The Trouble With Fate (Mystwalker, #1)

Apr 18, 2013 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pan-macmillan, debut-author, creepy-love-triangle, glistening-fangs, magic, own-a-dtb, open-ending, the-fae-are-so-scary, review-copy, what-does-she-see-in-him, werewhatevers, urban-fantasy, reviewed-in-2013

3.5 stars
With hundreds (yes, hundreds) of urban fantasy books behind me, I really thought I’d seen it all, but a sentient amulet for a sidekick is news even to me. Merry the fae amulet is an endless source of entertainment. She doesn’t speak, obviously, but she has ways to express her opinions rather loudly regardless. Most of those ways end up being very painful for poor Hedi. But Merry also has the ability to heal and she uses it to help Hedi whenever it’s needed, and in turn, Hedi feeds her a...more 3.5 stars
With hundreds (yes, hundreds) of urban fantasy books behind me, I really thought I’d seen it all, but a sentient amulet for a sidekick is news even to me. Merry the fae amulet is an endless source of entertainment. She doesn’t speak, obviously, but she has ways to express her opinions rather loudly regardless. Most of those ways end up being very painful for poor Hedi. But Merry also has the ability to heal and she uses it to help Hedi whenever it’s needed, and in turn, Hedi feeds her and keeps her safe.

Hedi is a somewhat unusual UF protagonist. A half-fae-half werewolf in hiding, she is neither nice nor particularly brave, and she never utters a sentence that isn’t rude to at least three people simultaneously. But being privy to her thoughts meant I also got to see the hows and whys of it firsthand, and while none of it made her more likeable, it did at least made me sympathize to a certain extent. At the same time, being inside Hedi’s head was often a hilarious experience. Her distinctive, clear-as-bell voice jumps out at the very first page.

If people stayed with proven facts, work environments would be easier. Groundless accusations just stir things up, like the whole “Who hid the turkey breast sandwich behind the milk?” controversy. Did they think I did it? Well, prove it. Maybe I did do it, and maybe if you were an anal retentive asshole who counted cookies and sandwiches, you might feel those were two good reasons to fire your barista. Maybe.

Oh, but the romance in this one is as heartbreaking as it is unusual. Hedi has been in love with the werewolf Trowbridge for as long as she can remember, but he never returned her feeling. For one, when they knew each other she was only twelve and he was in his late teens, and later she disappeared and he married a girl named Candy. Now Candy is dead, and Hedi and Trowbridge are forced to work together. To make matters worse, there’s also the small matter of Hedi’s amulet being in love with the Royal Amulet around Trowbridge’s neck.

Achieving a life-long dream and getting Trowbridge into bed isn’t so hard for Hedi. There’s a connection between them and neither of them tries too hard to resist it. But as Trowbridge himself pointed out, he’s no prize – after years of hiding, guilt-ridden, drunk and bent on revenge against the weres who killed his family, not much of the old Robson Trowbridge remains. And the memory of his dead wife Candy is always between them.

He waited for me to explode again, and when I didn't, he used two fingers on my forehead to ease me back into my seat. "You are one crazy-ass Tinker Bell," he said, returning his attention to the road.

The Trouble With Fate is full of action and sexual tension, my two favorite things. The ending, I have to admit, took me completely by surprise, and although it’s not a cliffhanger at all, it left me pining for the next book.

(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-pnr-sci-fi-romance, 2012-debuts

Debut

Hedi Peacock is half-Fae, half-Were. She's been living under the radar for years ever since her parents were killed and her twin brother was taken through the portal back to Merenwyn, the world of the Fae. Scraping a living as a barista at Starbucks and looking after her eccentric aunt, Hedi's world is pretty settled until Robson Trowbridge, a rogue Creemore Were walks in one day.

"Of all the Starbucks in this town, why would he walk into ours?"

Robson Trowbridge had been the love of the adol...more

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Dec 08, 2012 BamaGal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, pnr-uf

Debut novel of the author, Leigh Evans. Interesting premise, with some fairly elaborate wordbuilding. Hedi Peacock lost her parents who were killed when she was twelve; and her brother Lexi was spirited off to the Fae world. Mom was a Fae, and dad was a werewolf, so Hedi has a rather unusual heritage. The werewolf powers she tries to keep tapped down, but her magical Fae powers often come in handy. Hedi is in possession of an amulet containing the spirit of an Asrai named Merry, who is very powe...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Reeka (BoundbyWords) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-read-2013, para-romance

As seen on my blog:

This book was a breathe of paranormal FRESH AIR. I have read an ENDLESS amount of the genre in the last few months, and to be honest, it all started swirling into a collective, repetitive, blur. This book broke the mold for me. It was action packed in JUST the right places, and with just the right amount of words.

