Kate Kessler

This book is intense. Very intense. Killian is an incredible character. She's totally badass and pretty messed up. This book is crass and graphic and extremely violent - even by my standards. The language was over the top and pretty much every female character has been raped at least once. This book won't be for everyone. It won't be for most people.

I liked Killian though. The females in this book were all pretty likable. Shannon was a bit of an idiot to get into the trouble she did but she also handled it like a pro. She was tough and resilient and vicious and it was great. I liked the parole officer, Donna. I liked Story the plain Jane backup. And I liked Dash even though I didn't really love the romance between him and Killian. Or the romance between her and Jason. I don't know, the romance all felt off to me.

It was a fast paced read and I enjoyed the action. 4 stars.… (meer)

I read Kate Kessler's first Killian Delaney book earlier this year and quite liked it. The second book is the newly released Call of Vultures. It starts off with a great opening line..."It would be a great place to get rid of a body."

Killian is an ex-con and hard core fighter. After a tumultuous reentry into society in the last book, she's taken a job with a 'security' company. The jobs are dangerous and more than a little left of the right side. If there are vulnerable women to be rescued, Killy's the one to do it. She has her own unwavering sense of justice.

"Violence was something she was good at, and violence was pretty much the only thing the people she was sent after understood. "

This time, the job is to rescue two sisters, reportedly living in a commune. Seems like a straight forward job. Not so much....

Killy infiltrates the group, but finds more than she bargained for - including some faces from the past. And some new faces with their own agenda. The reader is privy to more information that Killian has. We can see the danger, but can't warn her. (I must admit, I took a little peek ahead to see if she figures it out!)

Those familiar faces include the enigmatic Story, another employee of The Initiative. As well as Dash, her boyfriend. I really like these two. Killian's sister and her family are Killy's weakness - their safety is everything to her. Her niece Shannon does grate on me though.

Killian is such a great kick butt female lead. The reader can't help but be on her side as she battles seemingly overwhelming odds. Kessler continues to build this character, with more insight into her psyche.

But what drives this series (aside from Killian) is the danger, the action and the darkness of Killy's world. Truly, Call of Vultures reads like an action movie. Kessler provides quite a few turns in the plot that I didn't see coming (and neither does Killian) that kept me turning pages quickly! Killian's own moral compass never budges. The reader can't help but be on her side as she battles seemingly overwhelming odds.

Gentle readers, this one's probably not for you.… (meer)