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World of the Lupi #5.5
Human Nature
An paranormal fantasy novella from USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wilks’s World of the Lupi, where the darkest magic will leave its mark…
FBI Agent Lily Yu is turning twenty-nine — a milestone she’s decidedly ambivalent about. But her birthday celebration is cut short when the naked, tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town. The victim was Steve Hilliard, and years ago, he was close friends with Rule Turner, prince of the lupi.
At first it seems like a bizarre ritual killing, but there’s more than magic afoot: Steve wasn’t human. And the killer isn’t finished…
Human Nature originally appeared in the anthology Inked.
Includes a teaser for the upcoming novel Mind Magic, out November 2015.
FBI Agent Lily Yu is turning twenty-nine — a milestone she’s decidedly ambivalent about. But her birthday celebration is cut short when the naked, tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town. The victim was Steve Hilliard, and years ago, he was close friends with Rule Turner, prince of the lupi.
At first it seems like a bizarre ritual killing, but there’s more than magic afoot: Steve wasn’t human. And the killer isn’t finished…
Human Nature originally appeared in the anthology Inked.
Includes a teaser for the upcoming novel Mind Magic, out November 2015.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2015
39 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Wilks
131 books1,526 followersEileen Wilks’ first book, a Silhouette Desire published in 1996, hit the USA Today Bestseller List and was nominated for Romantic Times' Best First Short Contemporary award. Since then, her books have appeared consistently on national bestseller lists. With thirty two books in print and novellas in nine anthologies, she has been a finalist in the prestigious Rita Awards three times, as well as receiving several nominations from Romantic Times, including one for Career Achievement in Series Romantic Suspense.
Each book in her World of the Lupi series gains a larger audience. It was originally sold in the Romance section of bookstores, but more and more you will be able to find copies cross-shelved under Sci-Fi and Fantasy as the popularity of the series grows!
Eileen has lived in the West Texas town of Midland, TX for over 30 years--three years as a young teen, and the remaining years since she moved back here as an adult. When she first started writing over 10 years ago, it hit her like the first drink for an alcoholic . . . or the first kiss for Romeo and Juliet.
She came to writing romance in a roundabout way. Having read and loved science fiction for years, that’s where she first tried her hand when the writing bug bit. Somehow her stories always ended up having a strong romantic subplot, but she hadn’t read a romance since the early 80’s and didn’t think “those little books” were her kind of stories. But when a friend in her critique group began working on a romance novel, Wilks decided she needed to give the genre another try. She asked her friend to recommend some titles--and quicker than you can say “Jayne Ann Krentz,” she fell in love. The genre had been busy growing up while she wasn’t watching. These days, with romances comprising over 50% of the mass market books published in the U.S., there are romances to appeal to almost every taste--historicals, paranormals and contemporaries that range from romantic suspense to romantic comedy, from inspirational to sizzling.
Eileen covered a lot of territory before coming home to Midland, having lived in Canada and Venezuela as well as twelve U.S. cities in five states.
Profile taken from the author's site with her permission.
Each book in her World of the Lupi series gains a larger audience. It was originally sold in the Romance section of bookstores, but more and more you will be able to find copies cross-shelved under Sci-Fi and Fantasy as the popularity of the series grows!
Eileen has lived in the West Texas town of Midland, TX for over 30 years--three years as a young teen, and the remaining years since she moved back here as an adult. When she first started writing over 10 years ago, it hit her like the first drink for an alcoholic . . . or the first kiss for Romeo and Juliet.
She came to writing romance in a roundabout way. Having read and loved science fiction for years, that’s where she first tried her hand when the writing bug bit. Somehow her stories always ended up having a strong romantic subplot, but she hadn’t read a romance since the early 80’s and didn’t think “those little books” were her kind of stories. But when a friend in her critique group began working on a romance novel, Wilks decided she needed to give the genre another try. She asked her friend to recommend some titles--and quicker than you can say “Jayne Ann Krentz,” she fell in love. The genre had been busy growing up while she wasn’t watching. These days, with romances comprising over 50% of the mass market books published in the U.S., there are romances to appeal to almost every taste--historicals, paranormals and contemporaries that range from romantic suspense to romantic comedy, from inspirational to sizzling.
Eileen covered a lot of territory before coming home to Midland, having lived in Canada and Venezuela as well as twelve U.S. cities in five states.
