Bounty hunter Perish Blackburn has an unquenchable need to make money. The world is a dark, dangerous place in 2075, a place where only the strong and the wealthy survive. Perish is strong, but she wants to do more than just survive. And to do that, she needs money. Those without money are little better than slaves, a fate she is determined to avoid. Fortunately for her, in a world where paranormal beings are literally falling at her feet, she has a unique arsenal of skills.
Her talents are quite valuable, especially for someone who isn’t squeamish about putting those abilities to use, or particular about whom she uses them for. Things are going quite well and she’s on her way to accumulating another sizable sum of cash when she comes to the attention of the one organization that can totally derail her plans, end her life, and quite possibly, the world, in the process. They have need of a talent Perish has just discovered she has, and given that they’re not the kind of people you can just say no to, she has to figure out a way to say yes and live to tell about it. She’s pretty sure she can, even with the unwanted help of a werewolf with the disposition of an Old World gentleman, a housemate who can only be described as eccentric and a couple of relatives who have been dead for centuries.
The authors of Rumors of Wars had asked me for feedback about this book before publishing. Both are well-known and respected IR romance authors (and The Fountain Pen Diva can only be bribed with a bar of Sea Salt Soiree and Tom Hiddleston in my bed. Naked. Wearing a black ribbon. And handcuffs).
It takes a certain something for me to be impressed by urban fantasy/paranormal these days. Frankly I pretty much shrug off most of the popular/mainstream books as being pastiches of plots/settings/characters I'd read way before these genres ever became popular.
Granted, Rumors of Wars contains the typical denizens of urban fantasy: werewolves, half-demons, wizards and the heroine Perish who's a time-traveling shifter. Where it stands out from the mainstream urban fantasy is in its diversity and its blending of urban and dystopian. Yes I said DIVERSITY--a word too many popular UF/paranormal writers seem to be stuck-on-stupid about. The dystopia of Denver still looks like now--with diverse groups of people struggling in a world that has gone insane (a world we might be uncomfortably close to now).
Pride, the beta werewolf was pretty awesome too, but I think I like his brother Trick better. I just happen to love characters who might be a few floors short of a skyscraper.
What also makes this novel stand out are the strong female frienships, mainly that of the prickly Perish (ha ha, see what I did here) and her erstwhile guardian/cook/girl Friday/and conscience Princess Buttercup (better known as PB). Both are strong and forceful women and yet each has a deep respect for the other. Too many romance novels (especially NA) have been committing huge genderfail these days and it's nice to see heroines not shafting each other once they get a whiff of testosterone.
Perish is a tough and highly sarcastic shifting bounty hunter who does not play well with others. Her talent, which she had done her best to keep under thd radar from The Confederacy (a mafia-like organization comprised of those with paranormal abilities) has come to the attention of a member of that very organization. He has information about her origins. He wants her to retrieve an artifact from Nazi Germany. Yes, a woman of color needs to travel to one of the worst time periods in history for a magical artifact. What could possibly go WRONG?
In spite of them being romance authors, there's no romance in this book (yay). This is straight action, adventure with a side of humor thrown in. Oh, and African mythology. Did I mention the Eshu? That alone is enough for me to rate this book five stars.
Warning: there's obviously going to be a volume two, so if you don't like cliffhangers you might want to wait until the next part.
I was given the opportunity to read Rumors of Wars and I wasn't really certain what to expect. The cover (here I go again...) is entirely unremarkable and nothing about it really seemed to stand out and say "Hey look at me, I'm a great book here!" In fact, I'm ashamed to say, that it got lost in my list of "to read" books and I'm only now catching up to it. Because I'm in serious like with this book, I regret not having read it sooner. Rumors of Wars is a gem of a book that deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten so far. But (yes there's a but) it ends with a cliffhanger and that has a way of messing things up for me.
Rumors of Wars is a paranormal book that is set in a dystopian future in which the rich rule and the poor don't have many options other than to work for the rich without hope of ever getting ahead. In this world there are regular humans and there are people who have "talents." These people include werewolves, succubus, telepaths, and more. The heroine of the story is a woman named Perish. She has unique talents, including some that she tries to keep secret and others that she's just learning about. Because she's an orphan she doesn't really know who or what she is and that's a mystery that she would like to solve. Parish is a bounty hunter and through her trade she manages to live well. She is aggressive and not the type of woman that plays well with others so to speak. She has a tendency to jump first and occasionally miscalculates; however, in most cases she's competent enough to back up her actions and take care of business. As heroines go, I loved Parish.
