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Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows…especially the monsters.
It takes a monster to hunt one, and for Raine McCord, forged in the maelstrom of magic and science, she’s the one for the job. In a world where the supernatural live in a shadowy existence with the mundane, a series of disappearances and deaths threatens the secrecy of her kind and indicates someone knows the monsters are alive and kicking. Partnering up with the sexy and tantalizing Gavin Durand proves to be a challenge as dangerous as the prey she hunts.
When the trail points back to the foundation which warped Raine’s magic as a child, her torturous past raises its ugly head. Gavin and Raine sift through a maze of lies, murder and betrayal to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.
4 out of 5 (very good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Raine and Gavin are Kyn, more so, they are Wraith, an elite warrior with in the Kyn similar to the human Black Ops teams. Gavin is a Witch, Raine is Fey, but Raine is much much more, thanks (not really the right word though!) to being a test subject she really didn't want any part of. Called to investigate some deaths within the company of the son of the man at the helm of those tests, Raine is pushed way past her limits. And Gavin helps with that pushing but not in the same way.
I read Ms Gray's PSY-IV teams series, 3 of them back to back, and I loved them. This one is a little less...in-yer-face but more a slow growing tale that has much more to come.
I liked that we don't get all of Raine's past in one go, all of her connections to the bosses of Taliesin, the company that hides the Kyn. I liked the slow burn between Raine and Gavin.
I really like the way the story works, how it resolves itself, how it's told.
What I didn't like, was the single person point of view. Now, after reading the PSY-IV teams books, I LOVED them, and they were single point of view and multi point of view. BUT only RAINE has a say here, and after reading the little short that precedes this one, Wrapped in Shadows, part of the Tangled in Shadows collection, I expected Gavin to have a say. I LOOKED forward to Gavin having a say and he doesn't. AND I wanted to hear from him!
That reason is the only reason it gets.....
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
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All she had to do was keep one man safe… Raine McCord has no problem taking down the monsters of the world, it’s one of the reasons she’s so good at her job. So playing bodyguard to Cheveyo, head Magi of the Northwest, as he consults with the Southwest Kyn should be an easy assignment. Unfortunately, the simple task turns into a nightmare when Cheveyo is kidnapped and Raine is left for dead by one of the Kyn’s most feared beings, a Soul Stealer. The Stealer’s attack leaves lasting wounds, undermining Raine’s confidence as a warrior and damaging her unruly magic. Her ability to heal her mind and spirit hinges on the one man who can touch her soul, Gavin Durand. Compelled to face the emotions raging between them, they must embrace not only their stormy relationship but their evolving magic to escape the twisted threads of murder and betrayal to find Cheveyo. As Raine and Gavin come together and begin to unravel the complex web of secrets and hidden vendettas haunting the Southwest Kyn, they discover unsettling new truths that threaten their very existence.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jumping straight in because the book does just that!
This is book two in the Kyn Chronicles series. While it would help to have read book one, Shadows Edge, before this one, I don't think its absolutely necessary. It would, however, give you a better picture just how Raine fought against her feelings for Gavin.
These books are not easy reads. They carry complicated plot lines, very long descriptive paragraphs and huge supporting casts that made ME slow my reading down.
And I loved them for it! Because, let's face it, if I have to slow down to keep it can go either of two ways: I'll love it or hate it. And here it was very much the former! I skim read at the best of times, so you can imagine how long it took me to read this book, some 364 pages (according to Goodreads) Days it took, DAYS I TELL YA!
Raine and Gavin's relationship continues to grow, develop, expand and get so much deeper than Raine ever expected. Gray best explains it when she describes their magic intertwined, threads of blue and silver so closely woven that to separate them might kill them both.
Gavin continues to embrace the damage (for want of a better word) done by the scientist in book one, and Raine only begins to do so.
Fighting the Soul Stealer takes a lot out of Raine, indeed me too, reading it, and it's Gavin who helps her get through it. Finding first Cheveyo and then Xander pushes them both past their limits.
Xander's story, book three, is laid out, and you just know that she and Warrick are gonna butt heads!
Creeping up in star rating a little but again, only Raine has her say! This one, absolutely, without a doubt, would have been a full five star read if Gavin had been given his voice. I needed to hear from him at keys points along the way: when he embraces his new skills and magic, when he really bonds with Raine on the most basic level, and when he thought her lost to the Soul Stealer.
SO, because Gavin doesn't get a say ...
4.5 stars (but rounded UP for the blog/Goodreads/Amazon)
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
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Even wild hearts can be broken... Tracker, Xander Cade, confronts an enraged Shifter in a crowded human nightclub, fraying the thin secrecy shielding the supernatural community from public scrutiny. Danger stalks the pack and she must protect her alpha and mate, Warrick Vidis, even if he doesn't want it. If they don't find a way to trust each other and accept their rare bond they risk losing everything-their pack, their friends and each other.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is book three. To better follow THIS book, you should at least read book two, Shadows Soul. BUT for THAT book to make sense, read need to read book one, Shadows Edge. SO basically, what I'm telling is, read books one and two before this one.
And this is the best of the three!!
I said to someone, just last week, I haven't had a good werewolf book in a while, and then I get two in a row!
I need to take a minute, before I write this review, because I fear I will gush. And gushing does not a good review make. So, deep breath, and here we go!
Xander was gravely injured in book two, fighting the Soul Stealer. To save her, Warrick, head Alpha of the North Western Kyn, bonded with her. Neither one is very happy with the idea, but as time goes on, they come around. Mostly. Warrick's wolf is dead against Xander continuing on her career path with the Wraith. When the whole of the Motoki Pack is threatened first by Bitten wolves, and then by someone much much closer to home, Warrick and Xander have to learn to work WITH their bond, not against it.
Both Xander and Warrick have a say here, and that's what I missed most in books one and two. Neither is used to compromise, neither is used to having to rely on another and in places, it's truly painful reading. Warrick especially, is pushed to the very limits of his capability and he falls so beautifully, so painfully, so...oh, I can't find the right words!
When Raine and Gavin soul bonded, it was so beautifully written. But when Xander and Warrick finally give in here?? I cried. I really did. These two have so much love for each other, that was there, way before they bonded, over the past year they had been together their love had grown, but neither was quite ready to admit it. You cheer when Warrick lets Xander in, then scream at him when he throws his walls up again.
You totally feel for Raine when ...well,...things happen. You feel for the whole Pack when more things happen. You get an inkling of what things might be like in the future for the Wraith. For the whole of the Kyn, especially if their existence is revealed to the humans.
And you get an epilogue. An epilogue that throws you totally for a loop, because you have no idea what it all means and how it fits into the next book, of even how it fits into the grand scheme of things!
The head of the House of Demons has her story next. Before this one, I wasn't looking forward to that one so much, but with the way it all happened here, things are blown wide open for Natasha.
Struggling not to gush, so, I'll just say this.
READ. THE. DAMN. BOOK. Hell, read the series.
5 stars, but If I could give it more, I really would!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
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Death and chaos can devastate even the best-laid plans... After tragedy strikes the Northwest Kyn, leaving the houses in chaos and the Wraiths hungry for blood, the fallout threatens Natasha Bertoi's carefully laid plans. When the Council sends Darius Abazi, the one man guaranteed to skew the odds, she faces her toughest opponent yet. As death stalks the Northwest Kyn, can Natasha trust Darius, a man well versed in subterfuge, to uncover the truth before treachery destroys them all?
4 out of 5 (very good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is book four in the series. I STRONGLY recommend you read the other books before this one, you'll get a much better picture of how Natasha is perceived by the others. You need that, because, up to now, I did not like Natasha and you need to know why. Following the devastating events of book three, Natasha steps up, but that's not really wanted, by many. Darius arrives, with Kayn, from The Council. But not everything is as it seems and the big bad hunters of the Kyn world, the demons, find themselves being hunted. Probably my least favourite of the four books so far, but it's not because of my dislike of Natasha. Because here, she shines! Loved her here, and her demon. Loved the marked differences between their human and demon characteristics. Darius has as many layers as Natasha does too and the two spend much of the book flirting. And I loved it!! Raine and Gavin play a huge part here, so you get a bit more of those two, too. But something didn't quite work, and I *think* this is why. There is much left unresolved and I was expecting it all to be done and dusted here. We now know WHO is behind all the problems that have been hitting the Northwestern Kyn, but we don't know the WHY yet, other than they want the power. So, Ms Gray, when do I get my answers, hmmmm?? Because I saw another story unfolding in the pages of this one, and I want to know what's going on with those two, as well as that much bigger picture. Solid four stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
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In a world of intrigue and shadows, tangling with the monsters can leave its mark… Step into the world of Jami Gray’s Kyn with this collection of short stories, and discover why readers are disappearing into this exciting, Urban Fantasy series. Wrapped In Shadows, .5 (previously published in Things That Go Bump For The Holidays) The magic of the holiday season can be hell… Elite Kyn, Gavin Durand and Raine McCord, are called in to investigate the aftermath of a Christmas engagement party gone horrifically wrong, only to face an unexpected gift. Submerged in Shadows, 1.5 Treasures from the deep come in all shapes and sizes… Forced on an unwanted vacation, Raine soon discovers that boredom is the least of her worries when danger washes ashore, bringing unexpected complications. Masked by Shadows, 2.5 Nothing is ever easy… For Gavin and Raine the job is simple, deliver a package to an interested party in New Orleans. Yet even the easiest job can mask unexpected challenges. Ensnared by Shadows, 3.5 Deception leaves a tangled web… Ryuu Kern, Motoki Pack’s Second, is no stranger to sticky situations, but when delectable Division Agent, Iliana Krychek, comes to him for help, it will take more than claws and teeth to untangle a deadly web of deceit.
3 out of 5 (good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Four shorts, designed to be read along the main books. Wrapped In Shadows, book 0.5 We are into produced to Raine, Gavin and Xander here. They are Wraith, members of an elite guard with in the Kyn, similar to the humans Black Ops teams. Only Gavin has a say here. Submerged In Shadows, book 1.5 Raine is on an enforced vacation with her uncle, Ryan, when they come across a Selkie, trying to get her skin back. I didn't fully understand the implications of what that meant, though. Raine speaks here. Masked By Shadows, book 2.5 Raine and Gavin are sent to New Orleans to deliver a package, and nothing is ever simple for this pair! Ensnared By Shadows, book 3.5 Ryuu, second to Vidis, of the Motoki Pack, has to deal with Lliana, of the Division, and a rather nasty spider! I don't know what I expected to get from these four little shorts, but I felt a little let down by them. After the first which was an introduction to the Kyn and these people, the other three books seemed kind of . . .I dunno . . .after thoughts, maybe? Oh don't get me wrong, they are nice little shorts, but I don't see their connections to the main books. Maybe that will come in future books, the diverging of the storylines. Nice little shorts, but you don't NEED them to enjoy the main books. 3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Adopted at the age of 14, I became the fifth eldest of 37 children while growing up on the Arizona-Mexico border. Heading off to college, I finally graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and three minors-History, English, and Theater. Shortly after marrying my techie geek hubby (who moonlighted as my best friend in high school) I completed a Masters in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix Oregon as bills needed to be paid. Now, years later, I’m back in the Southwest where I’m out numbered in my own home by two Star Wars obsessed boys, one Star Wars obsessed husband, and an overly friendly 105 pound male lab. Writing is what saves my sanity.