Back From the Undead (The Bloodhound Files 5) by DD. Barant

Happy Halloween!!!

Leaves are flying with the winds and candy are are dropping in your basket or have you already eaten them all? Here it's quite busy, the Chullu special session in the roleplaying is going well so far but the organsiation (that means me) must be ready for everything and we must keep the schedule too so not a lot of free time and a long, long night ahead.
Now that the meal has been served ( rosted rat^^) though i have a few minutes to share with you one author that makes my halloween time even better but as a rules all year long as long as i can read this fabulous series.

So here comes " Back from the Undead" by DD Barant, 5th book in the series The Bloodhound Files.

Happy reading!

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Publication: 2012

ISBN:  0312545061

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: mild
Public: 18+

Source: bought
 

Short description from goodreads :

 Another work day, another case for the Bloodhound Files. But this time, Jace is truly stumped: How is she, a mere human, supposed to penetrate the dark heart of a child-trafficking ring of pire orphans—one that turns out to be part of a blood-farm operation, in the crime-ridden border city of Vancouver, British Columbia?


Jace is in over her head. But with the help of her former lover, Tanaka—whose family is one of the last samurai clans left in Japan—she stands a chance at seeking justice for the condemned children… Until the Yakuza tries to put an end to Jace’s investigation. Jace risks more than death—this time, it’s the fate of her very soul that’s in danger . . .

My opinion:

          Fabulous! Really so far I haven’t discovered another series that can hook me so fast and that since book 1. Of course I have others series I consider favourites (and a lot) but when it comes to suspense one, investigations one I can often guess the culprit , motives etc  it’s not necessarily bad per say, I do enjoy romantic suspense nevertheless but it takes more to keep me hooked. With DD Barant, yes sometimes details can be predictable, I guess some things but there are so many twists and turn that I keep being surprised and I love that!. It’s a book (and series) where each word is important and you don’t want to miss a line.

 I greatly enjoyed “Back from the Undead” because it’s perfectly in the line of the precedents books but at the same time we get once again another dimension. Jace is investigating the disappearance of pire children in Canada….not only it’s highly risky because in this parallel word Canada isn’t a pleasant place but it’s done on Stoker’s demand…. Yes the same man who tried to kill her, who killed a lot of pires and werewolves and is deviously cunning and manipulative. As you can imagine it won’t be easy even less if you add Yakuza to the mix.

DD Barant managed to keep the investigation so realistic despite all the paranormal elements and created so many twists and turns that I had to finish this book in one read. Trying to guess Stocker motives, even more after meeting Zevon was interesting and so funny. Charlie, the golem, is as always a great partner for Jace and he helps her a lot when, starting to be affected by the special spell making guns unknown, Jace is panicking. Oh let’s not forget his love for good clothes and how he hates when they get destroyed or dirty^^… what was the funnier was to see him completely in symbiosis with his T Rex soul^^   I could really imagine the TRex vs Oni and it was so fitting the ambiance of the book that I couldn’t stop smiling.

Jace is adjusting to the universe a little to well even since she is starting to be affected by the curse too but it was interesting to see how her relationships were evolving. Now with Cassius, she still has doubt but decide to go with the flow. She is still planning to go back home but she is starting to make a life for herself where she is by starting a Dojo (even if her clients have more strength and speed than her^^;;)

Eisfanger, the lab technician and shaman, is also on her team and he does help I was happy to see this thrope and how he still get confused by Jace‘s speech and attitude while Charlie seems to have given up. The alchemy between them is really well done.

The investigation part is just right paced, like I said each detail or element has an importance for this story or later but the fact the divinities and spirits were involved was a great plus. Gashadokuro will make you smile and you won’t look at your meals the same way^^ . Really the tension was so high  I was biting my nails but at the same time the balance with the humour just kept a smile on my face all along the story except for one thing.  I was disappointed to see Tanaka appears so shortly and how it went…we learn he is from a family of samurais and that there is top secret because they were hunted and still are. It explains his personality and how feeling guilty about what he has to do he is trying to regain his honor… yes but after that it just felt wrong. I hope we will discover there were more to it and that he will come back because just this time wasn’t enough and not right, I would have hoped he would at least make her meet the other samurais

So at the end I can only recommend you to try this series if you love urban fantasy, humour, action and investigation you will really love it (still think of it as a mix between criminal minds and ncis les expert). I should have read it on Halloween perhaps but each day I waited would have been one too late it’s really a wonderful book so don’t wait and just get your copy . To recommend!

