Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: Nikki Glass is no regular private investigator. Instead she is a descendant of the goddess Artemis. She uses the gifts she receives as a descendant to help her clients solve their cases. Will her gifts uncover more than what is being asked of her in her latest case?Opening Sentence: Playing hide and seek is fun when you’re a kid.The Review:Nikki Glass is a decedant of the goddess Artemis. As such she uses her powers for good and helps others as a private investigator. During Nikki’s latest case nothing seems to add up. It is up to Nikki to get to the truth and protect her client’s life in this novella by Jenna Black. I thought this was a good story but it was too short for me and seemed a bit dry. I enjoyed the plot line and the story itself but it just needed something big to make an impact. There was no scene where I went — wow I’ll remember this scene for a while. Nevertheless, it was still a well written and worthwhile book.Nikki Glass is a short, delicate looking woman but behind her looks is a strong, independent, and kind woman. Her mother abandoned her when she was young, but instead of giving up, it pushed her to become something more. She has powers that she received from her ancestor, Artemis. Many people would abuse these powers or use them for selfish reasons, not Nikki. Instead, Nikki uses her powers to solve cases. I liked Nikki. She sticks up for her clients even when they are not always the greatest people but, at the same time she makes sure they do not get away with crimes.I was not a big fan of Heather, the client from the beginning. Jenna Black did a wonderful job making you know that something was off about her and to not trust her. Heather was the type of woman who had a hard childhood and thought that because of this fact she could do whatever she wanted and blame it on her childhood. Also, she knows she is good looking and uses her looks to hurt people.Jenna Black wrote the story so well that one moment you hate those who are in the wrong and then in the next minute you are thinking, well that is a bit harsh and you want to help protect them. This is how I felt about Heather and Doug. I wanted to see justice done but I think that what was planned for them may have been a bit extreme. Thankfully for these two they have Nikki on their side, and she will do whatever she can to see that justice is served the right way.I have never read the full length books in the Immortal Huntress series but would give them a try after reading this. For many this book is good because it is short and very easy to follow. For others like myself there was not enough plot twists or other things that made this a must read over and over again type book. Either way it is worth reading at least once.Notable Scene:“My first thought was to use Heather and Doug as bait and try and lure Fowler into doing something incriminating that I could catch on video.”Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh brilliant!” he said. “Because this Fowler guy is likely to come after tweedledum and tweedledumber personally.” It’s not like he might, you know, send one of his hit-man buddies to take care of the problem for him.”FTC Advisory: Pocket Star/Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Pros and Cons. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. I’m a big fan of crossgenre books, especially when the crossing is crime with dark fantasy. Supernatural detectives rock my boat, you might say, so I’m always interested to find a new (to me) series. Pros and Cons fits the bill very nicely, even though it’s not the beginning of the series; this novella is actually the third publication in the chronological list but is not labeled as #3 because it’s not a full-length novel. To my way of thinking, a mid-series novella or short story is a perfect way to introduce a new reader to that series and it certainly worked its magic on me.I love the idea that Nikki Glass is a descendant of Artemis because, after all, what is a private investigator if not a huntress? I’m pretty sure I didn’t get a really good taste of Nikki’s story because there’s not much about her cohorts in this novella. That’s OK, though, because I needed to know that the crime element of this series is not just a throwaway side story to the paranormal theme. Nikki is a bona fide detective and I can learn more about her friends and colleagues, as well as her romantic life, when I delve further into the series.In Pros and Cons, Nikki takes on a “normal” case to give her an excuse to stay away from her supernatural environs for a little while but, early on, she realizes that something is not quite right about her new client. All the mythological trappings were lingering off to the side and I fell in love/like with Jack when he got involved. Jack is a descendant of Loki, the Norse trickster god who’s fun and devious and more than a little bit of a bad boy. Jack was the icing on the cake of a decent little tale of crime and I’ll be glad to see these folks again when I go back to book #1, Dark Descendant. I have some catching up to do!Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2013.
What do You think about Pros And Cons (2013)?
Novella with just a short story and no interaction with the primary characters. Not worth the time.
—ohlee456
This was a pretty good short novella. It was a fun, light read.
—Zee
