Review:Hot Blooded( Jessica McClain,#2)

Author: Amanda Carlson
Series: Jessica McClain, #2
Release date: April 23rd 2013
Publisher: Orbit
Paperback, 320 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

All in a day's work for a girl.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...

Jessica McClain is the only female werewolf in existence. She is also the strongest, fastest and most powerful among werewolves. Not even her father, the strongest Alpha, can force her to obey him if she doesn’t do it willingly. Her first change was met with hostility and anger since it was prophesied that a female werewolf would destroy their entire race. According to a different prophecy, she'll be the one to bring ballance to the supernatural community.

But Jessica doesn’t want to rule the werewolves or bring balance to the supernatural world, no matter what the prophecies say. In truth, she just wants to be left alone to run her small PI business, but it simply isn’t in the cards. In Hot Blooded, the second book in the series, her pack finds itself in the middle of a war, and Jessica has to abandon them all to save her mate from an evil goddess bent on revenge.

In the first book, worldbuilding was a bit neglected in favor of character development, but in Hot Blooded, Carlson more than made up for it. The second part was especially interesting in that regard – Jessica and her friends had to fight all kinds of mythological creatures to get to Rourke, each of them more fascinating than the last.

Hot Blooded is full of heart-pounding action. To save her mate from the evil goddess Selene, Jessica has to fight her way through a forest full of traps from the underworld, but she’s more than up to the task. She’s not just incredibly strong and resistant to hostile magic, she is also quick witted and kind, always ready to risk her life to save someone else. Carlson found a perfect balance for her main character – she made her stubborn and strong, but also compassionate and thoughtful.

Unfortunately, romance is where Hot Blooded fell a tiny bit short. In Full Blooded, Jessica and Rourke discovered their mating bond, but before they had a chance to talk about it, let alone do something more than that, Rourke was taken and Jessica forced to move heaven and earth to save him. He ended up being absent through most of this book, and while I adored both he and Jessica separately, I simply wasn’t invested in their romance as much as I should have been. Hopefully, that will change in Cold Blooded. Carlson is a skilled enough author to make me forget all about it and I already think Rourke is perfect for Jess. I just need to see how well they work together.

Carlson’s secondary characters are extraordinary. I am emotionally attached to every one of them, especially Tyler and Danny. She really took the time to flesh out Jessica's entire inner circle. Her take on vampires was also very enjoyable. While it wasn’t the most original, she at least made their rules fascinating to read about.

I honestly think every urban fantasy fan should give this series a chance, and even those who don’t read much UF would probably find it very easy to read.