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When Antoinette and her brother were children they were rescued by a Aeternus man called Christian. Some kind of shady dealings are going on with the Aeternus and Christian looks into it. This means Christian has to contact the Venators which gives him an opportunity to see Antoinette again. Antoinette see's Christian and is visibly upset and Christian leaves.
About right there I couldn't take it any more. Antoinette seemed an okay heroine but Christian's POV drove me nuts. He see's this woman whom he's barely seen since she was a little girl and immediately goes into descriptions of how he visions her naked and moaning. Maybe it's just me but he came off kind of And the over-the-top descriptions were killing me. It just wasn't my cup of tea. Only one word to describe this book. I almost dropped it, but the parallel story of the creepy serial killer i'm talkin' criminal minds creepy was enough to keep me hoping it would get better.
Did it get better? First, Christian was mondo creepy! He sees her take down some baddies and is in lusty fantasy mode after antoinette. Then before the bloods even dry grabs some blood slave and boinks her. It doesn't stop there. Our heroine is forced to work with christian to bring in the s Only one word to describe this book. Our heroine is forced to work with christian to bring in the serial killer who killed her mother and is now stalking her dreams. She has some injury from her last fight and he goes all "I'll be your doctor".
That is one thing, but he actually takes it to home plate. I mean he sexed her up in the bathroom. Even though he knows if she wasn't drugged she would be spouting hate poems to him. When she comes out of the haze does she kill him? She wants round two but doesn't go there. I would have sent him out the airlock in little tiny pieces. Then later on after they have started She is have sex with him and letting him bite and take blood from her. She doesn't want to get too intimate.
What is too intimate you ask?? Sleeping in the same bed. The ups in this book are few and far, far, far between. The fights scenes aren't half bad excluding the training scene when they rip each others close off. Yup, they went there. The serial killer story line was fair to mildly interesting. Creepier than some others I've read. I was so exasperated with the characters that it ruined the entire story for me.
May 14, Tez rated it really liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The lines are cut thin between good and evil, and trust and mistrust, in Tracey O'hara's creepy first Dark Brethren novel, Night's Cold Kiss. A woman was murdered whilst her six-year-old daughter watched. Now all grown up, and an elite Venator, Antoinette Petruscu is haunted by the parahuman who murdered her mother. Supposedly he died in a fire, but that's looking unlikely, and it can't just be a coincidence that women who share common features with Antoinette are being murdered.
Keeping herself s The lines are cut thin between good and evil, and trust and mistrust, in Tracey O'hara's creepy first Dark Brethren novel, Night's Cold Kiss. Keeping herself safe whilst investigating means teaming up with Christian Laroque, an Aeternus. Trained to hunt Necrodreniacs addicted to the death-high of draining a human completely whilst feeding, Antoinette is not exactly friendly with vampiric people.
But this is a matter of life and death - eternal or otherwise. Whilst this series's vampires have a decent dose of originality, they also examplify what I dislike most: It has the sleaze of mind-rape, though the donors seem rather scarily into it. This never sits well with me, but please persist reading if you're struggling early on - the last half of the novel is engrossing.
The less you know beforehand, the better your reading experience. I can't name my favourite characters because of their strong connections to major spoilers. Though the author is Australian, the setting is American, and the only Aussies you'll find here are in the bar - unsurprising, really ;- The sci-fi elements are the real drawcards, raising this above most other vampire novels on the market.
With memorable scenes and a particularly unforgettable character you'll know when you meet her , Night's Cold Kiss kicks off a series with strong world-building, and hopefully much more science to come. Nov 05, Natasha rated it it was amazing. Synopsis For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires—until courageous efforts on both sides forged a fragile peace.
But the rogue Necrodreniacs will never be controlled—addicted as they are to the death-high… and bloody chaos. Since witnessing the murder of her mother, Antoinette Petrescu has burned with fiery hatred for the vampire race—even for Christian Laroque, the noble, dangerously handsome Aeternus who rescued her. Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Synopsis For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires—until courageous efforts on both sides forged a fragile peace.
Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Christian's help to achieve her vengeance—even as he plots to use the beautiful, unsuspecting warrior as bait to draw out the bloodthirsty dreniacs. Antoinette's world is similar to ours in many ways only Supernatural beings are a everyday fact and not a fairy tale. The strange an unusual isn't so strange in this world. Supernatural live in an unconfertable harmoney with the humans. The characters, Antoinette and Christian in particular, are well-rounded, and have good detailing with their histories.
