Shadow of Doubt

Shadow of Doubt on August 7, 2019
Pages: 259
Format: eBook
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Hadley Whitaker is a liar, a killer, and a chocoholic, but she’s getting better about the first two. Or maybe she’s just getting better at them. 

Some days it’s hard for her to tell fact from fiction, but only one truth matters. Goddess willing, she’s going to be the next Potentate of Atlanta. Even if it means playing nice with Midas Kinase, a shifter whose mysterious past might just be grimmer than her own. 

When a bloodthirsty rogue begins hunting the city’s paranormals, Hadley ropes Midas into letting her work the case. But that rope starts to feel more like a noose as they come closer to discovering not only the rogue’s identity, but each other’s darkest secrets. 

This is book 1 in the spin-off series of the Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy and if you’ve followed that story, this features Amelie.

If you haven’t, you’re missing out! But joking aside, you won’t be confused, but you’ll be missing why Hadley was Amelie, and why she’s atoning for something huge.

At the end of the last book, Hadley told Linus and Grier that she wanted to take over the position of Potentate of Atlanta (Linus’ job). It’s not just a job, though, since the person has to bond with the city itself. Hadley wants out of Savannah and wants away from her family and her mistakes.

She has a year to learn. She isn’t super magical like Grier, but she’s not powerless either. In fact she has something completely different. She has Ambrose. (not spoiling that in case you don’t know yet)

The local gwyllegi (a sort of cross between a fae creature from faerie and a werewolf) have a murder on their hands. Normally they’d take care of their own, but the beta is Midas (beta here means second in command, heir to be next alpha). Midas is trying to work things differently than his mother, so he’s involving the office of the Potentate of Atlanta, and trying to work together. But he senses something about her. Something both familiar and intriguing. He sends one of his pack to partner with her for this case, and doesn’t realize it, but creates a love triangle.

This book is slower than I expected, since it relies on the previous series so the world-building is already there. But interestingly enough, I don’t feel there’s any repetition, so people coming in new to this series might not be confused, but they won’t be caught up on past acts either.

I’d have liked more action at the end, with all that build-up, but other than that, it’s a solid book and an intriguing new direction to take. I’m excited for more of Hadley, and I’m loving watching her grow into her potential.

***I got the book through Kindle Unlimited