Book Review: BAYOU WOLF by Debbie Herbert

Title: BAYOU WOLF
Author: Debbie Herbert
Category/Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance
My Star Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Blurb:


The taming of the shrew… 
Tallulah Silver is tough. She has to be—because she's the Choctaw tribe's only female shadow hunter, and because she doesn't know how else to survive the loss that almost destroyed her. Payton Rodgers has devoted his life to protecting his pack. But when mauled bodies start to pile up in the bayou, Payton begins to wonder if Tallulah might be right about werewolves deserving the blame. As darkness gathers around them, Tallulah will have to decide if she can risk opening herself up to love again. And Payton will have to determine where his true loyalties lie.
 

My Review:




*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily provided a review*


Let's start 2017 with a bang shall we? By which I mean, a brand new release from my absolute FAVORITE author. 

Tallulah has been my favorite character from the first book in the series.  She comes off abrasive at best, but I get her.  Honestly, I don't know that I've ever found a character that I could connect with so well.  Heartache and trauma has turned her into a different person; one with a rock hard exterior that's almost impossible to break through.  But, when someone special comes along and takes the time to chip away at the ice, there's an impossibly kind and vulnerable soul at the center.  In comes Payton, crazy as all get out to take on the task.  He has his own past, of course, complete with a paranormal secret that threatens any semblance of a normal life.  Together, they are able to tackle their demons, and take down the bad guy.  Somewhere between the bickering and banter, sparks fly.  I loved their relationship.  It was realistic, endearing, and frankly, hilarious.  Another fantastic read from a supremely talented author!

Book Review: CHANGELING by Debbie Herbert

Title: Changeling
Author: Debbie Herbert

Category/Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance


My Star Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Blurb: 


She "thought"she was a witch...she's more Skye's a teen witch who sucks at spells and works at a metaphysical store, The Green Fairy. Strange things are happening there at night: black specks of movement out of the corner of her eye, mysterious buzzing noises, unidentified dragonfly-like carcasses in the basement, and a hidden cache of absinthe (aka fairy crack).

Kheelan is a human changeling. Raised with the fairies, he's viewed as an inferior species whose only use is to serve his kidnappers. He's been totally screwed by the Fae and his only goal in life is freedom. When he meets Skye, he sees an opportunity to escape. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by feelings for this quirky witch.

Skye stumbles upon the remains of dead fairies at the store and is approached by Kheelan who has been sent to investigate the pixie murders. Skye falls for him--only to discover he's using her to win his freedom. He tells her she is half-fairy and has secret powers, but Skye finds it hard to believe when she can never get a spell to work.

As Samhain, the witch's Halloween, draws near she must make a bold move to claim her heritage and power, restore order in the fairy realm, and try to win Kheelan's freedom and love. Absinthe, autism and augury meld into a paranormal cauldron where fairies are sly tricksters waiting to trap you in their Realm.

My Review: 

As usual, Debbie Herbert created a stellar story that will stay with me for a long, long time.  Skye is the young lady most of us were in our late teens; a confused, still-searching-for-herself adolescent who doesn’t give herself enough credit.  I loved how well I could relate to her character.  Kheenan was complex and multi-dimensional, demonstrating the effects of a lifetime of abuse and neglect while still allowing the story to stay light. The magic and world-building was astoundingly vivid and colorful, while the storyline flowed perfectly with sprinklings of real-life social issues throughout (the slavery of the human race by fairies for one).  The amount of research that went into every detail was obvious.  Debbie made sure she knew her stones and her fae mythology inside and out.  Of course, I expected nothing less.  Debbie has once again displayed a bounty of talent for the creative writing process, officially making her my favorite author of 2015!

 

Book Review: SIREN'S CALL (Dark Seas #3) by Debbie Herbert

 

Title: Siren's Call, Dark Seas #3
Author: Debbie Herbert
Category/genre: Fantasy Romance
My Star Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Blurb: 

Blood enemies, bound lovers...
He’d loved a vampire once, only to have her murdered by vengeful Freebloods.  Now to save his half-blood son from kidnappers, Garret Fox must look to another Freeblood for help. Once the empathic vampire Artemis reluctantly drinks his human blood, she cannot deny his request. But although their connection runs deep, their attraction hot, Garret can never forget what Artemis truly is.
Sharing Garret’s thoughts and feelings has wreaked havoc on her emotions. Discovering a malevolent force bent on destroying everyone they both care for brings her even closer to the human. Yet as Artemis fights side by side with her lover, she is deeply conflicted. Even if they both manage to survive this evil, how can she ever hope to find a true home with a man who hates her very kind?

