chez_jae: (Books)
Rift in the Soul (A Soulwood Novel)Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I stayed up past my bedtime last night to finish Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter. It's the 6th book in her "Soulwood" urban fantasy series, starring Nell Ingram, a paranormal of indeterminate origin and a member of the paranormal investigative unit, PsyLED.

When the local MOC vampire, Ming Zhane, contacts PsyLED to report a dead body on her property, Nell responds to the call along with her boss, Rick, and her boss-boss, FireWind. Nell notes that Ming and the other vamps are acting strangely, and the discovery of the dead body is only the beginning of a puzzle that involves ancient, powerful vampires, a deck of cards known as the Blood Tarot, and the interdimensional creatures called arcenciels. Nell later realizes she's been used as bait and that she is now a target of the vamps who seek the Blood Tarot. When they trespass on her property, Soulwood, Nell uses her connection to the land to defend herself and her sisters. This time, however, her sisters step up to help her. It will take their combined plant magic to defend their home, thwart their enemies, and save their friends. Oh, and Nell is in the midst of planning her wedding, too.

Captivating and difficult to set aside. Hunter is a deft writer who manages to combine top-notch world building with fast paced plots and violent battles, and she also injects both romance and humor into her stories to balance them out. I enjoy Nell's relationship with Occam, and her determination to do what needs to be done, even at her own peril.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Well, that's good they got souls. Now when they die they can go to hell like proper evil beings."
♦ "Don't get your throat torn out or your head ripped off." // "Not on my list of ways to die." // "You have a list of ways to die?" // "You don't?"


Loved it! Five stars
chez_jae: (Archer book)
Final HeirFinal Heir by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I stayed up late last night to finish reading Final Heir by Faith Hunter, which is the 15th book in her "Jane Yellowrock" series. The main character is skinwalker and Dark Queen, Jane Yellowrock, and the story is in her first-person pov.

As the queen of vampires, it's up to Jane to keep the peace not just in her chosen city of New Orleans, but all over the world. She and her entourage are preparing for the coronation of Jane's primo, Edmund, as the Emperor of Europe when a new threat emerges. Jane learns that Mainet Pellissier is alive, and as the Heir of the Pellissier line, he is old and powerful and has aspirations. He wants to steal Jane's crown, along with the Heart of Darkness, and use the artifacts to bind both an angel and a demon, which would give him unlimited power in multiple dimensions. Jane will die before she lets that happen, but her people are intent on keeping her safe, rather than allowing her to fight. Jane will have to rely on her people--the humans, vampires, witches, and others to aid her in this battle. Because if she loses, they all lose.

This was a monster of a book at nearly 450 pages, but I flew through it. The narrative was engrossing and captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat. I am ashamed to admit a sneaked a peek at the back to see who survived. Oops? I couldn't take it; the tension was killing me! That being said, the author wove some down-time in there for Jane, giving her and the reader a bit of a breather now and again. Characterizations were top-notch, and the plot proceeded smoothly whether it was pelting along or slowing before the next heart pounding battle. Fight scenes were amazing and appropriately violent.

Favorite lines:
♦ I was better at busting heads than I was at diplomacy.
♦ Wild guesses were both my forte and my undoing.
♦ She knew I hated pink. If I reminded her I hated pink, would she shoot me?
♦ "If I die, she'll slap me alive, kill me all over again, and you all too."
♦ "Now he has a glass of wine and half the guys in here need a cigarette."
♦ She flipped down a night vision occular and looked ready to shoot anything that moved. So did all the team. Jittery. Tense. I hoped no one let their little yapper dog out to pee or it might end up blasted to pieces.
♦ I was tripping over my protective detail. If we were attacked, I would as likely die from being trampled by my own people as from enemy weapons.
♦ "It is always a child, or a young woman, with the greatest power. This is why men fear us so."


