Published by Oliver-Heber Books on May 19, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal
Pages: 306
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
"If you like Janet Evanovich and Mary Janice Davidson you will LOVE Cynthia St. Aubin!" -Savvy Reader, Reviewer
Someone is killing werewolves. At least, that's the way Vincent Van Gogh tells it when he shows up at Mark Abernathy's art gallery seeking protection. For gallery assistant and art history addict Hanna Harvey, meeting Van Gogh is a dream come true--until death follows the troubled artist to town and Hanna becomes the murderer's next target.
When Alpha Wereboss Mark Abernathy goes missing, a new wave of murders draws the attention of drool-worthy Detective James Morrison, further complicating Hanna's epic dating dilemma. Only absinthe-swilling bodyguard Toulouse Lautrec stands between Hanna and the malevolent murderer whose grudge runs deep and appears to be connected to the mystery of her bloodline.
Damning evidence convinces Morrison that saving Hanna's life requires ending Abernathy's, and she's forced to choose between protecting the man who holds the key to her past, or spilling her secrets to the detective who could promise her a future.
I’m thrilled to be chatting about Cynthia St. Aubin’s second book in the Tails of the Alpha Art Gallery series. I do recommend starting with Love Bites as there is a LOT of information in addition to the story being so much fun. I had the opportunity to read Love Bites (previously titled Once Upon a Werewolf) last year and it was so much fun that I bought it immediately (review |here|) BUT we finished up with a bombshell of information that left me itching for the next book. Not even the knowledge that I had pre-ordered the second book could soothe me. This review will be a bit vaguer than I would like simply because I don’t want to give away any twists.
St. Aubin takes us back into the chaos that is Hanna’s life starting with an intriguing prologue that promises danger. I binged Love Sucks over a couple of hours and have zero regrets beyond the intense craving for soft cheeses. If you’ve read the blurb, then you know that the artists are being hunted by something. The quick pacing and tension from the escalating threats had me rushing to turn pages.
Abernathy is his same broody self, but we learn a bit more about him beyond the fact that he is essentially sex on a stick and hundreds of years old. His disappearing acts still drive me absolutely insane and I have lots of wishful thinking regarding that unfortunate habit. Hanna’s character really had a chance to grow in this installment. We still have the same cat-loving, cheese obsessed, smartassy heroine but as she learns more about her connection to the paranormal world and danger comes for her, Hanna seems to find her footing. This is series is still a bit heavier on the mystery, not saying that’s a downfall, but we did see more of that little “love triangle” between Hanna, Abernathy, and Morrison.
St. Aubin is one of my go-to authors when I need something funny. Love Sucks has St. Aubin’s trademark humor and heart that managed to make me laugh-out-loud several times. I have a near overwhelming love for the colorful cast of characters that have surrounded Hanna and love that the author takes the time to create a well-rounded cast that makes such a fantastical story feel authentic. It was a fun, floofy read that I absolutely recommend! I’m already hankering for the next book after that mic drop at the end, but for now, I’ll entertain myself with reading the last of her backlist.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About Cynthia St. Aubin
I like gravy.
This has nothing to do with the rest of my bio, but I thought you ought to know.
About the writing thing...
I wrote my first play when I was six and made my brothers perform it for my parents. I charged gum wrappers for admission (a steal, in my opinion, considering I had handed out the gum wrappers ahead of time). While I seriously doubt you'll be seeing any of my formative work on Broadway anytime soon, I can credit these early experiments with the first of many important lessons I learned about writing: no matter how brilliant your manuscript is, some kid can go streaking across the living room, and totally undermine your vision.
Cue the lightbulb moment. People like funny stuff!
I never quite gave up on the writing thing, even as I earned a Master's degree in art history and spent a decade in the corporate gulag, but in those quiet moments when expense reports had been filed and to-do items checked off, the funny people in my head kept talking to me.
What came out was an amalgamation (vocabulary!) of all the things I love: funny stuff, art, psychology, food, people, and paranormal critters!
Et voila! The Case Files of Dr. Matilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist were born.
When I'm not sitting in my office watching cat videos and pretending to write, I like cooking, knitting (badly), wandering through museums, attacking late night Thai food with my face, and contemplating numerology.
I live in Texas with a surly cat named Patches.
