Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: Blind Tiger
SERIES: The Pride Book 1
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 238 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2021
BLURB:
1924, Chicago. Prohibition is in full swing and gang bosses rule the city with might—and magic.
When Sam Cunningham flees his small-town life to try his luck in the big city of Chicago, he quickly finds himself in over his head in a world of gangs, glitz, and glamour. Fortunately, he has his cousin Eldon to teach him the trade of hex-making.
Everything changes the night Sam visits The Pride speakeasy and meets grumpy cheetah-shifter Alistair Gatti. After losing his first witch to the horrors of the World War, Alistair isn’t interested in any new entanglements, romantic or magical. Especially when said entanglement comes in the form of kind, innocent Sam.
When Eldon is brutally murdered, Sam becomes drawn into the dark underworld of the Chicago gangs. Sam must find the missing hex Eldon created for one of the crime bosses—before whoever killed Eldon comes back for him.
Together, Alistair and Sam begin the search for the mysterious hex, diving deep into the seedy side of Chicago’s underworld while dodging rival gangs. And as they come to rely on one another, Alistair realizes he’s falling for the one man he can’t afford to love.
REVIEW:
I don’t know quite what it is about this book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the previous Hexworld books. Maybe it was because it’s an entirely different set of characters and scenery, or maybe it was just set in a time and place I’m not particularly interested in. Chicago in the 20s was a happening place, with a lot going on but it has never truly caught my interest. Anyone who might be interested in that time period will surely love this book and must read it because it really is beautifully set.
Having said that, I can’t deny that this book is very well written, and as usual, has a wealth of detail that makes the story truly come alive. The characters are all different, all interesting and all engaging. The two main characters, Alistair and Sam are very different, and as usual an unlikely pairing. My favourite part of the book is the dynamic and chemistry between them. I particularly like Sam, who came into the situation entirely clueless and with a lot of baggage, but went through so much character development he was a different person by the end. In fact, there seemed to be a complete about face with Sam being the strong one and Alistair the vulnerable, broken one. It was masterful writing that got them there.
I can’t be mean with my praise of this author, even if this wasn’t my favourite of their books. They have a great talent in creating worlds, drawing them in vivid detail without overloading with dry information, and peopling them with colourful characters. None of their books is an easy read and I would not say this is an easy, coffee-time book that can be picked up and put down multiple times. The book carries the story at a steady, but brisque pace with a lot happening along the way. I didn’t manage to read it in one sitting, but I didn’t leave too much time between and was eager to pick up again.
As I mentioned previously, if you like the time period of the 1920’s, the time of prohibition, flappers and the mob, or if you like a different kind of shifter, a world of witches and their familiars woven with our own, or even just a powerful storyline of two unlikely people falling in love, this is a must-read.
As a warning, though, there are some things that people might find challenging to read. Alistair is clearly suffering from PTSD after WW1 and he has some harrowing stories to tell.
RATING: 
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