Audio: New Beginnings (Masters)

New Beginnings
C.C. Masters (2018)

[No image. Audio only]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was basically a random selection from the Libby app. I needed something to listen to while walking. I chose Fantasy and looked for the shorter ones. There was one before this that was shorter which might've had a good story if not for all the "spicy" bits (basically, porn, but the "acceptable" kind).

The basics of the story: Lori lives with a pack of wolves who are usually human and go to human schools and everything is pretty normal. Except that her 18th birthday has arrived, and she knows that means that every male wolf in the pack that wants to have his way with her is welcome to do so. She has no rights and no longer has any protection. She's ready to attempt the first wolf through the door but it turns out to be her mother, who helps plan an escape.

The pack follows. Several die or are deeply wounded. Lori's mother is dead, so she has to continue alone. She hides in the back of a truck and manages to travel a great distance before sneaking out.

The new town seems friendly enough, and Lori is mistaken for a girl from the private school. She manages to get a job and a room at the Y (and a shower). She plans to lay low for a while.

There's abrupt narrative shift when suddenly a man's voice takes over. He's a wolf but not from her pack. He's one of four lone wolves without a pack who sense Lori's presence and start watching her. They think that she's been sent there to spy on them as there are no active packs around.

There's a clash between the wolves but Lori becomes part of the new pack. There's a lot of talk of pack dynamics. This small pack is opening a garage inside an old firehouse. A few people know who they really are, including one group (I don't remember the name of it) that runs tests on the wolves to learn more about them. Lori becomes a part of that in exchange for protection from her old pack.

There's not too much story here, other than her becoming part of a new pack and finding a place to fit in. The title "New Beginnings" should refer to that, but it also refers to an entire series being planned. (From what I've seen online, this is Hollow Crest Wolf Pack #1, and not a prequel.)

For one thing, there's much more to learn about that organization that helps them out. For another, the private school that doesn't associate with the town is a magic school. The only of the ice cream shop who hires Lori turns out to be not nice to say the least, and the owner of other garage in town has it out for the pack. (Plus the only cop we meet is corrupt.)

There's an epilogue setting up the next book with wolves from the old pack.

It was pleasant enough to listen to while walking. I don't think I'll look for it in print any time soon. Would I listen to Book #2? maybe. It's not my usual sub-genre but there was nothing wrong with it.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. The fourth book will be available by the time you see this!

Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Doidge)

Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic
(The Dowser #1)
by Meghan Ciana Doidge (2013)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I'm pretty sure that this was a freebie in a Book Bub mailing list, but it might've been a random search result when looking for free paranormal cozy mysteries. I don't remember.

It was mostly a quick read, and I rushed to finish it because a library book became availalbe and I wasn't go to be able to renew that.

As it was, I practically forgot that I'd read it, until I noticed the title again on my phone. (My iPad is loaded with a lot of recent stuff which gets downloaded automatically.)

This is the first book in the "Dowser" series. The main character, Jade, is half-witch, half-human, and she knows nothing about her father. Her mother never chose to tell her anything, and she's not around for most of the book. Neither is her Grandma, but her presence is felt, and at times, we're waiting for Grandma to arrive and save the day, since she's so powerful a witch. It turns out, that her father wasn't human, but what he was (or is?) is not revealed in this book. What is a "Dowser"? It's a person who uses a diving rod to find underground water, but in context with this book, it's a person who detects magic.

Jade runs a bakery in Vancouver, which seems to have a fair amount of magic activity despite comments that it doesn't. While working there one day, she notices a vampire lurking about outside (in daylight) looking through the window. The vampire later confronts Jade trying to get her to confess to a crime and informs her that as soon as the council clears it, he will bite her and compel her to tell the truth. Apparently, there are rules that have to be followed. A vampire has been killed and one of Jade's trinkets had been found. Jade have an assortment of odd rings that she joins together. Her adopted sister likes to use them. The rings link the crime back to Jade who has no idea what's going on.

Jade was enjoying a night out at a club when a pack out humans, who are werewolves start dancing with her. The alpha wolf tries to get her attention, but she declines. She later flees into the night to avoid all these creatures. She goes to the gym the next day, and the pack arrives and places their mats around her. Now she notices that Mr. Alpha Wolf is a bit of a hottie. They start talking and have a date. But he never shows up for it. And then he's dead, too.

Jade gets caught up in this with the pack and the vampire, until they figure out what's going on.

It was a pleasant read. There's a series. The next book has a very similar title, but I doubt it will be available from the library and it's not something that I *really* need to read and thus pay for. The series has plenty to work with, even if the author did knock off quite a few characters in this one.

Dresden Files: Fool Moon (Butcher)

Dresden Files: Fool Moon, Jim Butcher, 2001

The first volume of the Dresden Files had vampires, but it wasn't about vampires, even though they played an important part. The problem there was wizardry, and that was a nice change from what you might expect.

The second volume has werewolves, and it is definitely about them. But there's still a twist to it, and that's the ground rules. Bob, the air spirit Dresden keeps in his cellar, explains about different types of werewolves from folklore and how people become them. Hint: getting bitten by a werewolf won't turn you into one -- otherwise, the world would be overrun with werewolves. (My note: consider that any virus that could spread so easily would either become a mass epidemic or kill everyone, and itself, pretty quickly.)

All the different types are encountered here, including the mysterious Tera West, who Dresden isn't too sure what she is. It's certain that she isn't as human as the others because his soul gaze didn't work on her. She is the fiance of Harley MacFinn, who is a loup-garou, the most powerful werewolf type Bob mentions, and also the least controllable. He has a circle of protection to contain him in his home, but it has been broken. West needs Dresden to contain MacFinn or innocent people will die under the full moon -- or is it that more innocent people will die?

Dresden doesn't have to worry about the White Council in this book as much as he does a greater adversary: Lt. Murphy. She hasn't been pleased with him for keeping secrets from her during investigations. Their working relationship is quite strained as Murphy wants an answer to the investigation while Dresden wants to protect her from the worst of this business. She brings him in on an investigation where bodies looked liked they've been ripped about by wolves. The last was a month ago, during a full month. The latest, another full moon. Doesn't take much to realize a consultant should be brought in. The problem with the latest crime scene is that it's out of Murphy's jurisdiction and the Feds have moved in. She needs this win for the Special Investigations Unit.

And, naturally, Johnny Marcone ends up being involved in all of this.

The action keeps moving, and there's a good cast of characters. Most of them seem to want Harry dead, but some need him alive -- at least for now. This is not a sophomore slump in any way. And there are plot hooks for the future. It should be interesting to see where it goes.

I'm coming back to this series at a later time.