Score:  4,5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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Brenda's halloween contests

Today is the last day of Brenda's event The Ghoulishly Good Monster Mash Mix up.., the topic: all the different kinds of shifters ( other than werewolves) because diversity is the key of success.

To win a pre order of Avenger's Heat or an ebook enter here before the 3rd November

Remember to check the other contest too while you can still enter ;) Good luck

Midnight Blue-Light Special ( InCryptid 2) by Seanan McGuire

Hello to all!

            i hope you have a better weather than us because here it's so cold ( and rain...) ....oki an excellent time to stay near the fire with a good book and a cup of tea but sadly it's not on my list for today, the special event at the roleplaying club is only a few hours away so we must do the shopping, finish decorating and a lot of other details ^^ busy day.

Busy yes.. enough that i don't participate in Brenda's event The Ghoulishly Good Monster Mash Mix up? No ^^ and today is about dragon so it will the next thing i do... but first like promised i continue to share with you my october reading discoveries....and  Brenda planned well because this book does have dragons too so...
 Happy reading!

Publisher: DAW

Publication: 2013

ISBN:  0756407923

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: mild
Public: 18+

Source: won (thanks Brenda!!!)

Short description from goodreads :

 Cryptid, noun:
1. Any creature whose existence has been suggested but not proven scientifically. Term officially coined by cryptozoologist John E. Wall in 1983.
2. That thing that's getting ready to eat your head.
3. See also: "monster."

The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and when her work with the cryptid community took her to Manhattan, she thought she would finally be free to pursue competition-level dance in earnest. It didn't quite work out that way...

But now, with the snake cult that was killing virgins all over Manhattan finally taken care of, Verity is ready to settle down for some serious ballroom dancing—until her on-again, off-again, semi-boyfriend Dominic De Luca, a member of the monster-hunting Covenant of St. George, informs her that the Covenant is on their way to assess the city's readiness for a cryptid purge. With everything and everyone she loves on the line, there's no way Verity can take that lying down.


Alliances will be tested, allies will be questioned, lives will be lost, and the talking mice in Verity's apartment will immortalize everything as holy writ--assuming there's anyone left standing when all is said and done. It's a midnight blue-light special, and the sale of the day is on betrayal, deceit...and carnage.

My opinion:

          After reading Discount Armageddon, I couldn’t wait to get more of Verity and Dominic as well as the Aeslin Mice.  If I could have rushed my precedent reads to get to this one earlier I would have done it but it’s not my style so I had to be patient and it was more than, worth it! I really enjoyed this book, I’m not giving it an higher score though and I can’t really tell you what I found missing even if I will try .

So first this story takes place some weeks after the events in book 1 and Dominic and Verity are still not sure where they stand together. Trust isn’t completely there but they do have a sort of relationship. Dominic isn’t trusted by the cryptids but he does prove to be concerned for some and trying to adapt to Verity’s company which can be really confusing, not every one would be comfortable with speaking mice or a telepath you can’t remember.

He has reason to be perturbed by all this new knowledge since it’s the completely opposite of how he was raised but he is trying for the sake of Verity and she is not making things easy for him. To be honest I really enjoyed how his personality was constructed because a sudden change wouldn’t feel right and how the author managed to make him sound is just the right one. I love him, he is so human and trying to do things right I couldn’t be angry with him for his hesitations and doubts.

