Any Given Doomsday

Phoenix Chronicles #1

by Lori Handeland

Elizabeth Phoenix once used her unique skills as a psychic to help in the Milwaukee Police Department’s fight against injustice. But when Liz’s foster mother is found viciously murdered—and Liz is discovered unconscious at the scene—her only memory of the crime comes in the form of terrifying dreams...of creatures more horrific than anything Liz has seen in real life. What do these visions mean? And what in the world do they have to do with her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci?

While the police question Jimmy in the murder, Jimmy opens Liz’s eyes to a supernatural war that has raged since the dawn of time in which innocent people are hunted by malevolent beings disguised as humans. Only a chosen few have the ability to fight their evil, and Jimmy believes Liz is among them. Now, with her senses heightened, new feelings are rising within Liz—ones that re-ignite her dangerous attraction to Jimmy. But Jimmy has a secret that will rock Liz to her core…and put the survival of the human race in peril.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal Romance

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 4, 2008

About the author

Lori Handeland is a five-time nominee and two-time winner of the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty novels spanning the genres of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, contemporary romance, historical romance and historical fantasy.

After a quarter-century of success and accolades, she began a new chapter in her career with her women’s fiction debut, Just Once (Severn House, January 2019), which received a coveted, starred review from Library Journal and was optioned as a feature film by Catalyst Global Media.

Lori lives in Southern Wisconsin with her husband of over thirty-five years. In between writing and reading, she enjoys long walks with their rescue mutt, Arnold, and visits from her two grown sons, awesome daughter-in-law and perfectly adorable grandchildren.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any Given Doomsday
(Phoenix Chronicles #1)
by Lori Handeland
I enjoyed the supernatural/paranormal aspects of this book and the plot was ok but there were some issues. The characters were a bit flat and there was more sex than action. Not what I read a book for!
I enjoyed the book regardless but wouldn't pay much for it. I got this for .99 cents on chirp and would get more in the series if they were that price.
If you like vampires, skinwalkers, and other creatures then add sex, this is for you!

[Epeeblade · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did. And for the first 40 pages, I thought I was looking at one type of novel, when it suddenly turned into something else. The improbably named Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic ex-cop, working a dead end job out of guilt for getting her partner killed when she suddenly she finds out her foster mother and mentor has been murdered. I thought this would be a mystery, trying to find out who killed Ruthie, the foster mother.

See all the info about her being an ex-cop et al? Just forget all about it, because Elizabeth certainly does. Not once after this beginning does she exhibit any behavior remotely cop-like and indeed she borders on the too-stupid-to live heroine who constantly insists she can take care of herself, yet her actions lead her into more and more danger.

I suppose the author intends to portray Elizabeth as a powerful woman confident in her own sexuality. I supposed I'd believe it if Elizabeth ever had sex willingly in this book. Aside from some fumbling with an old-flame early on, the sex afterwards is all initiated by false pretenses. The first is with an immortal dude who apparently had a hankering for Liz when she was 15 – he tricks her with what she thinks is a dream, but when she accuses him of rape, he tells her she wanted it and it's all ok. Oh, and then the extended rape scene at the end with aforementioned old flame, but it's ok, because Liz's real powers are to absorb the powers of others through SEX.

Yes, Elizabeth Phoenix is the pornographic version of Peter Petrelli from Heroes. She's a slave to her own sex drive, because it's always an intense amazing orgasm, which I think we're supposed to assume is a side effect of her powers. And never is protection or birth control mentioned, no matter how many times she's filled with semen.

Which, you think would be important, because the supernatural badies in this universe? Are produced by fallen angels breeding with humans – the Niphilim. So all this sex she's having? Unless she got Norplant pre-book, Liz should be concerned about potential pregnancy! But it never even crosses her mind. (And by the way, she's way too fond of blowjobs. I lost count how many times someone's cock accidentally brushes her face.)

That brings me to my next complaint. Handeland puts way too much effort into fitting every single kind of supernatural creature in her universe. Fallen angels, demons, shapeshifters, skinwalkers, werewolves, witches, vampires, dhampir, faeries, Navajo wisemen, seers and DKs---Demon Killers. I guess she couldn't use hunter since that's been taken by Supernatural. Plus, our heroine is the chosen one, to save the whole "federation" (I'm not kidding that's what the good guys call themselves) and I'm not sure how, but I think she's gonna do it by having lots and lots of sex.

My final complaint – once again the bad guy is Italian. As an Italian-American, I can't tell you how much this pisses me off, especially since the heroine slams him for his Italianness in an attempt to show how witty and snarky she is. Liz is a bit too flippant, too focused on throwing out the witty line instead of reacting like a normal human being. For example, early on when she's sprayed by the ash that's created when killing a baddie – much like a Buffy vampire – she takes a shower and jokes about "washing that man out of her hair" – not the kind of thing I'd be thinking if a shapeshifter just broke into my apartment and I barely succeeding in killing him!

Overall, I found this book very disappointing. I certainly will not be reading the sequel, not even if they offered that to me for free as well.

[mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping to enjoy this book. Considering the books I normally read, this seemed a perfect fit to me. Unfortunately, it falls a little short of my expectations for a good urban-fantasy read. I don't expect great literature, but I do want believable characters, fast-paced action, and scary monsters.

I couldn't relate to the protagonist, Elizabeth Phoenix, a psychic ex-cop turned bartender. I also didn't care about the relationship between her and her childhood love, Jimmy Sarducci. (I will not be going into my problems with the names.) I know he is supposed to be the "bad boy" type, but really, he's just not like-able and I couldn't understand or believe the attraction.

The mystery starts off right at the beginning when Elizabeth's friend and former guardian is found murdered. She discovers that Ruthie was a "seer" that helped demon killers find their prey and somehow passed her gifts on to Liz. The middle was a little slow while Elizabeth comes to grips with her newfound knowledge and gifts. The action picks back up towards the end, but in a very different way than I was expecting. The book went from urban-fantasy to racy romance book and not in a good way. The amount of sex going on for what seems like the entire last 1/4 of the book is not romantic, just disturbing and doesn't help in making me like or respect Phoenix as a female character.

The monsters were somewhat interesting and different from the usual batch of supernaturals that fill the fantasy books I love. Some are very obscure, however, so I felt the need to research a bit. Not something I really want to do while reading this type of book.

I think if the "romance" plot line was left out or if Elizabeth was given a better way to absorb others powers this would have made for a much better read. It was good enough to keep me reading to the end but there are definitely much better urban-fantasy books with much stronger more likable women protagonists.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Any Given Doomsday starts out great. Psychic Elizabeth Phoenix is working her bartender job when her instincts tell her to get out. And something pulls her home. To find the woman who raised her had been murdered.

