BOOK REVIEW: Lone by Danae Ayusso

Book Title: Lone (Wolves of Haven #1)

Author: Danae Ayusso
Publication: February 6th, 2014 by Geeks on Ink
Genre: Paranormal, Crime Fiction

Page Count: 183

Goodreads & Amazon

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Akia de Wolfe was quickly becoming known as one of Boston's finest. After closing the Silent Ripper case, a promotion soon followed. For the first time since running away from home a decade ago, her life was perfect, until a ghost from her past, a mistake that she had fought to forget, calls. 

Coming home home to Haven wasn't something she never wanted to do again, but her father needed her. A serial killer was loose on the small island her family called home, and trying to pin the gruesome murders on him. Facing her demons won't be easy, but in order to clear her father's name and catch a killer she must.

The first of the supernatural, crime fiction series "Wolves of Haven", Lone welcomes readers to the wonders and mysteries surrounding around the beautiful and seductive Detective Akia de Wolfe, who happens to be the only female werewolf. After leaving behind her family -- prior to the novel's beginning -- Akia has worked exceptionally hard to become Boston's finest detective, whilst also developing a strong, intimate relationship with her superior: Captain Damien Nikas. Though, despite wanting to forget her past, Akia is forced to return to not only Haven, but the family she left behind to catch a killer that is framing her father.

Danae Ayusso has created a story that has blended Supernatural and Criminal Minds, with intertwining storylines threading together effortlessly. The characters are individual, humorous, unique and interesting -- both in appearance and personality; I can picture every single one of them perfectly. I looked forward to reading about the secondary characters the most, especially Akia's brothers and her father, Beowulf. However, at times, the secondary characters seemed to be over the top, erratic and can be extremely annoying, especially regarding their constant swearing, child-like fighting, nudity and sexual references. Yet, they did provide some much needed comic relief.

The Good:

- Akia de Wolf is a multifaceted character; she is strong-minded, stern and determined, whilst also emotional and struggling internally.

- The relationship between the two main characters, Akia and Damien, is believable and intimate. Whilst the two are dependent on each other, their relationship doesn't make the characters weak, but instead makes them stronger.

- The writing is witty and humorous.

- The scenes that involve crime, police work and murder investigations are obviously well-researched. Additionally, the dialogue in these scenes are not far-fetched and feel as though they are from Criminal Minds.

The Bad:

- There are an overwhelming amount of sex scenes and sexual references that do not do anything to move the story forward.

- There are a few spelling mistakes.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Lone to readers who are looking for a very interesting and new take on werewolves, and doesn't mind reading a novel that possesses numerous sex scenes and a lot of sexual references.

Madeline