Jennifer Blackstream

A werewolf, a vampire, a demon, an angel and a god meet up at the World Tree … the beginning of a joke with a supernatural twist? No, it’s the beginning of the latest book from my new favorite author, Jennifer Blackstream. Before Midnight introduces us to these five supernaturals, then tells the story of Prince Etienne of Sanguenay, the werewolf. In Etienne’s world there are lycanthropes, who are born werewolfs, and loup garous, who are turned by a scratch or bite. Prince Etienne, a show more lycanthrope, was “blessed” by a witch, but the blessing has resulted in his slowly turning human. This is the last thing he wants, so he needs to find a way to return to full werewolf. Turns out if he is scratched or bitten by a loup garou it may do the trick but it has to happen within the next few days or the change could be permanent.

Loupe is a loup garou, but she hides it from her family because her evil stepmother and stepsisters are wolf hunters. If they ever found out they would kill Loupe. Loupe and Etienne meet by chance and fall for each other, but each keeps their secret to protect the other’s safety. Little does Etienne know that Loupe could be the solution to all of his problems.

If it sounds like a supernatural take on Cinderella, that’s because it is. Blackstream’s angle is a unique one and it results in a very enjoyable story. I love the interactions between her characters. Next in the series is One Bite, a twist on Snow White starring Prince Kirill, the vampire. I can’t wait!

This book was received free with the request for an honest review.

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Ana is a fox skinwalker whose human lover burned her fox skin in an effort to tie her to the human world, and to him. Two years after that event Ana is still trying to figure out a way to return to her skinwalking past, either by healing what is left of her skin or using the skins of others to transform to their animal shape. Circumstances result in her discovering a selkie’s skin, so she takes it for one last try at regaining her animal half.

Brec, a healer who wishes to be a warrior, is show more the unlucky selkie whose skin Ana steals. Unfortunately for Ana, this time she is discovered and Brec hunts her down to get his skin back. When he learns, with the help of a pixie named Nu, that she has stolen the skins of others Brec vows to force Ana to divulge the location of the skins so they can be returned to their rightful owners. Ana plans to keep quiet, especially about the reason she stole the skins in the first place.

For those who like paranormal romance (as I do) this is a really enjoyable book. At first Ana is not a very likeable character in my opinion, but as her story unfolds the reasons for her actions become much more clear. The difficulty that several characters in the book experience when separated from their skins come across vividly. The struggles for Ana to trust again when she was so betrayed in the past, and for Brec to determine if he truly wants to be on the healer’s or warrior’s path, are also portrayed well. Nu comes and goes in the story, but in the end he is integral to all that happens and is a great character.

I really liked this book. The banter between the characters was very enjoyable, and the story moved along nicely. There is plenty of sexual tension and emotional angst, and some action at the end that was unexpected. My only complaint is my pet peeve – typos! It may be they were just in the version I downloaded, and most were minor (a missing word here and there, using “she” instead of “he” in one instance). The most egregious was, “Ana was obviously emphasizing with the toos, for what reason he had no idea, but she did just the same.” I’m guessing we meant “empathizing” here. The few typos didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story, however. Overall I definitely recommend this book, and will look for additional titles by this author. show less

I really want to give this book 2.5 stars, but since that's not an option, I went back and forth on whether to give it 2 or 3. I finally settled on 3 to be nice.

It's not a terrible book, but it's not very good either. The writing is quite repetitive and tell-y (and full of so many typos), with sentences like, "he opened his mouth to bare a mouthful of sharp teeth too sharp to be human." Ok, so they're sharp then? Wait, are they sharp? I'm guessing they must be sharp. And it really feels like show more I'm being told to feel sorry for this girl who constantly feels sorry for herself. Well, I do what I want, not what I'm told. So there.

And, ugh, Loupe is so annoying. She drives me nuts. She acts pathetic and, though we're told she's really tough and won't give up, we don't see that; we see her giving up. Then she goes from weak and pathetic to strong and determined with nothing in between just because she's in love. It's the Power of Love! Give me a break.

Speaking of giving me a break, what's with all the purple prose? Like this: "Her jaw dropped. The most gorgeous man she’d ever seen was standing at the edge of the lake. From her angle, she couldn’t tell how tall he was, but he radiated strength. His soft brown hair and clear grey eyes, paired with a lean, muscled body, conspired to heat her blood. She wondered that the lake wasn’t boiling around her." So, I guess he's hot? Oh, and also, "Arabelle’s red hair fell like curling fountains of blood to the puffed sleeves of her dress." As a redhead, I think I might be offended or something (since Arabelle is EEEEVIL).

Why oh why is it always love at first sight? (Or, lust at first sight, maybe.) Loupe and Etienne don't even know each other—they've spoken twice!—when he confesses his love. I don't wanna say love at first sight never happens, I just don't think this is a very good way to begin a relationship. What if she doesn't like the way he chews his food? What if he doesn't like the way she rearranges the furniture?

And everything is so emotionally overdone, overwrought, and exhausting. The sex scene wasn't even sexy it was so overdone.

Am I allowed to request some realism even though this is fantasy? For example: Loupe's stepsister shoots her with a crossbow while Loupe is in wolf form and shoots her toe off. This is her actual line: “Wow, I really shot your toe clean off. What a shot. There isn’t even any bone from the toe left, just a hole. I must have taken it off at the joint.” Are you kidding me? I don't think that's even remotely possible.

But I did enjoy the plotline, and I couldn't actually abandon it since I wanted to know what happened next. So it wasn't all bad. show less

Agnessa was purchased for marriage by Maksimilian, a Russian noble who believes in the mythical Rusalki, a race of water sirens. Agnessa marries Maksimilian even though she has fallen in love with his royal huntsman, Aleks. It is believed that any descendant of the Rusalki who drowns as a virgin will be reborn a water siren. A siren who still feels love can have a happy existence, but those who do not become vengeful and lure would-be lovers to a watery grave. Agnessa has a tragic "accident" show more on her wedding night and is indeed reborn, but which kind of Rulsaka will she be, and which man will she seek out? This is a great short story, with the action and romance I've come to love in Jennifer Blackstream's stories. She has a wonderful way of conveying the emotions of her characters, and I find her books and stories hard to put down. My only complaint is that it's a short story-- I want more!! show less