Legacy by Denise Tompkins review

Legacy by Denise Tompkins (The Niteclif Evolutions #1)

review requested by the author


Synopsis from Goodreads

When Fate makes you her bitch, accept it and adapt. Or die.
The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 1
Looking back on the wish she made on Midsummer’s Eve, Maddy Niteclif should have been more specific. She only wanted to escape the shadowy nightmares that plagued her nights, not to be thrust into a completely altered reality.
If a strangely familiar, sexy dragon-shifter named Bahlin, who causes a never-to-be-mentioned-again fainting spell, isn’t enough to make her question her sanity, his insistence she’s the Niteclif ought to do the job. Prophesied super-sleuth of the supernatural world—a world that desperately needs her help—isn’t a job she’s remotely qualified for no matter what her family tree says.
Catapulted into a very different London ruled by dark mythology, mystery and murder, Maddy makes a few startling discoveries. Paranormal creatures exist. Getting shot really sucks. And her body responds remarkably well to dragon magic—in more ways than simple wound healing.
But in this kill-or-be-killed world, reality bites. And Maddy must choose to go back to what she knows…or stay and fight for the man she knows she can’t live without.
Warning: This book contains a shape-shifting dragon with a Scottish accent, modern and archaic weapons, global inter-species politics that make democracy seem mild, some very steamy sex underground, a severed head, murder, and…oh yeah…a woman caught in the middle of it all. 
Amazon (Kindle $ 4.40)
Amazon UK (Kindle £ 3.27)

* * *

It was a fun, easy read, and I would have enjoyed it even more if Maddy's emotions got toned down a bit. I really wanted to smack her a couple of times and say "Over dramatic much?".



Denise Tompkins certainly doesn't suffer from the lack of imagination. The world she's created is incredibly interesting and sort of co-existing with ours. Everything is possible there  - dragons, Fae, vampires, selkies... any kind of magical creatures.

Madelaine decides she needs a change in her life after her parents death and comes to UK for a break wishing for a small adventure and some inspiration. Well, her wish is granted.

Somewhere along the line of her ancestors there happened to be Niteclifs - detectives upholding the law of supernatural world. In fact, her great grandfather found his immortality in human fiction as Sherlock Holmes. Now Maddy, like every other Niteclif before her, faces a choice - serve as paranormal detective for 10 years or let go of her legacy and live a normal life.

As you can guess, our heroine says yes and gets thrown right in the middle of murder investigation, a wild love affair with a dragon, power struggle on the Council of paranormal species and numerous assassination attempts. Yup, one hell of an adventure.

Be careful what you wish for.

Legacy is a funny, vivid mishmash of paranormal creatures and original ideas. Maddy has had a rough start and hasn't evolved into a very strong appealing heroine yet but she is getting there (you can really see it by the end of the first book). There is plenty of potential, and I would love to see how the series progress from now on.

Fun facts:

Maddy admits that she is a fan of paranormal fiction, especially Laurell K.Hamilton books, and you can see LKH influences on the plot.

Bahlin, the dragon, is a sweetheart with a sexy Scottish brogue and a penchant for whisky.

Recommended for the fans of
Merry Gentry series by Laurell K.Hamilton
Sisters of The Moon by Yasmine Galenorn

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Совсем неплохая книжка в стиле ЛКГ и Ясмин Гейлнорн, читается легко и быстро, несмотря на склонность главной героини к чрезмерной драматизации время от времени, за что я хотела её отхлестать по щекам и привести в чувство :)

Мэдди прилетает из США в Англию, чтобы отдохнуть и подумать над тем, куда ей податься и чем заняться в будущем. После смерти родителей у неё начался кризис жанра и она загадала желание, чтобы её жизнь кардинально поменялась.

Ну что ж. Её желание исполняется.

В Англии Мэдди узнаёт, что происходит из рода Найтклифов- паранормальных детективов, следящих за порядком в мире монстров, сосуществующем с нашим. Как каждому из Найтклифов Мэдди предлагается выбор - согласиться на работу найтклифа на 10 лет или продолжить жить своей нормальной жизнью.

Мэдди соглашается на должность и тут же погружается в гущу расследования убийств, иттриги Совета паранормального мира, пророчеств и роман с неотразимым драконом, Балином, - обладателем сексуального шотландского акцента и любителем хорошего виски.

Для первой книги написано очень неплохо, фантазия так и бьёт ключом, Мэдди пока ещё устанавливается как характер, но по концовке первой книги видно, что она станет героиней, которой можно будет восхищаться.

Мне понравилось.

8/10