Harmony Black

Harmony Black #1

by Craig Schaefer

Harmony Black is much more than your average FBI special agent. In addition to being a practicing witch, she’s also an operative for Vigilant Lock, an off-the-books program created to battle occult threats—by any means necessary. Despite her dedication to fighting the monsters threatening society, Harmony has become deeply conflicted about her job. Her last investigation resulted in a pile of dead bodies, and she suspects the wrong people are being punished for it.

While on a much-needed vacation, Harmony gets pulled back into action. This time, though, she’s gone from solo work to being part of a team. Their target: the Bogeyman, a vicious and elusive figure…and the creature that destroyed Harmony’s childhood.

Surrounded by quirky, fascinating characters as dedicated to one another as they are to their new partner, Harmony must learn to trust her team—and a new romantic interest—on a dangerous and deadly mission that conjures up memories she’d much rather forget.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Supernatural

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2016

About the author

Craig Schaefer's books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow (the Daniel Faust series), to a world torn by war, poison and witchcraft (the Revanche Cycle), and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies (the Harmony Black series).

Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this rereread is: Nyx is the most (unwillingly) hilarious, slightly unhinged, somewhat unbalanced, batshit-crazy demon ever. Not sure why it took me so long to realize how badly I needed to kidnap and stash her away in my High Security Harem. Poof, gone, safely locked up and stuff! Note to self: good luck with the "locked up" part.



Right.

P.S. Fontaine is as 😍😍 as ever. Just so you know.



[April 2020]

👹 We're Off to See the Wizard Hunt Some Yummy Monsters Buddy Reread (WOtStWHSYMBR™) with the MacHalos and Stuff 👹

➽ And the moral of this reread is: I think this book should be subtitled “The Exciting Adventures of the Wolf Pup and the Little Witch.” It has a nice, comfy, cozy fairytale ring to it. Which suits the story perfectly. Oh yes, indeed it does.



Why hello there you Cutie Pie! How that's closet basement treating you? Got everything you need? Sorry, what? Oh, you're kinda sorta hungry and stuff? And need some puny human flesh burger food post haste? Worry not, for on it I am! Calling 1-800-Crisp-Tasty-Newborns-R-Us as we speak!



[January 2017]

• I Might Be a Deceiving Cheating Cheater but It is not my Fault I am Totally Innocent and Was Forced to Start this One Early Against My Will Buddy Read (IMBaDCCbIinmFIaTIaWFtStOEAMWBR™) with the BB&B Deceiving Cheating Cheaters and stuff •

Actual rating: 4.6 stars. It's early in the morning and my inner hysterical teenage Craig Schaefer fangirl isn't yet available. My rating could implode when she surfaces. Don't say I didn't warn you. It's not so early in the morning anymore but I am trying to control myself and only raised my rating by 0.1 star. Don't worry, it won't last. Whatever "it" is supposed to be.

💀 Friendly warning: I slightly liked this book. And Craig Schaefer is a member of my Holy Quadrinity of Utter Awesomeness (HQoUA™). You know what this means, right? Right. Pit-stop requiring review straight ahead. You're welcome.

It's official. You silly lovely American people have lost your little minds. I mean, why else would you have elected Donny Boy as POTUS most ridiculous acronym ever. And I know what I'm talking about, I'm the one who invented them in the first place #45, when you could have voted for Craig Schaefer is Slightly Awesome (CSiSA™) now THAT's what I call an acronym! Ha! instead?! Utter befuddlement is me, people. CSiSA™ has the Mostest Awesomest Political UF Agenda Ever (MAPUFAE™), and yet you decided to elect a spoiler spoiler spoiler [this spoiler was removed by Goodreads support because of its somewhat offensive, insurrectionist contents] in his stead (sounds much grander than "instead," doesn't it? Damn, grand reviewing is so me). So yeah, I'm ever so slightly discombobulated by your total lack of discernment here. Excuse me? What was that? You want to know why CSiSA™ is so awesome, and why you should have voted for him? So glad you asked. I love it when I successfully (and very cunningly, if I may say so myself) manipulate you into cluelessly doing what I want, my Little Barnacles. My wish is my command and stuff. It's so shrimping cool. Makes me want to do play with my hair or something.



Don't ask. Just don't.

Sooooooo, here's why CSiSA™'s MAPUFAE™ is much much much MUCH better than Donny Boy's:

① Craig Schaefer has been creating awesomely wondrous female characters since 4500 BC. Give or take a few centuries.

I seriously don't understand why the guy isn't featured in the list of most famous feminists in history. Because his mammal appendages are not big enough? Such bigotry is outrageous! Calling Human Rights Watch now! I'm telling you people, Mr S. here is gloriously doing glorious wonders for women's lib, one glorious book at a time. His female characters are all badasses, all the time. And it's not like they're just chop chop chop kill kill kill die die die ass-kicking wonder women, either. Nope nope nope. Okay, some of them are (and believe me, you do not want to piss them off *waves at Jessie*), but they are not just that. The Splendidly Awesome Schaefer Chicks (SASC™) are some of the strongest, toughest, most engaging, most complex, most determined, most genuine, most amazing, most vocal aaaaaaahhhhhh! "Please STAHP," say the Tiny Decapods! female characters I have ever come across in the entirety of my entire life. Plus, they are all deliciously fucked up somewhat flawed. Plus plus most of them are not completely allergic to slightly slaughtering things here and there. Plus plus plus they come in all sizes, flavors, shapes, races (human or not), forms and levels of mobility. And that is quite scrumptious, if you ask me.

P.S. Schaefer's books should be mandatory reading material for 99.9% 98% of pathetic female PNR offenders writers out there. Demeaning behavior towards women begone!

② Craig Schaefer has been creating awesomely wondrous female characters since 4500 BC. Give or take a few centuries.

