Helpful Score: 4
First in a new series: smart mouth girl developing some unusual powers and a dark, handsome vampire named Vayl who work for a very special unit of the CIA. Get the picture? Falls somewhere in the middle between Buffy/Angel and Anita/Jean Claude (without all the sex, so far). I just finished reading this book and will definitely await the others in the series!
Helpful Score: 4
I do like this author. However, I found myself floundering along trying to catch up to the storyline because it didn't quite flow for me. She seems (to me) to write with a bit of Adult ADD as I found myself having to read the previous paragraph (or sometimes page) on several occasions to 'follow' the story. -or- maybe it's just me.
The characters are interesting & I'd like to find out what happens next in this series. I'm hoping that the next book will be easier to follow.
The characters are interesting & I'd like to find out what happens next in this series. I'm hoping that the next book will be easier to follow.
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is the first book of the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. So far there are 8 books planned for this series. The fifth one comes out Jan '09 and is called "One More Bite". This was a great book.
Describing this book as James Bond meets the supernatural community is definitely accurate. Jaz Parks works for the CIA. 6 months after she starts reporting to her new boss; the group's top assassin, Vayl, requests that Jaz join him as an assistant. What Jaz and Vayl thinks is a typical, kidnap and question the terrorist, kind of gig gets complicated when they find out that the terrorist in question belongs to an underground organization that is aligning itself with the underbelly of the supernatural community in order to unleash a virus deadly to vampire-kind.
Jaz is an amazing character. She is tough, by uses common sense and recognizes her bounds. She accepts the changes in her life and tends not to whine and agonize over them. She is a get-it-done kind of girl, who loves her gadgets, and her hot cars. There is a lot Jaz has to discover about herself; as a Sensitive she doesn't quite know the bounds of her power. She is working on it though and makes leaps and bounds in discovering what she can do in this book.
Vayl is also awesome. He is tough and has some crazy cool vampiric abilities (he is a wraith for goodness sack!); yet he does make mistakes, and he does have that vulnerable side that a good male character needs. We find out some of Vayl's past in this book, but there is a lot more there to uncover.
The writing is very solid. I like the writing style a lot. It is fast-paced, full of awesome action scenes, and cool ideas. The gadgets that Jaz gets to work with are really neat, her gun Grief, is lots of deadly fun, and I just couldn't put this book down.
I bought books 2-4 used before I had read book 1. Now I am glad that I did. I am excited to read the next couple books. So far I think this is going to be an incredible series. I wanted to give it more like 4.5 stars because I think the second book will tell if this is an outstanding series or just another good series in the long line of good paranormal series that are out there.
In summary, I love Jaz, I love Vayl, I love the writing and I am so excited to read more of it! There wasn't a single thing about this book that I didn't love.
Describing this book as James Bond meets the supernatural community is definitely accurate. Jaz Parks works for the CIA. 6 months after she starts reporting to her new boss; the group's top assassin, Vayl, requests that Jaz join him as an assistant. What Jaz and Vayl thinks is a typical, kidnap and question the terrorist, kind of gig gets complicated when they find out that the terrorist in question belongs to an underground organization that is aligning itself with the underbelly of the supernatural community in order to unleash a virus deadly to vampire-kind.
Jaz is an amazing character. She is tough, by uses common sense and recognizes her bounds. She accepts the changes in her life and tends not to whine and agonize over them. She is a get-it-done kind of girl, who loves her gadgets, and her hot cars. There is a lot Jaz has to discover about herself; as a Sensitive she doesn't quite know the bounds of her power. She is working on it though and makes leaps and bounds in discovering what she can do in this book.
Vayl is also awesome. He is tough and has some crazy cool vampiric abilities (he is a wraith for goodness sack!); yet he does make mistakes, and he does have that vulnerable side that a good male character needs. We find out some of Vayl's past in this book, but there is a lot more there to uncover.
The writing is very solid. I like the writing style a lot. It is fast-paced, full of awesome action scenes, and cool ideas. The gadgets that Jaz gets to work with are really neat, her gun Grief, is lots of deadly fun, and I just couldn't put this book down.
