Early Review: Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Full Blooded
(Jessica McClain #1)
Amanda Carlson

Release: September 11, 2012

Amazon Release: Available NOW!

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Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared.
After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

Also check out my interview with the author Amanda Carlson HERE

This book took me on a great ride that made me not want to put it down! I was completely sucked in by the exceptional characters, fast-paced action, and lots of twists and turns.

Full Blooded is the first in a new urban fantasy series that centers around the Northern U.S. Pack of werewolves. There are other paranormal beings (witches, vampires), but the wolves are the focal point. Our main character is Jessica, daughter of the Pack's Alpha and new to being a werewolf. The story begins with a bang as we watch Jessica change for the first time. Jessica is the first of her kind, and to make matters worse it was predicted that if she became a wolf it would lead to the demise of her Pack. This is a really interesting concept that I haven't read before. Typically the issue revolving around females in shifter books is that there aren't many of them or that they need to be protected so they can breed. This concept takes that idea step further - there aren't any female werewolves.

Jessica is strong and smart, not without her flaws, but with very few stupid moments that made me scratch my head. For the first few chapters I had a difficult time not comparing this series to Rachel Vincent's Shifters series - the way Jessica is loved by some and reviled by others, the ever so plenty number of male wolves hanging around, the family structure of the Pack and the fact that Jessica is the daughter of the Alpha - it was just really hard not to make those comparisons. And while I adore the Shifters series, the main character, Faythe, grates on my last nerve for more than half the series and I was fearful of getting involved in another series where I want to strangle the heroine. I even put the book aside for several weeks.

Imagine my surprise when I finally got back around to Full Blooded and devoured the rest of the book in one day! Jessica is nothing like Faythe. Although there are many similarities to the other series, this book shines all on its own and does not read like Shifters at all (again, I want to say that I love that series, I just didn't want to read a copy and I didn't want another Faythe).

This series does have a plethora of men to adore, and adore them I do. Here's a little rundown of the men in Jessica's life:

Tyler: Tyler is Jessica's brother and, obviously, the Alpha's son. He is a strong fighter who is fiercely protective of Jessica. They have a close bond and a secret connection that begins when she changes for the first time.

Nick: A shifter, but not a wolf, Nick is Jessica's close friend and buddy, as well as her partner at her human P.I. job.

Danny: A trusted member of the Pack, Danny oversees the Pack members living in the city away from the Pack. He is a little overly independent at times for a werewolf, and his accent helps to make everything out of his mouth sound clever.

James: Dark, serious, and sexy - that's James. He is the Alpha's second and his body is to die for. We even get a little glimpse of him at his sexiest in Full Blooded. Don't forget his delicious Irish brogue.

Rourke: Another shifter who is not Pack, but don't ask him what kind of shifter he is, Rourke's trustworthiness is always in question since he is a hired mercenary famed for his skills and his ruthlessness. He is well-built, strong, and sexy galore. He has a complicated chemistry with Jessica that we just don't know whether or not to trust.

(Callum McCain) The Alpha: Jessica and Tyler's father is the Alpha of the Northern U.S. Pack. He has a reputation for being the strongest of all the Alphas. He is respected and he is fair.

See what I mean? A lot of men to keep track of. By halfway through the book I really wasn't having any difficulty keeping them separate, but occasionally I would confuse two characters. They are all wonderful characters, though some get more fleshed out than others. I hope as the series continues we get to know more about each of these yummy men.

Fans of shifters stories and urban fantasy with likable heroines will love this start to a new series. Oh, and there is romance in this book, the kind that I love in my urban fantasy. This is decidedly not a paranormal romance, but those of you that need a little heat between those fight scenes won't be disappointed. In the next book I expect we might get even more steam. This series is definitely one to watch!

Recommended for fans of: strong but affable heroines, a delicious harem of male side characters, werewolf stories, Vincent's Shifters series, and great urban fantasy.

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