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Underdogs #7
Kennel Club
The wolf has been caged.
Ariadne Willow has been framed for murder. Upon her arrival at the police station, she's given a accept GG's offer in exchange for her freedom, or risk going up against GG in court. Ari refuses and is sent to prison to await trial. Dale teams up with Ari's mom and, along with Milo Duncan's British pack, begins looking for ways to either prove Ari's innocence or take down Cecily Parrish once and for all.
Time is not on their side. In addition to the usual dangers of prison, Ari only has four weeks before the wolf forces her to transform, exposing her as a canidae.
With the clock ticking on her secret and a seemingly all-powerful enemy who holds all the cards, the odds against Ari and Dale have never been higher. This time, if they can't find a way to turn the tables, the underdogs might be out of the game for good.
Ariadne Willow has been framed for murder. Upon her arrival at the police station, she's given a accept GG's offer in exchange for her freedom, or risk going up against GG in court. Ari refuses and is sent to prison to await trial. Dale teams up with Ari's mom and, along with Milo Duncan's British pack, begins looking for ways to either prove Ari's innocence or take down Cecily Parrish once and for all.
Time is not on their side. In addition to the usual dangers of prison, Ari only has four weeks before the wolf forces her to transform, exposing her as a canidae.
With the clock ticking on her secret and a seemingly all-powerful enemy who holds all the cards, the odds against Ari and Dale have never been higher. This time, if they can't find a way to turn the tables, the underdogs might be out of the game for good.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2018
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Geonn Cannon
113 books227 followersGeonn Cannon is a male author who grew up in Oklahoma, thousands of miles from the nearest coastline, who found his calling in stories about women who live on an island in the Pacific Northwest. In 2010, Geonn became the first male author to win the prestigious Golden Crown Literary Society Award for his novel "Gemini." In 2015, he won it again for "Dogs of War." He has written two official tie-in novels for Stargate SG-1, and his Riley Parra novels have been turned into an Emmy-nominated webseries by Tello Films. His first name is pronounced just like "John."
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 11, 2018
Excellent series! Just wow -- i highly recommend this incredibly written series to everyone!
July 4, 2018
This book was provided for free by the author and Love Bytes in exchange for an honest review.
This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.
Geonn Cannon never fails to impress. I’ve read many of his books, and this one is definitely high on my list of favorites. It’s the juicy, action-packed, character-driven, tightly-written paranormal lesbian crime drama I’ve been so desperately craving after a long line of generally fluffy romances.
After six books set in the “Underdogs” series, it’s time for a new twist on the classic werewolf dilemma—what happens when you try to cage an animal that is meant to be free? There’s been a lot of great sci-fi/fantasy plots involving canidae and hunters in the series, and there have been a lot of crime drama plots that kept me on my toes, but this is the first book that intersects the two worlds perfectly. When Ariadne is falsely accused and sent to prison, she has to deal with the isolation and heartbreak of being away from her mother, Gwen, and her soul-mate, Dale—but she also has to deal with the fact that it’s pretty hard to hide a full-wolf transformation when you live on top of a hundred other women. We definitely didn’t see that in the last season of Orange Is the New Black.
We’re thrust into the action right away and it never stops for a second. This book gives both Ari and Dale a real chance to shine as strong POV characters. Dale is usually the “woman behind the curtain”—though she’s good at research and detail, field work isn’t her area of expertise. But with Ari behind bars, she has to step it up and take charge, and seeing her in full bad-ass mode is absolutely amazing (and often hilarious). Ari is also great, but I think her strong personality takes a bit of a backseat as she uses her wits instead of her mouth to get around in prison.
I wasn’t expecting to like the side romance between Gwen and her much-younger lover, Milo, as much as I did. Their chemistry has been building, but in this story, they get the perfect romantic arc they deserve. Cannon is so good at writing full casts of diverse, kick-ass women who are strong in their own ways, and Gwen’s quiet power mixes perfectly with Milo’s brash confidence. Other awesome female characters, like Ari’s prison cellmate Segura and instant rival Kunz, leap off the page and come into themselves so quickly that it feels like we’ve been reading about them forever. And the familial bond that continues to blossom between Gwen and Dale got me misty-eyed quite a few times.
This book can certainly be read outside of the series timeline. Cannon does a great job bringing back much-loved characters while still writing a great standalone mystery. If you’re a fan of the series already, you’ll love the progression of certain relationships and the downfall of a few familiar villains, but if you’re new to “Underdogs,” many of the important plots of previous books are nicely recapped to prevent confusion. This is a hard balance to strike, but it felt absolutely perfect. Highly recommended in every way.
This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.
Geonn Cannon never fails to impress. I’ve read many of his books, and this one is definitely high on my list of favorites. It’s the juicy, action-packed, character-driven, tightly-written paranormal lesbian crime drama I’ve been so desperately craving after a long line of generally fluffy romances.
After six books set in the “Underdogs” series, it’s time for a new twist on the classic werewolf dilemma—what happens when you try to cage an animal that is meant to be free? There’s been a lot of great sci-fi/fantasy plots involving canidae and hunters in the series, and there have been a lot of crime drama plots that kept me on my toes, but this is the first book that intersects the two worlds perfectly. When Ariadne is falsely accused and sent to prison, she has to deal with the isolation and heartbreak of being away from her mother, Gwen, and her soul-mate, Dale—but she also has to deal with the fact that it’s pretty hard to hide a full-wolf transformation when you live on top of a hundred other women. We definitely didn’t see that in the last season of Orange Is the New Black.
We’re thrust into the action right away and it never stops for a second. This book gives both Ari and Dale a real chance to shine as strong POV characters. Dale is usually the “woman behind the curtain”—though she’s good at research and detail, field work isn’t her area of expertise. But with Ari behind bars, she has to step it up and take charge, and seeing her in full bad-ass mode is absolutely amazing (and often hilarious). Ari is also great, but I think her strong personality takes a bit of a backseat as she uses her wits instead of her mouth to get around in prison.
I wasn’t expecting to like the side romance between Gwen and her much-younger lover, Milo, as much as I did. Their chemistry has been building, but in this story, they get the perfect romantic arc they deserve. Cannon is so good at writing full casts of diverse, kick-ass women who are strong in their own ways, and Gwen’s quiet power mixes perfectly with Milo’s brash confidence. Other awesome female characters, like Ari’s prison cellmate Segura and instant rival Kunz, leap off the page and come into themselves so quickly that it feels like we’ve been reading about them forever. And the familial bond that continues to blossom between Gwen and Dale got me misty-eyed quite a few times.
This book can certainly be read outside of the series timeline. Cannon does a great job bringing back much-loved characters while still writing a great standalone mystery. If you’re a fan of the series already, you’ll love the progression of certain relationships and the downfall of a few familiar villains, but if you’re new to “Underdogs,” many of the important plots of previous books are nicely recapped to prevent confusion. This is a hard balance to strike, but it felt absolutely perfect. Highly recommended in every way.
June 3, 2021
Good one !! (with a sligtly better editing job ... )
But .... I wonder why Ari's got brown eyes on the cover since she's supposed to have strikingly beautiful blue eyes ...
But .... I wonder why Ari's got brown eyes on the cover since she's supposed to have strikingly beautiful blue eyes ...
November 8, 2018
4.5 - My favorite Underdogs novel to date!
Cannon's writing just keeps better. I'd say at this point he's really settled into the characters of Ari and Dale and I love each new adventure they find themselves in. Ari is in real trouble in this book, getting framed for murder and sent to prison. And unfortunately for her, the wolf wont stay quiet for long. No Canidae has ever lasted longer than a month without changing. On the outside Dale works with Ari’s mom Gwen, their police detective friend Diana, and the London pack that Gwen has called in to help.
One of the things I enjoy about Ari and Dale is that they were friends long before they were lovers. To me it lends solidity and substance that you sometimes don’t see with romantic partners. Dale is the love of Ari’s life, and Ari is Dale’s puppy. No matter what they face, they do it together and don’t give up on each other. Cannon has an easy style to read and the pace never falters, even in the slower more introspective scenes. There are a lot of details to cover, after all Kennel Club is a mystery as much as it’s an urban fantasy. Maybe more.
Something I really enjoyed was a thing that Cannon does well with this entire series. These are not romance books, they are detective books. But there is definitely romance. Cannon has a remarkable ability to show how much Ari and Dale mean to each other. Be it in their daily lives or in the small details of how they act with each other. It's a solid relationship and I respect that.
I've said it many times, I'm not usually a fan of detective stories. There area a lot of clues that drop in them and I've always been particularly good at figuring out important bits ahead of time and kind of spoiling the ending. Like guess what each box is on your birthday without opening them. That being said, for Cannon’s Underdogs novels I’ll always make an exception. The characters were crisp, the plot was tight, and there were moments that actually surprised me. I love the characters, their love for each other and their tenacity. I also love that Cannon’s world isn’t all about the typical urban fantasy pack drama. It’s about real life and Canidae are trying to survive like everyone else. It’s about Ari and Dale looking out for other underdogs like them.
This ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Cannon's writing just keeps better. I'd say at this point he's really settled into the characters of Ari and Dale and I love each new adventure they find themselves in. Ari is in real trouble in this book, getting framed for murder and sent to prison. And unfortunately for her, the wolf wont stay quiet for long. No Canidae has ever lasted longer than a month without changing. On the outside Dale works with Ari’s mom Gwen, their police detective friend Diana, and the London pack that Gwen has called in to help.
One of the things I enjoy about Ari and Dale is that they were friends long before they were lovers. To me it lends solidity and substance that you sometimes don’t see with romantic partners. Dale is the love of Ari’s life, and Ari is Dale’s puppy. No matter what they face, they do it together and don’t give up on each other. Cannon has an easy style to read and the pace never falters, even in the slower more introspective scenes. There are a lot of details to cover, after all Kennel Club is a mystery as much as it’s an urban fantasy. Maybe more.
Something I really enjoyed was a thing that Cannon does well with this entire series. These are not romance books, they are detective books. But there is definitely romance. Cannon has a remarkable ability to show how much Ari and Dale mean to each other. Be it in their daily lives or in the small details of how they act with each other. It's a solid relationship and I respect that.
I've said it many times, I'm not usually a fan of detective stories. There area a lot of clues that drop in them and I've always been particularly good at figuring out important bits ahead of time and kind of spoiling the ending. Like guess what each box is on your birthday without opening them. That being said, for Cannon’s Underdogs novels I’ll always make an exception. The characters were crisp, the plot was tight, and there were moments that actually surprised me. I love the characters, their love for each other and their tenacity. I also love that Cannon’s world isn’t all about the typical urban fantasy pack drama. It’s about real life and Canidae are trying to survive like everyone else. It’s about Ari and Dale looking out for other underdogs like them.
This ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2019
Dale is a total badarse... badass, rather. Badarse sounds funny when I say it out loud but I say arse not ass. Anyway, Dale's magnificent brain and computer skills really kicked arse. Ari being Ari making friends and getting people to willingly bat for her is always cool. It was hard, knowing the two of them were separated throughout most of the book but their connection was even more obvious because of it. I wish the GG&M were punished severely for their crimes and it would've been nice to know what happens to them but eh... having them on the run and penniless isn't too bad. Loved this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2019
Really enjoy this unique series about the underdog
I really enjoy this private investigator series about the canaid(werewolf) Ariadne and her girl Dale. This is a very unique series and explores relationships and has great character building.
Why only four stars... I wish there was a little more fantasy in this urban fantasy detective story.
It is a little lite on the paranormal/fantasy aspect. Although it did pick up a little in this book.
My favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy...detective stories not so much. I like a little more action.
That being said I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.
I really enjoy this private investigator series about the canaid(werewolf) Ariadne and her girl Dale. This is a very unique series and explores relationships and has great character building.
Why only four stars... I wish there was a little more fantasy in this urban fantasy detective story.
It is a little lite on the paranormal/fantasy aspect. Although it did pick up a little in this book.
My favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy...detective stories not so much. I like a little more action.
That being said I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 12, 2018
Geonn Cannon has brought yet another fantastic offering to the lesbian supernatural genre. The series itself is great, but I think Kennel Club is my favorite in the series. Geonn is too clever by half sometimes, especially with his title of Kennel Club and a few tongue-tying moments that will leave you laughing in-between pages of worry and heartache. It's a roller-coaster ride but well thought out and choreographed all the way through to the ending and ends with a HOWLING moment full of vindication.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews