Cry Wolf (An Alpha and Omega Novel) by Patricia Briggs

Paranormal Romance

What Goodreads Says:

"Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack... and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna's inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack."

I started this series backwards.  I checked out Fair Game as an audio book.  I did not realize that it was a side series instead of a Mercy Thompson book.  I am glad I didn’t because I loved Anna and Charles and wanted to know more about them.  I put Cry Wolf on reserve at my local library. I waited a month but whoever had the book never returned it.  (I hate that when it happens).  Barnes and Noble put out a 15% off coupon so I purchased Cry Wolf instead of hoping the book would ever be returned.

World Building:  Most of this world was created in the Mercy Thompson series.  Cry Wolf is set before the start of the Mercy series but because it was written after that series there is little world building in Cry Wolf.  There is some cross-over between the two series.  I did feel I might have missed some references as I have only read the later Mercy books.

Characters:  Charles is his father’s enforcer or paid assassin.  He has little softness in him, is a dominant wolf and seems an odd mate for Anna.  Anna is an Omega wolf who has been told she is a submissive.  In truth she is the one wolf who cannot be ordered by anyone.  She brings an odd calm to any wolf she is around and is a balm to Charles battered soul.  They are the two main characters in the book.  The one thing that is jarring in the book is the fact that you do not get to see Anna and Charles meet.  That story is in On the Prowl an anthology published a year before Cry Wolf.  It is not included in the copy of the book I purchased although I think it is in some later editions.  I suggest you find and read that short novella before you start Cry Wolf.  If you do not you will feel a little lost as the story starts where the novella ends with no backstory or introduction.  There are other important characters in the story: Bran Cornick, the Marrok, or leader of all werewolves in North America and Charles father, Walter Rice who has hidden in the mountains near Charles house for 30 years, and Ansil an old werewolf whose secret is the basis for the plot in the story.  While character development is not at the heart of the story I did feel I knew enough about each character and they fit the story.

Plot:  Bran’s pack is a mix of werewolves who have problems as well as secrets.  Ansil has hidden much of his secret from Bran and now it has come back to haunt Ansil, Bran and Charles.  As the enforcer Charles is tasked with going into the mountains to fix the problem and Anna insists on going with him. Nothing is as it seems and as the story progresses everything begins to unravel and everyone is in more and more danger. 

Tension:  The hunt in the mountains provided the external tension in the story.  That tension just continues to build as the book progresses.  The internal tension comes from the Charles and Anna.  They are new mates, do not know each other that well, and the mating bond is not in place.  The hunt does not leave them time to sort some of the issues out in a calm manner and produces tension between the two.

Writing:  All of Patricia Briggs’ books are well written and Cry Wolf is no exception.  While some scenes are written in the passive most of the book is very active.  Dialog and action keep the story moving.  The passive fits the story as it comes from both Charles and Anna’s internal struggle with the mating bond.

I am looking forward to future books featuring Charles and Anna.  They are both great characters with the potential for many future stories.   

ACE published Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs in 2008.

Trail of Dead by Melissa E. Olson

Paranormal Mystery/Romance

From Goodreads:

"As a null, Scarlett Bernard possesses a rare ability to counteract the supernatural by instantly neutralizing spells and magical forces. For years she has used her gift to scrub crime scenes of any magical traces, helping the powerful paranormal communities of Los Angeles stay hidden. But after LAPD detective Jesse Cruz discovered Scarlett’s secret, he made a bargain with her: solve a particularly grisly murder case, and he would stay silent about the city’s unearthly underworld.
Now two dead witches are found a few days before Christmas, and Scarlett is once again strong-armed into assisting the investigation. She soon finds a connection between the murders and her own former mentor, Olivia, a null who mysteriously turned into a vampire and who harbors her own sinister agenda. Now Scarlett must revisit her painful past to find Olivia—unless the blood-drenched present claims her life first."

Trail of Dead is the second Scarlett Bernard Novel.  I read and reviewed the first novel, Dead Spots, in October of 2012.

Sometimes a second book is a let down.  That is not true of Trail of Dead.  If anything it is even better that Dead Spots.  One of the things that struck me this time was how two different authors can take the same premise and write books that are completely different.  In the Alexia Tarabotti novels by Gail Carriger Alexia can negate supernatural powers or when near vampires and werewolves they become normal humans.  Scarlett does the same but the stories and characters are completely different.  The fact that it took me two books to even make the comparison is proof of that.

The world building was done in Dead Spots.  The main characters are the same. Jesse, Scarlett and Eli are all part of the story but the focus has moved from Jesse and Eli to Scarlett.  Trail of Dead builds from the foundation laid in Dead Spots.  Again the writing is excellent, the plot well developed, the characters well drawn and tension builds to a satisfying conclusion.  Again, there were some unexpected twists and turns.  This book was based on a problem character from book one.  That character is now gone.  Trail of Dead could be the last Scarlett Bernard Novel but I am hoping that I saw a small set up for the next book.  I will certainly be on the look out and hoping that the series will continue.

Trail of Dead is scheduled for publication June 4, 2013.  I received an advanced reader’s copy review copy of Trail of Dead from Amazon Vine.  You should pre-order your copy now.  At 3.99 for the Kindle edition it is a bargain.

