Repossessed by Shawntelle Madison

When I saw REPOSSESSED on Netgalley, I was quite excited. After all, I've really loved the Coveted books so far. (You can see my thoughts on the first two books here and here). But REPOSSESSED didn't have the same magic as COVETED or KEPT, unfortunately. In fact, I had to force myself to complete it, which was really disappointing.

First, let's accentuate the positive to start: I love that Madison features an Asian main character. Rob is Korean American and I can't remember the last time that I read a book with an Asian lead. (No, wait, it was THE IMMORTAL RULES. :) But I'm still stymied about an Asian hero.) I really appreciate racial diversity in books, especially since it's unfortunately rare.

Another good point is the world. REPOSSESSED is set in the Coveted world but it doesn't involve any werewolves. Instead, it focuses on witches and warlocks. According to the fore matter, Madison wrote REPOSSESSED before COVETED and this is how she started establishing the Coveted world; there's really not much overlap since REPOSSESSED focuses on a completely separate area (likely also because her publisher owns the rights to the Coveted characters). In some ways, this made the book feel less well defined but I did enjoy exploring how magic works in the Coveted universe, with differences between warlocks and wizards, etc.

My big problem with this novel is that I didn't connect with the characters. I liked them okay and I felt bad for Tessa and her money troubles but I wasn't able to invest in their relationship or them as individuals. It's not that they were one-dimensional or poorly written; there was just something about the two of them that didn't click. I know it's a vague criticism and I wish I could be more specific about what left me so neutral but it's hard to describe something that doesn't really elicit a strong feeling one way or the other.  And in some ways, I think that's even worse because strong stories make feel, positively or negatively, and that truly was lacking for me.

REPOSSESSED is an okay book. It's not essential reading if you're following the Coveted storyline and there are far stronger examples of Madison's writing out there. Sad to say, but my suggestion would be to pass on this particular novel and invest your money and/or time in one of her other series.

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by Tynga at Monday, October 13, 2014

 Adult, Netgalley, Review, Self Published, Shawntelle Madison, Urban Fantasy, Warlock Repo Man Chronicles, Witch  Leave your mark

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"When I'm not writing" with Shawntelle Madison

Today's guest is Shawntelle Madison, author of the Coveted series featuring Natalya, a werewolf with OCD. I've enjoyed the first two books in the series (COVETED and KEPT) and am looking forward to diving into COMPELLED, which came out in May. Shawntelle also writes a paranormal romance series about the Hadley Werewolves, which are great self-published novellas. (You can read my review of BITTEN BY DECEIT here.) As if two series weren't enough to keep her busy, Shawntelle has several other things on her plate, which can learn about by sticking around!

 

I’ll be the first to admit that when I’m not writing I’m still at the computer. I envy the folks with green fingers who have beautiful herb gardens. (I kill plants, by the way.) Or the fantastic cooks or home organizers who do elaborate projects based on cool stuff they see on Pinterest. When I’m not staring into space or trying to clean up the messes my family make, I’m pretty much in front of the computer working. I’m a self-professed workaholic who works from home. I have no doubt about that. If I had even more time on my hands I’d have a perfect house and lawn and my car would be cleaned out. In the real world things aren’t so perfect. Matter of fact, everything is messy, but I have lots of fun. :)

So what do I do in my spare time? I’m actually a web developer. We are souls who are perfectly happy to sit down in our crypts (cubicles, etc.) and code websites. Have you ever filled out a form and pressed a button and then magic happens? I’m one of the folks who do the coding for that magic moment. Right now I happen to work for the Killion Group, Inc. They do websites and graphic design for publishing companies, authors, and more. I’ve had all sorts of clients from political candidates to musicians. Authors are my favorite.

Have I bored you yet? I was hoping to say my job was action-packed and that I jumped out of planes, but nope, I’m a geek coder.

