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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great follow-up to the first book!, January 31, 2006
This review is from: Devil's Due (Silhouette Bombshell) (Mass Market Paperback)
I am a big fan of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series and so I decided to try this new series of hers. I really enjoyed the first book, Devil's Bargain, and this follow-up was just as good if not better than the first!
This story basically picks up where the first leaves off but instead of the story being told by Jazz's point of view, this one is being told by the POV of her partner, Lucia Garza. In the first book, Lucia comes off as a little cold and standoffish but this book really explores her character and shows a more humane and vulnerable side to her. By the end of the book, I really came to like her- she is intelligent, strong, smart and tough as nails. I also liked the character of Ben McCarthy, who was introduced in book 1 but really given the spotlight in this book. The interaction between him and Lucia was well-played out. Overall, Ms. Caine does an excellent job with the characterization in this book, much better than in the first, and by the end you are rooting for all the characters and feel they are indeed a family.
A second big plus was that the plot and storyline were tight. You understand more about the Cross Society, Eidolon and the role the characters play in the grander scheme. Secrets are revealed and big changes to the key players are introduced that you might not see coming. The book was action packed from beginning to end and keeps the reader hooked.
Overall, this was a great book! It has great characters, plot and a different and interesting premise. If you have read any of the author's other works, you should check out this series. I hope there is another book in the works.
Great Job, Ms. Caine!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Perfect, January 14, 2006
This review is from: Devil's Due (Silhouette Bombshell) (Mass Market Paperback)
As with the first book, Devil's Bargain, this second "red letter" book almost has it all.
Great romance - As we saw at the end of the first book, Ben and Lucia are intensely attracted to each other. However, despite some steamy romantic scenes, Ben walks out on Lucia (not once, but twice), leaving the reader to wonder "What the heck happened? What was that about? Does he not feel the attraction, too?" Well, he certainly IS attracted, but the answer on why he doesn't take Lucia up on it, doesn't come until the last couple of chapters of the book. Wow. Pretty inventive, Ms. Caine.
Great action - Once again the Eidolon Corporation and the Cross Corporation are fighting it out over who gets to use the two partners, Jazz and Lucia. Throats get sliced, noses broke, people get poisoned, and that's only in the first half of the book. As with the fabulous "Weather Warden" series, Ms. Caine delivers nonstop action and the plot advances at such a quick pace that there is no let up until she brings the story to its powerful conclusion.
Great characterization - Lucia is almost an anti-heroine. She is violent, manipulative, brutal and efficient. However, she is also completely loyal, emotionally vulnerable and totally protective of those she cares about. I really wish we could have got more background on Lucia. There was various vague references to a really bad time in Russia with a spy named Gregory, who by the way, I wanted to shoot, so I can't believe Lucia didn't. I waited the entire book for the story to be told, but it wasn't. Considering the fact that Lucia ends up being obligated to Gregory and promising him a return favor leads me to believe that this second red letter book may possibly not be the last one. Also, the character of Ben is too die for, no wonder Lucia falls for him!
The Plot - Eidolon Corporation and Cross Corporation are really two fronts for two major groups of people. The psychics in the group feed their various visions to the computer people, who then run the variables through major computers, coming up with several timelines of things that MAY happen. The Cross Corporation consider themselves the "good guys" and Eidolon is basically doing it for the power/money, the "bad guys". The only problem is the old saying, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely". Neither corporation comes out smelling very good, while both of them use and fight over our two heroines, Jazz and Lucia. Both corporations wouldn't hesitate a minute - and didn't - to let thousands of people die in order to bring in a timeline they wanted. It's a little hard to swallow this concept, and it's slightly difficult to keep track of the many threads running through the book concerning the timelines. Just a little too much for a 300 page paperback.
Overall, I liked the book very much, despite the convoluted plot and the unanswered questions concerning some of the characters. I couldn't help but wonder why in the world they kept opening those stupid envelopes! I kept waiting for Jazz to pull a gun out of her desk and simply shoot the FedEx guy. Lol. However, I would recommend buying both books, and keeping an eye out of a possible third.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I hope there's more, March 24, 2006
This review is from: Devil's Due (Silhouette Bombshell) (Mass Market Paperback)
Book 2 in the Red Letter series.
Lucia Garza, the mysterious half of the Callender & Garza detective agency is tough, smart, beautiful, controlled and resourceful. She needs to be all that to deal with the Cross Society . . . and to deal with her partner, Jazz Callender.
Jazz and Lucia hire Jazz's former police detective partner, Ben McCarthy, to work for their agency. Ben was framed and sent to prison and, after two years, exonerated and released. He has secrets, big secrets.
Jazz and Lucia still receive the red envelopes (see the first book, DEVIL'S BARGAIN) and one has a nasty little anthrax surprise. The Cross Society is warring with Eidolon and Jazz, Lucia and etc are pawns.
I liked DEVIL'S BARGAIN more than this one. This story was confusing. But the dialogue flowed and the characters were well drawn. Ben was a nice man faced with awful, soul-destroying choices. Jazz was understandable, relatable; Lucia was too much of an enigma. Don't know if there will be a third book. Some plot lines were left unraveled so another book is possible. If yes, I'd buy it. If no, too bad.
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