Crossroad of Bones is an interesting start to the Katie Bishop series. Cool concept and some quirky characters drew me in. A bit slow to start, but it did pick up. Also I felt that some details were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. A few awkward scenes left me scratching my head. All in all an entertaining read that I hope improves over time.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Title: Crossroads of Bones
Series: Katie Bishop Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Luanne Bennett
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Blurb: Katie Bishop would have taken her secret to the grave, but . . .
a bunch of fat cat society folks smelled her out and made her an offer she couldn't refuse.

Katie just wants to run her tattoo business quietly under the radar. But when a man walks into her shop and hands her a drawing of the same tattoo she's been dreaming about for weeks, things start to spin out of control. The last two people who tried to apply that tattoo are dead.

Only half human, it's her other half that an elite group wants to hire-a group of Savannah's more privileged citizens, including the city's reigning coven of witches.

There's a rogue god on the loose, and Katie is the only one who can send him back to hell before he breaks open the crossroads and lets the underworld waltz right in-if he manages to get that deadly tattoo inked onto his back.
Thoughts: If you are looking for a good urban fantasy, this is a great one to pick up. Interesting characters, a good storyline, all the elements of a good book are there. It didn’t quite hit my list of top ones in the genre, but it certainly wasn’t just a time waster….there was plenty there to satisfy readers. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Rating: B

I couldn't make it past chapter three. I really wanted to like this one. I was intrigued by the blurb. A tattoo that kills the tattoo artist trying to complete the work. Who wouldn't want to see what happens next?

I should have known I wasn't going to like it by the end of chapter one. If the fact that she exposed her deepest darkest secret to an employee she's known for months and was rewarded with "I'm cool with it. Can I touch it?" all in the first chapter, wasn't a clear enough warning of impending stupidity, I don't know what is. But I figured I'd give it another chance, it could get better. I don't know if it does. I was only able to handle another two chapters before I gave up. It might be a good book, I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying it wasn't for me. Two unbelievable occurrences before chapter four is just two too many for me.

I won't give spoilers but I'll give you a situation and you decide for yourself if it all checks out.

Let's say you're having nightmares every night about your neighbor murdering his wife. They are extremely vivid and have you waking up in a cold sweat. They're so terrifying that you've almost stopped sleeping altogether. After weeks of this your neighbor sees you outside washing your car, he walks across the divider separating your lawns and just stands there watching you. Super creepy right? So you ask him if he needed something, just to get him moving along again. You notice that something looks off about him but you just can't put your finger on it, you chalk it up to not knowing him that well. After all, you're new to the neighborhood. After a couple minutes of his silence he finally speaks. He wants to know if you have a spare tarp, some rope, bleach, and a chainsaw that he can borrow. Now at this point in time you should probably be thinking that those are strange items to be asking your neighbor for and then you remember the dreams. You think, "I need to get inside, lock my doors, and call the police". So that's exactly what you do. You make up some excuse to get inside as fast as you can. You walk to your phone and pick it up. Then you think, "Hrm perhaps he's just doing some gardening, I guess it can't hurt to lend him those items". You walk back out to him with all four items and tell him you hope they help. The next day the cops show up at your door and inform you that your neighbor murdered his wife sometime yesterday morning and want to know if you have any knowledge of the crime.

Anything seem off about that scenario to you? If not then please do check out this book. If you're like me and think that whole situation was insane, then I recommend you look elsewhere for your next read.

I received a copy of this book via Net Galley, the opinions are my own.

Katie always thought that she ended up in Savannah by pure chance, but it turns out that she's not the only freak in town.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lot of fun.
Katie is the daughter of a dragon, but she is used to hiding her beast.
After moving from New York to Savannah for a failing relationship, she ends up trying to settle down and do what she does best - setting up a tattoo shop!
Unfortunately, some people are more interested in the hidden beast, and want to use Katie for their own ends.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked Katie a lot, she's trying to be a regular human, and she's determined to make her new business succeed. She's passionate about tattoo art, and has some great employees that are becoming like family. I thought it was a really nice balance between life and paranormal craziness.
Oh, and I loved Sugar, she's awesome and I want her in my life!