This is where the book loses me. Elizabeth discovers that people aren't what they seem. Including Ruthie, and two men from her past. Jimmy & Sawyer. She is informed that the classic battle of good vs evil is being waged right in front of her & she never knew it. But with Ruthie's death, she must step up to the plate & lead the warriors to victory.

Good vs Evil. Sounds pretty basic, right? The numerous mythical creatures lost me. And I didn't really care enough about the plot to go back through the pages to remind who was who or what was what. Shapeshifter, Skinwalkers, DK's, Fairies, Damphir's, Werewolves, Bears, they all start to blur together.

I really wanted to like this book. For the first half of the book, I really liked Elizabeth. I won't give away which section of the book changed that for me, but I suspect you can figure it out for yourself if you read the book.

Oh well. Not every book is going to be liked by every reader. I am sure that there are some out there who will love it, but I won't be reading the rest of the series.

[Vaishnavi · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating is a 2.5

This book was good at the beginning... But lost its taste as I reached the middle.
I felt the plot a bit okay at the start, but the ending seemed to be routine, where the hero is plunged into darkness and the heroine brings him back to light.

I lost my connection to this book, when I got to know that the heroine is an empath, who can absorb others powers by having sex, and to save the humans from going all puff (i.e to save the world), she has to gain power and that can be only done by ...... (I think you can get my point)
The starting was a fast paced and I liked the theme there, but as we reached a certain point, where there is lots and lots of pages dedicated to the description of sex, that the female lead doesn't want to..... But eventually craves for it.

What can I say, her first sex was with the guy she desired, but in a drugged state, ofcourse the drug was something which intensified and free her desires, but the lead kept thinking that she was in a dream (humor me I say!!!!!).
I don't know but I lost the connection with the story, I had to drag myself to complete as I hate to leave a book mid-finished.

This book definitely didn't entertain me, maybe it entertains someone else!!!

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book disappointed me terribly. Not because it was lousy, but because it started out strong, then hit one of my "triggers" and couldn't seem to redeem itself after that. The story is very fast paced, and the heroine is appealing, with a sassy yet self-deprecating manner. Elizabeth Phoenix has always been psychic, but when her foster mother dies, she becomes something more: a seer able to detect the true forms and human faces of the monsters that plague our world. With her in this fight against evil are two men from her past, her fellow orphan Jimmy, a demon killing dhampir, and the skinwalker Sawyer. The latter is the character I find most problematic; I have never been crazy about alpha male characters, and I particularly don't like it when their alpha nature is used to bring a strong woman down. Sawyer is both a mentor figure and an object of lust for Elizabeth, a combination ripe for abuse, and abuse it he does, robbing her of agency in the most unsettling way. There's a lot of graphic sex here, which is not my cup of tea, but it's easier to gloss over the sex scenes than the troubling sexual dynamics. So while I enjoyed the book at first, it eventually made me squirmy and squeamish, and disinclined to give the sequel a try.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love paranormal fiction, but the genre is littered with poorly executed stories. Any Given Doomsday is one of them. I don't like giving bad reviews, but (because this was a free advance reading copy) I feel like I have to write something about it.

The basic premise is great: powerful evil bad guys of various forms trying to take over the world and a federation of good guys with unusual abilities led by seers trying to save humanity. The author took this premise and added a strong heroine, a little romance, and an interesting Old Testament back story for the bad guys. So far, so good. However, the romance was anything but romantic, as the otherwise strong heroine stumbles after not one, but two jerks that make it clear they don't want a relationship with her (just lots of sex). Most of all, the authors writing style really put me off. There were many snappy little lines that were so cheesy that I didn't even want to go on reading.

If you can overlook the flaws, you may be able to enjoy this book. But I've had better. As long as there's better out there, I won't be bothering with the rest of this series or anything else from this author.

[new_user · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had limited expectations for this book after reading Handeland's Nightcreature series. While I enjoyed the werewolf books, they were simple romances at their core, late night snacks rather than five-course meals. I picked up Any Given Doomsday largely on a whim. I didn't even intend to read the book that night, but then I couldn't stop. The book just moves that fast.

In Doomsday Handeland stretches her wings to craft a fuller tale, consisting of two chief elements: the romance and the thriller. I would say she satisfies on both counts.

First, in the character Elizabeth Phoenix, Handeland creates an everywoman. Naturally, Elizabeth has plenty to say about life and a funny, sarcastic way to say it, but she has one trait that's woefully missing from many paranormal and romance heroines. She's endearingly self-deprecating, down to earth and just plain sympathetic, right down to her resignation when she learns she's gotta save the world. The reader doesn't have to grind teeth to tolerate her.

Elizabeth's reactions to her insane world are genuine, and we learn about the baddies as she does. The device Handeland uses here is mostly dialogue, but there are no page-long monologues that begin with, "Magic is..." We read the explanations of the world's-folkloric-monsters-come-to-life (whoa, awesome idea) in between her conversations with the two leading men in this book, who are fleshed out as flawed men rather than fantasies put to writing (not that they couldn't be fantasies, ;).

The way they are developed speaks to Handeland's skill. Elizabeth's differing relationships with these men is multi-layered, and we learn about them both through Elizabeth's memories and inner dialogue and even more interestingly, the character's opinions of each other. What's the term here, a dog fight? ;P Learning about these guys is interesting, one a powerful Navajo witch and the other a monster hunter (and her ex). One's slightly ruthless gamma, the other a lost-soul type. Naturally, we want to redeem both. *leer*

In fact, for the first half or so of the book, I thought I was reading something along the lines of Rachel Caine's Ill Wind or perhaps a Buffy for Adults, complete with a deceased spirit guide who can only tell the heroine so much because rules are rules, a device as much a staple of storytelling as the haunted castle or "once upon a time." We learn about her world and her past relationships, the news in 30 seconds, right from the beginning of the novel where the action starts and from there we're mostly interested in Doomsday and what Elizabeth's gonna do about it. Then the romance begins.

I won't give anything away, but I will say this: Handeland's not afraid to make her character sacrifice. Elizabeth goes through a lot to shape her character into a hero we can be confident will save our unworthy arses. There are some darker moments (I did say flawed men, didn't I?) but the reader gets the impression Handeland wants us to read the next book to learn the method to her madness. I just hope that Elizabeth's fun new sex-as-a-weapon habit doesn't become Anita Blake, if you catch my meaning. It was well-written and logical in the flow of events here, but, alone, that plot device may lend itself to abuse. No way to tell until we read the next book though. This is the first book, the first battle in the war, as Elizabeth says, and I will definitely be looking out for the second.