What? I already said that? Oh well, just trying to make a point here I guess. You're welcome. Soooooo. The wondrous female characters in this particularly book are indeed a tinsy little bit wondrous. And female. Yeah, that too. Okay, so our girl Harmony Black kinda sorta comes across as anal retentive and strict and stuff sometimes but it's her way of, you know, dealing with stuff. And it doesn't mean she's not, you know, endearing and stuff. Because she's like, broken and stuff, which makes her, you know, endearing and stuff. Besides, I'm pretty sure her new FBI sidekick, My Girl Jessie Steals the Show (MGJStS™), will be the best remedy to Harmony's I'm Too Stuffy For My Shirt Disease (ITSFMSD™). Hey, if Jessie doesn't manage to get H to loosen up, I'm pretty sure no one else ever will. I mean, the chick's downright hilarious AND has been raised as a spoiler spoiler spoiler AND AND her spoiler spoiler spoiler instincts take over once in a while. Damn, that chick so hot and cool and delicious I have no choice but to do the Poof! Gone! Harem! (PGH™) on her. MINE MINE MINE.



You're absolutely right, this most wonderful gif has nothing to do with this book. But this paragraph was getting long and I figured a little frisbee porn would do you good. You're welcome.

You know what? I think it would be awesomely awesome if Harmony and Jessie got it on and stuff. They'd be the mostest awesomest couple ever. But Jessie is mine, and I don't share 'cause I don't care, so that's that. Sorry, Harmony, but I'm afraid you'll have to settle for a boring boyscout *shudders* for now. Here's hoping he gets a little bent and screwed up in instalments to come, because I you might become homicidal suicidal if he doesn't. You know what I'd do if I were you? I'd go for Fontaine instead: he's not exactly human (which is always a plus), he seems to have my boyfriend Daniel Faust's lack of moral compass (which is always a plus), he is deliciously snarky and devious and stuff (which is always a plus) and he possesses dead bodies as a hobby (which is always a plus). What more could you ask for?! Wait. Come to think of it, stick to the boring boyscout, Harmony, I'm keeping Fontaine for my little self and doing the PGH™ on him, too. Yeah, I'm greedy and selfish like that. I'm doing this for your own good, you know. You're obviously not ready to do the Frolicking with Hot, Cunning Demons Thing (FwHCDT™) yet. I, on the contrary, have centuries of grabby hands-on experience in the matter, and shall therefore very compassionately sacrifice myself for you.



P.S. Nyx the hilariously evil and evilly hilarious demon chick is mine, too ← this in case some Silly Barnacles were getting silly ideas in their silly little heads.

③ Craig Schaefer writes deliciously dark and funny and original and bloody and creepy and exciting stuff.

Even when said stuff is about boring FBI stuff. Because, seriously, boring FBI stuff is nearly always boring stuff. Except when Craig Schaefer writes said nearly always boring stuff. Because when Craig Schaefer writes said nearly always boring stuff, said nearly always boring stuff becomes not boring anymore. Not only that, it kinda sorta automatically becomes thrilling and exhilarating stuff, too. Yep. Because Craig Schaefer is somewhat talented. He cannot do dull and tedious and lacklustre and stuff. It's not his fault, he was born that way. Poor guy, it must really suck to be him. But I digress. So. This book here isn't entirely crappy. First of all because it's a Daniel Faust spin-off, and anything spinning off my #1 boyfriend is spontaneously and automatically glorious, it's an immutable law of the universe. What else? Well in pure Amazingly Amazing Schaefer Fashion (AASF™), this ain't no fluffy bunny land. Nope nope nope. This is exquisitely gory and evil and oh-my-shrimpy-twist and sometimes sinister and stuff. But it is also pretty hilarious. Yep yep yep. Well, you know, my kind of hilarious anyway. Which is probably not very hilarious at all to a vast majority of Clueless Barnacles. But they are clueless, so it doesn't count. Time for a restorative break. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back.



Sorry about that, I get in the mostest foulest of moods when I'm hungry.

Sooooo, where were we? Oh yes, the hilarious stuff. This has to be the funniest Astonishing Schaefer Book (ASB™) to date. The last time I highlighted so many dialogues I was reading an IA book (which got me in trouble with the ruthlessly Machiavellian Amazon Highlight Police, but that's a story for another time). That should tell you something right there. But you know what's gloriously glorious here? This book is as cackle-inducing as it can be downright scary and slightly horrific. I mean, it's all about the freaking Bogeyman and ominous closets and macabre basements and stuff. It doesn't get spookier than that. What? You think this sounds unoriginal and uninteresting? Hahaha. You're so cute, my Lovely Arthropods, it isn't even funny anymore. This ain't no Decaf, Diet Bogeyman Tale (DDBT™), you Barnacled Bunch! I've been breeding slaughterish shrimps since the Bronze age, and believe me when I tell you that my babies come across as innocent, new born lambs compared to Mr. B. here.



Yeah yeah yeah, I know my buddy Nosferatu is in no way related to Mr. B. but he is downright creepy too, and is being outrageously ignored by the young ignorant masses. So there.

Anything else? Sure what? You thought I was done. Hahahaha, you're so funny sometimes :
✔ This is one hell of a circus FBI team (pun intended. Or not. Ha).
✔ This is Marvelous Craig Schaefer Characterization Heaven (MCSCH™).
✔ The superiorly superior Daniel Faust world delectably grows and grows and grows.
✔ Craig Schaefer is to conspiracy what Glen Cook is to backstabbing.
✔ I want more I want more I want more. And I want more. Yeah, that too.
✔ Craig Schaefer, will you marry me?
✔ The end.

Sooooooo, think these are reasons enough why CSiSA™ should be sitting in the oval office right now? No? Bloody shrimping hell. No wonder humanity is going downhill. Going back to my undersea dominion. At least my shrimps know utter greatness when they see it.

» And the moral of this All the Closets in My House are Now Dutifully Boarded Up I Ain't Afraid of No Bogeyman and Stuff Crappy Non Review (AtCiMHaNDBUIAAoNBaSCNR™) is:



DUH.

