UPDATE! Mur Lafferty's SHAMBLING GUIDES SERIES

UPDATE!

I have just updated a previous post for Mur Lafferty with a review of Ghost Train to New Orleans, the second novel in her SHAMBLING GUIDES SERIES.

Click on the pink-link series title above to go directly to the updated review.

UPDATE! Seanan McGuire's INCRYPTID SERIES

UPDATE!

I have just updated a previous post for Seanan McGuire with a review of Half-Off Ragnarok, the third novel in her InCryptid Series.

Click on the pink-link series title above to go directly to the updated review.

UPDATE! Carie Vaughn's GOLDEN AGE SERIES

UPDATE!

I have just updated a previous post for Carrie Vaughn with a review of Dreams of the Golden Age, the second novel in her GOLDEN AGE SERIES.

Click on the pink-link series title above to go directly to the updated review.

Lauren M. Roy: NIGHT OWLS SERIES

Author:  Lauren M. Roy
Series:  NIGHT OWLS   
Plot Type:  Urban Fantasy (UF) with elements of Horror
Ratings:  Violence—4; Sensuality—1; Humor—2-3 
Publisher and Titles:  Ace
          Night Owls (3/2014)  

          Grave Matters (3/2015)  

This ongoing post was revised and updated on 3/24/15 with a review of Grave Matters, the second novel in the series. That review appears first, followed by an overview of the series world-building and a review of Night Owls. 

                 NOVEL 2:  Grave Matters                 

     The story begins about two months after Night Owls ends, and all of the characters are dealing with various personal issues. Elly is still working for Ivanov, the Russian vampire (Stregoi) who leads the Boston vamps, but she isn't entirely comfortable in the job. She and her foster brother, Cavale, are living together and trying to restart their former sibling relationship, but they are still uneasy with one another, partly because Elly is suppressing deep anger with Cavale over his leaving her behind with Father Value all those years ago. Because of her horrific childhood experiences, Elly has a great deal of trouble relating to people. In one scene, she awkwardly attempts to comfort Justin: "She laid a hand on Justin's arm. Patted it stiffly, like a toddler first learning how to interact with the family pet. He lifted his head to meet her gaze, and the two shared a look of mute terror borne of social interaction." Oh, and let's not forget the fact that Marian, Elly's long-absent mother, is still hanging around. Chaz met her in book 1, and she's back for a puzzling cameo appearance in this book. In a story thread that winds throughout the book, Cavale learns to cook so that he can create a happy home atmosphere for Elly. Good luck with that, Cavale.

     Other characters are also having problems: Justin is trying to adjust to being a mixed-breed supernatural creature—Jackal (Creep) and vampire. Chaz is feeling inadequate because he is now the weakest human in the gang. Val is having trouble keeping herself from hunting down humans. And then we have Lia and Sunny, the succubi couple, who are worried that their former demon master will find them and force them to return to him. The emotional and relationship problems of the cast members are detrimental to the pace of the plot because each time one of their stories takes over the narrative, their personal problems tend to overwhelm the investigational details related to the primary plot. Authors generally deal with the personal problems of secondary characters by taking them on one at a time—mentioning specific problems of a character in passing in one book and then concentrating on that character in an ensuing book so that, book by book, each character gets a turn in the spotlight, and the primary plot doesn't get overwhelmed by an excess of sideline story threads.

     The main plot revolves around a necromancer who is raising the dead in Crow's Neck, the run-down neighborhood in which Cavale and Elly live. As the book opens, a young neighbor asks for Elly's help in getting rid of a ghost in her house. When Elly investigates, she finds and kills a ghoul (an animated corpse) that has a strange dagger-shaped sigil drawn on its arm. Soon, more ghouls turn up with the sigil and then some vampires—all under the control of the unidentified necromancer. In a secondary story line that eventually connects with the main plot, a band of Irish vampires threatens Ivanov's sovereignty in Southy (South Boston).

     The previous novel was written from three points of view (POV): Elly, Chaz, and Val. This novel adds Cavale to the POV list. Sometimes the point of view switches mid-chapter, and that can make the story-telling seem disjointed.

     Although the author has come up with a decent plot, her execution is weak. The reader has no way to figure out who is behind all of the violence and necromancy because there are no clues in the narrative. What happens is that every once in awhile a character—usually Elly—will stop and summarize what's happening by leaping to conclusions based on little or no evidence or logic. The result is an action-filled story in which the good guys run around fighting various battles without knowing exactly what's going on until one of them goes into know-all-tell-all mode, at which time they all believe him or her and continue bumbling along until someone makes the next major pronouncement. 

     Although the story is fast paced, the plot lacks structure and has several bumpy spots. For example, the author spends a lot of page space on Val and Chaz's evaluation of the huge library in the home that belonged to Henry and Helen (the couple murdered by the Creeps in Night Owls), but that library provides only a single clue for the necromancer case. At one point, one of the ghouls turns up at the house, throwing books around in one of the book-filled rooms, but the reason for the ghoul's presence is never fully explained. Justin rescues Chaz from said ghoul, and we never hear any more about why the ghoul was there. If the ghoul was looking for a specific book, how would the necromancer (the one controlling the ghoul) have known that Henry owned that book. This detail is ever addressed. This is not the only bump—it's just an example.

     To sum it up: This book is weaker than the first book, primarily because the author stuffed so much unnecessary character-related narrative into a book that is only 294 pages long. What the book needs is a better plot structure, one that plays out with a gradual build-up of clues and evidence that gives the reader a chance to figure out what's going on. When a book relies on unsubstantiated sum-it-up passages by the main character, it means that the author didn't spend enough time planning ahead. On the author's web site, she admits to being a "pantser," but she really should have been more of a planner when she wrote this book. To read an excerpt from Grave Matters, click HERE to go to the book's Amazon.com page and click on the cover art.

