Secrets of Blood & Bone by R. Sadler

Secrets of Blood and Bone by Robert S. Sadler was a book whose story really intrigued me, but whose character interactions left a lot to be desired.

What if one night you discovered you were a rare breed of warrior meant to be the champion of all mankind? That you were caught in the middle of an age old war between supernatural forces and had no choice but to fight or die? Oh, and that the beautiful predator staring at you from across the room was just dying to have sex with you, or maybe eat you depending on her mood? Secrets of Blood & Bone is a fast paced paranormal adventure jam packed full of action, be it on the battle field or in the bedroom!

This is the first installment in a series of books which introduces us to a strong-willed hero named Quillen Ware, or just Q to his friends. One night while working in a dangerous inner city emergency room, his security guard duties take him into the parking lot where he attempts to diffuse a gang war in the making. Riding on the heels of the bullet-riddled gang-bangers come a squad of mercenary soldiers accompanied by a pair of supernatural monsters who leave nothing but death and destruction in their wake. As Q’s new life unfolds before him, he finds himself fighting for his life with a hell hound, dining with an immortal shape shifter, bantering with a genius gnome, and sharing sexual tension with a beautiful were-tiger all before the first night comes to a close. During his journey, Q must discover if his father is indeed a serial rapist and who was responsible for his real mother’s death while fighting for his life and his sanity in a world where sex and violence are everyday facets of normal existence. Q fully embraces a new way of life on his way to an epic climax and a discovery that will shake not only his world but that of the entire supernatural community!

Like I said, the story wasn’t all that bad. Q is this really big guy that hasn’t ever really fit in. He’s a security guard in a hospital, and he’s always felt like an outsider. One night, Hell hounds come into the hospital and kill everyone. This shoves Q into the world of paranormal beings, and he soon finds out that he isn’t your average seven foot security guard. In fact, at first no one really knows what he is. That doesn’t stop people  from trying to recruit him though.

You see, for millennium now, there have been two types of paranormals. The first type wants to stay under the radar and not reveal themselves or their world to humans. The second type feels that they are superior, and think that they should rule over humans, making them slaves. So, throughout the book you follow Q as he attempts to find out exactly what he is while in the process of fighting the good fight.

I know, I know, this doesn’t sound half bad. I thought the same thing when I was approached to review Secrets of Blood and Bone. So what exactly is the problem? The problem was the dialogue – it was almost childish in the way that the characters interacted. Here’s this big warrior dude, who’s supposed to be a savior to his people and I assumed that there would be some maturity to his persona, but when he’s unsure or angry at someone he starts acting like some delinquent thirteen year old. Talking about how people can suck his bleepity bleep bleep. I don’t care if there is cursing in a book, but only if it adds to the book. Here it just felt like he was posturing. Trying to make people think that he was tougher than he was.

Overall, Secrets of Blood and Bone by Robers S. Sadler had a lot of potential, and there was plenty that caught my interest; however, Q put me off so much that it took away from the story. So if your able to ignore that sort of thing, or it it just doesn’t’ bother you, then this might be something to check out.

5 Comments

  1. The character of Q actually is posturing because he’s scared. Scared of not knowing what to do, not knowing how to react or handle himself in a given situation. Yes he is immature and handles himself poorly at times, that’s not poor writing it’s intentional to the persona of the character. He is physically powerful but mentally and more importantly emotionally immature. He is NOT your typical romance book hero with his tortured soul and lost love. He’s just a man that grew up in todays society without a mother and without a nurturing father figure. He never had felt like he belonged and now he’s thrust into a world that he doesn’t know or understand while fighting for his life in the most literal sense. He’s like a big kid hoping for a word of praise from a parent that doesn’t know what to say.

    Lastly I wrote this book for the enjoyment of people that don’t typically read because they can’t understand the language that is used and gets bored easily. I tried to make the dialogue very real to the way 20-30 something year old males who don’t have the greatest education in this country actually speak, thus getting them interested in reading it. Trust me after 15 years in the medical world and working in ER’s for all of it, I know how todays disgruntled and disenfranchised youth speak to one another.

  2. I read the book and really enjoyed it. I know everyone has an opinion and everyone may not like it, but I know several that have read it and really like it. To me, Q is a great character. I could relate to him, I’ve known men like him. The book kept me interested and I thought the story was good. It had humor, a bit of romance but not too mushy, and lots of action.

    Since everyone has different opinion and different likes and dislikes I hope people will give this book a try.

    I will admit it was not my normal read but when I picked it up and started to read it, I really could not put it down and I cant wait for the next book.

  3. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read this. I always try and give an honest review, and this is the way that I felt about it. I get that people have different opinions, and I’m really glad you liked it Monique. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

  4. I just finished reading Secrets of Blood and Bones. I have to agree with Monique. I loved this book. I read all types of books and I was glad to find that this book contained a little of bit of everything to spark my interest. I really enjoy Q’s character and personality. I enjoy reading about him, transforming from a thug “wanna be” with pent up anger and hatred, to a being that has finally discovered his calling. He was a misfit that finally found where he belonged. In addition, he was able to go back to his previously life to uncover secrets that brought about understanding and love.
    This is just the opinion of a regular reader. I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to Book 2.

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