The Deadliest Bite Review

The Deadliest Bite (Jaz Parks 8)

-          Jennifer Rardin

Publisher: Orbit

E-Arc courtesy of netgalley and Orbit Books – Out now

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.

This is the last book in the Jaz Parks series and sadly the last book by Jennifer Rardin who died last year. Fortunately, she managed to tie up most of the loose ends in the Jaz’s world and this book is a very satisfying final meal. This book is definitely one for fans – I’m not sure it makes much sense if you haven’t read the previous books – but that does mean you have the joy of meeting Jaz and exploring her world starting with Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

Jaz as usual, has a lot on her plate. She has to figure out how to separate the mystical hammer and chisel which is the only way to evict and unwanted demon from her head. Vayl’s long awaited reunion with his sons is immediate…and if they don’t kill each other, they might loose their own souls. So, it’s pretty much business as usual. Luckily she has help in the form of her former crush, her twin brother, a psychic, her genius college roommate, her pets and of course her vampire lover, Vayl. I don’t want to say too much but this has all the haul marks of a classic Jaz Parks adventure. There is little that is surplus with every accomplishment and conversation adding to the tension and moving the characters and plot forward.

The action is non-stop and makes your heart leap into your throat. At the same time characters aren’t forgotten and it’s great to see how far all the characters have come since we first met them. This series has been a breath of fresh air in the Urban Fantasy genre with explosive set pieces and some real heart – despite our main characters being CIA assassins and I’ll miss Jaz, Vayl and the gang.

Recommended for fans of Jaye Wells and Lillith Saintcrow. 8 out of 10

Bitten In Two Review

Bitten In Two (Jaz Parks 7)

-       Jennifer Rardin

Publisher: US – Orbit

Jaz Parks here. I. Am. Pissed. Just as Vayl and I arrive in Morocco to secure an ancient artifact, he wakes up calling me by another woman's name. And it's not even a good one. But since any form of argument transforms him into an unholy terror, I'm forced to play along until the gang and I can figure out what kind of power has so vastly altered his perceptions. So it's time for me to do what any well-trained assassin in my position might do. I attack. What follows is a hair-raising, breath-taking bullet train ride to the finish as the crew battles on multiple fronts. I now know what I have to do - I must return to hell one last time.

Vayl doesn’t recognise Jaz or any of the team – in fact he thinks it’s 1777 and Jaz is his middle aged, rotund house keeper. And for anyone who knows Jaz will be aware, there is nothing that will stop from her from regaining his memories – whatever the cost. And with a set up like that we are thrown headlong into Jaz Parks world where the CIA top assassin is a vampire, souls can be bartered with demons and robotic cats can fire grenades out their butts. Once again I loved being immersed in the world where half a dozen life threatening events happen at once and emotions are always near the surface – whether it’s cracking up at your friends painkiller-fuelled ramblings or weeping over your lost partner’s memories.

Jaz is under a lot a pressure here and while there is a lot going on, I felt it flowed better than the previous book. The missions are much more personal to the team and therefore I was more invested in whether they succeeded or not. What shines through here is how strong Jaz’s relationship is with the men in her life; Vayl, her assassin partner, Bergman, old college roommate and Q of their group and Cole, former crush and recruit. She is on solid ground with all three and her reliance and trust of them shows how much she has changed since we met a cold, hearted Jaz in the first book.

This was so much fun and I had such fun reading it that it saddens me there aren’t many more adventures for my favourite CIA assassins left due to Jennifer Rardin untimely death last year. Still this is one to savour while you can – like a glass of fizzy of pop. But don’t take too long as it may go flat if left out too long! J

Recommended for fans of Buffy and Ilona Andrews. 8 out of 10.

Bite Marks Review

Bite Marks (Jaz Parks 6)

-       Jennifer Rardin

Publisher: Orbit

Jaz is possessed. After biting the neck of a domyter during a forced visit to his territory, she now has unwelcome voices in her head. While fighting for supremacy in her own mind, she finds herself confronted with a near-impossible task: perform perfectly on her next mission or face the unemployment line. This goal wouldn't be unreasonable, except that her newest target, the leader of a security software firm, plans on transporting a boatload of gnome larvae into NASA's deep space communication complex. Why gnomes? Let's just say that their god is a little peeved with humanity and plans on the usual: total annihilation. Joining Jaz and Vayl are their old buddies Cole, Bergman, Cassandra and Jack the malamute, each of whom has his or her own agenda. Between Cassandra's curse, Jaz's literally mental personal demons, and a host of angry gnomes, this mission is definitely going to be more complicated than any that have come before.

I have to confess it’s been a while since I read the first five Jaz Parks books. I think Orbit in the UK stopped publishing them here or something and the only one’s I could find were over priced and over sized US versions (although to be honest it was the price more than the size than annoyed me!). Late last year I found this in a closing down sale of one of my favourite bookstores so I had to pick it up. J 

Bite Marks starts a mere week after the end of the last book with a new mission for Jaz, her vampire partner Vayl and the rest of their jet-setting team. This time the mission is in Australia and they need to stop some fanatical gnomes from infecting a human with their larvae in order for them to hatch in the NASA communications office and disturbing all NASA space flights. One of the joys of the Jaz Parks series is the whacky James Bond-esque villainy plans. Yes, it might sound absurd, but in a world where your best friend is a 500 year old seer (called Cassandra naturally), your spirit guide is looking for a train set and vampire partner can freeze the air with a thought it all works. The action is non-stop, the banter between everyone – friend or foe – is quick and sharp and the story races along as fast as a Londoner commuter who’s spotted the only empty seat on the 5pm train.

My one issue with the book is that everything happens too quickly – there is little time to catch your breathe between mission and personal affairs – and unless I missed it, this whole adventure plays out over the one (very busy) night. However, this is still adrenalin rushing fun complete with complex characters who may not be normal, but definitely make a dysfunctional family.   

Recommended for fans for James Bond and Karen Chance. 7 out of 10