Sarah's Reviews: Blood and Magick (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty-Hunter #3) by James R. Tuck

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…

Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: March 5th 2013
Author Website

I have reviewed the previous Deacon Chalk books before and they are one of my favourite series. Whilst I love that there are so many female characters being focused on in books these days, it is also great to see a really good male character.

This next book is much dark than previous books but it still brings all of the elements that I loved before, it's really action packed and I really like the other characters that he has around him.

This book picks up from the previous book with no delay. The first couple of chapters are all on action as Deacon and his crew have some witches and wizards after them. Throughout the rest of the book it doesn't get much better as more creatures come out to attack them. There is so much more too and without giving spoilers away, it is those extra stories that make these books so much more than 'just a action story'.

The best thing about the book is also there is so much stuff to still learn about their worlds and I am really excited about what could happen in the next book!

Start at the beginning and you'll end up hooked on this series, like I am!

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WINNER ANNOUNCED! Giveaway + Guest Post by James R. Tuck {Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter Series Author}

LOVE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD

by James R. Tuck

There is a thing in Urban Fantasy. It happens in almost every book written in the genre. It's okay that it does, because I would say it is the most common thread to be found in stories of ANY genre. I write about it a lot in the Deacon Chalk series.

That thing is LOVE.

Capital L-O-V-E.

The pitter-patter of hearts. Two crazy kids in a messed up world with monsters and supernatural shit trying to come between them, trying to kill the love they have for each other because love is the truest thing that gives hope when the world has gone dark.

The night waits for us all and it has teeth.

There is a lot of love in the Deaconverse.

There is the father and son love between Deacon and Father Mulcahy. Deacon learned how to hunt monsters from the chain-smoking, whiskey-drinking, shotgun-toting priest. The good Father taught him how to survive and stays by his side now that Deacon has taken up the good fight in a way that he can't. He watches Deacon as he charges into the fray, helping as he can whether it be with a shotgun, a listening ear, or an exorcism.

It once was Father Mulcahy's fight, but age and hard battle have taken their toll and now Deacon leads the charge. They respect each other in a way only combat veterans can understand. Without the good Father, Deacon would be anchor-less, lost in a world that wants to destroy him and then destroy humanity.

There is the brother and sister love between Deacon and Kat. They are together until the end. Deacon rescued her and would lay down his life to save her again if he had to. She lays down her life everyday, dedicating her time and energy to keeping his organization running smoothly. They are as close as flesh and blood, even closer than some. She is his kin through violence and bloodshed, bonded by the scars they both carry.

And there is the love between Deacon and Tiff. She is the one person since the death of his wife and children that has been able to reach through the knot of scar tissue he calls a heart. Her compassion grew into a love that healed him enough to find a little peace. Deacon is damaged goods. REALLY damaged goods. He lives in constant emotional pain from the loss of his family, harbors a death wish, and has a near psychotic proclivity to violence. He was a man without hope of healing in this world until Tiff entered his life. She had the compassion and the patience to bring him a small respite from his pain.

And he loves her for it.

Truly and honestly, he does. She'll never take the place of his one, true love, his wife. She was his soul-mate.

But Tiff doesn't want to. She never demands that he get over it. She took him where she found him, with all the pain and baggage and problems he came with. That's the one thing that allows Deacon to let her in. He would die for her.

He would kill for her, but killings the easy part. It's the living that's hard. Her love is what makes Deacon cling to her in his world of violence, and monsters, and bloodshed.

In the Deaconverse, love is the only thing that truly matters.

It is the reason to live and fight.

And isn't that true of our world as well?

About James R. Tuck:

James R. Tuck is a multi-published author of Dark Urban Fantasy, Crime Fiction, Horror, and Science Fiction/Fantasy. He owns Family Tradition Tattoo in Marietta, Ga and lives in the Atlanta area with his lovely wife, a cool son, a terrific daughter, and four kooky dogs.

He writes the stories that keep you up at night.

Author Website: 

www.jamesrtuck.com

Author Twitter: 

http://twitter.com/#!/JamesTuckwriter

Author Facebook: 

http://www.facebook.com/jamesrtuckwriter

Author Blog:

http://jamesrtuck.wordpress.com/

Blood and Magick is Available RIGHT NOW!

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…

The Deacon Chalk Series:

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Sarah's Reviews: Blood and Silver (Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter #2) by James R. Tuck

Deacon Chalk normally has no trouble telling innocent victims from real monsters. So protecting an abused pregnant were-dog is a no-brainer...until a vicious lycanthrope leader and his brotherhood target Deacon, other shape-shifters, and any humans in their way. Suddenly, Deacon is outnumbered, outgunned, and unsure who - or what - to trust. The only edge he has left is a weapon hungry for his soul and his most savage impulses. And using it will exact a price even this hell-raising hunter fears to pay...

From Amazon

Release Date: August 7th 2012
My Copy: Received from author
Genre: Urban fantasy
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corp
Pages: 352

Buy Book - Blood and Silver (Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter #2) by James R. Tuck

I have really enjoyed the Deacon Chalk series so far, I have had some reservations but if I look at the speed in which I read these books they have really gripped me. Now reading this final part (so far) of this series I got a little bit impatient when noticing there was no date for any more – let’s hope James R. Tuck doesn’t keep us waiting long!

A year has passed since Blood and Bullets and now Deacon is facing a new enemy and other various enemy beings like a T-Rex and a were-shark. The characters we are used to return mixed in with some new ones. We were introduced to Tiff before and I wasn’t sure how this relationship would form but now it is much more developed and although she can’t replace the family he lost but he can move on a bit.

