Business is tough for Critter Catchers, the animal control company owned by best friends Demetrius and Cody. Their first big job was a few months ago, but no one likes to talk about it because that critter turned out to be a murderous wolf man. When a new job finally appears, they jump at it, and end up chasing an unidentified creature through the woods around Parson’s Hollow. Soon they’re smack … smack dab in the middle of another potential paranormal case, complete with a mysterious blood-thirsty creature, a secretive laboratory, and a farmer they’re not sure they can trust!
more
My boys are back! Dadgummit, they’re back!!! In ‘Chasing the Chupacabra, Critter Catchers Book 2’, we find that Demi and Cody are in bad shape financially. After their rise in popularity for successfully subduing a ‘super critter’ (in Book 1), winter leaves them with little work and nearly empty bank accounts. Luckily spring is right around the corner and they were able to land a new client whose goats were being exsanguinated by some unknown creature. Being offered double their asking fee, the boys dive right into their ‘trap-capture-release’ routine only to find themselves facing yet another paranormal entity.
What is truly wonderful about this series is the smooth way the characters interact with each other. Hank Edwards pens believable dialog between the protagonists and among the secondary characters in the book without relying on excessive snark! He develops the transitioning of the relationship from friends to lovers so subtly, it’s nothing short of magical! The premise is awesome! A couple of hometown boys who were friends since kindergarten decide to start a business together! Awww… That we know they will become lovers is just so wonderful! It captured my heart right from the start. Mentioning hometown, the world Mr. Edwards creates is just so delightful! I didn’t know I could fall head-over-heels in love with ANY book with a small-town setting. This series represented a whole lot of firsts for me that left me receptive to the work of many other M/M romance writers. Thanks for growing me, Hank Edwards.
Chasing the Chupacabra is an excellent second installment to the Critter Catcher series. The banter between these two characters is terrific, as is the snark from Cody’s ex-girlfriends.
The case they get for their business is exciting and suspenseful. The play by play as the characters work to solve it is well done. The author has a gift for utilizing lighthearted fun in dangerous situations to keep the storyline from feeling too heavy. And with these guys being paranormal magnets, that lightness is going to be an important factor in future books.
The secondary and tertiary characters lend a lot of weight to the piece and balance out what could quickly become silly and more outrageous than it already is.
The tension and confusion about their feelings are growing, and Demetrius having a boyfriend seems to exacerbate the situation. The intimacy between Demetrius and Oliver is a good indication that he isn’t going to wait for Cody to become gay suddenly. I think the author is making Demmy as strong as he needs to be to move past his feelings for a straight man so that their friendship doesn’t suffer.
There is more monster than sex in this book, and I appreciate that. Sex just for the sake of sex is a whole other genre. I like that the slow burn is still smoldering and that the case dominates the book.
The origins and actuality of this monster broke my heart. And the ending of the case? I said to myself; I said, “Self, I should have figured that out on my own. Duh.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to book 3.
I love Cody and Demetrius, and this second book finds them just as funny, brave, and often confused as they were in book one. These friends want to do a good job and get paid for their troubles, but they aren’t crazy about ending up with another potentially supernatural case. Cody is still dating reporter Oliver, but his fantasies about his best friend haven’t gone away. For his part, Cody begins questioning his own feelings. I enjoy the banter between the two friends, and I love how they support each other no matter what. I am looking forward to seeing what trouble they get into next time
This second book in Critters Catchers series continues in the same tone that the previous one, an easy to read, funny story about Demetrius and Cody and their business of animal control with a heart. Again, they got a case that it is out of control, in a bizarre way. Full of witty situations, some action, a bit of danger and an almost logical explanation for everything the plot kept you on edge all time. Also, the growing attraction between Demetrius and Cody is noticeable but still unacknowledged by them. Great reading!!!
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
Chasing the Chupacabra is the second book in the Critter Catchers series by Hank Edwards. This book is a mix of hilarious scenes and suspense… highly entertaining and enjoyable read.
Demetrius and Cody are back in action and they are going through a rough patch in their business… like real rough. So they have to take on any jobs offered. Their newest job ends in a chase down of a mysterious creature… these guys just seem to attract the paranormal cases in this town. Luckily it makes dor some reading fun!
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
Critter Catchers recently basked in the glory of business after they helped rid Parson’s Hollow of a werewolf—no, wolfman— but the phone isn’t ringing nearly as much these days, and Cody and Demmy are once again stressed out about the longevity of their business. It really doesn’t help that Demmy is seeing Oliver romantically, Cody doesn’t like the reporter one bit, and a woman named Agatha wants to hire them to look into a most unusual situation…. A local farmer’s goats are turning up dead overnight, and what’s even weirder—their blood has been sucked dry.
After seeing the gentle progression in Book One that Hank Edwards was taking with Cody and Demmy trying to figure themselves (and each other) out, I knew I needed to be mentally prepared for inner longings and inappropriate fantasies quickly being squashed out of conscious thought, but geez… it was rough. I adore Demmy. Adore him! And his moments of self-doubt or loathing utterly destroy my heart, but from the beginning, I was pulled toward Cody’s much more in-your-face character growth. He’s loud, inappropriate, and obnoxious sometimes, but even though he doesn’t quite understand himself yet, he loves Demmy. And his 110% commitment to his best friend—as that and nothing more—is just some of the most beautiful development I’ve ever read in a book, let alone one that intends to be a humorous paranormal! Cody Bower is most certainly character envy for any author.
In between more run-ins with Cody’s exes (a cop, a doctor, a librarian) who all begrudgingly help Demmy out as he sets to uncover the mystery of the giant monster lurking in the woods outside of Farmer Wilkes property, the poor man is also dealing with feelings for Oliver that might not be as… strong as he thought. Sure, Demmy likes Oliver. But does he love him? Does he see forever when he thinks of Oliver? And when Oliver uses ‘Demmy,’ a nickname only Cody has used, things aren’t feeling so… certain.
Edwards creates some really memorable side characters in this series, one being Demmy’s Aunt Amelia. I have such a soft spot and adoration for when a main character has at least one close, older family member he can lean on, and that’s Amelia in spades. No nonsense, but caring, gentle, so proud of her nephew and never judgmental of him being gay, and she’s got an adorable habit of swearing—but utilizing tree names instead of curses.
Oh birch trees! This was such a phenomenal addition to Critter Catchers.