Everyone was supernatural in some way – #UrbanFantasy #Review #Giveaway @GameOverStation

Blurb

Adair Finch, the most powerful warlock in the world, is back in business!

But first he must complete his pact with a mischief spirit by finding her a human body. Seemingly no easy task, as the mischief spirit is beyond picky about her future body. But on his way to Oakland, Finch stumbles upon the dead body of a social media star—both a solution and a major problem.

Oakland is teeming with werewolves, full moon witches, vampires, and redwood elves, most of whom aren’t on good terms with Finch. Navigating the supernatural world to gather clues about the murder is hard enough, but now Finch must also dodge old enemies and rivals. And to make matters worse, the murderer just might be trailing Finch, now that he’s found the body.

Good thing Finch has a pact with Chronos. With time on his side, perhaps he can do the impossible…

Continue this urban fantasy series in the second book of the Chronos Chronicles!

Excerpt

The luxury nightclub was stunningly beautiful. The chandeliers wept crystals, lush black rugs were made of some of the softest material Finch had ever stepped on, and the gentle golden lighting gave everything an expensive feel. Soft jazz music played from speakers in the ceiling, rounding out the ambience.

It was a place so fancy, even the perfectly spherical ice cubes in everyone’s drinks had pedigrees.

The clientele was also in a league of its own. The moment Finch took in a deep breath, he knew everyone here was supernatural in some way. While some looked completely human, magic radiated from them like heat off a heat lamp.

Plus, there was a werewolf behind the bar.

Not like the bouncer outside, who had to remain in human form. No, this bartender was a full-blown anthropomorphic wolf. He stood on two legs, his black fur lustrous over a body made of pure muscle. He wore a suit tailored for his lycanthrope body, his little vest a shade of gray that complemented his ebony fur.

He even had a tail hole in his pants, so his large and bushy tail could wag around, unhindered.

And the bar had clearly been built to accommodate a beast nearly eight feet tall. It was larger, more spacious, and made of material that wouldn’t easily be scratched by the man’s claws.

His long muzzle and pointed ears really gave him the silhouette of a wolf, but his dark eyes were alight with human intelligence. And having dark eyes was a good thing—only werewolves with red eyes could spread the lycanthrope disease. If this wolf lost his temper and bit everyone here, there was no chance of a werewolf outbreak. Oakland had had too many of those already.

The wolf’s ears shifted in Finch’s direction as Finch walked over. The beast turned to greet him with a fang-filled smile.

“Good evening,” the werewolf said, his voice rich and confident. “You seem familiar, but I don’t think I’ve seen many warlocks in these parts. Take a seat. I’ll pour you something smooth.”

Review by Lisabet Sarai

Warlock and former private investigator Adair Finch claims to have retired. After failing to prevent the death of his brother Carter, all Adair wants is to be left alone, to wallow in guilt and misery.

The universe has other ideas. For one thing, Adair owes a debt to Kullthantarrick the Sneak, the mischief spirit who helped him bring down a corrupt police officer and a villainous band of witches in his last case. After centuries of loneliness, Kull wants to know what it feels like to be human and to fall in love. The warlock has promised to find her a human body to inhabit so she can fulfill this desire—even though this means she’ll lose her immortality. They discover the body of a murdered social media star, which Kull declares to be perfect. Adair won’t be satisfied, though, until he identifies and apprehends the killer.

Meanwhile, Adair’s demanding landlord insists that the PI determine whether his wife is involved in an adulterous affair. Then there’s Adair’s former colleague Enzo, a police officer who’s been turned into a werewolf and forced to leave his beloved family. Though the warlock is bitter and cynical, he has a soft heart. He can’t seem to resist the urge to help people, especially when he knows that his magical powers—the ability to rewind time and to unleash a lethal firestorm upon his enemies—give him a potent advantage in almost any situation.

Chronos Warlock was even more fun than the first book in Shami Stovall’s series, which I reviewed last year. This is largely due to the character of Kull. Taking over the gorgeous body and the glamorous life of super-influencer Fox-Pistol, she is hilarious in her quest to understand the essence of being human. Alternately bold, naïve, outrageous and vulnerable, she pretty much steals every scene. Adair serves as the straight man, trying to protect her while resisting her undeniable appeal.

Like the previous book, this one is set in Stockton and Oakland, California—hardly the most glamorous of locales, but a very creative choice. The two working-class cities are hotbeds of supernatural activity. Oakland teems with witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, demons, half-spirits and elves. The redwood elves turn out to be particularly nasty creatures, elegant, devious and ruthless. They’re among the foes Adair must outmaneuver in order to find Fox-Pistol’s killer, locate and save his landlord’s errant wife, heal the emotional wounds of his colleague Enzo, and generally set the world to rights.

As in the previous novel, Adair’s ability to reset time proves pivotal to the plot. After a while this device gets a bit monotonous, however. For instance, Adair replays a hand of poker in the elves’ lair dozens of times, until he knows every card that will be dealt. To be honest, I lost interest at this point, especially since the outcome was preordained. Fortunately, other aspects of the tale, including the complicated structure of magic in Ms. Stovall’s world, kept me reading.

Overall, Chronos Warlock is an enjoyable, lively and sometimes surprising continuation of the series. In the next book (which I assume will eventually be published, given the hints in this one), I’d like the author to lean a bit less heavily on the time-manipulation and explore other ways for Adair to save the day.

About the Author

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators, or hugging John.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:

Website: https://sastovallauthor.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameOverStation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAStovall/

Email: s.adelle.s [at] gmail [dot] com

Shami Stovall will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

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