‘One More Bite’ – Jennifer Rardin (Orbit Books)

So there I was, all ready to write a lengthy introduction about how there’s something about the Jaz Parks series that keeps me coming back for more despite it being an urban fantasy series disturbingly similar to most of the other urban fantasy series that are doing the rounds. Then I looked at my review of Rardin’s ‘Bitten to Death’ and realised that I’d said everything that I wanted to say over there...
The bottom line is still the same though having finished Rardin’s latest. ‘One More Bite’ is a fun light read but didn’t really do it for me...

The death of a prominent vampire terrorist (not naming any names just in case you haven’t read the last book yet) leaves a power vacuum that his former allies will fight to fill. The CIA wants the balance to be maintained and this leads to a trip to Inverness, for Jaz and her team, to prevent the assassination of the local coven leader. Things are never as simple as that though and soon Jaz will find herself taking on ghosts and demon princes in a faceoff that is far more than it seems...

‘One More Bite’ was a book that only took me just over a day to read but not necessarily for all the right reasons. Over the course of the last four books, we have been treated to the main character (Jaz) agonising over whether she should go for it and embark on a relationship with her vampire boss. A dilemma that could be solved with a yes/no answer took four books to be worked out... ‘One More Bite’ is a book where things are resolved but it is also a book that introduces more dilemmas for Jaz to agonise over. While some people might say that this is inevitable (any relationship will throw up problems after all) I’m found myself firmly in the ‘angst is all well and good but how long can you realistically drag it out for’ camp. If a character does nothing but whine for several books then I’m eventually going to lose all sympathy for her... This is what ultimately led to my skim reading some of the more angst laden passages, that and the reading about precisely how Jaz feels when Vayl looks at her. You’ve told me once already, I don’t need to be told again (and again)...

It’s a real shame that the book came across in this manner as it detracts from what is a fun and fast paced plot. While the plot itself feels a little recycled (another special ops mission that’s more than it first appears) Rardin does well at bringing all these pieces together and injecting them with enough energy to keep the plot moving quickly and the reader asking questions. Rardin also subscribes to the theory that you can’t have too many explosions, double crossing and otherworldly creatures in an urban fantasy novel. I also subscribe to this theory and, as such, ‘One More Bite’ was a treat to read as far as spectacle was concerned.

If you’ve enjoyed the ride this far then ‘One More Bite’ will dose you up with more of the same though. For me though, ‘One More Bite’ suffered from an overdose of introspection and angst. A solid effort that could have been a lot more...

Seven out of Ten