Life and Limb by Jennifer Roberson: New Twist on Old Idea

A biker and a cowboy must stop the apocalypse in the first book of the Blood and Bone modern western fantasy series.

His voice was rich, a much loved baritone, as he handed his seven-year-old grandson a gun.

“It’s time we had a talk, you and I. You won’t remember it, but you need to know it, and one day, when it’s time, I’ll call it up in you. You’ll know who you are, and what you’re intended to do. You’ll be a soldier, boy. Sealed to it. Life and limb, blood and bone. Not a soldier like others are, for it’s not the kind of war most people fight on earth. But because we’re not ‘most people,’ you and I, it will be far more important. The fate of the world will hinge upon it.”

Now no longer that wide-eyed child, Gabe is fresh out of prison, a leather-clad biker answering Grandaddy’s peremptory summons to, of all places, a cowboy bar in Northern Arizona. He is about to find out just how different he is from “most people”—and to meet the stranger with whom he will be sealed: life and limb, blood and bone, conscripted to fight an unholy war unlike any other.

For the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.

When he does.

And Gabe, thrown into the unlikely company of a country-music-loving rodeo cowboy from West Texas, an ancient Celtic goddess of war, an African Orisha who sings volcanoes awake, a Chinese goddess of mercy, Nephilim, and Grigori, finds himself fighting a battle he was bred for, but wants no part of.

As one who reads Urban Fantasy frequently, I was immediately captured by the concept Jennifer Roberson introduces in her newest novel. I’ve been a long time fan of her work, having read her Tiger and Del series as well as the Cheysuli saga. Both are wonderful works of fiction which at the time created new ideas in fantasy as well as introducing strong female characters that don’t rely on the men around them. In her new work, she has taken a very old concept, Angels and the fight against evil and blended it to create something intriguing and new.

And again, while cowboys and bikers aren't new either, the characters are something new, in the way they don’t adhere to the standard tropes about cowboys and bikers but also how both characters interact with their choices and how different they both end up being from most people.
I loved the blend of supernatural with mythology, creation myths with ghost stories. For me, it felt very much like the opening chapters of the tv show Supernatural crossed with Lucifer. Only this time the devil is really the bad guy and the guys hunting him aren’t especially your average grade human. It’s obvious that there’s a lot of research that has gone into the legends and stories that are used in the novel as both Gabe and Remi get to know each other and their abilities.
However, Gabe and Remi spend a lot of time questioning and figuring out what they’re supposed to do, reacting to events rather than determining their own choices. While this is obviously part of the set up of the novel, where the pair must embrace their destiny, it does slow down the pace of the novel and left me feeling more like the novel is set up for the series rather than a stand alone novel. The ending was good but felt more like it would be continued in the next novel. I would have preferred a more conclusive ending. However, being familiar with Roberson’s work, she has used this in previous series, concentrating on world building, so I am confident that this will lead into a series that will be better for the time she has taken in the first book.

I love the supernatural blend, with new concepts, the characters are fun, and I am intrigued enough to read the next book, to find out what else will happen. I look forward to getting more ofRoberson’s wonderful characters and exciting world.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Gabe and Remi grew up in very different places but with one similarity - the man they knew as Grandaddy. He taught Gabe to shoot and Remi to throw knives. And he told them things they would need to know that they would forget in the short term, but remember someday when they needed it most. He was preparing them for a coming war between good and evil.

Gabe and Remi are summoned to a bar in Northern Arizona where Grandaddy explains to the boys, now men, that they will be working together to fight in this war. On their path they will meet others who work for good as well as those who are ambiguous and others who are downright evil.

Grandaddy also explained that all of those fictional things from folklore, religions, and mythology are real - both good and evil. Among others they meet the Morrigan from Celtic mythology and an African god who talks to volcanoes.

I liked Gabe and Remi. Their struggles as they begin to work together make them sympathetic. I also liked the character of the Morrigan. She was no nonsense and just what they needed exposure to.

