Forsaken By The Others (H+W Investigations #5) Review

Forsaken By The Others (H+W Investigations #5)

Jess Haines

Publisher: Kensignton

E-Arc Courtesy of Netgalley & Kensignton

The Others–vampires, werewolves, things that go chomp in the night–don’t just live in nightmares anymore. They’ve joined with he mortal world. And for private investigator Shiarra Waynest, that means mayhem…
Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head…and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town–namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who’d like to turn her into a chew toy. On Royce’s suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten–literally–in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them–and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge... 

After her isolation in Stalking The Others, it is nice to see Shia back with her best friend Sara and have that relationship as the central one for this story. Bad news for Royce fans as after a couple of intriguing scenes near the beginning where Royce and Shia discuss their changing relationship he isn’t present again. Shia and Sara get shipped off to LA while Royce deals with the problems in New York (this annoyed me as it seems like Shia is running away again and letting others sort out her mess rather than standing up and take responsibility herself for her own mistakes). However, once in LA Sara and Shia are asked to investigate zombies that seem to be ripping vampires apart…

There are some good and bad elements to this book. I’ll start with the positive – the relocation was a nice change of pace (even if I hated the reason for it!) as was the introduction of new characters. In a town where they don’t know anyone, the girls quickly manage to find themselves involved with the local white-hats, a were-pack that hates vampires, a crazy would-be king vampire as well as hordes of zombies.  It was nice to see Shia doing some investigating for once – something which does happen a lot considering the title of the series. However, I found myself getting annoyed with one aspect of the story…Shia’s revolving changes in attitudes. That girl can’t seem to stick to a decision! One minute she wants to avoid the necromancer at all costs, then demanding favours from him. Then she wants sanctuary with the white-hats but refuses to allow them to hurt anyone (com’on girl – they are vigilantes!). It seems like Shia is constantly changing her mind of what to do and while this isn’t exactly new territory for her as a character, this is the first time it seriously bugged me. 

Apart from the lightning quick changes in attitudes, this was an enjoyable romp with some pleasantly distracting UF. Beware, it ends on a massive cliff-hanger that will have you think the last couple of chapters are missing from your edition! The next book in the series promises to be a big game changer for Shia…hopefully she figures out what she want by then! 

Recommended for fans of Chloe Neill and Rachel Vincent. 7 out of 10