One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Stormwalker, Book 1
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 352 Pages, 4968 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


Janet Begay's heritage is seeped in the Native American culture. She's a Stormwalker, able to channel and use the elements and energies of storms. Though she's been estranged from her family for the past several years, she's returned to the southwest after so long away to deal with the other, much less pleasant side of her lineage...and all its hazardous implications.

Janet has returned to her own back yard to prevent her demonic mother from slipping the bonds of her prison and stop the never-ending attempts to free herself from Beneath. Until Janet's sure (or has the first clue) how to do that exactly, she's working a missing persons case and renovating an abandoned hotel. But her mother isn't content to let her daughter be so close without sending her deadly minions from Beneath to retrieve her. And those minions aren't too concerned with the condition Janet's in while they do it.

The assists from her intense, sexy, overprotective, and secretive not-so-ex-boyfriend Mick and the enigmatic input of the licentious god Coyote may keep Janet alive and out of jail, but ultimately the insidious seduction of the power of Mommy Dearest may rip Janet, then the world, apart.

Allyson James (who also writes as Jennifer Ashley) has kicked off this series with a likable heroine with strong ties to her culture and a sexy hero (a large drink of sizzling goodness coated in yum, that one) who would do just about anything for her...except tell her about himself. She's set them up with a plot that provided some interesting conflicts and adding a cast of...not totally likable...secondary characters. The premise of the book is sound: Janet's demon mother possessed a human woman and seduced her Native American father in the hopes of creating a child capable of freeing her from Beneath, a demon realm loosely connected to our own through magical vortexes. She succeeded and now is trying to get Janet into a position to free her. To add depth there are the additional plot threads of the missing woman and the renovations to the hotel Janet plans on running.

As the backbone of the book, those threads provided a strong starting point. My problems with the book started to arise with how those threads were woven together. The potential for a rich, vibrant, and unique world was there, but the story didn't quite go all the way to adequately explain and build that world to give me more than a superficial understanding of Janet's reality or the rules of magic that exist there. I enjoyed the glimpses of Native American influence and the trip back to Janet's childhood home, but I wish there had been significantly more with her grandmother. Her character tread the line of stereotype, but I enjoyed her. Yet while Janet went back home to face her past, and face the family she abandoned, the book never really delved beneath the surface of all that history to connect me to Janet as a character and allow me to see what put her on her present path. Instead readers are told things almost in summation during scenes with her father and her grandmother, before the arc of the plot moved along to something else.

And speaking of the plot, I felt it lacked the sort of increasing tension and conflict development of my favorite urban fantasy novels, and instead seemed to almost meander from point to point. Despite the clear and present threats and several words of warning of impending doom, there were few instances where I felt the characters had any real sense of urgency - whether it was dealing with Janet's mother's antics, investigating the missing person, or dealing with the mystery of the body in the hotel. It's easy to instill urgency in characters who are desperately trying to survive Nightwalker and Skinwalker attacks, but when something wasn't directly threatening them, Janet and Mick (when he wasn't disappearing) seemed to operate more on Island Time than anything else. On a side note, I'm no more clear than county sheriff Nash Jones was on what made Janet qualified to find a missing person.  That particular plot thread seemed very weakly connected to the characters and the overall arc. I could have done without it.

About the sheriff...the antipathy between he and Janet wasn't really supported or explained by the events in the book, so he came off as a total jackass, but his backstory was very interesting and his character one of my favorites in the book. There was just something about him that I enjoyed and I wouldn't have minded at all if Janet had ended up with him. Actually, the scenes between Janet and Nash were so fraught with tension (some of the best scenes in the book) that I kept getting the feeling that I missed a prequel novella or some other sort of story including the characters that set up the antagonism. It's a feeling I got more than once while I was reading.

It probably doesn't sound like it, but to be honest, I didn't dislike Stormwalker. There were several things that bothered me about it, but overall, I was entertained while reading it and there were things I admired about Janet - most notably how she chose to end her relationship with Mick five years ago and the reasons for it. I wish I'd gotten out of a bad relationship like she had back when I was her age. That sort of strength is laudable, and isn't at all impacted by her decision to let Mick back into her life and heart now that they're in a different time and place and are different people (mostly). The development of their relationship felt realistic and organic to the characters and the revelations during it were awesome.

If I hadn't already decided to give the second book in the series, Firewalker, a try based on my appreciation for a lead character who isn't stupid and who I didn't despise, as well as the potential for development of the series, what I found out about Mick would have made me grab it anyway to see where his storyline goes. I have to admit, though, I'll be hoping for a tighter plot with better pacing and a bit more depth in the world building in that one.

