Spoilery review, covering scenes and plot in both No Humans Involved and Bitten.
After two books of moderately reduced sexual shenanigans, No Humans Involved absolutely brings the HEAT.
This is book 7 in the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, featuring Jaime Vegas as the stylish protagonist, plus an adventurous murder mystery at its core.
So far in the series, we’ve read perspectives from the following four protags:
- Elena Michaels (Bitten, Stolen, Broken)
- Paige Winterbourne (Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic)
- Eve Levine (Haunted)
- Jaime Vegas (No Humans Involved)
Paige remains my favourite, but Jaime is now a close second. Perhaps necromancers will always have a soft spot in my heart, since I started my Kelley Armstrong journey with The Darkest Powers trilogy, which stars Chloe Saunders as a teenage necromancer amid classic teenage issues and a fugitive storyline.
Now that I’ve completed book seven in the WotO series, I’m also past the halfway mark! There are 13 books (not counting the side projects like the Men of the Otherworld), and they’ve been a solid companion during my travels. When I first read Bitten, I really wasn’t sure I’d read the full set, but I definitely will!
Love Interest At Last – Jeremy Danvers
I didn’t hugely enjoy Bitten; Clay is what I would call ‘an unattractive male romantic lead’. Needy, violent, and possessive is a huge turn-off for me.
So, in Bitten, when Elena realises she couldn’t possibly love her house partner, Philip, because he reminds her too much of Jeremy—I was supremely confused. Phil seemed great, and Jeremy was alright too.
As the series has progressed, I’ve been unable to shake this feeling. While I understand why Elena might not want to date her supernatural boss/ father figure, Jeremy continues to seem like perfect husband material to me.
So you can bet I was very excited to see his relationship with Jaime progressing after multiple books of will-they-won’t-they!
In particular, I enjoyed that Armstrong maintained Jeremy’s quietness while still developing his character. To me, this looked difficult to achieve. Previously, Jeremy has been the quiet leader. In this book, Jeremy is passionate and confident enough to confide his worries to Jaime—something he struggles to do as Alpha of the Pack.
Jaime and Jeremy’s relationship scenes were very steamy, and the four years of Jaime’s waiting were made very believable.
Whodunnit!? (Satanic Rituals)
After finding Broken’s mystery pretty disappointing, I was very entertained by No Humans Involved. This novel has a whole host of minor characters who could have been called in as responsible for the awful killings in this book—leaving me guessing right up until the last minute, and very invested in the final reveal.
I was happy with the choice of May Donovan as the true mastermind; a mostly normal human supposed to have trace amounts of supernatural blood in her heritage. Over the course of the book, I suspected Grady, Clara, Becky, Hope, and Angelique—I had a lot of fun!
An Emotional Ending
This is the tenth Kelley Armstrong book I’ve read, but it’s the first to make me cry. Jaime’s dedication to saving the child ghosts was truly commendable, and the loyalty she feels to them is lovingly developed over the course of the book.
I’d read the climax in bed, late at night, unable to put it down until the drama wrapped up—but I left myself the last 15 pages as a treat for the following day.
I hadn’t expected to drop a few tears at the end of this book, but Jaime’s heart-pulling reunion with the child ghosts really got to me. I can’t think of any particular reason why that would be, other than good writing.
Jaime Vegas
I can’t finish this review without a quick word on the fantastic Jaime Vegas!
She’s vivacious, determined, and delightfully cheeky! I particularly enjoy how her powers influence the plot—not too action-oriented, but not as incorporeal as Eve’s struggle in Haunted, and perfect for getting more information to further the mystery plot.
Her character development and brief snippets of her past life were also very readable. I hope Jaime returns in future novels, because I feel so much closer to her character now.
Conclusion
I loved this book from start to finish. Definitely a five-star read for me. I’m still travelling, which means I’m headed straight for the sequel, Personal Demon, book 8 of the WotO series.
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