Hill launches her Otherside Heat series, a prequel to her Shadows of Otherside series, with a romantic urban fantasy that’s equal parts thrill and steam. Lya Desmarais, a half-elf bounty hunter, lives in exile in Raleigh, N.C., after being banished from the mystical Otherside for having an affair with a man above her rank. To survive, she makes an arrangement with powerful vampire Maria, exchanging blood for protection. But even with Maria at her back, her movements are monitored by Callista, the local Otherside boss who enforces Lya’s exile. When Lya meets vampire vagabond Cade at a bar and the pair share a scorching night together, it leads to a sultry relationship. Cade, though, has a target on his back, and Callista offers to pardon Lya’s exile in exchange for bringing him in. Lya’s debate between love and freedom is cut short when Cade discovers the plan and thwarts it by kidnapping her. Certain his sire, Morris, is behind the plot, he convinces Lya to join him in hunting Morris instead and to gain freedom on their own terms. Hill handles the tension well and balances the action with sex and sass. Readers will be eager for the next installment. (Self-published)