Sandy M’s review of Black Rook (Cornerstone, Book 1) by Kelly Meade
Paranormal Romance published by InterMix 15 Jul 14
I like the concept of this series and its shapeshifters, of which I am a huge fan. Ms. Meade has given these wolves a few extra powers and things that make it all different from the norm. But then she’s also taken liberty with other things that don’t work for me when it comes to shifters. I realize there’s other paranormal components to the book, but it’s the wolves and their abilities that called to me to read their story.
Brynn, a Magus with minimal power, has come to Cornerstone because of her vision of murder – Rook McQueen is the man she needs to confront to find the truth. Her father, a high-level Magi on the council, is embarrassed by his second daughter, whose powers are next to nothing. Hoping to prove differently to her father, she finally is face to face with Rook and his family. But nothing goes to plan, and Brynn ends up being a “guest” of the loup garou run. She’s never been this close to any loup garou, and the longer she spends with them trying to solve not only her mystery but also one of the run’s, she finds they’re not the violent animals she’s always been told about.
Having given up his very successful music career because of his unpredictable nature, Rook is the third son of the alpha. He’s a black wolf, and normally blacks are first born and then bred to take over as the future alpha. Bishop is the oldest and the one who’s been following in their father’s footsteps, but if Rook so chooses, he could very well be alpha. He’s a bit puzzled why he finds Brynn so intriguing, especially when he discovers the reason for her visit.
Everyone’s focus is now on finding out how another run was slaughtered. Brynn begins to have visions that do eventually help, and their trust in her takes an upward turn. This is actually the best part of the book. In their investigation they learn it’s half-breeds who are causing such destruction, and Brynn needs to know how her father is involved. It’s Rook’s brother, Knight, who is a white wolf – in effect, the run’s emotional healer – who is the center of all the upheaval. White wolves are rare and not every run has one, and female vampire/magus half-breeds are looking to make more and improved half-breeds the old-fashioned way.
What I wanted more of and didn’t get is the shapeshifting. There’s a bit more at the end, but for the first three-quarters of the book, there’s hardly any at all. That’s restricted because the loup garou spontaneously shift only at certain times, though they can force a shift when necessary. I do, however, like the white wolf position in the run, and Knight’s book is one I’m looking forward to. One dislike is with the ear stretching Rook does. I hate it when I see it in kids today, so I don’t want it in my romantic heroes. At all.
Then there’s the romance between Rook and Brynn. I know their attraction begins during a time when they don’t know one another, they’re suspicious of each other, and they come from different worlds, but there’s really not a lot chemistry to be had. Maybe that’s because they are quite young. All I know is I wasn’t as invested in them as I should have been. I’m more interested in Knight, after his ordeal in this story, and even Bishop, just to see what kind of heroines with which Ms. Meade decides to pair them.
So, all in all, an average read, one that doesn’t deliver on all fronts, but does keep your interest when the pace picks up about halfway or so through.
Grade: C+
Summary:
She never saw this coming…
Brynn Atwood is a low-level Magus whose unpredictable precognitive powers have made her an outcast among her people—and an embarrassment to her highly-regarded father. After a frightening vision in which her father is murdered by a loup garou man, Brynn decides to prove herself by finding the killer, and stopping them at any cost.
Her target is Rook McQueen, the son of a small-town loup garou Alpha. Despite being the youngest of three, Rook is first in line to inherit the role of Alpha, a duty he isn’t sure he’s capable of fulfilling. When Brynn finally meets Rook, she doesn’t expect the attraction that draws her to him—and him to her.
No longer believing him a murderer, Brynn and Rook strike an alliance to find her father’s real killer. But when his older brother is targeted by an unknown enemy, Rook will have to choose between his growing feelings for Brynn and his duty as the future Alpha of his community.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
