Violet Tendencies

Sabina Kane #2.5

by Jaye Wells

Former assassin Sabina Kane heads to Los Angeles to find her kidnapped sister. Helping her on the mission are her hot mage partner, her Mischief demon minion, and a Vanity demon named Valva. The problem? She's got to figure out how to find her sister without letting her enemies know she's back in town. But when Sabina seeks out an old ally -- a vampire strip club owner named Fang -- for help, Sabina learns the hard way that Vanity demons don't know the meaning of the phrase "low profile."

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Magic, Fantasy, Demons, Short Stories

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2011

About the author

Jaye Wells is a former magazine editor whose award-winning speculative fiction novels have hit several bestseller lists. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and is a sought-after speaker on the craft of writing. When she’s not writing or teaching, she loves to travel to exotic locales, experiment in her kitchen like a mad scientist, and try things that scare her so she can write about them in her books. She lives in Texas.

Want free fiction from Jaye? Check out www.jayewells.com for details!

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Violet Tendencies is set just after the ending of The Mage in Black but really it could have been included as a prologue to Green-Eyed Demon. It was a short and fun read but I don't think there is enough of a story here to justify it being published as an extra, especially not one that readers are expected to pay for. If it had been a freebie I would rate it higher but charging £1.49 for about 30 pages just screams rip off and if I'm honest it's left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, back to the actual story! Here we see Sabina head back to Los Angeles with Adam, Giguhl and Valva to begin the hunt for her sister. It is vitally important that they stay under the radar since the Dominae have put a price on Sabina's head so they turn to one of Sabina's few remaining friends for help. Unfortunately things are never simple when you have a couple of demons in tow and it all goes horribly wrong very quickly.

There isn't much more I can say without giving too many spoilers so I'll keep this deliberately short. Although I was disappointed there wasn't more meat to this story I'm still looking forward to continuing the series so I'll be picking up Green-Eyed Demon very soon.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sabina, Adam , Giguhl and Valva have returned to the hostile territory of Los Angeles as part of a plan to move against the vampires. Sabina's friend Fang runs a strip club and reluctantly agrees to let Sabina's group live in his back rooms as long as they keep a low profile and don't bring any trouble to him. Low profile goes out the window when the attention seeking Valva decides to do her own strip onstage to the fury of the vampire strippers and a full scale riot breaks out.

I loved this short story as a bridge between The Mage in Black and Green Eyed Demon. Valva just can't resist a chance to perform without permission and the money she starts making gets the backs up of the other strippers and infuriates Giguhl who does not want to see her acting up with other men. Fang is trying to restore order while Sabina tries to get Valva out of the way but as Sabina's luck goes, it turns into a full riot. It was pretty funny! Just a typical bad day for Sabina and Adam, while Giguhl sees his girlfriend in a new light.

[Thenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story bridging the second and third book of the series, that could have easily been the introduction of Green-Eyed Demon.

Sabina's already short list of allies is shortened a bit more after the trouble her sister's Vanity demon causes.

Previous book reviews:
✦ Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane #1)
✦ The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane #2)

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is a 'filler' of book 2 and book 3. I always wonder why Valva is missing from book 3, and only mentioned in passing that she is not part of the camaderie because of a problem in a vampire bar and a lover-spat with Gihgul. So the short story explains everything. Like I said, a 'filler', not that it brings something new to the whole series.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story felt a little forced to me. I really liked Valva and her connection with Giguhl. The author eliminating her seemed too convenient. I hope I get to read more about the Vanity Demoness, even if it means that she's evil after all.

[Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snarky, funny & full of action all in 34 pages!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former assassin Sabina Kane heads to Los Angeles to find her kidnapped sister. Helping her on the mission are her hot mage partner, her Mischief demon minion, and a Vanity demon named Valva. The problem? She's got to figure out how to find her sister without letting her enemies know she's back in town. But when Sabina seeks out an old ally -- a vampire strip club owner named Fang -- for help, Sabina learns the hard way that Vanity demons don't know the meaning of the phrase "low profile."

Heather's Notes
This story was really short and just seems to set up the next book in the series. The only thing of interest that happened was Valva and Giguhl broke up and then Valva left.

[Echo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn. Valva disappearing in the next book so abruptly was weird, but I don't think this needed to be in that book. Valva seems to be acting a lil randomly (though to be fair we hadn't really gotten to know her before). I'm glad I read it so I know what happened when they reference it, but not worth paying for (check it out from the library).

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stupid Vanity Demons. They ruin everything.

[Teshai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bye Valva 😆😆

[Sabrina Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I read so I knew what happens with Valva. It will be interesting to see if she comes back and how that all plays out.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

a nice opener to Green Eyed Demon, wish I would have read it before...

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story between the 2nd & 3rd books in the series, Sabina needs to find her kidnapped sister in LA without any of her enemies know she's there. Of course, nothing goes as planned.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It seems a little unnecessary not much happened aside from explaining why valva is gone

[TravelsReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a VERY short story, but fun to read.

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally, I skip short stories in any series that I read but because I have become such a fan of Jaye Wells, problematic elements not withstanding, I simply had to read Violet Tendencies. Adam, Sabina, Giguhl and his vanity demon lover Valva have arrived in Los Angelos to search for Sabina's missing sister Maise. Sabina is hoping to sneak into town unnoticed so she arrives at Fang's vampire bar, with the hope that he will put her up for a few days. Fangs is hesitant because if the Dominae discover that he has given them sanctuary it could mean death for him. Sabina promises that he will keep mum about his involvement; however, she is unable to keep a her appearance low profile because Valva has other ideas.

Valva hopes on a stripper pole and all hell breaks loose. Before Sabina or Adam can react the vampire strippers are throwing punches, and the bar is on fire. Realizing that the situation is out of control, Ada zaps them out of there leaving the bar on fire, as the Dominae's guards enter and demand their surrender. He shifts them to the famous Hollywood sign where Giguhl makes it clear to Valva that his woman is not to behave like a cheap tart in public.

Valva begins with lip pouting but when he realizes that Giguhl sees her as a possession to be owned, Valva makes it clear that she will shake her ass when and where she wants regardless of how she feels about it. Despite being a minion, Valva is not only tired of Giguhl but of Sabina, who orders her around. Valva feel unappreciated and so decides to leave, which shocks them all after declaring that Sabina has split ends.

Read More

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaye Wells's Violet Tendencies was another quick read that I got done today! It was pretty awesome too. Although according to Goodreads, it says it's book 3.5, but if I remember what happened in book 3 correctly, this novella would've taken place prior to it.

Granted it's been months since I read Green-Eyed Demon, but even glancing at its cover back has me thinking that this should've been book 2.5 since some of the events that happened in Green-Eyed Demon aren't mentioned here. So I want to say this should be book 2.5.

Regardless it was a fun little read! Sabina, Adam, Gighul, and Valva are still on the run trying to stay out of the Dominae's radar, and they take shelter at a strip club. Sabina's friends with the owner and was hoping for a safe place to hold up for a few days, but chaos quickly ensures.

Again, this is a short read so can't say much without telling the whole story, but it was pretty interesting. And it does answer a question that GED brought up so it's worth a read if you have the time and were curious about this particular something--which don't want to say for spoiler purposes. (also as I write this I have a headache forming and can't think straight to remember all of GED)

So if you're in between reads this is definitely a fun one! There was quite the craziness going on!

Overall rating 3.5/5 stars

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The day after the mess in the end of The Mage in Black, Sabina travels back to L.A. with Adam, Giguhl, and Valva to look for her kidnapped sister. Sabina goes to an old friend she feels she can trust, an owner of a local vampire strip bar ~ Fang, looking for a place to crash undetected. Trying to stay under the Dominae radar while the Dominae are circulating flyers with a bounty on her head for the "safe" return home to her Grandmother. Valva, the vanity demon, spices things up some...

