Title: Passion Unleashed
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica, Book 3
Publication Info: Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner), March 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The Demonica series is hands down one of the best dark paranormal series in print. Fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark take note. Readers will delight in this thrilling tale of demonic love and an epic battle of good and evil.

Plot:

Half vampire, half demon Wraith, the tortured brother of Eidoldon and Shade from books 1 and 2, has turned into a mature Seminous demon. He can’t run from his terrible past, and tries to drown his pain by recklessly killing bad guys and trying to impregnate everything in sight. His brothers have done all they can to save him from his destructive path, to no avail. An old enemy is out to kill the brothers, and Wraith is the first one of the hit list. He gets poisoned by a toxin with no cure. His only chance is to steal a survival charm from its keeper, but when he discovers her he finds the task isn’t as easy as he thought.

Serena Kelley has guarded the charm since her mother gave it to her–sacrificing herself in the process. Her life depends on keeping the charm, but she has to stay a virgin in order to do so. When she meets Wraith, pretending to be human, she thinks she might have found a man worth sacrificing for. But heaven and hell have a stake in the charm too. A fallen angel is bent on using the charm to unleash Armageddon, and heaven can’t let that happen.

Wraith is torn. Is his miserable life worth more than this woman he has come to care for? Wraith has never been the noble type, but the fate of the world rests on his decision.

Discussion:

Another brilliant novel from an excellent author! The world building in these books is rich with demon lore, inter-species political machinations and magic rules. The characters’ transformations are compelling and believable, and their interactions set the pages on fire. Ms. Ione is on my must-buy list. I love how complex the story is, with multiple plot lines and many potential-heroes I’m eager to read about in future books. Reaver is really intriguing, as is the newest Seminus brother, Lore. I also love how Armageddon is set in Jerusalem. Why aren’t more end-of-the-world type battles set where the last battle is supposed to be set? I’ve been to Jerusalem and seen the Dome of the Rock and other sites, which makes reading books set in those locations even more interesting to me.

My favorite is still book 1, because I love protective heroes more than tortured ones, but PASSION UNLEASHED is a close second.

My recommendation: READ THIS SERIES!! (in order-it’s important)

1. Book 1: Pleasure Unbound (Eidoldon’s story)
2. Book 2: Desire Unchained (Shade’s story)
3. Book 3: Passion Unleashed (Wraith’s story)

Title: Kiss of a Demon King
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark, Book #6
Publication Info: Simon & Schuster, January 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

Kresley Cole is a must read for me because she always delivers an action-packed romance where the women are strong, the men are good looking and the love scenes are off the charts. Her trademark brand of humor lights up her dark world building. The sixth book in her wildly-popular Immortals After Dark series continues the home-run streak.

Plot:

Deposed demon king Rydstrom Woede has fought for a single goal for centuries: to win his kingdom back from evil sorcerer Omort the Deathless. All his hopes hinge on obtaining a sword sworn to kill Omort, but as Rydstrom races toward it he falls into a trap woven by Omort’s evil sister, Sabine the Queen of Illusions. He wakes up chained in the dungeon of his own castle to find Sabine intent on bearing his royal heir.

Though the forces of good and evil are massing in anticipation of the Quickening Accession, Sabine is on no one’s side but her own. She and her sister have stayed alive only through deceit and selfishness; she’s not about to stop now, no matter how much the sexy demon chained to her bed wants her to. Trust is highly overrated. She’s told Omort she plans to conceive Rydstrom’s child to give Omort power, fulfilling a prophesy that the child will open the mysterious well of souls. In reality she hopes to use the child to overthrow Omort and steal the throne for her and her sister.

Rydstrom tries to withstand Sabine’s seductive power, but one kiss and he knows she’s his fated mate. He’s suddenly torn between his kingdom and his woman, but it’ll take every trick in Sabine’s book to make him choose a half-mad evil sorcerous over his own people. When Rydstrom escapes, he kidnaps Sabine and exacts a sensual revenge for every torture she wrought on him in the dungeon. By the time they arrive in Rydstrom’s home in New Orleans, he plans to never let her go. Unfortunately, Sabine has been poisoned by Omort and Rydstrom must make the ultimate sacrifice: will he give up his kingdom for love?

Discussion:

This sexy edition of the Immortals After Dark series has less action and more sensual bedroom scenes than previous books, reminding me in of Anna Campbell’s latest Tempt the Devil. Rydstrom is honorable, protective and sexy as hell. Sabine is selfish, self-centered and rude, but protective of her sister and endearing in her own way. Her treatment of the little boy demon in the refugee camp is both revolting and humorous. I can’t decide whether to love her or hate her…but I think that’s what Ms. Cole was going for. Sabine has her own code of honor, and while it isn’t what I would do, it makes a certain sense.