                 WORLD-BUILDING                 

     Roy has created a fresh and inventive world built around some familiar supernatural types, but with the addition of a very non-traditional group. Instead of using a single leading character or even a pair, she begins by giving us four (two women and two men) and then adds a fifth (another man) at the end of book 1. Some reviewers are calling this a read-alike for Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, and Seanan McGuire. I would agree that this is the type of story that those authors write, but Roy is not by any means in the ballpark with them (at least not yet) as far as quality of writing. The series definitely has potential, but based on book 1, it has some rough edges that need tending to in future books.

     In this world, the supernatural population includes vampires, demons, and Jackals (aka Creeps). The vampires keep a low profile, drinking only donated blood and keeping their true identities hidden from the mortal world. These vamps have supersonic speed and strength, are extremely sensitive to sunlight and holy water, and sleep during the day. The method by which a human is changed into a vampire is much more gory than the traditional process. (It is described in detail in the first novel, so I won't discuss it here.)

     The demons also live among humans without showing their true natures. In the first novel, we meet a pair of lesbian succubi who live in a lovely suburban home and mind their own business, helping out their vampire friend when necessary. 

     The Creeps/Jackals are the villains of this world because they prey openly on humans, giving the rest of the supernaturals a bad name. The Creeps are carnivorous and are particularly fond of chowing down on virgins of either gender. They also smell really bad ("Blood and rot and crawling things," Night Owls, p. 18) In general, they travel in small groups and live in "nests." They have their own guttural language; use runes as part of their magic; and are extremely sensitive to sun, holy water, rowan wood, and silver. Here, one character explains what is known about them: "We're not quite certain what the Creeps are, at heart. They take the bodies of their victims, usually after death, but not always. They've been able to turn the living as well, Whether the original personality remains seems to depend on the circumstances of their turning. Some retain pieces of themselves, some don't….We don't know precisely what it is that enters the bodies. Some kind of wraith, perhaps, or lesser demons too weak to have forms of their own. But once it's done, the change is permanent. They'll go around, killing indiscriminately, feasting on flesh and causing a panic." (Night Owls, p. 40) Creeps can make themselves look human or they can go completely animalistic: "heads completely canine, covered in short black fur, their bodies bulging with muscles and twisted as they [lope]...on all fours." (Night Owls, p. 214) Generally though, they walk on two feet, but allow their heads to turn into fanged muzzles with furry, pointy ears—all covered up by nondescript hoodies. In Grave Matters, we learn that Creeps can spread their condition either through a bite, although that can frequently result in death rather than transformation. There is also a slower transformation method that involves the Creep eating a piece of the victims heart and then forcing the victim to eat a piece of raw Creep flesh.

     The main enemy of the Creeps is the Brotherhood, an ancient cult-like organization that has, for centuries, battled the Creeps and other Monsters in an attempt to eliminate them entirely. Lately, the Creeps have not been having much luck turning humans, so with that problem and with the Brotherhood constantly on their trail, their numbers have dropped considerably over the past few decades. Members of the Brotherhood are well-trained Hunters who use a variety of weapons, tools, and magic to defeat the Creeps. In general, the Brotherhood doesn't bother the vamps or the demons unless one of them goes rogue and harms humans. 

     The series is set in the town of Edgewood, which appears to be on the East Coast within a few hours driving time of Boston. Instead of a single hero or heroine, Roy has put together an ensemble cast. The point of view switches back and forth among three of them: Val, Chaz, and Elly. Here are the main characters who are introduced in book 1:

    > Eleanor (Elly) Garrett: She was raised by Father Value, a renegade Brother who was thrown out of the Brotherhood after he tried to use fighting methods that they didn't condone. Elly always thought that she was an orphan, but she learns differently in book 1. She learned all sorts of magical skills during her years with Father Value, and consequently, she is a skilled fighter, both with her weapons and her magic. Elle is 23 years old.

    > Cavale: He is a powerful warlock, also raised by Father Value and is a few years older than Elly. He walked away from Father Value and Elly when he couldn't stomach Father Value's indifference to sacrificing the lives of innocents if those deaths meant that he could kill more Monsters.

    > Valerie (Val) McTeague: A vampire born in the 1940s, she spent much of her life as a Hunter, but left after a battle with a nest of Creeps from which she emerged as the only survivor. Currently, she owns Night Owls, a book store in Edgewood.  

    > Charles (Chaz): He is Val's sardonic, slacker Renfield and is also secretly in love with her. Chaz is not like the original Renfield in Bram Stoker's novel. He is Val's personal assistant, works as the manager of Night Owls, and handles all of her daytime affairs. She does not drink his blood, and he does not want to become a vampire (at least not in book 1). Most of the humor comes in the verbal interaction between Chaz and Val and between Chaz and various book-store patrons and workers.

    > Sunny and Lia: Lesbian succubi pair who can glamour their appearance at will and generally appear as middle-aged humans. Their demonic appearance is traditionally huge, scaly, and fierce. They own a bakery next door to Night Owls, but they also have day jobs: Sunny as a counselor and Lia as a gym coach at the local college.

    > Justin: He starts off as a human college student but then becomes something else after his adventures in book 1. Justin has a major crush on Elly. 

     There is also a group of vampires in Boston who turn up in book 1. Their second in command—Katya—plays a minor role in book 1 and will no doubt be back to annoy Val and torture Chaz in future books.

