Blackhearted Betrayal (Shades of Fury, #3)

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Blackhearted Betrayal (Shades of Fury #3)

by Kasey MacKenzie (Goodreads Author), Judy York (Illustrator)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 155 ratings · 21 reviews

Riss has taken a leave of absence from the Boston PD to focus on her Fury duties, and becomes embroiled in a civil war which threatens to tear apart the Sisterhood and divide arcanekind.

Paperback, 1st Edition, 294 pages

Published June 26th 2012 by Ace

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Jul 15, 2012 Marsha rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults

Of the three books in the series, "Blackhearted Betrayal" is the best of the Shades of Fury but it also has the most convoluted plot. This book begins right where the previous book ended. The gang is partying after successfully thwarting a serial killer and pulling off the wedding of Penn and Harper. Now that the case is over, Marissa can concentrate on assisting her mother at the Palladium and her niece with ner new Fury transition.

While attempting to usher her niece, Cori to the Palladium, Ser...more Of the three books in the series, "Blackhearted Betrayal" is the best of the Shades of Fury but it also has the most convoluted plot. This book begins right where the previous book ended. The gang is partying after successfully thwarting a serial killer and pulling off the wedding of Penn and Harper. Now that the case is over, Marissa can concentrate on assisting her mother at the Palladium and her niece with ner new Fury transition.

While attempting to usher her niece, Cori to the Palladium, Serise the pregnant Harpy appears assisting Riss with an attack from one of her sister Furies. They manage to get away but Riss is summoned to appear before one of the three Fury groups she does not belong to. The Megaera of head of the group informs Riss that she and her mother are to accompany her to visit the Fury Triad or the gods. In order to travel to the Triad, Riss and her mother must drink ambrosia, drink to the gods. It is a painful but exhilarating experience but allows Marissa and her mom to confer with the gods. They inform the group that they are being promoted to nemeses status (the bounty hunters and protectors of the gods who hunt down arcanes who commit crimes against the triad). The will have increased abilities and strength but it will only last three days. During this time they must obtain proof that one of the gods of the Underworld, Anubis has been traitorous against the Triad.

Currently, Riss' boytoy, Scott is guarding Anubis. So, Marissa knows that she cannot involve him in on this quest. She takes a leave of absence from her job leaving her bff, Trinity in charge. Then she solicits the help of Charlie, the giant, Sahanna the magical pathologist, Durra, sister fury, and Mac, Riss's brother. Together they must travel to the underworld where they will face trial after trial, battle after battle, betrayal and forces beyond their control.

If all of this sounds convoluted, its' because it really was. While the plot was interesting at times there were just too many characters whose names and characteristics began to blur at times. However, as I indicated earlier, this was the best out of the three books. I still struggle at times with Ms. MacKenzie's writing style but the character of Marissa Holloway has definitely started to grow on me. It will be interesting to see where this series is headed.(less)

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Aug 26, 2012 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

Fresh from the 'adventure' of saving Harper's wedding in previous book, Riss (and her mother) is called by the The Triad -- referred to three Deities -- to find proof that Death Lord Anubis has been planning a scheme of deadly proportion. With her temporary status as immortal Nemesis for the Triad, Riss goes to the Underworld along with her loyal friends (her lover Scott, her half-brother Mac, and several others) ...

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At first, I'm a bit worried whether the story will be more (Fury) polit...more Fresh from the 'adventure' of saving Harper's wedding in previous book, Riss (and her mother) is called by the The Triad -- referred to three Deities -- to find proof that Death Lord Anubis has been planning a scheme of deadly proportion. With her temporary status as immortal Nemesis for the Triad, Riss goes to the Underworld along with her loyal friends (her lover Scott, her half-brother Mac, and several others) ...

---------

At first, I'm a bit worried whether the story will be more (Fury) politic heavy than the previous two books (those two have dead bodies that Riss must investigate). I'm not a big fan of the Fury politic, as I experience in the previous two books, all those classes in Furies and Harpies and Deities just make my head dizzy.

HOWEVER, Blackhearted Betrayal turns out to be the best book yet of this series. Ms. Mackenzie gives twists that are very worthy to keep the fast pace of the story ((view spoiler))

I love the trip to the Underworld -- I think it is very well done. I always have fun reading so many gods thrown in an urban fantasy series and this is no different. From African fertility goddess, an Egyptian death god, a Celtic horse-goddess ... to some magical creatures like an earth-friendly Giant and a Bhairavi Raga, this book offers great entertainment.

Duly noted, there's less of Riss and Scott's interaction here because of the Mandate that Riss has taken, to bring forwards evidences of Anubis betrayal, is taking the front-seat -- which makes the book more into action than romance. However, it is also what makes it better, I think. I love Riss and Scott's romance; but after book #2 I notice that their relationship is very strong now, and they are in that position where they trust each other completely (Scott becomes a 'traitor' sort of, to be on Riss side, since as a Warhound, his family worships Anubis) -- so that romance agenda doesn't need to be push forward.

