A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain

This light urban fantasy is a lot of fun.  The protagonist, Madison Fox, stumbles into a job fighting evil; but, having avoided her special talent all her life, she totally incompetent.  That doesn’t stop her from doing it anyway!  Surrounded by one best friend, one cranky boss, three friendly co-workers, and two hot guys, she’s going to figure out this job if it kills her… which it just might!

Title:  A Fistful of Evil
Author:  Rebecca Chastain
Series: Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer Book 1
Publish Date:  August 1, 2014
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased/Author

Publisher’s Description: Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing.

On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.

When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.

Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel (in other words, Spoilers!)

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So, this was a fun, light, popcorn read.  I really enjoyed it.  What did you think?

I did like it.  It was quick and didn’t require much thinking.  I mention in my review that I liked the messages about taking care of animals.  I wanted to take all the animals home with me.

I agree.  I liked that part, too.  I also liked that Madison had NO idea what she was doing.  It’s different than the all-powerful kick-ass heroine, though I like those too. 🙂

When I started the book, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into…or what Madison was getting into.  She seemed like she was way over head most of the time, but she wanted to help so darn bad!  I had to admire her spirit.

Me too.  She kept plodding along as best she could even though she was over her head.  Couldn’t hurt that there were hot guys all around her?  Who are you rooting for — the vet, Dr. Love, or her supervisor, Niko?

Hmmmm….Warden Pitt does not have my vote, although Niko probably won’t go for Madison.  I think that just leaves the vet, Dr. Looooove…… heehee!  What a name.

I know, right?  This book was all about entertainment, and it did a great job.  Loads of fun.  And the cover art is fantastic, isn’t it? Check out the cover for Book 2, A Fistful of Fire!  Comes out in October.  You know I pre-ordered! 🙂

Yep.  I think covers keep getting better and better.    I think Kat, our reviewer, modelled for that cover!  Looks like her!  Anyway, I like the Book 2 cover a lot.  I think Madison will be a force to be reckoned with – just give her time.

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Nervous Nellie says…

“Welcome to the Dark Side.  Are you surprised we lied about the Cookies?”

The good:  It was a quick light read, a fun paranormal fantasy. Madison Fox… you got some moves, girl! Madison is learning to use her ability and this is her story.  She’s quick witted and gusty.  I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have the guts to pull off what she did. Madison fully supports taking care of animals.  Rescuing dogs and kittens – that is something I would do, so I could fully relate.  It interested me to read how she describes the darkness that takes over someone through bad choices or bad actions.  I was pleased to read that while more bad actions breed more darkness, good actions clean out the darkness.  That means there is hope for some people after all.

The bad:  Some people are just plain evil and they will take whatever advantage they can find to leverage against the good guy.  Some darkness can’t be beaten or driven back.  It just is.

The ugly: The only ugly part was when Mr. Bond got hurt.  I’m sending out a warning ahead of time so there will be no freaking out.  He ends up just fine.  Don’t worry.  Other than that, no ugly.

The take-away:  There wasn’t a cliffhanger, but there is hinting at Madison publishing more adventures.  I really hope so, because she is fun and she loves animals.  I especially liked the message about animals being homeless.  It broke my heart to watch Max go to the pound. I rate it a 3.

Invested Ivana says…

A Fistful of Evil is a lot of fun to read.  On the lighter side of urban fantasy, it has a unique take on evil and the way it spreads throughout humanity.  I particularly like how Madison sees evil as different creatures – one monkey-like and the other like a dust bunny with fangs.  The author must be an animal lover, as the health and well-being of animals comes up frequently in the story, and Madison’s initial reluctance to kill a creature—even an evil one—really endears her to me.

I’m particularly happy that this book has a real ending.  While the adventures of Madison Fox will be a series, this particular adventure came to an end in this book.  I feel like I’ve read too many books lately that are written more like serials – where there is no real end to the book.  Thank you, thank you, Rebecca, for giving me a proper ending.

I’m guessing this is a small press book; but you wouldn’t really know it by reading.  The book is well-written, well-edited (I caught two small grammar mistakes), and “feels” very professional.  The cover art is well done, too.  I’m sure I could find a couple of things to nitpick about the book; but I don’t really want to.  A Fistful of Evil was a fun, entertaining read.  I enjoyed it, and that’s all I’m looking for.  If the stories stay good, I can see this becoming a favorite series, so I’m going to give it a 3.5.

If you like lighter urban fantasy with some humor and hot guys thrown in, read this book.  I bet you’ll enjoy it, too.

Other reviews…

• Happy Tales and Tails
• Book Passion For Life
• Pure Textuality

If you like this book…

Try the Black Wings series by Christina Henry, the Scarlett Bernard series by Melissa F. Olson, or the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series by Julie Kenner.  You’ll also like the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones.