Jess HainesCritiques

Standard UF fare, but good, standard UF fare. Very readable, likeable characters, lots of action, a sentient belt that made me laugh, nice friend dynamic.

But it just didn’t hook me enough to want to read the rest of the series. Reading reviews for further books, there seems to be a strong theme of the (female) MC being exploited one way or there other in every book, and if I’d been interested before, I’m definitely not now. I have no interest in reading about victims, even if they’re tough and can get themselves out of scrapes. Not even for the sentient belt.

Definitely not a bad book at all, but for me it’s a one and done.

I only read two of these stories, Kate Douglas' and Jacquelyn Frank's. I have read all of Kate's 'Fire" books and wanted the next. It can be read without having read the other novels in the series, and as such makes a nice taste into the world, I'd reccomend reading the others for a fuller understanding of the background.

Frank's story was definitely part of a series. I am curious about this series. I'll have to price it out.

I think I'm done with this series. I was unhappy after Shia was potentially turned into a werewolf against her will in the last book (after being placed in thrall to a vampire against her will in a prior book), and here we have yet another male gendered entity taking control of Shia's mind for his own ends. Shia gives some lip service to wanting to be her own self and not under the control of another being, but she turns that over quickly enough by the end of the book.
It's just not my thing at all. Shia making a choice to be a part of a community of others and accepting some loss of independence is fine, but that's not whats going on here. Her consent for the events of the end of the book is obtained by rather manipulative means at a time when she is physically and emotionally exhausted and vulnerable.
I'm also finding this world less interesting as time goes on, and there were a number of plot points that I just didn't buy.

I overall enjoyed the first few books of this series, but this was a big no from me. I had a hard time buying that Shia would be so incredibly passive in her relationship with Chaz, while also making repeated stupid decisions. What kind of sense does it make to meet Chaz's pack when they're all wigged out by the full moon, away from home turf, and en masse? Why not ease into things with a few at a time, building acceptance within the pack? Oh yes, that would be less dramatic. The conflicts between Chaz and both of his nemeses were anticlimactic - nearly ridiculous really - and the reveal of Chaz's situation was both predictable and disappointing. My least favorite bit here, however, is the forced (potential) change. This is the second time that Shia has been bitten against her will, and I'm tired of it. If she wants to become some sort of other and chooses that, fine, but it feels like sloppy storytelling to put her in this same position again. I'll likely still read the rest of the series, but this was a disappointing turn.

Nicely broadens and deepens the world introduced in the first book, though I have to say that I'm not sure I like where things are going. I will keep reading for now.½

A reasonable start to a new-to-me urban fantasy series. I did feel that things dragged a bit in the middle of the book, but I like the setup and I'm intrigued as to where this will go.

This is a really hard review to write because I usually LOVE anything Jess Haines puts out into the world, but ASHES OF THE PHOENIX just didn't do it for me.

Although ASHES OF THE PHOENIX is full of action, I couldn't get into the characters or storyline enough to enjoy it. With the length of this novella, there wasn't enough time to really introduce and develop the characters of the story. I think I would have liked it more if it was longer and a little more in-depth. The storyline was interesting, but I just needed more out of it to get me excited.

The romance aspect of ASHES OF THE PHOENIX also fell flat for me. I mean, Lyra was a phoenix for most of the book, so it's not like any romance could happen anyways, but the love interest was the ex-boyfriend that tried to steal from her. He does do some redeeming things, so maybe I'm being too hard on him.

ASHES OF THE PHOENIX just needed more. More character development, more world building, more explanations and a little less action maybe to fit it all in.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Lyra runs a magical book store - despite having no magic herself. Still, she thought she was well protected against most of the tricks wizards can pull

Until a man stole one her more valuable books

And turned her into a bird. Neither of those are things she’s willing to let go

This book caught my attention because I haven’t seen a lot of phoenixes in the genre. And a book where the main character spent it entirely as a bird is definitely incredibly different and a completely novel concept. Things like this interest me as it points to an author thinking so far outside of the tropes we’re used to having

It’s also really well done - I can see this as the struggles a human would have when forced into such an alien body they don’t know how to pilot.

