Gun Shy

Reapers #2

by Eleri Stone

Before the cure, Lieutenant Lyle Dalton's job was simple: kill the Reapers. Now, under orders to inject all captured flesh eaters with the serum that restores their humanity, his Rangers at Fort Dougan face entirely new dangers. Someone wanted the Reaper cure badly enough to spill blood for it, and Lyle needs to steal it back if he hopes to hold the border.

Jane Fisher escaped Scraper crime boss Gideon Moore with only the clothes on her back. What he took from her can never be replaced, but her new home at Fort Dougan is the first safe one she's known. Or was, until the remaining supply of serum was stolen, flown high into the mountains on Gideon's command. Serving as Lyle's guide through Scraper territory means revisiting her own personal hell, but it's also an opportunity--for closure or revenge, Jane isn't quite sure.

Beautiful, proud and haunted, Jane is a temptation Lyle's worked hard to avoid. The mountains are the last place she needs to be. But if Jane can find the courage to face down a man like Gideon for the sake of the fort, no force on earth will keep Lyle from her side.

Don't miss Reaper's Touch, available now!

95,000 words

Genres: Steampunk, Westerns, Romance, Historical, Dystopia, Zombies, Action

202 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Eleri Stone is a RITA-nominated author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Born and raised in New Jersey, she now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children. All of her stories have some element of speculative fiction to them and they all end with a happily-ever-after.

Reviews

[Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Reaper series is a wonderfully original, cross-genre series that mixes a bit of paranormal, sci-fi, and old west adventure in an alternate timeline romance. There are Reapers, men who have contracted a virus, becoming flesh-eating zombie-like creatures; Rangers, men and women who are immune to the virus, with the job of protecting the border communities; and Scrapers, the upper echelon of society who live in the foothills and mountains free from Reaper attacks. Gun Shy opens about one year after the conclusion of the first book in the series, Reaper’s Touch, and deals with the political ramifications of a newly discovered serum that cures the Reapers.

Lieutenant of the Rangers and second in command to Captain Jones, Lyle is placed in charge of the fort while Cap travels to the Scraper capitol with a delegation to discuss the Reaper virus and the future of the Ranger units. Lyle’s best friend and fellow Ranger is Cam. A couple of years ago and unknown at the time to him, Cam fathered a child with Jane, who received compensation for raising a future Ranger. Unfortunately, the child died and Jane held captive by an abusive man until Cam rescued her and brought her back to the fort. Since that moment, Jane has relentlessly chased Cam in hopes of having another child; meanwhile Lyle keeps quiet how much he truly adores Jane. When someone from Jane’s past steals the fort’s supply of Reaper antidote, Jane and Lyle journey out to face down Jane’s past and retrieve the serum.

I really like Lyle. He’s a typical good guy, strong male lead who’s got his head on straight and falls for the pretty girl. It’s apparent that he really likes Jane - not just for her body - but is valiant and loyal to his friend Cam. However, he also doesn’t want just a casual sexual fling with Jane, which he knows is all she’s willing to give. I adore that he comforts Jane when needed, but doesn’t take advantage - nor does he let her take advantage. I enjoyed watching Lyle work things out to make the best decisions possible. I also love how he’s so protective of Jane, yet respects Jane’s strength and treats her like and equal.

While I found Lyle a worthy romantic lead, Jane on the other hand was not one of my favorite characters. Jane starts the book desperate to be with Cam, blind to the intentions of anyone else. She is so determined to have him that she thinks it is love, so I was relieved when Jane realized her own independence and truth behind her feelings for Cam when going off with Lyle. However, Jane is a do-now-think-later kind of gal and it didn’t really work for me. Often she ignored the sound advice of the experienced Lyle, and her behaviors came across self-centered. While things usually worked out, her attitude bothered me, and I felt she was terribly moody. In addition, I never felt a true relationship developed between the pair. To me, it just seemed like Jane went from chasing one man who didn’t want her to being with another who did. Lyle and Jane aren’t bad together, and in fact, they make a sensual pair, but I just never felt a true love develop between the two.