I do love me a bad-ass heroine, and Jane is one of the baddest asses out there. I love her as a character, and I love these books! Five stars.

jane
Artwork by Cliff Nielsen...I believe?
chez_jae: (Books)
True Dead (Jane Yellowrock #14)True Dead by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I was up past my bedtime last night, but I wanted to finish reading True Dead by Faith Hunter. It's the 14th Jane Yellowrock novel, featuring Cherokee skinwalker, vamp killer, and newly crowned Dark Queen, Jane Yellowrock.

After healing in the rift, Jane is enjoying some well-deserved R&R in the mountains with her closest confidantes. However, she can't hide from her responsibilities forever. As the Dark Queen, Master of the City of New Orleans, and Bloodmaster of Yellowrock Clan, Jane has people depending on her. When an attack is launched at vamp HQ in NOLA, Jane is thrust back into the thick of things. Used to being an Enforcer, she is now forced to take a back seat in her role as the Dark Queen. Jane doesn't like it, and neither does her twin-soul, Beast. Not content to sit idly by, Jane begins delving into the history of vampires, specifically from NOLA, in an effort to learn who may be behind the recent attacks. What she learns is that the enemy may be closer than she thought, and that no one in NOLA is safe.

I love this series, period. This book was somewhat of a departure in that Jane wasn't involved in many battles except on the periphery. She still took an active role, working to unravel the tangled threads that had been in place for centuries as she sought to identify enemies and allies both. Near-immortal vampires can afford to be patient as they lay their traps and put their pieces into play. None of them counted on Jane, however. There was a lot of action in this one, stunning betrayals, and some sobering losses. Beast is present but not always forthcoming with Jane. In fact, a lot of people were keeping things from her, and Jane didn't like it.

Favorite lines:
♦ Beast liked secrets. All cats liked secrets.
♦ "I'll be annoyed if you paranormal psychos ruin my wedding."
♦ No way was I giving in to this hilarity.
♦ She was neither disdainful, nor in awe of my magnificent ears.
♦ Cats must always confuse humans. Confusion was why humans loved cats.
♦ I had never been pretty. But by all that was holy, I was badder than bad.


This didn't end on a cliffhanger, per se, but it created a nice set up for the future of the series. I am looking forward to it! Five stars!

jane
Artwork by Cliff Nielsen...I believe?
chez_jae: (Books)
Spells for the Dead (Soulwood, #5)Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I can't believe it took me an entire week to read Spells for the Dead, by Faith Hunter. I blame Shark Week. Hah! This is the fifth book in Hunter's "Soulwood" urban fantasy series, featuring main character Nell Ingram. Nell is not quite human, but she's not entirely sure what she is, either, other than a former churchwoman and a rookie agent with PsyLED.

Nell's team is summoned to the ostentatious home and horse ranch of a country music star, Stella Mae Ragel. What they find when they arrive are bodies decaying far more rapidly than normal. The witch on their team says it's akin to death magic, and she enlists a local coven to help put a ward around the vile magics to contain the scourge.

As Unit 18 digs into Stella Mae's life, in search of a motive, they uncover the star's secret, sordid past...which may not be completely in the past after all. When more people become affected by the death and decay, the race is on to find a way to stop it and stop the person who set the death magic into motion. Nell will need to pull on her ties to her own land in an effort to halt the spread of poison from Stella Mae's land.

Thoroughly engrossing, even though it took me a full week to read it. Nell continues to gain in confidence, both as an agent and in a more personal manner towards her family and the polygamous church that she broke free of. Her relationship with fellow PsyLED member, Occam, is gaining strength, and I like how Occam allows Nell to set the pace. The plot was intricate, as was the unweaving of the web that allowed Nell's team to find the perpetrator, characters are wonderfully realized, and Nell's point of view was interesting to follow.

Favorite lines:
♦ Fear of women created a need to control them, especially among weak men who didn't know their place in the world and feared anything that might take their little bit of power from them.
♦ "Well, I'll be a dinosaur on Noah's ark."
♦ Grief was like living inside a weighted net, pulling you down. You could see out but not get away, not breathe freely, not...not live the life you once lived.


