Title: Good Counsel
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #4.2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Free Online Short Story
Publisher: Eileen Wilks Online
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Sure.

This snippet takes place after Night Season (World of the Lupi, #4) and just before the free short story, Cyncerely Yours (World of the Lupi, #4.5). It’s more of a scene than a complete story, but I thought readers who’ve enjoyed the series might enjoy listening in on Cullen’s counselling session with Father Michaels.

Although Cullen and Cynna agree to become married at the conclusion of Night Season, it is kind of hard to imagine that either one will truly carry through with it. That is until the short story, Good Counsel. It is in this six pages that Cullen truly shows his commitment (and love for) Cynna and the degree to which he’ll go to make her happy. Throughout his discussion with the Catholic priest, he is able to be clear sighted and honest – he doesn’t really want to get married, but it is important for her, so therefore he’ll do it. The idea of acceptance by one’s community and the importance of this in such a thing as a wedding is also beautifully and succinctly investigated.

I have had some slightly unpleasant experiences with the Christian faith and very early on decided that it wasn’t a religion for me. However, Cullen’s descriptions of the importance of it and the Abe’s easy acceptance of diversity and the unconventional relationship he is about to officiate goes a long way to restoring my faith in such an organisation. Although Cullen is himself not Christian, he is able to understand many of the principals and governing ideals, and the reasons why it is such a cornerstone in Cynna’s life. It is this easy acceptance on behalf of both Cullen and Abe that I most loved about this short story.

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Title: Night Season
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #4
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Rule said Cullen had a habit of picking up strays.

Pregnancy has turned FBI Agent Cynna Weaver’s whole life upside down. Lupus sorcerer Cullen Seabourne is thrilled to be a father, but what does Cynna know about kids? her mother was a drunk and her father abandoned his family. Or so she’s always believed…

As Cynna is trying to wrap her head around this problem, a new one pops up in the form of a delegation from another realm. They want to take Cynna and Cullen back with them – to meet her long-lost father and find a mysterious medallion. But when these two born cynics land in a world where magic is common-place and night never ends, their only way home lies in tracking down the missing medallion – one also sought by powerful beings who will do anything to claim it…

Blood Lines left off on a bit of a cliff-hanger for Cynna and Cullen. So, although Lily and Rule make an appearance in Night Season, it is nice to spend some more time with this incredibly unique couple. I also loved revisiting Kai and Nathan (albeit briefly) throughout this series. The novella Inhuman introduced these incredibly different characters, and vastly expanded the World of the Lupi universe. All in all, this story took a slightly different turn from the rest of the books, and it offered a refreshing outlook into a series that anyone would quickly become enthralled by.

I love the idea of a number of different realms, with different rules and levels of magic, and completely different natives. The anthropologist in me is fascinated by Wilks’ construction of so many different cultures and social realities. Edge, to me, highlights the fact that we all have prejudices, and they can be immensely derogatory to a group of individuals. I loved that even Cullen, who has been on the receiving end of such typecasting, feels for the humans who are in a similar position in Edge.

Cynna’s pregnancy is an important topic throughout Night Season. As someone who is terrified of getting pregnant accidentally, I can completely understand her fear and trepidation at this immense challenge that she is about to face. I always love when I can relate so completely to character’s – not that they are horrible mothers, but they are fearful. I have never met a woman who is willing to say that motherhood is an all-enjoyable experience. Everyone is fearful and worried about such a ginormous task, and I think that acknowledging this is so important for those of us who may be facing such a journey in their futures.

Image source: Amazon

Title: The New Kid
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #0.1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Eileen Wilks Online
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: He was a heterosexual misfit.

This short story takes places in Rule’s past, specifically January 10, 1976 during his Sophomore year of high school in a small town near Clanhome. It’s a fun look into a time when Rule wasn’t Lu Nuncio yet and was just learning how to integrate with humans.

Sixteen-year-old Rule is everything I imagined him to be and more in this great short story. Wilks leaves a comment at the top of the tale that suggests it be read after a few of the novels, get to know Rule before flashing back to his past. And honestly, it is a great suggestion. I have just read this short story after reading the first four books, and although it made his actions a little more predictable, it also made the story all the more enjoyable and the nuances of the characters a little more potent.

I love any story that investigates the cultural norms that we take for granted and turn them onto their head. The cliques that often categorise are of course prevalent in a story about a sixteen-year-old. But, it is the way in which Rule views them that provides a different kind of insight. His willingness to do what is right and break free of the clicks is also such an incredibly attractive quality. That, although from the novels, I already knew he possessed, made me fall for him a little more.

Image source: Eileen Wilks

Title: Blood Lines
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: “Cynna, I told Ruben you should be in charge, but – “

USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wils’s novel Mortal Danger was praised as “terrific” by The Best Reviews, which went on to say, “Keep an eye out for the enigmatic Cynna Weaver in future novels.” Here she is, caught up in a web of political intrigue – and a world spinning out of control…

Touch-sensitive FBI agent Lily Yu and her werewolf bond-mate are recruited by the Secret Service to help identify elected officials who have accepted demonic pacts. But Lily must turn to fellow agent Cynna Weaver for help when Cynna’s former teacher, a demon master, emerges as the main suspect behind the pacts.

