All I want is to pay the rent and find a boyfriend. But an insane vampire thinks I hold the key to his takeover of the city, and I have a new stalker.
At least for now, I've dodged the Illuminati's Hunters, but life is still a little too challenging. Rival vampire lords want to use me against each other, and the mysterious members of the Columbia Club are offering bounties for vampires and werewolves.
I'm lucky that the gang at Rosie's has my back, because I'm going to need them.
I made silver and turquoise jewelry for almost a decade, ended up in nursing school, then took a master’s in business. Along the way I worked in construction, as a newspaper editor, a teacher, and somehow found a career working with computers.
As to my other interests, I love the outdoors, especially the Rocky Mountains. I’ve skied since high school, with one broken leg and one torn ACL to show for it. I’ve hiked and camped all my life. I love to travel, though I haven’t done enough of it. I’ve seen a lot of Russia and Mexico, not enough of England. Amsterdam is amazing, and the Romanian Alps are breathtaking. Lake Tahoe is a favorite, and someday I’d like to see Banff.
Another great read, not very descriptive but still enjoyable. I'm unsure of where the romantic side of Erin's story is heading and I don't feel there are really any main characters (meaning they're all on one level) but there's something about these books that makes me want to read them!
This is second in an Urban Fantasy series and is one that builds character and story arcs over time. So I definitely recommend reading these in order.
Since you've read the first I won't go into much detail. Comparing this one to the first, I'll say that the secondary characters felt much better fleshed-out and that they continue to shine. The worldbuilding is still pretty standard. But the plot/story itself was a bit less compelling.
Erin's background is still interesting and I kind of love how she is such a mix of naïf and hard-bitten warrior. It makes total sense to those of us in her head but you can easily see how she would confuse those around her and Kingsolver does an excellent job having it all unfold clearly to the readers even as their reactions confuse Erin. And Kingsolver manages it without breaking PoV. That's a harder trick to pull of than it looks so that's very well done.
Anyway, this is a solid four stars, much like the first, which makes sense because it is some better, some worse. I'm looking forward to the next.
A note about Chaste: Erin still doesn't know how relationships work so she's a little hard on the guys who want to date her. None of them make it to the bedroom, so there's no sex, let alone any explicit sex. This story has some kisses that didn't suck, but nothing more. There is some non-sexual nudity, but I don't count that at all. So I consider it pretty chaste, but others may not.
Once again, I’m just meh about this series. There could be so much that is great about it but action scenes were priority over the plot and the main character is a special snowflake great at everything, well except relationships, so blows at those.
I was hoping for more world building in this and there is a little but most of the time we are just jumping from one reactive incident to another.
The Good:
• The writing in Night Stalker is a little better overall than the prior book
• The Scooby Squad is still pretty fun and I like most of the members on it
• Dhampir (Daywalkers) seem awesome
The Bad
• Not enough world building. For example, the Dhampir, one of the characters it is mentioned had a breeding program for them. It is said pretty much just like that and that the mothers never survive is also mentioned in passing. So that is it, like a 2-line statement. I really wanted for the author to expand on the vampire character by giving some more details of how the program worked. Like how evil is this vamp, does he pay poor dying women for the use of their bodies to create one or is he sanctioning raping unsuspecting women by new made vampires in hopes of swooping in at birth to claim the child.
• The romance is laughable. I get that our heroine hasn’t really had a real emotional relationship in her life but the first time her new boyfriend asks for some details of her past she throws a temper tantrum and tells him she hopes he dies alone. There is more than that but that’s the jist
• Not much plot holding everything together. Erin gets jumped, someone is kidnapped, Erin gets ambushed. It is all a little too convenient. If every bad guy knows where you live it might be time to move.
But my main problem is that I’m more interested in some of the side characters than I am in the main character and story line. Lizzy is half Fae, a seer and going to school to be an astrophysicist. I’m really more interested in her life half in and out of the Fae world. There is also the trio who finds things. They came into the bar after a bad night where a black mage tried to summon a demon
This series is just missing something for me and I’m really one the fence about if I will continue. There seems to only be one more book and I’d sorta like to wrap up the story but at the same time there just doesn’t seem to be much substance to it.
Night Stalker is book two in the Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill by B.R. Kingsolver. This was another great Urban Fantasy read.
Things area starting to get flushed out a bit more; especially with the secondary characters. The world building is still a bit stilted, but its growing. Just not fast. The power play continues from book one in the Vampire world, but does get resolved bye the end and as for Erin’s identity, well most know by now, with all the hints, what she is.
Erin is developing as a character and finally we see some vulnerability in her. As for her dating life; well she still doesn’t understand how that works. She tries to date, but with mixed results. I’m not a fan of the romantic side of her story, but its second to what’s happening.
Night Stalker was an improvement. I continue to be interested in Erin and what might be next for her. I’m looking forward to book three.
