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H&W Investigations #4.5
Silent Cravings
A Paranormal Romantic Comedy With Bite
What’s a vampire to do when the werewolf she craves is playing hard to bite?
Christoph needs to save a young girl from a vampire’s clutches. It’s his fault she’s there in the first place—and rescuing her is the only way he might get back into his alpha’s good graces.
Unfortunately for them both, he’s just not that good.
He and his packmate soon find themselves caught and magically “neutered” by enchanted collars so they can’t hurt anyone in the vampire’s entourage.
Just when Christoph thought it couldn’t get any worse, a mute vampire named Mouse decides to claim him as her boy-toy.
She has her own set of problems involving some lingering issues from her past. She hungers for Christoph, but can’t stand to see someone victimized or—even worse—afraid of her.
The two must learn how to live together (and deal with his new fashion accessory)—without driving the rest of the vampire’s household crazy in the process.
This quirky slice-of-paranormal-life story features familiar faces from vampire Alec Royce's household in the popular H&W Investigations urban fantasy series by Jess Haines, and a deeper look into pack life and politics of the Goliath werewolves of E. Blix. Discover more of these vampires and werewolves in the H&W Investigations:
What’s a vampire to do when the werewolf she craves is playing hard to bite?
Christoph needs to save a young girl from a vampire’s clutches. It’s his fault she’s there in the first place—and rescuing her is the only way he might get back into his alpha’s good graces.
Unfortunately for them both, he’s just not that good.
He and his packmate soon find themselves caught and magically “neutered” by enchanted collars so they can’t hurt anyone in the vampire’s entourage.
Just when Christoph thought it couldn’t get any worse, a mute vampire named Mouse decides to claim him as her boy-toy.
She has her own set of problems involving some lingering issues from her past. She hungers for Christoph, but can’t stand to see someone victimized or—even worse—afraid of her.
The two must learn how to live together (and deal with his new fashion accessory)—without driving the rest of the vampire’s household crazy in the process.
This quirky slice-of-paranormal-life story features familiar faces from vampire Alec Royce's household in the popular H&W Investigations urban fantasy series by Jess Haines, and a deeper look into pack life and politics of the Goliath werewolves of E. Blix. Discover more of these vampires and werewolves in the H&W Investigations:
457 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2013
2 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Jess Haines
20 books525 followersI'm a USA Today and international bestselling author. I consider myself a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. These days, you can find me in the Tampa area. I'm currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow Academy young adult/new adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list at www.jesshaines.com!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 17, 2013
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: Three werewolves end up in a vampire household. Will they howl or cower in fear?
Opening Sentence: The moon hung low in the sky, fat and heavy among the frosty October clouds.
The Review:
First, I think that this book has many redeeming qualities but the worldbuilding isn’t one of them. I spent the first 2/3 of the book wondering about who were the main characters. We get so many bits and pieces of so many characters that I had to walk away from the book and let it germinate for most of the week. That is not my typical behavior with a book, especially a review book. Partly because I’m always anxious to get to my next book, and partly because if I’m not enjoying the book I want to plow right through it and move on to a better story, characters, or world. However, I felt if I pushed through this book I would be doing a disservice to the book and the author, and I’m glad I was patient.
The final 1/3 of the book was great. The reader now understands why Ms. Haines and Ms. Bux spent such time setting up the story, but it is a shame that the rest of the book was not of this same caliber. The lead up is for basically one scene and that is a shame. There is so much I feel that could have been done that it just feels like a lost opportunity.
Hopefully, I haven’t discouraged you so far that you’ve stopped reading this review. So for those of you that have stuck it out, this is one time when the book synopsis and cover art are not in keeping with the actual book. I get what the artist was going for on the cover, but did they read they book? Probably not.
And don’t get me started on the synopsis, this is part of the reason I was so confused about this book. Yes, the story is about Christoph and his tangle with Vampires and about a vampire nicknamed “Mouse” but the story is truly about all the inhabitants of Alec Royce’s vampire home. All the vampires make appearances in one way or another and this was part of my confusion. Every time I was settled into the “main” story we jumped to another scene that seemed to have nothing to do with the real reason I was reading this story.
