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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
A short story, 5.5 in the Cainsville urban fantasy series based in and around Chicago and revolving around Olivia and her first Wild Hunt.
My Take
How lovely to have another Cainsville novel to read! Especially one that shows us what Olivia, Gabriel, and Rick are doing now, six months after Olivia and Gabriel moved in together.
Gabriel has evolved from the person he first was in Omens, 1, and has become more concerned about others…okay, about Olivia, if she will stay with him, if he has a chance. He's also learning to be more discerning about his cases, that he has enough money to pick and choose. That boy does have his hoarding issues. And quite rightly.
The primary conflict is Olivia’s lack of faith in the Wild Hunt’s choice of target, and it’ll take Olivia pursuing the truth in her own way before she can accept the faith the Cŵn Annwn have in their judgments. Gabriel’s issues with his mother and his keeping those secrets is a secondary problem, which points up communication as an underlying theme, as Gabriel, Olivia, and Rose each harbor their own secrets, holding them back to protect the others. Another is Gabriel’s worries about their life together with too much that is his view, her house, and Gabriel wants, no, he needs reassurances.
Huh. There's an interesting point Olivia makes about her adoptive mother, and it is not a good one. As for Gabriel's mother … I don't want her memories suppressed. I want her to experience them and realize how awful she'd been.
Then that ending. The one half was a shocker that made an awful sense while the other was so sweet and a practical answer to Gabriel's fears.
The Story
Having accepted her role as Matilda, Olivia has turned tradition on its head, refusing to make the same mistake as that original Matilda. The only problem is that it does leave both sides of the fae weaker.
Liv is determined she can compensate, and this Hunt, her first, seems easy enough. She knows that the Cŵn Annwn know when someone is deserving of their rough justice
But Olivia is not one who trusts so easily, and her doubt prevents the hounds from meting out that justice.
The Characters
Olivia Taylor-Jones, adopted daughter of a department store mogul and the birth daughter of serial killers, is now living with Gabriel Walsh, a highly successful defense lawyer and the Gwynn to Liv's Matilda of the Hunt.
Olivia works as his investigator. Lydia is Gabriel’s very efficient secretary. Bryant is Lydia's grandson, a student at Caltech.
The Cŵn Annwn are…
…the Welsh Wild hunt, tasked with delivering justice on humans who murder any with fae blood. A cŵn is a hound. Ioan (John) is the leader of the local Hunt and heads up Gwylio Consulting, a security firm. Brenin is his alpha hound. The Huntsmen all work for Gwylio and include Aeron (Aaron). Rhyddhad is the fae horse Olivia rides.
Ricky Gallagher is the gorgeous heir of local Satan’s Saints gang leader and grandson of Ioan, with an MBA in finance, who rides Tywysog Du in the Hunt. His other side is Arawn, Lord of the Otherworld and king of the Cŵn Annwn. Today, he'd been Liv's lover and now her best friend. Lloergan “Lloe” is a fae hound who had been badly treated and whom Ricky saved (Betrayals, 4).
Cainsville is…
…a sleepy little town outside Chicago populated and run by the Tylwyth Teg. The Carew House is now Liv’s house. Ida was a fae elder and the leader of Cainsville who had sacrificed herself. Patrick is a romance writer, a bòcan, and Gabriel’s father. Grace is a bogart and rents out apartments, but it’s really a fae nursing home, one where Seanna Walsh, Gabriel's waste of a mother who arranged her own death fifteen years ago, is being cared for. Great-aunt Rose Walsh has the Sight and desperately wants Gabriel to find closure with his mother. Larry runs the diner.
Keith Johnson, an Audi car salesman, is the target of the hunt. Kathy had been his wife. Alan Nansen opened a successful restaurant, Eclipse, that is not doing well. Heather Nansen is his wealthy wife who put most of her trust into his enterprise.
Amy Keating is a new assistant state's attorney. Pamela is Liv's birth mother. Monica LaSalle had been the nastiest girl in Liv's debutante class.
In the distant past…
…Mallt-y-Nos, Matilda of the Hunt, Matilda of the Night, was a half-Tylwyth Teg, half-Cŵn Annwn woman in the very distant past who made some bad choices, and the fae on both sides have paid the price. Arawn and Gwynn were the princes, one from each side, with whom Matilda had been friends for years before she fell in love with Gwynn ap Nudd, king of the fae. In another incarnation, Calum was a boy from a village and Matilda's dearest friend. Hamish was that Matilda's cousin.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a cartoon quality to it. In fact I thought this would be a graphic novel, instead it's Olivia in a deep mossy green cloak, presenting a three-quarter profile, her pale face tilted and looking out from the hood, her blonde hair swinging away, in her persona as Mallt-y-Nos, the power of the Wild Hunt. The background appears to be old parchment but is a very blurred landscape of trees and riders on horses. In the forefront on the left is one of the Hunters astride his galloping horse with hooves, mane, and eyes a'flame, leading a thundering herd of similar figures. The author's name is at the top in a serif black with the title in the same cloak green behind Olivia's head.
The title is what the Wild Hunt metes out, Rough Justice.
My Take
How lovely to have another Cainsville novel to read! Especially one that shows us what Olivia, Gabriel, and Rick are doing now, six months after Olivia and Gabriel moved in together.
"'Our cloaking devices,' Ricky said, shaking his out. 'Appropriately in the form of an actual cloak.'"It's a mix of first person protagonist point-of-view from Olivia's perspective and a third person simple subjective point-of-view from Gabriel's. The combination worked, although Olivia's thoughts become so annoying, as she wrestles with if the target is actually guilty. She "knows" the Cŵn Annwn are infallible, but she doesn't know, and it sticks in her craw. And her whining on and on and on sticks in mine!
Gabriel has evolved from the person he first was in Omens, 1, and has become more concerned about others…okay, about Olivia, if she will stay with him, if he has a chance. He's also learning to be more discerning about his cases, that he has enough money to pick and choose. That boy does have his hoarding issues. And quite rightly.
The primary conflict is Olivia’s lack of faith in the Wild Hunt’s choice of target, and it’ll take Olivia pursuing the truth in her own way before she can accept the faith the Cŵn Annwn have in their judgments. Gabriel’s issues with his mother and his keeping those secrets is a secondary problem, which points up communication as an underlying theme, as Gabriel, Olivia, and Rose each harbor their own secrets, holding them back to protect the others. Another is Gabriel’s worries about their life together with too much that is his view, her house, and Gabriel wants, no, he needs reassurances.
Huh. There's an interesting point Olivia makes about her adoptive mother, and it is not a good one. As for Gabriel's mother … I don't want her memories suppressed. I want her to experience them and realize how awful she'd been.
Then that ending. The one half was a shocker that made an awful sense while the other was so sweet and a practical answer to Gabriel's fears.
The Story
Having accepted her role as Matilda, Olivia has turned tradition on its head, refusing to make the same mistake as that original Matilda. The only problem is that it does leave both sides of the fae weaker.
Liv is determined she can compensate, and this Hunt, her first, seems easy enough. She knows that the Cŵn Annwn know when someone is deserving of their rough justice
But Olivia is not one who trusts so easily, and her doubt prevents the hounds from meting out that justice.
The Characters
Olivia Taylor-Jones, adopted daughter of a department store mogul and the birth daughter of serial killers, is now living with Gabriel Walsh, a highly successful defense lawyer and the Gwynn to Liv's Matilda of the Hunt.
Olivia works as his investigator. Lydia is Gabriel’s very efficient secretary. Bryant is Lydia's grandson, a student at Caltech.
The Cŵn Annwn are…
…the Welsh Wild hunt, tasked with delivering justice on humans who murder any with fae blood. A cŵn is a hound. Ioan (John) is the leader of the local Hunt and heads up Gwylio Consulting, a security firm. Brenin is his alpha hound. The Huntsmen all work for Gwylio and include Aeron (Aaron). Rhyddhad is the fae horse Olivia rides.
Ricky Gallagher is the gorgeous heir of local Satan’s Saints gang leader and grandson of Ioan, with an MBA in finance, who rides Tywysog Du in the Hunt. His other side is Arawn, Lord of the Otherworld and king of the Cŵn Annwn. Today, he'd been Liv's lover and now her best friend. Lloergan “Lloe” is a fae hound who had been badly treated and whom Ricky saved (Betrayals, 4).