                 NOVEL 1:  Night Owls                   

     As in all series, the opening novel must carry a heavy expositional load. Mostly, we meet the large cast of characters and learn enough about their backstories to differentiate among them. Additionally, the author doles out information about the Creeps: their abilities and weaknesses, their history, and their physical appearance. All of this world-building slows down the pace a bit, making the build-up of dramatic tension spotty, at best. At the beginning, the story line follows two courses: Val's adventures and Elly's adventures. Soon, though, they converge and remain together for the rest of the book.  

     As the story opens, Val is living a contented, peaceful life as a bookstore owner in a college town when she gets a whiff of a Creep. When she tracks down the Creep (a woman), Val learns that she has brought some of her Creepy friends to Edgewood. Meanwhile, Elly is on the run from a Creep who is determined to steal an ancient book from her. Elly's mentor, Father Value, has just been murdered trying to keep the Creeps from getting the book, and Elly is determined that he won't have died in vain. Eventually, Val and Elly and the book all wind up in the rare books room at Night Owls, where Val determines that the book is written in Creepscrawl—the name she gives to the written language of the Creeps.

     The Creeps soon come for the book, and there are several bloody battles between the Creeps and the assorted good guys as the story line advances. Just after Val acquires the book, one of her employees (Justin) opens the book and sets off a ward that takes some of the crucial parts of the book and plants them in his brain. Now, Val and her team must figure out how to deal with Justin, the missing parts of the book, and the Creeps who want it all.

     Along with this primary story line, each character has his or her own personal story thread running alongside. Val has her horrible memories of her final Hunter battle and the loss of her friends. Chaz has his hidden love for Val and his feelings of inadequacy as her human protector/advisor/friend. Elly has lost her mentor and also her purpose in life. Father Value raised her to be a survivor, not a savior, but now that she has these new friends, she doesn't think that she can go back to being so cold-hearted. Cavale is seemingly content with his new life, but obviously has feelings for Elly. Justin is a wild card at this point. He is a nerdy virgin who gets mixed up in magical affairs that are far beyond his understanding, but by the end of the book, he finds himself on the side of the supernaturals for the long term. One strong point about the book is that it doesn't just go from battle to battle. In between the inevitable conflicts, we watch these people leading their "normal" lives: dealing with prickly interpersonal relationships, engaging in verbal sparring, and just trying to get along the best they can in a very complicated world. One of my favorite scenes involves Val working desperately to neaten up her living room before the big, bad vamps from Boston drop in for an unannounced visit while Chaz pulls out the dainty porcelain tea set and fills the teapot with fresh pig blood for their guests. Like I said…just trying to live a normal life.

     The story ends with the requisite showdown battle, but this one is just a bit too neat—especially because it hinges on a handy deus ex machina inserted by the author so that Val and Elly and their friends live to fight another day (and in another book).  

     The mythology has some rough spots. For example, even though Elly has been fighting the Creeps for years alongside a highly knowledgeable member of the Brotherhood, the two succubi tell her things about the Creeps that she never knew before—an improbability. In another scene, the succubi assure Val and her allies that their demonic wards will hold back the Creeps with no assistance needed from Elly and Cavale. Then, on the next page, one of the succubi tells them that the wards will hold for awhile, but not for the whole night. Sounds like a direct contradiction to me. Here's another contradiction: in an early chapter, Val has trouble taking down a single Creep, but later in the book, she rampages through hordes of Creeps with no trouble whatsoever.

     The fact that there are so many main characters means that we get only bits and pieces of their back stories, motivations, and personalities, although Roy does a decent job with the characterization given the limits of plot time and line space. Basically, this novel introduces us to everyone and sets up the series. In the epilogue, we get the catalyst for the second book.

     Even though this first book has a few draggy spots and several bumpy parts, I do look forward to reading the next book to see where Roy will go with her story now that all of the world-building is in place. To read an excerpt from Night Owls, click HERE to go to the book's Amazon.com page and click on the cover art.

UPDATE! Kira Brady's DEADGLASS TRILOGY

UPDATE!

I have just updated a previous post for Kira Brady with a review of Hearts of Chaos, the third and FINAL novel in her DEADGLASS TRILOGY.

Click on the pink-link series title above to go directly to the updated review.

Mary Behre: TIDEWATER SERIES

Author:  Mary Behre
Series:  TIDEWATER SERIES   
Plot Type:  Soul Mate Romance (SMR)     
Ratings:  Violence—3; Sensuality—3-4; Humor—2 
Publisher and Titles:  Berkley Sensation
          Spirited (novel 1—3/2014)

          Guarded (novel 2—8/2014)    

          "Harmonized" (e-novella 2.5—7/2015)

           Energized (novel 3—8/4/2015)  

This post was revised and updated on 7/2/15 to include the publisher's blurbs for "Harmonized" (the 2.5 novella) and Energized (the third novel). The post begins with an overview of the world-building and then continues with my reviews of the first two novels and the publisher's blurbs for the remaining books. The reviews/blurbs are arranged in reading order with the newest at the end of the post.

                 WORLD-BUILDING                 

     The heroines of the series are three sisters who were separated in childhood after the death of their parents. Each sister has a different psychic talent: Juliana can communicate with the dead; Shelley can communicate with animals; and Hannah can do something else (which is not explained in the first book). The series story arc centers on the reunion of the three siblings, who are now in their twenties. In each book, one of the sisters finds her soul mate and solves a mystery that puts both her and her lover in danger.  

                 MY REVIEW OF NOVEL 1:  Spirited                   

     Juliana (Jules) Scott has just moved back to Tidewater, Virginia, to run her adopted parents' flower shop. One night, she goes to her college reunion, loses her keys and her cell phone, and tries to reach her parents' apartment by sneaking in through the open window of a neighbor. That neighbor is Seth English, a police detective, who nearly arrests Jules for breaking and entering. 

