Review: Doomsday Can Wait

Title: Doomsday Can Wait

Author: Lori Handeland

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Phoenix Chronicles/Book 2

Published: May 2009

From the back cover ~

SHE CAN SEE EVIL COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS...It took the near annihilation of humanity for Liz Phoenix to understand the true meaning of her premonitions. Liz is one of the sacred few on earth who has the psychic powers to fight the malevolent forces that have tried to wipe out the human race since the beginning of time. She battled these beings once, thwarting Doomsday but losing most of her soldiers in the massacre. Now she must replenish her troops quickly-because the supernatural war isn't over yet.

BUT WILL SHE BE BLINDSIDED BY DESIRE? As the new leader of the federation, Liz is marked for death by a Navajo witch with a link to her past. To survive, she must rely on her few remaining allies-her mentor, a shaman with too many secrets, as well as ex-lover, Jimmy Sanducci. Bringing Jimmy into the mix is a dangerous move, for Liz's darkest desires are razor-sharp-and her longing for Jimmy is at a fever pitch. But can Liz afford to give into the cravings that burn inside her, with the next shot at Doomsday just around the corner? This time, if evil wins, chaos will reign-and the world as we know it will be lost forever.

Oh, boy... what to say about this one? I liked the first book in this series, Any Given Doomsday and I liked Handeland's Nightcreature series (the ones with "Moon" in the title) but this one fell short of the mark. It was difficult to get into and there were parts that just dragged for me. It was a road trip that had way too many stops. And it's very violent and bloody. I know it's UF but I was still surprised at the amount of "horror" contained in this story.

Former cop Liz Phoenix is back working at the bar when she has a customer who wants her dead. She manages to stay alive but knows it's only a matter of time before the witch tries again. So Liz makes some calls and heads out to find her former lover, angsty vampire Jimmy Sanducci. She needs help finding him and a road trip wouldn't be complete without a fairy. The lovely fairy Summer has a history with Jimmy which makes for even more uncomfortable driving. Throw in sexy shaman Sawyer, who Liz had a sexual relationship with and is still attracted to, and you get some fun times on the road. The only problem is that everywhere they seem to stop death has been there before them.

Once they do find Jimmy it's more blood and death and Jimmy isn't in the best shape. He's loosing his mind and his control of his vampire side. Liz doesn't care about the odds of Jimmy making her a meal, she's determined to save him. Sadly for Liz, she must ask Summer for help. LOL Yep, ask the former lover of your possible current lover for help. Summer doesn't try to make things better between her and Liz, she seems to secretly enjoy Liz's discomfort. I wasn't too crazy about Summer and all her "fairyness". She got on my nerves. :( She seem to be there to add more tension to the alreday tense triangle of Liz, Jimmy and Sawyer.

Then there's Sawyer acting all mysterious and sexy. I liked him in the last book but this one he seems to have lost his edginess a bit. In Any Given Doomsday you really weren't sure if he was on the side of the good guys or just on the side of Sawyer. The impression I had was that he was going to do what was best for him and if that happened to help the federation it was merely a coincidence. This time around he's doesn't come across as quite so dark. He's still not what I would call a hero but he seems to have soften up a bit, lost that darkness that kept Liz on her toes around him. Now she just has to watch out for his sex appeal that keeps pulling her back to him.

And lets not forget the crazy witch that's after Liz. She continues to go after Liz but Liz is able to fend her off. The wicked witch isn't only trying to kill Liz, she's also bent on releasing the evil that is the Grigori. If they are released then chaos will reign, humans will die... you know the drill. Not much "happy, happy, joy, joy" here. The final battle is bloody with a WTF moment that left me shaking my head.

The thing I did like is that Liz is still testing out her powers - she's not sure of everything she's capable of. I liked seeing her discover just what she's is capable of. She doesn't want to be the leader of the federation nor does she want all the responsibility that goes with it. But she trudges on and continues fighting and making those difficult decision leaders must make.

Unfortunately this book did little to heighten my anticipation for the next book, Apocalypse Happens, release date - November 3. I'm still on the fence if I'll continue with this series. I'll probably wait for reviews for the next book before picking it up. For more info on Lori Handeland and her books, pop over to her website. FYI ~ there is sound on the website so consider yourself warned. :)

Rating: C