Amber is hired as a housekeeper at a Scottish mansion for the summer. Unfortunately, she can neither cook, clean, nor keep house well at all. But that’s not too important because her boss has other reasons for keeping her around. Her reclusive, wealthy, and youthful employer, Aidan, has huge secrets, secrets that can get Amber killed. When she agrees to help her brother steal some jewels from the forest, she unwittingly becomes embroiled in an immortal race for a valuable prize and a war between vampires, shades, and other paranormal beings.

At seventeen, Amber is naïve, witty, strong, loyal, and pining for her ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her. Because she needs a job for the summer, she reluctantly takes the housekeeping job that her brother set up for her. Aidan is a supernatural bounty hunter, among other things. Tormented by his past, Aidan is secretive, possessive, passionate, and very determined to make Amber his because he believes she is his mate.
First person viewpoint shifts between Aidan and Amber are a nice touch that adds depth to the story and the characters and makes it a bit easier to relate to them.

While A Job from Hell has an interesting cast of characters, the primary characters needed more development, as well as their relationships with one another, especially Amber and Aidan. The emergence of the soulmate bond between Amber and Aidan and their love for each other occurred too quickly without much development or them even spending much time together. I felt it was rushed before I could get a sense of who Aidan was.

Scott has created a promising series with Ancient Legends. The story, characters, and the world she has created are intriguing, but the mythology of this universe and the characters that inhabit it needs more development because parts of the story are vague and confusing. Maybe in trying to build suspense and to keep readers interested in the series as a whole, some needed information and ideas are left unrevealed and unexplored. The Lore Council is mentioned as a governing force in these character’s lives but not explored in any detail.

A Job from Hell is both an entertaining and frustrating read. While the story and characters draw you in and make you want to care about them and root for them, something is missing, and the uneven pacing hurts the story. Nevertheless, its gothic atmosphere, humor, unique characters and world building make it a mostly satisfying read.

Book stats:

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1461131332
• ISBN-13: 978-1461131335

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Books in the Ancient Legends series in the order they should be read:
A Job from Hell
Doomed
Voodoo Kiss
Dead and Beyond
Forever and Beyond
Shadow Blood