The Grendel Affair: A SPI Files Novel

I really enjoyed this book, the star of the book, Mac was very likeable. Early Stephanie Plum :) with lots of paranormal fantasy thrown in.
The book left me wanting to know more about her fellow employees especially Ian her vampire bodyguard and trainer. Can't wait for the next installment.

I love the Raine Benares series so I bought this one and I regret it. Characterization, world-building and action are adequate for a first novel in a new series; the real downer is in two fundamental plot holes:

1) The villain's plot is contradictory. Supposedly an ancient powerful smart creature doesn't like humanity's technological power and wants to reduce us to 'food and slaves'; yet instead of plotting to destroy that technological superiority she tries to publicly expose supernaturals - which will change humanity from potentially dangerous unwitting victims into forewarned angry (technologically empowered) hunters.

2) SPI itself is nonsensical. They are an international organization of altruistic supernatural paramilitary cops with no source of funding yet they have military-grade hardware & tech, top experts of all kinds and unofficial government access at many levels all over the world? And don't say 'hoard' because no hoard is sufficient to fund an organization that would have expenses in the billions per year on an ongoing basis. Not even a multibillion corporate empire could sustain it without income resulting from SPI expenses - and there isn't.

There are monsters in New York City. I mean supernatural monsters like Ghouls, Werewolves, Dragons, Vampires, and the like. They like to hide by hiding behind human facades. A few humans can see through these facades, and one of these humans is Makenna Fraser – a young woman employed by the Supernatural Protection & Investigations agency – who is known as a Seer. No masking agent can fool her keen awareness of what kind of monster is really in front of her.

This book is intended to be the first in a series that introduces “Mac”, her agency, her budding love affair with her partner- Ian – and their adventures as they with, for, and against the supernatural beings that inhabit New York City. As a first novel it’s kind of fun. It introduces us to the main characters, to the main scenario, and rolls out a totally implausible chain of events and plot that frames the story line of this book. This plot has to do with the introduction of monsters out of legend to New York City. Monsters who see humans as nothing more than food. And the introduction of the monsters is timed for New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Perfect Time, don’t you agree? This add an element of timing as the team involving Mac races against time to understand who the monsters are, what is their plot, where are they, and how to stop them. Oh, by the way, why are they doing this is another question that needs to be answered.

There are many horror elements in this book, with all these supernatural monsters running around at night. Many of them view humans as nothing more than prey. The author does not dispel that but rather enforces it by describing in sometimes-gruesome detail the way various people are killed by these monsters, or the way the monsters fight, or are themselves killed. If you are not interested in the horror genre of books, be warned.

On the other hand, there are bits of humor strewn throughout the book as well. The heroine is a young woman with no experience. So, she manages to see some funny moments in what is taking place as she describes the crazy Vikings who become part of the story, or when she manages to stop an escaping murderer by using her South Carolina Country-girl upbringing to use a tool that you would ordinarily not think of in the middle of the City.

However, the plot also suffers from being built like a video game. The heroes start out with small enemies and build their way into larger and larger enemies until they finally confront the Boss Enemy. With no diversion, no sidetracking, and the completely unrealistic and frenetic pace, this completely unbelievable storyline comes to the expected conclusion in a final orgy of violence – that is unremarked upon by the million people in Times Square at the time. Right. There are so many logical plot problems that it’s impossible to overlook, so that I had to downgrade this book and have no interest in reading any more of these, if the author did manage to turn this into a series.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A seer in New York city and myth come to life…

Opening Sentence: “Most people grabbed a coffee on the way to work.”

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Mackenna is a seer from Wierd Sisters, NC, but she moved to New York to get away from her family’s legacy only to find herself fulfilling it by working for the SPI (Supernatural Protection & Information). She is on the hunt for a nachtgnome when a strange vampire addresses her by name, but before she can really be afraid or find out what is going on, a many faced homeless man walks by and literally frightens the vampire away, then he disappears. Ian (her partner) joins her and they attempt to catch the nachtgnome when they stumble across a dead body.

Soon they find out he isn’t the first one, and he is carrying a picture of Mackenna on him. Once they figure out who the man was in the store they were in, they track down the owner to find out why he was in the store. Mac finds out that he was going to sell the man the arm and the head of a supernatural creature. One called Grendel, from the epic Norse poem of Beowulf. When her bosses accuse her of being a traitor, Mac realizes this whole situation is quickly spiraling out of control.

Although they soon figure out that it is Mac’s doppelganger, Mac knows that things are in the works. Someone or something is ripping apart humans and supernatural creatures like it’s easy, and they appear to be trying to gather the remains of Grendel. Soon the SPI and Mac know that they have a major fight on their hands, will they be able to save New York?

This book combined some of my favorite things, a little Celtic stuff, some Norse stuff and well just a lot of paranormal stuff. This series is absolutely fantastic. Mac is funny, loves cookies and trying really hard to learn her new job. She is surrounded by werewolves, dragons and yes, a descendant of Sigurd makes an appearance. Sigurd is a really famous Norse Warrior, in case you are not as obsessed with mythology as I am.

There was actually zero romance in this one, and I am not sure if I loved that or if I am a tad disappointed, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and action packed. A fantastic start for a series, and I for one can’t wait to see where this goes.

Notable Scene:

“I did some panicked fumbling through my brain’s filing cabinet for what I knew about vampires and daylight. Younger vamps couldn’t take the light at all. Middle-aged ones could be out in the light, but “time to turn so you don’t burn” was literal with them. Vamps older than five hundred years had no problem being out and about during the day, but shades were advisable.”

