Customer Reviews

Beneath the Skin (The Darkwing Chronicles, Book Three)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was so dissapointed! The first installments in this series were very good and I was hoping for another tasty serving. Our strong heroine Daphne spent most of the book in a huge grumpy hissy fit however. And when she wasn't doing that she was getting it on with just about every male in the book except Cormac who's gay.

The main mission in the book was glossed over to the point that it was carried out in the Epilogue! They figured out who the baddy was but let them get away and they are still on the lamb- and frankly they weren't that enigmatic a figure. The newest member of the team was useless. The only new characters that I found interesting were Daniels who the assasination attempt is on and Fud, an ex mafia hit man with a speach impediment.

Daphne didn't even have a nice wardrobe in this book, which was a fun part of her other tales.

I'm sure I'll still pick up the next installment whenever it comes out. But for right now I'm bitterly disappointed.

Daphne, our intrepid hero from Beyond the Pale and Past Redemption, is recently single and back on the job. This time, Team Darkwing must stop the assassination of a presidential candidate. J suspects that there is a high profile assassin in town to handle the job, an assassin that signs their work as Gage. This assassin is good, but who are they. Daphne and Benny go undercover to find out. At the same time, Cormac finds out why he's been assigned to Opus Dei and a new, good looking and mysterious new team member named Tallmadge is added to the team. Tallmadge brings out the dark side in Daphne, and she doesn't like it because she feels that she is now more than what lives beneath the skin(a big humanoid bat that flies and drinks blood but also likes to play with its food).

The story is pretty good and entertaining. However, the character names are still really, really bad to the point of detracting from the story. One note: if you like your heroines to be monogamous, you should avoid this book. Daphne runs a bit amuck in the lust/love department in this book (more power to her).

Part of the enjoyment of reading the book is trying to figure out who Gage was or is. But it was very evident and the only question was which side Tallmadge was on. Very light reading with a little comedy and a lot more sex. I probably will keep on reading this series but I would like more content.

Since I have read all the Charlene Harris and Kim Harrison books and base other books against these, I thought I probably wouldn't like this one. But it was pretty good. The heroine is fighting to be good in the midst of the evil and trys really hard, but bad vampires keep luring her in. There is some humor in the story which I liked. Less sex and more action would have been nice though.

Heartbroken over her troubles with her former lover Darius della Chiesa, Daphne Urban is looking forward to the promised time off from her role as a spy. Unfortunately, an assassin has been hired to kill Joe Daniel, a potential presidential candidate, and Team Darkwing has been called in. The investigation takes a dark turn and all that Daphne believes about herself as a vampire will be challenged. Will Daphne and the rest of her team of vampires be able to locate and stop the assassin? And will Daphne ever get her love life in order?

Savannah Russe really hits her stride with this third book in the Darkwing Chronicles! BENEATH THE SKIN can easily be read as a stand alone although some of Daphne's history may not have the same impact without reading the prior books. In particular, the scenes concerning her past love for Lord Byron may seem somewhat out of place without knowing the back history.

BENEATH THE SKIN is darker than the two previous books, and fits more the urban fantasy than the paranormal romance genre. Daphne struggles with her vampiric nature, and some of the scenes are quite graphic. In addition, Daphne is definitely not monogamous in BENEATH THE SKIN and there are some undertones that amount to a form of drugged rape that may be offensive to some readers. Savannah Russe doesn't make these scenes superfluous as they are inherent to the core of Daphne's struggle, but readers should be aware that these issues are a part of BENEATH THE SKIN.

Daphne is starting to grow up. No longer the fashionista only concerned with herself, she is starting to form a true bond with her fellow Darkwing teammates. I like the hints we are given about the history of vampires and am hoping that Savannah Russe continues the series more along the urban fantasy lines. BENEATH THE SKIN is definitely my favorite in the series and ensures that I will keep reading to see what else Savannah Russe has in store for us!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

A repeat of the first two books - if you liked them, you will like this one. The character's issues with her mother are getting a bit tiresome. After the third book, you would think the author could resolve those issues with mother and the old boy friend.

I loved this book, as I did the other two in the series. I think one reason I enjoy Daphne so much is that she has been around a long time and she still hasn't worked out all the kinks in her life. She occasionally knows she is screwing up, but does it anyway.
I wished there was more Darius in this book, but perhaps that will be remedied the next go around.
I find this series and all of Ms. Russe's characters interesting and entertaining and look forward to the next book.

I've been wanting to read this series for a while but it didn't make sense why book 3 wasn't listed. Maybe I can understand why after reading other reader reviews. Too bad it wasn't offered in a Bundle like some other series.

This book was really good. It finished up a few story lines quite well. I would highly recommend the "Darkwing " series to people who like vampire type stories. They are really interesting.

Right on target with a plot right from today's headlines, Beneath the Skin delivers a suspenseful tale of the attempted assassination of a green/antiwar black presidential candidate. The writing is smart, fast, often funny, and gripping. Daphne gets to fulfill our fantasies in both fighting the bad guys and hot sex. She's a modern superheroine...brave, conflicted, and full of surprises. Savannah Russe is getting better and better...and the stories are top notch.