more boring, if you know what I mean.
Now it looks like I didn't like it, I did. But that's it, I just liked it, not loved it.
The romance is interesting but not super amazing as it should, considering the way things work out. The bad guys...how to not avoid them.. hum, I confess I just read a sentence here and there when they were "on"....yes, shame on me.
I think this books has all the problems of middle books in trilogies, we don't get enough new things and it's still too early to solve most of them. I'm confident the next one, the last of the trilogy, will be much better.
If I were to grade this one, I'd say a C. You read it but it's just a distant memory after a while.

Anna Windsor - Captive Spirit

Saving humanity from the supernatural has been challenging lately—even for a well-trained earth Sybil like Bela Argos, who must harness the magic of a fractious group of warrior sisters and battle a new wave of paranormal attacks. Another challenge is Duncan Sharp, the hunky NYPD detective who might turn into a demon overnight and devour Bela in her sleep. Still, the darkness taking over Duncan’s body can’t stop the molten heat unleashed by the intense attraction between them.

Duncan has two major problems: First, he has the soul of a suspected serial killer hitching a ride on his vibe. Worse (yes, worse) he’s got a demonic fever raging inside that promises a world of hurt for everybody, especially Bela. Now he’s all about getting even with the demons that put this freak curse in his blood—satanic forces that dare to unleash their savage lust on Duncan’s soul, his city, and the woman he loves.

Comment: This is a new book on the world of Sybils. The author has another trilogy already based on this world, which ended in a bittersweet flavour.
This new book is the first of a second trilogy, and right now there's a new enemy.
The heroines are also characters from the previous books, and now we see them once again together to defeat some demons.

Bela Argos is the "leader" of a new team and she wants them to work out, while still mourning the ones who died.
She's afraid they won't be able to work together but she's making an effort. In comes Duncan Sharp, a police detective, someone who shows up at the wrong moment, but in the end that's what allows him to live long and in a useful way.

I think this book lacks a certain something to make it memorable. I liked it but I wasn't dazzled by it. The same had already happened with the previous trilogy. The writing is logical and makes sense. The characters are serious and with depth. But I think they're too serious, there's almost nothing in the humour department, the reader doesn't see them having fun...I understand the tone of the books isn't a funny one, but once in a while it would be nice to watch them in a more carefree environment.
Besides that, I think this world has everything to be a winner.
I'll read the following books when I can.