[Serena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a number of today's urban fantasy books toy with the vampire myths and werewolf stories to modernize them and make them more relevant. When I started reading this novel, I new I had to suspend disbelief. Elizabeth Phoenix is the heroine who grew up in foster care and grew into a tough young woman and cop. According to the short story, "In the Beginning," Elizabeth is well known in her department as partially psychic; she has the ability to touch items and see what happened to the owners of those items. It is her power that ultimately leads to the death of her partner. This is all back story, which I presume the author wrote for herself so she could understand her character better. It's not necessary to read it before you read Any Given Doomsday.

Elizabeth's only friends have been her police partner, her childhood friend Jimmy Sanducci, and Ruthie, her foster mother. They all understood her and her gift. It's this gift that they want her to develop to save the world. She learns a lot about herself and her powers as the book progresses, but her character does not evolve much for a heroine. She's as hard-headed, sarcastic, and closed off as she is at the beginning of the book.

The characters in the book, particularly near the middle to the end, are obsessed with sex. Sex as a weapon, sex as a way to humiliate another human being, sex as a way to break free from the confines of themselves, and sex as therapy.

Elizabeth's attitude throughout the book makes it difficult to like her, let alone empathize with her plight. Her intimate relationships with the men in her life are mind-boggling because they treat her like a paper plate--using her and tossing her to the side. The reader is expected to see her as the key to winning the battle, but it's hard to view her that way when she constantly doubts herself and the men in her life, who are there to support her and help her grow, constantly toss her aside, become evasive in her presence, and disappear.

While I enjoyed the fast-paced nature of this book, I would only recommend it to readers of urban fantasy.

[Laurie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had much higher hopes for this book than what were met. I enjoy the odd paranormal thriller, mystery, etc., but this book simply did not deliver. The premise of this book is that Elizabeth Phoenix discovers upon the death of her foster mother that she is now responsible for leading the worldwide fight against evils of all sorts. Vampires, demons, berserkers, they're all here. Theoretically, these might be the elements of a good story, but those elements are never actually drawn together into a good story. There's very little plot, and almost no character development. We know little about Elizabeth except that she was abused and abandoned in her past, and there's no discussion of how this has shaped her thoughts and her life. All we really hear from Elizabeth is her distaste for the new responsibilities that have suddenly landed on her shoulders. The lack of character development is magnified by the fact that the book is narrated in the first person, but there's absolutely nothing to the character who is the narrator. And then we have the content issues. This book is replete with gratuitous sex scenes that read more like a bodice-ripping romance novel than anything else. The descriptions of the sex scenes go on for pages. I'm just not interested in all that pulsing and throbbing. If I was, I'd read a romance novel. It's not just the fact that the book is full of sex, though. If that was the only problem, a reader could easily skim the sex scenes. The problem for me is that the book is full of sexual violence. I'm not really sure what gratuitous sexual violence is meant to accomplish. And the violence really is gratuitous. Sexual violence can have its place in writing if it works to tell a story or contribute to a larger theme. But when its just there, for no reason, it really serves only to be disturbing. Ultimately, I see little value in this heroine. She's described as kick-butt and no-nonsense, but she's presented as a victim who is only capable of giving in to her sexual urges, and can only accomplish her goals if she sleeps with a variety of men she'd rather avoid.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an Early Reviewer book from LibraryThing.

I suspected I might be in trouble when I read the author's note on the back of the book, citing Laurel K. Hamilton as her biggest influence. I don't mind some romance thrown in with my paranormal action/adventure, but Hamilton has never really struck me as the world's greatest wordsmith. Still, since I was asked to review the book, I thought I'd give it a go. I'm sorry to say I didn't like it much.

The characters are very one-dimensional; they are more like cardboard cut-out ideas than actual believable people. For example, Elizabeth Phoenix, the protagonist, has a complicated history, but it is all introduced very clumsily and flatly. Instead of giving the reader the impression that we have joined a character's life midstream, it just feels like what it is: backstory. Handeland's efforts toward creating a unique mythology for her world are well-intentioned, but jumbled, and like the backstory it feels like an excuse for how things are, rather than a believable reason.

There's a lot of explicit sex here, which is unsurprising, and which is fine if that's your thing, but I was bothered by the amount of nonconsensual sex, as well as by the role that sex plays in Liz coming into her powers (I don't want to say more for fear of spoilers, but let's just say I was rolling my eyes heavily).

Finally, and this is really nit-picky, but for all the inclusion of 21st century technology -- everyone has a cell phone, etc. -- parts of this book struck me as distinctly early 90s, which was jarring. The main character wears a fanny pack, and people actually say "Not!" Seriously, when was the last time you saw a woman in her mid-twenties sporting a fanny pack when she wasn't jogging?

Overall, I won't be seeking out the sequels, but if you enjoy sexy paranormal fluff, you can probably get a couple good hours out of this.

[Literary Lusts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any Given Doomsday is about Elizabeth Phoenix and her introduction to the war between good an evil. Elizabeth has been psychic as long as she can remember. If she touches something she gets visions or glimpses about whatever it is she's touching. She tried joining the police force to put her abilities to good use. However, in the end her gift caused her to leave the force after the death of her partner. One day changes her life forever when she visits Ruthie, the woman who took her off the streets as a child and raised her. She finds Ruthie near death all alone in her house, but she tells Elizabeth that she wants to give her something before she dies. What Elizabeth receives, is Ruthie's gifts as a seer. As a seer, Elizabeth can now see the children of Nephilim. The Nephilim are the children of angels and humans, twisted and corrupted with varying appearances and abilities. Also, as a seer she has a DK or demon killer. Unfortunately for Elizabeth her DK also happens to be her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci. On top of that, recently other seers are turning up dead all over the country. Elizabeth has to learn her seer abilities fast before doomsday is upon them and the war is already lost.

