Review: Deceived by the Others by Jess Haines

Posted November 14, 2014 by Carmel in Carmel, Reviews, Urban Fantasy, Werewolves / 57 Comments

Review: Deceived by the Others by Jess Haines
Deceived by the Others by Jess Haines
Series: H&W Investigations #3
Published by Zebra
Published on: July 1, 2011
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Werewolves
Pages: 351
Format: eBook
Source: Author
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
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They're here, and they're real. . .werewolves, vampires, mages, and other creatures of the night. For New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest, taking care of Others business started out as a way to stay solvent. But now business is getting very, very complicated. . .

Shiarra's relationship with sexy werewolf Chaz may be somewhat unconventional. Still, after a few bumps, Shia is finally ready to get serious. That means meeting family—or in this case, bringing Chaz's entire werewolf pack along for a rollicking full-moon weekend in the Catskills.

Soon after they arrive, threatening notes appear, warning Chaz to go home. Then their cabin is ransacked. Shia starts digging to find out whether it's the work of upstart teenaged werewolves or something more sinister. Yet as rumors about her vampire connections arouse the pack's hostility, Shia has to contend with other dangers. Not just from an adversary about to make his fatal intentions known, but from a threat that's even closer than she knows. . .

urban TOPREAD INFURIATING

When I first dived into this book, my initial thought was ‘oh great, another heroine takes a vacay story.’ This type of plot line seems to be a requirement in every Urban Fantasy series, and yet rarely turns out well. That is, until Jess Haines got a hold of it, and used it to transform the H&W INVESTIGATIONS universe from pretty good to fan-freaking-tastic! This was no holds barred my favourite installment yet with oodles of intrigue, betrayal, and mettle. You’re probably thinking that the werewolves had something to do with my 5-star rating, what with me being obsessed with them and all, but that actually couldn’t be further from the truth in this particular instance. Weird, I know, however Chaz has rubbed me the wrong way since day one, and in DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS he finally showed his cards.

This novel was more complex than the two previous ones in that there were multiple plot threads, and the overall mystery wasn’t as clear cut. Chaz and Shia’s relationship was at the fore, but there was also dissension within the Sunstriker ranks, and a pack of misfit weres out for revenge. The latter introduced three new supes to the paranormal smorgasbord along with equally wacky characters to match their unusual animals while the former helped put things like shifter hierarchy, and right of ascension into perspective. The second half of this story was brilliantly paced, and succeeded in really grabbing my attention, although I can’t say why without giving anything away, and this particular tale is best experienced blind in order for the FEELS to have their full effect.

Waynest has come a long way since HUNTED BY THE OTHERS both as a character, and as a hunter, but in this installment she was something else! I loved how well she handled everything the pack threw at her from power struggles, to hurtful insults, to rumours. At one point she does have a massive meltdown, although in this particular instance I think that it was justified, and the scorned girlfriend in me couldn’t resist egging her on. I also liked how Shia explored all of her options when confronted with a particularly troublesome problem; however her final decision surprised me even though it was ultimately super badass. Thankfully, I already have STALKING THE OTHERS on my eReader because after that ending I need to read it RIGHT NOW!

I missed Shia’s entourage in this installment; Sara, Arnold, and Royce do make appearances, but their contributions were small. Alec’s actions dumbfounded me, I mean he IS a vampire after all, and granted he probably does have ulterior motives, yet for the time being I’m firmly on his team. I really hope that the whole Dillon thing doesn’t come to pass because even though I fully expect this series to go that route eventually, I think it’s a little premature. We learn some shocking truths about Chaz—I just knew that he was too good to be true—and the riddle surrounding Waynest’s mysterious cabbie is finally solved, oh and his name is Mario!

DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS was superbly written with action out the wazoo; I can’t recommend it enough!

H&W Investigations Series

My Review

My Review



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Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!

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57 responses to “Review: Deceived by the Others by Jess Haines”

  2. kim { Book Swoon }  

    Deceived by the Others sounds action-packed, and I needed to go back twice to read all that happened in your review because it sounded too awesome. Lol. I’m wondering about the name now – Deceived by the Others sounds like that was really a big part of the theme. I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much and that the series seems to keep getting better (Vacation time in UF can be a good thing.)
    Happy Friday, Carmel 🙂
    kim { Book Swoon } recently posted…Young Adult Book Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

    • Carmel  

      I wrote this review like a month ago, so after reading your comment, I had to revisit it too cuz I couldn’t remember what I said. LOL! So far Briggs & Haines are my top 2 UF vacay story tellers.

  4. Amber Elise  

    Female MCs going on vacation DOES seem like a pretty common trope. Way to ruin an relaxing vacation though.

    I’m happy you enjoyed it Carmel! I haven’t read a good mystery in a while (decent – yes, good – few and far inbetween). And I’m happy you got your were fix! :p

    ALSO. I appreciate you using smorgasbord. That use is not used enough in my humble opinion!

    • Carmel  

      I usually have thesaurus.com open whenever I write my reviews; they kind of all blend together after while, so I try to vary my vocabulary. There are only so many ways you can say “good book.” Hehe!

    • Carmel  

      I actually asked the author about reading them in order cuz Enslaved by the Others had just came out when I received all of these; she encouraged me to start from the beginning. Now I know why. 😀

    • Carmel  

      I’m really loving this series; it’s so well-written that I’m inhaling them like potato chips—you can’t eat just one! Can’t wait to see where Haines goes from here.

  12. BookaholicCat  

    Every time I read one of your reviews for this series I feel like I should do like Bart Simpson with the chalkboard:
    I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series, I need to read this series…
    BookaholicCat recently posted…Cover Revealed: Storm Fall by Tracy Banghart

  13. Berls  

    I love infuriating books (except when they suck LOL)! It means I’m invested and deep in, so that’s a good sign. And I do tend to worry with the vacation/break story line. That can go so wrong, so I’m glad this delivered. I think I have book 1 already too!
    Berls recently posted…Book Blog Walkers Check-in 46

    • Carmel  

      This is true. Infuriating novels are either amazing or horrible, there is no in-between. I’m usually not a fan of the mandatory vacay installment, but Haines did good!

    • Carmel  

      LOL! You’re the second person who’s said that today, and admittedly I thought the same thing when I first saw the cover. It’s a great book, however definitely start at the beginning if you want to experience the full impact of the infuriating aspect.

    • Carmel  

      No dice for H&W Investigations audios. Sorry, Loupe! I should start including a note just for you to save you from getting all excited from reading one of my reviews only to have your hopes dashed.

  20. Melliane  

    I was so happy when I saw that you had a wonderful time with this one as well. I told you! so good! So many things and many surprises in this one, it’s impressive. I really didn’t expect all that, can we? great review!

  21. Danya  

    You know a UF series is good when it’s getting 5 star ratings by the third book! In my experience it usually takes them a bit longer to ramp up to full potential. It sounds like this series has an ‘ensemble cast’ kind of feel to it, which is my favourite kind of UF. Excellent secondary characters are a requirement – badass decisions are also a must. I hope “Stalking the Others” is just as good!!
    Danya recently posted…Review: A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire

    • Carmel  

      These books really do have a lot going for them, especially this most recent one. Haines’ really pulled out all of the stops for round 3, fingers crossed that this trend continues!

  25. Karen  

    I have the first two books sitting on my shelf. ANOTHER series I have to get to. I’m determined that 2015 will be the year to catch up since I’m rarely accepting ARC’s now.

    • Carmel  

      I expected more of the same when this series first landed on my TBR, but Haines keeps proving me wrong again and again. I wish I could say more about the werewolf, but it’s a huge spoiler.