The world setting also is highly promising. Not just phoenixes and demons but a definite range of magic, magical creatures and big differences and implications with which with a clear rich and involved magical world.

The concept of the phoenix is also really original and curious - even if it’s only fully realised at the end of the book which is epic and is the main thing about this book that really drew me to wanting to see where this is going. There is a foundation for an absolutely awesome series here - so much can be developed in so many amazing ways

I did have an issue though - beyond the complete erasure of POC and LGBTQ people and any other minorities.

Unfortunately I kind of feel like a deadline was looming and the author had to get this book to the publisher like yesterday because it feels vaguely unfinished. I know less is more (except when talking about bacon, of course) but in this case I could have used some more expansion

As I said, this book is here to introduce a new world, a new concept and a whole load of new characters. Which is great - and it does a good job of beginning to introduce these people, these concepts and this world (and I’m intrigued) but not enough for me to get fully invested in them (especially the characters). Everything, the world building, the creatures, the monsters, the magic, and the characters (definitely the characters) could use a bit more to get me invested in them

Read More

Loved it, couldn't put it down. Jess Haines new series, Blackhollow Academy, takes place in the same world as her H&W Investigations series. We do get to hear about and see some characters, but the Blackhollow Academy series has characters and a storyline of its own.

I was completely enthralled with the story in SMOKE AND MIRRORS. I found the main heroine Kimberly to be extremely hard working and down to earth. It was very easy to tap into Kimberly's emotions which made the story that much more enjoyable as the trials and tribulations she went through came to pass. Even though she has not lived an easy life and doesn't have much herself, she was very willing to help others in need. I just really liked her and can't wait to see how her life will continue to unfold in the next book. There is romance in SMOKE AND MIRRORS. It's slow and a bit turbulent, but it was also real and well played out. The development of said relationship is another thing I'm looking forward to in book two.

My only complaint about SMOKE AND MIRRORS is that sometimes it read like a YA novel and sometimes like an adult novel and to this day I'm not quite sure where it should land. As I said already, I'm looking forward to reading book two and I keep checking the authors pages to see when it might be planned.

* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I liked book 1 but I liked this one even more! And now I do not know where to start, but what else is new. The ones I like and can't put down, yes those are so hard to review.

My favourite new P.I. Shiarra has avoided Others after her last ordeal which nearly killed her. Well except for her werewolf boyfriend Chaz, whom she has not yet slept with since she does not want to sign a contract handing over her life. Of course life is not that easy and if it was we wouldn't get a story. There is a new vampire in town who wants her dead (and I can't help liking him, he is so deliciously evil, truly evil.) And then there is Royce who wants her (mmm vampires) and those pesky White Hats who wants her to hunt Others for them.

As you can see things are heating up, poor Shiarra gets into a lot of trouble, serious trouble. She can't fight a vampire like Max. And I like that, ok that sounds horrible, but heroines must have faults, must be normal. And she as a mere human can't fight someone that powerful. I also like that she takes it slow with Chaz since she knows what a contract like that would do (in case he goes moon crazy and rips her into pieces he won't get prosecuted). Which he hopefully never would do since he loves her.

This book just never stopped. First it has me smiling because of a certain tabloid, and the next moment it had me fearing for her life. The story just flows along and takes me along for the ride and I sure enjoyed it.

Conclusion:
I recommend this urban fantasy series. It has a great heroine, a bit of humour, action and bloodthirsty beast. What more could a girl ask for?

Rating:
Did not want to put it down

I read the last line and went wtf..wtf..wtf!? Evil author alert. I sat up and shook my fist, ok so I did not shake my fist but I stared at bf for a while and trying to comprehend that the book had just ended. Now you all think cliffie, but it was not really a cliffie. All was good, sort of good for now, it was just what was going on and ..I truly want to spill the beans but you have to read for yourself to find out what made me crave book 5 more than chocolate, and I adore chocolate.

