Review: Just One Drop by Quinn Loftis

Time for a review I think. Today I'm part of a Bewitching Books Tour for Just One Drop by Quinn Loftis, and I've been looking forward to this book since the tour was announced :) Hold on to your hats people, hurricane Jen has arrived :)

Title: Just One Drop
Author: Quinn Loftis
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 5th 2012
Series: Grey Wolves Series, Book 3
Source: Copy provided as part of the Bewitching Book Tour in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Jennifer Adams, best friend to Jacque Pierce and Sally Morgan, spicy, out spoken, a little crazy and human...or so she thought. Jen has just found out that human DNA is not the only thing that resides in her veins, she happens to share that little pesky werewolf gene, although it isn't more than just a drop. Now that she and her friends are living in Romania with Fane's pack, she is also oh so conveniently stuck with the object of her affection, the fur ball Decebel.
Drawn to each other by something they don't understand Jen finds herself frustrated by the lack of mating signs between her and said fur ball. Not only is she dealing with that not so un-frustrating problem, she now has been informed that because of that little drop of werewolf blood in her she is now required to attended a multi-pack gathering for un-mated wolves. This type of gathering hasn't taken place in over a century but with a shortage of females among the werewolf population the males are getting worried they won't ever find their true mates.
Meanwhile Decebel struggles with the emotions he is feeling towards Jen. He tries to keep his distance but there is just something about the mouthy blonde that keeps him coming back for more of her verbal abuse that he just can't seem to get enough of...go figure.

Review:
First line: '"Jen you are not going back to the States so stop trying to pack your damn clothes," Sally growled.She intercepted Jen and snatched the pants she was carrying to an open suitcase, which lay haphazardly across the four poster bed. Jen steadily ignored her and did an about face to the closet to grab some more clothes.'
Ok, as you can see at the start of this book, Jen is attempting to pack her bags and jet back to the US. Where is she you ask? Well, Jen would be in Romania. Living with a wolf pack. Yes you did read that right, our Jen is living with a werewolf pack. Previously in the series, Jen had discovered she had a tiny amount of werewolf blood running through her veins, making her a dormant wolf. She should stay with her two best freinds, Sally and Jacque but a certain fur ball is causing Jen to want to run back home. The fur ball (Jen's words not mine) is named Decebel and he is the pack's Beta, but only out of choice...the damn man is dominant enough to be Alpha of his own pack should he wish. Anyway, Jen and Decebel have had sparks before in the series (though the previous novels have been about Jacque and her mate Fane) but said fur ball has run off with his tail between his legs because his wolf is not showing any signs of wanting to mate with Jen. It's been 62 days 4 hours and 22 minutes since Jen last saw Decebel and she's sick of waiting for him to show up at her door. However, when Jen's tries to leave, who should turn up but Decebel, and that's where things get interesting :)

I adored JUST ONE DROP, Jen is just hilarious. I mean Decebel is about the most dominant, manly wolf man you will ever meet and she calls him 'the fur ball'. Jen's mouth just keeps getting her into trouble, as does her spontaneous attitude. Put that together with two equally humerous sidekicks and a tightly wound alpha wolf and you're ready to have yourself a party. Quinn Loftis has written this brilliantly, we all know I love a good dose of humour in anything I read and JUST ONE DROP has that in spades :)
JUST ONE DROP is set in Romania and for the most part Jen and her two besties as well as Decebel, pack leader Vasile (whom I just adore) and a few other pack wolves are attending The Gathering. This is an old tradition amongst wolf packs revived for the 21st centuary. Due to wolves only having their one true mate, and with population numbers dwindling, the Alphas of 4 packs decide to bring back an old tradition, that is basically speed dating for wolves. All the unmated females and males of the packs gather together in one place in the hope of finding mates among the other packs. However, when you add Jen and her panchant for trouble to a highly strung, territorial alpha wolf and several sex-crazed young male wolves there's going to be bloodshed. Decebel is still trying to fathom his feelings for Jen and her natural talent for pissing him off makes for one hilarious and enthralling novel. Add to this a conspiracy to murder my darling Vasile and his mate to gain control of the pack and you have the recipe for one awesome read!

