Grave Sins (Cin Craven Series)

Good Paranormal Romance

Cin Craven is a powerful witch turned vampire. She is part of a group of vampire enforcers called the Righteous, with her consort Michael and friends Justine and Devlin. They are called in to investigate a queen that seems to have gone insane and started killing humans. But this is not a clear case of she did it, punish her.

While at the townhouse of the king and queen, Cin senses magic. So, she believes the queen is under a spell and is trying to figure out who or what is working the magic. At the same time, the local's, human and vampire, fear of the queen keeps them in line. While she is out of commission, the king is starting to see an uprising. During a fight for their lives, Cin's secret dark powers come out. Now Michael, Devlin, and Justine are afraid of Cin and her powers.

This was a good story. It got caught up in Cin's relationship more than the point of the story, which was mentioned as part of the story. Beyond that, I got wrapped up in the story and really wanted everything to work out. This is a good book and I would recommend it in the paranormal romance books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Grave Sins by Jenna Maclaine

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.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great read

This book was a very fast read for me. It had a storyline that was both sexy and suspensful.

Grave Sins

Thirteen years have passed since Cin joined Michael, Justine and Devlin and became one of the Righteous. Cin's yearly visit with her family at Ravenworth is interrupted when the Dark Council of the Righteous sends their right-hand man, Drake to gather up Cin and her mates. They have all been selected to investigate a powerful queen who is being suspected of going insane and killing humans. The case against the queen seems open and shut, until Cin senses that someone is using dark magic against the queen. This investigation takes a frightening turn and threatens to expose the dark secret Cin has been keeping from her mates. Cin's relationship with Michael is put to the test when Drake makes tempting advances towards her. This story was captivating. It was exciting from to start to finish. There was a good amount of sex, action and mystery. I did find some parts of the book too reminiscent and wordy. Beyond that, this book was enjoyable and I highly recommend it. I am also looking forward to the next book in the series Bound by Sin.

A delightful historical romantic fantasy

In 1828 vampire ¿Red Witch¿ Dulcie ¿Cin¿ Cravan is visiting her human relatives the Mackenzies at her former home (before she died) Ravenworth Hall when vampire Drake, the Sentinel of the High King arrives with a mission from his sire. Cin refuses to allow the attractive vampire inside the home. Cin¿s beloved Michael and their fellow Righteous Dark Council of Vampires Devlin and Justine arrive at the Hall. Drake explains they must visit the home of the Queen of the Western Lands Marrakesh, to determine if as reported she has broken vampiric law by killing humans. The team knows Marrakesh¿s husband King Macleod will refuse to give her up without a fight; the pair are two of the most powerful vampires on the continent.

When they arrive at their destination, the Righteous are coldly welcomed as everyone knows who they are and why they are there. Their witness is dead having died in a mystical ¿locked room¿ manner. However she rescues the queen who she found chained to the roof just before dawn. As the quintet make inquires the evidence grows that the Queen is guilty and either should be executed or exiled; only Cin thinks otherwise though she has not found a viable alternate suspect even as her Michael is acting strange while Drake flirts with her and a guest at the abode and Bel flirts with Michael.

The sequel to the delightful historical romantic fantasy WAGES OF SIN is a fabulous entry in what looks like will be a strong saga. The story line is action-packed once Drake arrives and never slows down as the Inquisition Righteous investigates the goings-on while the romance between Cin and Michael flounders. Although the culprit seems obvious early on, fans will enjoy this terrific tale as Cin exploits her exaggerated reputation as the unique vamp the Red Witch to bluff and obtain cooperation that her more typical vamp partners cannot.

Harriet Klausner

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