No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld, Book 7) (original 2007; edition 2008)

Fantasy,Contemporary Fantasy

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I can't help but second guess myself every time I re-read a book. I somehow feel like I'm playing favourites and ignoring all of the other novels out there that I have yet to read once, let alone twice. Then I read the opening chapters of one of Kelley Armstrong's books and think "screw the other books". There's a reason why she's my favourite author and No Humans Involved reinforces that yet again. I loved watching Jeremy, the infallible alpha, stumble all over himself like a school boy trying to win Jaime over while she plays hard to get. Aside from the werewolf books, this installment is one of the more entertaining, well written novels in this series. I loved it from beginning to end and am strongly tempted to read it a third time!

This is Jaime's book, no doubt about it. Yes, there's still the customary supernatural investigation plot line but we get to learn so much about her character that she eclipses everything else which is a-ok with me because I've always been fascinated by the Women of the Otherworld's necromancer. At first glance she comes across as a ditsy, C-list celebrity who's a danger magnet but that's just a front. Every day is a struggle for her; she has to act "normal" in public while plagued by ghosts, she constantly has to walk away from spirits hounding her to pass along messages to their loved ones, and that's just typical day-to-day stuff. Throughout all of this chaos, Jaime somehow manages to remain positive and tries to help as many people as possible, both living and dead. Her powers seem to be almost like a running joke among the supernatural world, that is, until this installment. When Vegas finally gives her powers free reign she becomes one scary ass, don't f*#k with me, goddess of the dead. I'm so happy that Armstrong gave Jaime a chance to show readers what she's really made of. That's one scene that I'll re-read again and again.

I'm always hungry for more Jeremy time and in No Humans Involved we get exactly that. Aside from the Otherworld Anthologies, the pack alpha is somewhat of a wallflower. Always present but never in the spotlight. However, in this book he finds himself out of his element, away from his pack and trying to woo Jaime. I loved seeing this side of him! As alpha he's never allowed to have any fun because his pack mates trip over themselves for the privilege of dying for him. I enjoyed watching him assume the role of fighter, protector and grunt. It suits him! Plus, witnessing Jaime shut down Jeremy's advances over and over again was hilarious. His wolves never say no to him so this was a whole new experience. Talk about sexual tension!

Hope Adams, Eve Levine and Karl Marsten also make notable contributions to the plot but honestly, I only had eyes for Jaime and Jeremy. Their budding romance is over-the-top adorable. There's a kind of child like innocence to their relationship and yet not, because they're both past their primes and have the experience that goes along with it. Their interactions have an awkward teenage-dating-type feel to them but their sexual encounters are anything but. No Humans Involved is just too amazing for words. I could go on all day about the merits of this novel but really, there's only one way to experience this book and that's first hand. If you haven't read it yet you should, and if you have, you should read it again. ( )

The book started off a little slow for but it wasn't long before it grabbed my attention and became hard to put down. Originally I was reading the book during my lunch breaks, and actually had to take it home and finish it off. This book makes up for the last two which weren't that great and has helped regain my interest into devouring the rest the series.

Jamie was a well written character and was very well developed as well. She had a lot of levels that were revealed throughout the book, and although my first glimpses of the character weren't that impressive to me, she is one of my favourites in the series. I found all the characters to be well written in the book, Eve was back to being that interesting character I liked from her appearances in the other books, I still don't know what happened to her in her own. And of course we finally get more Jeremy time. I was glad we finally got to learn more about his character. He still has a lot of mystery surrounding him, but it was nice to get more time with him.

The plot was also very interesting and fast paced. The reader was given small glimpses of what was going on, which at times were rather creepy and disturbing, but it gave you enough just to make you want to learn more. I did find the part of the plot that was based on Jamie filming her TV show was poorly done. It was often forgotten and wasn't really tied into the story until the end, and even then how it was tied in wasn't strongly done. It seemed more of an afterthought than anything else. Overall it was a fantastic read. I am now trying to make myself wait before I devour the next book. If you, like me, found the last books to be just average, this one should help gain your interest back in the series.

This review can also be found on my book review blog - Jules' Book Reviews - No Humans Involved ( )

I really enjoyed this - the 7th in the series that I reading in order. Jaime is more human than the other women of the underworld, despite her abilities, so i find her appealing. She is able to bring a little levity to the serious world of demons and death which makes for some witty dialogue and warmth. The reason that Jaime needs to use her talents is far less palatable and I think the ending was perfect - very neat but necessary given the grave subject.I also like the slow burning romance bewteen her and Jeremy and I appreciate that we get a sort of update on the other main characters thst isn't forced.An entertaining read that I couldn't put down. ( )

My Summary: Jamie's always known where she wanted to go with her career, and when she gets invited to co-star on a spiritualist reality TV show, she knows she's almost there - getting her own show. Along with three other spiritualists (none of whom actually have any real powers), Jamie is supposed to summon the spirit of Marilyn Monroe and uncover the truth behind her untimely death.

But things don't go as planned. Almost as soon as Jamie unpacks her things, she realizes there is something 'off' about the house. There are troubled spirits around, but they won't make contact with her, choosing instead to poke and prod and pinch her when she's alone. More than a little disturbed by this, Jamie utilizes her multitude of contacts in the supernatural world, trying to discover what could have happened to these spirits and how to release them from limbo. But what Jamie discovers is more horrifying than anyone could ever have imagined...

My Thoughts: If you guys read my blog regularly, then you know that Kelley Armstrong is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favourite authors. Her writing is flawless, and her stories are always jam-packed with action and mystery and romance - it's really difficult not to enjoy her novels, and No Humans Involved was no exception! I loved Jamie's 'voice' - in previous books and from the points of view of other characters, she seemed like a bit of a ditz, but not here. In No Humans Involved, you get to see just how bad-ass Jamie Vegas can be.

I especially loved the romance element! Poor Jamie's been (secretly) in love with Jeremy for years, but he's always been a little bit oblivious... until now. It seems as if Jeremy's had feelings for Jamie too, and in this novel we really got to see the development of the relationship between these two characters who appear to be polar opposites.

Final Thoughts: If you're a fan of supernatural romance and mystery, you should definitely check out this series from the reining queen of supernatural fiction! You will not be disappointed. ( )