House of Cards

After battling dragons and djinns and gargoyles, oh my! Margrit Knight thinks she is up for any challenge, even convincing her former gargoyle protector to step out of the shadows and back into her life. It is not an easy task - more difficult even than battling the powerful Eliseo Daisani. If only she could stumble into a dangerous situation and prove just how vulnerable she was... Opportunity knocks on several fronts. If a death at the workplace, a new career opportunity with a mysterious and deadly employer, and a debt owed to a dragon weren't enough to send Margrit running to a land far, far away, the reemergence of a race formerly thought to be depleted just may do the trick. With this new discovery comes an upset in the balance of the Old Races, an upset that Margrit inadvertedly caused. Now Alban, the gargoyle whose name she cleared from murder charges, has no choice but to swoop back into her life and do what he can to keep her safe. With so many lives hanging in the balance, how can he hope to defend one lone human from the coming civil war among the Old Races? Rarely do I encounter a sequel that not only lives up to but also exceeds the expectations created by the first book. House of Cards pleasantly shattered those expectations and raised the bar to an unreachable height. It was gritty, dangerous, sensual, and thrilling from page one to its startling conclusion. C.E. Murphy outdid herself when creating this magical world in which the characters must struggle to survive by any means necessary. Admittedly, I tend to root for the bad guys. They do, after all, propel the plot and force the protagonist to grow and succeed or remain static and perish. In the Negotiator trilogy, it is difficult to pinpoint who the bad guys really are. Daisani, a ruthless killer in his own right, hides secrets of opportunities lost with a mortal woman. Janx, not one to hide his own ruthless nature, has indeed built a house of cards. Unfortunately, it is one easily tumbled. In its fall, his outer shell is shattered and the dragon within released. Both beings have shown their extent of influence and their ability to exact revenge if necessary, but they do so under a code of honor that supersedes human understanding. Margrit herself, driven by a need to right all wrongs and protect those she doesn't think can protect themselves, does more harm than good in her meddling. There are so many unanswered questions following House of Cards that I'm anxious to have explained. The fate of the Old Races, with whom Margrit will end up, and the backlash from the attempted overthrow of Janx's domain will all be decided in the final installment of the Negotiator trilogy, Hands of Flame. I don't want the journey into this world to end, but if it must, I'm sure I will be blown away in the aftermath. Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Jackie

Actually this is a 4 1/2 stars. I read the first and gave it a 3 1/2 stars and this one is much better. And, I am ready to read the 3rd book. Each book builds up to the next one and each book makes you want to find out what is next for these "old races". I'm hooked.

This is a very good second book in a series -- it is strong, with a very natural continuation of friendships, romances, and business interests. That is, where business interests equal meetings with Eliseo Daisani and a group of attorneys with something to hide. I have to say up front that one of the things about this book which seemed more realistic to me was this: Margrit and Alban do not get together quickly or without misunderstandings on both of their parts. This book is not just an urban fantasy romance, where the majority of the story is a romance. The romance is definitely a part, but not overwhelmingly so. Also, the action falls down the line very naturally, with plot points that lead one to the next. I am very eager to read book 3, and give kudos to this author for breaking out with a very different urban fantasy and her own mythology

I've long been a fan of Anne Bishop and have been seeking out other authors who could write fantasy books that included dark humor, strong female characters and creative, memorable worlds. C.E. Murphy's work was introduced to me through the Walker Papers series. After reading those, I had to find other books from this author. The Negotiator series has been even better than the Walker papers and I can recommend them to those interested in dark humor, creative worlds and strong female characters.

I've been a C.E. Murphy fan for some years. Her books are intricate and sometimes a bit difficult to understand. But her world-building and characterizations are superb. I think the Negotiator series presents a clearer, easier to understand world than the urban shaman series does, as well as more romance; always a plus in my book when it's as well done as this is. Margrit (Grit) is a unique character in urban paranormal fiction. She has no real super powers (a gift of vampire blood in Heart of Stone is not really used in House of Cards). She's flawed. An admitted adrenaline junkie who likes to push danger to it's limits. Her strengths are her intelligence and her ability to think and act under pressure. The more she is pressed, the less scared she is, which is sometimes to her detriment. She makes mistakes, sometimes big ones. In House of Cards, we get to learn more about the other Old Races, especially Elisio Dasani and Janx. Both of them have a rather startled admiration for Grit, mostly because she is entirely unafraid of them even when she should be. Alban actually takes a bit of a back seat in this one. I'm very much looking forward to book three of this trilogy.