Excellent book, five stars.
chez_jae: (Books)
Shattered Bonds (Jane Yellowrock, #13)Shattered Bonds by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I stayed up until midnight Thursday night (yikes!) to finish reading Shattered Bonds by Faith Hunter. It's the 13th book in the "Jane Yellowrock" urban fantasy series, featuring Cherokee skinwalker Jane Yellowrock.

Jane's ability to timewalk has come at a price; she has developed a cancerous tumor in her abdomen. Since her Beast form isn't sick, Jane has retreated to the Appalachian mountains and chosen to stay in puma form for now. She is unable to leave her old life behind, however. She has surrounded herself with her cobbled-together family, but enemies seek her out, even in her sanctuary. The second Son of Darkness (one of the two original vampires) has come to destroy Jane for killing his brother true-dead. He kidnaps someone close to Jane to force a confrontation. Even in her weakened state, Jane isn't about to let anyone harm her family. Now it's up to her and Beast to find a way to defeat a powerful enemy who is both vampire and magic-wielder. Fortunately for Jane, she no longer has to fight alone. She will need all the help she can get to not only prevail, but survive.

As per usual with these books, the action is virtually non-stop. Jane comes to realize that, by leaving New Orleans behind, she left people she was responsible for without protection. When enemies take advantage of that and begin attacking homes and property of friends and family, Jane is riddled with guilt, as well as determination to eliminate the threat. A good fight may be just what she needed to snap her out of her doldrums.

Characterizations are marvelous. Beast was very present in this installment, and I always enjoy her thoughts and perspective.

Favorite lines:
♦ I figured testosterone resulted in brain damage.
♦ Fun. Fun. Many more than five fun!
♦ "Now help me to my room so I can pack and strip and jump off the railing outside my second-story bedroom."


I loved all of it except ExpandSpoiler! )

Five stars!

jane
Artwork by Cliff Nielsen...I believe?
chez_jae: (Books)
Circle of the MoonCircle of the Moon by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I stayed up into the wee hours this morning, because I was so engrossed by my book that I had to finish it. The book was Circle of the Moon, and it's the fourth in the "Soulwood" series by Faith Hunter, that features Nell Ingram. Nell is Special Agent with PsyLED, the organization that polices paranormals. She is also a paranormal of indeterminate species. Nell draws power from the land around her, especially her own property, Soulwood.

When Nell's boss, Rick Lafleur, calls her for help, she and her co-worker, Occam, locate Rick on a riverbank. He had shifted into his black wereleopard form and woke next to a witch circle with an animal sacrifice at the center. As more circles and sacrificed animals are found, the team concludes that a blood-witch is using black magic for a major working. Worse, the workings seem to be calling to Rick. That makes him a liability and puts the entire unit on edge.

On top of this perplexing and dangerous case, Nell also finds herself drawn back into the drama of the cult-like church she turned her back on. She is trying to get custody of her young sister, Mindy, who may be the same sort of paranormal non-human that Nell is. In addition, Nell is still confused by her attraction to Occam, even though he has promised not to pressure her.

The story was fast-paced and exciting. I was pleased to finally learn the mystery surrounding Rick's tattoos, and we learned more about Jane Yellowrock's brother, FireWind, as he put in an appearance. It was also fun to see Nell interacting, putting not only her training to work, but also her experience as a churchwoman to get others to let down their guard around her.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Families can suck all the red offa life's lollipop."
♦ "Keep measuring and film this on your cell. If I explode, see that my family never learns I was stupid enough to do this."
♦ "Demons suck dill pickles."


Amazing book, excellent characterizations and interactions, gritty fight scenes, with some tenderness and humor thrown in to balance it all out. Automatic five stars!
chez_jae: (Books)
Dark Queen (Jane Yellowrock, #12)Dark Queen by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Spent a good part of the weekend (and today!) reading Dark Queen, which is the 12th installment in Faith Hunter's "Jane Yellowrock" urban fantasy series.

