Title: Fowl Play ReRead
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #9
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2018

There is something about the idea of a swan shapeshifter that I just adore. I mean, swans are kind of assholes (I had an incident with a Black Swan once), so it makes sense that they would be a bird well suited to being a lycanthrope. The only more evil bird is probably geese, but everyone expects geese to be assholes. A lot of people forget that swans are also violent and vindictive, which, again, made this a phenomenal and fun novel to read. I enjoyed it the first time, but knowing just how violent the lycanthropic tendencies of the fledgling swan was going to be… that made it all that much better.

One of the reasons why I first picked up Blain’s books was that I knew of a few of her books that had shapeshifters, with different animals as the shifted form. The fact that she is able to so effortlessly utilise a swan, combining the grace of a bird with their aggressive tendencies is a big reason why I love her books so much. Creating a woman who is a dancer, lawyer and future law enforcement officer worked incredibly well to reflect what I felt like a swan lycanthrope should be like. Plus, it’s a great reminder that there is no one way to be a person, and “Jail Bird’s” way of being is wonderfully valid too.

Fowl Play is a quick little novella which involves a handful of murders, a dance retreat and a seriously sociopathic woman running free. Then, there’s the start of a romance and the beginning of a happily ever after. It honestly ticked all of my boxes the first time I read it. On the read through? It did that, and more. Honestly, this is just a novella that is a whole lot of chaotic and violent fun. One that, happily, ends in two people agreeing to spend the rest of their lives together.

Image source: Amazon