laws of the blood (partners) [Mass Market Paperback]

Vampires are subject to their own special laws in this universe, and Enforcers are the ubervampires charged with the duty to enforce these laws. Vampires can only feed upon mortal flesh in authorized Hunts, for example. Most importantly, they can do nothing that would alert the human population to their presence. When vampires break the law, Enforcers serve as judge, jury, and executioner. Charlotte McCairn is a relatively new Enforcer; in the two years since her transformation from vampire to Hunter, she has spent her time doing research rather than face active duty out on the streets. She calls herself Char because that sounds tough, but she has yet to earn the distinction of the name. That changes when Istvan the dhampir, the baddest Enforcer of them all, sends her out to kill Jebel Haven. Haven is a self-styled vampire killer; even though the vampire-like creatures he has devoted his life to killing aren't actually vampires, the Strigoi Council has decided he poses a future threat to vampirekind and must be eliminated. At the same time, a vampire nest leader comes to Char asking for help - one of her nestlings has disappeared and may be involved in some pretty dark activities (of the sulfurous variety) - a definite no-no in vampire circles. Meanwhile, vampire buster Jebel Haven is coerced into taking a job of his own, hunting the very same vampire Char is searching for. The missing young vampire seems to have gotten mixed up with a demon, and Char and Haven eventually work together in an uneasy, complicated, increasingly close partnership to find him. Char plans to kill Jebel after the search is over, of course, but things get a little complicated along the way.

Char is a fascinating character, learning the ways of the Enforcer before our (and Jebel's) very eyes. There is plenty of action to keep the reader engaged in the story, and the evolving relationship between Char and Jebel is not only interesting but a lot of fun to watch. After all, vampire killer meets vampire charged with the task of killing said vampire hunter isn't your typical romantic pairing. Sizemore does a wonderful job letting the relationship develop, giving us quite a grounding in her vision of vampirology in the process. At the same time, the question of how these two opposites will react toward one another in the end is never far from the reader's mind. All of this makes for an engaging and refreshingly different sort of vampire story and helps establish Susan Sizemore as a bonafide modern craftswoman in the art of vampirology.

Jebel Haven was searching for a missing teenager who may have been abducted by vampires. Since Char and Jebel both searched for the same teen, they reluctantly joined forces. Neither were totally honest with the other and both had deadly plans for the other once Daniel was located.

A dark cult had formed in the streets of Seattle. Getting to Daniel was much harder than they believed it would be. The cult had Daniel. The main cult leaders were a sorcerer and a demon. The sorcerer would be no trouble; however, a demon was a child of a lower god. One Law of the Blood read "It is death to any vampire who interferes in the affairs of the children of the lower gods."

** Unlike the first of this series, I found the second difficult to get into. The first half was so slow and the scenes were scattered and choppy. Yet the second half was non-stop action.

By the time I found this series, books 1 - 5 were already published. By reading the back covers I learned that each book was a different city and a different Enforcer. Char and her companion will return in book five. Therefore, I must guess that these main characters will interact with each other some time in the future. You CAN skip book two, but if you intend to read the whole series DO NOT skip it. This book will explain Char and Jebel. Since they WILL be returning in future book(s), this one is worth your time to pick up. But search a used book store first. **

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.