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daringpeg's review
5.0
The story line was excellent and the characters surprising with each aspect revealed. The mind of Jayne was beautifully shown and delved deep into various aspects of the world and life in general as she sought to understand her new world. The final death of Coin was nerve-wracking not only for the location but also his reaction to her identity.
yaj's review against another edition
3.0
Decent paranormal romance, exceeded my expectations. I liked how things often didn't go according to plan, and the book did a good job of portraying a sense of desperation, that the protagonist and her team were outmatched and outgunned by the bad guys. I liked the supporting cast, they felt like actual characters with their own flaws and motivations. I didn't care for the romantic subplot; though at least it didn't follow the standard formula.
timofeev's review against another edition
2.0
There really wasn't anything that really stood out with me for this book. Just one of the thousands of urban fantasy novels out there.
robynldouglas's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 that I'm rounding up. I enjoyed Jayne and her ragamuffin band, and especially liked the twist on vampires, etc that Hanover gives us in the world building. Really the only thing I wasn't a huge fan of in this was the romance, but I suspect that will improve. Looking forward to the next one!
notanutmeg's review against another edition
4.0
Normally I would have passed right by this book. With the cheesy looking cover and title I just figured it wouldn't be my cup of tea. But I gave it a go. Because the Urban Fantasy group voted it this month's book and I wanted to actually participate for a change. Although it isn't the book I voted for, I'm really glad that it won!
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were likable (though a bit cliche) and the plot kept me interested. If you're looking for an easy read with characters you can get attached to (as this is a series) definitely give it a try. I plan on reading the other books in this series as well!
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were likable (though a bit cliche) and the plot kept me interested. If you're looking for an easy read with characters you can get attached to (as this is a series) definitely give it a try. I plan on reading the other books in this series as well!
novelgoddess's review against another edition
4.0
GoodReads Synopsis: Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions -- Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities -- Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely....
My Thoughts: Ooh...love a good Urban Fantasy series and I really liked this one!
I've already started the second book in this series having read this one in one sitting. Anyway, Hanover jumped right into the action on this one. We, the audience, learned on the fly just like Jayne did.
See Jayne didn't know much about her Uncle Eric. Other than he was the one that usually rode in and smoothed things over when her life was in turmoil. So Jayne was very surprised to find out Eric was dead, left everything to her, and he was worth MILLIONS.
It's only later that strange things start happening and Jayne learns about riders and the demons from "next door", and Uncle Erics unlikely band of demon-stalkers.
The great thing is that while all the characters involved knew Eric, they all knew a different part of Eric...no really KNEW Eric. So they are sharing what parts of Eric they knew as we, the audience, are getting to know all the characters.
Another thing I am enjoying about this series is that the author is not only tackling secular "demons", he's dragging in demon-like mythologies from all sorts of religions, cultures, etc. Leaving the door wide open to a variety of stories without running out of bad guys.
By the end of the action packed first book, we haven't learned a great deal about the characters, which I believe was intentional. I think as we peel back the layers on Uncle Eric and his work, those same layers will be revealed on our characters.
I'm anxious to dive more into book 2 and see what I get to learn! I really think I will be enjoying this series even more than some others I've read.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions -- Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities -- Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely....
My Thoughts: Ooh...love a good Urban Fantasy series and I really liked this one!
I've already started the second book in this series having read this one in one sitting. Anyway, Hanover jumped right into the action on this one. We, the audience, learned on the fly just like Jayne did.
See Jayne didn't know much about her Uncle Eric. Other than he was the one that usually rode in and smoothed things over when her life was in turmoil. So Jayne was very surprised to find out Eric was dead, left everything to her, and he was worth MILLIONS.
It's only later that strange things start happening and Jayne learns about riders and the demons from "next door", and Uncle Erics unlikely band of demon-stalkers.
The great thing is that while all the characters involved knew Eric, they all knew a different part of Eric...no really KNEW Eric. So they are sharing what parts of Eric they knew as we, the audience, are getting to know all the characters.
Another thing I am enjoying about this series is that the author is not only tackling secular "demons", he's dragging in demon-like mythologies from all sorts of religions, cultures, etc. Leaving the door wide open to a variety of stories without running out of bad guys.
By the end of the action packed first book, we haven't learned a great deal about the characters, which I believe was intentional. I think as we peel back the layers on Uncle Eric and his work, those same layers will be revealed on our characters.
I'm anxious to dive more into book 2 and see what I get to learn! I really think I will be enjoying this series even more than some others I've read.
corar's review against another edition
4.0
When her Uncle Eric dies, Janye' Heller discovers that he left her a fortune. While in Denver to settle the estate, she also discovers that her uncle was killed while working on a case to bring down an evil cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College. Struggling to come to terms with a supernatural world that she never knew existed, Janye' finds that she is now the target of Randolph Coin, the leader of the group. She recruits some of Eric's associates and decides that she must take Coin down, before she finds herself sharing Eric's fate. This book was a fun introduction to a series. I felt like the author was skimming the surface with the characters, especially the big bad guy, but that gives him room to develop them as the series continues. The book did a good job of introducing the paranormal world and setting Janye' up for further adventures. I will definitely continue the series, it has a lot of potential.
dogtown's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the magic lore in this book but found it difficult to relate to the characters. I will probably read the second in the series eventually however to see if the characters become more engaging.
veronica87's review against another edition
2.0
What to say about this book...um, it has a cool cover? Here's the thing, if the overall plot of a book is weak but there is a yummy romance then usually the romance aspect can sustain my interest in a series. Conversely, if the romance is not all that but the plot and world building are top notch then I'm along for the ride. The problem for me with this book is that it fell short both counts, plot and romance.
As for plot, nothing really happened in this book. It was a group of people basically hanging around a house until the last twenty pages or so when the final showdown happened. The writer did manage to check off some cliches right out of the gate though. Heroine with unique name? Check. (Jayne - with an accent on the 'e' and pronounced zhuh-nay, yeah whatever. I pronounced it like regular old Jane in my head) Heroine inherits a vast fortune to make her monster stomping easier? Check. Heroine is suddenly gifted with super fighting skills that she's never had before? Check. That said, I did like Jayne overall.
The other issue regarding the plot is that we get told about the big bad but we never really see him or see him do anything really bad. He mostly exists off the page until the very end of the book. I never got a sense of who he was as a villain or why I should be rooting so hard for the good guys to take him out.
As for the romance aspect, I have to confess that I really enjoy the slow burn. Couples who are getting into bed in the first act rarely grab my interest. And so it is with Jayne and her love interest in the book. He's a nice enough guy, even if he does leave out some major information about his past, but I found the pairing lukewarm at best.
So, as a whole this was just a two star book for me. It's nothing that I would re-read. There are more books in this series and I might read the second book at some point to see if things pick up plot-wise and action-wise (since the romance angle is doing anything for me) but it won't be priority reading for me.
As for plot, nothing really happened in this book. It was a group of people basically hanging around a house until the last twenty pages or so when the final showdown happened. The writer did manage to check off some cliches right out of the gate though. Heroine with unique name? Check. (Jayne - with an accent on the 'e' and pronounced zhuh-nay, yeah whatever. I pronounced it like regular old Jane in my head) Heroine inherits a vast fortune to make her monster stomping easier? Check. Heroine is suddenly gifted with super fighting skills that she's never had before? Check. That said, I did like Jayne overall.
The other issue regarding the plot is that we get told about the big bad but we never really see him or see him do anything really bad. He mostly exists off the page until the very end of the book. I never got a sense of who he was as a villain or why I should be rooting so hard for the good guys to take him out.
As for the romance aspect, I have to confess that I really enjoy the slow burn. Couples who are getting into bed in the first act rarely grab my interest. And so it is with Jayne and her love interest in the book. He's a nice enough guy, even if he does leave out some major information about his past, but I found the pairing lukewarm at best.
So, as a whole this was just a two star book for me. It's nothing that I would re-read. There are more books in this series and I might read the second book at some point to see if things pick up plot-wise and action-wise (since the romance angle is doing anything for me) but it won't be priority reading for me.