Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

Published by St. Martin's Press an imprint of McMillan Books.
Reviewed as part of Librarything's Early Reviewer program.

Elizabeth Phoenix has never had what you would consider a regular life. She always knew she was a little 'different' than other people and had she been raised by anyone else, maybe that would have been more of a problem. As it was, her foster mum Ruthie, was very supportive and tried to encourage Liz to learn more about her gifts. This is a good thing as Ruthie has been killed and it's down to Liz to uncover the truth behind the brutal death. At least she has some help but with the help being provided in the form of a cheating ex-boyfriend who left her heartbroken some time ago, and a creepy navajo guy who she has never felt comfortable with, I am sure Liz would rather go it alone. Little does she know (at first) that she has been thrust into a position of major responsibility, she has a limited amount of time to develop her gifts and on top of it all she has to save the world!

I have limited experience with supernatural fiction but I am finding that I like the genre a great deal. I mostly enjoyed this book though I found some parts to be a little too ' B-movie' in style. It was interesting to see the way Liz develops as a person who has to grow in maturity at an alarming rate if she is to succeed with her current task. It was also great to see the way she handles her psychic and supernatural abilities though I could have lived without the linking of sexual activity to her gifts. I think that took away from the story some and it almost makes the reader not take the author seriously. Then again, it could have been written that way in an attempt to add humour. Personally I prefer the humour that was expressed with snappy comebacks and hilarious descriptions that show up from time to time.

With all that in mind, I found this book impossible to put down. I even took the book to a seminar I had to attend and continued to read it there. I had someone approach me and ask what I was reading and it turned out she was a fan of this genre but hadn't heard of this author before but she was thrilled to learn about it and hopes to read some of Lori Handeland's books in the future. All in all, I liked this book and I have to say, I am so hooked on the story that I can't wait for the next installment which is due out next month I believe.

Great read.

Author's site: http://www.lorihandeland.com/