     Seth is investigating a series of jewelry heists and two related murders, and as the story struggles along, Jules is drawn into the investigation through a mishmash of improbable events. Predictably, Jules and Seth fall quickly in love, although she is afraid to tell him that she can talk to ghosts, particularly since the ghost of a murdered woman has implicated her in the robberies that Seth is investigating. Jules refers to her ability to see and talk to ghosts as her "crift," which we eventually learn is a cross between a curse and a gift.  

     This mediocre romantic mystery is full of plot holes, awkward dialogue (particularly in the love scenes), unbelievable coincidences, and melodramatic interior monologues. In addition to the plot problems, the characters are cardboard flat, and the lovers lack any spark of chemistry between them. I would rate the quality of the writing to the category romances published by Harlequin. I'm surprised that Berkeley Sensation is publishing something so unpolished and amateurish. 

Here are a few of the plot problems:

     > When Juliana loses her keys and can't get into her apartment, why does she go into the next-door neighbor's window when she could just pound on her parents' window and wake them up? Here is an example of a major continuity error that is related to that scene: In the first scene of the book, the two apartments are adjacent to one another (making the windows of each apartment available to Jules from her position on the fire escape), but in a later scene (p. 254), the apartments are across the hall from one other (forcing Jules to run stealthily back and forth across the hall from one apartment to the other). 

     > Almost from the first time they meet, Seth calls Jules "precious": "Use your key next time, precious." (p. 14) First, he's using the word as a nickname, so it should be capitalized. Second, it's kind of creepy.

     > The Prada purse that is the key to the mystery was a gift from Jules' ex-husband. She has never before taken the purse out of its delivery box until tonight, but it turns out to be the exact same purse of a woman she bumps into at the reunion. Then, after never carrying the purse before, she continues to carry it all during this story. Why?…No particular reason except that the author needs it as an on-going plot device.

     > The purpose of the side story of Sam, the homeless man, is obvious from the start. We know that he will die saving Jules. It's just a matter of seeing just how he does it. (Really, this is not a spoiler. I promise that you will predict Sam's fate as soon as you read his first scene.)

     > Inexplicably, the primary ghost changes her clothes (and her hair color and style) for every scene, and we get a full description each time.

     > When Jules suggests that they have dinner at her favorite Greek restaurant, Seth doesn't tell her that it is his family's restaurant and instead tries to sneak them in without being seen by any family members. Gee…I wonder why that doesn't work.

     > The love scenes (mostly passionate kissing scenes) are stereotypically over-the-top Harlequin all the way: He ravages her mouth; he plunders her mouth; he nibbles; they hiss in pleasure; she was "a throbbing mass of aching need and desire." Along with the clichéd, overblown verbs, the dialogue in these scenes is consistently forced and unnatural.

     > After spending the entire story shrieking unintelligibly at Jules, the primary ghost waits until the very end to acquire the ability to explain to Jules (and to the reader) just what happened to her. Then, she voices her clues to Jules in the form of a Medieval riddle…again, for no apparent reason. There is no Medieval connection to the crimes or the characters, so why does the author throw in this ridiculously archaic plot element?  

     > At one point, Jules sees a dead person being dragged off by Death Bearers, who supposedly chase after evil souls, but the person they are dragging off turns out not to be very evil, so why are the Death Bearers after him? And why introduce the Death Bearers when we never see or hear from them again?

     > I have eaten lots of moussaka in various traditional Greek restaurants, and none of them had peppers as an ingredient. (I know—that's a petty nit-pick, but still…)

     > The details of Jules' sad story about her ex-husband having her arrested just don't ring true. I found the entire story impossible to believe.

     > At a crucial point in the story, Jules dials 9-1-1 and gets put on hold. Really?

     For all of these reasons, I can't recommend this novel. Perhaps the author will do a better job on the second one, which will feature the second sister, Shelley, and Seth's partner, Devon (Dev) Jones. Click HERE to go to this book’s amazon.com page and click on the cover art to read an excerpt. 

                 MY REVIEW OF NOVEL 2:  Guarded                    

     The second of the long-separated Scott sisters is Shelley Morgan, a veterinarian in the tiny town of Elkridge, Virginia, just an hour or so from Tidewater, where the eldest sister, Jules, lives. Like her sisters, Shelley has a particular psychic "crift" (a cross between a curse and a gift). Shelly has a Doolittle "crift," meaning that she can communicate with almost all animals, except for dogs, who tend to attack her on sight.

     Behre begins this novel like a dark suspense/horror story, with a preface in which a man—a killer—named Andrew meets up with his next slice-n-dice victim. Andrew appears sporadically throughout the book, always planning for his next vengeful kill. Two things are readily apparent to the reader: that Andrew is a sociopath and that he is one of the seemingly normal supporting characters, although, puzzlingly, we don’t meet anyone named Andrew—not until the big reveal at the end. By the time Andrew makes a few appearances, it's pretty easy to use the process of elimination to figure out just who he is, although the reasons for his dastardly actions are not unveiled until the climactic showdown scene at the end of the book.

     Shelley works for the long-time town vet, Dr. Kessler, an elderly man who appears to be sinking into senility. He carries notebooks and pads of sticky notes on which he writes constant reminder messages to himself, but rarely remembers anything at all. That leaves most of the work to Shelley, which is fine with her because she has absolutely no social life. Shelley is haunted by the fact that everyone she has ever loved has left her: her parents have died, her sisters were taken away to be placed in separate adoptions, and her scumbag fiancé dumped her. Strangely, she appears never to have had any female friends. Although she is just 24, Shelley believes that she is doomed to be alone for the rest of her life. She is certain that if she should ever be tempted to love someone again, that person would either die or leave her, so it’s best to avoid all emotional attachments. This is a woman in dire need of a good therapist.

