The Mystwalker series by Leigh Evans

The Trouble with Fate (Mystwalker #1)

Author: Leigh Evans

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: 24 December 2012

Summary:

Meet Hedi Peacock. She's half Fae. Half Were. And all trouble…

I Have Two Words For Werewolves:

My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…

Bite Me.

Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again…




In the never-ending saga that is my love-hate relationship with Robson Trowbridge, I, half-Were Hedi Peacock, have had a change of heart. Ever since I shoved Trowbridge through the Gates of Merenwyn, I’ve been the leader of the pack—hard to believe, right? The thing is: I’m half-Fae. So even though my Were side is ready to heed the call of the wild, the other part of me is desperate to take flight. And much as it pains me to admit it, life without Trowbridge is really starting to were me down…

I Am Were, Hear Me Roar.

To make matters worse, the wolves of Creemore want my blood—and the North American Council of Weres wants me dead. So I’m just counting the days until Trowbridge returns from the other realm…and comes to my brave rescue…and becomes my alpha mate. Wishful thinking? Of course it is. But given all the mess I’ve been through already, what’s the harm in doing a little bit of daisy-plucking? Besides, Trowbridge owes me bigtime. A girl can dream.


The Problem with Promises (Mystwalker #3)

Author: Leigh Evans

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: 25 February 2014

Summary:

NEVER MAKE A PROMISE…

Robson Trowbridge, the Alpha of Creemore and my gorgeous mate, tries to protect me, Hedi Peacock, half-Fae, half-were, from all the trouble I get into. The thing is, my past is pretty messy and bad guys keep knocking down my door. Witches, thug bikers, the North American Council of Weres, dark magic Fae, and even an evil wizard are all after me. The Old Mage is the only one I really care about: He has my dear twin brother captive on the other side of the Gates of Merenwyn—not cool. So my alpha love is helping me to keep my promise to free my brother…

YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO KEEP.

Unfortunately, everyone who helps me ends up in a heap of trouble too—including my Trowbridge. Now, I admit I’ve had my moments as a shivering coward, hoping he will come to my brave rescue. The whole Prince Charming thing is hard to shake. But these bad guys after me mean business and those damsel in distress days are over. You know that “last straw” metaphor? That was two straws ago. It’s now or never. Again…






There are very few days off when you’re on an epic quest. Believe me, I know. I’m Hedi Peacock—one half Fae, the other Were—and if being a half-breed with one foot in each world isn’t tough enough to manage, there are the four chambers of my heart to consider. The one who holds the strings? Robson Trowbridge, the Alpha of Creemore. If I had my way, he and I would be locked in a bedroom, for eternity, but a pressing family matter needs my attention. It’s true what they say: A woman’s work is never done.

WHEN YOU CAN HOWL AT THE MOON?

My twin brother is being held captive by the Old Mage in another realm. Lo and behold, as soon as Trowbridge and I arrive in Merenwyn, we’re separated in spectacular, dramatic fashion—and I’m left to figure out how to maintain the fragile balance between my Fae magic and my wolf’s blood in a realm that cries to both. Not easy, particularly when I'm keeping an iron-grip on my temper so as not to dispatch with extreme prejudice the odd wizard or smart-mouthed mutt servant who crosses my path. My mama never told me there’d be days like these, but I’m not going down without a fight…or my mate.


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My Thoughts:

The Mystwalker series circles around Hedi Peacock, aka Helen Stronghold. She's half Fae and half Were, although she uses her Fae more often than she uses her Were. We first meet Hedi in a coffee shop, and we learn that she had a great childhood up until here parents were murdered and her twin brother was abducted by the Fae. And we learn that Hedi blames all of this on no other bu Robson Trowbridge, the man that she had a childhood crush on, and the man that visited her house shortly after her parents' murder, but did not save Hedi.

This series follows along Hedi's attempts to find her brother, find out who murdered her parents, with the help of Merry, her amulet that holds a consciousness, and Trowbridge (and her childhood crush reappearing). Hedi and Trowbridge pair up and become a team in order to fix all that has happened due to what happened the night that the Treaty of Brelland and the Gates of Merenwyn were breached.

I have to admit, this most recent time that I read this series was actually the second read through if it. And we all know what happens when you read something over; you begin to notice those things that aren't actually so great about the book. It's what happened when I reread Twilight, and the same thing happened when I reread this series (though nothing was as bad as it was in Twilight).

I have to say that I really enjoyed Leigh Evans' world building. Although I've never been to Canada or Creemore, I felt that I could actually see everything that was happening around Hedi. That right there is an excellent point in the nod of storytelling. I could just imagine the Stronghold pond and the pirate rock that Hedi and Lexi had spent their time on as children.

I loved Trowbridge's character. He began as a drunkard who was doing nothing but feeling sorry for himself because of the tragedy that befell him 10 years prior. I could see him as Hedi had remembered him in her girlish crush and childhood dreams, and I couldn't help but feel pity for him. But then, as the series progressed, he became a stronger man and he completely redeemed himself in my eyes (and probably in the eyes of Hedi, in the end). Hedi, though, was a tad annoying, what with her little bit of multiple personalities (Hedi, the Fae, and the Wolf), and her not accepting herself until nearly the end of the last book. She wasn't really the kick-ass heroine that I had sought for when I first began the series, and I am a little disappointed at that.

This series kept me hung on every word and every book that followed, and I couldn't help but keep reading them (although I'm technically in the middle of another series). I couldn't put my kindle down, and even when it was about to die, I quickly found the charger and continued on reading.

But. (yes, there's a but in this) By the last book, as some ends were tied, others were left open. I understand that the author probably kept it open for the reader's interpretation, but it just kind of left me annoyed. Would Trowbridge and Hedi ever have children? What about the engagement? What will happen to Threall without any Mystwalkers to care for it? What about Anu? How are Anu and Lexi going to learn to tolerate and maybe even love each other? Also, Anu still doesn't know English, and neither do any of the other Raha'ells. And! What happened with the Great Council? Last we know, they told Hedi to close the Passage, but after she came back, there was no word on them.

Maybe all of this can be solved with a novella delving back into the world. Maybe it'll take several novels. Or maybe Evans will even make a spin off series about Lexi and Anu. Or maybe, the series isn't even finished, and everyone is jumping the gun, and there is more to come at some point in the future. I don't know, and I couldn't tell you what's the truth or what will come next, only that I wish some of the stuff in the end should have been tied in neater bows.

On account of that, I'm giving this series 3 hearts.  If there was some novella attached that cleaned it up, it would have gotten 4.