The story uncovers a secret society with a supernatural element, and I can't wait to see how that develops later in the series.

I definitely recommend picking it up.

I received a copy of Crossroads of Bones (A Katie Bishop Novel Book 1) by Luanne Bennett from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Being an urban fantasy fan, I was intrigued by the summary of Crossroads of Bones initially and am happy to report that I found this novel to be a fun read overall. I had never heard of the author and had no preconceived notions or expectations prior to receiving from NetGalley, so I was pleasantly surprised to be hooked so swiftly.

I liked the pacing and really liked the protagonist, Katie Bishop, as well as her friends/support system. Regarding pacing: the story moved along and was not bogged down by tons of (unnecessary) flowery descriptions. The story had mostly likeable characters (even the not-so-likeable characters were well written though) and an interesting plot that kept me reading. The ONLY sad thing is that when I finished, I didn't have the second book to open immediately (but that's nothing against this novel).

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to others. As for me, I'll be searching for more novels by Luanne Bennett and hopefully will be engrossed in her other works soon!

I chose this book on Netgalley because I had a hankering for some paranormal intrigue and was fed up with the same old trashy romances. It fit the bill perfectly. Katie Bishop is a brilliant, bad-ass heroine who kept me addicting and turning those pages throughout. Bennett weaves a world full of dark magic, using the Deep South with its wealth of mystery and supernatural history as her setting. She introduces her characters and their extra abilities carefully, creating a magical realism that is easy to believe in. The story trips along at a good pace, with enough twists and suspense to keep things very interesting. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Meet Katie Bishop, small business owner, tattoo artist and dragon shifter. When Katie has a strange dream about a corpse with an intricate tattoo, she does not expect the customer to walk into MagicInk and demand that she ink the strange design. After she does it, she is finds out that the customer was not what he seemed and she gets drawn into the underground supernatural society of Savannah - the Crossroads Society. Katie is great character - strong, independent and she rolls with the punches. Crossroads of Bones is also filled with other distinct characters that make this book shine. I look forward to the expanding universe in the second book.

Crossroads of Bones, A Katie Bishop Novel Book 1,  Luanne Bennett

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:, Sci-fi and Fantasy

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, Luanne is a new-to-me author, but its a story I really enjoyed.
There are some terrific characters here, and that's really important for me. I loved Katie, a strong and independent lady, not a whiny TSSL heroine. She's got a mysterious past, is making a new life for herself in her tattoo shop. Her employees are a mixed bunch but really interesting, and as the story unfolds some of them have valuable info for her. I loved her friend Sugar too, a great secondary character who proved very important and was such a treat to read. I really enjoy reading about people who are different in some way, individuals in the fullest sense and Sugar was perfect.
The adventure, the story, the bit that's the focus of the book was cleverly done, and kept me reading avidly and this book set me up to look forward for the next. I like that there are characters other than the usual vampire/shooters, I love those but I love stories which take things a bit further too. This one was very vivid in the way it played out and even though we're talking about fiction, specifically fantasy, it all felt so very real to me. The touches of root/voodoo/voudun magic were good and added so much to the atmosphere, and blended perfectly with the setting.
That ending, not a cliffhanger but a terrific, tantalising glimpse of what's in story for Katie next. I look forward to reading that.

Stars: Four and a half, almost the magic five, and a terrific series opener.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

Katie Bishop has started her life over in Savannah, finally owning her own small corner of the city's business, by opening her own tattoo parlor. Fortunately for her, business is finally starting to find its groove. UNfortunately, Katie isn't the average business owner. She's also half dragon, and it seems like the paranormal world is seeking her out- even if she's NOT looking for it.