Cainsville is…
…a sleepy little town outside Chicago populated and run by the Tylwyth Teg. The Carew House is now Liv’s house. Ida was a fae elder and the leader of Cainsville who had sacrificed herself. Patrick is a romance writer, a bòcan, and Gabriel’s father. Grace is a bogart and rents out apartments, but it’s really a fae nursing home, one where Seanna Walsh, Gabriel's waste of a mother who arranged her own death fifteen years ago, is being cared for. Great-aunt Rose Walsh has the Sight and desperately wants Gabriel to find closure with his mother. Larry runs the diner.
Keith Johnson, an Audi car salesman, is the target of the hunt. Kathy had been his wife. Alan Nansen opened a successful restaurant, Eclipse, that is not doing well. Heather Nansen is his wealthy wife who put most of her trust into his enterprise.
Amy Keating is a new assistant state's attorney. Pamela is Liv's birth mother. Monica LaSalle had been the nastiest girl in Liv's debutante class.
In the distant past…
…Mallt-y-Nos, Matilda of the Hunt, Matilda of the Night, was a half-Tylwyth Teg, half-Cŵn Annwn woman in the very distant past who made some bad choices, and the fae on both sides have paid the price. Arawn and Gwynn were the princes, one from each side, with whom Matilda had been friends for years before she fell in love with Gwynn ap Nudd, king of the fae. In another incarnation, Calum was a boy from a village and Matilda's dearest friend. Hamish was that Matilda's cousin.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a cartoon quality to it. In fact I thought this would be a graphic novel, instead it's Olivia in a deep mossy green cloak, presenting a three-quarter profile, her pale face tilted and looking out from the hood, her blonde hair swinging away, in her persona as Mallt-y-Nos, the power of the Wild Hunt. The background appears to be old parchment but is a very blurred landscape of trees and riders on horses. In the forefront on the left is one of the Hunters astride his galloping horse with hooves, mane, and eyes a'flame, leading a thundering herd of similar figures. The author's name is at the top in a serif black with the title in the same cloak green behind Olivia's head.
The title is what the Wild Hunt metes out, Rough Justice.
midday_pigeon's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mmc_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hannah_the_home_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the audiobook that I picked up from the Libby app of this book! The action was engaging and I liked the dual points of view because both of the main characters were intriguing in their own right. The one reason I gave this book a four star rather than a five star is because it was advertised as being a "first book in the series" on the Libby app but is referred to as book 5.5 on the Goodreads app. If the book truly is a first book and not a fifth book in the series, then I wish there had been more world-building and explanation as to what all of the different elements were to this story. If the book truly is a later part in an already existing series, then I wish the book labeling had been truer to that where I could have read the other books first. Overall, this was an incredibly interesting and intriguing book to listen to on my 1-hour commutes to and from work early in the morning. With the book's content matter, it really gave me the time to reflect on how our society judges innocent until proven guilty against the deeper concept of guilty until proven innocent in the two main characters' world.
hannah_the_home_librarian's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the audiobook that I picked up from the Libby app of this book! The action was engaging and I liked the dual points of view because both of the main characters were intriguing in their own right. The one reason I gave this book a four star rather than a five star is because it was advertised as being a "first book in the series" on the Libby app but is referred to as book 5.5 on the Goodreads app. If the book truly is a first book and not a fifth book in the series, then I wish there had been more world-building and explanation as to what all of the different elements were to this story. If the book truly is a later part in an already existing series, then I wish the book labeling had been truer to that where I could have read the other books first. Overall, this was an incredibly interesting and intriguing book to listen to on my 1-hour commutes to and from work early in the morning. With the book's content matter, it really gave me the time to reflect on how our society judges innocent until proven guilty against the deeper concept of guilty until proven innocent in the two main characters' world.
heathersbike's review against another edition
5.0
I would like to point out that the only 3 star ratings for this story all started with, "I haven't read the others in this series..." Who the heck reads much less reviews a novella that is after a completed five book series without reading the other five? And then wonders why they are lost? Ridiculous. A novella doesn't have time to coddle those who haven't put the time in. It's not like this was part of a compilation where the author should expect readers who hadn't read the series. Next time read the previous books or give it a pass.
I thought there might be complaints about $28.00 for a novella but everyone seems to have gotten a free copy. (I borrowed it from the library so I'm good there.)
Anyway, good story, great author, good to see the characters again.
I thought there might be complaints about $28.00 for a novella but everyone seems to have gotten a free copy. (I borrowed it from the library so I'm good there.)
Anyway, good story, great author, good to see the characters again.
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.
I was absolutely astounded to receive a copy of this until I figured out it was a novella and book 5.5.
