Robin Saxon

This was a good paranormal shifter book. I haven't read anything from these authors before, but I'll definitely be looking at other works by them.

The characters in this are well fleshed out with some interesting quirks. No carbon copies from other books. Both MC's have history and it shows in their actions. Also no "fated mates" or the likes here either. The "I love you's" do come a little speedy, but with the way Redford has been raised and treated for all his life, that doesn't even seem odd.

I'm glad there is a sequel because there were some questions left unanswered in this one...nothing major, no great cliff hanger or plot holes that need to be filled. Just some bits that I would like to know more about.… (més)

Blood Howl: Sanguis Noctis Book One by Robin Saxon and Alex Kidwell is the first book in a two-part set that tells the story of Jed Walker, a mercenary and Redford Reed, werewolf and hapless object of his pursuit.

The action is almost non-stop as Jed tries to figure just who Fil, his client is and what he wants with Redford. While the two of them flee the clutches of Fil and his minions, the attraction and care for each other builds. Saxon and Kidwell bring together two lonely individuals who never understand the depth of their loneliness until they meet each other. The scenes between these two guys are entertaining and sometimes poignant.

Kidwell and Saxon tell the tale of Blood Howl with wit and humor. Jed, in particular, tries to come off as a wisecracking, gun-wielding tough guy. He doesn't have a care in the world except where his next job will take him. Redford, on the other hand, is quiet and somewhat reserved. Much of his life focuses on protecting others from his monthly change into a werewolf. Despite their differences, there's some serious sexual tension between Jed and Redford; it's immediately clear that they care a great deal for each other.

While, Saxon and Kidwell focus much of the attention of Blood Howl on Jed and Redford, there are a couple of interesting secondary characters. David, a fellow mercenary and information broker and Victor, a professor in obscure history are prominent in the sequel, Blood in the Sand: Sanguis Noctis Book One.

Blood Howl is a fun read with characters that immediately engage. Still, there are a few niggling issues. Saxon and Kidwell devote very little to time explaining how Redford came to be a werewolf or why obtaining him is so important to the villain of the piece, Fil. This is perhaps one of the few weaknesses of the story. Why is Redford hiding in his dead grandmother's house? Why can't Fil just retrieve Redford himself? Why does Fil need to hire Jed for such a seemly simple job?

Aside from these plot issues, Blood Howl is an interesting romantic mystery with some shifter flavoring. This is not the usual paranormal shifter romance with alphas and omegas and wolf pack politics. Nevertheless, Jed and Redford's story is worth reading.

Reviewed by Creative Ink Romance Reviews.
… (més)

‘Blood in the Sand’ is one of those rare sequels that offers not only more surprises than the first book, but deepens the story to a new level in terms of the external conflict, the relationship between the main characters, and does all of it while setting up an overarching story arch connecting all the books that certainly has me curious. The layer of mystery around Redford’s werewolf heritage only deepens as he begins to experience the effects of Filtairn’s manipulations, there is more details about vampires in this world (and the picture isn’t pretty!), and the number of shooting scenes and explosions definitely increases. Jed and Redford fascinated me even more than before with their trying to balance the deep love they feel for each other with absolute inexperience of how to behave in a relationship. It lead to some funny situations, some worrying on my part if they’ll get it right, and an overall roller-coaster like emotional up and down that had me reeling and quite certain that I won’t forget this story any time soon!

While I liked Jed in book one, still torn between bafflement about how any one man can be so conceited about his abilities yet totally capable, I learned to love him in this second volume. He does try so hard to protect Redford, but he also begins to see the man has real value to him as a business partner. I loved the joking about their expense accounts and Redford now “doing the books” of Jed’s mercenary business. I also adored Jed’s ability to be incredibly protective yet letting Redford do his part, then being there for the physical (very hot) and emotional cleanup. The guy is simply amazing, and even if he doesn’t listen for sh*t when people try to tell him how to kill a vampire, he somehow muddles through and manages to get stuff done. With the usual explosions and bloodshed, but that is just part of who he is. And anyway, as he would tell you, it’s the bad guys who suffer, so that’s okay.

Redford has been through a lot: his grandmother cruelly isolating him from the world, making him feel less than human, the disgusting and forced experimentation Filtairn inflicted on him, and the increasingly loud voice of his wolf inside him, wanting out and demanding certain things happen in a certain way. On the other hand, Redford has the curiosity of ten men, and this childlike innocence when he sees and experiences new things. Their trip to Egypt, vampires or not, offers ample opportunity for him to explore all the places he’d previously only read about. And as his love for Jed deepens, his self-confidence in being helpful grows, even if he still isn’t quite sure what to do with the “woolfy” side of himself that is in such stark contradiction to the rest of his very civilized nature.

David, the vampire, and stuffy professor Victor Rathborne, who also isn’t quite as human as he looks, have their own set of problems. I like how their relationship was woven into the story with out detracting from the primary one between Jed and Redford. While there is no love between them, the heat they generate is considerable and the danger they are both in had me turning the pages.

If you like action/adventures of the supernatural kind, if you enjoy solving mysteries and finding the guilty party in a set of horrific kidnappings, and if you want to know how Jed and Redford are doing now that they are a “real couple”, then you should read this novel. It had me totally fascinated and looking forward to the next sequel. I am very grateful it’s already been written!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

… (més)