I fell into INSTA-LOVE with the main character, Hedi Peacock. I loved her snaky attitude, I LOVED her wit, I absolutely fell for everything she held true and dear. S...more As seen on my blog:

This book was a breathe of paranormal FRESH AIR. I have read an ENDLESS amount of the genre in the last few months, and to be honest, it all started swirling into a collective, repetitive, blur. This book broke the mold for me. It was action packed in JUST the right places, and with just the right amount of words.

I fell into INSTA-LOVE with the main character, Hedi Peacock. I loved her snaky attitude, I LOVED her wit, I absolutely fell for everything she held true and dear. She is definitely in my top 10 favourite female characters. I also appreciated that she wasn't your typical, toothpick thin, female protagonist that seems to populate books these days.

Robson Trowbridge, the male protagonist, was also SO amazingly written. His presence in the book added so much more to the experience. The interaction between him and Hedi was endlessly entertaining, and I pretty much couldn't turn the pages fast enough to get to their back and forth dialogue. He's a Were, but not your typical, brooding, "hear me roar" type.

Merry..OH my sweet Merry. I think she had to be my ultimate favourite "character" of the book. It was such a unique idea, and I applaud the author for the intricacies of her existence, and her relationship and importance to Hedi. She was her healer, her friend, and all while being teeny tiny, and a hanging fairy amulet from her neck.

Quick moving, and not ONE dull moment. This book had me anticipating every characters next moves-how they would react to confessions, and new developments. I ESPECIALLY loved the scene in the beginning when Hedi unleashes her pent up anger for Robson, and the fact that she believed he abandoned her many years back-UGH..my HEART.

I definitely recommend this book to fans of the paranormal, but who also enjoy a whole lot of wit and humour as a side course. Leigh Evans is officially one of my new favourites, and I can't WAIT until the next books are out!!

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*DISCLAIMER* I received this book as an ecopy from the author, in order to participate in the blog tour.(less)

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Dec 12, 2012 Janice (the_red1) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fae, netgalley, received-for-review, shifters, favorites, book-in-a-series, romance-done-right, sexual-tension, paranormal, urban-fantasy

**This was a joint review/buddy read with Lynsey. To see the full review, visit The Demon Librarian blog**

I love books about the Fae, and I can bask in the light of a well-written werewolf story for days. So when I read the synopsis for The Trouble With Fate and learned that the heroine is half-Fae, half-werewolf, I was instantly intrigued.

I enjoyed this book almost from word one. It offers magic, romance, and just enoughmayhem to keep things interesting. The world is easy to slide into and the...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Crystal Leo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

This review was first posted at Reading Between The Wines!

I have a new awesome series to follow! *Doing the book happy cabbage patch* The Trouble With Fate has an excellent jaded and snarky heroine named Heidi. She's half Fae and half Werewolf. Her father was murdered by a fellow werewolf, her mother murdered and twin brother kidnapped by the Fae. So it's needless to say that she doesn't have an overwhelming desire to be in touch with her familial roots. The only people she has left in her life...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Anna (Bobs Her Hair) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Urban Fantasy/New Adult UF fans

Shelves: paranormal-romance, netgalley, arc

3.5 stars...Love the heroine! Go, Hedi!

Hedi Peacock, equal parts Were and Fae, works as a barista. She supports the only family member – her sickly and unstable Fae aunt - remaining in this world. Life had once been wonderful, with a loving mother mated to an honorable werewolf, a twin brother who was also a best friend, a charming home by a pond, and a dreamy boy to stalk. It was all lost one horrible night ending with a werewolf killing her father; the Fae executing her mother; and the kidnapp...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Suzanne McLeod rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to get an early read of this fab book! Hedi, the heroine is a likeable, light-fingered heroine with smarts; Bridge is a tough, sexy hero with troubles; and there's a glimpse into a fascinating fae world that will have you howling for the next book. I loved it and can't wait for the next one!

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Nov 04, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Brilliant debut novel. Leigh Evans has a strong, distinctive and compelling voice.

Rush out and read this emotionally charged book. You'll feel every challenge felt by the protagonist.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

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Apr 11, 2013 T.A. White rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I picked it up thinking it would be a decent diversion while I waited until the publish date on another book I've been anticipating. It surprised me when hours later I looked up from the book only to realize it was bed time.

Hedi Peacock is in hiding. Half fae, half were, her only friends are a pendant named Merry and her crazy aunt Lou. When Robbie (Bridge) Treybridge ventures into the starbooks where she works as a barrista, it's the start of a cascade o...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-shirene

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: First book from Ms. Evans and it shows promise.

Opening Sentence: We lived in a long flat bungalow in Creemore.

