Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Trade paperback: 325 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Release date: April 23, 2013

Series: Jessica McClain #2

Source: eARC via NetGalley

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her newly found mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge, and Jessica is positive she can save him.

But being the only female werewolf in town comes with its own set of rules and powers... if only she understood them.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...

Jessica McClain's second full-length adventure comes on the heels of the events of FULL BLOODED. If you may recall, Jessica had a hard time of things in FULL BLOODED: discovering she was the only female full-blooded werewolf, learning she has superpowers, and meeting her mate, all in the span of a few days. And at the end of it all, Jess found herself with a death curse from the moon goddess Selene, who also managed to take Jessica's mate Roarke prisoner. It's enough to put anyone in a bad mood but Jess doesn't really have a chance to recover before she's on a quest to track down Selene and rescue Roarke.

Where FULL BLOODED has a wide scope, with Jessica coming into her own as a werewolf, discovering Roarke is her mate, and fighting against the mythology about a female werewolf being the end of everything, HOT BLOODED is focussed on a single mission: getting Roarke back from Selene. And it's a mission that deserve our full attention because it's a huge task. After all, Jessica is a newbie werewolf, still trying to figure out what her special abilities mean, and she's going up against an extremely powerful goddess. And this is after making a bold move, standing up to her father in front of their pack and the vampires, and then leaving to find Roarke with only two unpredictable vampire siblings and two packmates for support. It kind of reminded me of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol because of the small team, limited resources, and high-octane action. If you enjoy a slick action movie, you're sure to love HOT BLOODED.

There is also some fantastic world building in HOT BLOODED. Amanda Carlson expands on the rich mythology she established in FULL BLOODED, adding exciting new baddies, evil goats, and creatures from less explored (but existing) mythologies, like the Mahrac. There was surprise after surprise in HOT BLOODED, as Jessica and her company encounter all sorts of unusual traps, monsters, and barriers. And it was a lot of fun for me as a reader because everything was completely unpredictable and I love it when an author can pull the rug out from under my feet. I went into HOT BLOODED with expectations of a great story and Carlson more than exceeded my hopes.

Amanda Carlson and Jessica McClain roared onto the urban fantasy scene last year and it looks like 2013 will be another outstanding year for them if HOT BLOODED is any indication. I am so very excited to see what will happen in COLD BLOODED, coming this fall.

Read an excerpt

Posted by jenn at 00:01

 Amanda Carlson, Hachette, Review, werewolf  1 Person left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.