Book Review: Blood and Magick by James R. Tuck

Blood and Magick
By James R. Tuck

Synopsis:
Taking out hellish creatures—not a problem. Armed with blessed silver hollow-points and the ability to manipulate magick, he’s ready for anything—except betrayal he never saw coming…
Deacon Chalk knows the biggest danger in fighting monsters is becoming one. Just another day at the office for your friendly neighborhood occult bounty hunter. If keeping three helpless were-dog children safe means battling a malevolent trio of witches by any means necessary, so be it. If that means partnering with a ruthless government agent to stay one step ahead of the allies and friends he must now suspect, he’s not going to cry about it. The only way Deacon can save humans and shape-shifters alike is to embrace a power beyond his imagining, putting his team at stake—and his soul on the line…

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Paul's Review:

Picture this: you get on a roller coaster thinking it is going to be awesome but that it is only going to last for a little bit, and then it will be over.  Only problem is, you are wrong on both counts…

Blood and Magick by James R. Tuck is the roller coaster ride that grabs you from minute one, pulls you along at blistering speeds, twists you in all kinds of directions, surprises you whenever you think you aren't in for a surprise, and lasts (in a very good way) for a good long time.  So this roller coaster ride is not just awesome, but really awesome.

Some authors have the gift of making you instantly dig the main character or characters, and James R. Tuck is definitely one of them.  The main character, Deacon Chalk, has a lot going for him: he is a very cool man’s man, he is loyal and loving to his lady, he is a badass, he is into some very classic firepower (we are talking twin, chrome-plated 1911 Colt .45’s here, people), he likes his coffee with cream and sugar (the only way to go), possesses and uses magick, and he is capable of handling anything -  the likes of devil-witches, demons, werewolves (and many other were-creatures for that matter), and evil spawn in general.  Perhaps some authors would end up sounding corny talking about were-creatures other than werewolves, but James R. Tuck pulls it off well.

This is the third book in James R. Tuck’s Deacon Chalk series, but Tuck makes you feel instantly accustomed to his world and somehow not at all at a loss as to who Deacon Chalk is, what he does, and the hell in which he lives and with which he has to deal.  You see, Deacon Chalk lost his wife and children to a vicious were-polar bear and is absolutely driven to rid the world of evil were-creatures and evil in general.  And he does a bang-up job, too.  Literally.  The good guys in Blood and Magick are all tragic hero types: Deacon Chalk is living with the loss of his family and trying, almost hour by hour, not to allow himself to be consumed by rage and release his inner dragon.  Tiff, Deacon’s evil-fighting partner and lover, lost one of her eyes in a battle and lives her life with both the physical and emotional scars.  Father Mulcahy, Deacon’s mentor, is a hard-smoking, hard-drinking but devout Catholic priest who had a very hard life before he became a priest; he is only human with no special powers, like Tiff, but his inner and physical strength and his conviction to stay the evil-fighting course make him a very powerful friend and ally.

I really enjoy the way the author describes everything in his book and his use of his considerable vocabulary – everything from the way people look, the scenes, the action, the sensations, and even the smells.  You really feel like you are witnessing all the action of this book, and it makes you want to read Tuck’s previous books and his novellas, too.  I, for one, will read them all, and I hope you do, too.

Rating; 4.5 Stars - I Really Loved It!