     Devon Jones is a Tidewater police detective, the partner of Seth English, hero of book 1. As the story begins, he arrives in Elkridge for three reasons. First, he knows that Shelley is Jules’s long-lost sister, and he has volunteered to break this big news to Shelley. Second, Shelley e-mailed him a request for help in discovering how and why exotic animals are disappearing from a local private zoo for which she provides veterinary care. Third, Dev has been crazy about Shelley ever since she was his tutor in college, but could never follow through on his feelings because she became involved with his best friend. Dev is currently working on a major homicide case in Tidewater, but he takes a few days off to do what he can to help Shelley, hoping that the two of them can add some romance to their reconnection. Predictably, Dev's murder case and Shelley's zoo animal mystery are connected, but—unbelievably—none of the detectives have yet discovered that the Tidewater case has its roots in Elkridge.

     The plot is, on the surface, complicated, but that’s mostly because of the inept way the story is told. Basically, this is a typical horror/suspense trope—a sicko who wants to get bloody revenge on the people who wronged his family many years ago and who doesn’t mind if a few innocents get swept up in the carnage. The lead characters—Dev and Shelley—are flat, with little or no depth or charisma. Shelley comes across as an airheaded, emotional wreck of a woman who is all about me, me, me. All though the story, she keeps trying to jump headfirst into the action, in direct opposition to the advice of two experienced police detectives and two trained security experts. She is also one of those annoyingly overwrought romance heroines who is so emotionally unstable and insecure that she responds to a night of great sex and meaningful connection by coldly turning her back on her lover the next morning and running away from him as soon as possible, only to pine piteously for him as soon as she does so. Shelley has a pet ferret named Lucy, and she seems to believe that Lucy is the only one who loves her unconditionally and will never leave her. Unfortunately the author didn't do her homework, because (and this is not pointed out in the book), possession of a weasel as a personal pet is illegal in Virginia, and a ferret is a member of the weasel genus.)

     Once again, the plot is full of holes, both big and small. In my review of the first novel, I listed all of the plot problems, but this time around I’ll only warn you not to think too hard about the continuity, the character motivations, or the logic involved in the story line. I can't resist giving you just a few, though: 

     > Shelley is supposed to be a vegetarian, but when she and Dev stop at a restaurant for lunch, she orders and eats antipasto, which is—by definition—a melange of cured meats, olives, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses, pickled meats, and vegetables in oil or vinegar. So…absolutely not a vegetarian dish.

     > The 911 operators in this series are a pitiful lot: In book 1, a character calls 911 and gets put on hold—and the same thing happens again in this book. Ms. Behre, are you serious? This clunky plot device was unbelievable the first time you used it, but to throw it in again defies all logic!

    > The book is filled with illogical plot manipulations. For example, when a car overheats, the characters inexplicably move it to the back of a gas station before they pour antifreeze into its radiator. Turns out, the author needs the car to be behind the gas station because another character is going to use it to sneak away from the scene.

     I had to force myself to finish reading this book, and I don’t plan to review any more of this series. I will continue to add new titles to the list at the top of this review page, but you’re on your own as far as the content. I was hoping that this book would be better than the first, but alas, this series appears to be on a slippery, downward slope. Click HERE to go to this book’s amazon.com page and click on the cover art to read an excerpt.  

               PUBLISHER'S BLURB FOR NOVELLA 2.5: "Harmonized"               

     From the author of Energized and Guarded comes an all-new novella in the series that’s “a perfect mix of paranormal, suspense, and romance” (SnS Reviews).

     After nearly dying on assignment, Tidewater police officer Zig Harmon has been awarded the Silver Star and desk duty. But handling every case that walks through the door while his entire department is out hunting a serial killer is nothing compared to dealing with his former flame, Karma De La Cruz.

     As much as she hates it, Karma knows that her best chance of finding the kidnapped baby haunting her visions is the man she once left behind. Forced to work together, Karma and Zig start to realize that they may have let go of something incredible. But now, time is running out, both for the missing infant and for their chance to start again.

Includes an exclusive preview of the latest TIDEWATER novel, Energized.

                 PUBLISHER'S BLURB FOR NOVEL 3:  Energized                    

     In the new TIDEWATER novel by the author of Guarded, a kiss between strangers draws both into unexpected danger and unforgettable desire.

     She’s searching for a sign. . . Hannah Halloran has always believed in her gift. The things she sees through her psychic touch have never led her wrong before. Not when they led her to an unforgettable night with a sexy marine at a bar. Not when she felt a need to leave her home and find the sisters she barely knows. And not now, when she is an unwilling witness to a brutal murder . . .

     He’s ready to show her. . . All Niall Graham wants is some peace. He’s recovering from the horrors of war, struggling to save his family’s restaurant, and desperate to forget Hannah, the beautiful woman who left him with memories of a mind-blowing night together and a bogus phone number. But a quiet life is hard to manage—especially when Hannah strides back into his restaurant with the news that a serial killer is on the loose and lurking closer than anyone could have guessed.

Jennifer Harlow: MIDNIGHT MAGIC MYSTERY SERIES

Author:  Jennifer Harlow
Series:  MIDNIGHT MAGIC MYSTERIES   
Plot Type:  Soul-Mate Romance (SMR) with a dose of Paranormal Chick Lit (CH)    
Ratings:  Violence—3; Sensuality—4; Humor—3 
Publisher and Titles:  Midnight Ink (Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.)
          What's a Witch to Do (3/2013)
          Werewolf Sings the Blues  (3/2014)

          Witch Upon a Star (3/2015)

This ongoing post was revised and updated on 3/25/15 to include a review of Witch Upon a Star, the third novel in the series. That review appears first, followed by an overview of the world-building and a review of the first two novels. 