But that was the last page.*giggles* Oh Haines you evil awesome author.

Now see, I got sidetracked yet again, I shall not think about the end. So the book starts with a pissed off Shia and who can blame her. Possibly infected with the were virus and having found out that her boyfriend cheated on her. That effing bastard. And think I liked him for a while! So the hunt is on and she wants the Sunstrikers to pay. This is really a different Shia in this book. Sure she was always kick-ass but now she is also angry, and you do not want to see her angry.

We meet the white hats again, they are kind of growing on me and we learn, nope, lips sealed again. But we learn something. And then we also meet Royce *happy sigh*. The vampire that made me like vampires again, because he just oozes sex.

Fighting, trouble and one ending that will make you want more. More please  *puppy eyes* Haines does so well with this book, even if I talk about the end a bit too much but trust me, it was just that good!

There we have it again, Jess Haines is eeeeeeeevil! Evil I say! Darkness! Here I was reading and running through the fields with flowers in my hair when BAM! A truly evil cliffhanger that made me sit up and say no! And also it made me use way too many exclamation points in this paragraph.

What more can I say after that evil ending. I can't think now. I need the next book, I crave it. I mean an ending like that, oh man...I am being a horrible tease now. But she is very good at these kind of endings, you want more at once.

Ok the book (before the ending) was about a quick look at Shiarra and Royce. Kissing ;) Aww Royce, still way too little Royce. Cos Shiarra and Sarah goes to LA. Meets the vampire master of LA. Meets a werewolf and most important of all, zombies! Zombies are running amok and it's up to Shiarra to figure out why.

Zombies, danger and Shiarra dealing with the after effects of book 4 and there are quite a few. I do wonder what will happen with her strange blood.

Shiarra is in trouble, no strike that. She is effed! She is so much in trouble. Poor Shirra.

Ok do I have your interest? The book starts with her waking up in a cell. The prisoner of a slave trader, who trades in humans and others. This is bad bad news. Where are her friends? And what happened?

Honestly the first 150 pages or so just had me biting my fingernails and turning page after page hoping for something to happen. Like Royce coming down with a swat team or something. But no one knows where she is, and she has no idea where she is. Not to mention that this place is not built for an easy escape.

I miss you Royce! I missed him so much. Hopefully there will be more of him in the next book.

Back to Shirra, oh she can kick ass. Love her.

Tension, suspense, evil vampires and more. That is what this book will give you. It looks dark, but she never gives up.

I liked this world and Shiarra because she was actually scared and careful around Others. Not racist, just very careful. And that makes sense, because of vampires, werewolves and mages suddenly came out then yes I would be scared too. And perhaps not mix with them when they can tear my head off.

Shiarra is a PI who takes a case she does not want to take. But somebody has to pay the bills. She knows better than to mix with mages and vampires. She is tough, but with a good head on her shoulder and she knows this case will likely kill her. And I do like that and that she tries everything to get out of a bad situation. She is a worthy kick-ass woman.

The story is about her trying to get an artifact, staying away from mean vampire Royce and just generally staying alive and kicking some ass later on. Since the person holding the artefact does not want to give it up.

The men then. She has an ex who turned out to be a werewolf so Chaz is in the doghouse now so to speak. Then there is charismatic and scary Alec Royce but evil vampires are so not for her, well we will see about that. The thing is that every sane person knows not to get involved with Others because they make you sign a contract. This is to protect humans but in that end that contract is way scarier cos in case of a violent death they can't be prosecuted.

I liked Shirra and her PI partner Sara, I liked Arnold who shows up later and I sure liked Royce. The only one I am a bit on the fence about is Chaz. Nothing wrong with him but it was mostly because of the crowd of posers he was with.



At the end the scariest thing in this book was the White Hats, creepy racists peeps scare the hell out of me.