This continues to be an action/intrigue driven paranormal series. There is so much politics in the paranormal world and watching the main character navigate it is a wonder. She does it while trying to learn how to use a cell phone. Very nice character development.
Her relationships are adult and the MC doesn't get teenage giggly. The writer doesn't let that part of the character's life turn into a paranormal romance. Women actually being involved in a sexual relationship without losing their minds, shouldn't be so rare but I'm excited that I found one. It's one more thing to love about this series.
The politics seem realistic for any situation involving multiple factions and none of the solutions are good, just some are less bad than the rest. How real world is that. I really like this writer a lot. It's fun, tense and the action makes sense. I'm looking forward to the next book.
Better pacing than the first, Erin has settled into her new life, new friends, and new experiences as disaster keeps striking. We don't see Barclay the crazy vamp other than a brief scene with little interaction, but George Flynn has grown on me and pops up several times, as does a female vamp who Erin seems to appreciate it. There's a fourth vampire who - well, there's a few surprises in store there I won't hint at.
A new type of creature is introduced due to this, and they are intriguing characters that added to the story and that I hope play consistent roles in future books.
Erin tries dating still with mixed results, but nothing that gets me excited either way. It's still inconsistent and wobbly how she goes from experienced/powerful to not knowing as much as she should about the paranormal world; just not fully believable.
She may as well not argue about her identity much longer since most seem to know with their hints anyway, at least with the vamps - and speaking of that, the end of this book settles a large question of power play that's been brewing two books, adds a whole lot of personal tension for Erin's future, and is a game-changer that makes me eager to read the next book.
There is a big quirk. I know she's used to nudity and keeps forgetting not to strip down or stay naked around people, but that gets annoying, we didn't need three scenes. It's not realistic that she would be that dim. Maybe not realizing it once, but seriously? She didn't grow up that long in the Illuminati Quarters and to be able to work on assignments convincingly, she would have been taught how society works to effectively blend in. It's not convincing she'd be that naive.
It's less fighting than the first since she's settled her dominance for the most part, and there's still nothing steamy, but there is less downtime as she's settling in, which is a nice change of pace - literally.
There's some depressing losses - death and change - and I hope not all of those losses stay losses. It's so awkward avoiding spoilers in some of these reviews. You'll know what I mean. Probably. Maybe.
World-building is still a bit stilted but it works well enough. Members from the previous book grew on me with more rounded personalities, the author seems to have clearer focus with the storyline, Erin is more relatable and acts wise beyond her years at time without lecturing on morality so damn much, finally shows some vulnerability.
Romance is still nil, even with some hints, trust me it's not there at all. If the author continues with the previous two attempts, I ain't feeling it.
The ending especially makes me itch for the third book. The story is picking up, but I'm still confused on the ultimate direction goals.
Solid 5 star rating. I've been waiting for an installment to this series since the first book and am not disappointed. The author created a storyline with Erin as the MC who's trying to start over. Needless to say her new life is one of excitement,new learning curve, danger, possible romance and finding herself. There's plenty going on in this installment to keep you turning the page and wanting more. If you like PNR action then you'll love the Rosie O'Grady series. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment already.
I need the third now! This second book was a bit more action oriented as the basics and main characters had already been established. But there are some new and interesting entries with tricks up their sleeves...our heroine learns more about friendship and relationships...it’s a solid story that is well set up for a third (and possibly fourth or fifth) book.
This is such an awesome series. Erin is truly an amazing character. She's not perfect but she always trys her best. There is beauty in the flawed. Look forward to continuing this series.
My rating for the first book in B.R. Kingsolver's Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill was a 3.5 - not bad, but not great. I am really glad I went back to read book 2, Night Stalker, because I really enjoyed it. I don't know if the narrative style of the first book improved or I just liked the characters more this time or if I was simply in a bad mood the first time around, but this one made me smile. Don't you love it when that happens?
Our heroine, Erin, is a skilled mage and fighter. In book one we learned Erin was a Hunter (trained assassin) for the Illuminati until she faked her death and escaped after discovering they weren't the noble secret group she had always believed they were. On the run, Erin dropped into Rosie O'Grady's one night, hoping to earn a little money bartending before she took off again. But she felt so at home that she just stayed on, keeping her identity secret from all but one of her new-found friends.
In Night Stalker, Erin gets caught in the middle of a hidden (from normal humans, at least) vampire war for leadership after the previous vampire ruler is murdered. Shifters (werewolves) get involved, so do some witches and mages, and pretty soon the whole, complicated mess gets very dangerous. And, for whatever reason, the vampires vying for the top spot think Erin can either negotiate or fight to help them prevail. To make matters worse, while Erin deals with attempted kidnappings, beatings, and attacks on her friends, she's also trying to navigate her first romantic relationship, something she was never allowed while a Hunter.