The story’s plot is centers on the retrieval of the stolen Reaper serum, which leads Lyle and Jane to several different locales. As the story unfolds, the layers of subterfuge increase, creating multiple interesting dynamics and scenarios. In addition, there are a few well-timed twists that aren’t overly shocking, but exciting nonetheless. I also liked the scenes told from Abby and Jakes’ perspectives - learning more about the rarely seen Scrapers. I find the dynamic between the wealthy Scrapers and the working men and women of the plains fascinating. It is the political ramifications of the discovery of both sentient Reapers and a cure for infected Reapers that really grabs my interest. Unfortunately, after a strong start and several scenes with Abby and Jack, these scenes drop off and that piece of the overall story arc remains wide open.

In the end, I enjoyed Gun Shy, and I find Ms. Stone’s world completely fascinating. The concept and stories are original and exciting. I especially enjoyed the furthering development of the conflict between the Scrapers, Reapers, and Rangers. However, as much as I wanted to love Lyle and Jane as a couple, I never felt a strong connection between the pair, and frankly Jane started to annoy me with her often rash behavior. Although I found the romantic storyline subpar, Gun Shy is still a fun, western adventure, and I look forward to reading the next title in the series.

My Rating: B- Liked It, but I had a few small issues
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
Review copy provided by NetGalley

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely love the idea that Reapers/zombies can be given their humanity back. And the problems that arise for the Rangers because of this. Instead of killing them all willy-nilly, they now have to capture them and do what they can to help them.

Difficult under the best circumstances. The fact Reapers will be trying to EAT THEM as they try to help adds to an already dangerous situation.

Anyway. Lyle. I like the guy. I really do. His reaction (or lack of one because he's REALLY GOOD at hiding how much he wanted Jane) to Jane's continued pursuit of fellow Ranger Cam kinda slayed me. I wasn't sure how things were going to play out and was pleasantly surprised as secrets were revealed and Lyle's desires began to shine through.

Meanwhile, those secrets... Jane sure had them. Her devastation at what had happened before she fled to Fort Duggan was totally founded. The lady went through a lot and she managed to survive and thrive despite it. Sure, she was a wee bit damaged, but she found her place and made things work for her.

I LOVED getting to revisit Jake and Abby's relationship. Watching tough Abby trying to play nice with the city folk was... enlightening. The hints (sometimes more than hints) of corruption in the higher-ups was chilling.

I really REALLY like the worldbuilding we were given. From the Reapers and Rangers to those who want to exploit them in different ways, it's never a dull moment. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Melindeeloo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars - When the Reaper Cure is stolen on Lyle's watch, clues point to the mastermind behind the theft being Gideon, the man who cost Jane everything. Jane is determined to use her knowledge of Gideon's operation to help recover the serum -and to get a little revenge - and against Lyle's better judgement they set off to face Jane's past.

I really enjoyed Gun Shy, Jane starts off a bit broken but she puts the pieces back together in a way that makes her stronger. I loved Lyle, he is innately a hero and fact that he holds out on his attraction until Jane can meet him on a more even footing gives the romance between them time to develop and builds the sensual tension nicely - so the romance was good and steamy.

There is also a nice balance between the romance and a solid background plot. And we get a chance to see past leads Abby and Jake again and to see a bit more of Flynn (one of the stars of a freebie short in this series)

So I really liked Gun Shy and I am looking forward to more from this world which has an old west feel but with steam punk elements and a zombie-dystopian twist. Author Stone definitely left things opens for more - which hopefully includes a full book to finish off Flynn's story (which you can find here http://carinapress.com/blog/2014/07/f...)

ARC via NetGalley release date September 1

[RachelW (BamaGal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A western style steampunk. A little violent, a little dark, and morally ambiguous. I liked it.

Reminded me quite a bit of Moira Rogers 'Bloodhounds' series. This is a series I will definitely start keeping up with...

[Christal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

See this review and others like it at Badass Book Reviews!

I loved the first book in this series, Reaper's Touch, so I was a little worried when I saw the main couple would be different for Gun Shy. Thankfully, I didn't need to worry because I ended up loving Jane and Lyle just as much as I did Abby and Jake. Reaper is turning out to be a fabulous paranormal romance series with wonderful lead couples that you just can't help but root for.

In the previous book, we were introduced to both the Ranger world through Abby and the reaper world through Jake. In Gun Shy, we add the civilian perspective through Jane Fisher. Jane is a seamstress in town but she has a dark past that has made her uniquely able to help Lieutenant Lyle Dalton as he heads to Scraper (aka "civilized") territory to reclaim the Reaper cure that was stolen from Fort Dougan. Jane took a bit to grow on me, mainly because she seemed so infatuated with another Ranger, Cam, at the beginning of the book. Once we learned more about Jane and what happened to her in the past, her attachment to Cam made more sense and it became easy to see that she was clinging to him for past emotional reasons and not really love. On the road, Jane became very resourceful and it was nice to see her learning to take care of herself. She could be a little high-strung at times, but she never let that stop her from going after someone in trouble -- especially if that someone was Lyle Dalton. Lyle was pretty laid back when compared to Jane, but he was always ready for action when necessary. He was smart and sweet and never did or said anything he didn't mean. He truly respects Jane on her own merits and she wouldn't let him have her any other way.

Much of the first half of Gun Shy focuses on Jane and Lyle's journey to Columbus Junction. It was sweet watching them learn to work together and then seeing that turn into something deeper. They developed a mutual respect and trust between them and it was nice to see two romantic characters actually listening to one another. That's not to say there weren't any hiccups or misunderstandings on the way, but Jane and Lyle were mature enough to take a minute, regroup, and talk things through.

Abby and Jake made an appearance in Gun Shy that helped deepen the mystery between the Forts and the Scraper cities. Now that there is a Reaper cure, the Scrapers are seeing less and less of a need for the Rangers and are voting on whether or not to cut the Forts' funding. Abby, Jake, and the Captain get all gussied up to attend a ball/meeting in the capital to meet influential people and try to talk up their cause. One of the people they meet is a young, powerful woman named Maricel Tirado who becomes very helpful in the later acts of the book.

I'm not usually drawn to Western-themed stories, but the Reaper series is a finely crafted paranormal romance that just happens to be set in that time period. It's not overdone or distracting, it's just where the story happens to take place. It actually makes for a very interesting setting, especially where the female characters are concerned. Because the frontier is still a little wild, the women have more opportunities to take control of their lives and carve out their own niches. If Abby was remarkable in the first book for being the only female Ranger, Jane is just as remarkable here for being a woman not afraid to follow her heart, even after the devastation in her past. I can't wait to see who we neet in the next book and to learn more about the corruption in the Scraper cities. I do hope the series continues to provide us with opportunities to check in with the other couples though; I can't imagine losing Jane & Lyle and Abby & Jake completely! My hat is off to Eleri Stone for creating an addictive and unique paranormal series.

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Les Romantiques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posted on Les Romantiques - Le forum du site
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher

Gun Shy is the second volume in the Reaper series of which I already reviewed the previous one, Reaper’s touch. As often when a series get off to a great start, the next episode seems one notch below, even if the quality is on the cards nevertheless.

When the last stock of the anti-reaper vaccine are stolen, Lyle chase after the thieves, escorted by Jane who recognized one of them and knows where he must be going. On the road they will learn to know and trust each other.

At first I had trouble figuring out and liking Jane. She seems a bit childish, or capricious. Her motivations are not always clear. But little by little we learn more about her past and we understand her behavior better. What’s more she evolves well, and she discovers a big inner strength she didn’t know she had.

Loïd is a Ranger, one of the few humans immune to the reaper virus, and he has a big sense of right or wrong (even if he’s ready to twist it if it’s for a friend’s own good). He’s nice, understanding, patient, and sensible. Even if I liked him a lot, I could help comparing him to Jack, the hero of the first volume, and some readers could find him too bland or perfect.
We can see very well the feelings growing and evolving between our heroes, and I thought they suit each other. The few sex scenes are sensual and well written.

I was pleased to see again Jack and Abby, the heroes of the first volume, sometime after their wedding. I thought the story in itself, although quite somber, was less distressing. However the plot was interesting and I liked discovering the people from the cities and the politicians. We get back with pleasure to the western-steampunk dusted with zombies universe discovered in Reaper’s Touch. By the way I recommend against beginning the series with Gun Shy at risk of not understanding numerous details.