I got easily attached to the characters and I found Christian very likable, despite his obvious flaws. This book is action-packed and full of great romance. This vamp Romance should please many supernatural and romance fans. I cannot wait to see more of her world and of the characters. May 29, Shera Book Whispers rated it liked it Shelves: This is another title were the vampires are aliens, as a twist it also includes the shifter races.
In the case of this read, the reader is given more information and it ends up being one of the better concepts for vampires are aliens. The world and history that has shaped earth by living with these creatures really clicks and O'hara gives good details on past events. Giving the reader the foot holds in the history so that you can understand the politics that are occurring. The law enfor Thoughts: The law enforcement divisions that were created because of the different species is put together well.
They work nice together, but still end up segregated. Of course there's always those crazy worshiping groupies and then the vampire haters. After all a book where the vampires are out of the coffin, will never be complete with out them. There are also other nice touches to how society is shaped around vampires, like human donors and other treats along the way. Antoinette is a character that is so kick ass, that she reminds me of a very early Anita Blake.
Antoinette is hard headed and hates vampires. Thankfully this annoying self righteous phase, is soon past and she evolves above prejudices. Some of the finest character growth happens in this book. Just love it when a character grows with the events that are shaping the book. Of course, she wouldn't be any kind of decent vampire hunter with out her mad fighting skills, and when in trouble can come up with a plan fast. Making for very nice action scenes.
Sadly Antoinette jumps into the sack a little to fast with our dashing hero Christian. I love it when I get to the point were the character is feeling the love. I absolutely hate it when the author uses some form of magic for the two love interests to jump into bed together, and then one of them—or both—ends up loathing that event.
Then we spend a huge amount of time with the character getting over how that jerk tricked them into bed. This ploy is getting old. A downer to this book is that the plot was average, it felt like a typical Urban Fantasy story line. I could see all of the major plot twist about 50 pages into the book.
His Dark Kiss Mass Market Paperback – November 1, by Gwen Cooper, author of "Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat" Dark Embrace (Dark Gothic) (Volume 6 ) Lord Craven, who is suspected of throwing his wife down the stairs to her death. His Dark Kiss has ratings and reviews. two post-apocalyptic/urban fantasy books as Eve Kenin, so I figured I'd give one of her Gothic romances a try.
Only that far in because one of the secret evil villains needed to grace the pages. Still, even though you could see the big plot twists coming, O'hara managed to make them exciting. Saddly, I still ending up putting this book down for a month 50 pages from the end. Right in the middle of the climax. At certain points in this book I was wondering to myself, is this turning into a PNR.
Don't get me wrong, I love PNR. Some of my favorite authors write the stuff. When the book states it's UF on the spine, that's what you expected. When a reader is wondering if their book is changing genres, it tends to take away from the build up. Well, at least for me. If you keep asking yourself that it might not be. Honestly I couldn't feel the characters falling in love. The ending concludes that they do, but it feels like it will be another book—or two—before that kind of feeling can emerge. You know how you fall in love with that fantastic side character?
A character that doesn't make too many appearances, but ends up being the one you're reading for. Well I found that character, sadly my suspicions were right and the poor bastard got axed. I hate that, it didn't even add to the suspense or grief factor I just felt betrayed. Another petty compliant on my part. Why create such a great character just to kill them? At least I could console my self with some other fun side characters. Namely a hot bear shifter,who isn't afraid to be nude, and is all leather and Harley.
Some small little things that I liked about this book that just tickled me: They never gave anything away, but were great teasers. Chapter 9 - Arena of Heros and Fools -Great one liners. Sharp tongues to go with some sharp characters. Sadly I haven't heard much about this book. In fact, I've only seen it twice. Once on an Amazon post were I discovered it, and again on someone's wish list a while back. Though I believe this book suffers from being to generic to the genre of Urban Fantasy, it has a lot of potential. Compared to some of the bad reads in the genre, this is the bomb.
More importantly, if your looking for the best of what Anita Blake had to offer, I'd have to say this is the closet I've seen to getting what I miss most about dear Blake. Though, I need to give credit to Antoinette, because she is not just a Blake mold, she really stands on her own. Plus, the ladies will love our male hotty, Christain. The writing is solid, the wit is sharp enough to bring many good times a head. Have to be honest I wanted to give it a 4, but the fact that I was able to put it down for a whole month and it didn't bother me was too much.
Some graphic sex scenes a head. Nov 14, Susi rated it really liked it Shelves: The book looks impressive and when I started to skim through it I discovered the Glossary at the end. I thought wow that really looks like some serious world-building and the book didn't disappoint in that department.
But let's start at the beginning. We are thrown in the middle of a world full of paranormal creatures living in a more or less peaceful coexistence with the human population. There are organisations on both sites to keep an eye on the fragile peace and to punish those who break the line.
