Fury's Kiss (Dorina Basarab #3) - Karen Chance

Fury's Kiss- Karen Chance
Grade- Adult UF
Rating- 5 / 5 Stars


Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. But so far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing...

Dory is used to fighting hard and nasty. So when she wakes up in a strange scientific lab with a strange man standing over her, her first instinct is to take his head off. Luckily, the man is actually the master vampire Louis-Cesare, so he’s not an easy kill.

It turns out that Dory had been working with a Vampire Senate task force on the smuggling of magical items and weaponry out of Faerie when she was captured and brought to the lab. But when Louis-Cesare rescues her, she has no memory of what happened to her.

To find out what was done to her—and who is behind it—Dory will have to face off with fallen angels, the maddest of mad scientists, and a new breed of vampires that are far worse than undead…
Description from Goodreads
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There are some things you are guaranteed when reading a Karen Chance novel. There's going to be plenty of action, awesome side characters, witty dialogue and a scorching romance (where your screaming at the characters to "get together already!") Fury's Kiss had all that and more. And it was the 'more' that surprised me. I wasn't prepared to feel so emotional whilst reading this. There was a large focus on Dory's relationship with her father Mircea (to say their relationship is rocky is an understatement.) Mircea is the love interest in the Cassie Palmer series, and so I've always been his fan, but Fury's Kiss has cemented my love for him. Anything else I say about Dory and Mircea will be too spoilery so you'll just have to read this book to find out about their relationship.
Fury's Kiss begins with Louis- Cesare "rescuing" Dory, and when I say "rescuing" I mean Dory is trying to kill him beacuse she has no memory of who she is, who he is or how she got where she is. (Taken from page 1) "I wasn't sure, as I couldn't seem to remember the fight that had left me bloody and bruised, with a bullet hole in my right thigh and another in my left shoulder. I couldn't remember much of anything else, either, including who the hell I was. But that still wasn't the problem. No, the problem was that I'd woken up next to a vampire. One who was maddengly hard to kill".
And then the story sort of jumps. It isn't until the last few chapters where everything comes together. I'm not sure how Ms Chance does it, but it was done perfectly! I was racing through the pages, desperate to see what would happen next. There was a slight cross over with a Cassie Palmer character making an appearance, which means now I can't wait to see what the consequences of that will be in the next Cassie book.

Fury's Kiss was an amazing, kick-ass, emotional UF read and I can't wait for more. If you're a fan of Kate Daniels series, then you'll love this one.


Kerrie

Originally Posted on Goodreads

Hunt the Moon - Karen Chance

Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5) - Karen Chance
Grade: Adult - PNR
Rating: 5/5 stars


Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your job description is Pythia-the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens- including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born. (Description from Goodreads)

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Poor Cassie! There's always someone or something trying to kill her. The girl needs a holiday- stat! With that said, what an amazing book. I think Karen Chance's writing gets better and better with every book. She invites you into her crazy world and you just don't want to leave. Hunt the Moon has it all; plenty of 'hold on tight' action sequences, 'laugh out loud' moments, 'swoon-worthy' romance and revelations you never saw coming.

The writing flows effortlessly and is so witty that I was laughing out loud many times. I also found it hilarious how Cassie always seems to find herself in dangerous situations butt naked. I know the girl has clothes (she's always putting them on), but she seems to have trouble keeping them on. It makes for some really funny and embarrassing moments.

Now, what can I say about this love triangle Cassie finds herself in? I can count on one hand (with fingers to spare) how many love triangles where I've liked both guys. This series has been added to that very short list. Don't get me wrong- I am most definitely a Mircea girl, but this book focuses largely on Pritkin and Cassie's relationship, with Mircea only making brief appearances (but, oh what good appearances they are). And the thing is...Pritkin and Cassie have a beautiful relationship. If Mircea never existed, then I'd be all for Pritkin and Cassie. They have a rather real relationship. They care for each other, they piss each other off and they protect each other. As I said, I'd be all for them if it weren't for that sexy vamp.

I fell for Mircea when I first read Midnight's Daughter and I just want him to be happy. Mircea and Cassie's relationship is intense and passionate. I love this quote from him:
"It's beautiful, dulceata," he said, his tone awed. "Do you see? Beautiful".
"What is?"
"The snow. The night." His arms tightened. "You."

He is completely swoon-worthy. I think to be fair the next book needs to be Mircea's. I really missed him when he disappeared. Unfortunately, with the way this book ended (yes it end on a cliffy), well I don't think it will - but I can hope.

Not looking forward to the wait for the next book, but I can't wait to see what crazy situation Cassie finds herself in next. The girl has more lives than cats.

5/5 stars


Kerrie
(Originally posted on Goodreads)

Death's Mistress - Karen Chance

Death's Mistress - Karen Chance

Grade: Adult (Urban Fantasy)

Rating: 5/5 Stars 

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir-half-human, half-vampire. Back home in Brooklyn after the demise of her insane Uncle Dracula, Dory's hoping her life is about to calm down. But soon Dory realizes someone is killing vampire Senate members, and if she can't stop the murderer, her friends may be next... 

Wow. I’m surprised so much happened in ‘Death’s Mistress’. I realise action books are often set over a short period of time, but I’m always shocked by how much fighting and trouble can occur in a couple of book days. Like in ‘Midnight’s Daughter’ we learn more about the vampire world, especially the war with the mages and it’s strange to see Dory learning so much about her own family. You would expect a 500 year old dhampir to know all there is about vampires, since she earns a living killing them. But she shocked me by being so smart, yet so clueless about vampires.

I love how dangerous Dory is. While she doesn’t lose control dhampir-style in ‘Death’s Mistress’, no-one can deny that she’s insanely skilled when it comes to fighting; probably because she gets herself into so much trouble. Action and fighting seem to follow her like a shadow, but she just keeps hitting back and survives against all odds.

I’m amazed at how involved the fey are in Dory’s world. They said to be this mysterious paranormal species and their fey objects are dangerous in the human world. But, as we see in ‘Death’s Mistress’, they are the cause of so much damage for the vampires, especially in the Senate with all their political struggles. I love that there are new and old fey issues; Claire’s new royalty status and Ǣsubrand’s obsession with Dory bringing the fey firmly into the story.

I've become addicted to Louis-Cesare. There's something about him that makes me smile. His protective side shines through so much, I can't help but love the French vampire. As much as I was hoping for Dory and Louis-Cesare to get together, I can’t help be love seeing them fight and attempt to avoid each other. The sexual tension is insane and I love it.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.
5/5 stars

Kim

Originally posted on Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/187185772

Midnight's Daughter - Karen Chance

Midnight's Daughter - Karen Chance
Grade: Adult (Urban Fantasy)
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir-half human, half vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. So far Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing.

Now Dory's vampire father has come back into her life. Her Uncle Dracula (yes, the Dracula), infamous even among vampires for his cruelty and murderous ways, has escaped his prison. And her father wants Dory to work with gorgeous master vampire Louis-Cesare to put him back there.

Vampires and dhampirs are mortal enemies, and Dory prefers to work alone. But Dracula is the only thing on Earth that truly scares her, so when Dory has to go up against him, she'll take all the help she can get ...

I'll admit I had trouble getting into 'Midnight's Daughter', but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Wow, such a fantastic read. Karen Chance has a really unique take on Vampires and Fey. It's nice to see another series out there that combines vampires and faeries. I love seeing a mix of the two, you get to explore the dark and mysterious ways of both creatures, even more so because neither species is assigned a role of good or evil; with Dory and the majority of her vampire family (Mircea, Radu and Louis-Cesare) being good, while Dracula is on the evil side; and similarly for the Fey, we meet both good and evil. It leaves the plot with multiple possibilities when it comes to enemies, especially considering vampires and fey are not the only supernatural beings that walk the earth.

These days I keep running into stories about dhampirs, half-vampires that usually excel at fighting. And while Dory, our dhampir protagonist is also extremely good at fighting, dhampir's in Chance's world are violent oddities that often can't control their urge to fight, making them dangerous and destructive. I love that Dory is rare. Not only is she a dhampir, but she's an old dhampir in the sense that she has lived for 500 years (not particularly old for vampires, but when dhampirs rarely survive because of their blind rages, it's a really impressive achievement to make it that far). It makes her pretty special and skilled.

I was a little confused by the background of the novel. There appears to be a massive war going on with the Vampires and Mages. While the war is mentioned quite a bit, we  never really find out why the war is happening or how it affects Dory and those around her. I know 'Midnight's Daughter' is a spin-off series and the war might be mentioned within Karen Chance's other series, but it left me wondering what was going on. Hopefully more answers will come in the next book.

I wonder what trouble Dory will find herself in next?
4/5 Stars
Kim

Originally posted on Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/187185766