I had never read anything of the Cainsville crew, and let me tell you....this was not the book to pick up as a starter. I was completely lost, but as an rabid fan of this author I felt I could do this book justice even if I hadn't read the first five. Well I was wrong...I was lost from the first page not having had read the first five novels. I gave it three stars and hopefully sometime in the future I will get to read this series in its entirety.
I was absolutely astounded to receive a copy of this until I figured out it was a novella and book 5.5.
I had never read anything of the Cainsville crew, and let me tell you....this was not the book to pick up as a starter. I was completely lost, but as an rabid fan of this author I felt I could do this book justice even if I hadn't read the first five. Well I was wrong...I was lost from the first page not having had read the first five novels. I gave it three stars and hopefully sometime in the future I will get to read this series in its entirety.
brokenrecord's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Honestly, most of this I was a bit meh on, like, the case was fine, but I didn't really care, but that last scene!!! So I ended up with a smile on my face, which is all I can really ask for, I guess. Although I did get annoyed with having yet ANOTHER instance of Gabriel hiding things from Olivia — it just feels like we got that scenario SO many times in the series prior to this point that I thought we were done with it by now and Gabriel had learned it was always better to be honest no matter how good his intentions. But I still enjoyed them here, and it was nice to see them as a real couple.
Spoiler
The ring and the joint cabin and the scone!!!!bloggingwithdragons's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I did not realize when I received this ARC that Rough Justice was book #5.5 out of the series. Personally, I do not ever like to read books out of order ever, but I did my best to make sense of the established cast of characters and their relationships. Thankfully, there was plenty to keep me entertained, with an interesting main character and a supernatural entity dealing out justice to wrongdoers in a brutal and murderous hunt with actual hell-hounds, and I would like to read the rest of the series *in order* sometime.
I loved everything having to do with the Wild Hunt. I did not really grasp the full details of the organization to the Hunt or how people became members, but I loved the description of the cloaks and especially the flashbacks to past hunts. Somehow these throwbacks to older time periods, when the hunt was notorious and widely feared made them seem that much more mysterious and sinister. My favorite was when the when the self-righteous lady wrongfully seeking Hunt justice got spooked by one of the hounds of the Hunt as a lesson; it made for a very powerful image.
But unfortunately, I did not really understand all the references in the book, especially to the relationship stuff between Liv, Ricky, and Gabe. It was clear it was really fleshed out and there was a lot of history there. Despite not understanding everything that was going on between them, I was able to really get a feel for the characters from the beginning and just jump into the middle of their relationship.
Liv by far was my favorite character. I loved that she was a private investigator, something that reminded me a lot of Veronica Mars, and enjoyed when she disguised herself as a spoiled rich girl in a platinum blonde wig to get answers to her case. I also enjoyed the mystery that was developing with private investigator Liv and did not unravel it before the characters did, which was nice. Though the book did not delve into her past too extensively, it is clear she has a complicated past, and one that I would like to discover more about. She seems like a very capable person and I especially loved her no-nonsense attitude in reference to Gabe’s mother, who is clearly a toxic hanger-on, though apparently there is some heavy supernatural crap surrounding her circumstances that makes everyone doubt that. Sadly, this was another situation that was beyond my comprehension.
Though I loved Liv’s role as a private investigator and practical girlfriend, I was not as big of a fan as her role as the Matilda of the Hunt. I was annoyed by her dedication to and obsession with justice, mainly because it did not seem that rough at all. I thought it was a little silly that she needed to investigate the Hunt’s latest victim because she was not sure exactly how he was guilty—only that he was, because the Hunt comes equipped with supernatural guilt detectors. Why go to all of that trouble if you know without a doubt that someone is guilty? Seemed like a waste of time to me and a trope for being considered about being explicitly right or wrong or just is one of which I have really had enough, to be honest.
Furthermore, I was completely confused by all the different roles of Olivia within the hunt. From what I gleamed, she is part of two different factions of the Hunt that decide the roles of the group, but I do not really understand how that comes into play or what tensions are occurring as part of her decision to remain in both groups, rather than simply and traditionally choosing one. Again, my confusion is probably just because I stupidly jumped into the middle of the series simply because it reminded me of The Witcher 3, and through no fault of the author. Plus, I was on an airplane and having trouble remembering and concentrating on all the fancy Irish words, complete with five thousand accent marks, used to describe the roles of the Hunt—totally my fault, and not the author’s.
