Book Review: Apocalypse Happens

Reviewed by Christel

Author: Lori Handeland

Summary

Elizabeth Phoenix is many things to many people.   Ex Cop, Friend, Ex Girlfriend, occasional lover, Leader of the light, vampire, savior of the world.  One thing she is not is normal. 

Liz is a sexual empath.  She gets her powers by having sex with people… well, calling them people may be a stretch.  She has had sex with supernatural people, namely Sawyer and her ex boyfriend Jimmy.  One would think this would make her appear rather promiscuous… and it does, but somehow she still maintains her kick ass persona.  Perhaps it is the vampire she keeps buried within herself.  The vampire is only kept under control by means of the be-spelled dog collar a fairy named Summer gave her.  A fairy who just happens to be in love with the same guy Liz is in love with.  Awkward!

Until now, Liz hasn’t been able to remember anything about her parents.  She doesn’t remember anything about her life before foster care and she really doesn’t care to find out.  Until now, Liz hasn’t had to really take charge of the Federation.  She’s been too busy learning to fight the forces of evil, saving her ex, Jimmy and letting a demon take residence inside of her in order to have enough power to defeat her greatest enemy to date.   But she hasn’t met her mother yet.  Things are about to change.

Review

Sounds crazy right?  Well, it kind of is.  The Phoenix Chronicles just keep rolling on and Apocalypse Happens is just another great story in the series.  I really enjoy reading these books as in each one a new and exciting story presents itself.  There is action, love, suspense and enough supernatural creatures to choke a horse.  Liz is a no-nonsense kind of gal, who does what she has to do to save the world from the impending apocalypse.  If that means the possibility of loosing the people she loves the most, then so be it.  It is for the greater good and all that.

Mrs. Handeland does a great job of getting the reader to connect emotionally with the characters.  Something happens to one of the characters in this book that I REALLY do not like.  In the interest of keeping this review spoiler free, I won’t really go into the details, but I will say it pissed me off, I was furious and it made me cry.  Very few books draw me into the characters that way.  I should also note that this book falls under the “romance” genre, but if the explicit scenes were removed from the book, it could stand on its own.  The story dictates that there is talk of sex and somehow it seems to fit right in.  Sometimes, with romance books, it seems like the sex is just thrown in there for good measure.  Almost as if someone says “you must include at least 5 sex scenes in your novel”.  I am sure this happens, but at least in this book, the sex blended in well with the story.  

                                                          Her Rating