I overall enjoyed the first few books of this series, but this was a big no from me. I had a hard time buying that Shia would be so incredibly passive in her relationship with Chaz, while also making repeated stupid decisions. What kind of sense does it make to meet Chaz's pack when they're all wigged out by the full moon, away from home turf, and en masse? Why not ease into things with a few at a time, building acceptance within the pack? Oh yes, that would be less dramatic. The conflicts between Chaz and both of his nemeses were anticlimactic - nearly ridiculous really - and the reveal of Chaz's situation was both predictable and disappointing. My least favorite bit here, however, is the forced (potential) change. This is the second time that Shia has been bitten against her will, and I'm tired of it. If she wants to become some sort of other and chooses that, fine, but it feels like sloppy storytelling to put her in this same position again. I'll likely still read the rest of the series, but this was a disappointing turn. ( )

Jess Haines's writing got way better, because the third installment in series jumped from being very good to excellent.

Gripping, heart-breaking and gut-wrenching. Shia's whole world comes crushing down in Deceived by The Others. She is literally falling apart, there is so much deception and hurt and drama. I abso-freaking-lutely loved it.

The book is fast-paced, I read it in one go. Chaz's Nemesis is unexpectedly funny, what with all the geek gamers talk. The situations and Shia's reactions to them felt very realistic, although I did question her sanity by the end of the book. Nevertheless I could understand her rage and desperation. It was the only way for her to feel some semblance of control over what's happening with her life.

Let me put it this way, - this book was a revelation. I don't know what to expect from the characters now, but I'm certain that nothing will ever be the same again. A must-read. Get your hands on it now. ( )

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

When I first dived into this book, my initial thought was 'oh great, another heroine takes a vacay story.' This type of plot line seems to be a requirement in every Urban Fantasy series, and yet rarely turns out well. That is, until Jess Haines got a hold of it, and used it to transform the H&W INVESTIGATIONS universe from pretty good to fan-freaking-tastic! This was no holds barred my favourite installment yet with oodles of intrigue, betrayal, and mettle. You're probably thinking that the werewolves had something to do with my 5-star rating, what with me being obsessed with them and all, but that actually couldn't be further from the truth in this particular instance. Weird, I know, however Chaz has rubbed me the wrong way since day one, and in DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS he finally showed his cards.

This novel was more complex than the two previous ones in that there were multiple plot threads, and the overall mystery wasn't as clear cut. Chaz and Shia's relationship was at the fore, but there was also dissension within the Sunstriker ranks, and a pack of misfit weres out for revenge. The latter introduced three new supes to the paranormal smorgasbord along with equally wacky characters to match their unusual animals while the former helped put things like shifter hierarchy, and right of ascension into perspective. The second half of this story was brilliantly paced, and succeeded in really grabbing my attention, although I can't say why without giving anything away, and this particular tale is best experienced blind in order for the FEELS to have their full effect.

Waynest has come a long way since HUNTED BY THE OTHERS both as a character, and as a hunter, but in this installment she was something else! I loved how well she handled everything the pack threw at her from power struggles, to hurtful insults, to rumours. At one point she does have a massive meltdown, although in this particular instance I think that it was justified, and the scorned girlfriend in me couldn't resist egging her on. I also liked how Shia explored all of her options when confronted with a particularly troublesome problem; however her final decision surprised me even though it was ultimately super badass. Thankfully, I already have STALKING THE OTHERS on my eReader because after that ending I need to read it RIGHT NOW!

I missed Shia's entourage in this installment; Sara, Arnold, and Royce do make appearances, but their contributions were small. Alec's actions dumbfounded me, I mean he IS a vampire after all, and granted he probably does have ulterior motives, yet for the time being I'm firmly on his team. I really hope that the whole Dillon thing doesn't come to pass because even though I fully expect this series to go that route eventually, I think it's a little premature. We learn some shocking truths about Chaz—I just knew that he was too good to be true—and the riddle surrounding Waynest's mysterious cabie is finally solved, oh and his name is Mario!

DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS was superbly written with action out the wazoo; I can't recommend it enough! ( )

Shiarra is on the cusp of taking a big step – finally signing the contract between herself and Chaz that would formalise their relationship between a Human and an Other. Before doing so, she’s taking a romantic getaway with him to a camp site to spend some quality time together

And with his pack. While not as romantic as being alone, it does give her chance to get to know the pack and see Chaz around them. And find that while many hail her as a hero, not everyone is happy with the Alpha’s human girlfriend or her connections with vampires. Then there’s some pack politics to handle as well and…

Then all hell breaks loose. The holiday’s over, Shiarra’s running into hiding, but not happy to stay there. She’s plotting vengeance.



This is a book of two halves. Actually, worse than that, this is a book of about 60%/40%.

In the first 60% of the book I was severely losing my patience with it and kind of wondering what the point was. Shiarra is going on holiday with the Sunstriker pack during the full moon to get used to them, befriend them and, perhaps, take her relationship to the next level with her boyfriend Chaz.

This involved just hanging around, eating, drinking and enjoying the views. Chaz spent a substantial amount of time away from her dealing with various issues. She had some vague interactions with the pack that didn’t really go anywhere or really establish any characters (quickly forgot most of their names). There was a Mean Girl werewolf who hated Shiarra for random reasons but Shiarra pulled out some badassery to make her back down – so that petered off. I spent a lot of time wondering what the point was. If she was furthering her relationship with Chaz, I expected that relationship to develop. If she was forming bonds with the pack, I expected her to do so and spend time with them and develop some relationships. Neither really happened.

Then there were random sidequests. Seth and his teenaged minions challenged Chaz and were slapped down easily. End of. Was it supposed to be foreshadowing of Chaz’s true nature? Because it’s kinds of what I expected any way. In fact, the whole “revelation” to Shiarra that Chaz could be both violent in the face of rebellion and that he was politically minded seemed rather convoluted. Chaz is the Alpha of the third largest werewolf pack in the area, he commands 50-60 werewolves – surely being willing to fight down revolutions and being politically minded are assumed elements of the job? So it just kind of happened and then went away

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Read for Fun!
Overall Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 4.25

First thought when finished: Chaz you BROKE MY HEART!

What I Loved: I really love Shiarra! I know she probably won't work for everyone but I love that she is so aware of who she is. Her life is not exactly going as planned but she is pulling herself up by the bootstraps one day at a time. I really loved (for the first half) getting to know Chaz more. It gave us a glimpse of what Shiarra sees in him and we had been missing that from the first two installments. Ok, the geek girl in me has decided that I love the "GTFO" group though I have to dock points from my girl Shi for not knowing what that meant!

What I Liked: We got to learn more about the packs in this story and more about weres in general. As y'all know in the paranormal world I love my witches, then my weres, and then the vampires. This series has all 3 and now I feel we have a pretty good feel for all of them. Even though what we learned about some weres was less than stellar.

What made me go huh?: Chaz broke my heart and the end felt a little rushed to me. I get that she was pissed but the Chaz we got to know in the beginning now seemed to disappear. I don't want them together but I don't want to think he was just a bad guy all along. An ass yes, a truly bad guy (kill them, take no prisoners) NO! The whole get out of my car now really ticked me off and felt a little out of character to me!

Final Thought: I am loving this world! You have to love a book that makes you angry in parts :)