Customer Reviews

Rogue (Shifters Book 2)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first book, Stray (Werecats, Book 1), was better and I only gave it three stars so this book is getting two. If I could, I would give it 2-1/2 stars.

The first part of the book was pretty good. It kept my attention and I was interested to see where the author was going. However, around the middle of the book, the book hit a lull. The only action was a couple of dead bodies. The middle of the book was centered around the main character, Faythe's, angst over keeping secrets, her relationships with various individuals, and trying to figure out what was going on. Which, fine, that is probably like real life, but a little action wouldn't have hurt to keep the story going. The last part of the book picked up the pace a bit, but not enough.

Using only vague SPOILERS, the reason this book only got two stars is because I don't like the main character.

1) Faythe is incredibly selfish in her relationship with her boyfriend, Marc. He wants some reassurance that she isn't with him only because he's a bed warmer and she refuses to give it to him. If she isn't sure of it, why is she leading him on?

2) She's not the brightest character. There is a bit in the story about stupid women in movies (The Howling) that run outside, almost naked, without a weapon. In several scenes, Faythe does something similar. It doesn't always end badly, but she doesn't seem to learn from her past mistakes (referencing the abduction scene in Stray). Faythe is just as stupid as the women in the movies that she mocks.

3) Faythe's mentality is wacky and not healthy. There is a part in the book where she doesn't want to harm this guy because she's "already hurt him enough". This is what she's actually thinking as he's beating the living crap out of her. Seriously.

Other than my growing dislike of Faythe, I like the other characters in the book - especially Faythe's brothers and dad.

I don't think it is a good sign that I found this book less interesting than the first. I won't be rushing out to get the third book when it comes out next year (?), but I'd probably pick it up at the library if I saw it.

Faythe Sanders is back, working hard to prove herself as the first female Enforcer for the South Central Pride. Teamed up with her one-time fiance and current lover, Marc, she's got a lot to do to show her father she's worthy of his pride and support. But when strays start showing up dead Faythe's skills are put to the test. When one of their own joins the strays in the after-life the mystery begins to deepen even as it starts to unravel. The killer smells like a jungle cat and 'more'. So who is this rogue and how the the missing strippers, who all bear a striking resemblence to Faythe herself, tie into this plot?

If you liked Stray you're bound to love Rogue. The story picks up quick and keeps a steady pace. Just don't expect many surprises, if you read Stray you'll know pretty much everything that is going to happen in this sophomore novel before cracking it open. But while predictable, Vincent had woven a more emotionally resounding and complex tale. The women in the werecat world begin to be more visible as strong members of their society which I think most readers will be pleased with.

What I did not like about this book and Stray is Faythe herself. She's always doing the rebellious and stupid thing, even when she knows it's a mistake. It's like she doesn't care despite her narrative saying she does. She abuses her father's protection, Marc's devotion and her mother's kindness to the point I want to smack her in the head with a brick. Her spoiled ten-year-old attitude has grown tired by the end of the novel, but you will see a slight improvement, so let's hope she continues to grow and mature through the series. See her next in Pride, the third novel!

Faythe Sanders is back at home with the rest of the Pride after the tumultuous events chronicled in the first book, STRAY. Her father, the Alpha, is determined to test her at every turn as he wants to ensure she has the skills she will need in the future. But trouble follows Faythe around and now toms are being murdered on their territory. Who is behind these deaths and what do they want? And what will happen between Faythe and her lover, Marc?

ROGUE picks up right where STRAY left off and this ride is just as wild! Rachel Vincent takes readers into the heart of her werecat world, showing the ties that bind the Pride. The hierarchy of the various Prides is gradually being unveiled and it will certainly be interesting to see where the third book takes us!

ROGUE doesn't necessarily have any huge surprises as I actually anticipated the direction Rachel Vincent was headed with the series after finishing STRAY. However, this series has all the elements of a fanatastic series- great characters, excellent storylines, adequate suspense, and true emotional heart. It's hard not to be drawn immediately into this world and be thoroughly captivated by each and every aspect.

Faythe is beginning to mature and she is trying hard to do the right things. It is not always easy to be honest and Faythe is learning the hard way that her behaviors have consequences. It's hard not to admire Faythe's independent spirit, though!

