Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronicles, #1) by Lori Handeland

Oct 01, 2008

Angie rated it

Recommended to Angie by: LT Early Reviewers

Shelves: urban-fantasy

First I need to say that I didn't finish this book. I just couldn’t. If you’re looking for stereotypes and some of the most badly-drawn characters, look no further.

Alright, my biggest problem is the Jimmy character. Let’s take a look at some of his highlights (and this is only a few chapter’s worth):

-Apparently doesn’t know what “no” means
-Shoves his crotch into a woman's faces (and utters some crap akin to “We can never keep our hands off eachother”. I laughed writ...more

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Sep 20, 2008

Charlotte rated it

Any Given Doomsday starts out great. Psychic Elizabeth Phoenix is working her bartender job when her instincts tell her to get out. And something pulls her home. To find the woman who raised her had been murdered.

This is where the book loses me. Elizabeth discovers that people aren't what they seem. Including Ruthie, and two men from her past. Jimmy & Sawyer. She is informed that the classic battle of good vs evil is being waged right in front of her & she never knew it. But wi...more

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Nov 04, 2008

mari rated it

Shelves: fantasy, romance, first-reads

I was really hoping to enjoy this book. Considering the books I normally read, this seemed a perfect fit to me. Unfortunately, it falls a little short of my expectations for a good urban-fantasy read. I don't expect great literature, but I do want believable characters, fast-paced action, and scary monsters.

I couldn't relate to the protagonist, Elizabeth Phoenix, a psychic ex-cop turned bartender. I also didn't care about the relationship between her and her childhood love, Jimmy Sar...more

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Oct 11, 2008

Amanda rated it

Recommended to Amanda by: Won through First Reads

I love paranormal fiction, but the genre is littered with poorly executed stories. Any Given Doomsday is one of them. I don't like giving bad reviews, but (because this was a free advance reading copy) I feel like I have to write something about it.

The basic premise is great: powerful evil bad guys of various forms trying to take over the world and a federation of good guys with unusual abilities led by seers trying to save humanity. The author took this premise and added a stro...more

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Oct 05, 2008

Tracy rated it

Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Tracy by: Advanced copy through GoodReads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I should start out by saying this: this kind of book is not for me. I really didn't realize this when I signed up to receive an advance copy. I thought that I could do the willing suspension of disbelief thing. After all, some of my favorite books require me to take a pretty big leap in the believability department. The Outlander series, for example, totally had me buying in to time travel. That's pretty unbelievable, right?

But, I realized that while I'm willing to take a pretty big ...more

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Oct 04, 2008

new_user rated it

Shelves: first-reads, urban-fantasy

I had limited expectations for this book after reading Handeland's Nightcreature series. While I enjoyed the werewolf books, they were simple romances at their core, late night snacks rather than five-course meals. I picked up Any Given Doomsday largely on a whim. I didn't even intend to read the book that night, but then I couldn't stop. The book just moves that fast.

In Doomsday Handeland stretches her wings to craft a fuller tale, consisting of two chief elements: the romance and t...moreI had limited expectations for this book after reading Handeland's Nightcreature series. While I enjoyed the werewolf books, they were simple romances at their core, late night snacks rather than five-course meals. I picked up Any Given Doomsday largely on a whim. I didn't even intend to read the book that night, but then I couldn't stop. The book just moves that fast.

In Doomsday Handeland stretches her wings to craft a fuller tale, consisting of two chief elements: the romance and the thriller. I would say she satisfies on both counts.

First, in the character Elizabeth Phoenix, Handeland creates an everywoman. Naturally, Elizabeth has plenty to say about life and a funny, sarcastic way to say it, but she has one trait that's woefully missing from many paranormal and romance heroines. She's endearingly self-deprecating, down to earth and just plain sympathetic, right down to her resignation when she learns she's gotta save the world. The reader doesn't have to grind teeth to tolerate her.

Elizabeth's reactions to her insane world are genuine, and we learn about the baddies as she does. The device Handeland uses here is mostly dialogue, but there are no page-long monologues that begin with, "Magic is..." We read the explanations of the world's-folkloric-monsters-come-to-life (whoa, awesome idea) in between her conversations with the two leading men in this book, who are fleshed out as flawed men rather than fantasies put to writing (not that they couldn't be fantasies, ;).

The way they are developed speaks to Handeland's skill. Elizabeth's differing relationships with these men is multi-layered, and we learn about them both through Elizabeth's memories and inner dialogue and even more interestingly, the character's opinions of each other. What's the term here, a dog fight? ;P Learning about these guys is interesting, one a powerful Navajo witch and the other a monster hunter (and her ex). One's slightly ruthless gamma, the other a lost-soul type. Naturally, we want to redeem both. *leer*

In fact, for the first half or so of the book, I thought I was reading something along the lines of Rachel Caine's Ill Wind or perhaps a Buffy for Adults, complete with a deceased spirit guide who can only tell the heroine so much because rules are rules, a device as much a staple of storytelling as the haunted castle or "once upon a time." We learn about her world and her past relationships, the news in 30 seconds, right from the beginning of the novel where the action starts and from there we're mostly interested in Doomsday and what Elizabeth's gonna do about it. Then the romance begins.

