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Blood and Bone Trilogy #1
The Duality Paradigm
Everyone knows magic users and werewolves are intrinsically diametrically opposed...
Seattle Police Detective Ethan Ellison, born into a long line of Quebecois magicians, leads a fairly unassuming life working Theft and consulting on magical misdemeanors. He’s spent eight years building a life for himself in Seattle, far from his father's shadow. He works hard, lives under the radar, and fucks whoever catches his eye.
Detective Patrick Clanahan, beta-heir to Pack McClanahan, is a tightly wired bundle of rage and guilt, still trying to come to terms with the murder of his last partner.
When a human woman is murdered in werewolf territory under suspicious circumstances, Ethan is reassigned to worked the case with Clanahan in the hopes that he'll be able to balance out the wolf's rougher edges.
Too bad they mostly just rub each other the wrong way.
This is the first of three books in the Blood & Bone Trilogy.
DISCLAIMER This work contains language and sexual content that may not be suitable for readers under 18. This work contains sexual MALE/MALE content. Not your cup of tea? Don’t read it. Otherwise, please enjoy.
Seattle Police Detective Ethan Ellison, born into a long line of Quebecois magicians, leads a fairly unassuming life working Theft and consulting on magical misdemeanors. He’s spent eight years building a life for himself in Seattle, far from his father's shadow. He works hard, lives under the radar, and fucks whoever catches his eye.
Detective Patrick Clanahan, beta-heir to Pack McClanahan, is a tightly wired bundle of rage and guilt, still trying to come to terms with the murder of his last partner.
When a human woman is murdered in werewolf territory under suspicious circumstances, Ethan is reassigned to worked the case with Clanahan in the hopes that he'll be able to balance out the wolf's rougher edges.
Too bad they mostly just rub each other the wrong way.
This is the first of three books in the Blood & Bone Trilogy.
DISCLAIMER This work contains language and sexual content that may not be suitable for readers under 18. This work contains sexual MALE/MALE content. Not your cup of tea? Don’t read it. Otherwise, please enjoy.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2014
121 people are currently reading
742 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
November 2, 2014
Could have been, would have been, should have been...
Could have been a compelling supernatural cop story, but it floundered and then just bailed at the end.
Would have been a satisfying romance, but like an elephant in the room, no one is talking about it.
Should have been edited better. There are multiple transposed words that spell check would not catch, but tripped up the reader: scull for skull, what for white, etc and the ending saw an unfortunate increase which just stymied the climatic moment. And while I'm not a Nazi grammarian there are also some egregious comma and apostrophe errors.
This is clearly the start of a series, but I just wasn't sold on Ethan and Pat enough to want to carry on.
Could have been a compelling supernatural cop story, but it floundered and then just bailed at the end.
Would have been a satisfying romance, but like an elephant in the room, no one is talking about it.
Should have been edited better. There are multiple transposed words that spell check would not catch, but tripped up the reader: scull for skull, what for white, etc and the ending saw an unfortunate increase which just stymied the climatic moment. And while I'm not a Nazi grammarian there are also some egregious comma and apostrophe errors.
This is clearly the start of a series, but I just wasn't sold on Ethan and Pat enough to want to carry on.
February 10, 2017
Uuuuuuhhhhmmmmm, yeah, I have been going back and forth between 2 and 3 stars for this one, but ended up at 2 to stay true to my other ratings.
I have been slow in jotting down some words about the last few books I've read, therefore this review is written with reservation to my scatterbrain and what I remember feeling, when I put down the book.
So Ethan is a... Complex character and a bit of a man-whore (said with the utmost respect; I have nothing against man-whores, we should all be free to bone as many people as we want, if it's not hurting anyone!)
But Ethan's man-whore status and his general surliness and disregard for the rules in relation to the wolves put me off.
It's not that he doesn't have his reasons, for being kind of douchey though. Ethan's background is tragic, in the sense that his family is old and powerful (and ABUSIVE), but he never showed any magic abilities, and they made him pay for that...
Also his ex-boyfriend gave me the creeps, and it annoyed me A LOT, that Ethan (the 'hardcore', 'independent', 'I-can-do-what-I-want-dude') did not KICK the ex out or kick his ass or fucking stood up to him, instead of just FUCKING him!
It was essentially a disconnect between Ethan's description and his actions, which ruined it for me.
Patrick was okay, and I liked his family, but there was just something that didn't work for me overall.
Lastly this story does NOT have a HEA or even a HFN! Apparently you have to read 2 more books to get some sort of happy ending, and in the second book Ethan is in a relationship with some girl, while 'pining' after Patrick, while having sex with this girl?!?!?!?
There were a few humerous moments and the mystery was okay; I didn't have a clue where it was going. But when one of the MC's are not likeable and you don't even have a HFN to look forward to, it is a drag.
So yeah, I'm leaving this book and the series here.
I have been slow in jotting down some words about the last few books I've read, therefore this review is written with reservation to my scatterbrain and what I remember feeling, when I put down the book.
So Ethan is a... Complex character and a bit of a man-whore (said with the utmost respect; I have nothing against man-whores, we should all be free to bone as many people as we want, if it's not hurting anyone!)
But Ethan's man-whore status and his general surliness and disregard for the rules in relation to the wolves put me off.
It's not that he doesn't have his reasons, for being kind of douchey though. Ethan's background is tragic, in the sense that his family is old and powerful (and ABUSIVE), but he never showed any magic abilities, and they made him pay for that...
Also his ex-boyfriend gave me the creeps, and it annoyed me A LOT, that Ethan (the 'hardcore', 'independent', 'I-can-do-what-I-want-dude') did not KICK the ex out or kick his ass or fucking stood up to him, instead of just FUCKING him!
It was essentially a disconnect between Ethan's description and his actions, which ruined it for me.
Patrick was okay, and I liked his family, but there was just something that didn't work for me overall.
