Customer Reviews

Bite Marks (Jaz Parks, Book 6)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bite Marks, book 6 in the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin, picks up with a bang where One More Bite left off. Jaz and Vayl's vacation is cut short when Pete sends them out to deal with a threat against a NASA space complex in Australia. Gnomes have concocted a plan to infiltrate the complex and cause problems to ensure the privacy of their god, Ufran, who lives on one of the rings of Saturn. While in Australia, Kyphas, the demon Cassandra made her deal with, has finally found her and come to collect on the debt. And as if killing gnomes, assassinating gnome larvae carriers, and battling demons weren't enough, Jaz is hearing voices in her head. Jaz, along with her team, begin to doubt her control and the security of the mission.

Bite Marks has the right combination of romance, action, comedy, and seriousness to make an intriguing tale. I have been following Jaz and Vayl's relationship since the first in the series, rooting them along. This installment shows how they are growing and coming to rely on each other as a couple, not just in their working relationship. Cole adds the comic relief; his quest to pet a kangaroo is one of my favorite parts. Add to that a singing mechanical cat named Astral and you have the ingredients of a great story.

Bite Marks left me looking forward to the next to see how unfinished business is resolved. An excerpt of Bitten in Two, the seventh in the series, is included in the extras of the book. The Jaz Parks series is also being re-released in mass market paperback form.

This is the 6th book in the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. The 7th book "Bitten in Two" will be out in 2010. Last I read there are 8 books planned for this series. This was another great book; tons of action and humor.

Jaz and crew are assigned to a mission in which some gnomes are trying to take out the Australian based NASA complex. Not a straight-forward mission in and of itself. Things get even more complicated when Jaz discovers she's been possessed by King Brude, Lucifer's assassin. Then when they arrive in Australia they find out the demon Cassandra has been fleeing from has finally found her. To add to this mess Cole is set on petting a kangaroo and Bergman has created a new robo-kitty called Astral that is making life a little crazy.

Like all the previous books in this series this book was a great read. It is fast-paced, with awesome action scenes, great gadgets, and hilarious dialogue and plot points. Vayl and Jaz have great chemistry together and there are a number of nice steamy scenes that bring tension to the story, yet never get really graphic. The characters, as usual, are what make the story, coupled with all the great fight scenes.

The addition of Jack (Jaz's dog) and Astral (the robo-kitty) really made for some hilarious scenes. We got to spend more time with the celestial Raoul and met the demon that has been plaguing Cassandra for centuries.

Rardin does a good job at keeping Jaz's inner dialogue (with her possessor) easy to read and non-confusing. The plot is twisty-turny but never confusing. Some of the side items, like Cole's kangaroo petting adventures and Astral's quirks, really add some fun into the story.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it kept losing the main story line. So much of the first half of the book dealt with Cassandra's demon problems that I forgot what their original mission was. Then in the second half of the book a lot of time was spend dealing with Jaz's demon possession problems. The mission sounded really cool, but not much page space was actually spent on the mission itself. That being said everything was nicely tied together in the end. And new plot points were left opened up for the next book.

I would definitely recommend reading the previous books in the series before this one. Rardin does a great job of reminding you what happened in previous books, but I still think you need the back-story from previous books to understand what is going on in this one.

Overall a fun read. I enjoyed the book a lot and look forward to the next book in the series.

My thoughts...I am a series reader. Picking up a book from a series is like having lunch with an old friend or (wiggles eyebrows) an old flame. In true Jaz Parks style, Jennifer Rardin does not disappoint with the sixth installment in this action packed series.

Jaz and her team find themselves trying to save the Space Program. She also finds herself with some extra company who makes their mission even more difficult. All of my favorites are around to take part in the action including Cole, Cassandra, Raul, Vayl and Bergman. He was my favorite in this book, we really see him start to come out of his shell. I love the new side of him and I am continually impressed with his inventions. Big props to Rardin for her latest idea, I want one for myself. As in the other books, the team dynamic made the story interesting, funny, and even emotional at times.

Although the plot seemed slower than previous books, a lot happened. This book seemed to be a turning point in the series. There were plenty of fight scenes with high-tech weapons, magic from Cassandra and her Enkyklios, and wit from Cole. The end had a smooth finish, but definitely left the reader itching for more. For any new readers, I highly recommend going in order. The characters have developed so much at this point that you need to know their history.

The cons...I have two small issues with this book. I am a devout Jaz Parks fan but this one did not hold my attention as well as the others. I am not a huge fan of Science Fiction. I love the vamps, witches, and all the paranormal creatures but aliens and mutant larvae are close to the edge for me. That being said, little green men did not come down from Mars, I still enjoyed the story. Secondly, I kept forgetting what mission they were trying to preform. There were so many subplots that were much more interesting.

Overall, I am a huge fan of the Jaz Parks series and I do recommend this series to new readers, especially if you like urban dark fantasy. If you are already a Jaz fan, you need to read this book because the there are some huge events that I believe will shape the rest of the series.

Vayl and Jaz's assignment is of the utmost importance. If they fail, NASA's entire infrastructure will crumble leaving one heck of mess in its wake. The job should have been just another notch in their belts, but when Cassandra's Demon comes out to play things get a little hairy as she is one heck of a force to be reckoned with. Add in some crazy voices in Jaz's head, and you have one heck of bumpy ride that may just lead to disaster for this assassin team. They haven't failed a mission yet, but this one may be the one to knock them down. Permanently.

Something I have loved about this series is that while it is full of action and high stakes, there also is plenty of humor and witty comments from the characters. This book however took the humor to a whole new level, yet still maintained that sense of looming danger making it one heck of a ride. Between Cole's kangaroo issues and Jaz's conversations with the "crew" her head, I can't count how many times I burst out laughing. There was another hilarious aspect that was a new element to the series. I won't say too much to keep from spoiling things, but just wait till you meet Jaz's new cat. She sure has one heck of "personality" that will leave you in tears from laughing so hard.

Jaz and Vayl's relationship is still growing and there are some trust issues on Jaz's part. However, since she is literally what you would call damaged goods, I imagine full trust is still a long ways off. She has either lost or been betrayed by everyone she has ever cared about in her entire life, so it is no wonder none of this comes easy. She also has a tendency to let her temper over run her and jump the gun in certain situations. However, this is all why Vayl is the perfect match for her as he calms her fire and stays the voice of reason she so desperately needs at times. It also seems like Cole has finally realized he just wasn't they guy for her, and is taking it with his usual sense of humor. Which of course causes problems of its own, but at least he isn't trying to come between them anymore.

This book had a whole lot going on. Between Jaz's possession, the gnomes and their plot to destroy NASA, and a Demon that is bent on dragging Cassandra to Hell, I barely had time to catch a breath. A lot of series by this point can give a sense of deja vu with the dangers just seeming to be a rehashment of previous ones. This is definitely not the case in these books, and I really admire the author's ability to keep things fresh. Bite Marks is a must read that will suck you right in and make you desperate for more. I'd recommend having the next book ready as you won't want a delay in being able to dive into reading it. Definitely another great installment in a fantastic Urban Fantasy series!

First off, Jennifer Rardin is perhaps the most under rated and over looked writer of this genre. Her books in the Jaz Parks series are always taut, well written, with well defined character that you actually both understand and like. The plots are believable as much as any can be for this venue of fiction and that is an accomplishment in and of itself. Some are so far from any form of believability that you have to wonder if the writer/publisher is saying "Just write anything, some idiot will buy it." Not here. Ms. Rardin's books are filled with text that shows respect to the reader by not throwing garbage fiction at them. Jazz's serious side is often tweaked with well timed humor that is actaully funny too. It is the delivery and placement of the sentence not the joke itself that creates humor. While the series is serious and violent it does leave room for a little fun too. "Bite Marks" equals her previous 5 books and no more said here about it as I hate spoiler alerts. Just get this one an enjoy.

Tom in Evansville

Jennifer Rardin takes the vampire/paranormal romance and throws in a strong leading woman and a great back up team. I enjoyed this series a great deal and am looking forward to the next one.

I love the Jaz Parks series. I have read all the previous books. This book is a mess. Too much is going on and all of it is explained in an implausible rush. The "main" plot is about the Space program and gnomes but Cassandra's demon comes after her, Jaz is possessed, Miles has issues, Pete is killed, Raoul is dating and on and on. The relationship between Jaz and Vayl which just got started felt stale to me. I didn't care. Also, what happened to confident professional Jaz? There is a point when she does not confine mission critical information to Vayl about her possession because he might stop liking her. What is she, 16?! Then there is the lover's quarrel/makeout during a rescue mission surrounded by enemies. Hopefully this book is a fluke.

I rarely write reviews, but felt strangely compelled in this case to speak up. I am a huge fan of paranormal fiction and have read virtually every vampire or other supernatural power series that has been written. I kid you not! I love vampire novels with new ideas and a fresh flavor, and those can be hard to find these days since the genre has been done, redone and even overdone. I loved Jennifer Rardin's comment in the acknowledgements after her first Jaz book that related a conversation she had had with her husband: she - "[the vampire novel] has all been done already"; he - "Not by you." I found her books to be well-written, riveting and chock-full of plot curves, excellent character development, cool gadgetry and innovative weaponry. Her work is definitely written with a darkly humorous twist. I found myself laughing out loud at some of her TV, literature and pop culture references, as well as smiling to myself when I had the thought that probably many people wouldn't "get" the subtle joke she had just made. I couldn't put the series down, and read all 6 books in about four days. Fresh, funny and fascinating; I would highly recommend Ms. Rardin's Jaz Parks novels to anyone who enjoys this genre. Nice going!!!

It's another good book in the series. This series as a whole isn't the best vampire novel series in the world, but it's quite enjoyable none the less. This is one of the better books in the series, and it's also one of the rougher books for the characters. Without spoiling anything, their initial cover is to pass their vampire boss off as Gerard Butler. It's an excellent addition to the series.

Looking for a turbo-charged actionfest? Want a solid urban fantasy read with a heroine that doesn't make you want to smack her for being stupid or neurotic? Want a fine hunk of a vamp to partner with her? Protect her? Be willing to die for her? Even though she doesn't NEED him to because she's strong in her own right?

Well then look no further, peeps, because Rardin's Jaz Parks' series delivers it all on a silver platter for your reading delight.

If you're unfamiliar with the series - and as I've heard it's coming out in mass paperback soon, I hope those numbers dwindle significantly - then start with book #1 in the series, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". The series is layered, plots and characters intertwined, and while each book has it's own arc, none can be fully appreciated as a stand-alone. There are too many things that go on as a result of occurrences in previous books, too many nods given to past moments.

I've been a fan of the series since the beginning; it's absolutely one of my favorite series in the genre. Not because the books are perfect on their own - they're not. In fact, there are aspects of the story telling in each book that I would have preferred done differently, but in this case, the experience of the series as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts...if you know what I mean.

Rardin has a few quirks as an author that tend to disrupt the flow of the narrative - she has a tendency to slip into a description of what happened at some point days, minutes, or hours previously to get Jaz and her crew to where they are in the books without warning the reader that it's coming, so I've had occasion to wonder if I'm reading past events or current ones at times. That's mostly (but not exclusively) done in the beginning of each book, so you jump into the action right away, then find out how you got TO the action a bit later. It's a little disconcerting. Another grievance I have is that Rardin has a tendency to throw everything AND the kitchen sink at Jaz and Co. in a seemingly never-ending barrage of badness during each "mission" and in so doing, she sacrifices cohesion in the plot. I've never felt that any "mission" was written in any sort of easily followed, linear fashion and as a result, I haven't been able to really cheer for the CIA aspects - even when they're successful.

Oddly enough, that's what keeps each book from garnering a solid five star mark from me, yet it doesn't affect at all how much I love the series. Because the things I DO love about the series, Rardin is absolutely fantastic with. And that's, quite frankly, the people. The characters. THEIR lives. THEIR feelings. Their...story.

Jaz Parks is a tortured, flawed, and in some ways slightly nutso heroine whose loyalty and bravery are unequaled. She's got a dark side - a very, very dark side that she hides from the people she's sworn to herself to protect, yet she carries on funny and insightful conversations with her dead grandmother...in her head...as Granny Mae plays poker (or canasta or whatever) with Bob Hope and Abe Lincoln.

Vayl is a nearly three hundred year old vampire and while he's the country's top assassin - holding that position for the past eighty-some odd years, he's got his own baggage. Industrial-sized and hefty weight baggage in the shape of two sons lost centuries ago. The drive to find their reincarnated souls drives him for so long that they are the reason for his entire existence - until Jaz Parks blows into his tattered soul and clings.

Their relationship is complex, fraught with insecurity and past demons, yet changing and strengthening through each book. I'm a paranormal romance fan - and while this isn't what I'd consider a romance-laden series, it's STILL satisfying the romance lover in me. It's written brilliantly, and in a very satisfying way. And I can't say enough about the wide and varied array of secondary and ancillary characters that have wormed their way into my heart. There are a legion of them, and they are vital to the series as a whole - and written as three dimensional and as important as Jaz and Vayl. Kudos on that.

So it all boils down to this...I didn't give a synopsis of Bite Marks because yeah, other people have, but also because the main plot of each book isn't really why I read the series. I suppose I could say that Jaz and Vayl have another mission and all hell breaks loose on this one, just like on all the others. That's the quick and dirty. And largely unimportant (to me). It's the fierce artistry in how they handle it and how Jaz manages to continue to triumph over past traumas and losses one labored step at a time that is really the driving force in the series (for me) and that just can't BE summarized easily. You just gotta experience it.

Okay...and I admit...I just HAVE TO know what Bergman's going to dream up next. *snickers* Robokitty. Hee!