I won't give anything away, but I will say this: Handeland's not afraid to make her character sacrifice. Elizabeth goes through a lot to shape her character into a hero we can be confident will save our unworthy arses. There are some darker moments (I did say flawed men, didn't I?) but the reader gets the impression Handeland wants us to read the next book to learn the method to her madness. I just hope that Elizabeth's fun new sex-as-a-weapon habit doesn't become Anita Blake, if you catch my meaning. It was well-written and logical in the flow of events here, but, alone, that plot device may lend itself to abuse. No way to tell until we read the next book though. This is the first book, the first battle in the war, as Elizabeth says, and I will definitely be looking out for the second. (less)

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Jul 11, 2008

Julie (jjmachshev) rated it

Shelves: 2008-reads, queuemyreview

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Nov08

I’m a sucker for the paranormal. The first adult-book I read was “The Exorcist” by Blatty when I was 11 and I was hooked. So the recent upswing in paranormal and urban fantasy titles has been my own little heaven and I jumped at the chance to read “Any Given Doomsday” by Lori Handeland. I’m already a reader of her ‘Moon’ series about werewolves and werewolf hunters, so I expected to enjoy this book. I was right. I absolutely devo...moreReviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Nov08

I’m a sucker for the paranormal. The first adult-book I read was “The Exorcist” by Blatty when I was 11 and I was hooked. So the recent upswing in paranormal and urban fantasy titles has been my own little heaven and I jumped at the chance to read “Any Given Doomsday” by Lori Handeland. I’m already a reader of her ‘Moon’ series about werewolves and werewolf hunters, so I expected to enjoy this book. I was right. I absolutely devoured “Any Given Doomsday” in one sitting and am now pouting because book 2 “Doomsday Can Wait” won’t be out until May 2009! Bummer…

Reading as much as I do and with the glut of paranormal and urban fantasies on the market today, I’m delighted when I find an author that can provide a new take the same old subjects. “Any Given Doomsday” is about, of course, the end of the world (like…duh…I guess you could’ve guessed that from the title)! And, again of course, we have our hero/heroine—Elizabeth (Liz) Phoenix in this case. She’s not exactly your normal gal. She’s an orphan, never knew her parents, spent a lot of time on the street. She’s a little psychic in that she sometimes gets flashes of thought or scenes of the recent past when she touches something. And now, she has to save the world from the dark side. Oh, and did I mention that she finds out all this after finding her foster mother dead in a pool of blood and her old boyfriend is suspect #1? She’s definitely had better days.

So this is where the tale begins, and what a finely detailed tale it is. Handeland has drawn from everything and everywhere—from the Bible to Native American shamanism to create her world and it’s creatures. We meet skinwalkers, werewolves, shapeshifters, vampires, nephilim (Biblical creatures sometimes translated as giants), dhampirs (vamp + human = dhampir), witches, shamen, strigas (Italian high witch types), angels, demons, etc.--all with differing talents and requiring different methods to kill them. It’s enough to make you really pity Liz, especially once she learns that the death of her foster mom was the opening move in the Doomsday war…unless she (and, of course, ONLY she) can learn about and harness whatever powers she can get and use them to stop it. Liz really just wants to be normal. Unfortunately for her, she isn’t. She has to grow up and learn that nothing worth having is easy and anything worth having is worth fighting for. It’s a tough lesson that many in our society today seem to never learn!

I loved the storyline. I loved the relationships Liz had to struggle with (and will apparently have to continue to struggle with in the next book) and accept. There was no easy path for her. No, BAM!, she knows just what to do. Oh no, she has struggles, she feels like she’s in the dark for most of the book. Is this a romance? Well…there is sex. Pretty hot sex in fact. There are relationships and changes in said relationships and feelings and all the other stuff that characterize a romance, but the romance isn’t what drives the plot. So I would shelve this book in the ‘hot urban fantasy’ section (and why doesn’t my bookstore have that section?) with Laurell K. Hamilton, Marjorie M. Liu, Angela Knight, J.R.Ward, Keri Arthur, Sherrilyn Kenyon, etc. If any of those authors sound good to you, you should definitely check out “Any Given Doomsday” by Lori Handeland when it hits the shelves in November 2008. And be sure to let your bookstore know about that missing ‘hot urban fantasy’ section, OK?
(less)

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Nov 17, 2008

Kim rated it

Recommends it for: umm, maybe fans of paranormal erotica?

This book disappointed me terribly. Not because it was lousy, but because it started out strong, then hit one of my "triggers" and couldn't seem to redeem itself after that. The story is very fast paced, and the heroine is appealing, with a sassy yet self-deprecating manner. Elizabeth Phoenix has always been psychic, but when her foster mother dies, she becomes something more: a seer able to detect the true forms and human faces of the monsters that plague our world. With her in this f...more

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Nov 02, 2008

Epeeblade rated it

Shelves: arc, read_in_2008

I wanted to like this book, I really did. And for the first 40 pages, I thought I was looking at one type of novel, when it suddenly turned into something else. The improbably named Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic ex-cop, working a dead end job out of guilt for getting her partner killed when she suddenly she finds out her foster mother and mentor has been murdered. I thought this would be a mystery, trying to find out who killed Ruthie, the foster mother.

See all the info about her be...moreI wanted to like this book, I really did. And for the first 40 pages, I thought I was looking at one type of novel, when it suddenly turned into something else. The improbably named Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic ex-cop, working a dead end job out of guilt for getting her partner killed when she suddenly she finds out her foster mother and mentor has been murdered. I thought this would be a mystery, trying to find out who killed Ruthie, the foster mother.

See all the info about her being an ex-cop et al? Just forget all about it, because Elizabeth certainly does. Not once after this beginning does she exhibit any behavior remotely cop-like and indeed she borders on the too-stupid-to live heroine who constantly insists she can take care of herself, yet her actions lead her into more and more danger.

I suppose the author intends to portray Elizabeth as a powerful woman confident in her own sexuality. I supposed I'd believe it if Elizabeth ever had sex willingly in this book. Aside from some fumbling with an old-flame early on, the sex afterwards is all initiated by false pretenses. The first is with an immortal dude who apparently had a hankering for Liz when she was 15 – he tricks her with what she thinks is a dream, but when she accuses him of rape, he tells her she wanted it and it's all ok. Oh, and then the extended rape scene at the end with aforementioned old flame, but it's ok, because Liz's real powers are to absorb the powers of others through SEX.

Yes, Elizabeth Phoenix is the pornographic version of Peter Petrelli from Heroes. She's a slave to her own sex drive, because it's always an intense amazing orgasm, which I think we're supposed to assume is a side effect of her powers. And never is protection or birth control mentioned, no matter how many times she's filled with semen.

Which, you think would be important, because the supernatural badies in this universe? Are produced by fallen angels breeding with humans – the Niphilim. So all this sex she's having? Unless she got Norplant pre-book, Liz should be concerned about potential pregnancy! But it never even crosses her mind. (And by the way, she's way too fond of blowjobs. I lost count how many times someone's cock accidentally brushes her face.)

That brings me to my next complaint. Handeland puts way too much effort into fitting every single kind of supernatural creature in her universe. Fallen angels, demons, shapeshifters, skinwalkers, werewolves, witches, vampires, dhampir, faeries, Navajo wisemen, seers and DKs---Demon Killers. I guess she couldn't use hunter since that's been taken by Supernatural. Plus, our heroine is the chosen one, to save the whole "federation" (I'm not kidding that's what the good guys call themselves) and I'm not sure how, but I think she's gonna do it by having lots and lots of sex.

My final complaint – once again the bad guy is Italian. As an Italian-American, I can't tell you how much this pisses me off, especially since the heroine slams him for his Italianness in an attempt to show how witty and snarky she is. Liz is a bit too flippant, too focused on throwing out the witty line instead of reacting like a normal human being. For example, early on when she's sprayed by the ash that's created when killing a baddie – much like a Buffy vampire – she takes a shower and jokes about "washing that man out of her hair" – not the kind of thing I'd be thinking if a shapeshifter just broke into my apartment and I barely succeeding in killing him!

Overall, I found this book very disappointing. I certainly will not be reading the sequel, not even if they offered that to me for free as well.(less)

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Oct 02, 2008

Marian rated it

Shelves: 2008, readit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For the most part I actually really enjoyed AGD. I was immediately sucked into Lizbeth's world and actually wanted to know what had gone on before we'd joined up with her and what would happen. Sometimes just as I thought something, someone would say it, or at least mention whatever had been bothering me, and that's almost always a plus.

The first problem comes up about the time Jimmy and Liz run to Sawyer. Lizzie there lets herself believe the sex with Sawyer is just a dream even ...moreFor the most part I actually really enjoyed AGD. I was immediately sucked into Lizbeth's world and actually wanted to know what had gone on before we'd joined up with her and what would happen. Sometimes just as I thought something, someone would say it, or at least mention whatever had been bothering me, and that's almost always a plus.

The first problem comes up about the time Jimmy and Liz run to Sawyer. Lizzie there lets herself believe the sex with Sawyer is just a dream even though it's painfully obvious that's not the case. And... because they're racing towards a vague doomsday, Sawyer gets away with what Liz, and I, pretty much consider rape. So, the book got put down for a bit.

It still called and I figured she wasn't too thrilled about it, but maybe given time, after averting the end of the world, she'd kick his ass. I still hold out hope, by the way. i suspect other people may find this even more vexing than I did.

And the rest of the book kind of races towards the end, in a mostly good sort of way, up until it's time to kill the Strega.

I'm sorry, but the explanation given makes no sense. At all. I can buy that when Liz is told "blood of his blood" they meant it literally and Jimmy's blood on the stake is what did the job, or that Jimmy himself had to kill the Strega, but simply absorbing Jimmy's powers should NOT give Liz the ability to kill the big bad. You can't transfer that sort of thing. It... doesn't work.

So, I hope that sometime in the next book or before the book is officially released someone, somewhere, deals with that. I can accept that Sawyer was wrong in his information as to how to kill the Strega. I can accept the aforementioned literal blood interpretation, and I can even accept that Jimmy and Liz are related, and thus it wasn't Jimmy's connection at all that did the Strega in, but if someone else's blood bound destiny can be transferred like that, I think I'm going to go insane.