Lastly this story does NOT have a HEA or even a HFN! Apparently you have to read 2 more books to get some sort of happy ending, and in the second book Ethan is in a relationship with some girl, while 'pining' after Patrick, while having sex with this girl?!?!?!?
There were a few humerous moments and the mystery was okay; I didn't have a clue where it was going. But when one of the MC's are not likeable and you don't even have a HFN to look forward to, it is a drag.
So yeah, I'm leaving this book and the series here.
September 15, 2014
The magically inclined tend to share a common, and disastrous, personality profile: narcissistic, self-absorbed and forgetful. And if you think they make terrible spouses, then the truth is, they make even worse mates. This is something every wolfcub knows, in his blood. In his bones.That is a great start to this paranormal police procedural. It nicely sums up the whole novel, and I would guess, the trilogy -- though we’ll have to wait until at least the next book is published before that’s proven. :-P I hate waiting.
However, as this book hit upon a lot of my favorite tropes, the sequel is well worth the wait.
Cops in general? ✓
A cop buddy/romance with opposites attracting? ✓
Are these cops new partners with diametrically opposed lives & personalities? ✓
Do the cops have more in common than they might think? ✓
Am I using the word “cop” too much? ✓
Is there an undisciplined, arrogant, isolated, somewhat rebellious MC with a painful history? ✓
Is his name Ethan and is he a magic user? ✓
Is there a loyal, tireless, moody MC with a loving family, who’s just lost his police partner? ✓
Would his name perhaps be Patrick and is he a werewolf? ✓
Does it take place in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle)? ✓
Will this list ever end? ✓
Though I really enjoyed this book, I did find a few faults that could be improved:
The editing: needs a good line editor. Or an additional line editor. However, I did enjoy the book enough that it wasn’t too annoying, although I feel it’s worth a mention.
Repeats scenes with different viewpoints: There are three scenes in this novel where the author portrays a scene from Ethan’s POV (or Pat's), and then repeats the exact same scene from Pat’s POV (or Ethan's). As a reader, I start to get bored & skim when this happens (and it’s why I never got passed the 3rd chapter in Tinnean’s Houseboat on the Nile.) I prefer it when a scene is told from one POV & then in the next scene, or a later scene, the other MC explains his feelings or actions.
Switches POVs within a scene: I think this is very difficult to do well for any author.
What I do like is Cooper’s world building and her creation of the sociology of the magic users & the werewolves (especially the latter). But what I really admire about the writing is the author’s ability to create a character-driven story arc that should last over the three books in the trilogy. Cooper’s created two characters whose inner & outer difficulties (if that’s what you call it) cause all sorts of complications for themselves & each other. Both Ethan & Pat have issues that keep them apart, however these issues won’t just disappear with a kiss or a fuck or a good conversation. They’ll have to do a lot of growing over the course of the trilogy for that to happen. (And please, Ms. Cooper, tell me that happens.)
Warning for readers #1: one of the characters, Ethan, does sleep with 2 men that are not Pat, the other MC (not at the same time, though). I don’t mind this, but if you’re in the “once he meets his main love interest, there shall be no other penises after him” group, this book may not be for you.
Warning for readers #2: Several readers have mentioned that this book ends in a cliffhanger – I don’t really agree with that. It doesn’t end in an HEA, but neither does it leave off in the middle of a suspenseful scene. As I said, this is the first of three novels, so a lot of questions remain unanswered at the end of this book.
Anyway, I recommend this book and I expect only good stuff from its author in the future.
According to Lia Cooper’s website The Convergence Theory (Blood & Bone Book 2) should be out in Fall 2014 and Blood & Bone Book 3 should be out sometime after that.
July 27, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. The mythology of werewolves and magicians was interesting, and well developed, and I like how it played into the plot of the story. The characters felt like full fledged people, and I liked the balance between them. Patrick could be a bit protective of Ethan, but Ethan wasn't cowed by this and it never felt like Patrick was trying to own or control Ethan. I liked the mystery, and the resolution felt complex, and complete. While there are unresolved issues this felt like a complete book, and did not end off on a unsatisfactory cliffhanger. Not perfect, but a great book to read in the hammock at camp.
Read
June 14, 2019Loved it but can't possibly recommend it or give it any stars due to editing issues so egregious and beyond the pale that they're an insult to the reader and caused my inner editor to have a hysterical meltdown.
I might be able to write a real review of it at some point. But right now I'm trying to recover from having stayed up literally all night reading Book 2, in which the editing is merely bad and not an abomination unto the English language...
I might be able to write a real review of it at some point. But right now I'm trying to recover from having stayed up literally all night reading Book 2, in which the editing is merely bad and not an abomination unto the English language...
June 24, 2022
3 disappointing stars
When I have a lot to say, like I do about this book, it's easiest for me to give a quick summary and then just type out my notes, which turned out to be a LOT. The book was in many ways fabulous, and I was really excited about the series. Thrillers are my favorite genre because I love all that melodrama and action, and set in Seattle? Just drop me somewhere quiet and comfortable and I won't even know you're gone.
But I was pretty upset by the careless inconsistencies and blatantly wrong things about Seattle and the word choices that were not even American. Some may think it doesn't matter, but it does. It's saying that where the story is taking place doesn't matter and that random things about that place are thrown in because they're just sort of familiar and not important in and of themselves, and that the people who know the difference--in this case the 1.5 million in the greater Seattle area with a huge base of M/M readers and writers--don't matter either. Just make it in a fictitious city if you don't want to take the trouble to look at a map or verify the name of an internationally known landmark.
