Review of Death's Mistress by Karen Chance - I love me some Louis-Cesare!

Goodreads Blurb: Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. So far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing.

Back home in Brooklyn after the demise of her insane uncle Dracula, Dory’s hoping her life is about to calm down. But then she gets some visitors. A friend wants Dory’s help in finding a magical Fey relic, and the gorgeous vampire, Louis-Cesare, is desperate to find his former mistress Christine.

Dory and Louis-Cesare quickly discover that the same master vampire Christine is bound to is also rumored to be in possession of the relic. But when the master vampire turns up dead, they realize that there’s more at stake than a missing mistress. Someone is killing vampire Senate members, and if Dory and Louis-Cesare can’t stop the murderer, they may be next…

Death’s Mistress is an excellent follow-up to Midnight’s Daughter. Where else would you find a beheaded vampire comedic sidekick! This book picks up shortly after the events of Midnight’s Daughter. Dory is working with the vampire senate to clean up an illegal fey smuggling ring. In the middle of picking up a vamp for her father Mircea, the hot vampire dueler Louis-Cesare appears and suddenly the “simple” job for her father gets a lot more complicated. Add-in fey warriors trying to kill Dory and her flatmate Claire and son, the mysterious murder of a senate member and a mage, a missing rune stone, and irritating and handsome Louis-Cesare – and Dory finds herself in the middle of the action again.

I really loved this entry into the Dorina Basarab series. The developments between Mircea and Dorina were heartwarming. It is interesting to see Mircea through both Dorina’s eyes and Cassie’s from the Cassie Palmer series, though kind of weird since he's Dorina's father and Cassie's lover. Dorina always does what she thinks is right despite it not being the easiest or the sanest path to take. Her interactions with Louis-Cesare were exciting and heartbreaking as she tries to help him recover his long lost mistress. The chemistry and sexual tension between Dory and Louis-Cesare is intense and so hot. I also love reading "action" scenes in the middle of the action and this book does not disappoint. Dory's battle with her violent rages also has made some developments though I’m not sure if it is for the good. Karen Chance weaved an exciting and intricate story till the end and the reveal of the big bad guy definitely took me by surprise. The final pages definitely have me looking forward to the next entry in the series.  

This was a 5 out of 5 for me - awesome man candy in Louis-Cesare and a great tough but flawed heroine in Dory.