The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans Series: Mystwalker #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published by: St. Martin's Press on December 24, 2012
Format: eARC
Pages: 368
Source: NetGalley
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I Have Two Words For Werewolves:
My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…
Bite Me.
Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again…
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Filled with magic, mayhem and a snarky anti-heroine you’ll gravitate to!
While I found that book starts off a little slow, you really get a good look into the life of the main character, Hedi Peacock which sets the tone of the story. Hedi is a half-fae, half-were, working as a Starbucks barrista, who has left her old name and life behind the night her family was murdered in front of her and she loses her twin brother, taken by the fae into another realm. Her quiet, simple life is short-lived when her aunt is kidnapped and she’s faced with the man who betrayed her family, werewolf Robson Trowbridge who just happens to be sporting an amulet similar to the special one she wears. To save the only family she has left, Hedi embarks on a journey that reveals the truth about the night she lost her family and forces her to accept herself and destiny.
When I first started this book I thought to myself: “This might not be my cup of tea.” The book introduces us to what I’d best describe as an anti-heroine in Hedi, she’s a thief, sassy and not so friendly. It was difficult for me to like her but I kept on reading, you don’t always have to love the heroine to enjoy a book, right? She steps up as a heroine as the story progresses and grew on me about halfway into the story. Hedi might not be the type of leading lady I’m used to, but she has a tragic story and doesn’t let that stop her from living her life, however unconventional it might be, that deserves credit in my book.
I really like that the author stepped out of the “perfect heroine/hero” comfort zone and created flawed characters that we’re unsure about. Hedi is rough around the edges but there’s definitely more than meets the eye with her, I’m looking forward to getting to know her better in the future. Robson Trowbridge is definitely Hedi’s counterpart, he’s a rogue werewolf who also has a tragic past that has made him cold and broody. Trowbridge is an imperfect hero that treats Hedi like a child for most of the book and while he started off being a little sexy in my eyes, I wasn’t able to warm up to him as much as I would have liked. These two characters share a past but their relationship is far from romantic, one minute they’re hot and the next they’re cold making it hard to believe up until the last half of the story. With all the chaos and forbidden romance element, Trowbridge and Hedi’s feelings are justifiable. The relationship between these two characters isn’t picture perfect but I think that’s what makes it work, I found myself rooting for them in the end.
The world building in THE TROUBLE WITH FATE is intriguing and the characters while flawed, do not lack substance. The pairing of fae and werewolves is new to me and Ms. Evans drew me in with her fluid writing style and knack for suspense. With its strong characters, action at ever turn of the page and some unresolved issues, this book is a terrific debut that will leave you eager to read more of Ms. Evans stellar work. The Trouble with Fate is one of those rare gems you stumble upon accidentally and wins you over by the last page!
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