Jacob

I received a copy of Jacquelyn Frank's Jacob at the RWA conference, where editor Kate Duffy called it the project she'd been most excited about. Naturally, this piqued my interest, although I didn't read it until this month. Duffy's praise is a lot to live up to, but I liked the book: 3.5 out of 5.

Since time began, there have been Nightwalkers--the races of the night existing in the shadows. For them, anything is possible, except love with a human. Ancient law denies these impossible pairings that can end only in destruction. For those who waver there is Jacob, the Enforcer.

For 700 years, he has commanded the element of the earth, resisted temptation, and brought to justice those who have fallen prey to their lust for humans. Immune to forbidden desires, Jacob's control is total . . . until Isabella. Then, the conflict begins.

The concept for this book (and series; there are more books to come) is excellent. I was intrigued by the world Frank creates and found myself wanting to know more about it. The relationship between Jacob and Isabella evolves in a natural and interesting way.

I did wish there'd been more depth to the story. I felt like I knew some things about Jacob and Isabella but didn't really know who they were on a deeper level. It didn't help that Isabella is a bit of a cliche at first, an inexperienced librarian. She evolves quite a bit, and I thought she ended up a more interesting character by the end of the book. Still, I would describe this as a pleasant read rather than a particularly riveting one.

Gideon is the hero of the next book; it looks interesting.