Vampires, werewolves, magi and worse-the Others have joined the mortal world, and there's no turning back now...
As a New York P.I. and Other specialist, Shiarra Waynest has been in plenty of trouble before. But waking up in a windowless room the prisoner of a vampire slave trader is a shock for anyone. Shia has her wits, her bravado, and a couple of used staples, so maybe she can take on a mansion full of serious evil.
But although she's desperate to escape, Shia needs some answers too. Her friends are in danger. There are betrayers and spies among them. And even if she can figure out what's going on and somehow get a message out, she's still a captive of the worst kind...
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Melanie’s Review
I have a history with Jess Haines’s H&W Investigations series. Some of the books I’ve loved, and some of the books I’ve…not loved. I’ve read every one of the books following Shiarra Waynest and her group of friends/enemies/others (hehe get it? Others? Hehe, I slay me!). For me, there was a bit of a pattern to the books I loved verses the ones I didn’t. I’ll leave it to you to figure out the pattern because I don’t want it to interfere with you developing your own opinion. I’m very happy to say Enslaved by the Others definitely broke up that pattern!
Enslaved by the Others steps into the ugly world of Human and Other trafficking. This is an unacceptable, and unfortunately, far too common practice of our real world as well as Haines’s created world in which these characters live. I think Jess Haines took a chance touching on this subject, and I am glad she is bringing attention to it, because the more we bring such a disturbing practice out into the public spotlight, the harder it is for the pathetic excuses for humans who participate in the practice to hide in the shadows.
I have to admit, I’m a little limited on what I want to say in this review because I don’t want to give away too much and ruin not only THIS book, but also the one before it if you haven’t gotten to read it yet. I really liked the previous book in this series, Forsaken by the Others, as well, so the last thing I want is to ruin anything.
One thing I have struggled with throughout this series is Shiarra’s acceptance and then rejection of the Other races. In one breath, she hates them, and in the next, she loves them. You can see in this book that she is still struggling to some degree with her version of racism, but I’m pretty sure she is finally learning to deal with this sort of thing in a productive way. At the same time, to some degree, it’s almost a forced acceptance, so how much is she really learning? At least she’s not being as dumb about it as she was in previous books!
I did enjoy reading Enslaved by the Others. It was a good continuation of the series, and picked up pretty much where the previous book ended. It felt more put together and structured compared to some of Haines’s previous books, which makes me happy to see. I think this author and this series are learning and growing together and I like to see that sort of thing.
Most of the characters are ones we have seen before, which is good in the sense that we are familiar with them and know what to expect, but bad in the sense that if you haven’t read the rest of the series, don’t start with this book. H&W Investigations is definitely a series you want to, and should, read from the beginning!
There are a few new characters and ideas introduced to us in Enslaved, and I really hope Haines includes a bit more about what and who they are, and why everyone seems to owe Royce something! She definitely has my attention with these newest creations of hers! Considering how little we actually get to see of Royce in Enslaved by the Others, he sure is calling in quite a few favors to help Shiarra out of her most recent jam! Knowing Shiarra, it’s only a matter of time until she gets herself into another insane situation that Royce wants to save her from, so I hope he has more of those favors lined up and waiting somewhere.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the previous books in this series. If the reader has had doubts due to some of the other books, I would encourage them to keep going with it anyway, the stories and writing itself ARE improving with the progression of the series, so please don’t give up on it. If they haven’t read any of the H&W Investigations books so far, I’d suggest they get on it already!
Overall, I think this was a good book and possibly one of the best so far. I think it is tied with Forsaken by the Others as my favorite book of the series.
About Jess Haines
Jess Haines, author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, is a displaced New Yorker who writes about vampires, werewolves, and other bitey creatures of the night from her home in the Tampa area in Florida. She's best known for the H&W Investigations series (starting with HUNTED BY THE OTHERS).
Other Books in the H&W Investigations Series
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Hunted by the Others
Taken by the Others 
Deceived by the Others 
Stalking the Others
Forsaken by the Others 
The Real Werewives of Vampire County
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