Profile taken from the author's site with her permission.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 4, 2016
We learn that Rule and Lily weren't just playing slap and tickle/ wild monkey business/ horizontal tango/ hide the canoli/ threading the needle while Cullen and Cynna was away in another realm. I'm sorry for doubting it. Now I know better.
I am glad I don't sound bitter.
I don't mean to say this book is all about hitting the home run, it definitely isn't. It has a solid plot. And new, seemingly unimportant characters who'll be key plot lines later on, but only thing I felt was annoyed while reading this book. So I'll just shut up now.
I am glad I don't sound bitter.
I don't mean to say this book is all about hitting the home run, it definitely isn't. It has a solid plot. And new, seemingly unimportant characters who'll be key plot lines later on, but only thing I felt was annoyed while reading this book. So I'll just shut up now.
June 12, 2016
This novella gives us a look at what was happening with Lily and Rule while Cynna and Cullen were trapped in another realm. It starts with what should have been a celebration of Lily’s birthday, and instead lands them across the country, investigating the death of an old friend of Rune’s.
This is a good mystery. Lily’s investigation delves into a magic circle, a dirty cop, and a hate group targeting lupi. The cool thing is, the answer isn’t an obvious one. I enjoyed watching Lily track the killer and it’s made even more interesting by how Rule deals with it all. These two are still finding their legs in their relationship –and though they care for and respect one another– it’s hard to balance that with Rule’s need for justice for his friend.
Even though the story is short, Eileen Wilks doesn’t skimp on the interpersonal elements. And I feel like she was laying ground-work for storylines to come, specifically with the Humans First group and their leader. She also lays groundwork for an element in Mortal Sins, which makes it odd that she puts this story after that one in her suggested reading order. I would definitely say, read this one before that.
Rating: B
This is a good mystery. Lily’s investigation delves into a magic circle, a dirty cop, and a hate group targeting lupi. The cool thing is, the answer isn’t an obvious one. I enjoyed watching Lily track the killer and it’s made even more interesting by how Rule deals with it all. These two are still finding their legs in their relationship –and though they care for and respect one another– it’s hard to balance that with Rule’s need for justice for his friend.
Even though the story is short, Eileen Wilks doesn’t skimp on the interpersonal elements. And I feel like she was laying ground-work for storylines to come, specifically with the Humans First group and their leader. She also lays groundwork for an element in Mortal Sins, which makes it odd that she puts this story after that one in her suggested reading order. I would definitely say, read this one before that.
Rating: B
August 18, 2015
Originally released in 2010 in the anthology, Inked, this novella takes place near the end of the novel, Night Season when Cynna and Cullen are off world. Lily and Rule are in Washington when he receives a call that a Nokolai friend had been killed and another had been arrested for the murder. Of course it doesn’t help that Robert Friar lives in this small town and had just started the group, Humans First. Lily first has to prove that magic was involved in order to stay on the case.
I’d just reread this story in my copy of Inked and it’s been so long between reads that I couldn’t recall most of what happened. You do get a complete story involving Rule and Lily’s relationship, the mystery, investigation and action. And of course magic is involved. What it doesn’t have that all of the novels in this series have is the rather deep discussions on magical theory. In that aspect it makes this an easier read.
Most of the series regulars are mentioned, if not on hand, including Arjenie, who we hadn’t physically met yet at this point in the series.
If you are enjoying this series you will definitely like this book. But I don’t recommend this as a place to start.
I’d just reread this story in my copy of Inked and it’s been so long between reads that I couldn’t recall most of what happened. You do get a complete story involving Rule and Lily’s relationship, the mystery, investigation and action. And of course magic is involved. What it doesn’t have that all of the novels in this series have is the rather deep discussions on magical theory. In that aspect it makes this an easier read.
Most of the series regulars are mentioned, if not on hand, including Arjenie, who we hadn’t physically met yet at this point in the series.
If you are enjoying this series you will definitely like this book. But I don’t recommend this as a place to start.
tbr-series-sequels-x
February 8, 20168 February 2016: $0.99 on Kindle
November 22, 2019
While Cynna and Cullen were off in Edge, this story was happening (so I don't know why this is 5.5 instead of 4.5...) Anyway, Rule finds out a friend of his has been killed and another friend is suspected, so he pulls strings and manipulates to put Lily on the case. Fortunately there's magic involved so she can, but she's definitely stepping on some toes and pissing off some people who don't look kindly on the lupi. Rule seems pretty focused on the biggest baddy of the baddies, Robert Friar, but his tunnel vision seems to blind him to the truth. Lily however, remains open and investigating and is ready and willing to support Rule as he deals with his grief.
