Mane Attraction by Nicolette Reed

Title: Mane Attraction (A Soulstealer Novella, Book 1.5)
Author: Nicolette Reed
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Nicolette Reed (14th November 2012)
Source: Nicolette Reed, the author.
Format: E-book
Blurb:

Being a demon trapped in an elves body seemed a prison at first, but Mane has gotten used to his new home in the Riparian forest amongst the elves. When the waters of Lake Mavrovo start to run red it seems a sure sign that the demon king that cast him out may rise again. In order to investigate he will need to navigate the dominion of the selkie, and they aren’t known for playing nice.

Going from an apartment in the suburbs of Seattle to living in a castle at the bottom of a lake in the Realms was one change that Kit had to get used to, being half-selkie was another. Now she has to get used to the changes she undergoes after the selkie sleep. One that involves bloodlust and lust of a whole different kind. A problem she is hoping Mane will help her with.

Rating: ****(4 stars)
Review:

I really enjoyed Fae Hunter (read my review here) the first book in the Soulstealer ‘verse, so when Nicolette kindly offered me the chance to read this book I jumped at the chance. This book really lived up to my expectations. It is very definitely an adult book, as there are “sexy times” in it – so not one for younger readers!

One of the things I most enjoyed about Mane Attraction was that it was told, at least partly, from Kit’s point of view. We first meet her in Fae Hunter and she is very definitely young in that book but in this book we get to watch her grow and develop (okay, there’s a little bit of fast-forwarding because of the “selkie sleep”, but I thought this was a neat idea). Reed did a brilliant job capturing these changes, and showing how uncomfortable at times Kit felt in her own skin. I also loved the way that Reed wrote the relationship between Kit and her mother, that it wasn’t all hearts and flowers – that it was actually a complicated one.

Mane was, to me at least, the most interesting character in the book. I liked the idea that he was a demon trapped in an elf’s body, and the fact that this caused a lot of conflict for him. Mane wasn’t quite what I thought, as he isn’t quite as demon as I thought he might be (though I’m sure he’d argue that), but he is a brilliant male protagonist and narrator and I really enjoyed reading his interaction with Kit – and also with his father.

The plot of this book was really interesting, and definitely fits well in the paranormal romance/urban fantasy category. There were a lot of twists and turns. My only little gripe is that the novella ends on a cliff-hanger, with the hint that events will be resolved in Fae Guardian – and there are six teaser pages of that to keep the reader happy! I cannot wait to get started on the second book in the Soul Stealer Trilogy!

If you are looking for a fun paranormal romance/urban fantasy then you should definitely consider checking out this series!