ROGUE only increases my admiration for the writing skills of Rachel Vincent. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book; it is one of those books you have to set everything aside just so you can sit and read. ROGUE is highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I want to love STRAY and ROGUE. Rachel Vincent builds an interesting world with both a caste system and gender bias. She portrays the werecats as they enter a time of change - where a stray might be adopted by a Pride, a girl might inherit, and the strays are tired of being pushed around.

While I enjoy the world, I do not love the main characters. I do love some of the secondary characters. Jace, in particular, is a sweetie. I rooted for him in the first book. Faythe's mom is a BA disguised as June Cleaver, but Faythe is too self-absorbed to notice until the end of ROUGE. Luckily, Faythe become less self-absorbed throughout the story. Her personal growth could move a bit faster, but I saw evidence that she was beginning to think of the Pride first.

Nothing in Marc's personality changed to make me like him better. Take this sentence: "I'd never known him to demand anything less than all of my attention, and I didn't recognize this polite, courteous behavior." There was a more alarming quote, but my bookmark failed to stay in place. Their relationship seems abusive to me. Not just on Marc's part, but on Faythe's as well. He flat out states he does not trust her. ROGUE is a paranormal romance. In my romance stories, I need the main couple to be in love. Marc and Faythe feel mutually dependent rather than loving to me.

The mystery half of the plot - tracking down a killer of tomcats and kidnapper of strippers - felt like it was given equal weight, but the culprit was too obvious. Faythe shows her brain many times in the novel. With her mental faculty, she should have put the pieces together long before she did. On the other hand, I liked Manx. I wish she entered the novel earlier so she could have more screen time.

I still plan to read PRIDE when it comes out. The action scenes are fantastic and Faythe could grow to be a strong heroine. But if Faythe shows little growth again, I might not stay for all six planned werecat novels.

Cross-posted from http://inbedwithbooks.blogspot.com.

Faythe is working for Daddy as an enforcer along with her hottie long-suffering boyfriend Marc. When a serial killer seems to be murdering strays (werecats who created rather than by birth), Faythe and Marc are sent to investigate. Can Faythe get to the bottom of the murders before someone else is targeted?

I liked Rogue better than the previous novel Stray.

Faythe is still a difficult character to like. She is smug, self-absorbed and at times foolish person. She is spoiled, and treats her parents in a rather scornful smug teen way which grated on my nerves. I also felt the male characters seem to be.... hmmm. Rather dumbed down to make Faythe look smart.

There was more action, in this one though, and despite my lack of love for the main character I found it gripping and wanted to know what happened next. 4/5.

Rachel Vincent has a good thing going with her Were-Cats series. The first novel, Stray, attracted readers of the genre with it's wickedly intriguing cover while the story packed more than enough punch, to keep readers wanting more. Here we have the continuation of Faythe's story. Faythe is the daughter of the local Pride's leader, Greg Sanders. She is viewed as something precious to be held close and guarded because she is a female at child bearing age. Females are rare in the were-cat world and highly valuable. Faythe balks at the idea of being held to the were-cat traditions, and wants to live her life, her way. She is currently serving a probation time of service to her father as one of his kick-booty enforcers. After that, whether she stays with the Pride or leaves, has yet to be decided. In the meantime, its up to Faythe and her fellow Enforcers to find out who is leaving a trail of male werecat bodies running through several states. This is a great world to visit, very exciting in how it still stands out compared to the many other paranormal series in print today. The cast of fellow Enforcers, made up of several brothers, and other young men, are endearing and only add to the book's enjoyment. Personally, I thought this book started slow. I was actually bored for a few minutes. When the action did pick up (more than 100 pages in) I was hooked for the remainder of the ride. Faythe is a very child-like heroine. She is spoiled and has tons of growing up to do. I hope to see her growth as the series progresses. I was disappointed when I found the huge cliffhanger at the end of the book. There is no way I can avoid waiting for the next one. Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone who read and enjoyed "Stray". I don't consider this to be able to stand-alone. Too many contributors to the plot came from the previous story.

