Title: The Dragon Conspiracy
Author: Lisa Shearin
Series: SPI Files #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2015

I honestly forgot how much I loved Mac, Ian and the SPI team – it’s been quite a while since I have had the joy of diving into this series. And now I’m regretting the massive break I took from reading this series. I mean, they are just such a fun group and I loved getting to know them better. Plus, there’s the fact that they are constantly in a battle to save the world. Although I love Mac and Ian, I still think that Yasha may be my favourite – there is something wonderful about his special brand of insanity.

I honestly spent a lot of this story trying to figure out just how all of the machinations fit together. There were so many surprises and double crosses throughout. Honestly, every time I thought I had a grasp on just what was going on, something happened to make me do a full 180. It was constantly surprising, and I loved trying to get my head around what was going on. Which is kind of amazing, because now, when I have the privilege of rereading this, I will have so many more things to uncover!

The idea of seven diamonds and their potential for mass destruction was fun from the very beginning. And then, there’s Victor Kain, the dragon, and his thirst for revenge. The combination of weapons of mass destruction and a psychotic dragon on the rampage meant that this was a really difficult book to put down. Particularly since the more you read, the more horrifying Kain actually was.

I loved that there was a number of potential couples set up after all of the mayhem and insanity of this story. A few I could completely see coming, but then there were some that were quite surprising. I also love that although there are hints of a potential relationship between Mac and Ian, she is moving forward with Rake. He’s kind of difficult and a little dreamy, so I really enjoyed the idea of getting to know him more. Particularly as this ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, in which Ian and Mac are both moving forwards in their romances, but no idea just how.

Now I can’t wait to read more SPI Files series. I mean, Mac and Ian have a great partnership, and they are obviously situated well to battle evil. Plus The Dragon Conspiracy is setting up a major evil plot in the background. And I can’t wait to see how insidious it is…

<- The Grendel Affair

The Brimstone Deception ->

Image source: Amazon

Title: The Grendel Affair
Author: Lisa Shearin
Series: SPI Files #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 18th – 21st August 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Because I’d failed.

We’re supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. Things that go bump in the night, the monsters you thought didn’t exist? We battle them and keep you safe. But some supernatural baddies are just too big to contain, even for us…

When I moved to New York to become a world-famous jounralist, I never imagined that snagging a job at a seedy tabloid would change my career path from trashy reporter to undercover agent. I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. I can see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal pest can come up with. I track down creatures, and my partner, Ian Byrne, takes them out.

Our cases are generally pretty routine, but a sickle-wielding serial killer has been prowling the city’s subway tunnels. And the murderer’s not human. The fiend in question, a descendant of Grendel – yes, that Grendel – shares his ancestor’s hatred of parties, revelry, and drunkards. And with New Year’s Eve in Times Square only two days away, we need to bag him quickly. Because if we don’t find him – and the organization behind him – by midnight, our secret’s out ad everyone’s time is up.

I read the novella Lucky Charms a very long time ago. By the time I got this book, I’d honestly forgotten how much I liked the story and idea of Mac the seer and special agent. It didn’t take me many pages to regain that sense of happiness and intrigue inspired by my first taste of Lisa Shearin.

I always love stories that just drop you straight into the drama. The Grendel Affair does this – it starts with Mac hunting a gnome creature with booze. So yeah, it also started with a good, fun dose of humour. Nothing like some sass and off kilter hunting humour to start a novel and truly pull you in.

As the story unfolds, you can feel the partnership between Mac and Ian strengthen. It was really nice starting the tale with Mac being seriously insecure and a little uncomfortable around her partner. Then slowly building that trust between them. It makes me ridiculously keen to dig into the next book in this series so I can see how their relationship and partnership continues to grow.

I’ll admit, I’ve never read Beowulf (it’s on my very long list). But I immediately recognised the name Grendel. And I knew that it was Scandinavian. The way that Shearin uses this mythos and literature is incredibly fun and a perfect blending of lore and contemporary reality. I seriously loved this mix and can’t wait to see what happens next (although I might miss the mad Scandinavian Rolf in The Dragon Conspiracy).

<- Lucky Charms

The Dragon Conspiracy ->

Image source: Goodreads