Conclusion:

A good start to a new series. There is plenty of action and as for the romance, you know I can't tell you. A good book that I recommend. There is also this fun vibe over the book that I enjoyed.

rating:

Good

I got this free on Amazon and I am so glad I did, it was really good. It had werewolves, vampires, mages, familiars, nutty people and some very funny moments. At the start of the book I thought it too detailed and somewhat jumbled, I quickly changed my mind on that. The author is very detail orientated and it fits well into the story with all the characters and mysteries happening, The world has been built and it is fully developed, I can't wait to read the next one.
Basically it is a story of a young human women PI who is thrown into the world of the "Others" and everything goes awry. An strong force is out there and she is hired to find it. She finds herself hunted by dangerous beings, her family and friends threatened. She must step into a role she is not comfortable with, armed to the teeth. Her ex the sexy were Chaz proves he is more than she thought he was, helping her in her darkest moments. She is teams up with the mysterious Arnold, a mage, geeky and smart. Sara, her trusted friend and partner. Royce the sexy evil (?) vampire is tall dark and dangerous. And an ancient belt...you'll have to read it to find out more.

Definitely recommend reading the previous titles first, so you're not lost like I was :) Full review to come closer to release day.

Enslaved by The Others after a relatively quiet previous book is an intense and gripping read which faces Shiarra's deepest fear - to be controlled and enslaved by a vampire. Okay, peeps, it happened and she dealt with it. And she dealt with it beautifully. Full stop.

I absolutely loved the intensity and grittiness of this book! Shiarra's escape, her determination and drive forcing her to overcome her pain and terror, breaking her Master's control over her was amazing. The escape itself - marvellous. And I actually truly appreciated a book without Royce in it. (He appears at the very end.)

I think our heroine needed to see and feel the difference between him and a forceful mind-control of another vampire to understand at last that she has nothing to fear from him and let go of her paranoia.

This book also gave us a resolution for the heroine's contamination by The Others. She found new allies in face of a Japanese kitsune with a penchant for pink (and I enjoyed that woman so very much) and a strange South American goddess, her fellow captive - both powerful secondary characters.

At last, the end battle was ah-mazing. I was cheering, and revelling in all its gory, glorious details! Overall, a fab, solid urban fantasy read. Recommended.

While I enjoyed the last two book of the series - Deceived by The Others and Stalking The Others immensely, I had a feeling that Forsaken by The Others was a book between books to get to a necessary new development in the plot.

I did enjoy it, but perhaps not as much as I expected to.

Shiarra and Sara are sent to Los Angeles to hide with a local master vampire while Royce is trying to sort the mess out left by Shia's belt back in New York. Instead of well deserved vacation the girls are thrown straight into another crazy situation, forced to investigate a necromancer who is using zombies to kill off vampires in the area.

Sara and Shia have to follow the trail of zombie parts (gross as it may sounds) and use old-fashioned powers of deduction and lots of legwork. They have to talk to all the crazies in town - the werewolves, the White Hats and one really wacky master vamp, and these are the parts I really enjoyed reading. It was great two see these two gals working together as detectives. Sara also got some well-deserved attention at last, because she had to reveal problems she's been struggling with since Shia got involved with the Others.

There is great humour and snarkiness which Jess Haines does so well, but there is also a very rushed plot development and a grand cliffhanger in the end, so be ready for a shocker. Another thing I did not agree with is Royce unwillingness to take the girls problems seriously and send some help. I definitely wasn't happy with his response, but this might be just my quirk. *wink*

Overall, it's a very decent and fun story which you'll be able to read really fast as long as you're aware that it's a filler.

4.5/5
Wow, what a wild ride that was! I still think that Deceived by The Others is the strongest book in the series, because there is so much pain, shock and betrayal in it. However, Stalking The Others is behind it only by half a point.

Shia's got so much rage in her, so much anger. This is truly gritty urban fantasy, full of action, bitterness, tethered emotions and total self-absorption with delivering vengeance to those who wronged the main heroine.

Partly the change comes over Shia because of the magical belt she's wearing. If you remember previous books, the belt gave her a much needed edge over supernatural creatures at night, but by day its strength waned.

However, the darkness she absorbs every time she wears that belt is welcomed, so whatever has been happening from the very beginning of Miss Waynest's involvement with vampires and werewolves reached its critical point which broke her and molded her into something new.

