Bark at the Ghouls

Still cleaning up my database one old review at a time.

I must have started and stopped this book at least twenty times or so in the past few months, always putting it aside for something more pressing. I chalked it up to being over-extended but when I finally had a day to lounge around and do nothing but read I still had a heck of a time getting through it. And because I can’t pinpoint anything in particular that was wrong with the story, I am completely frustrated. The premise sounded good enough adventure, lust, and magic and all of my friends loved it to pieces (and shoved it upon me, curse them) but I just can’t share their enthusiasm for it. It dragged on for chapters at a time, hooking me for a moment and then losing me again. I really had to struggle to stick with it so for that I can only give it three stars.

Gabriel is a newly retired soldier who stumbles upon a fight, jumps in to help and is asked to deliver a message from the dying man. Gabriel, having nothing much better to do than find a dull wife and start making babies, doesn’t refuse and travels to Mongolia. This is how he meets Thalia and how he gets involved in a mysterious world of secret hidden magic after joining her on an action packed mission to find and protect a valuable “Source” (of magic). She is unlike any woman he has met but, as even he admits, he hasn’t met many women other than the working kind while he’s been in the military. Still, he deems her much more attractive than the delicate, boring ladies of England. She resists the temptation that is Gabriel for 100 or so pages which felt more like 1000 because she was burned in the past by some other guy. But, hot damn, he’s physically gorgeous and perfection personified so you all know how this ends, right?

Sadly, as much as I tried, I never shared in the chemistry between Gabriel and Thalia. Sure I was told they exchanged lots of lusty thoughts and smoldering looks in between trying to save the world from evil-doers but I wasn’t feeling it like I should have. I did enjoy the unique Mongolia setting and appreciated all of the research the author clearly put in to bring the place to vivid life. And though Warrior had a good solid story with non-annoying characters it didn’t resonate with me in any way. There was a lot of action and adventure as well as plenty of one on one time with the characters so I can’t say it was boring but I too often found it difficult to stay interested even during the spicier scenes (true story I’m afraid to admit). Right now I am annoyed at myself for buying the rest of the books in this series brand new before even reading this one and seeing if I liked the style of the author. Ah well, lesson learned.

If there is anyone out there who had a similar experience and then went on to read book 2 can you tell me if it’s more of the same?