Regina's Reads

So I have been off of urban fantasy for awhile now. Reading the newly released books in my favorite series but not starting any new urban fantasy series. If a friend hadn't recommended this series to me -- repeatedly, I wouldn't have read it. The cover doesn't call to me and urban fantasy just doesn't hold the same appeal to me anymore. And if I can avoid murder investigation urban fantasy books, I do. So there was a lot working against me picking up this book. But damn, I am so glad I read this book.

Tempting Danger is good, the story is good, the writing is good, the world is unique and the characters are even better. Many UF series depend on a sarcastic heroine that is abrasive and who is generally not liked by most of the side characters. There is none of that in this series. The main character is not rude nor is she funny, but she is strong and enjoyable to read about. She is actually a character I would enjoy meeting and I wanted her to succeed.

Shifters have been done and done. Police investigation UFs have also been done and done. But somehow, Tempting Danger approaches these storylines in a unique way. There are little surprises along the way and not everything is wrapped up perfectly, but it is done satisfyingly.

Because it is shifters and because there is a romance storyline there is a predictable theme -- the dreaded fated to be mated. I normally am not a fan. But this is the best fated to be mated storyline I have read. All the questions you would wonder yourself - like how does it feel to have all choice taken away and have a mate forced on you? Wilks doesn't tread lightly on this topic or romanticize it.

So how does it compare to other urban fantasy series? My favorites are Mercy Thompson, Katie Daniels, Psycop, Penryn & the End of Days, Experiment in Terror, Dresden Files, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Tempting Danger has good characters that I think will only get better. Wilks doesn't take the easy way out with her storylines and writes in a complex way. I can see it not appealing to everyone. She doesn't world build or define terms or belief systems. She expects her readers to pick it up along the way. She shows rather than tells. And personally I love that. It is a more complex way of telling a story and it means that the reader has to learn as she goes but it makes for a better story in my opinion. So to answer to my first question -- how does the World of the Lupi compare with my favorite UF series? Well, it wasn't compulsive must finish read but I still read it in about 3-4 days. I immediately bought the second in the series after I finished the first. I am not sure if this is going to be a favorite, but it has potential to become a favorite series of mine.

I cannot wait to continue on to the next book in the series.