Ladies and Gent's Welcome to Jaz's world. . .

I must admit I had, at first, quite the time getting to like Jasmine Parks. I thought that she would be too rough and sarcastic to be likeable. I was wrong. Within a couple of the chapters her character grew on me - and is one of the most unique characters I have read to date. With that said Jennifer Rardin creates new rules for vampires. Two that stuck out to me were: vampires eat and drink (which in most books they do not) and the second rule is that one fatal blow to either the head or heart will kill them (usually in books a stake to the heart, chop of the head, and then scatter the remains far and wide.) I find that very intriguing. But I digress from the book review.

With all jobs comes secrecy. Now some jobs have more secrets than others. For example a barista at Starbucks might hold a secret to one of their lattes, while a person working for the C.I.A. might hold a secret that has more weight. Jasmine Parks is a C.I.A. agent in charge of killing terrorists both of the natural and supernatural kind. When we meet Jaz Parks she is in a meeting with her boss Pete. One of the worlds leading vampires, working for the CIA, specifically requested to work with her.

Vayl has been dead since 1744 and been working for the CIA for a good time. He requests Jaz because she is smart, skilled, and yes a little crazy (but aren't we all?) After six months together they almost know everything there is to know about each other. Their new mission is somewhere along the lines of "saving the world". They have to go up against a man named Assan. Assan has been parading around as a wealthy plastic surgeon who helps under privilege children look pretty. It is a front after all, and he has been suppling money to one of the more pure evil terrorist groups "Sons of Paradise".

Jaz and Vayl attend one of Assan's charity events at his house. Their mission seems easy. At 7pm attend dinner, 8pm eat the entrees, 9pm assassinate Assan. Sounds so easy, they'd still make time for The Late Night Show. But as one of the memorable lines in the book says "nothing goes according to plan". While Jaz and Vayl scope out the house they over hear two of Assan's goons talking about the final stage of the virus - one that will decimate 90% of the world. Now their plan has completely shifted gears. Assan is not the only player. In fact the list includes one of the "trusted" senators, Vayl's ex-wife who is out for Jaz's blood (and not in the good way), and a slew of other people. They only have a limited time to solve the riddle of the virus, stop and eliminate the terrorists, and oh yeah - save Jaz's soul (you'll understand near the end of the book.)

One you get past Jaz's rough edges she is a really funny, smart, and real character. Plus, it helps that she has feelings for Vayl - and can't act on them. It makes for some very awkward and funny situations :)

Another blog that have reviewed this book are: Wendy's Minding Spot

Other books in the series :

1) Once Bitten Twice Shy

2) Another One Bites the Dust

3) Bitting the Bullet

4) Bitten to Death

5) One More Bite

6) Bite Marks (October 2009)

Once Bitten Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin New York (c) 2007

Rardin's website is here