As Enforcer to Leo Pellissier, the Master of NOLA and all of the southeastern US, it's Jane's job to keep him and his holdings safe. However, the Master of the European Vampires has issued a challenge to Leo, in a bid to take over all of America. If Leo loses, it will spell disaster. The challenge is set to be in the form of Sangre Duello, a series of battles between American and European vampires and their retinues, and Jane knows she will need to fight some of those duels, either to first blood or to the death.

However, the Euro vamps aren't playing fair. They're sneaking people in, trying to undermine Leo's power before the duel even begins. Jane is kept busy, putting out one fire after another. It doesn't help that her personal life is thrown into upheaval when a man arrives at her doorstep, claiming to be a brother she doesn't remember, and Leo makes her the Master of Clan Yellowrock, giving her more responsibility and tying her even more firmly to NOLA.

Jane must navigate her way through intrigues and betrayals and treachery, and even as her power base strengthens, her physical health weakens. In the end, even her odd ability to bend time may not be enough to save her and all that she loves.

The story was certainly fast-paced. Brutal and wicked and bloody. I enjoyed the rare quiet times that Jane was able to spend with Bruiser, and in this book, Beast got far more "air time" than she normally does. If I was disappointed, it was in the deaths of some beloved characters and in the fact that Jane did not see as much dueling action as I'd anticipated. I love her fight scenes!

Favorite lines:
♦ It griped my goat that I knew all that.
♦ "Like I needed the candy sprinkles of a gun-happy cop dumped over my blood duel ice-cream cone."
♦ "Dude showed up unannounced, and tried to kill you. Double case of the rudes."
♦ I'd been flying by the seat of my pants so long I was surprised my undies didn't have wings.


Even the angst and anxiety this book caused me can't detract from how amazing it was. Five stars!

jane
Artwork by Cliff Nielsen...I believe?
chez_jae: (Books)
Cold Reign (Jane Yellowrock, #11)Cold Reign by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I don't have to work today, so in the wee hours of the morning, I finished reading Cold Reign by Faith Hunter. It's number eleven in her "Jane Yellowrock" urban fantasy series, featuring skinwalker and rogue vampire hunter, Jane Yellowrock.

Jane and the established vampires in New Orleans are on high alert. A contingent of European vampires is planning a visit, and no one is naive enough to believe they aren't intent on a hostile takeover. While negotiations for the visit are ongoing, Jane is kept busy when revenants (dead and buried vamps) continue to rise from their graves and create havoc. In the meantime, an unnatural storm is making everyone edgy and leading to several riots in town. Jane can't help but think there is a connection between the two.

After receiving intel that some of the Euro vamps may have already made clandestine landing on shore, it's up to Jane to keep her people safe, track down the rogues, and restore order to NOLA. Fortunately, she has a strong support group of loyal sidekicks, as well as her own, inner Beast, to help her. Beast was very present in this book, and I always love her observations and commentary.

There was no let up in this story. The narrative careened from one action sequence to another, as Jane was pulled in different directions. The only bright spot for her is her growing relationship with George Dumas, or Bruiser, as she calls him. Even that is jeopardized, however, when her old flame, Rick LaFleur comes to town in his capacity as an operative of PsyLED. In addition, Jane's own evolving magics are a constant source of confusion and frustration for her.

Favorite line: "He's living in a Harry Potter room."

Fabulous, fantastic, frantic, and fun! Automatic five stars!

My only complaint about this book is, the cover and spine are white, whereas every other book in the series is black. It looks out of place on my bookshelf, and my OCD whimpers each time I glance in that direction. :D

jane
Artwork by Cliff Nielsen...I believe?
chez_jae: (Books)
Between last night and this evening, I knocked back Shadow Rites, which is the tenth installment in Faith Hunter's "Jane Yellowrock" series.

Jane is tasked with handling security for an upcoming Witches Conclave in New Orleans, one that is intended to broker peace between witches and vampires. A magical attack on Jane's home leaves her reeling, as it has far-reaching repercussions. Jane is convinced the attack is tied into the conclave, and now she must not only fulfill her role as Enforcer to the undead Master of the City, but she also needs to rid herself of the taint of a magical working.

This series is what urban fantasy is meant to be. Characterizations are superb, plots and subplots are expertly woven together, and the action/fight sequences are tense and gory and real. Jane continues to struggle with social niceties and personal relationships, but those closest to her are extremely supportive. I love her loyalty, determination, and snark.

Favorite line: It's hard to look badass in your jammies, with your arms bound behind you, but I'd give it a go.

Excellent story, first page to last. Difficult to put down, which is why I read it in about 24 hours. Five stars!

*****
chez_jae: (Books)
Just polished off Flame in the Dark, which is the third installment in Faith Hunter's "Soulwood" series, featuring non-human, special agent Nell Ingram.

PsyLED, the agency that polices paranormals, has sent Nell's unit to the scene of a mass shooting, because one of the guests was a vampire, which puts the case in their jurisdiction. Another guest was a Senator, and it's assumed he was the target of an assassination attempt. Nell uses her ability to read the land, enabling her to discover that the path the shooter took has left dead vegetation in its wake. Before anything can be resolved, further assassination attempts take place, with the only common denominator being fire at each site. Unit 18 knows that a non-human is responsible, but they can't figure out the species.

In the meantime, Nell is being carefully courted by her teammate, Occam, and her family is pushing a man from the church at her. Nell's young sister is now attracting the attention of the men in the church, and Nell knows that Mindy is just like her, a non-human of indeterminate origin. She wants to protect her sister, nurture her land, Soulwood, deal with the odd vampire-like tree she unwittingly created on the church compound, and remove the blight on her own land.

As the case becomes ever more dire, it becomes apparent that this is no simple assassination attempt, but a family situation that goes back generations.

Again, a fabulous story. I like Nell's pluck, as well as her reluctant attraction to Occam. It's heartening to watch her progress from a cowed, abused churchwoman into a self-assured agent. My only regret about this book is that I should have been caught up on the Jane Yellowrock series before reading it, as it included spoilers for one of those books. My bad.

Favorite line: But I was tired of making allowances for cats.
Story of my life!

Excellent, five stars:

*****
chez_jae: (Books)
Just finished reading Dark Heir by Faith Hunter, which is part of her "Jane Yellowrock" urban fantasy series.

When Jane is called to check on fighting at the Council Home in New Orleans (aka, vampire HQ), she learns that an ancient, powerful, insane vampire has escaped imprisonment and is now on the loose in the city. Within hours, fifty-two humans at a bar in New Orleans have been killed, and Jane is thrust into the center of it all. The citizens and law enforcement want the vamp dead, but the vampires themselves warn it will bring about war with the European vampires. Jane is in a tricky position as the Enforcer for the Master of the City, which is why Leo relieves her of that duty to allow her to hunt the escaped vampire without ties to himself or his Clan.

Even Jane's newfound ability to bend time are no match for this vamp, because he is not only a vampire, but also a practitioner of black magic. When Jane is badly injured in battle with the vampire, she must learn to rely on her allies to help her defeat the menace before more innocent lives are lost.

The book was certainly engrossing. The battle scenes were tense and gory, while other moments were fraught with emotion. Jane is carrying a load of guilt, because she wanted to kill the vampire the first time she saw him, imprisoned in the cellars beneath the Clan home. Worse, Jane's injuries are making it impossible for her to shift, and she feels bereft without the ability to commune with the other soul that lives inside of her, that of her mountain lion.

