I’m Jinx, a private investigator, a truth seeker and a wizard. You'd think all those skills would make it easy for me to get to the heart of a problem, but life’s never so simple. I thought I knew what had happened to my parents the night they died. I thought I finally knew the truth – but I've taken a tumble down a rabbit hole, everything is topsy turvy, and I’m not sure who I can trust.
Add to the mix some rude SOB who keeps trying to kill me. Is it the same guy who targeted my parents – or someone else entirely? I need to stay alive long enough to bring whoever it is to justice, but it looks like Emory and I have got a mole. Someone is betraying us in the worst possible way, and we need to find out who.
I need to find my would-be assassin and stop him before he puts the nails in my coffin.
I need to locate the leak and plug it – permanently.
Oh, and I probably need to stop the rampaging ouroboros who is destroying parts of the city...
I cannot get enough of this series.... and next I'm branching out with a side story and I can't wait!
A mixture of emotions held me throughout this installment, tears, laughter, surprises and tons of mystery... I just love the way Ms Harris stretches our imagination with the incredible and unique world that Jinx is a part of.
This is fourth in an Urban Fantasy series and the culmination of an overarching plot. I'd recommend reading them in order.
You've probably already noticed my rating so know I'm a bit let-down with this. I think the core disappointment is that the tone coalesces into a definite down-beat and it becomes clear that the author intended this emotional background all along. Jess/Jinx has had a core of grief for a long time, but I've always liked her essentially positive attitude about things. She's down, but not out and she continues looking forward and doing the hard things and there's just a lightness or joy about her that I find attractive. I figured the author intended that as a central theme. Not so, it turns out. Spoilers ahead and they're big enough I'm tagging the entire review for a change.
The death of her parents has been at the center of her grief from the start. Only we learn in this one that her parents didn't so much die as deliberately move their consciousness into . . . the hellhound, Gato. And this just doesn't work. Like at all. I mean, Jess is thrilled because she has her parents back! And they're all, like, yeah baby, we never left and we love you blah blah blah. Scrutinize this at all, though, and this is a freaking horror-show. Two adult humans seem perfectly willing to eschew all autonomy (body, mind, soul) just to be around their daughter a bit? I'm sorry, but this plan sucks and look, I love my spouse to pieces and my kids are awesome. But giving up all my autonomy just to watch 'em grow up? Yeah, I'd rather die fighting than accept a shadow-life so constrained that I can do nothing to ease their grief/suffering.
Only then we have this stupid ending that imposed an even greater cost in order to have a "sacrifice" that closes a demon portal (sorry, told you there'd be spoilers). And what we get is gestalt-Gato throwing themselves into the portal and a bunch of hand-wavy idiocy where only the mom "dies" of that little soul-triumverate as they hang there mid-portal for, like, an hour (okay half a minute or so but whatevs) only so Stone (remember him? Yeah, we'll get to his jackwagonry) can pull a "redeem me baby" and sacrifice himself to close the portal, instead. So the demon portal gets two sacrifices of the four, er, souls (I guess?) offered to it. For some completely unexplained reason. And the core result is sad dad, only at least Jess still has one parent left? Excuse me? This is such unnecessary grief and just so very arbitrary that I can't see the point except to double-down on the whole grief-Jess has lots of grief background radiation.
And it doesn't even spare me the stupidity of pseudo parenting via family pet! Okay, that diminishes Gato unfairly. That hellhound is one of the highlights of the series, and that holds even if he's some stupid parental gestalt beast. But still, we have ghost dad all safely contained where he can't intrude much because dogs can't talk (not without best-friend dog whisperer around, which is another level of why this is not a parental relationship that works at all). Only now with extra grief over losing the wife he still loves after being stuck with her in the same body for seven years.
It's an emotional pile-on that left me furious that the author would manipulate that as a "resolution".
And oh yeah, remember Stone? He turns into the bad guy for this book as he attempts to solidify his father's legacy by throwing in with the fascist/racist wing of the magical hierarchy. He's actually scheming with the crazy lady behind it all and that includes hiring assassins to kill harmless nobodies in hiding. Which is why he needs a redeem me moment in the end, but I'm sorry, this is just dumb and counters everything we thought we knew about the guy and why? So we can be all relieved that Jess chose Emory? Just ugh.
This is getting three stars because for all the disappointing idiocy, I just love Jess and Emory and their cohort of friends are kind of fantastic. Particularly Lucy, who, according to the afterword, may be getting her own series as a follow-up. So I don't exactly regret the series or even this book. Jess is still awesome and I kind of love the idea of her and Emory kicking the supernatural world into some tolerance and acceptance together.
