Face Off by Mark Del Franco

Title: Face Off
Author: Mark Del Franco
Series: Laura Blackstone, Book 2
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: July 27, 2010
ISBN-10: 044101903X
Source: Library
Rating: ⛊⛊⛊⛉⛉ (3/5)
Synopsis:

Laura Black is a druid who can change her appearance. She is both the Fey Guild's public relations director and a secret agent for the International Security Agency. And now she'll have to choose where her loyalties lie when a political war breaks out between the fey and human populations...






When I start books that are part of a series, I feel compelled to read the other books in the series. So when I picked up Skin Deep, I also got the next book in the series. I had only read this book once before, years ago. So this review is based on my second reading of the book.



Impressions:
This book picks up where the first book left off. I think readers would be confused if they had not read the first book of the series as events and people in that book are mentioned in this one. You could pick up the book and start reading without having read the first, but I would not recommend it.

After I finished the book, I was confused. I wasn't sure why. I thought that maybe it was because I finished about 50% of the book while I was sick. So once I started feeling better, I began to reread it. But then I realized the source of my confusion-- inconsistencies! In the first book of the series and at the beginning of this one, Laura talks about how she doesn't have a personal life, how she can't make connections with people, that she doesn't have any true friends, etc. But this book pivots around her relationships with Cress and Terryn. If they aren't true friends, why does she care so much? That's something that the author missed out on elaborating on. I wish there was a chapter where Laura has an epiphany that Cress and Terryn did matter to her or that she feels some type of deep connection that makes them true friends as opposed to work colleagues. Doing that would have helped to make the actions and reactions about Cress and Terryn more believable.

I also think that there are a few carryovers from the first book that the author didn't resolve. For example, how is Laura supposed to have two high-profile full-time jobs and simultaneously go undercover as Fallon Moor (a brownie terrorist for Legacy)? The "two full-time, one part-time" personas were a bit more believable in the first book because Laura's SWAT team persona only needed to show up when the SWAT team had a job to do. But, this book did not have as much detail or description built up around the Fallon Moor situation. I also felt that the real Fallon Moor was a loose end that didn't get resolved by the end of the book. The real Fallon was simply not mentioned whereas in the first book, Laura's SWAT persona had a neat finish.

Despite the shortcomings that I mentioned, the book is worth reading because of its unique plot. We see Laura's character continue to grow and develop since the first novel. I am interested in reading a third book in this series if it's ever written. I'll read this book at least one more time to pick up on any nuances that I may have missed and to make sure that the inconsistencies that I mentioned are truly there.

I would recommend this book to readers who read the first book in the series and were intrigued by the plot. Its interesting plot and relatable characters are its saving grace.