I received an ARC copy of Bullet for free in exchange for providing a review. I read a lot of urban fantasy but I enjoy a bit more romance in the story than this book provided. This is the first time I have ever done a book review and it makes me uncomfortable to say anything negative but I want to be honest and hopefully the author will appreciate that.

Bullet is the second book in a series. It took me a while to warm up to the story but I finally did. To be fair, I did not read the first book and I think I would have understood things a bit better if I had not walked in in the middle, so to speak.

What I liked: I enjoyed the almost noir feel. I came to like Leon, though there is room for development there. Leon is flawed . He is stubborn and independent to a fault. He is also totally loyal and fiercely protective of his daughter. He is honorable and if he makes a commitment, he will honor it even if it means great personal sacrifice. Leon has several major objectives he cares about. He cares first for Shauna, his daughter. He cares for his friend David and the job he has taken on to protect him. He cares for doing the right thing  as defined by his own set of principles.

I liked the blending of human and werewolf politics and the action scenes were believable. The author gave a real and gritty feel for the world his characters inhabit. I would love to see more development of Shauna as a character. She spends a lot of time either mad, frightened, or a combination. I don’t mind a little sulky teenage angst but a little happy thrown in would help me warm up to her.

I love the character of Shauna’s grandmother – the matron. It was a relief to have a good and strong female presence to give the girl some guidance and soften the masculine edges that frame her life.

What I did not like:
The author never clearly explains why a werewolf pack wants his daughter so badly, nor why Leon is so opposed to being a part of a pack.

I had difficulty at times with the descriptive language. I kept feeling as though things could have been said more simply and I was often thrown out of the story in order to reread a phrase to see what it meant in context. A  times I wanted to yell “just say what you mean!” This causes a disconnect for me.

The ending left me wondering if there will be a third installment. Lots of unanswered questions and no real a resolution.

Summary:

Would I read more? I will probably go back and read the first book to see if my questions are answered. I read a lot of series books but I rarely read them out of order. Some authors feel it necessary to give too much information about a previous book in a series which is nearly as irritating as not getting enough, but I am a lazy reader. I want to be entertained though I don’t mind if there are some life lessons thrown in. I just don’t want to work hard to feel connected to the characters.

The masculine take on werewolves was a switch for me. I tend to read books with strong female protagonists and while there is a teaser of a possible future love interest for Leon, this is more of a tough guy, beat them silly and move on kind of tale and it may be that I was just not the correct audience. There is a lot of potential here. I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.