Review: Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck

Title: Blood and Bullets
Author: James R. Tuck
Series: Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 02/07/12
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights...

Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl "hires" him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him -- and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he's got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There's also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon's greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him...

Plot: 5 Stars
Blood and Bullets had two of my favorite things in an urban fantasy: a male main character and scary vampires. And let me tell you, these vampires were creepy, violent monsters. One of my favorite parts of the novel was seeing the newbie vampire hunter, Larson, work with Deacon. They were complete opposities, and yet they still each learned from the other. I also really enjoyed the peaks into Deacon's past, along with his little anecdotes as to why he does what he does.

Pace: 4 Stars
This novel was action-packed. There was little down time between these action-packed scenes, but the story never felt rushed. Although there were a few plot points I guessed beforehand, there were still a number of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The story flowed very well, and never slowed down. All in all, this novel was a quick and refreshing read.

Characters: 5 Stars
Deacon Chalk was a fantastic character. He has a mysterious and tortured past. With only glimpses into the events that made him hunt monsters, I can't wait until the next novel comes out so we can learn a bit more. He's also a badass. There's no other way to describe him. The girls at Polecats, the strip club Deacon owns, were interesting although they played a much smaller part. I look forward to learning more about them in future novels as well. Father Mulcahy was a great addition to the team. Not only did he bless all of the weapons, but he also had a bit of gruff humor. Larson made me roll my eyes in the beginning, but really grew as the story progressed.

Cover: 4 Stars
The cover model is exactly how I envisioned Deacon: a total badass. They really stayed true to the character, and I especially enjoy the tattoos. All too often tattoos on a cover don't correspond with the story, but these fit the main character and his description. I also liked the detail of the crosses and weapon on the cover. The purple background isn't the most masculine color, but somehow it works. The cloud and lightning details make the purple seem a little daunting and creepy. The font choice works really well. It's simply, yet bold.

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this novel for review.