Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Double Exposure
SERIES: Poneke Shadows #1
AUTHOR: Anne Barwell
PUBLISHER: LaceDragon Publishing
LENGTH: 269 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 11, 2022
BLURB:
Vampires and werewolves live long lives. The Sleepless City saga might have ended but the story continues…
Someone is hunting supernaturals.
Vampire Simon Hawthorne and his human partner Ben Leyton’s plans for a peaceful holiday with family are hijacked by the New Zealand Supernatural Council.
Tensions are on the rise in Wellington. Supernatural councillors are disappearing. Werewolves are suspicious of anyone human or vampire. If they don’t work together, their enemy has already won.
And no one with a connection to the supernatural world is safe.
REVIEW:
Ben, Simon, and a group of paranormal beings work together to protect their citizens. Unfortunately, there’s a group intent on murdering supernatural beings. While Ben and Simon are on their honeymoon, their expertise is requested.
Double Exposure is the first book in a new series. However, the same characters were used in the Sleepless City Saga. Judging from the opening chapters, I believe it would be beneficial to have read the previous story, as throughout, I felt as though I was missing a piece of the puzzle that made up this world. By reading previous manuscripts, I’d have had more of an immersive experience in this world, gotten more out of this paranormal mystery, and most likely given it a higher rating.
The story is told in the third person from mostly Ben’s viewpoint. The world-building was good, and it made a lovely change to have the location in New Zealand. However, there are several instances where multiple characters were introduced at once, and I found the experience daunting. This is also one of the areas which I felt reading the previous novels would be an advantage. Throughout, rightly or wrongly, I felt on the outskirts of backstories that were more in-depth elsewhere.
The opening chapters were awesome, with some dramatic action events that showcased the supernatural world. Then again, the humans were pretty spectacular too. Simon is the kick-ass vampire who is totally at the mercy of his human, Ben – the dynamic was adorable. Shout out here for Tash – Ben’s straight-talking human detective sister. There were some lovely tender moments too. Simon’s nervousness at revealing certain aspects of his nature to Ben’s kin is understandable. After a while, though, the phrase – tell the family – gets somewhat monotonous, loses some of its potency, and dulls the event’s effect when it actually happens.
Double Exposure is a story that had an excellent beginning, an investigative middle with pockets of action and an end that was appropriate for the story, albeit, I would have preferred some action from an event that promised more and was glossed over. More finishing action would have balanced out the two ends of the story.
I enjoyed it, but having not read the previous books, I was missing an element that would have ensured a higher rating. So given that the hearts I’ve put indicates a good book, above average, imaging what it would have been if I’d been privy to the other saga.
RATING: 
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