What do you think?
Rate this book
Jaz Parks #0.5
Scouting Jasmine
Jaz Parks is on the hunt for a politically-powerful vampire; but little does she know that she herself is being hunted - by her future boss, Vayl. In this exciting short story that takes place prior to Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Vayl sees Jaz in action for the very first time.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2011
18 people are currently reading
1512 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Rardin
19 books889 followersI’ve spent all my life in the Midwest, which has certainly shaped my perspective on all kinds of issues, from the question of whether or not we really have an accent, to the many and varied uses of corn.
I was born in Evansville, Indiana on April 28, 1965. Mom tells me almost every year what crappy weather it was that day. However I like to think of my birthday as the first frost-free date for my planting area. See what happens when you grow up around farmers? Scary, huh?
After a youth spent up to my eyeballs in fairy tales, nordic myths and supernatural legends I made the solid and practical decision to go to college and major in English. After which I never really held a well paying job until this gig came along! Which is why my kids love to sing that song to me from the musical “Avenue Q.” The one that begins with the line, “What do you do with a B.A. in English?”
Once I figured out the answer to that question, I wrote Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Now my laptop is my constant companion. We reside in an old farmhouse along with my husband and our two teenagers. No pets since the cat died last winter, but the birds seem to appreciate his absence. They come to feast at the feeders while I write on the back porch in the cool of the morning. Lovely.
I was born in Evansville, Indiana on April 28, 1965. Mom tells me almost every year what crappy weather it was that day. However I like to think of my birthday as the first frost-free date for my planting area. See what happens when you grow up around farmers? Scary, huh?
After a youth spent up to my eyeballs in fairy tales, nordic myths and supernatural legends I made the solid and practical decision to go to college and major in English. After which I never really held a well paying job until this gig came along! Which is why my kids love to sing that song to me from the musical “Avenue Q.” The one that begins with the line, “What do you do with a B.A. in English?”
Once I figured out the answer to that question, I wrote Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Now my laptop is my constant companion. We reside in an old farmhouse along with my husband and our two teenagers. No pets since the cat died last winter, but the birds seem to appreciate his absence. They come to feast at the feeders while I write on the back porch in the cool of the morning. Lovely.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 10, 2015
Vayl has decided that he wants Jasmine Parks as his new CIA partner. He takes the opportunity to spy on her as she takes on a vampire nest alone. He is shocked by her reckless methods, intrigued by her inventive plans and finds her physically attractive. He also finds that being in the vicinity while she hunts vampires is dangerous to his own health.
This was a good short story. We see Vayl in stalker mode, admiring Jasmine and plotting how to make the CIA give her to him as a new partner. The more he watches, the more he becomes nervous that she is going to get herself killed with her crazy stunts and barmy plans. He keeps getting close enough to intervene while masking his appearance but Jaz can sense him and nearly kills him. It feels a bit like a slapstick film at times with Vayl hovering like an expectant father and trying not to get killed.
We also see how much trauma Jaz is still carrying from Matt's recent death, operating almost with a death wish. It gives an insight as to how Vayl's influence has helped her get back on track to be less suicidal by the time we meet them both in the first novel of the series. I liked this because it does add something to the series and it was fun to see things from Vayl's POV.
This was a good short story. We see Vayl in stalker mode, admiring Jasmine and plotting how to make the CIA give her to him as a new partner. The more he watches, the more he becomes nervous that she is going to get herself killed with her crazy stunts and barmy plans. He keeps getting close enough to intervene while masking his appearance but Jaz can sense him and nearly kills him. It feels a bit like a slapstick film at times with Vayl hovering like an expectant father and trying not to get killed.
We also see how much trauma Jaz is still carrying from Matt's recent death, operating almost with a death wish. It gives an insight as to how Vayl's influence has helped her get back on track to be less suicidal by the time we meet them both in the first novel of the series. I liked this because it does add something to the series and it was fun to see things from Vayl's POV.
July 24, 2012
I had hoped that these short stories about Jaz and Vayl would make it to the UK after being posthumously published in the States. Finally my prayers have been answered.
This was a sweet little story, told from Vayls POV, which was a great change from the series as a whole. Their relationship was always a slow burner - but this story makes it incredibly clear that Vayl wanted Jaz, to protect her, to watch her, from the first moment.
Set just five months after Jaz lost Matt and her crew of Helsingers, it's clear that Jaz feels she has nothing to lose, she just has the mission and if she dies in the process it means nothing to her (except if she happens to come across a vamp that took part in the most painful experience of her life - which she does in the course of this mission).
But it means something to Vayl, to see him struggle to remain hidden, because he wants to help her. It's not in his nature to sit back, and he does help, which is good, because otherwise Jaz may not have made it to the end of the mission.
This is a reconaissance mission for Vayl, to see his potential new partner in action and he really enjoys himself. It was great to read, just a shame it wasn't longer.
This was a sweet little story, told from Vayls POV, which was a great change from the series as a whole. Their relationship was always a slow burner - but this story makes it incredibly clear that Vayl wanted Jaz, to protect her, to watch her, from the first moment.
Set just five months after Jaz lost Matt and her crew of Helsingers, it's clear that Jaz feels she has nothing to lose, she just has the mission and if she dies in the process it means nothing to her (except if she happens to come across a vamp that took part in the most painful experience of her life - which she does in the course of this mission).
But it means something to Vayl, to see him struggle to remain hidden, because he wants to help her. It's not in his nature to sit back, and he does help, which is good, because otherwise Jaz may not have made it to the end of the mission.
This is a reconaissance mission for Vayl, to see his potential new partner in action and he really enjoys himself. It was great to read, just a shame it wasn't longer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2011
This was a quick little read. We get to see everything from Vayl's point of view, and he's basically observing Jaz while she's out on a job. There's little to no dialogue in this story, but regardless it still moves at a fast pace. I like that we get to see the beginning of Vayl's feeling towards Jaz, and we get to see an "outsiders" view of Jaz since the main body of the series is told from her point of view.
There's also some "bonus material" (nothing new), that is the beginning chapter of Once Bitten, Twice Shy the first book in the series (originally publisjed in 2007). I liked the inclusion of this little snippet of the first book. When I first started reading the first book I thought the book was written in a strange kind of disjointed way, but after reading Scouting Jasmine and then the little snippet of Once Bitten, Twice Shy I understood the way Jaz and Vayl acted a little better, and it makes me excited to continue on with the series. Until Then!
There's also some "bonus material" (nothing new), that is the beginning chapter of Once Bitten, Twice Shy the first book in the series (originally publisjed in 2007). I liked the inclusion of this little snippet of the first book. When I first started reading the first book I thought the book was written in a strange kind of disjointed way, but after reading Scouting Jasmine and then the little snippet of Once Bitten, Twice Shy I understood the way Jaz and Vayl acted a little better, and it makes me excited to continue on with the series. Until Then!
July 16, 2019
Kennt man die Reihe und die Richtung, in die sie geht, dann ist die Kurzgeschichte eine schöne Zugabe, die Vayl dabei begleitet, wie er Jaz währen einer Mission beschattet, um zu entscheiden, ob er sie als Assistentin anfordert. Man merkt deutlich, was er von Anfang an in ihr sieht und wie fasziniert er von ihr ist. Trotzdem hätte ein wenig mehr Informations-Input nicht geschadet, ob es nun eine Kurzgeschichte noch vor Band 1 ist oder nicht. Trotzdem erhält man so manche tiefergehende Einsicht darüber, wie kaputt und suizidal Jaz war, bevor sie mit Vayl zusammengesteckt wurde. Vollgepackt mit Action war es natürlich außerdem auch. Ich wurde fast etwas wehmütig, dass in den eigentlichen Büchern nicht auch ab und zu aus Vayls POV geschrieben wird.
April 20, 2011
I enjoyed seeing this from Vayl's perspective, especially because Jaz seems to think she's nothing special while Vayl obviously does. He's often described as sort of unfeeling, but it's nice to know he really does have very strong feelings, he apparently just hides them well. Looking forward to the other shorts coming out over the next few months.
This was a very short read; finished it the whole story during my lunch break while eating and doing other things.
This was a very short read; finished it the whole story during my lunch break while eating and doing other things.
April 18, 2011
3.5 but I enjoyed seeing Jaz from Vayl's perspective I am rating it up.
