Review: Stormwalker by Allyson James

Stormwalker by Allyson James
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Available: May 4, 2010
Genre: Romantic Urban Fantasy
Book received from: Penguin

Half-Navajo Janet Begay comes to Magellan to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the police chief’s daughter. But the people of Magellan sense that Janet is not what she seems, and they’re right.

Janet possesses extraordinary power which is tied to the storms that waft across the desert. The only person who can control her when she’s caught in the storm’s evocative power is Mick, a dark-haired, blue-eyed biker Janet can’t seem to touch with her powers. He can wield fire and not get burned, and Janet’s never sure where he goes when they’re not together.

Together they investigate mysterious disappearances, which Janet fears are tied to her mother’s people, the mythical gods from below the earth. They are helped along the way by Coyote and Crow, but these shapeshifting gods have their own agendas.

When Chief McGuire’s daughter goes missing and there are no solid leads, he invites Janet Begay to investigate her disappearance.  People in small towns are prone to gossip and when Janet rolls into the small town of Magellan on a Harley, people start talking.  Some believe she is psychic and others think she is just a con-artist looking to exploit the police chief and the towns folk.  But Janet has more than one reason for coming to town.

As a Stormwalker, Janet possesses elemental magic she inherited through her Navajo heritage.  She can harness the power of storms to enhance her magic making her very powerful. She also has a darker kind of magic within her that she inherited from her mother. Janet’s mother is an evil goddess trapped beneath and seeks use Janet as a key to a vortex that will allow her to escape her prison.  Janet has come to Magellan, where these vortexes exist to face down her mother once and for all.

Janet has been outsider since she was born.  Her own people rejected her because she was illegitimate and she never knew her mother.  A loner and on her own she has a romantic history with Mick a very sexy and mysterious biker who also has elemental magic and can yield fire. Janet walked away from their relationship five years ago having trust issues and tired of Mick’s secrecy but she never really got over Mick.  But now they have been reunited and after a five year separation and their romantic chemistry and sensual magic explode.  They still have relationship issues to work out that will be complicated by the people and other worldly beings in Janet’s life that all seem to have an agenda beyond the obvious.

The secondary characters in Stormwalker stand strong and and I cannot think of one that is unremarkable or just ordinary.  There is more than meets the eye to the secondary players and each one commands attention.  There is the electrician Maya.  She is disagreeable and at times bitchy to say the least, but somehow it’s still easy to sympathize with her and her point of view in spite of the fact she would love nothing more than to run Janet out of town or put a bullet in her. Then there is Sheriff Nash Jones who is the fiancé of Amy McGuire, and the prime suspect in her disappearance.  He too thinks Janet is a fraud and would like to see her run out of town. But there is something unique about Sheriff Jones that even he refuses to believe.  Coyote is a drifter who has who has entangled himself  in Janet’s life and the mysteries that surround her.  He’s dangerous, and sexy will keep you on your toes wondering if you should trust him or not.  There are several other notable characters and I’ll let you discover them yourself but I can’t leave out of the most unique secondary character in the bunch.  The bi-sexual magical mirror.  Yes you read that right.  He’s snarky, horny, funny, sharp and flamboyant.  Why can’t I have a bi-sexual magical mirror?  Life is so unfair. 

The missing persons case and mystery serves as a gateway to the paranormal storyline and the two are interconnected, however it is the paranormal storyline and magical aspect in this book that stood out and kept my attention. The world in which this story is built is creative and exciting and left me eagerly looking forward to what Allyson James has in store for us in the next book in series, Firewalker.

Stormwalker is a fast paced, engaging Romantic Urban Fantasy.  The characters, both main and secondary are fascinating and sexy.  The magical twist on the story is fresh, engaging and kept me riveted from beginning to end. Definitely a recommended read.

Favorite Quotes:

I wanted to hold his body against mine and find out whether he still liked sex to be wild and wicked and need safety words.

He kissed me.  The kiss told me he loved me, no matter that I was an insane, out-of-control Stormwalker with mommy issues.

Purchase a copy of Stormwalker

Other books in the Stormwalker series:

Firewalker – Nov. 2010

Shadowwalker – June 2011

Stormwalker on GoodReads

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