A note about Chaste: Jess and Emory are together and that's explicitly sexual. But this is a hard-charging plot and they have zero time to be frisky. Okay, that's not entirely true, but any shenanigans happen off page so I consider it fairly chaste.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I'm disappointed that this final book is such a drag. I had to take a few days of reflection before deciding if I can give it proper commentary. Book 3 was the start of the decline, and 4 was the final nail in the coffin. I LOVE the first two books, so if you want to give this series a try, I suggest skipping 3 and 4. Do the Star Wars technique and pretend that some of the movies don't exist in canon. Ah, such a shame that we never saw Darth Vader's origin story, oh well!
The "big reveals" are dumb. I'm sorry, but I'm not a fan.
Major spoilers:
I fell in love with the first couple books because there was so much depth, but the villains - and whatever Stone is - were lacking substance in these last two books.
You'd think this final book wouldn't have been so boring with all of the action, but somehow it was. Some of the writing decisions shattered whatever reality I was in, and caused me to start questioning everything instead of simply enjoying the ride. I enjoy some good pulp, but if things get over-explained, then I start to expect explanations for everything, and that was definitely not the case with the random dropped storylines and plot holes. Like I would have loved more chats with the Glimmer-maker instead of Aubrey.
This wasn't bad, but it was a miss for me personally. I hope this author keeps writing and I will definitely keep an eye out for future books.
With UK setting, this series feels familiar 😘. Many plot twist which surprisingly good and made the story more exciting. However, feels unfinished. And the author already said, the series as a whole is not ended yet. I’m glad with that note, but it looks like we won’t get it anytime soon.
Because another series with a different heroine will come first, and I don’t mind either. That heroine already in this series 😘.
Well, this one was just…. Weird. I’m still enjoying the series and will undoubtably keep gobbling it all up (from the new Wolf series to the continuation of this one). But the whole Gato and the parents thing… uh, no. And then, the daemon portal and the sacrifice - and Stone turning bad, then chivalrous…. Another, no. It was all just too funky and unbelievable.
Another amazing book with fantastic characters! This is probably the most action-packed so far and oh my god - that plot twist 😱 This was a roller-coaster of a story that had some real shockers. I may have had some excess water in my eyes at times... but Jinx's roll-with-it attitude won't let you get too bogged down. I'm so attached to this series I can't believe it's over 💔
There's one thing I can emphatically state about Heather G Harris, she KNOWS how to tell a story! She KNOWS how to keep ones interest at full throttle! I feel as if I'm in a getaway car, with a skilled driver easily navigating all the bends and twists, my adrenaline pumping. Jess has much to sort through in her head, still reeling from those devastating revelations by Bastian. Who I adore BTW. He might be a deadly assassin but his soft spot for Jess, hit my soft spot. I absolutely love Jinx! She's dedicated but funny, one of her beauties is " I'm in danger of being happy", just loved that phrase! Her confidence with the Other grows, and so do her skills. With someone or someone's out to get her, Jess has dig deeper than ever. Ms Harris grabs hold of me and doesn't let up until the end with her magical storytelling, bringing me into a delightful world, surrounded by delightful characters! And boy is the action fierce! Golly was I thrilled to meet Jake and to see a warmer side to Amber, to catch a glimpse of the real her.
I loved the background on Falsease and how Glimmer came into existence. Loved the humourous retorts, especially by Jinx. The relationship Jinx and Emory share, is beautifully done and convincing, so warming to my soul. All the characters add something special, it's hard not to love them all, root for them, want to be friends with them. The way this very talented author crafts her skill leaves me speechless at times, so much is packed in these books, every event, every utterance is placed perfectly, seamlessly, almost evocatively, enticing me to read without stopping. I can't... I'm under this author's spell, it only wears off at the end of the book. I liked the light hearted moments in the story, even when dealing with quite dramatic events, in the midst of battle, there was the banter that counteracted the gravity of the situation, adding to my reading pleasure. Loved how the plot progresses at a fast pace, so immersive and compelling, so many awesome twists and turns, so many jaw dropping moments, I couldn't put it down for a sec. As each book progresses, more truths are uncovered, more mysteries are unravelled, relationships solidified and flourished. The revelations are stunning, yes, they stun! This series is such a treat, characters absolutely wonderfully well rounded, the world building amazing, the battles compellingly immersive, the storyline never disappoints, keeping one enthralled from start to finish. A really well written book and series. Totally, utterly recommended!