I would like to caution readers more familiar with the romances and paranormal romances of Allyson James and Jennifer Ashley that while there is a romantic thread between Janet and Mick, Stormwalker reads much more like an urban fantasy novel than a paranormal romance. Hard core PNR fans may be disappointed (though really, a dream or two about Mick...or Coyote...or Nash...or any combination of all three...should cure that right up) and/or put off by the first person point-of-view narrative. I enjoy UF as much as PNR, and am used to first person POV, so that was not a detractor in my review.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Nvengaria, Book 1
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Length: 373 Pages, 5520 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Practical Penelope Trask was resolved to spinsterhood after jilting two fiances whose habits and desires she found...objectionable. She's quite happy with accepting that lot in life, until Prince Damien of Nvengaria shows up in her quiet little hamlet and claims she's the prophesied princess of his country and destined to be his wife. Prince Damien doesn't particularly believe in prophecies, but he needs to take control of his country after his evil father had run it into the ground and exiled him. Now that his father is dead, his country is being run by Grand Duke Alexander, who keeps sending assassins after him. Knowing his passionate people and understanding their love of magic, he's determined to woo Penelope and bring her back to his people in time for Midsummer - or risk being executed after seeing his people turn against him.

When he meets her, sees her, touches her for the very first time, however, the power of the prophecy is realized and his desire for her is unimaginable. As is hers for him. But there are requirements to fulfill the prophecy first, and Regency England has its own requirements for appropriate behavior. Then there's the assassination attempts and the ticking clock and a myriad of other things pressing down on Penelope and Damien, threatening to keep them apart. Who knew fairy tale romances could be so darn complicated?

Jennifer Ashley had some nifty ideas for Penelope & Prince Charming, but for me, there were more misses than hits. The story premise was okay, with a bit of originality in the prophecy and fairy tale feeling of the piece, but the pacing of the story was inconsistent, most notably with a slow and laborious beginning and a conclusion that felt rushed and perfunctory. The lead characters were more like caricatures, exaggerated personalities in exaggerated situations, and I found neither Penelope nor Damien all that likable for the first half of the book. Sometime after that, both the story and the characters smoothed out a bit, Damien and his group of Nvengarians becoming far more realistic and fully realized, and more depth or personality was given to Damien and Penelope both. The difference, though, from one part of the book to the next, was peculiar, even though it improved my appreciation of them as characters.

That being said, there were also several things that I liked very much about the book. The antagonist Alexander was a complex "villain," with his only motivation being his concern for his country and his unyielding belief in his own ability to govern it. He was flawed, but he wasn't some evil bad guy with nefarious world domination on his mind, and while his actions were questionable, I could respect his motivations. I liked how he was with his wife and loved his affection for his son. He was the most pleasantly surprising aspect of the book as a whole. I also grew quite fond of several of the secondary and ancillary characters, and I liked Damien's steadfast devotion to Penelope after his roguish past, even after the prophecy plot line reached its conclusion.

The prophecy itself seemed little more than a handy excuse to shovel a lot of sexual situations into the plot, and those situations did nothing to add to the story or characters, nor did it add any believability. It was, too, a part of the overall inconsistency of the book, as the relationship between Damien and Penelope had a more serious bent with some legitimate depth and complexity towards the end that was absent in the beginning. The sexuality in the book was a bit more unconventional than I'm used to in this genre of romance (in places, not in every sex scene) and while I think there was an effort made to provide plausibility, it just didn't quite work for me. And wow...suddenly I sound like a prude. That's a little personally distressing, actually, so moving on...

I'm glad this wasn't the first Jennifer Ashley book I've read, as I don't know that it would have motivated me to try others titles. Instead, I have read a several other Ashley books and liked them very much. This just wasn't one of my favorites. I still admire her as an author and look forward to more of her work.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Shifters Unbound, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Jennifer Ashley has created a complex alternate universe in which shifters - a race of creatures created by the Fae - stepped out of the shadows twenty years ago and revealed themselves to humans. In some countries shifters were feared to such an extent they were hunted down, but in others - like America - they were rounded up and given a choice of execution or a life on human terms, a life which grimly harkens back to how Native Americans were treated: forced to live in reservation-type shifter towns with limited access to education, jobs, money, and amenities that any human with a cell phone, an HDTV, and a laptop take for granted. To further control them they were forced to accept the Collar, imbued by Fae magic and technology, which suppresses their more animalistic instincts and viciously punishes them for any aggression. In those twenty years, there have been no shifter attacks on humans in America; no reason to believe that shifters were any true danger to the human race...until the murder of a human girl and the arrest of her shifter male boyfriend make national headlines.

