Blood in Her Veins

Starred review from December 14, 2015
Fans and newcomers alike will delight in this fantastic collection of 17 previously published stories and two brand-new novellas that weave together the books of Hunter’s long-running Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy series. In “The Early Years,” Jane says good-bye to the Bethel Nondenominational Christian Children’s Home in hopes of discovering her origins, finding her future, and taming her alter ego, Beast. In “Cat Tats,” Jane’s love interest, Rick LaFleur, wakes up bound to a witch’s circle, at the mercy of a vampire who’s determined to make him her blood servant. In the terrifying “Beneath a Bloody Moon,” Jane and her crew use the canals that wind through the Louisiana bayou to track a trio of werewolves who are leaving a trail of violent deaths in their wake. “Off the Grid” finds Jane infiltrating a cult to rescue a vampire who’s been kidnapped for her blood, and introduces Nell Ingram (who will soon have her own series), a former member of God’s Cloud of Glory Church, who is more than happy to help Jane and company take down its twisted leader. This superb collection highlights what fans of the series already know: Jane Yellowrock continues to be one of the most complex and appealing heroines in urban fantasy. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency.

February 15, 2016

The world of Jane Yellowrock, vampire hunter and skinwalker, expands with this collection of 19 stories, including several fan favorites and two brand-new novellas. In "The Early Years," an 18-year-old Jane returns to the spot where she was found as a child and discovers the truth about her inner Beast. Other pieces offer more background on her supporting characters, such as witch Molly Everhart Trueblood in "Haints," and Rick LeFleur in "Cat Tats." Louisiana and the bayou serve as the steamy backdrop to Yellowrock's personal and professional situations. VERDICT A heady mix of magic, blood, and claws, the stories in this collection follow a time line from the distant past to the present, allowing readers to see how Yellowrock and her friends have developed along the way. [See Q&A with Hunter, p. 78.]--KC

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.