The Confederacy of Talents is an organization of talented and seemingly sinister beings. They are headed by a powerful wizard and are a group with which one does not mess with. They approach Parish with a request to find something that belongs to the head wizard's but was stolen and lost years ago. They are aware of some of Parish's hidden talents and want her to put them to use for them. In exchange or her cooperation they'll give her information regarding her parents that she so desperately wants. I don't want to reveal spoilers 'cause honestly I want you to READ THE BOOK, but lets just say that where they want to send our multi-racial heroine is insane and would definitely garner a "You have lost your dang mind" from me if I was Parish. Just saying. Not someplace I would want to go.
We also get to meet Parish's best friends, Calamity, aka Princess Buttercup, aka PB, and Ominous aka Pride. Pride is the beta of a werewolf pack and the man/wolf that's in love with Parish and who considers her his mate. PB is Parish's roommate and self-appointed mother hen. These three characters have a great history and genuine affection for one another. Their interactions were fun and were an important part of understanding who Parish really is, not just who she let others see. The book does a lot of establishing who the characters are in general, what the world is like, and preparing us for what is to come. Unfortunately, that leads to the main problem for me, which is the fact that it ended in a cliffhanger. I was honestly so engrossed in what I was reading that the ending just seemed to come out of nowhere. Full stop. Smacked me in the face. I had to email the author just to make sure I received the book in its entirety. Not a happy reader here, nope.
Rumors of Wars isn't a romance, but it has romantic elements in that Pride truly loves his Parish and Parish, although she resists, obviously loves her Pride. It is a great book filled with interesting well rounded, multi-ethnic characters (as if that wasn't enough to love it!). The dystopian society stood out for me in particular. I would love to hear more about the events that made the world what it is. Although things were bad, it wasn't unbelievable. In fact, it seemed frighteningly plausible in my opinion and that add a layer of richness to this story that I found wonderful. I would have loved to have given this book 5 stars, but with that cliffhanger I have to lop off one whole star just out of sheer frustration. I fully recommend this book to anyone who likes sassy, strong and complex heroines, dystopian worlds and paranormal beings.
*I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Rumors of Wars is not my typical paranormal romance. There is no hot romance that sizzles the pages despite having little to no story to support it. Rumors of Wars really isn't a romance at all, although there is a burgeoning love that we see coming. This is a fully developed story that leans more toward fantasy than just paranormal and I loved it. The character Perish Blackburn is a smart, edgy, strong, salty, foul mouthed orphan with the ability to Become (shift) into any animal she chooses and has recently discovered completely by accident that she can time travel. Perish doesn't know what she is either ethnically or Talent wise. She just knows that she is capable of taking care of herself and has a low tolerance for foolishness. Calamity Morris, a.k.a. Princess Buttercup is Perish's roommate with a talent for taking care of Perish even when Perish doesn't want it. P.B. also has a gift for helping the community at large with her ability to administer medical help to those in need. Then there is Ominous Pride, a very large werewolf who believes that Perish is his mate although she fights against it and believes that she doesn't have it in her to give Pride what he needs.
Rumors of Wars focuses on Perish getting corralled into helping Gregor Glinka, the head of an ominous group of paranormal beings called the Confederacy of All Talents. Gregor, a powerful wizard, has promised Perish that he can give her information about her parents that she would not be able to get herself if she would travel back in time and find out where he can find the famous Amber Room. Gregor claims to have created the Amber Room and has lost his connection to it and the power it holds after displeasing Catherine the Great and getting expelled from the Russia. Later it was of course stolen and hidden by the Nazis during World War II. Things are definitely not what they seem. With the help from both her biological family that she connects with by going back in time as well as the family that she has made in her own time Perish must piece together the truth of who she is and what has happened to the Amber Room and why.
The world weaved is full of the paranormal. There are mentions of vampires, telepaths, succubi, magic and time travel. The story is well written and flows well. It is definitely as set up book for the series and I for one am looking forward to book two. Rumors of Wars ends on a cliffhanger that will set your imagination churning. Rumors of Wars is a good example as to why I enjoy doing this blog! I would not have had the opportunity to read this in advance and may not have discovered this author without the blog. This is a great debut to the series and if you are a fantasy fan I hope that you give this one a try!
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
In a harsh, dystopian world after the economic collapse of the US, Perish is a bounty hunter and a tough woman with many talents. Including one very rare and very valuable talent that she may have to a level unseen anywhere else.
That makes her valuable. It particularly makes her valuable to the wizard Gregor, head of the Confederacy of Talents. His organisation does not accept no for an answer; but Perish, and her long standing friend Pride, brother of the werewolf pack leader, are sorely tempted. Especially since it’s apparently the Confederacy is not united behind Gregor…
But Gregor also has a carrot to offer – knowledge of her own heritage that has been long denied her and she is desperate to learn. But is it worth the risk of using powers she barely understands?
