Maggie Shayne: WINGS IN THE NIGHT/TWILIGHT VAMPIRES

Author:  Maggie Shayne

Series:  WINGS IN THE NIGHT/TWILIGHT VAMPIRES 

Plot Type: Soul-Mate Romance (SMR) 

Ratings:  Violence—4; Sensuality—4; Humor—3

Titles in Reading Order: 

   Twilight Phantasies  (Tamara & Eric)

   Twilight Memories (Rhiannon & Roland)

   Twilight Illusions (Shannon & Damien—aka Gilgamesh)

    Born in Twilight (Angelica & Jameson)

    At Twilight (e-book novellas "Born in Twilight" [Angelica & Jameson] & "Beyond Twilight" [Cuyler & Ramsey])

    Two by Twilight (e-book novellas: "Run from Twilight" [Mary & Michael] & "Twilight Vows" [Rachel & Donovan]) 

    Twilight Hunger (Morgan & Dante)

    Embrace the Twilight (Sarafina & Willem)

    Edge of Twilight (Amber Lily—daughter of Angelica & Jameson—& Edge)

    Blue Twilight (Maxie & Lou)

    Prince of Twilight (Stormy & Vlad)

    Demon's Kiss (Vixen & Seth)

    Lover's Bite (Topaz & Jack)

    Angel's Pain (Briar & Reaper)

    Bloodline (Mira print, e-book, audiobook, 2009) (Lilith & Ethan)

    Twilight Prophecy (Lucy & James—aka J.W., son of Amber Lily & Edge) 

    "Vampires in Paradise" novella in Vacation with a Vampire anthology (Anna & Diego)

    Twilight Fulfilled (FINAL) (Brigit—daughter of Amber Lily & Edge—& Utana)  

NOTE:  Some of the early books are available only in e-book format or as used books, but they are gradually being republished as paperbacks by Mira. Titles are listed in the original reading order for the series as provided on the author's web site. Click HERE to view a WINGS IN THE NIGHT family tree on Shayne's web site. Click HERE to go to the WINGS IN THE NIGHT Facebook page.  

This post includes a very brief overview of the series world-building along with reviews of the final three novels: Bloodline, Twilight Prophecy, and Twilight Fulfilled. 

                    WORLD-BUILDING                    

      In this world, only the Chosen (humans who carry the Belladonna antigen in their blood) can be changed over to vampirism. Unfortunately, the Chosen also have relatively short life spans, with the antigen kicking in in their mid-thirties to slow down their bodily functions and eventually cause death. All vampires were Chosen back when they were human, and they are genetically programmed to protect all Chosen to the point of laying down their lives to save a Chosen. This series tells the SMR stories of various vampires and Chosen as they battle a variety of villains and find their HEA. The primary villains are rogue CIA agents from the Division of Paranormal Investigations (DPI) who try to brainwash the most powerful vamps and use them as assassins and mad scientists who capture, torture, and experiment on vampires and Chosen in order to replicate their various supernatural powers. One of the "scientists," Frank Stiles, seemingly has nine lives, as he continually gets caught, escapes, and strikes again in the next book.

                    BOOK 16:  Bloodline                    

     In Bloodline, Lilith and Ethan have spent their childhoods in an experimental program run by the DPI. DPI operatives kidnap Chosen children and train them to be vampire soldiers, brainwashing them into complete obedience. When Ethan and Lilith (both vampires by now) get together after escaping from the DPI farm, they must decide whether to escape for good or to go back and rescue the other captives. Complicating their efforts is Ethan’s brother, James, who may or may not be working against them. 