Verity is also trying to adjust to having someone other than family to trust and she is really difficult about it, she keeps fighting Dominic and trying to put him ill at ease. I had a little difficulty to understand that since she was the one to make the relationship move to the next level and I don’t like the idea she could make love to him without any trust or love soothe fact that after she acts like it’s nothing bothered me.  At the first occasion she doubt him. She is at a time of her life when she must decide what really counts for her and that’s her primary focus and as often if facing adversary that you can really discover yourself and what is important for you. I enjoyed seeing her determined, trying to help the majority and how she was persevering the torture was really interesting. She isn’t a super woman, yes she had a special training, yes she has some abilities but  no super powers at the end she is still a young woman who doesn’t like suffering, who can be terrified… so human but it’s her humanity that make her want to fight for the cryptid population despite the risk, she could flee but she stays and do what she believe in even if it means sacrificing herself, and not without thinking about other solution. She isn’t a coward, she wants to life but she can see farther than herself and it’s what makes her a Heroine. ..; at that time I was really admiring her.

Another part that interested me was the way the cryptid community acted after learning the danger….it was so natural in a sense some afraid run away some want to fight to protect what is their. It was something I could understand perfectly and I loved to see some wanting to stay and trust Verity… I mean they have some doubt about her because she is a Price but they can admit what she has done for them and trust her when necessary. Kitty is a good example at a time she sound like against Verity at all, selfish to the worst levels but she is the one taking a stand to protect the community and offer refuge, helping in negotiations and such. It’s when facing difficulties that you discover your true friends and allies…. And here it’s really a good example. Istas and Ryan as well as the dragons are there, some with a little persuasion but there are there.

 We also see more member of the Price family and learn about their history, I can tell you I was probably more disappointed with that part ^^, her parents send to Verity uncle Mike as backup but the way he nearly gave up at a time had me frustrated and angry. He should have been the one to believe ion verity but no. Sarah did all the work and for a normally peaceful character it was really something. 

 I still enjoyed as much as before the little advices or proverb from Verity‘s ancestry, there are ringing so well^^ and never miss to make me smile, like the way Seanan McGuire at the beginning of each chapter put in bold the place where the action takes place…it could seem to be a detail but can’t recommend enough to pay attention to them.

The romance is there and not just in a few pages, action is gripping and  non stop so you are really left wanting to keep reading until the last page  but perhaps what make me sad is that you feel it’s the last book on Verity adventures. I don’t mean she will never appear again in the series but the next two book will focus on her brother not her and  I wanted more, a lot more of Verity and Dominic and the mice ( as well as Sarah of course).. it’s hard to explain without giving too much info… there is a ending, a happy one but it’s kind of an open ending set in a proper place yes just I wanted more ^^;; I can only hope we get what happen after last page in a novella because it could be so fun that I don’t want to miss that^^

 In resume, it an excellent book full of humour, tension and romance, that will catch you in the story and not to let you go until you have finished it. I enjoyed it a lot, I even loved it but it could have been even better I think ( how I absolutely can’t tell^^;;) and I will read the rest of the series hoping for more Verity ( and I can’t wait to meet Antimony^^) a must read if you love urban fantasy with humour and original creatures

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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Brenda's halloween contests

Do you want more Dragon reads? Then check Brenda's giveaway for today ^^ you can win either "How to date a Dragon" or an ebook in the DragonFury series. Enter here before 2d november. Good luck

Grave Witch (Alex Craft 1) by Kalayna Price

Good evening ( or day depending on the time you will be reading this^^) ,


                     Time is flying and Halloween is nearly upon us so i need to prepare after i take care of my health but at the moment i'm  wanting to read  more than anything else so when i was entering Brenda's event Ghoulishly Good Monster Mix Mash up and i saw yesterday a book that had been waiting on my pile for a long time i didn't resist and i started it... could have been used for yesterday topic ( zombie, reapers etc) at her event but i was really happy to discover that it was also fae and witch  and ghost ( this month main topic^^) and a lot less horror that what i feared at first.

This series had been recommended to me for long but i didn't feel like starting it ...it wasn't the right time, it could be too dark etc.... now it's halloween season so the "dark" factor was a little out of for me to delay my reading of this book and seeing the cover yesterday i just had to start it....once started i devoured it^^ a really great change with the last one i tried.

