Review: The Ghoul Vendetta - Lisa Shearin

Men in Black meets Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum in the fourth urban fantasy novel in the series starring seer Makenna Fraser and her fellow agents at Supernatural Protection & Investigation.

The agents of Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) are paid to keep the peace. But that’s not so easy when an endless evil threatens to tear that peace to pieces...

A vampire gangster’s nephew is abducted off his yacht by a bunch of low-rent Creatures from the Black Lagoon. A slew of banks are knocked over by what looks like the cast of Night of the Living Dead. All of this may seem like the movies, but, I promise you, it’s not.

I’m Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI, and I know the culprits aren’t wearing disguises or makeup. They’re real. Deadly real. Especially their leader—an ancient shapeshifter who leaves a trail of chaos and blood in his wake. Now, he’s taken my partner, Ian—and his intentions aren’t pretty.

The worst part? This is only the beginning...

The beginning of the end of the human race.

SPI Files:
Lucky Charms (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
The Grendel Affair
The Dragon Conspiracy
The Brimstone Deception
The Ghoul Vendetta

Visit Lisa Shearin's website for more information

Review:
What should have been a fun date for Seer Mac and her Goblin boyfriend Rake quickly turns sour when the yacht they're partying on is attacked by a kraken and a bunch of other weird creatures normally only seen in bad sci-fi movies. Things only get worse when ghouls start carrying out perfect bank jobs and eating any security guards who come anywhere close to catching them in the act. Throw in an old vendetta against her SPI partner Ian and shocking kidnap and Mac realises the stakes have never been higher but can she rescue Ian from the clutches of a madman AND save the world from an ancient enemy or is she destined to fail?

One of the things I love most about this series is the way Lisa Shearin keeps coming up with interesting new creatures to populate her world with. We've had dragons, gorgons, demons and more but The Ghoul Vendetta increases the stakes and introduces a whole new host of monsters for Mac to worry about. We also get to find out a lot more about Ian's background which was fascinating (I wish we'd seen some of the story from his point of view though!). Mac is much more confident than she was at the beginning of the series and while she's not the strongest fighter in the SPI she's definitely willing to stand up when it counts, especially when her partner's life is on the line.

If there is one thing I'm a little disappointed with it's the romance though. Rake has really grown on me as a character but I just don't see any real connection between him and Mac which makes it very hard to believe in them as a couple. Mac spends so much time thinking about Ian that Rake is pretty much an after thought throughout the whole book, even when he's going out of his way to help her. It's probably easy to guess that I'm totally team Ian but I can see that ship has firmly sailed and I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. I just hope the author can actually create half the chemistry between Mac and Rake that she's already done between Mac and Ian. Luckily the romance isn't the main focus of the story though and I'm happy to just roll with the unbelievable relationships because I'm enjoying the rest of the story so much.

The Ghoul Vendetta has plenty of action and some really funny moments to lighten up the dark nature of the ghoul attacks. We're getting a much view of the world now and there are some really interesting revelations that will have a knock on effect as the series continues. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where things go from here and I'm still not-so-secretly keeping my fingers crossed that Mac and Ian will see sense and stop dating other people when they're both so obviously in love with each other LOL.

Source: Received from Ace in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Brimstone Deception - Lisa Shearin

The agents of Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) know that fighting evil is a full-time job, especially when a new designer drug - with mind-blowing side effects - hits the streets . . .

It's called Brimstone. After the first few hits, you'll see every supernatural beast sharing the sidewalk, train, or office with you. After that, you'll start seeing the really scary stuff.

I'm Makenna Fraser, seer for the SPI. And the collateral damage caused by Brimstone is something I'd like to unsee: dead drug dealers missing their hearts - and souls. Because your local pusher doesn't stand a chance against the new cartel muscling its way into New York. Plus, since the drug can only be produced with magic and molten brimstone fresh from Hell, a rift to the underworld must be open somewhere in the city.

And when - not if - the cartel loses control of it, well . . .

It's going to be Hell on Earth.

