A Book Obsession..: One More Bite

One More Bite

, by Kt Clapsadl

One More Bite by Jennifer Rardin

Jaz Parks #5

It's Jaz Parks. I've already smoked the guy who was the pain in the CIA's you-know-what for the past few years. But now, in the power vacuum left by the death of Edward "The Raptor" Samos, a struggle for supremacy has begun between his former allies: The Flock, The Valencian Weres and the Coven of Inverness.

The CIA feels the balance must be maintained. So when an agent planted among the Weres discovers a plot to assassinate the Coven's leader, I and my vampire hottie (and boss), Vayl, are brought in to take out the woman hired to do the deed, a killer who might be as wily and Gifted as ourselves.

So it's off to the Scottish Highlands for some twisted fun among murderers, demons and half-crazed relatives. Sometimes being a top-secret CIA assassin isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Now that Samos is dead, those left standing are scrambling to gain power. Jaz and Vayl's bosses feel that the balance should be kept, so their latest assignment is to stop the assassination of one of the rising powers. Posing as a bunch of ghost hunters they set off to stop a very gifted female assassin with some nasty powers of her own. To make matters more complicated, Jaz's dad has somehow wormed his way into the mission and for the first time ever, Vayl was denied a request by the CIA. The force they are up against needs a warlock's magic to contain it but the new oversight committee gave them Cole instead. Something fishy is going on, so Jaz and Vayl will have to keep a wary eye out if they are to have any hope at surviving this one intact.

In my review of the last book I said I would do a happy dance when Vayl and Jaz finally get together. I am very happy to say that they are definitely on the right track as they pretty much are an official couple now. Of course there still are some issues between them and I'm sure the road will never be completely smooth. That being said, they have taken things very slow, so they should be stable enough to last. There were several points in the book where Jaz is overcome with emotion. As we all know, emotion is not something she is very comfortable with, so it really was monumental for her to be able to show these feelings for Vayl.

The mission for this book was a little confusing at times as it wasn't really the main focus. Much more time was spent on Jaz's personal growth, her relationship with Vayl, and her issues with her father. Another main issue was this new oversight committee that seems to be meddling in their affairs. I got the sense that they were supposed to be a big potential threat, but I just wasn't feeling the danger. I'm wondering if they will be more of a problem in the future as it seemed like things were being set up for more later. Even if things escalate with them, I'm not sure how much of a threat they can possibly be. Jaz is always paranoid at losing her job because it's practically her entire life. However, I don't think it would hurt her too much in the long run as she could always go "private," like a mercenary, but only for good causes. I guess will we just have to wait and see where things are heading.

Sometimes it can surprise me how much I'm enjoying a series, especially when the fifth book is as good as the first. This series isn't slowing down at all, if anything it is picking up steam. The characters are great and I can't help but to feel everything right along with them. Each new book is harder to put down than the last, and this one is no exception. Be prepared for one heck of ride with plenty of character development along the way. I cannot wait to dive into the next book to see what more trouble is in store for Jaz and the gang. Definitely a top rated Urban Fantasy series!

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