Reviews of A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends Book 1)

This book has potential. It was a little disjointed at times. I am not sure why Amber or Aiden are attracted to each other. She was a bit whiny and sometimes she was a smart ass, when other times she was all mooshy. The plot line itself is really good. I was not in love with the main characters.

What could be better than a summer in Scotland house-keeping in an old yet incredibly beautiful mansion that is owned by a boss you rarely ever see? Although cooking and cleaning are not really strengths (or even skills) she possesses, seventeen-year-old Amber sees the job as the perfect escape from her off-again relationship with her boyfriend and a way to build her college fund. Surely she can fake her way through a little cooking and cleaning, right?
Within a few days of her arrival, Amber gets a call from her brother Dallas who convinces Amber to accompany him on a smash and grab mission in the woods near the mansion. This is one of the few instances in A Job From Hell that I couldn’t really buy into for two reasons: 1) I couldn’t accept that being siblings was reason enough for the otherwise smart and responsible Amber to go along with theft and; 2) Scott goes to great lengths to establish the remote location of the mansion so how likely is it, really for Dallas to have found out about the jewels and their location in such a remote place? I got over myself and kept reading 
The ill-fated trip into the woods establishes Amber as the winner of a paranormal contest that was meant to be won, this time around, by none other than her boss, the totally lickable vampire, Aidan. For Amber, being a mortal and the winner of a paranormal contest is a dangerous combination. What Amber begins to discover is that winning the contest imbued her with certain powers that are held in high regard by most of the paranormal world. In other words, the pretty little mortal now has a huge target on her back – it so sucks to be her! As Aidan begins to unravel Amber’s role in the contest he also discovers an undeniable attraction to his housekeeper that he just can’t shake. Aidan’s attraction to Amber causes him to take more and more risks in order to ensure her safety and protect her life.
One of the things I like most about this book is Amber’s attitude and toughness. Rather than freaking out over the fact that her boss is a vampire and most of his friends are either vampire or some other breed of weird, she takes it all in and rolls with it. Additionally, as Amber comes to know Aidan and his reasons for so desperately wanting to retrieve the jewels himself, she sees no alternative but to suck it up and help him if she has any hope of returning to her “normal” life. Amber is resilient, snarky, and vulnerable all at once while Aidan is protective, stubborn, and vulnerable all at once. Aidan and Amber’s journey is fraught with drama, dilemmas, near-death (which is kind of huge for immortals) experiences, and ultimate victory. What the reader doesn’t see coming is the ultimate victory and what that victory actually is. Thank you, Jayde Scott for this particular ending - I find it tiring and completely unsatisfying knowing how a book is going to end before it actually ends.
Bottom line: this book was very good and perfectly directed at a young adult audience. For me, this book has it all: strong lead and secondary characters; a plot that is both strong and interesting; an appropriate level of fighting and action; and just a little bit of romance. In all, I found A Job From Hell quite entertaining and would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy a little paranormal in their lives.

Seventeen-year-old Amber stumbles into the paranormal world by chance when Dallas, her brother, sets her up with a summer job in Scotland. Dallas has secretly seen something in the woods that he thinks could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. However instead of finding riches, Amber unknowingly stumbles her way into an ancient paranormal race. Amber also promptly manages to win the first prize. The prize is so greatly wanted in the paranormal world that many would kill to have it. Amber, soon discovers her new boss, Aidan, didn’t employ her for her astounding housekeeping skills and he isn't who he claims to be either. Aidan is of course a vampire,as are the beautiful Claire and the humorous Keiran (Aidan's brother)
The surrounding, lurking, dark forces slowly conspire against Amber, her naivety and her increasing love for Aidan catapults her into a calamitous series of otherworldly events. With every immortal creature hunting for her, whom can she trust with her life? Should she really trust Aidan who seems to have feelings for her, or are the feelings he shows towards her merely a way to get her onside to do his bidding? Is Devon the one with her best interests at hurt, how can she tell looking into his deep, dark fathomless eyes. Is Angel a true friend, as she is the only other immortal around? Or is she trying to coerce Amber into doing what the Shadows want? Why is it the only one she seems to trust is Cass, the devils daughter?

I really, seriously, loved this book, it has humour, love and longing, the crazy dead ex, the gorgeous vampires, the sultry shadows, and of course the devils daughter who just happens to be the most direct and honest of the bunch of paranormals surrounding Amber! I enjoyed the suspense, even though you kind of know from the beginning that Aidan is a vampire. I enjoyed the concept of "The Shadows" they were a different kind of paranormal being than I have read before. All the twists and turns kept you wanting to read and puzzle along with Amber as to who she should really trust. I won't reveal spoilers but I will say at the end the book is left in such away that Amber is starting a whole new way of life, so there's plenty of scope for more Amber. Though I loved all the other characters too, maybe books from their points of view and their stories of how they came to be and now "live" would also be great.
I of course would recommend this series to fans of Charlaine Harris , Mary Janice Davidson , Dakota Cassidy, and Michele Bardsley this book is kind of Chick lit with a bit of bite thrown in ! (if you'll pardon the pun!) Definitely want to read more of Jayde Scott's books.

A Job From Hell is a paranormal romance featuring vampires, but what separates it from similar stories is the tongue in cheek tone set by the protagonist, seventeen-year-old, Amber, who takes a summer housekeeping job on a remote estate in Scotland where the cab driver will not take her after dark – not a promising omen, but Amber needs the money for college. Amber is a teenage Bridget Jones and a refreshing change from so many breathlessly serious YA heroines who are princess material and/or destined to save the world.

Amber stumbles all over herself when she meets her new boss, the hunky Aidan, who never appears by day, but before she can puzzle out what that means, she accidentally wins a competition for otherworld creatures, held only once every five-hundred years. The prize, five hundred years of second sight and the ability to see the dead, is nothing she wants but also proves to be nothing she can give back, even when legions of other supernatural creatures take an unwanted interest in her. It is shocking enough when Aidan, leader of the local vampire clan, informs Amber that she is destined to be his mate for eternity, and only gets worse when the Shadows, sworn enemies of vampires, spirit Amber away to their hidden lair and inform her that she will have to stay there.

More than the various thrills and chills, it was the cast of characters who kept me turning the pages. In addition to Amber, we have Kieran, who is Aidan’s snarky brother and drives his SUV like a maniac. There is Angel, a lonely Shadow who wants to be Ambers BFF, and my favorite, the delightfully irreverent Cassandra, who is Lucifer’s daughter and notorious for her hellishly bad fashion sense.

The one major character who didn’t quite fit the Buffy-like tone of the story was Aidan. Although he was “turned” into a vampire at 18, he’s had five hundred years of living experience, and I found myself wanting a bit more reserve or wisdom from him, something to set him a little apart from “the gang.” Even so, it was the gang that made A Job From Hell appealing, and now that I’m done, I find I miss them. No fear on that score, however, as this is just the first title in Ms. Scott’s Ancient Legends, series, and at a cost of $0.99, you can hardly go wrong.