The Grendel Affair

SPI Files #1

by 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.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Dragons, Mystery, Magic

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2013

About the author

Lisa is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Raine Benares novels and The SPI Files.

Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens, teapots & teacups both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, four spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough deer and woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

► BR with Sarah, Robin, Catherine, Shelly, Carmen, Gavin, Asya & Monty Cupcake starting June 15, 2015 ◄

Actual rating: 2.5 ← the only reason I'm not giving this book a 2-star rating is because I loved book #0.5 so much.

► A quick read and a big, fat MEH.

► What the hell happened between Lucky Charms and this instalment??? Gone are the humour and total wackiness. Gone are the hungover/stoned elves, the gargoyles, the stoned/horny/sex-shifting cross-dressing leprechauns, the flying monkeys and the Disney porn princesses. Gone are the likeable male & female leads. Well technically they're still there, it's just that they've become BORING as hell. Gone are the hilarious scenes and great banter, too.



► What made Lucky Charms such a great read seems to have simply disappeared. All that's left is your standard, investigative UF novel. And a boring one at that, with lots of useless blah blah blah. Ugh. This had fantastic potential but none of it was exploited. What a waste. I expected lots of fun and craziness but got a flat, lackluster story instead. Ugh again.



►► Are you wondering if I'll give the rest of this series a try? Hell no, I've got better things to do with my life. And better books to read.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 Re-Read (Part of my Pandemic Read-a-thon)

I'm doing something that I don't usually do, I'm bumping my rating of this book up to 4 stars. Maybe it’s the times we are living in, but I really, really enjoyed this the second time around. This book has all the things that I enjoy in urban fantasy, namely bloodthirsty beasts, bad-ass heroes tracking them, a mystery to solve, plus a quirky main character who is willing to kick butt while making smart ass remarks. And it never hurts to have a Berserker Viking or two!

Yes, there is one small smooch for Makenna, close to the end of the novel. I'm really wondering if Shearin's original intention was to make these two into a couple and when she changed her mind? Oh to be able to ask these questions!

At any rate, this was great fun, punctuating a rather subdued real life right now. Someday the library will reopen, I'll be able to go back to the bookstore, birding will be an option, and the garden centre will be a destination. In the meanwhile, there are books.



****Wanda’s Summer Festival of Reading Fluff****

A very cute beginning to what promises to be a fun, fluffy series. Makenna Fraser is a likeable main character, learning her new job with Supernatural Protection & Investigations. She is a Seer, able to see through the glamours that supernatural beings can use to hide themselves from regular humans. It’s a rare skill and she hopes to make a place for herself in the company.

As the title implies, a descendent of the great Grendel (slain by Beowulf) is on the loose. Grendels are quite noise sensitive, explaining why the original Grendel attacked the hard-partying Danes that were his neighbours. SPI is based in New York City and it’s almost New Year’s Eve—so there’s lots of opportunity for loud humans to once again annoy the grendels.

I must say that I loved the Scandinavian team that came to help with the hunt—at least one of them a Berserker with a famous sword! I wasn’t quite as keen on the depictions of the grendels. Beowulf’s Grendel looks much different in my imagination than Lisa Shearin’s version, but I was able to set aside my version and enjoy hers for the purposes of the book.

Shearin has a good sense of humour and uses a few pop-culture references that even someone who is as out of touch as I am could still recognize & enjoy.

Real rating: 3.5 stars of summer entertainment

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the prequel so much in Night Shift that I must continue on with friends Sarah, Catherine, Shelly, Carmen, Gavin, Asya, Monty Cupcake and oOSarahOo. Buddy read begins Jun 15th on Buddies Books and Baubles

The SPI files wasn’t on my reading radar at all until I read Lucky Charms a few months ago in an anthology with a few other writers I was familiar with. It was the story I liked the most in the anthology and I was totally ready to jump into Makenna’s world of supernatuaral creatures and crime fighting.

Now I work for Supernatural Protection & Investigations, also known as SPI. They battle the supernatural bad guys of myth and legend, and those who would unleash them.

The problem is…Lucky Charms is a prequel but it was written a few years after The Grendel Affair was published. The writer put a ton of flirty fun and ridiculous antics in Lucky Charms and it was a whirlwind of a ride. The Grendel affair doesn’t have the same sense of fun in it and the characters are a little stiff in comparison. That doesn’t make it a bad book it just isn’t what I was expecting and hopefully in the future novels she will have hashed out the chemistry of the characters, humor and flow a little better. I have high hopes for that since Lucky Charms was really written well.

Not all is a loss though this is an interesting world and the story got rolling pretty well by the midway point. There is still some humor and really great supporting cast to round out the story. Mak and Ian had great Chemisty in Lucky Charms but started out pretty stiff in this. They do however start to have pretty good banter and a tiny bit of sexual tension by the end. Overall I like their partnership and how different they are but how it works together.

I drew my gun from my shoulder holster, but before I could open my mouth to explain, Ian had grabbed my wrist in some kind of mutant Vulcan death grip, my fingers went numb, and then Ian had my gun—all in about two blinks of an eye.
“Jeez, relax, will ya?” I tried to shake the feeling back into my hand. “It’s fake, a water gun—well, a water gun loaded with tequila.”
“What?” I grinned.
“Aim for the eyes then run like hell.”

Yasha the Werewolf driver was one of my favorite characters. He goes furry once a month and drives like a professional stunt man but seems to have a good heart and some fun t-shirts. He is also great backup to have in case of emergency.

“I stand guard,” Yasha said. He got out of the SUV and pulled a sawed-off shotgun out from under his seat.
“And keep our exit open,” Ian told him.
Yasha grinned crookedly. “Don’t I always?”
He looked at me and his grin broadened. “Scream if something jumps at you.”
I tried for a grin; it felt more like a grimace. “Don’t I always?”

The overall story arc was okay but didn’t really get going until the second half of the book. This is an interesting spin using the Beowulf legend with Grendel. It seems that not all stories are just stories….some have some basis in truth and someone powerful have brought a Grendel or two to New York and hidden them in the city. Mak and Ian need to find them before all hell breaks loose and there will be no way to cover-up the existence of supernatural creatures. To make this ever harder they are cloaked in tech and magic so the only person capable of seeing them is SPI’s newest seerer Makenna.

“It’s a cloaking device. The thing’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and will conceal anyone wearing it—from sight and sound. Eat your heart out, Romulans.”

I’m a little disappointed in the story just because I expected a little more from the storyline of the prequel. There are a ton of Urban Fantasies out there lately and this reads like most of them. There wasn’t a lot to set it apart….YET. That said there is plenty of potential in this world. I mean Makenna’s boss is literally a Dragon Lady and she works with a Werewolf, some Half Fae, an ex-military-bad-ass hot as hell guy and a Blood Sucking Lawyer (he is a vampire so really blood sucking is an accurate assessment). There is a ton of as yet untapped potential in there.

With most UF they are easy to read and it seems like a lot of authors don’t find their stride in them until about book 3 so I will still give this series a chance until then.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came to my attention after I read, and loved, the Lucky Charms novella in the Night Shift anthology. Unfortunately this first full novel in the SPI Files series was not half so much fun. It lacked the same fast paced action, witty humor, and craziness that I loved while reading Lucky Charms. The Grendel Affair was not a bad book and it certainly had its amusing moments but I was definitely left with a sense of disappointment after it failed to live up to my high expectations.

Makenna Fraser is the new Seer in the New York division of the SPI(Supernatural Protection & Investigations). With no combat training she is paired with experienced agent, Ian Byrne. Mak uses her Seer talents to identify rouge supernaturals and Ian deals with them! They deal with all sorts of supernatural problems and do everything from ridding people of gnome infestations to body-guarding leprechaun royals on a stag party. This time they find the have bigger troubles as a Grendel, straight from the Beowulf myth, has hit New York and it brings with it a murderous appetite!

The story was moderately interesting, but never truly caught my full attention. It had plenty of amusing moments and some good action, but the pacing felt a bit off and too much of the humor fell flat. Mak and Ian were likable characters and while there was a bit of romantic tension between the pair I missed the sizzling chemistry they had in the prequel novella. The secondary characters were a decent bunch.

I'll read the second book to see if this series can get back to Lucky Charms level, but if it does not show some improvement in the next book I'm likely done with it.

Rating: 3 stars.

Audio Note: This was narrated by Johanna Parker who gave a competent performance even if she was not quite as good as Angela Dawe who narrated the same characters to better effect in the Lucky Charms novella.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A perfect read for Molly Harper fans, for everyone who loves comedies and fun in their preferred genre. Unfortunately (for me), I'm not one of those readers.

Where other people see funny situations, I see only idiocy and stupidity. My fault, of course. But this made reading this book boring. I wanted to kick the SPI for being a ridiculous organization unable to train its personnel: this is a secret, super, paranormal agency whose only seer is totally (and I mean totally) untrained and uninformed. I couldn't find it funny. At the same way I couldn't find funny a clumsy, goofy and often stupid girl (and I mean girl), not when outside I was presented with Armageddon. She acts like a toddler wanting to wear her mother's heels. At a ball. With a robbery going on.

And I guess this is the heart of my problem. I was presented a UF with a gritty and dark plot, but offered a writing style and characters perfect for a light comedy or fluffy romance. There was a too big dissonance for my tastes.

Let's be honest, I wouldn't want to be in these people's hands if Grendel came my way. :D

So my take is this: you know yourself. You certainly know if this could be the perfect book for you. The author is talented, and you see it. You simply have to know which way your taste runs. :)

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

Quirky and energetic, The Grendel Affair is the first book which kicks off the new SPI Files series by Lisa Shearin, featuring a mash-up of police/government agent procedural elements with urban fantasy. Think The X-Files meets Men in Black -- except instead of aliens, Supernatural Protection & Investigations is in charge of tracking paranormal creatures and keeping the public safe from them. Unfortunately, they also don't have those handy flashy neuralyzers thingies to help hide the truth of their existence from the general populace.

