A Halflings Rescue

By Heather Burch

In this free illustrated short story from the popular Halflings series by Heather Burch, Nikki and the Halflings team intercept important information regarding the kidnapping of Hollywood's hottest teen celebrity, Mandy Mosen. Will they be able come to the young starlet's aide in time, or is Mandy's fifteen minutes of fame about to end? Includes a bonus first chapter from Guardian, the next full novel in the Halflings series!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Jul 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9780310736226

Heather Burch

Heather Burch, the author of the popular Halflings series, spent the last seven years in Southern Florida but recently returned to her hometown in the Ozark Mountains. Her books have garnered praise from USA Today, Romantic Times, and Booklist magazine. When not working on her latest novel, she can be found hiking in the hills or planning a trip to the beach with her husband, John, who is her hero in every way.

Book preview

A Halflings Rescue

Have you seen this?" Zero asked as he reached the top of the steps from the basement. He wasn’t talking to anyone in particular — which is how Zero usually addressed a room — and he didn’t offer any other info. Vine raised his head and watched as the pale Halfling breezed through the crowded kitchen and into the empty living room.

When he disappeared through the doorway with no explanation, Vine shrugged and continued pouring Skittles into the glass bowl on the table, trying to ignore the new buzz Zero had created between Mace, Nikki, Winter, Vegan, Glimmer, and Raven. Curiosity killed the cat … he didn’t know what cat or how curiosity afflicted it, but the phrase seemed appropriate in this circumstance. Odds were Zero had been on a techie site and discovered a new hacking software, or run across something else only he would find exciting.

Vine smiled at his rainbow of fruity goodness, popped a few in his mouth, and stared at the door as the group filed out of the kitchen. When the room fell to a lonely silence, he sighed and went after the crowd.

Everyone scattered around the living room. Zero had flopped into the couch, Raven dropped into the armchair, Glimmer perched on the armrest beside him, but the rest remained standing. Waiting.

Finally, Vegan spoke up. Uh, Zero?

The white-blond – haired Halfling’s brow was crumpled into a deep frown. His icy-silver gaze shot up from the laptop in his hands. What?

Vegan cocked her head and pointed to Zero’s prized possession. You want to tell us what you’re talking about?

He gave her a blank stare.

Her eyes widened and she pointed to the computer again, this time with a little more force and a fair bit of impatience.

Oh, yeah. Probably nothing. He closed the laptop and sat back. I saw a report that said Mandy Mosen had been kidnapped.

What? Vegan collapsed onto the seat beside Zero.

It’s probably bogus. Just some publicity stunt or something.

She’s one of my favorite actresses, Glimmer said.

Me too, Nikki added, and the two girls gave each other a strange look because — as Vine knew firsthand — Nikki and Glimmer didn’t agree on anything. Ever.

Vegan snatched the computer from Zero. He seemed none too happy about it. Her long, slender fingers danced over the keys until she found the information. She glanced up at the other Halflings and chewed on her lower lip. I think we should check this out.

Check what out? Will’s booming voice erupted from the front door. Vine choked on his candy. It’s not that Will purposely shouted when he spoke, it was just that heavenly angel thing— voice filled with authority and purpose.

Mandy Mosen is being held captive at her beach house in Southern Florida. Vegan continued clicking, her eyes glued to the screen. It’s weird, because there was this one report, then nothing.

Will entered the house and closed the door. If it’s true, the authorities don’t want curious civilians in the way. Sounds like they locked it down pretty quickly.

I still think it might be a publicity stunt, Zero scoffed.