                    BOOK 17:  Twilight Prophecy                    

      As the story opens, archaeologist Lucy Lanfair is preparing to be interviewed on a network TV show about her translation of an ancient Sumerian tablet. As she waits in the Green Room with the another guest, he gives her a book that he claims contains proof that vampires exist. To the shock of everyone in the studio, that same man is shot and killed by mysterious Men in Black (MIB) just as he is going on camera for the interview. As Lucy attempts to escape from the carnage, she herself is shot by the MIB, but her life is saved by a gorgeous, angelic-looking man who later rescues her from her captors only to move her to a different kind of "prison." James (aka J.W.) Poe is the son of Amber Lily and Edge (Edge of Twilight) and the grandson of Angelica and Jameson (Born in Twilight). He and his twin sister, Brigit, are 1/4 human and 3/4 vampire, so they have a slightly different skill set than full vampires. The siblings have the usual vampiric super strength and speed, plus they can also day walk and eat regular food. Additionally, each twin has a special talent. James is a healer who can even resurrect the dead, and Brigit is a destroyer who can shoot explosive fire from her fingertips. They are, in fact, complete opposites—the light and the dark. Both are ambivalent about their gifts.

     Getting back to Lucy...The vamps are just as interested in Lucy's translations as the DPI because the tablets contain a prophecy about the possible destruction of the vampire race. As the plot progresses, we learn that the vamps are searching for the location of a centuries-dead Sumerian king so that they can resurrect him and save their race. At first, Lucy isn't really up for this whole vampire thing—as you can well imagine—but when she and James begin to lust after one another, she changes her mind and steps up to the task. 

     Up until this point, I was fine with the story, but with the introduction of Utanapishtim  (aka Ziasudra, aka Noah, aka the first Immortal), the story started to fall apart for me. I can't really go into too much detail without spoiling the suspense, but let's just say that Utanapishtim is quite a character and that there are a number of inconsistencies in the way his character and his intellect are portrayed. It's the usual problem that occurs when an author bestows magical talents on a character and then isn't consistent as to how those talents manifest themselves. If, for example, a character can simply touch a book and immediately commit its entire contents, to memory why does he continue to speak in barely understandable Pidgin English? Why doesn't he pick up on the language just as quickly as he absorbs the contents of a book? Maybe someone should have handed him a grammar book with a pronunciation guide!

     The story ends with an HEA for Lucy and James (as we knew it would), but there are lots of loose ends regarding Utanapishtim and the prophecy, all of which will be dealt with in the next book. Also left hanging is the situation with the vigilante mortals who are burning down houses left and right in the belief that vampires are real and must be destroyed. In Twilight Fulfillment, Brigit, the destroyer, will be going after Utanapishtim (now nicknamed Utana) and meeting her true love along the way. 

                    BOOK 18:  Twilight Fulfilled                    

     Twilight Fulfilled resolves the story arc that began in the previous book and concludes the series. As the book begins, the small group of vampires who have survived both the vigilante attacks and Utana's fatal energy beams have gathered together to mourn their dead and plan Utana's destruction. The world now knows that vampires exist, and Utana is still on their trail so the future doesn't look good. They send Brigit (aka the Destroyer) after Utana when he turns up in Bangor, Maine, and murders a police squad that tries to capture him after he invades a restaurant. A second, related plot thread follows the actions of the dastardly Nash Gravenham-Bail, the evil DPI operative who is gathering up the Chosen—those mortals who have the Belladonna antigen—and imprisoning them in St. Dymphna, a gothic mansion that formerly housed a psychiatric hospital. After Brigit and Utana have their first violent encounter, which results in a draw, Utana meets up with Nash, who offers him a palatial home, gourmet meals, and plenty of dancing girls if Utana will just kill all of the vampires left in the world. Although Utana suspects Nash's motives, he goes along with Nash because they both have the same end goal. What Utana doesn't know is that Nash plans to kill him, too, after he kills the other vamps. 

     As the plot progresses, Brigit masquerades as one of the dancing girls to get inside Utana's luxurious mansion. She plans to take down Utana, but gradually the two begin to—Wait for it!—fall in love. Further action centers on Nash's plan to use the imprisoned Chosen at St. Dymphna as bait to lure the remaining vampires to that remote location. Then, Utana will kill them. Nash sets his plan in motion, and as Brigit and Utana take their own actions to counteract it, Utana reveals some shocking information to Brigit about her magical powers. As is true in many soul-mate romances, one of the lovers must make the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of the other, and in this case, to save the Chosen, as well. The epilogue has the small group of surviving vampires moving to Romania and the people of the U.S. believing that vampires are now extinct. 

