Review: Excellent introduction -- I hope the full-length novels maintain this tone.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 6, 2013
I like urban fantasy, but there's so much trashy-romance dreck out there nowadays (especially among the Kindle free/99 selections) that it can be hard to find the good ones. (I often enjoy a bit of romance with my supernatural suspense, but honestly, how many shirtless, tattooed headless-guy covers do we need?)... So anyway, I'm very glad I finally decided to try this prequel novella. Think Tanya Huff's Vicki Nelson (the "Blood"/Henry Fitzroy books) crossed with a mix of Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels & Andrea Nash: a tough gal who carries a gun, not a sword, with a threatening future looming over the life she's trying to build. I felt this novella was much better than many other "samples" authors have taken to offering, which often read like mere teaser ads. I really got a sense of the character, and the writing was rich and well-edited, telling a complete and suspenseful tale.N.B. "Raw Deal" ends at the 80% point, followed by the first several chapters of Book 1, which made me eager to read on.My personal favorite urban fantasy authors are probably Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson et al) and Jim Butcher (Harry Dresden), if it helps you to know where my tastes lie. (There was no romantic interest appearing as yet, so I'll have to see how that goes -- Anita & Sookie types need not apply for room on my shelves, though I'm reasonably open-minded.)