Let’s begin with the world – I think with a new series, especially for a book that isn’t just an urban fantasy but a dystopian as well, you really need a solid world as a good foundation. This definitely has that – society is collapsed, it’s clear, but it’s also quite original in how it’s collapsed; there was no grand cataclysm or disaster, just decades of economic selfishness and incompetence on the part of the powers that be. As such, the economy collapsed, many parts of the city are abandoned by anything approaching civil authority or organisation, everything is decaying or ugly and corruption is rife. In many ways it is bleaker than most dystopians precisely because it didn’t take a plague or a bomb or some zombies to make it happen – just the kind of political awfulness we’re all so desperately familiar with.
The dystopia is also well maintained throughout with constant references, especially to class. With economic collapse, the poorest are the most vulnerable and it is something that often needs addressing in any decent dystopia. From little references like the begging children through to parts of the city giving up on money altogether and adopting a barter system, the dystopia is always carefully present without overwhelming the plot.
My main complaint about the book is it’s sparse. The world is deep and rich and shown to great effect – but I need more. What are talents? Why? How does the Confederacy of Talents operate? What are all these creatures that are mentioned? The author has done an excellent job of not bogging down the book with excess description but has also left me a little frustrated by the lack of flesh – it’s not that the story lacks depth, I can feel the depth there – I just want to look into some of that depth a little more.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First off. Cliffhangers... Hate, hate, hate them. Other than that, I really liked this book.
I side-eyed a few of the names but they grew on me. At first, I didn't like Perish. I thought she was a little too cold and standoffish but I realized that in the world she's living in, she needs to be. But I loved that she is a badass. No weak, whimpy damsel in distress here. She's kicking asses and taking names. At the same time, her interactions with others showed that she wasn't as cold as she portrayed. Now Pride, who wouldn't love him. He loves Perish and is devoted to her and is not afraid to let it be known. Cracked up at Puppy Pride and the laundry basket. I'd really like to know more about their past.
Usually I don't care about secondary characters but this time I did. PB didn't do too much for me so far. Maybe in the next book she'll grow on me. Everyone else I want to know about. Especially Trick. I already adore him and want him to do something amazingly crazy. And what's up with Selinka, Ahriman and the amulet?
Hopefully, I won't have to wait long for the next book because the ending cliffhanger was evil.
The world is not a nice place in 2075. Lycans, Witches/Warlocks, Demons, Succubus, Vampires and other things that go bump in the night are alive and known. Humans exist by any means necessary. Perish Blackburn is a bounty hunter with unknown family origins and many questions. Princess Buttercup is her best friend/roommate and there's a love/hate relationship with a beta lycan named Pride.
The Warlocks blackmail Perish to retrieve the fabled Amber Room. Not exactly a hard job except it's located in the past, Nazi Germany to be exact. Having recently discovered her ability to time travel, but having no control over when and how, what is a bounty hunter to do?
World building and foundations for future episodes are well established. Characters were introduced gradually so there was no confusion with who was who.
I loved that Perish is an alpha female, who kicks ass first and ask questions later. This is not always a good quality, but thank goodness for Pride who sticks with her. There is much sexual tension in the book but no sex scenes. I applaud the author for that.
Rumors of Wars comes highly recommended and I look forward to this engaging series.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review Lovers of Paranormal LOP. This book was well written and had an excellent plot. I loved how the main character was not your standard werewolf but a shifter of another kind. Everything done to the character's names were well thought of. Loved the book. Thanks!
Firstly, I was given this book free of charge from the author via Lovers of Paranormal, in exchange for an honest review.
I really wasn't sure how I would take to the book as the story seemed a little "out there" - but I have to say I really, really enjoyed it.
The book captured my attention immediately. This is no slow-grower of a story - it drags you straight into the action from the very first sentence and definitely kept me turning the pages.....I have to say I was hooked :)
Perish is pretty much the epitome of a kick-ass heroine, and my sympathy quickly grew for Pride having to cope with her! However, she is a likeable character who has her heart in the right place, even if she doesn't seem to be able to help antagonising people at the wrong time!
Overall, a fantastic book, and one I can heartily recommend. I will certainly get book 2 - and not just because of the cliff-hanger ending of this one!!
Perish is a tough kick-azz bounty hunter with some interesting secrets of her own. She is asked on a dangerous mission that will give her answers to her past and where she came from. This book is set in the not too distant future where corruption and poverty are the way of life. Perish even though harsh as first is actually a very kind person deep down. I don't want to give too much away but Perish soon discovers that the answers she seeks, she may be able to find out on her own. Great read. I highly recommend
I really enjoyed this book.. I also loved how he put all form in it was new to me. tons of plot's and twist in it too and not giving to much away all at once.. thanks for amazing read.. looking forward reading more from this series..