Review: Dog with a Bone by Hailey Edwards

Dog with a Bone
Author: Hailey Edwards
Reviewer: VampBard
Rating: A

What I’m Talking About:

Hi. My name is VampBard, and I’m a Hailey Edwards addict. I think she has a way of writing fantasy sub-genres that just clicks with me. I was really excited to get the first title in her Black Dog series, Dog with a Bone. I knew it would be different from her Araneae Nation series (which I love), but I trusted my reader-author-crazy-psycho-bond to know that Ms. Edwards would bring it. And she did.

Alright. I love Thierry. I almost see this series as a step beyond what was done in the Harry Potter series. Let me explain… The reason I am really geeked about this series is because it takes the whole ‘coming of age’ theme and moves it forward. Thierry=Harry, and all her trials and tribulations are while she is in the field. Harry’s were while at Hogwarts. The whole story opens as Thierry is taking her final exam—and is the only one to pass—in order to become a Marshal for the Conclave. Add in an Incubus for a teacher/mentor, and that right there, my friends, adds in enough sexual tension to make me power-read this taste-tester for Ms. Edwards’s new series.

Thierry is a seriously kick-ass half-blood fae. What I like the most about her is that she knows what she wants, and she goes after it. She’s not a wishy-washy character that needs a man to rescue her. Although at times, it does seem as though Jackson Shaw, her teacher/mentor/current crush, does rescue her, it’s not done in a way that is degrading, and Thierry’s value as an individual is preserved. I like her powers—she is able to suck energy from or send energy to others. The whole thing Thierry needs to learn to control is her method for sucking/sending energy.

Shaw is the Incubus in this story. Originally, he was sent in to help Thierry learn to control her skill sets. No one else was really capable. They fell into a comfortable teacher-student relationship. Until Thierry was offered her position as a Marshal. Shaw provides her with a way to hone her use of her magic, and the light that shines within her. Now that Thierry dons her Marshal star and has started her OJT (on-the-job training), things seem to be seriously sizzling between Shaw and Thierry…and it’s not just because Shaw is zapping her with his aphrodisiac scent.

I think this is my favorite quote from this title, a thought process from Thierry (out of context…make of it what you will. Would love to discuss once someone has read the title!):

“My hunger wasn’t like Shaw’s. It wasn’t set by a clock. It didn’t follow a pattern. It didn’t crave a thing I could supply to slake its yearning. My need wasn’t a whisper in my subconscious, haunting me all the time like his. It burned hotter, struck faster, goaded me nearer to the edge until I tumbled.”

So. How hot was this book, you may ask. I’d rate it as appropriate for older YA at this point. However, I see the potential for something less-than-appropriate for a YA reader happening in the future. I’m not sure whether this series will remain ‘sweet’, or whether it will get to the point where we have a five-alarm fire burning between Thierry and Shaw. It seems as though this might be one of those series that need to be read in order. And I look forward to reading Ms. Edwards’s future titles in her Black Dog series.

My Rating: A, Loved It

About the Book:

Half-bloods with Thierry’s skill set are given two options. They can join the conclave’s marshal program, or they can pack their bags. Turn down the job offer, and you’ve just shredded your residency pass for the mortal realm and booked yourself a one-way ticket to Faerie.

Texas is the only home Thierry has ever known, and she’s not going anywhere. Even if it means following in her notorious father’s footsteps as a peacekeeper. But pinning on the badge opens her eyes to the fact sometimes fae need protection too, and that sometimes humans are the real monsters.

Release Date: October 31, 2014
Publisher: self-published
Series: Black Dog #1
ISBN: 978-1502524751
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): paperback (184 pages), e-book
Book Source: Author

Purchase Info:
Dog with a Bone (Black Dog #1)

Learn more about Hailey’s new Black Dog series and enter to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card (open until 11/9/2014). Click for more details!