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