In my last story (under my pen name), I set the book in an area where I've been, on a tiny island I made up, and yet spent hours and hours researching the area including climate, monthly temperature and weather extremes, cultural make up, tourism, industry, and I even looked at tide maps for the area to make sure the experience was authentic and not just what I remembered. Although I made up the island, I came up with an exact place I thought the island would have to be based on trade and tourist routes and proximity to the nearest town and other islands. I don't know if I'm a good writer, but I'm a good researcher and the likelihood of someone's belief not being suspended because of that kind of stuff in one of my stories is, I believe, relatively small. Hopefully I'm not deluded. I feel I owe anyone who's honoring me by taking the time to read my stuff as much authenticity as I can provide. (One reason I use a pen name is so people don't use my lazy and horribly opinionated and egotistical review writing to ascertain whether my stories would be worth reading. :) )
It's sad because the author is very talented and I really would have loved this book if it were not for these editing/proof reading/fact checking issues. Oh, and the ending--don't get me started there. But the peril, the action, the danger, the mystery, the characters, the depth--I loved it all. Just the other problems ruined it for me.
Here are my notes:
This has really good police procedure which is nice.
Sweet sex scene for a one night stand. I like the other guy a lot. Too bad he's not the other MC. Hopefully the second MC will turn out to be even nicer than he is so far.
Great OMG/peril/worry/empathy/tender moments early on.
Who puts their hair up in a rubber band? Ouch! Or is that what people in other countries call hair ties?
The mystery is good. The pet collars are baffling. Didn't figure out the gist of the mystery until 3/4ths of the way into the book and even then there were still pieces puzzling me.
Seriously named a character Jim Jones.
Was going fine with just showing, then suddenly 2/5ths of the way through, started telling about their pasts.
I think I would love this book if someone had fact-checked it then copy edited it.
I liked this quote:
I'm not even going to go into the bizarre and physically impossible way they got to Magnolia from the Market which are nowhere near each other. In the last book I read (not by this author), I complained that the author used a map too much, saying street names for every turn the characters made. I wish that this author had used a map to connect the various locations she heard of rather than just guessing.
I feel like she does that a lot--guessing. "This sounds right so I'll sayit and I won't bother to make sure it makes sense," and "I saw a picture of the Post-Intelligencer globe in a current picture of Seattle. So I'll just use it and not bother to look it up to see that it is considered an historical landmark so when the PI went out of business, the globe was kept, and not assume there is still a Seattle P.I.," and, "I think this word is right, it sounds right, so I'll use it and not worry that I have the right definition."
I hate how much graphic sex Ethan is having with other men. I'm on page 128 out of 283 and he's about to have sex with Christophe yet again. He hasn't even really thought about the other MC romantically or sexually yet.
Female alphas! Awesome! Definitely not a sexist book.
No condoms between the MCs. No explanation. Yes it's standard paranormal fare that shifters don't get human diseases, but this is a new universe and it has its own take. It should be mentioned if that's why they're not using protection.
Great peril including a lovely hospital scene, but Pat's fear and stress are less than I wanted. Mainly it's inconsistent. He is panicky and then he carries on a normal conversation with his police captain about the case.
I really like this take on wolves' soul mates--that it isn't set by fate but it isn't like humans either; the inner wolf chooses and only chooses once.
LOL, almost every Starbucks in the Seattle area have drive-thrus. Not all, but close. Is that true everywhere or is it just because they are ours--we are their roots? I mean they're freakin' everywhere. There's a place near me that has two at the same intersection, no lie. (One standalone, the other in a grocery store across the street.)
This is getting really sweet and adorable.
There's a lot of "the other man," "the Mage," "the Wolf" kind of stuff to describe the other MC which is so distancing, like "Pat moved towards the mage and reached for him but then the wolf stepped back before they actually touched." (I totally made that terrible sentence up, but you get the point. This is an example of my lazy review writing and hopefully does not reflect my own writing abilities...)
There were lots of editing issues, especially when it came to tenses, sometimes launching into present tense for no reason. Some of the editing issues (not actual spoilers, just visually reducing size of review):
The location issues drove me batty. It was like the book couldn't decide if it was set in the US, Canada, or Britain. It also felt like for realism and hipness (well at least I think Seattle is hip) some random city name was chosen, and then random neighborhood names were found from that city, and a landmark found to use and then all of that was just inserted randomly with no regard to true reality rather than a semblance thereof for readers unfamiliar with Seattle. (Hoo boy, good thing you don't know my pen name. That sentence was TERRIBLE.)
I appreciate trying to inject realism, but I'd rather not have it at all than for it to be wrong. If I were to set something in a place I hadn't lived, I would make sure I had a beta reader who knew the place intimately, and if I couldn't find one, I would research it until I could write a brochure and draw a detailed map about the area. (The piece I wrote that I mentioned above takes place in a very remote area with a tiny population. I had to go the research-only option. The upside is that there are very few people I could offend...)
Seattle/US issues (not spoilers, just visually reducing size of review):
Here is where she finally says something right about Seattle. This is the Seattle I know, the city I love.
The tech boom has made a much bigger divide between the haves and the have nots so it's had it's negative effects but the gist of this is right.
How'd he have time to strip and shift if ?
Despite all the editing and location errors, it's mostly well written. There are a couple of places where I can't picture what she's trying to describe but mostly it's good.
Cool that the author described what biting the guy tasted like. You never hear that unless it's about the MCs biting one another, but if anyone bites someone, there's going to be flavor whether good or bad.
Oh hell no--what kind of evil cliffhanger ending was that? They solved the mystery and nothing else. The relationship stuff is unnecessarily hanging. Ridiculous! I am really upset. And I don't think I'm reading the next ones, either, because in book 2, the MCs spend half the book apart and . The third book has a twist that is so disturbing, I think I'd want to hurl even .
+5 stars story, mystery, and plot
-2 for editing problems
-3 for Seattle and US terminology and info errors. (There is just no excuse for that level of error and lack of fact checking)
+5 stars for entertainment
-2 for ending
3 stars...that feels too low but anything higher feels like it's not reflecting how frustrated I was...