This book is more gripping than the others with full on action from the start and like the previous books as much as Deacon is the main pull to the story, the secondary characters bring so much to the story. They all want to protect each other and James R.Tuck has done well to create a family of friends that bond well together and that becomes obvious to the reader.

The repetition that annoyed me in the previous books is still here but again I glossed over these parts as the rest of the book is developed and written very well. Blood and Silver is very dark, gritty continuation in the Deacon Chalk series and I can’t wait to hear about the next book!

Thanks for reading, please comment below x x x

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Sarah's Reviews: The Spider's Lullaby (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter 1.5) by James R.Tuck

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities take out any kind of unnatural threat. But between this bad-ass bounty hunter and rescuing the most helpless of victims stands the one evil he can't defeat... For Deacon Chalk, loyalty is worth dying for. And now that something has taken were-spider Charlotte's un-hatched children and one of his closest friends, he'll tear up the human and supernatural underworlds to find them. But with his allies stripped away by an invincible Yakuza hit man and time running out, Deacon must face down the most ancient of demonic entities. And his last hope means surrendering to the inner darkness waiting hungrily to consume him ...

From Goodreads

Release Date: June 26th 2012
My Copy: Received from author
Genre: Urban fantasy

The Spider's Lullaby (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter 1.5) by James R.Tuck

I have to say I was confused as to why we have a novella in this series after the opening novella I thought this series would continue book and book. Knowing there is a book after this you already know that nothing bad can happen to Deacon Chalk, why would it? The thought of anything bad happening to him makes me want to weep. That's how close now I feel to Deacon. The earlier books have told us that Deacon is incredibly loyal and protective and here we get to see that side again as he battles evil like only he can.

I read this book in about three short sittings in one day, purely because I had to find out what was going to happen. The repetition I've spoken about before was still here but in a shorter book it didn't seem as bad. This novella could be read as a standalone from the others but I'd recommend reading this series in order if possible so that you understand more about Deacon himself. It does work fine as a standalone but the real greatness of these stories is how he's developing and why.

This book will get you ready for the next book in the series, Blood and Silver - which will be reviewed here next week!

Thanks for reading, please comment below x x x

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Sarah's Reviews: Blood and Bullets (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #1) by James R. Tuck

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights. . .
Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl "hires" him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him--and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he's got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There's also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon's greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him.

From Goodreads 


Release Date: February 7th 2012
My Copy: Received from author
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Buy this book:

Blood and Bullets (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #1) by James R. Tuck

See my review of the novella for this series - Sarah's Reviews: That Thing at the Zoo by James R. Tuck

After reading That Thing at the Zoo I was interested to see what was next for Deacon Chalk. What first struck me was the repetitive nature of the story, we learnt that Chalk’s family had died and he misses them in the novella and yes to an extent you need to be told that in this book too. It just seemed too much and I glossed over that each time it repeated itself. Also I started to find Chalk’s character very arrogant as the story retold his physical appearance and again I glossed over these parts.

On the other side Chalk is a very strong character and not just in his muscular strength. With his two main allies Kat and Father Mulcahy his character becomes more intriguing. I’d love to know more about Father Mulcahy, maybe that could be in another series? There is also a big shout to other urban fantasy series from Sam and Dean from Supernatural to Buffy. Watch out for them.

The cast behind Deacon become the highlights away from the arrogance of the main character. These characters are very well detailed and they fit this genre and style perfectly. I found that liking the group behind Deacon made me like him more, although I’m not sure that was the purpose.The plot is easy to follow and gripping but the book lacks real detail about the surroundings until it comes to a fight scene.

This is another good build on the Deacon Chalk series and the next book Blood and Silver should hopefully develop these characters more. What these series of books do bring to urban fantasy fans is a grittier more bloodier story. Also Deacon Chalk brings something to the female market with that wrestler style bod, as arrogant as he is – it makes him worthy of attention.

I’m intrigued to see where this story goes next but I hope the repetitive stops as I really like this series so far.

Thanks for reading, please comment below x x x

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Sarah's Reviews: That Thing at the Zoo by James R. Tuck

Shredding monsters is his stock and trade. He sniffs them out, tracks them down, and corners them. End of story. But when the tables are turned, expect the unexpected.

Knowing his enemy is a rule Deacon Chalk swears by. But he's never seen anything like whatever is leaving the Atlanta Zoo's most dangerous predators bloodless, skinned, and hanging high in the treetops. And he's only got until sunrise to keep it from turning the entire city into a slaughterhouse.

Now Deacon is in zoo lockdown with a handful of staffers to save. His zookeeper backup has more guts than monster-hunting experience. And the only chance Deacon has to run this thing to holy ground is to unleash his darkest, most uncontrollable instincts...

From Goodreads

Release Date: January 27th 2012
Publisher: Kensington Books
My Copy: Received from the author
Genre: Fantasy
Buy this book

That Thing at the Zoo by James R. Tuck

*** Contains SPOILERS***

I'm never really sure what to expect from these novella intro type books. That Thing at the Zoo is the introduction into Deacon Chalk, the monster hunter. Here we are introduced to the main character and get a glimpse of the action and writing style that can be expected from the rest of the books. We learn already in this short introduction that his family were killed by monsters so now he hunts and kills them.

The language is raw and to the point, the descriptions of both Chalk and the monsters are clear in your mind which is impressive. The revelation so soon in this series about his family seemed soon for me and I hope this story builds and builds from that. That could just be my feelings of wanting books to have suspense and intrigue to them. I am intrigued to see where this story goes and I hope it builds further and further.

Tonight when I get scared when the rain hurls against my window and the wind hurls around my house I'll wish I had a big strong Deacon Chalk to protect me... where is he?

Thanks for reading, please comment below x x x

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