Another SPI adventure with Makenna, Ian, and Yasha. They have 7 diamonds stolen in front of them by harpies at the museum. Throw on a Gorgon and things are getting hard for them. A midnight Halloween deadline thrown in and they have to ask their favorite goblin Rake for assistance in saving the city. ( )

Main characters: Makenna and Ian are once again trying to save the world, this time from harpies, a self-centered gorgon, and a pissed-off dragon. I like the easy, but not romantic, relationship that is developing between Makenna and Ian. They tease each other, they watch out for each other, and they are becoming great friends. I love their loyalty to Yasha as well, and his loyalty to them.

Other characters: In this installment of the SPI files, we meet harpies and gorgons — two very interesting creatures of Greek mythology. I like the character of Helena Thanos; she is portrayed as being sophisticated and gracious. I have to admit I’m a bit smitten with goblin Rake Danescu. You can’t trust him, but he has the allure of the “charming bad-boy.” I’m going to have to go read the Raine Benares series, since the goblins appear in both worlds. I really like Ben Sadler, too, and hope he appears in future books.

Story: The Dragon Conspiracy is another fun adventure. I really liked the link between the Dragon Eggs and the Romanovs. That was a fun bit of history to bring in. I liked hearing the backstory on Victor Kane as well. I think villains without a backstory are too shallow. At the end of the novel, we’re told that the villain of this piece was not working alone. Intriguing! It ties this story into a bigger picture and builds anticipation for what is yet to come. It might have been nice to have more clues about this in the story itself so we could be shown the intrigue instead of told (actually, there were a few hints in the beginning), but overall, I still had a lot of fun listening to this book.

Narrator: Johanna Parker rocks; not much more I can say. :) She’s a great choice for this series.

Overall: This novel is great fun and an excellent listen. I’m looking forward to The Brimstone Deception coming out later this year.

Purchased. Review courtesy of onebooktwo.com | one book, two reviews. ( )

A fun read although I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the end bit. Seemed to be a lot of happy coincidences that just happen to be so and didn't come out until the end. Still, it was an enjoyable urban fantasy with some different types of supernatural creatures and a unique supernatural mystery to solve. I'll likely pick up the third book in the series. ( )

The Supernatural Protection & Investigations bureau, known as SPI, is back again to battle the next great threat that’s putting Manhattan in peril. This time it’s All Hallows’ Eve and someone has just pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history, using a trio of harpies to steal a cluster of seven cursed diamonds from a museum exhibit. Problem is, the diamonds belong to a powerful dragon, and now he’s pissed. Even worse, the seven gems are said to have magical properties, and in the right mage’s hands, their effects can have deadly repercussions for the thousands of supernaturals living in the tristate area.

Anyway, dragons are awesome and all, but I feel like there’s a huge missed opportunity here not titling this book The GORGON Conspiracy. This series is really unique in that it has featured an unconventional paranormal baddie in both books so far, each time drawing inspiration from literature and mythology. In the first book, it was Grendel creatures. In this one, it’s Gorgons. So, yeah, when’s the last time you read an urban fantasy featuring Gorgons? No, I can’t recall either. As protagonist Makenna Fraser and her partner Ian desperately chase down leads, more suspects are being found paralyzed and turned into stone. SPI has until midnight to get to the bottom of the mystery, or a whole bunch of their vampire and werewolf friends are going to die.

I was really looking forward to this book, because I really enjoyed The Grendel Affair. The X-Files meets Men in Black angle is probably my favorite aspect of the series, featuring an organization tasked to keep track of the paranormal creatures of the world, making sure that the unsuspecting public is safe from them and vice versa. The Dragon Conspiracy continues in this vein, which was great; however, I also didn’t think it was as good as the first book, for one major reason: the main character.

Thing is, I like how Makenna Fraser isn’t your usual snarky kickass urban fantasy female lead. I like that she’s your average everyday normal southern gal in the big city, maybe a little awkward and slightly clumsy. But there has to be a balance too. Her role in this book was smaller, and I would even go as far as to call her passive. Not exactly a quality you look for in a protagonist. She was definitely much more involved in the previous novel. This time around, though? There wasn’t much to distinguish her, apart from her inaction. She seemed more like an observer than an actual player in this story, and I also didn’t feel like I learned anything new about her character.

Furthermore, the budding romance between Ian and Makenna appears to have come to a screeching halt, with no explanation as to why beyond the usual pretext of “We work together so we shouldn’t date each other”. Not that this is a bad thing; sometimes not having a romance to bog down the story can actually be seen as a positive. Besides, Makenna has prospects elsewhere. I just wish there was a better reason given for the sudden change in their relationship, and I confess part of me is a little miffed because I predicted in my review of the first book that the two of them will be very good together, and it turns out I was completely off base.

Still, I am enjoying this series. I just love the new takes on unconventional paranormal/mythological creatures, and that’s what sets the SPI Files apart. So far, the stories in both books have been snappy and entertaining, and with a bit more energy and spirit, I think this series has the potential to become something even more. Hopefully we’ll see the author flesh out the characters and give more depth to Makenna in the next installment. Count me in for book three. ( )

Things get very dangerous for all the supernaturals in the area of New York when seven magical diamonds are stolen. If they are activated at midnight on Halloween, it will strip the magic from all supernaturals. Humans who were turned into vampires and werewolves would be back to being humans and many would immediately die of old age. Those supernaturals who were using magic to hide their differences would be immediately exposed. SPI agents, both human and supernatural, are determined to stop this from happening.

Makenna Fraser and her partner Ian are on the case but they have to fight harpies, gorgons, and a dragon who is bent on getting revenge on their boss. They have to accept the help of a goblin lord that Ian and Mac don't trust but that Mac finds really intriguing.

I like the relationships in this story. Ian and Mac have decided to just be friends rather than dating and Mac is encouraging him to date another woman. Mac dating life has hit a dry spell which is why goblin lord Rake Danescu is looking so good to her.

I like the way Mac interacts with the variety of supernaturals in the agency and I really like Mac's Southern lady point of view. The story is filled with adventure and the tension amps up nicely as the agents try to find the villains before midnight.

Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this fast-paced story. ( )