My Review:

This was by far my favorite in the series. I absolutely fell in love with Nash. His struggle to withhold himself because he was so worried for Lily's safety was the heart of the romance for me. The guilt he was gripped with over his past made him an approachable character despite his total sexy, masculine flair. Lily was initially the perfect example of the girl you loved to hate in high school, but as the story goes on she develops a depth that brings you to adore her. Native American culture and beliefs were expertly woven into the story, both serving as a vital element to the plot and as a fantastic addition to the entertainment value of this novel.

Debbie continues to be one of my favorites, and I can't wait to read more from this amazing author! 
 

Book Review: SIREN'S TREASURE (BOOK 2 OF DARK SEAS) by Debbie Herbert

 

Title: Siren's Treasure (Dark Seas #2)
Author: Debbie Herbert
Genre/Category: Paranormal Romance
My Star Rating: 5/5


Blurb:

 Deep in the bayou, a strange and beautiful world of merfolk exists…

Mermaid Jet Borsage never fit in with her own kind. Her dark hair and eyes set her apart from the other merfolk. Which was why she fell for the wrong man, and why she is still paying the price. One that has made her unwilling to trust any man. Until she meets Landry Fields…

Agent Landry Fields is investigating Jet's former boyfriend, but he knows Jet is hiding something, as well. At first he believed the beauty was involved in her ex-boyfriend's dangerous undersea excavations. But when he realizes he is falling for a real-live mermaid, Landry's by-the-book beliefs are rocked. Now can he save Jet and her clan from modern-day pirates to claim a future with the feisty beauty?


My Reivew:

I'm a HUGE fan of Debbie Herbert, so it's really no surprise that I loved book 2 in her Dark Seas Trilogy. 

I liked Jet's character in book 1 and immediately connected with her in this book.  The romance between her and Landry was refreshingly unique and realistic.  The attraction was there from the start (as with any good romance novel), but it wasn't one of those too-quick-to-believe-it whirlwinds.  Both of them were guarded and suspicious of each other a good way through the book. 

All of the characters were complex and well-developed, and I adored Debbie's use of animals to create their dimensions.  I will say, this one is far less angsty than book 1 which for me is a good thing.  Can't wait to get started on book 3!

Book Review: Siren's Secret by Debbie Herbert

 

Category/genre: Adult/Paranormal Romance

My star rating: 5/5

Goodreads blurb: In Debbie Herbert's debut novel, there are two secrets, each one with a deadly consequence….

Shelly Connors's worlds—on land and in the sea—are turned upside down when an evening swim turns into a nightmare. On a sweltering night deep in the bayou, the mystical mermaid witnesses a horrifying act. With a monstrous killer now hot on her trail, her life and the lives of her kin are in jeopardy.

Terrified of becoming the next victim, Shelly has no choice but to turn to Sheriff Tillman Angier. Tillman has had his intense gray eyes on the sultry honey-haired beauty for a while. The feelings are mutual …and impossible to ignore. But he's determined to solve the murders, and he knows Shelly's hiding something. Can she trust him with her deepest secret?

THE RAVE WORTHY: Obviously, I love Mermaid novels; What Disney generation female doesn't?  Unfortunately, I have found very few of them that I have totally loved, but this one did it for me 100%.  I could tell from the get-go that this was going to be one of those that keeps me on an emotional cliff until I'm done with it, so needless to say, I read it REALLY quickly.  So many social issues were packed into this book, and they made each and every character so layered and dimensional it was unreal.  From the sweet but tiresome autistic little brother with an alcoholic mother, to the childhood sexual abuse of the "bad guy" (in quotations because this story added to my stern belief that evil is not born, it's made).  She gave the killer humanity, not just by presenting his troublesome past but she used his sincere love of his pet to give me a reason not to hate him so bitterly.  The way the narrative is written changes with each scene depending on who it is about-  I knew the killer was around before she even said it, just like I knew Tillman was exhausted without needing to be told he hadn't slept in two days.  Debbie is a talented author and I am beyond excited to read her future works (when might that be, Miss Debbie???).

THE GRUMBLE WORTHY: Honestly, at first I thought perhaps there was too much anxiety written in for me to sit back and enjoy it, but Debbie did a beautiful job presenting it all in a delicate, seamless fashion that made it easier to digest while still keeping me on the edge of my seat.  So I guess that doesn't really qualify as a "grumble".  How about I just grumble that it's over?