Jess Haines Changes the Game with “Deceived by the Others”

In Jess Haines‘ latest novel in the H&W Investigations series, “Deceived by the Others“, Private Investigator, Shiarra Waynest, is about to contract herself to her werewolf boyfriend, Chaz, but first she goes on a much needed vacation with him to his cabin in the woods. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I grew up with stories of Little Red Riding Hood but this immediately set up warning flares for me.

Shia is looking forward to some down time with Chaz but before she leaves, she receives two very cryptic phone messages; one from Alec Royce, the other from Jack, the leader of the White Hats. Jack tells her “this time, it’s not us.” Royce’s message, “whatever happens while you are out of town is not my doing,” whips away any excitement she had about her vacation. Of course, Shia has had enough of both Jack and Royce trying to control her actions, so she ignores their warnings and gets out of Dodge. I was particularly offended when she didn’t even listen to me as I was yelling “Don’t go with Chaz!” Although to be fair, I couldn’t offer a valid reason other than the fact that I have never liked or trusted Chaz.

Shia and Chaz are still working on their delicate relationship which was ripped in pieces during the last book, “Taken by the Others”. Shia has finally decided that she wants to spend the rest of her life with the man she loves and that means signing the Notice of Mutual Consent to Human/Other Citizen Relationship and Contractual Binding Agreement which would make Chaz her partner forever. Although she signs the agreement, she doesn’t tell Chaz, opting to wait for the right moment.

Spending time with Chaz also included meeting his pack and giving everyone the opportunity to get used to each other. Shia wants to watch the pack as they change during the full moon. What starts out as a relaxing vacation/romantic get-away with Chaz quickly turns into a deadly mess, and not everyone wishes to welcome Shia into their midst.

“Deceived by the Others” is the third book in the H&W Investigations series and like the first two books, Haines takes us on a journey that is frightening and exciting. But this time there is a very unexpected twist and it will change Shia’s life from here on out. I was left shocked and angry, particularly with one character whom I will not name because you have to read it for yourself. (Ha!) This is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it’s a testament to the author for being so skilled at creating characters I really care  about.

We will get to see more of Shia and how she deals with the events from “Deceived” in the fourth book, “Stalking the Others” which is due out July, 2012. The title alone gives me chills and I cannot wait to read it. You can be sure that I’ll be talking about it on this site, even though we will be steeped in season 5 of True Blood. Truebies will need something to read in between episodes, after all!

Don’t forget to check out my reviews of “Hunted by the Others” and “Taken by the Others“. Get to know Jess Haines by visiting her website, www.jesshaines.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter (my goal is to get her to 1000 followers!) for news and updates on her other projects. These include her novellas, “Spark of Temptation”, a short story about Shia’s partner at H&W, Sara, and the mage we met in “Hunted”, Arnold. Additionally, Jess has written a short story called “What’s Yours is Mine”, which is included in “The Real Werewives of Vampire County”, a novella due to hit book stores on October 25th.