Rule was pretty irksome in this one. He's dealing with his grief and lashing out at Lily, throwing half-truths at her that could get her in trouble and invading her privacy (password protect work computer?). I absolutely did like that he's man enough (or lupi enough) to apologize to her and admit that he'd been an ass. What I didn't like is that it happened off screen, so I couldn't even savor his apology to Lily who put up with his grouchy ass all book. This was a decent installment to the series and it shows how patient Lily can be with her man and how supportive their relationship is. I'd like to see them having some close, personal bonding time and maybe breaking down a few more of those barriers that are still between them...(Rule and his mommy issues for one....)
Rule was pretty irksome in this one. He's dealing with his grief and lashing out at Lily, throwing half-truths at her that could get her in trouble and invading her privacy (password protect work computer?). I absolutely did like that he's man enough (or lupi enough) to apologize to her and admit that he'd been an ass. What I didn't like is that it happened off screen, so I couldn't even savor his apology to Lily who put up with his grouchy ass all book. This was a decent installment to the series and it shows how patient Lily can be with her man and how supportive their relationship is. I'd like to see them having some close, personal bonding time and maybe breaking down a few more of those barriers that are still between them...(Rule and his mommy issues for one....)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2018
I read this as part of the anthology Inked
I loved Lily/Rule story mostly because it shows how their relationship is developing.
I loved Lily/Rule story mostly because it shows how their relationship is developing.
April 3, 2019
It was really good story. But it should be read before book five as some of the information in the book is mentioned in book five :)
August 27, 2015
I picked this up because I thought it was new, but it turned out I had read it before. Still, I didn't remember all of it, and good books are always better the second time around, so I finished it anyway.
Lily and Rule are called to a small town to intervene when a childhood friend of Rule's is killed, and another friend is arrested for the murder. They need to untangle what happened, and things are only more complicated when they discover the local police are Humans First members, and the founder of Humans First is a local (yes, this is where they meet Friar for the first time).
I really love Wilks' writing. I enjoyed the romance as Lily and Rule got together, but I think I enjoy even more the process of them learning to live together. He's imperious and overprotective, and she's prickly and distrusting, and yet they manage to communicate and make things work.
Lily and Rule are called to a small town to intervene when a childhood friend of Rule's is killed, and another friend is arrested for the murder. They need to untangle what happened, and things are only more complicated when they discover the local police are Humans First members, and the founder of Humans First is a local (yes, this is where they meet Friar for the first time).
I really love Wilks' writing. I enjoyed the romance as Lily and Rule got together, but I think I enjoy even more the process of them learning to live together. He's imperious and overprotective, and she's prickly and distrusting, and yet they manage to communicate and make things work.
August 22, 2015
How Did I Miss This..
I thought I read all the books and novellas of 'The World of Lupi', but apparently I missed this one. I can never get enough of Rule and Lily and their furry family. I miss Cullen the most, but he is back at the end of the book. This is another mind boggling and intriguing addition to the story. Trust Rule and Lily to fish every lurid, magical details out. Lily is also getting to know more about the family of her mate.
I love this short murder mystery where the whodunit was not obvious. Of course, that's why I love Eileen Wilks books. Thank you. I can't wait for the next full length book.
I thought I read all the books and novellas of 'The World of Lupi', but apparently I missed this one. I can never get enough of Rule and Lily and their furry family. I miss Cullen the most, but he is back at the end of the book. This is another mind boggling and intriguing addition to the story. Trust Rule and Lily to fish every lurid, magical details out. Lily is also getting to know more about the family of her mate.
I love this short murder mystery where the whodunit was not obvious. Of course, that's why I love Eileen Wilks books. Thank you. I can't wait for the next full length book.
July 25, 2022
A novella, 5.5 in the World of the Lupi paranormal fantasy series set in Del Cielo, Northern California, and revolving around FBI Special Agent Lily Yu and the Nokolai "Prince", Rule Turner. It's been six months since Lily was recruited into the FBI.
My Take
I gotta say I get a laugh out of Rule's obsession with Lily's underwear, lol. Lily's last name also gets some laughs . . . but not from Lily.
"Human Nature" is a combination of violent bigotry, rebellion, and a growing public fear of the Unit's powers with Wilks primarily using third person protagonist point-of-view from Lily's perspective.
That mate bond between Lily and Rule does provide Wilks with conflicts. More conflicts, hateful ones, come from the police chief who doesn't have a chip on his shoulder, it's more like a pile of logs. There's also the past history of young people's rebellious natures and the thrill of defying authority. Yet another issue is Rule pushing Lily's personal boundaries. Oooh, mama, she is ticked!
Rule does come up with some good lines about why he reacts as he does. I particularly liked him saying that Lily is now so much a part of his life that he can't imagine having had a life without her.
We learn a bit more about how gado hurts lupi and get a reminder about why lupi are so sexually active.
That police chief is the hideous stereotype of a redneck. He has such a hate for lupi. He beat Steve almost to death five years ago — along with a number of lupi, for any or no reason. He takes his frustrations and angers out on anyone who ticks him off. Hmm, I guess that means he's an equal opportunity hater . . . as well as incredibly corrupt. Wait'll you read Rule's stalking stories, lol. And when you read how Daly is "incarcerating" Jason, you'll want to scream at how Daly ignores every commonsense rule about keeping a lupus in a jail cell. I wanna shoot Daly myself.
I absolutely adored this fierce Lily! As for Isen, hmmm, the Rho is "irrevocably offended" sounds so promising.
Wow, that Friar is a real nut job. Bestiality? Unnatural? Hmm, he sounds like a Republican. How he raised such a sweet daughter, I'll never know. Mariah does have an interesting viewpoint on her gift as well as a different take on people lying, or not.
Wait a minute, I thought Wilks said Jason was fired from the police force, but it's actually fired from the hospital. It was confusing.
It's primarily character-driven with lots of action. It's amazing how Wilks got so much packed in to so few pages!
And Lily's lease on her apartment is up.
The Story
Lily Yu intends to celebrate her 29th birthday, dang it. But then the naked, tattooed body of a man is found, and Rule learns his identity and then the name of the Northern California town that has jurisdiction.
There's no question that Rule must fly in and protect the man arrested, for he knows this town . . . and its police chief.
The Characters
Special Agent Lily Yu, a former Homicide detective in San Diego and a touch sensitive who can't be affected by magic, is with the MCD branch of the FBI and is the Chosen of the claustrophobic Rule Turner, the heir to the Nokolai Rho and their Lu Nuncio.
Special Agent Cynna Weaver, a Finder with a Msaidizi background and the apprentice to Nokolai's Rhej, and the lupus sorcerer, Cullen Seabourne, are dear friends to both Lily and Rule — and they've been kidnapped (They got married in "Cyncerely Yours", 4.5, and kidnapped in Night Season , 4).
The Nokolai Clan is . . .
. . . the lupi clan to which Rule belongs. The Rho is his father, Isen Turner. Steve Hilliard had been an agemate and friend of Rule's since their childhood. Jason Chance, a nurse, had been a friend of Steve's. Beth is Jason's sister. Dr Nettie Two-Horses is a Harvard-trained physician, a ritually trained shaman, and Benedict's daughter. Benedict Jones is Isen's older son, and he's in charge of security at Nokolai.
Hal Newman is a defense attorney with Cone, Levy, Rayner, and Newman. He's good.
The Unit is . . .
. . . part of the Magical Crimes Division (MCD) of the FBI and is headed up by the lost Ruben Brooks, an off-the-scale precog with the president's ear. Ida is his very efficient secretary. Martin Croft is running Unit while Ruben is missing ( Night Season , 4). Arjenie Fox, a witch, is a researcher.
Del Cielo, California
Pete Daly is the corrupt, bigoted, bullying chief of police. He and Rule have a history! Hawes is the chief jailer. Officer Mills and another cop have their rifles ready. Morton Wright is the morgue attendant. Dr Alicia Chavez is the county medical examiner. Judge Soreli understands lupi rules.
Amos McPherson was the second-to-last person to see Steve. Bobbie's Grill serves plentiful food quickly. Casa Gomez is owned by Maria Esperenza Valenzuela Gomez. Felicia is Maria's sister. Her great-aunt, Tía Jimena, did not talk about her craft. Adele Blanco is a practicing witch with a Gift for Earth and a shop, Practikal Magik. The young Keoni Akana, a full human, was encouraged to infiltrate Humans First. Mannie Bouchard, ospi to Nokolai, is a car mechanic with a small Finding Gift. Dora Bouchard is his mother and the daughter of one of the Nokolai counselors.
Lupe Valdez, the gifted senior charge nurse in orthopedics, is Jason's former supervisor — and friend — at the local hospital. She's also Robert Friar's neighbor. Anna is her older daughter at UCLA. Sarita is her youngest daughter. Lori is Sarita's friend — with a driver's license!
Robert Friar started Humans First, a hate group, and he lives in Del Cielo. The attention-seeking Mariah Friar is the empathic daughter he's disowned. She has a son, Steve. Shawn is Robert's brother who's been in and out of rehab. Armand Jones and Paul Chittenden are a couple of Friar's lieutenants.
Gan is a former demon who is now growing a soul ( Blood Lines , 3). The Turning is when magic erupted onto Earth, back in December. Ambient magic is free magic and affects technology. Gado, a.k.a. gadolinium, is a rare earth element used to drug lupi into being unable to change. Lupus is the singular form of the plural lupi. Ray Evans is a journalist with a Charisma Gift is with the Sacramento Star.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a deep blue background interrupted by barely seen tree trunks, a forest floor, and misty night atop the trees. Lily is front and center, on one knee, pointing her gun at us with a determined face. True to form, lol, Lily is all in black with her long black hair hanging straight down. Just below the sky is an info blurb in white. Below that is the author's name in an embossed sky blue. To the far left of Lily's leg is the publisher's logo and name in white. The descending and gradated blue-to-yellow title crosses Lily's ankles.
I think the title refers to everyone, as each character's behavior is in their "Human Nature".
My Take
I gotta say I get a laugh out of Rule's obsession with Lily's underwear, lol. Lily's last name also gets some laughs . . . but not from Lily.
"Human Nature" is a combination of violent bigotry, rebellion, and a growing public fear of the Unit's powers with Wilks primarily using third person protagonist point-of-view from Lily's perspective.
That mate bond between Lily and Rule does provide Wilks with conflicts. More conflicts, hateful ones, come from the police chief who doesn't have a chip on his shoulder, it's more like a pile of logs. There's also the past history of young people's rebellious natures and the thrill of defying authority. Yet another issue is Rule pushing Lily's personal boundaries. Oooh, mama, she is ticked!
Rule does come up with some good lines about why he reacts as he does. I particularly liked him saying that Lily is now so much a part of his life that he can't imagine having had a life without her.
We learn a bit more about how gado hurts lupi and get a reminder about why lupi are so sexually active.
That police chief is the hideous stereotype of a redneck. He has such a hate for lupi. He beat Steve almost to death five years ago — along with a number of lupi, for any or no reason. He takes his frustrations and angers out on anyone who ticks him off. Hmm, I guess that means he's an equal opportunity hater . . . as well as incredibly corrupt. Wait'll you read Rule's stalking stories, lol. And when you read how Daly is "incarcerating" Jason, you'll want to scream at how Daly ignores every commonsense rule about keeping a lupus in a jail cell. I wanna shoot Daly myself.
I absolutely adored this fierce Lily! As for Isen, hmmm, the Rho is "irrevocably offended" sounds so promising.
Wow, that Friar is a real nut job. Bestiality? Unnatural? Hmm, he sounds like a Republican. How he raised such a sweet daughter, I'll never know. Mariah does have an interesting viewpoint on her gift as well as a different take on people lying, or not.
"You don't get to think you know what's best for someone else, because it's their" thing and not yours.Mannie admits to enjoying the sexual plurality of their group but he's more interested in the magical exploration. He's also full of Adele's viewpoint on the plurality aspect.
Wait a minute, I thought Wilks said Jason was fired from the police force, but it's actually fired from the hospital. It was confusing.
It's primarily character-driven with lots of action. It's amazing how Wilks got so much packed in to so few pages!
And Lily's lease on her apartment is up.
The Story
Lily Yu intends to celebrate her 29th birthday, dang it. But then the naked, tattooed body of a man is found, and Rule learns his identity and then the name of the Northern California town that has jurisdiction.
There's no question that Rule must fly in and protect the man arrested, for he knows this town . . . and its police chief.
The Characters
Special Agent Lily Yu, a former Homicide detective in San Diego and a touch sensitive who can't be affected by magic, is with the MCD branch of the FBI and is the Chosen of the claustrophobic Rule Turner, the heir to the Nokolai Rho and their Lu Nuncio.
