Grave Sins (Cin Craven Series) Book

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Feb09

I read and reviewed Jenna Maclaine's first book "Wages of Sin". When I did, I said I was looking forward to her next book and was interested to see where her characters were going. Well, "Grave Sins" was just as enjoyable for me as the first one and even with the glut of paranormals on the market today, I think Maclaine offers something a bit different and well worth the read.

It's been 13 years since Cin 'died' and became a vampire in early 1800s England. In that time, she's grown into her abilities as a vampire and her powers as a witch. She and her 'consort' Michael are part of 'the Righteous''a foursome that acts as a kind of FBI to vampiredom. They seek out those who break vampire law and dispense the vampire High King's justice. One of the biggest vamp rules is the prohibition against killing humans and the automatic sentence is death. Cin has also instituted an annual 'vacation' where she visits her old home and humans she's closest to for two weeks every year. No killing, no fighting…just rest, lots of sex, and reminders of her past humanity. But this year, their vacation is interrupted by a special envoy from the High King. The vampire Queen of the Western Lands has been accused of killing humans and the High King has requested Cin's group determine the validity of the claims and carry out the sentence if required. Of course, when you receive a request from the High King, it's not something you refuse, so off they go.

I won't give the plot away, but suffice to say that this second book in Maclaine's series provides a lot more information about vampire government and customs and the local 'pecking orders'. This story has a few interesting twists and a bit of a mystery. The relationship between Cin and Michael sees some rocky moments. The question of who is killing the humans must be resolved. Cin's witchy human aunt even has a role in furthering the plot and Cin's growth in her powers. There's also a goddess, a werewolf, and a mysterious dumb blonde (is that an oxymoron?) involved.

The story is told in first person from Cin's perspective, but that didn't result in any information gaps for me. The flow and pace were smooth and the jokes and descriptions of 'old' and 'new' fashions were rather humorous considering. The mystery was interesting in that I had a good idea of the who, but no idea of the why or how…and I liked that the author surprised me when she laid out the solution. The sex between Cin and Michael is hot even though it isn't by any means the focus of the story, but the decisions and reactions of these two certainly aided the unfolding of the plot. I had such a good time reading, the time flew by and I wasn't ready for the book to end. At least there was a sneak peek of "Mortal Sins", the next tale in the series, at the end of this book. If history, the paranormal, a bit of romance, and mystery interest you…check out "Grave Sins" by Jenna Maclaine. I'm sure glad I did.