Brazen by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Brazen (Women of the Otherworld, 13.1)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Subterranean Press (15th December 2013)
Blurb:

NICK SORRENTINO KNOWS everyone in the supernatural world considers him the Pack’s playboy, the pretty but not very useful werewolf whose only reputation involves his amorous exploits.

Usually, Nick couldn’t care less what anyone outside the Pack thinks of him. But when it affects his hunt for Malcolm Danvers, a psychotic bogeyman from the Pack’s past, it matters.

Necessity forces Nick to team up with mercenary half-demon Vanessa Callas to run Malcolm to ground in Detroit. Together, they discover Malcolm is more deadly than ever. And he wants to play.

It’s time for Nick to prove he’s not just a lover. He’s a fighter.

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

BRAZEN is a novella set in Kelley Armstrong’s fantastic WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD series; the story is set after the events of the final book 13 (review), with the North American Pack determined to hunt down Malcolm Danvers and deliver justice. The Alpha of the pack Elena has left Nick Sorrentino in charge of hunting down clues to Malcolm’s whereabouts, and it looks like finally the Pack might be close to getting justice.

I have been curious to read BRAZEN for a while, as it was one of the first novellas for the WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD series I was lucky enough to stumble across. What really sold the story to me was that it in it Armstrong would give us Nick’s point of view. Since first meeting Nick in BITTEN, I have to confess I have had something of a soft spot for him – he seems like he’s a really good friend to both Elena and Clay, but especially Clay. I also really love the cover of this book; I think Xavière Daumarie did a particularly good job with the cover for this novella.

The plot of the book focuses mainly on Nick hunting down Malcolm so that he can finally be dealt with. The narrative of the novella is mainly told from Nick’s point of view, although we do occasionally get Vanessa Callas’s – the half-demon Nick has employed to help him locate Malcolm. I really enjoyed reading the story evolve from Nick’s point of view; it was nice to see Nick centre stage, and not having to play second fiddle to his father, Clay, or Elena. I also liked the sense that like Clay and Elena, Nick has grown up and knows who he is and is comfortable with that. It was nice to see him interacting with Reese and Noah.

If you are a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD then be sure to check this novella out. BRAZEN really adds something to the story of the North American Pack, which I believe has one more novella dedicated to it.