I am sure if you are a consistent follower of this series this was a great addition to it, especially if you are waiting for the release of next full-length novel. However, as someone jumping in completely blind into the series, I really do not feel it was meant as a standalone novel. There was simply too much back story too fully comprehend something as large as a Wild Hunt or as complicated as Olivia’s love life. I did, however, really enjoy the heroine’s characterization and career, as well as the existence of the Wild Hunt and would recommend reading this series from the beginning to truly appreciate it. I hope to read the rest sometime in the future.
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I did not realize when I received this ARC that Rough Justice was book #5.5 out of the series. Personally, I do not ever like to read books out of order ever, but I did my best to make sense of the established cast of characters and their relationships. Thankfully, there was plenty to keep me entertained, with an interesting main character and a supernatural entity dealing out justice to wrongdoers in a brutal and murderous hunt with actual hell-hounds, and I would like to read the rest of the series *in order* sometime.
I loved everything having to do with the Wild Hunt. I did not really grasp the full details of the organization to the Hunt or how people became members, but I loved the description of the cloaks and especially the flashbacks to past hunts. Somehow these throwbacks to older time periods, when the hunt was notorious and widely feared made them seem that much more mysterious and sinister. My favorite was when the when the self-righteous lady wrongfully seeking Hunt justice got spooked by one of the hounds of the Hunt as a lesson; it made for a very powerful image.
But unfortunately, I did not really understand all the references in the book, especially to the relationship stuff between Liv, Ricky, and Gabe. It was clear it was really fleshed out and there was a lot of history there. Despite not understanding everything that was going on between them, I was able to really get a feel for the characters from the beginning and just jump into the middle of their relationship.
Liv by far was my favorite character. I loved that she was a private investigator, something that reminded me a lot of Veronica Mars, and enjoyed when she disguised herself as a spoiled rich girl in a platinum blonde wig to get answers to her case. I also enjoyed the mystery that was developing with private investigator Liv and did not unravel it before the characters did, which was nice. Though the book did not delve into her past too extensively, it is clear she has a complicated past, and one that I would like to discover more about. She seems like a very capable person and I especially loved her no-nonsense attitude in reference to Gabe’s mother, who is clearly a toxic hanger-on, though apparently there is some heavy supernatural crap surrounding her circumstances that makes everyone doubt that. Sadly, this was another situation that was beyond my comprehension.
Though I loved Liv’s role as a private investigator and practical girlfriend, I was not as big of a fan as her role as the Matilda of the Hunt. I was annoyed by her dedication to and obsession with justice, mainly because it did not seem that rough at all. I thought it was a little silly that she needed to investigate the Hunt’s latest victim because she was not sure exactly how he was guilty—only that he was, because the Hunt comes equipped with supernatural guilt detectors. Why go to all of that trouble if you know without a doubt that someone is guilty? Seemed like a waste of time to me and a trope for being considered about being explicitly right or wrong or just is one of which I have really had enough, to be honest.
Furthermore, I was completely confused by all the different roles of Olivia within the hunt. From what I gleamed, she is part of two different factions of the Hunt that decide the roles of the group, but I do not really understand how that comes into play or what tensions are occurring as part of her decision to remain in both groups, rather than simply and traditionally choosing one. Again, my confusion is probably just because I stupidly jumped into the middle of the series simply because it reminded me of The Witcher 3, and through no fault of the author. Plus, I was on an airplane and having trouble remembering and concentrating on all the fancy Irish words, complete with five thousand accent marks, used to describe the roles of the Hunt—totally my fault, and not the author’s.
I am sure if you are a consistent follower of this series this was a great addition to it, especially if you are waiting for the release of next full-length novel. However, as someone jumping in completely blind into the series, I really do not feel it was meant as a standalone novel. There was simply too much back story too fully comprehend something as large as a Wild Hunt or as complicated as Olivia’s love life. I did, however, really enjoy the heroine’s characterization and career, as well as the existence of the Wild Hunt and would recommend reading this series from the beginning to truly appreciate it. I hope to read the rest sometime in the future.
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thechaoshour's review against another edition
5.0
Perfect as expected. As soon as I finished the Cainsville series I knew I needed more and I'm SO glad we're getting more. I love seeing Liv and Gabriel working together and I've always loved the detective work they do which made this novella a lot of fun.