Favorite lines:
♦ Officially, the day sucked. If I kept a diary, that would have been the day's sole entry.
♦ "Be careful which scriptures you pick and choose from to give you a reason to hate."
♦ "I ask God for help and he sends me a freaking werewolf?"


Good to know that Jane can keep a sense of humor about her, even in the darkest times! Very good book, although I am still suspicious about the fact that Leo kept telling Jane he couldn't recall what favor another vampire had asked of him, at the time when the ancient one was imprisoned. Either he doesn't want to admit it, or some sort of working was done on him, which may bite someone in the butt later on. Hm.

Solid five stars!

*****
chez_jae: (Books)
Since I don't have to work today, I stayed up until after 2am to finish reading Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter. It's the second book in the urban fantasy "Soulwood" series.

Former churchwoman Nell Ingram has completed her training to join Unit 18 of PsyLED, the organization that polices paranormals. Her first case with the team was meant to be simple and straight-forward, as the unit is sent to investigate a flock of geese behaving strangely at a local pond. However, when Nell uses her unique talent to "read" the earth, she discovers energies there that do not belong, one of which seems sentient. Now it's up to the team to uncover whether this was a natural event or a witch-working. Nell is suddenly playing a far more important role than she had anticipated.

In addition to working her first case, Nell must also contend with the blight on her own land, Soulwood. It's a blight she is responsible for, but she has no idea how to fix it. Complicating matters is that a tree on church property has been attacking people, and Nell returns home to see what can be done. She still feels odd to be among her family and members of the polygamous cult again, and now one of her co-workers seems to have taken an interest in her. As a young widow, Nell is unsure how to handle Occam's attention. Complicating things is the fact that Occam and the other were-leopards of Unit 18 are experiencing the call of the full moon, including unit leader, Rick.

What a fascinating story! Nell is pulled in so many different directions, and she's running on so little sleep, that it made me exhausted to read her adventure. Ha ha! She is still bashful around non-church people, and she is easily flustered, but Nell is able to pull on her training to get her part of the job done. It was fun to see her step up like that.

Favorite line: "As in any magical tricks, trinkets, and a magic wand. Take a frigging Quidditch broom if you got one."

Excellent! Five stars:

*****
chez_jae: (Books)
I stayed up until 2:00am last night/this morning to finish reading Blood of the Earth, by Faith Hunter. It's the first book in the author's "Soulwood" series, and it's set in the same verse as the "Jane Yellowrock" series.

Nell Ingram is a young widow, living on the land her older husband left to her when he died. It borders land owned by the cult-like church that Nell broke free from when she was just a girl. Now that she has no man to protect her, male members of the church have been harassing her, trying to strong-arm her into returning to the flock and taking a husband, who will then take over Nell's land. Nell, however, isn't without protection. Not only is she armed, but the land itself seems to aid her when needed.

After helping Jane Yellowrock in her quest to rescue a vampire held by the church (which happened "off-screen"), Nell was promised assistance. It comes in the form of Agent Rick LaFleur of PsyLED, and his team of paranormal investigators. Not long after they arrive, a series of kidnappings of local girls has Nell hired on as a consultant to the team as they try to find out if the church is involved. Nell is willing to help, but she and the team need to learn to trust one another, because the kidnappings are just the tip of the iceberg...

This story was as engrossing as any in the author's other series, but it lacked the humor. Nell has lived a hard life of fear and abuse, making her a sober, solemn, suspicious young woman. It makes her willingness to help even more remarkable. Nell doesn't know what she is, only that she's not a witch, but she uses her power to commune with the woods to both protect herself and the others, provide early warning if someone trespasses on her property, and learn information. It was interesting to read more about Rick, from the perspective of a woman other than Jane, and I enjoyed "meeting" the other characters. Nell may have a romantic interest in wereleopard Occam, which would be the cat's pajamas!

Favorite line: "Men. Sometimes they got nothing between their ears and too much between their legs."

:D

Five stars!

