Customer Reviews

Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab, Book 2)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab, Book 2) by Karen Chance
Urban Fantasy- Jan 5, 2010
5 stars

DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK! Karen Chance's vivid imagination and compelling characters drive this story. This is the 2nd in Karen Chace's Dorina Basarab Dark Urban Fantasy series. I have been looking forward to reading it all year and it exceeded my expectations. (which were already pretty high) Karen Chance's steamy world is filled with magical mayhem, vampires and tense action pack scenes that do not stop. Do not begin this book if you don't have the time to finish it. The complexity and sheer adrenaline rush of the book kept me on my toes as I was mesmerized by the mystery Dory is hired to solve as well as tantalizing glimpses of Dory's heritage.

Dorina is one of the few dhampir, half human and half vampire. She has survived against all odds. Most dhampir are unstable because their genetic make-up makes them prone to seizures, instability and violence. As a result, most have been murdered as soon as they are born. But Dory is special, she is the daughter of a highly placed vampire senator. And while her relationship with father may not be ideal, he has in his way `protected' her as she harnesses her violent tendencies towards being a mercenary and assassin for hire. Now her father has hired her to bring in a vampire. But the problem is that everyone wants him including the vampire Louise-Cesare. The one vampire she thought she could form a semi partnership with. Even though she is attracted to Louise-Cesare she knows she doesn't have the room or ability for emotions or complications. If only he would leave her alone! To add to her problems, Dory has started taking a dangerous drink with magical properties that are said to cause the drinker to become addicted and eventually become insane. But she thinks she has found a cure. She no longer has the seizures and black outs, unfortunately she starts to notice other magical side affects. Dory begins having visions of people when she touches them and finds out more about them then she wants, especially her father.

This story was surprisingly emotional. This fast paced story is mostly a dark action fantasy with a little romance. Characters from Karen Chance's previous books make an appearance and make the story infinitely richer. (I would recommend having read her previous book first and if you can her Cassandra Palmer series since characters overlap) Dory is refreshing and very human for all she tries to hide it. Her way of taking care of things is non-nonsense but never unemotional. Dory carries the story, she is a heroine that readers will easily connect with and sympathize with. I loved this book and can't wait to get my hands on the next installment.

Death's Mistress is a great Urban Fantasy that is explosive and complex and one sure to please any fantasy reader.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

The third story in the Dorina Basarab series, Death's Mistress is Karen Chance's best work to date. A cannot put down book, it's an engrossing mix of mystery, suspense, action, adventure and a touch of romance.

Dorina, a dhampir (half human/half vamp), gets an unexpected visit from her friend Claire, the wife of a Fey prince, and her son, the Fey heir. Her son's life has been threatened and she is on the run to protect him. Dory agrees to help her find a missing magicial Fey amulet, which will protect Claire's son. Meanwhile, Dory's still taking rogue vampire hunting jobs for Mircea, her father--a powerful master vampire and senator. A war is on and the vampire senate agreed to outsource some of those jobs, resulting in a good business for Dory. While on a job, Dory runs into Louis-Cesare, a master vampire who worked a case with her previously (in Midnight's Daughter, the first book in the series). Louis-Cesare is still hunting his former mistress Christine, and her life has been threatened. They are surprised to hear that the same vampire Elyas who is holding Christine may also hold the amulet. So they agree to work together to accomplish both goals.

But then with many twists and turns, everything goes haywire! One Fey who last had the amulet was murdered and another who is suspected to know where it is is missing. Several vampires and a mage are also hunting for the powerful amulet, but Dory must find it first. Elyas the vampire is murdered and Louis-Cesare has been framed as the main suspect. His innocence must be proved, or else the senate will have him put to death. There is a lot of vampire politics in play, between the US and European senates, and everyone is hunting for Louis-Cesare while he tries to find the real killer. Meanwhile the powerful Fey Aeusbrand (who we saw in Midnight's Daughter) is back, fighting Dory and also after the amulet. The ending was a COMPLETE SURPRISE for me. Wow! I won't give a hint and ruin it, but let me just say that what a good mystery this was. I never, never suspected the real killer.

The world building was excellent, and I continue to enjoy Chance's characters--Mircea, Dory, Louis-Cesare, Claire, Caedmon, Marlowe, and even Stinky. I would have liked to see more of Caedmon and more interaction with Louis-Cesare. I'm hoping to see more of them in the next book. The Dorina series is a spin off from Chance's Cassie Palmer series, within the same world and sharing a few of the same characters. As a leading character, I like Dorina better than Cassie. She's stronger and more interesting. When reading the series, I think it's better to start with the Cassie series but you don't have to. If you read the Dorina series, don't miss the anthology in On the Prowl, which should be read between Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, Dhampir, Book 1)and Death's Mistress. Another great read, it's focused on Claire's relationship with the Fey prince while they are on the run in Fey lands. You get to learn a lot about the Fey and what is happening with Claire while Dory searches for her in Midnight's Daughter.

If you are on the hunt for more books like this, check out my list of paranormal romance and urban fantasy favorites...

http://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-action-romance-must-reads/lm/R214ESW3HL12HM/ref=tag_lag_rb_munk_lmfull

(copy and paste into your browser window)

I have always loved Louis-Cesare in both the Cassie Palmer and the Dorina Basarab story lines. The sparks between them were burning up the pages. He makes my heart pitter-patter. I was happy to see their story advance as well as see a resolution to Christine's situation. Dorina and her relationship with her father advanced for the better as well. I also have a sweet spot for Mircea.

That being said, the story moved fast with lots of action and I got lost a few times. Too many things going on at once and I had to re-read sections because I wasn't able to visualize everything that was going on. Example, the fey attacks on the house. My poor brain just couldn't seem to keep up with the people and action. It's been a long time since I read the earlier stories so it took me a lttle while to get back up to speed with who Claire was, the house and portals etc.

I loved Ray. He cracked me up and I had to admit, he grew on me. Radu always makes me smile as well.

If you're looking for an action-packed novel with a touch of romance, this is the book for you. I thought Midnight's Daughter was great but let me just say, Death's Mistress will blow you away. In addition to its non-stop action, it was also quite funny. Some scenes had me bursting out laughing, which by the way hardly ever happens. If you've read her other books then you'll know that Karen Chance is an amazing writer. I find that most authors' nowadays lack that magic touch that Karen Chance so easily have. In fact, since I've become an urban fantasy/paranormal romance whore, most of the books I've read are mediocre. I've come a long way since reading the Twilight Saga series (which by the way got me addicted to the whole urban fantasy/paranormal romance world) that my standards have gone up incredibly. Actually, now that I've gone back and re-read the Twilight Saga series, the writing is pretty bad in comparison to some of the books I've read.

But anyway, if you're looking for a strong kick-but heroine, look no further. Of course I would recommend that you start off with Midnight's Daughter before reading this book. Probably even the Cassandra Palmer series as well so that you're not totally confused with the world-building Karen has developed. If you're like me and are addicted to these types of books, you will not regret picking up this series.

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 "Dory" Basarab is a dhampir - half human, half vampire. When her half Dark Fey friend, Claire, shows up, Dory knows her life is not going to ease up. Aiden, Claire's nine-month-old son, is the heir to the Fey throne. Multiple attempts have been made on the boy's life. Dory begins a search for the Naudiz, a magical Fey relic that makes its wearer invulnerable.

Senator Mircea Basarab is Dory's vampire father. Since the Senate's intelligence organization has all its members busy, Lord Mircea is hiring Dory more and more often for her mercenary skills. Dory is sent after a fifth-level master vampire's head. Even beheaded, a fifth-level would survive over a week; the head could talk and the body would be mobile in hopes of locating each other and healing before it's too late. But the gorgeous vampire Louis-Cesare steals the head from Dory, leaving her with an animated body that others are trying to eliminate before the head talks too much to the wrong people.

Louis-Cesare needs the head to locate and rescue his former mistress, Christine, before her demise. It just so happens that Christine is currently bound to the same master vampire that has the relic Claire so desperately needs. Once again, Dorina and Louis-Cesare must work together or they will both lose. When they finally locate the master vampire, he is dead - the final death. But things are even worse than they already appear, because someone is killing vampire Senate members. Unless the duo can stop the murderer, they might be next.

**** FOUR STARS! If you did not read the first title in this series, Midnight's Daughter, do not fret. You will not feel lost at all. The author has done a fantastic job giving new readers all the information they need without coming across as a boring narration.

From the beginning until the ending this story is non-stop chaos of the sort only the undead or the Fey can deliver. Though Dorina and Louis-Cesare are polar opposites in the royalty gene pool, they are more alike than either would admit, even under duress. For the reader, that means high entertainment whether the pair are in the bedroom or on the battlefield. High drama indeed. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This book was exciting and captivating-I have read the others by this author. Thankfully no overlong retelling of other books so can read this alone or in order.

Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!

Uhm...did I happen to mention that I loved it?! Great book. I love the characters, the storyline and well...gee...everything about it. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

I love the sassiness and the tone of this series. I love reading Karen Chance and her witty dialogue and the inner dialogues of the heroine. I love how her father is Dracula's brother and in this book they have to find and kill him. This world gives you a new look at a over-saturated genre and it's new and refreshing. Awesome :)

I loved it. Felt like I was in the book, running with Dorina around the city.