The book follows Makenna Fraser, a southern seer who moves to New York City to persue her dreams of becoming a world famous journalist. However, not long after starting her first job as a trashy tabloid reporter, she is recruited by the NY branch of SPI for her special ability to see through any kind of glamour, veil, spell or shield that a supernatural baddie can come up with.

Mac's duties generally don't require her to be on the front lines, but a sudden string of murders by something not human puts SPI on high alert. From then on it's all hands on deck, especially when the murders are linked to a bigger plot to expose supernaturals to the world on the night of the biggest party of the year -- New Year's Eve in Time Square. Thousands more will die if the SPI doesn't stop their adversary in time, and the only person who can see through the disguises of the killer creatures is Mac.

First of all, can I give a big yay for Grendel? Yes, we're talking the Grendel of Beowulf fame. The monsters that SPI goes after in this book are creatures like Grendel, probably even his descendents, and that is just way too cool. In a series that also features the usual fare of urban fantasy creatures like vampires, werewolves, ghouls and goblins, it's a nice as well to see a touch of inspiration from Old English literature and mythology.

Other than that, this book is what you would expect and quite typical of the genre, complete with an action-filled mystery plot, a budding office romance, and clever snappy dialogue but without a lot of the snark. Mac is an interesting character, not being an outwardly kickass or sassy kind of protagonist but she is still very endearing in her reluctant-heroine awkwardness...to say nothing of her cookie-gobbling ways and the fact she carries a fake handgun loaded with tequila. Also, I enjoy the fact that her business partner and fellow SPI agent Ian Byrne is not the kind of arrogant, cheeky-posing-as-charming love interest I generally have the tendency to dislike on sight. These two are both down-to-earth and will be very good together, I can already tell.

It's true that those who read a lot of urban fantasy probably won't find anything too new about the overall premise or story in this book, but The Grendel Affair is still a very solid introduction to the SPI Files as well as a promising beginning to the series. Those looking for a fun read will not be disappointed.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makenna and Ian work for the SPI battling against creatures of the night and ensuring they stay there. Now there is a new monster on the block, it's big. it's bad and humans are on the menu. It's up to them to stop it before a new predator claims the top of the food chain.



I picked up this book by accident. In 2013 I read Magic Lost, Trouble Found by the same author and calling a spade a spade, it was so terrible that I swore I'd never read anything by Lisa Shearin again. Three years later and I saw this book and like Magic Lost, Trouble Found it looked interesting.

Thankfully The Grendel Affair is worlds better. Yeah it's derivative, yeah there are whole scenes which could have been plucked from the authors favorite movies, but honestly it's so much fun I'll forgive that. I'll even forgive that it was a little longer than it needed to be and the resolution was a little sparse.

So, go into it with your eyes wide open. It's not the best book ever written but it's still pretty damned good fun.

[Jody McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. It was full of action, but it explained everything really well for a urban fantasy cop book. They didn't expect you to have a lot of knowledge going in, but they didn't assume you were an idiot either. I like that the main character had a skill that was unique, but wasn't good at like anything else. Definitely not a Mary Sue. She also wasn't a Damsel in Distress though either. She was funny. Her partner took a little bit to grow on me, but the rest of her crew was great. Especially Yasha, the werewolf.

I can't wait to read the next one. I already have it being shipped!

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ridiculously entertaining.

It needs a better editor, it is full of stereotypes. I think it has every creature (at least mentioned) you've seen in an urban fantasy, but none of it matters. I had fun.

I wanted to read this after being introduced to the SPI world in Night Shift anthology. There you can read about the first case the main character worked on. Some sentences are the same in both stories, so you won't miss much if you skip Lucky Charms. Well, not much except one hot scene in a club.

As for the world, it is full of supernatural creatures.There are dragons, ghouls, fae, vampires, leprechauns, werewolves and more. Most humans don't know about them and Supernatural Protection and Investigations is working hard to keep it that way. In The Grendel Affair someone wants to change all that.

While truly special, being one of few seers in the world (she can see through any veil or glamour), Makenna Fraser is surprisingly ordinary. I liked that a lot.

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book forever and I don't know why I never got around to reading it. I'm glad I finally did because I really enjoyed it. The world was set up nicely and I liked the MC and her partner. I'm not sure if the author is going to go with a romance between the two but either way I like the partnership and beginnings of a friendship/possibly more. I like that the MC isn't a kickass warrior but at the same time is determined and willing to step into danger to help. The secondary characters are interesting as well and I hope that as the series continues some of the relationships will deepen and some strong friendships will grow. This book was full of action and quite a bit of suspense. I will definitely continue this series

[Kara Babcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series. I was stoked to hear she had a new series, this time urban fantasy set in our world, coming out. That was … three years ago. This is book one. What happened?