47 North will publish Trail of Dead by Melissa F. Olson in 2013.

Dead Spots by Melissa F. Olson

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Paranormal

Dead Spots is a very good first book and another one I had doubts about until I started reading.  47 North is the publisher and this is another of Amazon’s publishing companies.  I have had mixed results with their books but this one is first rate.

Here is a summary:

A woman with the ability to counteract magic is in a race against time--and the supernatural underworld--to catch a killer before another body drops.

Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused--vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can't get out so much as a "hocus pocus." This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles's three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability to scrub crime scenes clean of all traces of the paranormal to keep humanity, and the LAPD, in the dark.

But one night Scarlett's late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD's Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he'll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn't sit well with Dash, the city's chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it'll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.

Here is my opinion on different parts of the book.

Plot:  This is an intricate and complex plot.  It kept me guessing until the very end.  Expect to be surprised.  It even set up the next book in the series in a the context of everything that happened in Dead Spots

World building:  I really liked how the author handled building this world.  Information arrived just when you needed it and in a way that fit into the plot.  I never felt like anything was just dropped in.  Things were revealed in ways that fit and were a part of the story.  This is a paranormal world and it was explained in a logical and believable manner.

Back-story:  There had to be a lot of back-story included in the world building.  There was just enough to allow me to know the what and why of things.  Again it was a part of the story and did not intrude on story flow.

Characters:  There were really three main characters; Scarlett, Jesse and Eli.  Scarlett is the main character.  She is very well-drawn and comes from a difficult back ground, is likeable, and seems to be drifting through life.  Eli is just loveable.  He cares for Scarlett even though she thinks he is just using her.  Jesse on the other hand is the very clean all American type.  There is a slight triangle here.  There are a number of important side characters.  Each had just the right amount of development to fit in the story. 

Writing:  I was really impressed with the writing.  Everything was laid out in a logical manner.  I did not see one place where things did not flow smoothly.  Characters, back-story, world building, tension and plotting all meshed into a smooth whole. 

Tension:  There was plenty of tension in this story.  Scarlett blamed herself of a lot of things in the past causing her a lot of internal tension.  There was the murder and the deadline for solving that ramped up the external tension.  There was the tension between the characters that added to that external tension.  All in all a satisfactory balance between external and internal factors moving the story.

I do not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal books. Dead Spots is a well- written book that tells an excellent story.

47 North published Dead Spots by Melissa F. Olson in 2012.

Silver by Rhiannon Held

Paranormal

Just some background.  I received a advance uncorrected proof (ARC) of Silver from Amazon Vine.  This is the first published novel by Rhiannon Held.  After reading Silver I assume that it is the first in the world Rhiannon has built.

Here is Goodreads summary:

"Andrew Dare is a werewolf. He’s the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, and responsible for capturing or killing any Were intruders in Roanoke’s territory. But the lone Were he’s tracking doesn’t smell or act like anyone he’s ever encountered. And when he catches her, it doesn’t get any better. She’s beautiful, she’s crazy, and someone has tortured her by injecting silver into her veins. She says her name is Silver, and that she’s lost her wild self and can’t shift any more.

The packs in North America have a live-and-let-live attitude, and try not to overlap with each other. But Silver represents a terrible threat to every Were on the continent.

Andrew and Silver will join forces to track down this menace while discovering their own power and their passion for each other."

My take on the novel:

Worldbuilding:  This is a totally different take on werewolves and how a pack functions.  There was a lot to get in and it is handled beautifully.  Mixed into the story line there is a hint here and a hint there.  It never intrudes on the story but is an interregnal part of the story line.

Backstory:  There is a lot of backstory in the book.  Like the worldbuilding it is dropped in without intruding.  There will be hint in the middle of some dialog, a little mixed into the action and it all builds until you know the entire story.  In some instances that does not happen until the end of the book.  There were so many hints about past action that I did stop to see if I had started a book in the middle of the series.

Characters:  Both main characters were well developed.  Silver a little less than Andrew but most of that was because Andrew’s background was more complex.  There was not skimping on developing the side character either.  Even some who were only several phone conversations had depth and substance. 

Plot:  Very involved.  Everything was interwoven into the plot.  Backstory, worldbuilding, characters were all interrogated into the story line. Everything moved along seamlessly without the awkward sections you sometimes find in books.

Writing:  With everything else I have mention you have to know the book is very well written.  Rhiannon has her own unique voice and it comes across in Silver.

Tor will release Silver by Rhiannon Held in June of 2012.

Book Beginnings on Friday, March 2, 2012

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Katy from A Few More Pages. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include  include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

This was my Waiting on Wednesday book.  It came in the mail Wednesday and I have already finished it.  Timeless by Gail Carriger is the last Alexia Tarabotti novel.  I have to applaud Gail for stopping the series instead of continuing until it got old.  I don't want to spoil the end for anyone but I will say it was a very elegant ending.  Even with that Timeless left me wanting more.  Of course there will be a new series featuring Alexia and Conall's precocious child.

Here is how Timeless begins:

"I said no such thing," grumbled Lord Maccon, allowing himself, begrudgingly, to be trussed in a new evening  jacket."

Here is what Goodreads has to say about Timeless.

 Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle. 

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?