CASE: 0Beauty and the Beast meets Science Fiction.The second Annalise got her first assignment at the Academy, she knew her life was never going to be the same. Not only is she stuck in the Human Possession Department that no one wishes to go near, her father is breathing down her neck to marry some rich guy to gain political favour. To make matters worse, the case she’s given leads her right … matters worse, the case she’s given leads her right back home to her genetically modified servant that she would give her life for.
The pressure is on to close the case as soon as possible, and she’s in the spotlight. Will she be forced to choose her career over the man she secretly loves?
CASE: 1
It’s official, Devlin is Annalise’s new partner. He’s charming, caring—a perfect gentleman who caters to her every need. That is until he starts to mix work with pleasure to convince her to marry him as per agreement with her father.
With her servant, Mavel, gone from her side, the cracks in the wall she created around her begin to come undone. To take her mind off the torment her heart is going through, she takes on another possession case in her old school, Montgomery Institute. But, what starts off as a simple case full of bad memories twists into a web of deception and lies involving everyone she cares about.
CASE: 2
Duty or friendship, which to choose?
Annalise is faced with a new case. She must find out who plotted to assassinate the CEO of ETek and keep her findings a secret from Falcon. Easier said than done. The man pulling her strings from the shadows knows she’s up to something and takes what Annalise values the most as collateral.
A choice must be made—friendship or duty. Whatever she picks, there may be no good ending.
Secrets, lies, mystery, and forbidden romance await you in this final volume of Annalise Storm Chronicles.
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This was an amazing box set! I loved the book and was really engaging. I could not put it down and I would highly recommend it to all!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Annalise Storm Chronicles Trilogy by May Freighter is an amazing box set that I have read. This is an amazing box set that I have loved reading very much. I highly recommend this amazing box set to everyone who loves reading about Sci-Fi and cozy mysteries in their stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This box set is the 2nd time I’ve read anything written by May Freighter; she has done an excellent job at writing a good set of books; I will definitely be reading more of her books.
The story lines caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the characters.
I received a free copy of this box set via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
Gripping stories. I loved the mystery. The details were great. I really thought the last story would be different. I did like the ending. It was emotional.
This book is an anthology containing the first three cases of Annalise Storm, who is new to the Human Possession Department. This is a world that is divided into purebloods and the moddeds. The moddeds are those who are descended from the genetically modified. There was a war between these two factions sometime ago, and the moddeds lost. So they and their descendants became the servant class and are further divided as well into different groups. As a pureblood grows up, a modded is assigned to be their servant, so Annalise has a servant named Mavel.
Case Zero is her test case, one that will see if she is suited for the department. The greater law enforcement community sees HPD as being a bad placement, but Annalise specifically wanted to be a part of the group. She is giving a case on her very first day, which is uncommon. Usually, new employees train for several months before being given a case of their own. This particular case is one that appears to be a woman who scans as a pureblood but becomes possessed like a modded can. Along with trying to figure out this case, Annalise is fighting her attraction to her servant, Mavel. Relationships between purebloods and moddeds are not allowed.
The story continues in Case One. Mavel is on the run, and Annalise has a new partner, Devlin, whom her father wants her to marry to cover up any scandal that might be occurring because of a supposed relationship between her and Mavel. Annalise has a bit of angst about Mavel. She’s also curious about the precise relationship between her father and Devlin. The case they undertake has to do with her old school where a security officer killed a modded in self-defense, he states, but all the facts don’t seem to line up.
Case Two wraps up the series. I don’t want to give too much away, but the twist and turns of the plot and everything that happens to the main three characters will keep you turning the pages, especially if you’re already invested in the series. The end was a surprise, but it makes sense.
This is a really well-done set of novels. The author has created a complex world with a deep history, yet we learn about it and its complicated social structure slowly. All is not explained in an information dump at the beginning of book one. I like it when authors have the skill to integrate essential data within the flow of the story itself without making a separate long section that is just meant to explain the world. The first book drew me right in. The author’s description of the world and the unique characters of Annalise, Mavel, and Devlin were exceptionally rendered. All the main characters have distinct personalities, voices, motivations, and goals. This trilogy had me reading late into the night because I wanted to see what happened.
While this series has all the elements of a good thriller and a rich and well-imagined dystopian future, the author still manages to weave social commentary into the book. Not with a sledgehammer, but with skill as we consider this highly structured and controlled class system. It should definitely make us think about the perils surrounding genetic modification and splitting the world into Us and Them, as well as how we perceive beauty and value human beings. But don’t worry…it IS a cracking good read!
If you enjoy fast-paced science fiction thrillers with a little romance, you may enjoy this collection.
Annalise Storm Chronicles Trilogy
May Freighter
This was a great set of books. I loved the stories. Annalise was an amazing heroine. I loved following her through the books. You just want more of her. The storylines were great with enough adventure and mystery to keep you guessing all the way through. A must read!!
This is a great trilogy by May Freighter. My first time reading from this author. Will definitely read more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Case: 0
How have I not been living and breathing this series before now? I adore a good police procedural story and this one does it beautifully. It has elements of post-apocalyptic dystopianism and political thriller in it too. It’s a little bit Castle, complete with the shadowy government agency pulling the strings from behind the curtain – just minus the bumbling writer/part time detective. A little bit X-Men in the “us versus them” mentalities between the populations with or without superpowers. And my impressions of the seething political unrest going on below the main story makes me think of House of Cards. I loved watching Annalise as she worked her very first case. Learning the ins and outs of this society they live in. And I can’t wait to read more about her career with the HPD.
