Rabid Reads

Brazen
Series: Otherworld Stories #13.1
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Published on: December 15, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Werewolves
Format: 216 pages, Hardcover
Provided by: Purchased

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Dust jacket and interior illustrations by Xaviere Daumarie.

Subterranean Press is pleased to present a long Otherworld novella by Kelley Armstrong, featuring a number of full-color illustrations by Xaviere Daumarie. The Trade Hardcover of Brazen will feature a full-color dust jacket as well as four full-color interior illustrations. The Signed Limited Edition will have a completely different dust jacket, full-color endsheets, and two additional full-color illustrations not in the Trade.

Nick Sorrentino knows everyone in the supernatural world considers him the Pack’s playboy, the pretty but not very useful werewolf whose only reputation involves his amorous exploits.

Usually, Nick couldn’t care less what anyone outside the Pack thinks of him. But when it affects his hunt for Malcolm Danvers, a psychotic bogeyman from the Pack’s past, it matters.

Necessity forces Nick to team up with mercenary half-demon Vanessa Callas to run Malcolm to ground in Detroit. Together, they discover Malcolm is more deadly than ever. And he wants to play.

It’s time for Nick to prove he’s not just a lover.

He’s a fighter.

It’s been nearly two years now since Kelley Armstrong’s WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD series wrapped up, and I’ve been suffering from some serious werewolf withdrawals ever since. So, when I found out that Nick was getting his own novella I was absolutely ecstatic! I may have even gone a little overboard because I bought the limited edition from Subterranean Press, and paid the exuberant shipping fee to have it mailed to Canada. But, it was money well-spent because this book is beautiful both inside and out. The custom artwork is to die for, and Nick is one of my all-time favourite players so seeing him rendered speechless by a woman was a real treat.

This novella’s plot line follows the same format as Armstrong’s full-length werewolf novels in that the pack is tracking a mutt, only in this case Nick is taking point for a change, and it’s not just any mutt but Malcolm Danvers—king of the crazies. I loved seeing how grown-up Sorrentino is in this short; he’s still a ladies man but he’s got the responsibilities of a full-blown adult with a day job, three teenage werewolf wards, and pack responsibilities. He remains a player at heart, and there’s definitely more than a few suave moments in BRAZEN. I got a kick out of watching him try to be a role model to Reese and Noah while being upfront about his man-whorish ways.

Malcolm is hands-down one of the best werewolf villains out there which makes any story featuring him a surefire adrenaline rush. He’s a sick sociopath who’s as intelligent as he is cruel. I loved watching his clever plan unfold in this short because it really was a work of art but the bitch-slap-to-the-face ending was even more satisfying. Armstrong isn’t known for her romance and that holds true in this novella, however I enjoyed the flirtations between Nick and Vanessa, and can only hope that it may spawn another OTHERWORLD story in the future.

This special edition was almost too pretty to read but I simply could not resist the pull of Armstrong’s wolves. Nick is the ultimate one-night-stand material which makes BRAZEN the perfect one-sit read.

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