Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows Book 1)

I was intrigued from page one. The characters are real in all their flawed glory. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between characters. Opal is charming, Bel is a riot, and Cameo is incredibly interesting. I highly recommend this!

What do you get when you mix a sort of undead assassin with a flamboyant highwayman and a 15 year old acolyte prospect? A great story! Cameo the Assassin was a very entertaining read, the characters where light, funny (but they also had serious sides, especialy Cameo) and made the book a gem. Cameo and her unique crew are on the run from Cameos old employer after she killed another member of the guild. This takes the band on many adventures and dangerous turns. Cameo was a great character, she is hard and her reputation precedes her as she has even turned into a sort of childs warning story. However, she does have moments of sweetness and my heart melted for her. Our highwayman, Black Opal and Bellamy were a great pair, very funny and charming. Bellamy was the more serious one who thought rationaly. Opal though was outlandish, sarcastic and rash. I loved him. He added the needed comic relief and the occasional fluffy/touching moment. He is also the man who gets Cameo out of her shell and starting to think shes not a monster. There is little swearing in this book and no sexual content, there are moments where romance becomes a maby, but this is more about action than love, however at the end there may the start of something more.. Cameo and the Assassin has a sequel, Cameo and the highwayman which I hope questions are answered and Cameo begins to like herself and othersmore.

Tried really hard to get into this but the dialogue is terrible and difficult to follow. This is one of the few books that I could not finish.

I found Cameo interesting and I was glad to see a vampire back to being a bad-guy instead of a heart throb. Although Haffef is her Master, he is neither good nor kind to Cameo. I read this straight through, on a Sunday. I think the book was good, however the ending seemed a little choppped/forced to me, and while I understand a cliffhanger ending to lead to the next book, the one here just seemed a bit artificial. Hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Cameo the Assassin is set in a past/alternative world that is both dark and bleak. As the story begins, Cameo is clinging to life, after a brutal rape and attack. But a vampire steps in and keeps her from succumbing. She survives, in a manner of speaking. She becomes the vampires thrall, half-living, half-undead. Years later, she has become an assassin. In the course of a hit, her path crosses with two highwaymen who rob her carriage. She lets them escape, but tracks one down later to get her things back. Its those same highwaymen who become her next targets for assassination. She would have carried out that mission as well, if her boss hadnt sent Gail with her as a partner. She was a victim of Gail, herself, once. And the urge to kill him finally gets the better of her. Now she is thrown together with Opal and Bel as they try to survive the next wave of assassins. Opal confused me a little as a character. He is flamboyant and over the top. He wears lots of make-up and Cameo asks more than once if he and Bel are involved. Yet, he is also painted as a rake who charms the pants off of women and develops a thing for Cameo, himself. Im not entirely sure what to make of him, even now. But I do know, that I found myself rooting for him and Cameo to reach out to each other throughout the course of the book. So maybe all the make-up and purple brocade were just lagniappe. Who knows? Joining our strange trio is a teenage acolyte named Kyrian. Cameo becomes his protector after his grandfather shows her a kindness. Theres mystery surrounding the boy, not the least of which is why Cameos master can barely stand his presence. And speaking of Cameos master... he is hardly a benevolent sire. Id kind of like to kill him myself. Despite the fact that he saved Cameo from death, all those years ago, he doesnt seem much better than the men who nearly killed her in the first place. Overall, I did like the book. It features vampires and ghouls, but it didnt feel like standard horror or Urban Fantasy fare. Cameo isnt your standard heroine, either. Most supernatural heroines these days are snarky/sexy/tough/witty women who kick butt on the side of right. Cameo is haunted and broken and surprisingly sympathetic. I get the impression that she kills because she doesnt consider herself worthy of doing anything better. The ragtag group that comes together in the book are likely the only friends she has ever had. Which makes me ache for her to have just a little bit of happiness with them. The ending of the book does wrap things up for the most part, but leaves several loose ends for the next installment,

Cameo is the kind of novel that sucks you in from the very first page. Filled with twists and turns it truly is an amazing novel that you lose yourself in as youre reading it. Cameo is not a classical heroine by any means and from our very first meeting with this hard-bitten character she simply continues to grow. While I wouldnt necessarily say that Cameo is likeable she is intriguing and very, very compelling. All in all as a dark fantasy adventure this is one of the better ones Ive read in recent times and I would highly recommend it; just bear in mind its not a classic fantasy in many ways.

It took me longer than usual to read this book because its a little out of my comfy zone (different from the books I usually read), but Im very glad I read it. Its a very original and interesting Dark Fantasy novel which offered me a perfect escape from all the fantasy and paranormal books coming out lately! Cameo, the Assassin, was a fast paced, full of action read. The mystery and the suspense kept me interested and eager to know what happened next throughout the entire story and the main character is very unusual and interesting to read about. So Cameo (what a cool name, dont you think?) is a witty, kick-butt heroine who kills people for hire. Shes very mysterious and there is also something eerie about her - well, shes not quite human. And though this description may not sound out of the ordinary, believe me, there is nothing ordinary about Cameo. On the contrary, she is a very unique, complex and intriguing character. Because of her slightly unusual appearance and her reputation as an assassin, people are really afraid of her - they even have creepy stories about her: Kyrian to Cameo: My parents used to tell me stories about you when I was a little boy. Well, a rhyme really about how you killed children who didnt go to bed on time. But something went wrong with her last mission and she found herself teaming up with a couple of highwaymen, because they were all considered responsible for killing the king. So they had to make a plan, flee town and stick together - which didnt make Cameo happy at all (at least not at first). Shes used to being alone and minding her own business, and suddenly she felt responsible for other people too and she had to deal with far more challenges that she had ever expected. But with every new dangerous adventure, I got the chance to know more about all the gang members and to even understand Cameo better. She proved to be stronger and much more caring and selfless than people might have thought. Kyrian was looking up at her, shocked at the warmth in her tone.You are Cameo? She smiled at him, the same caring smile she had gifted him with a moment earlier. And despite the fact she wasnt much of a talkative person, everyone listened to her and respected her. I actually liked her attitude: shes mysterious and sarcastic, yet she makes her own decisions and sticks with them, no matter the consequences. You got your cameo brooch back I noticed, the one that was robbed from you, Wick clicked the pipe between her broken teeth. Yes. And yet that highwayman is still alive. Why is that, Cameo? Shocking as it may seem, I dont kill every man, woman, and child I meet. I leave some of them alive for you to bully. The story is very beautifully written and I found the time period and the setting really fascinating. But there was also something that kind of bothered me (does this surprise anyone? doubtful - I always find something to complain about - just ask Julia here LOL): the beginning of the story was a little slow and confusing. Also, the story was told from the third person POV and the switching from one POV to another really confused me at times, especially when it happened all of a sudden. All in all, Cameo, the assassin is a dark, gritty yet entertaining read that offers an unusual blend of mystery, suspense, action, horror and just a touch of humor and romance. The strong, unique heroine will accompany readers in a journey set in an unusual, yet fascinating world where they will like to return. *Review also posted on my blog:

I recently finished reading Cameo the Assassin by Dawn McCullough-White and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. The characters are well defined and relatable which is an important part of any story. I was pulled into Cameos world, wanting to learn more about her and what makes her tick. Having found herself working as one of the best assassins for The Association, Cameo lives day to day killing for a living. Just when she thinks her life is repeating the same pattern, Cameos path crosses with that of two highwaymen, and though she may not know it at that time, her life will be forever changed. Moving at just the right pace, we learn more about Cameo and her past, and why she is forced to do the things she does. Although the book jumps from character to character which can at times be confusing, it is easily forgivable because it is overall well written and intriguing. I can not wait to read more about Cameo in the sequel, Cameo and the Highwayman! Keep up the great work Dawn McCullough-White!!

In another book review I called Dawn McCullough-White the champion of the anti-hero for her book, The Emblazoned Red. In this one, she one-ups it. With characters who are full of baggage, checkered pasts, and flaws, they are almost unlikeable...until they become likeable. Even though they are labeled villains, they are often full of charitable acts that turn the readers heart. And the plot? Full of so many twists and unexpected turns that one shocking moment made my jaw drop. The author has such a grasp on the terminology of the past that the lines between fact and fiction become blurred, and at times I almost felt I was reading a historical piece--that is until a vampire shows up. Although *This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.* Ive become such a fan of her writing, that I purchased the omnibus of this full trilogy. I cant wait to see what these characters do next! ***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: [...]***

Cameo the Assassin is quite an intriguing novel. Dawn McCullogh-White combines paranormal elements, such as vampires and witches, with a fantasy world, creating an engrossing and unique read. I have always admired the strong female heroines, and Cameo the Assassin delivers. There is much more to this story than action and assassinations, I felt the emotional pull of the characters and the settings. The nature of the assassins, the Association, and its leader is unique and creative. I found myself wondering what exactly Wick (the Association leader) was, and what her ultimate motivation was. I found the characters in Cameo the Assassin to be colorful and endearing. Black Opal, the dandy thief, is entertaining and enigmatic. The subtle attraction between Opal and Cameo is well written and developed. They are two misfits, outcasts who find similarities in each other. As for Cameo, her supernatural side was unexpected, but I love the character and her idiosyncrasies. The paranormal elements to this story are some of the most unique that I have read in awhile. It is refreshing to come across new ideas and concepts, and the new concepts here were well done. I am not exactly sure how the vampires enthrall their subordinates, and am curious about that. In fact, there seem to be several open ends and things remaining to be explained in this book. These open ends do not really detract from the story, but they do leave me curious. Cameo the Assassin is book 1 in a series, and it sets a solid foundation for future books. It did take me a little while to really understand the fantasy world, and adjust to the new paranormal concepts. The relationships have been established, and I am very much looking forward to finding out what comes next. I do recommend this book. It is only 99 cents on amazon for the kindle format (or on smashwords), and that is a fantastic deal!