Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Death and Relaxation by Devon Monk Series: Ordinary Magic #1
Published by Odd House Press on June 17, 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 300
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Goodreads
Amazon, Audiobook
Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night.
With the famous Rhubarb Festival right around the corner, small-town tensions, tempers, and godly tantrums are at an all-time high. The last thing Delaney needs is her ex-boyfriend reappearing just when she's finally caught the attention of Ryder Bailey, the one man she should never love.
No, scratch that. The actual last thing she needs is a dead body washing ashore, especially since the dead body is a god.
Catching a murderer, wrestling a god power, and re-scheduling the apocalypse? Just another day on the job in Ordinary. Falling in love with her childhood friend while trying to keep the secrets of her town secret? That’s gonna take some work.
I need two more box graphics here – New Series and Favorite Author. Since I’m graphics retarded and they aren’t in our graphics set, that’s probably not happening. So I will just say it – I’m excited to have a new series by one of my favorite authors.
The world building is well done. It has enough to be interesting rather than being boring or confusing. There are gods which brings my fuzzy knowledge of mythology back to work. There are creatures too – vampires and werewolves, maybe a few more. The creatures aren’t exactly typical in construction.
The main character is Delany Reed, the chief of police, and she is the most developed. Delaney is strong and smart but she doesn’t take very good care of herself. Not exactly TSTL but I worried, especially with Death in the title.
I liked the characters and want to know more about them, especially her sisters, Myra and Jean. There is more to learn about the gods and creatures as well. Only a few mortal townspeople are introduced. And then there’s Ryder. He’s one big, old question mark.
There’s romantic possibilities which I always appreciate. There are two guys seeming to vy for Delaney. But really? Argh. Both the guys have some mystery about them. Jean has a little something happening, too. I enjoyed Death and Relaxation and it gave me some feels and questions.
Delaney seems to focus on too many routine things sometimes and not the critical issues. I figured out part of what would happen too quickly but there are plenty of mysteries and questions of mine to be worked out in future books. Luckily, at least two more books are planned and one looks to be available pretty soon.
The Ordinary Magic series
July 2016 Devils and Details
2016 Gods and Ends
About Devon Monk
Devon Monk has one husband, two sons, and a dog named Mojo. She lives in Oregon and is surrounded by numerous family members who mostly live within dinner-calling distance of each other. She writes the Allie Beckstrom urban fantasy series and the Age of Steam steampunk series. Her collection of short stories, A CUP OF NORMAL is a finalist for the Mythopoeic and Endeavour Awards. When not writing, Devon drinks coffee and knits strange things.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Thanks for the review. This sounds very interesting and enjoyable. I’m course and will be looking into the book ^_^.
Angela – it is very enjoyable. This is one of my very favorite authors. I loved this new world and characters. The first book in a series is always a little hard for me, being new, to understand how I feel. There is just so much I still want to know. Anne