Undercover Empath (Kindred Demon #1) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Undercover Empath (Kindred Demon #1)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: June 1, 2015

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old detective Rose Hansen has a secret. She can read a person’s intentions by touching their hands. It’s a curse! A power she never uses if she can help it.

Only one person knows. Her partner Jack.

At least that’s what she believes until a handsome, shirtless stranger appears on her doorstep in small town Blush Valley, California.

He leaves her an envelope, but not before articulating his disappointment in her for ignoring her powers.

The contents send Rose on a path toward the supernatural, solving her parents’ murders, and possibly even saving the world.

Aside from that, Rose and her partner have two important cases they’re working. The first involves a missing child. The other is the death of a stripper. Ruled a murder, a very hot FBI agent from L.A. shows up and is given lead. To make matters worse, he asks her to go undercover.

Her life is a disaster. Rose can’t strip. She doesn’t even own a dress.

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Review: When I first heard about this book, RaShelle was pitching it as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Bones and I knew immediately that I needed this book in my life. Especially since it's one of RaShelle's book, and I haven't been disappointed by one of them yet! It's certainly different from the books in her Blood and Snow world, but it's still a great read from RaShelle. I also love that it is different since it showcases just how diverse RaShelle is!

At first, I was unsure about Rose. She's nineteen years old and already a detective? She graduated high school at 14? I felt like she was going to be this arrogant young woman who gets into things that are way over her head because she's over-confidant and naïve. But honestly, I actually really liked Rose. She's just really smart and an overachiever and she doesn't let it get to her head. I think she's actually harder on herself than she should be and that makes her even more likable because she's very real. Even though this volume is on the shorter side, Rose still goes through quite a bit of character development and I can't wait to see more! 

As far as the men go though, I'm not sure I trust any of them entirely. There's Jack, who seems like he has the best intentions. But it kind of annoyed me how much he calls Rose "babe." Also, if I thought something was wrong with one of my friends and they suddenly stopped responding to my text messages, I'd start calling them until I found out what was going on. Maybe he doesn't want to be the over-bearing ex? But I do have to say that he does look out for her and makes sure that she doesn't end up in bad situations where he can't be there to cover her. I'm also definitely not convinced that Vincent is a good guy either, since we know pretty much nothing about him except his intentions. So far they've been ok, but if he knows (somehow) about Rose's abilities he might be able to play them.

There are two cases going on at the same time, and even though the Deputy Chief tells Rose to only focus on her stripper case, I actually really liked that she's got a soft spot for children and helps Jack out with the missing child case anyway. While I really want to know what happened with BITA and Rose's parents, and not knowing what's going on with the strippers is going to drive me crazy (I NEED to know who the demon is possessing) it was nice to have an open-and-closed case. It really made this book feel like an episode of Buffy - there's a "monster of the week," but there's also something bigger going on that affects the characters and the rest of the plot. RaShelle incorporated both cases very well, and they helped to move things along better than I think just one case would have. 

I have so many questions now, about Rose and her parents and what in the world is going on with the paranormal.supernatural side of things, so I'm really excited about the next installment in this series! I'd definitely recommend Undercover Empath to anyone looking for a new, exciting supernatural/paranormal series, especially if you're a fan of Buffy and/or Bones. I really think this series is going to be just as great as all of RaShelle's other books, and I can't wait for more! 4/5.

--Ashley