To be honest, I don’t even think I would categorize this book with the Paranormal Romance genre. It is more of a paranormal fiction book and that isn’t a bad thing, but not really what I anticipated. As a result, I kept anticipating “more” and was left hanging. This book is something I would feel quite happy to recommend a teenager with the understanding that their parents didn’t take issue with the language. This book contains strong suggestive ideas, but overall is a clean book.
So what is my final stance on the book, I enjoyed the final 1/3 and wish that the rest of the story had lived up to that level of enjoyment.
Notable Scene:
There was one last half-pint of cookies-and-cream hidden under the vanilla. The vamp plucked the slightly freezer-burned container out, grinning as he considered how he and Jessica might use it in their “activities” later.
“What the hell does a leech want with ice cream?”
Royce glanced over his should, then straightened and turned, wary. While the vampire was somewhat muscular from a life of toil when he was human, he was dwarfed by the Were looming behind him. The guy’s muscles strained against what should have been loose sweats, his features ruggedly handsome, sporting artfully curly dark brown locks and narrowed brown eyes that met the vampire’s gaze with a challenging stare.
“I don’t know that it’s any of your business,” Royce said, keeping his visage calm and unperturbed. He didn’t want to encourage the Were’s rude behavior to tip into a physical confrontation, but he wasn’t about to let the dog think he could get away with anything either. “Excuse me.”
FTC Advisory: Musa Publishing provided me with a copy of Silent Cravings. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Three werewolves end up in a vampire household. Will they howl or cower in fear?
Opening Sentence: The moon hung low in the sky, fat and heavy among the frosty October clouds.
The Review:
First, I think that this book has many redeeming qualities but the worldbuilding isn’t one of them. I spent the first 2/3 of the book wondering about who were the main characters. We get so many bits and pieces of so many characters that I had to walk away from the book and let it germinate for most of the week. That is not my typical behavior with a book, especially a review book. Partly because I’m always anxious to get to my next book, and partly because if I’m not enjoying the book I want to plow right through it and move on to a better story, characters, or world. However, I felt if I pushed through this book I would be doing a disservice to the book and the author, and I’m glad I was patient.
The final 1/3 of the book was great. The reader now understands why Ms. Haines and Ms. Bux spent such time setting up the story, but it is a shame that the rest of the book was not of this same caliber. The lead up is for basically one scene and that is a shame. There is so much I feel that could have been done that it just feels like a lost opportunity.
Hopefully, I haven’t discouraged you so far that you’ve stopped reading this review. So for those of you that have stuck it out, this is one time when the book synopsis and cover art are not in keeping with the actual book. I get what the artist was going for on the cover, but did they read they book? Probably not.
And don’t get me started on the synopsis, this is part of the reason I was so confused about this book. Yes, the story is about Christoph and his tangle with Vampires and about a vampire nicknamed “Mouse” but the story is truly about all the inhabitants of Alec Royce’s vampire home. All the vampires make appearances in one way or another and this was part of my confusion. Every time I was settled into the “main” story we jumped to another scene that seemed to have nothing to do with the real reason I was reading this story.
To be honest, I don’t even think I would categorize this book with the Paranormal Romance genre. It is more of a paranormal fiction book and that isn’t a bad thing, but not really what I anticipated. As a result, I kept anticipating “more” and was left hanging. This book is something I would feel quite happy to recommend a teenager with the understanding that their parents didn’t take issue with the language. This book contains strong suggestive ideas, but overall is a clean book.
So what is my final stance on the book, I enjoyed the final 1/3 and wish that the rest of the story had lived up to that level of enjoyment.
Notable Scene:
There was one last half-pint of cookies-and-cream hidden under the vanilla. The vamp plucked the slightly freezer-burned container out, grinning as he considered how he and Jessica might use it in their “activities” later.
“What the hell does a leech want with ice cream?”
