see_sadie_read's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good. I liked the characters, Bryson was especially wonderful and I liked that Tessa had a backbone. The writing was smooth, as was the narration in the audio version. Mostly I liked it, but I had a few gripes.
I'm not down with the pointless love triangle. There was no need for it, but more importantly, it meant I never really felt the actual romance in the story. Sure, Tessa chose one man over another and we're told why, but the whole thing was just too diluted by there being two men.
Similarly, the secondary mystery (or maybe primary, it did come first) was solved too easily and then just disappeared from the plot in favor of another one. So there too, having two mysteries meant neither was strong enough on its own. Plus, it made the book feel awful long.
There were also a few TSTL moments in which Tessa threw herself into danger and had to be rescued. I got tired of her apologizing to Bryson for endangering herself.
Lastly, I'm a bit iffy with the use of Native American mythology in the plot. I'm not screaming appropriation or anything, but there were several occasions where I kind of had to side-eye the book.
On a broader, genre level, I have to ask why young women in such books are never raised to know their own heritage, such that some man (or men) have to step in and teach them amidst a crisis. This is practically a constant in fantasy and I'm ALWAYS confused by parents/guardians who raise their wards without teaching them the basics of their powers. I mean, if you're a shifter or have magic, shouldn't learning about them be as expected as, say, teaching a young girl about the period she'll have one day? Why do they NEVER do this? Why?
Despite my few complaints, the book is worth a read and I'll be happy to read more of Hearst's writing, but it wasn't perfect.
I'm not down with the pointless love triangle. There was no need for it, but more importantly, it meant I never really felt the actual romance in the story. Sure, Tessa chose one man over another and we're told why, but the whole thing was just too diluted by there being two men.
Similarly, the secondary mystery (or maybe primary, it did come first) was solved too easily and then just disappeared from the plot in favor of another one. So there too, having two mysteries meant neither was strong enough on its own. Plus, it made the book feel awful long.
There were also a few TSTL moments in which Tessa threw herself into danger and had to be rescued. I got tired of her apologizing to Bryson for endangering herself.
Lastly, I'm a bit iffy with the use of Native American mythology in the plot. I'm not screaming appropriation or anything, but there were several occasions where I kind of had to side-eye the book.
On a broader, genre level, I have to ask why young women in such books are never raised to know their own heritage, such that some man (or men) have to step in and teach them amidst a crisis. This is practically a constant in fantasy and I'm ALWAYS confused by parents/guardians who raise their wards without teaching them the basics of their powers. I mean, if you're a shifter or have magic, shouldn't learning about them be as expected as, say, teaching a young girl about the period she'll have one day? Why do they NEVER do this? Why?
Despite my few complaints, the book is worth a read and I'll be happy to read more of Hearst's writing, but it wasn't perfect.
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
Pretty good. I liked the characters, Bryson was especially wonderful and I liked that Tessa had a backbone. The writing was smooth, as was the narration in the audio version. Mostly I liked it, but I had a few gripes.
I'm not down with the pointless love triangle. There was no need for it, but more importantly, it meant I never really felt the actual romance in the story. Sure, Tessa chose one man over another and we're told why, but the whole thing was just too diluted by there being two men.
Similarly, the secondary mystery (or maybe primary, it did come first) was solved too easily and then just disappeared from the plot in favor of another one. So there too, having two mysteries meant neither was strong enough on its own. Plus, it made the book feel awful long.
There were also a few TSTL moments in which Tessa threw herself into danger and had to be rescued. I got tired of her apologizing to Bryson for endangering herself.
Lastly, I'm a bit iffy with the use of Native American mythology in the plot. I'm not screaming appropriation or anything, but there were several occasions where I kind of had to side-eye the book.
On a broader, genre level, I have to ask why young women in such books are never raised to know their own heritage, such that some man (or men) have to step in and teach them amidst a crisis. This is practically a constant in fantasy and I'm ALWAYS confused by parents/guardians who raise their wards without teaching them the basics of their powers. I mean, if you're a shifter or have magic, shouldn't learning about them be as expected as, say, teaching a young girl about the period she'll have one day? Why do they NEVER do this? Why?
Despite my few complaints, the book is worth a read and I'll be happy to read more of Hearst's writing, but it wasn't perfect.
I'm not down with the pointless love triangle. There was no need for it, but more importantly, it meant I never really felt the actual romance in the story. Sure, Tessa chose one man over another and we're told why, but the whole thing was just too diluted by there being two men.
Similarly, the secondary mystery (or maybe primary, it did come first) was solved too easily and then just disappeared from the plot in favor of another one. So there too, having two mysteries meant neither was strong enough on its own. Plus, it made the book feel awful long.
There were also a few TSTL moments in which Tessa threw herself into danger and had to be rescued. I got tired of her apologizing to Bryson for endangering herself.
Lastly, I'm a bit iffy with the use of Native American mythology in the plot. I'm not screaming appropriation or anything, but there were several occasions where I kind of had to side-eye the book.
On a broader, genre level, I have to ask why young women in such books are never raised to know their own heritage, such that some man (or men) have to step in and teach them amidst a crisis. This is practically a constant in fantasy and I'm ALWAYS confused by parents/guardians who raise their wards without teaching them the basics of their powers. I mean, if you're a shifter or have magic, shouldn't learning about them be as expected as, say, teaching a young girl about the period she'll have one day? Why do they NEVER do this? Why?
Despite my few complaints, the book is worth a read and I'll be happy to read more of Hearst's writing, but it wasn't perfect.
maggietoussaint55's review
5.0
A journey of self-discovery with a paranormal twist.
An unusual young woman comes into her own upon the death of her beloved grandfather. A police detective becomes an ally, but when her life is threatened, her tribe assigns her a bodyguard. Her protector is hot but committed to protecting her from the normal and paranormal attacks on her life. Mistakes are made as she tests her fledgling wings, but the bone-deep teachings she learned from her grandfather stand her in good stead to weather the storms of life.
Another entertaining read from Kindle Scout.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
An unusual young woman comes into her own upon the death of her beloved grandfather. A police detective becomes an ally, but when her life is threatened, her tribe assigns her a bodyguard. Her protector is hot but committed to protecting her from the normal and paranormal attacks on her life. Mistakes are made as she tests her fledgling wings, but the bone-deep teachings she learned from her grandfather stand her in good stead to weather the storms of life.
Another entertaining read from Kindle Scout.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
fernbell's review
3.0
I liked the story and the female main character. She was spunky and yet had problems that she had to face. There was a couple things that made me not like her as well which took it down a star for me to just like not really liked. It was interesting how different cultures was brought into the story. She had to face things and learn new things about herself. It made her grow during the story. Over all worth the read.
rebeccacarter's review
5.0
This is a different sort of romance, with plenty of suspense. The story moves along at a good pace and has a couple of threads: the search for abducted children and the search for the person trying to kill Tessa. Two hunky guys help weave the two storylines together. The writing is good and I liked the characters. I liked the Native American aspect the best; it's always enjoyable to have a bit of culture mixed into stories.
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