Book Review: The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect

By:  J.A. Saare

Publisher:  Mundania Press

Publish Date:  July 31, 2012

Format:  eARC

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Series:  3rd book in Rhiannon's Laws series; 1st Book ~ Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between, 2nd Book ~ The Renfield Syndrome

Recommendation:  You've come this far, you probably want to know what happens with Rhiannon and Disco and Paine, so keep going.

Book Synopsis:
There is always a price to pay...

Rhiannon Murphy visited the future, witnessed hell on earth and made choices to change things for the greater good.  Unfortunately there are consequences for her actions, the penalties for her interference possibly more than she can bear.  Determined to sever her debt with a fallen angel, she pushes everything aside, focusing on locating Marigold Vesta's resting place.

Until death comes knocking at her door.

When Disco's maker arrives in New York, he resents Rhiannon on a level she can't begin to comprehend.  Yet Marius isn't her most dangerous adversary, not by a long shot.  Marius's sire -- a half-demon -- is determined to see the necromancer who stunned the vampire world on her knees.  If she won't bend, he'll do everthing in his power to make her break.  No price is too high, meaning no one is safe -- including Disco and Paine.

Dealt a blow from which she can never recover, Rhiannon turns to the only person who can help her: the fallen angel who is relying on Rhiannon to save her soul.  Bartering with a creature from Heaven is probably just as dangerous as starting a war with a demon from hell, but with nothing to lose it's no longer about life or death.

It's about getting even.

First Sentence:
Rhiannon's Law #47: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to be MacGyver.

My Thoughts and Summary:
We are reminded of past events and Paine feels something bad will happen to Rhiannon for messing with fate and saving Disco.  Rhiannon is out of away-time as Disco's Master, Marius, is coming to town to check in on him and Rhiannon since Rhiannon was strong enough to kill the half-demon, Graham Tavish, and if he does not feel satisfied with their respective feelings could view Rhiannon as a threat.  Being Marius's maker is half-demon, Revenald, he could consider Rhiannon a threat for what she possesses.  While many half-demons in the mortal world wants her dead, Rhiannon has a list of things to do.  Find Victoria Delcroix and prevent a terrible future from happening by killing her like she promised.  A debt to be paid to a fallen angel by finding her resting place.  Stay safe.  All on top of convincing the older vampire and his half-demon sire she is not a threat to there being along with saving her friend and lover who will do anything to protect her.  All before her time runs out, or the half-demons come for her.

We start in with it being weeks since Rhiannon has seen Disco, now after she'd been beaten by her ghost possessed close friend, she sees Paine and Disco.  You can feel the tension here in this triangle.  She loves Disco but terrified of him after his behavior at the end of The Renfield Syndrome.  Disco and Rhiannon are in a complicated place.  He really screwed up at the end of The Renfield Syndrome, to the point of abusive in a sense, when he lost control.  Rhiannon is trying to deal as she loves Disco yet not ready to hand over the trust he broke.

All starts simple with all Rhiannon's troubles easily laid out.  Now she just has to figure out how to deal with them all at the same time while they conflict with each other and her plans.

All that is going on in Rhiannon's world is laid out for us quickly in the beginning.  Easily placed to layer on the colossal tasks she has to conquer in different areas to keep herself, and friends, safe.  One of the things she needs to do to seal her debt is to have a sacrifice.  This will get Rhiannon tangled into a murder spree going on in town, and bring in a new character that makes us curious about him, Bane the weapons dealer.

I had a few things that didn't blend as well for me this round.  I'm one for things on a time frame adding up together, and I felt there where a few placed is was a little off.  And I didn't seem to feel for Rhiannon as I had in the past books.

I do love Disco, in the first book, and so glad to have him back here.  I understand in part his jealousy, but at times he comes across a bit to possessive.  I understand he's a ruling Vampire in the House, in the City!, but at a few moments sets me back as he's not the same easy going Disco from book one.  And Rhiannon is so confused in her thinking where Disco is concerned.  Love him, yet so hurt still.  Then stuck in a game with him and Paine due to Marius.  Part of me things Disco is rather stressed here too.

For me this book has moved this Urban Fantasy series into the Romance side of the genre.  Rhiannon still has her strong tough exterior, but she struggles a great deal in this book with her love for two men.  She figures out what those feelings are for each, but there is a focus there along with her debts and promises.  This one also felt as a transition book, leading us to the next book to come.  I felt we didn't get much resolve on the fallen angel and stirred things up with the vampire/demon world.  The main point in this book for me was it brought Rhiannon's relationship with Disco to a point.

If you want to try this series out:

Start with the first book, Dead, Undead or Somewhere In Between

If you are ready for the third book:

Amazon ~ Print:

Amazon ~ Ebook:

I read this book from the author for an honest review.