53) Hunter's Trail by Melissa F. Olson

The Blurb :

Actions have consequences—a lesson Scarlett Bernard is learning the hard way. As a “null,” Scarlett has always been able to negate the powers of the supernatural beings that surround her. But now her reckless decision to permanently change Eli from a werewolf to a human has left the Los Angeles werewolf pack in shambles, and upset the balance of power among the city’s supernatural factions. To make matters worse, Scarlett’s employers discover that a newly changed werewolf is running amok in the city. To catch the rogue werewolf, Scarlett will need help from both Eli and Detective Jesse Cruz of the LAPD…a situation that will force her to finally choose between them.

However, Scarlett and her friends aren’t the only ones on the hunt—someone else is chasing the wolf. Someone with no reservations about collateral damage. Now Scarlett and her allies must stop both the rogue wolf and the deadly hunter before the full moon rises and all hell breaks loose.

My Thoughts :

Hunter's Trail is the last book in a trilogy about Scarlett Bernard, a null, who helps clear up the paranormal messes that the LA 'Old World' manages to get into.  Her ability to block or nullify magic is rare and means that the 'Old World' paranormals can't use their powers.  When they enter her radius werewolves turn back into human form, witches can't use spells and vampires are alive and age again.   She can make everyone vulnerable but is also a huge asset which is getting her into more trouble than she can handle.

So there is Jesse.  A LAPD detective who has been tangled up with Scarlett's world since the first book.  The story is often told from his perspective and his ethical qualms about everything he has seen and done since he was introduced to the 'Old World' is exactly the position you would hope a cop would take.  Scarlett is trying to stay alive while keeping her 'family' safe and Jesse wants to just have everything go through official channels.

This last installment was just as thrilling and enjoyable as the previous two.  I am really happy I decided to listen to this series because the narrator, despite her bad English accent, was great.  She really brought the characters to life and it was always easy to tell which characters were speaking and when.  Her voice was a little annoying at some points but her enthusiasm and great performance out weighed her sometimes too happy sounding voice.

All in all this was a great little trilogy with some great new ideas and very nice characters.  The paranormal elements were well thought out and had a nice new angle attached so there was something new to get your teeth into.  The plot was well thought out and there were some nice twists and turns.  Absolutely everything you would expect from any good Paranormal Urban Fantasy.

The ending was nicely tied up and Scarlett ended up with the guy she obviously needed.  I didn't like how her living situation ended and it was also quite sad to see Scarlett get a new 'position' only to have her story end.  There could have been some more great tales to come and I would have been very interested in reading them.

I will be keeping an eye on this author.  She does have a new release out and from what I have read it seems to also take place in this world.  Maybe Scarlett has a cameo appearance as well as other characters from this trilogy.  I hope to listen/read it sometime soon.  Until then I can highly recommend giving this trilogy a try.  It was some of the best PUF I have read in a while.

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