Review: Not a 'Traditional Romance'
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2012
First, let me say that the book description is terrible -- "In a world of demons, goblins, witches, sirens, werewolves, vampires, and so much more, it can be difficult to determine who is guilty of what and why. Chris White is a detective who fearlessly investigates this supernatural world, himself a unique product of it. He will take any case brought to him, but has a particular affinity for helping those who inhabit the poor districts of his city. From strange rituals and runaway vampires, to fighting sorcerers and confronting a demon lord, this paranormal detective will face any challenge--even a dance with the devil." That just doesn't give you any idea what the book is about.Now we all have times when we want a traditional m/m romance -- lots of angst and emotion with lead characters who have suffered and find their happy endings after much turmoil and strife. If that's what you're in the mood for, set this gem of a book aside until you're ready for something less emo. Or, if you really don't like stories that jump around on a timeline and prefer stories that are laid out in 'real time' you'll have a problem with this one because, as a previous reviewer states, the chapters switch back and forth in time to tell the stories of the characters. And, if you're in the mood for a good smutty read - well there's not a lot of sex in this one, though what there is was well done.Chris is a Paranormal Detective from the poor side of a town who's overlord is a Storm Demon - unique, he is half ghost and half witch. His partner in the agency is Doug, an imp and in the very first chapter they jump right into a case (so, as the previous reviewer says, pay attention to the case numbers at the beginning of each chapter). We learn from the beginning that Chris is "Consort" but not what that means -- in fact there are a number of terms used that are explained along the way as our detectives solve case after case. But the terms are explained along the way, so don't let yourself be pulled out of the story by worrying what abnormal vs paranormal, etc. means.In all, I found the characters engaging and fully fleshed out, the manner in which we go back to see the first meetings of the various characters intriguing, and the book an absolute delight to read -- really didn't put it down until I was done.This was my first book by this author -- I immediately went to Amazon and purchased two more books she has done and can only hope they're half as enjoyable!