There is plenty of adventure. Plotwise it works well except for the occasional info dumps that slow things down a little. They have plenty of opposition to help them grow as characters.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It has an interesting premise. The main characters are sympathetic. I enjoyed the folklore and mythology bits. I liked the occasional humor as well. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but not terribly so. I will most likely read the next book. I do want to know what happens. I recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy with a supernatural bent.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not influence my opinion.

I purchased two copies of this title for my library and I really love the idea of it, a cowboy and a biker, fighting the evil forces of the apocalypse. In reality I couldn't really get into it. It's a DNF for me, but I might try again later. The idea that both of these guys were also academics in theology and mythology while also being roughneck brawlers was a bit too unrealistic for me. I find that often the more unrealistic or fantastical the plot the more realistic I need the characters to be.

I was so excited based on the summary and the concept, but I just couldn't get past the first few chapters. It's well written and intriguing but I personally had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters and understanding where the story was going. I think there's a lot of good stuff here, it just wasn't for me.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2019/11/05/life-and-limb-by-julie-roberson/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
&nbsp;
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
&nbsp;
I was sent <strong>Life and Limb</strong> by the publisher in print, then requested the eARC since that is easier for me to read. The blurb noted it as a modern western fantasy series. I liked the sound of it and the mythology.  However, it wasn't clear to me that it is about angels versus demons with religious connotations.

The biker and the cowboy have to figure things out as they go, each day. There is much they don't know or don't understand, other than they need to kill demons, so we don't know a lot.  I don't mind a mystery if I feel the ones solving it are competent. These guys may be  skilled at fighting and killing and weapons with knowledge of folklore and religion but they are not given a great understanding of their role and tasks

This was not the book for me. I was able to read it all without too much struggling but I do NOT enjoy the angels, demons and religious sort of thing. There was a lot of folklore which was more interesting. The story ends a bit abruptly as a demon is taunting them with notes and then photos, which is likely a setup for the next book in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/262396-blood-bone" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Blood & Bone</strong> </em></a>series. There was some humor I enjoyed.

I've been a bit burnt out on anything that resembles urban fantasy for the last year or so, so I was a bit hesitant to say yes when I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing this book. I'm always on the lookout for new books or authors to read though, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to sit down and at least give this one a chance. Life and Limb by Jennifer Roberson was a fun read full of fast-paced action and interesting characters that kept me reading throughout most of my day off.

I've become pretty picky about what urban fantasy books I read or listen to these days so there are one or two things that I really look for whenever I start a new book or series like this. Most important to me is what kind of supernatural world has the author created for us and why or how has it managed to remain hidden from the normal populace for so long. I don't want to spoil anything about this book so all I will say is that I thought Jennifer Roberson did a fantastic job creating an interesting supernatural world for us and it was easily one of my favorite things about the entire book.

The other thing I look for in a book like this is the characters, and the characters of Life and Limb are a little bit hit and miss for me. I actually loved Gabe as a character and enjoyed watching him grow and evolve as a character over the course of the book but struggled with a lot of the supernatural characters we meet. I felt like we met too many characters in too short a time for the majority of them to get enough page time throughout the book. Happily, I think the worldbuilding and story itself more than make up for the issues I had with the characters.

All in all, I thought this was a solid first book for a series and I'll definitely be reading the sequel whenever we get it. Jennifer Roberson seems like a great author and I'll definitely be checking out the other books and series she has written. I wouldn't have any problem at all recommending this book to someone looking for something new and interesting to read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book unfortunately didn't really work for me at all. I loved its unique premise and the promise of some exciting action, but the pacing is so slow at the beginning that I never could muster up any interest in the characters or what they're trying to accomplish. I'm sure there's an audience for this book, but it just wasn't for me.

DNF @ 48%

aka “Roadhouse Apocalypse” meets “Paternus” which sounds like a much cooler premise than its execution. It’s hard to pinpoint just exactly why this book didn’t work for me. Ghost-busting bikers and cowboys battling Lucifer’s demons should be so much more fun than this is. The dialogue was forced and the explanations behind everything were far too convoluted and unnecessary. It took a long time before any action kicked in, and when it finally did, it wasn’t worth the wait.

I wanted to like this. Halfway through the book was too long to keep telling myself that.