Romance Book Review: Shelly Laurenston's The Unleashing

Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series connection: Call of the Crow
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance
Publisher: Kensington

Purchase Link: Amazon

Shelly Laurenston starts a new series with The Unleashing. The series is set in modern day Los Angeles where clans of warriors that work for the Nordic Gods live among the rest of the humans.

In this first book Kera Watson, former Marine, is killed a back alley behind the coffee shop she work at. Vig Rundstrom, a warrior for God Odin, has spent months working up the nerve to ask Kera out on a date. When Kera is stabbed and killed Vig gets there just a minute too late and while she takes her last breath, Vig calls on the God Skuld to save her life.

When Kera wakes up to her new life, she finds out that she's now works as a warriors for Skuld. As a former Marine, Kera isn't sure she can handle what is expected of her.

Now that Kera is so close, Vig has a chance to be with her like he has always wanted to be, but first he has to help get her used to her new life.

The Unleashing is very much like most series firsts. Several characters are introduced and the background story is explained. I generally find myself laughing out loud constantly when I read one of Shelly Laurentson's books, but I didn't get that with this book. I like the characters but there was too much information for the back story that I felts the hero and heroine where underdeveloped and didn't get a chance to shine. I didn't really get a chance to see why they would make a good couple together. I did love Kera's dog and the fact that all the "Crows" loved her too.

I'm hoping that future installments of the series will wow me like so many other of her books have.

Description:

WINGING IT

Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.

In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life—but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.

But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.