Review time! ~ Black Dust Mambo

Black Dust Mambo

By Adrian Phoenix

My rating: 5 for 5!

"There will be times, girl, when all your magic ain't going to be enough, times when it will seem to dry up like mud under the noonday sun, or even make matters worse . . ."

Kallie Riviere, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance's annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching -- the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju -- a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.

Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer -- even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie's search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated -- back home to Bayou Cypres Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie's aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.

(via Goodreads)

So I have to start by saying I have had this on my shelf for about 6 months and I wish I had started it earlier. So far there are only 2 books in the series but I hope for more. I was a little hesitant to read these after reading the authors Maker's Song series. Don't get me wrong, I love that series but thought this series would follow the same path: lots of characters to keep track of, lots of french used that has me going to the glossary every few pages and many POV switches. Though this series does have a lot of characters, they are all beaucoup important and easy to remember but I'm only going to mention 3.

Characters:

Kallie - she's a hoodoo rootworker in New Orleans attending a carnival and wakes to find that the nomad Gage she just had a night of passion with is dead in her bed. 

This is how the book starts and doesn't let up from there. It's a roller coaster from the get go. The pace is fast and I didn't want to put the book down.

Layne - sexy nomad who is trying to find Gage, he is greeted at the door by Kallie in red lingerie and blood on her hands. Mmmm... hot nomad with honey blond dreads down to his waist and boy, is he bringing "sexy back"... ;)

Belladonna - Kallie's best friend and a great character. She's a mambo in training and the first person Kallie calls to help her out when she wakes up and finds Gage. Bell has a kinky mind but also can help keep Kallie on track. Those two are great friends and I love their dialogue. 

This book covers about a 24 hour period where they are in a race to find out why the nomad died in her bed. We find out the villains early on but the "why" of it isn't answered right away. 

Overall I really enjoyed this. I really like Kallie and Bell and their interaction.  I will leave you with a quote that will make no sense but I found this part extremely humorous and highly entertaining.

Dear God. 

Augustine fumbled at Valin's belt with his other hand and unfastened the jeans. He lifted his hips as he worked both jeans and boxers down to free the magnificent package he's discovered. 

It bears repeating: Dear God. Thank you.