Fortunate Son (Judah Black Series, #0.5)
E. A. Copen
Synopsis from BookFunnel:
At least, that’s what federal agent Judah Black believes. Her job is to police supernaturals—werewolves, vampires, and fae—who have come out of hiding to live alongside humans.
The rest of the cops in her precinct are all too eager to dismiss her latest case, an apparent werewolf suicide. But the suicide note lays the blame on a cold case swept under the rug by the very department Judah works for.
When Judah decides to dig deeper, she uncovers evidence that could bring down one of the most powerful up and coming politicians in the country. Her superiors tell her to leave it alone, that everyone who’s ever crossed this senator was fired or worse—dead. Pursuing this case will place Judah in the center of a growing struggle between humans and the supernatural, and change her life forever.
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My Review:
This is the start of my story. And it’s one helluva saga.
The greatest adventure of my life started with a discovery in a history book by my sister, Jules. Don’t let anyone fool you, this truly is all her fault. Well, not my Uncle Richard’s death, but everything else.
Take our cousin’s awesome car? Her idea.
Explore this ancient castle? Her idea.
Touch things that say don’t touch? You guessed--
This prequel novella was one of a selection of free ebooks to download (Follow the link above for this one and more, still free!) so it's actually been on my device for a while now.
It hasn't been all that long since I've read a Judah Black book--but I'm sure glad I read this one, finally! I found it really fascinating, having just read the second novel and seeing how much she's grown from the first novel, to then go "back to the start" of Judah's story and see where it all began: the distrust of "proper procedure", the tenacious drive to not let bureaucracy trump true justice, and the actions that led to Judah's being "sequestered" to Paint Rock at all. Now, reading all that she's able to accomplish as the agent in charge of the "reservation of supernaturals", I can see it as a good thing--but also, reading what she was up against as a cop in Columbus, it kind of also doesn't feel like a "good thing", per se.
I loved this glimpse into "early Judah." She's a newly-singled mom trying to do the best she can for her community while protecting her son from all the things that are inherently wrong with society. The real-world event that no doubt inspired the core conflict of this simple story is dead-obvious, as some of the descriptions read like straight-up references... but at the same time, it is definitely something that a character like Judah would face. Copen makes it fit into the world she's created, where magic does exist, and supernatural creatures like Fae, werewolves, and vampires do walk among us where they can, but on a more hidden, subtle level that some people can and will ignore (or form prejudices against) more often than not. It's a much more vulnerable Judah we see here, more impulsive and not quite as practiced as "Paint Rock Judah" has become. It's a great start to the series, a perfect introduction to the main character of a series that fans of urban fantasy and the paranormal/supernatural genre definitely will enjoy!
Rating: *****
Further Reading: (Also by The Author/Urban Fantasy/Paranormal)
Mirrors (The Curse of Lanval, #1)
Rebekah Dodson
Synopsis from Amazon:
This is the start of my story. And it’s one helluva saga.
The greatest adventure of my life started with a discovery in a history book by my sister, Jules. Don’t let anyone fool you, this truly is all her fault. Well, not my Uncle Richard’s death, but everything else.
Take our cousin’s awesome car? Her idea.
Explore this ancient castle? Her idea.
Touch things that say don’t touch? You guessed--
Guillaume Lanval! Do not blame the entire mess on me! I didn’t send us to 1154 A.D. In France. And turn history on its head.
Well, we don’t know we did that, Jules.Want to know more? Open my pages. You know you want to.
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My Review:
Whew! This was one I nabbed during a promo, I think--the premise was so cool, I wanted to learn more! Perhaps part of me wondered if it would be like that other series I love where two siblings travel to another world via a mirror... Or perhaps I just happen to like stories that use mirrors as a vehicle for time travel... Whatever the case, it was a snappy premise that drew me in--and that first scene, our introduction to the main character was absolutely spot-on, positively caked with color and intrigue!
The characters are well-done. Gill is a bit of a ham, very much the typified cliche of a "rascally" young man who sleeps around and gets very aroused around pretty girls... But then again, he's also juuust dorky enough that I'm not exactly rolling my eyes and thinking oh I know EXACTLY where this book is going... His relationship with his sister is very well balanced, and she provides an essential dimension that keeps us from writing off Gill and his whole obsession with girls and constant whining about the "family curse" entirely... He's not your typical self-absorbed, Practically Perfect, Heartless Heartthrob main character--he cares about people, especially injured people, with his background as an EMT, so that whole side of him comes into play in a very important way.
My only beef with this book, as it has been for other books, is that it teased so much and presented so much potential--but it was too short. There wasn't much "payout" because this is just "Part 1." I got to the end and felt like I had buckled in to watch a chess game, but instead, the players only just set up the board and left off at that.
Which direction the rest of the (albeit diminutive) series is going to head remains to be seen... from the "blurbs" alone, it sounds like Gill and Jules are in for a wild ride! As far as first books go, this isn't terrible--and if you like time travel, plenty of sarcasm, and just a little bit of irreverence for historical time periods (but a healthy respect for the consequence of making changes in historical events!), then perhaps you, too, can grab Mirrors (and maybe the rest of the series, while you're at it!) and discover the secret behind "The Curse of Lanval" for yourself!
Rating: ****
Further Reading: (Time Travel/Siblings/Fantasy Adventure)
The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris
-The Emergence
-The Emergence
The Shaudrey Universe Series--J. E. Mueller
-Fire's Song
-Fire's Song
The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
-Foul is Fair
-Street Fair
-A Fair Fight
-All's Fair
-Foul is Fair
-Street Fair
-A Fair Fight
-All's Fair
Punk Anthologies--Writerpunk Press Group
-Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1
-Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2
-What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk
-Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1
-Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2
-What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk
Starstruck Saga--S. E. Anderson
The Books of Winter--R. R. Virdi
-Dangerous Ways
-Dangerous Ways
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