     At the beginning of Twilight Fulfilled, I still didn't much like the character of Utana. After all, he has murdered a lot of innocent humans and vamps since his reawakening. Also, his cutesy grammatical errors continued to be annoying. When Brigit fell in love with him, it took me a few chapters to accept that she could overlook all those deaths and forgive him. But, by the end, the romance seemed right—a perfect way to end this venerable series.

     This is a classic paranormal romance series that Shayne has been writing for a long time. Don't be fooled by the publication dates. Many of these books were written in the early-to-mid 1990s and have been reissued in recent years. Shayne has definitely mastered the art of writing top-notch soul-mate romance. The characters have just enough complexity and angst to keep our interest, and the story arc adjusts seamlessly to the various victories and defeats on both sides. If you love  sexy paranormal romance, you'll enjoy this series.

Cherie Priest: THE CHESHIRE RED REPORTS

Author: Cherie Priest
Series: THE CHESHIRE RED REPORTS
Plot Type: UF
Ratings: V4; S2; H3
Publisher and Titles:
      Bloodshot (2011)
      Hellbent (2011)

     This blog entry was updated and revised on 10/16 11 to include a review of the second book in the series: Hellbent. That review appears near the end of this blog entry, but first, here is an overview of the series so far:

     Priest is the acclaimed author of the award-winning novel, Boneshaker, and other science fiction novels. She also writes the CLOCKWORK CENTURY steampunk series.This is her first foray into the UF world, and it’s a great first step.

     In this world, vampires are unknown to the general public. They have their own social structure, with most of them living in "Houses," each led by an elder master who serves as the "Judge." Raylene Pendle (aka Emily Benton) is both a veteran vampire (turned during the Roaring Twenties) and a world-renowned thief. Her nickname in the global crime network is Cheshire Red, and she’s on three international most-wanted lists. Luckily for Raylene, police around the world believe that Cheshire Red is a man, due to Raylene’s ingenious disguises, short hair, and slender build. Raylene’s usual targets are expensive jewels or rare artifacts, and her usual clients are human. Preferring to lead an independent life, Raylene stays as far away as possible from other vamps and rejects membership in any of the vampire Houses.

     As Bloodshot opens, a blind vampire (Ian Stott) asks for Raylene's help in recovering some highly classified government files. Raylene (who is currently using the last name Jones) is not sure at first whether she wants a vampire as a client, but when Ian tells her about his terrible experience as the subject of secret biological experiments conducted by a shadowy government agency, she changes her mind and takes his case. In the meantime, a ninja-type trespasser breaks into Raylene’s storage warehouse (which is filled with her stolen treasures), scaring the two homeless kids who live there. Raylene has “adopted” two run-aways—Pepper and her brother, Dominic—and allows them to stay in her warehouse in exchange for sentry duty. As Raylene explains, she’s not doing this out of the kindness of her heart; it’s just a business proposition. Soon after Raylene’s search for Ian’s documents begins, she picks up a human partner in crime: Adrian deJesus, a tall, dark, and handsome Cuban ex-Navy SEAL who now earns his living as an over-the-top drag queen (aka Sister Rose). What a great combination of character traits! Adrian is searching for his vampire sister, Isabelle, who was also a subject of the horrific underground “medical” experiments and is now missing, perhaps dead.

     Pretty soon, Raylene is being hunted down by multiple teams of heavily armed Men in Black. Villains include anonymous CIA operatives, an ex-military paper pusher, a corrupt doctor, and a psychotic billionaire who hates vampires. The story begins in Seattle (Raylene’s current home base) and moves across the country to Minneapolis, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and back to Seattle. The action includes several escapades in which Raylene alone or Raylene and Adrian make daring escapes from seemingly hopeless situations, but Priest makes it all seem possible. As for love interests, there are two possibilities, but nothing concrete so far: Raylene and Ian share a kiss very late in the story, so there’s a chance that their relationship might get more romantic. But don’t count Adrian out, especially after he and Raylene exchange meaningful looks after she “accidentally” gropes him during one of their capers. At this point, we have no clue as to Adrian's sexual preferences.

