Blood and Blade

The exhausting sixth paranormal romance in Dane’s Goddess with a Blade series (after Wrath of the Goddess) is chaotic, bloody, and disappointingly one-note. Rowan Summerwaite is many things: superpowered hunter, human wife to British vampire Scion Clive, vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid, and mother to a magical dog. Fresh from killing the supposed leader of Blood Front, a vampire supremacy group, Rowan and her small army of humans, witches, and vampires realize that there is a greater evil pulling the hate group’s strings. With traitors in their midst, Rowan and Clive must marshal their forces to take down the unknown enemy, conducting an investigation that takes the couple from Las Vegas to London and back again. Despite a fast-paced plot, Dane’s clunky, dialogue-heavy writing prevents her world from feeling truly immersive, and her archetypal badass heroine remains one-dimensional throughout. Paranormal romance fans will find it easy to skip this one. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary (Jan.)