Genre:
Urban Fantasy/Adventure/Paranormal/Contemporary
Description:
“After
too many weeks as a New Mexico farm hand, werecat Roan desperately
needs to get out of town or he'll start eating idiots instead of
ignoring them.
But he
discovers an abused werewolf in the pen of a travelling circus, and
even though he can't stand the dogs, he decides to rescue his fellow
werecreature. He is unaware that Betsy, the idealistic daughter of
the local Sheriff, plans to do exactly the same.
Together,
they manage to fuck up a perfectly good rescue operation and Roan
catches a chest full of lead. Which isn't enough to kill a werecat,
but now Roan is on the run to Mexico with overeager Betsy and their
crippled werewolf charge in tow.
They
will have to overcome their prejudices and grow into a family if they
are to outrun the police, angry
parents, jealous fiancées and vengeful circus fey hot on their
heels.”
Author:
“Beryll
and Osiris Brackhaus are a couple currently living their
happily-ever-after in the very heart of Germany under the stern but
loving surveillance of their cat. Both of them are voracious but
picky readers, they love telling stories and drinking tea, good food
and the occasional violent movie. Together, they write novels of
adventure and romance, hoping to share a little of their happiness
with their readers.
Beryll:
An artist by heart, Beryll wrote stories even before she knew what
letters were. As easily inspired as she is frustrated, her own work
is never good enough (in her eyes). A perfectionist in the best and
worst sense of the word and the driving creative force of the duo.
Osiris:
An entertainer and craftsman in his approach to writing, Osiris is
the down-to-earth, practical part of the team. Broadly interested in
almost every subject and skill, with a sunny mood and caring
personality, he strives to bring the human nature into focus of each
of his stories.”
Appraisal:
What a
great fantasy adventure story. Sunchaser
isn’t at all what I expected after reading Softpaw
(the first book of this series).
Roan, a saber-toothed werepanther, is a loner and thrives in his
solitary existence, drifting wherever he pleases. Most of the
characters, with much story time, are strongly developed and diverse.
Since this is a road trip sort of adventure the scenery is constantly
changing, however, it was easy to imagine a sense of place
throughout. The urgency, tension, and danger in certain scenes was
also well written and easily experienced.
There
is a strong theme of family and personal growth in this journey,
which is examined closely. Though most of the adventure is told
through Roan, it is easy to see growth in Betsy and Martin as well as
Roan. Betsy seems to be a shallow, oblivious blonde at first. She is
the sheriff’s daughter and engaged to deputy Pembroke. Martin is
the name Betsy gives the poor abused, dim-witted werewolf she frees
from the traveling circus that came to town. Of course, Betsy thinks
she is rescuing a large abused wolf.
When
Roan checks out the circus that afternoon he can feel the magic, but
can’t identify its source. He is also enraged when he witnesses the
ringmaster’s abuse of the werewolf and is baffled at the wolf’s
cowering behavior. Through an act of goodwill towards shifters of all
kinds and, against his better judgment, Roan decides to liberate the
werewolf from his cage. The fact that Betsy was in the process of
trying to talk the wolf out of his jail
when he arrived
irritated Roan, not that he was trying to be the hero or anything
like that you understand, but he readily stepped in to assist. Then
things go wrong, Roan is injured and Betsy ends up saving them all
with a little help from the werewolf.
I
found this story full of heart as Betsy, Martin, and Roan develop a
mutual respect as they redefine the standard definition of family.
Roan’s self-deprecating humor is highly entertaining, especially
since he is a cat who now has a doggie. Poor Martin is slowly healing
as he puts on more weight and time passes, however, he may forever be
a huge good-natured dog with monster teeth. It was also fun to learn
a little bit about Deirdre Moonstealer, Roan’s globe-trotting,
supermodel sister. I can’t wait to hear more about her.
If you
enjoy easy-going, fun, urban fantasy, shifter stories, I think you
will find this one worth your time.
FYI:
Sunchaser
is book two in the Smilodon Pride series, however it can be read as a
standalone.
Contains
adult language with several F-bombs. No sexual content.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A
small number of proofing issues, however, nothing that threw me out
of the story.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 65-70,000
words
