Diaries of an Urban Panther
July 5, 2011
Paranormal Romance
Paperback
Avon Impulse

Violet Jordan thought her mother’s fairy tales were just a way to get Violet to sleep, not to prepare her for the apocalyptic prophesy she is the key to preventing. When she becomes a midnight snack for werepanther Spencer Haverty, his infectious bite invokes the first element of her destiny and creates a loose end in his family’s unraveling hold on the Dallas Pride.

Rejecting the helping hand of Chaz Garrett, a Guardian sent to watch over her , Violet flees to her reclusive writer existence living vicariously through the dramas of her best friend, Jessa Feychild, an undercover fairy princess secretly running from her own responsibilities. When Violet’s budding instincts allow her to save a boy from being flattened by a car, she realizes this new gig may come with perks: a slimmer figure, the intimate attention of Chaz, and insights into her own past and future embedded in her mother’s stories.

When Spencer snatches Jessa from under Violet’s Chaz-distracted nose, she uses her new confidence and slinky new curves to infiltrate Spencer’s scheme to resurrect a demon using Jessa’s fairy blood. As push comes to claws, Violet unleashes a fatal strike against the man threatening her new family, her new home, and her new boyfriend. But in doing so, she sets herself up to be the next leader of the Dallas Pride and jumpstarts the next battle for control over the city.

The blurb is a quite detailed one and does a nice job of setting up the story. It definitely caught my attention, but unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. The heroine and I did  not get along in this book.  I normally enjoy a sarcastic heroine, but Violet comes across as whiney and bratty, and worst of all, ungrateful. After she is attacked by shifters in an alley, a stranger saves her. Well, she had actually seen him around at bars, nicknaming him “stalker boy.” His name is Chaz and he takes her back to his place after the attack. Violet accuses him of kidnapping her, is rude to him and when her vicious wounds heal very rapidly, barely questions why. At this point I knew this book was not going to be for me. I get Violet is confused and angry at what happened to her, but I can’t stand it when heroines brush off their rescuer’s efforts. And blame them for “kidnapping” them when in essence he is keeping her safe from another attack. She also comes across so blasé about her healed injuries, and later when she finds out she is actually a shifter, I wanted more of a reaction to it. She takes it pretty well in stride. Not just when she learns the news, but with all of her new found powers and her part in the prophecy.

Chaz of course develops an attraction to Violet, but they way she treats him, it is never a believable attraction. Why is he attracted to her? He is her guardian, so he must stick around with her, but the basis for a spark of romance in this one never comes across as real.

I also had problems with Violet’s friend Jessa. I never understood why they would be friends in real life. I get that Jessa plays a much larger role in Violet’s pre-destined life, but it felt like they were set up as friends only for this reason. Why would Violet be friends with her before she knew any of this prophecy stuff existed? Jessa is glamorous, high class and doesn’t come across as a great friend.

The last third of the book does get better. Violet settled down somewhat and I liked the twists with the prophecy and Jessa. I do think the villain was not present enough in the story and didn’t make a viable enough threat.  I can’t recommend this one.

Rating: D

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