ARC Review--Stalking the Others by Jess Haines

Vampires, werewolves, mages–the Others are very real, and wreaking havoc in Shiarra Waynest’s life. But now, she’s returning the favor…

Once, she was one of the good guys–or as close as a New York P.I. can get. Then Shiarra Waynest was drawn into the world of the Others. Every faction has its own loyalties and agenda. And Shia’s recent betrayal by her ex-boyfriend means that she may be on the verge of becoming a rogue werewolf at the next full moon.

Of course, with all the threats against her, Shia’s not sure she’ll live long enough to find out. The enigmatic vampire Royce wants her back in his clutches, as do two powerful werewolf packs, along with the police. Instead of going into hiding, Shia is enlisting the aid of her enchanted hunter’s belt and every dirty P.I. trick she knows. If she’s going down, she’ll take out as many of her enemies as she can–and hope that in the process, she keeps whatever humanity she has left…

I received this ARC from the author for review

Jess Haines' Stalking the Others was incredible!! And I have to say I love the new cover look! I think this makes a good Shiarra!

The book pretty much picks up where we left off, which is a bit fuzzy for me since I read it ages ago. Shiarra has been scratched by a Were. She is likely infected and has a month to find out. Time flies by fast too, as Shiarra is trying to track down Chaz and his pack. She wants retribution for what he did to her, Dillon too.

She finds herself teaming up with the White Hats in order to do this. But she has to stay under the radar, the police are looking for her for the murders the Weres caused. She is hellbent on exacting her revenge. It almost makes you wonder if the rage is coming from her near turning.

A good portion of the book has Shiarra dodging bullets, trying to find Chaz who is deep in hiding. Plus she still receives some open hostility from some of the White Hats, mostly from Nikki, while Bo and Jack treat her with respect. Yet, Jack still carries some distrust towards her.

Shiarra's emotions definitely seem to go back and forth in this series. First she hates the Others, then she sort of likes them, then she hates them again. Her prejudices are one of her most defining flaws, yet it's what makes her character so interesting, and it gives her room to grow. She's been through a lot, so you have to give her some leeway in her ways.

The second half of the book gets very interesting and contains spoilers, so I can't divulge in that area. But let's say when she does find Chaz things go haywire!

Royce, sadly wasn't in the picture as much. He popped up once and then he was there for the ending!! A little disappointing, but his second appearance definitely makes up for it. 

The belt is another issue, it's sort of scary how much of a character it's becoming. I think Jess has plans for it. We get a little more insight into its mind, although like I said, the belt is scary. We're talking about a spirit possessing a belt that can talk to you when you wear it. 

The pacing was good, even though there wasn't a whole lot of variety in the action, there was still lots of good action!! Shiarra is determined and no one is going to derail her from her goals.

There were a few loose-ends that weren't wrapped up at the end, but that's standard for series. Just hoping that we get to learn what happened with these characters and such the next time around! There was even a sneak peek at the next book, Forsaken by the Others, but I can no longer allow myself to read these snippets! They are too much of a tease and I can't torture myself by indulging.

Stalking the Others, a pretty good title considering that is what she does, was phenomenal! This is definitely a must read! And if you haven't read the H&W Investigations series, you really should! Shiarra, like I said, can be a challenging character, but I find myself totally invested in this series!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Stalking the Others releases July 3, 2012