Beneath the Skin

The Maker's Song #3

by Adrian Phoenix

CHAOS CONTROLS HIS FUTURE. ONE MORTAL WOMAN COULD BE HIS SALVATION. THE COUNTDOWN TO ANNIHILATION WILL BEGIN WITH DANTE'S CHOICE....

THE FATE OF THREE WORLDS...

The dark pieces of vampire rock star Dante Baptiste's past are violently emerging, and it is only a matter of time before the Fallen discover he is the creawdwr they have sought for thousands of years. The destruction he left behind in Oregon threatens to reveal his identity as Fallen Maker and True Blood, exposing the young nightkind to shadowy predators -- mortal and supernatural -- who will do whatever it takes to win his favor...or destroy him.

RESTS IN DANTE'S HANDS.

When beautiful FBI special agent Heather Wallace went AWOL on assignment, she chose irresistible Dante over the shady government forces that now stalk them both. Heather has her own secrets of the past to uncover, but she is also the only one who can hold her nightkind lover together when his dangerous quest for the truth threatens to send him over the edge. And as she and Dante fi ght for their survival, she realizes they must work together to protect their future -- before his mysterious destiny tears them apart....

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Angels, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance

415 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 7, 2009

About the author

Adrian Phoenix writes urban fantasy and is the author of The Maker's Song series, (currently working on book 6) and the Hoodoo series, the third book, Black Moon Mojo and the forthcoming Sons of Darkness series. Her humorous paranormal Thinning the Herd was released January 2016.

She lives in Springfield, Oregon in a zombie-free home (except when meeting deadlines) with three cats, Keats, Emily, and Raven and has two sons, three grandchildren and three granddogs.

She loves to read and see movies, enjoys hiking with her granddog, Cielo, (immortalized in Black Dust Mambo and Black Heart Loa), and hanging out with friends.

She also loves creepy things and yearns to go on a paranormal investigation. She also hopes to do a haunted tour one day.

She also loves, loves, loves music – and anything by Trent Reznor is high on the list. She also loves to hear from my readers and fans, So please feel free to contact her!

Website: http://www.adrianphoenix.com
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian...
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/adriannikolasp...

Reviews

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the third book in the Makers Song series. I've loved this series right from the very first page, it has never failed to disappoint me and now by the time we at the third book things are just getting better.

In Beneth the Skin the story continues with the Fallen trying to bind Dante, various vampire families trying to find him for totally different purposes and the FBI and SB also in the mix together with those who wish to use him for their own malicialous purposes and those who wish to see him destroyed. There is lot going on and I thoroughly enjoyed all of, I devoured every word! The various plots twist together to form a web from which there would appear to be no escape for Dante and to a certain extent the ending of this book leaves us with no idea of how he will overcome the problems he faces. His mind is still unravelling and as he remembers more about his tragic and cruel past you start to wonder just how much more he can take as both Heather and Von are pulled into the blurred space that is neither nightmare nor memory.

The storline with the FBI follows the pattern we are used to except that individual agents are now working independantly for their own ends. SB has lost it's way and intends to make a full come back.

The storyline with the Fallen has moved on quite quickly and has become really interesting as here in a place where Dante should have the most trouble he now seems very much in control of his destiny.

It is in the hands of the other vampires that we see the biggest threat, as their role within the story becomes more evident and will no doubt develop in the next book, which incidently I can't wait to read.

As a final comment I'd like to add that Von has crept into my heart!!he really has:)




NB Should be read in series order.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several months ago when I picked up the first of this series.... I wasn't sure what I was expecting. I was looking for something a little different... I had seen the first book Rush of Wings when it came across my desk to be checked out.... read the back and thought: hmmmmmm could be interesting...

Now.... 3rd book in... It defiantly surpassed ‘could be interesting’. Odd thing… is I’m not sure I can pin point WHY exactly. What is it about these characters that I just HAVE to know more about? I attempted to describe the series to my Mother once…. She just blinked at me. Can’t really blame her. The series centers around Dante – a vampire and underground rock icon. Later in the series you find out that he is actually a vampire/angel mix breed… and a psychopath. But wait! It isn’t his fault. It’s not really Dante who’s the psychopath… it’s his alter ego S. Poor Dante was ripped from his mother’s as an infant and was forced into a program called Bad Seed that did their utmost best to turn him INTO a psycho. And they succeeded. Only, they programed in a trigger so that he could be used as a weapon as a later date. Dante grows up going from one horrible situation to the next until somehow we find him in New Orleans (where all vampires have to live at least PART of their immortal lives apparently); as this beyond beautiful, sensual underground rock god….. Who suffers from migraines, seizures and nose bleeds.

Enter FBI special agent Heather Wallace who is on the trail of a serial killer. A serial killer, who…. Surprise, surprise was also associated with the wonderful people of Bad Seed. I won’t tell you what happens on the off chance that some of you haven’t actually read Rush of Wings yet –if you haven’t… go now…. Read it. – So yea… I won’t tell you what happens when the serial killer Wallace is chasing decides he wants to play with Dante some. The poor guy’s already hard life takes a vicious nose dive. Suddenly everyone wants a piece of him… vampires, various groups in the government, angels…. Everywhere Dante goes there is someone who seems to want a piece of him. And the crap just keeps piling on.

