Review: That's FBI Chief bitch to you!
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 29, 2012
Two stars for Potential, minus three for "bad style".  I.E., way too much dialogue (75% of the book), with hordes of males getting implausibly instant hard-ons for Seraphine. Worse: no humor, very few action scenes, and (spoiler*) a supernatural assassin who protects the paranormals, who should be in book #2, yet dies with no dignity. Drat! More unexplored potential!  What kind of hit-man boxes himself in at the airport, is found easily, and dies easily after a 10 minute chase? A hit-man called BOB!  Not "Blizzard", "Vicente", "Flynn" or "Zeus".  Just Bob.Bob is a kid's soccer coach, not a killer.Here's a sample of the first 1/3 of the book, but you should multiply these 3 conversations by at least 10, and lengthen each dialogue to several pages.  This is all before the book is half over. Hence the slight ridicule (sorry).1) SERAPHINE  (First speech to new "Monster Team")  -  "Hey kids, I'm your new boss, and we're going to shape up immediately, so let's start with dusting. We're gonna' stick with FBI rules, even if they're bigoted a_ _hats. At the very least, though,  I'll replace these 1982, 8-bit Commodore computers for you."  TEAM: "Boo-yah!2) HUNKY VAMP HITMAN: "My master, Vlad, told me to kill you, but you've enthralled me with one magic word.  Now I must move in with you and be your love slave".  SERA: "First, let's get permission from the all-powerful Vlad". VLAD TO HEROINE:  "Impressive power! You're now my newest ally!"  HUNKY VAMPIRE: "Sera, I've only known you 2 minutes, and am sorry about nearly offing you, but can I move in right now and jump your bones?"  SERA: "That's a bit sud...ooooh, ...OMG!  Faster! - What's your name again?"3) Chapter 7: LOCAL MYSOGONISTIC ALPHA VS. SERAPHINE: (He's a derivative of every cardboard villain in literature).  ALPHA: "You will join the pack, I'll rape you, and then you'll be my bitch".  SERA: "Wrong, dude!  I don't do packs, I don't `do' morons like you, I'm head of my FBI supe-division, and I already have super-wolf powers. That makes me an Alpha ++.  Now you're MY bitch." (She wipes the floor with her challenger.)  SERA TO PACK SCUM: "See you in my office Monday morning, losers. Get a lawyer. And call me "FBI Chief Bitch!"  RILEY, (third in line for pack leader)  "I think I'm in love. You can be my dom any time, Sera. Can I move in with you and be your second love slave? You'll have a vamp and shifter."Yeah, the above parody is fairly mean spirited. But each of those scenes are but a brief sample of endless talking.  Sue me, but I really get cranky after reading books containing too much blabbing, no comic relief, and almost no action scenes. This is exactly why former fans of the Anita Blake stories have ditched that series. (Check out the downhill ratings if you doubt me!)  With the exception of its great action scenes and immensely scary villains, there's too much whining, bitching, multiple lovers of all species (only they're into BDSM), and endless, endless rambling dialogues, apologies, rejections, and make-up sex. It's a train wreck of a series no author should emulate.Yet Erin Flynn is now armed with a first book, and she has potential.  But at no time should she ever use the Anita Blake "template".Why should readers be stuck with wasted possibilities like that? But I didn't hate AW or its protagonist, and I feel that Erin Flynn can improve, with a great deal of damage control.(And please, Ms. Flynn, bring back another assassin who will be a lovely anti-hero.  Only give him a cool name like Zorro, and make him the silent type, I beg of you.)