Once Bitten Twice Shy is the first novel in the Jaz Parks urban fantasy series. Jaz is an FBI agent whose job involves assassinating people (often vampires) who threaten the nation and the world. Her boss is a vampire called Vayl. Together they travel around doing their job, saving the world. In this novel Vayl and Jaz are trying to bring down a terrorist organisation with supernatural links.

I started reading this novel when I was finishing my dissertation because I needed something to read that wasn't related to social work and I didn't want to read a book that would really grip me because I didn't have time to read more than a chapter before bed each night. For some reason I had decided that this book wouldn't be particularly good. I was wrong and I found this book really difficult to put down.

The thing that gripped me immediately was Jaz. Like most novels in this genre this one is written in the first person and so the main character tends to be a huge factor in how much like the novel. It's difficult to like a novel written from the perspective of a character that you don't like! I loved Jaz. She just had so much attitude. I think that Jennifer Rardin really managed to develop the character well and in particular I liked the way that she adds so many details to her life that Jaz really did feel like a real person.

This book is really funny and unexpectedly so. There were times when I actually laughed out loud but this humour is necessary in this novel because there are a lot of really dark elements to this book. Rardin doesn't shy away from the darker side of being an FBI agent at all. Although I did find some parts of the book disturbing I don't feel like any of the violence was gratuitous. This novel deals with terrorism, I think it would be wrong not to portray some of the horror that terrorism involves. The humour does make it easier to read and actually I think without the humour I couldn't have read this book and enjoyed it because it would have been too heavy.

The plot of this novel was pretty good. I loved the way that she took a very current issue and put a supernatural spin on it. There isn't really much in the way of mystery in this novel, you're never really wondering whose involved because that information is just provided for you but there are so many unexpected twists and events that you just don't see coming. This novel was certainly not predictable and there were a few times when I was quite surprised about what happened. I think the main thing that keeps you reading, other than the pure enjoyability of this novel, is the mystery surrounding Jaz. I'm not going to give anything away here because I feel it's a major part of the novel and I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

A whole cast of characters are introduced in this novel and they're all really interesting. We have a psychic, a wannabe detective, a paranoid inventor and of course a vampire. I finished this book feeling like there was so much more greatness to come, in part because Rardin has introduced so many characters who we never quite get to know enough in this novel. I hope that she explores them further in the other novels in this series.

Once Bitten Twice Shy has left me wanting more of this series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next novel. I was sad to read that Jennifer Rardin died last year. Although she did finish this series I think it's so sad that she won't be writing any more books. This novel was great and I feel that the world has lost a great talent.