Blood Cross by F. Hunter

Having been blown away by Skinwalker,  I was super excited to start Blood Cross. Boy does this world get more interesting…

Jane Yellowrock is back on the prowl against the children of the night…

The vampire council has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules-but Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep…

With the help of her witch best friend and local vigilantes, Jane finds herself caught between bitter rivalries – and closer than ever to the secret origin of the entire vampire race. But in a city of old grudges and dark magic, Jane will have to fight to protect both sides, even if no one will protect her.

Blood Cross picks right back up where Skinwalker ended, and Leo is just as he was when we last encountered him. I really love how there is no lapse in the story between books as I was super interested in what happened right after the last. I was a little disappointed that Jane’s romantic interest wasn’t who I thought it would be, though I am happy overall with the ending as it did make sense.

In this installment of the Jane Yellowrock series, we have a little more sexual tension/romance as the full moon nears and Beast’s instincts to mate kicks in. We actually see a little less of actual “Beast” and more of Jane with Beast arguing in Jane’s mind in Blood Cross and that was a bit disappointing to me. I am not sure if there was a reason for her doing this but it is one of the main things I really loved about this series that set it apart from all of the rest of the shifter stories I have read. I really do enjoy Beast and Jane as they make a great kickass team, so while there was less of what I wanted to see, the story and action were still outstanding and kept me glued to the pages non stop.

We get to see a side of the vampires that we didn’t really get to see before and learn that emotions and events can effect whether or not a vampire goes rogue. A lot more of the history of the vampire race is also discovered in Blood Cross and it was really interesting to read. I hope the series continues to include Jane and the vampire community, as I would like to see more of Leo and his progression.

There was a real touching moment in Blood Cross that actually brought tears to my eyes. The scene was already tense because of events that took place, but to add on that touching moment was a brilliant move on Hunter’s part. It was nicely written and very emotional. Just another reason Faith Hunter is on my favorites list. I wish I could quote it here but alas, it would ruin the moment for those who have not yet read the series and I wouldn’t want to do that

We get to know a little about Jane’s best friend, Molly, in Blood Cross as well her daughter, Angie, of whom has such a great power that its only hinted upon in the series. This side story of witches and their powers is really intriguing and I can only hope that Hunter decides to write a spin off series based on Angie and her mother. I am almost more interested in finding out about how Angie will progress then Jane’s story….. almost.

The plot in Blood Cross was outstanding, it was pretty much non stop action throughout, not to mention some very heartfelt moments that were so wonderfully written.  I have to compare Hunter with the likes of Kim Harrison and Ilona Andrews here because she is just that good. Really. If you are looking for an urban fantasy series that can compete with the big girls, look no further! Faith Hunter definitely delivers!

Read Order:
Skinwalker
Signatures of the Dead in the anthology Strange Brew
Blood Cross
Mercy Blade (2011)

Also reviewed by:
BSCreview
Book Chick City
Book Lover Girl
Discriminating Fangirl
Book Lovers Inc

3 Comments

  1. I am getting ready to start Skinwalker and am curious about something in your review. You mentioned that this 2nd book, Blood Cross, picks up right after where the 1st one leaves off, how/where does the anthology story fit?

    As a guy, the romance/sexual tension is not what draws me to this or any book. Reading your review, I admit I initially stopped at that paragraph. My wife said to please give it a try and read the whole thing, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Upon completing your entire review it makes it sound like this is really character driven, meaning to me that the characters are not put together for romance sake instead they fit in, propelling the story and complimenting each other. It’s not that I hate romance, I just hate when the romance stagnates the development of the story. I can appreciate the natural growth and progression of a relationship as long as it adds to and does not deter from my enjoyment of a book. In the end I am glad I did not shortchange myself and finished your review and along with your comparison to Kim Harrison and Ilona Andrews makes me more anxious to get reading.

  2. Oh I am so glad you did finish the review! And I do understand where you are coming from about the sex/romance in books as I feel the same way as you do. I have no doubt that you will enjoy this series. So much so that if you end up hating it I will personally refund the cost of both books to you :)

    I am confident you will like it because of your reply, it really seems that we are looking for the same sort of content in our books :)

    And I haven’t read the anthology LOL! I really didn’t know about it until after reading both of the books so now I will have to pick it up and see where exactly it takes place!

    I look forward to hearing what you think about this series Ron :) Please keep me informed!

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