Special Agent Cynna Weaver, a Finder with a Msaidizi background and the apprentice to Nokolai's Rhej, and the lupus sorcerer, Cullen Seabourne, are dear friends to both Lily and Rule — and they've been kidnapped (They got married in "Cyncerely Yours", 4.5, and kidnapped in Night Season , 4).
The Nokolai Clan is . . .
. . . the lupi clan to which Rule belongs. The Rho is his father, Isen Turner. Steve Hilliard had been an agemate and friend of Rule's since their childhood. Jason Chance, a nurse, had been a friend of Steve's. Beth is Jason's sister. Dr Nettie Two-Horses is a Harvard-trained physician, a ritually trained shaman, and Benedict's daughter. Benedict Jones is Isen's older son, and he's in charge of security at Nokolai.
Hal Newman is a defense attorney with Cone, Levy, Rayner, and Newman. He's good.
The Unit is . . .
. . . part of the Magical Crimes Division (MCD) of the FBI and is headed up by the lost Ruben Brooks, an off-the-scale precog with the president's ear. Ida is his very efficient secretary. Martin Croft is running Unit while Ruben is missing ( Night Season , 4). Arjenie Fox, a witch, is a researcher.
Del Cielo, California
Pete Daly is the corrupt, bigoted, bullying chief of police. He and Rule have a history! Hawes is the chief jailer. Officer Mills and another cop have their rifles ready. Morton Wright is the morgue attendant. Dr Alicia Chavez is the county medical examiner. Judge Soreli understands lupi rules.
Amos McPherson was the second-to-last person to see Steve. Bobbie's Grill serves plentiful food quickly. Casa Gomez is owned by Maria Esperenza Valenzuela Gomez. Felicia is Maria's sister. Her great-aunt, Tía Jimena, did not talk about her craft. Adele Blanco is a practicing witch with a Gift for Earth and a shop, Practikal Magik. The young Keoni Akana, a full human, was encouraged to infiltrate Humans First. Mannie Bouchard, ospi to Nokolai, is a car mechanic with a small Finding Gift. Dora Bouchard is his mother and the daughter of one of the Nokolai counselors.
Lupe Valdez, the gifted senior charge nurse in orthopedics, is Jason's former supervisor — and friend — at the local hospital. She's also Robert Friar's neighbor. Anna is her older daughter at UCLA. Sarita is her youngest daughter. Lori is Sarita's friend — with a driver's license!
Robert Friar started Humans First, a hate group, and he lives in Del Cielo. The attention-seeking Mariah Friar is the empathic daughter he's disowned. She has a son, Steve. Shawn is Robert's brother who's been in and out of rehab. Armand Jones and Paul Chittenden are a couple of Friar's lieutenants.
Gan is a former demon who is now growing a soul ( Blood Lines , 3). The Turning is when magic erupted onto Earth, back in December. Ambient magic is free magic and affects technology. Gado, a.k.a. gadolinium, is a rare earth element used to drug lupi into being unable to change. Lupus is the singular form of the plural lupi. Ray Evans is a journalist with a Charisma Gift is with the Sacramento Star.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a deep blue background interrupted by barely seen tree trunks, a forest floor, and misty night atop the trees. Lily is front and center, on one knee, pointing her gun at us with a determined face. True to form, lol, Lily is all in black with her long black hair hanging straight down. Just below the sky is an info blurb in white. Below that is the author's name in an embossed sky blue. To the far left of Lily's leg is the publisher's logo and name in white. The descending and gradated blue-to-yellow title crosses Lily's ankles.
I think the title refers to everyone, as each character's behavior is in their "Human Nature".
April 16, 2018
While Cynna and Cullen were trapped on another realm, Lily and Rule have to solve the murder of an old friend of Rule's, Steve Hilliard and prove the innocence of Jason Chance, accused of murdering him.
I liked the adrenaline moments:
A short novella, compared to the normal lengths of the novels. But still not enough time to develop all the characters introduced. I am curious how many of them will make a second appearance in the series.
The mystery was pretty complex. A lot of suppositions and possible culprits. Perhaps because I read this on and off for several days, the dots didn't quite connect for me so I had to have Lily tell me who killed Steve and why.
Not a spectacular read but definitely enough juicy bits to add to the world of the Lupi and it's always nice to come back to my favourite pair in the series.
I liked the adrenaline moments:
A short novella, compared to the normal lengths of the novels. But still not enough time to develop all the characters introduced. I am curious how many of them will make a second appearance in the series.