Even if I thought this novel was a bit less good than the first, I was drawn by the author and I can wait to go on in her universe next spring.

[The Nauti Vixen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’d have credited you with a better imagination than that, Lieutenant. Or at least a dirtier one."

Title: Gun Shy

Author: Eleri Stone

Rate: A

Thoughts: I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this book - I never am when it comes to Eleri Stone's books. But I was excited for this one, since I was such a fan of the first book in this series, Reaper's Touch - and while reading that one, I had already been feverently hoping for more in this series. So glad it didn't end there!

Things have changed a little in this book - thanks to the efforts of Abby and Jake from book one, Reaper's are no longer slaughtered. Instead they are captured and given the 'cure' - which means much more work for the Rangers. The 'cure' is already hard to come by, but when their last stashes of the drug are stolen, Lyle has no choice but to go after it. Jane's familiarity with the area makes her the perfect guide, but unfortunately revisiting her past is not a pleasant experience. It also puts her and Lyle and much closer quarters and face-to-face with temptation.

I actually enjoyed the whole story and characters in this one a bit more than the first - which is really saying something! This one can be read as a stand alone, without needing to read the first book. I happen to like getting all the intricacies of the relationships from reading all the books in a series in order, but you won't be lost if you don't. The downside? There is not a lot of Reaper action in this one, at least compared to book one, so if you're looking for a lot of that you might be a little disappointed. Personally, I still loved it!

The first book, Reaper's Touch, is available now (which I also rated with an A)

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This is the second book in Stone's Reaper series that I've read. Jake and Abby (from the first book) make appearances in this story, but they're not central characters.

We pick up where a cure has been developed for the reapers, but it soon gets stolen. With the rangers out of town, Jane, the MC, witnesses the theft, and follows the thieves to try to discover who they are. Upon the Rangers' return, when Lyle (he's got it bad for Jane) discovers what she's done, he sets off after her. Jane recognizes the thief. And it turns out that the thief and Jane have a history.

The cure has to be returned, and Jane and Lyle face almost impossible odds while trying to make that happen.

Jane is this great combination of feisty, but wounded and vulnerable. Lyle is tough and driven, but has a tender side he reveals for Jane.

Stone wove a great tale in this one. I really liked Reapers, but must say that this book was even better. Her world building is thorough. Her character building is excellent. The details pulled me right into the story. The pacing was--well, I couldn't put the book down.

This series is one fine mish-mash of dystopian/western/steampunk/zombie-ish/romance. I hope there's more to this series, not because Stone left anything unfinished. Because it's so entertaining.

Gun Shy is fine as a stand alone.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit that is the part I liked more this book is not at all the love story, because I do not like neither Jane nor Lyle or they as a couple to be precise, Jane was not even nice by herself. Rather, I was very fascinated by the setting western/ steampunk/horror and although this was the second book in a series (but you can read it as a stand alone) I had no difficulty in reconstructing what happened up to that point and what kind of society would the one where live and the rangers and the reapers.

evo ammettere che la parte che mi é piaciuta di piú questo libro non é affatto la storia d'amore, perché né Jane né Lyle mi sono piaciuti assieme, e Jane, per essere precisi, non mi stava simpatica neanche da sola. Piuttosto l'ambientazione western/horror/ steampunk mi ha molto affascinato e nonostante questo fosse il secondo libro di una serie (ma si puó leggere tranquillamente da solo) non ho avuto nessuna difficoltá a ricostruire quanto avvenuto fino a quel momento e che tipo di societá fosse quella dove vivono i ranger ed i reaper.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND CARINA PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun blend of Western, zombie, and steampunk with a strong romance at its heart. Jane is a woman with secrets, Lyle is a Ranger and born protector. Together they must hunt down some stolen serum.

I really liked the way the world first established in Reaper's Touch opened up from just forts and plains into Scraper cities and airships and mining towns. And how the cure found in book one changed the world but didn't magically solve all its problems. Most zombie or plague stories end at that point. This one promises to go on for several more books.

[Rinou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avis complet

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Reapers
Category: Fantasy

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I liked the first book in the series better, this was still quite enjoyable. I liked how Jane handled things and the further development of the Reaper world.