Review: Bad Blood- Kristen Painter

Title: Bad Blood

Author: Kristen Painter  

Series: House of Comarré - Book 3

Release Date: December, 2011

Publisher: Orbit   

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5 Hoots

Reviewer: Lenore 

Violent murders occur in Paradise City as counterfeit comarré are systematically hunted. The police and the Kubai Mata have more than enough trouble to keep themselves occupied. As war erupts at home, Malkolm and Chrysabelle head to New Orleans to recover the Ring of Sorrows. Chrysabelle is forced to make a life and death decision and will realize that her relationship to Malkolm may have fatal consequences.

The clock is ticking . . . (Goodreads)

First of all, this blurb does not do Bad Blood justice. Bad Blood is full of so much more emotion. Chrysabelle and Mal may finally quit beating their heads against the wall of desire for one another. Might I tell you! Doc and Fi must work through many difficult trials to their relationship. Will Creek continue to stand in the way of Mal and Chrysabelle's blooming love? I think my favorite part of this book that has been developing throughout the series is one of the most unexpected things: Tatiana's growth as a character. Readers discover in the first book that there is something about her past that could make her character multi-dimensional. Later (SPOILER) readers discover that she is Malkolm's long lost wife, which, after learning of his troubles, gives more insight to her character. By Bad Blood Tatiana has attempted and succeeded at destroying more lives than I care to go back and count; however, in Bad Blood, her character finally reaches its full potential. I greatly enjoyed her growth as well as that of Chrysabelle and Mal. It is truly astonishing how far Painter has brought her character in just a few books.

Do not fear, though. While the depth and emotion is certainly a strong motif in Bad Blood, the action takes no back seat. Readers unfortunately see less of Dominic and some of his supporting staff, but are introduced to several new characters that pick up most of the slack. I still hope to see all of the supporting characters from Blood Rights on brought back into the fold before the series is over. 

The House of Comarré series is defiantly one fantasy fans should pick up. Readers do not even need to just get book one. Go ahead and buy all three at once. Trust me, you do not want to have to stop long enough to go to the bookstore! Those who have read the series, look out for Out for Blood (August 2012) and Last Blood (February 2013).