His outrage at her refusal to get clean was soothing. Easier. He focused on that, rousing himself to his full height, the better to look down at her.

“Young lady—“

“I ain’t a lady.”

“Evidently. Forgive me, I don’t know what I was thinking. As I was saying, young… er… What is you name?”

“Rory.”

“Fine. Rory. Yes, that will do.”

“It ain’t like you’re choosing it for me, that’s my name.”

“Yes, yes,” snapped Longinus. “Now, although you know me as the Viper, I would prefer you to call me Longinus.”

“Long genius? Really?”

“Lon-ginus. Although some have indeed referred to my intellect as genius-like,” he said with a modest smile.

And if you knew Longinus, you’d know there is nothing modest about him.

The Viper and the Urchin by Celine JeanJean is a fast-paced fantasy with mystery elements, packed full of action and I really enjoyed it. What I enjoyed the most is the interaction between these two characters, who are so very different and still have enough in common – though deep down – that they come to an understanding in the end.

This is a stand-alone novel, but you can clearly see that there is more to come. The setting is complex and give out a lot more potential than this one story exploited. I especially liked the history of Damsport, because it’s intriguing, realistic and ripe for a lot more action and intrigue.

So, here I am waiting for the next novel…

NOTE: The author has now changed the title of this book to The Bloodless Assassin.

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