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As a new investigator and guard of the Crimson Court, I've got a lot to prove. Like, I need to show that my mind-reading powers are actually useful.

So, when Balor, my alluring fae prince, wants to team up on a case, I jump at the chance. Only problem is, he's still digging into my past. If he finds out the truth, he'll banish me into the darkness. And away from his side.

Worse, a sorcerer is transforming humans into bloodthirsty members of the walking dead. The culprit is hell-bent on destroying London, no matter what the cost. If we don't stop him--and fast--the dead will kill us all.

If Balor doesn't discover the truth about me first.

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2019

680 people are currently reading
387 people want to read

About the author

Jenna Wolfhart

57 books1,547 followers
Jenna Wolfhart spends her days dreaming up stories about swoony fae kings and rugged blacksmiths. When she's not writing, she loves to do CrossFit competitions, rewatch Game of Thrones, collect Taylor Swift vinyls, and drink far too much coffee.

Jenna has always had a passion for writing, books, and publishing. Previously, she worked for an academic publisher in New York and then completed her PhD in Librarianship, focusing on young adult fiction.

Jenna now lives in England with her husband and her two dogs.

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5 stars
558 (39%)
4 stars
507 (35%)
3 stars
268 (18%)
2 stars
64 (4%)
1 star
16 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Katyana.
1,813 reviews287 followers
June 24, 2019
This series just isn't for me.

I'm not going to say that the alpha-hole stories don't work for me, because they can and do. But a critical part of how they work - the heroine not being a doormat - is missing in this book. Look, for example, at one of my all-time favorites: Kate Daniels. Curran, when we meet him, is a total douche. He's got his head way up his ass, thinks everyone should just bow to his will, demands respect he hasn't earned (Kate is not in his pack, she owes him nothing), makes mistakes and blames them on Kate or someone else constantly. It works, though, because Kate doesn't tolerate the treatment. You get flashes of her noticing some hotness, but it's a flash and it is quickly eclipsed by her annoyance. They very slowly build towards a relationship rooted in mutual respect.

In this book, Balor does all the same shit Curran does (literally all of it), but additionally kicks off his story by kidnapping the heroine and forcing her to join his Court - he forces a binding, life-long oath that turns her into a slave. And yes, I mean that word slave. He dictates what her job is (she's not allowed to do what she used to do for a living, he assigns her a job), what House she's in, what clothes she wears (he repeatedly dresses her up like his own personal hooker Barbie - sending her on missions in stilettos - and even hands her makeup he wants her to put on), what her schedule is, where she lives, and is clear over and over that she gets no say.

Not only does the heroine tolerate this, she can barely work up any outrage because she is constantly panting after this complete asshole. From moment 1, her thoughts are utterly overwhelmed with how she just wants to rub up against him. All while he treats her like she's nothing.

It's gross. I don't care about the world or the story or anything else in this book enough to overcome my revulsion at that core interaction between the hero and heroine, and their shitty power dynamic. So this book was a DNF (after the latest round of shitty treatment by him and overwhelming lust in response by her, around the 60% mark) and I'm done with the series. Ugh.
1,059 reviews6 followers
July 30, 2019
Very good sequel

The sequel to this series was very quick and good read! I'm off to read the 3rd book in this series!!
Profile Image for KaleidoscopicCasey.
338 reviews168 followers
July 3, 2019
Well... I don't know.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first and the growth that I was hoping for just wasn't there. Or at least not enough of it.

We still don't know Clark's big secret but we do find out why Balor has been so hot/cold with Clark .

And the lip wetting thing continued but at least not so frequently. I only highlighted 12 instances of lip wetting or nibbling.

But it would appear that the whole love triangle concern I had does get cleared up, so there's that.

I guess my biggest concern here is the dynamic between the main characters. Balor's actions are still hard for me to accept despite his reasoning, and although Clark's powers are certainly growing I just haven't connected with her. Plus, I still have a bit of an ick feeling for their romance and now that I know there is a physically painful response if she goes against his orders, I like it even less.

As for the actual storyline.... The Sluagh were okay, but I don't understand how they were autonomous enough to respond in a discussion in the first book and then in this one but also are essentially mindless zombies? What am I missing here? The showdown with the Sorcerer was kind of a letdown but I'm glad at least one of the characters got a fitting send off.

I plan on reading the third but I feel like i am giving this series more chances than it deserves at this point.
Profile Image for Dakota.
38 reviews10 followers
March 14, 2019
Undead chaos

Bloody heck where do I start? So this book takes place directly after the first and just gets interesting from there.
Now that L is out of the picture you'd think that things will calm down but no suddenly the undead Sluagh are on the rise. Someone has declared war on the Crimson Court and it's up to Clark and crew to figure out who and before all heck breaks loose. I really like Clark although I was disappointed not to hear much of her podcasting after the way book one ended but when the undead are out who has time, am i right. There was delicious romantic tension about as well, and there was a slim point where I got really fed up with the push pull of it until a certain moment happened and then the " ahhhh" moment of clarity righted it all. I'm really hoping that there is a twist or something that can right that little thing. We do Get a few secrets revealed only to have more piled on top. I mean come on, here we are thinking that Clark is one thing only to have that ending throw it right on is head.... GAhhhh.
I enjoy the fact that Clark is a bit clumsy and she really has to work to be BA and it's not something that just comes to her if that makes sense. I can't wait to see what chaos happens next book because we all know it's gonna be crazy with a capital C.
This book is Well written has an engaging plot and characters I want to get to know more about. It leaves you trying to guess where it will twist next only to have you realize you have no clue!
Profile Image for Noelle Woodruff.
830 reviews3 followers
March 11, 2019
Well what a crazy book! I could not put it down. I read it in less than a day, so good! Oh Clark lol with the undead and her feelings for a Prince and maybe kinda a warrior Clark must find the person behind all the Sluaghs. We get to find out two prophecies that will shake Clark's world. Someone will betray her as well. I wasn't expecting it to be that person! Gah!
Profile Image for Heather Gilbert.
1,780 reviews85 followers
April 20, 2019
Decent

This installment was a bit better than book 1, but it still leaves us with s thousand and five questions that book 3 will hopefully answer. Who us she really? Why did she run? What is he going to do? Is there more to that prophecy?
Profile Image for Diana Gagliardi Gagliardi.
598 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2019
And the dead walk...

Great fantasy with numerous twists and turns. From a countless fae to a guard at THE court, what's a half shifter, half fae to do when all is threatened?
Profile Image for Suzy Bagshaw.
436 reviews2 followers
Read
August 31, 2019
FREAKEN AMAZING!!!!

This book was full of mystery, suspense. It was Hot And Sexy, Funny it had EVERYTHING!!!! You are going to Love it!!
Profile Image for Megpie.
453 reviews85 followers
April 20, 2019
2 STARS

I think this is where me and this series calls it quits.

1. The heroine was okay. But.. she’s described as a “badass PI” but she isn’t that AT ALL. There is absolutely nothing badass about her. Her fae power is lame and very limited, she always screws up when she’s using her power, she has zero fighting skills, and she has proved to have zero good PI skills. She’s boring and just... mediocre.

2. The hero is weak. He is described as the top of the top in supernaturals since fae are the most powerful class and he’s the prince of the fae. However, like the heroine, absolutely nothing about him is powerful. He shoots fire out of his eyes, or one eye technically... that’s it. (Talk about a lame power) His court and masters literally run him over and pretty much do what they want. No one respects him as the “prince” but a few of the fae in his actual house. And he isn’t really the prince. It seems the “prince” is the equivalent of an elected president. The hero is taken into custody by the human cops and within hours Fionn (bad guy) calls (yeah he literally calls them on the phone... lame) faerie and is given permission to become the new “prince”. It was just laughable.

3. Insta love. The hero and heroine’s connection makes no sense. They’ve known each other for like five seconds and they act all angsty like they’ve had this back and forth attraction and connection for awhile. At first I thought it would make sense if she was his destined “mate” but they don’t have the destined mates trope in this world. They just didn’t make sense to me. Their “romance” was just... dull and added nothing to the story.

4. The plot and overall story was just.. boring. I literally didn’t care one iota about the sluagh storyline. Or really about the characters and story in general. It was all so dull and uninteresting. I skimmed whenever I could just to get it over with. There were no twists to keep you on the edge of your seat, no surprises or anything exciting, the ending was anticlimactic and just a total let down.





Profile Image for Nicci.
723 reviews228 followers
July 27, 2019
Book two, Dead Fae Walking, continues in much the same vein as book one in this series.

Clark is a member of the Crimson Court having decided to stay despite the risks to her person if her deep dark secrets are revealed and we are still left wondering what the hell those deep dark secrets are for we don't even get crumbs!

We do however get a little bit more info on what Balor's problem is and why he runs away from his connection (I refuse to call the forced chemistry feelings) for Clark. They run hot and cold throughout the book and the childish back and forth is irritating, not sexy, so I really hope that this gets sorted quickly.

Trickery and betrayal are afoot and Clark and the gang must stop an evil sorcerer from creating an army of undead creatures (called the Slough) but one who uses supernaturals for his corpses instead of plain old humans - which was the norm until this book.
Tensions are rising between supernaturals and humans so it is imperative that Clark and co not only put a stop to the sorcerer but they do it without revealing the slough's existence to humans thus further straining human tolerances.

Clark's powers are developing and she's starting to come into some of her shifter abilities. I'm curious as to how this side of her will develop and I really want to know what the big secret is!
I'm also curious to see what the political fallout from this book is for Balor and the Crimson Court. A powerful enemy within Balor's own court now knows his closest held secret and his court is fracturing, under assault from both the outside and from within.
I have a feeling things are going to get much worse before they get any better.

Despite the fact the writing of this series is not improving - this book also felt like an unedited draft! - I'm definitely going to read book three. In fact, I'm probably going to keep going until I know Clark's secret (as a minimum) because my brain is annoying like that.
Profile Image for Therese Caruana.
Author 20 books35 followers
March 14, 2019
Having been introduced to Clark and her story when joining the Crimson Court, what was a romantic adventure has now turned to a dark thriller. I would like to think of the book as being in line with Twilight-Eclipse, however my mind sometimes sways towards the World War Z film. Just like in the first book, Live Fae or die trying, this story involves the romance drama that is Balor the smitter. I felt satisfied to finally find out Balor's dark secret and this I found was the most enjoyable aspect of the book. I like the prophecy about Balor very much and that Caer delivers it with such mystery, with or without Clark's consent. The secret was worth waiting for. It brings a new dilemma for Clark, which I can not predict the resolve to. We still also need to learn about what mysterious secret Clark is hiding from her past and that intrigue I hope will be revealed in the next instalment,  Bad Fae rising. I'm also expecting to learn more about Clark's shifter abilities. I believe this book has a lot of interesting content for being a Paranormal Romance.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
136 reviews23 followers
June 3, 2019
I continued this series because I needed to know the "big secret" in Clark's past--and was annoyed that it wasn't given more details in book 1. Now, I confess I'm currently reading book 3 because the secret has yet to be revealed and I need to know. Not because the writer hooked me, but because I'm a bit obsessive that way and I think it's cheating to Google it. In book 3, there are hints and teases about the "big secret" that would have been great for book 1 or 2. Book 3 is definitely too late.

Moving on from that very frustrating plot thread... This book felt way more like something with PI in the title. More investigation. More focus on clues and hints. Clark actually uses her powers usefully a few times. I believed the connection between Clark and her beau (both of them, coincidentally). Overall, this book is a much more solid entry into the series and it's the reason I pushed myself to read book 3.

Minor concern: Ondine was Clark's only friend, according to Clark in book 1, and I don't remember Ondine appearing at all in book 2. Odd.
Profile Image for Katie.
427 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2019
SPOILERS

The second book was well written and has a good premise. This story has Clark teaming up w tiarnan who has said he switched sides based on his master throwing him out. They are searching for the soccer who is taking and changing supernatural folk into slaughs. There is intrigue between Clark and the Prince as well as tiarnan but it is starting to grow frustrating, especially after finding out about the prophecy involving the prince. I actually just feel sorry for clark and her blind loyalty based on the bond. That's the only question that has been answered from the first book; we still don't know why she thinks she will be hated if anyone finds out her background and we still don't know what she will shift in to. She does seem to be getting stronger which I hope proves to be cool. No sex still, unfortunately but plenty of intrigue and if say the fight scenes were quite mild. Looking forward to the next book but starting to get antsy about answers!
Profile Image for Penny.
3,139 reviews85 followers
March 11, 2019
This is the second book in this series, and I loved it almost as much as the first. Clark continues to enchant with her coming into her powers a little more, and she is also discovering a little more about herself (no spoilers!). I really liked Balor more in this one than I did in the first one, not that I didn’t like him in the first; he just seems more approachable in this one. We learn one of his secrets in this one, and I already know how he will get out of it. We didn’t hear anything about Clark’s secret which disappointed me a little, but I’m sure we will in the next one. All things considered, this was a great second book, and I really look forward to see what’s going to happen next with how things ended in this one. I highly recommend this book and was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.
Profile Image for Trinitee Frame.
87 reviews
March 13, 2019
I really love this series. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, turning each page in hopes of learning more secrets. Clark is amazing, she is getting stronger day by day and I can’t wait to see all that she is capable of. This book helped me to see Balor in a different light and my heart aches for them. While the question that I really wanted answered was not, some new info came to light that puts a twist in the game. Can’t wait for the next book. Come on April 29th you can’t get here soon enough.
4,392 reviews56 followers
April 4, 2019
Fae politics, nasty creatures, surprises and secrets revealed! Yeah, my favorite things. Clark starts to come into her own both in her magic and her determination to stand up even against her prince when he does something she doesn't like. The prince is still a bit of a douche but at least we know the reason why he is pull/push with Clark.

There is a lot of action and good interaction with the characters. I really like the world she is creating and the writing is good. But not all is good in Clark's world which means there's plenty to look forward in the next book.
Profile Image for Melinda.
81 reviews
March 11, 2019
I definitely couldn't put this down. I loved this. It was almost too exciting at more than one point of the story. Threats (yes, in plural), prophecies (again, plural), friends and foes, betrayal, surprises. Even on the very last page, the promise of an upcoming eventful next book is already there. Oh and did I mention the tension that's building between certain persons? You may want to discover that part too!
Profile Image for Michelle.
1,553 reviews15 followers
April 28, 2019
Action packed!

Book two picks right up after the events of the first story. Clark is settling into Court life, making friends learning how to be a guard. A dangerous magical threat that has been unseen in a long time threatens Balor’s court, his right to rule and the lives of all those he protects. Clashes with human authorities, traitorous doings and complicated affections make this an incredible read from start to finish!
Profile Image for Sasha.
400 reviews12 followers
October 25, 2021
The MC

I want to like the MC, but I don’t. There was no additional information about why she could not join the courts. The big reveal about her Master was good, but not enough to make up for the lack of connection to the main character. I did not like her adding her two cents into things she knew nothing about. Why oh why does she not leave? I guess the sacrifices her grandmother made was not enough.
408 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2022
The Crimson Court is under attack, Balor is being challenged, and Clark learns the reason Balor can’t be with her. The some people are not what they appear to be. The good are bad, the bad are bad, and the undead have been freed on humanity. Great battles, death, and blood bring the book to and end. I love this book but I still don’t know Clark’s dark secret or what kind of shifter she is. We might have a clue!
Profile Image for Denisa.
1,381 reviews332 followers
October 22, 2023
1.5 Ugh, nope.



The female MC is weak and the male MC keeps being an idiot.

I'm all for a good as*hole-to-great-guy sort of plot, but this just didn't work. All I felt from the chick was desperation and a superior attitude that just didn't work for me. Yes, you're special, blah blah, but that still doesn't really give you the right to act like this.

More, there are all sorts of gaps in the plot, things that make me go 'huh?'. I could have gotten over them, though, if the characters and overall story had been worth it.

Why 2 stars though? Well, I've read worse, and it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still, I wouldn't recommend this.
Profile Image for Amy.
3,052 reviews622 followers
August 21, 2025
She didn't stay away from the toxic pirate.

Lots of potential in this book but I really can't stand the main couple and their will-they-won't-they romance. Balor's reason for pushing her away is SO stupid and not even the zombies or super predictable plot twist could keep me hooked. This was eye-rollingly frustrating.

I'm almost curious enough to find out what she shifts into but not enough to read more.
Profile Image for Tifferspiglet.
115 reviews
March 13, 2019
I Want Book Three Already!

A great second installment of The Paranormal PI Files, I read it once I realized it appeared in my kindle library! I couldn't put it down, it had all the fun twists and turns the first one had and it delved a little deeper into Clare and her Masters feelings and a bit about them as separate Fae.

Get your copy today!
1,514 reviews11 followers
March 14, 2019
Must read series!!

Somehow this book was better than the first. Constant action, betrayal, sexual tension, prophecies. It has a fantastic plot and some amazing characters. I don't like to give a book away but I will say several things blowed my mind and it's going to be an excruciating wait to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Dan.
254 reviews
March 17, 2019
Wonderful Book

This is the second book in the PI Files series and it picks up right after the end of book 1. It gives you more insight into the way the Fey live and what happens in London after the events of the first book. There is plenty of action and suspense. A really good read.
Profile Image for Hisham El-far.
452 reviews11 followers
September 12, 2019
The second installment in this promising Urban Fantasy series doesn't quite read as smoothly as the previous book.

I found myself a little irritated by inconsequential things - but it is still an entertaining enough read that I will still be reading the 3rd book.

The characters are still interesting and there's still a lot of untapped potential to hopefully reveal in later books.
463 reviews
April 29, 2020
Good 2nd book

Told from Clarks POV who is a strong independent fae/shifter who craves for a relationship with the Prince. There is lots of action throughout and mystery. Finally Clark finds out about the reason the Prince keeps pushing her away. There are some surprises along the way as the story develops. Highly recommended
14 reviews
May 13, 2020
Good Read

A nice easy read. The writing is not overly complicated and wordy, but keeps your attention and the story moving forward. I hate being distracted by grammatical errors and I am glad to say I did not have that problem with this book. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog).
3,113 reviews92 followers
March 10, 2019
Bloody brilliant! A fantastic addition to the series. I loved learning more about the characters especially a certain Prince. I can’t wait to see where things go from here. So much happened in this one I never know what to expect.
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