SPI Files:
Lucky Charms (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
The Grendel Affair
The Dragon Conspiracy
The Brimstone Deception
The Ghoul Vendetta

Visit Lisa Shearin's website for more information

Review:
There's a new designer drug in town and it has some unfortunate side effects including allowing humans to see through supernatural glamours and realise that there are monsters living among us. As if that wasn't bad enough the drug's main ingredient is brimstone, imported freshly from Hell itself and that means that somewhere hidden in New York is an open portal which could have disastrous consequences if it's not closed before demons start using it as a one way ticket to paradise. SPI Agents Mac and Ian have been tasked with finding out who is behind the drug's creation and also a string of grisly murders amongst the local drug dealers but most importantly they need to find that portal and figure out how to close it before the world is change forever.

This series is going from strength to strength and I really enjoy diving back into this world to spend time with these characters. I love the partnership that is developing between Mac and Ian now that she's starting to find her feet as a Seer. She's still got a lot to learn but it's clear that there is mutual respect between them now and I love the banter between them and their regular driver, werewolf Yasha. I will say that I'm still a bit disappointed that Lisa Shearin seems to have given up on the idea of a romance between Mac and Ian though, they had such brilliant chemistry in the beginning and although I love them as friends I'm still hoping they'll end up being more. I just don't feel the connection between Mac and Rake yet and I'm even less convinced by the Ian and Kylie pairing. Both relationships feel false and they definitely don't have anywhere near the chemistry that Mac and Ian used to. Having said that Rake is growing on me so I'm glad he's still hanging around and perhaps the author will convince me he's a worthy romantic lead eventually.

This series is full of humour so there is lots of witty banter and I enjoy Mac's way of snarking when she's stressed. There is a great cast of side characters too with more being added in every instalment. The Brimstone Deception is full of action and Mac's abilities seem to be heading in an interesting direction, the same goes for the bad guy they're hunting and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens on both counts in future instalments. If you're looking for a lighter funny urban fantasy series you can't go far wrong with this one.

Source: Received from Ace in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Dragon Conspiracy - Lisa Shearin

After solving The Grendel Affair, the agents have another SPI File to investigate . . .

We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. We battle the real monsters of myth and legend, but this Halloween, we’re searching for diamonds . . .

A gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has attracted the upper crust of Manhattan—and thieves. A trio of vile harpies attacks the crowd and steals the stars of the exhibition: a colorful cluster of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs.

In the right mage’s hands, each stone can pack a magical wallop. Together they have the power to “cure” the supernaturals of the tristate area—but for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust.

I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. With the help of my partner, Ian, and the other agents, I have twenty-four hours to prevent total global panic, find the diamonds, and save the supernatural community. No biggie . . .

SPI Files:
Lucky Charms (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
The Grendel Affair
The Dragon Conspiracy
The Brimstone Deception
The Ghoul Vendetta

Visit Lisa Shearin's website for more information

Review:
When Mak and Ian are tasked with guarding a set of cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs, at a gala night opening for the Metropolitan Museum of Art they should have known they were about to be in trouble. What they couldn't have guessed is that three harpies would show themselves in front of the humans present and escape with the dangerous jewels. Unfortunately the diamonds are dangerous and if SPI aren't able to recover them quickly enough they could be used to cure all of the supernatural creatures in the area and return them to their human selves. That might not sound like a major problem but what do you think would happen to vampires and shapeshifters who are hundreds of years old if time was able to catch up with their bodies? Yes, SPI is looking at a major supernatural disaster!

I absolutely loved the prequel novella Lucky Charms but there were a few teething problems with the first book The Grendel Affair. I like the world that Lisa Shearin has created and how she has included so many different supernatural creatures but the pacing was a little slow in the first book which made the story drag a bit. Luckily that wasn't the case in The Dragon Conspiracy and the story starts with a bang, in fact one of my favourite scenes from the book was the opening night at the museum and I thought it kept a fairly steady pace from there onwards. I really loved the addition of a gorgon to the cast of characters, Helena had a really interesting back story and considering what she has to do to stay alive I was surprised at how much I liked her character. It was also great to see Rake back in the mix again, his character intrigued me in Lucky Charms and I liked him even more here.

While I enjoyed this book more than the first one there were still a few things that bothered me, mainly the ever changing relationship between Mak and Ian. In the prequel there was some fantastic chemistry between them, I loved their banter and I had high hopes of a slow build romance between them. That chemistry fell a little flat in the first book but I was expecting it to pick up again here since Lucky Charms was written after The Grendel Affair but for some reason things seemed to a complete 180 in this book. For most of the story they were acting more like wary strangers than the friends and colleagues they'd been before, the banter was completely missing for a large chunk of the book and the chemistry has vanished too. It seemed like the author was throwing them both in different directions romantically and I found myself really disappointed by that, especially since we'd seen such a great build up between them previously. I know the romance isn't the main focus of the story and I definitely enjoyed the rest of the plot more than the previous book but there was definitely something missing here.

I do still love this world though and I'm hoping everything will come together in the next book. I'm not sure what to expect from the romance but I think I'm going to be going in with much lower expectations on that front, I do hope that we see the friendship and banter back between Mak and Ian though, even if we end up with no romance between them. This series has a lot of potential and I'm very curious to see what kind of supernatural creatures Lisa Shearin will throw at Mak next, she's been on a steep learning curve already but I expect she's in for a few more surprises.

Source: Purchased

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Review: The Grendel Affair - Lisa Shearin

We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. Things that go bump in the night, the monsters you thought didn't exist? We battle them and keep you safe. But some supernatural baddies are just too big to contain, even for us…

When I moved to New York to become a world famous journalist, I never imagined that snagging a job at a seedy tabloid would change my career path from trashy reporter to undercover agent. I'm Makenna Fraser, a Seer for SPI. I can see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal pest can come up with. I track down creatures and my partner, Ian Byrne, takes them out.

Our cases are generally pretty routine, but a sickle-wielding serial killer has been prowling the city’s subway tunnels. And the murderer’s not human. The fiend in question, a descendant of Grendel—yes, that Grendel—shares his ancestor’s hatred of parties, revelry, and drunkards. And with New Year’s Eve in Times Square only two days away, we need to bag him quickly. Because if we don’t find him—and the organization behind him—by midnight, our secret’s out and everyone’s time is up.

SPI Files:
Lucky Charms (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
The Grendel Affair
The Dragon Conspiracy
The Brimstone Deception
The Ghoul Vendetta

Visit Lisa Shearin's website for more information

Review:
I really enjoyed Lucky Charms, the prequel novella to the SPI Files, when I read it in the Night Shift anthology last year. It was one of those stories that completely took me by surprise and it had me laughing out loud all the way through so of course I was looking forward to continuing the series. I picked up The Grendel Affair expecting a quirky and fun read and to a certain extent that's what I got but unfortunately it didn't quite reach the heights of the novella. In fact, because I reread Lucky Charms just before starting this book it was really noticeable that a lot of the jokes and funny one liners had been used in both stories. Had I not read them so close together I probably wouldn't have spotted it but it did take some of the enjoyment out of reading this book.

The writing feels a little stiff at times and I didn't feel the same level of chemistry between the characters as I did in the prequel novella. The Grendel Affair was actually published before Lucky Charms though so that gives me high hopes that the author's writing style is already evolving and I'm hoping the rest of the series will live up to the prequel. The story gets off to a bit of a slow start which is understandable because the author is introducing us to a new world and a whole cast of characters, I'm always prepared to give the first book in a series a bit of extra leeway because of that. The pace definitely picks up in the second half and once it got going I did find myself really enjoying it.

I like both of the main characters and enjoyed the banter between them but think the chemistry between them was better in the novella than it was in this book. Hopefully that is something that will continue to build throughout the series. There are some fun elements to the story and I'm enjoying the fact that there is such a huge variety of supernatural creatures to discover. Overall I think this series has a lot of potential and if Lisa Shearin manages to raise the bar a little higher then it could turn into another favourite.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Night Shift - Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin & Milla Vane

Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance plunge readers into the dangerous, captivating world unearthed beyond the dark . . .