So today it's a great pleasure for me to introduce you to the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price with the first book " Grave Witch". Happy Reading

Publisher: Roc

Publication: 2010

ISBN:  451463803

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: mild
Public: 18+

Source: bought
 

Short description from goodreads :

 Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say.

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around...


To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life...and her soul.

My opinion:

         I loved this one! I must said that I hesitate a lot before trying this series even if this book was in my TBR pile for age…I guess I was afraid it could be too dark but now I just regret not having read it sooner. This is a great mix of fae, ghosts and magic with a lot of action and glimpse of romance underneath.

We follow the adventures of Alex Craft, a witch specialized  in grave magic meaning she can raise shade, speak with ghosts and see in that other plane of existence… another bonus is that she can see and speak with souls collector and one she know since her childhood and nicknamed Death…. A really sexy male but they are rules and she can ask him all the questions she would love like his real name…. I loved their relationship and how it’s started did made me smile^^ . Sadly if her grave magic is really good, and that kind of magic is quite rare, all other kinds of “simple” classic magic are out of her reach or only possible at a basic level and with great difficulties. In a sense I loved she wasn’t all that powerful and had weakness it made her even more appealing.

Also the use of her power has a price and after each use she is left blind for a moment while her sight gradually deteriorates.

Alex has become a PI in memory of her best friend who disappeared without leaving a trace but so far it’s not really paying well however since her family disowned her for practicing magic  it’s one of the only job she can do and she does do it well. She even has several friends in the witch or magic community and also some fae ones like her house owner Caleb. It’s when she is called to investigate the murder of an important member of the anti fae and magic users group ( Witch and fae got out of the closet but sadly some are hard bind to strip them off any right) that things start to heat up. First, for the first time she loose control of a shade, normally only a memory, and get hurt before seeing something magically strange. Then she escaped narrowly to be shot at thank to a direct intervention of Death which should be forbidden.  Suddenly everyone wants to kidnap or kill her and it’s only with the help of a new fae: Falin that she must learn to trust and a ghost Royce determined to get his vengeance that she can have a chance to solve the case and she must do it quickly because a serial killer is killing women and her injury is worse that it seemed and she could loose her soul.

I really loved how some mysteries got hints sometimes subtle sometimes easier and I didn’t manage to guess everything so it was more than a pleasant read. I’m really curious to see who will get and keep her heart Falin or Death because both seem to be prevented to have a real relationship with her for a reason or another but both took risk for her. I also loved the universe as a whole and how the fae were depicted….she must find a way to save her dagger too I feeling she will need it a lot^^

So definitively a book I recommend and I’m so glad to have discovered it because it has all the element of an excellent series.

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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Brenda's halloween contests

One great thing with urban fantasy is the diversity of paranormal creatures that can appear in one book...hard to put those book in only one category so this one i inviting you to enter several of Brenda's contests...check the prize on the Zombie/Reaper Day Here; On the fairy Day here  and the Witch day (lot of fun today^^) Here. Remember you have only until Halloween and they are international! Good Luck

Primal Law (Alpha Pack1) by JD Tyler

Hello to all,

   Are you ready for Halloween? All the decorations are up? To be honest, in my case we still haven't started pulling them out of the box ^^;; and i have been spending as much time as possible reading with the result i have difficulties to decide which review to offer you each day  i will perhaps even have to put two on a same day who knows.... i guess it will make your wish list reach a new level if you hadn't read those first.

First i wanted to tell you about Kallysten new release but it will be free later this week so i will wait until then....then i tried to find a book that could be linked to Brenda's today topic in her big event The Ghoulishly Good Monster Mash Mix up. I have started a book from her selection and i do hope to finish it on time but right now it's not possible so which book could work?  It was a tie between one with a shaman but it's so good i will keep it for halloween  then a book i did also read this month because it was featured on her werewolves day and in my TBR pile... that one works really well because it's about shifters yes but you got a necromencer too and some ghosts in bonus so really a perfect book for this month and several of the challenges i've entered...sadly it's the book i least liked this month so far...anyway it could be your favourite one so let's see what i thought of it and why.