Royce glanced over his should, then straightened and turned, wary. While the vampire was somewhat muscular from a life of toil when he was human, he was dwarfed by the Were looming behind him. The guy’s muscles strained against what should have been loose sweats, his features ruggedly handsome, sporting artfully curly dark brown locks and narrowed brown eyes that met the vampire’s gaze with a challenging stare.
“I don’t know that it’s any of your business,” Royce said, keeping his visage calm and unperturbed. He didn’t want to encourage the Were’s rude behavior to tip into a physical confrontation, but he wasn’t about to let the dog think he could get away with anything either. “Excuse me.”
FTC Advisory: Musa Publishing provided me with a copy of Silent Cravings. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
March 12, 2013
Synopsis:
The Goliath werewolves, a California pack hoping to expand into new territories, made an extreme error in judgment when choosing Christoph to be their representative for negotiations in New York. After two fights in the open with another supernatural, Christoph orders a lower-ranking teenaged Were to take the downfall for his mistakes by serving in his place under vampire Alec Royce’s watchful eye.
When Christoph and another packmate try to save the girl from Royce’s clutches—never mind the inevitable war they’d start in the process—the two are outcast from their pack. The vampire once again demands servitude as recompense, and they soon find themselves magically “neutered” by enchanted leather fetish collars so they can’t hurt themselves or anyone else in the vampire’s entourage. Hey, the collars were all Royce had handy at the time.
Just when Christoph thought it couldn’t get any worse, a mute vampire named Mouse decides to claim him, taking him for her own. She has her own set of problems, what with being mentally damaged by her sire, Max Carlyle, who delighted in enforcing her monstrous nature. She hungers for Christoph, but can’t stand to see someone victimized or—even worse—afraid of her.
Christoph is taught the greater lesson of what it really means to follow the Goliath Code of Honor and Mouse narrowly avoids a nervous breakdown in the process of accepting her own predatory nature. The two must learn how to live together (and deal with his new accessory)—without driving Royce and the rest of his household crazy in the process.
My thoughts:
This was a very interesting look behind the scenes spinoff of the H&W Investigations series. It was super fun to see what the vamp and Were society really was like and the way the vamps lived together and how their normal day to day life was like. If you like the H&W Investigations books this is a really fun behind the scene book.
I have to say this book was nothing like what I expected, I expected a PNR book and there was just not any romance in here that I could see, I would love to see a new book after this one where there actually is some romance between Christoph and Mouse. I think the characters deserve some romance in their life and that Mouse can feel better about herself.
We got the story from multiple characters in this book and not only from the main character, I usually don’t like that but it was done in this book in a way that was actually OK. I loved that we got to see Alec Royce in his natural environment and that we came more close to his true nature he is really a nice guy, this book gave me a much better understanding of him.
Overall a good read if you are into the H&W Investigations series, it was not as good as them but not bad ether. I had hope for some romance but it was not there for me, and I hope there will be a new book with plenty of romance for Mouse. 3,5 stars.
The Goliath werewolves, a California pack hoping to expand into new territories, made an extreme error in judgment when choosing Christoph to be their representative for negotiations in New York. After two fights in the open with another supernatural, Christoph orders a lower-ranking teenaged Were to take the downfall for his mistakes by serving in his place under vampire Alec Royce’s watchful eye.
When Christoph and another packmate try to save the girl from Royce’s clutches—never mind the inevitable war they’d start in the process—the two are outcast from their pack. The vampire once again demands servitude as recompense, and they soon find themselves magically “neutered” by enchanted leather fetish collars so they can’t hurt themselves or anyone else in the vampire’s entourage. Hey, the collars were all Royce had handy at the time.
Just when Christoph thought it couldn’t get any worse, a mute vampire named Mouse decides to claim him, taking him for her own. She has her own set of problems, what with being mentally damaged by her sire, Max Carlyle, who delighted in enforcing her monstrous nature. She hungers for Christoph, but can’t stand to see someone victimized or—even worse—afraid of her.
Christoph is taught the greater lesson of what it really means to follow the Goliath Code of Honor and Mouse narrowly avoids a nervous breakdown in the process of accepting her own predatory nature. The two must learn how to live together (and deal with his new accessory)—without driving Royce and the rest of his household crazy in the process.
My thoughts:
This was a very interesting look behind the scenes spinoff of the H&W Investigations series. It was super fun to see what the vamp and Were society really was like and the way the vamps lived together and how their normal day to day life was like. If you like the H&W Investigations books this is a really fun behind the scene book.
I have to say this book was nothing like what I expected, I expected a PNR book and there was just not any romance in here that I could see, I would love to see a new book after this one where there actually is some romance between Christoph and Mouse. I think the characters deserve some romance in their life and that Mouse can feel better about herself.
We got the story from multiple characters in this book and not only from the main character, I usually don’t like that but it was done in this book in a way that was actually OK. I loved that we got to see Alec Royce in his natural environment and that we came more close to his true nature he is really a nice guy, this book gave me a much better understanding of him.
Overall a good read if you are into the H&W Investigations series, it was not as good as them but not bad ether. I had hope for some romance but it was not there for me, and I hope there will be a new book with plenty of romance for Mouse. 3,5 stars.
May 29, 2013
‘Silent Cravings’ is set in the world of Jess Haines’ H&W Investigations series. It features the vampire, Alec Royce, and those under his care. One of the main characters of this story is Mouse, the mute vampire. When werewolves from the Goliath pack out of California are trying to petition for entry into New York, everything goes pear-shaped. Christoph was the Goliath’s representative and he messed things up by fighting with a vampire unknown to him. Not only once, but twice – big mistake! Now a lower ranking wolf in his pack, Analie, is paying the price for Christoph’s egotistic stupidity. She must stay with Royce for at least 5 years to pay off Christoph’s debt. Since Analie has been told basically since birth how horrible and vicious vampires are, she’s scared out of her mind. Yet with patience and generosity, she slowly gets used to how things are at Royce’s place. When Christoph and Ashi try to get Analie back, they are met with a totally different kind of reception. They’re caught and magically collared, blocking their Were abilities. Mouse has claimed Christoph, but doesn’t want to see him afraid of her or as a monster. With time can Mouse and Christoph come to an understanding?
Mouse is one of my favorite characters from the H&W Investigations series and it was great to see more of her in a leading type role. I’m not sure if it’s her vulnerability or her strength which draws me most to her, but she has this ethereal grace which speaks through her actions. Her fierce protectiveness of Analie and Christoph show she’s not a monster, regardless of how she feels about herself sometimes. Through multiple viewpoints, we see Royce’s “family” or pack as Analie calls them in a different light. I really enjoyed some of the vampires, like Angus. While I felt there was some romance in the book, I felt it was more a vehicle to show some character growth and insight. This is a great side story in the H&W Investigations world and I think to appreciate it the most, you should read the series first.
Mouse is one of my favorite characters from the H&W Investigations series and it was great to see more of her in a leading type role. I’m not sure if it’s her vulnerability or her strength which draws me most to her, but she has this ethereal grace which speaks through her actions. Her fierce protectiveness of Analie and Christoph show she’s not a monster, regardless of how she feels about herself sometimes. Through multiple viewpoints, we see Royce’s “family” or pack as Analie calls them in a different light. I really enjoyed some of the vampires, like Angus. While I felt there was some romance in the book, I felt it was more a vehicle to show some character growth and insight. This is a great side story in the H&W Investigations world and I think to appreciate it the most, you should read the series first.
March 25, 2013
I am a huge Paranormal Romance fan, so when Jess Haines told e she was writing a PNR story in the H&W Investigations, I was all for it.
Silent Cravings is a great treat for a fan of the H&W Investigations series. We get to know a lot of characters, that we had only seen in passing, much better. Not to mention the fact that we get a glimpse into Royce’s mind.
Even though I did enjoy the novel, I had a couple issues with it as well. Strictly speaking, Silent Cravings is not really a romance. I would even refrain to say it has romance elements, because it really doesn't.
I was actually really upset about that, because I was expecting much more in that department. Nothing smutty, mind you, but at least something.
Another issue I had was the constant switch in POV throughout the book. I’m not talking about changing every chapter or even every few pages, we get POV changes by the paragraph and it made me dizzy at times.
Despite that, I did enjoy peeking into different perspectives, I just wished it was more structured or maybe delegated to fewer characters.
Over all, Silent Cravings is enjoyable, especially for a H&W Investigations reader. I don’t know how much someone that has never read the series would enjoy it, though.
Originally Posted at Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
Silent Cravings is a great treat for a fan of the H&W Investigations series. We get to know a lot of characters, that we had only seen in passing, much better. Not to mention the fact that we get a glimpse into Royce’s mind.
Even though I did enjoy the novel, I had a couple issues with it as well. Strictly speaking, Silent Cravings is not really a romance. I would even refrain to say it has romance elements, because it really doesn't.
I was actually really upset about that, because I was expecting much more in that department. Nothing smutty, mind you, but at least something.
Another issue I had was the constant switch in POV throughout the book. I’m not talking about changing every chapter or even every few pages, we get POV changes by the paragraph and it made me dizzy at times.
Despite that, I did enjoy peeking into different perspectives, I just wished it was more structured or maybe delegated to fewer characters.
Over all, Silent Cravings is enjoyable, especially for a H&W Investigations reader. I don’t know how much someone that has never read the series would enjoy it, though.
Originally Posted at Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
February 28, 2013
I'm sorry to say this, as I quite like Jess and her other books - this one isn't as good as the others.
I like the characters, I like the story, but I really really dislike the editing. While reading this book it made me feel like it was hastily scrambled together, chapters / scenes mixed up more or less randomly, quite a lot of small editing mistakes (missing words, doubled words in sentences, missing punctuation) - I really hope it's only the ebook and something did go wrong with the formatting or editing of the ebook, as I'm used to a MUCH better written book by Jess.
Furthermore the book is very repetitive, everything gets explained at least three times throughout the book - I'm a reader, not a moron who needs to be explained stuff over and over and over again.
So, really sorry to say this, but this book isn't up to par to the books of the "Others" series.
I like the characters, I like the story, but I really really dislike the editing. While reading this book it made me feel like it was hastily scrambled together, chapters / scenes mixed up more or less randomly, quite a lot of small editing mistakes (missing words, doubled words in sentences, missing punctuation) - I really hope it's only the ebook and something did go wrong with the formatting or editing of the ebook, as I'm used to a MUCH better written book by Jess.
Furthermore the book is very repetitive, everything gets explained at least three times throughout the book - I'm a reader, not a moron who needs to be explained stuff over and over and over again.
So, really sorry to say this, but this book isn't up to par to the books of the "Others" series.
December 3, 2013
The story has quite a few quirky and unique components that add a refreshing quality to this paranormal read. The way the author arranged the events is also interesting and makes for a nice change. From the beginning to the end there is lots going on that not only keeps the reader’s attention but makes it hard to put it down once started.
I could not find any information that told me if this is to be a series or not, but I certainly hope to read more about the enchanting characters and interesting world created by these two authors.
See my full review at:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/view...
I could not find any information that told me if this is to be a series or not, but I certainly hope to read more about the enchanting characters and interesting world created by these two authors.
See my full review at:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/view...
March 1, 2013
I really enjoyed this offshoot of the H&W Investigations series. Although it was written in a completely different style with multiple POV's, which I don't usually like, I enjoyed getting more insight to characters from the original series. Also it was interesting to see a situation flipping from one perspective to another.
If you liked the later books in the H&W Investigations series better than the the first couple then you'll probably enjoy this spinoff.
If you liked the later books in the H&W Investigations series better than the the first couple then you'll probably enjoy this spinoff.
Want to read
February 16, 2013February 22nd 2013 by Musa Publishing
March 14, 2013
Review to follow.
July 17, 2013
SILENT CRAVINGS is why I love short stories in my favorite series. Love the look at the inhabitants of Royce's house.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews