Death's Mistress

A Midnight's Daughter Novel

By: Karen Chance

Narrated by: Joyce Bean

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir - half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. So far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing.

Back home in Brooklyn, after the demise of her insane uncle Dracula, Dory is hoping her life is about to calm down. But then she gets some visitors. A friend wants Dory's help in finding a magical Fey relic, and the gorgeous vampire, Louis-Cesare, is desperate to find his former mistress Christine.

Dory and Louis-Cesare quickly discover that the same master vampire Christine is bound to is also rumored to be in possession of the relic. But when the master vampire turns up dead, they realize that there's more at stake than a missing mistress. Someone is killing vampire Senate members, and if Dory and Louis-Cesare can't stop the murderer, they may be next.

©2010 Karen Chance (P)2010 Tantor

Ray + Joyce Bean = Hilarious!!!

***SPOILER ALERT**** Well, maybe.
In book 1, Dory discovered that Fae wine helped control her 'fits' but it also damaged the mental barrier separating her from her vampire half. In book 2, the broken barrier allows Dory to begin to recover memories of her mother and her childhood. She begins to realize how much her estranged father, Mircea, actually loves her and fought to keep her alive. Her kind doesn't usually survive too long.

Now Dory is working for Mircea and the vampire Senate. Usually she kills problem vampires, but Mircea wants a particular vamp brought in alive for questioning. Dory opts for the portable version to make him easier to carry. A number of hilarious scenes ensue as she carries Ray's talking head around in her duffel bag pursued by her various others who want him back. Everyone seems to want Ray, including Louis-Cesare. Ray instantly became one of my favorite characters!

The way Louis-Cesare and Dory's relationship continues to develop is also rather entertaining. As always, Ms Chance delights us with her humor, chaotic action scenes, romance and engaging characters. She is one of the most creative, inventive writers I have encountered.

Joyce Bean is perfect for this series! Each character has a distinctive voice or accent and she does humor really well!

Excellent

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Non-stop action from the beginning, the witty banter, likable characters, unexpected twists, the intimate scenes, and tough as nails heroine provide hours of entertainment! The narrator did an awesome job!!

superb on every level.

I've always enjoyed her books and Dorian is my favorite, the voice actress rocks the role and nails it.

Engaging

Another great work! Characters building and developing plot. This story has great dialogue and truly hilarious moments. My favorite characters meet and their story really starts to develop in this book! A must read! Enjoy as I have over and over!

Great Series

This series is captivating but this book is extra special because the author put in a scene that made me laugh so hard I cried. She did it at the perfect moment when the situation was hopeless and lots of entities, vampires, faeries and humans are dying so the "reader" is all tensed up waiting for disaster to strike and then she drops in this amazingly hilarious scene. I hope that she meant it to be funny otherwise I have a skewed sense of humor. It would be terrific if she put at least one funny scene in each of her books. The humor is much like Janet Evanovich whose Stephanie Plum books I love.

slooooowwww but good story, hated narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Death's Mistress to be better than the print version?

no the book would go on forever to much tiny detail not needed

What did you like best about this story?

Dory and Caesar

Would you be willing to try another one of Joyce Bean’s performances?

yes

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

narrator was terrible

Great Read!

Narrator does a great job bringing this book to life! The story in itself is wonderful and the fully fleshed characters are loveable. A wonderful read that flows smoothly from start to finish!

Second in Mignight's Daughter series

The first book was pretty good for an urban fantasy. I liked the narrator as well. I always listen to the free listen before I purchase a title, especially if I don't know the narrator. I enjoyed this book more than the first, possibly because I already had a background of some of the characters and this had more twists and turns in the story line. Like I've said not a Loral Hamilton, nor Kim Harrison, but something enjoyable and different none the less.

Highly recommended

What does Joyce Bean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I read this book a couple of years ago, and liked it. But the writing pace was almost frantic, and I found that I missed details (I read fast).

As an audiobook, I LOVED this book. I picked up a lot of small details that I missed when reading the book. The book is by turns funny, dramatic and suspenseful.

The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life

Dorina is back and straight to the PUNCH!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Hell Yes. If you like funny, action, great narration, romance and surprise plots, this is the series for you.

What other book might you compare Death's Mistress to and why?

Laurel K. Hamilton's series of Juanita Blake. I pray that the author writes more to this series and keeps this narrator.

Which character – as performed by Joyce Bean – was your favorite?

Dorina and Lez-Cezar. Even in the arguing, going from shouting to whispering, she makes it feel like they are right there with you.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes!! The first chapter jumps you right in. Love the way it is written to give Dorina's response to the self defense and Lez-Cezar's problem of trying to rescue a girlfriend that don't remember you but she might kick your butt.

Any additional comments?

Read or listen to in order. This series I listen to and loved it. This is one I would say that I will keep and am checking her other series in audible. I was really disappointed that there are only 3 books but they are longer. I really hope the author writes more and uses the same narrator. She just makes it all work.