Black Rook

Cornerstone Run Trilogy, Book 1

De: Kelly Meade

Narrado por: Xe Sands

She never saw this coming....

Brynn Atwood is a low-level Magus whose unpredictable precognitive powers have made her an outcast among her people - and an embarrassment to her highly regarded father. After a frightening vision in which her father is murdered by a loup garou man, Brynn decides to prove herself by finding the killer and stopping them at any cost. Her target is Rook McQueen, the son of a small-town loup garou alpha. Despite being the youngest of three, Rook is first in line to inherit the role of alpha, a duty he isn't sure he's capable of fulfilling. When Brynn finally meets Rook, she doesn't expect the attraction that draws her to him - and him to her. No longer believing him a murderer, Brynn and Rook strike an alliance to find her father's real killer. But when his older brother is targeted by an unknown enemy, Rook will have to choose between his growing feelings for Brynn and his duty as the future alpha of his community.

©2014 Kelly Meding (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Kelly Meding is a real storyteller and I look forward to reading more of her work." (Patricia Briggs, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

Can't get enough of Xe Sands....

The story was excellent, the narrator superb.

I would whole heartedly recommend to all who enjoy romance with a bit of a twist!

Solid new urban fantasy series

I'm always cautious going into a new urban fantasy, but this was a really decent, surprisingly bloody read. It's somewhat similar to Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs - its matter of fact practicall ruthlessness with no embellishments worked well for me.


At the same time the main heroine was a bit of a self-sacrificing doormat, and I'm hoping she will step up her game in the future books in this series. She already started showing her claws closer to the ending of Black Rook, so I'm hopeful.


The world-building is localized but solid, and the tight-knitted pack of loup-garou living in a sanctuary town was a pleasure to read about. McQueens as a family were lovely, strong and loyal to each other, and I enjoyed their interactions more than Brynn and Rook's love story. Sorry, "mates meant for each other" has never been one of my favorite tropes.


As to the narrator, Xe Sands was fantastic, and only added to my positive experience from the book. Overall, this is a promising beginning of a new series, and I'm sure I'll be listening to any new installments. Recommended.

A great listen.

Love all Xe Sands that I've listened to. She gives any good story a great voice.

Interesting story blandly told

I’m not sure what frustrated me more: the emotionless recitation of events or the fact that so much happens offscreen. A forbidden romance/murder mystery with magi, vampires, and werewolves
should not have been so bland.

So much telling instead of showing. Whole communities of loup garous wiped out, but we’re not in on the action or the horror, we’re just told 300 were killed this time or 142 that time. The Cornerstone Run/Pack mounts a rescue and we’re told after who died. Instead of passionate confrontations between ancient enemies, there’s calm, clinical reveals of plots, history, and monumental decisions.

It was all so … tame. Even the single love scene was “they came together; it was beautiful” pastel fluff.
I suppose it was fine for a one and done listen.