Regarding the ratings:
  > Violence: The 4 rating is for the high number of slayings of bad guys by Raylene and Adrian in book 1, but there aren't many details. 
  > Sensuality: None, except for that chaste kiss and quick grope in book 1.
  > Humor: Sarcastic sniping from Raylene, Adrian, and Dominic in both books.

As Hellbent opens, Raylene is presented with two problems, and the plot swings back and forth between them. First, Horace (director of acquisitions for a prominent New York auction house and Raylene's primary client) wants her to steal a box full of supernatural bacula (Just click on the link and you'll find out just what they are!), which are worth millions of dollars. Second, Ian has received a message from his brother, Maximilian, that their father is dead and that Ian must come home to deal with the transfer of power. Dad (aka William Renner), the Head of the San Francisco Vampire House, was visiting the Atlanta House when he died under mysterious circumstances. It seems that Ian is next in line to become Head of the SF House, but Maximilian does not know about Ian's blindness, which makes Ian vulnerable and easy to kill. When Max discovers Ian's secret, he will no doubt murder Ian and take over the SF Judge position himself. Ian doesn't want to be the Judge, but Max will never believe that, so Ian will always be perceived as a threat. To make matters worse, Ian's vampire son (Brendan) is still in San Francisco, and Max will probably try to kill him, too. Back to the bacula: Raylene attempts to steal them, but someone with magical weather-controlling power gets there first and nearly electrocutes her with a bolt of lightning. Eventually, Horace provides more information, and Raylene and Adrian head off to try to wind up the case, but things go wrong once again. Now back to Ian's problem, which takes Raylene and Adrian to San Francisco for a meeting with Max. Raylene strikes a deal with Max to go to Atlanta as a representative of the San Francisco House to investigate William's death. This will give Adrian the chance to try to locate his sister, Isabel (who used to be a member of the Atlanta House) and it will allow Raylene to buy Ian some time so that they can figure out what to do. By the end of the story, both problems are more or less solved, and Raylene has added two (really three) more strays to her menagerie of human, supernatural, and animal housemates. The ending leaves two unresolved plot points to be pursued in the next book.

     Book 2 is just as lively, amusing, and entertaining as book 1. Priest strikes a satisfying balance among all parts of her stories. I love the characters, all of whom have just enough angst to engender compassion, but not so much as to drag down the story line. Raylene's sardonic exchanges with just about everyone add humor, even in tense situations, but they're not the frenetically over-the-top quips that we find in many of the lesser UF series now on the market. One new fact we learn about Raylene in Hellbent is that she has suffered for decades from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which explains why she is always so over-prepared for every situation. In some vampire mythologies, OCD is a common vampire trait. Another series that uses the OCD trait for vamps is the WVMP RADIO series, by Jeri Smith-Ready, which is reviewed in my book: Fang-tastic Fiction (probably available in your local library).

    All in all, this  is a terrific series, full of action, suspense, humor, pathos, and quirky characters. Raylene tells her story in the first person, a point of view that some authors fumble, but that Priest handles brilliantly. Raylene is world-weary and snarky on the outside, but she has a kind and compassionate side that she keeps well hidden, even from herself. We don’t see much of Ian in either book, but he could develop into an interesting character in future books now that he has moved in with Raylene and helps her care for Pepper and Dominic, who are themselves great characters. The colorful Adrian will also be moving in, so the possibilities are really endless.