Stalking The Others is turning the tables, and Shia becomes a hunter instead of being hunted. The plot is violent, action-packed and gritty with the ending that made me reminisce about Anita and Jean-Claude when it was all still fresh and new.

Not sure what to think of the ending, but it's clear that Jess Haines has quite a few aces up her sleeve, and I can not even predict the direction Shia's life will take from now, but I'm very much looking forward to finding out...

Fabulous read!

4.5/5
I almost missed these wonderful UF series, and I have no excuse why. So when this book was offered as a freebie on Amazon, of course I went and got it.

People, let me be frank. This is very good stuff. Funny, very easy to read, the characters are extremely likable. Royce and Chaz... yum! Some of the passages made me nostalgic, reminding of early Anita Blake and Rachel Morgan.

Shiarra has this unexplainable fear of vampires, she starts off as neurotic with a healthy dose of self-preservation. In other words, she is not a tough bitch from Hell.

When she accepts the contract from a mage to find a powerful magical object, currently in vampire's possession, the girl knows she is in trouble up to her neck. Everyone is gunning for the magical object and wants her out of the way. The magi connected to the contract drop dead and mutilated.

The world building is very interesting. The Others - vampires, werewolves and magi aka leeches, furballs and sparks came out after 9/11 to help people to rebuild, and since then have been accepted as citizens with full rights and a few perks. I can't wait to read more about it.

I love how Shiarra's fear for her friends and loved ones gives her courage to stand up for them and for herself, plus she receives a magical vampire hunter belt with the spirit of an old vampire hunter inside, which provides some funny dialogues and interesting supernatural abilities for her.

I had loads of fun with this book and despite my trouble with writing a decent review (there was a lot of bubbling! Pardon my excitement.) I hope I urged you enough to read the series and judge for yourself how good they are.
*feeling jittery*

Jess Haines's writing got way better, because the third installment in series jumped from being very good to excellent.

Gripping, heart-breaking and gut-wrenching. Shia's whole world comes crushing down in Deceived by The Others. She is literally falling apart, there is so much deception and hurt and drama. I abso-freaking-lutely loved it.

The book is fast-paced, I read it in one go. Chaz's Nemesis is unexpectedly funny, what with all the geek gamers talk. The situations and Shia's reactions to them felt very realistic, although I did question her sanity by the end of the book. Nevertheless I could understand her rage and desperation. It was the only way for her to feel some semblance of control over what's happening with her life.

Let me put it this way, - this book was a revelation. I don't know what to expect from the characters now, but I'm certain that nothing will ever be the same again. A must-read. Get your hands on it now.

4.5/5
These series are really good (so I've said already). I still can't help but have a feeling that I'm reading early Anita Blake which for me is a high praise. I loved the first LKH books up to and including Obsidian Butterfly.

The difference between Shia and Anita is that Shia is not tough, she is weak and awfully scared of what can happen most of the time, but she still perseveres. I admire that.

There are some new players in this book, and some very curious alliances. I loved how Shia made Devon, a member of White Hats (anti-Others group) work together with Royce and Chaz. It was funny and at the same time endearing.

Shia gets bitten for the first time and I like how a bond to a vampire totally changes your conscience while they're working their mojo on you. It helped me understand more why she was so afraid of leeches.

I couldn't decide if I liked Alec Royce or not. It was like playing a game of hot and cold. He does something good and you really like him for that, and then he goes and ruins it all.

Mouse! Who could resist her charm? She was a really great albeit brief character, and I hope we'll see more of her in later installments.

Overall, this book is just as strong as the first one, but wait until I review the third book *wink-wink*...

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Shiarra has been captured by the vampire Max and has no idea how she’s going to escape in this slow read that ultimately wasn’t for me.

Opening Sentence: My mind was a fragmented haze, but I found the glue necessary to pull it back together as soon as a voice I hadn’t heard in years–except in my nightmares–rang out.

The Review:

Shiarra couldn’t imagine herself in a worse situation. She’s been captured by Max, an evil vampire who wants nothing more than bend her to his will. She’s trying to resist, but it’s becoming harder by the day. She continues to hold out hope that Royce will somehow find her and rescue her, but it’s becoming more and more difficult to keep hope alive. To add to all this, she’s realizing she’s no longer completely human. Whatever type of Other that infected her is slowly making changes to her body, and Shiarra has no idea what to do. Will she be able to escape Max’s clutches? Will she ever be fully human again?

I’ll preface this review by saying I have not read the previous books in the series. I hate not being up to date on a series that I’m reviewing, but my library didn’t have any of the previous books, so I had to go in blind. That being said, I tried not to let my lack of knowledge of previous events affect how I felt about this book. And to be honest, I really, really did not like this book. I feel like I can say with 98% certainty that my dislike had nothing to do with not having read the previous books, but I still wanted to put it out there before I started in on what I didn’t like.

First off, it felt like not a whole lot happened in the book. The first 40 percent or so revolves around a cycle of Shiarra being terrified of Max, Max leaving her alone for a while – during which time Shiarra attempts to escape – then Max punishes her, leaving Shiarra terrified and wondering if she’ll ever make it out of there. That cycle got old quickly. I’m a fan of heroines who, even if they’re afraid, refuse to show it in any way and continue to act in a tough manner. I couldn’t see any of that in Shiarra, and it frustrated me, especially when she kept hoping Royce would come save the day. Save yourself, woman! By the time she finally did make it out of there and the plot continued, I had pretty much no connection to Shiarra as a character and no interest in wanting to continue the story.

One of the other issues I had concerns the idea of Shiarra becoming an Other. It seems to only pop up when it’s convenient to the story. The rest of the time, it seems to be a total non-issue. Because of that, I had a hard time seeing what the big deal was, and I found myself really not caring much about it.

All in all, it seems this series just isn’t for me, which is sad because it has been on my to-read list for a while. After my experience with this book though, it’s looking like I’ll be taking it off that list.

Notable Scene:

He never strayed toward inappropriate territory, but the constant reminders that I was trapped and helpless was doing plenty to fray my nerves to the breaking point. I figured out before long that he was doing it on purpose to rattle me. A silent reprimand that no doubt would be followed by something worse once he was done dealing with his guests.

Their chatter shifted to talk of politics and investments. I made mental notes of incriminating mentions of their names and businesses on the off-chance I might get out of there someday. Never mind the lack of a retainer fee. Hunting down each and every one of these sick fucks pro bono, as a favor to the rest of humanity, would be my pleasure. Focusing on a future that might never come was better than pondering what Max might be planning to do to me as soon as this meeting was over.

While they discussed their business, one by one, the people were freed from their chains. Half a dozen men entered to usher them back to the rooms in the hall. The newcomers were all dressed in suits much like the ones Max’s men wore the day I was kidnapped off the street, back when I had met him the first time. The rapid, efficient way his people moved gave me the sneaking suspicion that this human trafficking business was something they did often.

Worse, none of the captives spoke a word or did a thing to struggle for their freedom. They moved where they were bid, but slowly, further cementing my suspicions that they were drugged. Please, God, don’t let them be so broken that they couldn’t fight for their freedom anymore.

Don’t let that be me someday.

FTC Advisory: Zebra/Kensington provided me with a copy of Enslaved by the Others. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Started yesterday, November 07th, 2012. Got this for free through a Sony EBook Store Promotion.
I read it before realizing it was the 4th book of a series.
It was great, nice, but not explicit scene at the end.
So I bought the Jess Haines Bundle with this book (again) and the 3 books before that. And started that directly after finishing this - the joys of instand gratification through ebooks!

Sorry to say, that I read the 4th book "Stalking the Others" first.
Started this after finishing that, same night, today November, 13th 2012.
Better than some other books in the same genre I read.
Great female hero, realistic, strongheaded, stubborn.
I will certainly buy more from her.
And I look forward to the next book in the Other-series.