Even in this short story that was a quick read for me, Jaye had my attention the whole time and now has me pumped and ready to dive into Green-Eyed Demon. There is the sarcastic humor of the characters mixed with action. I have to say I did learn a few things in this read as well; as there are two different types of demons and more on Valva the Vanity demon. I really do enjoy reading about Sabina more too. She seems to be softening up to her friends now that she has accepted them as such.

This short story is a great lead into Green-Eyed Demon. It can be read after Green-Eyed Demon, but is the lead into the story from The Mage in Black.

[PepperP0t · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know, I know generous. I should have stopped when I finished book two but glutton that I am I read this short.

This entry takes place a day or so after Mage in Black where Sabina, Adam, Giguhl & Valva have begun their rescue of the kidnapped Maisie. Wary, Sabina imposes on a vampire friend knowing that it could mean severe consequences if it is found out that he is helping. Despite the danger hilarity ensues at the vamp strip club changing how our quartet interacts with each other.

Let's see what did I like about this jaunt?!?!? hmm...let me think...hmm. It was short,brief even. What I didn't like about it, well that is easy. Everything else. I can't call it a story as it seemed an excuse to get rid of a character, didn't really have a plot and the few pages could have easily been covered in either the book before or after it. The story advances somewhat because of said character. What's covered I'm sure will be re-capped in the next book in it's entirety. I would definitely say this one is for completists & rabid fans only.

[Rachel-RN · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read book 3 yet, Green-Eyed Demon; however there is a revelation and plot development (in regards to Gihuhl) in this novella that I see carrying over to book 3. And that leads to this bit of a rant and lower rating. I might or might not change the star rating after I read Green-Eyed Demon. I really hate important plot points/details in NOVELLAS. Novellas should be to enhance the story already told (IMO), not to introduce plot points that will be played out in the next NOVEL. Nothing is worse than having read the previous book and starting the next and wondering what is wrong with my memory, only to realize that said event(s) were covered in a NOVELLA. Another issue is the price of this one. It's $2.99 for a measly 22 pages. That's right. 22 pages. 3 bucks. I was lucky, I got this on sale for a buck. Otherwise, I don't like I would have shelled out 3 bucks. Or maybe I would have, who knows. 99 cents is a fair price for this length.

Rant over.
ETA: I looked up price and they lowered it to $1.99

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Trickster and the Vanity Demon

I strongly recommend you read the previous books in the series (Red-Headed Stepchild, novella in Vampire Romance 2, Mage in Black and Green Eyed Demon) before tackling this novella.

The events in this novella take place in-between Mage in Black and Green Eyed Demon and fills in the blanks of what happens when a desperate magpire (half mage/half vampire), mage and demon go on the lam. If you are new to the Sabina Kane series, Do not start here.

I really enjoyed this fun short story; my attention was riveted to each word. This series never fails to make me literally laugh-out-loud and this novella was no different.

This outrageously humorous novella coupled with plenty of action packs a punch. We also get a peek at the different "class" of demons in Irkalla and scoop a tidbit of information about the time surrounding Demon existence.

I highly recommend this book to fellow dark urban fantasy readers and can't wait for the next book in the series Silver-Tongued Devil due out in 1/1/2012.

[Vannessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short little novella was a fun read. It takes place between The Mage in Black and Green-Eyed Demon and explained what happened between Giguhl, Sabina's demon minion and Valva, her sister's minion, which wasn't really explained in Green-Eyed Demon (I know I'm behind in reading it but it has only just come out over here in the UK on the Kindle, so I'm playing a bit of catch up).

Sabina is on the hunt for her kidnapped sister and is trying to stay low in LA so her grandmother's guards don't catch hold of where she is. Sabina, along with the two demons and her friend Adam, the mage, head to an old friend of Sabina's, Fang and his vampire nightclub/strip joint. Only they don't manage to stay very low once Valva decides to join in the stripping once back in demon form. All hell breaks loose and the Dominae guards obviously hear what's going on and where.

