Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Fox and Birch 
SERIES: Rowan Harbor Cycle #3
AUTHOR: Sam Burns
NARRATOR: Chris Chambers
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2018
LENGTH: 5 hours, 16 minutes
BLURB:
Five years ago, Jesse dropped out of college and came home to Rowan Harbor to find safety with his pack. A broken man, he’s been living as though the world is ending – allergic to responsibility and spending most of his nights at the local bar. But he can’t avoid growing up forever.
On the night of his 30th birthday party, he finds his childhood friend Isla unconscious, attacked in the middle of their peaceful hometown. The wolf inside him wants to protect its people from the slick-haired, smooth-talking vampire who’s brought trouble to town, and Jesse can’t run from his instincts any longer.
Now that his inner wolf is out of its cage, it’s picked the most inconvenient moment to find its mate. Sean Anderson – recently back from college and much changed from the skinny preteen Jesse once knew – is just what he never knew he needed.
REVIEW:
I’m in love with this series and I keep waiting for the next book to be released so I can find out what happens next in the mysterious town of Rowan Harbor. It’s an addictive series and I couldn’t be happier to have the chance to read it.
Fox and Birch is told from Fletcher Lane’s POV. He’s the deputy with the Rowan Harbor police force. The book picks up shortly after the last book and Fletcher is dealing with the consequences of killing the vampire that kidnapped one of his friends. Not only does he have mixed feelings about killing another being, but it seems that the spirit of the evil book has possessed him. And it doesn’t ever stop whispering. Add in three strangers, three bounty hunters coming to town in search of the now dead vampire, and Fletcher has more than enough trouble on his hands.
This book, or rather Fletcher, grabbed me from the very beginning. He was interesting and engaging. He’s always been there in the background in the previous books, so I was pleasantly surprised when we got to learn so much more about him, about his past, his fears. I admired his bravery and fierceness, always wanting to do the right thing, saving others and always putting them before himself. Watching him come out of that shell a bit was beautiful. But even more wonderful to watch was how the whole town always stands together, protecting their own.
Another thing that I really loved was the whole evil book / spirit. It was something completely new for me and I found it all to be very refreshing. I loved where Burns took this story point and I can’t wait to find out more. It’s all very mysterious, but also connected in some way.
Chris Chambers is perfect for this series. He truly takes you to Rowan Harbor and bring the town and characters alive. He captures the essence of it all and holds you captive until the very end. I truly wish he will narrate the rest of the series, but I guess time will tell.
These books don’t stand on their own, but are meant to be read in order, otherwise you will be totally lost and the story won’t make much sense. So far each book has had a different person, or couple as the main focus, but the overall story is the same and continues on with every book. Not in the sense that there are much of a cliffhanger ending, only that you know that the story is unfinished, there is more to find out, more things to resolve, so far we are only in the beginning stages of something much, much larger.
I’m a bit sad that this is the last of the audiobooks for this series, at least so far. I’ve loved listening to all three of them and would happily continue to listen to the rest of the series. I’ve read somewhere that Burns do plan to release the rest of the series in audio as well, but that he doesn’t have a time frame for it. Am I selfish if I wish we don’t have to wait too long, because I need to know more.
Highly recommended to anyone looking for a great paranormal series that truly stands out from the crowd.
RATING: 
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