And now I have Queen stuck in my head and I'm having flashbacks to the skating rink.

To the subject at hand: a great read! I was very uncertain about this book at the start; the plot about the body armour is just too sci-fi for me (that's where 1/2 star went). But the bulk of the story doesn't involve the body armour directly; it's a story about Jaz's redemption, Vayl's unrequited attachment to her (so far) and the Scooby Gang they acquired in the last book (and I mean Scooby Gang in the most complimentary way possible).

I think, overall, the actual structure the plot is built around is shaky at best. The plot is clear: they have to retrieve the armour. But the bad-guy/doomsday portion of the plot had me rolling my eyes a tiny, little bit. I chalk this up to personal preference: I lean towards preferring subtle machinations; these are more grandiose. Think James Bond with supernatural beings. But Bergman's gadgets? Very cool.

I mentioned this in my review of the first book, but I think it warrants a repeat: reports of the author committing suicide have completely altered the way I read her books, whether they are true or not. I can't help but read Jaz's struggles with death and separation as coming more directly from the voice of the author. The story is fun, funny, and entertaining, but there's a depth there now due to my altered perceptions going into the book that would have likely sailed clear over my head otherwise. Call me shallow, but I don't read books about vampires and CIA assassins expecting to have deeper themes leave a lasting impression on me after I've closed the cover.

I have book 3 on my pile and I'll be looking forward to starting it.

(This was a buddy read with Degrees of Affection and I thank her very much for motivating me to finally pick up this series!) ( )

2nd in the Jaz Parks series and still highly entertained. This one Jaz, Vayl and the gang are after a Chinese Vampire who has a suit of armor that has bonded with his body and makes him into a near invincible dragon. This is another that is just about non-stop action and keeps you reading wondering what's happening next. I look forward to more in the series. ( )

This series is a little bit of a struggle for me. Not sure why. But I would totally recommend it.

Jaz is a CIA assassin, with a few mental issues. I like that because it's still the hard ass woman kicking butt, but she does have a lot of realistic emotional struggles. I think it makes her relatable. There are so many times where she is thinking about fear and it's affects on her job, that are really amazing paragraphs. They are so deep, and anyone can relate to those emotions. She's still a little schitzy in this one as well.

This time she is going after Miles' (the James Bond gadget creator type) stolen armor. This armor is super bad ass and basically creates the ultimate warrior. So they need to get it back. So the gang has to pose as a carnival gig. Cassandra the psychic, Bergman (Miles) the "producer", Cole is the juggler, Vayl is going to sing, and Jaz gets to belly dance. It's just neat how she is professional, and has emotions but doesn't let them get in the way. She still seems feminine. It's not just the ball buster chick who's one of the guys, that you find when there is a strong female character. Anyways. So they keep getting closer to catching the mastermind in all of this, but again they run into MANY problems a lot the way.

Again, not sure how someone said this was a romance. I'm not seeing it. She mentions a couple of times that she is very attracted to Vayl (and I think a little towards Cole but she would never go there I don't think) but since loosing Matt she won't date anyone that she works with anymore. Matt was her fiance he was part of a slaughter that had taken place. So she has dating issues.

All in all. I think this was a good book. ( )

2nd of the series continues to entertain .. fun fun fun. ( )

Urban Fantasy at it's best. Vayl and Jaz team up with Cassandra psychic and Cole a sensitive. The hunt for Santos leads them to Corpus Christi Texas at a Winter festival where Jaz serves Vayl a sexy belly dance. Jaz struggles with nightmares trying to recover from her love loss. Feeling are sparking on the sidelines between Jaz and Vayl, as is power developed from their union. Excellent action and character development.I could not set this book down. ( )