343:"even better" than its predecessor, commending it for building upon the first novel by exploring the repercussions of Charlie's actions. The review concluded that the "tight plotting keeps the pace brisk and the action exciting." The novel was also nominated for a 2010 Australian Romance Readers Award, appearing in the category of "Favourite Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy or Futuristic Romance".
169:
Charlie is that her heart is in the right place; she’d give her last breath for those she loves." The author also drew from personal experience when finding her character's voice. "With
Charlie, I pull a lot from my own feelings and emotions about being a mom and wanting the best for my kid—making good choices and sometimes making mistakes, too, all the hopes and fears, etc," Gay said.
138:
non-humans. Madigan has a preteen daughter named Emma, and works alongside a powerful
Elysian named Hank. Additionally, Madigan herself begins to display superhuman abilities after being mysteriously revived from the dead. As the series progresses, Charlie attempts to fulfill her duties while protecting those closest to her.
164:
Wanting to explore the "normal within the paranormal", Gay chose to give her protagonist a complex personal life. "In the UF world, it seemed very natural to me that there would exist heroines that could doll out the whoopings and also have family, a child, a marriage, a tight support group. I wanted
137:
dimensions—the heavenly Elysia and the hellish
Charbydon—the Integration Task Force is created to oversee various supernatural beings who take residence on Earth. The series follows ITF officer Charlie Madigan, a driven and witty Atlanta police officer, who works to maintain peace among humans and
168:
Despite the fantastic elements, Gay describes
Charlie's life as being "pretty common in a lot of ways. She's not always the strongest, the smartest, or the most beautiful. She makes mistakes, wins as much as she loses, and sometimes her emotions get in the way. But one of my favorite things about
235:
The truce between Elysia and
Charbydon begins to crumble, with Atlanta caught in the middle of their conflict. While trying to maintain order, Charlie faces a variety of personal matters, including the one-year anniversary of her divorce, and the ongoing efforts to protect her family.
333:. The novel also received recognition from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, a trade association representing southern-area book stores in the United States. SIBA identified the novel as an "Okra Pick" in 2009, and as a Long List Book Award Finalist the following year.
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also commended the story, stating that it "flaunts one of the greatest qualities of good fantasy: utter believability." Pettersson noted that the fantasy elements are "balanced by the simple story of a mother who will risk anything for those she loves."
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Atlanta has become a crossroads for two paranormal dimensions, Elysia and
Charbydon, resulting in a variety of supernatural beings living among humans. Police officer Charlie Madigan works to maintain peace amidst life as a single mother.
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a crossroads for various supernatural beings. The protagonist, Charlie
Madigan, is a police officer who attempts to balance her paranormal cases with life as a single mother.
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described the protagonist as "a complex heroine who is hardheaded and gutsy." The review also called the novel "an excellent start to an electrifying new series".
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to see what would happen if I placed that kind of character, one juggling a kid, an ex-husband, and work into the urban fantasy mold," Gay said in an interview.
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stated, "Intricate world-building and richly complex characters mix with a fast-paced plot to create a standout start to a new series." Author
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121:. The books present a future in which humanity has discovered two vastly different dimensions, making
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called
Charlie Madigan "the epitome of the modern kick-butt heroine".
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156:, was scheduled for release in 2011. A fourth was planned for 2012.
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was a double finalist in the 2010 RITA Awards, presented by
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In 2010, author Kelly Gay announced that the third novel,
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761:Speculative crime and thriller fiction
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719:australianromancereaders.wordpress.com
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133:Following mankind's discovery of two
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559:"Vicki Pettersson's recommendations"
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621:The Better Part of Darkness
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532:The Better Part of Darkness
362:The Better Part of Darkness
327:The Better Part of Darkness
321:Romantic Times Book Reviews
302:The Better Part of Darkness
200:The Better Part of Darkness
143:The Better Part of Darkness
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39:The Better Part of Darkness
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331:Romance Writers of America
250:The Hour of Dust and Ashes
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659:publishersmarketplace.com
450:"Message From The Author"
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688:The Darkest Edge of Dawn
391:The Darkest Edge of Dawn
341:The Darkest Edge of Dawn
225:The Darkest Edge of Dawn
147:The Darkest Edge of Dawn
41:The Darkest Edge of Dawn
32:Cover of the third novel
751:American fantasy novels
284:The fourth instalment.
653:Publishers Marketplace
274:Shadows Before the Sun
260:The third instalment.
45:Shadows Before the Sun
20:Charlie Madigan series
756:Novels set in Atlanta
423:kellygay.blogspot.com
746:Fantasy novel series
538:publishersweekly.com
397:simonandschuster.com
368:simonandschuster.com
91:Simon & Schuster
569:on 8 September 2012
505:"Editorial Reviews"
141:The opening novel,
113:is a collection of
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721:. 14 February 2011
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694:rtbookreviews.com
627:rtbookreviews.com
454:rtbookreviews.com
307:Publishers Weekly
304:"extraordinary."
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205:24 November 2009
117:novels by author
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723:. Retrieved
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663:the original
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655:: Kelly Gay"
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563:peroozal.com
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632:28 February
602:28 February
597:powells.com
573:28 February
543:28 February
514:28 February
488:28 February
459:28 February
428:28 February
402:28 February
373:28 February
317:Jenna Black
186:US release
740:Categories
509:amazon.com
347:References
160:Background
135:paranormal
530:"Review:
291:Reception
119:Kelly Gay
97:Published
87:Publisher
55:Kelly Gay
297:Booklist
129:Overview
69:Language
690:review"
623:review"
339:called
300:called
180:Book #
123:Atlanta
72:English
61:Country
183:Title
173:Novels
111:series
51:Author
77:Genre
727:2011
701:2011
671:2011
634:2011
604:2011
575:2011
545:2011
516:2011
490:2011
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404:2011
375:2011
106:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