Case: 1
I really don’t have the right words to explain what I just went through while reading this book. The web of political intrigue that surrounds Annalise is pulling tighter, all while she’s trying to figure out how to carry on without Mavel. I don’t know what I feel about Devlin. I can’t make up my mind just how trustworthy to believe he is. Now I’m absolutely rabid to see how the next book turns out.
Case: 2
I’m numb. I’m emotionally drained, mentally exhausted, and numb. I was prepared for a roller-coaster ride, but I wasn’t in the least prepared for where this book actually took me. I knew it was going to take something dramatic, and quite possibly epic, in order for this story to wrap up with anything even remotely resembling a happy ending. I didn’t expect to be a distraught ugly-crying mess by the end of the book, though. Mavel, Anna, and Devlin go through so much in this story. I had my heart set on an outcome that’s different than how this wrapped up. It’s going to take me a while to come to terms with not getting the type of happy ever after I wanted to see. It’s beautiful and moving (see the note about Me: the emotional mess, above). It’s just not how I’d hoped it would happen.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.
*** Reviewing CASE: 0: A SCI-FI MYSTERY (BOOK 1) ***
The bouncer stopped her in the long queue leading to Landon’s Bar with a curt “no freaks allowed”! Sneering, she told him to scan her – PUREBLOOD – and she went inside. The patrons stared and scowled at her. She was beautiful – but purebloods were normally not. So they assumed she had to be an “alabaster”, servant class, one of those who had been genetically modified in the past before the Modded Wars stopped them. Someone threw something hard and hit her head. Others shouted out derogatory remarks. She fell to the floor and, in a fury, rose and began to fight.
Annalise was headed from her home in the Golden District to the Human Possession Department of the Divinity PD, her beast/servant driving her to her first day of work. Mavel had already told her about the incident at Landon’s Bar and the crazed attack by the alabaster. She entered the HPD office and the Chief handed her Case: 0 which would be a test of whether she belonged in that division or not. She had expected to shadow the officer evaluating her for 3-6 months since she was new, but she was to start her case immediately. There are twists, turns, and danger before she will reach the truth! Will she and her partner survive what is to come?
*** Reviewing CASE: 1: A SCI-FI MYSTERY (BOOK 2) ***
Detective Annalise Storm of the HPD was not pleased to hear her Captain say that her new partner was Devlin Madoc! He was part of the reason her dear friend and servant/beast, Mavel, was on the run right now! And her “pureblood” political father further complicated things by encouraging Devlin to marry her to put an end to rumors of a secret relationship with the “lower class modded”, Mavel! But without a partner, she would not be allowed to work the case at her old school where an allegedly possessed basilisk “modded” had attacked a security officer who killed her in self-defense. So she grudgingly accepted Devlin as partner – besides, he knew the Falcon Group’s activities well and she could use him for information about what had happened recently.
As they questioned the security officer at the school, he said the possessed woman he killed had attacked him by running toward him. Yet the lethal shots were to her back. He described her eyes as bloodshot, yet a sign of possession was that the eyes rolled back in the head. Before they could continue, the Principal stopped the questioning. Conveniently the security camera in that hallway had been turned off. Are Annalise and Devlin going to be able to work together to solve this mystery? There is more going on than anyone knows. And where is the escaped Mavel hiding? Will he return to keep Devlin from making his claim on Annalise?
*** Reviewing CASE: 2: A SCI-FI MYSTERY (BOOK 3) ***
The mob bosses were gathered to discuss the best way to distribute the recently deceased Hamer’s territory without a war breaking out among the gangs. Opal and Nine had already been bickering and Falhar was trying to settle them down so they could get on with this. Suddenly the door burst open and a confident woman with long black hair strode in, leaving the security guards unconscious on the floor behind her. She put an envelope on the table saying she wanted the named building to be protected since there was someone in there she wanted kept safe. Then she walked out. Opal spoke up, confused why all of the men were so intimidated by her. Apparently she was the one who killed Hamer despite 50 guards protecting him. She was more dangerous than all of the mob put together.
Detective Annalise Storm could not imagine why ETek was sending her and Devlin Madoc to work a case that others were far more qualified for. But before she arrived at the ETek Building, Devlin claimed another meeting and asked her to stop the vehicle while he got out and let her proceed on her own. The reception area was empty, so she sat down and waited 20 minutes before someone said Mr. Fox was ready to see her. When she realized he had seen her the entire time behind his holographic office glass, and made her wait just to stroke his ego, she added him to her hate list. She looked at her wrist, concerned that the bug her brother Xavier had planted in her comm unit would allow him to hear things she did not want him to know. Mr. Fox saw her glance and assured her he had taken care of the problem, looping the video of her waiting as well as preventing their discussion from being heard. He had also hacked her comms and bugged her car. There had been an attempt to kill Mr. Fox that morning, and he wanted her to investigate “off the books”. The police AI worked for Mr. Fox also and would keep him informed.
Devlin had a secret he did not want revealed to Annalise. He had to stay out of ETek HQ always, or his pureblood status on scanners would vanish. Fox picking him for this case had to be a play to force his modded status to be revealed. He was going to need a plan!
In all three of these books, the author creates a magnificent picture of this world that perfectly lets the reader understand the society’s class structure, with color-named districts denoting the classification of each social group in the population. Everything is extremely regimented in this world! I loved this whole series! The characters are outstanding, well developed and with distinct personalities. The story line continues to be strong and action-oriented from the outset! Believe me, you’ll be pulled right in!