✉ A very private message to Harmony Black: if you don't stop bad mouthing my boyfriend Daniel Faust, I'll unleash the murderous crustaceans on you. And Daniel Faust's other girlfriend, too. You know, the demonic chick with the beautifully serrated teeth? Glad we understand each other, my dear.





Obviously.



· Book 2: Red Knight Falling ★★★
· Book 3: Glass Predator ★★★★
· Book 4: Cold Spectrum ★★★★
· Book 5: Right to the Kill ★★★
· Book 6: Black Tie Required ★★★★
· Book 7: Never Send Roses ★★★★★
· Book 8: Snake Oil Bullet ★★★★

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sale Alert 03Apr18: Amazon Daily Deal $1.99

4.25 Maybe I Could Date a Demon Stars

Shhhhh.....I'm a cheating cheater who cheats but only when other cheaters pressure me into it. I started this buddy read 2 days early. I Blame xXSarahXx....but it is really Cathy's fault idea.



Well this was unexpected and I’m a little nervous now.



I really liked this, like I liked this so much that I’m totally going to read Mr. Schaefer’s other series because I enjoyed this world so much. You might think that isn’t a problem but for me statistically it has been. Most of the UF series that I’ve come to LOVE didn’t have a really strong first book. They had enjoyable first books but not one I want to rate 4 stars or higher. The few that have broken this trend and started with 4-5 star first books crashed and burned by the second or third in the series. So here is hoping that Harmony and the gang keep up this fantastic thing they have going on here.

I haven’t read the Daniel Faust series, yet it is totally happening soon though so I can’t say for sure how they compare but if it is even half as entertaining as this then I’m all in.

Harmony is this straight shooter. I actually almost expected her to knock on a door and have to do it three times because she is slightly compulsive about all the things in her life.



She isn’t nearly as bad as Sheldon Cooper but she definitely has that I need everything in order and under control thing happening. She is also super clueless to when the cute guy is checking her out. But she is completely likeable and even though she is a super square the group of people she has fallen in with is not and it made everything all the better for it.

There is a WO-MANCE!!!! This is much like a bromance but between chicks and I love it. You know how in most set ups you get a straight laced guy/girl and then a fun loving dude/dudette and there is all this sexual tension because you are just waiting for them to hook up *cough* Bones *cough* Castle *cough*. But here you just have a great friendship building and it is B-E-A-Utiful.

Jessie is everything that Harmony isn’t. She is a little wild, dark, dangerous and dare I say it….FREAKING FANTASTIC. She has some of the best lines out there. I loved the glimpses we get into her backstory and I really want to find out more about what she is capable of. I like the role she is playing against Harmony’s straight man routine.

“Besides, as a patriotic citizen, I have serious issues with shadowy government conspiracies.”
“Jess, we are a shadowy govern—”
“Ones that aren’t mine,” she said. “God, do I really need to qualify that? Some things should be obvious.”

I like so many things in this world specifically but not limited to the concept of Hell and what the demons are doing on Earth.

Lemme bottom-line this for you. A few centuries ago, Lucifer took a vacation and never came back. Hell fell into a civil war. What was left, when the dust settled, were the courts. Each one with a prince, each one laying claim to some patch of dirt here on Earth. They call it the Cold Peace. Some really old-school factions, like the Bargainers and the Chainmen, they get an exemption and can go wherever they want. For most of hell’s rank and file, though, they keep to their own courts. Plotting and scheming against one another gives the bastards something to do, I guess.”
“Slow down,” Jessie said. “Are you telling us hell is organized? They have a functional government, and they’re claiming actual territory in the United States?”

Now tell me that isn’t a fantastic premise for some UF. I’m really excited to see where things go because the two demon bounty hunters we meet in this installment were possibly my favorite characters in the book

Fontaine one enforces of Hells rules didn’t seem like a bad guy at all except for that whole being a demon thing. Nyx on the other hand, well I liked her for a whole different dangerous set of reasons. She is not someone that you should play with and I’m pretty sure we will see ‘this one’ again. Hopefully Harmony and Nyx will be playing on the same side otherwise it might get really ugly.

“You could forge your pain into a sword,” Nyx said, “and persecute your enemies. Triumph. Survive. But fear imprisons you. Fear of breaking rules. Fear of what people will think of you. Petty little fears.”

So just in case you wanted to know what the actual book was about. There is someone stealing babies from their cribs and Harmony knows that is isn’t anything natural. She has always worked alone but now she has been assigned to a team to investigate and try to get the kids back before the abductor disappears for another 30 years. The Bogeyman is real and lurks in dark waiting to steal your children. O.ooooo

I loved the world, writing style and set up. I’m so worried that the rest of the series just won’t hold up *crossing fingers* there is so much potential though that I’m holding out some serious hope since Schaefer has the potential to become one of my favorite UF authors.

P.S. There is a smidge of romance happening that was subdued but just enough for me.

P.P.S. The audio performance by Christina Traister was spot on and I think it added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

P.P.P.S If there ends up being some weird polyspecies love thing involving Harmony, Cody and Fontaine I just want to say I hoped for it called it here. disclaimer There is no hint of that actually happening I just really liked the twisted idea of it and I could definitely get into it, just saying.

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.44 ***

A buddy read with the UF aficionados at BB&B! Because demons are creeptastik!!!

Craig Schaefer does it again!!! After some exciting world building with Daniel Faust and all the crazy action that went on there, he decides to show us where life takes Special Agent Harmony Black, the dogged law enforcer who split ways with Faust after their contentious battle in book 5 of that series. And her life is in no way dull, that is for sure...

"...“You could forge your pain into a sword,” Nyx said, “and persecute your enemies. Triumph. Survive. But fear imprisons you. Fear of breaking rules. Fear of what people will think of you. Petty little fears.” ...

