Government agent Jasmine (Jaz) Parks is a cross between Buffy Summers and Sidney Briscow. A vampire slayer but not The Slayer, Jaz is still the chosen one as far as her partner Vayl is concerned. A secret operative with burgeoning supernatural powers that she is just beginning to understand, Jaz kicks bad-guy ass and is still girl enough to worry about her outfit when attending a gala event.

Vayl, a 250-year-old vampire with a conscience, chose Jaz specifically to partner with. The why is still a mystery to her, but she's working on figuring it out. She's working on figuring out her enigmatic vampire partner, in general. The duo's current assignment involves a red plague that's been designed to spread throughout the vampire and human communities. It's up to Vayl and Jaz to put a stop to the plot and put an end to the bad guys' apocalyptic plans ASAP. The bad guys' mission, of course, is to put a stop to Jaz and Vayl ASAP.

I can't say I didn't enjoy ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY, the first book in a new series featuring Jaz Parks. It moves along at a brisk, if predictable, pace. But sometimes I have to wonder if Joss Whedon (writer/director of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) knows how many of these stories there are out there now. The man has to be shaking his head at what seems to be a whole genre of butt-kicking vampire slayers he's basically responsible for. I guess all the slayers who could stand up really standing up!