A quick, light read, ideal for filling in some time.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little pit stop that occurs when Sabina, Adam, Giguhl and his new demon love begin a suicidal rescue mission. Sabina’s sister Maisie has been kidnapped by the reigning Vampire Lavinia who just happens to be the twins’ maternal grandmother. Lavinia raised Sabina making her a top vampire assassin while constantly demeaning her because of her mixed vampire/mage blood while Maisie was raised by the Mage community which she rules because of her royal bloodline along with having love and adoration from her fellow mages. The twins are new to each other having been kept from each other until recently. In fact, Sabina had no idea she had a sibling much less a twin until Maisie used her recent knowledge of Sabina’s existence to seek her out. This was a very quick and short novella but I did enjoy the flare of it thoroughly.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short story that falls between book 2 and three of the Sabina Kane series. It all seemed very rushed and contrived to me though. It seemed like she just wanted to get rid of Valva, and turned her into a bitch in the blink of an eye. Also, the description of the strippers really irked me, and the idea that there would be that much baby oil around is simply ridiculous. By the way, there is no such thing as "assless chaps". Chaps have no ass, that's what makes them chaps. If they had an ass, they would be leather pants.

While we're at it, why does Valva have a peacock tail when she's female, and if she does have a peacock tail, they would have had to stuff her in a bag for hockey sticks or something, lol. Anyway, the books are better. :-)

[Vanessa theJeepDiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very shot read. I read it in a little over thirty minutes. The questions about Valva are answered in these few short pages. The readers are given very little information as to why Valva did not make it to Green Eyed Demon. It is a highly amusing story that involves a vampire owned strip club and gallons of baby oil. Violet Tendencies picks up the night after Maisie is kidnapped. Sabina and crew are looking for a place to crash for the day while she is hiding from her grandmother and her crew of evil. This story can easily be skipped. If you wish to know the precise details about where Valva the Vanity Demon went, read it here.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sabina Kane books are my some of my favorites -- it is, in fact, my favorite series. When I finished Green-Eyed Demon I was happy to see the pre-order for Violet Tendencies. It was a promised "fix." The story concerned events referred to in Green-Eyed Demon, but not shown. Um, there's not much to it other than a brief visit with characters fans of the series have grown to like and it is very light fare. We find out how Valva and Giguhl broke up and how much damage a Vanity Demon can cause in a short period of time. If you are not a fan of the series, there wouldn't be much here for you -- but why aren't you reading the series?!?! ::grin::

[Melindeeloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you read Green-eyed demon and wondered what happened to Gigul's golden skinned peacock-tailed vanity demon main squeeze Valva, it's here. There is nothing earth shattering in this short - and obviously the series still works fine without out this story, which reads very much like deleted chapters that were cut from Green-eyed demon to give it a stronger opening. Still I enjoyed this little carve out from the series - I am a sucker for connected shorts, even ones as short as this one - but I suspect that unless you are a fan of the series, this is probably not stand-alone enough to make it worth the price.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this novella. I read the preview in the end of the second book so I had no idea how they got to LA or anything that happens in-between. I love Jaye Wells writing and this is no exception. It is always fun and funny and Giguhl is still one of my favorite characters of all time since he is just so great. I will definitely be reading book three shortly especially since I think it will be better than the second one, since the more you read about Sabina Kane the better she (and Adam, yum) seem to get.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Product Description

Former assassin Sabina Kane heads to Los Angeles to find her kidnapped sister. Helping her on the mission are her hot mage partner, her Mischief demon minion, and a Vanity demon named Valva. The problem? She's got to figure out how to find her sister without letting her enemies know she's back in town. But when Sabina seeks out an old ally -- a vampire strip club owner named Fang -- for help, Sabina learns the hard way that Vanity demons don't know the meaning of the phrase "low profile."

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those Jaye Wells fans who wanted to know the how and why Valva and Giguhl ended their red hot affair; the, "Violet Tendencies" is the perfect short story for you. It is paranormal comedy and mayhem at its best. Although this is a short read, it was chocked full of Sabina Kane awesomeness. I for one truly enjoyed this installment and it helped me understand what was hinted at in book three. Do not hesitate, pick up this book you will not regret it.