Harmony Black, an FBI agent and practicing witch, is a part of a special task force, lovingly called "The Circus", whose job is to fight, contain, or eliminate hostile entities, better known as monsters or otherworldly creatures like demons... . This task force is usually 4 people deep, plus the boss, but at the time they are a witch short and Harmony needs a new assignment, so she is it! Her new co-workers are the mysterious half wolf woman Jessie, who has a vocabulary of a sailor, a wheel-chair bound agent and occultist April, and a young impressionable man, who used to be a hacker but now plays for the good guys, Kevin. The current mission - find and contain the demon or demons responsible for the abductions of babies, happening about every 30-40 years period, in Harmony's home town. This one hits very close to home, since Harmony's sister was one of the victims last time around....

"...“Besides, as a patriotic citizen, I have serious issues with shadowy government conspiracies.” “Jess, we are a shadowy govern—” “Ones that aren’t mine,” she said. “God, do I really need to qualify that? Some things should be obvious.” ...

On the way to solving this case, we get to meet some very creepy cambians, even creepier regular humans who opportunistically want to make a buck on the back of others' misery, and two very impressive demon characters - the body snatcher Fountain, with his southern drawl and sense of humor, as well as the very scary and intimidating Nix, who can kick ass and snap heads as part of her mail-polishing routine. And as much as I was entertained by those two and the banter between Jessie and Harmony, the book was not all fun and hilarity at all! It was dark, it had real suffering and it was well crafted as a police procedural and a paranormal thriller both! My personality will always gravitate to the humor and the lighter parts, but CS does a marvelous job in balancing it with the darker, grimmer overtones of the world.

"...“We took care of it,” Jessie said. “And we’ll take care of this, too.” “Not without me,” he said. “I’m not letting you girls walk into an ambush—” “It’s not an ambush if you know it’s coming,” I told him, “and we’re not girls. We’re federal agents.” ...

I read the book in hours and that is after trying to pace myself, it was that engrossing and captivating. I will recommend it to all UF and even some Horror fans, but despite being a first in a series, I will still recommend the readers to get to the Faust series as well - the picture will be complete then:)

"...“The cellar itself? Not shown. Probably wanna check that out.” “The cellar,” I said. “Great. Because nothing bad ever happens in the cellars of creepy old houses.”...

I wish you all Happy Reading, even if Happy for you means Spooky:):):)

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

This is my kindle first book of January and I picked a winner! Yay! Woot!



So Harmony Black is a witch in the FBI, in a sort of X-files division. They hunt down evilness in the world, in this case they are trying to find the bogeyman who is taking babies from their cribs. Harmony really wants to find this entity because not only is it taking children, she has a past with it when she was a little girl!

Harmony has a partner named Jessie and she's a bad-arse too! They are both so cool. I think they make a good team using their powers and their guns :-)

--->EXCERPT<---

"No, you won't. Because your body drops one second after hers does. Something you should know: I took top score in my marksmanship classes at Quantico. If you're thinking I'll miss? Don't. The best, smartest thing you can do for yourself is surrender."

Harmony, Jessie and the gang have to fight all sorts of demons in this book. This book is all about taking care of demons from hell and fighting the bogeyman.



Although I'm not into demons, I liked the character of Nyx, she was bad to the bone... wait.. she really was! LoL

There are a couple of funny parts here and there: --->EXCERPT<---

"An old lady just tied me up and threw me in the back of my own truck like I weighed less than a sack of groceries," he said, his voice slurring. "Then you hit my truck, beat her up, and almost shot a squirrel. And the squirrel waved at you. I think I'd like to go home now, please."

Jessie pulled on her seat belt and muttered, "Welcome to my life."

I love all of the characters in the book. I like the "maybe" love interest that Harmony might have later on in the other book. This isn't really a lovey dovey book, it's all about taking out evil! You really have to watch your back in this book because you never know what is creeping up behind you!



They have a really cool hacker named Kevin that works with them and just when Harmony thinks she's going to leave Talbot Cove for a little break, Kevin finds out some stuff that's going to lead to another case... this one involving someone close........

[Orient · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I need to say that I haven't read any of Craig Schaefer's books before and Harmony Black is my first try to tame his books. Thanks for the recommendation, Gavin ;)
I liked Harmony and there were times when my fangirling was on happy squealing mode. After finishing reading I just felt: Wow, what a freaking “Monster university” it was. I still can’t recover from reading the final fighting scene.

The idea of this book is quite simple: the clash of two worlds, magical and non-magical, with ordinary people, magical people and magical creatures living together and the idea to throw in a monster in the closet is great.



In fact I have my monster in the closet too!



Though I had doubts with the kids' part at first. I have a soft spot for injured or dying kids and thanks god this book didn’t show any of such stuff in details (though there were some hints to that when Harmony and Jessie tried to ruin a part of the main villain’s house). I could really enjoy Harmony without any fear.

I can’t avoid comparing Harmony Black to KD series. Well, I. Andrews has definitely spoiled me for a decade at least in expecting loads of magic and monsters. This book started quite slowly, with not much action and witchery. The characters hadn’t a lot character development, well except Harmony and Jessie. I liked Harmony, her relationship and interaction with Jessie was cool and really worth reading. I liked Jessie too, she was cool and tough, the type of heroines I like and root for.

“There’s limits: I’m not gonna outrun a freight train or leap tall buildings in a single bound, but it’s a handy equalizer when hunting the sorts of creatures that go bump in the night. Love that stupid look on their faces, when they think they’ve cornered a helpless victim and suddenly realize they had it all backward. They show me their claws . . . and I show ’em mine.”

Victoria smiled placidly. “You won’t regret choosing us. So. If I might ask, are you two . . . partners?”
Jessie reached over and rubbed my shoulder. “We are! Our first anniversary is next Sunday. Isn’t that right, sweetums?”
“That’s . . . right,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s like every day is a honeymoon.”
Victoria clasped her hands together and looked my way. “Ah, I thought so. I only ask because we do offer a couple’s discount. For instance, if you wanted to do something about your nose, or perhaps a breast augmentation?”
Jessie nodded vigorously, eyeing my chest. “Oh, yeah. We need to pump those babies up. Double Ds, at least. Do they make quadruple Ds?”
“My . . . nose?” I asked.
“To unearth the beautiful woman,” Victoria said, “who lives inside your heart.”
“Let’s talk about me for a while,” Jessie said. “I’ve always been insecure about my thighs. They’re so . . . thigh-ish”

Though I expected Harmony to be more witchy. I just don’t understand why, oh why, she didn’t use her power more often. But at least I had Jessie and the so called rivals! Mr. F and Ms. This One. I liked them a lot. The episodes with them really added spices to the story. Though I couldn’t enjoy the Main Vilain. He manipulated and had the most extreme effect on Harmony only in the finale. I think he could have been more active in pursuing and trying to make life harder for Harmony and her friends.
Other characters from Harmony's super team felt as not fully fleshed out characters for me. I didn’t like that these characters were dependent on Harmony as their way to express themselves, not expressing themselves as independent persons. But I guess I will have more of Harmony’s boss, shrewd officer with a disability and IT ace with a net of informants in computer games, in the next book. Of course, there is a weak love interest lurking in the book, also maybe with a possibility to bloom later.

To sum up, this book was an enjoyable read, but it lacked a sharp hook to hook me entirely, which is a loss to me as I found a really great and alluring idea in Harmony Black. That’s why I’ll continue with the series after an entertaining doggie talk with A Night in the Lonesome October.

“C’mon, Mayberry. Let’s go piss off a couple of demons.”

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Harmony Black books are a spin-off series from Craig Schaefer's Daniel Faust books. Since the Faust books are fantastic I had very high expectations for Harmony and thankfully this book did not disappoint. All the things that make the Faust series great are present in this one. Craig Schaefer has a very engaging writing style and the story has the perfect mix of hilarious humour, likeable characters, interesting happenings, and a slightly dark tone that always keeps the reader on their toes.

We first met the dogged FBI agent and witch, Harmony Black, when she was hunting down Faust in Vegas. After the way Faust things went down in Faust 5 Harmony has moved on from Vegas. This one sees her being assigned to a special black ops FBI occult investigation team. The first case turns out to be a personal one for Harmony. She and her new team are heading back to her old home town to investigate and discover why babies are being abducted in a startlingly similar way to the "Bogeyman" snatchings the town endured 30 years before.

I wondered if Harmony was going to be a strong enough character to carry a series of her own and if this world would be as much fun without Faust and Caitlin. The answer to both questions was an emphatic yes! Harmony was less crazy than Faust but she was still an incredibly easy character to root for. We still got all of the humour as Harmony found herself paired with the wise cracking, and slightly crazy Jessie.

While this was a spin-off and we do encounter a few characters and monsters we have met or heard about in the Faust series I still think this one worked OK as an entry point to the world. It helped a lot that Harmony herself needed to learn a few things about the paranormal world she lives in.

All in all I loved this one as was caught up in the story from the first moment until the last.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

Audio Note: We got a different narrator to the Faust series, but I think Christina Traister was fantastic so it made the transition an easy one.

[Fiona Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series came into my life thanks to the wonderful Sarah and her magnificent brainwashing program reviews.

This could have been written for me - I've been looking for a series like this for a long time, and while I've found some great series along the way, none of them have been quite right. This though? This is perfect.

Harmony is an FBI agent first introduced in the Daniel Faust series (which you don't have to read to get into this series at all, but I'm a sucker for background so I'll be reading that series before I continue this one). She's currently paired with Jessie, who has a pretty spectacular trick she can do with a meat hook.

Also, clearly someone of the female persuasion has been talking to Craig Schaefer - I have never seen a male author get the price of a bra right, let alone knowing that having one cut off is going to make the owner of said bra a little pissed about throwing all that money away when they're out of immediate danger. It's the little details like that that just rocketed this book up to all the stars. well, knowing that Craig was a pen name for Heather takes some of the mystery out of that at least :D

Very spoilery spoiler also Fontaine taking down Nyx by threatening to tell her momma on her? YES, all the yes, I am 100% here for taking down ass-kicking ultimate demon Secret Agents of Hell Types by threatening parental wrath

If you're at all into secret paranormal agencies, SCP, kickass heroines who aren't just showing how kickass they are by wearing leather and a bunch of weapons but can actually have the odd girly moment too because women are complicated beings...you absolutely need to read this book.

[Nafeeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars rounded up. A great first book- awesome, funny characters, solid world building, fast paced and action packed.

I still blame our cheating cheaters for making me read this series earlier (even though that meant getting to enjoy it that much sooner!). <--- Just Don't let this go to your heads ok. :)

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Clandestine paranormal agencies with women who are totally awesome gun-toting, magic wielding badarses? Sign me up!

What a cracking good read! It was creepily entertaining with suitably sinister dark forces terrorising towns by stealing children from their homes. I love the world Craig has created where witches, werewolves and demons, unbeknownst to most humans, live among us. When Harmony Black returns to her home town, Talbot Cove, she is forced to find the strength and power to destroy the demon that ruined her life many years ago.

Harmony and Jessi had such good chemistry and I look forward to reading the next in the series. The audiobook was brilliant and I thoroughly recommend listening to this story as the actor really brought the characters to life for me. I'm gonna need to buy more credits!

CW: kidnapping of babies/children, murder, suicide on page, gore

[Mr. Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1980s children disappeared from their cribs without explanation in a small, rural town. There were no signs of forced entry. There was no explanation. The children were simply gone, leaving grieving parents and a terrified town. One of the kindnapped children is none other than young Harmony's infant sister. The traumatized toddler caught a glimpse of the intruder. It was the boogeyman. The boogeyman was stealing children.

Flash forward to the present day, and the abductions have started again. Small children are once again disappearing without explanation. Today, however, Harmony is no longer a scared toddler. Now she is an FBI agent and a witch. Recruited into a secretive organization to combat the things that go bump in the night, Harmony and her team find themselves in her hometown, hunting down the same monster that stole her sister so many years ago.

This story rocks. Without giving anything away, the twists and turns in Schaefer's work are simply fantastic. It is clever, well-written and engaging. It turns out the she is not hunting the boogeyman on her own. There are things worse than the boogeyman and sometimes the enemy of your enemy is still your enemy.

Harmony herself kicks some serious ass. She is, I realized fairly quickly, a minor character from Schaefer's Daniel Faust series. It was very cool to see how the author seamlessly connected these two stories without really forcing one into the other. Harmony stands on her own. And, man, she is quite the character. After reading some serious garbage where the women were basically men with tits, Harmony felt like a woman. A woman who could take care of herself and wasn't waiting around for some dude to save her. To be fair, there was a blip at the very end of the book that made me groan, but on the whole she was a bad ass - in a good way.

Four and a half stars rounded down to four. Didn't like the blip at the end with Harmony and it just didn't quite rise to five stars in the end. Schaefer, in my opinion, is the man. If you want to read some good urban fantasy, put down the Dresden books. Schaefer is a much, much better author with better stories and characters. (Yes, I'm officially kind of a fan-boy.)

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q: Magic is real. You’re a witch. I carry a demon in my pocket. (c)
Q: Investigate, exterminate, obfuscate. (c)
Q: “And this Walburgh is a friendly?” I asked.
“She doesn’t exist. You can’t get friendlier than that.”(c)
Q:“Your father would be so proud of you right now,” she whispered.
“I do my best,” I said, “but I can always do better.” (c)
Q: “You aren’t an extra-large pepperoni pizza,” she said.
“Uh, no. No, I’m not.”
“Then you must be the witch we ordered. C’mon in!” (c)
Q: I regrettably left the Bureau quite some time ago—taking an ax to the lower vertebrae tends to limit your prospects for career advancement. (c)
Q: She looked halfway between screaming and breaking down in tears, and she just wasn’t sure which direction to lose her mind in first. (c)
Q: News flash, ladies: you’re not the only conspiracy in town. (c)
Q: “There are agents of hell in the government?” (c)
Q: “My hero. I could kiss you, if I was desperate and blind drunk.” (c)
Q: “This guy didn’t just have issues,” Jessie murmured. “He had multiple subscriptions.” (c)
Q: “An old lady just tied me up and threw me in the back of my own truck like I weighed less than a sack of groceries,” he said, his voice slurring. “Then you hit my truck, beat her up, and almost shot a squirrel. And the squirrel waved at you. I think I’d like to go home now, please.” (c)
Q: “Please remember that everything we’ve just told you is highly classified,” Jessie told him.
He chuckled. “And if I blabbed about it, I’d get locked up in the nuthouse anyway.”
“Exactly,” she said. (c)
Q: Besides, as a patriotic citizen, I have serious issues with shadowy government conspiracies.”
“Jess, we are a shadowy govern—”
“Ones that aren’t mine,” (c)

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

This is a pretty good book. I finished it a while back and just haven't gotten around to reviewing it. The book did draw me in and hold my interest though after I finished it it wasn't one that stayed with me strongly. I do intend to (if possible) get the next book. I think it rates a the 4 star rating though it may be just across the line it's still a good read.

This one opens up doing a pretty good job of being a book about an FBI agent and then sort of grows into a horror/UF novel. It's a trip into another horrific world of bloody creatures that stalk innocents. We do get back into some familiar territory with our protagonist dealing with (very) unresolved childhood trauma(s).

However even with going down a relatively familiar plot line it's still...taken together...a good to great read. I can recommend this one. Enjoy.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting urban fantasy about two supernaturals who work for an FBI-type unit to take down hostile supernaturals without the public knowing (since the public is not aware of supernaturals in this world.) Harmony Black is a witch and her partner Jessi is a werewolf, and together they are sent out to find the monster that has been kidnapping babies out of their cribs in the night.

I found author Craig Schaefer's world-building to be unique and left me guessing where the mystery was going all the way through the book. There was really nice diversity represented throughout the book as well. The FBI angle was also really strong.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my January 2016 Amazon First choice, but I didn't get to it until now because I had to read the entire Daniel Faust series first, as this is a spin-off from that series. I'm a completist like that. At least I'm among friends in this insane asylum we call Goodreads. :)



Okay, on to the review.

While I am now (very) familiar with Craig Schaefer's writing, this is the start of a new series, and as such, he takes a lot of time to build his main characters, as well as his supporting cast. Backstories, relationships, and motivations, all take quite a bit of time to create. In the case of this book, the creating takes place over the first two-thirds of the book, and there are some points in which it drags, but again, knowing his writing, I knew I had to keep going because he always ties things up with a BANG!



And boy, did he ever! I'm pretty good at deciphering plot twists, but there are some real surprises in this book, things that made me go, "What?!"



Like the Daniel Faust series, this is not a feel-good-sparkling-monsters-type of fantasy. It's dark, it's violent, and people die. It's also very well-written, and an outstanding start to a new series. Read it!

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer and narrated by Christina Traister is a spooky and exciting fantasy read with the real boogie man, demons, and other supernatural creatures. Harmony is a FBI witch that is on a case that means a lot to her. Someone is taking children and often making it look like it was the parent. Harmony's sister was kidnapped and Harmony and her mother saw who really took her, the boogie man! Good story with lots of great characters and mini-stories inside the main one. Love the suspense and fantasy action.
Narration was excellent!

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read this book through Amazon's Kindle First program. Thanks to Amazon and 47North for making it available!

Harmony Black is a slightly uptight, by-the-books FBI agent. Well, as by-the-books as you can be when you're a practicing witch.

Harmony is an operative for a secret program called Vigilant Lock, which was created to battle occult threats—by any means necessary. She's very good at her job, saving society from the monsters that threaten to harm it, but being good at her job means having to destroy people—living and undead—and that is starting to take its toll.

She is unprepared for the emotional toll of her next assignment, however, when she becomes part of a team tasked with hunting down the Bogeyman, a tremendously dangerous creature with a penchant for stealing young babies from their unsuspecting parents, and then disappearing. Harmony knows the Bogeyman all too well, as it had a tragic affect on her childhood, and although she wants to make the creature pay for his crimes, she is conflicted about returning to her hometown of Talbot Cove to do this.

It's not just the Bogeyman that Harmony needs to worry about, however; it appears Talbot Cove is home to more than a few other creatures, including shape-shifting, body-borrowing demons and cambion. All of them are sure to make life for her and her new team pretty miserable—and very dangerous.

I thought this was a lot of fun, and Harmony is a really unique and appealing character. I've never read anything that Craig Schaefer has written before, but apparently Harmony is a character introduced in another of his series. (If you are a fan of Schaefer's series featuring Daniel Faust, be sure you're caught up before reading this book, because apparently there are some spoilers for that series in here.)

This book has some great action, lots of creepy stuff, and really fascinating characters. The pacing is great, too; my only challenge with the book is that there is a lot of exposition as characters explain what drives certain creatures. But it doesn't take too long before your heart starts pounding again.

If you like your crime novels with an unusual twist, and aren't put off by demons and other creatures walking among us, check out Harmony Black . She's a welcome addition to the genres this book straddles.

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....

[Milda Page Runner · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

An irresistible UF candy. It’s like The X-Files with the strait-laced agent (Dana Scully) Harmony Black as MC with a dash of Men In Black and Supernatural for the fun banter and speedy action and a good helping of horror for the suspense and mystery. I wouldn’t go looking for the deep thoughts and meanings in here, and the characters are more stereotypical compared to Daniel Faust series, but it totally works. If you want fast, fun and engaging – Craig Schaefer nailed it.
Recommended to all UF lovers.

I remember lying on the tarmac, thirty feet from the burning nightmare, arm scraped bloody and bits of glass in my hair. Sirens shrilling and voices, too many voices. Hands lifting me up onto a stretcher. Then everything faded away, like ghosts in a burning rain.

“An old lady just tied me up and threw me in the back of my own truck like I weighed less than a sack of groceries,” he said, his voice slurring. “Then you hit my truck, beat her up, and almost shot a squirrel. And the squirrel waved at you. I think I’d like to go home now, please.”
Jessie pulled on her seat belt and muttered, “Welcome to my life.”

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

the excellent part of this urban fantasy novel wherein the bogeyman is real is it's almost as much a police procedural as it is supernatural thriller

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I prefer Harmony Black to Daniel Faust!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

A spin off from Craig Schaefer’s Daniel Faust series, Harmony Black takes that universe and expands it in new and interesting directions by focusing on FBI agent and witch Harmony Black (side note-Harmony Black is just an awesome character name, isn’t it?). Part of a secret unit within the FBI, she is tasked with hunting down and killing supernatural threats regular law enforcement isn’t prepared to handle. The book successfully blended several different genres, mixing urban fantasy, horror, and a bit of a mystery thriller to create something with a unique feel that was highly enjoyable.

The events of Harmony Black start after the end of book 5 of the Daniel Faust series, so if you haven’t read that series there may be some spoilers. The book stands well enough on its own, although I can say that I definitely appreciated having read the first 5 books of the Faust series first. There were a few nods to characters and situations that were neat to see.

The action starts with Harmony joining a new team to hunt down a monster from her past that has struck again and is terrorizing a small town. I liked the smaller setting and that the stakes in this book were more personal. Lives were at stake but the whole world wasn’t hanging in the balance which was a bit refreshing. I also enjoyed seeing the pieces of the puzzle slowly come together. The plotting seemed a bit more tightly focused than in some of the Daniel Faust books which I appreciated.

The two main characters in this book are Harmony and Jessie, her new partner. I liked both of them and enjoyed the dynamic between them. The interplay between Harmony’s straight arrow attitude and Jessie’s rebelliousness created some good banter and kept things likely. There were a few other side characters that showed promise but none had enough page time to get me particularly invested in them.

The book wasn’t perfect, as there were a few minor issues I had with a character here and there or how a situation resolved itself perhaps a bit too easily. That said, this book was very fine entertainment. I’ve now read 6 books by Craig Schaefer and all of them were very fun, very fast reads that were highly enjoyable. I’ll definitely be reading more of Harmony Black.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harmony is a Special Agent working with the FBI with a top secret unit. It's her job to hunt down the monsters that live under the bed or in the closet. When children begin disappearing from the town she grew up in it's more than just another case, it's personal.

As a child her sister was taken by the Boogey Man. She was never seen again. Now the Boogey Man has returned and it's up to Harmony and her team to end his reign of terror.

Harmony Black isn't perfect. A long way from it. But it's original and it's worth the effort just for that.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good world-building and character introductions right off the bat. Good plot, decent action scenes. Nice build-up. Nothing earth shattering, but solid writing. Enjoyable.

I could have done with more visual information about the looks of the main characters. Especially Harmony was a little hard to grasp for me. At some point in the story she kisses someone and I was genuinely surprised that she had to get on tip-toes for that. Was he that tall, is she that short? But that's a minor thing. Overall I liked the characterizations. Jessie and Abby are probably my favourites and I am looking forward to meeting them again. I didn't mind that Harmony is too straight-laced (according to the author), it does not make her uninteresting or boring. It's a nice counterpoint to the anarchy and slight craziness of her colleagues. And she has plenty going on inside.

The plot has good tension from the beginning. It didn't feel slow or boring at any point. The suspense was good, the story wasn't too predictable, although there were no major plot-twists or "oh shit!" moments.

Think female version of The Men in Black with snark and demons instead of aliens. UF with demons, witches and some nicely creepy horror elements.

The ending gives a nice glimpse of things to come and I have been sufficiently primed for the next books. I haven't read his Daniel Faust series yet, but if I like the second Harmony Black book as much as the first, I will definitely pick that one up as well.

This was fresh and avoided a lot of the typical UF tropes. Maybe the author being male makes all the difference. Thumbs up!