Happy reading!

Publisher: NAL/Signet Eclipse

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0451234340

Genre: paranormal romance
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: strong
Public: 18+

Source: bought
 

Short description from goodreads :

 Founded by a group of former Navy SEALS, the Alpha Pack is a top-secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers tasked with eliminating the most dangerous predators in the world. But the gift of their abilities comes at a price…

After a massacre decimates half his team and leaves him crippled, Jaxon Law must relearn how to fight—and battle the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when he rescues a beautiful woman who reawakens his primal instincts, Jax is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead.


On the run from her employer, brilliant lab assistant Kira Locke has evidence that leads the Alpha Pack on a hunt for someone targeting human civilians with Psy abilities. And as Jax and Kira circle both the killer and each other, Jax will have to decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth breaking the ultimate shifter rule—because bonding with Kira means putting his abilities at risk, and they might be the only tools he has to keep his mate alive…

My opinion:

          The premise of the story is interesting I mean shifters with psychic abilities a novelty for me and I was expecting perhaps too much from this one because yes there are shifters but it missed to catch my interest and I’m angrier after finishing it that anything else.

First yes it’s about shifters and we learn in the book that it won’t be only werewolves even if in this first book we first focus on the first member of the alpha team some seals who got bitten and if they survived became werewolves, then we also meet one (two but let concentrate on the most active one) born shifter Nick, their chief. So far it stay classic I mean they are shifters and you can be born or become one because of a scratch or a bite, even while in animal form they still keep their human minds too. So far so good.

However the fact they are ex- SEAL’s is bothering me on some levels…as soon as Jax , the main hero in this first book, explains how they got bitten it ticked my instinct I mean it’s so suspect but they never suspected something no. They got bitten, some survived and then they live in a military complex with doctors they are conducting highly dangerous mission while people still study them. I mean how can they be so blind? Why werewolves would attack a group of armed humans outnumbering them …. Yes some died but then why not make sure the injured ones are dead? It sounded so strange to me I started to be angry. Yes they were in the army and not used to ask question but after such an event you think they would want to be free, to hide but no they accept to be studied… officially to help but really  you think such an amount of money would be spend just to help them without hidden intentions?

What was even more curious is that Nick a born shifter, not in the army joined their group like that accepting to be subjected to the tests etc while he could have stayed hidden…. Really strange yes he is a preco, so perhaps his powers lead him to join the team that I could eventually accept but the way they trust the system blindly is more than irritating even more since later we learn they never even asked question, never thought about what happened … just followed the movement.

Then they were betrayed and lost a part of their team leaving some like Jax suffering from serious injuries …once again we learn they didn’t question anything and until some of the events happen and more specially Kira as a outside ask question we discover they just believed what they were told without looking for a proof or anything….when we learn they are supposedly professional and strongly linked together it’s even stranger.

 I appreciated the fact they didn’t utilise their specific power without thinking about the consequences but then it went in the extreme too.

Now if we focus on the main plot and the romance between Kira and Jax, I was surprised to learn that Nick didn’t explain all the consequences of refusing to mate one soulmate….we can guess he lived something tragic but that’s no excuse in my opinion. First we are not sure who is giving the orders, yes Nick is the chief of the team but he is not at the top, he receives his orders from someone so we don’t know which level of free will they really have… if they can refuse a mission  etc……I regret they didn’t seem to have learned from the past, to have better strategy and how they didn’t guess what was happening at the end they really had everything to at least make solid supposition… they just went to save those who could be there ( yes could they weren’t even sure)…I understand self sacrifice but it works once not that often or it become stupidity. Also another thing didn’t sit well with me… it’s a secret group…they have strong ties to each other…but then they include other way too easily I mean oki Kalen has powers and needed a place but just like that we meet and the next day we offer you a place…AJ also, welcome to the group in matter of second…. Where is the secret and the security if everyone can join so easily.