Any given Doomsday was a lot of fun. You're kind of unsure who you're rooting for in the romance department, if anyone. That wasn't a big problem for me, but someone looking for something with a strong romance should look for something else. The demon and angel mythology can sometimes get old, but thankfully with this book it didn't feel boring or too bogged down in information. The characters were interesting and there was lot's of action and suspense to keep me happy. I'm definitely interested in what happens next.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4*s
Review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
**SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD**
Any Given Doomsday is the first book in the Phoenix Chronicles series that introduces us to the world of Elizabeth Phoenix.
Liz has a gift, she can sense things by touch be it people or objects and that was great for her job as a cop but when she couldn’t foresee the murder of her partner on the job, she quit and left it behind… That is until her foster mother is found dead, murdered horrifically and through her touch, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.
Police seem to believe that her former foster brother and ex-lover Jimmy Sanducci may be involved but Liz refuses to believe that he would do such a thing to the woman who had saved them both. When she catches up with him though, he opens up her world in ways she never imagined and everything about those memories from her foster mother begin to make sense – because Liz is about to come into some power and that power will be the start of a supernatural war where good is against evil, where demons will be hunted by demon killers who are directed by their seers – which Liz is about to become. Jimmy is also keeping secrets though and these secrets could very well damn them all.
Any Given Doomsday was a good, solid read with a good set of characters and a great premise. I really liked Liz’s character and thought she was very capable in a lot of ways, her job, her attitude, her loyalty and definitely the situation she is thrust into. I thought that she was interesting and I enjoyed the bit of background we got about her time in the foster home. I liked her connection to Jimmy, they shared one of those relationships that you just know is deep, kindred spirits because of their shared experiences and circumstances that blossomed into something else. By the time you meet Jimmy though, you will know that he cheated on her and she found out through her gift – That’s not to say you can’t still feel their connection because you do but it’s not something I liked in the book especially later when we meet who he cheated with. Another thing I wasn’t stoked about was that a weird sort of love triangle occurred, weird because I wasn’t even sure if it was only done out of necessity or whether something was actually happening between those involved and that is for both sides. I actually did prefer the ‘other’ party, he is more mysterious and seemed to be taken with her in a very understated way but I will see how that plays out.
The story itself was awesome – Liz is about to become a seer, someone who is able to recognise demons in their various shapes and forms, she dreams of them and has premonitions of what they’re up to and will direct the demon killers to their target. It has been passed down to her from her foster mother but she has to go through a few questionable things to be able to do the job. She has a period where she is given a sort of training, she also has dreams in which she is guided through the process and then comes a big enemy to cut her teeth on. It all sounds so simple but it isn’t because in between all of that, she has to have a crash course on all things demonic and fight for her life as things keep trying to kill her. The plot is full of action as she fights various foes, full of twists and turns – especially towards the end and those secrets start to reveal themselves, full of discovery when she must learn about herself, her new powers and all that she must protect herself against and of course there’s the love connections which I wasn’t so into but all added to a fab book. I was impressed and will definitely be reading book two soon. This also would have been a five star book had it not have been for the weird love triangle, h having sex with different men (even though she wasn’t in a relationship with either) and the cheating references with the OW being on the scene too, so it’s getting 4 because of the triggers.

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Nov08

I’m a sucker for the paranormal. The first adult-book I read was “The Exorcist” by Blatty when I was 11 and I was hooked. So the recent upswing in paranormal and urban fantasy titles has been my own little heaven and I jumped at the chance to read “Any Given Doomsday” by Lori Handeland. I’m already a reader of her ‘Moon’ series about werewolves and werewolf hunters, so I expected to enjoy this book. I was right. I absolutely devoured “Any Given Doomsday” in one sitting and am now pouting because book 2 “Doomsday Can Wait” won’t be out until May 2009! Bummer…

Reading as much as I do and with the glut of paranormal and urban fantasies on the market today, I’m delighted when I find an author that can provide a new take the same old subjects. “Any Given Doomsday” is about, of course, the end of the world (like…duh…I guess you could’ve guessed that from the title)! And, again of course, we have our hero/heroine—Elizabeth (Liz) Phoenix in this case. She’s not exactly your normal gal. She’s an orphan, never knew her parents, spent a lot of time on the street. She’s a little psychic in that she sometimes gets flashes of thought or scenes of the recent past when she touches something. And now, she has to save the world from the dark side. Oh, and did I mention that she finds out all this after finding her foster mother dead in a pool of blood and her old boyfriend is suspect #1? She’s definitely had better days.

So this is where the tale begins, and what a finely detailed tale it is. Handeland has drawn from everything and everywhere—from the Bible to Native American shamanism to create her world and it’s creatures. We meet skinwalkers, werewolves, shapeshifters, vampires, nephilim (Biblical creatures sometimes translated as giants), dhampirs (vamp + human = dhampir), witches, shamen, strigas (Italian high witch types), angels, demons, etc.--all with differing talents and requiring different methods to kill them. It’s enough to make you really pity Liz, especially once she learns that the death of her foster mom was the opening move in the Doomsday war…unless she (and, of course, ONLY she) can learn about and harness whatever powers she can get and use them to stop it. Liz really just wants to be normal. Unfortunately for her, she isn’t. She has to grow up and learn that nothing worth having is easy and anything worth having is worth fighting for. It’s a tough lesson that many in our society today seem to never learn!

I loved the storyline. I loved the relationships Liz had to struggle with (and will apparently have to continue to struggle with in the next book) and accept. There was no easy path for her. No, BAM!, she knows just what to do. Oh no, she has struggles, she feels like she’s in the dark for most of the book. Is this a romance? Well…there is sex. Pretty hot sex in fact. There are relationships and changes in said relationships and feelings and all the other stuff that characterize a romance, but the romance isn’t what drives the plot. So I would shelve this book in the ‘hot urban fantasy’ section (and why doesn’t my bookstore have that section?) with Laurell K. Hamilton, Marjorie M. Liu, Angela Knight, J.R.Ward, Keri Arthur, Sherrilyn Kenyon, etc. If any of those authors sound good to you, you should definitely check out “Any Given Doomsday” by Lori Handeland when it hits the shelves in November 2008. And be sure to let your bookstore know about that missing ‘hot urban fantasy’ section, OK?

[Zeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when Any Given Doomsday hit my doorstep, but I found it to be a pleasant surprise.

It contains all the hallmarks of a good Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal - a kickbutt Buffyesque slayer heroine, a love triangle, magical creatures, shapeshifters/vamps, the WHOLE works- AND it added an entire new mythos of it own- the Nephilim. (Okay not so new, but that the author decided to play in this field is new!)

Elizabeth Phoenix is an ex-cop who has a little secret. Besides the fact she's feeling guilty over her partner's death- and has quit the force- she's psychic. It's not really a secret, all the cops in her neck of Milwaukee know about it, but she likes to keep it under wraps none the less.

One day she receives a psychic message from Ruthie, the lady who raised her. When she arrives at the home she grew up in, she finds the lady she loved as mother, dying in a pool of blood. But not before leaving Elizabeth with a cryptic message and a horrible sense that something decidedly unearthly was going on. Before Ruthie dies, she passes on a gift that will change Elizabeth's life- and which promptly puts the younger woman into a coma.

Elizabeth awakens days later in the hospital, only to find the events that transpired before she passed out were indeed not a dream and that the cops are now looking for her ex-lover Jimmy- also raised by Ruthie- to pin the murder on.

When Jimmy arrives he sets things straight, but he also leads Elizabeth into a world she never knew existed and drops the biggest bomb of all- she's THE one. The Chosen One to lead the army of good against the forces of evil, known as the Nephilim, in one final battle called Doomsday.

In this the first chapter of what I'm assuming is going to be a series, Jimmy takes Elizabeth out to the desert to meet up with the one man who can teach her how to be that leader- or at least unlock her powers.

Lizzie isn't too happy about being dumped off with Sawyer, a mystical Navajo Ruthie had sent her to long ago. But unlock her powers he does- in a decidedly LKH/Anita Blake way I must say ::roll eyes::- and none to soon, because Jimmy, whom she still has strong feelings for, has fallen into some big time trouble and she's the only one to get him out of it.

I really liked this story! Not only does the author create a great backstory, building a world that hooked me from word one, but she's developing some cool, if a tad "done before" characters, that I'm anxious to revisit.

The love triangle thing always works for me, although this time I'm not sure who I'm looking to see Elizabeth with. (Usually I know right off the bat!) Both these guys are hotties and both are ambiguously moral enough that I'm just not sure who's I want her to end up with.

Although much of this book is for setting up the series, it contained a tight enough plot, involving Elizabeth unlocking her powers and Jimmy getting caught up into some bad business- business which leads him far from Elizabeth by the end of the book- that served to move the characters through their paces and keep the pages turning.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are few books that leaves me wordless when trying to describe or review them. Any Given Doomsday seems to be the case.

Unfortunately for the book, it's not necessarily good. I really don't know what to think about this story, because the story doesn't know itself nor its characters. It has aspects of UF and others of PNR, but mostly it doesn't know where to stand.

It's not the first UF with a romantic thread in it, and I have no problem with those books. AGD doesn't have a romantic thread, it has confusion on its stead.
Same with the heroine, some UF cliched traits, plenty of PNR: unique heroine coming from foster care, the walking-bags of hormones trope (see a man, get wet, stop thinking), focus on sex and relationship rather than plot.

Plus the heroine's own brain and ability come into question every other page. If humanity's destiny is in her hands, we are really doomed...

Again unfortunately, there was no other character able to balance this situation, they were either bland or unlikeable.


There were a few personal nits that should be taken in to account when reading this review/rating. I can't really stand women in stories who can't forget their lost love or who can't do anything together with a man without thinking about sex. (I found all of it demeaning to both sexes.) Mostly, I had a problem with the ease with which the heroine accepted every thing, from the supernatural to rape(s).
She didn't have a single reaction that was appreciable. I expected rage and fury, and was given blandness. I found it funny (not really), when the heroine repeated this same thought in the page...

Plus, I'm not a fan of destiny in UF (I want to choose mine thank you) or in PNR (with the mate bonds). And I prefer heroines who fight destiny and fate to those who shrug and accept it as something you must do... :)

I really have no beef against this book, but I can't really find in me to love it either.
I suspect it's going to be one of those stories you'll love or not depending on very personal tastes.

DRC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley

[Tracy Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should start out by saying this: this kind of book is not for me. I really didn't realize this when I signed up to receive an advance copy. I thought that I could do the willing suspension of disbelief thing. After all, some of my favorite books require me to take a pretty big leap in the believability department. The Outlander series, for example, totally had me buying in to time travel. That's pretty unbelievable, right?

But, I realized that while I'm willing to take a pretty big leap at the get-go and accept a crazy premise in a book, after I'm in, I expect people to act like real people. I expect them to react in ways that make sense despite their not-sensible circumstances. I am just not into the whole wise-cracking, plucky, vampire killing thing. I just can't suspend my disbelief that much.

Those that can suspend their disbelief may like this book, although I didn't think the supernatural world that Lori Handeland created made a whole lot of sense. People who are into explicit sex scenes might also enjoy this book - as long as they are into the heroine making out with lots of half-human creatures. She absorbs their powers by having sex with them, so I'm guessing there is going to be lots of sex with dangerous creatures throughout this series. I suppose this book was fast-paced, although to me, it dragged along painfully slowly as I forced myself to finish it.

I will say that this book piqued my curiosity about the whole supernatural/vampire-y genre. The author references Laurell Hamilton in her notes, so I decided to give one of her books a try. I'm curious to see if another writer could paint this world in a more believable fashion for me.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s Group, which had an extremely large batch of 1500 books to give away. As the reviews started trickling in from other users, I got a little concerned… they were all bad! But now that I’ve read this, I think that most of those reviews were from people who don’t read much paranormal fiction, if any at all, and aren’t familiar with the genre. I didn’t think this was that bad… I liked the premise of the ultimate struggle between good and evil, between different groups of fallen angels. It was a new spin on your typical vampire/werewolf/other-bitey-scary-thing storyline. The story moved pretty well for most of the book, and while there was a good amount of sex (which was one of the complaints I saw a lot), I thought it fit into the story and wasn’t particularly gratuitous.

It did have some problems. I would have liked to have learned more about Liz’s time as a cop because I found myself forgetting that she had that background and was probably more capable than your average female being thrown into these circumstances. And unfortunately, the ending was pretty weak. The story started to fall apart as the conclusion nears, and the crucial final events end up coming off as rushed. But overall, I liked it enough that I would read the next book in the series.

[Arcadia Barrile · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning, there was Jimmy, and Jimmy was good. For the first hundred or so pages I got to read about my newest literary love, the promiscuous Jimmy Sanducci. Everything was fine and dandy, the mystery of who killed Ruthie got off to a good start, GREAT character development. Nice little love/hate kinda thing goin' on between Liz and Jimmy.

Then along came Sawyer, and... well, let's just say that God resorted to the flood for a reason. 'Nough said.

Once the waters had washed away the last traces of Sawyer, Jimmy was left behind, and Arcadia saw that he was good. And wished that she had book 2 so that she could experience more of the good. Okay, that, and she wants to make more crappy metaphors and refer to herself in the third person like some really important politician.

