Book Review: Black Wings, Gray Skies (Black Hat Bureau - Book 4) by Hailey Edwards

Black Wings, Gray Skies (Black Hat Bureau - Book 4)

by Hailey Edwards
April 16, 2022
Pages: 259
Black Hat Bureau, Book 3
Monsters with a taste for children are nothing new, but fairy tales never mentioned this nightmarish predator. Rue has her hands full tracking the creature hunting the streets of Charleston, but a call from home divides her attention—and her loyalties.

A stranger has come to Hollis Apothecary, asking questions that prickle the hairs on her nape, but she can’t abandon the victims based only on a bad feeling. The pit in her stomach only grows when the stranger takes a hostage and makes his demands. He wants to talk to Rue, face to face. Or else. What he has to say will change her life, and her perception of her past, forever.

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One thing that can be said about Rue is that her life is never boring. Something supernatural is taking kids in Charleston and Rue’s team is called in to hunt the creature killing kids and put it down. Rue takes the safety of all of her team both with Black Hat and at open very seriously and her attention is split when she gets a call from the shop that stranger has been asking questions and looking for her.

Rue has a hard time accepting help and feels that it’s her mission in life to take responsibility for those in need, especially Colby. While in Charleston hunting monsters something strange starts happening, and Rue is determined to get to the bottom of it because safety for her family comes first. The more time Rue and Asa spend together the harder it is to hide the fact that she is in love with him and no matter how hard she tries to run from it she just can’t. The rag tag team of Rue, Asa, Clay and Colby warms my heart and I look forward to seeing where this group ends up when it’s all said and done.

Review: Black Hat, White Witch (Black Hat Bureau - Book 1)
Review: Black Arts, White Craft (Black Hat Bureau - Book 2)
Review: Black Truth, White Lies (Black Hat Bureau - Book 3)

Getting 5 sheep

Denise B

About the Author:
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I was one year old when the movie The Dark Crystal hit theaters. I was five when Labyrinth was released. Other favorites of mine include The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit, Flight of Dragons, and Nausicaa. Those are the movies and cartoons that shaped my childhood. I watched them until my parents begged me to stop, and then I waited until they left the room before I hit play one last time.

The movies, the stories, were pure fantasy. I didn’t realize as a small child that those worlds were impossible to visit. I just assumed I hadn’t found my way in yet. I wanted to pet a unicorn. Heck, I wanted to ride one. I wanted a chance to snatch a dragon’s scale and learn what magic it held. I wanted my own sword, which resulted in my parents installing a lock on the silverware drawer. Something about thou shalt not skewer thy baby brother…

I also had a huge crush on Jareth, the Goblin King from Labyrinth. My parents discouraged this obsession as well. Something about thou shalt not bargain away thy baby brother in exchange for a hot boyfriend…

I know what you’re thinking—my parents never let me have any fun. Okay, and that maybe I had an unhealthy fascination with all the ways I could rid myself of my annoying little brother.

But the truth is, those movies kick-started my imagination, and my love of all things fantasy. So it’s strange to think, looking back, that I fell into reading crime and mystery instead of fantasy or paranormal novels. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I stumbled across Darkfever by Karen Moning and became hooked on urban fantasy. From there, I rediscovered my love for the fantasy genre and all its enticing new subgenres.

I gobbled up paranormal romances—J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark, and Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld. I devoured all flavors of urban fantasy from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files to Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series.

Really, it wasn’t until after I read Darkfever that I got that tickle in the back of my mind that maybe I could write a book. All those years of reading crime and mystery, and the thought had never occurred to me. But after glutting on fantasy and paranormal romance, I began having ideas for my own worlds and characters. It was so unexpected I didn’t know what to do.

So I sat down. And I started writing.

Six years later, here I am. I still write fantasy and paranormal stories. I still read them too.

I have been told my tastes are limited, but there I must disagree. My tastes are specific, yes, I will admit that. But no other genre has as much variety as fantasy. No other genres encompass witches, vampires, wizards, demons, werewolves, angels, gods and goddesses, creatures of myth and folklore, humans, mermaids, mermen, and every other creature you ever promised your little brother lurked under his bed.

Not that I ever told him monsters were waiting for him to use the bathroom so they could grab him and drag him into their underground lair, because that would be wrong. What? Okay, so maybe I hinted at monsters. A little. And okay, one time I hid under his bed and grabbed his ankles then giggled like a loon while he screamed.

I couldn’t sit down for a week after Mom caught me.

I feel I should add here that my parents had no sense of humor. But I’m happy to report they have much improved since I hit my thirties and stopped tormenting my brother…for the most part. I think giving them a granddaughter probably helped too.

I’m sure you can guess what my daughter’s favorite genre is. Yep. Fantasy.

