‘Hellbent & Heartfirst’ – Kassandra Sims (Tor Books)

My journey into the previously unexplored sub-genre of ‘paranormal fantasy’ begins with the tale of an aid-worker that falls for a mysterious Texan with a line in breaking curses and killing demons. Soul searching, side ways glances and magic ensues and I was left wondering just what the difference between ‘paranormal romance’ and ‘urban fantasy’ actually is, they both look the same from where I’m sitting…
It’s made very clear right from the start that our heroine, Jacyn Boaz, really needs a man. Not only is she divorced but her work as an aid worker (in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) has depressed her to the extent that she is ‘mentally and physically exhausted’. I sometimes miss obvious stuff in books but even I found myself telling Jacyn that she really needs to settle down with someone nice! That someone turns out to be Jimmy Wayne, a Texan made up of every stereotype and cliché you can think of. Go on; think of a cliché… Yep, that’s Jimmy Wayne. What follows is a kind of dance where they get to know each other for a couple of hours and then tear each other’s clothes off on a regular basis. I felt like I was reading Laurell K. Hamilton all over again…
I yelled at the book, telling the two characters to get a room. They promptly booked into a hotel…
Call me old-fashioned but is this actually romantic? I’m working on the assumption that the term ‘romantic’ is being used to describe the target audience rather than the book itself. Lines like the one below back up what I’m saying,

‘Jacyn thought that he was probably the source of original sin, or at least had sent several women straight to hell just by existing.’

I have to thank Kassandra Sims for that line, not only did it make me laugh out loud but it also confirmed some of my worst suspicions about this book…
Oh yes, there’s a demon hunting sub-plot going on at the same time. Well, that’s what I was told but I had trouble finding it among all the soul searching and introspection that was going on. While this may be good solid stuff for a ‘paranormal romance’ fan I found myself tuning out after a while the result of this being that something big would happen and I’d have no idea how things arrived at that point!
I’m one book into this week and I have to say that I am dreading my next read if it is anywhere near as turgid as the book I have just put down. A ‘romance’ that isn’t romantic or an ‘urban fantasy’ with no plot to speak of? I can’t make my mind up and, to be honest, I’ve got better things to do…

Two out of Ten.

(If you're a fan of this sub-genre and look for all this stuff, that made me want to curl up in a ball, then this book is a respectable 'Seven handsome Texans out of Ten'. I didn't like it but I reckon you will.)