The Pursuit (A Novella) Bk 4 of the Mind Sweeper Series by AE Jones

I cant help but love the way AEJ writes her characters, they feel so real, full bodied, passionate and I really miss them at the end of the books.

This is another novella, a short read but full of punch, storylines and it certainly moves the overall story along, but crucially fills in some missing areas.

Jean-Luc is a mystery and in the last novel we met Talia - AEJ gives a great back story to Talia and really enhanced how I felt about Jean-Luc.

There are hints of passion and erotica along the way, with a real will they wont they tension

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The ending is well done, with some good, bad and ooooh!

Really looking forward to the next installment.

The Pursuit

Shifter Wars: Mind Sweeper by AE Jones

The prologue is heart breaking – are Dalton and Kyle together? Or is Dalton truly gone from her life?   

AEJ is clever to catch up the reader in a few quick sentences, even if the beginning is a little disorientating to start with. 

Kyle has tried to move on with her life after the horrific ending to book one and is now in Nevada post quitting the Supe Squad and an unmentioned but well hinted at row with Nicholas her ex-boss. 

She is now a casino security person and this is how she soon runs into trouble in the shape of Kevin Doyle the Dalmot Demon, who is back and he seems to have a nice character fix! But he remains a demon; slimy and a thief!  

Kyle is still trying to deal with the new added bonus of absorbing people’s memories after her mind sweeping which is playing havoc with her emotions regarding Dalton and showing her all sorts of weird memories which she is trying to piece together.

When Griffin the super sexy leader of the Pack calls out to her for help to solve the current mystery, she is soon back into the swing of things with her old team and I was pleased to be back in the world of Misha and Jean Luc.  

So who or what is plotting against his leadership? Who is Thomas Wilson? And is she now half of the prophesied “Key of Knowledge”? 

Some great new characters too, I totally loved Beatrice, Griffins kick ass sister and little Trina is becoming a major player in this series. Glad to see that Booger/Mathew is back and playing a pivotal role as he is also able to give some light comic relief to some of the darker elements of this story.

Marie the ghostly Grandma of Dalton seems to now be Kyles “Guardian Angel” and boy oh boy does she need one, floating in and out of Kyle’s life with the hint of roses, she is a brilliant character with some great one-liners.

The brilliant TV references are still there and afford little smiles amongst the tension.

Loved the idea that despite being in a “pack” not all shifters are the same type of animal, which of course lends itself to some fantastic storylines.

All of AEJ characters have flaws, they have emotions, they do unpredictable yet normal human things (and some demon ones too!) which makes the story easily readable and not too farfetched, this has to be a believable world to be able to fully immerse yourself in and I just sunk to the bottom of the pool. I can easily get lost in these books, AEJ has such an easy way of writing and there are no errors to distract and her continuity line appears to be perfect, outstanding for such a new author.

So happy to read that books 4 and 5 are on their way!

Shifter Wars

The Fledgling by AE Jones:

AEJ does well with all her 80’s references and how she injects them into the storyline thus evoking some nostalgic flashbacks. Also included in those memory lane walks are little snippets of Jean Luc, that wonderful 400+yr old vampire from Mind Sweeper and he still remembers vividly his world before being violently turned.

Add into the mix his partner, Misha the Demon, both tasked with fighting to keep the supernatural world secret from humans.    I think AEJ missed a trick by not exploiting his love of calories and the 80’s explosion of fast food.

The duo are currently on the trail of a killer but so is Talia, a baby vampire and bounty hunter, as they clash there is a sexual tension that runs throughout which thankfully culminates in something easy to read, worthy and satisfying.

Through a series of conversations I could see the shape that AEJ’s vampire system, their “beliefs” and abilities take form.   I loved the Adam and Susannah vampire characters and hope to see more of them in the following series, what a tale their story would make on its own.

It is a cat and mouse mystery that drives the story with lots of character history and building going on in a very subtle way. You could read this as a standalone but I dare you not to want to read the first book; the one where a vampire, an angel and a demon walk into a bar…..

My only complaint about the book is that I was never actually told the reason for all the killing, but then do we know why any psycho’ kills?

The little bonus chapter at the end really showed off AEJ’s humour skills, if you were still unsure.  The mental image of a demon doing jazzercise had me in giggles.

Such perfection in the editing, layout and flow of story and spot on consistency, AEJ has proven she is has great skill and has most certainly not dropped the ball in her second installment, I was overjoyed to read of a planned 4th and 5th book.

Fledgling

Mind Sweeper by A.E. Jones

The opening line to this book kind of sets the standard – An angel, a demon and a vampire walk into a bar. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it's just another day in the life of Kyle McKinley.

Whilst paranormal romance is NOT usually my thing I was asked if I would be interested in giving at whirl – to which I replied, sure I will read the first chapter and see if I can continue, no promises and no offers of a “good” review either; author accepted.

Basically this an excellent murder mystery with demons, angels and vamps – plus some awesome teasing and sex, I could not put it down once started and was highly impressed with the world that AEJ has created.

Kyle is a human who can erase memories and from a young age has been employed by a supernatural protection group. This first story, in what promises to be a series (horah), opens up and explains the world in which she survives.

All the characters were well fleshed out, and each is given just enough back story to make you want to know more, but also enough here and now personality to feel like you know them.

I loved all the character descriptions which were given early on, nothing staccato, just gently blended in. AEJ managed to do this with all the differing demon information too. Filtering in little pieces of information without bombardment and overload. All the explanations are viable too, no stretches of the imagination needed here – we all believe in supernaturals don’t we??

Once I finished the book, I really missed Jean-Luc and Misha, the 400+year old Vampire and Shamat demon that she works with;  especially Misha with his addiction to TV/movies as it allows for lots of funny references eg Scooby Doo and Charlie’s angels, not to the mention all the cool films.

Other characters are there to enhance the story and never used as filler.  Even if we only get glimpses of them, they feel like real people.

From Joe Dalton, the cop who has all the women in a tizz to Tony the amazing empathic chef, who always has the best dish to fix any mood.  Kyle’s cat, called Booger, has the best story line ever.

AEJ does not appear to have left any supernatural group out and creates a world you can believe in; the legacy, lore, councils, families and businesses. 

Told from Kyles, point of view, the tense never wavering, a feat which is hard to do for an experienced writer, this was impressive, especially as all elements of the story are told this way, no break off gaps no jumping to other scenes or expectation of “known knowledge” and no sneaky “oh she didn’t see it but this is what happened”.

The twists and turns at the end are not contrived or flimsy in any way, I was expecting one thing and got totally surprised with another. I thought the ending was beautiful.

The editing is nigh on perfect I did not notice a dot or comma out of place and I want that powerpoint presentation on demons!

It is hard to believe that this is a first novel from the author, the story is complex, well thought out and has some amazing character building. This is a new author to watch and get behind. Let’s hope she does not stay in the shadows for long.

Mind Sweeper