by Jennifer Rardin
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Imprint: Orbit
Publish Date: June 2, 2011
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Source: Net Galley E-book arc
My Rating: ***** 5 of 5 stars
Blurb From Publisher:
I have two choices. Carve Brude’s name into Hell’s bile-encrusted gates. Or lose my soul.
After an assassination attempt on Vayl, I find myself pulled into a tangled web that takes the gang to Romania. So how will I save a ghost, rescue a demon, and cheat the Great Taker out of a soul he’s slavering for while defeating my nastiest foe yet so that Vayl can, at last, cherish a few precious years with his sons? With careful planning, major violence, and one (hopefully) final trip to Hell.
My Review:
The Deadliest Bite is book 8 (the final installment) in Jennifer Rardin’s urban fantasy series. This series has followed Jaz Parks, a supernatural CIA assassin, and her partner, a centuries old vampire named Vayl, through thrilling adventures, dangers, and countries. This installment is quite special, it is do or die (literally) for Jaz in this adventure. Jaz must discover how to unlock an ancient artifact and survive a trip to hell in order to live, and she only has days to accomplish this.
For starters, I love how in this installment, we get to really see Jaz and Vayl as a couple. They have a chemistry between them that has been building since book 1, and finally, we get to truly see them together, and I loved it. Jaz puts her past relationship and loss behind her, and even Vayl gets his priorities straight for once. He quits antagonizing over his missing son’s souls, and focuses on what he has. As for Vayls missing sons, that story line is addressed here, and it’s surprising and perfectly fitting to the series.
The Deadliest Bite is not what I was expecting. I was expecting the gang to take an immediate trip to hell. However, I was surprised to find that the group had to deal with other issues first. Cole has issues with his demon-touched self, Cassandra and Dave have plenty of surprises to share, and Bergman has lady troubles. All together, the series ends on a high note, with story lines tied up, and others begun, and all of it fitting to the series.
**As to the series, when asked how I would describe the Jaz Parks series, I say think of the show Alias (assassins, CIA, dangerous missions, etc) pumped up with supernaturals (vampires, shifters, demons, and others). This series is high energy, and Jaz is full of snarky humor, terrible language, and she makes the best silly and inane comments at the worst times. This series is a must for urban fantasy fans, I very highly recommend this series. There is not much romance, but there is a bit of sexual tension and chemistry, just to make things even more interesting. To sum it up, don’t miss this series!
You can find The Deadliest Bite on Amazon.com on June 2, 2011, Don’t miss it!
May 20, 2011 at 11:37 am
Interesting book. The cover is hot! I like the name of the character Yayl. If you have aliens, supernatural, assassins…vampires…sounds like a rollercoaster ride of excitement.
May 20, 2011 at 3:27 pm
I got this through Netgalley too but I've not gotten to it yet. I need to get back to this series ASAP.
May 25, 2011 at 1:57 am
I've seen a few reviews of this series now and all I have to say is: I WANT TO READ THEM! You all give such an awesome picture about what they are.
Great review!
May 28, 2011 at 4:59 pm
I think I am going to have to check out this series. If you are still reading it at book 8 and give it 5 stars, it must be good! I like that it has a mix of everything that makes a book good all in one!
June 3, 2011 at 11:40 am
I completely agree. 5 stars at book 8 is incredible, this goes onto my 'Must reads'. I appreciated your synopsis of the series, thanks a lot.
June 24, 2011 at 2:42 pm
I haven't started this series yet but intend to, I may have to bump it up on my list now.