Another One Bites the Dust (Jaz Parks) [Paperback]

Jaz and Vayl's latest mission finds them pursuing stolen biotechnology, and saving the world...again. :) Also along for the ride are Cole, Bergman and Cassandra. The group goes undercover at the Corpus Christi Winter festival - fighting reavers, human extremists and dragons. Jaz is still dealing with her unresolved issues and once more the ultimate villain (Samos) proves to be elusive.

The thing I adore about this series is the relationship between Jaz and Vayl. They have great chemistry together, but the situation doesn't feel forced or rushed. They are still having misunderstandings, very realistic as he's a vampire and is over 300 years old. At certain points in the book Jaz is somewhat self-involved, and thus there's a delay between Vayl's actions and her grasping what he's about. Unfortunately by the time she's up to speed, he's brooding. It's realistic though, because she's still dealing with the death of her fiance. She's trying to resolve the issues in her sleep, so you have to pick up the cues when surreal stuff starts happening, as she doesn't always realize she's dreaming. Very well written.

The dialogue is again snippy, sarcastic, witty and self-depracating and I find Jaz's internal commentary hilarious. The banter between the characters means you are racing through the pages whilst at the same time not wanting it to end. There are so many quips to choose from.

"Something was stuck in my throat. If I was a guy, I'd have sworn they were my testicles."

My favourite is the 'snippy' comment on p59 of the UK issue. Just like book 1 the story is peppered with moments that make you laugh, wince and surprise you. And for those of you who've read book 1 and remember the hula dancing quote, p3 'belly dancing'. nuff said.

We learn more about the other members of the team in this book. Especially Bergman and Cassandra. Though it's not necessarily in what they say, but more in their behaviour and actions towards each other. There's a definite friction between them, which makes for some snappy dialogue. He's very much of the technological and Cassandra is of the magical.

There are also things left unresolved here that I think it will be important in upcoming books. Especially Cassandra's vision. Of some concern is that it's hinted Jaz might be developing new powers. Always a bit of a worry in urban fantasy that your hero/heroine is going to be 'The One' and become super-powerful and boring. But that's a concern for a future book.

Also available:-
Book 1 - Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Book 3 - Biting the Bullet

If you enjoyed the first book then buy this one it is actually slighty better than the first one as you learn more about the characters. The simmering romance is still there as are the laughs(Jaz bellydancing!)This book has a really good plot with spies,gadgets,romance(well sort of).It is more like a supernatural thriller than anything else. I never say much about the plot but my one criticism is that towards the end it runs out of steam and you can see what's coming.It just lost it's edge which is why it did not get 5 stars.I did however still really enjoy it and it is well worth a read.

Ever since the Anita Blake series turned into bad porn, I've been hunting for a good urban fantasy series, with plenty of action, vampires and a likable yet tough female lead.

Well, I may have found what I'm looking for, in Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks. Her second novel "Another One Bites the Dust" has plenty of guns, gore, evil vampires and brewing world wars, but Rardin doesn't lost her grip on the inner intricacies of the characters, or the tongue-in-cheek way they do their jobs.

New target for the team: a Chinese vampire and his acrobat troupe, who are performing at the Corpus Christi Winter Festival. Even worse, he stole Bergman's invincible "dragon armour."

So while Jaz struggles with the prospect of public belly-dancing, she finds herself facing a crabby undercover team, soul-devouring reavers, religious fanatics, and a luxury yacht full of vampires consulting with Chinese generals. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jaz is being haunted by nightmares about her fiance and brother, which always end with her almost getting killed -- for real.

And it's getting progressively more dangerous to poke around the acrobats and their bosses, especially when Jaz finds that reavers are only called in for one thing -- to start world wars. The armour, reavers, and acrobats are all wound up in an international conspiracy -- and to stop the big bads, Jaz will need all her team's technical and supernatural skill.

That stiletto boot with knife in strap sort of suggests that this is some sort of vampire-slaying chick-lit. That's rather deceptive, because "Another One Bites the Dust" has none of that.

In fact, it's sort of a vampire-slaying secret-agent story, complete with dress-ups, romantic tension, lots of gory death and torn-up bodies, and a gloriously explosive, kinetic final chase scene that is worthy of an action movie. Rardin weaves in some enjoyably comic moments and entertaining dialogue ("It sounds like someone's seesawing dental floss inside her nose!" "Are you sure she's not our target?").

But she balances out the fast-bang action and international conspiracies with a healthy dose of Team Jaz exploration. Since all the good guys are crammed into a largish RV, we get to see how these guys operate when they're forced to spend a lot of time living together-- and it's a credit to Rardin that she keeps things from ever turning sitcommy. Blech.

But none of this would matter if Jaz weren't a likable, tough, believable heroine... and she is. She's smart, funny, a little too reckless, and acutely attached to all of her coworkers. But this time, she's forced to deal with her unresolved, guilt-riddled feelings about the death of her fiancee, and the source of her suicidal nightmares.

And her team is no less likable -- Vayl is one hot gypsy vampire, though I'm glad the smoldering tension between him and Jaz doesn't overwhelm the storyline. Cole, Bergman and Cassandra add their own quirky, sometimes dramatic edge to the story, and we get some very nasty villains, including a "Dragon Lady" vampire and a bunch of ravenous three-eyed reavers.

"Another One Bites the Dust" is a solid, enjoyable story for anyone who likes their vampire stories fast and witty, and their heroines strong and likable. Definitely an author to watch.