James R. Tuck was born and raised in The South. Brought up on a steady diet of good southern cooking, country music, Jesus, and guns; he has always been a little weird. For over 15 years he has been a professional tattoo artist and owns Family Tradition Tattoo in his hometown of Marietta, Ga. Now he writes yarns about monsters, guns, hard-eyed men, and tough as nails women.
He puts the DARK in Dark Urban Fantasy.
His Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series is a thrill ride spilling over with violence and mayhem.
Here there be monsters.
Strap up, arm yourself, and hang on for the ride.
Blood and Magick (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty-Hunter #3)
by James R. Tuck
Synopsis:
Taking out hellish creatures—not a problem. Armed with blessed silver hollow-points and the ability to manipulate magick, he’s ready for anything—except betrayal he never saw coming…
Deacon Chalk knows the biggest danger in fighting monsters is becoming one. Just another day at the office for your friendly neighborhood occult bounty hunter. If keeping three helpless were-dog children safe means battling a malevolent trio of witches by any means necessary, so be it. If that means partnering with a ruthless government agent to stay one step ahead of the allies and friends he must now suspect, he’s not going to cry about it. The only way Deacon can save humans and shape-shifters alike is to embrace a power beyond his imagining, putting his team at stake—and his soul on the line…
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*ARC received from NetGalley
I've been called 'a guys' girl' on more than one occasion because of my tastes... I'm a sports junkie, the more things that blow up or people that get killed during my movie choices the better, and I am constantly on the prowl for books that disturb me or are dark enough to make me chuckle evilly and mutter a proud "hell yeah!". Well, James's DEACON CHALK series delivers and then some! :)
I have loved this series from book .5, and am a proud James R. Tuck fangirl. Immediately upon finishing this installment my first impression words were: "Wow James! They just keep getting better. This installment was even darker, grittier, more action packed, violent, snarky, & emotional than the 1st two, and dare I say... yes, very SEXY! :). Everything changed in this book, and SO many doors have been opened for the series. If it's even possible, I am even more excited for the next book than I was for this one."
Blood and Magick picks up right after the climactic events of Blood and Silver, wherein Deacon is enjoying some downtime with his crew. Like usual though, it can't last, and all hell breaks loose. There are some psychotic witches and wizards trying to kill them all, and an entire restaurant and movie theater are blown to kingdom come (and that's just in the first couple chapters!)
During the remainder of this adrenaline fueled joyride, Deacon and the gang must battle all kinds of creatures and tons of personal demons besides. There is more action than you know what to do with, betrayal, mystery, romance, heartbreak, and much, much more.
At one point (as I was cackling evilly and muttering my "hell yeahs") I wondered how much more I could take as a reader. Then I shook my head and thought, Bring It! and I'm sure James will do just that. There are hints of bigger and badder things to come, and even though it's hard to imagine how the series could possibly be any more intense than it already is, I personally believe that James is up for the challenge and I cannot wait to see what's next!
This series is a unique, fascinating and captivating thrill ride. The preternaturals are not sexy, they all want to rip your face off, most can turn your stomach with a glimpse, and based on Deacon's convictions, there is no gray area - magick is bad and bad is evil.
The heroes are damaged but lovable, the setting is believable despite the utter fantasy, there are tons of surprises, and despite the bits of closure we receive as the arc progresses, I'm not entirely sure that ANYONE really wins in the end.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Blood and Magick 4 1/2 Skulls and highly recommends this series to readers looking for a dark, gritty, action-packed read with heroes you can't help but love and villains you love to loathe.
NOTE: I do suggest that readers read the eNovellas that accompany the series in the order that they are meant to be read with the full-length novels. While they're not absolutely integral to the comprehension of the series as a whole, they do fill in holes and make the entire experience just that much more enjoyable.
More James, more!! :)
Blood and Magick
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