The biggest problem are the Draniacs, vampires who turned crazy after feeling the "death rush" while draining someone completely. They turn into mindless killing machines who go rampant on a killing spree. But there is a group of humans who protect us from this threat- the Venators and our heroine is one of them.
Antoinette is a kick ass heroine with some baggage of her own. Her mother was killed by a necrodreniac who made the small Antoinette watch her mother die a slow and painful death. No wonder Antoinette is now full of prejudices and hates vampires in general with all her might. Not only this makes her into the best Venator out there and her goal is to kill as many of those vampires as she can. Antoinette is stubborn as hell and at some points she shows a rather unbecoming childish streak. But she is also an unbelievably strong woman ,compassionate for those she loves and no matter what she wants to keep the rest of her family together.
For outsiders she seems to be untouchable. Her attitude shows and she can't hide her disdain for the vampire population in general. When she meets Christian and Victor she doesn't seem to be able to stop herself from judging them.
Not once did he come off as 2-Dimensional, and all of his reactions--blown out of proportion as they sometimes were--seemed genuine to his character. Tolkien, and developed her taste for adventure and the paranormal thriller. The climax and ending are full of astonishing reveals and it ends fast and furious. I'm not really sure why this book has been included under the Dark Gothic series. I enjoyed all the different species and all the family connects that played out. If someone is sexxah enough let them stalk and attempt to kill you. To stop him, she has to team up with Christian, an Aeternus with a fearsome reputation, as well as untangle the mystery of her father's disappearance and political corruption.
With time she discovers her missjudgment but old habbits die hard. Christian is a mysterious and very old vampire. He has big secrets in his past but all in all he is a nice guy. He learned to be in control of himself and Antoinette seems to shortcircuit that ability. He tries to keep his attraction for her in check but I have to say he's not doing such a good job. I was really intrigued by this character at first but unfortunately in the middle of the story his character was pushed a bit into the background.
I would have loved to read more about him. And then we have Victor- he's Christian's best friend but nothing like the brooding hero. He's a wonderful funny and witty character but for my taste his description was a bit too androgynous to be attractive. But I loved him nonetheles. His way to banter with Antoinette gave this book a wonderful funny side, something to light up your mood between all those fights and bloodshed.
He also has that wonderful beast of a dog, Cerebrus and I just loved that one too. The sidecast in general was very intriguing and variying. Each and every single character had a distinct feel to them- this made Night's Cold Kiss extra vibrant for me. I love to see the different facets and even more like the compulsion to discover their own secret agenda. That's always the most fun for me in one of those novels full of political intrigues.
One of the characters I loved the most is Kavendish the mysterious butler. Again I have to say I thought the end was a bit too easy and the last scene threw me off even more. I would have never seen that coming but it makes me even more curious for book 2, Death's Sweet Embrace. An urban fantasy novel with an awesome world-building, captivating characters and a fast paced story.
Night's Cold Kiss is urban fantasy at its best and it even has a bit of romance to sweeten the deal. I can't wait to read more. Nov 07, Larissa rated it really liked it. Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life At first look I thought this was an Urban Fantasy novel and it said so in the spine of the book as well, however it turned out to be more of a Paranormal Romance. She has been training her whole life for this and her hatred for the Dreniacs has on Previously Published on my blog: She has been training her whole life for this and her hatred for the Dreniacs has only fueled her determination to be the best hunter she can be.
Christian has a past of his own that he has to deal with, but he is brought back to Antoinette when a series of cases start to look like The Troubles of 16 years ago and he needs her on the case. Even though the names for the several paranormal creatures threw me for a loop sometimes, I really enjoyed getting to know Antoinette and Christian. They are very interesting and complicated characters and it was a pleasure to go on this journey with them, seeing them getting over their own ghosts and finding something special with each other.
A sheep in a wolf's clothes. No, I did not made a mistake.
If an escape is what you seek, and a story with a whole new twist, this is the book to read. I laughed, I cried, and several times my heart was in my throat as I read this story. Amanda Ashley gives something to Vampires that they have never had before; a soul. This book showed me that reading was a very fascinating joy.
It only took me about two days to read all of it. I could not, I repeat not put it down. I'm only fifteen years old, and I've finally discovered reading all because of Night's Kiss. It's a book so perfect, you can't explain it in words. I fell in love with this book. I also fell in love with the characters Roshan and Brenna. Amanda Ashley is my all-time favorite author. I've been reading like there's no tomorrow, because of all her books.
I really recommend this book. And I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Brenna and Roshan were wonderful characters and Ms.
