Taken by the Others by Jess Haines

Once, New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest's most pressing problem was keeping her agency afloat. Now, she's dealing with two dangerous, seductive vampires who have been enemies for centuries. The only thing Max Carlyle and Alec Royce agree on is that they both want Shia-- for very different reasons.

Max is determined to destroy Shia for killing his progeny, while Royce's interest is a lot more personal. That's not sitting well with Shia's werewolf boyfriend, Chaz. As the feud between Max and Royce gets even more deadly, a powerful vampire-hunting faction is urging Shia to join their side. Shia has always believed vamps were the bad guys, but she's discovering unexpected shades of grey that are about to redefine her friends, her loyalties-- and even her desires.

Where does this review begin? Well I suppose first I should thank Jess & her super assistant Binah, for sending me the book to review. After reading Hunted by the Others I knew I wanted to continue following Shia's story.

Taken had a very deepened foreboding undertone. Jess writes wish such a sassy humor that one can't afford to pass up her books. This is book two in the H&W Investigations series. I was happy to see a good portion of my favorite characters retrun, in addition to some new ones being introduced. However Chaz seemed like a distant character, for about a 1/3 of the novel, in this book more than he was in the first. Chaz & Shia's relationship is faulty. It appears that their relationship has become as much of a background as Chaz's character was as well. One begins hopeful for a new relationship between Shia & Alec. I think John's character as a traitor was a predictability that I saw from the beginning of the novel. I will be beginning Decieved by the Others in the New Year. I anticipate the release of books 4-6 in the H&W Investigations series.

Favorite quotes:
"It wasn't fair (for a vampire) to be rich, good looking, and smart, too. Two out of three wasn't bad, three for three was just plain unfair.

"...even though the visible scars fade, some emotional ones take a lot longer to heal."

Jess Haines Guest Blog Day!

Hey Followers! Well July 15 will be an exciting day. I will be having an exceptional author, Jess Haines, as a guest blogger on here! I am excited to see what she has to say. You may remember her from the previous review I did for her novel, Hunted By The Others. Jess & her assistant Binah will be sending me Taken By The Others (In stores now), Deceived By The Others (July 5 in stores)and The Real Werewives of Vampire County (In stores Oct 2011). I will be hosting a Jess Haines giveaway as well. I will be giving away Hunted by the Others, Taken by the Others and Decieved by the Others to three lucky individuals. I will make a seperate post for the giveaway information. For now, you can view Jess's website at

www.jesshaines.com

Hunted By The Others by Jess Haines

They are the Others-the vampires, mages, and werewolves once thought to exist only in our imaginations. Now they're stepping out of the shadows, and nothing in our world will ever be the same again...

IN A TOWN LIKE THIS, BEING A P.I. CAN BE MURDER

Shiarra Waynest's detective work was dangerous enough when her client base was strictly mortal. But ailing finances have forced her to accept a lucrative case that could save her firm- if it doesn't kill her first. Shiarra has signed on to work for a high-level mage to recover an ancient artifact owned by one of New York's most powerful vampires.

As soon as Shiarra meets sexy, mesmerizing vamp Alec Royce, she knows her assignment is even more complicated than she thought. With a clandestine anti-Other group trying to recruit her, and magi being eliminated, Shiarra needs back-up and enlists her ex-boyfriend-a werewolf whose non-furry form is disalarmingly appealing=and a nerdy mage with surprising talents. But it may not be enough. In a city where the undead roam, magic rules, and even the Other's aren't always what they seem, Shiarra has just become the weapon in a battle between good and evil-whether she likes it or not...

This was an ARC that I specifically requested from the author, whom sent me the final and autographed copy. The story is written in a non-sensical style that doesn't cater to "cheesy paranormal romance novels" other authors have written in the past. More authors in this genre need to strive for the effort Jess Haines has done. I admit I am not anywhere close to a fan of the novel's artwork. I am definitely one to judge a book by its cover. Had I seen this in the stores based on the artwork, I would have never even bothered touching the book.

An interesting piece of information is that I was actually reviewing a novel for Alison Sinclair at the same time I read this one. Both of these novels spoke about their characters eating bagels with lox and cream cheese. This must be some foreign thing because I am still unware of exactly what this is. LOL!

I thought it was interesting as well that she incorporated a new twist on vampire/slayer protection items/weapons. The story is full of female catty humor. I usually include my favorite quotes from reviews, but this book is so full of them from the beginning until the end. It just would save me time to say my favorite quote is the entire book itself.

As I read the story I hoped for Royce and Shia's character to become my new "Buffy & Angel" couple. Arnold's character was getting so annoying. Everytime it mentioned him I felt as if he was attempting to hook up with every female character in the novel. I think he needs to lower his viagra dosage. But as the story came to a close this issue was happily resolved. I believe the story ended with a great turn of events.

Overall this story was beautifully written with a graceful flow of words that of course is counter-acted by the intensity of vampires, mages and werewolves. I definitely hope this story prolongs into a lengthy series of novels. It certainly has a high potential to do so.