Bait by K.C. Blake - Review

Bait (An Order of the Spirit Realm #1)

By: K.C. Blake

Published: April 24, 2013

387 pages

Genre: YA Paranormal / Urban Fantasy

Source: Free ebook copy from the author in exchange for my honest review (this review is part of the Bait Summer Long Book Tour)

(Goodreads / Amazon / Smashwords)

Summary:

Ghosts, a reaper, and a rock star.

At sixteen Bay-Lee is not your typical girl. She doesn't even try to fit in at school. What's the point when she'll be moving to a new place within a few months?
She's lived her whole life on the run, hiding from monsters.

Then a reaper uses her closet to cross over from the Spirit Realm. It has a message for her. Just when she's about to join her father at his school for hunters she finds out they are dying on their birthdays. Something is killing them, slipping past locked doors, never leaving a trace of evidence, and her birthday is only two months away.

Becoming a hunter isn't exactly her dream come true. She's doing it for her mother, for revenge, for justice. Nothing is going to get in her way, least of all love. Then she looks up into a pair of jungle green eyes and everything changes.

Author Info:
K.C. Blake
Born and raised in California, I fell in love with writing while reading The Outsiders. Then I fell in love with Stephen King's writing style. I enjoy reading many types of books, but YA Paranormal is my favorite. I used to write for Harlequin under a different name. So that's my background. Exciting, no?





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Giveaway hosted by author:
Do you want to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card?  Would you like a signed copy of Bait?  If you answered yes to these questions, email me at kblake234@hotmail.com for details on how to enter.  It’s easy and fun.  All you have to do is send out an email to your friends telling them about the contest and my books.  I will write the email.  All you have to do is forward it.

Goodreads Book Club Group hosted by author:
I am going to try something a little different with this book series.  I've started a group on Goodreads called Order of the Spirit Realm.  It will be a place for us to discuss Bait and the other books in the series as they are released.  You can ask me questions or leave comments on what you loved about the book and what you weren't crazy about.  There will also be giveaways and sneak peaks on occasion.  Anyone can join.  Go here to join.

My Review:
I had visions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while reading this with the addition of a school for supernatural hunters.  Bay-Lee is the daughter of the legendary Van Helsing and following in the footsteps of such a legend has it's downsides, namely preconceived ideas of who she is and what she is capable of, and special treatment she receives.  Bay-Lee isn't exactly interested in making friends and things that most girls her age are into like shopping and boys.  She is more concerned about avenging the death of her mother.  In order to do that she needs to become a hunter....but first she has to graduate from being Bait.  Bait refers to the lowest of low military rank at Van Helsing's secret school for hunters.  "...the only thing you are good for is to be used by us to draw out monsters."  My favorite description of Bay-Lee from the book: "She possessed a "bite me" expression that must drive vampires crazy."

Nick is the last person she wants to be around and his feelings towards her are mutual, but because of his own agenda he steps in as her mentor at the school, with no intention of ever actually mentoring her.  Bay-Lee however refuses to let him blow her off and she sets out to force him into the responsibility and role he took on. They are both very strong willed and hard headed characters.  Bay-Lee can reach the status of Hunter passing all her classes and impressing the instructors.  Or she can move up in ranks such as Warrior by doing amazing things.  "...capturing a creature we've never encountered, solving a great mystery before anyone else does, or stopping a murder plot put together by the Order".  But with the help of Nick, the best hunter at the school, who also is a Warrior, she can reach her goals a lot quicker with his guidance.  So Bay-Lee sets out to solve the mystery of what is killing hunters on their birthday with the help of fellow classmate and the only friend she has, Keisha.

This is a story about how our plans don't always go the way they've played out in our minds.  Filled with twists and secrets this book kept me guessing on who the mysterious killer was and there were a lot of surprises I wasn't expecting.  You want romance in a book - there's some yummy scenes you'll love!  Below is a snippet of one of my favorite squeal-worthy scenes:

She abandoned her chair to straddle Nick's lap.  It was a toss up as to which of them was more stunned by her uninhibited behavior.  This was a first for her.  She wasn't the type of girl to get pushy with a guy.  Maybe the abrupt, insensitive way he treated her was fueling her desire to make him shake in his shoes.  She told herself she wasn't serious.  This was just a game.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked. His arms dangled at his sides as if he didn't trust himself enough to touch her for the length of time it would take to remove her from his lap. The look or pure terror on his face provoked her to continue.

She whispered, "Call it an experiment."

"You need to stop."

Her slim fingers slid beneath his hair to stroke the back of his neck. "I want to know what it feels like to kiss you."  

 Final Rating - 4.5 stars!

Thanks K.C. Blake for asking me to be a part of this book tour!  I can't wait for book 2!!