FTC Advisory: Ace/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Grendel Affair. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Previously Published at TheQwillery.com

Every once in awhile I like to step out of my comfort zone and read a book I would normally never touch. Sadly, The Grendel Affair is one of those books that doesn't encourage me to continue this practice.

Lisa Shearin's Urban fantasy setting does very little to add to the sub-genre. You get your typical werewolves and fair folk, with a mixture of the seen and unseen world. One part of Shearin's world building I did like was the fact that the villain was a descendent of Grendel, from Beowulf, one of my favorite medieval epic poems. I also have to say Shearin showed some imagination with her development.

However, Shearin's protagonist Mac is a sad portrayal of a female character. She's clumsy, scared all the time and in constant need of rescue by a manly man. It seems odd to me a female author would want to continue this outdated character that's been worn out for a long while now. Shearin's male characters aren't any better as they felt like cardboard cutouts of shirtless firemen rubbed in baby oil types.

The pacing was good, which helped, but I did feel the ending could have been handled a little better as it felt rushed. Since it's the beginning of a series, there's plenty of room for the characters to continue for awhile, but I don't see any need for me to go any further with them.

The Grendel Affair is a fast-paced urban fantasy that doesn't have a lot going for it. Sadly, the characters are outdated stereotypes. The plot suffered at the end with quick ending. There is violence and minor sexual situations. I would recommend it to older teens and adults.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed Lucky Charms, the prequel novella to the SPI Files, when I read it in the Night Shift anthology last year. It was one of those stories that completely took me by surprise and it had me laughing out loud all the way through so of course I was looking forward to continuing the series. I picked up The Grendel Affair expecting a quirky and fun read and to a certain extent that's what I got but unfortunately it didn't quite reach the heights of the novella. In fact, because I reread Lucky Charms just before starting this book it was really noticeable that a lot of the jokes and funny one liners had been used in both stories. Had I not read them so close together I probably wouldn't have spotted it but it did take some of the enjoyment out of reading this book.

The writing feels a little stiff at times and I didn't feel the same level of chemistry between the characters as I did in the prequel novella. The Grendel Affair was actually published before Lucky Charms though so that gives me high hopes that the author's writing style is already evolving and I'm hoping the rest of the series will live up to the prequel. The story gets off to a bit of a slow start which is understandable because the author is introducing us to a new world and a whole cast of characters, I'm always prepared to give the first book in a series a bit of extra leeway because of that. The pace definitely picks up in the second half and once it got going I did find myself really enjoying it.

I like both of the main characters and enjoyed the banter between them but think the chemistry between them was better in the novella than it was in this book. Hopefully that is something that will continue to build throughout the series. There are some fun elements to the story and I'm enjoying the fact that there is such a huge variety of supernatural creatures to discover. Overall I think this series has a lot of potential and if Lisa Shearin manages to raise the bar a little higher then it could turn into another favourite.

Makenna aka Mac left her life as a seedy tabloid journalist behind to become North America's only seer for SPI (a kind of Men in Black for supernatural creatures instead of aliens). A few gruesome murders sets the team off after a Grendel who intends to reveal the existence of supernatural creatures at Times Square's New Years Eve celebrations.

Life isn't that bad for Mac, apart from her occasional inability to dress herself, because the bullpen where she works is often filled with cookies and she gets to use her gift rather than try to hide it. One aspect that really got to me though was SPI's unwillingness to train Mac. It wasn't like a sledgehammer to the back of the head pain which happened once and I could move on but more like a dull throbbing one caused by an impending migraine. SPI didn't want to train Mac even though seers are 1) incredibly rare and 2) baddies know seers are often the only thing standing between them and the good life. Her partner eventually promises to train her so hopefully this plot device won't show up in future novels.

Watching Mac stumble, trip and fall through the book as she tried to protect herself or be useful was painful. What made it worse was that the men were universally strong, skilled, suitably bad-ass and content to infantalize her, so she was unable to cope without them. The feminist in me wanted to throw the book down in disgust but I was ultimately glad I persevered. Mac definitely starts growing as a character and becomes a worthy part of the team rather than a liability. That tipped the scales for me and I ended up enjoying the book despite the protagonist instead of loving it because of them.

The bits I liked however, I liked an awful lot. Shearin gets points for her world building and lots of bonus points for centering her novel around Grendels of Beowulf fame. Things didn't go so well for that Grendel or his mummy even though they were ridiculously strong and able to heal quickly. The SPI team doesn't have a superhero on speed-dial so dealing with the original Grendel's descendants is a wee bit more difficult. The pace is initially slow but snowballs once the team realises what they are dealing with and barely lets up. I enjoyed the action scenes but the ones when Mac's dragon boss entered the fray were the most exciting.

Although the cover suggests that an urban fantasy noir style tale with Mac treading the mean streets of New York with her sidekick Ian and trusty firearm lurks within, it doesn't. If you like lighter urban fantasy novels however, then this just might fit the bill.

I usually do not discuss specific plot points in my reviews, but I am making an exception because I feel The Grendel Affair has gotten some unwarranted criticism. Makenna Fraser is a seer; she can see supernatural creatures no matter how they hide their nature. In her world, that is what seers do. They do not see the future, the past, or the road not taken. She grew up in Weird Sisters, North Carolina where her family vocation is law enforcement. She wanted to be an investigative journalist and went to college to fulfill that dream. She knows how to shoot a rifle at cans and deer. She is NOT a former Army Ranger, Marine, Navy Seal, or the Chosen One. She is an investigative journalist who, while working at a tabloid in New York, came to the attention of SPI. SPI is an organization that polices supernaturals, and makes certain they are not noticed by the mundane world. SPI does not give their seers combat training because seers are viewed as precious commodities to be protected...they see the bad monsters that no one else can see. Mac is claustrophobic; a phobia is an IRRATIONAL fear. A phobia does not make one a 'girly girl.' A phobia does make one self-conscious and embarrassed at times, but phobias are not suffered only by women. While running, Mac trips over snow covered grave markers; that does not make her clumsy and a 'girly girl,' it makes her human. Shooting a rifle at cans and deer is NOT the same as shooting a gun at someone attacking you with a knife or 6 inch claws. If it were, then police officers and military personnel would not train to shoot at people attacking them, they would all hunt deer. I work with cops, and some of them are far from graceful, and they have phobias, and they call for backup, none of which makes them 'girly girls.'I thoroughly enjoyed The Grendel Affair, and am very pleased that book #2, The Dragon Conspiracy, is due out this year. Mac, Ian, Yasha, Calvin and the Dragon Lady are welcome additions to my urban fantasy shelf.

Being a rabid Ilona Andrews fan I preordered Night Shift the moment it hit preorder status. I adore anthologies, and with both Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews as listed authors, I was so excited to receive it. There were two other authors in the anthology, Lisa Shearin and Milla Vane, neither of which I had read before.

And this is why authors are brilliant to be involved in Anthologies, especially when they can be involved in them with more well-known authors. I may never have heard of Lisa Shearin before, but after reading Lucky Charms I knew I had to read more of her work.

It was four in the morning. I was in a stolen bakery delivery truck that’d been nearly totaled by three gargoyles. In the truck with me were two hung-over elves, a pair of stoned leprechauns with the munchies, a naked Russian werewolf, and a hot partner, who was actually more of a bodyguard, in a race against a goblin dark mage to retrieve a leprechaun prince with a tracking chip embedded in his left ass cheek.

Six hours earlier:
“How the hell did you lose five horny leprechauns in a strip club?”

What is NOT to love?!?! I immediately went out and purchased The Grendel Affair on Audible. Hey, it is narrated by Johanna Parker. The main character, Makenna Fraser, is a good-ole’ Southern girl, and Johanna’s southern voice is perfect for the character. Having first listened to Johanna in the Sookie Stackhouse Series, I follow her on Audible and give serious consideration to any books she narrates, just as I do with any books that are narrated by Renée Raudman, Khristine Hvam, Will Patton or . . . well, I have a list of narrators that I follow!

Makenna Fraser features in The Grendel Affair as well. Lucky Charms, the story in Night Shift seems to be a prologue to the SPI Files series. The second in the series, The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files), comes out January 27th, and I will be waiting impatiently for the Audible edition! I love the mythology of the SPI Files. A hidden paramilitary police force policing the supernaturals, which of course the human population knows nothing of. Yes, that concept has been used before, but when well done, it is the underpinning of many a truly marvelous story. In New York, just before New Year’s Eve, Grendels have been released, and are picking off both supernats and humans – leading up to what their leader intends to be a Times Square slaughter, ripping the blinders off the human population in a gory paean to carnage and chaos. It is up to the SPI to stop the Grendels (yes, just like in Beowulf) before the world is turned into a mythological nightmare. (Really, people – do you truly not understand that humans have a wee bit of an arsenal built up? Like, enough to destroy the world several times over? Sort of hard to fight a Predator missile with a Predator’s claws . . . Ah, the dreams of glory of a psychopath with a God complex.)

Makenna is a great heroine, mostly for the fact that she really isn’t a ‘heroine’ at all. Rather, she is a newspaper reporter who found herself thrust into the SPI because she is a seer – she can see underneath the veils that supernats wear to make them appear human. And her particular skill-set may be the only thing that can save the world from the planned chaos and slaughter. She is no Mary Sue – she makes mistakes, grave ones, but fumbles along the best she can under extremely difficult situations, helping and being helped by her new colleagues. Terror, sadness and guilt all hound her, but there are truly funny moments as well.

Lisa Shearin has another series, starring Raine Benares, which begins with Magic Lost, Trouble Found: Raine Benares, Book 1. One of my Audible credits will be grabbing this one soon!

I purchased the books listing in this review. All thoughts are my own. If you enjoy my reviews, please “Like” them on the store.com and/or Audible.com. Thanks you!

This was an enjoyable, fun book. Nothing too serious despite the fact that they are dealing with … yup, you guessed it. Grendels. The fabled monster/demon from the poem Beowulf.

Makenna Fraser is a new member of the SPI team. (Supernatural Protections and Investigations) This team is kind of like a covert ops CIA/FBI team only dealing with supernaturals. Of course not all supernaturals are bad, and many of them are part of the SPI team (including the head of the organization who is a dragon). MaKenna (or Mac as she is often called) is human, but she is also a seer, who can see beyond any veils, which is when a supernatural attempts to hide what they are behind the veil of being human. Since humans don’t know about the supernaturals yet, it can be a good thing, (to avoid complete panic among humans should they find out) that is unless you want to take out the human population, then it’s not so good.

She’s been on very few missions, but this time she has to participate because the person controlling these Grendels has become tired of hiding from humans and is ready to show themselves to the world, however in order to do it, they have to be invisible, for the most part, to get the job done. Once the job is done – then get ready for the big reveal and widespread panic.

Enter super secret spyware that allows them to be virtually undetectable by sight or by scent, (so the werewolves are no help). And the Grendel’s along with their leader, have this device. MacKenna is the only one who can see the real person (or monster) hiding behind this device.

Mac has very little experience in anything, but what she lacks in experience she makes up for with some smarts, and courage to continue on this mission. I like that she isn’t a Rambo want-to-be, but she isn’t the stupid girl either. She may be afraid – but so is everyone on that team, even the ones who’ve been on several missions, but that doesn’t keep her from coming up with great ideas, and helping the team despite not having the experience. It helps that she has an experienced partner who has her back.

Lots of snappy lines and comebacks which make this a lot more fun. An easy read on a Saturday afternoon. I look forward to reading the next one in the series, out in January 2015

Welcome to a world filled with all the supernatural creatures you have ever read about. They live alongside humans, and often look human enough to be able to mingle in the streets. But this is caused by magic, by a spell or potion or a natural ability and even through modern technology. Makenna Fraser is a rare Seer, someone who can look though a veil, and see the true creature underneath. She grew up knowing about ghouls and vampires and werewolves and more.
She always wanted to be a journalist, but the only paper that hired her in New York, was one of those tabloids that loves outrageous tales, and if there aren’t any, they just make them up. Makenna was good at her job, because she could write about the truth of what she saw, and no one would believe it. But now she has a new job, working for the SPI. It is just the kind of job her family has, and she loves it. And perhaps she has a tiny crush on her partner Ian, who is fully human, a former cop who ran afoul of ghouls who killed his partner.

A new monster has let loose in New York City, with the sole purpose of exposing the preternatural world to humanity, taking over as the biggest predator of the food chain. SPI wants to prevent that from ever happening, and they have been working worldwide for ages to keep the monsters secret from humans. It would mean war between them, and millions will die, and hatred will rule.
The new, unknown monster is very strong and very fast, and also hidden from security cameras and sound. When Mac is on a private mission for a friend, trying to capture a nachtgnome hunting in his pawnshop, she is in more trouble than she thinks. The nachtgnome is more devious and more capable of keeping his liquor than she though, and she really does need Ian’s help. And when they discover there is someone upstairs in the office, and Ollie certainly would not be present, they are almost walking into the monsters paws. And just when they are investigating the crime scene, the normal police shows up, and they have to answer some questions about the presence. Someone must have called it in beforehand, it all just happened a few minutes ago.

The SPI’s most important lawyer quickly has them released though, and takes them in for questioning by the boss lady herself. Mac managed to take some vital evidence from the crime scene though, and soon the scientists have figured out that the monster they are looking for, is a real life Grendel, thought to be extinct by now. They will need the help and expertise from the Scandinavian branch to capture and kill it.
But before they get that far, the boss lady, who is a dragon in disguise, receives a note telling her that the appearance of the Grendel is not a coincidence, but a plan to expose them all on New Year’s Eve, Times Square. The Grendel hates noise and his favourite food is people, and both of those are in abundance at that time in Times Square, when the eyes of the world are focused on the massive celebration.

Time is running out for Mac and Ian and their teams to find the Grendels, and their offspring, especially when they discover a doppelganger has been posing as Mac for a while now, and she has left some nasty surprises in headquarters...

What follows is a fast paced story, filled with action and monsters, and only a few minutes breathing time for Mac to get something to eat.

After falling in love with Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series, earlier this year, I was eager to start reading her new series. It certainly did not disappoint me. Although Raine Benares is fantasy/fantasy romance, and this is urban fantasy, it was good. I really liked Mac and her co-workers, and can’t wait for more stories in this fascinating world. Again it is told in first person.

I enjoyed the adventure, the hidden world of tunnels underneath New York is teeming with all kinds of monsters, but so are the streets. The book is fast paced, and I really like that Mac’s co-workers are mostly preternatural, each with their own strengths, and part plain human. Although Mac is a Seer, she has no superpowers whatsoever, and has to rely on her wits and her water pistol filled with tequila. Until her partner confiscates it. And how can they fight a monster they can’t see? And that is too fast to be hit by bullets? Mac will have to make it visible and she does so in a brilliant and fun way.

The Grendel legend was very nicely worked into this story, but no, I have never been tempted to read Beowulf myself. I did like the crazy Scandinavian warriors that came over to hunt the Grendels.

I look forward to learning more about it all, and find out what will happen next for Mac.

9 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian </p>

REVIEW:
I read the first few in Shearin’s Raine Benares series and really loved her take on a strong female lead and fantasy. I was excited to start her latest series that focuses on an agency that takes care of the paranormal investigations in a world that doesn’t know there is such a thing. This is definitely a series that urban fantasy readers will enjoy, as well as fans of Sleepy Hollow and Grimm will want to read this asap!

The Grendel Affair follows Makenna Fraser who is a seer and thought her dream of becoming a journalist instead of following her family path as a sheriff or marshal was what she wanted. But now in New York she is hired as a seer for the S.P.I (Supernatural Protection & Investigations) as an undercover agent, her ability to see the glamour and magic makes her rare so she is always under protection. When one night goes from bad to worst she discovers that a descendant of Grendel is alive and breeding, making the upcoming new year in time square a scary place for human and a hunting ground for the Grendel. Mac and her partner and protector Ian have to stop the Grendel before humans get killed and know the existence of the paranormal.

Mac is an interesting character because she’s not a tough as nails type of character nor does she think first but acts instead. She is also very accident prone and seems to get herself into some tricky situations, luckily her partner Ian always gets her out of trouble. But nonetheless she is always wanting to do what’s right and help when she can, even though she doesn’t have the training like the rest of her agency. She is a spirited and humorous character and I loved how she just can’t seem to do things the right way but the chaotic difficult way. She progresses through the story and starts to become comfortable with the life-threatening job that she’s gotten herself into. I have a feeling she will become that kick butt type of character one day as she has so much potential.

Ian is all business and ready to fight, he has his hand on the trigger constantly and the other hand trying to make sure his partner isn’t getting into trouble. His past is quite sad, but it toughened him a bit to be ready for the paranormal bad guys that are seeking to make his life harder. He has a dangerous enemy and The Grendel is only the beginning. There is so much behind his character; he even starts to grow soft for Mac even though he gets annoyed with her sometimes.

Overall I enjoyed the writing style and creative paranormal world that Shearin created. Her secondary characters are a bonus, with kick butt werewolves, an awesome dragon lady as a boss, vampires, and elves. Plus the villain’s are just as good and seriously would scare the heck out of me if they existed, think Walking Dead but ghouls. I can’t wait to continue with Mac and Ian in the next book, they have some great chemistry and work well together as major opposites.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel, fans of urban fantasy wont want to miss out on this series. If you enjoyed Gini Koch’s Kitty Katt alien series and Jamie Quaid’s Boyfriend from Hell, you’ll love The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin.

I remember reading about Grendel in ninth grade English Class. It was tedious and often hard to follow. I'm happy to report that The Grendel Affair is neither of those things. It's funny and action-packed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Makenna Fraser is a tabloid journalist turned supernatural investigator, recruited for her rare ability to see through veils. She's only been at SPI for a few months, so she still feels like an outsider and knows she has a lot to learn. Her partner Ian Byrne is a former cop, former military badass who feels like a protective older brother, though Mac starts to see him differently by the end of the book. When Mac agrees to do a favor for a friend by catching a gnome in his shop, Ian shows up to help and the two of them wind up at a murder scene surrounded by police. It turns out their arrest is part of a plot to expose the supernatural, culminating in the release of grendels, probably the grandchildren of the one Beowulf fought, in Times Square on New Years Eve. Mac and Ian only have a few days to find the monsters and save humanity. They're assisted by a diverse cast of characters, some of whom take their stereotypes literally. (Their dragon lady boss is really a dragon and her right hand man is a vampire lawyer.) I liked the way Mac gained confidence throughout the story as the other characters accepted her and look forward to getting to know the supporting cast with her as the series progresses.

Strangely, my favorite thing about this book about monsters from literature is its use of TV and film. The Grendel Affair has the most helpful pop culture references I've ever encountered. That may not exactly sound like a compliment, but let me explain. When a character is described as having "a square jaw and an aquiline nose," I know what those words mean, but they don't create a clear image in my head. When Shearin writes, "I'd always thought he looked like Anderson Cooper, minus the giggling sense of humor," I know exactly what Alain Moreau looks like. When a woman in the cemetery looks like the Queen of England in a blue coat, I know exactly what that means (and am even more amused by what happens to the woman later.) However, I think this is my favorite character description: "Minus the funky haircut, he looked disturbingly like a young version of the Mr. Spock cookie jar he kept on his desk filled with wasabi-covered peas." In other instances, Shearin takes a connection the audience is likely to make anyway and runs with it. When Mac finds herself standing over a nest of monster eggs she says, "Remember that scene in Jurassic Park in the dinosaur nursery," then explains how it's a little different.  Not only are the references funny, but they're easily accessible. By using such mainstream media,  Shearin  emphasizes the fact that Mac lives in the same world as the reader. She just happens to know a few things we don't.

The Grendel Affair is a great start to the SPI Files series. I'm excited to see what happens next for Mac and her friends.

I won this book in an online giveaway.

If you liked MiB and love paranormal fiction then this is the series for you! Mac is a young woman coming into her own with her seer power. She has recently joined an organization that works to protect humanity and paranormal from mutual discovery or harm. Her new partner has yet to be won over by Mac’s charm but let’s see how things go as Mac becomes essential to the mission of SPI and her new boss in order to save the paranormal world from an irreversibly catastrophic exposure!

I have to admit that when I saw the cover for THE GRENDEL AFFAIR I almost overlooked it as it "screamed" police procedural/sci-fi, which is a really hard sell for me. Luckily I then noticed the author quote from Ilona Andrews proclaiming it to be "urban fantasy at its best." Well then I knew I had to read the blurb and more than likely the book, as she's one of my favorite authors and is very up front about giving out very few book recommendations. After reading this book, I whole-heartedly agree that this is one heck of an urban fantasy read that frankly caught me off guard. Sure there still is the feel of the procedural aspect as it does revolve around an investigative service, but it's paranormal, not sci-fi and I have to admit I wish the cover had more of that look especially since it had a lighter and quirky feel due to the clumsy narrator that was incredibly endearing. You just wouldn't expect that kind of humorous read from such a cover, and I'm a big advocate for the cover matching the content.

Putting the cover issues aside, I really loved this book. Mac's character is awesome. She's so quirky and spunky, yet hopelessly clumsy. It was more than a little hilarious seeing her navigate through everything that was thrown at her, and her reactions had me laughing out loud. Trust me, considering some of the more gruesome aspects of this book, it's a true testament to Mac's character that she was able to keep things so light. The rest of the cast of characters were pretty stellar as well from Mac surly partner, Ian, to her Dragon-in-disguise boss, the werewolf Sasha, I could go on and on. Each one had their own unique personality that really shown through, making for the best kind of read.

