What do you think?
Rate this book
World of the Lupi #1
Tempting Danger
The USA Today bestselling author tempts success in this stunning debut novel.
National bestselling author Eileen Wilks draws readers into a bold new world where the magical and mundane co-exist in an uneasy alliance--and a cop balanced on her own knife-edged struggle is their only hope against a cold-blooded killer.
Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a were named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating-and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man who she's not sure she can trust.
National bestselling author Eileen Wilks draws readers into a bold new world where the magical and mundane co-exist in an uneasy alliance--and a cop balanced on her own knife-edged struggle is their only hope against a cold-blooded killer.
Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a were named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating-and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man who she's not sure she can trust.
301 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
327 people are currently reading
11311 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Wilks
128 books1,520 followersEileen Wilks’ first book, a Silhouette Desire published in 1996, hit the USA Today Bestseller List and was nominated for Romantic Times' Best First Short Contemporary award. Since then, her books have appeared consistently on national bestseller lists. With thirty two books in print and novellas in nine anthologies, she has been a finalist in the prestigious Rita Awards three times, as well as receiving several nominations from Romantic Times, including one for Career Achievement in Series Romantic Suspense.
Each book in her World of the Lupi series gains a larger audience. It was originally sold in the Romance section of bookstores, but more and more you will be able to find copies cross-shelved under Sci-Fi and Fantasy as the popularity of the series grows!
Eileen has lived in the West Texas town of Midland, TX for over 30 years--three years as a young teen, and the remaining years since she moved back here as an adult. When she first started writing over 10 years ago, it hit her like the first drink for an alcoholic . . . or the first kiss for Romeo and Juliet.
She came to writing romance in a roundabout way. Having read and loved science fiction for years, that’s where she first tried her hand when the writing bug bit. Somehow her stories always ended up having a strong romantic subplot, but she hadn’t read a romance since the early 80’s and didn’t think “those little books” were her kind of stories. But when a friend in her critique group began working on a romance novel, Wilks decided she needed to give the genre another try. She asked her friend to recommend some titles--and quicker than you can say “Jayne Ann Krentz,” she fell in love. The genre had been busy growing up while she wasn’t watching. These days, with romances comprising over 50% of the mass market books published in the U.S., there are romances to appeal to almost every taste--historicals, paranormals and contemporaries that range from romantic suspense to romantic comedy, from inspirational to sizzling.
Eileen covered a lot of territory before coming home to Midland, having lived in Canada and Venezuela as well as twelve U.S. cities in five states.
Profile taken from the author's site with her permission.
Each book in her World of the Lupi series gains a larger audience. It was originally sold in the Romance section of bookstores, but more and more you will be able to find copies cross-shelved under Sci-Fi and Fantasy as the popularity of the series grows!
Eileen has lived in the West Texas town of Midland, TX for over 30 years--three years as a young teen, and the remaining years since she moved back here as an adult. When she first started writing over 10 years ago, it hit her like the first drink for an alcoholic . . . or the first kiss for Romeo and Juliet.
She came to writing romance in a roundabout way. Having read and loved science fiction for years, that’s where she first tried her hand when the writing bug bit. Somehow her stories always ended up having a strong romantic subplot, but she hadn’t read a romance since the early 80’s and didn’t think “those little books” were her kind of stories. But when a friend in her critique group began working on a romance novel, Wilks decided she needed to give the genre another try. She asked her friend to recommend some titles--and quicker than you can say “Jayne Ann Krentz,” she fell in love. The genre had been busy growing up while she wasn’t watching. These days, with romances comprising over 50% of the mass market books published in the U.S., there are romances to appeal to almost every taste--historicals, paranormals and contemporaries that range from romantic suspense to romantic comedy, from inspirational to sizzling.
Eileen covered a lot of territory before coming home to Midland, having lived in Canada and Venezuela as well as twelve U.S. cities in five states.
Profile taken from the author's site with her permission.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 796 reviews
May 8, 2017
This book is an "Everything Bagel". It has a bunch of different things going on and is all smashed together with some creamy cheese in the middle. Yet, somehow it works.
Lily Yu is a homicide detective who is assigned a murder case that involves a killer werewolf. Her first, and most likely, suspect is a werewolf prince named Rule who is quite the man-whore. In this world, werewolves are sexy sexy beasts and all the women want to take a walk on the wild side. Not at all like real life, right girls? We NEVER find the werewolf sexy, do we?
So, we get some mystery and police procedural going on while Lily tries to solve the case. But, wait, there is a lot of magic going on around here.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that, kid. I hope you liked breastfeeding because that's the last boobs you'll ever see.
Also, it turns out that our man-whore wolf-princeimprints on realizes that Lily is his "chosen". His mate. Lucky Lily! She gets a Mr. I've Fucked Half the Town as her forever-mate. He may be good-looking, but he has a helluva lot of miles on him. It's like buying a used car that looks great, but then you find out that it was used for gay hobo sex orgies before you got it. Then, whenever you are driving it, all the gay hobos are watching you and remembering the good times they had in that car. It's just like that.
Lily doesn't want to drive a soup kitchen. And, I don't blame her. There isn't enough protection out there to compel me to take a ride.
ehh, I'll just hold it.
But, the good news is that Rule's philandering days are over. Now that he's met his mate, it is impossible for him to sleep with someone else. So, I guess, give him a shot of penicillin, take him down for some testing, and maybe..
Luckily, the romance isn't really the biggest focus in this story. It is more about the mystery, and this awesome urban fantasy world.
The book moved at a good pace, so I never got bored. I also liked all of the characters and found the world-building to be interesting. Lily was really smart and would think through all of her decisions with logic instead of emotion. Rule turned out to be a very nice guy once the man-whore thing was resolved. And there were plenty of interesting side-characters - especially Lily's grandmother.
I also liked that there was a lot of cultural diversity in the book, but it never felt hokey or stereotypical. The author didn't try to write in stupid accents or make her characters turn into caricatures. It felt organic and wasn't stressed too much. Lily is Chinese-American and does refer to it occasionally, but in a way that would be natural for a woman trying to be accepted in a man's world (cops).
All together, it was an exciting and fun story. I will definitely be continuing the series.
Thanks to my Buddy Reader, edgy, who got me to read this book with her. You rock, girl! :)
Lily Yu is a homicide detective who is assigned a murder case that involves a killer werewolf. Her first, and most likely, suspect is a werewolf prince named Rule who is quite the man-whore. In this world, werewolves are sexy sexy beasts and all the women want to take a walk on the wild side. Not at all like real life, right girls? We NEVER find the werewolf sexy, do we?
So, we get some mystery and police procedural going on while Lily tries to solve the case. But, wait, there is a lot of magic going on around here.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that, kid. I hope you liked breastfeeding because that's the last boobs you'll ever see.
Also, it turns out that our man-whore wolf-prince
Lily doesn't want to drive a soup kitchen. And, I don't blame her. There isn't enough protection out there to compel me to take a ride.
ehh, I'll just hold it.
But, the good news is that Rule's philandering days are over. Now that he's met his mate, it is impossible for him to sleep with someone else. So, I guess, give him a shot of penicillin, take him down for some testing, and maybe..
Luckily, the romance isn't really the biggest focus in this story. It is more about the mystery, and this awesome urban fantasy world.
The book moved at a good pace, so I never got bored. I also liked all of the characters and found the world-building to be interesting. Lily was really smart and would think through all of her decisions with logic instead of emotion. Rule turned out to be a very nice guy once the man-whore thing was resolved. And there were plenty of interesting side-characters - especially Lily's grandmother.
I also liked that there was a lot of cultural diversity in the book, but it never felt hokey or stereotypical. The author didn't try to write in stupid accents or make her characters turn into caricatures. It felt organic and wasn't stressed too much. Lily is Chinese-American and does refer to it occasionally, but in a way that would be natural for a woman trying to be accepted in a man's world (cops).
All together, it was an exciting and fun story. I will definitely be continuing the series.
Thanks to my Buddy Reader, edgy, who got me to read this book with her. You rock, girl! :)
March 23, 2018
In deference to Mimi, I'm letting my four stars stand.
Lily's years in Vice and Homicide prior to making detective had rubbed the green off, but her shield was still shiny. She figured she could be philosophical about handing this one off to one of the senior detectives... after she conducted the initial interviews at Club Hell.
Originally read back in my urban fantasy heyday, Tempting Danger was written in 2004 and added to my library back in 2010 (I have no actual clue when I read it) with a four star rating. I'm guessing I found Wilks through an anthology, On the Prowl, back when I was looking for more UF that wasn't completely paranormal romance, and on that level, it mostly satisfies.
It begins with Detective Lily Yu at a murder scene, examining a person who has clearly been killed by a large animal. Werewolves, or lupi, are no longer shot on sight, but this killing could re-open human-lupi hostilities, especially as poster-boy-lupi Rule is the lead suspect.
Everyone else reacted. Not Turner. He didn't shift position by so much as a finger. Rather, he seemed to gather stillness around him like a force field, a quiet whose power lapped out over the others, gradually silencing them. He spoke two words: "Who died?"
The narration is third person and primarily from Lily's point of view. She's easily one of my favorite things about the book. Methodical and analytical, she feels like an experienced detective, despite being only 28. We get a solid sense of her background in the department, her strategies for dealing with her peers, and her sometimes-challenging relationships with her family. It becomes almost a running joke with her and Rule that she has "a couple more questions," both professionally and personally. Secondary viewpoint is from Rule, with very minor page time given to another lupi, Cullen.
The plot is interesting, and a nice combination of police procedural and UF Big-Bad-Threat. It moves quickly, and Lily and Rule's separate problems end up dovetailing nicely.
It's interesting, to go back and read a book in a genre that has since exploded. There were aspects that felt very tropish to me, which is to say, the way people acted was not particularly surprising. It made me think quite a bit about UF conventions and where they came from. The first Sookie Stackhouse came out in 2001, Kate Daniels in 2007, Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan in 2004, Rachel Caine published her first UF in 2003, Carrie Vaughn in 2004, Marjorie Liu in 2005, Karen Chance in 2006, Cassandra Clare in 2007, Patrica Briggs' Mercy 2007, Jeaniene Frost in 2007, Karen Marie Moning in 2007, Nalini Singh 2006. By contrast, the first Anita Blake was in 1993, so perhaps it is not any wonder that this had an Anita Blake vibe to it. Wilks also had solid history publishing romance before this series, so that is evident as well.
There's parts about this that feel perhaps a bit stereotypical, but Wilks writes with such skill that things that might have been eye-rolling for me in a lesser writer just seem appropriate, if not fantastic.
Verdict? This holds up on re-read to an older, less patient carol., who would easily give it 3.5 stars. If a detective-paranormal is your jam, bring on the bread. I think I'll be dipping in and out of this series to see what Lily's up to.
Lily's years in Vice and Homicide prior to making detective had rubbed the green off, but her shield was still shiny. She figured she could be philosophical about handing this one off to one of the senior detectives... after she conducted the initial interviews at Club Hell.
Originally read back in my urban fantasy heyday, Tempting Danger was written in 2004 and added to my library back in 2010 (I have no actual clue when I read it) with a four star rating. I'm guessing I found Wilks through an anthology, On the Prowl, back when I was looking for more UF that wasn't completely paranormal romance, and on that level, it mostly satisfies.
It begins with Detective Lily Yu at a murder scene, examining a person who has clearly been killed by a large animal. Werewolves, or lupi, are no longer shot on sight, but this killing could re-open human-lupi hostilities, especially as poster-boy-lupi Rule is the lead suspect.
Everyone else reacted. Not Turner. He didn't shift position by so much as a finger. Rather, he seemed to gather stillness around him like a force field, a quiet whose power lapped out over the others, gradually silencing them. He spoke two words: "Who died?"
The narration is third person and primarily from Lily's point of view. She's easily one of my favorite things about the book. Methodical and analytical, she feels like an experienced detective, despite being only 28. We get a solid sense of her background in the department, her strategies for dealing with her peers, and her sometimes-challenging relationships with her family. It becomes almost a running joke with her and Rule that she has "a couple more questions," both professionally and personally. Secondary viewpoint is from Rule, with very minor page time given to another lupi, Cullen.
The plot is interesting, and a nice combination of police procedural and UF Big-Bad-Threat. It moves quickly, and Lily and Rule's separate problems end up dovetailing nicely.
It's interesting, to go back and read a book in a genre that has since exploded. There were aspects that felt very tropish to me, which is to say, the way people acted was not particularly surprising. It made me think quite a bit about UF conventions and where they came from. The first Sookie Stackhouse came out in 2001, Kate Daniels in 2007, Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan in 2004, Rachel Caine published her first UF in 2003, Carrie Vaughn in 2004, Marjorie Liu in 2005, Karen Chance in 2006, Cassandra Clare in 2007, Patrica Briggs' Mercy 2007, Jeaniene Frost in 2007, Karen Marie Moning in 2007, Nalini Singh 2006. By contrast, the first Anita Blake was in 1993, so perhaps it is not any wonder that this had an Anita Blake vibe to it. Wilks also had solid history publishing romance before this series, so that is evident as well.
There's parts about this that feel perhaps a bit stereotypical, but Wilks writes with such skill that things that might have been eye-rolling for me in a lesser writer just seem appropriate, if not fantastic.
Verdict? This holds up on re-read to an older, less patient carol., who would easily give it 3.5 stars. If a detective-paranormal is your jam, bring on the bread. I think I'll be dipping in and out of this series to see what Lily's up to.
June 6, 2021
💀 DNF at 58%. And it's a miracle I made it that far.
Worry not, my Little Barnacles, for this shall not be one of my slightly never-ending, pit-stop requiring DNF reviews. Had this book been deliciously infuriating, I might have found the inner strength to
Soooo. Crap cutting time and stuff. I DNFed the shrimp out of this lovely book here because:
① Lupus.
Yeah yeah yeah, I know I'm a total and complete nitwit with harebrained tendencies, but in my world lupus means, you know, lupus as in, you know, shrimping lupus. Not as in "Supposedly Super Hot Werewolf Dude (SSHWD™) who roams the streets without a shirt on because, come on, shirts are so freaking overrated, especially when you're a Supposedly Super Hot Werewolf Dude (SSHWD™)." And yeah yeah yeah, I might be a total and complete nitwit with harebrained tendencies but I attended Crustacean Latin 101 and do actually know what lupus actually means in Latin, thank you very much. But when I read "lupus" I think "lupus," not "lupus." So QED and stuff.
② The Stupidly Stupid PNR Crap (SSPC™) is getting very, very old. Especially considering this is supposed to be UF. Okay, so it's UF so outdated even my great-great grandmother would have thought it antiquated and archaic and slightly obsolete. But still. UF is supposed to be a PNR-free haven so the last thing I expected to read about here was Freaking Mating Crap (FMC™) and its constant companion Instalust Instalurve Instawhatever Bullshit (ILILIWB™). I, quite obviously, loved every single beautiful minute of it.
③ Unlikeable Characters, Inc.
Cardboard boxes have more personality than the characters in this book. I did not like a single one of them. I did not not like a single one of them. Neither did I wish they would suffer a slow, horrible, painful death. I just did not give a shrimping freaking damn about a single shrimping freaking one of them. Because they are as dull and unemotional and flat as a herd of ironing boards.
④ Bored of Being Bored Because Being Bored is Boring (BoBBBBBiB™).
Bleh Blah Meh. Meh Bleh Blah. Blah Bleh Meh. Me Blah Bleh. Bleh Meh Blah. Bleh Meh Bleh. More or less. Okay, to be honest, the mystery itself wasn't so bad. It was just, you know, kinda boring and stuff. Which kinda bored me to death. When it didn't bore me to death, that is. Which, you know, got kinda boring after a while. Sort of.
➽ And the moral of this Bloody Hell my Friends Keep Convincing me to Read Lethal Books I Think There is a Slight Possibility They Might Possibly Want Me Dead or Something Crappy Non Review (BHmFKCMtRLBITTiaSPTMPWmDoSCNR™) is:
January 18, 2019
*** 3.75 ***
A buddy read with the fans of UF+PRN @ BBB!
This was much more fun than I expected it to be. Needless to say, I did not have very high expectations going in. No particular reason for it, just some past experience with the older UF series, many of which, although innovative at the time they were first published, tend to feel a bit dated after years of reading other examples of the genre. So, with this preamble, I was not expecting much.
I was right and I was wrong. I was right about the book having a bit of a dated feel to it, dealing with an alternative to our world where shape shifters, magicians, demigods, all types of Fae folks, and regular humans try to coexist in an urban setting. Homicide detective Lily Yu is a person who is sensitive to magic and is investigating deaths which appear to have been committed by a Lupi - werewolf, as it is known to us. This is where things get interesting, since the number one suspect is this very good looking, very sexy Prince of the local clan, Rule T. He is sexy and he knows it, and Lily Yu is not amused. However, the murders are not what they appear to be and she is determined to find who is the real culprit.
The book is very much a police procedural, only set in a world full of various creatures and agendas. There even were some moments of string theory multiple reality nods, which I hope we get to see more of in the next books. My favorite character was Lily's grandma - I will be a devoted fan if she keeps on making appearances and bring more of whatever juju she wields :-)
The book was entertaining, not necessarily innovative but full of action, Lily was a very cool character, and I really had no major issues with any of it. The only thing that made me a tad uncomfortable was the compulsion element to the mate bond as imagined in this book. I like to think that there is more choice involved when it comes to spending the rest of your life with someone. It was not a perfect book, but it is a first in the series and I am looking forward to reading the next one!
I wish you all Happy Reading and many wonderful books to come!
A buddy read with the fans of UF+PRN @ BBB!
This was much more fun than I expected it to be. Needless to say, I did not have very high expectations going in. No particular reason for it, just some past experience with the older UF series, many of which, although innovative at the time they were first published, tend to feel a bit dated after years of reading other examples of the genre. So, with this preamble, I was not expecting much.
I was right and I was wrong. I was right about the book having a bit of a dated feel to it, dealing with an alternative to our world where shape shifters, magicians, demigods, all types of Fae folks, and regular humans try to coexist in an urban setting. Homicide detective Lily Yu is a person who is sensitive to magic and is investigating deaths which appear to have been committed by a Lupi - werewolf, as it is known to us. This is where things get interesting, since the number one suspect is this very good looking, very sexy Prince of the local clan, Rule T. He is sexy and he knows it, and Lily Yu is not amused. However, the murders are not what they appear to be and she is determined to find who is the real culprit.
The book is very much a police procedural, only set in a world full of various creatures and agendas. There even were some moments of string theory multiple reality nods, which I hope we get to see more of in the next books. My favorite character was Lily's grandma - I will be a devoted fan if she keeps on making appearances and bring more of whatever juju she wields :-)
The book was entertaining, not necessarily innovative but full of action, Lily was a very cool character, and I really had no major issues with any of it. The only thing that made me a tad uncomfortable was the compulsion element to the mate bond as imagined in this book. I like to think that there is more choice involved when it comes to spending the rest of your life with someone. It was not a perfect book, but it is a first in the series and I am looking forward to reading the next one!
I wish you all Happy Reading and many wonderful books to come!
October 18, 2010
*4.5 Stars*
Oh, man, where have you been all my life Eileen Wilks? I have been looking for another series like yours.
If anyone is familiar with the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton, this resonated very strongly for me with what I liked most about her earlier books. The investigations and the interesting facts about the cops and, especially, the details about the world now that supernaturals are legal.
In this book the Lupi, or werewolves, are known about in the world. They've finally gotten to the point where it's illegal to kill them when they're in their two legged form, but it's still not technically murder when they're wolves. It didn't happen overnight though. Some Lupi still show the forced tattoos that were part of their registration. Legislation is in the works to make the Lupi a fully legal part of society.
I loved all the details about their lives and the discrimination that they faced. I just find stuff like that - the honest look at how the world would react to "other" beings. Not everyone is happy. Some of the cops are still hair trigger, and you have to be careful not to assign a prejudiced cop to an issue a Lupi is involved with. It might not be pretty, but it felt more real than half the worlds I've read about lately.