Here are three quotations to give you a a tiny taste of the series:

Here is Raylene trying to convince herself (and the reader) that she has a hard heart when it comes to her runaways, Dominic and Pepper:

     "If I don't keep an eye on him, he'll deliberately antagonize the cops. One of these days...[he] is going to end up dead or in jail for life. And then who'll look after his sister? Not me. No pet people. Even if they're cute and slightly fey, and smart and somewhat needy. Absolutely not. It's the cute ones you can't get rid of. Just ask anyone who's ever 'kept an eye on' a stray puppy for a couple of days. You know what I'm talking about." (Bloodshot, p. 31)

Here is Raylene’s first look at Sister Rose (aka Adrian): 

     “Inside the room…stood the most insistently innocent drag queen I’d ever set eyes on. She was tall—taller than me by nearly a foot, which would put her around six-four or six-five—and she was wearing a mermaid-inspired blue-sequined dress that left little to the imagination, and much to the imagination’s Department of WTF? I knew she was packing under that bikini bottom with the dangled sparkles, but I’d be damned if I could tell you where she’d put it. On her head sat a black Amy Winehouse wig that was just as tall as the British singer's do, but less cracked-out and more tidy. Around her neck was a flamboyant fake necklace that would've been worth seven figures if it'd been real." (Bloodshot, pp. 157-158)

Here is a conversation between Raylene and Horace as he begins to explain his bacula problem. Horace begins the dialogue:

     "I've got a woman. A crazy woman."
     "Sounds like a the start of a country song to me," I said. "Did she total your truck or shoot your dog?"
     "No, but she stole my box of penis bones."
     "Even worse!" I declared with mock drama. (Hellbent, p. 1320)

Deborah Cooke: DRAGONFIRE

Author:  Deborah Cooke (pseudonym for Claire Delacroix)  
Series:  DRAGONFIRE 
Plot Type:  Soul Mate Romance (SMR)
Ratings:  Violence--4, Sensuality--4, Humor--2
Publisher and Titles:  NAL Eclipse  
     Kiss of Fire (2008)
     Kiss of Fury (2008)
     Kiss of Fate (2009)
     Winter Kiss (2009)
     Whisper Kiss (2010)
     Darkfire Kiss (2011)
     "Harmonia’s Kiss" (e-book novella, 2011)
     Flashfire (2012)
     Ember's Kiss (10/2012)
     The Dragon Legion Collection (e-novellas:"Kiss of Danger," "Kiss of Darkness," "Kiss of Destiny") 

      Serpent's Kiss (Thorolf's story, 2014)
      Dragonfire (Sloane's story, 2014)

    This post was revised and updated on 11/16/12 to include a review of the eighth book in the series, Ember's Kiss. That review appears first, followed by an overview of the world-building and reviews of books six and seven:

          BOOK 8:  Ember's Kiss          

     The flaming hot love story of this book comes with a double whammy as both the hero and the heroine have fiery powers. Brandon Merrick is a surfer dude who views his dragon heritage with bitter hatred. He is trying to kill off his inner beast with the help of a wise old Chinese man who is actually the villainous Chen in disguise. Lately, Brandon has been having trouble keeping his dragon under control, and he believes that Chen can help. In reality, Chen plans to steal Brandon's powers and grind up his bones into dragon dust. As the story opens, Brandon is in Oahu, Hawaii, for an international surfing competition when he meets Liz Barrett, a beautiful marine scientist who is also trying to suppress her magical powers. 

     Liz is a Firedaughter, a witch who was born to control fire. When Liz was a child, she watched her mother die during a test of her powers. Liz has always felt responsible for that tragedy because she tried to share her powers with her mother at a critical moment, and her plan backfired. At that point, Liz's powers disappeared, and she has always believed that they are gone forever. As soon as she arrives in Hawaii, however, she begins seeing auras, and gradually more of her fiery powers return. 

     When Brandon and Liz meet during a lunar eclipse, Brandon's firestorm (a passionate mating process) kicks in, sweeping the couple into a lustful love scene. Soon after the consummation, an earthquake rumbles up from the bowels of the earth, and Brandon changes into his dragon form to rescue Liz. You'd think that Liz would be terrified, but she's fairly calm about the whole thing, even when the dragon sweeps her up in his talons and flies her off to safety. Soon, Liz realizes that the dragon is actually Brandon and that she is now pregnant with his son. At first, she is enraged at Brandon's duplicity, but then she realizes that Brandon is spellbound by the wicked Chen, and that he desperately needs her help. That's when the real action begins.

