Review: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans

“Evans has created and builds for the reader a very neat and interesting world about which I definitely want to learn more.” ~Under the Covers

This was an excellent start to what seems to be a very promising Urban Fantasy series.  As I presume most UF readers would, when reading UF, I really look forward to the following elements: world building, character development, story progression, and hopefully, at least some
romance, or the possibility thereof.  The Trouble With Fate delivers on all of these, and together with Evan’s witty and great writing, I really enjoyed reading this book.

Our protagonist in the story, Hedi Peacock, is a mix breed of half-fae, half-werewolf.  However, the co-mingling of these races is heavily frowned upon, and as such, Hedi lays lows and tries to get by just living her daily life as a barista.  Her low profile is also the result of having watched her father murdered by a werewolf, her mother killed by a fae, and her twin brother taken and swept into a fae portal that is no longer accessible from the human realm.  All that remains is her and her Aunt Lou, a fae who is “bat-shit crazy,” and for whom Hedi needs to care.  Oh, and how could I forget – Merry, the fae who lives in the amulet secure around Hedi’s neck.  Hedi’s normal day of brewing java and taking care of her aunt comes to dead stop when Aunt Lou is hospitalized and then kidnapped, and Hedi becomes the object of the Creemore Alpha’s attention in his quest for a special amulet.

Enter Robson Trowbridge, son of the former Alpha of Creemore, and the Were that Hedi had had a crush on since she was twelve.  Ten years later, she is still taken with Robbie.  It doesn’t matter that he is older than her or was previously mated to another female.  The sexy ass Were had been and would always remain the object of her desire.  Ironically, it is Robbie who Hedi needs to find in order to save her aunt.  At first, she comes to him as someone working alone to achieve
what she needs, but before long, Hedi and the now rogue Were find themselves working together.

Hedi, a now 22 year old, is a very likable protagonist.  At the beginning of the story, we see that she has a hidden strength about her.  Even after having lived through the loss of her family, she
continues to survive and takes care of her aunt, Merry, and herself.  She doesn’t have aspirations for wealth or success, but rather, just for living, and living without bringing any attention to herself or her aunt, who is fae.  And she does this wonderfully for ten years.  So when Hedi is forced to step out of her comfort zone and do what she needs to do to save her aunt and to continue to protect Merry, it is great to see her doubts about doing it all, but still putting forth the wherewithal to get the job done.  She is not perfect, and of course, there is a young immaturity about her, but survival and protection of her family keep her going.  Further, as a mixed breed, Hedi has been gifted with some very potent powers.  One of these is mystwalking ~ a very rare ability to travel to Threall, a fae realm that houses fae souls. She can also “dream walk” into others’ thoughts and dreams.  She is also a beholder of both Were and fae powers.  As a 22 year old who has basically lived half of her life in hiding, most of these abilities are either unknown or underdeveloped for Hedi.  But when the situation calls for the need, it’s great to see Hedi start to
strengthen and embrace her gifts to take care of her own, and damn if she doesn’t do it with some serious gusto!

Slowly but surely, Robbie becomes one such person for Hedi.  While they start out working together, each for their own purposes, it doesn’t take long to see that there is a chemistry between them.  In addition to her aunt and Merry, Hedi finds herself making decisions to
ensure Robbie’s safety, and in turn, he does the same for her.  At first, it is just about survival and fighting against the bad guys, but before long, their chemistry sizzles, and it becomes so much more. Evans does a great job in weaving some romance into this book.  It is not overbearing, but it’s enough to draw in the romance reader, and the sex scenes are written beautifully ~ not overly descriptive, leaving some details to the imagination, but beautiful nonetheless.

Evans has created and builds for the reader a very neat and interesting world about which I definitely want to learn more.  I love reading about both shifters and fae, so to have the combination of them in this series, and at odds with each other, makes for a engaging read.  As with most UF, there is a cliffhanger at the end of this book.  But Hedi has come so far by the end of the book, she definitely keeps my interest as someone whose story I want to keep reading, and I look so forward to seeing where the next book takes her, Robbie, Merry, and others we’ve met along the way.  I highly recommend this book for all paranormal UF lovers.

*Review copy provided by publisher

Did you like this review? If so, please tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

[about-author author=”Leigh Evans”]