We want you to feel safe, Jen. No one will force you to do anything, and if you happen to meet your mate don't panic, okay?"
"Alpha," Jen smiled ruefully, "when have you ever known me to panic around yummy werewolves?"
A growl resonated through the room.
"Oh, stick a cork in it, B," Jen snarled at Decebel.
Vasile cocked his head to the side as he looked at Jen. "B?"
"Yeah. Ya know, for Beta. Although, I like it because I could also be calling him the technical term for a female dog and he wouldn't know it. So really, calling him B totally works to my advantage," Jen explained in all seriousness.
Everyone turned when a quick burst of laughter came from the right side of the room. When Sorin saw everyone turn their eyes on him, he quickly began coughing. Holding up his hands, he finally composed himself. "Pardon me, Alpha. I seemed to have swallowed wrong."
"You have to be careful while swallowing smart ass comments, Sorin," Jen teased. "They tend to have a choking effect."
Sorin winked at Jen, who refused to look at the ominous wolf in the room currently staring a hole in her head.
Jen looked back to Vasile. "Okay, so the moral of the story is find a mate, don't panic, and try to avoid any male pissing contests…literally." (chapter 8) 

Yup, definite disaster alert. As well as keeping up with Jen and Decebel, we are also able to see how Jacque and Fane are progressing since their mating. They can speak mind to mind like all mated pairs, and I have to say that some of what Fane says makes me go all mushy and wish that I could find a real live Fane. Anyway, it's good to see what they are getting up to, I just want to see more of Alpha Vasile to be honest...he's even more dominant than Decebel, meaning he could kick serious ass :) He's the strongest Alpha in living memory and his mate Alina is so sweet...I don't hate her at all...nope ;)

All in all, JUST ONE DROP is one of the funniest new books I've read in a while. While it did take me a while to get used to the American slang Jen and her friends used it was comforting to know that none of the Romanian wolves knew what they were saying either :)
I loved every minute and will definitely be keeping my eye on Quinn Loftis and the Grey Wolves Series for the foreseeable future :)

My Rating: 4/5

Now for your reading pleasure, Quinn has provided us with an excerpt from JUST ONE DROP to entice you!

Excerpt: chapter 6.

"What are you grinning about?" Decebel growled, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"I think it's time we break up their girls' night out. Preferably before Jen falls off the bar," Fane told him. Though he tried, he couldn't hide the teasing laughter in his eyes as he watched his words penetrate Decebel's mind.

"She's in a bar?"

"Oh, she'll do you one better than that, Beta." Fane chuckled. "She's on a bar. As in dancing on a bar. The patrons are quite taken with her."

Decebel was out of his seat and ripping the door open before Fane could finish his sentence.

"Did you have taunt him?" Vasile scolded.

Fane shrugged. "Seeing the steely, calm Beta all riled is too much to pass up, Alpha."

Vasile tried to hide his smile as he shook his head at his only son. "Fine, but hurry up and go with him or he'll tear the damn bar apart, and I don't have the time or energy to deal with that mess."

"As you say." Fane winked at his father.

"Luna, I'm giving you fair warning. Your little adventure has been found out by the subject of your taunting. Do you think it wise, my love, to bait a dominant male?"

Fane could feel her surprise as she heard his voice in her mind. He smiled. He loved surprising her – it was a nice change of pace since he was usually the one being surprised.

"Crap. Is he on his way here?" Fane heard the anxiety in her voice.

"Hell is on his heels, love."

"You are enjoying this entirely too much, White Fang."

"Aw. Now, Jacquelyn, that is no way to speak to your mate." Fane couldn't cover his laughter.

"Just remember, wolf-man, I will follow through with my threat to have that dog house built for you. Now how long?"

"You wound me with your words, Luna."

"Fane, I'm not playing with you. How long till the brooding fur ball arrives?"

Fane had neglected to tell Jacquelyn that he and Decebel had been driving the whole time they'd been conversing. The bar was only five minutes from the mansion. He smiled to himself as he and Decebel climbed out of the Hummer.

Fane pulled open the door to the bar. He took in the scene and nearly lost his composure at the sight.

"You're looking stunning, Luna, if not a little under-clothed." Fane watched as Jacquelyn's eyes, big as saucers, met his across the bar. He grinned wickedly, raising his eyebrows as he whispered in her mind.

"Gotchya."

If JUST ONE DROP has caught your interest you can but it (and the rest of the series) from these lovely websites.

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

I recommend you check these out :) Seriously, go now.

About the Author:

Quinn is a 31 year old wife, mother, nurse, and writer, not necessarily in that order.  She lives in beautiful North West Arkansas with her husband, son and Nora their Doberman pinscher. She loves writing, reading, and crocheting. Her favorite holiday is Christmas, favourite book(s) is Pride and Prejudice, The Alpha and Omega Series by Patricia Briggs, and the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. She loves to be silly and have fun, loves music and thinks there is no greater sound in the world than that of her little boy's laughter.  

Website: www.quinnloftisbooks.com 

Twitter: @AuthQuinnLoftis

Review: Bitten by Kelly Armstrong

Hey All, time for my review of Kelley Armstrong's Bitten, Book 1 of the Women of the Otherworld series.

Title: Bitten

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: February 2004

Series: Women of the Otherworld, Book 1
Source: Library copy

From the author's website:

Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her–her temper, her violence–but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person.


So she left the Pack and returned to Toronto where she’s trying to live as a human. When the Pack leader calls asking for her help fighting a sudden uprising, she only agrees because she owes him. Once this is over, she’ll be squared with the Pack and free to live life as a human. Which is what she wants. Really.

Review:

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Bitten when I picked it up, I’d heard both good and bad things about it from friends. Some had loved it; others hadn’t even been able to finish reading the book.  I suppose my opinion fits somewhere between these two. I wasn’t a massive fan, but it was enjoyable enough to have me finish the whole 450 odd pages. Bitten starts following the daily life of main character Elena, who’s a werewolf trying desperately to prove she can function in normal society. She has a flat, a job and even a live-in boyfriend, something she had never expected. However her normal life all comes crashing down when Pack Alpha Jeremy leaves a mysterious message. Having promised to return home to the Pack when her Alpha called, Elena cannot ignore the message. Especially since no-one is picking up the phone at the house in Stonehaven or returning any of her messages. But Elena had run from the Pack for a reason...

There are few werewolves left and the vast majority are male, and by vast majority I mean all of them except for Elena, she is the only female werewolf in the world. However she was not born a werewolf like many, but bitten without her consent by the one man she trusted above all others. He’s the reason she ran, and the reason she won’t stay with the Pack longer than she absolutely has to.

When Elena returns to Stonehaven she finds the Pack members safe and well (though apparently unfamiliar with how to answer a phone). The townspeople however are another matter. There have been several deaths in Stonehaven. The police believe them to be the result of wild dog attacks, but the Pack knows better. A Mutt (a wolf not a member of the Pack) is killing the people of Stonehaven, leaving obvious signs of a werewolf killing. The Pack finds the murderer easily enough, but his death raises yet more questions. And when a member of the Pack is found dead it can only mean one thing....War.

