The Deadliest Bite Jaz Parks #8
by Jennifer Rardin
Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: June 2nd 2011 by Orbit
ISBN 0316043818
Courtesy of NetGalley
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.
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My Thoughts:
The eighth and last installment in the Jaz Parks series, The Deadliest Bite is bittersweet to say the least.
*May contain series spoilers. You should read the rest of the series before this one, or you will miss major plot elements tied to each novel. Not to mention an awesome urban fantasy series!
The series follows CIA assassin Jaz Parks and her vampire partner, Vayl, across the world fighting diabolical creatures of the Otherworld and deadly terrorists that threaten our country. All her adventures have lead to this thrilling climax where it is do or die time for this fantastical agent. Jaz must travel to Hell and carve the evil Brude’s name on Hell’s wall with an ancient tool, or loose her soul. It’s never a solo journey when it comes to her loyal team though and each character is put to the test in the depths of Hell. But will Jaz have to make a decision between her life and the life of her lover’s children?
In this last book, The Deadliest Bite, we finally get to see the outcome of the relationship that books 1-7 have built between Jaz and Vayl; the chemistry, the passion, the trust and the love. The novel starts off with them enjoying some down time in Vayl’s home and playing a fun game of strip hide ‘n’ seek. They both have moved on from their pasts and have developed a lasting connection, they stop dwelling on what they’ve lost and look to what they have, with each other. But the past has a way of sneaking up on you and when a would-be-murdered turns out to be one of Vayl’s long lost sons things start to get interesting! Jaz tells the story from her POV, sometimes making statements like "Cole would later tell me that…” The world Rardin has built is wonderfully descriptive without over doing it. With strong characters all around, each well developed with their own little quirks. The Jaz Parks series is fun, snarky, humorous and adventurous, and The Deadliest Bite is no exception. It’s well paced with just the right amount of action and suspense with a fun little twist concerning Vayl’s sons. Jaz is her normal feisty self, true to the character we first met in Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Light romance and exciting sexual tension adds to the entertainment of it all. A fantastic UF series to add to your list and a must read for sure!
This was the last novel that Jennifer Rardin penned before passing away, and I’m not sure if it was meant to be the last in the series or not, but it really wrapped up everything nicely giving all the characters a bright and happy future. Rardin will definitely live on in my mind as one of my all time favorite authors.
Series Order:
The Deadliest Bite**Orbit has just released two short stories from the series for $1.99 each, you can check them out at Orbit's FaceBook page.
Rating: 4 Wine Glasses - Loved It!
Looks really good..Wish i could tell you i have read some of her books but i havent..But it looks like a good set of books.. Thank you
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