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Four Moons #1
First Moon
Hunter. Half-werewolf. One hell of a baker.
Need someone, or something, hunted down? Akira Murakami is your man! No target is too small for him to get his energy-sucking blades swinging, and all jobs are welcome at the right price.
The bills have to be paid after all.
Living in a world where the apocalypse almost happened can be complicated, as is being the hybrid son of the High Werewolf of, well, everything. But Akira likes to live a relatively simpler life than dear old papa would like, shunning all the political crap, living by the sword and perfecting that recipe for dark chocolate and raspberry brownies.
Killing is easy.
Brownies are easy.
Too easy.
To hell with the simple life!
There’s a werewolf killer stalking the city, and Akira is about to be caught in the middle of everything.
Step into an alternative London where the London Underground is above your head, Hyde Park a prison for some creepy shadow creatures, and plenty of baking goes down in a tiny flat on Grays Inn Road.
A kick-ass Urban Fantasy adventure with a slow-burn MM Romance.
Need someone, or something, hunted down? Akira Murakami is your man! No target is too small for him to get his energy-sucking blades swinging, and all jobs are welcome at the right price.
The bills have to be paid after all.
Living in a world where the apocalypse almost happened can be complicated, as is being the hybrid son of the High Werewolf of, well, everything. But Akira likes to live a relatively simpler life than dear old papa would like, shunning all the political crap, living by the sword and perfecting that recipe for dark chocolate and raspberry brownies.
Killing is easy.
Brownies are easy.
Too easy.
To hell with the simple life!
There’s a werewolf killer stalking the city, and Akira is about to be caught in the middle of everything.
Step into an alternative London where the London Underground is above your head, Hyde Park a prison for some creepy shadow creatures, and plenty of baking goes down in a tiny flat on Grays Inn Road.
A kick-ass Urban Fantasy adventure with a slow-burn MM Romance.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2020
387 people are currently reading
870 people want to read
About the author
Richard Amos
67 books383 followersRichard Amos is an author from England who is constantly lost in the worlds he writes about, and the ones in the queue yet to be written. He also has more books in his house than anything else, and is never without a book (and chocolate) in his hands when he's not writing. He’s a proud nerd who loves to dance. Hard.
Richard writes M/M Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance, all with tons of kick-ass action, adventure, twisty plots, and yummy times.
🔗 https://linktr.ee/richardamosauthor
Richard writes M/M Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance, all with tons of kick-ass action, adventure, twisty plots, and yummy times.
🔗 https://linktr.ee/richardamosauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
March 6, 2020
2.25 Stars
Mixed feelings, once again. Given the rating, it's clear that I didn't like the book. But I'm still considering reading the sequel when it comes out. That's strange, isn't it? But the series seems to have potential. It's the execution that falters.
The story follows Akira. Akira's a werewolf, and a hunter, who can't shift. He does have two wolves, though. They're invisible and intangible to everyone except him. He can send them out and sense what's happening miles away. Does that appease his father? No, it doesn't, because his father's a dick. That's why they don't have a good relationship, and why Akira's chosen to become a hunter-for-hire.
The world that this book is set in has a lot of supernatural creatures. The werewolves are the leaders. Akira's father, specifically, is the leader. The only ones capable of challenging his power are the elves. Elves are magical, very powerful, and there's only a tentative truce between the two species. So when werewolves start getting killed in a ritualistic fashion, the elves are the prime suspects. Akira is made to be involved in the investigation. That's supposed to be the plot. The operative phrase being "supposed to be".
This book is all over the place. The author has a lot of things that he wants to tell the readers. But he isn't able to direct the information in a way that creates a coherent, streamlined plot.
The author wants us to know about how badass Akira is. He wants us to know that this book is totally hardcore. He wants us to know about Akira's relationship with his father, his best friend, the guy he likes, and some other random people. He wants to see Akira hunting. There also has to be a potential romance and people trying to kill Akira. And unfortunately, the murdered werewolves get lost somewhere in all of that. For the first two-thirds of the book, they're little more than a passing mention, or an inconvenience.
Akira's narrative is another thing that kinda all over the place. I understand the need to have a badass protagonist, but there are better ways to portray that. What I see in Akira is an ass with anger management issues who swears and exclaims a lot, tries to pick a fight with everyone, and has no consistent personality.
The prose, as a whole, is problematic as well. It can be funny, sure, but so unnecessarily dramatic, with Akira losing his cool over every fucking thing. And there are so many exclamation points! I can't seem to use the search option to count them, but the number couldn't be less than 100. And after a while, I just rolled my eyes at everything Akira found worthy of swearing up a storm over. And believe me, I don't give a fuck about swearing in books; as long as it's not a way to make characters "cool" or whatever.
Finally, things are liked... That's a difficult question to answer. I liked little bits of a lot of things. I liked parts of Akira's personality. I liked parts of the plot. I'm interested in seeing how the romance will go. And I found the world interesting, though lacking in development.
