Review: Sullivan Lee - Brightwing

Sullivan Lee - Brightwing
(Stef's review)

Pub. Date: July 6, 2011
Publisher: Laura L. Sullivan
Format: Epub 612 pages
Age range: Adult

ASIN: B005BHR61I
Genre: Native American/Paranormal

Edgar and Mallory Battle are on the run after a spectacularly violent escape. Now, with a trail of bodies behind them, they need a hostage against the inevitable standoff with the police. Their first doesn't last long, thanks to sociopathic Mallory. Edgar has been hiding his brother's crimes since they were kids. Now he's torn between family loyalty and self-preservation.

They carjack Lucy Brightwing, a criminal fresh from her own heist, with a fortune of uncut gems hidden in her vehicle. She could escape - but she won't abandon her millions. She could kill the Battle brothers, but she has to be careful. For one thing, if the law investigates, they'll find her ill-gotten loot. For another, her own life is sacred. She's the last member of a Florida paleoindian tribe thought to be extinct - the Tequesta. With her share of the money she plans to buy, bribe and blackmail her way into her own ancestral tribal lands in the heart of the Everglades: a Tequesta nation.

Lucy leads the brothers into her beloved swamp, determined to kill them. But when she falls for Edgar she must decide whether to risk her heritage and the future of her tribe to save the doomed brothers.

I have to say that first of all, I LOVED reading a book with a female Native American lead. That immediately piqued my interest, as personally I am into that culture. So right off the bat, I was hoping for a really good storyline. Besides having that angle, it's also a refreshing read during this time where vampires and the paranormal seem to reign supreme. Cue Lucy coming in and kicking all kinds of ass the old fashioned way. She's an extremely strong willed character who has an incredible weight on her shoulders: she's the last living member of her tribe, the last remaining Tequesta. Because of this she is accorded some special standing with the nearby natives, and she uses it to her advantage sometimes, especially with trying to get her ancestral lands in her name. While the story does focus on her journey to accomplish that, a huge wrench is thrown into her plans... The Battle brothers.

Edgar and Mallory come crashing into the picture and in their own fight for survival, they take Lucy hostage. But they don't know that their "hostage" is really turning the tables on them. Lucy is so confident and quick witted, she helps them escape when Mallory would have gotten them caught, or worse, killed. Lucy quickly realizes something is very wrong with Mallory, who is a flat out sociopath. He is unable to tell the difference between right and wrong, people buzz in and out of his life like flies, and they're just as easily swatted out of his picture. Edgar knows his brother is off, but Mallory is family, and that means he has to take care of him. Through this book you will see the internal struggle Edgar faces when dealing with Mallory, the side by side quests for freedom these characters go through, and you will see love spring up in the last place you'd probably want it to... So what's a girl to do?

What I liked:

• All of the Native American type story telling that was incorporated into this novel. I really liked how it was done.
• The quick wit of the characters. The dialogue was solid to me, and I enjoyed reading the interactions between the characters.
• Without giving anything away, just going to say, Lucy's idea for breaking Edgar out of the hospital may not be terribly realistic but it's definitely unique -- I wouldn't have thought of it!

What I didn't like:

• I'm not sure if it's because it was the epub version, but I came across quite a few spelling errors. This always irks me...
• Mallory. I'm not against sociopath type characters, but sometimes I REALLY wanted to deck him... I can see how he helps the story, especially at the end, but grrr...

Bottom Line: If you're looking for something a little different that has action and love, I'd say give this a shot!

Rating:
3.5 / 5 book nuts!