Defense attorney Kim Fraser is a notorious spitfire in the courtroom. A defender of the innocent. A believer in justice. When she's given the case, she's convinced of her shifter client's innocence and determined to free him. Both horrified and disgusted by the injustice and mishandling of his case, she will stop at nothing to absolve him from guilt, even by entering Shiftertown to interview her client's friends and family and try to secure his alibi. That decision, that trip, sets Kim on a path destined to strip away her preconceptions and reveal the truth about shifters - their customs, their habits, and what secrets they protect and care about the most. With shifter Liam Morissey as her sexy guide and protector, Kim falls further and further into a web of shifter politics and machinations, determined to uncover the secrets and lies, wary of the dangers. And those shifters, one in particular, start becoming more and more important to Kim with every step closer and closer to the wild side.

I really enjoyed this paranormal romance. It is certainly an interesting take on what human reaction would be and what could happen in the aftermath of the "coming out" of the different races of shifters. It is perhaps a sad commentary that I found it to be so realistic. On a brighter note, I loved Kim and Liam (with his delightful blarney) and thought they were very well matched and likable. Liam's family was great, the secondary characters layered and well developed, and I especially enjoyed learning about the structure of the shifter races as the mythos was begun here. There was a satisfying originality to both the AU world and the plot that isn't often found in this sub-genre of romance. The only tiny critical thought I had about the plot is that I felt the development of Kim and Liam's relationship and the world building were so enthralling that the connection between Kim's client and everything else that happened was a little too thin to give the final conflict as much impact as it could've had. That being said, it was a well thought out and realistic conflict that I could buy as a legitimate threat, so I appreciate that as a reader.

There just isn't much else to be critical about in Pride Mates. I really enjoyed it. The only thing that kept this book from being a five star read for me isn't a criticism of the book at all, it's strictly a personal preference. I felt that the prejudice and rampant discrimination, the segregation and willful oppression, and the forced Collaring of the various shifter species was a bit too realistic and immutable for my personal tastes. It's hard to feel totally happy for a couple when the male's whole race is being so grievously subjugated, regardless of the benefits to that race or the strides they've made. I prefer books with issues and conflicts that can be triumphed over as the lead romantic couple comes together and falls in lust/love...but given the condition of the world in Pride Mates, the most depressing aspects of that world aren't something that can be overcome in a book - and maybe not even in a series. Just worked around or adapted to. That's a little sadder a thought than I like to have in my pleasure reading. Still...Pride Mates gets four stars from me, as it both pleased me and saddened me in all the best ways and with a classy, unique style.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Dragon Series, Book 1
Rating: 2 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


The good things about Dragon Heat are the originality of the world Allyson James has created, the delicacy of the dragon mythos, and the delightful culture and descriptive setting of San Francisco. It almost pains me to admit, however, that one significant flaw superseded those gems. I just didn't find the story to be all that well written.

It's odd, actually, because the pieces were all there. The heroine, Lisa Singleton, was a competent, reasonably intelligent young woman who, upon the death of her grandmother, was making a life for herself as an assistant to a televised cooking show. She's survived a failed marriage and difficulties with her previous employment, and I thought her character was realistic and sympathetic. The male lead, Caleb, is the dragon protector - quite literally. He's been conscripted by witches who know his true name to watch over Lisa, though neither Caleb nor Lisa know the full reasoning behind it. When Caleb takes human form to guard Lisa from the black dragon who is willing to destroy the world and Lisa along with it by using a dragon orb to end his exile from the realm of dragons, the author wrote him in such a way that his otherness was believable...if a bit too childish and boorish at turns. Even the antagonists, the black dragon and the evil witch Donna, were reasonably represented...though the progression of story concerning the black dragon takes a bit of a turn and he ends up not being quite the evil that was originally indicated.

So with all those nice pieces, what could go wrong? Well, for me, it was much like the author failed to assemble those pieces into a coherent, seamless, and pleasing picture. The mechanics of the writing wasn't at fault, I didn't find any significant technical errors that would point out the why of the failure, but there just wasn't any cohesion to the story and it became very much like reading about marionettes being pulled about by their strings. I felt no chemistry between Lisa and Caleb, despite the obvious attempts to instill it. I felt no sense of true danger from the witch Donna. Instead, she struck me as more a craven and debauched power junkie. Malcolm, the black dragon, was more sinister and he turned out to be a relatively decent - if patently black dragon - male.

The two bright spots were the reveal of Lisa's true nature, and the evolution of the relationship between Malcolm and Saba. And the fact that their relationship was more interesting and compelling than Lisa and Caleb's is dangerously indicative of the problem. It's not their book - it shouldn't have been. I know many people enjoyed this book, and every opinion is valid, but for me, it just didn't work. I ended up feeling nothing at all about the characters and caring nothing at all about continuing the series. Well...maybe I'll try Malcolm's story.