Life happened. The Grendel Affair came out during my last year teaching in England. No problem, I figured—I’ll buy it when I move back in August. Then August came around, and I didn’t. I was struggling to get through the backlog of books that had somehow shown up in my room in Canada while I was away. I’m still struggling to do that. (They’re breeding, I think. Only explanation.) But when book three came out last week, I decided enough was enough. So I ordered all three books online, delivered right to my door.

That’s right: I’m binge-reading this series the way others binge on Netflix.

The Grendel Affair starts the series with high stakes already: something or someone is planning to let some grendels loose on Times Square on New Year’s, effectively exposing the supernatural world. Oh no! If only there were a secret organization of supernaturals and human, perhaps a Supernatural Protection & Investigation(s) outfit. Nah … only a centuries-old dragon would be able to mastermind something like that.

Oh snap.

The use of grendels as monsters feels pretty original. I can’t say I’ve run across those in urban fantasy yet. And Shearin spends a good amount of time establishing them as interesting monsters in their own right. They are mostly beast-like, but they’ve got a sense of strategy to them. The grendels and their offspring are formidable foes, but at the same time they aren’t so powerful that defeating them feels like a deus ex machina.

Otherwise, The SPI Files is pretty standard fare: werewolves and vampires, goblins and elves (hmm, don’t those sound familiar), ex-NYPD officers and seers and—oh, what? Yeah, our narrator, Makenna Fraser, is a human whose only powers include a nose for investigative journalism and the ability to see through the veils and glamours that let supernaturals hide in plain sight. Despite this ability, she is still technically a human. I appreciate that Shearin chooses to give us a protagonist with so few powers (at least for now).

Nevertheless, Mac might be the weakest thing about this book. Her lack of active power means she feels a bit like a reader surrogate protagonist-on-rails—always being dragged around by the other characters, reacting more than acting. Let’s be clear: not every urban fantasy protagonist has to be an awesome fighter, and a woman doesn’t have to be able to kick ass to be “strong” or progressive. But I want to see Mac do more than cringe and gripe at the various supernatural creatures around her. The tractor and the paintball gun were a nice start, but I hope she grows over the series into a more complex protagonist.

That’s the key, I think: over the series. This is clearly the first book in an ongoing series, and Shearin does a lot of legwork. In some respects it’s less subtle than I like—the opening chapter just showers us in exposition and backstory—and in other places it’s more delightfully ambiguous. For instance, Mac is pretty clearly attracted to Ian, but will she act on it? Who knows? Shearin had an intense love triangle happening in her other series, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a romance is on the books for these books—but maybe it’s not the one that’s being telegraphed so heavily here.

Now, despite laying ground for subsequent novels, The Grendel Affair is still a good standalone story. There is a sense of urgency to the plot, and it climaxes with a tense series of scenes and battle sequences that leave you breathless. I read this on a Saturday night (because I have especially exciting Saturday nights), curled up in a chair, just enjoying an action-packed story.

With six novels already, Shearin has a well-established style, and it’s in play here. Her voice and approach to description and characterization remain the same. That being said, The SPI Files is definitely new ground, and Mac is by no means a carbon copy of Raine. I can’t wait to read the next book—and unlike you scrubs who had to wait a whole year, I don’t have to. Is this what the people just starting to read A Song of Ice and Fire feel like? Because it feels good.

My reviews of The SPI Files:
The Dragon Conspiracy →

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have tried to post this review three times, and Goodreads has lost it three times. I would usually give up, but I like Grendel Affair too much to do that....

I usually do not discuss specific plot points in my reviews, but I am making an exception because I feel The Grendel Affair has gotten some unwarranted criticism.
Makenna Fraser is a seer; she can see supernatural creatures no matter how they hide their nature. In her world, that is what seers do. They do not see the future, the past, or the road not taken. She grew up in Weird Sisters, North Carolina where her family vocation is law enforcement. She wanted to be an investigative journalist and went to college to fulfill that dream. She knows how to shoot a rifle at cans and deer. She is NOT a former Army Ranger, Marine, Navy Seal, or the Chosen One. She is an investigative journalist who, while working at a tabloid in New York, came to the attention of SPI. SPI is an organization that polices supernaturals and makes certain they are not noticed by the mundane world. SPI does not give their seers combat training because seers are viewed as precious commodities to be protected...they see the bad monsters that no one else can see. Mac is claustrophobic; a phobia is an IRRATIONAL fear. A phobia does not make one a 'girly girl.' A phobia does make one self-conscious and embarrassed at times, but phobias are not suffered only by women. While running, Mac trips over snow covered grave markers; that does not make her clumsy and a 'girly girl,' it makes her human. Shooting a rifle at cans and deer is NOT the same as shooting a gun at someone attacking you with a knife or 6 inch claws. If it were, then police officers and military personnel would not train to shoot at people attacking them, they would all hunt deer. I work with cops, and some of them are far from graceful, and they have phobias, and they call for backup, none of which makes them 'girly girls.'

