Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks, Book 1)
Rardin fuses spy girl with vampire slayer in this entertaining but derivative debut. Jasmine Jaz Parks, a martial artist turned vampire-hunting government agent, is assigned to protect top-notch operative Vayl, a 300-year-old vampire on the side of the good guys. As Vayl helps Jaz to hone her supernatural abilities and she tries to keep from falling for his Romanian charm, they track down a dirty senator in cahoots with Mohammed Khad Abn-Assan, a terrorist who's making plans for a Red Plague spread through vampire-to-human contact. Rardin delivers all the paranormal touches that fans of Hamilton, Harris and Whedon enjoy, and Jaz's jittery narration amuses, but the fang-filled plot, replete with action licks and paranormal theatrics, will have trouble standing out in this overcrowded field.(Oct.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.