laurenjodi's review
3.0
Crux
3.5 Stars
Synopsis
Mackenzie Brooks is on the run from a deranged stalker convinced that she is his destined mate. When her new boss asks PI Jackson Holt to keep and eye on her, Mackenzie is suddenly exposed to the reality of magic and supernatural beings, and must learn to trust Jackson if she is to discover the truth about her past and her destiny.
Review
Action packed and entertaining with some strong world building.
The characters are engaging but the relationship between Jackson and Mackenzie is too sugary sweet. Mackenzie is initially characterized as a scared and naive innocent with a strong inner core that eventually comes to the fore. Nevertheless, she never transitions into my preferred kick-ass heroine as she needs to be rescued too often and some of her behavior is contradictory. While Jackson is sexy and protective, his personality and backstory are underdeveloped and he comes across as quite bland.
While the story is well written and the villain suitably fanatical, he is missing that diabolically evil vibe that would make him truly threatening, and the final showdown is anti-climactic.
Despite these problems, the creation of the supernatural world is particularly compelling. The secondary characters are intriguing and have a wide range of abilities. There is also a certain hierarchy within the social and political structures of the various magical groups that has incredible potential and will hopefully be expanded on in future books.
Overall, a solid beginning to the series and I will be reading the next installment.
3.5 Stars
Synopsis
Mackenzie Brooks is on the run from a deranged stalker convinced that she is his destined mate. When her new boss asks PI Jackson Holt to keep and eye on her, Mackenzie is suddenly exposed to the reality of magic and supernatural beings, and must learn to trust Jackson if she is to discover the truth about her past and her destiny.
Review
Action packed and entertaining with some strong world building.
The characters are engaging but the relationship between Jackson and Mackenzie is too sugary sweet. Mackenzie is initially characterized as a scared and naive innocent with a strong inner core that eventually comes to the fore. Nevertheless, she never transitions into my preferred kick-ass heroine as she needs to be rescued too often and some of her behavior is contradictory
Spoiler
the ease with which she comes to trust Marcus rubbed me the wrong wayWhile the story is well written and the villain suitably fanatical, he is missing that diabolically evil vibe that would make him truly threatening, and the final showdown is anti-climactic.
Despite these problems, the creation of the supernatural world is particularly compelling. The secondary characters are intriguing and have a wide range of abilities. There is also a certain hierarchy within the social and political structures of the various magical groups that has incredible potential and will hopefully be expanded on in future books.
Overall, a solid beginning to the series and I will be reading the next installment.
amk13's review against another edition
I just don’t care about the characters to get the oomph to finish. I’m glad the authors’ writing improves in future series.
chelseavbc's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
Fate sent Mackenzie to New Orleans. After five states and a month of running from an ex and his goons, she lands a job at a bar for a pint-sized sweet woman who can’t help but worry about her new hire. Quickly Mackenzie finds a couple werewolves and one very sexy mage offering to keep her safe.
Local P.I. and resident mage Jackson Holt wants to protect Mackenzie, but while he tries to convince himself it’s just a job he’s quickly falling for her. His werewolf buddies sense shifter from the woman, but no one can tell for sure — and she’s acting clueless.
As you might guess, things go crazy as Mackenzie discovers her true nature, fights the magic holding her shift at bay and discovers those trying to kidnap her have some serious thoughts about her destiny. The best part is her real support through all this is Jackson. While he can control magic, he’s not a shifter. And I think that’s part of why their relationship balances so well. In addition to him being incredibly respectful to her, he knows about shifters but can still discover new things with her.
Crux is remarkably suspenseful. First we don’t know what’s happening to Mackenzie. Then we don’t understand why these people are after her. Then she’s damn near in heat, but doing anything about it could kill her (which results in hilarious dialogue with Jackson). Then kidnappings. Turned allegiances. And, well, you get the idea.
The romance is equally sweet and heated. These two fall in love and we sense it in every interaction. Just beautifully wrought tale of accepting trust without caveats. As Crux is the first in the Southern Arcana series, our desire for more can be immediately sated with Crossroads.
I’ve read novellas by Moira Rogers before, and liked them but never was blown away. So I’m immensely pleased to say I’m in love with the novel-length Crux. (It also makes me think maybe I just like Rogers’ longer works, because I love the character depth that builds in this one.)
Sexual content: Sexual references. Amazing kisses and a sex scene.
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
Fate sent Mackenzie to New Orleans. After five states and a month of running from an ex and his goons, she lands a job at a bar for a pint-sized sweet woman who can’t help but worry about her new hire. Quickly Mackenzie finds a couple werewolves and one very sexy mage offering to keep her safe.
Local P.I. and resident mage Jackson Holt wants to protect Mackenzie, but while he tries to convince himself it’s just a job he’s quickly falling for her. His werewolf buddies sense shifter from the woman, but no one can tell for sure — and she’s acting clueless.
As you might guess, things go crazy as Mackenzie discovers her true nature, fights the magic holding her shift at bay and discovers those trying to kidnap her have some serious thoughts about her destiny. The best part is her real support through all this is Jackson. While he can control magic, he’s not a shifter. And I think that’s part of why their relationship balances so well. In addition to him being incredibly respectful to her, he knows about shifters but can still discover new things with her.
Crux is remarkably suspenseful. First we don’t know what’s happening to Mackenzie. Then we don’t understand why these people are after her. Then she’s damn near in heat, but doing anything about it could kill her (which results in hilarious dialogue with Jackson). Then kidnappings. Turned allegiances. And, well, you get the idea.
The romance is equally sweet and heated. These two fall in love and we sense it in every interaction. Just beautifully wrought tale of accepting trust without caveats. As Crux is the first in the Southern Arcana series, our desire for more can be immediately sated with Crossroads.
I’ve read novellas by Moira Rogers before, and liked them but never was blown away. So I’m immensely pleased to say I’m in love with the novel-length Crux. (It also makes me think maybe I just like Rogers’ longer works, because I love the character depth that builds in this one.)
Sexual content: Sexual references. Amazing kisses and a sex scene.
faustin2nd's review
4.0
3.5 stars
Interesting enough to get me into the series. Well written (obviously), scorching chemistry between the main characters but at times it lagged a bit. I still loved it.
Interesting enough to get me into the series. Well written (obviously), scorching chemistry between the main characters but at times it lagged a bit. I still loved it.
lassarina's review
3.0
I really liked this as an introduction to the world of Southern Arcana, but I didn't connect much with the characters. I think Mackenzie's situation felt too big, almost larger than life, and while I liked her and Jackson well enough as people I wasn't invested in their romance. I stuck around for the side characters, but I'm intrigued enough by the world to keep reading.
lauracthornton's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
cruzm1's review
3.0
It took me more than half the book to get caught up in it, but it picked up towards the end. I had more interest in Michelle, Nick and Derek than the Hero/Heroine of this book.
nemerith's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
You know, I don't really care what people say... sometimes you just need a good 'normal' PNR :) This was actually a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable read.
Worldbuilding was good, it takes place in present time Earth. Supes are still 'in the closet', but witches and shifters run rampant (and are a tad at war with each other apparently).
Scenes and environments were detailed and clear enough.
Character development was good. Mackenzie thought she was just a vanilla human, yeaaaaaaaaaah... she isn't :) I'm not spoiling, I'm not spoiling, you'll just have to read the book. But yeah, she goes through a lot and comes out stronger and more determined. I like that about her, she's not the damsel in distress (well, not all the time) but neither is she the kickass heroine that wants to do everything on her own. No, she also relies on the help of her friends.
As for Jackson, he's an old school gentleman :) And yes, while he does have feelings towards Mackenzie, he doesn't overwhelm her, but gives her space and helps her through all the revelations she's going through (while keeping her conveniently close ;) haha).
Other characters were well written and well fleshed out, looking forward to reading more about them in later instalments, yes, even Marcus.
Pacing and flow were good, I pretty much read the book in one go :) A good balance between conversation and action. But when it goes down, you'll be glued to the pages to find out what will happen :)
All in all, as I've stated earlier, it was a very enjoyable read. Nothing over the top, just... nice :) I will surely read book 2!
You know, I don't really care what people say... sometimes you just need a good 'normal' PNR :) This was actually a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable read.
Worldbuilding was good, it takes place in present time Earth. Supes are still 'in the closet', but witches and shifters run rampant (and are a tad at war with each other apparently).
Scenes and environments were detailed and clear enough.
Character development was good. Mackenzie thought she was just a vanilla human, yeaaaaaaaaaah... she isn't :) I'm not spoiling, I'm not spoiling, you'll just have to read the book. But yeah, she goes through a lot and comes out stronger and more determined. I like that about her, she's not the damsel in distress (well, not all the time) but neither is she the kickass heroine that wants to do everything on her own. No, she also relies on the help of her friends.
As for Jackson, he's an old school gentleman :) And yes, while he does have feelings towards Mackenzie, he doesn't overwhelm her, but gives her space and helps her through all the revelations she's going through (while keeping her conveniently close ;) haha).
Other characters were well written and well fleshed out, looking forward to reading more about them in later instalments, yes, even Marcus.
Pacing and flow were good, I pretty much read the book in one go :) A good balance between conversation and action. But when it goes down, you'll be glued to the pages to find out what will happen :)
All in all, as I've stated earlier, it was a very enjoyable read. Nothing over the top, just... nice :) I will surely read book 2!
katleap's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I like the way this shifter society is formed. I like Alce and Jackson. I love Mackenzie. Kat and Nick are awesome. Sometimes the mesh of paranormal professions (shifter, pysic, mage) get tangled up so that, they aren't clear. This is set really well with lines easy to see. Good book.
I like the way this shifter society is formed. I like Alce and Jackson. I love Mackenzie. Kat and Nick are awesome. Sometimes the mesh of paranormal professions (shifter, pysic, mage) get tangled up so that, they aren't clear. This is set really well with lines easy to see. Good book.
kblincoln's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 starts, actually. So I LOVED this author's other pen name (Kit Rocha) Gideon's Riders series, so I thought I'd try out an earlier series. Hmm.....obviously the writing has developed bit.
This story started out with a bunch of things that made me super-happy: a non wishy-washy heroine clueless about a magical world, hot guys who have lively banter with girls they are not romantically involved with, a well developed magical underworld, and a stalkery stalker after the heroine to impregnate her with cougar babies.
But....I kind of lost interest halfway through. There's a lot of build up.....in the relationship, in the the attacking a stronghold where someone is kidnapped, in danger from the main big bad....and none of it pans out, really. All of them were anticlimactical because the plot swerves away from what was building up suddenly. And there are a lot of couples. Everyone in this book has a love interest, not just Jackson and MacKenzie. There's Jackson's partner, Mackenzie's boss, Mackenzie's boss's sister, the cousin of jackson's assistant...etc. etc. I realize they are being introduced for later books, but those relationships are presented already formed and so it feels too pat.
If you like steam with your Paranormal Romance, the steam factor might save this for you, but I found myself unsatisfied with the way the first physical encounters were handled between Jackson and MacKenzie since it didn't tap into any of the issues Mackenzie has (trust issues, cougar instincts, etc) and Jackson was kind of bland.
Back to the more emotionally developed and snazzy world-building of Gideon's Riders I go!
This story started out with a bunch of things that made me super-happy: a non wishy-washy heroine clueless about a magical world, hot guys who have lively banter with girls they are not romantically involved with, a well developed magical underworld, and a stalkery stalker after the heroine to impregnate her with cougar babies.
But....I kind of lost interest halfway through. There's a lot of build up.....in the relationship, in the the attacking a stronghold where someone is kidnapped, in danger from the main big bad....and none of it pans out, really. All of them were anticlimactical because the plot swerves away from what was building up suddenly. And there are a lot of couples. Everyone in this book has a love interest, not just Jackson and MacKenzie. There's Jackson's partner, Mackenzie's boss, Mackenzie's boss's sister, the cousin of jackson's assistant...etc. etc. I realize they are being introduced for later books, but those relationships are presented already formed and so it feels too pat.
If you like steam with your Paranormal Romance, the steam factor might save this for you, but I found myself unsatisfied with the way the first physical encounters were handled between Jackson and MacKenzie since it didn't tap into any of the issues Mackenzie has (trust issues, cougar instincts, etc) and Jackson was kind of bland.
Back to the more emotionally developed and snazzy world-building of Gideon's Riders I go!