Love the ending and I hope to see more books of this series!
(less)

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Feb 04, 2013 James Stone rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, for me, this is now a series to be read. This is the 3rd volume in Kasey MacKenzie's "Shades of Fury" series. There was deepening interest after I read volume 2, "Green-Eyed Envy," and this book fulfills the promise and justifies the interest I had in V2.
I find that what KM has accomplished here is well above and beyond the standard for this genre. This is a plot full of twists and turns and is so well written that even this slightly jaded fan of this genre was truly surprised at the reve...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Mirjam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Addictive and exhilerating are just a few of the words that apply to the Shades of Fury novels. In Blackhearted Betrayal there is lots of action and there are always unexpected twists in the story. Main character Riss is the ultimate sassy, kick-ass heroine with a profound sense of duty and honour. She is willing to make personal sacrifices to do the right thing. Although she is young for a Fury, she has already shown her worth to both her people and, apparently, the Gods. Riss, her mother Alleg...more Addictive and exhilerating are just a few of the words that apply to the Shades of Fury novels. In Blackhearted Betrayal there is lots of action and there are always unexpected twists in the story. Main character Riss is the ultimate sassy, kick-ass heroine with a profound sense of duty and honour. She is willing to make personal sacrifices to do the right thing. Although she is young for a Fury, she has already shown her worth to both her people and, apparently, the Gods. Riss, her mother Allegra and Adesina, the leader of the Megaera- the Furies with the green Amphisbaena who mainly investigate kidnappings, stalkings and sexual abuse crimes- are summoned by the Triad of Gods to investigate a lesser god who is attempting to gain enough power to rise to the status and power of a greater God. They suspect he has broken many immortal laws, but the Triad needs proof before they can take any action against the upstart. That's where Riss, Allegra and Adesina come in.

Not a simple assignment considering that even lesser Gods are more powerful than Furies. To give them a fighting chance the three Furies are temporarily promoted to Nemeses. This means they will be more powerful and on top of that they cannot be killed as long as they are Nemeses, but that state has a due date... Their mission is further complicated by the fact that several sister Furies have broken their most important rule, to serve all Deities equally, and are helping the lesser God. So not only can they only rely on their most trusted fellow sisters, but they will be fighting other Furies along the way. The stakes are raised in this one and Riss needs to prove to both her people and the Deities she serves that she can handle the power, the pressure and the responsibility with her honour and strength of character.

MacKenzie's characters have always felt almost like friends to me, so I liked catching up with some of them and getting to know others like Charlie and Sahana better. The latter remains something of a mystery to me, but Charlie always makes me smile. I'm also very happy for him, but will not spoil anything for you by telling why. The new character I liked best is Nyx, the mother of all Furies. What a fantastic, kick-ass role model she is! I definitely hope she will continue to play a role in this series.

In my opinion Blackhearted Betrayal is the best book in this series so far. The complicated, but well-thought out plot, with all its unexpected twists and turns, the suspense and the characters I have grown to love make this one awesome action-packed book. My heart was racing almost the entire time! I'm absolutely addicted to this series, so nothing would please me better than for book four to be released soon, but sadly I have not heard anything about book four yet. Have you? (less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blackhearted Betrayal is the third book in the Shades of Fury series by Kasey Mackenzie and an ACE Fantasy.

Blurb:

As a Fury, Riss Holloway belongs to an arcane race that has meted out justice since time immemorial. As Boston's Chief Magical Investigator, she's responsible for solving any crimes committed by or against supernaturals. But now that she's going home, Riss has no idea just how dangerous--and personal--the crimes have become.

Riss Holloway has taken a leave of absence from her mortal j...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardcopy, received-for-review

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Leaving the Magical Crimes Unit in the capable hands of her partner, Trinity, Riss is taking a much needed leave of absence to help her mother sort out the troubles in the Sisterhood of Furies. The Furies are charged with keeping the peace between all the Arcane and Mundane races, and have always remained impartial. However, something has changed and some of the Furies are favoring a certain god over the other, bringing about the start of a...more Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Leaving the Magical Crimes Unit in the capable hands of her partner, Trinity, Riss is taking a much needed leave of absence to help her mother sort out the troubles in the Sisterhood of Furies. The Furies are charged with keeping the peace between all the Arcane and Mundane races, and have always remained impartial. However, something has changed and some of the Furies are favoring a certain god over the other, bringing about the start of a civil war that could throw both gods and mortals alike into its chaos. Tasked with preventing the devastation such a war would cause, Riss and a very select few allies set out to bring down the ones responsible and find a danger greater than any of them has every faced.

Based on the setup of the previous installment, I had been expecting Blackhearted Betrayal to be centered in the middle of the political mess going on in the sisterhood. I was particularly excited about this because I knew the emotions and tensions would be flying due to the Fury's being very quick to temper, hopefully making things much more action packed this time around. However, Kasey took the stakes even higher by throwing in unruly gods and goddesses. In fact, this addition brought a whole new element to the series, and really ratcheted my enjoyment level up several notches especially considering how big of a fan I am of Greek and Egyptian mythology. Granted, these gods and goddesses were referred to in the previous books, but they didn't really play a role in things. Bringing them to the forefront made me one very happy camper. Considering the way things ended I doubt they will be returning to be background anytime soon.