To be honest, I wasn’t amazed by Bitten. I found a couple of characters a bit bland and the only one with any air of mystery is Jeremy and considering there are only 7 Pack members I had trouble remembering which was which (with the exception of the main 3, Elena, Jeremy and Clay). I mean, when one was murdered, I had to flick back to remind myself which one he was. I also found Elena a little annoying, she can’t forgive Clay for his betrayal, but she’s quite happy to sleep with him and by doing so betray her human boyfriend (who gets conveniently forgotten a lot).However, the interactions between Elena and the Mutts are great, and prove her to be a strong female who will not be intimidated or dictated to. This, and only this, improve my feelings about her character, otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd have stopped reading about halfway through. I also will give credit for the plot line, it’s not half bad. It doesn't focus too much on the screwed up relationship between Elena and Clay and everything is linked back to the finding and executing the rogue Mutts. I found the ending a tad predictable but other than that I have no complaints. There is non-stop action in this book which saves it for me. 

Would I pick Bitten up and read it again? Hard to say... I guess I would give it another chance, just to see if I liked it any better second time around, but not for a while yet...

My Rating: 3/5

Review: Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Alrighty, time for another review. Here is the first book in the Riley Jenson Guardian Series by Keri Arthur. Here's Full Moon Rising...


Title: Full Moon Rising
Author: Keri Arthur
Publisher: Penguin Group
Released: December 26th 2006
Series: Riley Jenson Guardian Series, Book #1
Source: My personal copy

From Keri Arthur's website:

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.

Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before...


Review:
Well Full Moon Rising certainly gets off to an interesting start. Riley Jenson is heading home when she notices that the night is quiet...too quiet. Then she scents blood on the wind. Though not a Guardian (an enforcer of sorts) for the Directorate but an office worker, she decides to check it out. She finds a massacre and two vampires lying in wait, a messy fight ensues where Riley (not being a trained fighter) uses the only weapon made of wood she has to hand to stake the attackers....her high heels. Luckily she comes out on top, not too surprising when we learn she is a rare mix of vampire and werewolf aka. a dhampire, one who has the extraordinary strength of the two races behind her. 
When Riley thinks her night can't get any stranger she arrives back at her apartment to find an ancient, powerful and deliciously naked vampire on her doorstep. Having no idea who he is, and finding the vampire to be little help in that department, Riley assumes that the vampire (later discovered to be called Quinn) is trying to find her flatmate and twin brother Rhoan. Unfortunately Rhoan is missing having not reported back from one of his missions as a Guardian for the Directorate of Other Races. Riley's investigation leads her to be drawn deeper in to the heart of the Directorate as well as causing her to spend an awful lot of time with hansom Quinn. The investigation leads to a cloning laboratory and risks Riley's life multiple times as she battles to rescue her brother, and it starts to look like the perpetrator might be someone Riley knows. And before the investigation closes she is betrayed by one she holds close....


Well, this is certainly a new take on werewolves for me. Riley and other werewolves are driven by what's known as the moon-heat (the week before the full moon) to mate. Basically in that week she has lots and lots of sex, fortunately for Riley she has two partners, Talon and Misha, who are always around to help her through the heat. Vulnerable because without sex Riley will go mad with blood lust she takes 'relief' where she can, and this time Quinn (the naked vampire) is more than willing help her out as well. Naturally there are a few steamy scenes in this book but nothing too graphic. There is detailed exploration of the wolf clubs where werewolves go to 'dance' and humans are not allowed in case one of the wolves injures them in the process of 'dancing' due to the superior strength of the werewolf population.
The book is set in Melbourne, Australia where supernatural creatures live in the open and are policed by the Directorate of other races. It's well written and the characters are well defined, even Riley and Rhoan's lovers (of which there are many). I'm glad that Rhoan was written as a gay character and throughout the series you get to see how his relationships with both Davern and Liander change. Honestly I think Rhoan's love life and personal relationships are more interesting than Riley's, though Riley does have a strange and sometimes volatile relationship with Quinn as he does not like to share, where as it is Riley's nature to 'dance' with many wolves during the moon heat....something Quinn does not understand. By the end of the book you realise just how strong a woman Riley really is, she is tried and tested in every way and still comes out sane at the other side....just.