                 NOVEL 3:  Witch Upon a Star                 

     An author's note states that "The events in this book begin twenty years before the events in Mind Over Monsters, [the first F.R.E.A.K.S. SQUAD novel] and twenty-one years before the events in What's a Witch to Do?" [the first MIDNIGHT MAGIC MYSTERIES novel]. Since What's a Witch to Do takes place over a 49-year period, I'm not sure exactly how to interpret that statement.

     This novel turns away from witches and concentrates on vampires, particularly on a centuries-old male vamp named Asher and his human ward, Anna, who later becomes his lover. The novel is constructed chronologically, although it begins with a prologue that takes place when Anna is 29 years old. The story then flashes back to when she was nine. From that point, we check in with Anna every two years or so until she is back at 29 years of age. The final chapter then jumps to Anna at age 49. Once again, Harlow has the heroine tell her story in the first-person voice using the simple present tense (my least-favorite story-telling tense).

     In the prologue scene, Anna is living with her husband, Nathan West, and their two sons in the suburbs of Garland, Texas. Both Anna and her husband are former F.R.E.A.K.S. agents. She is a witch, and he has electrical powers. Suddenly, a masked man teleports in and tries to inject Anna and her sons with sedatives. He has also brought along a gun to kill Nathan. Fortunately, Anna is able to get the best of the intruder, and by the time Nathan comes charging to her rescue, the man is dead. Anna is terrified because she now realizes that Asher, her former vampire lover, did not die ten years ago as she had hoped—that he is alive and he wants her back, along with her children.

     Now, we're back in the 1970s when Anna was nine years old. She lives with Sven Olmstead, her drug-dealing dad and his girlfriend, who allow her to be abused by some of Dad's friends. Sven knows that Anna has some valuable witchy powers, so he sometimes hires her out to do various sketchy jobs. One night, Asher comes to the house and hires Anna to raise the spirit of his long-dead lover from her grave so that he can say good-bye to her. As soon as Anna sees Asher, she falls for him and realizes that he is her way out of the horrible life she is living. The two spend the next decade traveling the world, with Anna constantly trying to seduce Asher and Asher always resisting. Eventually, Asher succumbs, and Anna becomes his official consort when she is thirteen. Asher then forces Anna to wait two more years before they consummate their relationship. Although their early years together don't always run smoothly, Anna is always sure that they will be happy together forever. Unfortunately, soon after Asher and Anna's relationship is official, his ex-girlfriend, a sociopathic vampire named Christine, makes it very clear that she has other plans for Asher, and he doesn't disagree. Eventually Christine drives a wedge between Asher and Anna, and Anna runs away. Bad things happen after that—to Anna and to the people who help her. In the midst of all this, she meets Nathan and they go off to their HEA believing that Asher is dead and that Anna is finally safe. Obviously, based on the Prologue, Asher didn't die, and Anna and her family are in grave danger. 

     This book is totally unlike the previous two novels in that it reads like a throwback to the bodice-ripper romances that were so hot thirty years ago. All of the characters are thinly developed, extremely melodramatic figures. Even though Anna comes from an abusive childhood, she is so immature and self-centered for so many years that I never had much sympathy for her. Even when people try to warn her about Asher's womanizing, she refuses to listen, always telling them—and herself—that she is different from all the other women, that she is his one true love. Asher comes across just like every egotistical, arrogant ancient vampire you've ever seen in a paranormal romance novel. He has only disdain for most humans, and he wants what he wants when he wants it, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

     For me, this was a disappointing book. For starters, it is so unexpectedly different from the first two books that I thought at first that it was part of a different series, but the author's web site says that this is truly book three of the series. The witches of Goodnight, Virginia, and several members of the F.R.E.A.K.S squad turn up late in the story, but mostly, the story just follows Anna and Asher as they wend their debauched way across Europe and eventually find themselves in the U.S. for the fiery climax. I suppose that the author means for the theme of this book to be the corruption of innocence and the poison of obsession, but I never really got that from Anna. Yes, Anna lost her innocence, but she lost that very early during her years with Sven. She never saw Asher as a father figure; she always seems to believe that their relationship will inevitably end in a long, romantic life and perceives him as a sexual partner very early in their relationship. Anna's life during her teen years is quite sophisticated and she is aware that Asher has a pattern of taking various women to bed, including her dance teacher, so it is very hard to believe that she would hold on so long to her blind certainty that Asher will settle down into a contented, monogamous life. Sorry, but this one just didn't work for me. To read an excerpt from Witch Upon a Star, click HERE to go to the book's Amazon.com page and then click on the artwork. 

         

                 WORLD-BUILDING                 

     This series is set in the same world as Harlow's F.R.E.A.K.S. SQUAD INVESTIGATION SERIES, which I have not read. In any case, this world has witches, werewolves, and vampires living among mundane humans but hiding their true natures. The F.R.E.A.K.S. squad is the preternatural law enforcement agency: the Federal Response to Extra-Sensory and Kindred Supernaturals.  


     According to the author's note at the beginning of Werewolf Sings the Blues, the action in that novel takes place eight years before the events in What's a Witch to Do? and seven years before the events in F.R.E.A.K. SQUAD's Mind Over Monsters. It's difficult to recommend which order to read What's a Witch… and Werewolf Sings…. On the one hand, I generally prefer to read novels in chronological order, rather than publishing order. But the author has written the romance story line (between Adam and Mona) in What's a Witch… in such a way that knowing some of the details from Werewolf Sings… might spoil it for you if you read it first. Nevertheless, I'm still going with my gut instinct here by recommending that you begin reading this series with Werewolf Sings…. Meeting Adam in that book and learning more about Adam and Jason's personal history will give you a deeper understanding of some of the difficult decisions Adam has to make in What's a Witch….  

