This urban fantasy boxed set contains the first three books of the Preternatural Affairs series: Witch Hunt, Silver Bullet, and Hotter Than Helltown.
My name's Cèsar Hawke. I'm a witch working for a division of the government you've never heard about.
The world's not what everyone thinks it is--unless you think that our world's a pawn in a game of chess between Heaven and Hell, and riddled with as much magic and wonder as it is with evil.
In that case, the world is exactly what you think.
My place of employment--the Office of Preternatural Affairs--takes a modern approach to an ages-old problem. It used to be that inquisitors would burn demons and the people in league with them. Now we get warrants, perform arrests, put the suspects on trial, and send guilty parties back to the Hell from whence they came with the travel forms filled out in triplicate.
This stuff I do with the OPA, it saves lives on most days.
Most days, I said.
ABOUT WITCH HUNT There are scratches on Cèsar Hawke's arms, a discharged Glock on his coffee table, and a dead woman in his bathtub. Yeah, maybe he brought the waitress home for some fun--he was too drunk to remember it--but he knows for a fact that he didn't kill her. He's an agent with the Office of Preternatural Affairs. He doesn't hurt people. He saves them.
The cops disagree. Now Cèsar is running.
Isobel Stonecrow speaks with the dead. She brings closure to the bereaved and heals broken hearts. But when she talks to the wrong spirit, the OPA puts a bounty on her head.
Tracking down Isobel is the last case assigned to Cèsar before he bolts. If he finds her, he can prove that he didn't kill that waitress. He can clear his name, get his job back, and bring justice to all those wronged families.
She's just one witch. He's bagged a dozen witches before.
How hard can one more be?
ABOUT SILVER BULLET Former private investigator Cèsar Hawke has one rule: He doesn't deal with dead bodies. That's why he enlisted with the Magical Violations Department in the Office of Preternatural Affairs. He's happy tracking down witches that commit petty crimes, but he leaves the homicides to other agents.
Except that he's been assigned to a new team--a team that handles special investigations--and the job has suddenly changed. Now Cèsar has to deal with dead bodies. He also has to deal with necromancers, murderous cults, and demons that can stop a man's heart with fear.
This isn't the job he signed up for, but it's the job he needs to do.
If he survives the first week.
ABOUT HOTTER THAN HELLTOWN A killer is mutilating bodies in Los Angeles. Agent Cèsar Hawke is on the case, but the murderer is ahead of him--way ahead of him.
Wiping the memories of the dead so that the team's necrocognitive can't talk to them? Done. Preventing magical reconstruction of the crime scenes? Oh yeah. And the murders keep getting more brutal while Cèsar struggles to catch up.
The best way to heat up a cold case is to go to Helltown, where Los Angeles's most powerful evil hides out, but even those demons are afraid of the murderer. Their fear adds one more question to the growing pile of unknowns:
Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.
If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil
So, I didn’t like the first book in this trilogy. Isobel kissed Cesar once but there was no thought of sex until Cesar was enthralled by a succubi, Gregor then the author went on and on about Cesar’s cock and how hard it was and while Gregor kept hitting Cesar he kept saying “more,” and not being able to do anything but concentrate on how much he wanted Gregor, and this was the second time. Really? Between the pustules on Cesar’s face then his uncontrollable desire to be with Gregor our “hero” really isn’t my kind of hero at all. Now, if there had been some sexual thought when Isobel kissed Cesar that would have been fine but we had to read all the sexual thoughts from Cesar about Gregor.
Plus, our hero is not a fighter and was always on the run from someone. He just is not hero material as far as I’m concerned. He’s a witch but he doesn’t do any magic and sneezes every time he’s around magic.
So, no sex in book one and the F-bomb was used 193 times throughout the 3 stories, which I can no longer listen to. I started the second book in this 3 book boxed set, Silver Bullet, but it was as disgusting as the first one. No clue about Hotter Than Helltown. Too many succubus and demons to suit me and not enough magic.
I'm done. There is nothing great about Cesar and every time you turn around he's lusting after some woman, while Isobel or Suzi had to protect him from everything and everyone. He really was pathetic. No idea how these books got so many rave reviews.
As to the narrator: Jeffrey Kafer did a great job, considering what he had to work with.
I deleted a lot of books from my tablet recently : they had awesome reviews on Goodreads, but I hated them (boring story already read a thousand times, jerk of a hero, airhead of a heroin, etc). I began to doubt myself : everybody loves them with me, what's wrong with me ? Then I began to think : what's wrong with the reviewers :p So I thought : what if I digged among the books that have moderate reviews and see if I like one ? And I began reading this boxed set and bam ! Love it ! It's become one of my favorite series ! And I'm so lucky to have the boxed-set of the first 3 stories, because I didn't have to wait to read more. Funny, fast-paced, good characters, original hero (he's a witch - yes, a witch, not a sorcerer - and sneezes when there's powerful magic around him ; he's not an alpha-jerk even if, well, he's a guy), evolution of the plot : I loved it all. And now that I've devoured those, I need to read more. So I'm not going to wait until that e-reader is cleaned, I'll buy the rest ASAP !
