I wasnt sure what i felt about this series in the begining but now it is one of my top reads. I loved this book so much and would gladly recomend it.

An updated vampire book. This book is a continuation story. It also has bad and good vampires. And, of course the good vampire is in love with a human. I enjoy the writing style of this author and have read several of her books. This book is good but I prefer the ones with witches.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Olsen's third and final book in the Nightshades series, an FBI vampire procedural series. Awesome conclusion to series - this is not a stand alone.

Olson’s vampire/police procedural continues to please, and has the feel of a number of today’s popular TV shows.

The main villain is cartoonishly evil, though there’s an attempt to give him depth via the revelation of more of the backstory he shares with Lindy, his sister vampire working for human law enforcement — and who is now romantically involved with Alex, our main hero cop. It’s also nice to see more of the secondary characters come into their own, and I hope this continues in future installments, making the series more of an ensemble piece rather than keeping the focus on Alex and Lindy’s relationship, though I worry this will be impossible given the ending here.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Outbreak (Nightshades #3) by Melissa F. Olson from NetGalley and Macmillan/Tor in order to read and give an honest review.

Fast-paced, this book chills and thrills…

Being a fan of Melissa Olson and in particular this series, I enjoyed this latest entry in the Nightshades series.

Dealing with the aftermath of the events of Switchback, Hector is on the loose and both Alex and Lindy’s reputations and lives are in jeopardy. The BPI looking to imprison Lindy, both Alex and Lindy go into hiding while trying to find a way to put an end to Hector’s freedom. Hector’s ego drives him as he seeks to hunt down Lindy trying to gain adoration, respect and ultimately become ruler of the shades.

As always Olson’s plotting keeps you on the edge of your seat but she also does a fantastic job of creating multifaceted characters, strong, fierce, intelligent yet with a touch of humour and compassion.

In this book, we learn a bit more about the dynamic between Lindy and her brother Hector as their pasts come back to haunt them.

Fast-paced, this book chills and thrills culminating in a perfect ending. The end introduces new possibilities for Lindy and Alex and I can’t wait to see where Olson takes us next.

Things were in a bit of a jam at the end of book two so I was ready to pounce when this final book in the series came available. Vampires, FBI, betrayals, and an enemy who seems to be holding all the cards was definitely just my thing.
Review

Outbreak is book three in an Urban Fantasy trilogy so it does not work standalone or out of order.

Alex and Lindy are trying to catch their breath after the bloody and deadly shocking ending to their last case, but then their peace is shattered when Chase bursts in with news he was mesmerized by Hector and made to be a departmental leak. He had no idea what intel he gave the enemy, but part of it was used to stay a two part prison break that now has everyone scrambling. Alex’s FBI team is put on suspension and Lindy is under arrest. Now, they are all right where Hector wants them as he makes his big moves.

Things were so dire and exciting right from the start with this one. I enjoyed seeing what Alex and Lindy would do with their backs against the wall. It was going to take a team effort and some ingenuity which is something I’ve liked all through this series. The middle of the book is the team at work on their plans and the ending was another great climax scene with a bit of a denouement to give the series closure.

My only niggles are that during the middle, I did feel some lag while necessary preparations were being made and the epilogue gave closure, but didn’t really have any shine to it. What it did do, thankfully, was leave a little window open in case the author wants to jump back in and do some more stories in the Nightshades world.

In summary, I loved the author’s take on vampires and enjoyed how she paired the paranormal with an FBI procedural. It had some grit and some great suspense and action moments. I enjoyed all the characters and how they came together as a team. Alex and Lindy were a good romantic pairing though romance was only one of the elements. Definitely a nice quick-read trilogy for Urban Fantasy and vampire fans.

I rec’d the book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed this series as a whole and I thought this was a decent conclusion, albeit a little abrupt. This third instalment tells the continuing story of the Bureau of Preternatural Investigation and its search for the rogue vampire king, Hector as he bids to change the balance of power between humans and shades. The action is consistently good here, with lots of fights that remind us of the strength of the shades, which I enjoyed. I think that the series has introduced some interesting aspects into vampire lore, such as their inability to process synthetic drugs, such as meth, causing them to collapse. Many of the characters are quite one dimensional, but it is the plot that pushes the narrative forward here so I never missed deep character moments, What I do think is an issue was the climax to the shade/human conflict, which felt incredibly rushed and abrupt. This is a real shame because the trilogy has been building really well to a massive showdown that fails to deliver. Overall, I think this is a fun series and I enjoyed this book, with just slight reservations about the end.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Outbreak picks up right where Switchback left off. And not with a moment to lose. The evolution of Alex and Lindy's relationship wasn't at all surprising, but I could have lived without it. I like that Chase was redeemed in the end. Hector, oh so crazy and infuriating Hector, got what he deserved (let's face it...he was a broken boy in an immortal body!). Solane and Reagan were wonderful, and I like how their story concluded. Other than a lull in the middle, Outbreak is an action-packed roller coaster ride. Outbreak was a fantastic continuation to the Nightshades series! I hope there will be more... :) ****Four solid stars****

This entire series of novellas would easily translate to film, and I’d definitely want to watch.