Not everything about the world was brought out into the open and to the reader's attention yet, but that's okay with me, because this series follows the same hero and heroine so I know I'll get to watch it slowly unfold. I'm very excited to read a series that follow two people after they have already gotten together! Everything is not resolved perfectly in their relationship, but I liked it. The book didn't end like most romance novels, but it was perfect for the book and the characters. Anything more would have felt inauthentic and token.
That really leads into my next point very well. I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED what this author did with the "fated mate" trope. I am usually reluctant to read anything with fated mates because I feel that the author usually uses it as a way to avoid having to develop an actual strong basis for a relationship. I also loathe the way it violates the will of the people involved. I've read ones where they can't stand to be apart, ones where they can't stand to touch another without pain, etc. and they never seem to be as bothered by this fact as I think they should! I find it very uncomfortable.
So, to read a book that has some of those factors but doesn't conform to the standard? I was all over that! These people do not magically fall in love or even fall into liking. I felt the development of their relationship, and its pace, was perfect for the book. The only thing I felt less than trilled about was that Rule didn't have the same freedom of choice as Lily.
I think that some people will dislike Lily and find her too aloof and practical. She was perfect for me. She didn't find out about the mate bond and lose her whole personality. She distrusted the bond, and Rule, for a while. Even when she believes he didn't do it on purpose she doesn't just bend over for it. They both don't just want fate, they want to build a relationship.
The romance was a central factor in this book, but it doesn't have the same feel as most PNR's. If anyone is familiar with the romances in Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele books you might know what I mean. The relationship develops as the events take place as opposed to most romances where the events develop while the romance takes place. It a fine difference, but you'll know it when you read it.
I bumped this book down a 1/2 star because the pace slowed down a little in the middle. It didn't keep me from wanting to continue, but it was a little irritating.
I think I'm going to have to get my hands on the rest of this series!
Oh, man, where have you been all my life Eileen Wilks? I have been looking for another series like yours.
If anyone is familiar with the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton, this resonated very strongly for me with what I liked most about her earlier books. The investigations and the interesting facts about the cops and, especially, the details about the world now that supernaturals are legal.
In this book the Lupi, or werewolves, are known about in the world. They've finally gotten to the point where it's illegal to kill them when they're in their two legged form, but it's still not technically murder when they're wolves. It didn't happen overnight though. Some Lupi still show the forced tattoos that were part of their registration. Legislation is in the works to make the Lupi a fully legal part of society.
I loved all the details about their lives and the discrimination that they faced. I just find stuff like that - the honest look at how the world would react to "other" beings. Not everyone is happy. Some of the cops are still hair trigger, and you have to be careful not to assign a prejudiced cop to an issue a Lupi is involved with. It might not be pretty, but it felt more real than half the worlds I've read about lately.
Not everything about the world was brought out into the open and to the reader's attention yet, but that's okay with me, because this series follows the same hero and heroine so I know I'll get to watch it slowly unfold. I'm very excited to read a series that follow two people after they have already gotten together! Everything is not resolved perfectly in their relationship, but I liked it. The book didn't end like most romance novels, but it was perfect for the book and the characters. Anything more would have felt inauthentic and token.
That really leads into my next point very well. I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED what this author did with the "fated mate" trope. I am usually reluctant to read anything with fated mates because I feel that the author usually uses it as a way to avoid having to develop an actual strong basis for a relationship. I also loathe the way it violates the will of the people involved. I've read ones where they can't stand to be apart, ones where they can't stand to touch another without pain, etc. and they never seem to be as bothered by this fact as I think they should! I find it very uncomfortable.
So, to read a book that has some of those factors but doesn't conform to the standard? I was all over that! These people do not magically fall in love or even fall into liking. I felt the development of their relationship, and its pace, was perfect for the book. The only thing I felt less than trilled about was that Rule didn't have the same freedom of choice as Lily.
I think that some people will dislike Lily and find her too aloof and practical. She was perfect for me. She didn't find out about the mate bond and lose her whole personality. She distrusted the bond, and Rule, for a while. Even when she believes he didn't do it on purpose she doesn't just bend over for it. They both don't just want fate, they want to build a relationship.
The romance was a central factor in this book, but it doesn't have the same feel as most PNR's. If anyone is familiar with the romances in Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele books you might know what I mean. The relationship develops as the events take place as opposed to most romances where the events develop while the romance takes place. It a fine difference, but you'll know it when you read it.
I bumped this book down a 1/2 star because the pace slowed down a little in the middle. It didn't keep me from wanting to continue, but it was a little irritating.
I think I'm going to have to get my hands on the rest of this series!
December 16, 2016
3.5 Ohh, it has potential!
I liked the idea and the world was really interesting! It's not the best first-in-the-series I've read but it has a lot of potential. Even more, it made me curious about what's next.
I can see why so many people love this series, now I just have to see if I can fall for it too!
I liked the idea and the world was really interesting! It's not the best first-in-the-series I've read but it has a lot of potential. Even more, it made me curious about what's next.
I can see why so many people love this series, now I just have to see if I can fall for it too!
November 19, 2011
4.25 stars
This story takes place in San Diego, which made me really happy. I've only lived in California a year but I already love finding movies or books that are set near my home.
Lily is a fantastic, strong, Chinese-American police detective with a gift for sensing magic. Lily kind of reminded me of old Anita Blake with a bit of Mercy Thompson's weaknesses and Kate Daniels's practicality sprinkled in. If that makes any sense to anyone.
Rule is a very sexy (yet stereotypical) werewolf - protective, intelligent, incredibly good in bed ... At first I didn't really like him, but I think the fact that Wilks put us inside his head as well as Lily's made it easier to warm up to him.
The plot is not one-dimensional at all. I had thought this was mostly paranormal romance, but it's really urban fantasy with a romance included. The mystery is very much the focal point and it's obvious that Wilks is adept at weaving multiple plot threads together. I like stories where you get to see different sides and multiple points of view, and when it's done well it's a really exciting and immersive storytelling technique. I think Lynn Viehl does a good job of this as well, and if you're a fan of hers you may want to try out this series too.
I will echo pretty much everyone else's thoughts that the big fight ended abruptly. I don't want to say that's the reason I gave this book less than five stars though, that's more because I'm pretty stingy with my stars, but the choice to end the scene the way she did was ... odd. I tried to think if they did something like that in a movie, how would I feel? Probably pretty pissed off, but the bulk of this book was so enjoyable that I can't say it really ruined anything for me.
I'm definitely glad I finally read this one, and it's honestly weird that it took me this long to give it a chance. If you're looking for a strong female character with an electrifying romance and an engrossing mystery steeped with magic, then this is a perfect book to pick up.
This story takes place in San Diego, which made me really happy. I've only lived in California a year but I already love finding movies or books that are set near my home.
Lily is a fantastic, strong, Chinese-American police detective with a gift for sensing magic. Lily kind of reminded me of old Anita Blake with a bit of Mercy Thompson's weaknesses and Kate Daniels's practicality sprinkled in. If that makes any sense to anyone.
Rule is a very sexy (yet stereotypical) werewolf - protective, intelligent, incredibly good in bed ... At first I didn't really like him, but I think the fact that Wilks put us inside his head as well as Lily's made it easier to warm up to him.
The plot is not one-dimensional at all. I had thought this was mostly paranormal romance, but it's really urban fantasy with a romance included. The mystery is very much the focal point and it's obvious that Wilks is adept at weaving multiple plot threads together. I like stories where you get to see different sides and multiple points of view, and when it's done well it's a really exciting and immersive storytelling technique. I think Lynn Viehl does a good job of this as well, and if you're a fan of hers you may want to try out this series too.
I will echo pretty much everyone else's thoughts that the big fight ended abruptly. I don't want to say that's the reason I gave this book less than five stars though, that's more because I'm pretty stingy with my stars, but the choice to end the scene the way she did was ... odd. I tried to think if they did something like that in a movie, how would I feel? Probably pretty pissed off, but the bulk of this book was so enjoyable that I can't say it really ruined anything for me.
I'm definitely glad I finally read this one, and it's honestly weird that it took me this long to give it a chance. If you're looking for a strong female character with an electrifying romance and an engrossing mystery steeped with magic, then this is a perfect book to pick up.
September 29, 2009
Lily is a great protagonist. I love that the elements of her Chinese-American heritage were well-integrated into this story. I love her no-nonsense, down to earth, cop personality, but also that she is open-minded enough to appreciate her gifts and to realize that there are things that go bump in the night.
The aspect of the werewolf society took a unique, but confusing term. I like that Ms. Wilks built a culture, complete with a separate religion for the werewolves. They are very earthy and sensual, and not just in a sexual way.
Rule, I haven't made up my mind about him. I am not sure I really like him yet. He's very morally ambiguous and almost detached in some ways, other than his primal werewolf nature. All I got to know about him were aspects that didn't appeal to me. I am not sure that I feel he's a good mate for Lily, but time will tell.
I enjoyed this book enough to continue reading the series. I like it moreso as an urban fantasy than a romance, and as a good werewolf novel. I wasn't really feeling the appeal of Rule as a romantic hero.
The aspect of the werewolf society took a unique, but confusing term. I like that Ms. Wilks built a culture, complete with a separate religion for the werewolves. They are very earthy and sensual, and not just in a sexual way.
Rule, I haven't made up my mind about him. I am not sure I really like him yet. He's very morally ambiguous and almost detached in some ways, other than his primal werewolf nature. All I got to know about him were aspects that didn't appeal to me. I am not sure that I feel he's a good mate for Lily, but time will tell.
I enjoyed this book enough to continue reading the series. I like it moreso as an urban fantasy than a romance, and as a good werewolf novel. I wasn't really feeling the appeal of Rule as a romantic hero.
March 29, 2018
Well that was fun. Now onto the next one.
I hope this series stays the same or gets better because I've been looking for a good, long urban fantasy series to get into for awhile now without much luck. Really hoping this one will be it.
Big thanks to Carol for giving this book 4 stars all those years ago but not remembering why so that she had to reread it with me. :D Honestly, if it wasn't for that 4 star rating, I would've passed by this book and not look back because... just look at that cover.
Anyhow review to come when I get through a few more books. I might do a comprehensive review then after I get a better feel for the writing and setting.
* * * * *
Reading this one with Carol
I hope this series stays the same or gets better because I've been looking for a good, long urban fantasy series to get into for awhile now without much luck. Really hoping this one will be it.
Big thanks to Carol for giving this book 4 stars all those years ago but not remembering why so that she had to reread it with me. :D Honestly, if it wasn't for that 4 star rating, I would've passed by this book and not look back because... just look at that cover.
Anyhow review to come when I get through a few more books. I might do a comprehensive review then after I get a better feel for the writing and setting.
* * * * *
Reading this one with Carol
February 6, 2017
Buddy read at BB&B
What I really like in UF literature is that it usually makes for easy, fast and entertaining reads ! And Tempting Danger was no exception for me.
I didn't start this book with very high expectations: in part because of the main rating. And mostly, because the first UF I read (Kate Daniels, queen of my heart and soul!) was close to perfection!
But I ended up highly enjoying it !
The world building was quite minimalist and despite some revelations about the Lupi (werewolves) customs and some references about the Realms, there was nothing extremely original or surprising.
The story is told from 3 main POVs :
Lily : a cop and a sensitive. I loved Lily and I loved how honest, persevering, stubborn and compassionate she was. Yes, she may lack a bit of badassery, sassiness and charisma. But her character felt quite realistic and I enjoyed reading about her!
Rule : the lupus prince of clan Nokolai and a playboy. I had trouble figuring Rule out at the beginning of the book. And I appreciated having his POV because there was more to him than his public image.
Cullen : a lupus and a sorcerer (with an unknown background yet). I didn't care much about Cullen... His POV was quite boring.
Many of my GR friends had an issue with
My complaints lie somewhere else though. As much as I liked the investigation (which was well-structured and quite gripping), the ending was too rushed and quite anticlimactic ! A shame, really.
Conclusion
All in all, this book was a real page-turner and a good introduction to the series. I'm glad I'd been able to overlook . I just hope there will be more world-building and character-development in the next installments !! On to the second book.
What I really like in UF literature is that it usually makes for easy, fast and entertaining reads ! And Tempting Danger was no exception for me.
I didn't start this book with very high expectations: in part because of the main rating. And mostly, because the first UF I read (Kate Daniels, queen of my heart and soul!) was close to perfection!
But I ended up highly enjoying it !
The world building was quite minimalist and despite some revelations about the Lupi (werewolves) customs and some references about the Realms, there was nothing extremely original or surprising.
The story is told from 3 main POVs :
Lily : a cop and a sensitive. I loved Lily and I loved how honest, persevering, stubborn and compassionate she was. Yes, she may lack a bit of badassery, sassiness and charisma. But her character felt quite realistic and I enjoyed reading about her!
Rule : the lupus prince of clan Nokolai and a playboy. I had trouble figuring Rule out at the beginning of the book. And I appreciated having his POV because there was more to him than his public image.
Cullen : a lupus and a sorcerer (with an unknown background yet). I didn't care much about Cullen... His POV was quite boring.
Many of my GR friends had an issue with
My complaints lie somewhere else though. As much as I liked the investigation (which was well-structured and quite gripping), the ending was too rushed and quite anticlimactic ! A shame, really.
Conclusion
All in all, this book was a real page-turner and a good introduction to the series. I'm glad I'd been able to overlook . I just hope there will be more world-building and character-development in the next installments !! On to the second book.
November 25, 2016
Buddy-read with my amazing cherry-buddy Jilly a.k.a Jilly the Desecrator of Figurative Manhoods.
This was my very first buddy-read and I loved it!
*Jilly was quite patient with me and I have to say, very skilled at popping my buddy-read cherry.*
Talking about the book as I've read and being able to talk about the characters like they are real people is a heady feeling!
I've reread this series a couple of times, obviously I love it! It's one of those rare series that gets better with every installment instead of losing its way. I had given it 3 stars originally but I enjoyed it more this time around so it gets 4 stars.
One of the things I enjoy about this series is that we get multiple PoVs and they are not there for us to see how sappy our normally stoic hero is for the heroine or how idiotic the villian is. The different PoVs are there for the world building and get the story going.
Main characters ,Lilly and Rule, have some traits that normally annoyes me to violence.
They had this repetitive interaction;
"-I have questions.
-Naturally." that made me want to slam their heads into each other.
But Elieen Wilks must be dabbling in some kind of witchery because I loved and understood both the H&h.
I will not talk about what happened with the story or the world building because I am the Queen of The Spoilers. I am trying to learn the art of reviewing without ruining the book so please bear with me!
This was my very first buddy-read and I loved it!
*Jilly was quite patient with me and I have to say, very skilled at popping my buddy-read cherry.*
Talking about the book as I've read and being able to talk about the characters like they are real people is a heady feeling!
I've reread this series a couple of times, obviously I love it! It's one of those rare series that gets better with every installment instead of losing its way. I had given it 3 stars originally but I enjoyed it more this time around so it gets 4 stars.
One of the things I enjoy about this series is that we get multiple PoVs and they are not there for us to see how sappy our normally stoic hero is for the heroine or how idiotic the villian is. The different PoVs are there for the world building and get the story going.
Main characters ,Lilly and Rule, have some traits that normally annoyes me to violence.
They had this repetitive interaction;
"-I have questions.
-Naturally." that made me want to slam their heads into each other.
But Elieen Wilks must be dabbling in some kind of witchery because I loved and understood both the H&h.
I will not talk about what happened with the story or the world building because I am the Queen of The Spoilers. I am trying to learn the art of reviewing without ruining the book so please bear with me!
April 1, 2018
3.5*
Good whilst not mindblowing. Pleasant writing, likeable MC, Chinese heritage was a new thing for me hence interesting. Main storyline alright, although ending felt rushed.
Romantic storyline developed a bit too fast for my liking, but it's not too bad. Investigation vs. romance balance is fairly good.
On the whole I'd summarise it as 'Cosy read'. Lots of familiar elements and nothing particularly original but well executed and engaging.
Main attraction for me was main character Lily Yu - intelligent and organised she seeks logic and scientific explanation to everything (and answers to her many questions ;). It's fun to see her thrown out of her comfort zone to unfamiliar world of magic, passion and faith trying to rationalise it all.
P.S. cover and title have nothing to do with the contents of this book.
Good whilst not mindblowing. Pleasant writing, likeable MC, Chinese heritage was a new thing for me hence interesting. Main storyline alright, although ending felt rushed.
Romantic storyline developed a bit too fast for my liking, but it's not too bad. Investigation vs. romance balance is fairly good.
On the whole I'd summarise it as 'Cosy read'. Lots of familiar elements and nothing particularly original but well executed and engaging.
Main attraction for me was main character Lily Yu - intelligent and organised she seeks logic and scientific explanation to everything (and answers to her many questions ;). It's fun to see her thrown out of her comfort zone to unfamiliar world of magic, passion and faith trying to rationalise it all.
P.S. cover and title have nothing to do with the contents of this book.
January 10, 2017
Police detective Lily Yu is used to the paranormal. Being a sensitive means she can feel the magic of paranormals around her. And when she finds a mauled body behind Club Hell she knows the murder was done by a werewolf.
Intent on finding the killer her path crosses with Rule Turner, the werewolf playboy prince of the Nokolai Clan, who is also a possible suspect. But suspect or not, there is no denying the intense attraction between them, an attraction that seems too powerful and too sudden. And when more murders occur Lily has no choice but to accept Rule’s help in finding the brutal serial killer. Together they are plunged into an evil plot, one that soon focuses on Lily and Rule both.
She’d seen death often enough since she was promoted to Homicide. Her stomach no longer turned over, but the regret, the sorrow over the waste, never went away.
I really liked Lily. Her past was quite heartbreaking and I loved her need for justice, how serious she took her job as a homicide detective. She reminded me a little of my favorite character Eve Dallas. I also loved that she named her cat Dirty Harry.
Although the story started quite slow and I was honestly quite bored several times, it did get more interesting and captivating by the middle of the book. The plot had a lot of potential with all the different types of paranormal/magical beings and their rocky co-existence with normal humans. As a fan of suspense/thriller plots I really liked the special FBI division that Lily eventually assisted with in finding the killers. I also liked the fact that there are no female werewolves in this world, which was quite unique and interesting.
My biggest problem with this book was Rule and the romance. With Rule we go from seeing him with two women in the beginning at the club, one of whom was married (which I really didn’t like) and then suddenly Lily is the woman for him. Also his parts in the book felt boring and with too much info dump into his clans’ inner working.
I’m a big fan of mating bonds, when they are done right. But in this book it didn’t work for me and I felt no connection to the romance. It all felt forced because of Lily being Rule’s Chosen and them therefore having no choice but being together. And the fact that they couldn’t be too far apart without experiencing dizziness was weird.
While it wasn’t a fantastic first introduction, I do feel the series has a lot of potential, so I’m hoping the next book will be better for me.
December 31, 2023
I would have given it 3 stars except for a few issues I had with it.
1. The chosen thing. I've never believed in "Soul Mates" or "love at first sight" and when I read about it in books I feel cheated. First of all the reader misses out on watching the two fall in love and begin to trust each other. It makes the whole relationship feel fake.
2. That Rule and Lily's relationship was mostly physical. What they had together was lust, not love. Rule even said at one point that Lupi couldn't fall in love and that the best they could hope for was to one day become friends. He practically just said that they were "friends with benefits" and that she shouldn't expect for anything more.
3. The fact that Rule was such a playboy. Some girls might find it sexy to be with a guy who has slept with hundreds of other girls, but all I could think about was all the nasty diseases he must be carrying around. Also I hate it when guys it books go from whoring around to suddenly becoming monogamist because he "found the one." It is very cliche and unrealistic. I also feel that it gives readers wrong expectations about men.
4. Lily's dark secret. Lily felt very two dimensional. I wasn't able to really get into her head and see how she felt about everything that was happening to her.
5. The ending. The climax was frankly quite dull and Wilks skipped over all the interesting bits. Again I felt cheated and that Wilks had simply fast forward the end because she didn't want to write a dramatic fight scene.
1. The chosen thing. I've never believed in "Soul Mates" or "love at first sight" and when I read about it in books I feel cheated. First of all the reader misses out on watching the two fall in love and begin to trust each other. It makes the whole relationship feel fake.