THE GRENDEL AFFAIR hit all my must haves for a great book. (Well all except romance that is, but the rest of the book was more than entertaining to make up for the complete lack.) From laugh out loud humor, to great characters, to an edge of the seat plot, THE GRENDEL AFFAIR is simply not to be missed!

I will start this review by admitting that I don't love the cover, but don't let that stop you from picking up THE GRENDEL AFFAIR! Book 1 in Shearin's new SPI Files series was full of action and humor.

The main character Makenna moved to NY to follow her dreams to become a journalist. She is now an undercover agent with the SPI. As a rare seer she is usually in the background and protected. She doesn't get the defense training the others at the agency get but that slowly starts to change as the story progresses. Her partner Ian is her muscle and starts off kind of boring but turns out to be pretty interesting and protective of Mac. I wanted them to get together from the beginning of the book. They made a good team and I wanted more for them. This isn't a romance novel but I still have romance hopes for the future though.

There is a great deal of action. Mac finds herself in sticky situations pretty often. Besides the non stop action there is a ton of humor as well. I found myself laughing quite a bit throughout THE GRENDEL AFFAIR. Makenna is pretty accident prone and I loved how her coworkers decorated each others desks. I even told my boss at work we should start doing that.

There are many different characters that make up the world of this series. Dragons, werewolves, elfs, vampires, doppelgangers and many more. Everywhere you looked someone new was introduced but it was done in a way that it wasn't overwhelming.

Any fan of Lisa's past works will enjoy the writing style and flow of THE GRENDEL AFFAIR. It was a great start to her new series and I can't wait to see what Mac and the others do next.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was a nicely packed action book with little hints of potential romance thrown in. The action was nicely paced to keep me interested without putting too much in for me to keep track of.

The characters were all very interesting. I'm hoping we see more of some of the visiting SPI agents at some point.

The only downside is that our narrator is a bit annoying, mostly due to an overabundance of lack of confidence. She spends the first half of the book convinced she's going to be fired for every mistake she makes, the second convinced she's a worthless field agent and the whole thing second guessing everything. I don't mind a bit of that, but it's a little too much for me. Especially as she wasn't hired to be a field agent, so fretting that she's not a good one is a bit silly.

Overall a good book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

I wanted to like this book. Really. The premise is good, the characters are decent, but...the character development didn't. The male lead went from distant and disdainful to friendly and helpful in about a chapter, and there was simply a lot of down time in this book.

And there was inconsistent use of the southern drawl. We for sure didn't need it spelled out constantly, but the times she chose to use it were just distracting.

It wasn't a terrible book. I don't regret reading it. But I probably won't purchase another.

Fan of Ilona Andrews so I read Night Shift. Loved Lucky Charms but saw mediocre ratings for other SPI books. Bored so I read Grendel Affair. Can't believe poor reviewers read same book. It was awesome! Actually LOL 'd 4 times. Best scene ever was werewolf flirting. Hope to see more Calvin, bionic Norwegians and nerdy elves. Villains frightening, story fast paced, dialog witty and hilarious, characters (especially Mac) interesting. I'm hooked-- on to Dragon Conspiracy!

What a fantastic start to a new series! This story of Makenna Fraser, a fledgling agent for Supernatural Protection & Investigation (SPI), is full of non-stop action, vicious supernatural creatures and kick-ass agents for good. SPI is made up of humans and supernatural beings whose mission is to prevent mayhem and terror from being unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Mac is a seer, a human with the rare ability to see supernaturals for what they really are, even when they're masked. Her ability is crucial when SPI is tasked with stopping deadly, indestructible creatures that have been provided with a cloaking device that makes them invisible to sight and sound. I loved Mac's humor, her determination, and her courage. Despite her vulnerability and with little training and skill, she gave it all she had to do her job and protect her teammates as well as the rest of humanity. I'm looking forward to seeing future stories as she grows as an agent and gains training and experience. I'm sure she's going to be a formidable asset to SPI and to her fellow agents.

Well written story, interesting premise and characters.

My only issue is that there's nothing much to the story - no subplots, nothing that adds extra interest to the main story - and that makes it a little less exciting than this sort of urban fantasy usually is and makes it more of a novella than a full blown novel.

I won a paperback copy of this book. It was a good, solid urban fantasy novel with a female law enforcement officer as the lead character. She and her team are trying to stop a villain, who intends to terrorize the public by alerting them to the existence of supernaturals in a big way - by having grendels start eating people in New York City's Times' Square as they ring in the New Year. Grendels are the descendants of Grendel from Beowulf, and they get violent around noisy partying, just as Grendel did. Worse, the villain has figured out how to cloak the grendels and other badies, so that only a few special seers, such as the main character, Makenna Fraser, can see them. Along the way, we meet various types of supernaturals - witches, vampires, werewolves, ghouls, dragons, and grendels. Some are on the side of law-and-order and some aren't. I would happily read more books by this author.

This was a good first book in a series. The characters are interesting. And I must say that it is nice to see a main female character whose personality and accomplishments falls in a middle ground. She is neither the top of her field and kicking so major ass but she also isn't falling over her own two feet and making the reader think that she can't tie her own shoes without getting in the way and getting kidnapped by the badies. The character feels like she is unfinished and has and can improve. She is also surrounded by lots of people who feel like they could be real and could really help in this kind of world. The story is also good and the world that these characters and story inhabit is well rounded and shows lots of room to grow over the entire length of a series.

Being a fan of Ms. Shearin's Raine Benares series, with such a great female hero type, I figured I had to try out book 1 of this new series. Another book with a female lead and much like Raine, Mac is a so very human combination of courageous, terrified, strong, unsure and determined. Basically, she's a flawed hero...and that's my favorite type of hero.

Loved the use of the Grendels in this one and the pace really picked up the second half of the book with great action. Supporting characters are solid. My only issue is that I wasn't completely sold on Ian, her partner. I think I need to see more of him and hope we get more of his character development in book 2. I had a hard time connecting with him.

Other than that, great read and I can't wait for book 2

I don't even know where or how to begin to describe the awesomeness that is The Grendel Affair. The characters, the world building, the monsters... pretty much everything about this book was amazing! I had a blast reading it and can't wait to read the next in the series, The Dragon Conspiracy!

This was a good start to a new series. It had a likeable heroine who, for a switch, isn't the walking, talking mouthy badass of most UF books out there. No, Mac is more of your everyday woman with no special fighting skills to speak of and a penchant for cookies. But that's okay because she has spunk and spirit and she's supported by a cast of equally likeable secondary characters. She also has one special ability that, while still not conveying upon her any sort of badass status, is still quite useful in her new job. This was an overall enjoyable read, maybe not quite as much fun as The Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire, but there is definite potential here. And hey, there be dragons...

I really loved this book, don't know why this is getting such low reviews. It had everything supernatural that I love and them some. Just love Mac & Ian's relationship because I think it goes beyond a typical partner relationship. Grendals were new to me in the supernatural world (nope, haven't read Beowulf!) so I rather enjoyed the storyline!

People complain about how the main character is able to instantly know how to fight with a sword after 5 minutes of practice or is the most powerful person in the world. This book is the opposite of that. I was tired of reading how the heroine was constantly frozen with fear or could not move when someone was trying to kill her. Really??? I understand that the author was attempting realism of someone with no police background. Which brings me of the fact that the heroine grew up shooting guns and hanging out with her police like family. That is not a normal background. That is not someone who will stand there and gawk while someone is trying to kill her. This character was so weak, you will have to pay me to read another book.

The first full length adventure of Makenna Fraser is sure to be one of the most enjoyable books of 2015. Shearin has made imminent death and destruction a whole lot of fun.

Mac is the seer for the New York office of Supernatural Protections & Investigations, a small town girl who moved to New York to become a journalist and is now wreaking her own brand of havoc on the supernatural community of New York.

Her boss is a dragon, the company lawyer is a vampire, her partner is a frighteningly competent human, and Mac, well Mac is armed with a paintball gun and her ability to see through any disguise or veil conjured by the paranormal. That's a good thing because on New Year's Eve someone is going to unleash two almost unstoppable, human-hating monsters on the revelers in Times Square. As New York prepares to toast the new year, Mac and the SPI are trying to keep New York from being toast in the new year.

Highly recommended.

This is a bit of a departure from Shearin's Raine Benares series as it is somewhat of a police procedural meets urban fantasy. Mac is less of a heroine, than a normal woman (who can see the supernatural) who is thrown into a lot of situations where she is more likely to get her ass kicked than to kick ass. I disagree with some reviews that say that Mac is weak. Mac is human and flounders as any person would who finds themselves in a new job in a life-threatening industry. She is not trained for dangerous assignments but she wants to be. She is also willing to work for the common good, and constantly looks for viable, out-of-the box solutions. She has several vulnerable moments which I felt rounded her out as a human being. I really enjoyed watching her learn and grow and thought that it was a wonderful way to introduce readers to a new series.

I have read hundreds of books on my kindle but i don't write reviews. However, this series is so goo, and so much fun that i want to let others know. Fun twists on mythological creatures, light romance, humor, action scenes, developed plot line, interesting character development is all there. I finish each book with a smile.

Mac went to New York to follow her dream. She wanted to make a difference, just like the rest of her family, but in a different way. Everyone in her family is in law enforcement in one way or another. Mac wanted to go after the bad guys, but not with guns drawn and fire blazing around her ears. She wanted to deliver them on the front pages, battle with the big guys in New York Times. Just one problem…. No big newspaper will hire a newbie with a new degree in journalism. So Mac ended in the Informer, a seedy tabloid that doesn’t care if it truly prints the truth or not – as long as it sells. But Mac IS telling the truth, and soon she comes into SPI’s radar.

SPI ( Supernatural Protection & Investigations) protects humans and other supernaturals against the really bad monsters. See, Mac has a special gift, she is a seer, a person who can see through disguises, shields and spells. So whatever you are and no matter how you hide it, Mac can see straight through it. Which suddenly is a VERY handy skill when SPI suddenly stands with a murder who can become invisible, have claws that can go through steel and with a hunger for human flesh that is enormous. There is ONE itsy bitsy problem….. 48 hours to midnight, Times Square, all those people to celebrate and not only ONE monster, but TWO…. Time is ticking away, and SPI with Mac and Ian (her partner at SPI) is running against time to find ALL the monsters before the entire community of supernaturals is exposed in the worst way possible.

For those who know me all the way back from Dangerous Romance, knows I’m a huge fan of Lisa Shearin. I LOVE her Raine Benares series, and was sad when it ended, although Lisa made All Spell Breaks Loose a beautiful and wonderful read.

So when Lisa told everyone she was working on something new, I was excited. Don’t get me started on how I felt when I received an e-ARC of The Grendel Affair.