It's an engaging adventure with plenty of action and a cast of characters that I liked more and more with each turn of the page. The magic is well done, the multi-paranormal culture is handled in a matter-of-fact but interesting way, and the sub-text of Erin's emotions beginning to flower after being repressed for most of her life adds some depth to her story. I moved straight on to book 3 last night.
This second book in the series is great! It picks up where the first left off, continues the story line, answers questions from the first while creating new ones to leave you impatiently waiting for the 3rd book!
This series is fantastic. The writing and how the sub plots intertwined are truly well-thought-out. I adore Erin. She's on the path to redemption she can believe in. Trevor is not someone to pursue. I get Aaron has a lot of skeletons in her closet, more than Trevor even knows, but you don't tell someone to qualify themselves for you in order to be in a relationship. What a douche! Lizzy and Jolene are just rad! Sam is definitely not dead lol. Laurent as the Master of Westport is going to be interesting. I can't wait for the next book in the series! 3.75 stars! Happy reading!
Night Stalker is the second book in the series, and the heroine is still trying to get the hang of a "normal" life. On top of that, the vampires seem to be really interested in her, and now she's trying to stay under the radar, and not doing a great job of it. She will have to figure out her feelings, and figure out who she can really trust before it is too late.
There is only one thing that bugged me about this one and that is towards the end, the choice the heroine made, it was a bit frustrated and made her seem very naive.
I am enjoying it, but things happen so fast and simply that I don't feel like they have a lot of weight.
And I still don't like any - literally, any - of the potential love interests. There are some awesome secondary female characters, though, and I like Sam a lot, though he's more of a father figure than a potential love interest (and because of that, it would kind of squick me out if he became a love interest).
Little more character growth here but the plot is really more of the same. Erin runs into someone, sees through them, and presents law enforcement with the problem that they need to solve.
Erin is growing into her new life and friends. Still curious to see where it goes.
3 Stars. There were world building inconsistencies. Pick the rules of the world and stick with them. Bending or changing them for convenience of story is annoying and can be confusing.
I’m actually really enjoying this series so far. There’s enough action to keep one turning the pages and the characters are developing nicely as we learn more about them. I especially enjoy the relationship Cassie has with Sam, the faux father/daughter vibes give both Rosie and the bunch a family feel that offsets all the action and allows readers to really connect with the characters. I really didn’t like the Trevor/Cassie match-up, though. There wasn’t an iota of chemistry between them. It was more like friends trying too hard to make it more. That being said, Cassie really does need some kind of potential romance at this point (IMHO). She’s never had anything even remotely like a boyfriend and she needs to experience that kick of chemistry and we (I) need some relationship potential! So, I’m off to pick up the next installment and see what happens next!
I LOVE this series. It just keeps getting better. Erin is trying to learn how to operate in normal society where she isn’t constantly killing people on the orders of the Illuminati. She is struggling to deal with the guilt and yet do better in the future as she tries to understand normal behaviour.
In addition to learning about normal behaviour she wants to get a boyfriend to help ease her loneliness but doesn’t know how to go about it.
On top of her personal issues there is a vampire war being waged on the streets and Rosie’s seems to be the only safe place to stay whilst a new top vampire is victorious. The trouble is that so many vampires want Erin to work with them and she just wants to stay neutral, serve drinks and pay rent.
Once again BR Kingsolver write an interesting story with lots of plot twists, so it isn’t predictable. She also write fascinating characters. Erin is really interesting because she is young and lead such a strangely sheltered but vicious life. She understands murder and mayhem so well, but doesn’t understand about relationships. Her friendships are becoming well developed and she has learned to rely on others but finding a boyfriend seems to be beyond her just yet!
4.5 stars I think I'm going to have to put this on my short, but esteemed pile of rereads. Loving the MC and the side characters. Good plot development with lots of action, magic and humor. I was finished with this book before I knew it.
This book gave me so many feels. I usually go for something with more romance but holy crap I had no idea what was REALLY going on half the time and then when it all came together — WHAM! I want to know what happens next... and if one of the dhampirs that’s new on the scene will prove friend or foe after a few soft spoken words.
I really enjoyed this book. Easily allowed me to suspend my disbelief in most things. Except for the MC, the characters were a bit one dimensional, but I didn't really mind. Do wonder how so much violence got swept under the rug, but what the hey. It's magic.
As all of Ms Kingsolver's books this is dramatic and engaging. But this episode doesn't really have a proper ending. Several plot threads are left unresolved. I hope she doesn't make us wait too long for the next book.
These are books worth reading with worthwhile plots and sympathetic characters. I hope there will be more in this series. Also, I am grateful for a lack of spelling and grammatical errors.
Plush writing paint vivid pictures of characters and places. Intriguing and original plotlines keep the action moving. I am enjoying this series very much.