I've had this series on my TBR list for so so long and while I did read the prequel a little while ago, I only now finished book nr 1 and I must say, I liked it! It was a quick and enjoyable read.

Worldbuilding was good, though sometimes it went a bit too far. I really don't want/need to know the street names and the exact location when on a run. Well, unless you live in the area and want to follow the route I suppose :D
Apart from that little hiccup along the way all was good with every scene clear and well detailed.

Character development was good. We get to know Zack a lot better than we did in the prequel and we learned some new things about Emma and Liz. Emma en Zack really work well together, they have each other's back, even after the short time they have known one another. A new, dark and mysterious player has entered the field and seems to have some interest in Emma (much to the chagrin of Zack teehee). Oh and we get an even darker picture of Demeter, the goddess who cursed Emma.

Pacing and flow were good. Excellent balance between conversation and action, keeping the story moving ahead without slowing it down or rushing it.

The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors. There is sex described (if that is important to you).

All in all, I was very happy that the romance elements in the book didn't become too much. While I certainly love me some romance (I live vicariously through the characters I'm reading about lol), for this series it would have just taken the focus away from the awesome writing. The main focus really was the case they were working on. ( )

2.5

Voy a decir nomás que esta novela no fue muuuy terrible, pero tampoco fue excepcional...y ni siquiera del todo buena.

Pero estoy con antojos de urban fantasy y esta historia me sirvió para retomar el gusto por el género. Ahora, ¡a por más! (??) ( )

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Devilish Diva - Shawnie:
*eBook gifted by LITERAL ADDICTION to write an honest review

Emma Monroe is an F.B.I. Agent with a twist - she's a cursed Siren. Cursed by the Gods to live for one thing... Redemption. Her siren abilities help her to solve the missing persons cases she is assigned and she is good at what she does. But her routine life is about to get a shake up with the help of Agent Zachary Armstrong. Her knew partner, in solving crime.

Zach is a werewolf, with a past darker than he wants it to be, and he too is on a path of redemption. When the chance to start over in a different state come to him, he transfers to the San Diego field office and doesn't look back. But there are fractions that don't want to let him go, and she has followed him to San Diego.

These two are similar in ways Emma doesn't want to admit, and there is no way she can or will admit to the attraction she feels towards Zach. The willing attraction between the two of them that has nothing to do with her powers. I was a disappointed with Emma because it just felt like she gave Zach the third degree about his life, but she refused to speak about hers. All her talk about trust, made me feel like she was bullsh*ting. There was many a times where I wanted to just stop reading.

Right off the bat you can tell Zach's a good guy, who'd been dealt a bad hand early in life, but he's making up for it. They click together like missing pieces of a puzzle, but Emma wants to keep their relationship strictly professional. She at times seems like a super b**ch the way she comes at Zach, but he holds his own and doesn't let her get away with anything when it comes to talking about their lives.

I warmed up to her once she got the stick out her butt, but that didn't even last long. She is so busy worrying about what others will think and do that she doesn't stop to think about what she does to people. The ending made me mad, and it took everything not to give this book a two star review off the ending alone. But that wouldn't have been fair. A nasty part of me hopes the decision she made comes back to bite her on the ass, in my humble opinion she doesn't deserve anything off that one act.

The case was amazing, it was unexpected and brilliantly written on and then explained. I couldn't have imagined any of it. I am going to patiently wait for book and two and hope it doesn't upset me like this one did. This is the first book though, it was bound to have some rough edges.

Honest rating 4 SKulls. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

It’s a tricky business placing an immortal character in the modern world, and incarnations of Greek deities have been especially problematic in the past. That makes it all the more satisfying to read a book that gives gravitas and reasonable boundaries to the issue. I loved how Emma’s curse shapes her profession, proscribes her love life, and constrains where and when she can unleash her Siren’s magic.

CURSED is very well set up and executed, though I would have liked less drama in the romance department and more magical and criminal focus. Initially, Emma’s honest and practical approach to her situation was refreshing. Of course, rules are made to be broken, and it does not take long for circumstances to drive Emma off the straight and narrow. I would have found these aspects of the story so much more satisfying if Emma had found clever ways to mitigate her risks, but her romantic struggles and repeated use of siren abilities quickly lost emotional impact through overuse. Given that Zack’s life was at stake, the few times Emma wasn’t upfront and honest seemed unforgivable. As her control slips and her choices become more and more emotional, I became less invested in what was clearly going to become a protracted “Will she/ Won’t she” situation. Even worse, Emma can’t control when the goddess releases her from her curse, which made me that much less interested in an integral part of the romance dynamic in this series.

S. J. Harper’s CURSED does a great job with both it’s procedural and supernatural elements. Emma Monroe is believable as both an FBI agent with a crusade, and as a mystical creature hiding her identity. Emma and Zack are quite literally star-crossed lovers, kept apart by fate, and fans of that dynamic will really enjoy this well written blend of romance, magic, and police procedure.

Sexual content: Sex scenes, references to sex. ( )

Special Agent Emma Monroe is a siren, cursed by the goddess Demeter, because she and her sisters weren’t able to rescue Persephone before Hades got her. So in order to redeem herself she’s got to find missing women—always hoping that this next one will finally be the one to earn her redemption--and has been doing so for thousands of years. Oh, and she can’t fall in love or her lover will be killed, because Demeter doesn’t believe she’s deserving.

She gets paired up with Special Agent Zack Armstrong, a werewolf she worked with over a year ago and both were extremely attracted to the other. It’s difficult to keep things strictly professional as they work together to find a woman who went missing, as well as not let humans know just what they are.

A good job was done by this writing duo in putting together an enjoyable story that sucked me right in. The characters are likeable and had me feeling their emotions. In this world most humans aren’t aware that supernaturals exist. But besides werewolves and a siren, we’ve got gods, vampires and witches.

One thing did drive me nuts, and I really can’t say what without giving away a spoiler. But it’s pretty obvious when reading it that Emma blows her chance to make her point on a number of occasions. Perhaps this is necessary for future stories, but it just didn’t make sense in this one. ( )