     The first two novels in the MIDNIGHT MAGIC MYSTERIES SERIES are set in or near the village of Goodnight, Virginia, near the Maryland border, where everyone knows everyone else and most are related to one another in a distant-cousin sort of way.

     In this world, true witches have about fifty official covens in the United States, and they conceal their true powers behind the label of "Wiccan." They do practice the Wiccan religion, but they are much more powerful than the Wiccan wannabes who come to their shops and use their websites. These modern-day witches are so up-to-date that they buy and sell their charms and potions through the Internet.


     Werewolves in this world have the usual allergic reaction to silver and always change into their animal forms at the full moon. Their Changes take about half an hour to complete and are extremely painful. There are two types of werewolves: those who are born of werewolf parents and those who began as humans but were then bitten by a werewolf in its animal form. The werewolf population of America is relatively small: approximately 150 werewolves. 

     The novels in the MIDNIGHT MAGIC MYSTERIES SERIES are set in or near the village of Goodnight, Virginia, near the Maryland border, where everyone knows everyone else and most are related to one another in a distant-cousin sort of way.

     The witches have about fifty official covens in the United States. They conceal their true powers behind the label of "Wiccan." They do practice the Wiccan religion, but they are much more powerful than the Wiccan wannabes who come to their shops and use their websites. These modern-day witches are so up to date that they buy and sell charms and potions through the Internet. 

     The werewolves in this world have the usual allergic reaction to silver and always change into their animal forms at the full moon. Their Changes take about half an hour to complete and are extremely painful. There are two types of werewolves: those who are born of werewolf parents and those who began as humans but were then bitten by a werewolf in its animal form. The werewolf population of America is relatively small: approximately 150 werewolves. 

                 NOVEL 1:  What's a Witch to Do?                     

     Ramona (Mona) McGregor is a 35-year-old with too much on her plate and too many pounds on her hips. For the past five years, Mona has been the High Priestess of the local coven of 150 witches. She is also raising her sister's two young daughters; she runs her own occult shop (Midnight Magic); she serves on the local supernatural council; and she is heavily involved in most of the activities that take place in the village of Goodnight, Virginia. The chapters in this novel take place on succeeding days of the week, and each is prefaced by one of Mona's extensive to-do lists. Within each chapter, the scenes are sub-headed by the various tasks for that day—a literary device that gets old very quickly. (By chapter 3, I had stopped reading the lists.)  


     One of Mona's major flaws is that she never says "No" to anyone who asks for help. Then, after she adds each new duty to her to-do list, she indulges in endless interior monologues griping about how overworked she is and how much she hates her life. Oddly, although she has plenty of friends, they never step up to help her out. Instead, they just keep asking for more favors without any reciprocation. At one point, she rants, "My entire life has been about others since I was a kid. Their wants, their needs. I am a good friend, a good sister, a good aunt, and a good spiritual leader….I am raising children that are not my own by myself. I help women reach their full potential, and I'm happy to do it, I really am. I'm good at it….But what about me? It's never been about me. I don't get what I want, hell I barely get what I need…I need to believe that something good can happen to me. Because if it can't…then why the hell am I fighting so hard to stay alive?" (p. 95)

      Mona also spends a great deal of time moaning about how fat, unattractive, and unlovable she is, and most of her friends reinforce her pathetic self-image. Mona's constant self-flagellation and her friends' total absence of support are the two elements of the story that turned me off the most.

     On Sunday, the second day of the book, Mona is awakened in the middle of the night by a badly injured werewolf. Adam Blue tells Mona that someone has put a hit out on her and that he was captured while he was trying to determine who and why. Mona can't believe it. Who would want to kill her? After all, she has given her entire life over to the people of Goodnight, and she has tried hard to be a good and helpful High Priestess, etc., etc. Adam and Mona decide that he will stay with her and the two girls while they work together to figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, the plot is so transparent that I was able to figure out the villain's identity very early on—all you have to do is pay attention to the half-hidden clues. Needless to say, the villain is eventually unmasked, but not without a few violent scenes, one of which puts Adam at the brink of death. 

     As Mona and Adam investigate the threat on her life, they begin to fall for one another, although Mona is so romantically and socially naive that she doesn't pick up on the signals until nearly the end of the book. A complication in their blossoming relationship is that he is a werewolf sworn to his pack, and if he stays with her he can never return to that pack. To complicate matters even further, the handsome new doctor in town has suddenly and inexplicably become romantically interested in Mona. Dr. Sutcliffe has been in town for several months and has never shown any interest in Mona, but all of a sudden he's sending her flowers and dropping by her house and her occult shop for conversations filled with sexual innuendo. Why does every paranormal romance novel have to start off as a love triangle?  

     Harlow begins the book with a multi-generational family tree that indicates which are major characters, which are minor characters, and which are eligible for the position of high priestess. That last designation is important to the plot of the novel because Mona realizes that one of those women could be the one who wants her dead so that she can take over as High Priestess.

     Harlow has Mona tell her story in the first-person voice using the simple present tense (one of my least-favorite story-telling tenses): "I roll down the car window…," "I glance back at the girls…," "Her lips purse with disapproval…," "I roll my eyes…."