When I have a lot to say, like I do about this book, it's easiest for me to give a quick summary and then just type out my notes, which turned out to be a LOT. The book was in many ways fabulous, and I was really excited about the series. Thrillers are my favorite genre because I love all that melodrama and action, and set in Seattle? Just drop me somewhere quiet and comfortable and I won't even know you're gone.
But I was pretty upset by the careless inconsistencies and blatantly wrong things about Seattle and the word choices that were not even American. Some may think it doesn't matter, but it does. It's saying that where the story is taking place doesn't matter and that random things about that place are thrown in because they're just sort of familiar and not important in and of themselves, and that the people who know the difference--in this case the 1.5 million in the greater Seattle area with a huge base of M/M readers and writers--don't matter either. Just make it in a fictitious city if you don't want to take the trouble to look at a map or verify the name of an internationally known landmark.
In my last story (under my pen name), I set the book in an area where I've been, on a tiny island I made up, and yet spent hours and hours researching the area including climate, monthly temperature and weather extremes, cultural make up, tourism, industry, and I even looked at tide maps for the area to make sure the experience was authentic and not just what I remembered. Although I made up the island, I came up with an exact place I thought the island would have to be based on trade and tourist routes and proximity to the nearest town and other islands. I don't know if I'm a good writer, but I'm a good researcher and the likelihood of someone's belief not being suspended because of that kind of stuff in one of my stories is, I believe, relatively small. Hopefully I'm not deluded. I feel I owe anyone who's honoring me by taking the time to read my stuff as much authenticity as I can provide. (One reason I use a pen name is so people don't use my lazy and horribly opinionated and egotistical review writing to ascertain whether my stories would be worth reading. :) )
It's sad because the author is very talented and I really would have loved this book if it were not for these editing/proof reading/fact checking issues. Oh, and the ending--don't get me started there. But the peril, the action, the danger, the mystery, the characters, the depth--I loved it all. Just the other problems ruined it for me.
Here are my notes:
This has really good police procedure which is nice.
Sweet sex scene for a one night stand. I like the other guy a lot. Too bad he's not the other MC. Hopefully the second MC will turn out to be even nicer than he is so far.
Great OMG/peril/worry/empathy/tender moments early on.
Who puts their hair up in a rubber band? Ouch! Or is that what people in other countries call hair ties?
The mystery is good. The pet collars are baffling. Didn't figure out the gist of the mystery until 3/4ths of the way into the book and even then there were still pieces puzzling me.
Seriously named a character Jim Jones.
Was going fine with just showing, then suddenly 2/5ths of the way through, started telling about their pasts.
I think I would love this book if someone had fact-checked it then copy edited it.
I liked this quote:
Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."Why would you use an espresso machine to make caramel espresso, make a "perfect ratio of espresso body to crema," and then add half and half?
I'm not even going to go into the bizarre and physically impossible way they got to Magnolia from the Market which are nowhere near each other. In the last book I read (not by this author), I complained that the author used a map too much, saying street names for every turn the characters made. I wish that this author had used a map to connect the various locations she heard of rather than just guessing.
I feel like she does that a lot--guessing. "This sounds right so I'll sayit and I won't bother to make sure it makes sense," and "I saw a picture of the Post-Intelligencer globe in a current picture of Seattle. So I'll just use it and not bother to look it up to see that it is considered an historical landmark so when the PI went out of business, the globe was kept, and not assume there is still a Seattle P.I.," and, "I think this word is right, it sounds right, so I'll use it and not worry that I have the right definition."
I hate how much graphic sex Ethan is having with other men. I'm on page 128 out of 283 and he's about to have sex with Christophe yet again. He hasn't even really thought about the other MC romantically or sexually yet.
Female alphas! Awesome! Definitely not a sexist book.
No condoms between the MCs. No explanation. Yes it's standard paranormal fare that shifters don't get human diseases, but this is a new universe and it has its own take. It should be mentioned if that's why they're not using protection.
Great peril including a lovely hospital scene, but Pat's fear and stress are less than I wanted. Mainly it's inconsistent. He is panicky and then he carries on a normal conversation with his police captain about the case.
I really like this take on wolves' soul mates--that it isn't set by fate but it isn't like humans either; the inner wolf chooses and only chooses once.
LOL, almost every Starbucks in the Seattle area have drive-thrus. Not all, but close. Is that true everywhere or is it just because they are ours--we are their roots? I mean they're freakin' everywhere. There's a place near me that has two at the same intersection, no lie. (One standalone, the other in a grocery store across the street.)
This is getting really sweet and adorable.
There's a lot of "the other man," "the Mage," "the Wolf" kind of stuff to describe the other MC which is so distancing, like "Pat moved towards the mage and reached for him but then the wolf stepped back before they actually touched." (I totally made that terrible sentence up, but you get the point. This is an example of my lazy review writing and hopefully does not reflect my own writing abilities...)
There were lots of editing issues, especially when it came to tenses, sometimes launching into present tense for no reason. Some of the editing issues (not actual spoilers, just visually reducing size of review):
The location issues drove me batty. It was like the book couldn't decide if it was set in the US, Canada, or Britain. It also felt like for realism and hipness (well at least I think Seattle is hip) some random city name was chosen, and then random neighborhood names were found from that city, and a landmark found to use and then all of that was just inserted randomly with no regard to true reality rather than a semblance thereof for readers unfamiliar with Seattle. (Hoo boy, good thing you don't know my pen name. That sentence was TERRIBLE.)
I appreciate trying to inject realism, but I'd rather not have it at all than for it to be wrong. If I were to set something in a place I hadn't lived, I would make sure I had a beta reader who knew the place intimately, and if I couldn't find one, I would research it until I could write a brochure and draw a detailed map about the area. (The piece I wrote that I mentioned above takes place in a very remote area with a tiny population. I had to go the research-only option. The upside is that there are very few people I could offend...)
