Jenna Maclaine

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Aug08

It always gives me a thrill to discover a book by a new author…especially if after I finish their book I want to read MORE. Happily, this was the case with “Wages of Sin” by Jenna Maclaine. The author managed to strike just the right chord to create a fascinating historical tale of magic, vampires, and demons (oh my!) without leaving me feeling like I’d read it all before! I can hardly wait to see where she goes from here and I show more certainly plan to be taking that journey with her new characters.

She used to be Dulcinea. Dulcinea was a hereditary witch with loving parents living the life of the privileged titled in 1815 England. She enjoyed her life…flirting with potential beaus at lavish ton balls dressed in beautiful gowns. Life was simple and pleasant. Then, in one night, she lost her parents, gained her magic, and was almost killed by a former-childhood-friend/suitor-turned-vampire. So Dulcinea is dead now. My name is Cin and Dulcinea’s death is where my story begins…

I thought Dulcinea rocked!! Although a bit spoiled, it wasn’t in a bad way. Throughout this story, she deals with some very tough situations, makes some very hard decisions, and still maintains her integrity. I truly admired her for that. She became a real person to me…someone I’d like to sit down and talk with, maybe while having lunch or shopping. Did she make some mistakes? Absolutely. Did she try to fix it? You bet. Did she learn from those mistakes? Oh yeah. Hard times make for quick personal growth and maturity…or it just kills you. That was the choice Dulcinea/Cin had to make.

Her ‘hero’ is Michael. He is dashing, handsome, protective, and strong. He’s also a vampire. He also has a bit of a ‘thing’ because she has a title, and he was a peasant when he lived. Did he make some mistakes? Yepper. Did he try and fix what he screwed up? Yes. Did he learn from his mistakes? Definitely. Did these two have to do some compromising? In spades! I would characterize Michael as a Beta Alpha, can I do that? Alpha because he has many of those traits. Beta because he’s also smart enough to know he’s not the strongest/oldest and therefore must sometimes follow. Is that a great guy or what?

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I enjoyed the hero, the heroine, the plot, the secondary characters, the setting, the pacing…you name it, I liked it. Is this the next great American novel? Uh, no. Then again, I probably wouldn’t like it if it was. For a first book by a new author, I was stunned at how few problems there were. This is a solid, tight, engrossing read. Do yourself a favor…if you’re looking for something different in the paranormal or historical romance arena, pick up “Wages of Sin” by Jenna Maclaine. If you don’t like it, send me a nasty gram. For myself, I’ve already put her next book “Grave Sins” (late 2008/early2009) on my ‘to-buy’ list. show less

I bought this book when it first came out and just now got around to reading it. Boy, am I kicking myself for waiting for so long. I REALLY enjoyed this anthology. Every story is strong and quite different from the average anthology fare. I used to buy a lot of anthologies, but after getting burned a few times I stopped. This was one I picked up in my anthology buying heyday. I was familiar with Christine and Marjorie's work. They were why I bought the anthology in the first place. But I'm show more glad I kept reading or I wouldn't have 'discovered' the other two authors, Caitlin and Jenna. I enjoyed their stories enough to want to check out their backlist. And frankly, that's about the best compliment that you can pay to anybody. :) show less

Quite a mixed bag of paranormal stories. Marjorie Liu's story was the best; a woman survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, who discovers that demons are out to steal the remaining human's life forces, must use her cunning to save the world. Christine Warren's tale of a supernatural bounty hunter out to recover a stolen artifact was a decent story; as was Jenna Maclaine's tale of a Vampire police force who are pitted against Jack the Ripper turned vampire slayer. The worst story was by Caitlin show more Kittredge. It was so convoluted. It tried too hard to make its antiheroes hip and its villains grotesque, that it just made everyone unlikable. show less

I love Buffy as much as the next person, so I don't mind when writers let the series influence their books. I am a little put off when it's transparently done. I mean, here we have two handsome vampires on a redemptive mission against other vampires: one older, burly, dark, and pensive; the other younger, wiry, blond, and frisky. It was distracting, quite frankly, and I spent a few moments rolling my eyes just a little. Moreover, Cin wasn't all that likable. This wasn't a bad book by any show more means, but nothing encouraged me to keep up with the series. show less