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight, as the scent of Bastien Smith's elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that's as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he's foundhis mate, he'll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews's novella, Magic Steals, when a woman goes missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

It's seer Makenna Frazier's first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first bodyguarding assignment is more than she bargained for when a leprechaun prince's bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin's Lucky Charms.

From Milla Vane - a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. Soon she discovers that the beast isn't a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Nalini Singh
Ilona Andrews
Lisa Shearin
Milla Vane

Review:
I'll admit that the main reason I wanted to read this anthology was for the stories by Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews, I'm a huge fan of both the Psy-Changeling and Kate Daniels series so of course I was eager to be able to dive back into both of those worlds. It was a great opportunity to try a couple of new series though and I have to say that I definitely want to read more from Lisa Shearin and Milla Vane in the future. I'm going to talk about each of these stories individually but I would just like to say that if, like me, you picked up the anthology for one or two authors it's definitely worth giving the other stories a chance too. All four novellas are great and I'd be happy to recommend any of them.

Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh

Psy-Changeling Series:
(Season One in the Psy-Changeling World)
Beat of Temptation (Novella included in Wild Invitation and the An Enchanted Season anthology)
Whisper of Sin (Novella included in the Burning Up anthology or as a separate ebook)
Slave to Sensation
Visions of Heat
Echo of Silence (Novella included in the Wild Embrace anthology)
Caressed by Ice
Stroke of Enticement (Novella included in Wild Invitation and The Magical Christmas Cat anthology)
Mine to Possess
Hostage to Pleasure
Dorian (Novella included in the Wild Embrace anthology)
Branded by Fire
Blaze of Memory
Bonds of Justice
Play of Passion
Declaration of Courtship (Novella included in Wild Invitation)
Kiss of Snow
Texture of Intimacy (Novella included in Wild Invitation)
Tangle of Need
Partners in Persuasion (Novella included in the Wild Embrace anthology)
Heart of Obsidian
Flirtation of Fate (Novella included in the Wild Embrace anthology)
Secrets at Midnight (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
Shield of Winter
Shards of Hope
Allegiance of Honour

Psy-Changeling Trinity Series:
(Season two in the Psy-Changeling World)
Silver Silence
Ocean Light
Wolf Rain

I have loved Bastien ever since we first met him so I just knew that his story would be fantastic. He's such a great guy, fun loving and sweet but also incredibly protective of the women in his life as we've seen from his interactions with his sister Mercy. Bastien is currently infuriated though, he has finally caught the scent of his mate only to lose it again almost immediately. As a cat he should be able to hunt his prey wherever they go but the one person he needs to find almost desperately is managing to stay hidden from him. He isn't one to give up though and when he finally manages to track Kirby down there is no way he's letting her out of his sight again.

I don't want to say too much more about the story because there was a fabulous twist when it came to Kirby and I really enjoyed watching Nalini Singh reveal it. What I will say is that I absolutely adored this couple and I hope we get to see more of them in the future. This novella takes place over a very short space of time but it's a testament to Nalini's writing that it never felt rushed, I always find her stories completely believable no matter how short the timeline is. Kirby is one lucky girl to end up with a guy like Bastien and I'm definitely looking forward to reading his brothers Sage and Grey's stories.

Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews

The Kate Daniels Series:
A Questionable Client (Short Story included in the Magic Graves anthology)
Magic Bites
Magic Burns
Magic Strikes
Magic Mourns (Novella included in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology or available separately as an ebook)
Magic Bleeds
Magic Dreams (Novella included in the Hexed anthology or available separately as an ebook)
Magic Slays
Magic Tests (Short Story included in the An Apple for the Creature anthology)
Magic Gifts (Novella available for a limited time as a free ebook from the authors and included in the print version of Gunmetal Magic)
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniel's World book 1)
Retribution Clause (Short Story included in the Hex Appeal anthology)
Small Magics (Anthology containing previously published stories including A Questionable Client, Magic Tests and Retribution Clause as well as 2 other stories not set in the Kate Daniels world)
Magic Rises
Magic Steals (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
Magic Breaks
Magic Shifts
Magic Stars (Novella, Grey Wolf book 1)
Magic Binds
Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant book 1)
Magic Triumphs

As a fan of the Kate Daniels series I have been rooting for Dali and Jim ever since I read their first novella Magic Dreams so I was excited to see more of them as a couple. This story fits into the timeline during events in Magic Rises while Kate and Curran are off in Europe leaving Jim in charge of the Pack while they're gone.