May 26, 2018
I read the first book in the series a while back, and when I saw this little short story, I thought I'd give it a look. I've got to be honest... I was underwhelmed. It's a serviceable enough story--Vayl is watching Jaz fight and has feelings. The problem is... I just didn't care. I trudged through the story with its telling rather than showing and muted characterization, and I just didn't care.
October 16, 2015
Important: This is really more a flash-back than a #0.5 book, and I think it's better read at the stage of #4.6 to after #8. I do think the book is very sweet and probably more romantic used as a flashback. If you truly use it as a Prologue or 0.5 book, Vayl-the-Vampire's actions will be weird out-of-context, it might expose too much of Vayl's inner thoughts and WILL ruin the intrigue going forward. I raised the score on this one after I finished the series, as it registers as even more romantic when you read it in the context of the series as a whole. Revisit it after #8.
WHAT IT IS: Vampire-Vayl, the-CIA-assassin, similar to a Baseball scout or a teacher evaluator, tells his CIA-handler, Pete, he wants to check out a new sidekick. He secretly goes out on one of Jaz Parks assassination missions to assess her skills and see if she's the "right kind" of sidekick he's looking for. The only thing is, he got more than he bargained for on this trip. You know he's in-trouble when he's trying to think up ways to have Jaz-the-killing-machine "chase him" in a killer-ish way--and I don't think he sees it's rather kinkily-romantic. I laughed out loud over this one!
SERIES OVER-ALL: It's very important to read them all, and in order (except for this one flashback), read in the order stated above.
I loooved this series, discovered it in 2015, heartbroken about Jennifer's passing**(see below).
Adored the characters, the Jennifer-universe, the humor, romance, camaraderie. These books are great company in my troubled times. I didn't want there to be an end and delayed reading the final book for a long time. I can only wish that the Jennifer-estate would appoint a swat-team of good writers to continue Jennifer's life's work: the lives and escapades of Jaz and her posse, similar to the continuations of the Stieg Larson series, or Philip K. Dick and his protegees. There's plenty of material to write about with the Jaz-gang. There's plenty of "Firsts" ahead for Jaz & Vayl, with huuuge opportunity for humor, drama and romance. As well as revisits from Vayl's Point-of-View. And really, their relationship is too young to be stable yet, so there should be plenty of breakups-&-makeups, catastrophes-&-reunions to enjoy. If her whole group changes lifestyles, say, goes assassination-free, it will be a long, wild-ride of adjustments. How would any of them adjust to boredom & regularity, or is that even possible given the amount of enemies? Where did Matt really go? Who were her grandparents really-really? What really was the Greek-chorus in her psyche teasing & feeding her information? Will the rest get an interesting personal growth journey/opportunities: Kyphas, Cole, Dave, Cassandra, Miles, Raoul, Albert, Martha, Jack? Is Albert really a wornout old man? Who and what are the people around him? He needs to perform more redemption work towards his kids. I'm suspecting his nurse "Shelby" isn't what he appears. Is "Jack" really what he appears? And Evie and her spouse...I don't for a minute believe they are what they appear to be. And they all have plenty of sizzling stories to tell of their own.
**I've lost several friends in the last few years to suicide, and one friend's disappearance is bizarrely mysterious. The family refuses to acknowledge it, no obit, zero. The rest of us have no-where to go with these strange heartaches that popup oddly, at some of the most beautiful scenery. Suicide is a brain-chemistry accident combined with microsecond of bad-judgement, and if the patients do survive, most of the time they never look back and make great work in getting better. That being said, my friends are still gone, but still present in my head.
WHAT IT IS: Vampire-Vayl, the-CIA-assassin, similar to a Baseball scout or a teacher evaluator, tells his CIA-handler, Pete, he wants to check out a new sidekick. He secretly goes out on one of Jaz Parks assassination missions to assess her skills and see if she's the "right kind" of sidekick he's looking for. The only thing is, he got more than he bargained for on this trip. You know he's in-trouble when he's trying to think up ways to have Jaz-the-killing-machine "chase him" in a killer-ish way--and I don't think he sees it's rather kinkily-romantic. I laughed out loud over this one!
SERIES OVER-ALL: It's very important to read them all, and in order (except for this one flashback), read in the order stated above.
I loooved this series, discovered it in 2015, heartbroken about Jennifer's passing**(see below).
Adored the characters, the Jennifer-universe, the humor, romance, camaraderie. These books are great company in my troubled times. I didn't want there to be an end and delayed reading the final book for a long time. I can only wish that the Jennifer-estate would appoint a swat-team of good writers to continue Jennifer's life's work: the lives and escapades of Jaz and her posse, similar to the continuations of the Stieg Larson series, or Philip K. Dick and his protegees. There's plenty of material to write about with the Jaz-gang. There's plenty of "Firsts" ahead for Jaz & Vayl, with huuuge opportunity for humor, drama and romance. As well as revisits from Vayl's Point-of-View. And really, their relationship is too young to be stable yet, so there should be plenty of breakups-&-makeups, catastrophes-&-reunions to enjoy. If her whole group changes lifestyles, say, goes assassination-free, it will be a long, wild-ride of adjustments. How would any of them adjust to boredom & regularity, or is that even possible given the amount of enemies? Where did Matt really go? Who were her grandparents really-really? What really was the Greek-chorus in her psyche teasing & feeding her information? Will the rest get an interesting personal growth journey/opportunities: Kyphas, Cole, Dave, Cassandra, Miles, Raoul, Albert, Martha, Jack? Is Albert really a wornout old man? Who and what are the people around him? He needs to perform more redemption work towards his kids. I'm suspecting his nurse "Shelby" isn't what he appears. Is "Jack" really what he appears? And Evie and her spouse...I don't for a minute believe they are what they appear to be. And they all have plenty of sizzling stories to tell of their own.
**I've lost several friends in the last few years to suicide, and one friend's disappearance is bizarrely mysterious. The family refuses to acknowledge it, no obit, zero. The rest of us have no-where to go with these strange heartaches that popup oddly, at some of the most beautiful scenery. Suicide is a brain-chemistry accident combined with microsecond of bad-judgement, and if the patients do survive, most of the time they never look back and make great work in getting better. That being said, my friends are still gone, but still present in my head.
January 13, 2012
A fun little vignette set about six months before the beginning of the series, shows us what our main character is like without the filter of her own perceptions. Her, at this point, future love interest is watching her do her job, and trying to decide whether or not she's too damaged by recent events (no spoilers, just in case) to continue working in this particular field (supernatural assassination).
I think that the point about not seeing this story through Jaz's POV is very important, because we see her behavior, without the snark and facetiousness normally inherent in Jasmine's inner monologue. In this slightly more objective view, Vayl's got some filters of his own, the perv, we see her (self-)destructive behavior more clearly, and we see just what she's paid, emotionally, for the spoiler laden, ahem, "events" she's had to deal with.
All in all, fun, but short and just a bit too silly.
I think that the point about not seeing this story through Jaz's POV is very important, because we see her behavior, without the snark and facetiousness normally inherent in Jasmine's inner monologue. In this slightly more objective view, Vayl's got some filters of his own, the perv, we see her (self-)destructive behavior more clearly, and we see just what she's paid, emotionally, for the spoiler laden, ahem, "events" she's had to deal with.
All in all, fun, but short and just a bit too silly.
April 3, 2015
The story of Vayl's first impressions of Jasmine, where he is following her around in one of her jobs to see if she would be a good partner for him.
It's been years since I last read a book from the series and I can't remember why I never got to finish it, but this short story might be the push I needed to finally get to the remaining books. For now, I'll refresh my memory about Jasmine's world by reading the next short story, The Golem Hunt.
It's been years since I last read a book from the series and I can't remember why I never got to finish it, but this short story might be the push I needed to finally get to the remaining books. For now, I'll refresh my memory about Jasmine's world by reading the next short story, The Golem Hunt.
January 25, 2014
Scouting Jasmine is a fun prequel for fans of the Jaz Parks series. It's written from Vayl's POV and it's a great insight into his character and hints at why he decided to team up with Jasmine.
It's a very short and quick read, but I wouldn't actually recommend reading it first if you are new to the series. Though it's a prequel, it gives a bit of the main story points away and is better read after the first three books.
It's a very short and quick read, but I wouldn't actually recommend reading it first if you are new to the series. Though it's a prequel, it gives a bit of the main story points away and is better read after the first three books.
July 19, 2012
As my introduction to this author, I quite enjoyed this Short Story.
I'm not entirely sure as to the authenticity of the Male lead - however, he is immortal, so I guess that does leave quite a bit of wiggle room ;)
Jaz is cute - in that awesome kick ass way - and the fact that she's partially suicidal is Fantastic!
I look forward to trying the rest of the series!
I'm not entirely sure as to the authenticity of the Male lead - however, he is immortal, so I guess that does leave quite a bit of wiggle room ;)
Jaz is cute - in that awesome kick ass way - and the fact that she's partially suicidal is Fantastic!
I look forward to trying the rest of the series!
April 10, 2017
This is in third person but Vayls perspective. What he thinks of Jasmine and how she works and in some ways why he wants her. Very short story without all the backstory to it. But enjoyable, and also awesome to see that Vayl does see her as a woman....and wants her too, not just for how she kills, though that is one main reason. Very interesting and slightly insightful.
March 25, 2012
I read this story in Quick Bites, an assortment of short stories in the Jaz Parks Series by Jennifer Rardin. This story was a reminder of the reckless Jaz from early days, five months after her team was killed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2012
4.5 stars. This is my favorite of her books so far. I read this second although it takes place before the first book. I think I liked this book the best because it is from Vayl's perspective. Jaz has to mush ADD for me to follow her all the time.
Warning it is a VERY short story....
Warning it is a VERY short story....
December 9, 2012
I was looking for Jaz, she was so strong and exciting that she carried this little short story.
This was told from Vayls point of view, it makes it clear that he wanted Jaz, from the first time he saw her wow...
This girl is on speed for life or death.....
This was told from Vayls point of view, it makes it clear that he wanted Jaz, from the first time he saw her wow...
This girl is on speed for life or death.....
April 4, 2013
I picked up this short story to see if I'd be interested in reading the series. I can't say it overly motivated me to start the series but it didn't turn me off either. I'll likely give it a go and see what the first book has to offer.
June 5, 2016
Jaz Parks
Good start I wish I've seen this small novella before I started reading the trilogy of Jaz Parks. It kick the relationship off between Vayl and Jaz which makes the first novel more understandable. Showing the respect Vayl for Jaz develops before they met.
Good start I wish I've seen this small novella before I started reading the trilogy of Jaz Parks. It kick the relationship off between Vayl and Jaz which makes the first novel more understandable. Showing the respect Vayl for Jaz develops before they met.
June 9, 2015
This is a great introduction into the Jaz Parks series and I love how it is told from Vayl's point of view. This story allows the reader to know what lead to Jaz and Vayl's working relationship as well as whets the appetite to know more.
April 21, 2011
Good short story. I stopped reading this series because I just really couldn't get into it but after reading this I may have to go back and finish the series.
May 6, 2011
Ok I realize it's a short story, but I would have loved to read an entire novel based on Vayl's POV. Such an insight to made him want Jaz.
June 28, 2011
disappointed, this really was a chapter that had been cut from a book, not a short story
May 24, 2011
This is a sweet short story of how Vayl observes Jaz before he decides to take her as a partner. The story is told from Vayl's POV, so that is a bit of fun right there!
October 15, 2011
I really enjoyed this prequel to the series even though it was written after the first book. It gave an insight to Jaz through Vayl's eyes - a strong, smart, kickass character.
November 23, 2014
Vayl you perv. I appove! Awesome to get inside Vayl's head :)
May 7, 2013
Interesting introduction to Jaz Parks. Sets her character up very well for the first full-length book.
February 9, 2016
It was a very, very short read, but I liked seeing Jaz through another POV (and it helped that it was Vayl's POV, although he did seem a little stalker/creepy lol). Overall, a nice fun read :)
June 24, 2013
Loved this story about how Vayl sees Jaz for the first time. But I would have loved to see how they really meet as well ...
October 6, 2013
I miss this series.
July 1, 2011
bought as a nook-book will read next, maybe 25 April 2011
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews