This is a very exciting, well-written book with a fresh new outlook on vampires. In the world that Jaye has created, preternaturals (vampires, mages, demons and faeries) are all living and are born instead of made. Mages and Vampires are the resulting descendents of Lilith and Cain and all have a genetic marker of red hair. Even though they are of the same lineage, they are sworn enemies. Sabina Kane is a vampire-assassin extraordinaire. Her parents were murdered at the time of her birth, for mating outside their races. Raised by her grandmother, the head of the vampire council (Dominae), Sabina is one of the best assassins you never want to meet. Sabina has been ashamed of her mage heritage and treated as an outcast by her maternal vampire family her entire life. Time and time again the Dominae have proven to her how expendable she is. Her latest assignment given happily to her by her grandma sends her practically on a suicide mission. She must infiltrate a rival vampire-cult and assassinate their leader. In the middle of this assignment, the paternal mage side of her family has sent a mage, Adam Lazarus, to seek her out on their behalf. Unfortunately it's not to invite her to a backyard bbq but to convert her loyalties for the war that is to come. Adam is one tough-hot mage that won't take no for an answer. Sabina can't seem to catch a break. She can't even hit the local bar for a pint of blood-wine without families from past assassin jobs attacking her at will. And to top it all off she was given the lovely assignment of assassinating her best friend. The threat of war is at the boiling point between the vampire and mages and she is caught somewhere in the middle. If her current assignment doesn't kill her first, she will have to choose sides in this race-war. She should stay loyal to the vampires, who are the devil she knows or choose the mages and take her chances? I loved Sabina's character. She's able to be tough and kick-butt but at the same time is very vulnerable and naive. There is quite a bit of fun and dark-humor in this novel, tons of action and lot of sexual tension. For those who love urban fantasy, I can't recommend this one enough. I look forward to the second book in this trilogy Mage in Black.I also recommend:Dead ReignThe Demon's LibrarianNightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1)Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)The Touch of Twilight (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 3)