Seattle/US issues (not spoilers, just visually reducing size of review):
Here is where she finally says something right about Seattle. This is the Seattle I know, the city I love.
He'd spent eight years learning the twists and turns of living here, how it was a major metropolis and unlike any other major city he's ever visited at the same time. The pomp and flash of Seattle is hidden beneath clean energy, shiny espresso joints and gleaming tech stores. Designer clothes rubbed elbows with second hand treasures on the same body and there was no scene but the underground scene. People walked and biked places, not because they had to, not just because it was impossible to keep a car in the city, but because it was environmentally friendly and other things like Good For You....It was a city that hit it big in the tech boom without letting it go to their heads, who never bent beneath the glitz and glitter of gouache [sic] consumerism.**Note the typical tense and wrong word errors in this small section. I cut and pasted it from the ebook.
The tech boom has made a much bigger divide between the haves and the have nots so it's had it's negative effects but the gist of this is right.
How'd he have time to strip and shift if ?
Despite all the editing and location errors, it's mostly well written. There are a couple of places where I can't picture what she's trying to describe but mostly it's good.
Cool that the author described what biting the guy tasted like. You never hear that unless it's about the MCs biting one another, but if anyone bites someone, there's going to be flavor whether good or bad.
Oh hell no--what kind of evil cliffhanger ending was that? They solved the mystery and nothing else. The relationship stuff is unnecessarily hanging. Ridiculous! I am really upset. And I don't think I'm reading the next ones, either, because in book 2, the MCs spend half the book apart and . The third book has a twist that is so disturbing, I think I'd want to hurl even .
+5 stars story, mystery, and plot
-2 for editing problems
-3 for Seattle and US terminology and info errors. (There is just no excuse for that level of error and lack of fact checking)
+5 stars for entertainment
-2 for ending
3 stars...that feels too low but anything higher feels like it's not reflecting how frustrated I was...
March 24, 2016
This had a lot of promise as the start of a series/trilogy and there were certain aspects I really liked. But there were also quite a few things that didn't really work for me, so 3 stars overall.
I was quite keen to read the next one when I finished this...but having read reviews for book 2 I'm a bit wary...I may just leave it at this?
Full review to follow soon.
I was quite keen to read the next one when I finished this...but having read reviews for book 2 I'm a bit wary...I may just leave it at this?
Full review to follow soon.
August 5, 2014
2.5 rating
This is a start of what could be a good series, but between the amateur writing, the editing issues and plot holes, it was not satisfying. Nevertheless, this book has a ridiculous low price and I'm very glad that I got to read it. I will definitely read the next book in the series.
This is a start of what could be a good series, but between the amateur writing, the editing issues and plot holes, it was not satisfying. Nevertheless, this book has a ridiculous low price and I'm very glad that I got to read it. I will definitely read the next book in the series.
November 21, 2014
This author clearly has real talent as this M/M mystery novella managed to keep my interest despite its flaws.
Writing is very fluid; plot is simple but well developed and the urban-fantasy setting is rich in interesting details.
The first problem is the annoying number of typos and mistakes and that they tend to become more and more numerous as the work nears its end. Some of them are disrupting and forced me to reread various sentences.
Characterization betrays the author's lack of experience: characters are meant to evolve, of course, but Pat is often unreasonably stiff while Ethan appears ouright childish and immature when he is meant to show the frailty due to the abuse he has suffered.
Narrative tension suffers because of this. The lack of honest communication between the leads is also ill managed and not really well motivated.
Problems aside, this is the first instalment in what promises to be an interesting series of three. Volume two is already available but perhaps a little overpriced.
Writing is very fluid; plot is simple but well developed and the urban-fantasy setting is rich in interesting details.
The first problem is the annoying number of typos and mistakes and that they tend to become more and more numerous as the work nears its end. Some of them are disrupting and forced me to reread various sentences.
Characterization betrays the author's lack of experience: characters are meant to evolve, of course, but Pat is often unreasonably stiff while Ethan appears ouright childish and immature when he is meant to show the frailty due to the abuse he has suffered.
Narrative tension suffers because of this. The lack of honest communication between the leads is also ill managed and not really well motivated.
Problems aside, this is the first instalment in what promises to be an interesting series of three. Volume two is already available but perhaps a little overpriced.
February 26, 2014
4.5 Stars
With a little bit of magic, a little bit of murder, and a whole lot of mystery, author Lia Cooper has written her way onto the M/M scene as someone I’m not only excited to see here but am also excited to see much more from. Hopefully in the very near future, as she draws us further in to the world she’s imagined.
Full review can be found at The Novel Approach.
With a little bit of magic, a little bit of murder, and a whole lot of mystery, author Lia Cooper has written her way onto the M/M scene as someone I’m not only excited to see here but am also excited to see much more from. Hopefully in the very near future, as she draws us further in to the world she’s imagined.
Full review can be found at The Novel Approach.
January 29, 2015
4.0 Stars
In a world where magic users and werewolves are intrinsically diametrically opposed, Seattle Police Detectives Ethan Ellison and Patrick Clanahan seem like a total mismatch. But they work. In this exciting start to a PNR police crime series, I was taken by both MCs. Ethan is unapologetically slutty and Patrick is unapologetically wolf-ish. I loved them. I was worried at times that Ethan's character would turn me off (and he came close) but he just scraped by.
Bottom line: Wonderful start! Moving on to book 2.
In a world where magic users and werewolves are intrinsically diametrically opposed, Seattle Police Detectives Ethan Ellison and Patrick Clanahan seem like a total mismatch. But they work. In this exciting start to a PNR police crime series, I was taken by both MCs. Ethan is unapologetically slutty and Patrick is unapologetically wolf-ish. I loved them. I was worried at times that Ethan's character would turn me off (and he came close) but he just scraped by.
Bottom line: Wonderful start! Moving on to book 2.