Now, more to the point, fellow readers must go out and buy good.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I am a big fan of the supernatural genre. Half driven by my love of anything offbeat (although this is an ever increasingly popular genre) & half driven by my love of horror and the desire to see what "monsters" do in there off time when not slaughtering teens for having sex in the barn.
This being said I was excited to get an ARC copy of this book and I thank you for my selection. When I started reading the book however I wasn't hooked. I continued reading out of what I feel my duty to the writers and publishers constitues- finish it so you can write an honest review which is what follows....
The beginning was weak- I wasn't drawn into Elizabeth's character because I didn't have a strong sense of her as a real person. The first encounter (and subsequent) with Jimmy alternately bored me or turned me off to him- simply put he's a jerk. The first 70 pages were a snooze filled with cardboard characters- the few characters I wanted to know more about were killed instantly- the old black lady, the young black basketball player. Once Jimmy and Elizabeth go on a road trip to see Sawyer the novel picked up a bit for me- the scene in the town on the way there wasn't bad at all.
The middle is the only part of the book I reccomend truly- Once I met Sawyer's character I was hooked. He was fascinating and while having jerky tendencies himself I felt like HE (not Jimmy) was that bad news guy you would actually fall for in real life.
Unfortunately just when I was truly enjoying the book Elizabeth has a vision of Jimmy and a Stragi (Italian witch) in NY- figures Jimmy is in trouble and goes to save him. (Booo let Jimmy get killed.)
The book ends up going far far downhill for me here. I'll tell you so -true spoilers to the end at this point.

Jimmy has been given his father's blood which has awakened his EVIL side. Elizabeth is captured by his father and given to Jimmy- he asked for her specifically.
Why?- you ask. Well so she could become his sex slave and he could slowly kill her by a combination on more than daily doses of the BIG Jimmy (if ya know what I mean) and blood sucking. Lots and lots of sex that I have to admit to skimming but it all looked very cliched romance novel fake rape (she enjoys/tries to enjoy it/thinks of who "he really is/was" during it). Well anyways this all gets resolved in a ridiculous manner and then when Jimmy "comes to" he says how horrible she was and the ninny pulls him close to comfort him and THEN invites him to have sex with her to ERASE the memories of him using her. Lame, lame, lame ... I would have been pissed even if "it wasn't really his fault".
Elizabeth gets just what she deserves however- he leaves the morning after and leaves her a note- he isn't sure he can control his dark side *eye roll* and then to truly establish what an idiot the girl is she decides to go after him and find him and heal him (with more restorative sex? I bet).
Oh yes and silly me- the actual "concept" behind this thinly veiled romance novel is that the doomsday (the events building to the apocalypse) is at hand and Elizabeth is the only person who can make a difference... sorry world but I need to get my lying, cheating, raping man back... Eh whatever.
The excerpt for the second book in the series was strong and it focused on Sawyer's evil goddess mother which might be enough to get me to pick up the next one. Especially if Jimmy is killed by her.
Overall- Characters- weak with one standout exception
Plot- cliche but neglected and abused anyways
Writing- Compelling at times but slow more often

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discovered this authors work when I picked up Blue Moon the first book in her Nightcreatures series and happily admit I devoured the rest as soon as I could. So seeing this the start of a new series I could not resist reading it but I think it fair to say the Phoenix Chronicles has much more of an urban fantasy feel to it. In spite of that though there is still a romance of sorts that permeates the story but I think with the authors background in paranormal romance that's not totally unexpected. The story however is !
At the beginning of this book we meet Elizabeth Phoenix who is working as a cop in Milwaukee but Liz is not quite the usual cop on the beat. No Liz has unusual psychic abilities that grant her the gift/curse of seeing events through touch and her colleagues consider her to be pretty spooky. Events take place that rock her world ( not in a good way) and that's when the story truly begins. Liz is no longer on the force and when she gets the feeling she should urgently visit the woman who fostered her it's to find her dying and that's when all the weirdness begins. Strange dreams, evil creatures and a blast from the past who will have Liz left wondering just what on earth is really happening!
So I'm a tad hesitant in how I review this book if honest. I liked the beginning with Liz working as a cop and kind of wanted that to continue but the author took it in a completely different direction. The world building is quite complex and just about everything you can imagine is thrown into it and I'm not sure that it felt right. It turns out that Liz is a Seer but there's Nephilim , Skinwalkers, Dhampir , Witches and even Berserkers to name just a few and lots of Native American lore thrown in for good measure. There's also the relationship issues with two very different men , both flawed. I'm a firm believer in free will and choice so for this reader the sex scenes just didn't gel well. This book is firmly about Liz and it's impossible not to want her to come out on top and in a crazy kind of way she does. She seems unlucky in love and doomed to lead Demon killers in an effort to abhort the oncoming apocalypse . A battle between good and evil and yet nothing is straight forward. The ending leaves the reader with questions but I'm not convinced Liz will be a heroine that all will love because at times she says things that had this reader rolling her eyes! Still it kept me engaged and yes I am curious about what will happen next .
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review
A three and a half from me

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I actually really enjoyed AGD. I was immediately sucked into Lizbeth's world and actually wanted to know what had gone on before we'd joined up with her and what would happen. Sometimes just as I thought something, someone would say it, or at least mention whatever had been bothering me, and that's almost always a plus.

The first problem comes up about the time Jimmy and Liz run to Sawyer. Lizzie there lets herself believe the sex with Sawyer is just a dream even though it's painfully obvious that's not the case. And... because they're racing towards a vague doomsday, Sawyer gets away with what Liz, and I, pretty much consider rape. So, the book got put down for a bit.

It still called and I figured she wasn't too thrilled about it, but maybe given time, after averting the end of the world, she'd kick his ass. I still hold out hope, by the way. i suspect other people may find this even more vexing than I did.

And the rest of the book kind of races towards the end, in a mostly good sort of way, up until it's time to kill the Strega.

I'm sorry, but the explanation given makes no sense. At all. I can buy that when Liz is told "blood of his blood" they meant it literally and Jimmy's blood on the stake is what did the job, or that Jimmy himself had to kill the Strega, but simply absorbing Jimmy's powers should NOT give Liz the ability to kill the big bad. You can't transfer that sort of thing. It... doesn't work.

So, I hope that sometime in the next book or before the book is officially released someone, somewhere, deals with that. I can accept that Sawyer was wrong in his information as to how to kill the Strega. I can accept the aforementioned literal blood interpretation, and I can even accept that Jimmy and Liz are related, and thus it wasn't Jimmy's connection at all that did the Strega in, but if someone else's blood bound destiny can be transferred like that, I think I'm going to go insane.

And that's what's keeping the book from getting that extra star.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to receive this book from the Early Reviewers Program as the story sounded like it would fit perfectly with my library of urban fantasy, traditional fantasy, and paranormal titles. Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed in this book.

I had never read anything by Lori Handeland before and did not realize that her background is as a romance writer. This was clearly evident in Any Given Doomsday with explicit sexual scenes and from the descriptive style. While I do not object to sex scenes in general in the books that I read, I dislike them when it takes away from the plot or becomes a central element in the plot as it did in this book. Handeland herself makes a comparison for this series to the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton - I would clarify this by saying it is much closer to the recent Anita Blake books in which sex has taken over the story than the original books which actually had plot lines. I am a fan of the early Anita Blake books but the recent ones have so much sex in them (and so little story) that I no longer enjoy reading them. A fan of the current Anita Blake books would probably enjoy Any Given Doomsday.

I thought the actual story was pretty good - Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic and ex-cop who is thrown into a world she didn't know existed after being found unconscious by her murdered foster mother's body. Now she must learn to deal with her growing new powers while learning about a large variety of paranormal creatures. Oh, and don't forget about saving the world.

If the local library purchases the second book in this series I will probably give the series one more shot before writing it off completely. However, I would not spend money on these titles.

[harlequin {Stephanie} · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was a hard book for me. I'm not talking story comprehension or writing. Kept going from not liking it mindset to thinking 'not bad'. The beginning was slow and I didn't like any of the characters. It was slowly becoming another for the unfinished pile. I had read a short prequel story in hex appeal that gave a taste of a future character. This encouraged me to finish it or at least try to finish it.

I was really bored until about 100 pages in. Twenty or so pages later we meet.... Sawyer.


Yeah, wishful thinking. Not that one. He is a native American hunk who is covered in animal tattoos and walks around in breach cloth. drooling yet? His mother was a fallen angel who seduced his father a medicine man. He is a half demon witch in laymen's terms. He has some of his power in sex magic so if your not into incubus or succubus pass this book along.

At this point I am drooling & seething. Why did the author have to give me something to want! Now I have to finish this awful series.

Sawyer is introduced and now we have a triangle with jimmy who is a dhamire. Not thrilled. Now this would not be bad had the author not ruined it with the end mishmash. I'm okay with a girl deciding she wants one guy over another. In this book Elizabeth gets her cake and eats too. I am talking sex with both men in her triangle. Did not like the ending at all. I liked that she staked jimmy. Been wanting to do that the whole book. It was a cheap thrill for the the author to try and sell a main character getting stabbed and not going all the way.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book with mixed feelings....

On the one hand, never having read a work of "urban fantasy," I wasn't quite sure what to expect. For the most part, I had fun reading this book. It moves quickly, and the premise makes for a perfect pre-Halloween story. Handeland understands that most monster lore is cliched, and plays well with those cliches - Phoenix is always the first to poke fun at the predictability of many of the "realities" surrounding the legendary vampires, shape-shifters, and more. Balancing all of the mystical elements, the story is peppered with pop culture references - an American mythology of sorts.

Having said that, I feel that one of the major plot points made the story very hard to enjoy on the whole, and extremely offensive. Being an "empath," Phoenix absorbs the powers of those she comes into contact with - sexual contact, that is. She gets some action and she gets some supernatural powers (if her partner has any). Not a problem, right? Wrong. She doesn't even know her power until her spiritual guide drugs her, raping her while she believes she's dreaming - and she really enjoys it. The trope of "woman gets raped and ends up loving it" occurs multiple times in the story, and I was absolutely disgusted. It nearly ruined the reading experience for me, as there were many other ways in which the author could have written her use of this power into the story.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5☆

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a hot publishing genre called “paranormal romance,” this is an old-fashioned horror story at its heart. It’s also an old-fashioned kind of storytelling, where beginning begets middle leads to end, which is carefully crafted to close this story and prepare us for the next. Since this is the first of a series to be called “The Phoenix Chronicles,” that makes sense. The series features Elizabeth Phoenix, a former homicide cop with a dead partner and a job bartending in a cop bar for her partner’s widow. She’s gifted, we’re told in her voice, with gifts she doesn’t want, and her life is bereft of people she loves and cares for because she’s got these gifts.

It’s very well executed on several levels. Ms. Handeland is a dab hand at characterizations. Her economical, almost laconic, descriptions are both atmospheric and character specific. Elizabeth Phoenix, the psychometric foster child wounded and abandoned early in life, responds to what she understands as a sexual dream about Sawyer, a “skinwalker” (male witch with the power to change into animal form) and man of incredible magical power: “His eyes glittered…making me glad for the clothes I’d been wishing away only moments before. This man wasn’t a pet; he wasn’t a friend. He was dangerous.”

She feels what we would feel; she views the world through these eyes for reasons we’re brought up to speed on with fullness and depth earlier in the book; and yet this small passage brings a slightly darker tinge to the character, letting us in on her borning awareness that everyone and everything in her world is dangerous and no matter how familiar to her, carries depths she only slightly and dimly senses.

The author gives us a chance throughout the book to grow in awareness with Elizabeth Phoenix. We are part of her unfolding identity as a leader in an underworld-for-good that battles an underworld-for-evil that we, the overworld I suppose you’d call us, are possessed of bad and mangled information about. This gives the story its forward momentum and its hook into one’s feeling levels.

While the novel is possessed of these good qualities, there are moments that ring false to a reader’s ears: Elizabeth uses locutions like “Black widow much?” that sound like the author aiming at cute and hitting stupid. A former cop and a woman without a lot of social anxiety to fit in such as Elizabeth wouldn’t use such self-conscious wording. The character of Jimmy, Elizabeth’s long-ago first love and, like her a foster child, wounded soul, comes directly from Character Central and could be called “Dirk” or “Will” or some other four-lettered romance hero’s name.

Why did St. Mutant's send a copy to me? I'm nobody from nowhere, I have no blog, and my reviews MIGHT be read by a few people here if I'm lucky. But in the interweb age, where else can publishers find even a few readers gathered together in one easy-to-access place? Hence we few, we happy few who score books get a chance to convert at least one or two proven readers to our opinions...and that's becoming enough. Should I be scared? I think I am....

But for fans of paranormal romances, this is a treat; for fans of Lori Handeland’s it’s bound to be an event since it starts a whole new series. It’s a nice piece of fiction, it’s a fun way to pass a few hours, and it’s only as much to buy as a fast-food combo meal and much better for you.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking a slight detour from her Nightcreature paranormal romance series, Lori Handeland tries her hand at urban fantasy in the first of a new series called The Phoenix Chronicles.

Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic and former cop for the Milwaukee police department. Growing up in a foster home, her foster mom Ruthie was a no nonsense woman who instilled tough love in Liz and the other children she fostered, one of those other children being Jimmy Sanducci—Liz's first love and the man who broke her heart.

Now, Ruthie's been brutally murdered, and during her dying moments, she psychically calls Liz to her side. Her body mangled and lying in a pool of her own blood, Ruthie takes Liz's hand to depart some dying words: "The final battle begins now." A searing pain then erupts through Liz's head and she passes out. Upon awakening in the hospital, the police tell her that ex-lover boy Jimmy is wanted for questioning in the murder as his fingerprints were all over the house, including the bloody knife found at the scene.