That's why I'm considering reading the sequel. Yeah, this book didn't work for me. But the potential is still there. So many things could be vastly improved with some changes here and there. A more focused narrative and Akira getting some fucking chill being the first of them. I don't know what the sequel will bring though. And I can't recommend a book based solely on potential. Read at your own peril.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mixed feelings, once again. Given the rating, it's clear that I didn't like the book. But I'm still considering reading the sequel when it comes out. That's strange, isn't it? But the series seems to have potential. It's the execution that falters.
The story follows Akira. Akira's a werewolf, and a hunter, who can't shift. He does have two wolves, though. They're invisible and intangible to everyone except him. He can send them out and sense what's happening miles away. Does that appease his father? No, it doesn't, because his father's a dick. That's why they don't have a good relationship, and why Akira's chosen to become a hunter-for-hire.
The world that this book is set in has a lot of supernatural creatures. The werewolves are the leaders. Akira's father, specifically, is the leader. The only ones capable of challenging his power are the elves. Elves are magical, very powerful, and there's only a tentative truce between the two species. So when werewolves start getting killed in a ritualistic fashion, the elves are the prime suspects. Akira is made to be involved in the investigation. That's supposed to be the plot. The operative phrase being "supposed to be".
This book is all over the place. The author has a lot of things that he wants to tell the readers. But he isn't able to direct the information in a way that creates a coherent, streamlined plot.
The author wants us to know about how badass Akira is. He wants us to know that this book is totally hardcore. He wants us to know about Akira's relationship with his father, his best friend, the guy he likes, and some other random people. He wants to see Akira hunting. There also has to be a potential romance and people trying to kill Akira. And unfortunately, the murdered werewolves get lost somewhere in all of that. For the first two-thirds of the book, they're little more than a passing mention, or an inconvenience.
Akira's narrative is another thing that kinda all over the place. I understand the need to have a badass protagonist, but there are better ways to portray that. What I see in Akira is an ass with anger management issues who swears and exclaims a lot, tries to pick a fight with everyone, and has no consistent personality.
The prose, as a whole, is problematic as well. It can be funny, sure, but so unnecessarily dramatic, with Akira losing his cool over every fucking thing. And there are so many exclamation points! I can't seem to use the search option to count them, but the number couldn't be less than 100. And after a while, I just rolled my eyes at everything Akira found worthy of swearing up a storm over. And believe me, I don't give a fuck about swearing in books; as long as it's not a way to make characters "cool" or whatever.
Finally, things are liked... That's a difficult question to answer. I liked little bits of a lot of things. I liked parts of Akira's personality. I liked parts of the plot. I'm interested in seeing how the romance will go. And I found the world interesting, though lacking in development.
That's why I'm considering reading the sequel. Yeah, this book didn't work for me. But the potential is still there. So many things could be vastly improved with some changes here and there. A more focused narrative and Akira getting some fucking chill being the first of them. I don't know what the sequel will bring though. And I can't recommend a book based solely on potential. Read at your own peril.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2021
2.5 Stars
What to say? Well, while I kind of liked the main character, Akira Murakami, he is very immature and inconsistent in his reactions to events and people around him. Though I don't remember getting an age, he's probably in his mid-20s, but acts like he's still a teenager in his responses to his father (the High Alpha) and the men who surround his father. Akira just doesn't have all the tools to process his feelings and needs yet and it shows in the hot/cold approach he takes with the guy he's interested in, Gabriel. Gabriel, despite being the High Alpha's beta, doesn't act like any beta I've encountered in fiction.
This story is riddled with problems from top to bottom, the biggest one being that Mr. Amos seems to have drawn all his cultural information about Japan, interpersonal relationships, and the country's belief system from anime.
I'm no expert on Japanese culture by a long shot, but even I would think that Gabriel should show a little more difference to Akira than he does, since, as the Alpha's son, is technically higher in rank than the beta. There's a real lack of formality in this story and it actually grates a bit. It's also a lost opportunity for some character building and interaction.
Tenshi are based on the Buddhist Tennin. They're not gods, but "angels", though in this story they're worshiped like gods. The mazkou are demons (by the way, the word is misspelled throughout the text, it should be mazoku), and are straight out of anime as far as I can tell. (They're not Oni, the Japanese word for demon, by the way.) If I had known about the anime thing going in, I would not have read this story, not being a big fan. I was looking for mythology more akin to Hailey Turner or Rick Riordan or Neal Gaiman's excellent research and got ... this instead.
I am very disappointed.
What to say? Well, while I kind of liked the main character, Akira Murakami, he is very immature and inconsistent in his reactions to events and people around him. Though I don't remember getting an age, he's probably in his mid-20s, but acts like he's still a teenager in his responses to his father (the High Alpha) and the men who surround his father. Akira just doesn't have all the tools to process his feelings and needs yet and it shows in the hot/cold approach he takes with the guy he's interested in, Gabriel. Gabriel, despite being the High Alpha's beta, doesn't act like any beta I've encountered in fiction.
