Book Review: Priceless by Shannon Mayer (Rylee Adamason #1)

Title: Priceless

Author: Shannon Mayer

Series: Rylee Adamson #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Talos publishing, imprint of Sky Horse Publishing

Pub Date: November 15, 2016

Pages: 256

My Copy: Paperback in my TBR pile

Book Summary:

“My name is Rylee and I am a Tracker.”

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I'm the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

I'm on the FBI's wanted list.

I have a werewolf for a pet, a Witch of a best friend, and have no need for anyone else in my life.

But when a salvage starts to spin out of control, help comes from a most unexpected direction. One that is dangerously dark, brooding, and doesn't know a thing about the supernatural.

One whose kisses set me on fire.

Book Review:

A really interesting start to a urban fantasy series. I like how Rylee is someone who is caught in a world where she is navigating and doing a job that she is very good at, but also has some problems. I think it’s an interesting thing that she uses her ability for.

I like how this book opens up. This book opens up with two parents who want to find their child. Rylee knows she is going to take the job and we get some background on why Rylee tracks children that have gone missing that no one else can find. She has an ability to see things. Also this child will impact her life in a way she doesn’t see coming. We also learn that her abilities are a gift, when earlier in her life she thought them a curse.

We learn she has a group of people in her life who all are misfits or people that have all their own baggage. Millie, her best friend and a witch who doesn’t really have a coven. Alex, a Werewolf that can’t transform to human, we learn in this world only the Alpha’s can do that. Giselle, the woman who raised both Millie and her to be adults and harness their abilities, but is starting to lose her mind and needs help. So this causes Rylee some stress in a different way. Then there’s the FBI Agent who makes Rylee’s life difficult.

Of course, Millie finds a coven that will accept her, but this decision comes at a bad time for Rylee. Nothing is going right in her personal life. She makes a decision to buy herself time for Giselle. Giselle needs around the clock care, but decides to put her in the hospital for a week to come up with a plan. So then she finds out this kidnapping is a lot more complicated than she originally than she thought it would be.

There are a lot of fights and out of control twists that no one can see coming. Plus not to mention she has to face a pack of werewolves trying to hurt Alex and things spiral in a way that was crazy. Lots of people learning things that they never know or suspected. Also this child she has been looking for is about to have her powers emerge. This means that when this child is return she will need guidance. We also learn that there are other things transpiring in the paranormal world that could lead to big things being shaken up. 

Millie also comes back and deals with the coven she thought was good, are really the bad guys who kidnapped the girl because they want to put something really bad in her. So Rylee, Millie and their friends have to fight the coven off, kill the demon that wants to possess the girl, rescue the girl and this is nothing short of spectacular. I really enjoyed it a lot.

Also when the dust clears, Rylee learns something about herself, her sisters kidnapping that she never knew before. Rylee also gets offered a job in the ARCANE Division of the FBI. This is a real chance for Rylee to get some help and much needed resources in a way. She at first is hesitant to take it, but does, because their needs to be something that will lead to her finding her sister.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I’m looking forward to reading Immune, the next book in the series.

Rating:

4 Hearts

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey

Title: The Earl Next Door

Author: Amelia Grey

Series: First Comes Love #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Pub Date: May 28, 2019

Pages: 294

My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martins Pres

Book Summary:

Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, is all on her own after her husband’s sudden death. The good news? Losing him allowed her to find herself. Finally, Adeline is free to do, go, and be as she pleases. She cherishes her newfound independence and is not looking for another man to wed. But seeking out a new lover? Well, that is a whole ’nother story. . .

Lord Lyon, son of the two-timing Earl of Marksworth, wishes to have a respectable, loving wife someday. When he meets the beautiful and self-reliant Adeline, Lyon is instantly smitten. But Adeline would rather have the handsome suitor in her bed than to take his hand in marriage. It’s a scandalous proposal—and one that’s hard for Lyon to refuse. Unless the fire of his passion can melt Adeline’s resolve. . .and he can find a way to be the Wickedly Wonderful Widow’s lover for all time?

Book Review:

A very good historical romance where two people meet in a most unusual way and find themselves in a situations that makes them grow closer in a lot of ways. Since they are living right next to one another. 

Things happen in a way that is unexpected. Lyon thinks that this women who has moved in next door to him is opening a brothel because of something one of his neighbors has voiced concerned and finds out from Adeline, that she is opening a school for Girls and Lyon feels bad that he made an assumption. We learn that this is not an everyday occurrence for Lyon to go into another persons house and a women’s bedchamber. So then things happen that are unexpected.

Lyon has a neighbor who makes things interesting. She is constantly spying on her neighbor and has a very good spy glass. Things get interesting between Adeline and Lyon when the students come into the school. I like how the young girls all seem to be in situations that are terrible. Adeline and her friends get a staff and are teaching these girls trade so that they can make a living other than doing things that are not so reputable. So this school provides purpose and other things.

There are many issues that arise with having a school for the girls. We learn a lot about our two characters past. Both Adeline and Lyon have had things that have gone wrong in their life. Lyon has a somewhat tenuous relationship with his father who is constantly doing something to him or causing him some grief. Adeline has always felt like she was never enough for her dead husband. He always put her down and made her feel like she was stupid and not worthy. This makes her skeptical of men. Especially someone like Lyon who is really handsome.

So Lyon & Adeline come to butt heads sometimes about things that the girls may or may not do. This causes some arguments between the two of them. Also there is a moment when both Lyon and Adeline let their guard down and start to begin a sexual relationship that leaves both of them very satisfied, but Adeline’s past makes her think that men in general can’t be trusted. Things also are happening in Lyon’s father’s life. His father is engaged to a young women as well. Plus Lyon finds out that his father has put a bet up that he will have a child up before him.

There is some more intense things that have happened. We learn that Lyon has given them a pianoforte to the school and that the girls really love it. Adeline is surprised by everything he does and doesn’t do at times. I thought this was really good use of showing that Lyon is a man who is complicated and feels bad when he does something wrong or that the girls need something to keep their mind occupied. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded.

We also find out that Adeline’s late husband had a child with his mistress and this causes some great distress to Adeline. She really doesn’t want that child in her school but her mother has left the girl in the custody of her because she has no financial means to support the child. Things happen that caused this situation to arise and Lyon gets Adeline to see that this child needs her help and this woman wouldn’t have done this if she didn’t have a choice. Lyon shows his caring nature. We also learn that later on that Adeline is pregnant with Lyon’s child and I really enjoyed that development in this book. 

We get to see them at the end of the book together and of course Adeline is in labor. So of course things are good now between the couple. The child turns out to be a boy. Lyon and Adeline are so happy. Lyon’s father is happy and goes to inform the bet makers and tells Lyon he had a feeling that he would have a son first. Lyon is quite stunned by his father. This couple had to work to be together and find that somethings things happen in life that are unexpected and to embrace those moments. I really enjoyed this story so much. 

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book in this series.

Rating:

Four Hearts