Now are there cool additional perks to my job? Oh yes! Many of the author websites I work with are challenging and push me to think outside of the box. But the real perk comes from the stock images. The Killion Group creates stock photography for the graphics side of their business. One of the cooliest parts of my job is meeting the models! I have been to several photo shoots and I can say it was hard work helping the models in and out of their clothes. Did I mind getting them drinks? Nope. Did I mind putting gauntlets on hot dudes. Hell no. Recently, I had a custom photo shoot with an Asian model for my Warlock Repoman Chronicles. It was a blast, I tell you. Having a job where I can use my contacts in the publishing industry has been great. I get to connect with other authors as well as publishing professionals.

What would I do if I had even more time? Wow, I get giddy just thinking of the nerdtastic possibilities. If I had more time I’d focus on learning foreign languages. I love studying them. In college, I studied Chinese and Russian. Right now I’m using spare time on Japanese and Korean. With what little time I have, I try to open an app once a day or so and study a bit. (A semester of Japanese at the local community college went well until a writing deadline hit.) It’s so hard to keep up with everything and not feel intimidated, but on the days where I’m hearing a language I’m studying and I catch a word here or there are the most gratifying.  The second thing I’d do, and yes I’m an overachiever/nerd/geek, is that I’d love to create an Apple game for iTunes. I’ve grown up wanting to be a developer, but I’ve always loved game development. I’ve picked apart source code with glee and tried to figure games out, but I’ve never had the time to devote to creating a game. I’m busy now, but I’m a die-hard optimistic. Even if I’m busy now with a family, a household, programming, and writing, I can slowly work toward my goals if I believe hard enough that I can do it.

Who needs sleep and food anyway? :D

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Thanks so much for visiting us, Shawntelle! For more about Shawntelle and her books, check out the following links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Here's the scoop on BITTEN BY VENGEANCE:

Bitten By Vengeance is the climactic finale to the Hadley Werewolves series.

Cursed witch Nevena wants nothing more than to destroy the dark evil that has escaped her coven's compound. She's outgunned and on her own--until a band of werewolves from Hadley join in the fight.

Drew is a cop bent on protecting his pack. Hadley has been attacked again, leaving him bitter and determined to do what's right. He will help the witches bring down what drove them to Hadley, but he refuses to get close to them...Until the curse on Nevena sucks him in.

Drew discovers what its like to love when Nevena traps both his heart and his soul. But he may lose them both in order to bring down the dark evil determined to destroy everything in its path.

Purchase: Amazon

Here's where the trilogy began:

Shawntelle also writes the Coveted series:

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favourite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit  us? Please email me at jenn (at) tyngasreviews (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

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by Tynga at Tuesday, July 22, 2014

 Shawntelle Madison, When I'm not writing  Leave your mark

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Kept by Shawntelle Madison

After reading COVETED, I dove into KEPT since it, too, had been sitting in my (virtual) TBR pile for ages. I wasn't sure what to expect from the love triangle and Natalya's continued drive to rejoin the pack but I was confident that Shawntelle Madison would deliver a great story. And KEPT is a fun book. There's lots of excitement, as Natalya prepares for the trials, the physical tests she must take to re-enter the pack. But Natalya's training is pushed to the back burner when her father doesn't come home after trying to pay his moon debt to Roscoe, the alpha of another pack. Nat takes it upon herself to investigate since her brother's baby is due at any moment and ends up on a very bizarre road trip, complete with mystery package and support group in tow.

I really enjoyed this storyline because it gives us more insight into the werewolf world. Madison's werewolves have a Code, which they take very seriously. It governs every behaviour and decision. A moon debt is a Big Deal and the stakes are quite high since failure results in death. And the drive is quite entertaining because Nick, Heidi, and Abby end up accompanying Natalya on her drive. I won't say too much about the details but I can promise you that the Coveted world mythology grows significantly as a result.

Another great part of KEPT is the fact that Natalya's struggles with her anxiety and OCD continue to be depicted realistically. She hasn't gotten better overnight. In fact, it's a constant battle for her, which seems to be an honest portrayal of the problem. As someone who does not suffer from these types of illnesses, it's hard for me to know if it's completely accurate but Madison has created a very sympathetic and likeable heroine in Natalya and her problems are just one aspect of her character. Thankfully, Natalya is making some progress and is able to push her worries aside in times of crisis, which shows a lot of growth. And it's growth she needs to face the pack's trials, which involve a 10-mile race, an obstacle course, and a one-on-one fight. I figured Madison would drag things out but she brings the matter to a head in the final part of KEPT.

The downside for me was the love story. I still don't really like Thorn, though we do finally get an explanation for why he left five years ago and never came back. It's not what I expected and it makes him a more sympathetic character, which is good. And it creates a whole new aspect of the world to explore. I can only hope that Madison will continue with this plot thread because I'd love to know more about this side of things. On the plus side, however, we do get a partial resolution for the romantic elements, which was a pleasant surprise.

KEPT is a strong follow-up to COVETED, the first book in the series. Madison is a talented author and she's assembled a memorable cast of characters. We have a little while to wait before the next story in this world but I'm sure it will be a doozy.

Read an excerpt

 

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by Tynga at Monday, April 21, 2014

 Adult, Ballantine, Netgalley, Random House, Review, Shawntelle Madison, Urban Fantasy, werewolf  2 People left their mark

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Coveted by Shawntelle Madison

I won this book when it first came out and have read it a few times since, but I've been pretty slack about writing it up. But Shawntelle Madison is a talented writer and COVETED is a fun book so I figured it was high time I get this review done.

Natalya Stavinsky is no ordinary werewolf. Well, on some levels, she is, but she's also something of an oddball, no longer a member of the local pack because of her anxiety and OCD. Ostracized from her family and belittled by most pack members, Natalya is a hoarder who takes great solace in her collection of holiday ornaments. And it's Natalya's issues that first got me interested in reading COVETED, because these are traits we don't see in UF protagonists. There are plenty of characters with problems but no leads that suffer from these types of mental illnesses. (Let me know if there are others in the comments, please.) Whatespecially great about Natalya is that she knows that she has to work on these problems and she is actively trying to combat her compulsions, with varying degrees of success. She's a different kind of role model: not the strongest werewolf, but one who is devoted to her loved ones, who works hard, who has a strong sense of honour.

Madison has surrounded Natalya with some great characters. I adore Aggie, one of Natalya's friends from a camp for werewolves with problems. Aggie's an overeater but that doesn't define her. In fact, it is just one character attribute, and one I forgot after a while since I loved her strength, her loyalty, and her compassion. She's also really funny. I'm also a big fan of the members of Natalya's support group, particularly Nick, a wizard with a hoarding problem of his own. We don't get to know the others as well but I was instantly charmed by most of them.

No discussion of COVETED would be complete without talking about Thorn, heir apparent to the pack and Natalya's ex-lover, who disappeared five years ago and is newly back in town, set to mate with the pack's resident mean girl. And if I'm honest, I have to say that Thorn is a jerk. He says he loves Natalya, which I believe, but he has agreed to mate with Erika yet keeps sniffing around Natalya. There are societal and paternal pressures for him not to be with Natalya but he can't leave her alone, which puts her in a terrible spot. I love romantic tension but this really didn't work for me. I just wanted him to man up or move on, so that Natalya could move on as well. And maybe get with Nick, who is clearly her soulmate. 

COVETED is probably one of the strongest debuts from 2012, and I would definitely recommend it. Natalya is a very special protagonist I plan to dive into KEPT quite soon, to see where Madison will take her next.

Read an excerpt

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by Tynga at Monday, March 17, 2014

 Adult, Coveted, Random House, Random House LLC, Review, Shawntelle Madison, Urban Fantasy, werewolf, Won  4 People left their mark

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