I thoroughly enjoyed The Grendel Affair, and am very pleased that book #2, The Dragon Conspiracy, is due out this year. Mac, Ian, Yasha, Calvin and the Dragon Lady are welcome additions to my urban fantasy shelf.

Yes, I was correct! The Grendel Affair holds up to the reread test. The Grendel Affair gets 5 stars.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little flummoxed by my reaction to this one. It's not a bad book...I give it 4 stars, but there are things about it that, gnawed at me.

For one thing our protagonist is pretty incompetent at surviving. She is the "agency's" on trick pony. She's a "seer". She sees through all kinds of illusions, veils and pretty much anything else. When it comes to shoot-outs, melee battles, martial arts, blades or "what-ever" she needs rescuing...a lot.

Now, she's eager to learn and her partner (the coming romantic interest it seems) it trying to teach her. We live in hope.

Don't get me wrong she's gutsy in a "throw yourself at the bad guy flailing" sort of way. She simply has a "ways to go".

Still, in the end I decided I liked it well enough to go all the way to a tentative 4...and I'll probably follow it up.

I can recommend this one.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of using a monster inspired by Beowulf, but apart from that detail both the overall setting and the supernatural agency set-up felt generic.

That wouldn't have been a huge problem for me if the characters were more compelling, but Makenna and company all suffered from a bad case of "root for us because we're the heroes of the story." I couldn't push myself into caring about her at all, and she had no sense of chemistry with the other folks in the book.

Mac's background and supposed skill set didn't always match her actions, and her employers came off as incompetent. (They somehow had a policy against training their monster-spotters for fighting monsters.) The plot's ticking clock wasn't as big a deal as it ought to have been either, because it was obvious that the villains wouldn't accomplish their reveal. So the stakes were basically about whether Mac would gain the respect of her coworkers, making it less than satisfying considering that I didn't like Mac.

Lisa Shearin is a good writer with an interesting, distinctive style. But these characters don't spark like the leads of her fantasy books, so I hope she moves on to other projects soon.

[Brainycat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brainycat's 5 "B"s :
blood: 4
boobs: 2
bombs: 4
bondage: 1
blasphemy: 2
Stars : 3.5
Bechdel Test : PASS
Deggan's Rule : FAIL
Gay Bechdel Test : FAIL

Full review at booklikes.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Library
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4

*My Thoughts*

The Grendel Affair is the first installment in the SPI Files by Lisa Shearin, the author who previously wrote the Raine Benares series. Shearin's protagonist is MaKenna Fraser, a seer who is new to the group known as SPI (Supernatural Protection & Investigations). For new readers of this series like me, you probably should read Shearin's short novella called Lucky Charms which was released as part of the Night Shift Anthology.

*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews 09/07/2015*

http://www.gizmosreviews.blogspot.com...

Published: December 31st 2013 by Ace

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that Makenna was a normal person in these books - she admitted eating two cookies at least three different times while at work and the picture that was taken was of her covered in powdered sugar (happens many times - I love wedding cookies). I also love how she admits that just because she was raised with guns does not make her an expert on when to shoot someone. And I especially love how she tries to keep her sense of humor while all kinds of poop happens around her. Great book!

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at http://smexybooks.com/2014/01/review-...


Favorite Quote: “In case of emergency, lift shirt, pull .44”

Meet Makenna Fraser. Recently arrived in NYC and looking to spread her wings, she is instead recruited by the SPI (Supernatural and Protection Investigation). Makenna is a seer, a rarity in the paranormal world that leaves her feeling rather cosseted by the agency. Kept on the side lines with no defense training, she even gets a pseudo babysitter in the way of her partner, agent Ian Byrne. With her ability to “see” the supernatural for what they are; no glamour, spells, or disguises can hide from her all seeing eyes, she finds the guilty and Ian arrests them. Being a bit of a klutz, Ian also has to save Makenna often as she literally falls her way through life.

When a series of vicious murders is brought to the SPI’s attention, Ian and Makenna find themselves chasing not one but two supernatural killers whose contempt for humanity and loud drunken parties has them fearing the worse as New Year’s Eve is only a few days away. Grendels have been let loose on the city of New York and only some quick thinking on Ian’s part and Makenna’s ability to see the unseen can save the city from a massacre on epic proportions.

The Grendel Affair is the beginning of a new urban Fantasy series by Lisa Shearin. An interesting mixture of legend, mythology, and a secret agency blend together to produce a unique story that is at times engaging and fun. Well defined characters, both of the human and paranormal variety, gives depth and plenty of maneuvering for continuing world building and arc development. The beginning starts out slow as Shearin sets up the storyline and arc; explaining character backgrounds and offering us information in the logistics of the SPI and the role they play in the world. Once it all settles, the action picks up dramatically and the story takes off.

Makenna is an interesting heroine for urban fantasy. No real warrior type skills but an alarming amount of ingenuity. She knows just enough to hurt herself. She has moxie and I give her points for that. I felt her development was slow to reveal. She is the quintessential female who’s tiny, cute, sweet, just enough of a mess to invoke an alpha’s protective instincts, and cranks out more one liners then a Vegas act. She tries super hard but inevitably needs rescuing or manages to rescue herself through a series of mishaps that stop just short of killing her. While I found her humorous in the beginning, she began to grate on my nerves as the story went on. She never felt more than one dimensional to me.

Ian was more layered and engaging to me. An ex solider, recruited by the SPI for his defense skills, he just screams of skeletons in the closet. He, correctly, judges Makenna as someone he will have to save more often than not. His characterization develops gradually, becoming more open and comfortable with Makenna as he gets to know her. I liked that he wasn’t impenetrable and could be hurt by the factions he came up against. There is no romance between Makenna and Ian though you get the feeling one may develop later down the road in the series.

Interesting secondary characters round out the storyline with a dragon for a boss, a Russian agent with a penchant for funny t shirts, a geek who can infiltrate any system anywhere, and a vampire lawyer who tries to keep them all on the outside of a jail cell. Multiple sub plots keeps the story running at a steady pace as the group behind the Grendel’s resurrection is revealed.

Shearin’s newest release is a fun fast urban fantasy with a unique premise and engaging characters. While I wasn’t blown away by this one; my issues being with the main character, I did enjoy the mystery and the world. I do feel that if the heroine can settle and find her niche, the series for me will become more enjoyable.

RATING: C+

[Melliane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

I had read some novels from another Lisa Shearin series and had a good time. So when I saw this series, I was curious. And then, all the reviews I had seen were very positive, so how could I resist ? I couldn’t wait to get into the story.

Makenna, a former newspaper girl, is now part of a secret organization that investigates monsters in the city. But when she finds herself at one of her informers’s house and that a creature appears, things change completely. A dead man is found with her photo in one of his pockets and people she doesn’t know seem to know her. What happens? Our heroine, who knows nothing about fighting, will do everything she can to find out the truth with her partner Ian.

It was a nice novel, but I didn’t get as hooked as I thought. Overall I had a good time with the story and was curious to find out the truth behind all the events. Makenna is facing a new world and it was very nice to be there. I’m curious to see how she will fare in the future.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

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.

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Buddy read with the Buddies Books and Baubles crew starting on the 15th of June! If anyone is interested in joining us you can find the chat HERE

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently, there is a prequel to this called Lucky Charms, which was released as part of the Night Shift Anthology. I didn't feel lost, but I am curious.

Makenna (Mac) Fraser's special ability allows her to see through any disguise, shield, or spell used by the supernatural. Makenna is smart, snarky and has good instincts. That doesn't mean she isn't scared shitless most of the time, but she has a good head on her shoulders.  She is level-headed and an asset to the team. Ian her partner is a little more straightlaced but I think he may surprise us. Their boss is a hoot. The SPI, agency is almost a character in and of itself. They operate in secret, monitoring and protecting the supernatural world from itself and interactions with humans.

This was a fun start to the series and right away I felt at home with the SPI unit. Snark, banter and delightful humor combined with intense action scenes and nasty creatures threatening to expose them all made for an entertaining listen.

This urban fantasy is a genre-bender.  It delivered so many elements I love, including mythology and mystery. Shearin offers a fresh take on dragons and seers and includes unique characters like the Grendel from Beowulf.

The story hooked me from the start but the middle for sagged a little before picking back up. However, the storyline and premise have huge potential as do the secondary characters. A certain vampire cracked me up and I am eager to start book two. I will continue on audio as Johanna Parker was fantastic from her accents to the pacing.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[MsMiz (Tina) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed Lisa Shearin's stories and the beginning of this new series is no exception. We are introduced to Mac, who has a special gift - she can see supernatural beings. But what you will enjoy about her and the story is that she is realistic about her shortcomings, she is funny (as well as the rest of the cast), and she does what needs to be done. There is none of this grandstanding, monologuing (especially internally), self deprecating, bullshit that we see a lot with female MCs. This was fun to read and recommend to anyone who likes UF with no side of romance.

[Zala]

dnf at 12%

This wasn't really my cup of tea.

1% “But all I could get was a job at a seedy tabloid called the Informer, where only stories like “Donald Trump Is a Werewolf Love Child” had any hope of making it to the front page.”

5% “My partner, Ian Byrne, had been a SPI agent for the past three years. For the five years before that, he’d been with the NYPD, and the prior seven had been in the military doing things that no one else at SPI knew about.”

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grendel Affair was an okay book. The actual plot had interesting points to it but I couldn't really connect to the characters. In it, you will meet Makenna. She used to be a reported but she is not an undercover agent. Solving mysteries one at a time and at the moment.. she's about to solve a confusing one. Maybe.

Now I'm not sure if it's me lately when it comes to mysteries but they just seem to be okay. Or a bit predictable at times. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing Makenna get thrown into a newish world and try to figure out things when it comes to monster.. but other than that, I was bored. The characters and the overall story were okay but I didn't really connect to anyone/anything.

I'm also not sure if/when I'll dive into the second book but I'm hoping that this series doesn't have the parents being in a romance. It happens all the time and I just want something different. Maybe a friendship will excite me and make me want to dive into another mystery book - who knows?

In the end, it was a quick book that was easily devoured. I just wish that I connected with someone.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2 stars: This book was so much fun! Lots of action but with a solid storyline to back it up. Mac is a great character. I love her sense of humor and her go-get-'em attitude. I also love that she knows her limits. She's not a badass but she wants to be. She doesn't do stupid stuff and she doesn't whine and moan that she's not as well-trained as the rest of the agents. She wishes she could do more and is ready, willing and eager to learn (just as soon as this crisis is over... that is, if she and her team survive). She's clever, resourceful and an excellent addition to her SPI team. I also like that her partner Ian, while protective of her, doesn't relegate her to the position of helpless seer. He reprimands her when it's necessary but also acknowledges her usefulness and lets her do her part to help the team. Lots of excitement here with some humorous moments tossed in. Very much looking forward to more in this series. This has been on my "to read" list for a very long time. So glad I finally got around to reading it.

[Olga Godim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this author’s previous series about Raine Benares. When I learned that she’s started a new series, an urban fantasy, I grabbed the first book. And what a romp!
The protagonist Makenna Fraser is a former sleazy tabloid journalist and a ‘seer’. She can see supernatural creatures through any disguise or magical veil. Now she’s working for Supernatural Protection & Investigation agency (SPI), and her boss is a dragon lady. Literally – her boss is a female dragon disguised as a lady. As the equal opportunity employer, SPI employs many paranormals. Vampires, werewolves, and elves work alongside humans to keep the normal people of New York safe. Makenna fits right in the motley SPI crew.
As she isn’t an ass-kicker – she is small and untrained, the only seer in the agency – her boss assigned her a hunky partner, a bodyguard i.e. babysitter, Ian. Together, they investigate and take out bad guys. Or rather Ian does the taking-out and Makenna just points at a disguised ghoul or a veiled vampire, says “shoot”, and scuttles out of the way fast. She doesn’t even have a gun, not a real one anyway. Her fake gun is loaded with tequila.
But when shit hits the fan and a villain imports a couple of almost unstoppable monsters into New York for a spectacular New Year’s Eve massacre in Times Square, Makenna has to keep up with the big guys. If she doesn’t, the monsters would do the irreparable damage to the citizens of New York, her friends would die, and she would be out of a job. A resourceful girl from the hicks, she improvises: she stops an assassin with a tractor, fights vampires with cans of aerosole paint, and marks the invisible beasts with her paintball gun.
For the entire length of the book, the action is lightning-fast and non-stop, tumbling in a circus acrobat fashion, seemingly random but skillfully controlled and directed, and the tension thrums like a taut string. Whenever our protagonists get a short reprieve from their heroic sprees, they replenish their weaponry, eat cookies and banter. And get their injuries treated before wading back into the fray again.
The author’s irreverent sense of humor made me smile all the time I was reading this tale, except when the characters fought for their lives. Then I was holding to my chair arms and cheered them on.
I have to admit that all the characters are rather 2-dimentional, like in a graphic novel. There is action on every page and dialogue in bubbles, but there is no character development in this book, no room for it anyway, as the action scenes take all the available page space. But it doesn’t detract from the pleasure of reading it. Not everything we consume should be a nutritious meal. Sometimes, candies are nice too.

Here are a few quotes:

The vamp smiled, showing me fangs that were way too bright to be natural. Someone had gotten one or five whitening treatments too many.

I tried to envision a dental whitening treatment for a vampire. An interesting picture emerged.

Later on, the same vampire is running for his life from something bigger and badder than he is, and Makenna watches:

So desperate that he didn’t hear or care that his pants caught on something in the street, ripping them when he scrambled to his feet. The vamp’s fancy shoes found traction, and he ran across the street, slipping and sliding, half the ass torn out of his pants, showing the world one red-satin-boxers—covered cheek. I dimly wondered if there was a Santa on the front, or maybe Rudolph.

Another visual popped up in my hear, equally delightful

Here is the heroine’s own description of her size, in comparison with one of her friends and colleagues, a werewolf:

He’d pause occasionally and raise his muzzle, letting the air currents flow over his nose that was the size of my closed fist. As far as fists went, it wasn’t that big. As far as wolf noses went, it was enormous.

I enjoyed this book more than many more serious volumes in the same genre. Highly recommended.

[Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..


