Stormwalker

Stormwalker by Allyson James

Stormwalker #1

Janet Begay is a Stormwalker, capable of wielding the raw elemental power of nature, a power that threatens to overwhelm her. Only her lover, Mick, is able to calm the storm within her - even as their passion reaches unimaginable heights of ecstasy.

But when an Arizona police chief's daughter is taken by a paranormal evil, they find themselves venturing where no human can survive-for only together can they overcome the greatest danger they've ever faced.

Janet, a powerful Stormwalker, has been running from her past and a mother who wants to enslave her for her evils purposes for a very long time. However, when she gets a job to investigate a suspicious disappearance near her mother's reach, she knows it's time to step up and face her "demons." She'll need the help of her long absent lover, Mick as well as some tricks up her sleeve to resist temptation and take down the greatest force of evil she's ever known.

From the start of the book it is obvious that Janet is still head over heels in love with Mick even though she left him over five years ago. So when he showed back up in her life it came at no surprise that she couldn't help herself but to let him stay. I really love the tension between the two as they both try to fight their own natures to be with one another. The heat between them practically sizzles right off the page, yet even the great physical chemistry has a hard time bridging the huge chasm between them. Janet is a very independent person who needs honesty and trust in a relationship and for her man to treat her as an equal. Mick is very secretive by nature and wants to protect Janet so much that he winds up smothering her. The couple has more than enough issues to keep them apart, but I can't help but hope they will be able to keep it together as they make for one awesome team, both in the bedroom and outside of it.

The world behind this book is really fascinating. It appears that the supernatural are "out of the closet," but that a lot of people refuse to acknowledge nor believe in it, even when unexplainable things are shoved right in their face. The characters are full of depth, both the main and the supporting ones, making me care for all of them. I found Mick's true nature to be absolutely fascinating. I won't say what that is, but I will say that it knocks his sexiness up tenfold. The twist with Nash, the hard-ass Sheriff kept things interesting. All these parts added together made this a really great read. 

This book read very quickly as I just could not put it down. It had the perfect blend of romance, heat, action and character development to keep me coming back for more. Things were wrapped up well in the end, but I can't help but wonder if the solution was only a temporary one. Huge evils like the one Janet and Mick faced don't go down easy, and they have a nasty habit of coming back after you thought you already "saved the day." I'm very eager to read the next installment for hopefully some more great action between Janet and Mick. If you like a book that has plenty of spice but still has a great plot, then this one is for you.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Stormwalker (Stormwalker Series, Book 1)

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy
Shifters
New Author

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Firewalker

Firewalker by Allyson James

Stormwalker #2

Janet Begay's Crossroads Hotel has attracted the supernatural ever since it opened. But a new, dark power is rising, this time inside Janet herself. Her boyfriend Mick, a sexy dragon shapeshifter the Navajo call a Firewalker, know what terrifying magic is threatening to overwhelm Janet and her Stormwalker powers. He watches over her, ready to fight for her, to do anything to keep her safe. 

But then a mysterious corpse is found near the Crossroads Hotel-and Janet becomes the main suspect. Now Janet and Mick must uncover what really happened, and their investigation leads to the most perilous decision of their lives...

 

To save Janet from the rest of the dragons, Mick declared her his mate. Now he has to deal with the repercussions of that choice and his life is on the line. His upcoming trial spells impending doom and Janet is beside herself with worry. Meanwhile her beneath powers have been acting up, reigniting the target on her back. To make matters worse a viciously brutalized corpse shows up, and it's up to Janet to find and stop him, even if it means using powers she swore not to. Sometimes the safety of others requires drastic measures, even if it could cost Janet her life in the end.

The fire and sizzle between Janet and Mick was stronger than ever in this book, but they seem to be stuck. They may love each other to a certain extent, but neither one truly trusts the other. I understand that Mick's original purpose in seeking Janet out was to destroy her for the threat she is. Every time she shows any of her beneath powers he starts to question her and looks at her like she is about to turn on him. He's said many times that he would never kill her, yet several times he acts like he will do just that if she doesn't keep herself in check. They won't be able to move forward if he doesn't decide once and for all whether or not he believes she is worth saving. He should realize by now that she is not evil, and will use her powers for good.

I was a little disappointed in the inner struggle that Janet was supposedly going through. It just wasn't realistic to me as I never once believed she would just turn "evil" out of the blue. Yes, her beneath powers have gotten stronger, and they are very seductive. However, that doesn't change the core factor that Janet is good at heart and has a tremendous amount of compassion for others. I found more worry in the dragon issue than anything else, even though that only played a smart part of the book since so much was focused on her own struggles.

This book was a pretty good read despite my few complaints. The resolution of the book and also the twist at the end should make the next book quite interesting. The twist came out of no-where and completely caught me off guard. I can't wait to see what trouble this new issue causes. I'm really enjoying this series, and the characters are really great. I'd recommend reading the first book before this one as it really helps set things up, and gives you a better background on the characters. This is definitely a series to watch out for as it is full of danger, action, steamy sex, and plenty of character development to keep you more than entertained.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Firewalker (Stormwalker, Book 2) 

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy
Shifter 

read more