Barbara Edwards (1)

Reviewed by EmmaRae
Review copy provided by Barbara Edwards
This was a great surprise find for me. When I started reading this book, I have to admit I was confused. Then I realized it was a Book 2, and I went and read Ancient Awakening first. I would definitely not recommend this as a standalone novel. However, since both books are terrific, just buy them both and save yourself my frustration!

I love the people in this town. The characters are well-written, and the action keeps it going till show more the end. Lily is a strong woman who has survived a stalker's attack and remade herself on the other side of the country. Cole is the protector of his pack fighting his desire to mate with Lily until he can keep her safe. Barbara Edwards also continues Steve and Mel's story, and that's why you need to start with Ancient Awakening. The supporting characters in this town are excellent--from the mysterious Sammy to the rough teddy bear of a police chief.

The mystery propels the plot and makes you not want to stop reading. Her stalker has found her and started leaving his little gifts again, but his behaviour has changed. A wolf is on the loose and attacking animals and people, yet there hasn't been a wolf sighted in the area for more than 20 years. Throw in adjusting to a new life in a small town and her overwhelming feelings towards Cole, Lily has quite a bit going on in her life.

As I said in the first book's review, I'm not sure I'd recommend this series to a biology major. I kept getting hung up on the science. It's well thought out and well done, but not for someone who's studied viruses and genetics. There were some typos and some bigger mistakes in continuity interfered with the flow of the story. I am looking forward to another book in this series, I just hope she gets a new editor first. show less

Reviewed by EmmaRae
Purchased from All Romance EBooks
This book is a great start to an interesting series. I got this book after struggling through three chapters of Ancient Blood, which is book two. Go ahead and buy both Ancient Awakening and Ancient Blood, because you won't want to read just one book.

Mel's the first and only female police officer in this little picturesque town, and the chief isn't happy about it at all. When strange things start happening, she has to do her job without show more stepping on anyone's toes. Steve is working day and night to find a cure for his disease. The sparks between Mel and Steve are immediate but he's afraid he might infect her so he keeps her at a distance.

When prowlers are being reported everywhere and people start getting killed, Mel has to struggle to figure things out while dealing with her hurt from the aloof Steve. When they start working together to figure out what's happening and keep each other alive, Steve has trouble concentrating on finding a cure so they can be together. The oddball Sammy seems to know everything, and poor Larry keeps finding unpleasant surprises. It's a very well-rounded cast of characters which keeps the book moving through to the end.

I was often reminded of the movie Shakespeare In Love where Shakespeare says “Don't spend it all at once,” because emotions and reactions were at the extreme from the beginning and there's no build. The author needs a new editor, because there were several mistakes which should have been caught. This book seems to have more holes in it than the second, so she improves a lot in Ancient Blood. Continuity errors and repeated sentences are a big pet peeve for me, and knocked this down a star more than the scientific holes.

I don't recommend this series for biology majors or anyone who studies viruses. I'm not sure how the science will read to someone who doesn't know what mitochondria etc are. I think a non-scientific reader could overlook most of the errors in this book. I didn't care for the ending at all, but I still enjoyed it enough to read the second one. show less