Review: Blood Law by Karin Tabke

Title: Blood Law Series: Blood Moon Trilogy #1 Author: Karin Tabke Publisher: Berkley Trade Format: Trade Paperback, 336 pages Published: May 3, 2011 ISBN #: 9780425240922 / 0425240924 Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance My Copy: bought Rating: Buy: For all eternity, only one thing shall separate them–until the Blood Law is avenged… The coming of the Blood Moon will lead two Lycan packs into war, spur two rival brothers into conflict, and spark an act of vengeance so evil that its effects will be felt for generations. One woman stands at the center of it all… As undisputed Alpha, Rafael must choose a life mate to preserve the dominance of his Lycan pack. He never suspected, his mate would be a human, the same wounded, girl-woman he seduces from the brink of death. Falon is a dangerous combination of Lycan and Slayer–beings bred to destroy his kind. Even more, she’s a mesmerizing beauty whose sensuality tempts the seasoned warrior to take unnecessary risks. The primal heat between them is irresistible, yet surrendering to it could destroy them both…for a vengeful foe stands ready in the shadows to fulfill what is rightfully his by Blood Law.

I was well past due for a good wolfish tale so I greedily dove into the Blood Moon Rising Trilogy with high expectations. It seemed like everyone had read it but me. I should have read a couple of reviews before committing because I had no idea what I was getting myself into until it was too late. I reasonably enjoyed Blood Law but Bloodright was another story entirely which makes this review a little tricky to write because I need to try and keep the two books separate. There’s plenty of action and toe curling moments in this installment but there’s also a few shocking, borderline repulsive ones as well. I should have taken these as a warning of things to come but I didn’t. I figured that Tabke wouldn’t *go there* but to my horror in book 2 she does.

The story starts off with a brief prologue that covers the myth of fenrir, the origins of Lycans/Slayers and the definition of the Blood Law. I enjoyed all of these elements because as a werewolf fanatic I’m always hungry for lore. I’ve already read several versions of fenrir’s tale and enjoyed Tabke’s rendition. Admittedly, it was a little dry but most mythology is so I won’t hold that against her. I liked Karin’s wolves from the get-to; they’re animal first, human second and the story proves that in a big way. The pack is life and its members live and die by their lycan laws. The thing that I enjoyed most about the side characters was how rough around the edges they are. For the most part, they run on instinct, fight when their alpha orders it and bone like they’re in heat the rest of the time.

There’s a nice, balanced mix of adventure and passion in Blood Law but the timing of Tabke’s information dumps definitely threw off the overall pacing of the story in a big way. The characters are fighting for their lives and then all of a sudden the chapter breaks off into a flashback or a introspective moment then bounces back to the battle. It really messed with my emotions and, as a result, I had a hard time getting really “into” the story. I liked the action and the details, just not the way they came together.

Rafael has a dream about getting it on with Falon in his wolf form that was disconcerting but I shrugged it off. If that sentence made you feel even a little bit uncomfortable, then you should probably skip the next installment. Just saying… Other than that I have no major complaints about this one. The story’s interesting, the characters mesh well together and the sex is sizzling; I just didn’t particularly enjoy the delivery. Blood Law is a fun read with plenty of down and dirty action from both sides of the bedroom door.

Books in this series:

Recommendation:	A good book for readers who like their wolves to be as raw as their erotica.
Like this, like that:	The Moon Shifter series by Katie Reus, the Changeling series by Dani Harper and the early books in Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson Guardian series.

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