They Call Me Death [Paperback]

Missy Jane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

My name is Alexia Williams. In my world, North America is divided between north and southbut not the way its taught in the history books. After losing my family to the shifters, I joined the Combined Human States Army. Now I find myself on the front lines, defending the wall between my species and theirs. My mission is simple: keep the animals on their side by whatever means necessaryand Im good at it. I dont talk to them. I dont sympathize with them. I sure as hell dont admire themuntil one saves my life. Andor isnt like any shifter Ive ever met. Hes a three-hundred-year-old golden eagle asking for help finding missing shifters who may be in my lands. I just have to decide between helping the animals or ignoring signs that my fellow humans arent what I thought they were. But how can I help a species I hate and fear? Even if Andor makes me feel alive again? In the land of the shiftersthey call me Death.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605044520
• ISBN-13: 978-1605044521
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,294,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ms. Missy Jane is the alter ego of a Texas mother of four who has been married to the same wonderful man for thirteen years. About five years ago Missy finished reading a book by Mercedes Lackey and thought "Now, what if..." and a monster was created. Missy now spends most of her time lost in worlds of her own making alternately loving and hating such creatures as vampires, shape-shifters and gargoyles (to name a few). When not writing, she spends her time reading, taking photos of her beautiful daughters and training her husband to believe she's always right. Excerpts from Missy's work can be found at www.msmissyjane.com.
Missy's first book, They Call me Death is available from Samhain Publishing. http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/they-call-me-death
Her second book, Resignation, is a contemporary erotica now available in e-book form from Sapphire Blue Publishing.
http://sapphirebluepublishing.com/catalog/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Kick-ass heroine my ass, January 21, 2010

By 

Jonathan Bernstein (CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: They Call Me Death (Paperback)

The back cover of "They Call Me Death" states "Warning! If you are easily intimidated by kick-ass heroines who can hold their own against shapeshifting alpha males and bring them to their knees, this book is not for you!"

I got as far as page 116 of the 208-page book and not only had the heroine, Alexia Williams, NOT kicked anyone or anything's ass, but she also had backed down and/or been intimidated in encounters with two males -- one human, one shapeshifter. She also relied on the latter to save her butt from two situations.

When compared with a real kick-ass supernatural genre heroine, like Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock, Alexia Williams is a simpering schoolgirl. I had to put the book down unfinished.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They Call Me Death!, September 26, 2009

By 

Kathy E. "Kathy" (Bristol, CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: They Call Me Death (Kindle Edition)

The title and cover of this book are a bit corny but I'm glad I didn't judge this book by it's cover; the story was phenomenal! Missy Jane, has built a vividly-dark world of chaos and fear. The world has been ravished and split by war between the humans and shifters. The USA no longer exists but is split in half between the North, shifter country and the South, human country.

It has been four years since a third of the worlds population suddenly united and exposed themselves as shifters. Alexia Williams, is one of the military guards who patrol on top of the fifteen-foot wall that separates the humans from their worst nightmares. Humans, naturally having the sense of entitlement, are permitted to come and go between both countries freely (assuming they can make it out of shifter country alive) but shifters are swiftly prohibited from stepping foot on human soil behind the wall.

When shifters suddenly start disappearing, Andor Olavson, a golden-eagle shifter, approaches Alexia for assistance. Having a smart wit about her and an even faster trigger finger, has gotten her the well deserved reputation as Death, amongst the shifters. However, Alexia is also known to be intuitive, level-headed, smart and fair. Alexia agrees to secretly smuggle Andor onto human soil and assist him in his investigation.

What they stumble upon during their search, shakes Alexia to her very core and causes her to reevaluate what she deems good and evil. For Alexia, the lines between human and shifter, right and wrong start to blur. Seeing the degradation human hands can cause, pushes Alexia into action.

I really enjoyed this book from the beginning to the very end and gobbled it all up in one day. The story was so fresh, exciting, imaginative and clever, I couldn't put it down. Alexia, is strong and fearless. She is the kind of heroine, I'd like to see more urban fantasy authors emulate. I highly recommend this urban fantasy romance to dark urban fantasy readers. I also look forward to the next book Much More than Human (Emily & Lance's story).

I also recommend:
Servant: The Kindred
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)
Night Life (Nocturne City, Book 1)
Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1)
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Room for improvement, but decent, January 9, 2010

By 

Nikki "Plum" (The Windy City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Call Me Death (Paperback)

The story line is interesting, although not very believable. A horizontal wall across the entire US? Never happen, even if shifters existed and revealed themselves.

I found the dialogue stilted and stiff in places, enough to make me roll my eyes and think "People don't actually talk like that." There just wasn't an easy flow of conversation between people.

Many questions are left unanswered... mainly about Alexias family. That bit of the story just felt completely unreal. I think she only mentions their names once or twice, near the end of the book, which just make them seem fake. A woman mourning the loss of her family would think their names, she would not think of them as husband and son. Naming them to herself would help keep their memories alive in her mind, its part of human nature. And what about Sandulf? What does he want? It's possible it will be in the next book, but it feels like Alexias story is over.

I finished the book, but was disappointed in it... it had a lot of promise, yet didn't quite deliver. It's worth a read, but it's not nearly as good as it could have been. I'll look forward to Missy Jane's next work, and keep my fingers crossed that the rough edges will be more smoothed over.