Deep Blues Goodbye by L.E. Harner and T.A. Webb

15830677Title: Deep Blues Goodbye

Series: Altered States #1

Author: LE Harner & T.A. Webb

Genre: Paranormal / Vampire

Length: Novella (120 pages)

Publisher: Hot Corner Press (August 16th 2012)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb: The world might not have been ready for vampires when NOPD Detective Travis Boudreaux had the bad taste to sit up at his own funeral, but two years later, the new cause célèbre is civil rights for preternatural beings and most humans are on the bandwagon. Except whoever is killing vampires and wannabes.

Detective Sam Garrett hates all things preternatural. Having your undead partner try to make you his first meal will do that to a guy. One final screw-up gets Sam banished to the Paranormal Criminal Investigations Unit—the Odd Squad—under the oversight of Detective Danny Burkette.

Now it’s up to Burkette to work with Garrett by day and Boudreaux by night as they follow a trail of clues that leads from the historic cemeteries of New Orleans to the bayous of southern Louisiana. Under the all-too-interested gaze of a Master vampire and the local werewolf pack Alpha, they discover some lessons in life—and death—take longer to learn…and not all second chances are created equal.

Product Link: http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Blues-Goodbye-Altered-States-ebook/dp/B008YYKQ1M

Review: This was a fascinating read and yet it managed to piss me off and make my head explode, not once but twice.

So the world as he knew it changed for Sam. One moment he’s nearly closing the case along with his partner Travis, the next he’s being attacked by three bashers, Travis is dead and oh yeah Vampires exist. It was even recorded on tape when a criminal combusted in broad daylight on his way to trial. It became glaringly obvious though when Travis woke up from his own coffin and tried to rip his throat off…

So right, here I’m having this hardship “believing” that a world fairly new to the concept that the paranormal world exists, vampires exist, would let a freshly made vampire that on top of all tried to suck his partner dry, live. For me, that knowledge was too fresh for people to react the way they did. By all that is logical, the sight of a vampire would have caused panic and Travis wouldn’t have made it a single day…

Two years later and the anger, the resentment, and the what if’s still haunt Sam. All his inner turmoil comes out as hatred for all things supernatural. It was the reason he refused going into the Odd Squad, it is the reason he hasn’t seen or spoken to Travis for two years. It is the reason he nearly screws up a case, that while in first sight might have looked as human-made, it was in fact linked with vampire deaths.

It is like this that a very complicated yet wonderfully structured story begins. What was just a glimpse at Altered States #1 comes now in the form of an exquisite action story blended with urban fantasy giving us a chase between charming yet deathly vampires and werewolves, old lovers and new ones with some very hot scenes between them, and most of all a plot that keeps you on your toes the entire read.

So as the end of the first book becomes the start for this one, we quickly see that Travis and Sam are not only not having their happily ever after, they aren’t even talking. Yet they are linked in the same case as they try to find the preternatural killer. Sam as a means to atone himself for screwing up and Travis as a favor for Danny, the lead Detective for the Odd Squad. All Travis’ bitterness for being let go from the force after his “death” can’t conquer his curiosity at solving a case even as a consultant. This odd trio goes round and round each other in such a strange mix (no there is no ménage) that had me loving each and every minute those guys were together. Funnily enough, Danny was the one to hog all the fun.

Action wise the guys hunt for vampires yet they have no idea how dangerous it is to awaken the undead. The police work, the investigation, everything on that part is excellent. We are introduced to the “bad” guy, Henry, and isn’t he a charming bastard. His fascination with Travis and Sam becomes hilarious in the end, or should I say the way he lost first one and then the other at the very last-minute. The irony of that wasn’t lost on me at all. We are also introduced to the local pack’s Alpha and Beta and boy were they wolves hot or what.

Romance wise though this story lacked a bit. There was sex involved and Sam, well he was a “casual” guy to begin with so I didn’t find it odd that he’d have nailed Danny at some point, but the real romance between him and Travis is gone till the very end when Sam has grown into the fact that the world has changed and he still lives in it, so he should forgive and forget… And that bring us to the end and the very reason my head nearly exploded, again. Remember how the first book ended? Well let’s just say that this series had a knack for pulling the rug out of your feet. It totally blows my mind and it makes you crave the next book in the series with a passion.

So all in all this is a fantastic book, a bit dark, a bit moody, and lots of sexy if you’re a fan of the genre I’d totally recommend this to you. Enjoy!