Cheyenne McCray: NIGHT TRACKER

Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: NIGHT TRACKER
Plot Type: CH trying to be UF
Ratings: V-5; S-4; H-2
Publisher and Titles: St. Martin's:
     Demons Not Included (2009);
     No Werewolves Allowed (2010);
     Vampires Not Invited (2010);
     Zombies Sold Separately (5-2011);
     Vampires Dead Ahead (11-2011)

    In the latest book in this series (Vampires Not Invited), Nyx, her human partner, and two Night Trackers go off to spy on the most powerful Vampire lord in the country, without a plan and without back-up. Can you predict what happens? They flail around, and Nyx eventually gets captured and injected with an extremely contagious fatal virus. So what do the Night Tracker big wigs do next?  Well, of course they appoint her as the head of the team that will be going after the evil vampires.  Wait...Did I miss something?  Fatal virus, remember?  Trust me, this is not a good read.

Here is a series synopsis:     

     Nyx is a half-human, half-Drow (Dark Elf) princess who is also a private investigator of paranormal crimes. During the day, Nyx appears to be human, but at night she becomes Drow, with tiny fangs, pointed ears, blue hair and amethyst skin—not purple, as she CONSTANTLY reminds everyone. 

     Nyx is also a member of the Night Trackers, a supernatural group that hunts down evil paranorms (not paranormals, but paranorms) on the streets of Manhattan. Nyx’s supernatural powers derive from the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire.

     Nyx's two love interests are New York City Police Department detective and Paranorm Liaison Adam Boyd (who serves as a buffer between the police department and the supernatural community), and her former lover and mentor, Rodán, a Light Elf and a major player in paranorm politics.

     Nyx's human partner is Olivia, whose main contribution is her tee-shirt closet—full of those cutesy slogan shirts worn by  teenagers trying to be ironic. Unfortunately, Olivia is not a teenager.

     Although the author calls this series urban fantasy (and Nyx certainly does have some angst-ridden moments), the series contains so many fashion references and girlfriend moments that it is closer to chick lit.

     I'm giving you notice here that I won't be reviewing any more books from this series—way too painful to read these books from beginning to end. Vampires Not Invited was the worst so far: extremely repetitive, terribly awkward dialogue, inept use of the first person point of view, improbable plot, cardboard characters, and constant product name-dropping (maybe St. Martin's owns some Victoria's Secret stock).