     The plot follows the nefarious antics of two villains: Chen and Jorge, who is a Slayer who wants to defeat Chen and take his powers. The bad guys are after Liz as well as Brandon because they can use her as bait to capture Brandon. Eventually, help arrives in the form of some of the Pyr warriors we have met in previous books., and the conflict is resolved in the requisite climactic showdown. As usual, both the hero and the heroine are put into situations of grave danger, and they must ultimately work together as a team to defeat the villains and achieve their HEA.

     This book is typical for the series: an anguished love story, powerfully evil villains, and Pyr warriors to the rescue. If you've been following the series, you won't want to miss this one because it resolves some major points in the series story arc involving Chen and his march toward domination of the dragon world.

          WORLD-BUILDING          
     For millennia, the Pyr (shape-shifting dragon warriors) have commanded the four elements (earth, water, air, and fire) and guarded the earth’s treasures, including its human inhabitants. The series tracks the conflicts between the Pyr and the evil Slayer dragons, who want to eliminate both the humans and the Pyr so that they can have the earth to themselves. Each book begins with a total lunar eclipse during which the Wyvern (a female Pyr prophetess) announces the next Pyr to experience “dragonfire”—the phenomenon that indicates that a given Pyr will be linked with his life partner—a human female. When the two touch each other, sparks literally fly—thus dragonfire. The dragonfire will not dissipate until the mating is consummated and the female is pregnant, generally with a male child. Unfortunately, each time a dragonfire relationship is foretold, all dragon shifters feel it—both the Pyr and the Slayers—and the Slayers do everything they can to stop the couple from conceiving a child, because that child will grow up to be their enemy.

     DRAGONFIRE is, in general, a typical SMR series, with its alpha heroes and sassy heroines, but its series plot is more complex than most. If you love sexy dragons, you'll probably enjoy these books.  

Here is a book-by-book breakdown of the happy couples:

     >  Kiss of Fire: Quinn (aka the Smith), who repairs metals and dragon scales, strikes up a match with Sara, a New-Age bookstore owner 

     >  Kiss of Fury: Donovan, who has renounced love, unexpectedly finds it with Alexandra, an inventor

     >  Kiss of Fate:  Erik Sorenson, leader of the Pyr (on his second firestorm), finds love with Eileen, collector of legends

     >  Winter Kiss:  dangerous outcast Delaney creates sparks with fiery-tempered Ginger

     >  Whisper Kiss:  revenge-seeking, no-nonsense Niall gets down with free-spirited tattoo artist Rox 

     >  Darkfire Kiss:  idealistic Rafferty follows his dream with pragmatic investigative reporter, Melissa

     >  Flashfire:  master illusionist Lorenzo creates magic with Cassie, a celebrity photographer

     >  Ember's Kiss:  surfer dude Brandon Merrick fires up with Liz Barrett, marine scientist and Firedaughter

     Click HERE to read about Cooke's plans for three Dragon Legion novellas and for an explanation of how the rest of the series will play out

     Cooke also writes a spin-off of this series for teens, THE DRAGON DIARIES, featuring the new generation of dragons. The first three titles are Flying Blind (6/2011), Winging It (12/2011), and Blazing a Trail (6/2012). This series follows Erik and Eileen's daughter, Zoe Sorenson, as a 14-year-old dealing with her Pyr heritage.

