"PO-PO HERE!"

Quincy Harker: Year One - John Hartness

“I’m a pretty good-looking guy. You’re a very attractive woman. We face intense situations full of adrenaline and endorphins and emotion. That’s the kind of shit that gets all fraught and stuff. So, you know, if you ever just want to tear your clothes off and throw yourself at me, I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

Bloodthirsty. Fangtastic. And full of profanities. This collection of short stories (roughly 100 pages per story) follows the gruesome supernatural adventures of Quincy Harker: nephew of Count Dracula, magician and demon hunter. In the first story, we see Harker team up with an unlikely band of misfits, including a police officer and homeland security, to protect the world from evil that threatens to annihilate the world as we know it. The stories are just long enough to be exciting but just short enough to keep you hooked and want to read the next. Although the stories do lead on from each other, they could be read as stand alone novellas and still be considered enjoyable.

Part vampire/magician John Abraham Quincy Holmwood Harker is the 'hero' who banishes demons and other nasties back to whence they came. The demons call him 'The Reaper'. Not a particularly complex character but serves just the right amount of profanity and recklessness with a dash of honour and morality to make him likable. I found it a little odd that Hartness decided not  to reveal a description of his appearance until half way through the book. As per I had built up an image of Harker from just a description of his trench coat and Doc Martins and that made it really hard to alter my perception of the character when he finally decided to let the reader in.

His sidekick, Detective Flynn, is not terribly irritating which is always a bonus - I have found male authors often find it difficult to balance enough realism and bad-assery without making female characters irritating and, quite often, offensive. She pairs with Harker nicely and is able to hold her own against the variety of supernatural creatures that throw themselves into the team's path throughout the series. The sexual attraction between the two is slowly simmering but doesn't distract from the plot and actually has you rooting for their union.

Overall I really liked these first three short stories and I will definitely be looking into the second book. These stories aren't a taxing read and good for those looking to satisfy their supernatural cravings. 8/10

Thanks for reading!
Rochelle 🌺 xxx

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