2. That Rule and Lily's relationship was mostly physical. What they had together was lust, not love. Rule even said at one point that Lupi couldn't fall in love and that the best they could hope for was to one day become friends. He practically just said that they were "friends with benefits" and that she shouldn't expect for anything more.
3. The fact that Rule was such a playboy. Some girls might find it sexy to be with a guy who has slept with hundreds of other girls, but all I could think about was all the nasty diseases he must be carrying around. Also I hate it when guys it books go from whoring around to suddenly becoming monogamist because he "found the one." It is very cliche and unrealistic. I also feel that it gives readers wrong expectations about men.
4. Lily's dark secret. Lily felt very two dimensional. I wasn't able to really get into her head and see how she felt about everything that was happening to her.
5. The ending. The climax was frankly quite dull and Wilks skipped over all the interesting bits. Again I felt cheated and that Wilks had simply fast forward the end because she didn't want to write a dramatic fight scene.
February 10, 2017
Re-read: 02.01.2017
The thing is... it's good, the story is good, the characters well liked and all that, BUT not much happens. As I said in my first read review: I need more action. Also, fuck, I really wish Rule was more alpha male, that he was more dominant and strong. Frankly, he's too nice for my taste when it comes to books... The point of this re-read was to see if I could make myself continue with the series, however, my feeling have not changed, and I'm still not sure if I'll continue :( But damn, this book do have such potential.
I wish it had a bit more...action in it. That Lily Yu was more kickass or something. I just felt like something was missing for me to actually love it. It was a good story, with an interesting world, but I had a bit trouble with connecting with it, and I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I'm still feeling a bit confused about things, things that should be more explained... I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series, only time will tell.
“We don't go to the ocean for anything as simple as happiness, do we? We
go there to feel alive. Like life, the ocean holds chance and change, grief and terror and beauty. It promises mortality, not peace.”
The thing is... it's good, the story is good, the characters well liked and all that, BUT not much happens. As I said in my first read review: I need more action. Also, fuck, I really wish Rule was more alpha male, that he was more dominant and strong. Frankly, he's too nice for my taste when it comes to books... The point of this re-read was to see if I could make myself continue with the series, however, my feeling have not changed, and I'm still not sure if I'll continue :( But damn, this book do have such potential.
"Regrets are the most useless form of guilt. They always arrive too late to do any good."
I wish it had a bit more...action in it. That Lily Yu was more kickass or something. I just felt like something was missing for me to actually love it. It was a good story, with an interesting world, but I had a bit trouble with connecting with it, and I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I'm still feeling a bit confused about things, things that should be more explained... I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series, only time will tell.
He stared at the heart of his heart, the one woman in the world for him.
March 15, 2016
The series begins here, and it's off to a strong start. Paranormal romantic fantasy-suspense set in San Diego, told in 3rd-person POV. Lily Yu is a Chinese-American homicide detective. Her ethnicity seems authentic. Rule Turner is the heir to a powerful werewolf clan. Together they solve crimes and stop the insanity. Plot involves the FBI's magical crimes unit, gods and goddesses, were-shifters, gnomes, sorcerers, telepathy, witches....
The FBI's magical crimes unit and the human-shifter politics reminded me of the PNR series written by Patricia Briggs.
Grandmother was my favorite secondary character, along with Callun. Hope to see more of them.
Quibbles: From the beginning, Lily and Yu experience the mating bond — that old trope didn't feel real. I am not in love with Rule, yet. He felt detached. Also, I could do without the religious cussing (about a dozen times).
But otherwise, an enjoyable way to spend a rainy day.
The FBI's magical crimes unit and the human-shifter politics reminded me of the PNR series written by Patricia Briggs.
Grandmother was my favorite secondary character, along with Callun. Hope to see more of them.
Quibbles: From the beginning, Lily and Yu experience the mating bond — that old trope didn't feel real. I am not in love with Rule, yet. He felt detached. Also, I could do without the religious cussing (about a dozen times).
But otherwise, an enjoyable way to spend a rainy day.
January 8, 2016
3.5/5; 4 stars; A-
This is my second time reading this book and I enjoyed it even more this time. Wilks does a great job of setting up the world and introducing the characters and magic system. I didn't know it the first time that I read this book but now know that this is one of the best PNR series out there. The books only get better from here.
This is my second time reading this book and I enjoyed it even more this time. Wilks does a great job of setting up the world and introducing the characters and magic system. I didn't know it the first time that I read this book but now know that this is one of the best PNR series out there. The books only get better from here.
November 10, 2013
So I have been off of urban fantasy for awhile now. Reading the newly released books in my favorite series but not starting any new urban fantasy series. If a friend hadn't recommended this series to me -- repeatedly, I wouldn't have read it. The cover doesn't call to me and urban fantasy just doesn't hold the same appeal to me anymore. And if I can avoid murder investigation urban fantasy books, I do. So there was a lot working against me picking up this book. But damn, I am so glad I read this book.
Tempting Danger is good, the story is good, the writing is good, the world is unique and the characters are even better. Many UF series depend on a sarcastic heroine that is abrasive and who is generally not liked by most of the side characters. There is none of that in this series. The main character is not rude nor is she funny, but she is strong and enjoyable to read about. She is actually a character I would enjoy meeting and I wanted her to succeed.
Shifters have been done and done. Police investigation UFs have also been done and done. But somehow, Tempting Danger approaches these storylines in a unique way. There are little surprises along the way and not everything is wrapped up perfectly, but it is done satisfyingly.
Because it is shifters and because there is a romance storyline there is a predictable theme -- the dreaded fated to be mated. I normally am not a fan. But this is the best fated to be mated storyline I have read. All the questions you would wonder yourself - like how does it feel to have all choice taken away and have a mate forced on you? Wilks doesn't tread lightly on this topic or romanticize it.
So how does it compare to other urban fantasy series? My favorites are Mercy Thompson, Katie Daniels, Psycop, Penryn & the End of Days, Experiment in Terror, Dresden Files, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Tempting Danger has good characters that I think will only get better. Wilks doesn't take the easy way out with her storylines and writes in a complex way. I can see it not appealing to everyone. She doesn't world build or define terms or belief systems. She expects her readers to pick it up along the way. She shows rather than tells. And personally I love that. It is a more complex way of telling a story and it means that the reader has to learn as she goes but it makes for a better story in my opinion. So to answer to my first question -- how does the World of the Lupi compare with my favorite UF series? Well, it wasn't compulsive must finish read but I still read it in about 3-4 days. I immediately bought the second in the series after I finished the first. I am not sure if this is going to be a favorite, but it has potential to become a favorite series of mine.
I cannot wait to continue on to the next book in the series.
Tempting Danger is good, the story is good, the writing is good, the world is unique and the characters are even better. Many UF series depend on a sarcastic heroine that is abrasive and who is generally not liked by most of the side characters. There is none of that in this series. The main character is not rude nor is she funny, but she is strong and enjoyable to read about. She is actually a character I would enjoy meeting and I wanted her to succeed.
Shifters have been done and done. Police investigation UFs have also been done and done. But somehow, Tempting Danger approaches these storylines in a unique way. There are little surprises along the way and not everything is wrapped up perfectly, but it is done satisfyingly.
Because it is shifters and because there is a romance storyline there is a predictable theme -- the dreaded fated to be mated. I normally am not a fan. But this is the best fated to be mated storyline I have read. All the questions you would wonder yourself - like how does it feel to have all choice taken away and have a mate forced on you? Wilks doesn't tread lightly on this topic or romanticize it.
So how does it compare to other urban fantasy series? My favorites are Mercy Thompson, Katie Daniels, Psycop, Penryn & the End of Days, Experiment in Terror, Dresden Files, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Tempting Danger has good characters that I think will only get better. Wilks doesn't take the easy way out with her storylines and writes in a complex way. I can see it not appealing to everyone. She doesn't world build or define terms or belief systems. She expects her readers to pick it up along the way. She shows rather than tells. And personally I love that. It is a more complex way of telling a story and it means that the reader has to learn as she goes but it makes for a better story in my opinion. So to answer to my first question -- how does the World of the Lupi compare with my favorite UF series? Well, it wasn't compulsive must finish read but I still read it in about 3-4 days. I immediately bought the second in the series after I finished the first. I am not sure if this is going to be a favorite, but it has potential to become a favorite series of mine.
I cannot wait to continue on to the next book in the series.
December 31, 2019
Interesting world and I typically enjoy UF police procedurals. Definitely a series I will be continuing with.
January 27, 2016
I’ve been meaning to get around to this series for years. When it occurred to me that I hadn’t found a good werewolf Urban Fantasy series in a while, I figured it was well past time to give the World of the Lupi a try. It was a little more police procedural than I expected. It felt similar in some ways to the early Anita Blake books (without all the polyamorous sex-a-thons that appeared in the later books) or maybe the Kara Gillian series before its sharp left turn. The heroine is someone with a special gift of her own which helps her navigate a supernatural world where humans fear those who are different. The thing is, I liked those books, so it’s no big surprise that I liked this one too.
Lily is a homicide detective who is also a Sensitive. She can feel the influence of magic with her touch. Only a few people know what she can do, but when she uses her gift, it’s only to supplement good, solid police work. As the book begins, Lily is assigned a murder committed by a lupus and all signs point to Rule, the enigmatic Prince of the local pack. Though she is not one to mix business and pleasure, Lily can’t ignore the instant and overwhelming connection she has with the suspect –and over time, we learn there is a good reason for that. The story follows Lily as she tries to figure out, at first, who the real killer is, and later, why it was staged as a larger plot to target the man she is falling for.
I liked Lily. I thought it was cool to see an Asian American heroine; she is smart and loyal and good at what she does. She has problems, yes, but they stem from real trauma, and I felt like she tried to deal with them in constructive ways. And though she fought the thing with Rule when it seemed reasonable to do so, she also was willing accept her feelings and their relationship when the time came.
Rule was ok. I tried not to judge him for his promiscuity before he got involved with Lily, since it was part of the lupi culture, but it sat in the back of my mind for quite a while. I know there are a lot of things about him that are still a mystery –things, I imagine we’ll learn as the series goes on — and I hope that as more of his character is revealed, he will continue to grow on me.