Ashley has taken the vampire storyline and added so much that this is a fresh and fun read. I laughed and cried. Roshan is such wonderful hero. Tortured, and sensual as well as tender! Ashley is one author I have no trouble recommending! Kristi Ahlers on March 12 Book 3 October Book 4 February Large Print Edition Hardback Available now. Twenty-two years ago, vampires Roshan and Brenna DeLongpre delivered a baby girl born to a teen mother who did not want her, so they took Cara in and raised her as their own, never telling her that her parents were Undead.
They also killed a madman who would have destroyed them both, and now, the consequences of those two actions are coming to fruition. Anthony Loken's lover and son have decided to take revenge on his killers, the DeLongpres, and use their daughter to do so. Cara has also attracted the attention of a new vampire, Vince Cordova. Though he has fallen in love with the mortal, his secret stands between them.
Yet, when danger threatens, it will take all good vampires to stand against the true evil. Cara is about to discover the miracles that are possible when truth and love combine. This is an excellent sequel to Night's Kiss. The new twists to the vampire mythos are intriguing and make you want to know even more about the future of this world.
I was particularly fascinated by Mara, the oldest vampire. Dare I hope that she will ever get her own tale? The ending is somewhat of a surprise, but a good one. Don't miss this book. Vince is a vampire that I would not mind meeting myself. The plot of Anton and Serafina is terrific and keeps the reader hanging onto their seat in eagerness. The twists and turns of the vampire orld are not only alluring, but spellbinding in this fantastic read. Amanda Ashley delivers surprises at every corner. The whole visual effect of the lingering kisses, along with the addition of the creature, in movement, can be felt in this passionate tale where Ms.
Ashley pens a vampire story that is so rare and inviting. Cherokee Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance. Chapter 1 Drowning in an ocean of loneliness and bitter despair, Roshan DeLongpre sat in front of the huge stone hearth, staring into the fire. The flames were vibrant, crackling with life, brilliant reds and yellows, dazzling blues and greens. He saw each dancing finger of flame in perfect clarity, each subtle shade and hue.
His greatest enemy next to the clear golden light of day. Both had the power to destroy him. A sigh whispered past his lips. He was growing weary of his existence, so utterly, utterly weary. Each night was like the last. Life as he knew it had lost its luster; there were no surprises left, only an age-old instinct to survive.
Now, staring into the writhing flames, he wondered why he bothered. He had no compelling reason to go on. He could inspire passion but not love, command obedience but not affection. He could change his shape at will, move with incredible speed, defy the laws of gravity, dissolve into a fine mist or disappear completely. And yet, on this cool October night, his supernatural powers meant nothing. He stared out the leaded window into the darkness beyond. Perhaps it was time to watch the birth of a new day one last time.
Rising, he wandered through the narrow, dark halls of the house where he had resided for most of the last fifty years. It was a big old house located on a quiet street in a respectable part of the city. Going into each room, he bid a silent farewell to the treasures he had collected during the course of his preternatural existence. He paused in front of his favorite painting. It depicted the sun rising over a clear mountain lake set in the midst of a pine tree forest. He gazed at it for several minutes, trying to remember what it had felt like to feel the warmth of the daystar on his face.
Moving into his library, he stood in front of the bookcase that reached from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. He had loved books ever since he learned to read, had spent years wandering the world to collect the ones that lined the shelves. Many of the books were rare editions, a few were first editions autographed by the authors.
I guess what I liked most about this book was Emma. She's caring, to the point and not annoyingly dumb. I will continue to read the rest of the books in this series. Plus I think this was a freebie book or. I didn't realize that it was originally released in when I got it. The rebranding of the new covers is a huge step up from the old ones. Dec 12, Lindsey Pogue rated it really liked it Shelves: I had a hard time rating this one. While I read it within two days and enjoyed it, mostly, I was also let down. I might rate it a 3. I love Eve Silver's books, and this one sounded SO intriguing, and parts of it were, but I struggled with it, too.
The intrigue was there, the beautiful prose and dynamic characters. It definitely had a Beauty and the Beast feel to it without being a replica of the fairytale. I definitely wanted answers that I was willing to read the story all day long for, even I had a hard time rating this one. I definitely wanted answers that I was willing to read the story all day long for, even if Emma's character fell short for me. My issues with this book was how repetitive Emma's internal dialogue was. Her lust was so over the top and so often referenced from the very beginning, it was too much.
I found myself skimming over it most of the time. I got that Anthony's muscled thighs and broad shoulders and his green and gold eyes and white teeth turned her on, but I feel like subtly in this story would've gone a lot further in my book. I did love Anthony's character, and there were questions that kept me gripped from the beginning. I enjoyed parts of Emma's character, and she did seem to be intelligent and not simply making decisions convenient for the storyline, which was refreshing.
