Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl's a go-between, it's hard not to get caught in the middle. When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war. Add a cop who looks like a surfer dude and smells like snickerdoodles and things really start to heat up.

I loved this book (although the Chinese vampires gave me bad dreams when I read it before bed). I've read Rendahl's chick lit titles, which include Do Me, Do My Roots and Balancing in High Heels and thought they were a lot of fun, but really wondered how she'd do with urban fantasy. I wasn't disappointed. Melina is very likeable, as are the supernatural types she hangs out with. Ted, the surfer dude cop, is hunky and protective in a good way. And some of her asides and descriptions are laugh-out-loud funny.

I recommend this for those who love Harry Dresden and Sookie Stackhouse as much as I do. I hope this is the first book in a long, successful series. ( )

Did Not Finish

The major turn off for me turned out to be the main protagonist. Despite being in her mid-twenties, Melina came off as a whiny, immature, ditzy teenager. There was no real depth to her, and I could not connect with her at all. In fact, all of the characters seemed very stereotypical and two-dimensional. On top of that, the writing felt contrived & formulaic, and both Melina's inner monologue and the dialogue between characters was often silly and shallow.

Melina Markowitz is a Messenger for the things that go bump in the night. She really does not want the job, but she really has no choice, it is her destiny. A destiny that does not pay by the way. Anyway, when a package is stolen by ninjas using Tai Chi, Melina, a martial arts expert herself, is determined to find out what is going on and retrieve her package. Before she knows it she is knee deep in Chinese vampires and chinese gangs and slap in the middle of a gang war. She will need all skill and the help of all her friends to pull herself out of this mess. But don't tell her that.

This book rocks. I really enjoyed the world and the characters. There is a totally different approach to the paranormal that was not too far from the traditional folklore but still new and interesting. There is lots of action and just enough sex for me. All the characters seemed very real to me. The plot is nicely tied to the real world and that is always a plus for me. Melina's narration is funny and touching. Love it. ( )

Melina Markowitz is a messenger. She didn't plan on being a messenger and she isn't always happy to make her "deliveries". Neverthless, she does her job when she is forced to. Who she is a messenger to is more interesting than the fact that she is a messenger. She delivers packages, notes and other important items to members of the "arcane" which includes vampires, werewolves and other "creatures". Melina screws up one of her deliveries. It's not really her fault but the consequences are hers to bare regardless. She is attacked by a group of Ninjas (yes Ninjas) and never delivers a vampire to vampire delivery. Because she failed at her delivery, she tries to recover the item. This is where the story becomes even more unique and interesting. Melina uncovers more than she should when investigating where her missing delivery went. In fact, she stumbles into a vicious gang war. Not your ordinary gang war but a war involving Chinese vampires and the master that controls them(it totally works in this story as weird as it sounds). Melina makes serious mistakes along the way but she also learns about herself and her abilities. There is a love relationship but it only adds to the story. I loved how unique the entire story was. It's hard to be unique even though you are writing about vampires and werewolves. It seems that some of the authors are unwilling to take risks and they stick with the same stereotypical blood sucking, devilishly handsome vampire mold. The author goes way beyond the stereotypes in this book. This is why I loved it so much. ( )

Melina acts as a go-between for the supernatural around Sacramento. Not by her choice. If an imp or sylph or whatnot drops off a package and orders its delivery, she must do it. So when she's getting off her clerking night shift at the hospital and the hot, hunky vampire doc from the ER give her a parcel for delivery, she gripes but does what she needs to do. She doesn't expect to have ninjas drop out of a tree and give her the beat-down to get the item. Something is up. Any supernatural creature knows not to mess with the messenger. And when it turns out that kiang shi--Chinese vampires--are on the prowl as the city's about to erupt in all-out gang warfare, Melina knows she has to do something... and try not to get killed in the process.

As a Central California girl, I loved reading an urban fantasy/paranormal romance that took place so close to home. It was especially refreshing to read about kiang shi, which I only knew of as bonguns and munaks in the online game Ragnarok Online. Other unusual creatures make appearances, too, including Kokopelli--I learned a lot more about that deity. I do have a few gripes about the book. The voice here is the snarky and sassy female one that's in so many urban fantasies, so that didn't really feel distinct... plus, she's almost a tad too flippant in some circumstances. Also, every hot guy lusts after her, which is a bit silly. But those negatives didn't hamper my enjoyment in the least. This is a fun and fast read (I went through it in a day) reminiscent of C. E. Murphy's Walker Papers series. I'll be on the lookout for a sequel for sure. ( )