Bite Marks

For me Bite Marks was all about the characters and the laugh-out-loud moments. I wasn't too invested in the story I was more interested in Jaz and Vayl's new relationship and Bergman's transition from paranoid geek to brave field agent. The funniest moments (and there are many) revolve around Cole's need to track down and pet a kangeroo and Astral the robokitty, Bergman's latest invention.

The inclusion of a sneak preview of Bitten in Two has me thinking that Bergman will be fighting off the attentions of a beautiful girl with a scary looking brother - can't wait to read all about that!

This is the 6th book in the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. The 7th book "Bitten in Two" will be out in 2010. Last I read there are 8 books planned for this series. This was another great book; tons of action and humor.

Jaz and crew are assigned to a mission in which some gnomes are trying to take out the Australian based NASA complex. Not a straight-forward mission in and of itself. Things get even more complicated when Jaz discovers she's been possessed by King Brude, Lucifer's assassin. Then when they arrive in Australia they find out the demon Cassandra has been fleeing from has finally found her. To add to this mess Cole is set on petting a kangaroo and Bergman has created a new robo-kitty called Astral that is making life a show more little crazy.

Like all the previous books in this series this book was a great read. It is fast-paced, with awesome action scenes, great gadgets, and hilarious dialogue and plot points. Vayl and Jaz have great chemistry together and there are a number of nice steamy scenes that bring tension to the story, yet never get really graphic. The characters, as usual, are what make the story, coupled with all the great fight scenes.

The addition of Jack (Jaz's dog) and Astral (the robo-kitty) really made for some hilarious scenes. We got to spend more time with the celestial Raoul and met the demon that has been plaguing Cassandra for centuries.

Rardin does a good job at keeping Jaz's inner dialogue (with her possessor) easy to read and non-confusing. The plot is twisty-turny but never confusing. Some of the side items, like Cole's kangaroo petting adventures and Astral's quirks, really add some fun into the story.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it kept losing the main story line. So much of the first half of the book dealt with Cassandra's demon problems that I forgot what their original mission was. Then in the second half of the book a lot of time was spend dealing with Jaz's demon possession problems. The mission sounded really cool, but not much page space was actually spent on the mission itself. That being said everything was nicely tied together in the end. And new plot points were left opened up for the next book.

I would definitely recommend reading the previous books in the series before this one. Rardin does a great job of reminding you what happened in previous books, but I still think you need the back-story from previous books to understand what is going on in this one.

Overall a fun read. I enjoyed the book a lot and look forward to the next book in the series. show less

Bite Marks, book 6 in the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin, picks up with a bang where One More Bite left off. Jaz and Vayl's vacation is cut short when Pete sends them out to deal with a threat against a NASA space complex in Australia. Gnomes have concocted a plan to infiltrate the complex and cause problems to ensure the privacy of their god, Ufran, who lives on one of the rings of Saturn. While in Australia, Kyphas, the demon Cassandra made her deal with, has finally found her and come to collect on the debt. And as if killing gnomes, assassinating gnome larvae carriers, and battling demons weren't enough, Jaz is hearing voices in her head. Jaz, along with her team, begin to doubt her control and the security of the mission.

Bite show more Marks has the right combination of romance, action, comedy, and seriousness to make an intriguing tale. I have been following Jaz and Vayl's relationship since the first in the series, rooting them along. This installment shows how they are growing and coming to rely on each other as a couple, not just in their working relationship. Cole adds the comic relief; his quest to pet a kangaroo is one of my favorite parts. Add to that a singing mechanical cat named Astral and you have the ingredients of a great story.

Bite Marks left me looking forward to the next to see how unfinished business is resolved. An excerpt of Bitten in Two, the seventh in the series, is included in the extras of the book. The Jaz Parks series is also being re-released in mass market paperback form. show less

My thoughts...I am a series reader. Picking up a book from a series is like having lunch with an old friend or (wiggles eyebrows) an old flame. In true Jaz Parks style, Jennifer Rardin does not disappoint with the sixth installment in this action packed series.

Jaz and her team find themselves trying to save the Space Program. She also finds herself with some extra company who makes their mission even more difficult. All of my favorites are around to take part in the action including Cole, Cassandra, Raul, Vayl and Bergman. He was my favorite in this book, we really see him start to come out of his shell. I love the new side of him and I am continually impressed with his inventions. Big props to Rardin for her latest idea, I want one show more for myself. As in the other books, the team dynamic made the story interesting, funny, and even emotional at times.

Although the plot seemed slower than previous books, a lot happened. This book seemed to be a turning point in the series. There were plenty of fight scenes with high-tech weapons, magic from Cassandra and her Enkyklios, and wit from Cole. The end had a smooth finish, but definitely left the reader itching for more. For any new readers, I highly recommend going in order. The characters have developed so much at this point that you need to know their history.

The cons...I have two small issues with this book. I am a devout Jaz Parks fan but this one did not hold my attention as well as the others. I am not a huge fan of Science Fiction. I love the vamps, witches, and all the paranormal creatures but aliens and mutant larvae are close to the edge for me. That being said, little green men did not come down from Mars, I still enjoyed the story. Secondly, I kept forgetting what mission they were trying to preform. There were so many subplots that were much more interesting.

Overall, I am a huge fan of the Jaz Parks series and I do recommend this series to new readers, especially if you like urban dark fantasy. If you are already a Jaz fan, you need to read this book because the there are some huge events that I believe will shape the rest of the series. show less

Another awesome book in this series. Jaz, Vahl, and the gang head to Australia to save NASA and find that Jaz has been possessed.You will not believe who. Bergman designs a robokitty that steals the show. Between the kitty and Jack there are some hilarious scenes. A new character, a female demon bring a nice twist to the gang. I love this group of characters, their history's, their loves, their baggage !

The Jaz series is quite fast paced, as it is, but this time Jaz had a mental passenger, she was talking to multiple personalities in her own brain (besides Granny May of who I am quite fond) and thinking about her boyfriends butt. And then they have multiple problems besides the case. It was too much this time and it took me quite a while to get in to the story. Better luck next time I guess.

Jennifer Rardin never disappoints and always leaves me craving more. In each new novel Rardin creates an intricate web of smaller stories that all mesh perfectly in the end to create all of the awesome Jaz Parks stories. After all of the major movements in the last book, this was what I call a turnaround book. The last book wrapped a lot of things up, so to continue this series this book consisted of several changes. Vahl and Jasamine are making quite the romance; the rendezvous are also short and few leaving us craving more. Otherwise, Cole's character seems to have changed the most detouring from mission Jaz to making a useful position on Vahl and Jaz's team. I expectionally liked his humor in this book for example,' Jazzy's a pain in show more the a-ass. So glad she gave me the Pa-ass!' Vahl and Cole have seemed to have mutually settled into one anothers lifes making Coles actor less evasive and ultimately enjoyable. Rardin always saves the best for last I felt that this book was not measuring up the previous book until I started the second half. Almost immediately she redeemed herself and rose to the top where she belongs. The Jaz Parks Series is one of the best series out there, and once you have read one you will have to read them all show less