I bought books 2-4 used before I had read book 1. Now I am glad that I did. I am excited to read the next couple books. So far I think this is going to be an incredible series. I wanted to give it more like 4.5 stars because I think the second book will tell if this is an outstanding series or just another good series in the long line of good paranormal series that are out there.
In summary, I love Jaz, I love Vayl, I love the writing and I am so excited to read more of it! There wasn't a single thing about this book that I didn't love.
Helpful Score: 3
It was okay but not good enough to have me read the next book. I really don't like the main character. The dialogue between and Vayl drove me crazy. Wanted to shake here and tell her to grow up.
Helpful Score: 2
I really liked this book. I thought that Jaz and her "boss" have real potential. I like the fact that their relationship is developing slowly. The plot got a little confusing at times but I genuinely was interested in the characters (not so much the "monster" they were battling). I have high hopes that the books will get better as we go along and I'm looking forward to watching the relationship between Jaz and Vayl develop.
Helpful Score: 2
Couldn't finish this book. I was bored by it.
Helpful Score: 1
Fun book to read. I liked it and look forward to the next one.
Frances P. (franniekin) - , reviewed Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks, Bk 1) on + 276 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I love Jaz Parks and Vayl. A crazy smart mouth mortal and an uber hot male vampire. The two work together as assassins for the CIA.
Jaz's hilarious dialogue, frequently with herself or her deceased Granny, kept me laughing and snorting out loud. Not very lady like, but I dare you to read it without major guffaws.
Dangerous, deadly and sexy make a great combination along with kooky friends, relatives and evil antagonists.
On to book two.
Jaz's hilarious dialogue, frequently with herself or her deceased Granny, kept me laughing and snorting out loud. Not very lady like, but I dare you to read it without major guffaws.
Dangerous, deadly and sexy make a great combination along with kooky friends, relatives and evil antagonists.
On to book two.
Helpful Score: 1
This has several elements of a typical urban fantasy - a strong, kick-ass heroine with mysterious powers she's beginning to learn, lots of action, and a supernatural love interest. I think that if you are at all sick of this type of thing, move on. Otherwise, keep reading. It's kind of like a written version of a high octane Hollywood blockbuster. Lots of entertainment value but only for those in the mood for action and entertainment. I still had a fun and will probably pick up the second book, but your mileage may vary. I'd recommend this book for those who also like Karen Chance.
Helpful Score: 1
Paranormal/ Urban Fanstasy tale by Jennifer Rardin, first in the Jaz Parks series. Jasmine "Jaz" Parks is a female James Bond-ish CIA agent who fights supernatural crimes with her vamp partner Vayl. Jaz and Vayl get caught up in a case involving vamps trying to unleash a vamp pandemic, and release an ancient evil. The story moves quickly, and has witty dialogue, and interesting characters. But not everything ties together in a neat package. Parts of the plot still leave me shaking my head. This might have been a better story, broken down into to parts; the virus, then the "demon." Just didn't flow neatly and leaves alot of things unanswered. But, it is entertaining, and I'll probably read the second in series to see if things clear up. Not the best in this genre, but good.
I really enjoyed this book. (I was surprised as I didn't know anything about it before I picked it up) It is quick-paced and Jaz is funny and angry and kind of confused. It isn't very deep, but it is a great rollercoaster ride. I can't wait to pick up the next one!
Wendy H. (donkeycheese) -
Jasmine Parks used to be a Helsinger (vamp killer) until one day her whole world turned upside down. Now, she works for the CIA as an assassin, and she's just been promoted to the CIA's top guy, Vayl. Vayl's thousands of years old, a vampire, but he requested Jasmine to be his assistant. She isn't sure why, and he won't tell her, but she doesn't press the issue. They work well together, and the number of cars she has destroyed since working with him has dropped considerably.
Now, Jaz and Vayl are working a job to take down a plastic surgeon. But things turn nasty when politics, terrorism, and ancient supernatural forces band together to take over the world. Jaz and Vayl will need all ducks in a row to finish this one. Only one problem, Jaz has seemed to learn some new powers, and if she doesn't get back to her body in time, she won't live to see tomorrow.
I've heard wonderful things about this series, and they've been on Mt. TBR for quite awhile. On a whim the other night, I picked up this one, the first in the series. When I first started reading, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. But, as I got further and further into the story, I found myself unable to put it down. Jaz and Vayl are two characters with so many layers to their stories, I look forward to watching them unfold as the series goes on. Mystery, romance, and supernatural all meshed together into a phenomenal story.
Now, Jaz and Vayl are working a job to take down a plastic surgeon. But things turn nasty when politics, terrorism, and ancient supernatural forces band together to take over the world. Jaz and Vayl will need all ducks in a row to finish this one. Only one problem, Jaz has seemed to learn some new powers, and if she doesn't get back to her body in time, she won't live to see tomorrow.
I've heard wonderful things about this series, and they've been on Mt. TBR for quite awhile. On a whim the other night, I picked up this one, the first in the series. When I first started reading, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. But, as I got further and further into the story, I found myself unable to put it down. Jaz and Vayl are two characters with so many layers to their stories, I look forward to watching them unfold as the series goes on. Mystery, romance, and supernatural all meshed together into a phenomenal story.
I started this one with some reservations. Normally, I don't like spy/government agency thrillers, but the series had such good reviews that I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised.
The characters were interesting and the plot was well developed. Jaz and Vayl have great chemistry and I look forward to seeing their relationship grow in books 2-8.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal novels. It's a nice quick read.
The characters were interesting and the plot was well developed. Jaz and Vayl have great chemistry and I look forward to seeing their relationship grow in books 2-8.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal novels. It's a nice quick read.
A clever idea in the vampire genre - government agent vampire team - but poorly executed in my opinion.
I loved this book. Great start to this series. Can't wait to read the next book. Looking forward to how the relationship between Vayl & Jaz progresses.
Great read. Supernatural meets great mystery.
Sherri B. (sharalsbooks) reviewed Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks, Bk 1) on + 259 more book reviews
I haven't had this book as long as some of the others languishing on my TBR pile. I've been very hesitant to start a new series as it seems to be getting more difficult finding Nook copies of some series at the library and I've just gotten so stingy with my book dollars, that I am very reluctant to just purchase the book (again) without thought or care like I used to.
Though I consider myself a seasoned veteran of vampire fiction (having sunk my fangs into several of them over the years), Jennifer Rardin is a new to me author. This series is a little different than I've encountered before as well. For one thing, there wasn't a lot of focus on romance. Jaz works for Vayl, who is a CIA assassin and a vampire. Her job is assistant / bodyguard, though does a 200+ year old vampire really need a bodyguard? When you find out what the bad guys have in store for all of humanity and what Jaz and Vayl find themselves going up against, you may want a bodyguard for yourself.
I wasn't completely ecstatic with the book after I finished and can't say it's the best vampire fiction series I have read, hands down. I can say this book isn't bad if you like feisty characters who can hold their own with all sorts of evil and creepy characters. I will say this book holds a lot of potential that has left me just curious enough to find out what Jaz and Vayl get into next and see if their relationship is just business.
Though I consider myself a seasoned veteran of vampire fiction (having sunk my fangs into several of them over the years), Jennifer Rardin is a new to me author. This series is a little different than I've encountered before as well. For one thing, there wasn't a lot of focus on romance. Jaz works for Vayl, who is a CIA assassin and a vampire. Her job is assistant / bodyguard, though does a 200+ year old vampire really need a bodyguard? When you find out what the bad guys have in store for all of humanity and what Jaz and Vayl find themselves going up against, you may want a bodyguard for yourself.
I wasn't completely ecstatic with the book after I finished and can't say it's the best vampire fiction series I have read, hands down. I can say this book isn't bad if you like feisty characters who can hold their own with all sorts of evil and creepy characters. I will say this book holds a lot of potential that has left me just curious enough to find out what Jaz and Vayl get into next and see if their relationship is just business.
Just couldn't finish it...