Crossroads of Bones had an interesting premise, and Bennett starts to develop a creative look at the paranormal underbelly of Savannah. Under the surface of the city life that normal citizens know, there's an ancient society that has its hands and eyes on all the major magical workings. I'm curious to continue learning more about the Crossroads Society and the other secrets it's hiding, but the cliffhanger at the end of book 1 makes me unsure whether we'll see too much of them in the sequel.

Katie is fairly likable. She's a loyal friend and boss, and although she's a paranormal being, she hasn't really grown up, she seems to have limited knowledge about that world. She quickly gets in over her head, but it's admirable that she tries to get her footing and save the people she cares about.

Bennett doesn't get too deep into the supporting characters, and I'm hoping that they continue to grow more in future installments. I think there's a lot of potential, and Sugar, in particular, has the chance to be a very rich character.

Overall, Crossroads was an interesting read, but I'm not sure I'll be running to buy book two.

FANTASTIC new series, will fly off the shelves - one of best new voices I've read in a very long time! Great worldbuilding and an author I'll be watching to continue to do great things!

As an urban fantasy fanatic, it is always a great day when you find another one that hits that special spot to become another book/series that you will be adding to your must read more shelf. Bennett's Crossroads of Bones hit that spot! Fast, fresh and triggering that I need see where all this going curiosity, Crossroads of Bones sets the Katie Bishop series off to a strong start.

I received this copy of Crossroads of Bones from The Word Lounge. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Luanne Bennett
Series: Katie Bishop
Sequence in Series: 1
Print Length: 282 pages
Publication Date: June 19, 2017
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Bon...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cros...

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Loved this supernatural thriller and can’t wait to read more from this author.
Katie the tattooist is awesome and seems normal but she is hiding a beastly secret.
I liked most of the other colourful characters, Sugar was particularly interesting and the story was fast paced, plot original, keeping me entertained throughout.
Well written and easy to read, if you’re a fan of Keri Arthur, you’ll love this book!

Crossroad of Bones is the first in a new series by Launne Bennett. It was originally the cover that caught my attention, though the description that really sold me on reading it. The description made it sound somewhere between a fantasy and a thriller, which sounded like the perfect combination of genres for me.
Crossroad of Bones was a very unique read for me, and I enjoyed many elements from it. Admittedly there were parts I didn’t love, but that happens from time to time. On the whole though the good outweighed the bad, and I’m grateful for that.
I absolutely loved the concept of the main character, Kate Bishop. I won’t give away all of her secrets, but let’s just say that she’s a magical creature working in a tattoo shop. I love this concept, as there’s a slight implication that her tattoos may be magically imbued. Granted, that probably isn’t the case here, but I loved the thought of it nonetheless.
Kate’s personality was…rough. She’s charismatic when she wants to be, and forceful when needed. I honestly don’t think I’d be capable of being friends with her in real life, and she’s too abrasive for my liking. For that reason I did have a little bit of trouble getting attached to her as the story went on. Still, considering her nature and the circumstances she’s been put in I did find it pretty believable, so there’s that.
I think a lot of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out more – it seemed like a lot of them were put there to play a certain role and that was it. I would have loved to learn more about them, as opposed to just seeing them rush away to meet the needs of Kate. For some of the characters that may have been believable, but not all of them.
The romance was pretty decent, once you get over the first introduction of the character. Seriously, I rolled my eyes and hoped he wasn’t going to become ‘that guy’ but things ended up not being what they seemed, which I was grateful for.
I desperately want to know about the main character’s heritage, and I have so many more questions about the artifacts mentioned during the course of this novel (being vague for sake of spoiler). The author did a great job of making those elements interesting.
On the whole this novel could have used some more fleshing out, but the core concept was strong and worth checking out. I’m happy I took the time to read it, and I’d be tempted to check out the next in the series as well.

I just found a new urban fantasy series – Katie Bishop Series - that is full of some unique beings and the first book in the series –Crossroads of Bones is a fascinating story that caught my attention and made sure that I want to read more Katie Bishop adventures.