Finally sitting down to start reading, I was easily and quickly caught up in The Grendel Affair. Mac is new to SPI, and her partner Ian is a much more seasoned agent. It does give them some conflicts, especially due to the fact that Mac is a Seer, and she isn’t trained in combat. Which was normal procedure for Seer’s working for SPI, but then after that small incident where their last Seer…. Uhm…. Well… he didn’t come back from the mission, SPI had to reconsider their policy.

Mac is a determined young woman, she wants to be a part of the team, wants to make a difference, and she goes into danger even if her head and body screams at her to run the other way. She’s brave, and she cares about the people she works with. I think it’s really cool that she can see through veils, shields and other things, to see people true forms as auras.

Ian is a complex, and yet simple person. His story when told made me understand him so much better, and I liked how protective he was of Mac. Ian is very professional, combat trained in pretty much anything, and misses… well, almost nothing. And yet, I have a feeling he has underestimated Mac in more than one way. :-)

Since SPI is an investigation and protection of Supernaturals, it would be odd if there weren’t any of them working there. There are. Plenty of them. SPI is even lead by one special lady; Vivienne Sagadraco. You might wonder what’s so special about her? Well, she is one tough old lady, drives the SPI with an iron fist, have a wonderful sense for sparkly things, and is called the dragon lady. With good reason. Vivienne is a dragon, a very old and powerful dragon. (Note her LAST name *grins*)A dragon who doesn’t take it very nice that someone is attacking her HQ and her employees. Wrong lady to piss off.

There are of course the “usual” vampires; Alain Moreau (Vivienne Sagadraco’s right hand, and lawyer), Yasha (a Russian werewolf), Kenji Hayashi (tech elf), and so many more. I like all the diversity, all the different personalities, working together.

Something else that I truly liked about this book was the fact that Lisa had taken something close to my home (I live in Denmark), and used some of our mythology – the Grendel. I can’t begin to describe how cool it is, how fun it is to read about your own mythology written in the pages from one of your favorite authors. And let me tell you… I so do NOT want to run into a Grendel – EVER. Lisa scared the crap out of me with her description of those beasties!!

Last, one of the things I truly enjoyed from Raine Benares was the humor. Despite everything, I could always count on Lisa delivering a wonderful sense of humor in her books, and she still does. Even in the midst of a fight, a panic attack, I found myself chuckle due to a line or two delivered beautifully.

Being an old fan of Lisa’s, I can gladly put my hand over my heart and tell you that The Grendel Affair is absolutely, freaking awesome. Wonderfully written, action-packed, a race against time, sprinkled with Lisa’s wonderful sense of humor and loads of hints for more to come. I am NOT disappointed with her new series at all, and I’m looking forward to the next book; The Dragon Conspiracy, which will come in 2014.

I loved the first book. This series has so much potential but I am extremely disappointed with the second book. The plot development was terrible and the ending was very anti- climatic. The author ruined the sexual tension between the primary characters which was the sell for this series.

Just what I needed: A relaxing time for the brain. No time to wonder 'who done it?' Shearin writes from action scene to action scene. I almost - almost- wished Mac would stop being such a comedian but the pace of the story line didn't allow for much depth of character. This is my first book to read in the SPI series. I DO think there is room for the main characters to 'flesh out' a bit with their own thoughts and bet they do (wink).

If your addicted to fast paced stories, you won't be disappointed.

Grendel Affair is the start of another delightful series. I love the story premise, and the characters are great. Some are over the top, deliberately I think; some are rank beginners. Regardless, I had a lot of fun reading this book.

There are monsters in New York City. I mean supernatural monsters like Ghouls, Werewolves, Dragons, Vampires, and the like. They like to hide by hiding behind human facades. A few humans can see through these facades, and one of these humans is Makenna Fraser – a young woman employed by the Supernatural Protection & Investigations agency – who is known as a Seer. No masking agent can fool her keen awareness of what kind of monster is really in front of her.

This book is intended to be the first in a series that introduces “Mac”, her agency, her budding love affair with her partner- Ian – and their adventures as they with, for, and against the supernatural beings that inhabit New York City. As a first novel it’s kind of fun. It introduces us to the main characters, to the main scenario, and rolls out a totally implausible chain of events and plot that frames the story line of this book. This plot has to do with the introduction of monsters out of legend to New York City. Monsters who see humans as nothing more than food. And the introduction of the monsters is timed for New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Perfect Time, don’t you agree? This add an element of timing as the team involving Mac races against time to understand who the monsters are, what is their plot, where are they, and how to stop them. Oh, by the way, why are they doing this is another question that needs to be answered.

There are many horror elements in this book, with all these supernatural monsters running around at night. Many of them view humans as nothing more than prey. The author does not dispel that but rather enforces it by describing in sometimes-gruesome detail the way various people are killed by these monsters, or the way the monsters fight, or are themselves killed. If you are not interested in the horror genre of books, be warned.

On the other hand, there are bits of humor strewn throughout the book as well. The heroine is a young woman with no experience. So, she manages to see some funny moments in what is taking place as she describes the crazy Vikings who become part of the story, or when she manages to stop an escaping murderer by using her South Carolina Country-girl upbringing to use a tool that you would ordinarily not think of in the middle of the City.

However, the plot also suffers from being built like a video game. The heroes start out with small enemies and build their way into larger and larger enemies until they finally confront the Boss Enemy. With no diversion, no sidetracking, and the completely unrealistic and frenetic pace, this completely unbelievable storyline comes to the expected conclusion in a final orgy of violence – that is unremarked upon by the million people in Times Square at the time. Right. There are so many logical plot problems that it’s impossible to overlook, so that I had to downgrade this book and have no interest in reading any more of these, if the author did manage to turn this into a series.