Review: Green-Eyed Envy by Kasey Mackenzie
Green-Eyed Envy by Kasey Mackenzie
Shades of Fury #2
Jealousy can be a killer...
As a Fury, Marissa Holloway belongs to an Arcane race that has meted out justice since time immemorial. As Boston's chief magical investigator, it's her duty to solve any crimes committed by or against supernaturals.
Months have gone by since Riss discovered some unwelcome truths about her past--and managed to stop a supernatural war. Since then things have been quiet. Too quiet. But that all changes when the bodies of Bastai, shapeshifters also known as Cats, begin piling up in Boston's magical underbelly--even though the legendary shifters are supposed to have ninety-nine lives.
One common thread ties the victims together: all were old flames of FBI Agent Harper Cruz. And since Harper and Riss's lover Scott Murphy enjoyed a one-night stand before he and Riss reunited, the Fury has twice the incentive to crack the case wide open, before the killer's green-eyed gaze turns in Scott's direction..
As a Fury, Marissa Holloway belongs to an Arcane race that has meted out justice since time immemorial. As Boston's chief magical investigator, it's her duty to solve any crimes committed by or against supernaturals.
Months have gone by since Riss discovered some unwelcome truths about her past--and managed to stop a supernatural war. Since then things have been quiet. Too quiet. But that all changes when the bodies of Bastai, shapeshifters also known as Cats, begin piling up in Boston's magical underbelly--even though the legendary shifters are supposed to have ninety-nine lives.
One common thread ties the victims together: all were old flames of FBI Agent Harper Cruz. And since Harper and Riss's lover Scott Murphy enjoyed a one-night stand before he and Riss reunited, the Fury has twice the incentive to crack the case wide open, before the killer's green-eyed gaze turns in Scott's direction..
After thwarting another Fury's evil plot to take over the Sisterhood and start a war between the races, both Arcane and Mundane, Marissa gained the respect she deserves from the Boston PD. Not only does she finally have a partner, but she is also head of the new Magical Crimes Unit. Their caseload has been relatively easy, at least until male Cat shapeshifters started turning up murdered despite their ninety-nine lives. Aside from their species, one other thing ties the victims together, they were all former lovers of Special Agent Harper Cruz. Considering Riss's better half Scott had his own romp with her back in the day, this case is hitting quite close to home for her. Despite the affair being relatively unknown, Riss knows it's only a matter of time before that well kept secret comes to light, and Scott is placed in the killer's cross-hairs.
I really loved Riss's character in the first installment. She was just so fierce and sassy and not a little bad-ass. However, in Green-Eyed Envy it is almost like she has been tamed down to a kitten rather than a Fury who should be feared. I just didn't get the change in behavior, and honestly I was a little disappointed. She was very secretive and kept important things to herself out of guilt and embarrassment, whereas the old Riss would have just spoke her mind. Basically that spark of passion that really drew me to her was all but burned out. I'm hoping the original Riss comes back, rather than the watered down version seen in this installment.
Since their reconciliation in the previous installment, the awesome sexual tension established between them Riss and Scott has pretty much vanished. I had been hoping to see plenty of smexy time between them. But alas, their interactions stayed more in the affectionate category rather than the inferno I would have liked to have seen. Perhaps that could be because of the issues they were dealing with having to stop a the murderer, and Riss's fear at Scott getting hurt. But honestly, I doubt it as deadly threats didn't stop them before.
Things this time around were much more sedate than the first installment, from the romance, to the overall plot, to even Riss's character herself. Instead of being a gritty and raw treat, Green-Eyed Envy was decidedly much more fluffy. In fact, the whole plot centered around a wild goose chase that was rather unnecessary when it was blatantly obvious who the culprit was from early on. That being said, despite my frustrations with this installment, I still think this is a pretty solid series. I'm actually pretty excited about the next installment as the subplot in this one hinted at a huge political mess in the middle of the Sisterhood, which should prove to be interesting at the very least.
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