Review: Beast Coast – J.C. McKenzie

Beast Coast Book Cover Beast Coast
A Carus Novel Book 2
J. C. McKenzie
Urban Fantasy
The Wild Rose Press, Inc
December 1, 2014
332

Sometimes the greatest danger comes from within…

When Master Vampire Lucien Delgatto threatens her potential mate Wick’s life, Shape Shifter Andrea “Andy” McNeilly will employ a den of witches, a bedazzled thong, and her ability to shift into multiple animals to meet his demands. She plans to keep Wick safe—even if she’s not speaking to him. Lucien’s unwelcomed control over Wick's life has thrown Andy into a whirlwind of emotions. Though Wick vows to do whatever it takes to earn Andy’s forgiveness and win back her trust, it may be too late.

This recent conflict awakens something within Andy, an animal she’s never learned to control. For hidden beneath all her forms is a beast whose anger and brutality rivals none. And she’s pissed.

Reviewed by: Linda Tonis

Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team

Andy McNeilly, an assassin for the Supernatural Regulatory Division, is ready to face Lucien the Master Vampire, with the hopes that her debt to him for attempting to kill his human slave Clint would finally be satisfied. Unfortunately, Lucien had something totally different in mind. Since Andy did not bring Ethan’s head personally to him, he still feels she owes him. When Lucien discovers Wick, the werewolf alpha, has kept things from him, he decides to punish both Wick and Andy.

Wick has no control over anything that Lucien orders him to do. When he is ordered to hold Andy down while Lucien blood bonds with her, he is devastated but unable to refuse his order. Now Andy is a blood slave to Lucien and belongs to him. Andy knows Wick had no choice, but she still can’t get over her feeling of being betrayed by him. All she can think about is if Lucien ordered Wick to do even more harm to her, he would do it. Her wolf feels he is their mate, but Andy cannot commit to it.

When Tristan, the leader of the Wereleopard pride, comes to Andy she feels the same kind of sexual attraction toward him as she does to Wick. Her mountain lion is sure he is their mate. Now she finds herself drawn between two men who want her to commit to them, and she is unable to make a decision. While trying to answer Lucien’s commands, trying to decide which man she wants, and finding out about her biological parents, what being a Carus really is, she also finds herself trying to find the demon responsible for possessing humans and attacking supes. Is it really a demon doing the possessing?

Andy knows that in addition to her three feras, mountain lion, peregrine falcon, and wolf, she has a beast living inside her, a beast that if let free would be deadly to everyone around it. In spite of everything going on around her she never loses her sense of humor and her stubbornness and determination. She is quite a woman.

Lucien insists that Andy find who is possessing humans and bring them to him. His demands become stronger after he himself is attacked. The only hope for her is to enlist the aid of a demon. She goes to her neighbors who are witches to call one. The demon who shows up is one that she has seen before, a sex demon whose demand for payment is either blood from Andy or dancing naked for him. Lucien forbids her giving blood, so dancing naked it is. Although her dignity is taking a beating she does what she has to.

I loved this book as much as the first. There are secrets, surprises, and all manner of supernaturals. Although I always hoped Wick and Andy would get together, now that Tristan has shown up I am not sure which way I would want her to go. So, imagine her confusion. Although the books don’t end in what I consider a cliffhanger, they definitely need to be read in order. Although there is a lot of sexual tension there is no real sex. I can’t wait to see what happens with Wick, Tristan, and Andy in the next book in the series.

*Winner: 2nd Place Best Urban Fantasy Novel – 2015 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Awards

Leave a Comment