But again, the repetitiveness of her lust for him and her constant weeping I half expected her to be under some spell it was so over the top for me. While I would read other Silver books over again, this one probably wouldn't be one of them. This is my second read -- I recall the terror of the Round Tower. This is really a great story, and the ending is terribly bloody and surprising. Emma arrives on a rainy night, perfect for the beginning spookiness. She meets Lord Anthony, and that meeting awakens such sinful feeling within her.
However, there is a strong romance here and the author builds it beautifully while keeping the reader o This is my second read -- I recall the terror of the Round Tower. However, there is a strong romance here and the author builds it beautifully while keeping the reader on the edge of their seat for the suspense. Lord Anthony is rumoured to be an unethical doctor, and a murderer, but when Emma sees Anthony and Nicholas together she realises there must be something more than just flimsy rumour.
Even so, her beliefs are stretched to the breaking limit, but love is stronger than doubt, and that is what Emma must hold onto in order to forgive Lord Anthony his dark past. I'm a sucker for a gothic romance so I'm pretty forgiving if the writing in one isn't the best so long as the writer conveys enough tension and moody atmosphere.
I felt like the author didn't even try to convey either of these here aside from some generic scenes that just felt forced and silly. Here are some selections from a span of 32 pages: With that in mind, here are some more word counts: Dark Desires was overall somewhat silly yet mostly enjoyable, but His Dark Kiss is significantly more stupid. We have doctor types, innocent females trapped by their socioeconomic status, secret rooms with dead bodies delivered by mysterious men, etc etc.
Jul 28, Mary rated it it was ok.
Emma is just kind of dull. And then he walks out? Then in the next breath she want to have sex with him His dark hair and green eyes and strong legs and broad back I figured things out too easily. It passed the time ok enough. Nov 05, Rebecca rated it liked it Shelves: This time period is fascinating, and I wanted more focus on the Dr's research. Overall, it was a good read, and I look forward to reading the third book of the series.
Sep 14, Carla Smith rated it it was ok. This one I did not enjoy as much - not as well written as the first in the series with the main characters too caught up in the lust of the moment to make me care about either of them. I thought it reduced the book to a poor parody of a Dark Gothic. Sep 15, Oct 25, Pamela rated it really liked it Shelves: I enjoyed this book, as a gothic tale.
Foreboding stone castle in a stark area in Wales. Emma Parrish, arrives in the pouring rain to be a governess, for her deceased cousins son, Nicky. Growing up with tales of madness, and mayhem, she still goes to see if she can help the child. There are many mysteries in the book, and local lore, and superstition do not help. Lord Anthony is the typical brooding, and secretave male, abound in mystery he chooses not to discuss. There is also a tower kept lock I enjoyed this book, as a gothic tale.
There is also a tower kept locked, and for awhile I thought Jane Eyre, was being rewritten, with a lot more sexual innuendo.
Thank heaven the book went in another way. There is a creepy factor, who can and cannot be trusted in the manor. Can she stay true to her convictions? Will Lord Anthony ever be at peace, and allow love in his heart. This also dealt with child birth, and child birth fever. Which took many women back then. Cleanliness, was not next to Godliness, and germs went rampant. My only real complaint was there was to much secret dreaming, and being all a flame, and not enough ghostly sounds.
I was shocked at the killer, as I did not see that coming, but madness can be hidden. May 19, N. Light rated it it was amazing Shelves: I absolutely LOVE this book! It's a historical romantic suspense that grips me every time I read it have read it numerous times. Emma Parish is a shy poor woman with no prospects. When the position of governess appears, she jumps at the chance to escape her aunts who only see her as a burden. Whispers of death surround Emma but she's determined to be the best governess to young Nicky. Strange occurrences and rumors of Lord Craven being a murderer surround Emma.
She's attracted to the man who is rumored to have murdered her own kin. It's madness and yet Emma melts whenever Lord Craven is near. To say this book is seductive is an understatement. Filled with twists and turns, I was drawn into Emma's world and swooned at the mere sight of Lord Craven. I highly recommend this book! Dec 27, Carol rated it it was amazing.
I've read a lot of romance novels. Everything from paranormal to sci-fi to contemporary to historical. This series is my first gothic romance. I picked up the first book because it was free and I liked it so much that I bought this one. While there are some similarities to the first book, it is still different enough to hold my interest. The book is generally well written and I love the dark gothic atmosphere that overlays the historical romance.
Although the book is a romance novel, there is al I've read a lot of romance novels. Although the book is a romance novel, there is also more to it due to the dark mystery and I do find myself waiting to see how things will be explained.