Sue Coletta

It’s 9:30 am on a Monday morning and Mr Mayhem and Shawnee are racing through the forest. Shawnee struggles to keep up with the frantic pace Mr Mayhem has set, slapping branches aside, doing her best to keep up. Why is Poe sending out an alarm?

Where is Shicheii? Shicheii is her grandfather, her only living relative. She will die for him.

And that is the opening for Merciless Mayhem.

Sue Coletta and the Mayhem gang have been working tirelessly to protect nature and all the animals that inhabit our world, and this time Orcas and dolphins are the target of the Killzme Corporation. They present themselves as conservationists, but use those who care about saving the animals for nefarious purposes, without their knowledge. That really ticked me off! Sue Coletta’s subject matter and writing does get all my emotions firing.

The blurb and introduction inside the book made me want to share…well, almost everything, but I figure you will read that anyway, so let’s just get right down to my thoughts.

Sue Coletta does a lot of research and I love an author that strives to make their novels authentic, as realistic as possible. She does that very well.

I won’t go into all the updates for how we came to be where we are. I will leave that for you to find out for yourself, but Sue Coletta does include them in the story. I believe you may be able to read each book as a standalone, but starting in the beginning gives so much depth and meaning into the characters, I recommend beginning with Wings Of Mayhem, Book I.

The Killzme Corporation was the largest animal trafficking ring in the US and they had put a bounty on Mr Mayhem and Shawnee. They will use anyone they care about to get their hands on them.

I love their role playing, as they do their investigating, and they had me bursting out in laughter. The visuals Sue created in my mind are amazing.

Mr Mayhem’s nickname for Shawnee, Cautious Cat, is a misnomer. She can be impulsive, acting without thought of the consequences, putting herself in peril when those she loves are in danger. Mr Mayhem is her mentor and works with her to create a center of calm, giving herself time to anticipate the results of her actions. It’s a work in progress. 🙂

I am speechless when Shawnee launches her attack, around 617 on my ereader. She is a badass warrior and a character sure to capture any thriller lover’s heart, like mine.

Shawnee is in a committed relationship with Levaughn, but we don’t hear much about him. We meet up with some old friends and are introduced to some new ones.

Her interactions with Poe are always fun. They are like two kids struggling through sibling rivalry and Shawnee comes out with the short end of the stick. Lots of smiles to be had, but when push comes to shove, Poe will be there for her.

I love an author that makes me want to do my own research and Sue Coletta is one of those authors. Her chapters begin with Native American sayings that make me think. The Sea Shepherd is mentioned and I remember watching the TV show. They put themselves in danger to stop the slaughter of whales by the Japanese.

Chapter 47 took me to a place I have been waiting to go. I thought it had to come and I am eager to see where Sue will take it in the next book. That being said, I feel it is too important to share and I WANT you to find it out for yourself. Will this go where I want, where I feel it has to, where I feel fate has meant it to be? Have I made you curious?

The Orcas and dolphins may be safe, for the moment…BUT… brace yourself. The next stop is Yellowstone, where Killzme has planned a mass slaughter of bears, wolves and lynxes.

I am always eager to see what Sue will come up with next in this series, but now she has made me even more curious with this snippet at the very end of the novel:

Once my grandfather vanished inside, I swiveled toward my mentor. “He’s definitely hiding somethin’.”

“Oh, yes. Yes, he is. The question is, what?”

“Aw man, Shicheii. What did you do?”

Sue Coletta left me smiling. Thanks, Sue, Mr Mayhem and Shawnee! Oh, and our feathered friends.

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Sue Coletta outdid herself in Tracking Mayhem. The characters came to life on the pages. The action was intense and I found myself constantly trying to picture the characters…whether kicking the shit out of the traffickers, climbing trees, or dressing for dinner. The interaction between Shawnee and the crows is both sweet and filled with sibling rivalry. I found myself laughing out loud at her antics with Poe and awwing with the sweetness and love between her and Spirit Dove.

I found myself constantly surfing the web because of the information that Sue Coletta shared and my need to know how accurate her research was and I wanted to know more. How much is fact, how much is fiction? So much of it is truly frightening, angering and shows man’s lack of humanity and disrespect to the Innocent Ones. Everyone and everything has a place in this world. It takes all of us to make it complete.

I love all the indigenous lore and the chapter headings that are filled with Native prayers and saying. I love all the practices and training scenes that Sue Coletta described in such vivid detail, I could almost see Shawnee running, weaving in and out of the trees, trying to keep up with Mayhem. I could hear the chatter of the animals. I could smell the pungent scent of the earth, and felt the touch of the bark of the trees as they scaled them, using them as a lookout. Mayhem is always on the alert, seeing so much more than Shawnee, teaching her to see it too.

I love that the characters have come so far, from a serial killer and thief to eco warriors. In Tracking Mayhem, we are out to protect the polar bears. By doing so and taking out the KillzMe corporation, they will save many more species’ lives in the process. Help will come from an unexpected source and I loved it.

