On the Hunt (Imprints #2)
by Teyla Branton
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Blurb:
Why would a contented husband who has it all simply disappear?
Police believe Dennis Briggs left home voluntarily, but his wife is convinced something sinister has happened. In desperation, she turns to Autumn Rain for help. Autumn has the extraordinary ability to read imprints—emotions left on objects that have special meaning to their owners, but what she discovers about the victim only leads to more questions. Autumn is equally confused by her conflicting feelings for the detective who treats her like a suspect and the supportive boyfriend she has always depended on.Autumn’s investigation takes on new urgency when Dennis’s young son is also targeted, presumably taken from the backyard of the family’s home. What will she risk to save the boy? Sometimes what you can’t see means everything.
My Review:
After reading book 1, I knew I would come back to this series soon and I did. Book 2 in the Imprints series is just as good, maybe even a bit better than the first book. There’s a new mystery, lots of suspense and the paranormal aspects is perfectly woven into the plot. This book grabbed me from the start and kept my attention for the whole book.
Autumn has decided to use her ability to see imprints to help people. In this book she gets an unusual case to solve. One of her sister’s friends needs her help, her husband disappeared and they don’t know why. It seems he left voluntarily, but why would be leave when he has a loving family he cares about? I like the missing person type of plot line as there are so many reasons why he could have disappeared and it makes for a good mystery.
The mystery in this book is really good, slowly we uncover more about the husband, Dennis and why he left. It was awesome to see how everything tied together and I was pleasantly surprised by the few twists and how the direction of the story took me by surprise. Something about how the story developed is quite unusual and takes a different turn than most books do, which was great. And the whole suspense plot line is just so well written. With how the information gets uncovered and how there are new things we learn bit by bit until everything comes to light toward the end of the book.
I am so impressed by how well this author blends the paranormal elements with the suspense ones. I love a good mystery, but rarely find a paranormal or fantasy book that really has a great mystery. but this one totally nails that aspect. The paranormal aspect is present throughout the whole book and is such a integral part of the story, but the suspense is just as important. It’s all cleverly thought out and I want to keep reading and discover how everything ties together. There’s also an interesting tidbit that gets revealed at the end that has me really curious and a promise Autumn makes that has me curious how that will play a role in later books.
And the characters are great too. I really like Autumn, she’s a great main character. She’s a bit quirky, which I like about her. And I liked how strongly she feels about using her ability to help people, but her imprints aren’t always pleasant and she also struggles with them regularly. It’s as much a curse as a gift at times. I liked seeing how she deals with it and also how she interacts with the people in her life. She has her doubts at times, but also is fiercely loyal and I liked her determination. She does end up in some tricky situations, but she can take care of herself and is smart enough to notify people about where she is going most of the times.
There is a little bit of romance in this series. From the start of this book Autumn is in a relationship with Jake. There is something they have to deal with in this book and while the ending resolves it nicely, I am still not fully sure if that’s the last we hear from that. And I love her interactions with Shannon, the banter and the tension and I keep wondering if there is room for more there. And I am kinda leaning in my preference toward Shannon, but at the same time that makes me feel bad as Jake is great for Autumn. It sure has makes me feel conflicted.
While most of the ground is covered in book 1 regarding Autumn’s ability, there are still a few new things we learn in this book. but mostly it’s just getting an even better feel for how her ability to see imprints works. I also felt that there are a lot more imprints in this book as Autumn becomes more comfortable using her ability. I also liked how there are some scenes when she accidentally reads and imprints that felt believable. And how positive imprints can help her recover form the bad ones is also something that plays a role here again. I also liked how her sister’s ability also plays a role again and I am curious to learn more about why they have these abilities.
To summarize: this book is so good! The way the author blends the suspense and paranormal elements is wonderful. I loved seeing how the plot developed and it kept my attention for the whole book. There are nice twists and reveals and I loved seeing how everything tied together. I really like reading about Autumn, she is a great character. There’s a hint of romance that works well. Her interactions with detective Shannon makes me wonder if there will be more between them one day. And her relationship with her sister is great to read about too. Autumns ability gets developed a bit more in this book and there seem to be more imprints in this one than in the last book as Autumn gets more comfortable using her ability. It was a great read and I already know it won’t be long before I start book 3.
Links:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo
You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.
You’re right about how great it is to find books/series that mash the paranormal and suspense elements so well. I do like how you describe the mystery and how likable the heroine is and how her personal story and the romance seem to continue to develop through the series.
I can see why you’re binging them.
Sophia Rose recently posted…Review: Every Deep Desire by Sharon Wray
I really love how this series mashes those elements so well. It’s great how each book has a different mystery, but her personal story and romance continue throughout the series.
I do love paranormal and when there’s another aspect thrown in there like mystery, it’s even better. This one sounds good.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Review: Beautifully Wounded by Susan Griscom
I really like when a good mystery is combined with some other elements.
This does sound interesting. Paranormal and suspense together are right up my alley.
Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons recently posted…Lake Silence Audiobook by Anne Bishop (REVIEW)
The paranormal and suspense combine so well in this series.
Glad to hear the mystery and suspense and twists were so well done! And I like quirky characters too 🙂
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Dawn in Damnation (Damnation Book 1) by Clark Casey
This series is so good, I like how the suspense is so well done and the paranormal aspect fits in nicely as well. I am almost finished with book 4 in the series now.