After a demon commits a gruesome murder, sorcerer Cullen Seabourne joins the team racing the clock to find the apprentice of evil who uses demons to kill. Cynna and Cullen must work together – a challenge indeed when each has good reason to ignore the desire simmering between them. But passion and events both spiral out of control as an ancient prophecy is fulfilled – and the lupi’s greatest enemy sets her sights on total devastation…

I loved that although this story still centred around Rule and Lily, the focus slowly shifted onwards to Cynna and Cullen’s weird and unorthodox attraction to each other. As usual, these romantic entanglements were complicated by the presence of magic and mayhem as She continues to progress her attacks on the lupi. And to further confuse an already conflicted situation, the rules and laws of the lupi societies make what would have once been a simple homicide investigation for Lily to become an intricate dance of politics, power and passion.

Cynna and Cullen are such unconventional characters, and I loved that their relationship and courtship echoed this. A lot of the romance stories that I have read involve boy meets girl, there is a problem, they fall in love. Instead, Cynna and Cullen are attracted to one another, tolerate each other’s madness, but really don’t find it necessary to fall in love or really pursue any extra emotional entanglement. Yet, although it is not expressly stated by either of them, that emotional connection is there, right alongside the physical. Their acceptance of each other and ability to see beyond the stigmas that they have both carried all their lives shows a depth of understanding and connection that sometimes even the happiest couples struggle to find and maintain.

Although many characters’ secrets are revealed throughout Blood Lines, I think that it is the presence of Grandmother Yu throughout the tale that is my favourite. Such an authoritative and outrageous old woman deserves a complex and mystical history, and Wilks didn’t fail to deliver on that. The discovery of past and present lovers, of her abilities and the very way in which she is able to end the story on a surprising note heightens Grandmother Yu’s prowess and potency within this series.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Mortal Danger
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: “I can’t hunt down Harlowe if I’m locked up somewhere.”

USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wilks returns to the fascinating world she introduced in Tempting Danger, and takes readers to the very edge of passion and suspense – where deception and betrayal can not only place your life in jeopardy, but your very soul in mortal danger…

Former homicide cop Lily Yu has a lot on her plate. There’s her sister’s wedding, a missing magical staff with unknown powers, and her grandmother’s sudden decision to visit the old country just when Lily could use a little advice. Maybe she should turn to the man she’s involved with, but for all the passion that flares between them, she doesn’t really know Rule Turner. Yet she’s tied to him for life, both of them caught in an unbreakable mate bond.

That Rule is a werewolf, a prince of his people, only complicates matters…

Now an agent in a special unit of the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division, Lily’s job is to hunt down Harlowe, a charismatic cult leader bent on bringing an ancient evil into the world. But what Lily doesn’t realize is that Harlowe has set a trap – for her. And then the unthinkable happens.

In the blink of an eye, Lily’s world divides and collides, and she is thrust into a new and frightening reality. Her only hope will be to trust Rule – and herself – or Lily will be lost forever…

I first read this book over a year ago, and, quite frankly found it a bit tedious. Mostly due to the fact that it seemed to take a very random turn after Tempting Danger. However, after reading the short Originally Human and letting go of my preconceptions of werewolf tales, I fell madly in love with this tale. The battle between the Lupi and Her is a far more intricate and complex arching story than I had originally believed. Although I’m not used to being so thoroughly thrust into such an epic battle early in a series, it works wonderfully when you finally pay attention.

Although the plottings of Her are a constant point of conflict within Mortal Danger, Lily and Rule’s negotiation of their new relationship takes centre stage throughout their interactions. Their struggle to compromise with each other is a great reminder of every negotiation for a new couple. I can relate completely to Lily in this – tying your life to someone else’s is a huge change and when you are used to standing on your own two feet, relying on them day in and day out can be a difficult thing to get used to.

Wilks’ creation of a different reality in which part of this story takes place, Dis, or Hell, is masterfully done. It is vivid and enthralling, but also eerie in its timeless existence. To create a world that is similar to our own, but is governed by its own set of natural laws is incredibly difficult, to do so in a way that it feels both familiar and new is another mark of success in Wilks’ writing.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Tempting Danger
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: All of us.

National bestselling author Eileen Wilks has thrilled countless readers with her fresh and compelling stories. Now she has created a bold new world where the magical and the mundane coexist in an uneasy balance – a balance that is threatened by a cold-blooded killer. And the only one who can end the threat is a cop on her own knife-edge struggling with a particularly tempting danger…

Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her – a werewolf named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation – reasons he doesn’t want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating – and beyond human reason. Now in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and, at her back, a man she’s not sure she can trust…

Tempting Danger is a great adult, paranormal romance read with a tale that stuck with me long after I turned the last page. Although the storyline can be a little predictable – you know that the two leads are going to end up together, the way in which this relationship blossoms was completely unpredictable – at least in my opinion.

Lily is a great heroine, and a breath of fresh air in paranormal romances – she isn’t pushy and strong in the way that many of my favourite heroines are. Instead, she is silently confident and very much withdrawn into her own reality and self. She is so pulled in upon herself that when I started reading the story, she seemed to be a privileged Chinese woman with a nice (albeit slightly gross) job. However, as the exciting events of the story unfold, her resolve is shown to be strong and her drive to pursue justice enviable. I loved slowly unpacking the layers of this character as the story progressed, and look forward to the further layering of Lily and Rule in the next World of the Lupi book.

Aside from the multi-layered and fascinating characters and the romantic storyline, Tempting Danger was a great ‘who-done-it’ story? Starting with a murder and steadily going down the windy path of divine intervention, fierce Grandmothers and conspiracies, it was difficult to put this book down – even if I have read it once before (a long time ago). If you like paranormal romances with a heavy dose of suspense, then this is a book that is definitely worth sticking your nose into.

Image source: Audiobooks