Publisher: Berkley
Where did you get the book: Purchased
Release date: Out now
Book One of the Stormwalker series. Allyson James also writes as NYT Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley
Half-Navajo Janet Begay possesses extraordinary power which is tied to the storms that waft across the desert. The only person who can control her when she’s caught in the storm’s evocative power is Mick, a dark-haired, blue-eyed biker Janet can’t seem to touch with her powers. He can wield fire and not get burned, and Janet’s never sure where he goes when they’re not together.
Together they investigate mysterious disappearances, which Janet fears are tied to her mother’s people, the mythical gods from below the earth. They are helped along the way by Coyote and Crow, but these shapeshifting gods have their own agendas.
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Ashley’s MacKenzie series, so I’ve been quite amiss in not checking out any of her other books. I rectified that mistake by finally buying the first in the Stormwalker series under her pen-name, Allyson James.
The beginning of Stormwalker was so confusing. It seemed as if parts of the story had already been told, so I went on twitter to ask was there a novella or short story that introduced this series. The beginning was off-putting and it took me awhile to get into the story. But once the flashback finally occurred, I found myself finally enjoying what I was reading, and I’m happy to say I have a new UF series to read.
I like that the world building is set around the myths and gods of Native America. Janet is a likable heroine, and her romance with Mick creates a steamy romance to get invested in. When Janet buys a hotel, and finds a body holed up in the wall, it ties in with the disappearance of Amy, the fiancé of Nash who is the Sheriff. Nash is a unbeliever and thinks skinwalkers and all this magic is untrue. He and Janet clash heads constantly, and his dislike for her doesn’t stay hidden.
Even though the main focus of the story is about Janet, the secondary characters created were just as strong, including Nash and his story with Amy, and his ex-girlfriend Maya. There’s a slight secondary romance with Nash and Maya who have serious history with one another before Nash took up with Amy. Maya I didn’t warm up to. Her reactions to Janet and some of the things she does I thought were overkill and overdramatic.
What I did enjoy was the romance with Mick and Janet. Mick is not human, and Janet knows next to nothing about her on and off lover. The mystery of Mick does get revealed, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was revealed in book one. It all ties in with Janet’s evil goddess mother, who is involved with the missing women. I enjoyed the supernatural mystery, though some of it was weak in the world building. I hope that in later books the connection between Janet, her powers and the world is expanded.I hope that more is revealed in later books, and there will be a deeper connection to explore with Janet and her powers and the world does get explored and expanded.
There is a high sexual energy that comes from Janet’s powers from the storm, and the tension between her and Mick is quite hot. My only issue with Mick is that he felt superficial, and I wanted more emotion from him. I’m glad I read this book, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as Ashley’s writing in her Mackenzie series. I give Stormwalker a B-.
I am glad you kept on reading, I really love this series. I am waiting for the 4th book to arrive. Did you guess about Mick already?