Friday, June 10, 2011

Review: Goddess with a Blade by Lauren Dane

Goddess with a Blade by Lauren Dane

***NetGalley book

Amazon Product Description:
Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Physical vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid and raised by the leader of the Vampire Nation, she's a supercharged hunter with the power to slay any vampire who violates the age-old treaty.
A recent string of murders has her at odds with Las Vegas's new Scion, the arrogant and powerful Clive Stewart. The killings have the mark of Vampire all over them, and Rowan warns Clive to keep his people in line—or she'll mete out her own brand of justice.
Though her dealings with Clive are adversarial to say the least, Rowan is intensely aware of her attraction to him. But she can't let it distract her from her duty—to find and battle the killer before more women die.

My Thoughts:
This was my first Lauren Dane read - it will not be my last!  
Loved the story.  I found myself completely engrossed in this fascinating tale.  
The characters are fantastic.  The "bad" guys are so evilly bad, and the "good" guys all seem to walk the line between good and bad, but always working to do the right things for the right reasons.
I enjoyed the goddess vessel aspect of Rowan.  She is the perfect heroine, if you can accept her cockiness and bad manners.  Clive, the Scion of the Vampire Nation, is perfect opposite - so you just know that they are going to be fun.  The relationship that develops between them is wonderful.  All of the characters have been created with the utmost care.  They each have well developed personalities and belief structures.  It is this fact that makes their interactions, and thus the story, work so well and move so smoothly.  
The setting - Las Vegas - couldn't have been more perfect.  What better place for a rogue, drug addicted, ancient vampire to turn serial killer.  The city where vices rule.  
The story moves at a fast pace and keeps the reader turning the pages (or pressing the buttons - kindle book) constantly wanting more and more!  I loved the ending - although I find myself wanting to know more about Rowan and Clive!  
*definitely an adult read - some steamy sexuality and bad language.