Jaz Parks 3: Biting the Bullet

Well, she followed the formula again. This time the new race of spookies were these creepy emotion-suckers that steal emotions from the host while the host kills or tortures someone. Creepy, eh?

But, we find out some really crazy intel on Jaz's family members during this book. Life-changing crazy intel. And, Vayl and Jaz have their own little dramas throughout. A pretty intense drama at one point. And, of course, Cole takes the opportunity to profess his undying love to Jaz and finally ask her if they can act on those feelings. We'll see where that goes in the future. So, not much new to report, still a fun read and on to the next book.

Jaz Parks 2: Another One Bites the Dust

This one had all the requirements for a sequel that I like. It was as action-packed and bum-kicking as the original AND it added a new race of "others" to the list of bad guys. This time Jaz goes after a few reavers in her search for Samos. And they do some pretty cool things. They have shields that only Jaz can see with her new sensitivity.

She basically has to time her attacks to slide between the reavers' shields. The term reavers makes me think of the creepy things from Firefly. These are not exactly similar. But, they are soul-eaters who lick souls with their studded tongues and slurp them into the third eye on their forehead (eww!). So, Jaz has to deal with these guys while trying to thwart a terrorist attack by vampires that could trigger a world war.

Heavy, right? This is a great fun read. If you're into urban fantasy heroine-focused series, this is a great one to get on your ereader to-read list.

Definitely a good time! Next up, Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks series book three: Biting the Bullet.

Jaz Parks Once Bitten, Twice Shy Review

I recall in college a friend of mine would compare whether it was a "good movie" or a "good time," meaning it was either truly a good piece of cinematic art or just an enjoyable movie to watch. The Jaz Parks series is definitely a "good time," it's not epic literature, it's just a fun read. It's an action-oriented urban fantasy with a strong female lead (one of my guilty pleasures). I loved it.

With the holidays, this one took me a while to read, but it was one of those I wished I didn't have to put down. The heroine, Jaz, and her love interest, Vayl, are pretty well developed in this first book and I look forward to some of the other side characters like family members, co-workers and friends being fleshed out a bit more throughout the series. Author Jennifer Rardin debuted this series well with Orbit Books. They immediately booked her for two more in the series and she has since published a total of 7 in this series.

The action and character development progress in parallel well, without dropping one or the other for two long. The story progresses well and (sometimes more importantly) ends well, but still leaves you wanting to see what's next for the characters.

I've been known to drop a series or two after the first book if I don't truly enjoy it, but this will not be one of them. This urban fantasy series fits the bill for those who love characters like Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan.

Happy reading!

PS: Looking for a virtual book club? Check out Life as Mom's, I'll be joining in.

In my ereader now...

I have Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks series. Book one, Once Bitten, Twice Shy published by Orbit Books has been in my ereader for a while now (the holidays slowed me down). The series is an urban fantasy set in the vein of Kim Harrison's The Hollows series, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. The superbad heroine, policesque protagonist who has some sort of supernatural powers or connections.

These books are short ones (about 150 pages) so the series should go fast. So far, it's action packed and filled with vampires, soul-eaters and mysterious humans.

Also, be sure to check out Lifeasmom's Booking it in 2011 project.