Helpful Score: 2
wow..way better than the first book in the series. I can't wait for the next one and I hope there is more Dory and Louis-Cesare!
Helpful Score: 2
Another great book by Chance. I love her fast-paced writing where the action never stops. And Dory is great heroine - strong but yet flawed and almost human. There were a couple chapters I skimmed over where I felt they didn't add to the story, but all in all an exciting story... and more (near) sex scenes than any of her other books. I give this a very solid four stars.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the second time I tried to read this book. The first time I couldn't get into it for some reason. This time I couldn't put it down.
I like the random humor and all the characters. I wish there were cameos of Cassie from Chance's other series and wanted to see more of Claire. I loved the addition of Ray and it was nice to finally meet Christine. The action was great with a bit of romance here and there, love the who-did-it mystery element. I think Chance does have a tendency to get too detailed and I did skim read some areas. There were a few scenes that took you a bit longer to get unless you have read the other series (like the races), but overall it could be a stand alone series.
As for the relationships in Dory's life, I liked that things moved forward with her father and Louis-Cesare. In regards to her father, it makes it easier to trust and like him in the Cassie series after reading this book.
It was a fun book. I look forward to another Dorina adventure.
I like the random humor and all the characters. I wish there were cameos of Cassie from Chance's other series and wanted to see more of Claire. I loved the addition of Ray and it was nice to finally meet Christine. The action was great with a bit of romance here and there, love the who-did-it mystery element. I think Chance does have a tendency to get too detailed and I did skim read some areas. There were a few scenes that took you a bit longer to get unless you have read the other series (like the races), but overall it could be a stand alone series.
As for the relationships in Dory's life, I liked that things moved forward with her father and Louis-Cesare. In regards to her father, it makes it easier to trust and like him in the Cassie series after reading this book.
It was a fun book. I look forward to another Dorina adventure.
Tasula W. (fantasyisbetter) reviewed Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab, Bk 2) on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I unreservedly loved this book- it hit all the right notes with me. The character was irreverent and feisty, Mircea and her new "partner" were mysterious and sexy, and there was a lot of action. Recommended to anyone who likes urban fantasy.
Like another reviewer said, this book was definitely better than the first one! Loved the plot twists and the scenes with Dorina and Louis-Cesare. You won't be disappointed with this book if you like all of Karen Chance's others.
For jaded romance readers like myself, this book by Karen was a wonderful, unpredictable joy... until chapter 29. I looked for an editor acknowledgment, but there was none, so maybe nobody told Karen to just delete that useless tangent, you were obviously stoned when you wrote it and CONCENTRATE on finishing your story! If Death's Mistress had been as tightly written at the end as it was for the 1st 3/4's I would have given it 5 stars, I was so loving this book I didn't want it to end.
To learn more about THE DRAGON character, read Karen's short story in the wonderful anthology entitled On The Prowl.
To learn more about THE DRAGON character, read Karen's short story in the wonderful anthology entitled On The Prowl.
I love this series. A little romance with a lot of action. This series ties in nicely with the Cassandra Palmer series but can stand alone.
Looking forward to the next one!
Looking forward to the next one!
This is the second book in the Dorina Basarab series by Karen Chance. The third book is as yet un-named and is due out sometime in 2011. This was an excellent installment in the series; I thoroughly enjoyed it and had trouble putting it down.
Dorina's friend and roommate, Claire, returns from fairy with her baby son. Claire and her son are being hunted by a fairy clan that wants to kill her son so that he can't inherit the throne; Claire is trying to hunt down a family amulet that was supposed to protect her son but was stolen. Dorina vows to help Claire. On the side Dorina has been accepting jobs from her vampire father Mircea to hunt down rogue vampires or vampires who are breaking the law. As Dorina gets deeper into the mess she finds that Claire's rune and Mircea's rogues may be connected. Into the fray steps Louis-Cesare; the steamy vampire from the first book, he is still trying to protect his old Mistress Christine and gets wound up in the whole mess in an effort to get Christine back.
This book has a complex plot and non-stop action. I really enjoyed it. The world is creative, complex, engaging, and incredibly intriguing. Chance effortlessly throws in mythology, faerie, and vampires together to create a wonderful world.
I love Dory as a main character; she is so tough and capable yet has a lot of emotional stuff she has to put up with throughout this book. It was also great to have Claire added to the story; the transformations she has undergone in fairy are interesting and I can't wait to read more about her; maybe she will have her own series in the future. Then there is Louis-Cesare; he is just everything you could ever want a male vampire to be...brooding, dark, sexy and loyal to a fault with a sardonic sense of humor to top it off.
All of the characters have complex pasts and interesting personalities. The dialogue is witty and funny and flows really well. There were a number of snarky comments from Dory or Louis-Cesare that had me laughing out loud. Overall this book was a seriously fun romp, that touched on a variety of deep emotional issues for the characters, and capitulated you through a ton of action.
I loved it, loved it, loved it. Absolutely can't wait to read more about Dory she is just so much fun. This book wrapped up the final story nicely, but there is still room to resolve some additional issues. There was some mention about Cassie (I read the first two Cassie books but just couldn't get into them), I kind of felt that maybe I was missing something there because I haven't read the more recent Cassie Palmer books.
I think you could read this book as a stand alone but if you did you'd be missing out on a lot of Dory's history.
Overall a wonderful addition to the series and I can't wait to read the next one. These books are making me think that maybe I should go back and read the rest of the Cassie Palmer series.
Dorina's friend and roommate, Claire, returns from fairy with her baby son. Claire and her son are being hunted by a fairy clan that wants to kill her son so that he can't inherit the throne; Claire is trying to hunt down a family amulet that was supposed to protect her son but was stolen. Dorina vows to help Claire. On the side Dorina has been accepting jobs from her vampire father Mircea to hunt down rogue vampires or vampires who are breaking the law. As Dorina gets deeper into the mess she finds that Claire's rune and Mircea's rogues may be connected. Into the fray steps Louis-Cesare; the steamy vampire from the first book, he is still trying to protect his old Mistress Christine and gets wound up in the whole mess in an effort to get Christine back.
This book has a complex plot and non-stop action. I really enjoyed it. The world is creative, complex, engaging, and incredibly intriguing. Chance effortlessly throws in mythology, faerie, and vampires together to create a wonderful world.
I love Dory as a main character; she is so tough and capable yet has a lot of emotional stuff she has to put up with throughout this book. It was also great to have Claire added to the story; the transformations she has undergone in fairy are interesting and I can't wait to read more about her; maybe she will have her own series in the future. Then there is Louis-Cesare; he is just everything you could ever want a male vampire to be...brooding, dark, sexy and loyal to a fault with a sardonic sense of humor to top it off.
All of the characters have complex pasts and interesting personalities. The dialogue is witty and funny and flows really well. There were a number of snarky comments from Dory or Louis-Cesare that had me laughing out loud. Overall this book was a seriously fun romp, that touched on a variety of deep emotional issues for the characters, and capitulated you through a ton of action.
I loved it, loved it, loved it. Absolutely can't wait to read more about Dory she is just so much fun. This book wrapped up the final story nicely, but there is still room to resolve some additional issues. There was some mention about Cassie (I read the first two Cassie books but just couldn't get into them), I kind of felt that maybe I was missing something there because I haven't read the more recent Cassie Palmer books.
I think you could read this book as a stand alone but if you did you'd be missing out on a lot of Dory's history.
Overall a wonderful addition to the series and I can't wait to read the next one. These books are making me think that maybe I should go back and read the rest of the Cassie Palmer series.