Katie Bishop is a strong, charismatic character that has some unique elements that make her a bit different from other dragon shifters and her tough girl personality and her past makes her vulnerable to a threat that she didn’t see coming and has brought her to the attention of the council. There is a quite a bit of some steamy and sexy love scenes and a hot and sexy biker that has some unique qualities of his own. All the characters in the story are strong and all of them have their own quirks that make them fun and intriguing characters that easily draw readers in and ensure that readers want to know more.

The steady to fast paced plot keeps readers glued to the pages with lots of intrigue, thrills and surprising twists that keep the readers guessing and very curious as to just what will happen next and wondering how Katie will get out of the fix she finds herself in. It’s not non-stop action but has quite a bit of exciting events and the characters provide a lot of fascinating input to the story, although the story is a little choppy, not sure why I felt that way, but it wasn’t enough to distract from the interesting storyline.

It seems that the next story Blackthorn Grove has been released so I will be adding to my TBR pile as soon as possible to find out just what happens next especially as Katie got some important information regarding what she is at the end of this one.

Crossroads of Bones by Luanne Bennett is the first novel in the Katie Bishop Series. Originally published in 2017 with a sequel already available. This book focuses on Katie Bishop: new transplant in Savannah, Georgia, tattoo shop owner, and a woman that just so happens to have a dragon living in her. It is because of these three things that make her a valuable piece for an angry trickster god that wants to be set free in modern day Savannah.
Katie as a character is interesting. She isn't 100% badass, she is human, she gets scared, and make decisions based on her emotions at the time. While I understood Katie and her actions there were still times that I was confused and annoyed with her and I don't think it was her fault, I felt as if the author Luanne Bennett quickly ended things or swept things under the rug whenever she did not know what to do with a character/situation.
Typical with Urban Fantasy novels, there was romance that was delicious and that I look forward to see in the future since it was not the main focus of this story. The romantic character was Jackson Hunter. He is tall, mysterious (yet very straight forward...confusing, I know), and drives a bike. We got some history of Jackson but I know there has to be more than he is letting on.
Most Urban Fantasy novels deal with a single problem that gets solved and the next novel deals with a different problem, however this novel deals with more that one story line/problem to follow. Yes, Katie had to deal with the trickster god but there was a constant question/mystery of who she was that made her so special.
This book was a little rough around the edges however there is definite potential for the future story lines.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy to read and give my opinion. The cover was very eye catching, but the blurb is what caught my eye.

Dragon shifter books are becoming more popular so it was nice to add this book to the genre shelf. Katie is a tattoo artist and shop owner. After she finishes a tattoo for a guy, a society let's her know she has done something terrible. Allowing a God to walk free with evil in the midst all because she tattooed the design from her dreams onto his back. The same evil tattoo from her dreams. I thought the cast of characters were fun, all of them having a wayward story, sort of like a band of misfits that Katie has taken in. The storyline was pretty great, and loved loved loved me some Sugar. Four fun stars of entertainment!

Crossroads of Bones was such a, pick up on a whim, not expect anything, but got a whole lot of fun, surprise kind of a read. I truly had no expectations going into this one other than I liked the cover and the synopsis sounded intriguing.

I picked it up because I wanted something fresh and different and lets face it, I'm always on the lookout for a new UF series.

I got all of those things in Crossroads of Bones. It was fun, exciting, original, adventurous, and full of the voodoo hoodoo madness that I've come to expect in stories set in the south that are riddled with the unknown and the mysterious.

I devoured this in one day and I was sad that book two wasn't out yet. I loved Katie and her rag tag bunch of friends and I wasn't ready to say good bye to them yet. I can only hope that book two isn't that far away because I think this is a series I could truly get into and enjoy and love.

So glad I took a chance on it and can't wait for more.