All three of these books were very fast-paced high-energy Supernatural crime-fighting series. They float well within themselves and as a part of the trio. While the characters were somewhat simple they weren't aberrant to be around for too long. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Supernatural crime-fighting mystery novels. I would be interested to see where the series goes in the future. I put this on my religious fiction self because the second and thrid books touch on some religious themes.
The reason this set of books is not for me is because of blasphemy and crudeness. A pity because the stories sounded intriguing. A few pages was enough for me.
There's something really wooden about the whole Cèsar Hawke character.. it's all a bit too contrived.. too sexist.. unnecessarily objectification of women.. and that surprised me because it's written by a woman. Is this really how she thinks men really are??
It didn't totally ruin the books but they would benefit from a little less sexism for definite and I now understand the reviews much better, although some do seem to have taken offense I'm less offended more puzzled.. perhaps she should read books by a wider range of male authors to get a better idea of the way men think!!
I'm engaged in the story generally and prefer it to the descent series even though they relate to the same "world". I am perhaps not reading in the intended order because I am still confused as to how "the Union" seems to have acquired so much power but I will continue to follow this series in the hopes that Cèsar becomes a little more real!!
All I can say, is she's the best (SM Reine)! I absolutely love how all these books tie together and keep u in the same fantabulous universe with all the different characters popping up here and there in all of them! I think I'm going to have to start over! ....Have to say Elise is my favorite.... From the 1st book, I've been hooked, awaiting anxiously for each new book to publish, which is always on pre-order!
I have to admit I was a little skeptical of these books before I started. I'm a huge fan of the Dresden Files, and I was afraid that this was going to be a well-intentioned but not-quite-there version.
I was more than pleasantly surprised. The basic idea is still the same. Our main character is a modern day magician (witch, in the book's terms), who has spent time as a private detective. He now works for a secret organization designed to investigate the preternatural occurrences that happen.
The books are well-written. The progression of the plot makes logical sense, without relying too much on sudden bursts of insight that were never even hinted at earlier in the books. The characters are largely believable, and they all have their own flaws. Our main character has an interesting trait of sneezing around magic. Different.
Reading all three books in this trilogy did allow me to see the characters develop. Our main character slowly comes to grips with his place in life (even though it changes in the second book) and his confidence finally gets a necessary jolt at the end of the third. He's not Superman, and even feels remorse at the end of the third book because of actions he had to take. Healthy.
The downside I have is that the main character's love interest is always there, and while she does serve several purposes during the storylines, at times she is relegated to being eye candy. The frequent descriptions of her body started to border on the creepy to me, and I would be OK with never reading how the main character's blood flowed to his other brain. Nope, I'm good.
I will probably read more of the series. It is a worthwhile series to read, and I recommend it.
I started this book a long time ago when I got it free on iBooks back when the iPad mini 4 was a new release. So that should give you an idea on things, that being said I enjoy this book it’s right on the nose. Of my favorite genre ‘urban fantasy’ though I wouldn’t put it on the pedestal I put Cal Leandros on. It’s still good and I found myself thralled by the audiobook. Given my ADHD is a lot worse than it used to be, I like to be able to multitask. Don’t judge, and it’s too difficult and anxiety inducing to lug around physical copies.
What starts out as standard fair quickly turns into someone on the run. Trying to be moral and making kinda stupid decisions with no idea what he’s doing. A guy that tries to be respectful but is still a straight cis male all the same. All he knows is he got blackout drunk and woke up with his life turned upside down. Worse than the fresh prince, I like it despite the bad reviews. You can’t please everyone and some people are too anal retentive to be able to enjoy books like this. The whole genre follows a kind of formal, so yes it gets a bit repetitive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a great collection of urban fantasy books that are fun, humorous, and intense. Great for fans of the genre and anyone looking for an adventure with a snarky lead character to escape with.
Caesar is a great character who I think will grow throughout the series. He has a lot of humour and heart, and he is aware of his powers and the limits they have, which is something I think is great for him. Isobel is feisty and fun and I would love to know more about her. Same with Suzy!
The world and its code of conduct regarding demons is unique and easy to understand. I liked seeing the mysteries and danger unfold around Caesar. This is a dark world and there are some heavy moments, but it keeps the tension and pace moving nicely.
Definitely a book that fans of urban fantasy, mystery, and paranormal thrillers, and one that comes at a great deal!