April 7, 2015
3.5 stars
Fun and great read. It was a good detective romance story. And an unusually and unique take on the paranormal world. They thing I really disliked was that the editor did an horrible job.There were so many spelling mistakes and it was a bit confusing at times. But it was still that good that I will read the rest of the series!
Fun and great read. It was a good detective romance story. And an unusually and unique take on the paranormal world. They thing I really disliked was that the editor did an horrible job.There were so many spelling mistakes and it was a bit confusing at times. But it was still that good that I will read the rest of the series!
December 27, 2014
Solid m/m urban fantasy by a new author. The introduction is great. Totally snared my attention and made me want to read on. Here's part of it:
The magically inclined tend to share a common, and disastrous, personality profile: narcissistic, self-absorbed and forgetful. And if you think they make terrible spouses, then the truth is, they make even worse mates. This is something every wolfcub knows, in his blood.
In his bones.
Luckily the book mostly lives up to its promise. Like all urban fantasy this is the first book in a series. There's a complete story arc although the romance between the two MC's is only just starting and I'm presuming this will continue to develop over ?several books. This is a full-length novel and the mystery plot, although not really new or original, is sufficiently exciting. The dynamic between Ellison and Clanahan is excellent. I love UF so this storytelling style is right up my alley.
Unfortunately there are a fair few typos. Why would the author let her book be stuffed up by something so simple and easily rectifiable?? Microsoft Word is not sufficient to edit your books SPA's!!
The magically inclined tend to share a common, and disastrous, personality profile: narcissistic, self-absorbed and forgetful. And if you think they make terrible spouses, then the truth is, they make even worse mates. This is something every wolfcub knows, in his blood.
In his bones.
Luckily the book mostly lives up to its promise. Like all urban fantasy this is the first book in a series. There's a complete story arc although the romance between the two MC's is only just starting and I'm presuming this will continue to develop over ?several books. This is a full-length novel and the mystery plot, although not really new or original, is sufficiently exciting. The dynamic between Ellison and Clanahan is excellent. I love UF so this storytelling style is right up my alley.
Unfortunately there are a fair few typos. Why would the author let her book be stuffed up by something so simple and easily rectifiable?? Microsoft Word is not sufficient to edit your books SPA's!!
December 19, 2014
I want more - just bought the second book but I need the last one right now. This is great - murder mystery, mages, shifters, romance ... can't ask for much more.
The books should be read in order because this one ended with the personal relationship unresolved but the murder was solved so it's definitely not a cliffhanger.
The books should be read in order because this one ended with the personal relationship unresolved but the murder was solved so it's definitely not a cliffhanger.
February 22, 2014
It was honestly a good story however the editing is absolutely atrocious and this makes for a confusing read at times. My hope is the author either hires and editor or takes more time to edit her work more thoroughly.
March 10, 2016
WARNING: This book does not have a HEA. You must keep reading the trilogy. I'm so glad I have KU and am able to grab book 2 straight away. I love how Patrick and Ethan are coming together in this series.
Read
April 29, 2016Not going to rate this. A very good story but a mess. It needed: a copy editor, a proofreader, and maybe a ghostwriter too. And the ending--I get it's a trilogy but not an encouraging arc.
October 14, 2017
There were things that I loved about this book and things that I really didn't like.
What I loved:
- paranormal (the world contains witches and werewolves)
- mystery/detective story
- enemies to lovers story (kinda...more about this below in the spoiler)
What I didn't like:
- ends without a HEA or even a HFN
-
- I know it's hard to complain when the book is free as of today at Amazon, but there are many glaring grammatical and spelling errors
Honestly, I'm not sure liked the characters and world-building enough to continue the series.
What I loved:
- paranormal (the world contains witches and werewolves)
- mystery/detective story
- enemies to lovers story (kinda...more about this below in the spoiler)
What I didn't like:
- ends without a HEA or even a HFN
-
- I know it's hard to complain when the book is free as of today at Amazon, but there are many glaring grammatical and spelling errors
Honestly, I'm not sure liked the characters and world-building enough to continue the series.
October 24, 2017
Well, that was a wholly unsatisfying ending. I loved the story up until that part. It’s definitely the first of a series for which you need to read them all to get to your HEA. This wasn’t even a HFN.
I did like the mystery and how well they worked together. They were great, well rounded characters.
There were mistakes but they didn’t detract for me too much.
However, I’ve read some reviews and don’t think I’ll waste my money on the rest of the series. I hate too much UST and book 2 sounds like that’s all it has.
I did like the mystery and how well they worked together. They were great, well rounded characters.
There were mistakes but they didn’t detract for me too much.
However, I’ve read some reviews and don’t think I’ll waste my money on the rest of the series. I hate too much UST and book 2 sounds like that’s all it has.
July 17, 2017
Loved it Loved it Loved it! Great plot, well written, wonderful characters. The ending! Ugggg. Must read the second one!
March 23, 2018
A fun "who did it" with lots of romance.
May 4, 2019
This was so fun and enjoyable. Definitely what a proper urban fantasy with a touch of romance should be.
Highly recommended to PNR aficionados.
Highly recommended to PNR aficionados.
January 29, 2015
I really enjoyed this book, and if you like paranormal romance with a little suspense and mystery thrown in, this is worth checking out.
WHAT I LIKED
-----------------------
* The main characters are gay men, but the book is not about them being gay men. They are complex characters in and of themselves who become attracted to each other and who happen to both be male. In other words, it's just a natural part of who they are, and not *only* who they are.
* The author does a good job of developing the characters through their actions. We don't just *know* Ethan is promiscuous, we see it and experience it with him, and we understand why. We don't just *know* Patrick has close ties with his family, we experience that with him.