This story is riddled with problems from top to bottom, the biggest one being that Mr. Amos seems to have drawn all his cultural information about Japan, interpersonal relationships, and the country's belief system from anime.
I'm no expert on Japanese culture by a long shot, but even I would think that Gabriel should show a little more difference to Akira than he does, since, as the Alpha's son, is technically higher in rank than the beta. There's a real lack of formality in this story and it actually grates a bit. It's also a lost opportunity for some character building and interaction.
Tenshi are based on the Buddhist Tennin. They're not gods, but "angels", though in this story they're worshiped like gods. The mazkou are demons (by the way, the word is misspelled throughout the text, it should be mazoku), and are straight out of anime as far as I can tell. (They're not Oni, the Japanese word for demon, by the way.) If I had known about the anime thing going in, I would not have read this story, not being a big fan. I was looking for mythology more akin to Hailey Turner or Rick Riordan or Neal Gaiman's excellent research and got ... this instead.
I am very disappointed.
July 21, 2024
This book reminded me of an anime: the fight scenes, the attitude of the Akira, and some of the world-building. That has some positives and some negatives. There is plenty of action and it is easy to identify with some of the things going on. On the negative side, there is info dumping that is a little awkward and Akira comes off as a sullen teenager a lot even though he seems to be in his 20s. All the swearing becomes boring after a while.
The main plot of the story, the werewolf killings investigation, doesn't get going until the later part of the book. Things begin to get interesting then.
Akira becomes more than a flat character when he is baking and interacting with some of the side characters. I enjoyed his interaction with the beta watching over him at his father's orders.
The series has promise but it is a little choppy. Not unusual for the first in a series.
The main plot of the story, the werewolf killings investigation, doesn't get going until the later part of the book. Things begin to get interesting then.
Akira becomes more than a flat character when he is baking and interacting with some of the side characters. I enjoyed his interaction with the beta watching over him at his father's orders.
The series has promise but it is a little choppy. Not unusual for the first in a series.
June 5, 2020
June 2020
Still loved it, Ali is a great character and who wouldn't love G ... but the first half is a bit more difficult due to Akis petulance. But love the second half and the whole book. So glad the second book is finally here
First read
This was a great book ... loved it and I am slightly annoyed that I have to wait for the next one.
The story was great and I definitely didn't see that coming
Be aware: this is no real romance book but I highly recommend it nevertheless.
Do want to have the next one ... and I hope the romance part will be more active there
Still loved it, Ali is a great character and who wouldn't love G ... but the first half is a bit more difficult due to Akis petulance. But love the second half and the whole book. So glad the second book is finally here
First read
This was a great book ... loved it and I am slightly annoyed that I have to wait for the next one.
The story was great and I definitely didn't see that coming
Be aware: this is no real romance book but I highly recommend it nevertheless.
Do want to have the next one ... and I hope the romance part will be more active there
April 15, 2022
Did I binge this book in a day? Yes.
Would I recommend it to everyone? No.
This is kinda like a trashy horror movie. You like it for what it is but it’s nothing special.
If you want just a fun romp with plenty of action and no real romance, then sure, give this a try.
Would I recommend it to everyone? No.
This is kinda like a trashy horror movie. You like it for what it is but it’s nothing special.
If you want just a fun romp with plenty of action and no real romance, then sure, give this a try.
dnf
June 8, 2022DNF @ 11% This book just bored me. Lots of action scenes and lore dumping at the start that I didn't find interesting.
March 3, 2020
First Moon Review
The thing I love about Richard Amos and his storytelling is that from the first page he grabs you by the guts and heart and squeezes and pulls until the last page. You think you know what is coming around the bend, but as soon as you turn the corner a twist happens and you're turning in a different direction.
This story takes place in London where somewhere in the future the earth is governed by the supernatural. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain, and this story is about a half breed werewolf, Akira, son to the Alpha Prime. Akira never knew his mother and has no idea what his other half is...he only knows he lacks the power to shift like other weres, certain supernatural entities are frightened of him, and he makes one mean cupcake. Oh, he also has the hots for his dad's beta, Gabriel, and the feeling is mutual...maybe...kinda...sorta… Oh, let's be serious, that guy's got it bad too, but he's the Alpha's Beta, and Akira is the Alpha's disappointment of a son. See the dilemma?!?!
As with the Dylan Rivers Chronicles, this is an episodic series, meaning each book will end with an HFN or a minor cliffy. Think of it as a TV or movie series - the same rules apply. That's half the fun though sometimes...the excitement and anticipation of waiting for what comes next.
This book was packed to the gills with supernatural action, adventure, and mystery and unlike The DRC, the sMMexy times were minimal, just in case that ain't your bag. 😜 I'm already looking forward to book #2!