As usual, KOADK is full of fun dialogue. Best line ever, post first love scene (p172): “I waited five hundred years for that?”

I certainly recommend Kiss of a Demon King and the entire Immortals After Dark series. Keep ‘em coming Ms. Cole!

A Vampire, a Werewolf and a Demon walk into a bar…

Vampires might have established the paranormal genre, but werewolves are the heroes closest to my heart. Last night, as I cuddled up in bed with a stack of books trying to ease my anticipation for Patricia Briggs’ upcoming CRY WOLF, I realized that I am very definitely on a werewolf kick. It might be my childhood fascination with Elf Quest Graphic Novels. It might be the Little Red Ridinghood inside us all. Whatever it is, Werewolf heroes have captured my imagination in a way that Vampires, those soulless tortured loners, have failed to do.

“Like most animals, werewolves spend a large part of their lives engaged in the three Fs of basic survival: feeding, fighting and…reproduction.” – Elena Michaels, werewolf heroine of BITTEN by Kelley Armstrong

Why I love Werewolves and wolf Shape-shifters:

1. Pack means family.
   Unlike their undead breathren, Werewolves are fiercely loyal to the pack. The pack, whether built through Turning or through biology, is everything: family, friendship, leader, world. The werewolf hero has brothers who have his back through any fight, and when he finds his heroine that loyalty is extended to her.
2. Wolves mate for life.
   Finding a mate is one of the most important events of a werewolf’s life. He will brave hell and high water to protect his mate, unleashing his savage beast to fight for love.
3. Body language and pack dynamics.
   I find the integration of wolf body language fascinating. Werewolf characters take on the complex political dynamics of real wolf packs, demonstrating dominance and submissiveness and deference to the alpha. Patricia Briggs is the best at weaving in complex pack hierarchy through body language.

Werewolf books on my shelves (first in series):

1. MOON CALLED by Patricia Briggs (Book 1: Mercy Thompson series) Have I talked about this series enough? Cuz I lurve it like a vamp loves blood.

Mercy Thompson’s life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn’t exactly normal herself.

2. “Alpha and Omega” Novella by Patricia Briggs in anthology ON THE PROWL (Prequel: Alpha and Omega series) CRY WOLF to be realeased July 29!!!

These all-new paranormal romances from today’s hottest authors feature a female werewolf who comes into her own; a Lord who crosses paths with a fiery mage; a mixed-blood Child of the Moon who faces an uncertain future; and a woman whose sixth sense proves to be a dangerous talent.

3. BITTEN by Kelly Armstrong (Book 1: Women of the Otherworld series)

Young, beautiful, and successful, Elena Michaels seems to have it all. Her happy, organized life follows a predictable pattern: filing stories for her job as a journalist, working out at the gym, living with her architect boyfriend, and lunching with her girlfriends from the office. And once a week, in the dead of night, she streaks through a downtown ravine, naked and furred, tearing at the throats of her animal prey.

Elena Michaels is a werewolf.

The man who made her one has been left behind, but his dark legacy has not. And though Elena struggles to maintain the normal life she’s worked so hard to create, she cannot resist the call of the elite pack of werewolves from her past. Her feral instincts will lead her back to them and into a desperate war for survival that will test her own understanding of who, and what, she is.

4. FULL MOON RISING by Keri Arthur (Book 1: Riley Jensen series)

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.…

Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.

In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.

5. HEART OF THE WOLF by Terry Spears

Their forbidden love may get them both killed

Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack. Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home. His passion for her wont be denied, but hes a beta, doomed to fight to the death if he so much as touches the alphas choice of mate.
When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. But with the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella cant resist the pull to her destined mate
A sizzling paranormal romance based in extensive research on how wolves live and behave in the wild, creating a fascinating world of nature and fantasy

6. TEMPTING DANGER by Eileen Wilks (Book 1: World of the Lupi)

Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her – a werewolf named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation – reasons he doesn’t want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate, devastating, and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man who she’s not sure she can trust.

7. WOLF AT THE DOOR by Christine Warren (Book 1: The Others)

Sullivan Quinn didn’t travel 3,000 miles from his native Ireland and his wolf pack just to chase rabidly after the most delectable quarry he’s ever seen. Quinn is in America on a mission—to warn his Other brethren of a shadowy group willing to use murder and mayhem to bring them down. But one whiff of this Foxwoman’s delicious honeysuckle fragrance and he knows that she is more than a colleague or a conquest…she is his mate.

Anthropologist Cassidy Poe is a world-renowned authority on social interaction, but the overpowering desire she feels around Quinn defies every ounce of her expertise. Working by his side to uncover The Others’ enemies poses risks she never expected—to her own safety, to those she loves, and to her heart, as every encounter with Quinn proves more blissfully erotic than the last…

Now, with no one to trust but each other, Quinn and Cassidy face a foe that’s edging closer every day, threatening to destroy the life they’ve always known, and the passion they’ve just discovered…

8. A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER by Kresley Cole (Book 1: Immortals after Dark)

A mythic warrior who’ll stop at nothing to possess her . . .

After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he’s waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy . . .

Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents — until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae — and their notorious dark desires — ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.

An all-consuming desire . . .

Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?

9. CARESSED BY ICE by Nalini Singh (Book 3: Psy-Changelings)

Brenna, a she-wolf Psy, was abducted by a serial killer-and returned a monster. The only person who can help her is Judd, a telekinetic and Council defector. But the passion burning between them could push them both over the edge of sanity

10. BLUE MOON by Lori Handeland (Book 1: Nightcreatures series)

Miniwa, Wisconsin is under siege, but not by the usual summer tourists. The area’s normally shy wolf population has begun stalking human prey, and their victims have been disappearing…or worse. Something is happening in the woods. Something brutal and primitive…

Officer Jessie McQuade has seen plenty in her years on the force-but nothing as intriguing as the gorgeous, naked man she encounters while tracking a rogue wolf. Professor Will Cadotte is a Native American activist. He’s also the only man capable of distracting Jessie from her work. And for a cop, distraction-no matter how pleasurable-can be deadly. It’s against Jessie’s better judgment to accept Will’s help in her investigation, yet she soon finds herself doing exactly that-and more. Will’s dark, penetrating eyes see into a part of Jessie’s soul she never knew existed. It’s exhilarating…and terrifying.
Now, as a town’s deepest secrets come to light, no one is safe: not friends, lovers, or strangers. And as Jessie follows a bloody trail to the shocking truth, she’ll have to decide who she can trust when the moon is full…

11. KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn (Book 1: Kitty Norville)

Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station’and a werewolf in the closet. Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it’s Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew?

What are your favorite Werewolf romance novels? Are there any you strongly recommend that I should check out?

Title: Pleasure Unbound
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica, Book 1
Publication Info: Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner), June 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Hot, Hot, and Hawt. Buffy meets E.R. in this completely addictive paranormal action-adventure, the first in a new series that is sure to be the next Black Dagger Brotherhood. I’m not kidding. I liked this book more than Ward’s crack-between-covers, and I’m a repeat offender

The Story
Demon-slayer Tayla Mancuso was taken in and trained by the Aegis after she saw her mother raped and killed by a demon. To the Aegis there is only one kind of good demon: a dead one. After a disastrous fight in which her partner is killed, Tayla wakes up into her worst nightmare. She is the captive patient of the world’s only demon hospital, which she describes thusly: “If Castle Dracula screwed a hospital, this would be the bastard offspring,” (p56). Underworld General Hospital founder and head doctor Eidolon is a rare breed of Incubi on the cusp of a maturation that will turn him into a lust-crazed monster unless he finds a mate. The other doctors want to kill the “Buffy,” but his oath to protect and heal won’t let him sacrifice the injured slayer. Someone is kidnapping demons and harvesting their organs, and the Aegis is suspected. Eidolon must convince Tayla that not all demons are evil, before his coworkers or her fellow slayers kill one or both of them. The clock is ticking as a mysterious illness slowly kills Tayla and Eidolon’s maturation speeds up. Can they learn to trust each other and find the organ-harvesters before time runs out?

World Building
Ms. Ione’s world building sucks you in with complex layering. Humans live alongside an untold number of demon species, which include vampires, werewolves, and incubi. Each species of demon has its own ruling council that manages the accepted number of human kills per capita. Most demons live deep under the Earth and can travel via a hell-gate to the surface. Humans are protected from this evil by a society of warriors, The Aegis. At the risk of comparing Pleasure Unbound overmuch to the BDB, what I liked better is that unlike the Omega-Scribe Virgin conflict, the demon-Aegis conflict is not black and white, good versus evil. Ms. Ione delves into the shades of grey that speaks to the heart of the human condition. What is evil? Nature or nurture? What if evil is necessary for survival? Pleasure Unbound only begins to address these questions, and I look forward to peeling off more layers in future books.