I really liked Lily’s mysterious grandmother. I definitely hope to see more of her. And I enjoyed the worldbuilding, though it’s slow to reveal in this installment. I think it’s going to get richer over time.
As I said, I liked the book. But a couple of things kept me from loving it. I wish there could have been more relationship development between Lily and Rule. This was far more mate-driven than emotionally compelling. And an even bigger issue: I felt robbed on the climax. There was all this building and most of the big battle happened off page. Not cool.
But I am interested enough to keep reading. I hope we get to go that rehearsal dinner in the next book.
Rating: B/B-
Lily is a homicide detective who is also a Sensitive. She can feel the influence of magic with her touch. Only a few people know what she can do, but when she uses her gift, it’s only to supplement good, solid police work. As the book begins, Lily is assigned a murder committed by a lupus and all signs point to Rule, the enigmatic Prince of the local pack. Though she is not one to mix business and pleasure, Lily can’t ignore the instant and overwhelming connection she has with the suspect –and over time, we learn there is a good reason for that. The story follows Lily as she tries to figure out, at first, who the real killer is, and later, why it was staged as a larger plot to target the man she is falling for.
I liked Lily. I thought it was cool to see an Asian American heroine; she is smart and loyal and good at what she does. She has problems, yes, but they stem from real trauma, and I felt like she tried to deal with them in constructive ways. And though she fought the thing with Rule when it seemed reasonable to do so, she also was willing accept her feelings and their relationship when the time came.
Rule was ok. I tried not to judge him for his promiscuity before he got involved with Lily, since it was part of the lupi culture, but it sat in the back of my mind for quite a while. I know there are a lot of things about him that are still a mystery –things, I imagine we’ll learn as the series goes on — and I hope that as more of his character is revealed, he will continue to grow on me.
I really liked Lily’s mysterious grandmother. I definitely hope to see more of her. And I enjoyed the worldbuilding, though it’s slow to reveal in this installment. I think it’s going to get richer over time.
As I said, I liked the book. But a couple of things kept me from loving it. I wish there could have been more relationship development between Lily and Rule. This was far more mate-driven than emotionally compelling. And an even bigger issue: I felt robbed on the climax. There was all this building and most of the big battle happened off page. Not cool.
But I am interested enough to keep reading. I hope we get to go that rehearsal dinner in the next book.
Rating: B/B-
December 13, 2016
I'm so stupid sometimes that I want to smack myself! How could I have missed this series????
It's wonderful!!! I loved everything about his first book!!
The heroine: smart, mouthy, intelligent, rational, sharp as a knife!!!
The hero: simply jummy in everything!
But the best, absolutely best was the world building! Everything was interesting and I kept turning pages to find out more!
The writing was excellent too! The was the author unveils, bit by bit, how the wold works is simply incredible!
Great, great paranormal!!!
It's wonderful!!! I loved everything about his first book!!
The heroine: smart, mouthy, intelligent, rational, sharp as a knife!!!
The hero: simply jummy in everything!
But the best, absolutely best was the world building! Everything was interesting and I kept turning pages to find out more!
The writing was excellent too! The was the author unveils, bit by bit, how the wold works is simply incredible!
Great, great paranormal!!!
April 6, 2020
I really liked this one, in spite of some problems, and "really liked" translates to four stars in Goodreads' code. As other reviewers said, it's strongly reminiscent of the early Anita Blake books (that is, the ones that also got four stars from me)--well written and suspenseful, blending a police procedural (with plenty of both internal and cross-jurisdictional police drama) and numerous paranormal elements that all three branches of government are coming to grips with.
It's also a bit like the early Hollows books in that there was a major event in the past that changed everything but isn't ever fully explained. Instead of the Hollows' "Turn," we get talk of the "Purge" and continuing hostility towards paranormals, in particular the Lupi of the series title--werewolves who are male only and seem able to change forms at will, living in clans with their women and children (again, never fully explained how that works).
The best part of the book for me was the main character, a homicide detective named Lily Yu. She's stable, intelligent, dedicated, and strong-willed--an excellent choice to carry a long series that begins with this novel. Her Chinese heritage comes out mainly in her interactions with her grandmother, a truly fascinating character. Lily's also a sensitive who can perceive traces of different supernaturals, and she's immune to magical spells.
The murder she's working on gets her caught between her own police unit and the below-the-radar Magical Crimes division of the FBI, with much more than the usual tensions between city law enforcement and the FBI; several well-developed characters in each contribute to an intricate tangle of subplots with Lily in the middle.
The chief suspect, at least at first, in the murder that starts the story off is the Lu Nuncio (or Number Two) of the Nokolai clan of Lupi, whose "Clanhome" is in the mountains above the city. His worldly name is Rule Turner (good grief!) and he's an arrogant playboy living it up in the city when he's not on clan business. But if you were expecting instant love or slow-burn romance between Lily and Rule, think again. As soon as they meet, they are bonded for life and can't do anything about it. A big shock for Lily and an end to fun for Rule, who knows about these involuntary bonds that some Lupi have (and others don't)--they're "Chosen" by "The Lady," whom the Lupi seem to worship, and they don't have to even like each other, ever.
As Rule explains it to Lily, the bond shows up immediately as an overwhelming need for unlimited sex and an inability to be more than about a hundred meters apart, both of which really get in the way of running a murder investigation! It loosens up gradually during the first year, he says, and then you won't be felled with vertigo if you stray too far from me. Being a strong, level-headed individual, Lily makes the best of her new situation .
The third-person narrative is told from the points of view of Lily, Rule, and a third character Cullen . Settings are described in detail, which helps a lot in the action scenes, and there's a big surprise at the climax that I really didn't see coming. Definitely recommended.
It's also a bit like the early Hollows books in that there was a major event in the past that changed everything but isn't ever fully explained. Instead of the Hollows' "Turn," we get talk of the "Purge" and continuing hostility towards paranormals, in particular the Lupi of the series title--werewolves who are male only and seem able to change forms at will, living in clans with their women and children (again, never fully explained how that works).
The best part of the book for me was the main character, a homicide detective named Lily Yu. She's stable, intelligent, dedicated, and strong-willed--an excellent choice to carry a long series that begins with this novel. Her Chinese heritage comes out mainly in her interactions with her grandmother, a truly fascinating character. Lily's also a sensitive who can perceive traces of different supernaturals, and she's immune to magical spells.
The murder she's working on gets her caught between her own police unit and the below-the-radar Magical Crimes division of the FBI, with much more than the usual tensions between city law enforcement and the FBI; several well-developed characters in each contribute to an intricate tangle of subplots with Lily in the middle.
The chief suspect, at least at first, in the murder that starts the story off is the Lu Nuncio (or Number Two) of the Nokolai clan of Lupi, whose "Clanhome" is in the mountains above the city. His worldly name is Rule Turner (good grief!) and he's an arrogant playboy living it up in the city when he's not on clan business. But if you were expecting instant love or slow-burn romance between Lily and Rule, think again. As soon as they meet, they are bonded for life and can't do anything about it. A big shock for Lily and an end to fun for Rule, who knows about these involuntary bonds that some Lupi have (and others don't)--they're "Chosen" by "The Lady," whom the Lupi seem to worship, and they don't have to even like each other, ever.
As Rule explains it to Lily, the bond shows up immediately as an overwhelming need for unlimited sex and an inability to be more than about a hundred meters apart, both of which really get in the way of running a murder investigation! It loosens up gradually during the first year, he says, and then you won't be felled with vertigo if you stray too far from me. Being a strong, level-headed individual, Lily makes the best of her new situation .
The third-person narrative is told from the points of view of Lily, Rule, and a third character Cullen . Settings are described in detail, which helps a lot in the action scenes, and there's a big surprise at the climax that I really didn't see coming. Definitely recommended.
July 1, 2013
I loved this book. Layered, complex, smart, and well written. Read the complete review at: http://loveaffairwithanereader.blogsp...
Things I like about the Story
* The main character is an Asian American female, detective on the San Diego Police Department. I'm Asian American, female, from San Diego with lots of friends on the police department. I found Lily easy to relate to.
* The story makes me think about places where it is difficult to imagine. As the lupi are being revealed and equality is being debated, prejudice and discrimination rear its ugly head again. Could there be a time and place where we may be ready and willing to mandate registration and then forceably require "the other" (in this case to lupi) to take shots in order to prevent the Change, effectively preventing the lupi from being in their nature, who they really are? We are not that far from history when our government engaged in eugenics and had forced sterilization programs.
Things I like about the Storytelling
* I like how Eileen Wilks lays out Lily's thinking, how she connects the dots in a manner much like a detective would. I also like how she connects the analogy to gardening:
Planning a bed was fun. Planting was satisfying, and watching the garden come to life filled her in a way nothing else did. But sometimes she just needed to dig and pull, dig and pull.
* There are some pretty great lines including:
"You are as close to perfection as it's possible to get without boredom."
And my absolute favorite, in response to Rule's breath-taking, speedy driving:
Lily cursed under her breath. He glanced at her, and pleasure fled. "I'll slow down. You're pale." "I turn Caucasian at ninety miles an hour and up. Pay no attention."
Why I like the Characters:
1. Ms. Wilks strikes the right note when playing off of Lily's Chinese heritage. Her characterization is not stereotypical, is not a caricature, and is not gimmicky. Lily's Chinese American background is relevant, but is not exploited. I don't often find authors who have the right balance; it is difficult to do. This one is much appreciated.
2. Grandmother is a Padres fan. If you grew up in San Diego, you understand the agony and ecstasy of being a loyal Padres fan. Enough said.
IN A NUTSHELL: I love this world and its characters. I cannot wait to read the next book.
Things I like about the Story
* The main character is an Asian American female, detective on the San Diego Police Department. I'm Asian American, female, from San Diego with lots of friends on the police department. I found Lily easy to relate to.
* The story makes me think about places where it is difficult to imagine. As the lupi are being revealed and equality is being debated, prejudice and discrimination rear its ugly head again. Could there be a time and place where we may be ready and willing to mandate registration and then forceably require "the other" (in this case to lupi) to take shots in order to prevent the Change, effectively preventing the lupi from being in their nature, who they really are? We are not that far from history when our government engaged in eugenics and had forced sterilization programs.
Things I like about the Storytelling
* I like how Eileen Wilks lays out Lily's thinking, how she connects the dots in a manner much like a detective would. I also like how she connects the analogy to gardening:
Planning a bed was fun. Planting was satisfying, and watching the garden come to life filled her in a way nothing else did. But sometimes she just needed to dig and pull, dig and pull.
* There are some pretty great lines including:
"You are as close to perfection as it's possible to get without boredom."
And my absolute favorite, in response to Rule's breath-taking, speedy driving:
Lily cursed under her breath. He glanced at her, and pleasure fled. "I'll slow down. You're pale." "I turn Caucasian at ninety miles an hour and up. Pay no attention."
Why I like the Characters:
1. Ms. Wilks strikes the right note when playing off of Lily's Chinese heritage. Her characterization is not stereotypical, is not a caricature, and is not gimmicky. Lily's Chinese American background is relevant, but is not exploited. I don't often find authors who have the right balance; it is difficult to do. This one is much appreciated.
2. Grandmother is a Padres fan. If you grew up in San Diego, you understand the agony and ecstasy of being a loyal Padres fan. Enough said.
IN A NUTSHELL: I love this world and its characters. I cannot wait to read the next book.
October 25, 2013
Originally reviewed here @ Angieville
I remember first running across Eileen Wilks' name in the On the Prowl compilation I purchased solely because it contained Patricia Briggs' first Alpha & Omega novella (fabulous, by the way). I never really sat down and read the other novellas, though. Now I'm wishing I had so that I could have discovered Wilks' writing much sooner. Instead, it took my buddy in all things urban fantasy Chachic throwing herself headlong into a glom of Wilks' World of the Lupi series to convince me to give the it a shot. And what a time to come in to a new series. The World of the Lupi is currently 10 full books in and going strong! Plenty of adventure to keep me busy in between waiting for the next book in my other favorite series. I will say that this cover does little for me. After the fact, I like that it depicts an actual scene from the book. But even so, it leaves me feeling pretty meh. It does look as though partway into the series, the covers shift to somewhat more traditional UF covers, depicting Lily in action. And since I like Lily very much, this thing maketh me happy.
Lily Yu has worked her way up to Homicide and has every intention of proving she's earned her place there. Being a petite Chinese female cop has been no walk in the park. To say nothing of her less explicit ability as a sensitive. Able to sense magic through touch gives her a leg up on investigations, but would destroy her credibility as a detective were anyone but her captain to find out. And she needs every advantage she can get on her latest case. A man was murdered by what appears to be a lupus in wolf form. Lily is lead on the case, but things get thorny when the top suspect turns out to be the prince, heir, and general golden boy of the local lupi clan—Rule Turner. Famous for his charm and flexible morals, Rule has a less than stellar alibi and a whole lotta motive. Lily and Rule's first meeting is both illuminating and frustrating, as Lily comes to the realization that not only does she sense zero magic coming off of Rule (and she really should) but that she is inexorably drawn to him at the same time. For his part, Rule is determined to both clear his name and figure out why he can't get the irascible detective out of his mind. Together they set out to solve the murder and see if they can come to some sort of truce along the way.
There is just nothing not to like about this debut. It immediately put me in mind of the cancelled-too-early crime drama Life—a show I mourn to this day. This put us on excellent terms, as I love police procedurals, and a mash-up with urban fantasy pretty much steamrolled any defenses I might have erected. Lily is a sympathetic protagonist from the start. I love how hard she works every day. And I love Wilks' exploration of her strained relationships with family and colleagues as a result of her heritage, her abilities, and her aspirations. Rule is initially an unknown quantity, unknown enough that it set my nerves to jangling. However, he quickly works his way into not just Lily's inner circle, but the reader's as well. An early interaction that sold me on these two:
What I love about Rule is how unexpectedly grim he is. I know, I know, but hear me out. The thing is he's this serious playboy with oodles of charm, and he could have come off utterly vapid, as nothing more than a warm, willing body. But Rule is much more than that. He's the heir to massive responsibility, his family dynamics are twisty and fraught, and when the connection with Lily is made manifest, it changes every detail of the life he leads. What can I say? The gravity with which he approached his new life impressed me. The bond is unwelcome to both parties. But Rule deals with it with more composure than Lily, if only because he knows what it is that's happening and she has no idea. It's his compassion that kills me. His compassion for Lily as the avalanche buries them both. And his fledgling affection and sense of wonder at the thought that it might change their lives in beautiful ways as well as terrible ones.
Yeah. Rule has layers. I was rooting for them both and I loved them, from their crackling tension on the page to the way their names sound one after the other. Their romance is key to the story, to be sure, but it never takes center stage and it is very much a work in progress. I look forward to watching them negotiate each other throughout each of the following books in the series. Wholeheartedly recommended for mystery lovers, crime lovers, urban fantasy lovers, romance lovers. You name it, Wilks has got it in her bag.
I remember first running across Eileen Wilks' name in the On the Prowl compilation I purchased solely because it contained Patricia Briggs' first Alpha & Omega novella (fabulous, by the way). I never really sat down and read the other novellas, though. Now I'm wishing I had so that I could have discovered Wilks' writing much sooner. Instead, it took my buddy in all things urban fantasy Chachic throwing herself headlong into a glom of Wilks' World of the Lupi series to convince me to give the it a shot. And what a time to come in to a new series. The World of the Lupi is currently 10 full books in and going strong! Plenty of adventure to keep me busy in between waiting for the next book in my other favorite series. I will say that this cover does little for me. After the fact, I like that it depicts an actual scene from the book. But even so, it leaves me feeling pretty meh. It does look as though partway into the series, the covers shift to somewhat more traditional UF covers, depicting Lily in action. And since I like Lily very much, this thing maketh me happy.
Lily Yu has worked her way up to Homicide and has every intention of proving she's earned her place there. Being a petite Chinese female cop has been no walk in the park. To say nothing of her less explicit ability as a sensitive. Able to sense magic through touch gives her a leg up on investigations, but would destroy her credibility as a detective were anyone but her captain to find out. And she needs every advantage she can get on her latest case. A man was murdered by what appears to be a lupus in wolf form. Lily is lead on the case, but things get thorny when the top suspect turns out to be the prince, heir, and general golden boy of the local lupi clan—Rule Turner. Famous for his charm and flexible morals, Rule has a less than stellar alibi and a whole lotta motive. Lily and Rule's first meeting is both illuminating and frustrating, as Lily comes to the realization that not only does she sense zero magic coming off of Rule (and she really should) but that she is inexorably drawn to him at the same time. For his part, Rule is determined to both clear his name and figure out why he can't get the irascible detective out of his mind. Together they set out to solve the murder and see if they can come to some sort of truce along the way.
There is just nothing not to like about this debut. It immediately put me in mind of the cancelled-too-early crime drama Life—a show I mourn to this day. This put us on excellent terms, as I love police procedurals, and a mash-up with urban fantasy pretty much steamrolled any defenses I might have erected. Lily is a sympathetic protagonist from the start. I love how hard she works every day. And I love Wilks' exploration of her strained relationships with family and colleagues as a result of her heritage, her abilities, and her aspirations. Rule is initially an unknown quantity, unknown enough that it set my nerves to jangling. However, he quickly works his way into not just Lily's inner circle, but the reader's as well. An early interaction that sold me on these two:
Her eyes flew to his. She saw flecks of gold in the dark irises, and the way his pupils had swollen. The pink triangles at the inner corners of his eyes. The dark, thick eyelashes. And the way his lids had pulled back in shock.
He dropped her hand. For a moment they stared at each other. Her heart pounded. His nostrils were flared, his breathing fast.
Dear God. What did she say? How did she put that moment away, unmake it?
He broke the silence. "I won't be behaving myself," he told her grimly. And turned and left.
What I love about Rule is how unexpectedly grim he is. I know, I know, but hear me out. The thing is he's this serious playboy with oodles of charm, and he could have come off utterly vapid, as nothing more than a warm, willing body. But Rule is much more than that. He's the heir to massive responsibility, his family dynamics are twisty and fraught, and when the connection with Lily is made manifest, it changes every detail of the life he leads. What can I say? The gravity with which he approached his new life impressed me. The bond is unwelcome to both parties. But Rule deals with it with more composure than Lily, if only because he knows what it is that's happening and she has no idea. It's his compassion that kills me. His compassion for Lily as the avalanche buries them both. And his fledgling affection and sense of wonder at the thought that it might change their lives in beautiful ways as well as terrible ones.
"Without Nokolai, the other clans are unlikely to support the bill."
"The clans don't have that much political clout."
"Mmm. Not all lupi are as open about their nature as I am."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Are you saying you've got people in high places? People with a furry secret?"
He smiled.
"The mystery bit is getting old," she observed. "So you think that taking out you and your father could affect the way things go in Washington?"
"The idea wasn't just to remove me, was it? They wanted me arrested, imprisoned. If the, ah, poster boy from lupi is proved to be a murderer, will the public support a bill making us full citizens?"
"Citizens kill each other all the time, unfortunately. But I get your meaning."
She fell silent then, which was just as well. He needed to give his driving most of his attention. But driving, even in this traffic, didn't require his entire mind.
She'd called him Rule.
Such a small thing, a name. But she'd never said his.
Yeah. Rule has layers. I was rooting for them both and I loved them, from their crackling tension on the page to the way their names sound one after the other. Their romance is key to the story, to be sure, but it never takes center stage and it is very much a work in progress. I look forward to watching them negotiate each other throughout each of the following books in the series. Wholeheartedly recommended for mystery lovers, crime lovers, urban fantasy lovers, romance lovers. You name it, Wilks has got it in her bag.
January 8, 2012
A great start to the series!
Tempting Danger is the first book in The World of the Lupi series by Eileen Wilks. I’m disappointed that I had not discovered this series sooner. I’m going to have a lot of books to catch up on.
In Tempting Danger, the main character Lily investigates a murder at a Lupi bar. Lily is a detective and in the course of her investigation, she questions Rule Turner, a prince of the Nikolai clan and a lupi. As a sensitive, Lily is able to sense magic on others. Rule perplexes her; she is unable to feel his magic.
I enjoyed Lily’s character. She was bright, thoughtful, and resourceful. I loved how Lily planned her first date with Rule at a police frequented bar so that she could feel safe. Lily has a sense of humor. Her overweight cat is named Dirty Harry. Lily’s childhood trauma added dimension to her character, encouraging her to seek a life in law enforcement, yet exposing her vulnerabilities.
Once Lily and Rule sorted out their differences, they were wonderful together.
I loved how the author structured this world. The Lupi had their own hierarchy with Rule’s father as the leader, or Rho. Their customs and ceremonies were fascinating.
The magic in this world was impressive. The sorcerers could literally see their spells as they cast them. I liked the integration of the supernatural creatures into our world and how special police and FBI squads were formed to deal with magical and supernatural issues.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series – Mortal Danger.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews
Tempting Danger is the first book in The World of the Lupi series by Eileen Wilks. I’m disappointed that I had not discovered this series sooner. I’m going to have a lot of books to catch up on.
In Tempting Danger, the main character Lily investigates a murder at a Lupi bar. Lily is a detective and in the course of her investigation, she questions Rule Turner, a prince of the Nikolai clan and a lupi. As a sensitive, Lily is able to sense magic on others. Rule perplexes her; she is unable to feel his magic.
I enjoyed Lily’s character. She was bright, thoughtful, and resourceful. I loved how Lily planned her first date with Rule at a police frequented bar so that she could feel safe. Lily has a sense of humor. Her overweight cat is named Dirty Harry. Lily’s childhood trauma added dimension to her character, encouraging her to seek a life in law enforcement, yet exposing her vulnerabilities.
Once Lily and Rule sorted out their differences, they were wonderful together.
I loved how the author structured this world. The Lupi had their own hierarchy with Rule’s father as the leader, or Rho. Their customs and ceremonies were fascinating.
The magic in this world was impressive. The sorcerers could literally see their spells as they cast them. I liked the integration of the supernatural creatures into our world and how special police and FBI squads were formed to deal with magical and supernatural issues.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series – Mortal Danger.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews
February 19, 2023
DNF @40%
It would be easier to list the things I liked about this book but there are none so here’s what I think:
First off: this universe makes zero sense. It’s haphazardly constructed, at best. It reads like the author just makes up the magical and mystical laws as she goes along, wherever they’re convenient. The story became very confusing, VERY fast.
Second: it’s written in third person which made it difficult for me to connect to the characters. Not to mention how wooden they all were. The characters were cliched and their dialogue was cliched.
Third: all the werewolves are men. ONLY MEN. How boring and stupid right? And they only wear cutoff Levis and nothing else. Thanks, I hate it.
Fourth: when it wasn’t confusing as fuck, it was boring. They make coffee. They sit around and read through files and use too much police jargon (boring enough in real life, extra boring in a novel).
Anyway, you might like it if you like convoluted police dramas combined with werewolves. I, however, will not read anything more by this author. Also, she needs to fire her editor.
It would be easier to list the things I liked about this book but there are none so here’s what I think:
First off: this universe makes zero sense. It’s haphazardly constructed, at best. It reads like the author just makes up the magical and mystical laws as she goes along, wherever they’re convenient. The story became very confusing, VERY fast.
Second: it’s written in third person which made it difficult for me to connect to the characters. Not to mention how wooden they all were. The characters were cliched and their dialogue was cliched.
Third: all the werewolves are men. ONLY MEN. How boring and stupid right? And they only wear cutoff Levis and nothing else. Thanks, I hate it.
Fourth: when it wasn’t confusing as fuck, it was boring. They make coffee. They sit around and read through files and use too much police jargon (boring enough in real life, extra boring in a novel).
Anyway, you might like it if you like convoluted police dramas combined with werewolves. I, however, will not read anything more by this author. Also, she needs to fire her editor.
April 19, 2021
This was my first graphic audio experience and I am in love! I was reminded of the radio theatre plays of my childhood. Neither a movie nor a book, different yet so familiar.
I've read and reread this series, I have imagined how the characters look, sound, interact hundreds of time. Still, the graphic audio version managed to enrich my experience of the story without clashing too much with the characters I've created in my brain. Definitely recommend trying it. And thank you Gavin for introducing me to a new pocket in the book realm.
I've read and reread this series, I have imagined how the characters look, sound, interact hundreds of time. Still, the graphic audio version managed to enrich my experience of the story without clashing too much with the characters I've created in my brain. Definitely recommend trying it. And thank you Gavin for introducing me to a new pocket in the book realm.
May 5, 2017
First read: 13-15 June 2009 / Rating: ✮✮✮½
Re-read: 14 Jan 2016 / Rating: ✮✮✮✮½
Re-read Review:
Here are a few things to love about the beginning of this series:
1. Do you dread world building dumps?
- Well, surprise! This author doesn't build her world that way. Instead, she starts telling the story and expects her readers to jump in with both feet and gather information - little pieces of info dropped within chats or character intros - throughout. By the end, you have enough information to understand the general gist of the world, but are left wanting more. SWEET!
2. Do you roll your eyes whenever a story contains fated-to-be-mated pair-ups?
- Well, surprise! This author's fated pair is not only thrown by their "chosen" status, but also finds the effects to be disorientating, life-altering, and challenging. Lily does not immediately celebrate this news. She feels forced into something that, had they had a chance to actually build a relationship, could have led to the same place. Even Rule, who knew about the Chosen prior to meeting Lily, never for one second believed it'd happen to him. While, as lupi, he's more familiar with the concept, the closeness required proves challenging for him as well. YAY!
3. Detectives solving mysterious, supernatural crimes doesn't do it for ya?
- Well, surprise! Similar to the fated pairing, the concept may be familiar, but the way Wilks weaves the tale is fresh and intriguing. As are the wide variety of supernaturals within this world.
There is a LOT of information to learn and many characters to meet. But, by the end, you're familiar enough with the mains, interested enough in the others, and left anxious for more. I've already started my re-read of book 2, Mortal Danger.
Side note: I learned a couple new words ~
Querulous , which means complaining in a petulant or whining manner.
Primogeniture , which means the state of being the firstborn child.
First Read Review:
I would've given 3.5 stars, if possible. I wasn't really into this book in the beginning - wasn't interested in reading a cop story. But, before I could put it down it sucked me in. I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I will definitely move on to the next in the series. Grandmother was a very interesting character. I also liked Rule and look forward to learning more about the lupi culture right along with Lily.
Re-read: 14 Jan 2016 / Rating: ✮✮✮✮½
Re-read Review:
"Regrets are the most useless form of guilt ... They always arrive too late to do any good."First, I have to say that I find it odd that when I first read this book, having been reading books in this genre for only 9 years, I didn't rate it higher than 3.5-stars. Now, after almost double that time and more than 1,000 books later I find I'm in love with the uniqueness of Wilks' writing, characters and storytelling. Odd, but exciting because here's the best part ... I bought all of the books as they were released even though I'd stopped with book three in 2009. This, of course, will allow me to gorge on the series up to book TWELVE, by which time book 13 will be out. :)
Here are a few things to love about the beginning of this series:
1. Do you dread world building dumps?
- Well, surprise! This author doesn't build her world that way. Instead, she starts telling the story and expects her readers to jump in with both feet and gather information - little pieces of info dropped within chats or character intros - throughout. By the end, you have enough information to understand the general gist of the world, but are left wanting more. SWEET!
2. Do you roll your eyes whenever a story contains fated-to-be-mated pair-ups?
- Well, surprise! This author's fated pair is not only thrown by their "chosen" status, but also finds the effects to be disorientating, life-altering, and challenging. Lily does not immediately celebrate this news. She feels forced into something that, had they had a chance to actually build a relationship, could have led to the same place. Even Rule, who knew about the Chosen prior to meeting Lily, never for one second believed it'd happen to him. While, as lupi, he's more familiar with the concept, the closeness required proves challenging for him as well. YAY!
3. Detectives solving mysterious, supernatural crimes doesn't do it for ya?
- Well, surprise! Similar to the fated pairing, the concept may be familiar, but the way Wilks weaves the tale is fresh and intriguing. As are the wide variety of supernaturals within this world.
There is a LOT of information to learn and many characters to meet. But, by the end, you're familiar enough with the mains, interested enough in the others, and left anxious for more. I've already started my re-read of book 2, Mortal Danger.
Side note: I learned a couple new words ~
Querulous , which means complaining in a petulant or whining manner.
Primogeniture , which means the state of being the firstborn child.
First Read Review:
I would've given 3.5 stars, if possible. I wasn't really into this book in the beginning - wasn't interested in reading a cop story. But, before I could put it down it sucked me in. I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I will definitely move on to the next in the series. Grandmother was a very interesting character. I also liked Rule and look forward to learning more about the lupi culture right along with Lily.
May 19, 2022
I read this book when it first came out in 2004 and decided that I wanted to re-read it on my Kindle. I am amazed as to how well this story has with stood the passage of time. At the time it was first published, a book that dealt with were-animals and sorcery, Gods and Goddess was fairly rare. Now they are practically a dime a dozen. However, I dare any of them to retain their enjoyability for nearly 10 years as this one has.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves speculative fiction/mystery/police procedural with romance thrown in. The romance is not a huge part of the book but it is an important part. The series does have its ups and down with some books being better than others, but this, the first in the series is a perfect read and the rest of them will keep you busy and enjoying yourself for quite a while.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves speculative fiction/mystery/police procedural with romance thrown in. The romance is not a huge part of the book but it is an important part. The series does have its ups and down with some books being better than others, but this, the first in the series is a perfect read and the rest of them will keep you busy and enjoying yourself for quite a while.
October 17, 2025
This story is either a difficult one to fully grasp the whole world building or just not a well developed one. And I didn't connect with any character, except maybe the hero's father and the heroine's grandmother lol
I think I will continue reading it, but I am not 100% invested.
One thing I found interesting is that the heroine is Chinese. Loved it!
So, let's see. Let's see.
Reread: The graphic audio is absolutely fantastic! I will even up a star due to it! Highly recommend if you like audiobook.
I think I will continue reading it, but I am not 100% invested.
One thing I found interesting is that the heroine is Chinese. Loved it!
So, let's see. Let's see.
Reread: The graphic audio is absolutely fantastic! I will even up a star due to it! Highly recommend if you like audiobook.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 796 reviews