No Good Deed (No Good Deed Series, #1)
Author: Bill Blais
Purchase on Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Synopsis: "In
the last ten days, I’ve resigned myself to three things: Your kid’ll break his
arm the day after you lose your job; you should always look a gift horse in the
mouth; and nothing, not even ridding the world of demons, is as straightforward
as you’d think."
Kelly McGinnis has spent her adult life
trying to do the right thing, but as a newly down-sized mother of twins and the
wife of a man living with Multiple Sclerosis, she also knows that trying isn’t
always enough.
While interrupting a scene of police
brutality, Kelly unwittingly releases a real, live demon. After she manages to
kill the creature through gut instinct and blind luck, she is approached to
join a secret group of demon hunters who reveal an underworld of monsters and
magic.
Against her better judgment, Kelly
accepts the lucrative, if bizarre, offer; but when she meets Umber, a
compelling incubus with an unexpectedly human story, she learns that the truth
is far stranger and more terrifying than she imagined.
Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz
Review: Recently, I have been stuck in a slew
of books that have not lived up to the potential promised by the intriguing and
crafted blurbs attached to them. Thankfully, there have been a few times I have
been freed from the utter boredom so many of these books have caused but not by
many. Enter No Good Deed, which truth
be told I jumped into reading with reluctance and not expecting much. I mean a
mother fighting demons, not exactly a concept we’re (as in us readers) are used
to seeing playing the starring role in a supernatural fantasy. I quickly
discovered my all too judgmental attitude was way more wrong than it bargained
for! No Good Deed completely
surprised me in the best way.
Kelly is a wife and a
mother, and until recently, she was a gainfully employed wife and mother. Enter
an alleyway with a buffed up man holding onto a fragile old man while holding a
gun to his head and Kelly’s oh-so-normal-world flips over into the utterly
bizarre. Turns out the guy with the gun was a trained assassin and the old man,
well, let’s just say he isn’t as fragile as he looks. Kelly barely manages to
escape the entire confrontation with her life and limbs still intact but that
one little encounter brings in Denis Larocque, a well put together Frenchman
who leads a team of demon hunters. Throw in a pouch of ten thousand dollars and
a job offer and it seems Kelly’s oh-so-normal world just went straight to
hell—literally.
Kelly has become one
of my new favorite heroines! She isn’t the anorexic-perfect
features-can-kick-butt-without-any-real-training type of heroine. No, Kelly is
a size fourteen with sarcastic mouth and tougher than steel attitude. She’s got
the fierceness of a mother and the strength of a woman who has endured a lot
but hasn’t been beaten down by it. Kelly isn’t one to complain, she sees a
problem and she finds a way to solve it, come hell or high water. That’s one of
the things I really liked about her. She makes her decisions based on heart and
gut instinct. She will do anything to protect her family and provide for them
(anything that isn’t illegal that is). Kelly isn’t living a life to impress
anyone, she just wants to make sure her family is provided for and safe. She
doesn’t worry so much about the approval of others as she does about doing what
is right.
Denis Larocque is
sophisticated, honest, and oozes both money and power. He is kind when he needs
to be and protective of his team. He’s still a bit mysterious though since not
much of his backstory was shown in the book so I’m looking forward to learning
more about his character as the series progresses. Suni is a member of
Larocque’s team and has both the skills and attitude to prove if you mess with
her you won’t live long enough to regret it. For the most part I did like
Suni’s character and I could understand the chip on her shoulder she carried,
but at times I really wanted her to drop the ‘tude and move pass the anger.
Sofia is another
member of the team and one who still as much of a mystery as Denis, if not
more. She’s Denis’s second in command and could kill you with a look. Rachel is
quiet, intelligent, and more than a bit odd. She helps on the magical side of
things and always seemed to be out of it (in a
funny-sort-of-creepy-kind-of-way). Marianne is the bubbly member who oozes
positivity and charm. I liked her. She was cute and sweet. Paul is the other
member who handles the magical side of things, a nerd through and through with
a charm all his own and very wise.
Gerard is huge, Hulk-like strong, and kind. He doesn’t say much but he’s
way smarter than people give him credit for. Then last but not least, there’s
Mario. He’s young, well-trained, and playful. He’s the technology wiz and the
combat expert. Did I mention he’s also too good looking for his own good?
*wink*
There are also a slew
of secondary characters. Kelly’s kids,
husband, little sister, brothers and mother also make appearances. I liked the
fact that Kelly’s family came in and out of the story often, showing how hard
it is for Kelly to balance a normal family life with a totally insane job. Her
bond with her family is unyielding and the heart of what drives the story. The
action scenes were some of the best parts of the book, especially toward the
end when Umber comes in. Umber is an Incubus with some very tempting and very
dangerous powers. One touch from him and you’ll be transported into your most
desired fantasies, but there’s a catch, your soul goes up for sell the moment
you let him touch you. Umber didn’t come in toward close to the end so he
didn’t get a lot of scenes but definitely a character you will not forget.
There are only a few
problems I had with the book. Most are slight little problems except for one.
The biggest problem of the book was the overwhelming details of Kelly’s
everyday life. There were many scenes that could have been left out and the
book still would have worked because the scenes dragged out the pacing of the
story. I understood the need to see Kelly’s world with her family and didn’t
mind it the beginning and for the first half of the novel, but then I needed it
to stop being thrown in as much as it was. There’s also a lot of telling
instead of showing within Kelly’s narration throughout the book which also
dragged out the pacing. Kelly explained too much every little detail of what
she was doing or thinking and I tired of it. There’s also a good amount of
repetition. Not so much that you get beyond annoyed with it but enough that it
starts to be noticeable (or maybe that’s just me??) and frustrating.
Overall, No Good Deed was a nice little surprise
of a read. I jumped right in and enjoyed the ride. Kelly proves that being
ordinary is the best kind of hero and I am certainly looking forward to seeing
more of Umber!
Bravo to author Bill
Blais!
He has earned himself
a new stalker . . . I mean fan *wink*
About the Author: Bill Blais is a writer, web developer and perennial part-time college instructor. His novels includeWitness (winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Fantasy) and the first two books in the Kelly & Umber series(No Good Deed and Hell Hath No Fury).
Bill graduated from Skidmore College before earning an MA in Medieval Studies from University College London. He lives in Maine with his wife and daughter.
Where to Find the Author
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