The mystery was pretty complex. A lot of suppositions and possible culprits. Perhaps because I read this on and off for several days, the dots didn't quite connect for me so I had to have Lily tell me who killed Steve and why.
Not a spectacular read but definitely enough juicy bits to add to the world of the Lupi and it's always nice to come back to my favourite pair in the series.
August 20, 2022
Human Nature on Books On Track
RTC
Previous book reviews:
✦ Mortal Sins (World of the Lupi, #5) ~ ★★★★ (21/07/2022)
✦ Good Counsel (World of the Lupi, #4.2) ~ ★★★ (24/07/2022)
✦ Night Season (World of the Lupi, #4) ~ ★★★ (15/10/2019)
✦ Inhuman (World of the Lupi, #3.5) ~ ★★★ (22/07/2022)
✦ Blood Lines (World of the Lupi, #3) ~ ★★★★ (15/04/2017)
✦ Mortal Danger (World of the Lupi #2) ~ ★★★ (09/08/2014)
✦ Originally Human (World of the Lupi #1.5) ~ ★★★★ (29/12/2013)
✦ Tempting Danger (World of the Lupi #1) ~ ★★★ (29/08/2013)
✦ The New Kid (World of the Lupi, #0.1) ~ ★★★★ (24/07/2022)
December 29, 2020
This book just made me want to dive back into these World of the Lupi books, which I guess is the sign of a good short story. I just love Lily and Rule as main characters and missed them without even realizing it.
Lily is working through her FBI training, which is perpetually interrupted by Rule's political stuff. This time it is more personal - one of Rule's old friends is killed, and he maneuvers Lily into taking the case without all the facts. Lily is... Lily. She's awesome and really good at her job. Also, managing her place in this world where she straddles a few different lives at once. There are some anti-gifted/anti-shifter angles, lots of mystery, some complicated emotions, and overall a timeline ticking away.
The highlight here is definitely Lily and Rule and getting to see some deeper cuts into their relationship. While I have since gotten further in this world than the time where this short story takes place, it was nice to still spend time with these two. This takes place while their friends are still missing/taken and there is a bit of tension from that, too. Overall, I'm glad I swung back around to get this short story.
Lily is working through her FBI training, which is perpetually interrupted by Rule's political stuff. This time it is more personal - one of Rule's old friends is killed, and he maneuvers Lily into taking the case without all the facts. Lily is... Lily. She's awesome and really good at her job. Also, managing her place in this world where she straddles a few different lives at once. There are some anti-gifted/anti-shifter angles, lots of mystery, some complicated emotions, and overall a timeline ticking away.
The highlight here is definitely Lily and Rule and getting to see some deeper cuts into their relationship. While I have since gotten further in this world than the time where this short story takes place, it was nice to still spend time with these two. This takes place while their friends are still missing/taken and there is a bit of tension from that, too. Overall, I'm glad I swung back around to get this short story.
November 23, 2024
I really enjoyed this brief look into what Lily and Rule were up to while Cynna and Cullen were gallivanting around Dis. In addition to showing the two of them working as a team (despite the bumps in their relationship road), it also helped to give some political background on the world in which the Lupi exist, as well as reveal a little more of what Rule's history was like before Lily came on the scene.
I remain surprised and impressed by just how well this series stands up after almost 10 years, and I can't wait to get back into the series on Graphic Audio after this brief diversion to Kindle again.
I remain surprised and impressed by just how well this series stands up after almost 10 years, and I can't wait to get back into the series on Graphic Audio after this brief diversion to Kindle again.
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September 28, 2018This should actually be book 4.5 as it happens during Night Season (book 4).
April 25, 2020
Fantastic series, does not disappoint
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!
September 23, 2021
Short story about what Rule and Lily are doing while Cynna and Cullen are away in Edge's realm (Book 4). I would actually suggest reading this one before Mortal Sins (Book 5), because it seems to fit better in the chronology there.
February 12, 2017
You really need to have read the other books in the series to understand the characters and the dynamics between them, otherwise they'll just seem like jerks.
June 30, 2017
A short book but lots of pointless and mesningless dialogue.
October 22, 2017
Yet another new series to add to my queue.
September 13, 2022
Nice story
Entertaining story and addition to Eileen Wilks' Lupi series. Several beloved characters make an appearance. Plenty of action to keep a wayward attention.
Entertaining story and addition to Eileen Wilks' Lupi series. Several beloved characters make an appearance. Plenty of action to keep a wayward attention.
