I had such a fun time joining in the Kiss Me, I'm Irish Read-along which featured Hounded, the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. The book is filled with action, humor, and mythology. I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. Luckily, books 1-3 are out and the fourth book will be released later this month!


Description (from Goodreads): Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn't care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they're badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.
   With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor's rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Review: Hexed takes place right after Hounded. New readers to the series who pick up Hexed should have no problem as Hearne provides enough recap to set the stage without dragging the plot down. After Atticus finally defeats his long time nemesis, he thought he get a nice break. Wishful thinking, of course! Not only does he almost get killed by a long distance magic attack by a new coven of witches, but he has to deal with Bacchus, a fallen angel, and the everyday troubles of keeping his true identity as a disguise. 
  Along with the action and humor, we slowly learn more about Atticus's past. We learned that he helped families in WWII. I can only imagine what he has seen through the millenniums. Though we admire Atticus as a hero who respects nature and understands his limitations of power, we are reminded that he is not perfect as his prejudice against all witches (after meeting the witches, it's kinda hard to disagree with him) come to the forefront. He struggles to change his mindset and places some of his trust on the coven he makes a treaty with, which alters his simple, black and white world view into shades of grey. My favorite moment describing Atticus's humanity is when he talks about his love for his Irish wolfhound Oberon and how losing Oberon would be devastating. For Atticus, Oberon isn't just a pet, but a confidant, a partner, and a true friend.  
  Characters that only get mentioned in Hounded get more time in Hexed such as the trickster Coyote, and Atticus's paranormal lawyers Leif and Hal. We also get to see Granuaile, Attiucs’s new apprentice, starts showing her smarts and her backbone, standing up to Attiucs when she feels he’s in the wrong. I loved to get more character development of these secondary characters in the next few books. I'm lead to believe we'll learn more about Leif as he is gunning to get his revenge on Thor (whom everyone seems to love to hate) and leaves a opening to the next book Hammered, which I can't wait to read.


Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some crude humor, brief non-explicit sex scenes, strong language, and strong violence. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles #3), Harry Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green