The Review:

Firstly, I am astounded at the word pictures that Ms. Evans is able to capture in my mind. She has a knack for expressing color and even light that is truly unique. But there are times in which I was lost in a myriad of words and the story was left behind almost casually which is a shame because I wanted to get swept away...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Francesca rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: boring

I went out on a limb and decided to read this book because I saw that Eloisa James recommended it in an article she wrote for B&N. Now, this book is outside of what I usually read - I typically steer clear of paranormal adult reads. I mean how many books can you read about vampires, werewolves and faeries without it getting old? Seriously. However, I like Ms. James, like her books and figured, why not? She wrote a nice review and it sounded interesting enough.

After reading this (or really on...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Aarann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-male-lead, library-read-don-t-buy, why-didnt-i-like-this-more

I want to give this one more stars, and I sort of waffled between 3 and 4, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to add an extra one. It wasn't bad, by any stretch of the imagination and I enjoyed it enough that I'm putting the second book in the series on my TBR list. However, my dissatisfaction seems to come from a few factors.

For one thing, the book seems pretty certain that the heroine is actually an antiheroine, but she just doesn't really come off this way. I'm not sure why - after...more I want to give this one more stars, and I sort of waffled between 3 and 4, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to add an extra one. It wasn't bad, by any stretch of the imagination and I enjoyed it enough that I'm putting the second book in the series on my TBR list. However, my dissatisfaction seems to come from a few factors.

For one thing, the book seems pretty certain that the heroine is actually an antiheroine, but she just doesn't really come off this way. I'm not sure why - after all, she steals cars and books from kindly blind guys, wrecks Starbucks machines (although maybe that should be a point in her "heroine" column), is an unrepetant kleptomaniac, and possesses powers that, in her world, are traditionally used to control and/or kill people. But she just thought like a person who was trying to pigeonhole herself into an antihero role and it just didn't quite mesh right. It made it hard for me to connect with the character, because she just didn't quite seem real to me. I think that's probably the main reason I couldn't quite manage to give this one that 4th star.

Additionally, there were several places where the book lost my interest. I'd be reading along and suddenly realize that I hadn't retained the last page or so. This may not have been a flaw with the book, as sometimes my mind tends to wander, but since I haven't had that problem with the other two books I'm reading right now, I'm going to say it's the book. Again, I can't tell you why this would have happened. There were also one or two places where something that was supposed to be a surprise at the time had essentially been stated earlier in the book and I could not for the life of me figure out why Hedi was suddenly surprised by it when her thought processes had expressly told us the information several chapters before. It seemed a little sloppy to me.

Now to the good.

Robson Trowbridge. Yummm. Seriously, loved him. He was a bit of an antihero, similar to Hedi, but maybe because we weren't privy to his thought processes, he seemed more realistic to me. I'll be devastated if the next book doesn't feature Trowbridge because I'm desperate to get to know him better. And really, I'd kind of like for Hedi to get to know him better too because as scrumptious as he is, it seemed more like a leftover childhood crush than love between the two of them. It was a bit like, "Oh, you're really hot and I'm really hot, let's have sex. Oh whoops, now I love you." I just didn't see the interaction between the two of them that would make me get why they'd love each other. I mean, I can totally see having a gigantic mega crush on him because, again, he's yummy, but love? I just didn't get the impression the two of them knew each other that well for it to be anything more than mutual lust.

And really, Hedi was a good character - don't let what I said in earlier paragraphs throw you off of her entirely. She's funny, snarky, and she's not overly self-righteous like a lot of urban fantasy heroines tend to be - which is probably the biggest plus on her side because the self-righteous schtick gets old in a lot of those books. She's not the prettiest or the smartest, or the most powerful (although I'm betting future books will remedy that last one). She's just doing what she thinks is the right thing. I'm looking forward to getting to know her in the next book, and I'm really hoping a lot of my issues with this first one will start to be taken care of in the second.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Ninkopi rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Trouble With Fate is amazing!

First of the lead protagonist, Hedi Peacock (former Helen Stronghold) is a pudgy, glasses wearing, braid sporting, short girl. Not exactly hot stuff. So naturally she accepts that she is a plain Jane. In this regard she is very humble.

But despite that you still manage to see the beauty in her as other people do (well the hero does anyway...) - physically I mean, and without her awareness of it. This is not an easy thing to achieve in writing.
Usually you realiz...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Nikka Blanco rated it 5 of 5 stars

The trouble with these series is when you read the first book and it's amazing and your blood is rushing through your brain and the author leaves you hanging but then there's no succeeding installments to quench your thirst. DUH.

I'm not really one for ParaRom. But I've encountered a lot of em during my House of Night phase and my Dystopian Rom phase. The thing about series just like these (HAHA, another wordplay alluding to the series) is that they can be super long and super slow. But yeah, wha...more The trouble with these series is when you read the first book and it's amazing and your blood is rushing through your brain and the author leaves you hanging but then there's no succeeding installments to quench your thirst. DUH.

I'm not really one for ParaRom. But I've encountered a lot of em during my House of Night phase and my Dystopian Rom phase. The thing about series just like these (HAHA, another wordplay alluding to the series) is that they can be super long and super slow. But yeah, whatever, I don't care. Maybe it's just me. The monstrosity of a reader that plows every word in its path when it gets a hold on something delectable. I don't linger and relish and sometimes, I just wish I did. HAHA.

The first thing I realized while reading this book, and what makes it special from other books I've read, is my similarity to the heroine. This dawned on me when I suddenly started reading the words aloud and the words flowed so naturally from my mouth, like it could've been me saying those words. Hedi in I were also similar in small details like her fascination to bodice rippers (that's a really foul way to call Regencies) and how she put blame on her childhood crush so that she could hold on to him somehow, the way her thoughts move, her choice of words. I don't know, just little details. And the lying and the not following through, I'm being deliberately vague. Halfway through this thing I am bawling because I've been too sucked up in Hedi's character. YEAH, I'm THAT kind of reader. Sorry.

Also..WHAT A HERO. Trowbridge. The really really cool awesome gorgeously created Were dude, falling for the half-Fae girl at the bottom of the food chain. It's a winning plot. But, I don't know, looking back, Robbie hasn't won my heart for the title of perfect hero just yet. I'm not saying he should be perfect, his imperfections are alright, make him believable. But he still needs to prove his feelings for Hedi. Her heart is still full of uncertainty when it comes to him. She needs to feel ultimately right. YOU GOT THAT BRIDGE? DON'T MESS THIS UP! Don't give her "this is bigger than us" crap when it's time for "i know you, you are...mine" in Hedi's mind. And don't even think of mentioning Candy's name again. The last time was a big muck. Please, please just read her better. Now that they're mates, I just hope Robbie comes through. Coz Hedi has been in love with him since she was twelve and she's been through hell. So ROBBIE JUST BETTER BUCK UP.

This book is great. Although there are things I've yet to understand like whether Cornelia's a boy or a girl. HAHA), I know I'll come to eventually the more I read about Hedi's adventures. It's just a pity that the whole story can't be written in one overly large book. I just need a book to have the beginning,middle and end.

And I do know that there is more to come. Hedi hasn't even explored her Mystwalker powers that much yet. Which I think would be taking up most of the story since the name of this series is Mystwalker. :D(less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Izzy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Check out rabidgummibear.wordpress.com for more reviews!
A book involving a half fae half werewolf girl named Heidi Peacock and a lot of adventure I honestly don’t know if I could ask for more in this debut novel by Leigh Evans.

The plot revolves around Heidi discovering a lot of things about herself and growing as a person. Along with meeting a steamy love interest. Heidi has been living under the radar with her Aunt Lou and a surprising mess brings her out of hiding. Leaving her in some interest...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Trouble With Fate by Leigh Evans was not what I was expecting and although it was a great novel, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This novel is about Hedi Peacock, a half Fae half Were, trying to hide her original identity while also taking care of her amulet Merry and her crazy aunt Lou. After an incident Lou becomes hospitalized and then kidnapped, starting the journey that Hedi must make. On her quest she winds up with her childhood crush Robson Trowbridge, running from a W...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Awesome new series ! Hedi Peacock is a Fae / Were hybrid who kicks ass & takes names . Her snarky attitude made this story such a pleasure to read . The Trouble With Fate is filled with loads of action & so many twists & turns ...surprises & revalations that kept this readers attention from the start .
What a brutal ending to twelve year old Hedi's childhood . All in one night her father is slain by a were & her mother is executed by Fae warriors who then kidnap her twin brot...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

This is book one of the Mystwalker series. Hedi Peacock is half fae and half were. She is currently working as a barista. Her father was killed by the weres, her mother executed by the fae and her brother was taken to Merenwyn through a portal. She wears an amulet that has an Asrai named Merry trapped in it. Hedi also lives with her Aunt Lou. Hedi can see her Aunt Lou's through pictures and even enters her aun't dreams. It turns out she is an untrained Mystwalker who can go to a land called Thre...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Ren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2-stars, arc-netgalley, paranormal, abused-character, alpha-hero, annoying-chara, e-books, fae, i-m-not-sure-about-this, its-just-vanilla, shape-shifter-and-or-werewolf, special-ability, tower-team-b-reading-challenge, wanna-bitchslap-the-heroine, virgin-heroine, read-2013, dangerous-heroes-2013

The Trouble with Fate is like what the title said. I have trouble with this one. If I can sum my feeling about this book, that's will be "This Book is Sucks!". I'm not meanie here. I just being honest. This book indeed sucks. First part is more like Hedi's diary. She told us what happen with her past, her crush to the hero Robson Towbridge, her crazy aunt's dream that always haunt her and her life now. What supposed to be interesting plot turn as boring story. More like talk, talk and talk. Wher...more The Trouble with Fate is like what the title said. I have trouble with this one. If I can sum my feeling about this book, that's will be "This Book is Sucks!". I'm not meanie here. I just being honest. This book indeed sucks. First part is more like Hedi's diary. She told us what happen with her past, her crush to the hero Robson Towbridge, her crazy aunt's dream that always haunt her and her life now. What supposed to be interesting plot turn as boring story. More like talk, talk and talk. Where's the action?

After some torturous part (and you maybe wondering why I'm not DNF'd this yet. I read Trouble with Fate as part of my group reading), finally I see some light. We will know more about Hedi's heritage as Fae and Were. Ms Evans can create a cool world, with Earth as the human and Were realm, Merenwyn as Fae realm, and Threal as Mystwalker realm. Those that can wanderer in Fae's dream. I just hope we get know more about Merenwyn and Threal since I found those realms are fascinating.

My other trouble with this one is, the first POV. It can be complicated thing. If you like the main character's voice, you will not mind that. You can still enjoy it even the story not too good. Alas, I don't like Hedi. She talk big, but when she captured by enemy, she f*ckin cry! Boo-f*ckin-hoo. Where's her bravado when she need it? She seems so immature, maybe because her age just 22 years old. Sometimes, I'm so tempted to stamp her head with "STUPID" word. Harsh, I know. She called herself as thief over and over. And when she make Trowbridge as mate, it because she doesn't have choice and shrug that choice off because well, she is a thief. Stop.It. Stop wallowing in your self pity and put your big girl pants, Hedi! I want her to be strong, like her old name Stronghold. But all I see from her is, she kinda weak.

The good part maybe is her friendship with her amulet, Merry. Merry, like all dead things, of course can't talk but somehow I can connect to her. Merry is so stubborn but she is the only friend Hedi had. I almost angry with what Hedi do to Merry in the last part, even it's necessary and it cost a human's life (and it Towbridge's life). If I become Merry, I'm not sure I can forgive Hedi.

Now for the hero, Robson Towbridge is not bad. He is not jerk too. Hedi think he was supposed to help her 12 years ago when her family was murdered. But then Towbridge have his own grief, since his family and wife are killed in the same time when Hedi's parent died and her twin Lexi had brought to Merenwyn. I don't know why, but I feel like Trowbridge kinda been manipulated by Hedi. This is why I hate it, we know all of him from just Hedi's POV. I would love to hear or read from Trowbridge's mind. I also don't like the way he called Hedi as "kid". Their gap is just 6 years old, for God's sake! I prefer him called Hedi "Tinkerbell". More suit her, imo. What make me glad is there's no love triangle which is usual in urban fantasy novels. But Hedi and Trowbridge's relationship is not the easy ones. Since both are broken and have so many flaws.

The villain is evil and do nasty, nasty things (with so much violence too that make me cringed) ; and Hedi will find that her aunt, Lou (who she thought being kidnapped and she want to help her) is not what she think to be. The ending is more like cliffhanger, but not that make you feel frustated. The story itself have potential, but if Hedi's personality still not change in book #2 (all snark but no action) I don't know if I want to continue read it or just give up and pick another book.

Thanks for Netgalley who had provided e-ARC(less)

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Jan 01, 2013 Amy A rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found The Trouble with Fate from an author's blog that I read. When looking at the product page it looked as though it was getting a lot of positive reviews from many authors whose boooks I read and really enjoy. Based on the reviews and the premise I thought I would give the book a try.

This book follows Hedi who is half Fae and half Were. When she was twelve both of her parents were killed and her twin brother was taken to Merewyn (Fae world). She was assumed to have died and has been in hid...more I found The Trouble with Fate from an author's blog that I read. When looking at the product page it looked as though it was getting a lot of positive reviews from many authors whose boooks I read and really enjoy. Based on the reviews and the premise I thought I would give the book a try.

This book follows Hedi who is half Fae and half Were. When she was twelve both of her parents were killed and her twin brother was taken to Merewyn (Fae world). She was assumed to have died and has been in hiding from both the Fae and the Weres for ten years. When her childhood crush, Robson Trowbridge, walks into the Starbucks she's working in she realizes that she can't hide from her past forever. And when her aunt is kidnapped by the Weres she needs Robson Trowbridge's help to get her back.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. There were scenes that would creep up on me and when I would get to them I wouldn't be able to put the book down because I would want to find out what would happen. But there were also a few scenes that dragged a bit for me and were tough to get through. Also, this being the first book in a series there was a lot of backstory and oftentimes these would be filled with too much description and not enough dialogue to break it all up. I'm hoping that since the backstory has been explained the second book with have more of a driven storyline.

