Full Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

Published by: Orbit

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars 

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.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can’t control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there’s no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.

My Review:

Full Blooded is a fast-paced, thrilling read that paranormal and urban fantasy readers do not want to miss.  That’s right, if you enjoy paranormal reads then Full Blooded is a “must-read.”

When Jessica suddenly and unexpectedly shifts into the only female werewolf, her world and the entire supernatural world is thrown into upheaval.  The superstitious werewolves are afraid she will bring their doom, the vampires want her for their own mysterious reasons, and the humans are suspicious of her.  The action begins from the first page and doesn’t let up through the entire book.  Jessica’s family and close friends are determined to protect her, but there are more enemies than friends. Colin, the mercenary tasked to gain information on Jessica, brings both danger and desire into Jessica’s already chaotic life.

I really loved reading Full Blooded.  I like the characters, the setting, the paranormal structure, and even the superstitions.  Jessica is a kick-butt heroine who undergoes a major life change and she handles everything very well.  The author, Amanda Carlson, does an excellent job of setting plot-lines with superstitions and prophesies in the paranormal community and with her character development and backgorund.  There is a good balance of action and romance.  The romance is not very heavy in this book, but it’s there, and promises to deliver more in the future.  I did feel that there were a few places in the book that could have used a little bit more development or been smoother.  But, other than those minor things, Full Blooded is a fantastic read.

The only other real critique I have is that the book ended too soon, I want more!  When the book ends, I felt like the overall story was just getting started.  I am so very excited to continue this series and to see where the characters go, what their actions will be, and what paranormal species will be introduced next.  So, you shifter and paranormal readers, you don’t want to miss this series.