Jennifer Rardin – Tribute & Giveaway

 

Last week I heard the news that one of my all time favorite authors, Jennifer Rardin, had passed away unexpectedly on Monday September 20th, 2010. I was in shock and deeply saddened along with the rest of the Urban Fantasy community. Such a vibrant, kind, friendly, talented and funny lady, Jennifer will be greatly missed by many. My heart goes out to her family, close friends, colleagues and fans. The world is a little less brighter without her in it.

Has from The Book Pushers organised the collaboration  for a bunch of us bloggers to come together in some way to honor the memory of Jennifer and her amazing books, because we had all wanted to do something. I’ve been a fan since her first Jaz Parks book, Once Bitten, Twice Shy, hit the shelves in 2007. I can think of no better way to honor this lovely lady than to introduce new readers or re-introduce readers who haven’t read all the books, to her no holds barred, hilarious, action packed Urban Fantasy heroine Jaz Parks!

        

     

I will be giving away any one of these books to a random commenter, but book 7, Bitten In Two would be a pre-order. Giveaway is open internationally to anywhere the Book Depository ships. Please check at the Book Depository to see if they ship to your country. Contest will run through Tuesday, October 5th, 11:59pm.

To enter, please leave a meaningful comment about what you love about the Jaz Parks series, OR, if you haven’t read any of them, then what you love about Urban Fantasy. One comment = one entry. Let me know which book you’d like & please leave your email in the form of wilmaflinstone(at)thequarry(dot)com so you won’t be spammed. I will post and contact the winner on October 6th.

Here are the Book Descriptions:

Once Bitten, Twice Shy – Jaz Parks #1

I’m Jaz Parks. My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that’s ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the C.I.A. doing what he does best–assassination. And I help. You could say I’m an Assistant Assassin. But then I’d have to kick your ass.

Our current assignment seemed easy. Get close to a Miami plastic surgeon named Assan, a charmer with ties to terrorism that run deeper than a buried body. Find out what he’s meeting with that can help him and his comrades bring America to her knees. And then close his beady little eyes forever. Why is it that nothing’s ever as easy as it seems?

Another One Bites the Dust – Jaz Parks #2

In their latest mission, Jaz and Vayl are sent to kill an ancient Chinese vamp who’s stolen a vital piece of biotechnology. The catch? They’re undercover as street performers…and Jaz has to belly dance.

Biting the Bullet – Jaz Parks #3

The Raptor, the CIA’s longtime nemesis, is back. Jaz Parks and her vampire boss Vayl are asked to join her brother David’s special ops team to take him down. But when her spirit guide tells her that she’s being lead to the wrong man, and she starts asking the wrong questions, her life — and her job– are threatened. And the one person who can help her–her boss– is off on a wild goose chase. Add to the mix a pack of reavers bent on revenge along with a small army of desert monsters, and BITING THE BULLET will take you so close to the edge of your seat you may want to leave a pillow on the floor just in case.

Bitten to Death – Jaz Park #4

Jaz Parks and her vampire boss, Vayl, have already fought demons, vampires, and reavers. Now, juggling work and family takes on a new dimension as she tackles her latest challenge: nail the Raptor before he can reduce her to Jaz-bits, survive a head-on crash with Vayl’s violent past, and lever her twin’s military career back on track before a dishonorable discharge ruins his life. To top it off, she must also contend with her father’s issues. Is he losing his mind? Or is someone really trying to kill him – from beyond the grave?

One More Bite – Jaz Parks #5

Jaz and Vayl have been assigned to travel to Inverness to prevent an assassination that has the potential to upset the balance between the west coast vampire nests and allow another Raptor to emerge. In the power vacuum left by Edward “the Raptor” Samos’ death, a struggle for supremacy has begun between his former allies: The Coven of Inverness, the Valencian Weres and The Flock. The struggle takes on a new twist when Pete learns that the Valencians have hired an assassin to take out the Coven’s leader, a powerful witch named Floraidh Halsey. Jaz and Vayl must stalk a killer as wily and Gifted as themselves as they travel through the wild, stark beauty of the Highlands. Their travels also bring new heights to their romance, a new depth to their passion, and a bond they are both, at last, willing to seal.

Bite Marks – Jaz Park #6
Jaz is possessed.  After biting the neck of a domyter during a forced visit to his territory, she now has unwelcome voices in her head.  While fighting for supremacy in her own mind, she finds herself confronted with a near-impossible task: perform perfectly on her next mission or face the unemployment line.

Bitten in Two – Jaz Parks #7

Jaz Parks here. I. Am. Pissed. Just as Vayl and I arrive in Morocco to secure an ancient artifact, he wakes up calling me by another woman’s name. And it’s not even a good one. But since any form of argument transforms him into an unholy terror, I’m forced to play along until the gang and I can figure out what kind of power has so vastly altered his perceptions.

So it’s time for me to do what any well-trained assassin in my position might do. I attack. What follows is a hair-raising, breath-taking bullet train ride to the finish as the crew battles on multiple fronts. I now know what I have to do – I must return to hell one last time.

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Several other bloggers are also participating in the tribute giveaway:

Has, Lou & Minn at The Book Pushers

Kmont at Lurv ala Mode

Susi at Book Lovers Inc

Drensb at Dren’s B Spot

Angela at Reading Angel

Ocelett at Genre Reviews

Renee at Renee’s Book Addiction