* The supporting characters are strong - in particular the Captain and Patrick's mom. It's refreshing to see women in authority positions (P's mom is Alpha)
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
------------------------------
* The editing of this book is pretty poor. The book is in past tense, but there was a sudden sentence in present tense. Sometimes the names of characters are wrong in dialogue. Sometimes the same phrase is repeated consecutively, like one should have been scratched out but wasn't. If editorial mistakes are enough to make you put a book down, then you're going to miss a good story. It's sad that the book is so poorly edited, given the rest of the reading experience was so great.
NOTE: This book contains a good bit of explicit sex. It's not erotica by any means, but if you don't like explicit physical intimacy, you might want to look elsewhere for your romance. :)
WHAT I LIKED
-----------------------
* The main characters are gay men, but the book is not about them being gay men. They are complex characters in and of themselves who become attracted to each other and who happen to both be male. In other words, it's just a natural part of who they are, and not *only* who they are.
* The author does a good job of developing the characters through their actions. We don't just *know* Ethan is promiscuous, we see it and experience it with him, and we understand why. We don't just *know* Patrick has close ties with his family, we experience that with him.
* The supporting characters are strong - in particular the Captain and Patrick's mom. It's refreshing to see women in authority positions (P's mom is Alpha)
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
------------------------------
* The editing of this book is pretty poor. The book is in past tense, but there was a sudden sentence in present tense. Sometimes the names of characters are wrong in dialogue. Sometimes the same phrase is repeated consecutively, like one should have been scratched out but wasn't. If editorial mistakes are enough to make you put a book down, then you're going to miss a good story. It's sad that the book is so poorly edited, given the rest of the reading experience was so great.
NOTE: This book contains a good bit of explicit sex. It's not erotica by any means, but if you don't like explicit physical intimacy, you might want to look elsewhere for your romance. :)
March 7, 2021
I went ahead and rounded up to a 4.
The first half was okay, but it wasn't until half way that it really picked up.
It could have used some more proofreading. I'm not one to really get peeved over editing issues, but these were hard to ignore. My favorite was his "HEARD leaking cock" (was it talking? or listening?) Others were small, but took you out of the story, like the word be, instead me. Spell check doesn't help, when they are real words.
Around the half way mark, I was committed, and couldn't stop. Then, I got left hanging!!!
I realize it's a series, but I wasn't expecting to have so many loose ends. Like what the heck is up with the pendant. And we didn't even get a HFN?!? Uhh.
But, it was a good read. A little bit slow on the build up, but once it took off it was very enjoyable. I like the world. I'm very interested in reading more. I liked Pat's family. I have a feeling we are going to detest Ethan's family. Pretty good start to the series...Just what I needed...another series I need to catch up on. I have so many going. But, I think this will be worth it, to add to my list of series I need to catch up on. Looking forward to reading more.
~~~~
I liked it better the second time around.
The first half was okay, but it wasn't until half way that it really picked up.
It could have used some more proofreading. I'm not one to really get peeved over editing issues, but these were hard to ignore. My favorite was his "HEARD leaking cock" (was it talking? or listening?) Others were small, but took you out of the story, like the word be, instead me. Spell check doesn't help, when they are real words.
Around the half way mark, I was committed, and couldn't stop. Then, I got left hanging!!!
I realize it's a series, but I wasn't expecting to have so many loose ends. Like what the heck is up with the pendant. And we didn't even get a HFN?!? Uhh.
But, it was a good read. A little bit slow on the build up, but once it took off it was very enjoyable. I like the world. I'm very interested in reading more. I liked Pat's family. I have a feeling we are going to detest Ethan's family. Pretty good start to the series...Just what I needed...another series I need to catch up on. I have so many going. But, I think this will be worth it, to add to my list of series I need to catch up on. Looking forward to reading more.
~~~~
I liked it better the second time around.
July 17, 2016
3.5
Ethan comes from a long line of powerful mages, but he has very little magic and had to walk away from his family because he could never meet their expectations. He now spends his time tracking down small time criminals. On the other hand, Patrick comes from a long line of werewolves and is a detective in the homicide division. He is less than thrilled when he is partnered with Ethan to investigate a strange murder. These two men clash from their first meeting – Patrick cannot understand Ethan's lifestyle and Ethan cannot understand why Patrick is so rigid. For two men who are supposed to be detectives, they missed all the clues about their relationship. There were moments when you just wanted to slap them silly!
As someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest I did love the description of Seattle and the myriad of people that live here. Some of the descriptions made me laugh out loud.
While the mystery is solved at the end of the book, but there is no happily ever after or even a happy for now. I did find the story intriguing enough that I will finish the series.
Ethan comes from a long line of powerful mages, but he has very little magic and had to walk away from his family because he could never meet their expectations. He now spends his time tracking down small time criminals. On the other hand, Patrick comes from a long line of werewolves and is a detective in the homicide division. He is less than thrilled when he is partnered with Ethan to investigate a strange murder. These two men clash from their first meeting – Patrick cannot understand Ethan's lifestyle and Ethan cannot understand why Patrick is so rigid. For two men who are supposed to be detectives, they missed all the clues about their relationship. There were moments when you just wanted to slap them silly!
As someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest I did love the description of Seattle and the myriad of people that live here. Some of the descriptions made me laugh out loud.
While the mystery is solved at the end of the book, but there is no happily ever after or even a happy for now. I did find the story intriguing enough that I will finish the series.
Read
August 7, 2015I honestly have no idea what rating to give this.
It's the first 'paranormal/werewolf/magician/police book I have read, though I have read werewolves before. So I was a little unsure what I was going to find.
The good points:
*Very likeable characters, and also believable ones.
*Some great descriptive writing.
*A slow development of the relationship.
*A couple of moments that caught me by surprise.
*The scenes with Pat's family were wonderful
The not-so-good points.
*Proofreading and editing was sloppy with missing words, poor punctuation, unattributed speech.
*The sex scenes started too quickly, although I did appreciate the fact that the early scenes were not as vividly described as they were later on. I am one of those people who believes that sex scenes need to develop as much as relationships. Leave the 'explosive orgasms' until much later on in the story.