The romance is there with highly steamy part but it felt wrong… she doesn’t want to mate without love but then having sex is oki… it went too quickly to my taste, even with a countdown , they are some steps but no directly in the other bed, little gesture, romance all forgotten…. Yes he is partly animal but even it could have been handled differently.  Oh I appreciated the fact he didn’t want to force a choice on Kira, accepting the consequences no matter what she chose but  he suffers from Beryl’s betrayal, refuse to admit she is his mate but having fun with her is not a problem….

Kira is a kind soul and surprise! She has power too….she is an empathy but she realise it only when she joined the team. Yes it sound something really important for the rest of the story but I guess I was put off by the fact she didn’t thought about it before and  that it took her so long to confess it after.

Add to all of that the fact the end is a cliffhanger and not really an happy one and you have the perfect recipe to make me disappointed and worse…I will give a try to at least another book in the series to see if it improves for me but right now I wouldn’t recommend it . They are so many excellent series with werewolves and shifters that I really prefer so it wouldn’t be fair or honest if I told you to get this one when I think others are really better. Now perhaps you love shifters book, with paranoia, conspirations, tragedy etc in that case this book is right in your alley but I do prefer when I finish a book to get a feeling of contentment than anger

Score:  2,5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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Hey like i said this book covers several creatures so you should be able to find at least oen to your liking and it help me to remind you that you can win great prizes on brenda's blog.. check all her posts but if you are more into zombie it's here, for wizards/sorcerer Here and for werewolves lovers enter here . Remember you have only until halloween ^^ Good luck

One Hell of a Ride ( Incryptid 0.2) by Seanan McGuire

Happy Sunday to all,


         i'm planning on enjoying this day and read a little more, i think i really deserve it after such a busy week ( and with the one coming better to rest a little bit^^) . Lots of contests to enter too^^ as the daily one on Brenda's Blog, today is for aquactic beings and you can win an ebook ( 2 winners) so remember to check it out^^. i must confess i'm still a lot behind in my reading about books with these kinds of creatures, i've read but so few and there are so many more i want to read even if it's far from my favourites species.

However today won't be for that kind of story.....or not directly, like i told you already i've become really addicted to Seanan McGuire series, which includes both aquatics beings even if they are not always cited though in October daye one you have the selkie and the Luidaeg and you learn about other in Midinight blue-light Special second book in her other series Incryptid.....being addicted i couldn't way to read more about her work and thus i jumped on her novellas....

Today  On Hell of a Ride, incryptid series' novella. Happy reading!

Publisher: seanan Mcguire

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0373277210

Genre: paranormal romance, urban fantasy
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 16+

Source: free novella on the author’s website

Short description from goodreads :

 After a rather...eventful...visit to Tempe, Arizona, Jonathan Healy wants nothing more than to return to his home in Buckley Township, Michigan, where at least the threats are generally familiar ones. With the last of the blood mopped up and the locals none the wiser, it seems he's just a train ride away from getting his wish.

Of course, there are a few small complications. Like the lovely and occasionally violent Miss Frances Brown, former star of the Campbell Family Circus, who seems to have become his new traveling companion. And then there's the matter of the train having driven through a dimensional gateway into Hell...


Maybe Jonathan shouldn't be quite so worried about getting back to Michigan. Maybe his time would be better spent in worrying about how to get off the train while he, and Fran, are still among the living.

My opinion:

          It was a good short novella but you shouldn’t think of it as stand alone… now you could read it first but then you will be missing too much to fully enjoy it. If you have read Discount Armageddon, book 1, you are free to read this one…i admit i’m still missing some part because i learned that a prequel to this one exist in an anthology (which i must get now!!)  It’s still understandable even if we don’t know all the background the author gives us enough hints to immerse us in the story and forget about the rest ( even if i did went back to check the genealogy list in book 1)

We get to see another branch of the family and several generations ago but we have the same humour and action level than the actual inCryptid series. We focus here on Jonathan Healy and Fran…is Jonathan is a cryptologist; Fran is completely new to it. In fact if they are together it’s because Jonathan came to take care of  a cryptid in the circus she worked… with the consequences she is left without a job.  However, Fran is far from a naive damsel in distress ^^, she is quite armed with knifes and she can use them.

