I love Russian folklore so I was very excited to read an urban fantasy novel based on Baba Yaga. This wasn't bad but it wasn't what I was expecting either. It was a nice read, the characters are mostly interesting and the plot is okay - it just wasn't wow. The romance is pretty average - I didn't love it but then I'm fairly picky with my romance and it was better than most romances. I'll be reading the rest of the series - this is the kind of book that fits in quite nicely and leaves you feeling satisfied if not completely amazed. ( )

Wickedly Dangerous is the first book in Deborah Blake’s urban fantasy romance trilogy drawing on the legend of Baba Yaga, with a unique contemporary twist.

Barbara Yager is only one of several Baba Yaga’s, whose role it is to keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world. Instead of a cabin on chicken legs,as in legend, Barbara travels her territory in an Airstream with a mind of its own, accompanied by a dragon-turned-dog, Chudo-Yudo. When she needs backup she calls on the Riders, a trio of men/dragons who serve her bidding.

In Wickedly Dangerous, Barbara is summoned when a child goes missing in a small community in Upstate New York. Using her guise as a researcher, herbalist and healer, Barbara investigates, tangling with handsome local Sheriff Liam McClellan, soon divining the disappearance has a mystical cause.

To be honest, the mystery plot is a little uneven, the cause of the disappearance is solved fairly quickly, but it takes some time for Barbara to resolve things. While this gives Blake time to introduce her world, the main plot suffers somewhat for it.

I liked the character growth, which mainly stemmed from Barbara’s relationship with Liam. No longer really human, Barbara has closed herself off to the possibilities of normal friendship and love, but the Sheriff finds a way through her defences. I liked the way in which the romance developed between the two.

I enjoyed Wickedly Dangerous enough, that I followed up with Wickedly Wonderful and Wickedly Powerful, both of which have similar themes, featuring two other North American Baba Yaga’s.

Light and fun, the Baba Yaga series was a pleasant read, combining romance with fantasy, for me over a rainy weekend. ( )

fun ( )

Wickedly Dangerous by Deborah Blake

Magic and dragons. Or at least a small dragon disguised as a dog.
Children have been abducted from Clearwater County. The Sheriff hasn't had any success finding them or even finding suspects. Baba Yaga is called in to help. Sheriff Liam and Baba join forces to search for clues.
An Otherworld story of magic and evil.

It was an appealing story that tugs at the heartstrings. The author uses an abundance of flowery descriptive prose. It certainly builds the visual world in detail enough to practically see it come alive in front of your eyes. But a little less, would have been okay too.

The sheriff walks into the police station.
Excerpt:
"The cooler air inside the station was like a melody written in the key of relief. He nodded at a couple of deputies sitting at their desks in the outer room, ignoring the wrinkle noses and grimaces that followed in his week. He'd come in smelling like worse things than manure; they'd live. The ancient AC units wheezing within the frames of the windows with peeling white paint would eventually clear the air.
His secretary, Molly, trailed him into his office, her low heels tapping on the beige linoleum on the floor. "Nice aftershave, boss," she said waving a sheaf of colored papers in front of her nose. "Something new you're trying out?" The message memos were color-coded and various shades to indicate urgency, and Liam noted an unusual number of oranges and reds in the midst of the usual yellows. It was a hell of a stack too.
"I've been gone only two hours," he complained."
Excerpt from Wickedly Dangerous by Deborah Blake ( )

This was a fun and well written urban fantasy novel. The book is actually a stand alone, the very end introduces another Baba Yaga who will be featured in book 2. This book was more UF than PNR, but the format reminds of a lot of PNR out there (each book featuring a different couple).

I enjoyed it and thought it was an easy read. It is pretty standard investigative urban fantasy. I enjoyed the characters and really loved the Four Riders that come to Baba Yaga's aid.

Baba Yaga’s magic isn’t very well explained; she seems to have kind of limitless power but she doesn’t really use it that way. It would be awesome to have a Baby Yaga’s power source explained more in future books. I did enjoy Baba Yaga’s stents into the Otherworld and would love to see more of the Otherworld in future books as well.

Even though this book appears to stand alone I am hoping we get to see more of this Baba Yaga and her ward in future books.

Overall I would recommend if you are an urban fantasy fan and like books that concentrate on magic, fae, and investigative elements. This is a decent book that is well written and entertaining. I ended up enjoying it. I'll probably read the next couple books in the series. ( )