And that's what's keeping the book from getting that extra star.(less)

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Oct 22, 2008

Alicia rated it

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Oct 08, 2008

Serena rated it

Quite a number of today's urban fantasy books toy with the vampire myths and werewolf stories to modernize them and make them more relevant. When I started reading this novel, I new I had to suspend disbelief. Elizabeth Phoenix is the heroine who grew up in foster care and grew into a tough young woman and cop. According to the short story, "In the Beginning," Elizabeth is well known in her department as partially psychic; she has the ability to touch items and see what happened to the...moreQuite a number of today's urban fantasy books toy with the vampire myths and werewolf stories to modernize them and make them more relevant. When I started reading this novel, I new I had to suspend disbelief. Elizabeth Phoenix is the heroine who grew up in foster care and grew into a tough young woman and cop. According to the short story, "In the Beginning," Elizabeth is well known in her department as partially psychic; she has the ability to touch items and see what happened to the owners of those items. It is her power that ultimately leads to the death of her partner. This is all back story, which I presume the author wrote for herself so she could understand her character better. It's not necessary to read it before you read Any Given Doomsday.

Elizabeth's only friends have been her police partner, her childhood friend Jimmy Sanducci, and Ruthie, her foster mother. They all understood her and her gift. It's this gift that they want her to develop to save the world. She learns a lot about herself and her powers as the book progresses, but her character does not evolve much for a heroine. She's as hard-headed, sarcastic, and closed off as she is at the beginning of the book.

The characters in the book, particularly near the middle to the end, are obsessed with sex. Sex as a weapon, sex as a way to humiliate another human being, sex as a way to break free from the confines of themselves, and sex as therapy.

Elizabeth's attitude throughout the book makes it difficult to like her, let alone empathize with her plight. Her intimate relationships with the men in her life are mind-boggling because they treat her like a paper plate--using her and tossing her to the side. The reader is expected to see her as the key to winning the battle, but it's hard to view her that way when she constantly doubts herself and the men in her life, who are there to support her and help her grow, constantly toss her aside, become evasive in her presence, and disappear.

While I enjoyed the fast-paced nature of this book, I would only recommend it to readers of urban fantasy.(less)

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Sep 24, 2008

Jen Respalie rated it

Recommends it for: fans of Paranormal/supernatural ROMANCE

Recommended to Jen by: ARC copy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have to admit that I am a big fan of the supernatural genre. Half driven by my love of anything offbeat (although this is an ever increasingly popular genre) & half driven by my love of horror and the desire to see what "monsters" do in there off time when not slaughtering teens for having sex in the barn.
This being said I was excited to get an ARC copy of this book and I thank you for my selection. When I started reading the book however I wasn't hooked. I continued reading o...moreI have to admit that I am a big fan of the supernatural genre. Half driven by my love of anything offbeat (although this is an ever increasingly popular genre) & half driven by my love of horror and the desire to see what "monsters" do in there off time when not slaughtering teens for having sex in the barn.
This being said I was excited to get an ARC copy of this book and I thank you for my selection. When I started reading the book however I wasn't hooked. I continued reading out of what I feel my duty to the writers and publishers constitues- finish it so you can write an honest review which is what follows....
The beginning was weak- I wasn't drawn into Elizabeth's character because I didn't have a strong sense of her as a real person. The first encounter (and subsequent) with Jimmy alternately bored me or turned me off to him- simply put he's a jerk. The first 70 pages were a snooze filled with cardboard characters- the few characters I wanted to know more about were killed instantly- the old black lady, the young black basketball player. Once Jimmy and Elizabeth go on a road trip to see Sawyer the novel picked up a bit for me- the scene in the town on the way there wasn't bad at all.
The middle is the only part of the book I reccomend truly- Once I met Sawyer's character I was hooked. He was fascinating and while having jerky tendencies himself I felt like HE (not Jimmy) was that bad news guy you would actually fall for in real life.
Unfortunately just when I was truly enjoying the book Elizabeth has a vision of Jimmy and a Stragi (Italian witch) in NY- figures Jimmy is in trouble and goes to save him. (Booo let Jimmy get killed.)
The book ends up going far far downhill for me here. I'll tell you so -true spoilers to the end at this point.

Jimmy has been given his father's blood which has awakened his EVIL side. Elizabeth is captured by his father and given to Jimmy- he asked for her specifically.
Why?- you ask. Well so she could become his sex slave and he could slowly kill her by a combination on more than daily doses of the BIG Jimmy (if ya know what I mean) and blood sucking. Lots and lots of sex that I have to admit to skimming but it all looked very cliched romance novel fake rape (she enjoys/tries to enjoy it/thinks of who "he really is/was" during it). Well anyways this all gets resolved in a ridiculous manner and then when Jimmy "comes to" he says how horrible she was and the ninny pulls him close to comfort him and THEN invites him to have sex with her to ERASE the memories of him using her. Lame, lame, lame ... I would have been pissed even if "it wasn't really his fault".
Elizabeth gets just what she deserves however- he leaves the morning after and leaves her a note- he isn't sure he can control his dark side *eye roll* and then to truly establish what an idiot the girl is she decides to go after him and find him and heal him (with more restorative sex? I bet).
Oh yes and silly me- the actual "concept" behind this thinly veiled romance novel is that the doomsday (the events building to the apocalypse) is at hand and Elizabeth is the only person who can make a difference... sorry world but I need to get my lying, cheating, raping man back... Eh whatever.
The excerpt for the second book in the series was strong and it focused on Sawyer's evil goddess mother which might be enough to get me to pick up the next one. Especially if Jimmy is killed by her.
Overall- Characters- weak with one standout exception
Plot- cliche but neglected and abused anyways
Writing- Compelling at times but slow more often(less)

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Nov 04, 2008

Kirsten rated it

Shelves: own, reviewer-book, fiction, spec-fic

This was an Early Reviewer book from LibraryThing.

I suspected I might be in trouble when I read the author's note on the back of the book, citing Laurel K. Hamilton as her biggest influence. I don't mind some romance thrown in with my paranormal action/adventure, but Hamilton has never really struck me as the world's greatest wordsmith. Still, since I was asked to review the book, I thought I'd give it a go. I'm sorry to say I didn't like it much.

The characters are ver...more

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Jan 03, 2009

Laurie rated it

I had much higher hopes for this book than what were met. I enjoy the odd paranormal thriller, mystery, etc., but this book simply did not deliver. The premise of this book is that Elizabeth Phoenix discovers upon the death of her foster mother that she is now responsible for leading the worldwide fight against evils of all sorts. Vampires, demons, berserkers, they're all here. Theoretically, these might be the elements of a good story, but those elements are never actually drawn together into a...moreI had much higher hopes for this book than what were met. I enjoy the odd paranormal thriller, mystery, etc., but this book simply did not deliver. The premise of this book is that Elizabeth Phoenix discovers upon the death of her foster mother that she is now responsible for leading the worldwide fight against evils of all sorts. Vampires, demons, berserkers, they're all here. Theoretically, these might be the elements of a good story, but those elements are never actually drawn together into a good story. There's very little plot, and almost no character development. We know little about Elizabeth except that she was abused and abandoned in her past, and there's no discussion of how this has shaped her thoughts and her life. All we really hear from Elizabeth is her distaste for the new responsibilities that have suddenly landed on her shoulders. The lack of character development is magnified by the fact that the book is narrated in the first person, but there's absolutely nothing to the character who is the narrator. And then we have the content issues. This book is replete with gratuitous sex scenes that read more like a bodice-ripping romance novel than anything else. The descriptions of the sex scenes go on for pages. I'm just not interested in all that pulsing and throbbing. If I was, I'd read a romance novel. It's not just the fact that the book is full of sex, though. If that was the only problem, a reader could easily skim the sex scenes. The problem for me is that the book is full of sexual violence. I'm not really sure what gratuitous sexual violence is meant to accomplish. And the violence really is gratuitous. Sexual violence can have its place in writing if it works to tell a story or contribute to a larger theme. But when its just there, for no reason, it really serves only to be disturbing. Ultimately, I see little value in this heroine. She's described as kick-butt and no-nonsense, but she's presented as a victim who is only capable of giving in to her sexual urges, and can only accomplish her goals if she sleeps with a variety of men she'd rather avoid. (less)

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Jan 21, 2011

Zeek rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, pnr, own

I wasn't sure what to expect when Any Given Doomsday hit my doorstep, but I found it to be a pleasant surprise.

It contains all the hallmarks of a good Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal - a kickbutt Buffyesque slayer heroine, a love triangle, magical creatures, shapeshifters/vamps, the WHOLE works- AND it added an entire new mythos of it own- the Nephilim. (Okay not so new, but that the author decided to play in this field is new!)

Elizabeth Phoenix is an ex-cop who has a little secret...moreI wasn't sure what to expect when Any Given Doomsday hit my doorstep, but I found it to be a pleasant surprise.

It contains all the hallmarks of a good Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal - a kickbutt Buffyesque slayer heroine, a love triangle, magical creatures, shapeshifters/vamps, the WHOLE works- AND it added an entire new mythos of it own- the Nephilim. (Okay not so new, but that the author decided to play in this field is new!)

Elizabeth Phoenix is an ex-cop who has a little secret. Besides the fact she's feeling guilty over her partner's death- and has quit the force- she's psychic. It's not really a secret, all the cops in her neck of Milwaukee know about it, but she likes to keep it under wraps none the less.

One day she receives a psychic message from Ruthie, the lady who raised her. When she arrives at the home she grew up in, she finds the lady she loved as mother, dying in a pool of blood. But not before leaving Elizabeth with a cryptic message and a horrible sense that something decidedly unearthly was going on. Before Ruthie dies, she passes on a gift that will change Elizabeth's life- and which promptly puts the younger woman into a coma.

Elizabeth awakens days later in the hospital, only to find the events that transpired before she passed out were indeed not a dream and that the cops are now looking for her ex-lover Jimmy- also raised by Ruthie- to pin the murder on.

When Jimmy arrives he sets things straight, but he also leads Elizabeth into a world she never knew existed and drops the biggest bomb of all- she's THE one. The Chosen One to lead the army of good against the forces of evil, known as the Nephilim, in one final battle called Doomsday.

In this the first chapter of what I'm assuming is going to be a series, Jimmy takes Elizabeth out to the desert to meet up with the one man who can teach her how to be that leader- or at least unlock her powers.

Lizzie isn't too happy about being dumped off with Sawyer, a mystical Navajo Ruthie had sent her to long ago. But unlock her powers he does- in a decidedly LKH/Anita Blake way I must say ::roll eyes::- and none to soon, because Jimmy, whom she still has strong feelings for, has fallen into some big time trouble and she's the only one to get him out of it.

I really liked this story! Not only does the author create a great backstory, building a world that hooked me from word one, but she's developing some cool, if a tad "done before" characters, that I'm anxious to revisit.

The love triangle thing always works for me, although this time I'm not sure who I'm looking to see Elizabeth with. (Usually I know right off the bat!) Both these guys are hotties and both are ambiguously moral enough that I'm just not sure who's I want her to end up with.

Although much of this book is for setting up the series, it contained a tight enough plot, involving Elizabeth unlocking her powers and Jimmy getting caught up into some bad business- business which leads him far from Elizabeth by the end of the book- that served to move the characters through their paces and keep the pages turning.(less)

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Mar 16, 2009

Caroline rated it

Recommended to Caroline by: Goodreads First Reads

Shelves: read-in-2009, urban-fantasy

I won this through the First Reads program, thinking it would be a fun but cheesy urban fantasy, which is something that I always enjoy as mind candy. I should have looked up a bit more about this author before entering for this, because apparently she's a fairly trashy romance writer who decided to write this book because of how much she loved Laurell K. Hamilton, who is fairly trashy in her own right. More than this being a trashy romance or urban fantasy, this is like some of Hamilton's later...moreI won this through the First Reads program, thinking it would be a fun but cheesy urban fantasy, which is something that I always enjoy as mind candy. I should have looked up a bit more about this author before entering for this, because apparently she's a fairly trashy romance writer who decided to write this book because of how much she loved Laurell K. Hamilton, who is fairly trashy in her own right. More than this being a trashy romance or urban fantasy, this is like some of Hamilton's later books and is really just an excuse to string some over-the-top sex scenes together.

The characters are horribly one-dimensional. The protagonist, Elizabeth Phoenix, is basically a copy of every other tough-as-nails stereotype that is in the urban fantasy genre, except with less of a consistent personality. She'll fluctuate between between being a stupid, needy twit to being in charge and ready to shot something in the head, and it's done in such a horrible way it's obvious it's all for plot devices. The men in the story, Jimmy especially? No character, really just there as something to have sex with her.

The plot reads like a horrible version of Buffy, at least what little plot there is. She finds out she has extra-super abilities in addition to being a psychic, and has to join Jimmy in a fight against the evil trying to destroy the world. After that, the plot gets incredibly distorted and lost, although I was skimming after about page 50 because I just couldn't handle the stilted, horrible dialogue and the sloppy way she threw together the spiritual beasts that were supposed to be the antagonists in this (the supernatural aspects of this were absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable, pretty sure she just flipped threw other fantasy novels and picked and chose what kind of beasties she wanted in there, there's no consistency). It's possible the plot made more sense than I thought if I'd actually sat down and read it, but I really really doubt that.

The sex scenes. Seriously, WHAT? So not only are they horribly written, but the plot is obvious just an excuse to have more of them. Apparently Elizabeth has a power to gain the abilities of the men she sleeps with... Yes, her extra-special power is having sex. Some of the sex scenes were even the kind I can't tolerate at all, but some authors haven't learned how horribly anti-feminist and sexist they are--the scenes in which the woman is getting raped and ends up enjoying it. No kidding, she gets raped and winds up loving it. Gee, what isn't realistic about that?

At any rate, this is pretty much pure filth and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.(less)

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Dec 23, 2008

Angela rated it

Shelves: given-away

I was very excited to receive this book from the Early Reviewers Program as the story sounded like it would fit perfectly with my library of urban fantasy, traditional fantasy, and paranormal titles. Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed in this book.

I had never read anything by Lori Handeland before and did not realize that her background is as a romance writer. This was clearly evident in Any Given Doomsday with explicit sexual scenes and from the descriptive style. While I d...more

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Nov 22, 2008

Michele Lee rated it

Recommends it for: Anita Blake fans

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, female-author

Any Given Doomsday, for better or worse is best summed up as what the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton would be if all supernatural creatures (almost) were actually the spawn of fallen angels, left on Earth to challenge (aka slaughter) humankind.

The set up demands that readers accept the absolute existence of God and the Christian mythos, whereas most urban fantasies ask a reader to believe in the creature, but leave religion out of the picture. This can potentially bring Ch...moreAny Given Doomsday, for better or worse is best summed up as what the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton would be if all supernatural creatures (almost) were actually the spawn of fallen angels, left on Earth to challenge (aka slaughter) humankind.

The set up demands that readers accept the absolute existence of God and the Christian mythos, whereas most urban fantasies ask a reader to believe in the creature, but leave religion out of the picture. This can potentially bring Christian readers into urban fantasy, if they can get past the sex.

And the sex... is non-consenting. Definitely an aspect that will turn off many readers Elizabeth, the heroine, is drugged, and raped graphically multiple times within the book. This is completely forgivable (in the context of the story) because sex is vital to Elizabeth's powers. While I normally avoid giving such blatant spoilers these I found particularly troubling.

The story itself starts when Elizabeth Phoenix finds her foster mother dying on floor of her home, attacked by something Elizabeth can't explain. With a few cryptic words and a dark vision Ruthie passes something on to Elizabeth that lands Elizabeth in a coma. When she wakes up Elizabeth learns from her ex-coworkers, the Milwaukee PD, that her foster brother and ex-lover Jimmy is their number one suspect. Jimmy himself breaks the news that Ruthie passed her powers to Elizabeth, which makes Elizabeth obligated--for her own safety--to hunt down Ruthie's killers. And Elizabeth isn't just a seer, she's THE prophesied seer, meant to be the most powerful one, a seer and a demon killer and the person who is supposed to lead the side of good in the war against the evil Nephalim.

Elizabeth's complete lack of knowledge about the supernatural world does not set the story up in a good frame. Instead of being introduced to the rules of the magical world slowly it leads to the reader, like Elizabeth, to have no clue what's going on, but being pressured to accept tension, and to see Elizabeth attacked with no real idea of how these things are important. The pacing is slow, the revelations convenient and Elizabeth herself is a much quieter, less dynamic urban fantasy character.

The pace is unsure, more than once a fact is hidden from the reader for effect, though the story is told in first person and Elizabeth herself already knows of it. Readers are never given a solid idea of the "rules" of magic and the paranormal because they seem cherry picked for effect rather than for character building. While all Nephalim are absolutely evil both men presented as love interests have Nephalim blood and Elizabeth herself may have (after all, she has everything else that might make her powerful, other than strength of personality).

Any Given Doomsday has action, but feels slow despite it, reluctant to participate in or commit itself to its own story. The similarities to other series and the Biblical/Apocalyptic set up could bring in a fan base, but many will find this book vapid and unsatisfying.

(less)

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Nov 17, 2008

Jaime rated it

Shelves: 2008, paranormal, psychics

I received this through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s Group, which had an extremely large batch of 1500 books to give away. As the reviews started trickling in from other users, I got a little concerned… they were all bad! But now that I’ve read this, I think that most of those reviews were from people who don’t read much paranormal fiction, if any at all, and aren’t familiar with the genre. I didn’t think this was that bad… I liked the premise of the ultimate struggle between good and evil,...more

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Oct 02, 2008

Elaine rated it

Shelves: september

Elizabeth Phoenix knows she is psychic. It's one of the reasons she lost her job as a police officer. However there is much Elizabeth does not know, which she only starts to suspect when she rushes to the home of her foster mother, only to find the woman who raised her bleeding and dying on the floor. Everything in Elizabeth's life is about to change. When a werewolf pays her a threatening visit one night, she begins to realize just how much it's going to change. Now Elizabeth Phoenix is hu...more

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Feb 07, 2009

Hanim rated it

Shelves: fiction

I won this book from the book giveaways from Goodreads, and I was super psyched to get into - however, I was just not a big fan. It was an ok storyline, not my favorite, especially with so many other books out there tauting the same gimmick. You can feel the emotional rollercoaster of Elizabeth Phoenix, but, as others have mentioned, it is a bit bland and not as racy as originally hoped (or maybe imagined). I hope the rest of the future series can step it up; I do think I will give "Doom...more

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Oct 21, 2008

Brooke rated it

Recommended to Brooke by: Good Reads ARC

I received this book through Good Reads Advanced Reader Copies so I decided to give it a try. I was somewhat interested in the first part of the book, but by the middle it just seemed to me that the author had tried to make up a story to tie together sex scenes that were racy enough to disturb me.
I finished the book trying to skip over these scenes, but there just wasn't enough of a story to keep me entertained. I think the author started with a good idea, but she didn't follow through...more

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Nov 29, 2008

Carla rated it

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book in a giveaway from good reads. I have read several books more or less like this book and while I liked the idea for the book I found the writing somewhat weak. I felt the author used sex in a very negative fashion and without which the book had nothing to hold it together. The main character was far too sarcastic. I tend to be sarcastic person myself and can appreciate sarcastic humor but at times I found myself rolling my eyes as I read. I've never read any other books by M...more

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Oct 22, 2008

Patricia rated it

Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Patricia by: give away through goodreads

This book is about a former cop, Elizabeth Phoenix, with psychic abilities who finds out she is selected to lead the charge of Good over Evil for Doomsday. It sounds interesting, right? I gave this book every opportunity to keep me engaged. However, I was put off with the numerous sarcastic, wisecrack responses of Phoenix based on the serious nature of her mission; the detailed descriptions of gore; and the many pages devoted to soft core porn. At first I thought the reading of this book was a t...more

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Nov 11, 2008

Kay rated it

Very reminiscent of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, but not as good. Elizabeth Phoenix, the protagonist here, has psychic abilities and encounters with beserkers, shape shifters, and the like; but she is almost entirely reactive. For this reason she isn't very interesting and, since her back-story isn't developed, we don't care about her either. In a note to the reader on the back of the book, the author describes the work as "scary an sexy, as well as funny." I have to ...more

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Feb 01, 2009

Anna rated it

Shelves: reviews, urban-fantasy

This was a good book. But I have to say I was a bit reluctant to read it, which is just me being stubborn. I would have preferred another Nightcreatures book. But I'm glad I read this new one, cause I really enjoyed it. Liz is a former cop and a psychic, so she has seen her share of weirdness. But when a loved one is killed, her world is turned upside down. Any Given Doomsday is fun, steamy with not stop action. If you enjoyed Ms. Handeland's Nightcreatures series, you'll definitely like this ne...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Richard rated it

Part of a hot publishing genre called “paranormal romance,” this is an old-fashioned horror story at its heart. It’s also an old-fashioned kind of storytelling, where beginning begets middle leads to end, which is carefully crafted to close this story and prepare us for the next. Since this is the first of a series to be called “The Phoenix Chronicles,” that makes sense. The series features Elizabeth Phoenix, a former homicide cop with a dead partner and a job bartending in a cop bar for her par...morePart of a hot publishing genre called “paranormal romance,” this is an old-fashioned horror story at its heart. It’s also an old-fashioned kind of storytelling, where beginning begets middle leads to end, which is carefully crafted to close this story and prepare us for the next. Since this is the first of a series to be called “The Phoenix Chronicles,” that makes sense. The series features Elizabeth Phoenix, a former homicide cop with a dead partner and a job bartending in a cop bar for her partner’s widow. She’s gifted, we’re told in her voice, with gifts she doesn’t want, and her life is bereft of people she loves and cares for because she’s got these gifts.

It’s very well executed on several levels. Ms. Handeland is a dab hand at characterizations. Her economical, almost laconic, descriptions are both atmospheric and character specific. Elizabeth Phoenix, the psychometric foster child wounded and abandoned early in life, responds to what she understands as a sexual dream about Sawyer, a “skinwalker” (male witch with the power to change into animal form) and man of incredible magical power: “His eyes glittered…making me glad for the clothes I’d been wishing away only moments before. This man wasn’t a pet; he wasn’t a friend. He was dangerous.”

She feels what we would feel; she views the world through these eyes for reasons we’re brought up to speed on with fullness and depth earlier in the book; and yet this small passage brings a slightly darker tinge to the character, letting us in on her borning awareness that everyone and everything in her world is dangerous and no matter how familiar to her, carries depths she only slightly and dimly senses.

The author gives us a chance throughout the book to grow in awareness with Elizabeth Phoenix. We are part of her unfolding identity as a leader in an underworld-for-good that battles an underworld-for-evil that we, the overworld I suppose you’d call us, are possessed of bad and mangled information about. This gives the story its forward momentum and its hook into one’s feeling levels.

While the novel is possessed of these good qualities, there are moments that ring false to a reader’s ears: Elizabeth uses locutions like “Black widow much?” that sound like the author aiming at cute and hitting stupid. A former cop and a woman without a lot of social anxiety to fit in such as Elizabeth wouldn’t use such self-conscious wording. The character of Jimmy, Elizabeth’s long-ago first love and, like her a foster child, wounded soul, comes directly from Character Central and could be called “Dirk” or “Will” or some other four-lettered romance hero’s name.

Why did St. Mutant's send a copy to me? I'm nobody from nowhere, I have no blog, and my reviews MIGHT be read by a few people here if I'm lucky. But in the interweb age, where else can publishers find even a few readers gathered together in one easy-to-access place? Hence we few, we happy few who score books get a chance to convert at least one or two proven readers to our opinions...and that's becoming enough. Should I be scared? I think I am....

But for fans of paranormal romances, this is a treat; for fans of Lori Handeland’s it’s bound to be an event since it starts a whole new series. It’s a nice piece of fiction, it’s a fun way to pass a few hours, and it’s only as much to buy as a fast-food combo meal and much better for you.(less)

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Jul 21, 2011

Romancing the Book rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Reviewed by Jen
ARC won at LibraryThing for review

Liz Phoenix has always been a little different. But when she discovers her foster mother near death, Liz comes to find out just how different when she's thrown into a paranormal world she never knew existed. And how prominently she fits into that world.

This is the first book in Lori Handeland's new series, The Phoenix Chronicles. These books follow Liz as she comes to terms with her new life, exploring her new powers, and ...more

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Feb 02, 2011

Brooke rated it

Elizabeth Phoenix used to work for the Milwaukee Police Department, and her psychic abilities were helpful in finding those who had committed the crimes and locking them up. Liz's partner was killed in the line of duty and she feels she is at fault, so she leaves the force. While Liz is at work one day she feels a tug telling her to go see her foster mother Ruthie, but when she arrives Ruthie is just taking her last breath. Liz ends up in the hospital in a coma, and when she wakes up the only th...moreElizabeth Phoenix used to work for the Milwaukee Police Department, and her psychic abilities were helpful in finding those who had committed the crimes and locking them up. Liz's partner was killed in the line of duty and she feels she is at fault, so she leaves the force. While Liz is at work one day she feels a tug telling her to go see her foster mother Ruthie, but when she arrives Ruthie is just taking her last breath. Liz ends up in the hospital in a coma, and when she wakes up the only thing she remembers are horrible creatures haunting her dreams.

The police think that the murderer is Jimmy Sanducci, Liz's former lover and another of Ruthie's foster kids, but Liz knows better. She knows that Jimmy isn't capable of murder. That is until she meets up with him and he introduces her to a world of supernatural creatures that are on the brink of war. He informs Liz that she is a Seer, and that she will be the one to receive the visions telling Jimmy where the bad guys are and how to kill them.

Honestly this book almost bored me to tears. It had the potential to be a really cool story, with Liz being a Seer and having the powers needed to help find the evil in the world before they wreak havoc on the human race. But there was just too much wrong with this book for me to really enjoy it, and mostly it just made me angry. The author uses sex as a tool to gain magic powers from the person who comes inside Liz, and it was like reading an Anita Blake book. The use of rape in the story not once but twice is just too much! How is a girl supposed to be mentally stable enough to fight evil if she is raped twice over the course of a few days? Even if she enjoyed the sex in the end it was still RAPE. It was against her will.

There is also the issue of character development, or lack thereof. The story starts out and not much is said about Liz and you don't even get a good view point of her personality, so she's kind of boring. She's supposed to be tough, but there is nothing that leads me to believe this.

I know that Lori Handeland has another series (Nightcreature Novel series), and I hope it's better than this as there are eight books in that one. (less)

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title link	preview: Any Given Doomsday
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Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronicles #1)

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