Book Title
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Author
Jennifer Rardin
Publisher/Year
Orbit/Originally published in 2007, Orbit mass market published in 2009
Genre/Sub-genre
Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Horror
Stand alone or series
Jaz Parks Series
Short Synopsis (Back cover)
I'm Jaz Parks. My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that's ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the CIA doing what he does best-assassination. And I help him. You could say I'm an assistant assassin. But then I would have to kick your ass.
Vayl and I have to take out a Miami plastic surgeon with ties to terrorism. But the assignment gets complicated when it turns out he's in cahoots with a supernatural nasty powerful enough to bring America to it's knees.
Content:
Sex & Nudity
A few references here and there (it is an adult novel), but no actual sex or nudity. They are too busy saving the world.
Violence & Gore
There is plenty of killing, trying to kill, blood, and guts. It's not descriptive to the extreme, but it is descriptive.
Profanity
Not as much as, say, a Tom Clancy novel. There are a few light swear words here and there.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking
None (that I recall)
Frightening/Intense Scenes
Just about every other scene is intense or frightening. The ending scene particularly.
Your Rating and Thoughts (Anyone can add their own)
Five Stars
When I first started reading this I was just a tad nervous, because I had been burned when reading the last few books similar to it. However, I was delighted when I reached the intense and climactic end and nothing had happened that would stop me from reading it again.
Jaz Parks is a very interesting, strong female character with a past that is revealed slowly through the book. By the end you are so astonished and sympathetic for her that you just want to hug her, if only she promises not to kill you if you do.
Vayl, the vampire and other main character, is just as interesting, but more mysterious, as Jaz is. As you read about him you want to know why he acts the way he does, why he hides his past like a secret.
All in all, this book was very good, and I would recommend it to anyone who reads Urban Fantasy.
