J.K. Walker's Sanguine Eyes was Action Packed!

This time I decided to read a book that was smack in the middle of a series.

Yeah, I know. Not recommended.

But I did it, anyway... and I enjoyed it.

So, there!

Sanguine Eyes is the third installment of the paranormal Salt Lake After Dark series, written by J.K. Walker.

So what's it about?

She was supposed to be on a simple ride-along while interning with the Salt Lake City PD. And that's exactly what it was... until the detective Jazz was riding with stopped at a convenience store to deal with a robbery. Pumped up on some sort of new designer drug, the suspect landed the detective in the hospital... and Jazz only just made it out in one piece, as well.

These things happen... but not to a werecat with supernatural strength and speed. Especially not to the werecat who's tasked with fixing problems for the Supernatural Council. Soon, Jazz learns of a drug called Sanguine that gives its user supernatural strength along with the standard high, a pack of werewolves set on invading her territory, and several missing vampires. All of this appears to be connected in some way...

I have to admit... it was the cover that drew me in.

Crazy, I know, but I have a thing for both pink hair and unusual eyes. Combine them into a single cover image, and... yeah. I'm totally sold.

Thankfully, this ebook was more than just a pretty cover.

Sanguine eyes had a fast-paced storyline, great dialogue, and quirky characters. It was easy to lose myself within the story, setting real-life on hold for a few minutes at a time. Or, at least it was easy after I got enough of the backstory to go with the flow.

Stepping into the middle of a series is rarely a good idea.

I missed a great deal of action that occurred in books one and two. So much so that I had to pace myself in the first few chapters in order to let myself become accustomed to the world, and to the events that I missed.

This is not something I would consider a flaw in the writing. 

Rather, this told me that a person who began the series from book one would be overjoyed to not have to go through several paragraphs of regurgitated story in each installment - something that always frustrates me, no matter how much I understand why a writer would do so.

You know... because of crazy people like me that start in the middle. Oops.

Starting in the middle of the series or not, however, one thing was abundantly clear. Jazz kicks some serious butt - and does it with style! Serious character development went into her personality, and I enjoyed every line of dialogue that she took part in. She was believable... and pretty awesome, too.

I loved her wit, as well as her tenacity.



Ok, so maybe she didn't say that... but I could sure imagine her doing so! Because that's the sort of character she is. No matter how difficult the situation she faces is, Jazz will jump right in and do what she feels is necessary.

And to add to the likeability of the character, many times her initial choice is not the best one. She sometimes has to step back and realize the someone else just may be seeing things a bit more clearly, no matter how much she may not like it.

While I may have struggled with the story at some points, due to breaking into the middle of this fast-paced series, rather than starting at the beginning, this was definitely an enjoyable ebook, and I consider it a very worthwhile read.

Sanguine Eyes can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, as well as Scribd.