4.5 demonic stars.

[Tim Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprising read for me. I'm glad I picked it from the Amazon First program. It has some humor in it, which gives a good twist to the book. I'm intrigued to continue to follow the Harmony Black series!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read featuring FBI agents chasing the Boogeyman (the real one). The supernatural was woven throughout and, along with some great characters, this was a very entertaining storyline. Harmony is going to keep crossing lines and I am going to be right there with her.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast, fun read, but ... at least for me ... nothing special. I'm not sorry I read it, but, I'm not inclined to recommend it either.

If you're familiar with Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, my guess is that you, too, will be disappointed. It's a similar concept (with, yes, plenty of differences), and, while there's plenty of action, there's just less ... of everything ... character development, color, depth, vocabulary, and ... dare I say it ... style. (OK, there's also less magical mumbo-jumbo, which is fine, but it's consistent with everything else.)

I don't mean to be overly critical, particularly since I read the book quite quickly - it moved along at a nice pace. But, other than the momentum, I just couldn't get past ... OK... So, yeah, it's OK... but I kept thinking it could have been much, much better (with a little time, some editing, and more of the various elements I mentioned, above)....

I been skeptical of the (obviously limited) monthly Kindle First offerings, concerned that just because it's free (with Amazon Prime), doesn't mean it's worth reading or, more importantly, better than the stack of books already sitting in the house on a shelf or in one of my to-read stacks. While I've (really) enjoyed some of the Kindle First options, and while I found this entertaining enough, the price (free) felt right for me on this one.

It is what it is: the author - who appears to have generated a modest but loyal following with a related, but distinct, series - (and Amazon) was (were) willing to offer me the first book in a series for free, hoping that I'd pay money for the books that followed. My guess is plenty of readers will find this good enough to try one more. Alas, I didn't enjoy it enough, so I doubt I'll be considering the sequels.

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a good episode of the X-Files with the action cranked up to 11. That's Harmony Black.

She's an FBI agent newly assigned to a black-ops anti-demon squad, assigned to investigate a rash of small-town baby-snatchings... that happen every 30 years. She's really tightly wrapped, as is her partner, who was raised in an abusive wolf-demon cult. Both have just a touch of magical power, and they're up against a serious Big Bad. Oh, and two of Hell's bounty hunters are also after whoever's behind the kidnappings, and they really don't care for competition.

From the first page, this grabbed me, drew me in, and dragged me off. It's tightly plotted and written, the characters have not at all been hit with the idiot stick (a blessed relief after the last book I read, Seanan McGuire's Rosemary & Rue), the mystery's complex, the minor characters well-sketched and fun (with the partial exception of Harmony's other two teammates, the wheelchair-bound psychologist and gamer-hacker kid, who're pretty stock).

This was great, can't put down fun. I'm off to find more by this author.

[Simply Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to say about this one? Hmm.

It was okay?

It was not terrible?

It was not great?

Yes to all of those things. The main cast felt a little flat to me, and I honestly gave zero flips about their back stories or even future stories if I'm totally honest. There was nothing there to emotionally connect me to any of them. The magic system was, well it wasn't really fleshed out well at all. She's a witch but I nearly forgot several times that she was. There were a few parts that I did find interesting, like the demon courts not to mention the demons themselves, but I'm not sure if they interested me enough to continue the series. We'll see....

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer is a first book in a series that is tailor made for my likes. I cannot get enough urban fantasy detective stories these days and Harmony Black struck all the right chords.

This book are has hot FBI lead agents. Paranormal story lines. A witch or two. A sleeping beast. Demons and things that go bump in the night. And more...

I loved the characters, the writing, the world, and the story...

"“Who are you?” he asked me. I shrugged. “I’m just the girl next door.” “When we were kids, yeah,” he said, “but that was a long time ago. Who are you now?” I had to think about that. “I’m the woman who makes the monsters go away. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.” I looked back toward the empty house. “This time . . . we did all right."

Great start to a series.

[Ms Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know why I kept putting off reading this book this author as long as I have. It has everything I adore in my favorite books I read to just “take a break”.

Kick-butt female lead with a mysterious side kick? Oh yes, this and so many more. A body jumping demon with a British accent. Why yes, my darlings it does. Conspiracies that involve hell and supernatural beasts only in our dreams? One word The Bogeyman. It’s black and twisted humor with a horror theme and doesn’t require you to have read the past series. At least that what it felt to me, I might change my tune as I read more from Schaefer and the Daniel Faust series.

In wrap up, if you love or like horror, mystery, urban fantasy and just need to take a
break from some heavy reading give this a try.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4 out of 5.

I am a big fan of the Daniel Faust series by the same author, but I wasn't sure I would enjoy a whole book with Harmony Black as the protagonist. Sure, it's always fun to see the world from the other side of the law so to say, but she wasn't a particularly charismatic character in the original series. I mean, she was so stuck up, it felt like she'd swallowed a broom, and her insistence to do everything by the book and stay within the rules was rather annoying. I mean, lady, no rulebook has been invented to deal with the crap that's unfolding right now, so what are you so mad about?

Needless to say, I started this spin-off series with some apprehension, but I didn't need to worry. Craig Schaefer knows his shit. Yes, Harmony is still uptight and emotionally distant, but we get to know her better, so she becomes more human. I mean, once I learned her backstory, I understood where her paranoid self-control came from. That's her coping mechanism with the chaos and horror of what she has to witness regularly. She has to appear strong and confident because the victims need to see someone competent in charge of their case. And she needs a rulebook and laws to feel like what she is doing matters, and that she is one of the good guys here. 

I honestly think that's the reason she hates Daniel Faust so much - he is the chaos to her order, even though he definitely isn't the worst person she'd encountered.

This series makes Harmony more human but also gives her a team to work with, and that team is awesome! I loved every single one of them. It was fun to see Harmony willing to bend some rules when sticking to her guns would have hurt innocents. It was also fun to see her use her magic and discover that she is actually badass. I will definitely continue with this series.