I needed a break from golden age mystery, and with bad back pain, I needed something that didn't require a high degree of concentration, and where there was a high probability of violence so I could vent vicariously. Urban Fantasy to the rescue!

I generally love Chloe Neill's writing for its wit and snark almost more than for her ability to tell a good story. Luckily she does tell a good story, because this series has less wit and snark than her Chicagoland series did. It's not barren of humor at all, but it lacks the verbal dances Merit and Ethan and Mallory entertained me with.

Still, it's a good story line and Clair is a strong protagonist who does not engage in love triangles or damsel in distress crap. I was able to get lost in a post apocalyptic New Orleans where magic is a thing and the author explores the 'us' vs. 'them' mentality that is so very, very prevalent today.

Good escapist reading with characters you can like and cheer for. I could do without the book ending with a soft cliffhanger, but I girl can't have everything and I'll take soft cliffhangers over love triangles any day! ( )

This series is fun and all, but has anyone else noticed how often they talk about bottled water? Who is running the bottled water industry after the magical apocalypse? Where are the bottles coming from? Where is the water coming from? Have they solved the problem of lead in tap water? What happened to the Brita industry and reusable water bottles? Does anyone else find it problematic to be reliant on bottled water???? ( )

Listened to audio narrated by Amy Landon.

This installment has Liam off in the bayou after he was hit with magic, recovering and keeping himself separated from Claire. This among other things annoyed me a lot in the previous book.

In the mean time Claire has been hiding from Containment while gathering supplies and support for the cause. She's been working with Moses and Malachi to help manage her magic.

When Liam is framed for murder, they need to prove his innocence and head into the bayou to warn him he is being hunted. On their way they discover paranormals working the fields and dying from a mysterious illness.

The story flows pretty predictably up until Claire meets her mother, and we are given a lot of hints along the way what to expect. The author does her best to explain Liam's crappy behavior and repair the relationship between Liam and Claire but some of the chemistry from the before has been lost. Don't get me wrong they still have chemistry but I may need another book to believe in them again.

I enjoyed getting to know Moses and Malachi better, as well as other side characters, the author is slowing revealing various characters' back stories as the series unfolds, making it a much richer world.

I won't give away the ending, it took a slight curve from what I expected, raising questions and making the next book's possibilities very interesting.

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Liam hasn’t been back to New Orleans since the battle but that hasn’t stopped someone from framing him for murder. Claire and Gavin go out into the bayou to find him and warn him of the crime and bounty on his head. Liam and Claire solve the mystery by the end of the book and solve the mystery of some of Claire background as well. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m sure there will be more to read in this magic charged version of a war torn New Orleans.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
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Love this series

I liked this but not as much as the previous two books. I hope the next one is as great as I want it to be. I love her writing. ( )