June 10, 2024
Reread June 2024. Read first time as part of the Inked anthology. This is a Lily short set parallel to Night Season. I like getting to see Luly working a case.
April 2, 2024
Another good story though I wish it'd been placed before Mortal Sins in the reading order. Even though it's a short story, there's enough meat in it to make almost a full novel. The reason for the death really ticked me off. Such an unnecessary loss of life at the hand of a narcissist. The cover of this book is very troubling though. The other covers were truer to Lily Yu. This particular cover is more like a spoilt brat socialite playing at being an FBI agent and doesn't do Lily justice at all.
January 21, 2024
This is a fun little short story, but I didn't get enough tattoo stuff. This is a story from an anthology called: Inked, and true enough, the victim has ink but I still felt like it would've been more fun if the trail had included more ink, more tattoos in a similar style. Or even a heavily tattooed lupus (which isn't necessarily possible or likely and the why is explained in this novella.
In short: I expected the story to be about tattoos (and it was about a tattoo) but didn't get as much of it as I wanted . This did give a titbit more understanding about the Mzaidizi though, which I had been wondering about a little since Cynna mentions them and belonged to them. We still don't really know a lot about the group, but I understand a bit more about the tattooing now.
I didn't get fully what I expected. Looking back it makes sense, though. Since this is only a 100 odd page novella and this means it's short enough to not be fully able to build the kind of story I expected (most likely, who knows what a good author of short fiction can actually accomplish? Eileen Wilks is more of a longer fiction writer anyway).
In short: I expected the story to be about tattoos (and it was about a tattoo) but didn't get as much of it as I wanted . This did give a titbit more understanding about the Mzaidizi though, which I had been wondering about a little since Cynna mentions them and belonged to them. We still don't really know a lot about the group, but I understand a bit more about the tattooing now.
I didn't get fully what I expected. Looking back it makes sense, though. Since this is only a 100 odd page novella and this means it's short enough to not be fully able to build the kind of story I expected (most likely, who knows what a good author of short fiction can actually accomplish? Eileen Wilks is more of a longer fiction writer anyway).
January 5, 2016
Humane Nature
Again, another great short story my Eileen Wilks. I love this world. I hope it's a series that will continue for a few more years. I think as chosen Lily will not age as a normal human and really, she's not as human as she was when the books started. Read this series. I promise you, you will not be disappointed if you like shifters, lovers and fantastic settings in our world.
Again, another great short story my Eileen Wilks. I love this world. I hope it's a series that will continue for a few more years. I think as chosen Lily will not age as a normal human and really, she's not as human as she was when the books started. Read this series. I promise you, you will not be disappointed if you like shifters, lovers and fantastic settings in our world.
January 8, 2019
Such a great story, of the time Lily and Rule spent during the events of Night Season! Introduced some characters like Friar and others who are going to be important later!
*First read February 1st, 2016*
I kinda wish that I'd read this book sooner, that it was 4.1 or something because it's set in the time when Cynna and Cullen where gone in Night Season! But really great story, so enjoyable!
*First read February 1st, 2016*
I kinda wish that I'd read this book sooner, that it was 4.1 or something because it's set in the time when Cynna and Cullen where gone in Night Season! But really great story, so enjoyable!
August 20, 2015
The Best Lupi Tale Out There!
Eileen Wilks does it again! Main character, Lily Yu, is funny, gutsy, & determined. Her love for Rule is what legends are made of. I found it impossible to put down & am eagerly looking forward to Lily & Rule's next adventure.
Eileen Wilks does it again! Main character, Lily Yu, is funny, gutsy, & determined. Her love for Rule is what legends are made of. I found it impossible to put down & am eagerly looking forward to Lily & Rule's next adventure.
November 6, 2023
Lily gets pulled in when Rule's school time friend, whom he'd lost touch with, is found dead...
their relationship gets stretched as they negotiate …
and they solve the mystery...
and Rule gets rescued by Lily again....
their relationship gets stretched as they negotiate …
and they solve the mystery...
and Rule gets rescued by Lily again....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2015
Great story as always
Great book with lots of excitement and the lupi. Jealousy can be a terrible thing that makes you do all kind of evil things.
Great book with lots of excitement and the lupi. Jealousy can be a terrible thing that makes you do all kind of evil things.
August 21, 2015
My only complaint is that it was too short! Love these characters, and want to spend more time with them.
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