Their pride (actually her father the alpha) has teamed up lover-werecats Faythe Sanders and Marc Ramos as territorial enforcers. Their prime job is capturing strays who the pride does not like wandering around because that usually means trouble. However, sometimes they investigate the deaths of werecats.

They are currently working two homicide cases. First they are searching for a serial killing rogue werecat who murders tomcats as if he or she is a predatory king of the jungle; second the duo also seeks another serial killer preying on human female strippers who bear an uncanny likeness to Faythe. As the two enforcers work the Arkansas-Mississippi line and rolling on the gravel, they wonder if the two investigations have a link.

As with STRAY, Faythe remains a chip off the alpha block of her father and the sassy block of her mother as she fights strays and other rogues, but this time embraces her love for Marc. Her escapades and asides will turn readers into believers of the Vincent mythos. Fans of werewolf sagas will enjoy this entertaining paranormal investigative thriller with a chick lit bite as the Enforcers search for a serial killer jungle were and someone else with Faythe being the link.

Harriet Klausner

This was a good book, but I have to agree with another reviewer that Faythe was more than irritating. I hope that she matures and does so quickly, because I am starting to become more interested in the other characters rather than Faythe. I can understand how she is so spoiled, since all tabbies are treasured, but the way she treats Marc (and her mom!) is awful. She doesn't deserve him (right now she doesn't deserve anyone, not Jace either) as she doesn't think of anyone else and how they may be feeling, just how people affect her. I only hope her father doesn't die any time soon and leave her in charge - she has A LOT to learn. Will two years even be enough? The part about Manx was interesting, and her whole situation was thought provoking. How much can an abused woman stand before she snaps? What should her punishment be? Hasn't she been through enough? But does it excuse her actions? Most of the strays are depicted as being feral and better off dead, but what about Jamey? Am looking forward to see what happens with that. Having griped about Faythe, she does have many redeeming qualities, and she wouldn't be as interesting if she were a perfect protaganist as some can be, but I hope to see those good parts outweigh her bad as she grows and matures.

The second book was slightly better than its predecessor, plot-wise.

I still had problems with Faythe but she's growing on me. She's still annoying and irksome, but it didn't get on my nerves as much as it did in the first book. Faythe still has some growing up to do and I hope to see it in the next few books. I also think that she needs to be developed a tad bit more since only a few sides of her have been shown. There was one thing that she did that really made me angry but I'm not going to say since it's a spoiler. Towards the end, she matured just a tiny bit and I hope that in the next book, Pride, she's more responsible and mature.

There was an aspect or two of the plot that was easily predictable from the beginning, but tons of action scenes and a twist or two made this book much more enjoyable. Here the plot was revealed at the beginning and just went to the point.The fight scenes are so vivid, it's like I can see them in my head. Rachel Vincent is really great at writing action scenes and describing them so well that you can envision them. Even though this book is long, the pacing is fast so you get through it quicker.

I'd like to see Faythe face the repercussions of what happened in this book and that she doesn't walk away clean. She shouldn't get away scot-free and should learn to pay for her mistakes. Now don't get me wrong, I like her, I just don't like that she can do anything she wants and not fear the consequences.

Overall: A nice sequel to this paranormal series. While not as good as its predecessor and very predictable, there are still some things that make up for it. Pick up a copy of this book (and it's predecessor!) are your bookstore if you like urban fantasy and don't mind selfish, annoying main characters.

Carol
http://bookluver-carol.blogspot.com

I bought this book based on my enjoyment of "Strays". This is the second in Vincent's Pride series. Unlike so many other second books, this is a strong sequel that doesn't feel like the author is just rushing to get you to the next book.

The werecat world of Faythe seems good. She's got a boyfriend. She's working for her father. She is fitting into the Pride easily until the first body. Someone is killing strays and it is not Faythe and the other Pride enforcers. When dead human strippers are added to the puzzle, Faythe quickly puts together the answer. And she doesn't like it.

The answer threatens Faythe in so many ways. Her relationship with her lover, her father and her Pride could be shattered. She could even lose her life if the Pride council gets wind of this. The father-daughter struggle that was healing is blown apart again and Faythe has to come to some very hard decisions.

This book made me lose sleep. I could not put it down.