I didn't put it aside to play Candy Crush, I didn't make loads of bookmarks. it should be a winner, but the editing was a major distraction and yet I cant make up my mind what to give it. So I am leaving it unrated.
Enjoyable, frothy, sexy. paranormal.
It's the first 'paranormal/werewolf/magician/police book I have read, though I have read werewolves before. So I was a little unsure what I was going to find.
The good points:
*Very likeable characters, and also believable ones.
*Some great descriptive writing.
*A slow development of the relationship.
*A couple of moments that caught me by surprise.
*The scenes with Pat's family were wonderful
The not-so-good points.
*Proofreading and editing was sloppy with missing words, poor punctuation, unattributed speech.
*The sex scenes started too quickly, although I did appreciate the fact that the early scenes were not as vividly described as they were later on. I am one of those people who believes that sex scenes need to develop as much as relationships. Leave the 'explosive orgasms' until much later on in the story.
I didn't put it aside to play Candy Crush, I didn't make loads of bookmarks. it should be a winner, but the editing was a major distraction and yet I cant make up my mind what to give it. So I am leaving it unrated.
Enjoyable, frothy, sexy. paranormal.
November 10, 2014
It is with some sadness and a bit of inner conflict that I give this book 3 stars.
The premise is fantastic. I mean, handsome Mage and hot Ware thrown into working together and try to ignore the sparks that fly between them; how can you go wrong?
You can't.
Unless you don't edit your work. I chose to overlook the occasional typo; but there was a point in the story where it seemed I couldn't read 3 sentences without an error. It seemed to me as if the author had gotten so excited to finally get to "the big scene", that she flew through it without so much as a glance back. And neglected to allow any PreReader or Editor have a say in the work.
It was disappointing to say the least, topped only by the "WTF just happened" ending.
I'm not so in love with Pat and Ethan that I'll buy the next book, especially if it's full of the same type of errors. Which makes me sad, because I wanted to love them and love the story. Great idea, full of promise, just a mediocre delivery. Maybe Ms. Cooper will consider a rewrite and update? Fingers crossed.
The premise is fantastic. I mean, handsome Mage and hot Ware thrown into working together and try to ignore the sparks that fly between them; how can you go wrong?
You can't.
Unless you don't edit your work. I chose to overlook the occasional typo; but there was a point in the story where it seemed I couldn't read 3 sentences without an error. It seemed to me as if the author had gotten so excited to finally get to "the big scene", that she flew through it without so much as a glance back. And neglected to allow any PreReader or Editor have a say in the work.
It was disappointing to say the least, topped only by the "WTF just happened" ending.
I'm not so in love with Pat and Ethan that I'll buy the next book, especially if it's full of the same type of errors. Which makes me sad, because I wanted to love them and love the story. Great idea, full of promise, just a mediocre delivery. Maybe Ms. Cooper will consider a rewrite and update? Fingers crossed.
January 20, 2015
This story of Ethan, a magician with little apparent magic and Patrick the son of the Alpha of his werewolf pack is really good. They mesh really well together. They are both cops and tracking the killer of a young woman. The woman has been torn apart (literally) by something neither human or werewolf.
This book for story and plot would have been a 5 star rating. The trouble was with the editing. If the author has an editor, she should fire that person. It was frustrating to have so many grammatical and sentence errors all over the place. This is the author's work. Why would she put out such an interesting story and leave it so unfinished and unpolished.
I'm still getting the second book in the series right after I finish this review. The story and characters are that good.
This book for story and plot would have been a 5 star rating. The trouble was with the editing. If the author has an editor, she should fire that person. It was frustrating to have so many grammatical and sentence errors all over the place. This is the author's work. Why would she put out such an interesting story and leave it so unfinished and unpolished.
I'm still getting the second book in the series right after I finish this review. The story and characters are that good.
September 18, 2014
Overall, I enjoyed the story but I am not a fan of stories that split in the middle. This was an incomplete story, to me. I think the characters had a lot of potential but also felt like things moved way too quickly to be believable and then the book was over. I picked up the second book really quickly only to have to slog through a lot of angst to be picked up and dropped again at the end.
I won't be continuing on this journey with the characters. It's a great reminder to me why I tend to like stand-alone stories OR ones that don't give away everything in the first book and drag you along for more books. Sorry dear author, I know the time & effort it takes to write and I DO appreciate it but .. not my cuppa.
I won't be continuing on this journey with the characters. It's a great reminder to me why I tend to like stand-alone stories OR ones that don't give away everything in the first book and drag you along for more books. Sorry dear author, I know the time & effort it takes to write and I DO appreciate it but .. not my cuppa.
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August 28, 2015DNF: 65% - maybe I'll try in a few days again.
I looked forward to this book. It sounded like everything I would like and the writing is good (the editing isn't, but let's ignore that).
Sadly, I absolutely didn't like one of the main characters - Elliot. Supposed to be the partner of the unstable werewolf to me he turned said werewolf nearly into a saint. If I had been Clanahan, I probably would have eaten Ellison on the second day for cross stupidity, inability to control any part of himself, laziness and abrasive language.
Also, the author writes well, but she has no firm grasp on world building. It didn't feel like a real world, more like a few tropes thrown together. The "wolf" especially felt like a mere plot device.
I looked forward to this book. It sounded like everything I would like and the writing is good (the editing isn't, but let's ignore that).
Sadly, I absolutely didn't like one of the main characters - Elliot. Supposed to be the partner of the unstable werewolf to me he turned said werewolf nearly into a saint. If I had been Clanahan, I probably would have eaten Ellison on the second day for cross stupidity, inability to control any part of himself, laziness and abrasive language.
Also, the author writes well, but she has no firm grasp on world building. It didn't feel like a real world, more like a few tropes thrown together. The "wolf" especially felt like a mere plot device.
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