Hedi is a good character. She's nothing too remarkable. She's very average by Fae and Were standards which is refreshing. It gets old and boring to read about heroines who are gorgeous and excell at everything they do. It was nice to see her not know the answers to everything but still try to work her way through her problems.

Robson was a good hero for the same reasons. He is alpha but instead of readily embracing being an alpha he tries his hardest to reject it. He's also scarred from the past. The same night that Hedi lost her family Robson as well lost his entire family.

I like that both of our characters, by the end, still have things to work out and because of that the romance in this book is a little unconventional. Yes there's romance, but we don't get an instant HEA. It will be something that has to be worked for and I'm very interested to see where Leigh Evans takes our characters in the next book(s).

Even though there were some tough spots to get through I still recommend this book mainly on the basis that by the end it's set up for the next books in the series and I think that makes this book worth it. (less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Sarabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars - purchased by me
Would I recommend - yes and no
Will I read the next book in the series - yes
Minor spoiler alert - but something you might want to know ahead of time!

Even with the lower rating I did enjoy this book, the characters are worth investing in, the story moved along at a good pace, and I liked the set up of the Fae worlds. I thought that Hedi did a lot of growing up and overcoming her background in the evolution of the story. The romance was well done, as was the indecision th...more 3.5 stars - purchased by me
Would I recommend - yes and no
Will I read the next book in the series - yes
Minor spoiler alert - but something you might want to know ahead of time!

Even with the lower rating I did enjoy this book, the characters are worth investing in, the story moved along at a good pace, and I liked the set up of the Fae worlds. I thought that Hedi did a lot of growing up and overcoming her background in the evolution of the story. The romance was well done, as was the indecision that came along with it - does he or doesn't he love her for her. Right down to the end and even leaving room for the next book. I loved that Hedi just couldn't tell if Trowbridge was into her for her winning personality or for the "other - were and fey powerful" parts of her. The secondary characters were mostly well drawn, except for Manus, I just didn't really get any depth of his motivations beyond that he felt he had the right to lead and since he was central to the story I was let down by this, but I thought Stuart and Cordelia, and their emotions, came across clearly and that their actions helped move along the story. I also dearly loved Merry. Who knew one could love a character that doesn't speak and well, there is no easy way to say this, is a necklace! What I didn't enjoy were the torture scenes. I wasn't prepared for them and their very graphic nature. Had I been prepared would this have received a higher rating? I'm not sure. There is something to be said for the fear factor of before torture and the unknown factor of reading the effects after torture without having to know exactly happended during the torture and I'm a huge fan of that. But the description here was so vivid that I had a really visceral reaction and I had to put the book down. Some might say this was good because I was obviously invested in the characters and their well being. But I read during lunch and it almost got ugly. I don't feel it was violence for the sake of violence, it advanced the storyline, and proved Hedi would do almost anything for her friends, but I could have done without the details. Still the charm of the characters and the layers of the world, including Threall, which we did not see nearly enough of, won me over and I would recommend this to all urban fantasy readers with the caveat that you might just want to skip a few pages toward the end!

Be on the lookout for "The Thing about Weres," coming out in July.
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Dec 25, 2012 Rachel at theJeepDiva rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

I liked this story it was a good beginning to this series. I have read some Fae books but never one with a Mystwalker in it so this was a new and interesting twist. I give the book 4 stars.
Hedi as a character was well written. I had a little problem picturing her in my head but never had a problem understanding her motives. I was able to picture Robson in my head easily as well as most of the other characters. I like the interactions of the Fae and Were in this book. Also the fact that the Were...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Leonor (Ner) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenge, fairy-tale, fantasy, kobo, magic, net-galley, paranormal, ebook, romance, werewolves, witches-wizards, young-adult, review

Also published in "A Cup of Coffee and a Book"

Okay, so I’ve bumped it half a star. I guess I just couldn’t decide myself whether to give it 3 stars or simply a full 4.

The Trouble with Fate is Leigh Evans wondrous debut and tells the story of Hedi Peacock (previous known as Helen Stronghold) is half Were and half Fae. As a child she witnessed her parents being killed by their own race and her twin brother taken away from the human world. She’s left alone with her lunatic aunt who’s a pure Fae an...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Manvir rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fae-fairies, shifters-weres, urban-fantasy

Loved it. Hedi was a bit annoying but I got over it since that was just how her character is supposed to be. She was the whole 'mature but still immature' young adult thing going on and is very flippant at times. Bridge was the typical tortured bad boy with a rough past to match Hedi's own. The blurb at the back is a little misleading as not once in the book did she ever think he might have been responsible for her father's death but she did blame him in an indirect way.

