This sequel to Skinwalker picks up right where the action left off. Plenty of action of the fighting sort, and an almost frustrating lack of any other sort of action. Jane has options, but always higher priorities than sex.

I'm still digging this series. Here, she works more with the police, taking advantage of their archives to do research, and finds some time to connect with her roots even while not understanding much of her heritage. There is also this sort of wonderful domesticity as her friend and her children fill the house with something other than raw steak and knives.

But let's face it, I'm here for the meat and bloodshed. And the action sequences continue to deliver.

Her alliances with humans and mostly humans seems to take the place of her shifting, but at the same time, she's in more communication (if not communion) with her Beast in this one. That's still the most interesting dynamic in the book, no matter how many gorgeous men wander through her path.

Beginning shortly after the conclusion of Skinwalker, Jane finds herself working for the Vampire Council of New Orleans (NOLA), trying to track down a rogue-making vampire. Her best friend, Molly, and her two children are staying with Jane, and she’s got the head of the NOLA vampires, Leo, after her for killing the creature he believed to be his beloved son. Things are dangerous and crazy, and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Starting Blood Cross, I was unsure how I felt about the Jane Yellowrock series. Mostly I liked the first book, but something about it still didn’t click with me, or rubbed at me. However, after finishing the story, I was eager to begin book three. I think part of the issue is that the world is huge and even in this second book, the author continues to add and build upon both the mythology and the political structure of the vampires. There are times I was lost trying to follow the detailed history of the vampires or had trouble recalling the political alignment of each character and clan. The world is detailed and full, making it both exciting and enjoyable, but also a lot to take in.

Once again, I enjoyed the base story of the adventure. Jane is solving a mystery, one that has been covered up for a while, and I enjoy watching her put the pieces together, not necessarily caring if she upsets the apple cart in the process. She pulls apart the status quo and gives readers the inside scoop as she discovers the truth behind the vampire myths and legends. The action-packed storyline is interesting, albeit a bit gruesome. I did take issue with the number of times Jane nearly dies - she’s been at this for years and now she makes mistakes that nearly cause her death several times in a short period. It felt repetitive and unnecessary after the first time.

The author seems to narrow down amount of side characters central to the story. I was disappointed that Katie is still MIA, with little explanation of how long her recovery will take. I did enjoy the complexity of Leo and seeing the different parts of his true nature. Beast was also featured a bit less, as was Jane’s heritage, although we do get some of both. 

One thing that annoyed me at first was the issue of Jane’s sex life. Granted I’m a romance junkie, and Jane’s story has nothing to do with love and everything to do with scratching an itch; satisfying Beast’s need to mate. But the oscillation between Rick and Bruiser is a game and I found it annoying. Also, the constant pull of Beast to mate clouded the first half of the story. I’m not one for triangles, so I was eventually pleased with Jane’s thought process and the outcome by the end of the book.

As far as narration, I don’t have much to add that I didn’t say in my review of Skinwalker. Ms. Hvam nails Jane’s tough attitude as well as her surprisingly tender moments with Molly’s kids. Since I am now familiar with her work and the characters this second time around, I didn’t notice as much of an annoyance with her accents. Her projection of each character is solidifying in my head. 

Overall, while I started off unsure about the series, I found myself fully invested in Jane’s journey by the conclusion of Blood Cross, and I look forward to seeing what adventures lie ahead.

My Rating: B/B-

Narration: B

Created a bookclub for Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series at http://booklikes.com/groups/show/987/series-jane-yellowrock if anyone is interested.

Not trying to assign a "monthly" read schedule to each book because everyone is at such different places in the series.  Joining will collect member posts and reviews in one place even if not using the discussion threads.

Review originally featured on Angel's Guilty Pleasures

Series: Jane Yellowrock #2
Author: Faith Hunter
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: January 5th 2010
Format: eBook/Paperback
Pages: 321
Source: Library

 

Jane Yellowrock is back on the prowl against the children of the night...

 

 

The vampire council has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules — but Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep...

 

With the help of her witch best friend and local vigilantes, Jane finds herself caught between bitter rivalries — and closer than ever to the secret origin of the entire vampire race. But in a city of old grudges and dark magic, Jane will have to fight to protect both sides, even if no one will protect her.

 

 

 

Spoiler Free

 

It’s a must read in order series.

 

Blood Cross is book two in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. 

Jane completed one job for the Council, but now the Council has hired her for another job. She has to navigate the Vampire world, stop a war, and make sure that she doesn’t die or step on anymore toes. 

 

When we last left Jane she was still in New Orleans. Molly and the kids have come to visit. It was so nice to see Molly, the kids, and Jane with them. I absolutely enjoyed learning more about Jane and her Beast. Their was some great character growth and change for both of them. We also get some very important information about the vampires and their history. That information was mind-blowing. I loved watching Jane navigation the Vampire world, but still there’s so much more for her and us to learn. 

 

I really liked the slow mystery that developed throughout this series. I liked the hunt for the Rogue vampire, the suspense, and learning more about the Vampires and Jane.

 

Blood Cross was a fantastic urban fantasy to read. 

 

Rated: 4 Stars

 

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider liking it on Goodreads (Angela)!

 

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Challenge(s): Library Love | Pick Your Genre (UF) | Backlist Reader (2017)

 

 

 

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Angela

Owner/Review and mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. However what I am not is a writer. I apologize now for the grammatical and punctuation errors I make, because I know I’m going to make them. I’m a mother, wife, dog owner, animal, and book lover. My favorite animals are horses. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy. My favorite shifters are dragons!

     

 

Blood Cross: A Jane Yellowrock Novel - Faith Hunter 

This was a great follow up novel to the first one in the series. Jane had success on her first mission of hunting down a rogue vampire that ended up being a little more complicated than just that. And now she's dispatched to find a the vampire who is siring vamps and raising them from the ground before they've had time to get over their crazy. But things are different with these new vampires and the and rules that are being broken go way deeper than Jane first thought. It's a very tangled web and it gets even more so when her own loved ones end up involved.

This was so good. We found out more information about Jane and about Beast. It was also nice to see her interact with her family. There were parts of the story that were hard for me to listen to because they were gory, but I did anyway because I couldn't miss a single word of this. It was just captivating. And I loved the way that the author weaves her storylines.

I enjoyed every second of this book, and I loved the fact we got a little bit of romance in there too. WOOT! I will definitely be continuing with this series. I can't believe it took me so long to get started with it.