I guess some things really do run in the family.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Book Review: BLACK SPRING (Black Wings #7) by Christina Henry + giveaways

BLACK SPRING (Black Wings #7)
by Christina Henry
Publication date: October 28, 2014
ISBN: 9780425266786

A former Agent of death, Madeline Black now has everything to live for, most importantly, her unborn child. But Chicago has become ground zero in a struggle between ancient creatures, and only Maddy can stop the carnage…

The mayor of Chicago has announced a plan to round up the city’s supernatural beings and put them in camps. With her due date looming, Maddy’s best move would be to lay low for a while. But not everyone is willing to respect her privacy. Hounded by tentacled monsters, a rogue shapeshifter, and a tenacious blogger, Maddy turns to her most powerful ally, her uncle Daharan, only to find him missing.

Just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, Maddy gets an invitation in the mail—to Lucifer’s wedding. Turns out everyone has been invited, friends and enemies alike. And with that kind of guest list, it’s highly unlikely there will be a happily ever after.

The mayor of Chicago has announced a plan to round up the city’s supernatural beings and put them in camps. With her due date looming, Maddy’s best move would be to lay low for a while. But not everyone is willing to respect her privacy. Hounded by tentacled monsters, a rogue shapeshifter, and a tenacious blogger, Maddy turns to her most powerful ally, her uncle Daharan, only to find him missing.

Just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, Maddy gets an invitation in the mail—to Lucifer’s wedding. Turns out everyone has been invited, friends and enemies alike. And with that kind of guest list, it’s highly unlikely there will be a happily ever after.

The heroine in this seventh book in the Black Wings urban fantasy series, Maddy, is pregnant with the child of a lover who is dead, has a popcorn-loving gargoyle sidekick named Beezle, has three dogs that are not dogs, but Retrievers, is in a complicated relationship with the son of an angel and Puck, has a dragonshifter many-greats uncle and is the granddaughter of Lucifer. She is also Lucifer’s Hound of the Hunt. So many interesting characters. There is something bad happening concerning a shapeshifter who appears to want to kill her and hers. Will Maddy survive it all to give birth to her child?

If you like anything about angel and demons, along with other paranormal beasties, stirred into an urban fantasy, this book will do it for you. One word, make sure you read others in the series, so you won’t get lost with who is who in Maddy’s life. I’ve read the series from the beginning, so it made it easy for me. Ms. Henry has given birth to another great read.

I give Black Spring 5 sheep

Pamela Kinney

About the Author:

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CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the BLACK WINGS series (Ace/Roc) featuring Madeline Black, an Agent of Death, and her popcorn-loving gargoyle sidekick Beezle: BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING. She is also the author of the forthcoming dark fantasy ALICE (summer 2015).

Christina was born in New York and now lives on the North Side of Chicago with her husband and son. She sees no conflict in rooting for both the Yankees and the Cubs.

She also enjoys running long distances, eating large quantities of cinnamon rolls, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with zombies, samurai and/or subtitles.

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Sheep Book Review: Black Howl by Christine Henry

Black Howl, by Christina Henry, is the third installment in her Urban Fantasy series called Black Wings. This book is for those that like a darker UF story with snark and action galore.

Plot:

Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiance Nathaniel is out of the picture--or so she thinks...

Unfortunately, I didn't pick up this series until this current installment which may be why I felt a little left out in parts of the series's backstory. But from where this book picks up I got a pretty good taste of what was happening now and where things are leading in the future. Maddy is an Agent of Death and also happens to be the granddaughter of Lucifer himself, and even though she's nothing like him that kind of family tie is always going to make folks judgmental. Going against a major player in Hell's court Maddy sets out to rescue her wolf-friend Wade.

With ghosts going bonkers it's up to the local Agents and Maddy to bring an end to all the madness. But that goal takes a lot of work and struggle coated with betrayal and manipulation. I was a little disappointed that Maddy, despite all her strengths and struggles, seemed to get herself into awful situations time and time again. If it wasn't for her close set of immortal friends and family the girl would be long dead. Or dead again that is. She's got some mad skills and continues to rush into battle even when outnumbered and outgunned but as the reader you're waiting for her to slow down and think things through first.

Gabriel and Samiel are two fascinating and captivating characters that I loved reading about. Some major twists and turns have the group constantly on their toes, added to the heartache and loss of loved ones I was invested in the story's plot and final cliffhanger ending. It's picking at bones though, but I could have used a lot less of the "ands" in sentences and more description when the action picks up. Situations get a little rushed here and there when more vivid description would have been helpful. It's a quick read but packed to the brim with adventures.

Getting 3 and 1/2 'Dunkin doughnut eating' Sheep

KD