I tore through these books in a couple of days. The closer I got to the end of each book, the faster I read. I couldn't put them down. Going to grab the rest of them as soon as I can. I can't remember how I stumbled onto SM Reine's books, but I've read several and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. One thing I really appreciate about her writing is her ability to write from a male perspective that doesn't feel like it was written by a woman. Many times there's a softer edge or what feels to me like what a woman thinks a man would think/do/react. I actually thought SM was a man at first. That's how natural her protagonist is in these. I highly recommend any book of hers you can get your hands on.
Preternatural Affairs is one of those guilty pleasure types of reads. I probably shouldn't like it but I do. There's a lot of crassness and language. The main character is a turd with a lot of bad qualities (he's totally flawed and he knows it) but he's also kind of a likeable turd with a lot of redeeming qualities as well. The story is kind of dark but also hilarious at times. It all just seems to come together to make it an interesting and pretty good read.
For those who want to know: there is a lot of language, some sex (and lots of sexual thoughts) and violence.
Witch Hunt I thought this was a fast paced paranormal who dun it. Keeps you guessing as Caesar searches for the truth of a dead girl in his bathtub. Witches, demons, and incubus are in the mix keeping him on his toes. Silver Bullet Secret government investigators of the paranormal type. The speed of this second book stays constant and steady. The danger just keeps coming for this untrained crew. Hotter Than Helltown This third book flows along at the same speed as the last one. Lots of action and drama. Everything ties up with no loose ends or cliffhangers.
The 1st 2 books weren't very good the MC was annoying with his thoughts everytime a pretty girl was around which put a damper on the whole book since Isobel was always around. Suzy was fine since I don't think he saw her as a woman except occasionally just his coworker. The story didn't get good until book 3 as a result, when Isobel was gone mostly. Then the humor started coming out and it was quite the enjoyable read. Looking forward to continuing the series if it can keep up the humor of book 3.
A banana peel made me slip and read this. It’s terrible and fun. I laughed out loud to stuff I’d rather hate but didn’t. The hero is a sexist pig and he gets away with it because I wanted to listen to the awesome narration of this pulp fiction 40 style Humphrey Bogard private dick type of story.
Not going to summarise the story. It’s in the description. Just going to say it’s full of men writing women and I will probably stop after book 3 because I really enjoyed the ride this far and don’t want to spoil it.
Great world building, and great magical mayhem, as we're introduced to the OPA, kind of like the FBI of the supernatural world. Agent Cesar Hawke is an interesting and compelling character, as the reader tags along with his investigations into bad witches, evil demons, and the treachery within his own secret government agency. Fun, fast reading. 5 magical stars.
I'll admit that I was immediately wondering what I got myself into by reading a 533-page series. Imagine my surprise when I was drawn into the world of author SM Reine so much that I immediately downloaded another series from them. All 3 books are connected by the same characters and it was nice to have fleshed out characters that kept me asking for more. Thoroughly enjoyed this journey.
If these books don't weird you out,nothing will. Reine creates a world in which nothing is quite as it seems. Demon hunters, witches, demons for the hunters to hunt, occasional references to Adam . . . Read it yourself. If you've finished reading this review you're ready for the book.
More than solid, this one was pretty good. Like I've said before if you're a Buffy/Joss Whedon or Harry Dresden/Jim Butcher fan you'll like these books.
I had fun reading these 3 books. The dialogues are slightly irreverent, all the myths we know are turned upside down, we have necromancy, witches (men) , fallen angels, demons, conspiracies, werewolves...all ends well so far.
Seems like the main character is a lot like Harry Dresend except for the copious use of foul language and comments on female characters bodies and appearances. Still I liked the ending and Cesar and Fritz should make a good team for future stories.
I downloaded the first three books in the series for free from Amazon and I would urge others to do the same.Good story line with characters who do not take themselves too seriously. And did I mention free?
I picked this up to read, pass the time and it's actually a lot fun to read. I found myself looking forward to reading this book and finding out what was next in store for Cesar. Give it a try you might find it as interesting as I did.
I might consider ordering the next book. These are stand alone stories but the undercurrent between the main characters is intriguing. Will Cesar and Suzy ever get together? Need to look for the next boo
This was a great read, when it finally reached the top of my reading list. Cesar is the best. Witty, with his flaws and he's 100% hilarous. I'm looking forward to reading more of his stories.
Took a bit to get into the first story; I felt disconnected from the characters. However, I persisted and eventually found myself absorbed in the story. By the end of the first I didn’t want to stop. Wonderful and imaginative stories.
Not your usual detective books. The twist on government agencies, witches and other things that go bump in the night make this series amazing!! I can’t wait to read more of these!!