Now I’m all for tortured characters. … And Dante sure fits that bill. Despite his horrid childhood and all the abuse he suffered….. He was - is - still inherently a good guy. It was only when his training takes over and S emerges that he becomes a cold, merciless killer. Still, Dante struggles on; trying to hold on to his last shreds of sanity….. and by the time you’ve finished book 2 you’ll understand why he’s slowly losing his grip on his sanity. I think that’s probably what I enjoyed most about this book; despite everything that Dante’s suffered….and it’s more than most people would be able to handle…. He’s still defiant to the end. He keeps fighting and I can’t help but root for the underdog. Then you have to cheer for the friends he has…Wallace and Von… stick with him through everything. Most people would run screaming away from Dante by the end of the 1st book…. By the end of the second they would be ASKING the government to preform those handy-dandy mind wipes…. But not Heather and Von. They refuse to leave him… and really they’re the only ones keeping him sane and keeping his powers in check.

This book goes quickly; it’s told from multiple angles that can be a little difficult to follow if you don’t keep track of the names and who’s who. Plus in this book there’s the addition of a few more characters… Also; the book picks right up from where the second one left off. There’s no wait period. Mere hours have passed…. So it’s like reading one large book instead of 3.

I can’t really tell you much more without completely spoiling it for you. If you haven’t read the series… start at book one: Rush of Wings. You won’t regret it. This is a great series; by far one of the best and most intriguing I’ve read in a while. It HAS to be read in order though. Like I said… it reads like a giant book…not 3. If you try to start on book 3 YOU WILL BE CONFUSED!!!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book. It's an interesting book. It's a book that is crammed with too many different perspectives. I was honestly hoping that this would be the last installment, but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case. It's not that I don't think there is more of the story to tell, but I really don't look forward to the chaos of trying to keep up with all of the different characters and and their particular story lines. Most of them don't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things anyway, so why does she insist on adding them into the mix?

One character in particular, Gillespie, is a particularly annoying voice. He's a nobody when it comes right down to it, and yet I know waaay too much about him. Some people may argue with me over Gillespie's importance, because he has decided he is going to go rogue and kill Dante, but I disagree. Everyone is trying to kill Dante, and you know that Gillespie is the last one that he has to worry about. I felt the same way about Mauvais and Justine. That whole section could have been cut out of the book, in my opinion. The only one I would have liked to heard more about, Lucien, only made token appearances in the story.

There is also the issue of too many people/organizations being after Dante. The Fallen are after him, and that group divides even further into at least two camps, Gabriel and Morningstar. There's Lillian and Hektate a mother-daughter team who seem to be ok, but also have their own agenda. There may be even more, but if so, I can't remember them. The FBI is after him, headed by a woman named Rutgers. The Secret Branch of the FBI is after him, branching off yet again because SOD Underwood intends to find him for herself and use him in some revenge scheme against her daughter-in-law. I've already mentioned Gillespie who is a part of the SB. There are also the two SB partners, Emmett and Goodnight. Goodnight is a vampire and Emmett is a human. They have just learned who/what Dante is and as of yet their intentions are unclear. We also have Epstein, Cortini's handler at the SB, who believes that the SB has failed to remain true to themselves and has ordered Cortini to kill Dante herself. Then we move along to the Nightkind. They are after him, naturally. Again, the different branches inside this group are staggering. Mauvais wants to control him because he is Trueblood, and he thinks it will increase his power structure in New Orleans. Justine wants to kill him avenge the death of her lover...what's-his-name. Cortini's vampire mother, Renata, is the head of the Cercle de Druide in Rome. Renata wants Cortini to bring Dante to her and the Elders because he is half Nightkind, and she believes he belongs to them. However, she is keeping him a secret from them for the time being, so who knows what she is actually planning. There is also some kind of a vampire law-enforcement group called the Conseil de Sang, but they have only been mentioned in passing. As if all of this wasn't enough, we finally come to Annie. Annie is Heather's bipolar little sister who is hell bent on getting rid of Dante one way or another. She is currently helping Moringstar, although is it unclear whether or not she realizes it.
Whew! I apologize if I forgotten anyone, but it is quite a cast...and that is just the list of bad guys and the 'maybe' bad guys.

Maybe (and I'm just spit-balling here) it would be nice if we could just focus on one or two sinister plots with one or two bad guys per book.

On a side note that has nothing to do with anything...The Fallen's name for Dante status as a Maker is creawdwr. Every time I would read the word 'creawdr' my warped mind would see 'crawdad'. Don't know why I felt like I needed to add this into my review, except that it made me giggle several times while I was reading the book.

[Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Adrian Phoenix and her Dante series, but this book just didn’t do it for me. To sum it up, after the events of last book (In The Blood) Heather, Von and Annie try to get Dante back to his home in New Orleans, whilst trying to save his life from various different “people” and trying to help him keep his sanity.

This book is NOT a stand alone, you must read the previous two books before you’ll have any idea what is going on. That said, within the first 100 pages there were SIXTEEN different characters. I know because I had to take a piece of paper and write down names and occupations. Seriously. I will list them for you, just so you have an idea of the character list. I am missing a few too.

1.Dante Prejean/Baptise/S
2.Heather Wallace
3.Von
4.Annie Wallace
5.Brisa Rodriguez
6.Mr. Dion
7.Emmett Thibodaux
8.Merri Goodnight
9.Sam Gilliespie
10.Caterina Cortini
11.Celeste Underwood
12.Agent Holmes
13.Agent Miklowitz
14.Monica Rutgers
15.The Morningstar
16.Gabriel
17.Lucien
18.Renata Cortini
19.Giovanni Cortini
20.Hekate
21.Trey
22.Silver
23.Simone
Now the ones in bold have a major part in the book, which sometimes makes it difficult to figure out since it switches between POV throughout the book. There’s the Shadow Branch, The Fallen, The Vamps, The FBI all after Dante, most have bad intentions on our hero. On top of it, Dante is loosing his grip with reality so the book switches between here and now to past events. At the starting of the book is a glossary, ruh roh. Cajun and Italian have major roles in the book, so I found myself flipping to the front so often, I contemplated cutting out the glossary so I wouldn’t have to keep flipping back to the front.

I am sad to say that the plot-line just wasn’t clear enough, with the constantly shift POV’s, the language changes and the overabundance of characters, it was just to hard to follow and it made it un-enjoyable. Even though I really love the main characters, I just couldn’t take all the extras that made it muddy. I was disappointed with the ending as well, it was so sudden and cleared nothing up. I really wish most of the extra characters had been edited out which would have made the book flow better. Thankfully Dante’s attitude is still intact and he carries the best parts of the book with his middle finger held high.

[DarkHeart "Vehngeance" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian Phoenix continues to impress me with her wonderful Maker's Song series. The world inhabited by Dante and Heather is both dark and wonderful.

Dante's tragic past continues to unravel, resulting in both tragic and awe inspiring consequences. The Bad Seed program's ugly truth continues to be revealed and relationships are both tested and strengthened.

There is so much going on in the book - possibly a bit too much at some times (I admit I had a difficult time keeping all the feds straight), but it made for another compelling read. Of course, these aren't stand-alone books and anyone who chose this, or even ITB, as an introduction to the series would be completely lost. Several new story lines were introduced, and some of the existing ones received less page time than I would have expected. Basically, there is a lot still going on at the end of this book that is going to make the year until the next release a long one.

I recommend this series to anyone who loves dark paranormal stories with rich characters and complex and detailed stories. One of my favorites, by far!

[Styles · Rating 1 out of 5]

ACK!!!!!!!

1/2 way done with this book and it's like reading the written version of a drug induced diatribe of insanity.

Seriously I hate this book. NOTHING makes sense and I've read the previous two books in the series. I even really liked book 2.

So so sad. I guess in the end I'm simply not connecting with the author. What is kind of story is she trying to write? This thing may be classified Urban Fantasy but it pulls in so many genre's that it's simply chaos.

I want more of Heather and Dante and Von - the good stuff. Now there is like a whole 2nd generation of cops like the first round wasn't enough of a challenge to figure out.

The writing just doesn't carry the part of the story I find most intriguing. I can't read 95% chaos for 5% of a story that interests me.

I hate it that I wasted money on these books. I hate it that I stuck with this hoping to really be able to say I liked the story and most of all I hate it that I wasted time reading this series.

I am simply too bummed out to accurately convey my disappointment.

[Katerina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have tried, very very hard to keep reading this series, but I'm sorry Ms. Phoenix, I can't do it anymore. I felt that the whole series was pointless. From one trap to another evil person, to someone else that wants to use/bind/keep Dante, to the vampires and them wanting to use/bind/keep/taste, to the Fallen that want to bind/keep/use him and so on so forth. One of the books so far in this series is a span of 24-48h. With of course the whole memory jumping and stuff.. It was okay at the beginning. It was in fact amazing. The characters so well written and the perfect tortured hero, with the (obscene) but believable story arc that he's God, and the human FBI agent with the bad dad and the dead mom and the bratty sister, with more drama etc etc etc...

It could have been amazing. It could have been epic, but instead we spend most time on the road, inside peoples heads, with different and new characters introduced every chapter or so, and everyone of course being the ultimate evil or something.. Prolly it's an Urban fantasy thing, to introduce plot lines and not finish them up on the current book but down the line, but I have a news flash... I am curious about Caterina and Merrit, and I would have liked to see what Emmet does and Giovanni, but I am not going to do it. Because that would require pointless introduction of even more secondary characters in the next book, and I'm pretty sure that they could be easily killed in the first few pages, and bam! more new names to remember. And really, was it necessary to kill Simone?

Additionally the series hasn't been concluded and there are a lot of disappointed fans that waited 2 years (?) for book 5 to only have some other ridiculous kidnap/bind/use/etc of Dante story arc going (wait! what? never happened before in the previous books! #sarcasm) so bottom line, not worth it.

It could have been epic this series, but enough. Not for me. Too much stagnant narration and unnecessary angst.

[Tiffany Danner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of the Maker’s Song series by Adrian Phoenix picks very quickly after where book 2 left off. In fact the entire events of Beneath the Skin take place over just about a week. So much is going on in these few days that several times I wondered if time just ran differently in their world. Ok not really, but seriously if I could get as much done in a day as these guys I would be superwoman!

In Beneath the Skin Heather and Dante find themselves stuck trying to deal with the aftermath of all the events that take place at the end of In the Blood. Dante is lost within himself, buried in flashbacks and memories of his past. Heather is now on the run from the agencies she used to work for. Lucien is still being held by the Fallen and suspected of being dead. Book 3 explores the question…. can Dante keep his sanity or is he destined to be just a weapon who has lost control?

One of the things I love about this series are the characters. Heather kicks ass and I was glad to see her finally slip on some leather pants. For once I think the book cover actually portrays a look the characters pulls off in the story! I love Heather because she is smart, determined, dedicated, and simply will not take no for an answer. Not even from the bad boy vamp in PVC mesh and leather. There is never even a question that she is strong enough to stand beside Dante and fight with him.

Equally lovable is Dante, a True Blood (born) vampire and Fallen Angel “maker”. He is like an M&M, hard shell…. sweet chocolatey goodness in side. His foul mouth and flippant attitude make him a fun character to read about. I just can’t help but love a guy who is so fond of flipping people off and tossing out the F#&! word. As if his oddly charming personality isn’t enough, Dante is man enough to not push Heather behind him at the first sign of trouble. He doesn’t go all alpha crazy and lock her in a closet when things start falling apart, in fact he admits to needing her. But make no mistake, you will get your sexy man beast fix with this book as he has no problem putting Heather up against a wall if ya know what I mean *wink wink nudge nudge*.

Something else to look forward to from Beneath the Skin is an extended glimpse at Von, the sexy biker nomad. He plays a heavy part in the book. His dedication and love for Dante and all the things he considers “his” is touching.

Now for my complaints… *sigh*. I hate to do it, but I have some. This installment has just too much going on. Halfway through the book I was seriously considering whipping out some graph paper and making a flow chart so I could remember who was who and what agency they worked for. The way the author draws us into Dante’s head and his struggle to not lose it was flawless. I ate up those chapters like freshly baked cookies. But I found myself growling and sighing when we got pulled out of those scenes only to be stuck in the middle of Shadow Branch/FBI/Whatever other Agency crap. There were just too many agents with too many agendas and in the end there was nothing done with those plot points. They are just left dangling in the wind. On top of that the ending seemed abrupt… I didn’t expect it to be so sudden and got the feeling that because of all the plot lines the book was originally longer but they needed a stopping point.

Now that I complained, I will admit, that field agents (don’t ask me which agency they were from) Emmet and Merri interest me. I do look forward to seeing what part they will play in the wind and I liked the relationship between them. However, everything else relating to the Shadow Branch and the plot to capture/release Dante just went over my head and left me feeling confused.

Even with my gripes, Beneath the Skin, is a great read. So much of the action of the book comes from within Dante’s mind and I found myself really enjoying the experience. Often a good internal struggle is so more engaging than the external dangers. This book was definitely better than the last and I look forward to the next one. It will be interesting to see how and if resolution comes about in book 4.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to confess that up until the second book of this series, I was completely obsessed. A Rush of Wings was perfect and In the Blood was really good, but I'm disapoointed with this third one. First of all, I felt that there was too much time and space devoted to the new characters. This would have been fine if there were two or three new ones, but there are a lot more than that. Worse, I didn't care for them at all; not even to keep track of their names to tell them apart. At one point, I found myself so confused that I couldn't even remember if the person was working for the FBI or the SB. By then it hardly even mattered. The only thing I had to think of was that everyone was after Dante and Heather, effectively making them The Villains regardless of who they worked for. My second problem is connected to the first. There are too many people chasing after the good guys. In a way, this makes sense. Dante is both nightkind and fallen after all, so it's only logical that vampires and angels are dying to get their hands on him. He's also a product of Bad Seed, and is therefore seen as a loose end that must be taken cared of. Meanwhile, Heather is a liablility, too. The bureau is after her for two reasons: first, she knows too much, and second, they want to see how Dante has altered her. All these I understand, but what I found a bit off was how there were other characters thrown into the mix who had their own agenda. As if the FBI, SB, fallen angels, and nightkind aren't enough, we have one agent who's plotting to trigger Dante to kill her daughter-in-law who she suspects of ordering her son's murder, and another agent who plans on killing Dante to redeem himself from his loser life which consists of, but is not limited to, a failed marriage and addiction to alcohol. Do I hear a "WHAAAAT?" now? There were too many things happening all at once that I found the development of the story suffered. I would have understood if everything came together by the end, but they didn't. So many plot points were left unfinished, and while I do realize that these would probably be resolved in the next book, I still felt cheated. A Rush of Wings and In the Blood both wrapped up neatly enough, so why does the ending for this one feel sloppy and rushed? My third problem has to do with the pacing. Practically nothing interesting happened in the first half of the book! I actually stopped reading several times. This was really disappointing because one of the things I loved most about the first two was the fast pace.

With all those complaints out of the way, I have to admit that I still liked this book. It wasn't bad, just not as good as I expected. I like the nightmare/memory/flashback story arc for Dante, and how Heather could get inside his head and anchor him back to the here and now. I like the believable and consistent development of their relationship. I can honestly say that even if this series goes south from here on out, I would keep reading just to see what happens to both of them. That is how attached I am to their characters. I like Von too, and I hope there's more of him in the next book. I also want more of Silver, Trey, and even Annie and Star (who intrigues me). No more new FBI/SB agents please! Lastly, I'm glad Lucien is alive. Dante had a horrible childhood (understatement!); he gets beaten up and tortured in every single one of these books; and he's in constant excruciating pain, so I am somewhat relieved that Adrian Phoenix did not decide to kill off his father, too.

In sum, I'm giving this book 3 stars. It fell short of my expecatations, but to be fair, my expectations were a wee bit too high. By now I can say that I'm reading on for my love of the characters. As long as nothing messes up Dante and Heather, I'm most likely to remain a fan. I just really hope the next book turns out more like the first two than this. Despite this less than spectacular addition to the series, I am still eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth book next year. Hurry, January 2011!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beneath the Skin is another great addition to the "Maker's Song" series. There are so many things about this series I love ... the non-stop action, the hottie vamp with a tortured past he struggles with, more and more, ever minute while sharing a deep bond and love for a tough, spunky chick.

I love Von, the keeper of history, the nomad Nightkind, Llygad. I want more of him.

The only downside is the amount of back and forth with the different agencies and all their agents. At some point I think I just go with it and stop trying so hard to keep everyone straight in my head. The story, always complex, continues to unfold, as does Dante's heartbreaking past. He's now getting stuck between past and present events, after the happenings in the previous book. Heather and Von are there to help him deal with it, in the best ways they can.

"...The Shadow Branch and the Bureau...had brutally shattered a child, then pieced him back together with misaligned edges, the cracks still showing. Just to see what would happen."

I can't wait for the next book and hate that I've reached the end of the available books in the series, now having to wait until Jan 2011 for Etched in Bone. This series is a must for all hard core UF fans who want to get lost in the complex, but intriguing world of Dante and Heather.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speechless! Though definatly still a cliffhanger of an ending...when is Etched in Bone coming out??? Honestly, I have not been able to put any of this series down. There of course have been some resolutions, but there are still lots of unanswered questions. Dante: "My Way, My Terms, We Clear?" Love it!!!! I will admit (as another reviewer indicated) there are a lot of characters that seem like they don't have much to do with the story or we are wondering why there are still around, well I am quite sure there is a reason Adrian has written them that way and their purpose will come to light. She is only setting the stage and it has not all played out yet!!! Have faith...I have no doubt all will come together. Some have also complained about being confused on jumping back and forth from POV to POV. While sometimes it may take me a second to realize whose head I am in now....I love being able to see/feel how the other charcters are perceiving the events that have transpired. It helps give better understanding. It's like seeing all 3 sides of the story and hoping that the 3rd side (the true) one will be seen by all!

Ah, satisfied, but still left wanting more....

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book picks up literally minutes after the last one and the last one ended on a bang. Heather, Dante, Von, Aimee, and the SB agent end up at a hotel recovering and plotting their next moves. With all the torture that Dante dealt with he is in bad shape, having a hard time telling what is reality and dealing with awful events that happened to him in the past. The group decides that their best bet is to head home to New Orleans, the trip becomes tricky as half of them can't handle sunlight and Dante wavers in and out of reality, but they do get some help from an unexpected source. Little do they know that they are hunted by almost everyone, the SB, FBI, the Fallen, other vampires, it really becomes a case of who is not hunting them. Everyone wants Dante for their own agenda, but he still has enough strength and the luck to be what everyone has waited for so long for that in the end he is able to get his way but not without sacrifices along the way.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole world is after Dante, it seems. And the pain of his traumatic past continues to haunt him and make him bleed. At the end of the book there are several unresolved villains and people with agendas after the poor tortured dude. They either want to kill him or use him for their own power. Is there no end to the stupidity of people? Using Dante is like trying to use a hurricane but no one seems to know it yet. There is no huge climax in this book. It ends on a hopeful note, with Dante creating his own gate to Gehenna and finding Lucien. They go back to New Orleans, Dante and Lucien and Heather. Heather is his anchor and his love.

It seems more is to come. I wonder when the next book is coming out.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, although there is a lot of violence. Still, the bad guys seem to get theirs, no one seems to learn the serious consequences of messing with Dante, and he and Heather are more and more tightly connected to one another.

[Mrs. Badass · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some things I liked about this latest installment, but even more that I didn't like.

The biggest thing that bothered me were the eight or so different story lines the reader was forced to endure. By the end of the book I was sitting there thinking, why on earth did we even need to know what Merri/Em, Gillseppe, Rutgers, Underwood, Purcell, Renata, Cortina, oh and Muvail/Justina were doing at all times???? Add to that, their story lines were never completed in this story and I was really sort of pissed off.

I did get a happy buzz at the end of the story, and it was totally cool of Dante to open his own Portal to Gehnna.

It felt like there was more everyone elses story then Dante and Heather, Von and the rest. I will still continue reading the series, but I hope that the next book isn't so rubber necking.

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This installment in the Maker series, slams you right into the action and never lets you rest. I think it is even better than the first tow books and darker. There is also some of the sweetest moments to date. Fantastic !!!
Heather gives up her agent job to stay with Dante he is still having terrible seizures and is being hunted. It seems everyone wants a piece of him, of his power. His father is gone and the pain of that along with his powers are driving him over the edge. He struggles just to hold on to his sanity. Von, my favorite character really shines and reminds me why I like him so much. I would like to read his book someday.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book from Adrian Phoenix. Every character in this book is clearly visualized and feels absolutely real. The story is mesmerizing in it's complexity of emotions and motivations. When reading this story I had a real sense of emotions, colors, music, light and dark, sounds, textures, even tastes. Every sense was engaged. The plot may have been a tiny bit too complex; I might have been happier with one or two less players. But I'm willing to give Ms. Phoenix the benefit of the doubt and eagerly look forward to seeing how it all continues to play out in the next book.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fabulous! So suspenseful! You never knew what was going to happen or why. There were so many different story lines and they each just left you hanging by your toes with – “What’s going to happen??” and of course what you thought would happen, didn’t.

Dante is turning into someone no one would have guessed which I’m sure will shock the FBI, CIA and Shadow Branch (which I’m convinced exists in our government) in the Book #4. Not to mention all the other vampires that want a piece of him as well.

[Yvette · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly couldn't finish reading this. There were way too many characters, I didn't know what half of their motives were or what agency they were a part of. I wanted to read about Dante and Heather but from what I read, they weren't going to be making that much of an appearance in this book. They're part were so short that was partially the reason I stopped reading.

I'm just disappointed with this one, and I loved the other 2. I love Dante's character and I'm just sad that I really couldn't read this one.

[Stav · Rating 4 out of 5]

well done and captivating as the previous two books in the series. LOVE LOVE LOVE Dante. Still, the introduction of all these new FBI and SB agents in to get/use Dante.... necessary perhaps, but just a little confusing... everyone wants a piece of him for their own agenda. Excited that the new characters mean there has to be a 4th book coming..

[Krissi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt jumbled with so many voices piecing together the story. I would have preferred more of Heather and Dante interactions/dialogue.

[Dru · Rating 4 out of 5]

<3 <3 <3

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked Dante and Heather. I really enjoyed book 1 of this series, but as I read each progressive book I enjoyed them less and less. They got bogged down in all the extra storylines and miscellaneous characters. Dante and Heather, the main character, were only in about 1/3 of the book. I found myself skimming the chapters that focused on the other characters. If this is the trend, as it seems to be, I will not be continuing on with this series.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not thrilled with how the Annie portion of the story played out, and given where things left off, not sure where that has to go, but overall did like this quite a bit. Some interesting twists and turns, a few unexpected losses and another great story.

Unfortunately I don't have the rest. Time to hope I find them soon.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third in The Maker's Song urban fantasy series set in New Orleans although this particular story takes place mostly in Oregon.

My Take
Talk about why we need openness in government!! The FBI and their Shadow Branch have run amuck — especially when they're mucking about with their own agents! And using their authority to pursue their own personal agendas . . .!

Dante's too decent for any of them and every time they try to hurt him, I just want him to lash out! Why is it that criminals always think their evil actions are acceptable and when someone tries to stop them, then the crooks think they're justified to retaliate!?? What, they never heard that "turn about is fair play"?

I am curious to find out what happens if the "statues" from "Angelhenge" come alive when they get to the government facility in Alexandria . . .

Heather keeps being drawn in deeper and deeper into Dante's mind and now Dante is drawing Von in.

I try to divorce myself from my own reader perspective and think of Annie as if she were my sister. It's very difficult. No matter what, I just want to shove her out the door and roar off without her.

I do love, though, when the good guys get the turnabout and shock them all with Dante's power and willfulness.

The Story
Cortini discovers the truth and crosses that line helping Heather, Dante, Von, and Annie escape from to hole up in a motel. Only Morningstar breaks in, then seduces Annie who can see him due to her mis-wired brain. Annie is all too willing to give Dante up to him, and it's only Morningstar's desire for Dante to willingly accept him that prevents Morningstar from taking him — I know, it's exhausting. And this is just the first chapter or so!

Meanwhile, the FBI has found the crater and the statueized Fallen and orders are flying back and forth contradicting how Dante and company are to be treated while Matthias is planning to play both ends against the middle.

Life for Dante and company only gets more complicated after the shoot-out and its amazing aftermath which has just about every agent involved questioning their orders. While that old saw about power corrupting sees the people in charge with their own agendas and plans to use Dante for their own ends.

The Characters
Heather Wallace is an FBI agent. Annie, Heather's sister, is bi-polar and air-headed with a mis-wired brain.

Dante Baptiste Prejean, a rock star, is a Maker/Unmaker, a Pure Blood, and his existence is highly prized by the Elohim who want to control him. That he is also a vampire ensures that vampires also want to control him. Unfortunately for Dante, he was born in a top-secret lab affiliated with the FBI and horribly, horribly abused as a child in an experiment called Bad Seed. Where they created their own pet psychopaths and released them into society to see what they would do. The remaining members of Dante's "family" are Von, Tyler, and Simone.

Von is a Nomad and a vampire. He works as a roadie for Dante's band, Inferno, and takes care of Dante as well. Tyler is the resident vampire computer genius who can find out anything on the Internet and Simone is Tyler's sister.

Lucien de Noir, a.k.a. Samael, is one of the Fallen, an Elohim, as well as Dante's father. Imprisoned by Gabriel and Morningstar by having his wings banded via a spell, Hekate, Gabriel's daughter, will help him escape if he will rescue her mother, Lilith. Gabriel and Morningstar are both Fallen and have been sharing the throne of Gehenna for two thousand years. Ever since Lucien killed Yahweh, a Maker who was going insane.

Matthias and Justine are the ruling vampire couple in New Orleans, and Etienne was one of Justine's. She is so not happy that Dante killed Etienne. The very Italian Renata is Caterina's mother and a vampire; Giovanni is one of her people. She fully intends to recover Dante for the vampires. Her vampires.

The Agency
Special Agent-in-Charge Lyons is with the agency wiping agents' memories and one half of a pair discovers her human partner's wipe just before heading out to her own "debriefing". Caterina Cortini was the agency's go-to girl for wetwork, but as the daughter of a vampire raised on stories of Pure Bloods . . . well, the agency hasn't a chance.

The Cover and Title
The primary colors of the cover are fuchsia and a beautiful, bright, mossy green with Heather wearing the fuchsia as a tank top, her legs spread wide for balance near the bottom of a flight of stairs.

I suspect the title refers to Heather and Von being sucked into Dante's nightmare memories. It could also refer to what people are truly like Beneath the Skin when they have the ability to use power for themselves. Dang scary thought . . . eh???

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the series went down hill, didn't enjoy it and will not continue reading the series

[Sammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inspired by spending too much time with this book.

[Wenj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review provided by Black Lagoon Reviews:

Beneath the Skin, the third installment in the Maker’s Song series by Adrian Phoenix, picks up immediately following the events of In the Blood. As has come to be expected from this thrilling series, there’s a seemingly nonstop onslaught of danger as plots and players eager to both protect and/or obtain Dante come out from the shadows. With a wonderful build up of action and suspense throughout and a pinch of romance this is one novel, and series, that I highly recommend

The world Phoenix created in the Maker’s Song series is ever expanding with heavy ties in the mortal, vampiric and angelic worlds. Each aspect of these realms is heartily explored and built, slowly revealing layer upon layer of hidden and nefarious agendas from all sides. While this has always been a rather broad series, it is wonderfully developed divulging minimal amounts of information to eager readers. This allows for some enthusiastic anticipation throughout the series leaving the world always feeling fresh and new despite being the ever growing number of novel within this series.

But, what really makes this series a must read for me are the characters. They are so wonderfully developed that they could literally step off of the page. These vividly depicted characters all have unique personalities that allow readers to either fall in love with them or loathe them…or in Dante’s case sympathize. I mean, here is a truly endearing character that has a wonderfully defiant, solitary streak and yet he’s so accessible. He cares unconditionally about those around him giving all of himself without reservation in spite of the hellish upbringing enforced upon him by the Shadow Branch. Broken doesn’t even begin to describe him and yet I can’t bring myself to actually call him that. True, he may be fractured almost irreparably but there is still a wonderfully delicious spark in him that clamors to be released amongst the ensuing battle to serperate the here and now from his tortuous and blood curdling memories. Heather, former FBI agent and lover, is smart, determined and has a backbone of steel as desperately tries to tether the tormented True Blood Maker to the present in a seemingly loosing battle to maintain his sanity. Her loyalty to Dante is only overshadowed by her love for him. In fact, all of the characters Dante surrounds himself with are utterly loveable on this front. Their loyalty and love of him is so pure that they will go to any lengths to keep him safe whether he likes it or not. Even the more despicable characters in this novel like the ‘heroes’ are fully developed filled with reasons and excuses to justify their behavior. And the fact that I can actually loathe them is a major point in this novel's favor as the deep exploration into their characters' even goes on to the point of they are blinded by the truth behind their actions, eager to put off self scrutiny under the guise of ‘national security’. While some of these characters do eventually become somewhat redeemable after seeing the bigger picture most are simply self serving, manipulative and just plain sadistic.

This leads to a lot of action throughout the novel geared more towards espionage and police procedural then an urban fantasy novel. In truth, a lot of this book reads like a political thriller with the various shadow branches of the government plotting against this little band of Nightkind and mortals. Add to that the chase from the Fallen eager to get their talons into Dante and plop him in the Chaos Seat and it’s full on Bedlam. But, there are still a few in the world eager to protect the Fallen True Blood Maker, however, this too leads to questions of motive as vampires start the process of trying to win over Dante’s trust. In the end, this overwhelming onslaught of players can be daunting as you try and keep track of motives. The flip-flopping of sides throughout, converting enemies into allies, adds to the chaos as even the good guys can often come off as being questionable in a world where truth and trust is often in short supply.

Overall, this novel showed the ever expanding world of this novel perfectly as well as the tenuous grasp that Dante holds on reality and his sanity. It leads to a lot of questions and the action packed conclusion leaves you demanding more! This is definitely one of my favorite urban fantasy series and I eagerly recommend it to anyone who loves vampires and angels. However, as can be surmised from my review, this is not a stand alone novel and you should really begin with the first installment A Rush of Wings, you won't be disappointed.

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dante, Heather, Von and Annie head back to New Orleans, back home. But there are a lot of people hunting them after what happened in the last book – and Dante’s secret is now well and truly shattered

With multiple FBI agents, the Elohim from Gehenna, assassins, agents, vampires from several factions all vying for Dante’s attention, his life or his power, it’s a twisty maze to navigate

Especially since Dante’s mind is shattered, the past continually intruding into his daily senses and him constantly being brought down by agonising seizures as he tries to absorb his newly resorted memories and the horrors he’s lived through. Only Heather can anchor his damaged psyche to the present and control his omnipotent power.



I’m wondering if this book was held upside down and somehow this caused all the story to pour to the end?

Because it’s a 350 page book that has endless amounts of foreshadowing and the 8 gazillion characters all carefully moving into position before we actually get some stuff happening at about page 300.

It’s not that there’s nothing in the rest of the book – but it’s either from the VAST CAST of side characters or it’s repeating what we already know.

Dante is unstable, dangerous, has an extreme problem holding onto reality and keeps getting lost in flashbacks of his horrendous past which, unfortunately, means his quite literally omnipotent god powers go out of control. And it’s really well done – it’s extremely well written how these moments are described and you can feel the different realities colliding in his head. Sometimes with just a line of dialogue, sometimes a full seen which is brilliantly evocatively described. I take my hat off to this writing, it’s truly a master piece

And it was good the second time. And the third. And the fourth. The fifth was pretty good too and… ok, I get it! We don’t need more repetitions.

And Heather loves Dante and Dante loves Heather and Annie is disturbed and shouldn’t trusted. Repeated a hundred times.

Then there’s an FBI chase that gets called out. There’s an FBI cover up of the dramatic proportions – so we see all the detail. We see them discovering in shock and horror what happened, the sheer extent of Dante’s power and try desperately to put a lid on it. It’s, again, really well written, exciting and extremely evocative as FBI and SB agent after agent look at what happened and struggle to come to terms with the sheer power of what has happened. I love it, I love their realisation, I love their struggling to understand, I love their hurry to get control over it…

And then there’s a several page radio interview of civilians reporting on the FBI cover up… why? I already know what the FBI are doing. I saw them do it. Why do I need it rehashing? Why is this section even here.

Then there’s the FBI and SB agents running around and, in the revelation, more and more of them splintering into various factions as they grasp what is happening, what has happened and what that means for them.

So we have Merri and Emmet, vampire and human team who I like, agents of the SB they know their boss is lying to them and run away before being messed with. They go rogue and possibly hitting up a faction of vampires.

Then there’s their boss, Gillespie, who lied to them who has decided to go rogue and ignore his orders because of various reasons. He’s a separate rogue from them.

Then there’s Rutgers, who we remember went rogue last book, well she’s gone well and truly rogue now to be a full blown loose cannon.

Then there’s Underwood, the woman who drove Rutgers into going rogue. Guess what? She’s going rogue! Only less dramatically, she’s being all sneakily rogue instead.

We have Caterina, SB assassin, who already went rogue last book. But her handler is going rogue a DIFFERENT way to kill his boss because he disagrees with the rules. And she disagrees with both the boss and her handler, so she’s like rogue twice over.

Seriously, this many agents ready to go rogue it makes me wonder how such ethically questionable (in fact, let’s not mince words about assassins and torturers) managed to hold it together at all! How do they make any decisions without half of the organisation heading to the hills with guns to play loose cannon? I look forward to the day they switch to decaf – and then the caffeinated hordes of SB and FBI agents will head to the Starbucks, gun in hand ready to bring down the system and do what is right – no matter the cost (it sounds better if you read it in a dramatic movie voice over style).


Read Me

[Alisha Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot: I was so excited when I was able to finally get my hands on this book and get closer to being up-to-date with the series. The book quickly goes into where we left off in In Cold Blood, Heather and the gang continue to try to get back to New Orleans and figuring out how to control Dante's power. It was definitely filled with twist and turns that I was hoping for. We find out more about what Dante is and how his mind works along with his developing powers. I loved the parts where Dante flashed between reality and dreams because we got to see how bad Dante is becoming. I could feel myself getting tense and anxious from Dante's mind and could understand why he has constant seizures and migraines. But, Heather is his light, and when she was around him, it was hard not to see why he loves to be around her and the silence she brings. However, I didn't get as much romance as I wanted. The romantic scenes were nice and delicious, but it wasn't enough compared to the other books. Phoenix is always very elegant with her books with creating a plot along with a few steamy scenes, but I wish there were a few more. But, this book is still enough to keep me craving for the fourth installment.

Characters: Heather - Heather is an amazing character. I do love how she has progressed from being distant and closed off to being more emotional and letting not only Dante but others inside her head. She is very protective of Dante and that seemed more prevalent in this installment. We could see that she did have a jealous side, but it was never spoken too much about to discover her insecurities.
Dante - Of course, we all love Dante! (It's hard not to.) But, I felt a little distant from him. I did love the scenes with seeing into his mind and dreams. However, when it came to his relationship with Heather, it didn't seem like it was his priority. I wouldn't expect it to be though. He's trying to figure out what he is and how to control it along with finding out what happened with Lucien and getting away from almost every creature on earth.

Cover: I love the colors of this color. It is very dark and sinister in the background with Heather on the cover. I don't really like the wig the model is wearing, but I do like how the covers usually translate the characters.

Overall Rating: I will give this book a three out of four. I absolutely love this series and can't wait to see what Phoenix has in store for us fans! This installment was a great bridge to what is to come in the series. I was shocked by some of the turns the book takes, but it's definitely nice turns. The plot is progressing with not only people finding out about Dante being a True Blood and Fallen Maker but also him evolving into his own. This is a must read series and I commend Phoenix for such an amazing series!

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

[Kt · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the ending of the last book, Dante had done some incredibly powerful and scary "magic" against the Fallen who were trying to claim. This book picks up right away, with Dante, Heather, Von, and Annie on the run from both the FBI and other agencies as well as any more Fallen who could be hunting Dante. Unfortunately, Dante's nasty past has caught up with him and threatens to consume his mind. With everyone gunning for both her lover and herself, Heather knows she must continue to protect Dante, as she is the only thing that can help him keep his thin hold on sanity. What she doesn't know is just how important him keeping his sanity is, for he has the power to make or unmake anything, and it is his destiny to change the world.


In my review of the last book I expressed some frustration with the amount of perspective changes and the difficultly in keeping track of everyone's agenda. I was hoping that this book would be a little better aspect, but it was actually much worse. There were just too many side characters all with their own plans, some hidden, some not. It was impossible to keep track of it all, and I felt that really detracted from the story. I would have preferred a whole lot more Dante/Heather time, at least I know what their agenda is.


In the little amount of time the book spend on the main characters, there was one thing that stood out to me, whenever the perspective got sucked into Dante's head. Through these glimpses we got to see just how torments and tortured he is by the unspeakable horrors of his past that the despicable people put him through. It is almost amusing that they were trying to mold him into a sociopath so they could study him, when all they had to do was turn the "camera" around on themselves. Then they would have seen the true sociopaths.


I really love the concept of this series and the main characters are great, but I'm really having a hard time getting through the books, and each one is harder than the last. I plan to stick it out because like I said, the main characters are great, and I want to know what happens to them, but I am almost to the point where I want to skip any scene that isn't about Dante, Heather, Von, or Lucien. I'm still holding out hope for things to get better as there is such potential in this series, but I won't hold my breath. I'm rating this a 3 based on the main characters alone, otherwise it would be lower.