When she suddenly find herself in a parallel world with the train, with several casualties she asks for answers but don’t hesitate to fight with Jonathan…which must keep his mind on the job not on his cute companion.

It’s really to short but i was really glad to have it to read while waiting for book2 and it made me want to learn more about Jonathan and Frances so i need to get the rest of the novella and perhaps i will learn even more about the universe Seanan McGuire has created.

This is really a must read if you are following the Incryptid series, if you haven’t started it yet i can only recommend you to get this novella but wait before reading it to savour it  at its best. I only regret the mice didn’t appear more.

Score:  3,5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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Win some aquatic fun? Sexy mermen? Cute Selkie? or mysterious siren? Then go here before the 31st and enter to win the ebook of your choice, 2winners and INT what could you want more?  Don't forget to thanks Brenda for her generosity too!  Good Luck

The Cajun’s Captive (Stormy Weather 1) by Selena Blake

Hello to all,


           Today i return to my favourite paranormal creatures: shifters and more precisely werewolves.... i had read the epiloge of this series last years since it was a free christmas novella but i wanted to learn more so when this book 1 was free i jumped on it ... we can see how the writing improved between both i think. Still i enjoyed it and i'm glad to share my opinion about The Cajun's Captive with you^^ ( i love the setting!)

happy reading!

Publisher: Cobblestone Press

Publication: 2008

ISBN:  0373277210

Genre: paranormal romance
Violence: none
Language: mild
sex: strong
Public: 18+

Source: free on smashwords( at the time)

Short description from goodreads :

After centuries of solitude the stars are finally aligned just right. The handsome Deveraux brothers of Louisiana are going to meet their match this Hurricane Season.

Sebastian Deveraux is the Alpha of his pack and like all the Deveraux men, he's sexy as pure sin. He's waited for decades for just the right woman. For his mate. And ten years ago he'd been sure he'd found her in Amanda St. James. But she'd run from him.


Now she's back. He'll do anything to keep her. Even if it means chaining her to his bed.

My opinion:

          I really loved the Christmas novella I’ve read ( and reviewed already) which is kind of an epilogue for this series and I wanted to discover more so when I saw that book 1 was free on smashwords I didn’t hesitate I wanted to see more of the Cajun brother and how they got their mate.

Selena Blake did well but I’m a little disappointed, there isn’t the magical feeling from the other novella and The Cajun’s Captive is really and I mean really more steamy that than the other. Oh don’t get me wrong, I liked this novella and it’s quite well written but it’s simply really different that what I hoped to find.

Sebastian is a lonely alpha and in fact he is pinning for a woman for more than 10years but he is also a really domineering alpha, too controlling in my tastes and while all is consensual it’s still a little too much for me. Yes it’s a novella and thus it needed to resolve quickly but there are things bothering me… for example he doesn’t really reveal what he is to her, he even try at first to make her forget or not believe what she saw…. Only after, he tells Amanda  her role in the pack but it’s too late and too little for me. I mean the secrecy is important but they are werewolves that means something, there are rules and just and he loves her but simply drop her in the storm without knowledge to protect her.( metaphorically speaking of course)

So for me the love part was really too rushed, yes they are adults, yes they knew each other before but they were separated for 9 years after all so it could have taken a little longer and Sebastian could have been a little less caveman ( because yes he is!!)

Also, the other brothers and family members are a little too happy or not concerned with what happen ^^, some think they love her too but nothing is said, they let Sebastian do what he wants. He is the alpha yes but no one thought to protect or inform Amanda… a little strange to me. But really it was a quick and good little story, it just could have been even better.

So if you are looking for a quick fix in paranormal romance, want something really steamy and werewolf, you could give this a try! ( the Christmas novella is sweeter^^)

Score:  3/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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And new reminder if you want an ebook from this series ( or another one including werewolves) check Brenda's blog HERE you have until 31st october and perhaps your dream will become true. Goo luck ( and remember to thanks Brenda^^)