Sabina Kane is considered the red headed stepchild because of being born to a vampire mother and a mage father. She was raised by her grandmother and identifies with being a vampire rather than a mage. Sabina works as an assassin for her grandmother, Lavinia, who is the head of a vampire group called the Dominae.

Normally after being born into a family in the Dominae, a person would have a bigger part in the organization; but because of being a half breed, Sabina is left with the only position available to her kind, an assassin.

Lavinia has never let Sabina feel like she was truly part of her family. Instead she has lived her entire life as an outcast. As head of the Dominae, Lavinia, is the person to give orders and is constantly putting Sabina's life in danger. After asking Sabina to kill her own friend, now she wants her to assassinate the leader of a rival vampire organization by first joining them as a spy. If the vampire finds out about her plans to assassinate him or that she is still working for the Dominae, she will be killed on the spot.

After meeting a demon, mage, and a faery, Sabina realizes there's more to life then just the closed off world her grandmother has kept her in. Sabina has always thought that her father's mage family resented her and wanted nothing to do with her, but after finding out the truth from a mage, she is in for a world of surprises.

Could everything that Sabina has grown up believing be a lie? Will Sabina side with her grandmother - the only family she has ever known, the rival vampire clan, or a mage that holds all of the answers to Sabina's life?

RED-HEADED STEPCHILDis the first book in an urban fantasy trilogy by debut author Jaye Wells. Sabina is an assassin, but that doesn't mean she's fearless and wants to be killed. The character is fully developed and all aspects of her life are explored as she discovers the truth about herself and her past.

There are plenty of laugh out loud scenes as well as dark moments. Sabina makes several friendships while on her assignment and together a demon turned hairless cat, a feisty, hyper faery, and a sexy mage with a mysterious agenda all assist her with her road to discovery. I loved everything about RED-HEADED STEPCHILD and look forward to the next book in the trilogy, Mage in Black due out January 2010.