Applause Applause. Book 4 gave me all the feels for a solid 5 star ending of an excellent debut series. If you've been following along Jinx' journey, we finally get the answers to the questions she's been asking all along. Harris has an incredible skill at making her characters feel real. The emotions they portray and that you feel right along with them don't feel contrived in any way--and as stated before you feel all of the emotion in this book. I cannot wait to read additional stories that may come out of this world and from this author. Highly recommend.
It took me more than 10 days to finish this - not exactly the book's fault, I was really NOT in the mood to read ANYTHING. But I got the spirit a couple of days back and I jumped back on it.
The good things? - well, the mastermind and the plan behind what started in book 1 was revealed. It was . I liked that part, and the final showdown.
The not so good things .
I already own the next series though, Lucy's books. So I guess I'll continue. But I just wasn't a big fan of this marketing plan...
Glimmer of Deception is the fourth book in The Other Realm series by Heather G. Harris.
While I've come to like this cast of characters, to be interested in their hopes and fears, there's a gulf of disparity between the quality of the first two books and number 3 & 4.
Think of what happened with Wilf! That is such an important transition, he has played a pivotal role on Jinx's development, to just gloss over it seems like an insult. Or even Stone? The conclusion to this book was such a fustercluck imo. His character showing such a complete 180⁰ turn comes across more false than anything. His character feels completely different, and not just in the 'he's changed so much' sense.
I'm happy Jinx finally unraveled the mystery behind her parents death. This plot point in the story is well crafted and creative. To almost immediately turn around and fulfil the 'I just got you back, and now you're gone again' trope is the final straw for me.
I appreciate the characters that Harris built, and the intriguing world and magical concept. However, the plot just keeps dragging me down. It's all so cliche. These wonderful characters feel like their being forced into this boring, unoriginal box. If more comes out for this series, I can't say with any conviction whether I will even give it a chance or not.
Following Bastian’s jaw-dropping revelation about her parents several weeks earlier, Jinx has been in a funk. An attempt on her life finally gives her the incentive she needs to pull herself together. Now Jinx must ascertain whether the assailant has a connection to her parent's death or is someone from Emory’s court who doesn’t want her mated to him. It soon becomes apparent that they have a mole - someone they both trust - the question is who?
As Jinx delves deeper into the mystery behind her parents deaths, an unexpected source arranges a crucial meeting that finally sets her on a course for the answers she sorely needs. What she learns will change her life forever.
Meanwhile, a rampaging ouroboros is causing mayhem in the city. Jinx learns that someone in the Symposium is behind these attacks to justify their anti creature movement in order to prove that creatures can go rogue. With a crucial vote coming up to implement curtailing measures on all creatures by electronically tagging them, there’s every chance of an all-out war breaking out between the realms. The question is, can Jinx and her friends stop them in time?
A Glimmer of Deception is the fourth and final instalment in what has been a thoroughly entertaining series. Witty dialogue, colourful distinctive characters and twists and turns that have had me gasping aloud in shock, this series has been escapism at its finest.
As someone who has been invested in these characters from the get go, I’m going to miss Jinx and Gato terribly. Her strength and sassiness as well as the touching camaraderie she had with those around her have been just some of the highlights.
As saddened as I am that the series has come to an end, I’m grateful that the author tied up all the loose ends. I only hope that there’s a future spin-off at some point - possibly with Manners and Lucy (hint hint!) - where we see the return of some of these beloved characters.
Highly recommended - although I warn you - with each instalment, the author has a way of sucking you in from the first chapter and spitting you out at the end as though you’ve been on some exhilarating theme park ride 😉
This series has been a pleasure and I want to thank the author for gifting me each ARC in advance. I look forward to her future works with anticipation.
Overall, this was mega entertaining, fast paced, and action packed! I'm still very much into this entire world and its characters and will 100% continue with the other books in this universe.
However... There were some twists here that were a bit Too Much for me and my suspension of disbelief. I also wasn't really a fan of how this left a lot of loose threads in regard to Jinx and Emory. I know this won't be the last we see of them? Yet, as far as I'm aware, this is the final book with them as a couple. I expected to have unanswered questions that would be tackled in the other characters series and that everything related to Jinx and Emory and their relationship would be wrapped up? And that was very much not the case.
I was disappointed about that since it left me feeling like this wasn't the ending we should have gotten from them. Guess I'll see if I change my mind as I continue to read Lucy's books and whatever else comes my way.
I’m so I’m love with this series! Every time I read it I’m reminded of just how much I love it. Jinx is an amazing main character. I love her attitude. She just rolls with the punches. This book adds even more snarky humor, which I love. It was also filled with action. There wasn’t a dull moment. I love the relationship between Jinx and Emory. He’s so supportive and always has her back without being over protective. He knows that she can take care of herself but he’s there for back up if she needs it. It’s a beautiful relationship that is not seen enough in books and real life. I can’t wait to see what Heather comes up with next! She definitely has a forever fan in me.
I love Jinx and her private investigating ways. While doing her job she can stumble into trouble, but this book begins with trouble finding her from the jump! It's time for Jinx and her crew to find out who is trying to kill her, but is her circle secure? Hmmmm?
While testing the lines of security, we learn more about other characters and what truly happened to Jinx's parents! I was shocked and felt Jinx's emotions in the book.
Ohhhh and THAT ENDING! It was the perfect closure to Glimmer of Deception!
Thank you Heather G. Harris for sending me an ARC of your book in exchange for an honest review! As always, keep slaying!
In this fourth book I can say that I really liked Jinx throughout. In fact, I liked all the main characters and the mysteries they tried to solve in the other realm.
If there were any down sides, it was that I wished there was some steam. It was a super slow burn and then once the couple got together we only got fade to black moments. We didn’t even get much flirting or other types of physical closeness. There were also two things that happened at the end that I wished didn’t end that way, but I won’t list them so as not to spoil things.
Still, I enjoyed this series and would recommend to those who like mystery with romance thrown in. If you want a hot and steamy romance though- this one may not be for you.
This is the fourth book in The Other Realm series and I've really grown invested in these characters. Jinx finds herself again in the middle of a mystery, but this time someone is trying to kill her. She has to team up with dragons, vampyrs, werewolves and other magical creatures to find who is out to get her. Along the way she makes new friends and learns some jaw-dropping news about her parents.
This has been such a fun series. Fast-paced and never a dull moment. I've listened to the audiobooks and have been really impressed with the narration.
Another amazing read. I was pulled in and couldn’t stop reading. I love the mystery. Who’s trying to kill her this time? We learn what happened to her parents and we see her commit to her dragon boyfriend. Lots of action adventure and heartbreak. I’m hooked. Love the Hellhound side-kick and all the fun characters.
I was less enamoured with this one. I still enjoyed it a lot and motored through it quickly. But I do wish each book wasn't some huge OTT world killing conspiracy. It's getting a wee bit ridiculous. I would also like to explore some of the nuances of the world building. Like the thing about her parents and Gato. But the series stays a bit on the fluffy side. I do love Emory and Jinx but their chemistry is not HOT. It's just not that kind of series. Emory seems like too much of a softy to be in charge of all the dragons. But I like him. He's sweet. <-see what I mean? So I totally intend to finish the series, but taking a bit of break because the books are starting to blend together. safety is just fine BUT,
Thanks given to Heather G. Harris for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Glimmer of Deception is an excellent continuation of Jinx's story and offers so many of the answers we have all (Jinx included) been waiting for! 4.5* book for me.
Prepare yourself for some emotionally devastating reveals and occurrences, but also some beautiful joy. The friendships in these books are just so enjoyable to experience.
I'm excited for the new aspects of The Other Realm I hope we get to see as Jinx steps out of her hunt for the past and embraces her future!
A pretty quick and enjoyable read. I feel that there are some plot holes that are kind of just skimmed past and some pretty important details that we're just asked to accept and not question.
This installment wasn’t as enjoyable for me, and I didn’t really care for how Stone ended up being portrayed after how he started as there had been very little to no hints he wasn’t an upstanding guy in book one. It almost felt as if the author changed their mind on Stone and had originally meant to keep him in the picture as a potential love triangle and then decided to throw all of her eggs into the Emory basket?
I also found there was more action happening here and not enough story that really helped explain what and why all of the fighting was happening.
Lastly, I feel like we lost characters here who showed up again after having originally played a larger role in the first book to simply fade away and never got their full fleshing out, just to be thrown back into the thick of things to meet their demise. So, while Stone was biggest problem I had because his character’s character did a 180°, we barely heard from Wilf since book 1 or 2 and now this? I was kind of hoping Lucy and Wilf would have ended up a couple, I feel like he deserved better than he got from this series for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Immediately, Stone’s character continues to confuse me! After he played SUCH a minor role in the last book, his father ends up being the bad guy yadda yadda, but then now we’re talking about how he’s become some sort of bigoted politician because Emory is his “competition” for Jinx? What? He barely even TALKED to Jinx in the last book… not exactly the behavior of someone who thinks he’s competing for her heart.
Later on, we realize why he’s been brought back- for this whole villain-turned-redemption arc thing. Eh. Fine, I guess. But that whole arc would’ve made WAY more sense had a he played a larger role in the series as a whole.
I don’t know, maybe it’s just because I was rushing through to get it over with, but the plot in this one felt VERY convoluted. The fun and unique world-building that was integral to the first book completely faded out in the subsequent books, and we ended up with a generic and hard-to-follow urban fantasy mish-mash. I really do wish the series had gone in a different direction, because this was a disappointing conclusion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
As Jessica Sharp, more commonly known as Jinx, deals with reeling news about her parents’ killer, the world doesn’t cease. Someone is trying to kill her, and as the intrepid PI that she is, Jinx is happy to have a new distraction. As the assassination attempts build, Jinx must pull in all her allies to find answers, and eventually uncovers news she never wanted. Allegiances are tested, friendships are deepened and of course, Jinx realizes she’ll always have love in her life. Once again, Harris manages to up the stakes, introduce new intriguing creatures in the Other Realm, and put readers through a satisfying emotional journey. I cannot get enough of this series. Book five will not be here soon enough!! I need to meet the Dragon Court!
As a finale, this was disappointing, but on its own it was fine, I enjoyed myself somewhat. Choices were made, not always the right ones as far as I’m concerned, but they were made nonetheless. I think my biggest problem is that this ending didn’t feel satisfying, I feel like there’s still so much left unanswered. I could go deeper into a couple things but I think I’m only going to mention Stone. His character had a lot of potential in the beginning but it felt as though the author just scrapped whatever ideas she had about him and did this instead.
Despite my complaining, I still did like this book and this series as a whole, I just wish we got *more*.
Oh how all great things must come to a bittersweet end. I couldn’t be more grateful to have received a free copy of this series! I blew through the whole series devouring every word! I lost sleep and I have no regrets! Why, might you ask? Let me tell you….
Jinx experiences a plethora of struggles in this book, and series as a whole. But what I found endearing was even though this is a fantasy series, the characters and struggles they experience are so tangible they are relatable. The characters, and even the world, continued to evolve in a way that was engaging and believable. I find too often that the fantasy aspect is taken too far in urban fantasy and it’s a bit off putting, not with Heather Harris’s writing!
There are so many twist and turns in this book/series I didn’t know which way was up. Par for the course, Jinx is still looking for answers surrounding her parents death. Only this time, she gets them and I promise you, you won’t see it coming! But as always, nothing comes easy to Jinx and while she is searching for answers she is also dodging numerous attempts on her life. Someone wants her dead and fast! Fortunately Jinx still has the support of Gato, Lucy, Emory, and a few others. Tensions rise and suspicions develop when it’s clear a mole is in the midst. Heather Harris had me on the edge of my seat as she masterfully had me invested in each character.
Fortunately Jinx doesn’t lose herself along the way. She maintains her witty, loyal, feisty, and tenacious personality. Gato remains loyal and useful. In fact, Gato becomes crucial in a jaw dropping shocker that left me dazed with surprise. Emory, oh Emory, their relationship grows leaps and bounds and had me swooning.
In conclusion, I must applaud Heather Harris for tying up the series masterfully, while also setting up the spin off series, the Other Wolf (which follows the story of Lucy and Greg Manners). The Other Realm series has made me a Heather Harris fan and I look forward to reading anything she releases in the future.
This was a great ending to this series - I loved it! Such a fun, easy read with a great plot, great characters, lots of action and a touch of sweet romance as well.
In this one, someone is trying to kill Jinx, but rather than be petrified by it all, she's actually quite amused by it and to be honest, they do a pretty rubbish job at trying as well. She is determined to find out who, but it all soon becomes apparent that these so-called attempts on her life, appear to be just mere distractions from something bigger that is going on.
Emory has his work cut out as well and the final showdown brings everyone together to support each other in taking down those that need taking down!
There were a few surprises and many unexpected reveals as well and the ending with Lucy was a complete shock for me. (I have deliberately kept away from any spoilers about the next spin off series). Can't wait to start reading this one now as well.