A Kiss Before Doomsday is the second instalment in Laurence MacNaughton’s Dru Jasper series and is a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series. Be aware that there may be spoilers for It Happened One Doomsday lurking in the review below. 

AKBD picks up immediately from where book one concluded. Grayson and his possessed car are missing and Dru is left with very little as her shop was also a casualty. Don’t despair though. It soon becomes apparent that Grayson is alive and kicking and his first thoughts are to seek Dru out, however, in a bout of gentlemanly like behaviour, upon realising he is still demon possessed, he concludes that the best thing for Dru is for him to stay away. Unfortunately for Grayson he seems to have some reanimated skeletons on his tail and his attempts to shake them off his tail go badly wrong . 

Back at the remains of the crystal shop Dru is taking care of her own emergency as Salem (the sorcerer from book 1) seems to be infected with The Scourge and Dru needs all her attention to save him. It seems that Doomsday has been merely temporarily postponed rather than completely averted and the world is still in danger. 

Dru is convinced that Grayson is alive and, roping in the assistance of Rane and Opal, is determined to find him. Their search will lead them on a breadcrumb trail that coincides with an unusual gathering inside a bunker hidden up on top of a mountain.

I really enjoyed AKBD. It’s a story with a dire threat told with a lot of humour. The writing is really good and all the characters from the first book are included. This instalment is slightly different because it focuses much more on the girls who find themselves ganging together, a la Charlie’s Angels style, to form a really great team. They make for some very entertaining reading while they rush into trouble dressed to kill. Grayson remains out of the picture for a good deal of the story which is a little disappointing in some ways (i.e. this means his car Hellbringer is also MIA) but I really loved that the girls are the ones racing around trying to rescue the demon in distress. A refreshing and welcome change. 

In terms of the characters. Opal and Rane share a little more of the limelight this time. Rane is definitely my favourite. She has this almost cartoon, x-men type feel to her combined with a ridiculous lack of caution that sees her rushing at trouble without any care and yet at the same time she has an endearing vulnerability and fierce loyalty that just make you want to root for her. We discover a little more about Dru when a character from her past reappears and her ability with crystals seems to be going from strength to strength. 
Each of the books are self contained stories so can probably be read as standalones although why deny yourself the pleasure of reading both when they make for such entertaining and quick reads?

A really solid addition to a series that I look forward to returning to (hopefully soon). 

I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.