Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Logan

SERIES:  Chosen Champions Book 1

AUTHOR:  Macy Blake

NARRATOR: Michael Dean

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  8 hours and 15 minutes

RELEASE DATE:   August 17, 2021

BLURB:

Logan Moore is a leader without a pack….

And after the rejection he faced from his last pack, he’s not sure he wants one. But when a mysterious benefactor he nicknames The Oracle offers Logan the chance to use his military expertise to lead a group of misfit shifters to protect the creatures of the magical realm, Logan’s wolf won’t allow him to say no.

Bailey Cairn is a man without a protector.

And for the entirety of his very human life, he hasn’t needed one. But when his friend is attacked at a bar, sweet, caretaker Bailey is drawn into a world he hadn’t known existed. A world full of secrets, and magic. A world full of danger…and gorgeous, protective Logan.

But if Bailey and Logan want to break the chains of the past, they’ll have to learn to trust each other and themselves, and start to believe in things that are bigger than they are.

That magic exists.

That packs are about more than blood ties.

That sometimes true love is a matter of fate.

And that heroes aren’t made…they’re Chosen.

REVIEW:

Macy Blake’s Chosen One Universe continues to expand with her latest series, Chosen Champions.  Logan is the first book in the series, and, surprisingly, Logan is a brand new character we haven’t met before.  Logan is a wolf-shifter alpha without a pack who’s been chosen as a champion of the human realm by the mysterious, anonymous “Oracle”. Logan and his improbable team of shifters and magical “others” have been drafted into service to help stabilize the magical chaos in the human world.  

We see some familiar faces that link this series to the previous three series in this universe. We quickly learn Logan is working with the griffin shifter Aleron Eastaughffe, cousin of Vincent (who we met briefly in The Chosen One series and is featured in All Kidding Aside, from the preceding Magical Mates series), and the vampire Gideon, who we met briefly in the Hellhounds Champions series. This series picks up at the end of the final Hellhounds Champions book, Hell Breaks Loose, and its premise is rooted in the outcome of that book.  There are also cross-over appearances from characters from the other series. 

Because of these interconnections, I suggest you follow Ms. Blake’s recommended reading order for her Chosen One Universe (you can find it on her website) because it gives you the full context and gives you the most fulfilling reading experience.  That being said, you don’t need to read them to understand the plot of Logan because Ms. Blake has created a fresh take on the action in this universe.  However, you will encounter some minor spoilers if you haven’t.  

The distinctiveness of Logan is quite remarkable. It is the thirteenth full-length book in this series (not including several freebie novellas interspersed throughout), yet Ms. Blake has found a way to make the series feel new. This book is rooted more firmly in real-world city living and the plight of supernatural creatures living in the human realm in a time of great magical upheaval.  The prior series take place in fantastical locations – isolated, heavily warded compounds, vast estates, and other realms. But this series has a very different vantage point.   It is paranormal elements existing in the ordinary human world, rather than the focus on the extraordinary with the ordinary out of scope.

Logan brings us a cast of new characters that are interesting, endearing, and best of all, they create a fantastic found family.  We get the overprotective, resilient Bailey.  His exuberant babbling and fretting over his group of recent college graduate/theater production friends is sweet and very funny.  Even sweeter and funnier is when he sinks into cooking to connect with Logan, Aleron, Gideon and team and starts bossing them around.  

Ms. Blake adeptly balances the relationship building between Bailey and Logan, the sexy, steamy scenes between them, Logan’s conflicting desire and fear about being a pack alpha, the suspense and drama over the mysterious, violent attacks, establishing the group of new characters, and the creation of a pack dynamic.  The combination of these elements creates an engrossing read.

Michael Dean continues his narration of the stories in Ms. Blake’s Chosen One Universe.  This is the ninth audiobook in it (the Hellhounds series is not available on audio yet), so Mr. Dean is deeply connected with this universe and its characters and you can hear it in his narration.  It sounds effortless, especially in how he captures the essence of the characters. 

For example, Gideon is a vampire, and Mr. Dean gives him the same deep, slithering voice as we heard with Andvari (the vampire guardian/mate in The Chosen One series). Yet Gideon’s voice is distinct.  Similarly, Aleron is a griffin so Mr. Dean gives his voice the erudite snobbiness inherent in the uber-wealthy griffin clan. He sounds like Victor and Eduard (from The Chosen One series), and yet his voice is different;  it has a playful, irreverence that perfectly reflects his spicy personality.  Even Mr. Dean’s female voices, which tend toward the mezzo-alto range, are spot on here for Heather and Ashley because they contain an elongated almost-drawl at times, primarily when they use their sarcastic bite.  Then you have Bailey, whose voice is a perfect blend of insecurity, blooming self-confidence, and mother-hen fretting.  I adore him, especially in contrast to the grumpy, taciturn  Logan, whose deep, growly voice suits him perfectly.

Mr. Dean’s pacing generally runs on the slower side, but here, I felt it was just right.  He sped up in the appropriate places and slowed down where it made sense.  His intonations and inflection bring Ms. Blake’s snappy dialogue to life in a captivating way.

Overall, I highly recommend Logan.  It’s a refreshingly new entry into a well-established series, breathing life into it and raising my hopes that we’ll get a slew of new stories in the magical Chosen One Universe.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible 

Amazon