Characters
Ms. Ione has crafted a strong cadre of secondary characters that both enrich Pleasure Unbound and provide for future book heroes and heroines. I’m already salivating in anticipation of Shade’s book, coming up next. The hero of Pleasure Unbound is Eidolon, the Chief archetype. His brothers Shade and Wraith are the Charmer and the Lost Soul, respectively. The heroine’s sister Gem will (hopefully) get her day in the sun too. She’s got spunk and a dash of bad girl, and we already know where her heart lies. I love Eidolon. He’s handsome and smart, sweet and protective. His expletives are funny, since as a demon his mythology centers around the evil half of the coin. I especially liked Shade’s “Hells Bells!” Yum!

Love, True Love
Yes, Oh YES! And hot too.

A huge THANK YOU to the Book Binge for their interview with Larissa Ione and contest, in which I won a copy of this book. I luvvvvvved it. I can’t wait for Demonica Book 2: SHADOW LOVER comes out in March 2009. Read the excerpt here.

Title: Wild Thing
Author: Maggie Shayne, Marjorie M. Liu, Meljean Brook, Alyssa Day
Publication Info: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Paranormal Romance Anthology
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

This book is a must read. Why? Because a) “Hunter Kiss” is the prequel to THE IRON HUNT, b) Meljean Brook is in it, and c) Ms. Shayne’s story is freakin hot. Lucky you, Wild Thing is going to be released in Mass Market Paperback in January 2009.

Four all-new stories of feral passion.

Wild passion, yes. But feral? Makes me think of “rabid dogs” for some reason. Ha. But moving on…

ANIMAL MAGNETISM by Maggie Shayne

Macy McNamara is a veterinarian with a dirty little secret: she can communicate with animals. Humans are a different matter, earning her an unfortunate reputation. Detective Jay Harris is a player. Women fall at his feet with little work on his part, so when he comes face-to-face with Macy’s cold shoulder, he finds a challenge impossible to resist. A victim’s dog is shot at the scene of a rape, and Jay brings the poor animal to Macy. She not only saves the dog’s life, but finds out details about the crime that only the dog knows. She must trust Jay with her secret and convince him to believe her if the serial rapist is to be stopped.

The verbal sparring between Macy and Jay is fresh and sharp. They make sparks, both inside and outside the bedroom. I love how neither is afraid to demand exactly what he or she wants from the other. Jay is a true gentleman: hot, chivalrous, protective. Yummy. “Animal Magnetism” was my first taste of Maggie Shayne, who is a finalist for this years RITA award in the paranormal category. I am definitely going back for more. This is why I love anthologies – I always find new-to-me fabulous authors!

PARADISE by Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians, Book #3

Lucas Marsden is the leader of the vampire community in Ashland, Oregon. A string of vicious murders claims Olivia, his blood partner. Feeling overwhelming guilt at not being able to save her, he refuses to find a new food source and slowly begins to go mad. Selah, a guardian charged with protecting the world from demons, travels to Ashland on the trail of the killer. She teams up with Lucas to stop the murders, discovering that a demon is attempting to open a gate to hell by sacrificing the vampire victims. Selah is the perfect guardian, but perfection has a high price. She learns that compromise might bring her more happiness than that impossible-to-reach goal.

The beginning of this novella was slightly confusing, but the world building, as usual, was great. The love is hot. Lucas is a great hero, honorable, hot, considerate, hot, self-sacrificing. Did I mention hot?

HUNTER KISS by Marjorie M. Liu
Series: Hunter Kiss, PREQUEL

Maxine Kiss is a demon hunter, slaying those who possess humans and feed on misery. The Hunter’s job is to catch and kill demons who escape the prison veil to pray on humans on earth. She is protected by five small demons that appear as tattoos on her skin by day, and materialize at night. These protectors, her “boys,” have been passed down mother to daughter for generations. When they switch from mother to daughter it is a death sentence for the mother. Maxine’s own mother was murdered on Maxine’s 21st birthday. The boys ensure that the Hunter will have a daughter, by any means necessary. They are her only family, her life, and her death.

In Seattle Maxine comes across an unusual occurrence: possessed humans, which she calls zombies, are congregating, when they usually avoid each other. She finds the object of their concentration is a man with a flute. Grant is a former priest who can see and change the auras of people – he can even change demons, freeing them from slavery to their demon queen, Blood Mama, who lives beyond the prison veil. Some of the demons resent his power and are trying to kill him. Maxine saves his life, but Blood Mama tries again.

Told in the first person, this is a paranormal romance novella that is a prequel to an Urban Fantasy series. The love story between Grant and Maxine is not a part of the plot in The Iron Hunt. Grant is a wonderful hero, caring, understanding, compassionate. Falls in love in one day, and when told “even if we use contraception, I’m most likely going to get pregnant with a daughter, which will one day result in my death,” he says “cool. I like kids.” A unique guy, to say the least. lol.

WILD HEARTS IN ATLANTIS by Alyssa Day
Series: Warriors of Poseidon, Book 2

Bastien is a warrior for Atlantis, sworn to protect humanity against all threats, especially the vampires and shapeshifters. Kat is a half-shifter who cannot shift because her “gift” keeps her calm at all times, and aggression is needed to shift. When Bastien is sent as an ambassador to the shifters to convince them not to ally with the Vampires, his contact is Kat. They met before briefly, and both were struck by unrelenting passion. When they meet again, the passion sparks to life. Intensely. With much roaring. The villian is named Organos, and for the life of me I couldn’t stop calling him Oregano. Spices are evil. Mwuhahahaaha.

Title: Jacob
Author: Jacquelyn Frank
Series: The Nightwalkers
Publication Info: Zebra, November 2006
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3

Winner Best Contemporary Paranormal Romance of 2006 in the Romantic Times Awards and all over the Romancelandia news, I knew I had to see what all the buzz was about. Debut author Jacquelyn Frank delivers an invigorating original work of urban fantasy, a breath of fresh air in the vampire-heavy world of paranormal romance. In short – a novel novel. (I had to say that!) I really enjoyed the unique mythology and culture of the Demons, a separate race of beings native to Earth that lives invisibly beside us.

The advent of Christianity heralded a new era of peace for Demonkind, as beliefs in dark magic fell into disuse. In honor of this Demons choose names for their kids from the Bible, hence the book titles Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien, and Noah (in series order). Other than Damien, the demon names were refreshing as well. Why do so many authors feel that all vampires and demons have to be named Lucien, Victor, Devlin, and Bane? On a side note, if I were a vampire, according to the Vampire Name Generator, I would be named Sultana of Moldovia, known in some parts of the world as Haunt of the Crows, which is fitting because I HATE crows. Sadly I have yet to encounter a vampire romance novel with a heroine named Sultana. Boooring. I always thought my real name would make a good vampire or demon, as it means dark or black.

Mythology: The “Nightwalkers” refers to the non-human races that are indigenous to the night, namely Vampires, Demons, and Lycanthrope. Frank doesn’t introduce any vampires or werewolves in this novel, but tells us the three species have been involved in long bloody wars throughout the centuries. Ms. Frank does not introduce a deity being or creation myth either. Demons are, in general, a peaceful, serious people, very concerned with honor. They are elemental, each born with a control over one of six elements: earth, fire, water, air, body, and mind. (“By YOUR powers combined, I am Captain Planet!”) They are forbidden from harming or sleeping with humans, and it falls to the Enforcer, Jacob, to hunt down Demons who are about to seduce humans. Necromancers are humans who through dark powers summon and torture Demons until the victims Transform into soulless monsters, ruled only by the urge to escape and mate. Some other aspects of the mythology are uncovered during the novel, and I’ll just let you find them out for yourself.

Plot: Jacob the Enforcer is tracking a Demon who was summoned in the attempt to either free him or put him out of his misery, when Isabella (aka Bella), a human, falls out of a window into his arms. Isabella is able to track the victim and kills it, an unprecedented skill for a human. Jacob takes her back to Noah the Demon King to puzzle her out. Jacob has lived a long lonely existence, reviled by his people for doing his job. He has never felt drawn to a human, until now. Isabella has always felt like an outsider and eagerly embraces the existence of a new species. She and Jacob find themselves unable to stay apart. When necromancers threaten the species, the lovers must overcome ancient taboos and mistaken history to bring the truth to light and realize their Destiny.

Things I liked: Original mythology and story. I reeeeaaaalllly liked Jacob and Bella’s growing mental link. It was just like Elf Quest! (My childhood obsession and, now that I think on it, introduction to Paranormal Romance.) Some of the flirty teasing dialog between the two was very funny.

Things I didn’t like: Linda Howard called the prose “lush.” I’d call it “overly loquacious.” The writing could be improved by K.I.S.S. and additional white space. The paragraphs are so thick I found myself skipping over parts of them. ‘course, I also read this while sick in bed. Being sick makes me grumpy. Still, for a debut author it’s pretty good. Some of the dialog I loved, while other lines were not so original. When Bella has three broken ribs and intense lacerations all over her body she shouldn’t have been so chipper. Adrenaline can only make up for just so much!

Who should read this book: Anyone who likes paranormal romance, including series by Lara Adrian, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Alexis Morgan, J.R. Ward, Marjorie M. Liu, and Nora Robert‘s Circle Trilogy.