A Kiss Before Doomsday – Dru Jasper #2 – Laurence MacNaughton
When an undead motorcycle gang attacks Denver’s sorcerers, only one person can decipher the cryptic clues left behind—Dru Jasper, proprietor of the Crystal Connection and newly minted sorceress.
Though Dru has learned how to harness the powers of her crystals, she’s in over her head. A necromancer is using forbidden sorcery to fulfill the prophecy of the apocalypse and bring about the end of the world.
Dru’s only chance to stop him requires tracking down her would-be boyfriend, hot rod mechanic and half-demon Greyson. Everyone thinks he’s dead, but Dru believes he’s still alive, and finding him is the key to unraveling this evil.
To learn the truth behind the necromancer’s attacks, Dru must team up with her friends, and maybe even an enemy or two. Only Rane’s brawn, Opal’s wisdom, and Salem’s spells can help her infiltrate the necromancer’s hidden lair, stop the prophecy, and save the world. But they need to do it fast before legions of the undead rise to consume the souls of everyone on earth. . .
Review:
The Dru Jasper books are always so much fun to read. Even though this one involves undead creatures, running around through dark tunnels under mountains, obsessive lunatics and well, doomsday, it made me chuckle on more than one occassion. This is the second book of the trilogy and starts practically immediately where the first book ended. Because it’s not a great epic, it doesn’t need to prove that this second book is more than an inbetween book building up to the climax. Although the stories of the books are definitely intertwined, this one easily holds its own.
The story is mainly character-driven and they are magnificently written. I love reading about every single one of them with their own unique quirks and struggles. Even though they have to deal with the plights of the sorcerer’s world and the impending doomsday, they constantly get wrapped up in everyday life struggles. This makes the books weirdly realistic. Undead motor cycle gangs aside, I can relate to these characters on so many levels. It’s always a plus when you read a book and you can see yourself in the character’s shoes because they strike a chord in you.
The Doomsday storyline doesn’t progress much, other than confirming that another seal has been broken and the undead now roam the Earth. Luckily the book is entertaining enough to let that one slide. There’s enough going on to keep you interested and to keep you reading. Romance plays a certain part in this book for all of the characters, but luckily it’s not sugary sweet romance that makes me cringe. It’s realistic and down-to-earth, something I miss in a lot of other books that have a romantic angle.
Don’t get me wrong, the romance is definitely not the major focus in A Kiss Before Doomsday. There’s almost constant exhilirating action. Dru and her little gang of badass women (and Salem) go from saving someones life, to figuring out Dru’s almost-boyfriend might be still alive, to undead creatures hunting them, to an old friend returning and inviting Dru to a strange party. There’s always something around the corner to keep you at the edge of your seat.
A Kiss Before Doomsday is just like the previous book a rollercoaster ride you just have to let happen. It is quite different from any other books I’ve read and it is excitingly refreshing. I could easily see this as a succesful binge-worthy tv series. I can’t wait to dive into No Sleep Till Doomsday to see how this all ends and if they are able to stop Doomsday before it’s too late!
Release Date: July 11th, 2017
Publisher: Pyr
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 290
Format: Paperback
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