The girls in the room did a collective eye roll. Vine was ready to

Reviews for A Halflings Rescue

[starrk_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A copy of this title was given to me, free, in exchange for my honest opinion. So, I am completely over this love triangle. I can see howit is used to move the story along, but I personally think that it's lazy on the author's part. Also, because Nikki is waffling and can't stand by any decision that she does make, I don't like, I don't trust her and I definitely don't respect her. Does anyone? I have yet to read a love triangle that I enjoyed, so I won't dwell on this one. This is the second book in the series and it picks up where the first one left off - with more questions that need to be answered. The halflings have been called to join up with another group of halflings. It is an extension of their original journey but this allows them to learn more about Omega and Vesseler. But, the knowledge comes a little too late. Nikki is still trying to find her place amongst the halflings, as well as trying to not give in to the forbidden romance. When, once again, she seems to be doing more damage then good she leaves. She returns to Vesseler, who welcomes her with open arms. But there is more going on and Nikki is completely unaware of it. The truth that is revealed towards the end is another lazy turn that the author takes. It sort of wraps things up with a nice bow, but there's no buildup to this possibility. Yes Nikki reflects on events and situations and reveals that - with hindsight- it should have been obvious. But, I don't buy it. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed Guardian enough to finish the trilogy, but I still think that the author took the lazy way when dealing with some issues.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The fact that I enjoy the Halflings series by Heather Burch remains an utter surprise to me. They are so much not my thing that I keep expecting to be annoyed beyond repair on every page. I say this to emphasize that, while my rating is certainly on the low end of liking the book, it's a miracle that I liked it at all. If you enjoy paranormal romance and Christian themes more than I do, then you should most definitely check out Heather Burch's Halflings books.

As those familiar with my reviews probably know by this point, one of the few genres I generally cannot stand is Christian fiction. Not being a believer myself, I hate being preached to, so that kills a book immediately. Thankfully, Burch does not preach much at all. Both Halflings and Guardian felt more like they were merely set in Christian mythology rather than trying to impart Christian values to me, a fact I am immensely thankful for.

Another reason I like these books is Nikki. Except with regards to romance, Nikki Youngblood does not act like the stereotypical heroine. She's strong, and always wants to help, even when people (primarily Will and Mace) try to marginalize her. From years of martial arts training, she's physically powerful. She loves motorcycles, and actually knows how to ride them, unlike Bella Swan who used them as suicide machines. On top of that, she knows and appreciates her own skills and refuses to let anyone tell her what she can or can't do. Best of all, she will not compromise herself to make a boy happy.

The plot meandered a bit in the beginning of the book, but took shape towards the end. I never did figure out precisely why the trip to Europe at the opening was necessary; the explanation that a higher power told Will does not fly with me. They really do not seem to have accomplished anything there that could not have been done in Nikki's home town. However, once the actual plot kicked in, it was both exciting and creepy, as Nikki confronts her internal battles and Raven studies some mad scientists.

The biggest weak point of the series is the love triangle. Of course, I'm generally not a huge fan of love triangles, so I suppose that's not surprising. On the plus side, there does seem to be a slight possibility Nikki might go for either guy, but I don't really imagine she would choose anyone but Mace. Unfortunately, Mace bores and irritates me, what with his desires to protect her like a manly man. Raven may be the "bad boy," but he empowers Nikki, helping her gain in strength so she can protect herself. Sure, he'll protect her if she needs it, but that's the back up plan. Mostly, though, I dislike the way Nikki acts when she's with them, because she finds herself unable to resist either Raven's or Mace's charms, swept away. Nikki is stronger than that, and it seems out of character for her to be so indecisive and to go from boy to boy, and especially to cheat.

Though I am not the ideal audience, I happily recommend these books to those who welcome Christianity as a main theme in their fiction and who are perhaps more tolerant of love triangle shenanigans than I am. They're well-written and certainly some of the better angel books I've read.

[glenajo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second in the series, with two short stories just to add to the excitement. As many ‘middle’ books do, this one lags a little after the racing pattern of the first book, but it still left me wanting more at the end. The premise is entertaining, and the story exciting. The Halflings are to protect Nikki, but they become involved with her emotionally, which is a big NO-NO. This book is a little less exciting because it deals with Nikki’s, Mace’s, and Raven’s feelings a great deal, but this is likely to be highly attractive to a teen reader because their feelings mirror that of many teens. If you like exciting novels with a mixture of paranormal combined with teen angst; then, check out this series.