Friday, May 30, 2014

Rylee Adamson ROCKS! And so does Shannon Mayer

The Rylee Adamson novels, written by Shannon Mayer.


I cannot say enough good things about this series of books.  It's got everything.  EVERYTHING!  Magic, war, vampires, trolls, witches, ogres, the FBI, romance, shape shifters, alcohol, snow, Native Americans... and a really unique and different mythology setting the stage for a really enjoyable storyline.

We start with Rylee Adamson, who has been supernaturally gifted as a Tracker; she can find missing people and missing supernaturals of all types.  We also find out that Rylee's baby sister had been stolen from a park as a small child (this event sets the premise for the over-arching storyline of this series) and Rylee hadn't ever been able to find her.  To make up for what she sees as a failing, Rylee uses her Tracker abilities to find other people's missing kids and return them home. Rylee doesn't ever fail to find a child, except for her sister, whom she has accepted as dead.

Liam O'Shea is an FBI agent who is convinced that Rylee is a murderer and responsible for her sister's disappearance and subsequent death.  He has hunted Rylee for years, hoping to catch her doing something that will allow him to arrest and charge her and lock her away.  Despite her attempts to convince the guy of her innocence, O'Shea isn't willing to let it go.  Ever. And he's pretty much the bane of Rylee's existence.

These stories feature a "made" family that includes a witch, a seer (known as a Reader) who doubles as a substitute mother, a werewolf permanently caught between human and wolf, and a witch who... may or may not be trustworthy.  There are various friends, enemies, frienemies, Druids, a Harpy, and a dragon.  Seriously.  There are even zombies!  And while all this makes it sound like there's too much, like you could never keep it all straight, that's absolutely wrong. These books hang together and, surprisingly, don't get all jumbled and confused.

Anyone who's read my reviews knows that I don't do spoilers, but let me tell you that Mayer's writing is fabulous. Just introspective enough to let us get to know our characters, while just violent enough to let us know that these characters are in it for keeps.  Well... most of them, anyway.  Mayer keeps the action rolling, the romance building, and the characters growing.  She's a very good writer and these are very good books.

Perhaps what I love most about these books, besides everything, is that Mayer has created a pretty unique and unusual supernatural plane, called The Veil, that is just PERFECT!

The storyline flows pretty naturally, even though it's entirely based in the supernatural.  Rylee goes from challenge to battle to heartbreak to love to despair to fear... and you feel every beat. This is the sort of thing that makes a great character and I think you're going to adore this woman. Every victory, every loss, every wound, every betrayal, every kiss and hug and smile... Rylee's just your average, every day, hard-headed, smart, determined Tracker.  And she kicks ass!

Yes, I'm aware I'm gushing.  I know, this is not uncommon for me when I've found a writer I like, but I am having a hard time conveying my love of this series to you.  It's a really, really, really, REALLY good use of your reading time.  If you like urban fantasy/paranormal/romance/adventure books. And really, who doesn't?

Give Shannon Mayer and her girl, Rylee Adamson a try.  I am linking below to the first book in this series, but there are currently 6 more to read (devour, really) and love. These books are, ultimately, fun, exciting, romantic, and satisfying.  Also, I read the first 6 books in 8 days, which ought to tell you something!

Trust me on this.  You are going to love this series.  Click on the picture to buy book 1, Priceless.




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