86. Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin...

Title: Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks #1)
Author: Jennifer Rardin
ISBN-13: 9780316020466
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Orbit, 2007
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Once Bitten, Twice Shy was brought home for a lil' while from the library because I thought the cover looked cool... I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Once Bitten, Twice Shy was a spur-of-the-moment pick that I'm glad made it home with me. Jennifer Rardin's Jaz is a butt-kicking, gun-toting, smash-talking, vampire-smelling, car-crashing, highly-efficient assassin. Yup, you heard me. And, she's hilarious. Excerpt:

No doubt about it, I am the only item in this office under the age of fifty.

You wouldn't know it to look at my clothes, though. I'd come straight from an American Airlines flight during which an aviophobic widow had wadded various handfuls of my blouse and jacket into her fists the entire trip. I looked like a homeless woman. Holy crap. If I lost this job I'd soon be a homeless woman. And that was the good news!

"Look, Pete, I know you told me to cut out the car hits. The repairs are too expensive. You told me that. So I stopped. I haven't caused an 'accidental' crash in three months--you know that! But this last one just couldn't be avoided."

"I understand you took out my counterpart in MI5."

"Well, yeah, but only because his driver was in on the plot. He'll be fine. You heard that too, right? His back will heal in, like, six weeks."

I hope that shows you what I mean, but my fingers got tired and didn't want to type anymore--and this is from the first 2 pages! Her new partner, Vayl, is an awesome foil for Jaz. Even if he's vampire. Even when she used to hunt and kill vampires. And off they go, doing their assassin and apprentice-assassin thing... When their latest target turns out to be more than he seems, Jaz and Vayl get tangled in a web of secret cults and sacrifices. And find out some surprising things about Jaz herself. Once Bitten, Twice Shy was a very quick read that kept me interested all the way through. I cannot wait to get to the next book, Another One Bites the Dust.

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

Challenges: 100+, Support Your Local Library