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lynguy1's review
4.0
THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB BOOKSTORE AND BAR by Seana Kelly is first book in the Sam Quinn urban fantasy series. The protagonist, Samantha (Sam) Quinn, is a werewolf book nerd and runs a combination bookstore and bar for the supernatural community of San Francisco. Well, almost all of the supernatural community. No other werewolves are allowed. When a female werewolf is found dead immediately outside her establishment and she is covered in scars identical to Sam’s, things begin to rapidly escalate.
Sam is a likeable character who is definitely someone you can root for. She is complex, scarred, unique, honest, witty, but somewhat aloof. The main secondary characters enhanced the story and their depth was built as the story progressed. The world-building was excellent. By the end of the book, Sam has become a strong protagonist and I expect she will grow even more in book two of the series. Themes include murder, relationships, power, secrets, assaults, friendship, trust, protection, romance and much more. While this story line has a romance component and there is a steamy scene near the end of the book, that is not the main theme.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and entertaining urban fantasy with plenty of action and a great start to a new series. There are some unusual plot twists. If you are a fan of urban fantasies or paranormal romances and want to start a new series, then you may want to check this one out. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Independent Publishers Group – NYLA and Seana Kelly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Sam is a likeable character who is definitely someone you can root for. She is complex, scarred, unique, honest, witty, but somewhat aloof. The main secondary characters enhanced the story and their depth was built as the story progressed. The world-building was excellent. By the end of the book, Sam has become a strong protagonist and I expect she will grow even more in book two of the series. Themes include murder, relationships, power, secrets, assaults, friendship, trust, protection, romance and much more. While this story line has a romance component and there is a steamy scene near the end of the book, that is not the main theme.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and entertaining urban fantasy with plenty of action and a great start to a new series. There are some unusual plot twists. If you are a fan of urban fantasies or paranormal romances and want to start a new series, then you may want to check this one out. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Independent Publishers Group – NYLA and Seana Kelly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
clockworkbook's review
4.0
4.25 - Poor Sam! She has been through so much and carries the scars, inside and out. Her story is heartbreaking and painful, but it also a story of strength, recovery, found family and love. I adored Clive and the the other characters. I loved Sam and Clive and I am looking forward to reading more. I enjoyed that those who frequented The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar came in all types and they supported/loved Sam.
Trigger/Content Warning: rape (past, not on page), torture, threats and violence, recovery, bigotry (speciest) and parental death.
Trigger/Content Warning: rape (past, not on page), torture, threats and violence, recovery, bigotry (speciest) and parental death.
loriley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, and Rape
theadjectiveone's review
3.0
I was going to rate this a 2, but I think I've just lost my tolerance for urban fantasy protagonists being haunted by rape and torture backstories and doing unbelievably stupid things just to move the plot forward.
katyanaish's review
3.0
I struggled with this one a little.
I didn't dislike it, but I struggled with the constant attempted murder - I swear she had 2-3 attempts on her life per day - and the way people like that store lady just hated her utterly without ever having met her.
And I struggled with how, given all that, she still would do things like take walks alone at night. It was a bit TSTL.
I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, though, for a couple reasons. First, this is apparently a brand-new thing - she's lived here 7 years and it hasn't happened before, so she's caught by surprise. Second, Maybe. I'm willing to see where the next books goes, anyway.
I didn't dislike it, but I struggled with the constant attempted murder - I swear she had 2-3 attempts on her life per day - and the way people like that store lady just hated her utterly without ever having met her.
And I struggled with how, given all that, she still would do things like take walks alone at night. It was a bit TSTL.
I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, though, for a couple reasons. First, this is apparently a brand-new thing - she's lived here 7 years and it hasn't happened before, so she's caught by surprise. Second,
Spoiler
we find out later that someone has taken a cheese grater to her memories. So there's lots of stuff she doesn't know about her life, her family, her history ... and maybe that explains some of her stupid choices.calycat2's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
local_hat's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alikatson's review
4.0
3.5 stars - I liked the heroine but man, the murder attempts on her got ridiculous... over and over. Plus she made some borderline TSTL moves. Despite this I found her likeable and plan to keep reading.
This also had some surprising steamy moments - I really wasn't expecting that at all so yay.
This also had some surprising steamy moments - I really wasn't expecting that at all so yay.
lins18's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mlcutter's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved this book. I hope the series is as good. Sam is the werewolf owner of the bookstore and bar, so of course I love her. She was severely tortured and turned to a werewolf, and now she hides out in her store. She has friends who are a demon, a vampire, and a witch, but she is mostly just hiding from her past. When a body washes up at her bar and has the same type of scars she has, her worlds collide. She has to decide if she's going to live her life or continue to hide. I love Sam as a character; she's flawed and so scarred she thinks she's ugly, so she hides in books. Very relatable for me. I will definitely read the next one. And I think Clive is my new book boyfriend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Torture