I was so happy to see Riss being back to her usual tough as nails self. I'm not sure what happened in Green Eyed Envy, but she was definitely too weak in the gills for my taste. In Blackhearted Betrayal, her fire and fierceness are back and better than ever. Granted, the situation she is placed under probably has a lot to do with her will being "re-ironed" as there is an incredible amount at stake. That re-found iron will was thoroughly tested in this book, and Riss never once faltered despite the odds and high costs. I was especially impressed with the way she stood her ground and held true to her quest despite it almost costing her what she holds the most dear. In fact, Riss realizes how far she is willing to go and just how much she would sacrifice to uphold her duty. Trust me, she definitely isn't found lacking this time around, and proves very worthy of her station as a Fury.

I'm a little worried about the continuation of the series as the only information I could find on Kasey's website was that she was contracted for three books. It would really be a shame if there weren't more books because I feel like we have only scratched the surface of potential in these books. So I'll definitely be crossing my fingers for more. A vast improvement over the last installment, Blackhearted Betrayal has completely renewed my faith in the Shades of Fury Series, and shouldn't be missed.(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-publisher-author

I really love all the covers of this series. Riss's leave of absence doesn't end up going so well. There is actually a line in the book that explains it best, She is now taking a leave of absence from her leave of absence. I was looking forward to seeing Riss with her niece now that she is a fury so I was kinda sad that that was put off until later.

Riss and Scott are still very much together and happy, they don't really have any alone time with each other but they are still a great team and stil...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Erika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, fantasy, 1st-read-oct-2012

I liked it. The demi-goddess thing seems a bit mary-sue-ish, but then Riss wasn't totally perfect, so it was fine. The end was fine, and I like how Scott and Trin bargained with the gods.

I just find myself hoping my guess about Stacia is wrong, but if it's right, I hope they can fix it.

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May 12, 2013 Insanity'schild rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-summer

I read all three, one after another, while traveling home. As it remains: I love the first book, like the second, and don't know how I feel about the third. I understand where Kasey Mackenzie is going, but I don't know if I like (view spoiler) The plot is starting to become a little stale, especially since it seems like nothing is actually getting accomplished; however, the writing is still really great and I devo...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Misericordia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Who could have rated an unpublished as of yet book, and 1 star at that? Makes me wonder... I expect it to be of 5 star quality, if the trend continues... I'll update my rating as soon as I get to read it.

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Sep 27, 2012 Jayme rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kick-ass-female-leads, urban-fantasy

Nice conclustion to the trilogy. Love the character of Marissa. Author did leave it open for another book, and I'm totally okay with that!

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Jul 01, 2012 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Freakin' awesome. Nonstop action, twists upon twists and a series that I'm addicted to.

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Jul 10, 2012 Jacqueline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-urban-fantasy, series, 2012

extra 1/2 star

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Dec 23, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This series keeps getting better & better. This is the best of three books but also has the most convoluted plot. It keeps true to the characters thus far & still throws in a few surprises along the way. If you are on the fence regarding this series and trying to decide if you should keep going, by all means do. You would be missing out on another really good read if you skip this one. Can't wait for the next one to see what Riss and the gang do next....

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Sep 30, 2012 Ron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Enjoyed it very much.

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Aug 27, 2012 B.E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had some problems with the beginning and middle of this installment of Ms. MacKenzie's 'Shades of Fury' series, but the end was awesome.

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Nov 05, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this third installment of the series. Such a strong kick-ass heroine. Sure you have to leave reality at the door when reading this genre, but that is what any form of entertainment requires.

It was so easy to get lost in all the characters in the book and would love it if there were more to come. It seems like there could be.

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Sep 13, 2012 Wogc rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, 2012-list

third book in the series. ok plot but not great. (2.5/5)
Plus the beta readers/editor should have mentioned to the author that an overuse of italics undermines its utility!

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Jul 05, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: you-so-fucking-have-to-read-this, urban-fantasy, supernatural-paranormal-romance, super-natural-mystery

HOLY FUCK!

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Sep 29, 2012 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-releases, genre-urban-fantasy, borrowed-library

*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.0

*Review to come*

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May 24, 2013 Alexandria marked it as to-read

May 22, 2013 Pam marked it as to-read

May 16, 2013 vee marked it as to-read

May 12, 2013 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

May 10, 2013 Shawnie Nicole marked it as to-read

May 10, 2013 Misti rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 07, 2013 Rachelle is currently reading it

Shelves: home

May 05, 2013 Barry Kramer marked it as to-read

Shelves: owned

May 03, 2013 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 27, 2013 Winnie marked it as to-read

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About Kasey MacKenzie

Kasey Mackenzie lives with her husband and son in St. Louis, Missouri; home of the Gateway Arch, the baseball Cardinals, and the world’s greatest thin-crust pizza. Kasey was one of those students who always had her nose in a book—so no big surprise when she was voted “Teacher’s Pet” in her high school yearbook. Today, she is a voracious reader of fantasy, romance, suspense, and “soft” science fict...more

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Blackhearted Betrayal (Shades of Fury #3)

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