I just love when I come across a new author to love, and I have with this new-to-me author. This book was well-written, unique, and had a great plot, and I really was engrossed from the beginning to the end. I just loved all the characters; they were great in their respective roles, and I found them to be lively and entertaining. The only character I was a little hesitant about was Jackson; I wasn’t thrilled with him at first, but he did really grow on me as the book progressed. Now, I really can’t wait to read more in this series and books by this author. If you like great urban fantasy with a little romance thrown in, do yourself a favor and get this book. Highly recommend! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

I enjoyed this book very much. I love urban fantasy and this series Katie Bishop seems really promising. To be honest I was bewildered by one point or maybe two (see bellow) but as the book is, if I understood well, self-published, some kind of tiny flaws are acceptable in my point of view.

The narration is quite good, for a comfortable and interesting read. I loved the context, Savannah, a small business, a tattoo shop, an independent and amiable main character, an extraordinary young woman with an ordinary life (well, almost!). The story is interesting, with a lot of hidden in plain sight magic - voodoo, demonic spirits and various kind of shape-shifters.

The story presents a very good mix of action (not too much, not non-stop one, yes!), mysteries and mundane situations - which I particularly like in fantasy or science-fi contexts. 

I was a little overwhelmed by the slang and familiar speech in the dialogues (I was hypnotized by all the "them" used as demonstrative adjectives!) but I must admit that I prefer classical dialogues, too bad for local colour... I had sometimes the vague impression of conventional persons shaming, as all the the wealthy and privileged characters were systematically judged as nasty and unworthy at first sight. It shocked me as the heroin is a nice person, not inclined to be judgmental without any reasons. It's probably for a lack of exposure of the characters (one scene or two showing and not telling their unpleasantness would have been interesting), the author knowing these people's personalities and jumping to the conclusion, forgetting that the reader hasn't got the right clues to forge their own opinion. The last thing that bothered me quite a lot, before understanding my problem, was with Sugar. Till the very beginning Sugar is presented as a trans genre woman, still in a man body, but named "she" by everybody "out of respect for her". So far so good, sexual identity is not always linked to the right body and a person should always be listened for knowing best. But if the pronoun "she" was always used in dialogues, and Sugar being respected (she's an important character, with and an endearing and dynamic personality) the narration keeps describing her as a man. I couldn't understand it: Sugar identifies as a woman, the narrator is okay with that, so why insisting and speaking about her as a he, a man? I decided finally that it must have been an involuntary clumsiness, writing "man" where "man's body" would have been correct, and insisting on the whole portrait of a large man wearing woman clothes, abundant make-up, and wigs, to be sure that the reader never forgets that Sugar isn't a traditional woman, with a comfortable feminine body to wear (actually it worked for me, Sugar's image is quite vivid in my mind!).

All in all a book I warmly recommend "Crossroads of bones" to all readers who like good urban fantasy, without any excess of sexe, violence and boring action, but personality and a well thought context, effective and fun.

Urban fantasy that is wholly unique is a rare find so I’m delighted with this new series. We have Katie who has made a new start in Savannah just keeping her head down and struggling to keep her tattoo business afloat. She’s made new friends, split up from her boyfriend and is just happy to enjoy what life throws her way. So even though she has a secret of her own she’s not exactly over the moon when her life gets complicated by a secret group with ties to an evil God ! Guess this quiet town isn’t exactly as peaceful as Katie thought .
I really enjoyed this story from this new to me author. I enjoyed this slice of southern charm where even the most prominent and genteel of its citizens are not exactly lily white. Katie has a unique heritage that seems to make her a magnet for weird and wonderful so it was fun reading about her taking everything in her stride. You would think that nothing would or could faze her but ironically a certain biker who rudely enters her life adds complications Katie never expected.
I loved everything about this book. The original story, the diversity of the supporting characters, burgeoning romance and even shifters that just blew my mind ! Yes I happily recommend this book and I’m keen to read more because there’s still a lot left to be revealed.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair