Publication Date: Out today!!!!
Formats: Paperback & Ebook
Price: Pb £14.37/ Ebook £3.69
Publisher: Black Spot Books
I would like to say a huge thank you to Jamie and Stephen at Black Crow PR for inviting me on to this chilling, creepy and gripping book’s tour. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Netgalley and Black Spot Books for allowing me to read and review a digital copy. I would also like to say a huge thank you to the creative talents in Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks for creating such a haunting, gripping and thrilling novel of murder, lies and betrayal as well as deep seated old lousiana superstition and myth. There is a lot of old, dark and brooding magic, especially with werewolves and witches but more like voodoo queens with more menace and mystique. Intrigued? Let’s head over to the blurb and find out a bit more.
Some evil wants to live forever. Ten years ago a witch sacrificed Britta Orchid’s family and turned her into a werewolf. Selena Stone’s spell failed, and she was never seen again. Until now. Officer Aaron Labaye has discovered Selena’s remains in the house where Britta’s family died, and dragged Britta back to Louisiana to aid the investigation, hoping her past will break the case. Britta has a hard time resisting the handsome rookie, especially when he shows her a new drawing by her murdered little brother: Britta in her wolf form. As an unseen hand sets events in motion, Britta has to help Labaye dig into the murders old and new. The bloodthirsty ghost of her brother, a jealous member from her pack, and a former friend with a serious prejudice against wolves all stand to stop Britta as she fights to finally get the truth about that night ten years ago. But, as she looks harder than ever into her own dark past, Britta will confront more than just her own demons as she fights for peace for herself and for her family. She can’t hide anymore, but must find her place in a world she’s avoided, and discover what it truly means to be a wolf.
Wow, this book has me hooked, gripped and mesmerised from the first page all the way through to the last sentence. I found this dark and disturbing tale of murder, satanic sacrifice, myths and legends with a modern overlay of ritualised murders incredibly compelling. The idea to base this plot in the setting of Louisana is just genius and inspiring to have set around the bayoux superstition, myths and legends just adds that touch of glamour (think the fey but not the cutesy kind the tricksy and devilish kind) then you will have a feeling of the atmosphere in this book.
I loved the character of Britta, and how strong yet vulnerable she is, even though she is an immortal, dead yet undead and can transform into a wolf, she feels burdened by it and a guilt that she wasn’t able to save her brother from the machinations of a witch but also her mother and step father’s culpability even though she blames herself for not doing enough. I found her attitude both empathising and also hilarious when it came to try to interact with people especially the handsome officer in Aron Labaye, if you love a dark and grim and gritty supernatural crime mystery this is one for you. It put me in mind of Patricia Brigg’s heroine, Mercy Thompson, the attitude of I don’t give a *** what you think of me and a do or die way of life that leaves a hardened surface of their skin.
The only one issue I found with this is, that it felt a bit too gritty and grim, as though the stereotype of lone wolf, with no friends or anything to call home (yes she has a pack but is reluctant to call it home) I did find it a bit too cliched, I get it that she has a somewhat tragic past but…. Seriously just one person she counts as a friend is a reluctant one at best and then another who now she knows is a wolf hates her guts… sorry but I did feel that was a bit too ott. But overall this is a brilliant and thrilling tale filled with enough dark and horrific scenes to leave you wanting more and shivering under the covers.
I absolutely loved this book, and I cannot wait for more and what Britta gets up to next. I would urge you to get a copy for yourself and make sure you leave a light on…. It will help chase those dark shadows away 😉.
Ratings: 5 🌟s with a large ☕️ and a large 🍰 with a few 🍪s or two…be warned the book is addictive.
Author’s Blurbs:
Lindy Ryan is a bestselling and multi-award winning author and editor with numerous titles in development for film/tv adaptation, including an upcoming animated short based on her Halloween picture book, Trick or Treat, Alistair Grey. An award winning professor, Lindy has published two textbooks on data visualisation and analytics as well as numerous papers and chapters. She also writes seasonal romance as Lindy Millar and is the author of the books-to-film Renovate My Heart and The Magic Ingredient.
Christopher Brooks juggles writing and editing with a healthy dose of manual labour around the Pacific Northwest, where he lives with his wife and children. This is his first novel.
I hope you have enjoyed this dark, disturbing and supernatural crime thriller. If you want to grab a copy you can find this in Waterstones, any independent store and of course on Amazon. I will leave you now to say Happy Reading and see you all soon!!!
Zoe's Book Nook 