     Parts of this story held my interest (i.e., much of the plot, some of the quirky characters), but much of it did not (i.e., Mona's endless, dreary litany of self-loathing; her friends' selfish attitudes toward her). Also a problem is the fact that although Adam is supposed to be her protector, he never really fulfills that role, mostly because Mona has quite a few TSTL scenes that end badly because she goes off on her own, leaving Adam behind. To read an excerpt from What's a Witch to Do, click HERE to go to the book's Amazon.com page and then click on the artwork.

                NOVEL 2:  Werewolf Sings the Blues                   

     As noted in the "World-Building" section above, this novel takes place seven years before What's a Witch to Do? The novel is divided into two parts. In Part 1 ("The Road"), the lead soul-mate couple meets for the first time and immediately takes off on a danger-filled road trip from Southern California to Maryland. In Part 2 ("Home"), the gang of thuggish rogue werewolves who have been pursuing the lovers attacks the Maryland compound of the good-guy werewolves.


     The soul mates are Vivian (Vivi) Dahl (human) and Jason Dahl, werewolf Beta of the Eastern Pack, which has 32 werewolves as the novel begins.  Both have had the requisite tragic childhoods. Vivi never knew her biological father, who left the family when she was just a young child. Her mother and step-father doted on their own daughter and either ignored Vivi or subjected her to constant criticism. Naturally enough, Vivi rebelled in the usual ways when she became a teenager. By the time she was sixteen, she had turned her life into a melange of sex, drugs, and music. Currently, Vivi has her own band: Vivian and the Dolls. Mostly they play for weddings, with Vivi as the lead singer. Just days away from her 30th birthday, Vivi is hitting the alcohol and cocaine pretty hard, realizing that she will never have the singing career she always hoped for. 


     One night after a wedding gig, two men claiming to be U.S. Marshals attempt to kidnap Vivi. When she is rescued by a tall, blond, and handsome man, she can't help but notice that one of his hands is actually a furry, clawed paw. Jason has been sent by Vivi's father to get her safely back to Maryland until the werewolf war is over. How can Vivi be human if her father is a werewolf, you ask? Sorry, you'll have to find that out by reading the novel. Of course, this whole werewolf business is news to Vivi, but she has to believe it because she can see Jason's hand/paw with her own two eyes. Jason spent his childhood in the grip of his cruel father, who killed his mother and abused him. After Jason's biological father killed some innocents, he was captured and executed by the F.R.E.A.K.s, who found Jason cowering in the closet. Frank Dahl (Vivi's biological father) adopted him, and when Frank became pack Alpha, Jason became his Beta. On page 55, Vivi sums up the events of her first few few hours in Jason's company: "I settle into the seat of our stolen car. I may have just committed a felony, I may be on the run from both police and homicidal werewolves, I may be riding shotgun with a killer, but damned if I'm not enjoying myself a little. Just hope this walk on the wild side doesn't end at a cemetery."  


     Although Vivi has hardened her heart to emotions like love and trust, she is increasingly attracted to Jason, and as they keep saving each other's lives on their road trip from hell, the two become closer and closer. But each time Vivi believes that they are making a break-through, Jason suddenly withdraws and turns into the dark and silent warrior that he was when they first met. She doesn't understand what's going on, but the reader can figure it out very early in the story.




     Also easy for the reader to discern is the identity of the traitor within the Pack, the one who is tipping off the enemy to Vivi and Jason's location while they are on the road. At the end of Part 2, the inevitable showdown scene is almost anticlimactic (although extremely violent and bloody) because it is over so quickly and because it doesn't have much dramatic tension. 


     Once again, Harlow writes in the first-person voice and in the simple present tense—my least favorite voice because it always comes across as awkward and unnatural. As Vivi tells her story, she does a better job than Mona did in the previous book. Perhaps that's because the story has more drama, suspense, and action. 


     Although Vivi is constantly saying that she avoids self-reflection at all costs, she certainly indulges in lots of it. She has a terrible self-image, believing herself to be a total loser at just about everything. At one point, Jason asks her, "Why do you hate yourself?…You don't eat, you drink too much, you engage in reckless behavior, you…give yourself freely to strangers. In my experience only people who have little regard for their life engage in such activity. Even when you sing, the majority of the time there is no joy in it." (p, 87) At first, Vivi tries to deflect: "I don't hate myself….I don't eat because I have to stay thin. No one…hires fat singers….I drink because I work in a bar and the tips are better if I drink with the customers. And I give my body freely to strangers, as you so judgmentally put it, because I enjoy sex…" (p. 87) Then, she gets to the heart of her problem: "I turn thirty in a few days. In show business if you haven't been discovered by then, you have a better chance of winning the lotto while being struck by lightning than getting signed....You can only live on hope for so long before real hunger finds you.…I'm stuck on a damn treadmill with no stop button….I have nothing else. No husband, no kids, no college education….all that surrounds me is uncertainty, desolation, and the fact I just wasn't good enough." (p. 88) 

     Both of the romantic leads are interesting, but Jason's character is underdeveloped and somewhat flat. Vivi has more charisma than Jason, but she vacillates between being a smart, streetwise survivor and an impulsive idiot who causes one crisis after another with her TSTL actions. For example, she knows exactly how to steal a car, but she isn't smart enough to know that phone calls can be traced. She knows how to plan a route that will avoid the police, but she thoughtlessly makes an enemy of a hotel manager who hits on her (and then takes out his anger at Vivi by notifying the police of their whereabouts). 


     The quality of the copy proofing in this novel is poor, with quite a few fragmented words and incorrect usages of apostrophes and other punctuation. Unfortunately, that's a big problem in most mass-market publishing these days. To read an excerpt from Werewolf Sings the Blues, click HERE to go to the book's Amazon.com page and then click on the artwork.