Posse: The Duoviri

by T. Hammond

I’ve lived through thousands of years and countless lifetimes. I’ve lead men to war, and been the cause of a few. I am a warrior, mother, widow, and a proxy shapeshifter.

You know my names and heard tales of my bravery, ferocity, passion, and strength, but you don’t know the real stories- after all, history has been written by men who paint the accomplishments of women with a tainted brush.

I have many names; one of them was Boudicca.

As the last of my line, and the strongest of the shapeshifters, I lead a posse of paranormal warriors. I am the Duoviri, the judge, jury, and executioner for our society, the Eximium.

If you turn Rogue, mine will be the last face you see.

This prequel novella tells the backstory of the Duoviri, the supernatural community's sheriff, and her Juris, deputy.

WARNING: The Duoviri is wrapped around true historic events. This novella contains reference to the rape of Boudicca's daughters, a pivotal incident that fueled her anger against the Romans. While not graphic or drawn out in my re-telling, the rape is part of this story and may be a trigger for some readers.

Reading Order:
Posse: The Duoviri, prequel novella
Posse: Legends (book 1)
Posse: The Dragon Gods (book 2) Summer 2016
Posse: The Fall of Atlantis (book 3) Winter 2016

Genres: Paranormal

100 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2017

About the author

T feels that writing is not a calling so much as it is a compulsion. No one is more surprised than she is when characters take over the plot and dialog, (re)directing stories in directions she had not (consciously) intended. Although she starts out each novel with a basic outline, she finds that one or two chapters into the novels, not only have the characters shredded her outline into tiny unidentifiable pieces, they use the resulting confetti in a nose-thumbing parade. She is fully convinced the writer is the tool a story uses to tell its tale.

T. Hammond lives in Washington state, and has been a German shepherd owner for over twenty-five years.

Reviews

[Kyjuliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this story for an honest review.

I loved this story. Duoviri is the Prequel to The Posse Series that Ms. Hammond is currently writing. In this book we travel through the very early history of the Characters and Species that we will meet as the series continues. It is world building at it’s finest.



I loved Ms. Hammond’s Team Red Series, when she asked if I would be interested in something a little different, I admit I hesitated, I’m not a huge fantasy reader, I don’t usually enjoy stories that are based in history with all kinds of facts and figures. I do love a good paranormal story however and I love her writing style. In this book we get the best of all those worlds, a really interesting history of the origin of the people that make up the world of the Posse, all woven through actual historical events. 



It reminded me of many years ago when I first read Tolkien, it was a whole new world, characters I had never heard of and they took me on a journey. In Duoviri the characters aren’t all new, we have Elves and Dragons, Weres and Witches, Vampires and humans, and many more. There are any number of stories out there where you can read about the paranormal, this one felt different to me. We learn where they came from, why they do the things they do and we are left to wonder, maybe there really are supernatural beings living down the street from us, if we only knew how to see them.

I’m really glad I gave this story a chance.

[T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed writing the story. Originally combined with Posse: Legends, I struggled with these eight chapters as they were necessary to world-building and background, but had nothing to do with the plot. Both books came together smoothly by separating this historical piece explaining the concept and development of the Duoviri-- a paranormal law enforcement agent. It was fun substituting my character for real, historical people and events.

[Deb Diem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posse: The Duoviri by T. Hammond is hard to describe. I read Ms. Hammonds Team Read Series and loved every book. This book, while I can't say I loved it, held my attention. I felt like this was a prequel to her next book. This book did have a story, but it felt more like an introduction to the characters and beings you'll meet in the next book (or series of books.) Will I read the next book, you betcha. I enjoyed reading Posse: The Duoviri and look forward to reading more from T. Hammond in the future. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

[Chris Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A World begins

A new journey for Ms. Hammond, this novella sets up the world of the paranormal. It is very in depth and extremely interesting. As a reader of paranormal genre, this has very enlightening and so enjoyable. When reading I could hear, see smell and feel this world as I read. I have read everything Ms. Hammond has written. This is a new genre for her and so very exciting to see in the future.

[Jocelyn Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read every single book T. Hammond has written and I have loved everything she has written so far, so I was delighted to hear about a new story idea she was writing a new series on. But when I heard that the genre of this series would be different than her previous books, I'll admit, I was a bit worried. I love her writing style, don't get me wrong, but the new genre the new series was going to be was Urban Fantasy and I haven't been a huge fan of Fantasy novels recently. They are just not something I read as often as I used to a few years ago.

However, T. Hammond wrote a wonderful fantasy novel, filled adventure and all sorts of magical creatures, which include: dragons, shape-shifters, witches, vampires, etc. Not only that, but she managed to include real events that happened in history and make them interesting to read about. I love history, so I like that she incorporated the history of Boudicca and her fight with the Roman Empire. I've never heard that story before, so it was intriguing to read about her story, with the author's interpretations and spin on it. It made me want to learn more about the real Boudicca, and also made me excited to read about the character in the author's upcoming books.

For a prequel novella, it was a great read. I'm excited to see what happens in the future books and thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the characters that were introduced. Interested in learning more about each one. I would recommend this book to readers who love Fantasy novels and even to those who do not read a lot of Fantasy novels. It's a fascinating and entertaining book that I think everyone would enjoy! I'm thrilled that there's more books to come really soon.

[Jennifer Treviño · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole lot of awesome!
Be prepared to enter a world full of many different paranormals with history galore. We travel back & forth from the present to the past learning all about these supernaturals & their tales. There is suspense, action, emotion, war, heartache, joy, friendship, loyalty, & so much more.
Going back in time was a great way to allow us to see different aspects of these characters lives as we got to know them on a deeper level. Decades change people so you can imagine how centuries would. Their choices & actions made more sense.

This is no surprise to me though. After reading Hammond's other books I knew I was a huge fan of her writing style. Unlike her other series this one is more paranormal & less romance ... so far. I'm looking forward to getting back in their world to see what is to come. There are so many directions this tale could go.

[JadeShea · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC
This story begins many many years ago. It's basically the story of how the hero and heroine came to be and how their roles in life came to be. This is more an informative story than an actual story.

While, I thought this one was interesting, it does lack a lot of dialogue and spark, but again that's not really what it's meant for. I am glad to have read this one first before reading the first book though. Because once I start reading the first book all of this stuff will make much more sense.

[C.J. Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new world
This latest series by T. Hammond delves deeply into paranormal, and this first book begins with the arduous process of world building. Hammond brings us this world step-by-step. Her writing is masterful as she leads you down a path, which is quite believable. A short read that will hook you by the end, and undoubtedly you’ll be like me saying, “That can’t be the end already.” Write on T. ... write on!

[Jana Gundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Ms. Hammond and her Red series so I was intrigued when I saw she was starting something new and completely different. It was a short but good read that gives a tomn of background on the upcoming series. I love how she gave us this so we start the first book knowing the details. It's a must read!

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read. I love all things paranormal and this book delves extremely deep in the paranormal, some parts almost textbook like, which was probably what the author intended. The book didn't delve too deeply into the characters relationships. Hopefully the next book will be more story-like.

[Jana Gundy]

Great intro!

This is a set up to a new series by Ms. Hammond and I love that she gives up this novella so we go into the first book knowing the background. The Legends sound amazing and I can't wait to begin!!!!