With Jimmy back in the picture, and Ruthie's cryptic message not making much sense to her, Liz is looking for answers. Fortunately, she still seems to be able to converse with Ruthie from the grave, even if she can't seem to get a straight answer out of her. But apparently, these special powers she's possessed all her life are only the beginning of what's in store for her. For the battle between good and evil has been placed on her doorstep, and the fate of the world is truly in her hands! Talk about a bit of responsibility, huh?

I enjoyed this first book in the Phoenix Chronicles. It was fairly fast paced and engaging. Though if I must be honest, for a book that's billed as urban fantasy, I thought there was a bit too much romance and relationship stuff going on for me to really love it (and I found those parts kind of slow going). Perhaps I could detect the author's background as a romance novelist in the writing style, the terminology used in the sex scenes, etc. Lori Handeland herself has labeled this series as urban fantasy, while calling her Nightcreature series paranormal romances which is why I even mention it. But there were a few scenes where the style would go kind of romantic and I'd find my mind wandering and my eyes starting to glaze over. Yup, that's my built-in romance detector: space out! LOL Sex scenes? Not a problem so long as we're keeping it real and slightly raunchy! ;) But the flowery text and descriptions used in romances sets my mind a wanderin' every time! (For Ms. Handeland's interpretation on the difference between the two genres, see her blog post Paranormal Romance vs Urban Fantasy, written Nov. 5, 2008.)

But overall, I would have to say I did enjoy Any Given Doomsday . The story line drew me in and the ending left me looking forward to the next book, Doomsday Can Wait , which is due out April 28, 2009.

[Alisha B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my god… where do I begin. Let’s start with the good things about it. The plot is an interesting concept. The Nephilim were the biblically mention sons and daughters of the forbidden union between the angels who were suppose to keep an eye on people and those whom they were suppose to watch. The creation of this new race gave them a variety of supernatural powers and it is they who are the vampires, werewolves, gods, etc of our mythologies. Opposing them is a federation of good who seek out and destroy the evil Nephilim. Another thing I liked about the book was the action (not the action, btw) of demon hunting and solving the mystery of who killed Ruthie, everyone’s favorite mentor.

So where does it go wrong?

There is vulgar and graphic sex scenes that go on for pages. I’m not a prude, I can enjoy well-written love-making when it’s appropriate to the story, as in Bedlam, Bath and Beyond. Even more barbaric and twisted sex like in Bentley Little’s The Store is okay, because it was a necessary part of the story. But what soils the pages of this book is just gaggy. The first event occurred within the first 50 pages in which the female narrator describes how she wants to give the guy a blow job. Later she’s date-raped by the guy who’s suppose to be teaching her how to use her powers, then forcibly raped for a few chapters toward the end. The sex is bestial and perverse, and isn’t gentle “love” until it’s too late. No, you don’t have your heroine being raped all over the book, then try to slip in some sweet-lovin’ to make the reader forgive the rape.

And it’s not just the whole rape thing, but it’s the way in which it’s shown. I swear these are straight out of some guy’s rape-fantasy magazine, because as she’s being raped, she reaches orgasm over and over, as if she has to be taken to have pleasure. And if all that wasn’t enough, you get to the big boss bad guy’s lair and it’s Gor all the way. Women waiting around wearing nothing but a chain around their waist, desperately hoping to be used next. It just started turning my stomach after awhile.

Besides the rape and lack of any moral fiber of anyone, good or bad, except Ruthie who dies in the first chapter, there is the way the book is put together. At times, the writing is less-than-descriptive (which never happens during the porn), events and sections of the story seem thrown together and not woven in well, and it seems like Handeland wanted to make sure to use ever supernatural being anyone has ever heard of, whether it worked or not. Case in point: The half-Nephilim (called breeds) who is a werehyena who fights the cougar (in rural WISCONSIN in April) that’s possessed by a chindi (what the hell is that?), but is defeated when it touches the turquoise necklace our heroine just happens to be wearing that was given to her by her “teacher” who is a skinwalker and hates her dhampir ex-boyfirend who turns out to be a dream-walker. Oh, and the reason he’s an ex is because she had a psychic vision of him screwing a chick who turns out to be a fairy.

Stretch the limits of credulity much?

Oh yeah, and I got a very strong feeling the two lovers here will turn out to be brother and sister.

[Michele Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any Given Doomsday, for better or worse is best summed up as what the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton would be if all supernatural creatures (almost) were actually the spawn of fallen angels, left on Earth to challenge (aka slaughter) humankind.

The set up demands that readers accept the absolute existence of God and the Christian mythos, whereas most urban fantasies ask a reader to believe in the creature, but leave religion out of the picture. This can potentially bring Christian readers into urban fantasy, if they can get past the sex.

And the sex... is non-consenting. Definitely an aspect that will turn off many readers Elizabeth, the heroine, is drugged, and raped graphically multiple times within the book. This is completely forgivable (in the context of the story) because sex is vital to Elizabeth's powers. While I normally avoid giving such blatant spoilers these I found particularly troubling.

The story itself starts when Elizabeth Phoenix finds her foster mother dying on floor of her home, attacked by something Elizabeth can't explain. With a few cryptic words and a dark vision Ruthie passes something on to Elizabeth that lands Elizabeth in a coma. When she wakes up Elizabeth learns from her ex-coworkers, the Milwaukee PD, that her foster brother and ex-lover Jimmy is their number one suspect. Jimmy himself breaks the news that Ruthie passed her powers to Elizabeth, which makes Elizabeth obligated--for her own safety--to hunt down Ruthie's killers. And Elizabeth isn't just a seer, she's THE prophesied seer, meant to be the most powerful one, a seer and a demon killer and the person who is supposed to lead the side of good in the war against the evil Nephalim.

Elizabeth's complete lack of knowledge about the supernatural world does not set the story up in a good frame. Instead of being introduced to the rules of the magical world slowly it leads to the reader, like Elizabeth, to have no clue what's going on, but being pressured to accept tension, and to see Elizabeth attacked with no real idea of how these things are important. The pacing is slow, the revelations convenient and Elizabeth herself is a much quieter, less dynamic urban fantasy character.

The pace is unsure, more than once a fact is hidden from the reader for effect, though the story is told in first person and Elizabeth herself already knows of it. Readers are never given a solid idea of the "rules" of magic and the paranormal because they seem cherry picked for effect rather than for character building. While all Nephalim are absolutely evil both men presented as love interests have Nephalim blood and Elizabeth herself may have (after all, she has everything else that might make her powerful, other than strength of personality).

Any Given Doomsday has action, but feels slow despite it, reluctant to participate in or commit itself to its own story. The similarities to other series and the Biblical/Apocalyptic set up could bring in a fan base, but many will find this book vapid and unsatisfying.