Review: Silent Cravings by Jess Haines and E. Blix
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2013
`Silent Cravings' is set in the world of Jess Haines' H&W; Investigations series. It features the vampire, Alec Royce, and those under his care. One of the main characters of this story is Mouse, the mute vampire. When werewolves from the Goliath pack out of California are trying to petition for entry into New York, everything goes pear-shaped. Christoph was the Goliath's representative and he messed things up by fighting with a vampire unknown to him. Not only once, but twice - big mistake! Now a lower ranking wolf in his pack, Analie, is paying the price for Christoph's egotistic stupidity. She must stay with Royce for at least 5 years to pay off Christoph's debt. Since Analie has been told basically since birth how horrible and vicious vampires are, she's scared out of her mind. Yet with patience and generosity, she slowly gets used to how things are at Royce's place. When Christoph and Ashi try to get Analie back, they are met with a totally different kind of reception. They're caught and magically collared, blocking their Were abilities. Mouse has claimed Christoph, but doesn't want to see him afraid of her or as a monster. With time can Mouse and Christoph come to an understanding?Mouse is one of my favorite characters from the H&W; Investigations series and it was great to see more of her in a leading type role. I'm not sure if it's her vulnerability or her strength which draws me most to her, but she has this ethereal grace which speaks through her actions. Her fierce protectiveness of Analie and Christoph show she's not a monster, regardless of how she feels about herself sometimes. Through multiple viewpoints, we see Royce's "family" or pack as Analie calls them in a different light. I really enjoyed some of the vampires, like Angus. While I felt there was some romance in the book, I felt it was more a vehicle to show some character growth and insight. This is a great side story in the H&W; Investigations world and I think to appreciate it the most, you should read the series first.