Review: Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Title: Hot Blooded
Author: Amanda Carlson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Jessica McClain #2

Trade Paperback, 336 pages

Publication: April 23, 2013 by Orbit

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Source: Publicist

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain. Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps. Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers. 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. All in a day's work for a girl.

 

Jessica McClain and the crew return in the highly anticipated sequel Hot Blooded for another action packed adventure filled with magic and mayhem.  Hot Blooded takes place exactly where Full Blooded left off with Jessica on a mission to save her mate Rourke from the clutches of the evil goddess Selene.  On this journey, Jessica is accompanied by her brother Tyler, pack mate Danny, two vampire siblings borrowed for tracking from the vampire queen, and Ray, a human hell-bent on exposing Jessica on what she really is (Ray is only on this trip because if Jessica left him behind he’d die. She’s hoping that on this journey he’d change his mind and become a human liaison for the pack).  

The majority of the book takes place on the road as the group tries to pinpoint Selene lair. The group encounters various types of mythological creatures summoned/controlled by Selene, and in order to defeat them they had to work together. This was a mission in itself because vampires, werewolves, and all the other supernatural sects never interact/or help one another. With each obstacle they encounter, Readers along with the heroine Jessica discovers what she’s really capable of, that her powers are vaster than anyone can imagine. It was great seeing Jessica discover her abilities, every time she beat one of Selene’s obstacle she discover something new about what she can do…the abilities were endless! Jessica is the ultimate supernatural, and like the prophecy stated…she is to be feared among the sects.  I was sad that I didn’t get more page time with Rourke, but we got to see a lot more of Tyler, Danny and vampire Naomi.  Tyler and Danny are always a joy to read. Tyler, Jessica’s brother is the ever-loving protective brother and Danny is the goof-ball of the pack. We met Naomi briefly at the end of book one, but we get to see more of her and her brother in this book. I really like Naomi’s character because in the first book, vampires were described as passive, terrifying, and cold heart but Naomi shattered that image. The biggest surprise character (after Jessica of course) is Ray. I think everyone (characters and readers) loathed him since book one but over the course of book two he started to grow on me. Ray was still very much stubborn and a thorn in everyone’s butt but he helped the group when it counted the most.

While Hot Blooded was action-packed, the pacing felt a little slower than Full Blooded. It took me awhile to get engaged in the story, but once the action started rolling in it didn’t let up.  A lot happens in Hot Blooded with new enemies and alliances made that will not only affect Jessica but also the other supernatural sects. I am intrigued to see what Carlson has in store for all the characters in the next book, Cold Blooded. The werewolves are in turmoil with a rouge problem; Jessica still needs to fulfill her oath to the vampire queen and with the cliffhanger ending…it look like the witches are going to play a big part in the following book. Bottom line Hot Blooded was an excellent follow-up to the Jessica McClain series, an awesome UF world and characters you can’t get enough of! I’m totally looking forward to reading Cold Blooded when it comes out this October!