I have to admit that when I saw the cover for THE GRENDEL AFFAIR I almost overlooked it as it "screamed" police procedural/sci-fi, which is a really hard sell for me. Luckily I then noticed the author quote from Ilona Andrews proclaiming it to be "urban fantasy at its best." Well then I knew I had to read the blurb and more than likely the book, as she's one of my favorite authors and is very up front about giving out very few book recommendations. After reading this book, I whole-heartedly agree that this is one heck of an urban fantasy read that frankly caught me off guard. Sure there still is the feel of the procedural aspect as it does revolve around an investigative service, but it's paranormal, not sci-fi and I have to admit I wish the cover had more of that look especially since it had a lighter and quirky feel due to the clumsy narrator that was incredibly endearing. You just wouldn't expect that kind of humorous read from such a cover, and I'm a big advocate for the cover matching the content.

Putting the cover issues aside, I really loved this book. Mac's character is awesome. She's so quirky and spunky, yet hopelessly clumsy. It was more than a little hilarious seeing her navigate through everything that was thrown at her, and her reactions had me laughing out loud. Trust me, considering some of the more gruesome aspects of this book, it's a true testament to Mac's character that she was able to keep things so light. The rest of the cast of characters were pretty stellar as well from Mac surly partner, Ian, to her Dragon-in-disguise boss, the werewolf Sasha, I could go on and on. Each one had their own unique personality that really shown through, making for the best kind of read.

THE GRENDEL AFFAIR hit all my must haves for a great book. (Well all except romance that is, but the rest of the book was more than entertaining to make up for the complete lack.) From laugh out loud humor, to great characters, to an edge of the seat plot, THE GRENDEL AFFAIR is simply not to be missed!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in the Goodreads Giveaway, and I’m glad I did. I honestly enjoyed it. The story is fun and entertaining, with lively characters, fresh-feeling twists on fantasy themes, interesting situations, good action sequences, and snappy dialogue. There’s even a sweet little hint of attraction/romance.
The main, POV character, Makenna “Mac” Fraser, is a seer (she can see past magical veils) and an ex-paranormal reporter. She’s newbie agent with a lot to learn, not an Amazon, which is nice to see for a change. Although she makes up for her lack of experience with creativity and determination. Mac’s Southern origins give her a distinctive voice. The author does a good job capturing Mac’s wonder and fear when faced with crazy supernatural situations for the first time.
I also liked a bunch of the other characters. Mac’s partner, Agent Ian Byrne, is a tough guy with some baggage who’s also pretty darn nice, as well as honourable. Yasha the Russian werewolf is funny and fierce. The boss is literally the ‘dragon lady’--Vivienne Sagadraco is actually a dragon who disguises herself most of the time in a human form. But when she’s in action as a dragon, she is really awesome. Kenji the tech elf is fun and appropriately geeky. Rolf the Viking monster hunter is an enjoyable addition to the strike team because he’s so very enthusiastic.
My one quibble is with a few too many recaps/repetitions of facts of the case. But, overall, the story is well-done; and I recommend it to other fans of urban fantasy.

[Kara-karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
I admit I was expecting something with a bit more oomph after an explosive novella I read in Night Shift anthology, but still - it was a damn good urban fantasy!


Makenna is a very likable protagonist - a bit clueless, a bit naive, but with a steady upbringing and very good instincts in pretty bad situations.While she is an inexperienced operative and ends up being scared shitless most of the time she faces monsters, she has a snarky inner monologue running at all times, which provides constant entertainment, and her gruff and buff partner is adorable.


The storyline is good, the secondary characters engaging, and I would definitely recommend this series for the fans of Jess Haines, Ilona Andrews, Kim Harrison and Jaimie Quaid - the authors who don't take their heroines too seriously. I was charmed, entertained and a little bit on the edge of my seat especially at the end as it was quite dramatic



“The road that went around and between the buildings hadn’t been plowed, but Yasha didn’t let that slow him down.
He grinned at me in the rearview mirror. “No problem. Is like Siberia.”
“You’ve never been to Siberia,” Ian said, his eyes still scanning for any movement other than our own.
“True. But does not mean is not like Siberia.”


Recommended. Watch out for handsome vikings with homicidal smiles and big swords. And no, that wasn't a euphemism!

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the start of this series in Night Shift I was looking forward to checking out this book and wasn't let down.

I really liked how SPI was as an organization and loved Mac's place in it. She is so determined to fit in and do her job. I love how Mac manages to surprise her co-workers with different ways she comes up with to deal with things. I loved the bit with the tractor and that Mac had a throwaway thought to think of her heritage.

These monsters, the Grendels, were so gross. All of the different things that they had to do to fight them made me shake my head. It seemed like so many times they were one step forward and two steps back. I did love how the Nordic SPI guy managed to get one over on one of the Grendels. I was laughing even as I was grossed out.

I thought it was great that after the battle was said and done so many let Mac know she did a great job in little ways. I look forward to reading more in this series and to see what new desk flair Mac can get.