*****
chez_jae: (Books)
Last night, I finished reading Raven Cursed by Faith Hunter. It's the fourth book in her "Jane Yellowrock" urban fantasy series.

So much going on this book:

♦ Jane is heading security for a meeting between two vampire factions
♦ Two rogue werewolves are slaughtering campers in the area, and Jane is tasked with investigating
♦ Jane's sorta-kinda boyfriend, Rick, is struggling to accomplish his first shift, while the shifter that Jane assigned to assist him would rather kill him, leaving Jane to mediate
♦ Jane's bff Molly, along with her witch sisters, is being spelled by their eldest sister and coven leader

And, oh yeah, Jane is still hellbent on keeping her own nature as a skinwalker a secret.

This was a long book, but I rocked through it in only a few days. It was difficult to put down. As she tries to keep tabs on everything falling to hell around her, Jane starts seeing how it's all tied together, and just when you think things are finally resolved, BAM! Something else happens. Very exciting!

I love how Jane is so competent as a warrior, but she still struggles with relationships and intimacy and her own ineptitude in social situations. She's a well-developed character, and I also enjoy the secondary characters, including those we've met in prior books and ones first introduced in this book. Can't wait to read more!

Five out of five:
♦♦♦♦♦
chez_jae: (Books)
I stayed up too late last night, but I just had to finish reading Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter. This is the third in her series about rogue vampire hunter/skinwalker Jane Yellowrock.

Jane's job becomes more difficult when weres (werewolves, werecats) announce their existence to the world at large. A contingent of werecats is set to meet with the vampires of New Orleans, and Jane is expected to help with security. When she is attacked by a group of rogue werewolves, Jane is saved by a stranger who claims he used to be the Mercy Blade to New Orleans' vampires, tasked with killing vamps who've gone insane. In the meantime, Jane's boyfriend, undercover cop Rick LaFleur, seems to have disappeared. It's up to her to make sure the vamps and weres play nice, find Rick, and help the police solve a murder.

There was a lot going on in this book, as Jane learns more about vampire history and politics, as well as more information about her own background. The action was fast-paced and engrossing, which is why I stayed up late to finish it.

Five stars!

★★★★★
chez_jae: (Books)
I stayed up too late on Wednesday night, finishing Blood Cross by Faith Hunter. It's the second book in her series featuring skinwalker heroine Jane Yellowrock.

After doing a job for the vampires in New Orleans, they contract Jane to stay on and help rid the city of a vamp who is creating young rogues and allowing them to run loose. Jane has to juggle her investigation, while playing hostess to her best friend Molly (a witch) and Molly's two children, and simultaneously staying away from Leo Pellissier, the Blood Master of the city. Complicating matters are two potential suitors for Jane, as well as the fact that witch children are being abducted in the city.

Jane begins to see a correlation between the abductions and the creation of rogue vampires. When Molly's children are taken, Jane is in a race to save them before they can be sacrificied in a bizarre ritual.

This is top-notch urban fantasy, and I really enjoy the times when Jane's "other half", a cougar she calls simply Beast, comes to the fore.

Five stars for this one!

★★★★★
chez_jae: (Books)
I stayed up late last night to finish the book I'd been reading at home. It was Skinwalker by Faith Hunter. It's the first in her urban fantasy series featuring Jane Yellowrock, who is a skinwalker of Cherokee descent.

Jane makes a living hunting rogue vampires, and she's been hired by the Vampire Council of New Orleans to kill a rogue who has been savaging people in the French Quarter. Jane has never interacted with "sane" vampires, and dealing with them and their politics is a learning experience for her.

The book had a unique premise, in that Jane carries the spirit of a mountain lion in her. When she shifts, she typically takes on the form of Beast, and the story then shifts to Beast's point of view. The story had me guessing right up to the end, as it was difficult to discern who were the good guys and who was the bad guy.

I know I have at least one more in this series, and I plan to look for the others.

Four stars!

★★★★

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