Red-Headed Stepchild

Red-Headed Step Child by Jaye Wells is an absolute thrill ride. Normally, I'd never admit this, but I'd hate for somebody to miss out, so here goes. I refused to purchase this book because the cover is God-awful. First there's the hair in conjunction with the name, and it all just screamed not worth my time, but it totally was. Sabina's an enthralling character and Wells did a great job at spicing up what could've been some very predictable plot twists. Another big PLUS is the fact that Wells kept the romance light. Don't fret. This first installment has its fair share of erotic scenes minus the typical right-out-of-the-gate pairing. Too often authors couple-up the main character, and forget that romantic tensions keep the paranormal romance alive. As far as I'm concerned, Wells did a great job balancing this novel out and I can't wait for book two.

Great book! It's the start of a paranormal series. I found the characters to be interesting. Sabina is half mage and half vampire. Raised by vampires she doesn't acknowledge the other half of herself. Sabina faces some challenges and takes you along for the ride. I definitely recommend this book.

Vampires and mages don't get along. So, with her mixed blood, vampire Sabina is denied a shot at ruling the vampires. Instead, she's been trained as an assassin. Being assigned to murder one of her few friends makes that job even less appealing than usual. Her grandmother, leader of the vampires, decides to use Sabina's pique for the vampires' advantage. She'll pretend to be frustrated, disenchanted, and infiltrate the outlaw vampire gang that threatens her grandmother's legitimate rule--and that just might launch the next war between vampires and mages. The outlaw vampire leader is half-demon, which means he isn't offended by Sabina's mixed blood. Still, there's something about the being that gives Sabina the creeps--at the same time as she's incredibly turned on. Then there's the myserious mage who says he's trying to track her down with word from the mage side of her family (as if they haven't ignored her since her birth), a new 'friend,' and a mysterious demon who somehow gets transformed into a hairless cat. Author Jaye Wells creates a world where fae creatures trace their descent from Cain and Lilith, where blood magic remains a vital force, and where nothing is quite as it seems. Sabina, who is, after all, a hard-drinking assassin, is not your standard heroine. Still, Wells makes her interesting and sympathetic. I would have liked to see a bit more of her growth--as she realizes she's been lied to--which seemed to me to happen a bit abruptly. RED-HEADED STEPCHILD is not a romance, but it does have a bit of a romance feel with the growing relationship between Sabina and Adam. RED-HEADED STEPCHILD is a welcome addition to the vampire literature. Although STEPCHILD is sometimes sexy, Wells gives us a story rather than a string of sexual escapades, and characters who have fears, interests and growth. This is Wells's first novel and a very promising launch to her career as a fantasy writer.

I purchased this book on a whim at the bookstore because I loved the cover and it was classified as Fantasy/Horror. I find I am getting tired of paranormal romance type stories where the focus definitely seems to be romance. Anyway, what a pleasant surprise I found in "Red Headed Stepchild". I was worried initially about liking Sabina, because lets face it, at the beginning of the book she isn't really Miss Congeniality. She certainly won me over and by the end of the book, I was sorry to let my visit with her end. This is a story where Sabina isn't who she believed and neither is the world as she knows it. She finds that perhaps her loyalty lay with people who didn't deserve that loyalty. While on a mission from her grandmother, Sabina, who is half vampire and half mage, sets off on a journey that will have her meet the first people in her life she has ever considered friends. What a wonderful and unique group of characters these people turn out to be! I especially enjoyed the mysterious Mage who starts off stalking Sabina, Sabina's nymph roommate and her demon familiar. The demon familiar has been done quite a bit in this genre, but Wells keeps this one unique and never annoying. There is plenty of intense action to be had, and intriguing back stories. This story fell just a hair short of perfect for me because of one plot element I didn't care for but I won't give that away here as to not release any potential spoilers. I guess it depends on where Wells takes this twist. Maybe I will have to eat those words. Regardless, this is one of the best starts of a series I have read in the last year or two. I do not exaggerate when I say I am counting the days until the release of book two.