4.25 darkness-filled-sun-moon-&-stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟•✨
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 🍀
The thing I love about Richard Amos and his storytelling is that from the first page he grabs you by the guts and heart and squeezes and pulls until the last page. You think you know what is coming around the bend, but as soon as you turn the corner a twist happens and you're turning in a different direction.
This story takes place in London where somewhere in the future the earth is governed by the supernatural. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain, and this story is about a half breed werewolf, Akira, son to the Alpha Prime. Akira never knew his mother and has no idea what his other half is...he only knows he lacks the power to shift like other weres, certain supernatural entities are frightened of him, and he makes one mean cupcake. Oh, he also has the hots for his dad's beta, Gabriel, and the feeling is mutual...maybe...kinda...sorta… Oh, let's be serious, that guy's got it bad too, but he's the Alpha's Beta, and Akira is the Alpha's disappointment of a son. See the dilemma?!?!
As with the Dylan Rivers Chronicles, this is an episodic series, meaning each book will end with an HFN or a minor cliffy. Think of it as a TV or movie series - the same rules apply. That's half the fun though sometimes...the excitement and anticipation of waiting for what comes next.
This book was packed to the gills with supernatural action, adventure, and mystery and unlike The DRC, the sMMexy times were minimal, just in case that ain't your bag. 😜 I'm already looking forward to book #2!
4.25 darkness-filled-sun-moon-&-stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟•✨
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 🍀
February 29, 2020
There's a lot to recommend this book; the world building, the side characters are bold without being cartoon-like; there's a ton of action, mystery and intrigue, and most importantly the main characters are well rounded and engaging enough that you genuinely care about them.
This is definitely an opposites attract situation as Akira is a flawed hero with serious daddy issues, who is completely in denial about his feelings for Gabriel...love the snark though. Meanwhile, the Beta is trying to fulfil his duty to Akira's father and to the man himself...a definite conflict of interests, but he's got his stuff together.
On balance, I would say that First Moon is more of a paranormal mystery/adventure story rather than romance due to the slowness of the slow burn but, given it is the first in a new series, I'd anticipate Akira and G upping the ante in subsequent books. That said, it IS a good start to a new series and I'm certainly intrigued enough to add the next installment to my TBR. 4*
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
This is definitely an opposites attract situation as Akira is a flawed hero with serious daddy issues, who is completely in denial about his feelings for Gabriel...love the snark though. Meanwhile, the Beta is trying to fulfil his duty to Akira's father and to the man himself...a definite conflict of interests, but he's got his stuff together.
On balance, I would say that First Moon is more of a paranormal mystery/adventure story rather than romance due to the slowness of the slow burn but, given it is the first in a new series, I'd anticipate Akira and G upping the ante in subsequent books. That said, it IS a good start to a new series and I'm certainly intrigued enough to add the next installment to my TBR. 4*
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
February 11, 2022
3.5 stars
Full review to come, well-done LGBTQ+ Dark Urban Fantasy.
Full review to come, well-done LGBTQ+ Dark Urban Fantasy.
February 28, 2020
I’ve been a fan of this author for a while, and I both love and hate when an author I enjoy comes out with a new series as this one is. What if it isn’t as good as the other books I enjoy? Well, no worries here because this is probably the best book by this author yet. Aki is a werewolf but not in the common way. I loved this unique spin. He has issues, but he is a good guy at heart. The story progressed nicely, and I was utterly surprised at the end: I did NOT see that coming. I am looking forward to more in this universe with the next book! Highly recommend, and I provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
September 21, 2020
3.5 stars
Fun and action-packed paranormal fantasy with a dash of mystery, lots of pining and a few technical issues.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence and death, gore, homophobia, antagonistic parent-child relatonship, sex off-page but referenced frequently; mentions of bullying, abusive past relationship with implications of grooming.
I was a fan of the world this story took place is. I loved this modern paranormal London and the futuristic touch in particular. Still, more detail about the whole werewolf overlord thing and how it all connects to Akira's family, the various other paranormal creatures, cities and countries would have been appreciated.
Another cool touch there was how Akira's being half werewolf affected him, and how instead of shifting he had two ghostly wolf spectrals, called Bob and Rose, who did his bidding as an extension of his senses.
Akira, the protagonist, had his ups and downs for me. His badass-cool-bro attitude had its moments, but at other times felt awkwardly overdone to me.
The plot was a bit loose and sometimes it felt like it was moving away from what was supposed to be important, but it felt deliberate in how Akira repeatedly tried to distance himself from what's happening, wanting to focus on his own personal problems and feelings, yet he kept getting pulled back in against his will again and again. It was always engaging and never boring. I liked the open ending and unanswered mysteries that I'm now itching to solve, and I'm invested into several of the side characters and their fates.
I liked the high amount of POC characters in the book, though as a white reviewer I cannot comment on the representation. There was no overt racism on page. Akira is Japanese-British just like several other key characters, and the love interest is black.
