Tynga's Reviews: S. J. Harper

Sunday, February 01, 2015

Cursed by S. J. Harper

CURSED has a great blend of urban fantasy and procedural, with a nice helping of romance on the side. The first book in a new series from the writing duo of Jeanne C. Stein and Samantha Sommersby, CURSED employs Greek mythology but with a creative twist: the series centres on Emma Monroe, one of three Sirens cursed by Demeter for letting Hades make off with Persephone a long, long time ago. Even though they got her back, Demeter cursed Emma and her two unnamed sisters to live forever, saving young women and punishing them if they fall in love. In Emma's case, Demeter killed the man she married a few days after the ceremony. Demeter be pissed, guys.

As a Siren, Emma isn't gifted with super strength of accelerated healing; all she has is the gift of extreme persuasion, which puts her in danger every time she uses it, even if it's to save one of those endangered young women in her position within the FBI. Emma's in a very-losable-just-maybe-if-she-gets-lucky-winnable kind of situation. How could I wait so long to read this?

Emma and her new partner Zack Armstrong, a werewolf with a past life as a Black Ops sniper, are tasked with finding a missing artist, a case that eventually draws them into a much larger mystery involving multiple missing people. There are some really neat twists and turns that I won't give away but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the reasons that the artist (and everyone else) disappeared.

Of course, Emma and Zach have something of a history, which makes things a bit tangly on the romantic front. Emma spends a lot of time fighting her attraction to Zach because she doesn't want him to die if Demeter finds out the depth of her feelings. It's a nice Catch-22 since it avoids the insta-love HEA you can find in some other series in the genre while also giving readers the romantic element they might be craving. The chemistry between Emma and Zach is off the charts and it gives CURSED some steamy interludes.

All in all, CURSED is a great start to a series, by two seasoned writers (Samantha Sommersby and Jeanne C. Stein). They've created a very interesting world and cast of characters and I've already got the next book loaded on my e-reader so that I can find out what happens to Emma next. (CURSED ends in a really powerful way and I'm so happy that I have RECKONING at my fingertips.

P.S. This cover model totally reminds me of Amy Acker (who I lurve!). Anyone else feel the same?

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

by Tynga at Sunday, February 01, 2015

Adult, Author, Fallen Siren, Jeanne C. Stein, Penguin, Review, ROC, S. J. Harper, Samantha Sommersby, siren, Urban Fantasy 1 Person left their mark

Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Reckoning blog tour giveaway

Today we're participating in a tour-wide giveaway to promote the release of RECKONING by S. J. Harper (a.k.a Jeanne C. Stein and Samantha Sommersby). We don't usually do book blasts but it's an exciting giveaway and I'm so into this series so I wanted to give it some extra web time here on Team Tynga's Reviews, plus we have a great excerpt to share to tease the book!

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My cell rings. It’s Liz. I toss the rest of the sub into the trash can and answer. “Hey.”

One word and she knows. “What’s wrong?”

Liz recognizes my moods better than anyone.

“You mean besides that fact that I seem to be stuck. Here. Forever. Alone. That I have to walk around wear- ing some stupid Clark Kent disguise, saving people in hopes that one day the wack job of a goddess who ban- ished me will decide that the good I’ve done has out- weighed the bad?”

“Yeah, besides that.”

I smile.

Liz doesn’t skip a beat. “You know you’re not alone. You have me. And you have Kallistos.” “He keeps asking me to move in.” “Why don’t you?”

* * * *

I frown. Zack is on his way back. “You know why,” I tell her.

Zack drapes his wet shirt on the wall, then sits back down and resumes his attack on the meatball and cheese. “Tell Liz I said hi,” he says between mouthfuls.

I do, then sign off, promising to call her back later and wondering how much of my conversation he overheard. I don’t have to wonder for long.

“So, it’s getting serious between you and Tall, Dark, and Pasty?”

“He’s not pasty. He’s fair. His people were Dorian.” I hand him back his gun and holster.

“Still, centuries without sun. That’s got to affect a guy.”

I recall what Kallistos looked like this morning, out on the balcony. “I think it really makes him appreciate it now.”

“He probably has a vitamin-D deficiency.”

“He doesn’t have a vitamin-D deficiency.”

“That’ll lead to brittle bones as he gets older, you know.” Zack tosses the wrapper from his sub into the trash.

“He’s already older.”

“Not to mention dead.”

“Undead.”

“Whatever.” He knocks back the rest of his soda.

“Why aren’t you moving in with him?”

The question catches me by surprise, the directness of it. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a simple question.”

My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. I release a breath. “I guess because I’m not in love with him. Moving in with someone . . . Now, that seems like a really big commitment.”

He smiles and reaches for his shirt. “And now we’re talking about me and Sarah.”

I follow him back up the stairs to the parking lot. “You’ve been living together for what—five months?”

“Uh-huh.”

“She seems happy,” I finally say.

Zack keeps walking. Stoic. Silent.

“And you seem . . . happy,” I add.

We reach the car and Zack holds out a hand for the keys. He opens the back, throws his shirt inside along with the tie and suit coat, then slams it shut.

“Are you happy, Zack?” I ask. A dangerous question. One I have no right to ask.

I’m standing, my hand on the passenger door to the Suburban. He’s on the driver’s side, key in the lock.

“I’m not sure I ever will be. Something’s missing. I don’t even know what it is, but I know I want it back in the worst possible way.”

The locks on the car pop. We both climb inside. I look straight ahead, expression neutral. The engine turns over. For a second I think he’s going to say more. Then the moment passes and he’s grasping the steering wheel and slipping into traffic.

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For more S. J. Harper, check out the following links:

Website | Jeanne's Facebook | Jeanne's Twitter | Samantha's Facebook | Samantha's Twitter

Here's the scoop on RECKONING:

Join Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.
She’s sacrificed. He’s suffered. They’ve both been betrayed.
Now it’s time for a reckoning.

Special Agent Emma Monroe has a secret. She’s a Fallen Siren, cursed by the gods and banished to Earth for her failure to prevent the kidnapping of Persephone. As an FBI agent she saves the lives of others believing redemption could be one rescue away.

Her partner Zack is a werewolf and former Black Ops sniper who once carried out a string of questionable assignments. Now he’s determined to atone for his past. Ironically, there’s a portion of his past Zack doesn’t remember—an affair with Emma. Giving into their attraction for one another almost led to their undoing. Now it’s back to business as usual.

While trying to unravel the mystery behind a series of kidnappings in Southern California, Emma and Zack become entangled with political tensions in the vampire and Were worlds. Not to mention the struggles they face in their relationship with one another. With so much uncertainty, they come to realize the only thing they can really count on is one another…or can they?
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository