APOCALYPSE HAPPENS, the third installment of Lori Handeland's Phoenix Chronicles, packs a punch with battles, squabbles, sex and questions aplenty to keep readers entertained and turning pages. From evil water spirits to dragon-shifters out to obliterate the sun and moon to a dagda (powerful fairy god), fans will learn about more nephilim than they can keep track of. Elizabeth now calls herself a "vampire-in-a-box" because when she takes off her charmed dog collar, she's as evil as the Nephilim who want to help Satan rule the world. For the good guys to win, she needs a spell that contains Jimmy's evil instincts to the nights of the full moon reversed. Ruthie, Elizabeth's foster mother who died in her arms and who now speaks through Luther, the lion-shifter, says they can't win any other way.

Summer still loves Jimmy, and with Jimmy not very happy with Liz, she hates Summer even more. And then there is Sawyer, the powerful skinwalker who fulfills all Liz's sexual needs, but she doesn't know if she can trust him. He never seems to decide if he will fight for good or evil, and she knows he holds back many secrets. Either way, he remains my favorite chacter. Elizabeth and company travel the country in search of clues to Solomon's Key, the book that allegedly gives detailed instructions for sending the Gregori who spawn the Nephilim fully created, back to Hell. It's an exciting ride: the question is whether or not Elizabeth will succeed.

Handeland has filled APOCALYPSE HAPPENS with numerous battle scenes, a new world, and many new creatures, but Elizabeth has to make a number of hard decisions and learns much about herself. It's this testing of her dedication and inner growth that makes this book stronger than the first two in my humble opinion. Nothing comes for free, and more often than not, one must make sacrifices to attain goals, and then wonder if the goals merited the sacrifice. Personally, I think these books are best enjoyed in order as it helps build the foundation on which future actions take place. The book also examines good vs. evil in people. Elizabeth kills creatures that would kill her and is impervious to Summer's fairy dust because she's on an "errand of mercy," but where does the border between good and evil lie and what happens if one becomes tempted to cross it. I'm waiting on pins and needles for Chaos Bites, book 4 of this series which is due out in May.

Book Summary

Elizabeth Phoenix is one of a select few with the power to battle those who have escaped from the darkest level of hell—demons bent on destroying humanity and reclaiming earth once and for all. Liz is determined to stop yet another Doomsday. But this time, it’s going to be more difficult than ever because someone she thought was dead isn’t dead anymore…and is bound and determined to destroy Liz and everyone she loves in the upcoming Apocalypse. Liz has arrived in Los Angeles to ferret out a nest of varcolacs: half human, half dragon creatures who crave the destruction of the sun and moon. But before she can prevent the kind of eclipse that would bring the world to an end, Liz must mine the depths of her own heart. She and her former lover Jimmy Sanducci have some personal demons to battle—and there’s always her mentor, the Navajo shaman Sawyer. Is he on their side or isn’t he? In the end, the three of them must find a way to fight together…or perish alone.

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