I do really enjoy this book, and have found it to be one of the best of the series, but if you enjoy paranormal romances where by the end the two main characters can't live without each other then this probably isn't for you. Having said that it is still a good read and I would recommend it to fans of the genre.


My Rating: 4/5

Review: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Another review coming up, Moon Called is the first book in the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Here's to Mercedes, the VW mechanic.


Title: Moon Called
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Penguin Group
Released: 2006
Series: Mercy Thompson Series, Book #1
Source: My personal copy


Synopsis from back of the book:
Mercedes Thompson runs a garage in the Tri-Cities. She's a mechanic - and a damn good one - who spends her spare time karate training and tinkering with a VW bus that happens to belong to a vampire. Her next-door neighbour is an alpha werewolf - literally, the leader of the pack. And Mercy herself is a shapeshifter, sister to coyotes. As such she's tolerated by the wolves but definitely down the pecking order. As long as she keeps her eyes down and remembers her place, the pack will leave her in peace.
Hardly a normal situation, but then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly a normal young lady... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.


Review:
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy....well what can I say, she's a shifter with an Alpha Wolf for a neighbour, a Fey for a mentor, and a Vampire who brings the Mystery Machine to her garage upon occasion (yes, the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo). Needless to say Mercy leads an interesting life that not only becomes weirder but more dangerous when teenage runaway Mac shows up at her garage looking for work, because Mac is not an ordinary runaway. He's a Werewolf. A new Werewolf and therefore dangerous and unpredictable. But Mercy can't turn her back on a kid who so obviously needs her help, however knowing that Mac is Werewolf means Mercy is actually going to have to have a civil conversation with her hot tempered neighbour, Alpha Wolf Adam. Mercy's relationship with Adam is complicated at best due to the dominance of wolves over coyotes...well that and the small issue of Mercy being unable to help ticking him off, she's not too keen on Adam telling her what to do and is quite willing to retaliate in the best way she knows.
When there's an attack at her garage by two unknown Werewolves Mercy has to turn to Adam to help keep Mac safe. However when Adam is severely injured and his daughter kidnapped, Mercy is pulled back to where she grew up, somewhere she'd hoped never to return. She becomes embroiled in Werewolf politics and is kept under the watchful eye of the Alpha of all Alpha's (Bran) and his son Samuel (aka Marcy's ex). There are twists and turns along the way including witches, the Vampire seethe and a Werewolf community. Mercy will come face to face with her past among Werewolves while trying to find Adam's missing daughter and naturally Mercy will get into trouble along the way, she can't help it....


Well first off, the Mercedes Thompson series is more Young Adult than Adult Urban Fantasy. This is not to say that it won't appeal to older readers, but you can tell it's aimed at young adults. I enjoyed this book immensely, you're thrown into a world where the Fey live in the open but they're not the only supernatural creature that walks among us, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and of course the occasional Coyote Shape-shifter.
Mercy is an extremely strong, independent woman who has a serious dislike of being ordered about, though she isn't stupid her mouth has a tendency to get her into trouble (especially with Adam). She tries her best to stay out of werewolf business, considering her childhood and history with a certain wolf it's not surprising why, neither is it surprising that she hasn't been back to where she spent her childhood in a very long time. She's a brilliant lead character and if there is trouble about you can pretty much guarantee that Mercy is right in the middle of it....though not necessarily by choice. Adam is also a very well written character, the no-nonsense alpha wolf who has to put up with his pesky neighbour. Though there is a certain spark between Adam and Mercy, she seems determined to fight it. Mercy certainly does not want to be tied to this domineering man, yet they seem inexplicably drawn together.....at least until Mercy's first love Samuel re-enters her life, then things become rather complicated.


I applaud Patricia Briggs for this book as it is a very good introduction to the Mercy Thompson series, well written, even the background characters like Zee are done well. This is one of those unusual books that can appeal to both young adults and adults alike. I am a big fan of the whole series and can tell you now they are all definitely worth a read.


My Rating: 4/5