Sue Coletta’s detailed, sickening, disgusting descriptions of butchered animals and the killing rooms is enough to turn my stomach, making me want to puke. Sometimes, visualization….well, it makes me want to reach into my ereader and do more than punch someone. Sue doesn’t get all preachy, she just says things how she and her characters, see them.

I love an author who can blend fact and fiction into an epic read, making me want more. I want to go on another adventure. An eco warriors mission is never over. There will always be another trafficker to take out, another animal to save…and that is real life.

Tons of action and bloodshed keep the pacing intense.

I could go on and on and on, and maybe I did, but I want to impress on you, the reader, that these characters are amazing. Sure, we have their mission, but it is them, together, Shawnee, Mayhem, Jay Cee, Poe and Spirit Dove, who make the story shine.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tracking Mayhem by Sue Coletta.

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I love the amazing cover for Restless Mayhem by Sue Coletta, which was done in collaboration with Elle J. Rossi from Evernight Designs,. Mr Mayhem and Shawnee have come a long way since I first met them. I never would have predicted that Mayhem, Shawnee and her grandfather, Jacy Lee, would become eco-warriors to save the wolves and wolf dogs they found being trafficked. Buy one to hunt it down and kill it. How cruel.

I have so many highlights in my ereader, I confuse myself. LOL

The crows…sure the wolves are the stars of Restless Mayhem, but the crows are always there, always vigilant, always helpful, and their personalities shine through Sue Coletta’s writing. I find them fascinating and often refer to reality to confirm the authenticity of her writing. I worry for them, as much as I do their human friends. Shawnee and Poe’s ‘problems’ go back a long way and their interactions are laugh out loud funny, but when push comes to shove, he will be there. I wonder…will their feud ever end.

Shawnee…I love this woman. Maybe these quotes will give you an inside glimpse into who she was, is, and is becoming.

“Between the cougar attack and the bees, I couldn’t catch a friggin’ break. What’s next, a moose stomping me to death?”

Mayhem…

“True warriors are born with an inbred fight response rather than merely flight. And you, dearest Cat, have many of the same attributes.”

Sue Coletta richly details Shawnee’s training, and when they went flying through the trees, I slowed my reading, intrigued, trying to picture it in my mind. It was wild. Walking through the woods, making nary a sound, as they stalk the hunters. I have heard of that before and I love that Sue is able to make Restless Mayhem seem so real, except I don’t think Mayhem, Shawnee and Jacey Lee would get away with the things they do in the real world. Money, influence and prejudice hold too much sway. And…is there such a thing as a Wendingo?

Everything has a place in this world and when you remove an element, the environment reflects that loss. The Native American culture and environmentalists the world over have voiced their concerns and warnings. I love books that can incorporate all these elements into a cohesive novel that grabs me from start to finish.

I could go on and on and on and on, but I think you get the gist. I love, love, love the Mayhem series, since I cracked open the first book, but Sue Coletta supplies enough back story that I believe Restless Mayhem can stand alone. So, don’t be afraid to grab Restless Mayhem, then I am sure you will want to go to the beginning and see how we came to be where we are now.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Restless Mayhem by Sue Coletta.

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In the mountains of New Hampshire, 100 crows, Mayhem and Shawnee must stop the trophy hunters.

I have been with Mr Mayhem, definitely one of my favorite villains of all time, since the beginning. He is a complex individual. He may be a serial killer, but he has a code he lives by. He is a man I would want by my side. He has taken Shawnee under his wing, but Poe has yet to accept her. For those who haven’t been following the series, Poe is a crow. I love that Unnatural Mayhem will make the murder (a flock of crows) stars. Sue Coletta’s affinity for crows shines through and I love it.

I love the Native American culture that runs through the series. We will come to depend on it to atop the slaughter of 100s of crows. It will take Jacy Lee, Mayhem, Shawnee and Maggie, working together, to make it happen.

At times I found myself cracking up with laughter. I can see Shawnee looking at Poe, Poe looking at Shawnee, neither wanting to be the first to look away. She’s on the crow’s Most Wanted poster. HA HA HA HA HA

“If you leave me alone with him, there’s no telling what he’ll do”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, there’s a problem. Your freak show over there wants me dead and you know it.”

“…You did knock him out of mid-air after all.”

The world needs all its critters to function properly. Each one taken away, changes our environment somehow. We may not notice it right away, but we will, eventually. We are all connected. Drop a pebble in the water and watch how the ripples spread. Small actions can generate large changes.

Sue Coletta shares many facts about the world around us in her novels, making them feel authentic, making me get lost in her words as the pictures run through my mind. That is when you know an author can write. When you feel the wind, smell the pine trees, hear the cawing of the crows, having your hackles rise….because…this is so wrong. Murder for sport. And some of them will hunt anything.

Sue is one author that doesn’t write fast enough for me. I have ripped through her books and am always eager for the next one…especially when I can anticipate another MAYHEM!

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Unnatural Mayhem by Sue Coletta.

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