Shades (aka vampires) are out of the closet and known to humanity. Shades don’t need or even generally want to hurt the humans they feed on, but the FBI has created an offshoot, the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations, to investigate crimes perpetrated by them. Lindy, one of the oldest vampires, has been drafted by the Chicago office of the BPI to help them take on her brother, Hector, who has murdered humans as part of his bid to be recognized as the king of all the shades. In this novella, Hector’s plans come to a head, and Lindy and her BPI allies must figure out a way to take him down.

I could totally see this on screen; it’s got all the elements. There’s plenty of action, some of it gory, as the shades clash with the BPI. It’s got an investigative element that could hook in people who like shows like NCIS. The novellas even include a deepening romance between Lindy and Alex, the head of the Chicago BPI. All of these different aspects of the story are woven together very well to create a fast-moving story that I really enjoyed.

The whole series is just very entertaining. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes to read urban fantasy.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I have really liked Melissa Olson's other series so I decided to give this one a try. While I found the characters interesting I did not really bond with them. There was non-stop action and the world that everything took place in was different and fit the story line. The story seemed to pick up right after the second book and as I had not read either of the pervious books it did take me some time to realize what was going on. For me just an OK series. I think it would have been better if I had read the previous books. This was not a good stand-alone.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Having now read all three of Melissa Olson's "Nightshades" series (or at least all three that are currently in circulation), I can safely say this is my favorite current and ongoing paranormal crime fiction series--and very possibly my favorite current and ongoing crime fiction series of any subgenre. I haven't read any of Olson's other works, so I can't corroborate whether or not this series marks a shift in voice or tone for her, but I'm in love. Her characters are smart and interesting takes on old crime fiction tropes rather than old paranormal tropes (although Olson isn't above leaning on and reshaping those, too, where appropriate). The dialogue is likewise smart. The tone comes off as representative more of crime fiction than of paranormal fantasy, as well, in that what makes it onto the page is almost always functional, and ornamentation comes second to the action of the plot. I've read some great articles and transcribed interviews with Agatha Christie and P.D. James where they talk about the art of plotting crime fiction, and I think this is perhaps a rare case when a book blending the genres manages to do justice both to the art of plotting crime AND to fantasy worldbuilding. As in, this is a book I would recommend to my mother (because she likes crime fiction) without fear that she would dislike it (because she tends to automatically dislike fantasy). This is the ultimate hybrid ... without being flashy or pushy. It's just ... highly effective and a lot of fun to read. What more could you want out of a book?

Outbreak overlaps with the end of the previous book Switchback, revisiting the same events from a different point of view. Lindy and the Chicago BPI pod are being blamed for the shade jailbreak, which is covered in more detail. The whole team is suspended and a SWAT team is sent to bring Lindy in. But Alex and Lindy escape and go on the run, planning to take down the real villain, Hector, on their own.

I love Alex and Lindy together and was happy to get more of them in this book. That means we don’t see quite as much of the other team members’ POVs though. But I loved what I saw of Noelle, the FBI tech nerd who builds the team’s anti-vampire weapons. She’s the grown up, gay, Asian Shuri I didn’t know I needed! A certain bad girl behaved exactly like I thought she would, but I liked her anyway.

I also loved that we finally learn about Lindy’s past, as well as the history of the shades going back to the plague. This installment also shows us everything these shades can do with lots of behind the scenes machinations and an action-packed final battle. I really enjoyed this one!

The story arc that began with Nightshades is pretty much wrapped up so this would be a satisfying end to the series. I hope it’s not though. I would love to see Alex and Lindy and the rest of this team take on more cases. The paranormal police procedural was what hooked me on Urban Fantasy years ago and I feel like I don’t see enough of them lately. Olson’s series has definitely filled that void for me. And it does it in bite-sized novellas perfect for a quick fix or a serial binge.

4.5 stars

Review goes live on May 31 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Good ending to the series
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: Chicago setting. I like the paranormal element of vampires – shades. I enjoyed the struggle for shade dominance and Hector’s plotting and scheming was fun.
Characters: Things tie up for Alex and Lindy, and Sloane and Raegan. I liked that. I enjoyed the nutty lab chick, Noelle, though it kind of reminded me a little of Abby from NCIS – but when you watch as many shows as I do, it’s hard to not be reminded of someone tbh. I kind of liked Lindy the best, since a lot of history makes a character very layered and fun.
Plot: I found myself at the 70% point in no time, but it wasn’t an edge-of-my-seat kind of ride. The romantic angle with the pairs getting together is pretty sweet, and their facing danger together and sticking by their teammates/friends is also pretty romantic. The face-off with Hector was cool, and I liked the conclusion to the series.
Writing: Third person,past tense narrative, multiple POV. I’m not a fan of multi, generally speaking.
Curb Appeal: Fab cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for my Paranormal Procedural moods.

I recommend OUtbreak to fans of vampire stories, paranormal romantic suspense, and agent romances.

This...

This book frightened me.

I am not easily frightened, but it absolutely is terrifying. I feel like it was a fantastic culmination of the trilogy. It took everything up a notch. If you are looking for a quick, scary read, pick this one up. Can’t wait to see what the author has going on next!

An interesting mix of FBI procedural and vampires. This is the conclusion of the series. You could start here, but for maximum enjoyment read the previous two installments.

I enjoyed the Nightshades series and enjoyed this last book in it. It's been nice to have a short, enjoyable book series to read. Lindy's solution to Hector trying to rule the vampires is particularly in character. I like how the book ended with the Bureau still in business and Lindy ready for whatever comes next.. #Outbreak #NetGalley