Dali is such a brilliant character, not only is she an incredibly rare white tiger shifter who has an unusual magical ability but she's also the only vegetarian tiger you're ever likely to meet, her eye sight is terrible and she faints at the sight of blood. Basically Dali is the complete opposite of Jim who is the Alpha of the cat clan and Curran's right hand man. I think one of the reasons I love this couple so much is because of their differences though, they compliment each other's characters so well and it's nice to see a lighter, more relaxed side to Jim because of the way he is comfortable enough to let his guard down around Dali.

Dali has a lot of insecurities about herself, she doesn't feel like she fits in around the other shapeshifters but Jim is brilliant at boosting her confidence. He is so incredibly sweet towards her and I love the way he doesn't let her keep hiding their relationship. As with the first novella there are some hilarious scenes with Dali and her mother but Jim makes the whole situation even more amusing. This novella has plenty of action, it introduces us to some more of the Indonesian mythology from Dali's ancestry and it has an incredibly sweet romance. I still hope we get to spend more time with this couple in the future but I'm very glad we got a second novella about them.

Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin

SPI Files:
Lucky Charms (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
The Grendel Affair
The Dragon Conspiracy
The Brimstone Deception
The Ghoul Vendetta

The first book in Lisa Shearin's SPI Files series (The Grendel Affair) has already been published but I've not read it yet and Lucky Charms is a prequel to the series so you're fine to start here. This story introduces us to Makenna, the new Seer who has just joined the SPI (Supernatural Protections and Investigations). Makenna's first job is to track down a missing leprechaun prince and the rest of his bachelor party after they escaped from their previous bodyguards. The leprechaun's have no intention of coming home quietly though - not when there is a whole city of trouble waiting for them to find it.

This story was very light hearted and a lot of fun to read, the world Lisa Shearin has created is full of a wide range of magical creatures (Makenna's boss is a vampire and the CEO is a dragon!) and it's one I'm looking forward to exploring further. There was plenty of humour and I loved the banter between Makenna and the rest of the team she was working with. I'm very curious about her partner Ian and definitely planning on reading the rest of this series - in fact I've already ordered my copy of The Grendel Affair and can't wait to start reading it.

The Beast of Blackmoor by Milla Vane

A Gathering of Dragons Series:
(Chronological reading order as per the author's website)
The Beast of Blackmoor (Novella in the Night Shift anthology)
Silent Night (Free short story on the author's website)
A Heart of Blood and Ashes
A Touch of Stone and Snow (July 2020)

Mala is a warrior on a quest from her Goddess to tame the Beast of Blackmoor, she will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal because her people are depending upon her to protect them and she needs the Goddess's gifts to help them survive. What she doesn't realise is that the Beast is in fact a man and Kavik will do anything to avoid being enslaved again. Kavik angered Mala's Goddess so it's not too surprising that she has forsaken him but Mala believes that they can both earn redemption for themselves and their people if they only listen to the Goddess and follow her will.

I believe that The Beast of Blackkmoor is the first in a new series from Milla Vane (who you may already know under her other name Meljean Brook). This was very different to anything else I've read from this author and in a way it seemed like a bit of a strange fit for this anthology. The first three stories are UF and PNR where this is a straight fantasy and it's much, much darker than the others. I still enjoyed the story and would definitely read more if this does turn into a series but it just wasn't at all what I expected and I can see why some people haven't liked it as much. Milla Vane has created a dark world, one where you will see characters raped, beaten and tortured so its probably best to be prepared for that going in, but I really liked the main characters and enjoyed seeing them fight for their freedom and the lives of their people. This won't be the story for everyone but I'd recommend giving it a try because it might just surprise you.

Source: Purchased

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