Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE: Blood and Sand
SERIES: The Pride (Book 3)
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 242 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2026
BLURB:
War has come to the streets of Chicago…
Sam Cunningham didn’t set out to work for a gangster, but his job as Mickey Sullivan’s hex master seems safe enough…until a gang war puts a target on both of their backs.
Cheetah-shifter Alistair Gatti is desperate to keep his family’s speakeasy up and running. But with a brutal assassin killing off the city’s bootleggers, his options are growing slimmer with every passing day.
Their one chance to remain safe and keep The Pride afloat lies in the form of an ancient hex looted from an Egyptian tomb. If Sam wants to escape Sullivan’s grasp, he needs to recreate the hex and get it to work.
But in a gang war fought by magic as well as guns, the odds are in no one’s favor, and the streets of Chicago will soon run red with blood.
REVIEW:
Disclaimer: This is the third book in The Pride series and as such you need to read the previous books before tackling this one. This book is a continuation of long story arcs started in book 1 and continued in book 2. Besides if you love Jordan’s work like I do, why would you deprive yourself of Sam and Alistair’s meet cute or prohibition Chicago for that matter?
One of my favorite times in history is the 1920’s. I love all the speakeasy life, the gangsters, the strong woman that came from that tough era. And I must not forget the fashion. From the flapper dresses to the men’s spats, suits and ties, it was a very colorful time in our history. So that brings me to the continuation of Alistair and Sams story.
The world building just continues to get better with each new addition to this series. The Chicago backdrop to the story just melts my happy little heart. Growing up there, I could readily identify many of the locations being described in the story. Granted places are no longer called Towertown, but I knew exactly where it was. The Chicago mafia was varied and plentiful and there were men along the way, that this book represents.
In this story we get to experience even more of the detailed, in-depth character development, that Jordan just excels at. No skimping from main to side characters. We get to glimpse our gangster head Mr. Sullivan in his home environment and see how devastated he is after losing his son. All the characters are so layered that I just couldn’t put the book down. I was so invested in how all the plots would resolve themselves, as this is the final book in the series. Which I must admit, I am a bit sad about.
This story picks up right after the events of book 2 and throws you right into the deep end of pool. Incorporating some Egyptian lore into the magical world of 1920’s Chicago, along with the Chicago Mob, was a stroke of genius. What I really loved about this one, besides Sam and Alistair, was all the 1920’s slang that was used. I feel we should bring back fur and feathers as a modern day SFW comment on the daily events of life. Once again, Jordan spins a masterful tale with all the twists and turns, we love so well. From the intrigue to the sweet sexy times, to the action of the gang wars, to the subterfuge of a few characters, Jordan saved the best for last in this series. Will Sam and Alistair survive? Will Wanda and Holly survive? Will The Pride survive? Well, fur and feathers, I am not going to tell you… You know the drill by now.
I highly recommend this book and series. So much so that you need to drop what you are doing and run to your favorite eBook purchasing site and grab this one up. Even though this is the last book in this series, I can’t wait to see what Jordan comes up with next.
Till next time…
RATING: 
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