My main problem with the...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Amy White rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, paranormal-romance

ARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley

I have just finished The Trouble with Fate due out on 12/24/2012 by Leigh Evans. This book first grabbed my attention when I saw it recommended on Amazon and I knew I had to read and then I considered myself one lucky girl when I got an ARC from St. Martin's Press. This book has everything I look for: Romance, action, and elements of Paranormal. Now that I have read The Trouble Fate With Fate my honest opinion is that I am just giving this book th...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Amanda P rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy-provided, paranormal-urban-fantasy, own-as-an-ebook, humor

So I grabbed this book on NetGalley because of the blurb. I like the Fae, I love Were’s and I adore Snarky humor so I thought this book would be a good match for me. What I actually was below expectations. So, just a warning I don’t have a lot of good to say about this book.

First, I was expecting to laugh and enjoy a snarky sense of humor, I don’t think I laughed a single time through the entire book. That was such a letdown for me as the blurb seemed so promising.

Second, I didn’t find the cha...more So I grabbed this book on NetGalley because of the blurb. I like the Fae, I love Were’s and I adore Snarky humor so I thought this book would be a good match for me. What I actually was below expectations. So, just a warning I don’t have a lot of good to say about this book.

First, I was expecting to laugh and enjoy a snarky sense of humor, I don’t think I laughed a single time through the entire book. That was such a letdown for me as the blurb seemed so promising.

Second, I didn’t find the characters in this book all that likeable. Hedi, is our voice in this book. I didn’t find much going for her, she was self depreciating, a liar, a thief and not all that loyal. At the end she came around a bit, and I liked her a little better but the rest of the book she was just kind of eh for me. Towbridge was basically know nothing about. His character is not very well developed, what we do know, is again not very redeemable, he is pretty good at running away and avoiding further conflict. He also starts coming around in the last 15% or so, but it doesn’t really make up for the other 85% of the book. My favorite character in the book is actually Merry, Hedi’s necklace that cannot talk and whose only communication is through turning colors, heating up and cooling down and moving her “limbs” around. The necklace may have been the best developed character of the book, maybe because she couldn’t talk so the author had to find other ways to have her communicate.

The romance is not very believable and felt forced to me. The chemistry was basically non-existent. I was not buying this mating situation and usually matings are pretty easy to pull off. Through the two together pump up the heat and watch them simmer. The heat in this case was lukewarm. The characters first time together was incredibly awkward and very unsexy, which could have been overcome if there were other scenes that the heat was pumped up, but any other encounters were glossed over so you are only left with the awkward scene which is the one that sticks out for the duration. Then Hedi keeps losing herself in her magic and forgetting about Bridge and that he’s supposed to be her mate. All these things are not a convincing argument that they are supposed to be together.

Torture: now usually I can handle some torture, I am not squimish. I have read a lot of books that include torture in them, I can think of Larissa Ione, Jeaniene Frost as well as Kresley Cole that have included torture in their books and I had no problems with it. Yet in this book when it came to the torture scenes it kind of made me uncomfortable; which was surprising to me because I have never gotten that way before. I am not entirely sure why it was different this time, maybe more graphic or maybe it dragged it out too long, I don’t know but it made me squirm a little and want to skip past it.

This book had so many holes in the plot that it was starting to resemble Swiss cheese. I have more questions than I have answers for. The Myst walking at this point seems unnecessary, but as this is a series maybe it will come into play later but by the end of this book you wonder what was the point of Hedi going to Threall at all, it was a chunk of the book that seemingly has no point to it at this stage in the book and just added more confusion to an already confusing plot. At the end the Aunt is standing in the portal reopening it to travel through and then she is left alone and she’s what, just standing there in the portal with a thumb up her … and not travelling through, as far as I could tell she wasn’t being held back by anyone; just standing there doing nothing. There was also why were Hedi’s parents killed if the Fae knew who really opened the portal that night. Later the wolf in question say the Fae had come upon them and knew who was responsible for his getting in, yet Hedi’s parents were killed for opening it? Why does the bad guy think Hedi has the amulet, there was no reason to think that she might, it wasn’t hers? The explanation on how they were found is lose and convenient to say the least. How did the amulet go from dead to alive? There are so many just conveniences and gaps in the story, it started to irritate me. Usually if the story is good enough I can easily look past these things but in case it was really hard.

What I can say about this book is although it wasn’t the best book in the world, it did have some potential. If the author could clean up the story and flesh out the characters she could have a winner here. The world is interesting, and can be worked with. Whereas there were some plot issues, this book was definitely not boring, the pages moved quickly. Even as I was perplexed I kept on reading, I kept with the story even as I was scratching my head wondering where in the hell the author was taking us. The possibilities are there, I just think that the author has some work to do to bring everything together if there is going to be a second book. As it stands now, will I read the second book when it comes out? Eh, the probability of that is low, but I might give it a whirl in the hopes that there is some sort of conclusion, because as it stands now, the story line is left open for the next book. It’s not a cliffhanger per say but it is not a closed resolved ending.

Rating:
2.5(less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Surin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meet Hedi Peacock. She's half Fae. Half Were. And all trouble…
Hedi Peacock is as controversial on the love/hate spectrum as Marmite or Margaret Thatcher - you're either going to end up hating her or loving her. Given that I enjoyed this book tremendously you can guess that I'm on the camp of like.

What do the tree huggers call it? Karma?

No wait a minute; that's not right. "Karma" is just a word for what goes around, isn't it? And on the surface, Robson Trowbridge's only crime was to have been th...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Cynthia Clubbs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Twenty-some-odd years ago, Leigh Evans wanted to try her hand at writing. Unfortunately, the husband, kids, dogs, garden and home pushed that dream away, at least temporarily. Recently, she pulled an old manuscript out, and from there, The Trouble With Fate was written. This is her first book and the first book in her Mystwalker series. I've got to admit, I'm VERY glad that she decided to finish that old book.

The story centers around Hedi Peacock, formerly Helen Stronghold, who is part fairy an...more Twenty-some-odd years ago, Leigh Evans wanted to try her hand at writing. Unfortunately, the husband, kids, dogs, garden and home pushed that dream away, at least temporarily. Recently, she pulled an old manuscript out, and from there, The Trouble With Fate was written. This is her first book and the first book in her Mystwalker series. I've got to admit, I'm VERY glad that she decided to finish that old book.

The story centers around Hedi Peacock, formerly Helen Stronghold, who is part fairy and part werewolf. When I read that little detail of Hedi's character I rolled my eyes. Here comes a cutesy story about fairies and wolves and romance. What I got instead was a whole lot of OH YEAH!! Evans writes the story in a manner reminiscent of chick lit which is usually a gritty, disheartening, and often humiliating journey for the heroine. Typically, chick lit is more about the heroine dealing with familial relationships rather than primarily focusing on romance. Hedi's story hits the mark on each of these points. Saddled with a crazy and dying Aunt Lou and Lou's immortal enemy, an amulet that used to be a fairy, Hedi must steal, cheat, and lie to care for herself and the others.

Her life is in no way easy. Watching her parents being murdered, her twin kidnapped, forced to drop out of school and hide, and raised by a cold, cruel woman, Hedi manages to keep it together until Robson Trowbridge, her childhood crush comes back to town dragging with him a lot of trouble and misery. Both Hedi and Robson are portrayed as characters who have been dealt a rough hand and are bending under the weight. Evans also creates minor characters who are so well developed that it's painful to watch as they are sucked into the drama unfolding. Paranormal romances and urban fantasies often attempt to portray the seedy side of life but generally they miss the mark. The characters usually come across as fairly competent. Hedi and Robson get beat up, chased, stolen from, and eventually separated. Evans actually DOES hit the seedy parts in a very comfortable and real manner.

The urban landscape is well-defined and well-realized. A coffee house, an old bookstore, an apartment over the store, all ring true. The other realm of Threall, a sacred place where only Mystwalkers can tread, and fae folk live their dreams in, is a fascinating landscape. Evans' idea of what fae dreams look like and the Mystwalkers' responsibilities and talents are a truly mystical look into her mind. Parchment thin balloons tethered to trees, a flat barren landscape that ends in gray clouds. My mind was highly entertained attempting to put picture to description. The process wasn't difficult. Evans' prose flows smoothly and easily when describing the madly insane but beautiful resident Mystwalker and her prison of a home.

Overall, the book kept me captivated, wondering, and entertained. The plot moved quickly. Storyline was solid and believable. Characters were fully developed and sympathetic. The ending was riveting, a real cliff hanger. I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. (less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fey, own-it, shapeshifters, favorites

Hedi is a half-Fae half-Were. She's been on the run with her crazy aunt and her sentient amulet ever since the Fae executed her mother and a Were killed her Dad when she was twelve. When Robson Trowbridge, her childhood crush, walks into the coffee shop where she works, she knows Karma is out to get her. When her aunt is kidnapped by Weres, Hedi is supposed to steal a certain amulet for them to get her back. Unfortunately, the owner of the amulet? Robson Trowbridge.

Whew. I really liked this book...more

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The Trouble With Fate (Mystwalker #1)

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