Title: Bad Blood
Author: Lucienne Diver
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Latter Day Olympians #1
Number of Pages: 224
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Source: Bought
Source: Bought
Tori Karacis’s family line may trace back to a drunken liaison between the god Pan and one of the immortal gorgons. Or…maybe it’s just coincidence that her glance can, literally, stop men in their tracks. While her fear of heights kept her out of the family aerobatic troupe, her extreme nosiness fits right in with her uncle’s P.I. business.Except he’s disappeared on an Odyssean journey to find himself. Muddling through on her own, she’s reduced to hunting (not stalking, because that would just be weird) brass-bra’d Hollywood agent Circe Holland to deliver a message…only to witness her murder by what looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.Suddenly, all of her family’s tall tales seem believable, especially when Apollo—the Apollo, who’s now hiding out among humans as an adult film star—appears in her office, looking to hire her. She knows the drill: canoodling with gods never works out well for humans, but she’s irresistibly drawn to him. Maybe it’s her genes. Maybe not.Given her conflicted feelings for one hot and hardened cop, it’s a toss-up which will kill her quickest. The danger at her door…or her love life.Warning: Contains pot-boiling passion between a heroine who may—or may not—be a descendent of Medusa, and a hot god and a hunky cop with the…equipment…to handle her, even on her worst bad-hair day. Beware of killer kisses, trickster gods and bearded grandmothers Who Know Everything. (amazon)
This was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. It's not every day that you find a heroine who is a Gorgon descended from Medusa who has Apollo chasing after her as well as one very cute Detective Nick Armani. This was just an entertaining read, and one of the rare books where I liked the heroine, villain, and the love interests. It's one of my favorite novellas of the year.
Tori is one of the most likable heroines I've come across in a long time. She's taken over her uncle's P.I. visit while he's off doing who knows what. Her family is full of myths of who they are descended from, but Tori doesn't believe that her family could be descended from Medusa. Tori is working on one of her first cases and it seems simple enough-deliver a letter to a hollywood agent. There's just a few problems-she's impossible to get alone and when Tori finally finds a way to deliver the letter Circe turns up dead. Tori sees the murder happen and is shocked by the person murdering her...he's not quite human. This forces Tori to think maybe the tales her Grandma has told her about paranormal creatures and Gods masquerading as humans aren't so far fetched after all.
What I enjoyed about this novella was the fresh take on mythology and the humor that went along with it. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading a book. I loved how while Tori was attracted to Apollo she didn't fall for him-and I loved seeing how aggravated it made him. Detective Nick Armani was so much fun because he just couldn't wrap his head around what was happening in the beginning and I loved how he was always there for her. Honestly, I couldn't decide who I wanted Tori to be with more. The ending was great...there was so much action and just enough of a mystery to make me want the next book in this series immediately. I bought this book on a whim and am so glad that I did! This is just one great read.
Curran Crush Meter: High
Martini Sigh Meter: Medium
Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: High
Finn Sidekick Meter: High
