Bloodlines [Paperback]

Zara, a high class thief turned hit woman, goes to visit her friend and rogue witch Mishka for her next contract, or assignment. The warlock leader of a rivaling coven to Mishka's parents' coven. Even though the pay is less, a lot less, than she wants she is talked into the job for the spoils Sean O'Connor has in his home AND for the bounty on his son as well. In the process of the job Zara learns some interesting information and goes back to Mishka for answers. Only to find there is more trouble lurking in the shadows, and there are those after the powerful witch covens and vampires too. Death and 'napping is at an all high for both groups. Zara gets pulled into the mix while protecting herself, then to protect others as well.

I really enjoyed the writing style here in this book. The way the picture is drawn with the character and the surroundings used with each other to see. The comparisons used and metaphors to help get the feel across to us. The story kept moving forward, even when I thought the worst has happened the world opens up to a new level of bad for the characters. Always moving forward with the action and happenings, to then bring you to the end that works out... for almost everyone.

Quickly in the first chapter I got pulled into the world and meet Zara, which had me liking her off the bat. The way the story is worded has me on Zara's side with her vamping ways, and agreeing with her on her pick in victims. Zara has a snarky humor and loves her clothes. What girl doesn't, right? But, as Zara can at times come across self-centered, I still got the feel there was more to her as to why she acted this way. And boy did I learn more about her. Even in the end Zara had me worried and scared. But I enjoyed where Skyla took the story.

Zara felt as she really grew for me as I got to know her better through the book. The author, Skyla, is not afraid to pull the punches on her characters, and by doing so has created a fast paced action read with a touch of fun snark that you wont want to stop turning the pages of, just to see what trouble Zara will fall into next.

Then there are the secondary characters, which I really enjoyed. They blended well with Zara, even when they clashed in personality. There was one character I loved who ended up being not so nice, but I still enjoyed his character! Another character ~ Nathan ~ brought more out of Zara and connected with her nicely, even though they are two different people. Mm, mm, mm. Nate! He is the next hottie Warlock around. He is more than what meets the eyes, so keep an eye on him. ;)

I liked the take on Vampirism in this book. It is more a demon parasite and has a system about it. Very nice take on it! For I could follow and believe the vampire development in this world.

At the end of the book there's a short story, Thrall. Which is from Nathan's point of view while Zara and he are... separated... (once you read the book you will understand.) This is a wonderful addition to the story! It gives you a little more insight to the world of magic and vampires as the story is told from Nate's eyes and feelings. And once the story is all done and you read this one, you start to think on what might happen in the future...

I will definitely be looking for more of this series and world. The next two books will have an appearance by Zara but will be from a different characters view on their stories. But don't fret as Zara will be back in book 4 and I'm waiting for her, and her friend... I can't wait for these characters again and to see what they have in store for us.

This book was a good ride, thanks largely to Zara, the kickass vampire narrator. Her voice is so strong that it pulls you in and does not let go until the last word...and then you want more!

Zara is quite self-absorbed and has tons of attitude, but I liked her instantly and her character just got better as you learned her history and why she is the way she is. I expected something...less from this book because I'm so used to over-done female leads, but was pleasantly surprised by this female lead and how she just JUMPS off the page and sucks you right in.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a refreshing romp through the world of vampires and witches and demons. It's definitely worth the read! And I only gave it 4 stars because it was too short for my liking :) I wanted more...

I read Bloodlines shortly before I went on vacation and I had absolutely no idea where to begin with the review. Seriously! I sat in front of my little pink notebook (it's got flowers on it and everything - what? my mommy gave it to me so I could write my reviews down!) and just stared at the blank page. Normally, this would be a sign of bad things to come, but in all honesty, I had so much to say, I was afraid that it was going to come out in one big giant fangirl squee, so... where did I begin?

Zara. While she initially rubbed my Partner-In-Crime (PIC) Bells (who convinced me to move this book up my TBR list) the wrong way, I immediately loved her. She's snarky, she's blunt, and she's just plain awesome. There's a certain level of cockiness that you'd except from a man - and that's what makes me love her. She's unapologetic about who she is. She's got her reasons for being the way she is, but she doesn't toss them around, doesn't whine about it constantly (which is just annoying), no "wah wah wah, my mommy doesn't love me" like you see with so many other wounded heroines these days. FINALLY! A genuinely awesome BA herione! Thank you Skyla!

Nate. Oh, what can I say about Nate. *insert wolf whistle here* He's a SEXY warlock who's focused on his goal and refuses to let himself be distracted by a gorgeous (albeit deadly) vampire. Hello, HottiePants! I have to agree with my PIC's assessment of Nate by putting him on the Book Boyfriend list. He's smart, he's powerful, he's dedicated,, and above all, he's loyal. I actually loved the banter between them, even when it was him refusing her, or maybe especially him refusing her. What can I say? Sexual tension amps up a book and Skyla Dawn is really freaking good at writing it. Case in point:

"I've been around a long, long time, and I've invented positions you couldn't dream of. I can take you right here hard and fast, sweet and slow, ride you to exhaustion until you're empty but craving more, and then do it all again."

His blood was rushing south - I could feel it, heat searing, burning in him. He leaned closer, eyes leveled at me, mouth nearly brushing mine. "And I could take you to the edge and keep you there for hours, quivering near madness, begging me to release you, and that's even without bringing magic into it. But that will never happen. Ever."

I loved the world she built and the characters in it. Jamie irritated me, although I'm pretty sure he was supposed to, and there's something about Mishka I can't put my finger on (Bells and I have out theories, but I won't post them here for fear of spoilers), and I'm not going to say which way I'm leaning as to whether or not I love her or hate her... mostly because I'm not entirely sure.

My one issue with the book is in the epilogue, and I can't talk about it without giving a MAJOR spoiler away. Skyla assures me that things will work out the way they're supposed to, and that I shouldn't worry, so I'm putting my trust in her... for now. I know she's evil, so I can't trust her too much.

Overall, I totally loved the book and was still GUSHING about it weeks after I finished it. I totally can't wait for the next book.