Overall a fun book to read, with the story mostly making up for the things that bothered me, and I will be on the lookout for the next in the series.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Fun and action-packed paranormal fantasy with a dash of mystery, lots of pining and a few technical issues.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence and death, gore, homophobia, antagonistic parent-child relatonship, sex off-page but referenced frequently; mentions of bullying, abusive past relationship with implications of grooming.
I was a fan of the world this story took place is. I loved this modern paranormal London and the futuristic touch in particular. Still, more detail about the whole werewolf overlord thing and how it all connects to Akira's family, the various other paranormal creatures, cities and countries would have been appreciated.
Another cool touch there was how Akira's being half werewolf affected him, and how instead of shifting he had two ghostly wolf spectrals, called Bob and Rose, who did his bidding as an extension of his senses.
Akira, the protagonist, had his ups and downs for me. His badass-cool-bro attitude had its moments, but at other times felt awkwardly overdone to me.
The plot was a bit loose and sometimes it felt like it was moving away from what was supposed to be important, but it felt deliberate in how Akira repeatedly tried to distance himself from what's happening, wanting to focus on his own personal problems and feelings, yet he kept getting pulled back in against his will again and again. It was always engaging and never boring. I liked the open ending and unanswered mysteries that I'm now itching to solve, and I'm invested into several of the side characters and their fates.
I liked the high amount of POC characters in the book, though as a white reviewer I cannot comment on the representation. There was no overt racism on page. Akira is Japanese-British just like several other key characters, and the love interest is black.
Overall a fun book to read, with the story mostly making up for the things that bothered me, and I will be on the lookout for the next in the series.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
September 20, 2022
Messy
Great concept that will somehow get me to read book 2 despite the fact I can't stand Akira. All he does is whine and at least 50% of the time he needs to be rescued from his own stupidity. He lacks backbone and is constantly throwing tantrums like a child. He reads like a 13 year old boy, not a man in his 20s. He needs to grow up stat.
Also, I didn't like his dialect. It makes no sense foe him to talk blue collar when he was raised essentially as a prince. Not only was it tedious to slog through all the colloquialisms that don't make sense to a non British person (which I could have accepted), but also the childish and constant shortening of words made Akira feel even more incompetent and teenaged. It undermined the story and character, IMO.
The book also suffered from repetitive phrases; Akira would often say things in twos or threes. On top of this, he'd also go off on irrelevant tangents. So much of the inner dialogue was a messy and full of things that I grouped into a "don't care and doesn't matter" pile as it relates to the story. Not much actually dealt with the plot or relevant character growth.
Readers who don't want a plot heavy book or don't mind the wandering dialogue may enjoy this more than I did.
Great concept that will somehow get me to read book 2 despite the fact I can't stand Akira. All he does is whine and at least 50% of the time he needs to be rescued from his own stupidity. He lacks backbone and is constantly throwing tantrums like a child. He reads like a 13 year old boy, not a man in his 20s. He needs to grow up stat.
Also, I didn't like his dialect. It makes no sense foe him to talk blue collar when he was raised essentially as a prince. Not only was it tedious to slog through all the colloquialisms that don't make sense to a non British person (which I could have accepted), but also the childish and constant shortening of words made Akira feel even more incompetent and teenaged. It undermined the story and character, IMO.
The book also suffered from repetitive phrases; Akira would often say things in twos or threes. On top of this, he'd also go off on irrelevant tangents. So much of the inner dialogue was a messy and full of things that I grouped into a "don't care and doesn't matter" pile as it relates to the story. Not much actually dealt with the plot or relevant character growth.
Readers who don't want a plot heavy book or don't mind the wandering dialogue may enjoy this more than I did.
December 26, 2022
I really wanted to like this series. It has a fantastic premise, which is why I picked it up.
And yanno, I hear the complaints about the MC being an indiscriminate killer and sure sure the guys he kills are 'bad guys' so I'll give that a pass.
However, I couldn't finish this book. I wanted to. I was trying to.
This question goes out to all Urban Fantasy writers who write male protags:
Is this now some genre expectation to write the male protag as a 12 year old in a 24 year old body? These characters aren't endearing, or funny, or snarky. They ridiculous. They have NO maturity about them at all.
Is this snarkiness supposed to pass for character development or something? If so, it's not working. All I'm reading are children in grown bodies who pout, and snipe, and spout stupid sarcasm, and act like a spoiled brat and I guess that's supposed to pass for...hell I don't even know. It's like reading a Warner Bros cartoon with the over-the-top ridiculous petulant male characters who are supposed to be adults and save the city/world.
Can someone please let me know when a UF author writing male protags writes a damn adult? Because if this is where UF is heading, I'm stepping off at the next stop.
And yanno, I hear the complaints about the MC being an indiscriminate killer and sure sure the guys he kills are 'bad guys' so I'll give that a pass.
