Sleight of Hand

Bite Back, Book 1

By: Mark Henwick

Narrated by: Kimberly Henrie

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Book 1 in the best-selling Bite Back series "Vampires are the flickering illusions of Hollywood. They don't exist. We do. We are the Athanate."

For Amber Farrell, post-military life as a PI has its ups and downs: She's been hit by a truck. She's being sued by a client. Denver's newest drug lord just put out a contract on her. The sinister Athanate want her to come in for a friendly chat. And it's only Tuesday. Enter Jennifer Kingslund: rich, gorgeous - a tough businesswoman who's known for getting what she wants in the boardroom and the bedroom. Someone's trying to sabotage her new resort and destroy her company - and she wants Amber to find out who. The answers lead Amber past Were and Adept, right back to the Athanate - and a centuries-old war that could threaten not just Denver, but the nation that Amber swore to protect and serve. And all sides want to claim her for their own...

©2011, 2014 Mark Henwick (P)2014 Mark Henwick

One of the best Urban Fantasy series out there!

What is so great about this series?
1. An intelligent, kickass female lead who is mature and tough enough to play with the big dogs!
2. A surprising number of fantasy/SF fans are adults and yet so many of the books are written for a young audience and are full of teenage angst. Not this one. Adults and YA alike will not be disappointed.
3. Many wonderful characters drive this story and the rest of the series. I love a rich, complex, original plot (which Sleight of Hand certainly has) but I also need good guys to admire and scary bad guys. Relationships, personal challenges to overcome, wounds to heal, friendships to forge and sexy romantic scenes. I also like that there are both younger and older characters and they are of all ethnicities.
4. Amber is a PI who was previously a sergeant in a secret army special ops unit. She was bitten by a vampire and is under observation by the army. She is resisting the change to fanginess but is starting to lose the battle. That's all I'm going to say about the plot except there is plenty of action and the vampires are actually called Athanate.
5. This is a strong beginning to a series that gets better with each book. The narrator is good. Part of my criteria for a good series is that it stands up to repeated listening and this one does. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many times I have listened to it.
6. My only real complaint is that I want more, sooner. Could you please write faster, Mark Henwick?

Great book, snooze narrator

The book was absolutely fantastic - great urban fantasy with all the right ingredients, plus a kick-ass heroine. However, I had to stop "listening" to it and go to reading on my kindle instead. The narrator was just so freakin' monotone, I literally kept nodding off, seriously - in a book so full of action?! Anyway, loved the book and just purchased the next in series (NEW narrator - YAY!!!).

New series to painfully wait for the next one.

Would you listen to Sleight of Hand again? Why?

I very much enjoyed this book and will most likely listen again when the next book in the series is coming available for a refresher.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sleight of Hand?

Over all I liked the characters and the fact that this is strong female lead with earned skills.

What about Kimberly Henrie’s performance did you like?

She did a fine job. I can hear other readers read it as well. There are a few pronunciation issues that she could work on but it wasn't bad at all. Amanda Ronconi, might add a little sass Ms. Henrie left on the table.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I was excited to hear what happened next.

Any additional comments?

I love finding a new series but hate waiting for the next book to become available. SO HURRY UP Mr. HENWICK!!!!!

Best yet!

this book really shoes the human / warewolf relationship and its challenges and benefits on a purely "human" level...
the relationship between Anna and Charles continues to grow and has a real depth to it. sure they are passionate people but it take a second place to the story which should be the first thing ina good book.
if you want a harlequin sex book with no plot and little story...this isn't your book.
BUT, if.you love a good story with a real relationship in with the story...this is the Best one for you. I hope the author continues this series as its become one of my favorites!!!

Awesome Detective/Mystery with touch of Paranormal

I loved this book!! There are more in series but not on Audible 😭. Good news is that this was a complete novel and while obviously intended to be an ongoing series - there was no cliffhanger.

The narrator, Kimberly Henrie, did a great job! All the characters were distinctive and appropriate. I hope Audible will obtain the rest of this series and with Ms. Henrie narrating.

The synopsis is available on Audible so there is no need to waste space here retelling it. I'll just say that it was extremely well written - both the story and the writing itself. Never once did I find myself cringing from poor grammar or sentence structure. The story was engaging from the very start. I was NEVER bored - which is a rare thing. Although the main character was female, the author never once had her do anything stupid. As an intelligent female myself, I am extremely thankful to Mark Henwick for the creation of the creation of Amber Ferrell. I've never understood why so many female writers create such annoying female protagonists who are either total uh... witches or simply "Too Stupid To Live".

It was a pleasure listening to this book! I listened into the wee hours of the night until I forced myself to put it down last night for essential sleep before picking up again this morning.

This book is DEFINITELY WORTH A CREDIT or an outright BUY.

AUDIBLE: Please approach Mr. Henwick to release the rest of this series on audio.

Had me on the edge in the first 2 minutes

What did you love best about Sleight of Hand?

The inner voice, that's not so inner.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Amber

Which scene was your favorite?

The parking lot, biker scene

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Mostly laughed

Any additional comments?

I wish I could have continued the series on audible.com but sadly they only have the one. I reckon know I have to read the others.

Enjoyable and hard to put down.

I usually listen to my audiobooks while driving an hour to and from work each way. Sleight of Hand is the first book in a long time where I was enjoying the story so much, that I continued to listen while doing other things at home! Looking forward to listening to the next book in the series soon.

Disclaimer:
I received a free copy of this audiobook for an honest review.

Awesome

I really enjoyed this book. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series...

the best urban fantasy out there

if you like urban fantasy you'll love mark's books. mix in military action, a bit of romance, topped off with a PI mystery and you have a story with all the meat of real life.

read this book and you will not stop until every last crumb has been devoured and you'll be on to the next book.

Great story

I found it a bit slow in the beginning, but it found it's rhythm, and I really enjoyed the story.