However, I couldn't finish this book. I wanted to. I was trying to.
This question goes out to all Urban Fantasy writers who write male protags:
Is this now some genre expectation to write the male protag as a 12 year old in a 24 year old body? These characters aren't endearing, or funny, or snarky. They ridiculous. They have NO maturity about them at all.
Is this snarkiness supposed to pass for character development or something? If so, it's not working. All I'm reading are children in grown bodies who pout, and snipe, and spout stupid sarcasm, and act like a spoiled brat and I guess that's supposed to pass for...hell I don't even know. It's like reading a Warner Bros cartoon with the over-the-top ridiculous petulant male characters who are supposed to be adults and save the city/world.
Can someone please let me know when a UF author writing male protags writes a damn adult? Because if this is where UF is heading, I'm stepping off at the next stop.
May 7, 2022
I liked the blurb, and got it just for the interest of a baker/assassin character. I love it when the blurb is "we have a thing", and the text goes "but wait there's more!".
It has assassins and baking, but also murder/mystery, a magical post apocalyptic scenery, intra species conflict, motorcycles (poor Cindy), and as the cherry on top it has a delightfully slow burn romance. Really slow burn. It has the feel of one of those recipes that take multiple days of prep, the flavor is usually richer in the end. And I want a biye of more
It has assassins and baking, but also murder/mystery, a magical post apocalyptic scenery, intra species conflict, motorcycles (poor Cindy), and as the cherry on top it has a delightfully slow burn romance. Really slow burn. It has the feel of one of those recipes that take multiple days of prep, the flavor is usually richer in the end. And I want a biye of more
March 4, 2020
Excellent paranormal urban fantasy.
First book in the series. Nothing is resolved by the end end of this book, so in that way it is a cliffhanger, but no one is in immediate mortal peril either.
This book has romantic elements but is not a romance. The end relationship (hopefully) is obvious but no nearer fruition than at the start of the book.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
First book in the series. Nothing is resolved by the end end of this book, so in that way it is a cliffhanger, but no one is in immediate mortal peril either.
This book has romantic elements but is not a romance. The end relationship (hopefully) is obvious but no nearer fruition than at the start of the book.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
June 1, 2020
Could have been interesting- except for the swiss-cheese worldbuilding, terrible writing, lack of any cohesive plot, and a main character that reads like a whiny rich kid brat trying to act like a whiny rich kid's immitation of a noir anti-hero streetfighter.
January 21, 2021
What a promising beginning of a new series. All included of my favorites: shifters, magic, a sassy bad boy with a tragic past and a golden heart, so of course I loved it. And went straight to the next book in the series.
March 4, 2020
I have read all the reviews on this book and it is hard to beat it. It took me a long time to find a book that captivates me so much; now I'm waiting for the next one. Thanks Richard.
March 4, 2020
urban fantasy is a hit or miss with me but this was pretty fascinating to me and held my attention the whole way through. i loved the authors writing style and the world they created alongside the characters. this was a fun read because of the adventure side of things and how utterly funny the mc is BUT i wouldn’t consider (this book at least perhaps it’ll change in the next book) this a romance — it gives a whole new meaning to slow burn.
if you’re looking for a different and unique shifter story with a snarky mc who you won’t be able but to love — id recommend this one!
3.5 stars
♡ arc provided in exchange for an honest review ♡
if you’re looking for a different and unique shifter story with a snarky mc who you won’t be able but to love — id recommend this one!
3.5 stars
♡ arc provided in exchange for an honest review ♡
March 3, 2020
This was a very good story. I went in a little skeptical because urban fantasy can be hit or miss for me but this one was intriguing. Akira didn’t have a great time growing up and seems to be making a life he is mostly happy with, though I hated that all of that was thrown into a tailspin by the end of the book but have hope as this series continues it will all be better in the end. Him and Gabriel sure do dance around each other but I understand both of their hesitance is about and hopefully it start to work out and settle which I think will help them both out.
I received a copy of this book and am giving an honest review.
I received a copy of this book and am giving an honest review.
April 19, 2022
Good start…
This book sort of had a cliffhanger ending, which I hate, but it was still a good start to an interesting series. I’m not sure how I feel about Aki. One minute he’s this Billy badass, then the next he’s meek and timid. I guess it’s on to book 2
This book sort of had a cliffhanger ending, which I hate, but it was still a good start to an interesting series. I’m not sure how I feel about Aki. One minute he’s this Billy badass, then the next he’s meek and timid. I guess it’s on to book 2
March 1, 2020
good story.. good characters.. very good writing. i enjoyed it. very london writing which was fun to read and hear in my head haha. i liked this a lot.
February 2, 2021
✮4 Stars✮
July 6, 2022
3.75 ⭐️
March 17, 2020
Meh
I liked the idea of this and the general world seemed interesting but it lost steam after that.
Akita, the main character, spent the whole book basically being a bratty jerk to just about everyone in his life and didn’t actually help or do anything. Didn’t like him at all and couldn’t really see a character arch. He did apologize for being a jerk a couple times but mostly just went back to it. I think he was supposed to also be a badass antihero but really i saw a guy who just sort of killed a lot of people for money or because they looked at him wrong. And even then when he was up against anything other than a human he seemed to get his butt kicked pretty good and often.
The dialogue between characters felt juvenile and didn’t express much and the main love interest, G, had no real character at all. The very young way everyone talked was contrasted really hard by the blood and gore and puking the author would lean into pretty hard. It was very jarring for me going from all these kind of dumb quips to heads being kind of graphically cut off.
The author also has a way of writing scenes where stuff happens and yet also nothing happens and then when the scene is over he’ll make a couple all encompassing sentences up that actually do the things he was trying to accomplish. Like the final showdown went on with back and forth for several pages and then the chapter after that had to start with a paragraph that explained what the showdown was about and had accomplished because that didn’t actually get understood or talked about during the actual scene or even leading up to the scene. Most of this book seemed to be Akira blindly stumbling from one event to another, piecing nothing together, understanding nothing and then the end. In fact the main mystery plot didn’t even start till 50% in, I know cause the mentioned a dead body and I actually checked the percent because I was confused at why a new thing was being introduced. By that point in the book I had already assumed it was just going to be an angsty romance between Akira and G.
I made it all the way to the end but I won’t be buying the next book.
I liked the idea of this and the general world seemed interesting but it lost steam after that.
Akita, the main character, spent the whole book basically being a bratty jerk to just about everyone in his life and didn’t actually help or do anything. Didn’t like him at all and couldn’t really see a character arch. He did apologize for being a jerk a couple times but mostly just went back to it. I think he was supposed to also be a badass antihero but really i saw a guy who just sort of killed a lot of people for money or because they looked at him wrong. And even then when he was up against anything other than a human he seemed to get his butt kicked pretty good and often.
The dialogue between characters felt juvenile and didn’t express much and the main love interest, G, had no real character at all. The very young way everyone talked was contrasted really hard by the blood and gore and puking the author would lean into pretty hard. It was very jarring for me going from all these kind of dumb quips to heads being kind of graphically cut off.
The author also has a way of writing scenes where stuff happens and yet also nothing happens and then when the scene is over he’ll make a couple all encompassing sentences up that actually do the things he was trying to accomplish. Like the final showdown went on with back and forth for several pages and then the chapter after that had to start with a paragraph that explained what the showdown was about and had accomplished because that didn’t actually get understood or talked about during the actual scene or even leading up to the scene. Most of this book seemed to be Akira blindly stumbling from one event to another, piecing nothing together, understanding nothing and then the end. In fact the main mystery plot didn’t even start till 50% in, I know cause the mentioned a dead body and I actually checked the percent because I was confused at why a new thing was being introduced. By that point in the book I had already assumed it was just going to be an angsty romance between Akira and G.
I made it all the way to the end but I won’t be buying the next book.
June 20, 2020
I got pulled into this story very quickly. I loved Akira’s narrative style. It’s very informal and fits his character and mindset perfectly. I liked the different feel of this story, with its urban fantasy feel yet AU as well. The world building is fabulous, as are the characters. I liked the take on an alternate London which also feels futuristic in some ways, yet not. I especially liked the different take on werewolves and vampires.
Akira rocks as a character. He’s strong, yet vulnerable, and I love how his default way of coping with stress is baking! I thought him being a werewolf who can’t shift, but has other skills was an interesting mix. Rose and Bob are very cool, and so are Aki’s blades.
I love Gabriel—G—and their slow burn romance. Considering what Akira has been through in the past, it makes a lot of sense that he does the one step forward, two back dance. I’d love to see something, even a short story, from G’s POV at some point. He’s intriguing, and an all round nice guy who clearly has feelings for Akira.
I had to smile at the Banshees that Aki is hunting, and now want revenge. It’s a not so subtle reference to a well known social media thing in our world.
The supporting cast rounds out the world and gives it an added depth. I like that there’s a mix of good and bad guys in this world, and across different species of supernatural. I’m wondering if Aki’s dad is entirely the cold guy Aki thinks he is, or whether that is part unreliable narrator as the story is told from Aki’s POV. On the other hand, I really hope Colin gets what’s coming to him, and more. He’s a total piece of work. And Xavier is all kinds of awesome.
The plot had me guessing and trying to connect the dots and I didn’t see the twist coming. It is very well done, and full of lots of hurt/comfort which always makes me happy.
Be warned that this story isn’t resolved in the first book, but is a series wide arc that will leave you wanting the next book NOW.
Akira rocks as a character. He’s strong, yet vulnerable, and I love how his default way of coping with stress is baking! I thought him being a werewolf who can’t shift, but has other skills was an interesting mix. Rose and Bob are very cool, and so are Aki’s blades.
I love Gabriel—G—and their slow burn romance. Considering what Akira has been through in the past, it makes a lot of sense that he does the one step forward, two back dance. I’d love to see something, even a short story, from G’s POV at some point. He’s intriguing, and an all round nice guy who clearly has feelings for Akira.
I had to smile at the Banshees that Aki is hunting, and now want revenge. It’s a not so subtle reference to a well known social media thing in our world.
The supporting cast rounds out the world and gives it an added depth. I like that there’s a mix of good and bad guys in this world, and across different species of supernatural. I’m wondering if Aki’s dad is entirely the cold guy Aki thinks he is, or whether that is part unreliable narrator as the story is told from Aki’s POV. On the other hand, I really hope Colin gets what’s coming to him, and more. He’s a total piece of work. And Xavier is all kinds of awesome.
The plot had me guessing and trying to connect the dots and I didn’t see the twist coming. It is very well done, and full of lots of hurt/comfort which always makes me happy.
Be warned that this story isn’t resolved in the first book, but is a series wide arc that will leave you wanting the next book NOW.
February 28, 2020
Cliffhanger!
Oh, the agony of the dreaded cliffhanger! I loved this book, I want to know what happens next, so no higher praise can be given! June is sooooo far away!
Okay, so you want to know more. Well, this is a very slow burn series. There's virtually no love connection in this book though the reader gets a hint of what's to be. It's not a book that should be read for the heat factor, because the heat factor is zero. But the storyline is quite compelling and the author did a great job with the world-building without doing too much info dumping. I thought everything was really interesting and I didn't get annoyed by anything, which is so rare for me. This book is my first by this author, and I really want to run out and get all his other books, but I'm afraid they can't live up to this standard!
To address the other reviews which had objections to the writing: so this author is British and this book is written in a very London dialect. There's nothing wrong with using descriptive grammar rather than prescriptive grammar when writing fiction. That means the author writes the way people in London talk. It's not going to read like formal business writing, but do you really want it to? Sometimes people might not understand all the slang, but honestly there's not that much of it and if you're really lost, you can hit up urban dictionary. I mean it's not like the characters are speaking unintelligible Gibberish or something.
Oh, the agony of the dreaded cliffhanger! I loved this book, I want to know what happens next, so no higher praise can be given! June is sooooo far away!
Okay, so you want to know more. Well, this is a very slow burn series. There's virtually no love connection in this book though the reader gets a hint of what's to be. It's not a book that should be read for the heat factor, because the heat factor is zero. But the storyline is quite compelling and the author did a great job with the world-building without doing too much info dumping. I thought everything was really interesting and I didn't get annoyed by anything, which is so rare for me. This book is my first by this author, and I really want to run out and get all his other books, but I'm afraid they can't live up to this standard!
To address the other reviews which had objections to the writing: so this author is British and this book is written in a very London dialect. There's nothing wrong with using descriptive grammar rather than prescriptive grammar when writing fiction. That means the author writes the way people in London talk. It's not going to read like formal business writing, but do you really want it to? Sometimes people might not understand all the slang, but honestly there's not that much of it and if you're really lost, you can hit up urban dictionary. I mean it's not like the characters are speaking unintelligible Gibberish or something.
November 10, 2021
Akira is the son of the High Alpha, but since he can't shift because he is an only half werewolf. He doesn't know his other half since his dad has refused to talk about his mom since she died. His dad's Beta, Gaberial, shadows him. Akira spends his time hunting those that have wronged others, but when werewolves start to die, his father hires him to track the killer. Things start to go a bit crazy, and Akira and Gaberial fight for their lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed this different take on the present world with the werewolves in charge of everyone and magic being very present in the world. Akira and Gaberial have a very tenuous relationship, they are friends, but you can see the sparks between them. The book ends in a cliffhanger, but it was such a fun read that it made me want to pick up the next book and continue the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this different take on the present world with the werewolves in charge of everyone and magic being very present in the world. Akira and Gaberial have a very tenuous relationship, they are friends, but you can see the sparks between them. The book ends in a cliffhanger, but it was such a fun read that it made me want to pick up the next book and continue the story.
June 2, 2020
Brilliant new storey in a new world.
Amazing diverse Character & world building whilst drawing you into the storey and not losing the plot at all along the way. Slow burn it most definitely is as this book sets out the scene and the storey which itself is quite complex which is part of its appeal but alas not a lot of room for romance but knowing the author this will change in book 2.
This book has everything you would expect from an Urban Fantasy with a few Richard Amos twists hear and there which make it uniquely his.
Amazing diverse Character & world building whilst drawing you into the storey and not losing the plot at all along the way. Slow burn it most definitely is as this book sets out the scene and the storey which itself is quite complex which is part of its appeal but alas not a lot of room for romance but knowing the author this will change in book 2.
This book has everything you would expect from an Urban Fantasy with a few Richard Amos twists hear and there which make it uniquely his.
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