          BOOK 6:  Darkfire Kiss         

     As the sixth book begins, Rafferty, one of the most romantic and idealistic of the Pyr, is on the verge of culminating his long-term blood feud with Magnus Montmorency, a Slayer who is one of the major villains of the series. As the story progresses, we learn more about the history of their relationship, including all of Magnus's lies. Just as Rafferty is ready to invade Magnus's home, a young woman walks up the steps and sneaks inside. Melissa Smith is a former investigative reporter who has vowed to avenge Magnus's murder of her friend, Daphne, by stealing his business records and exposing him publicly as an illegal arms dealer. Melissa doesn't know that Magnus is a Dragon, and she discovers it the hard way. Soon, Rafferty finds himself rescuing Melissa from Magnus's clutches, and he also finds himself in the midst of his own firestorm with Melissa. This firestorm, however, is different from the usual firestorms that we have seen in past books. This is darkfire, which has emanated from a magical crystal and can only be dispersed by solving an ancient and obscure riddle. The effects of darkfire on the Pyr are devastating. One by one, they begin to behave uncharacteristically. For example, at one point Eric becomes so depressed that he seems to have resigned himself to death. Rafferty, who has always been "Mr. Perfect," begins to lose control, and between his lack of restraint and Melissa's bull-headedness, the Pyr are outed to the general public. Wow! Never saw that coming! By the end of the book, Rafferty and Melissa have triumphed (as we knew they would), the firestorm and the dark fire have died down, and the Pyr have gone through several major changes, including the possibility of a new Wyvern.

     I read the previous book, Whisper Kiss, almost a year ago, and I must confess that I had a hard time remembering who was who in this book. Although most of the story is spent with the main characters, there were also shifts to the minor characters (e.g., Chen, a big-time evil Slayer, who lets the darkfire loose, and Viv Jason, a female shape-shifter who allies herself with Chen against the Pyr). We also have brief side stories for Erik, Brandt, Sloane, and Donovan. Finally, we have the Sleeper. We've heard about him in past books, but now he wakes up, and we learn his back story. I had no trouble following the main plot, but when it came to the side stories and the references to the thematic arc for the series, I confess that I did some skipping—just to get back to the real action. My recommendation is to start reading this series from book 1, but definitely don't make this the first book you read. If you haven't read any of the previous books, you won't have a clue as to what's going on.

     One thing that has always been problematic about this series is the speed at which each Pyr and his mate get together. As one amazon.com reviewer put it, these couples zoom right past first and second base and actually begin at third. Rafferty and Melissa, for example, were in bed within hours of meeting one another. Although I admit that this isn't supposed to be realistic fiction (dragons...duh!), I still think that it's a bit of a stretch to believe that a 30-something 21st-century career woman would fall into bed with a guy within hours of meeting him—especially right after she sees him turn into a dragon. 

          BOOK 7:  Flashfire             
     The seventh book is set in the glitz and neon glow of Las Vegas, where Lorenzo di Fiore lives in isolated luxury paid for by his wildly successful stage show that showcases his mastery of fiery illusions. Lorenzo has distanced himself from his dragon heritage, viewing his fellow dragons as barbarians who allow their primitive sides to dominant their lives. Disdaining both the Pyr and the Slayers, Lorenzo values civility and culture above all, and refuses to get down and dirty with either side. He has taken in his father, Salvatore, after years of estrangement, because the old dragon is in rapidly declining health. As the story opens, Cassie Redmond, a paparazzi photographer, and her friend, Stacey, are headed out to see Lorenzo's show. Stacey is rebounding from a failed romance, and Cassie is taking a vacation to rethink her career choices. As in most of the DRAGONFIRE books, this is the night of a lunar eclipse, so a Firestorm is imminent.  As Lorenzo's extravaganza unfolds, sparks begin to fly from Lorenzo to Cassie, proving to Lorenzo that the Firestorm is his. He decides to sate it immediately and then walk away. He doesn't believe in most of the Pyr mythology, viewing it as mostly fiction, so he doesn't worry that Cassie will become pregnant. Unfortunately, he's wrong about that. 

     In the meantime, other dragons, both good and evil, feel the Firestorm and head for Las Vegas. There are two primary villains: Balthazar, the leader of the Slayers, and Chen, who has delusions of grandeur, lots of ancient power, and elaborate plans for taking control of all the dragons—Slayers and Pyr. On the good side, Erik shows up to, once more, ask Lorenzo to join the Pyr. As the plot plays out, Lorenzo is planning a spectacular illusion in which he has himself buried in his Ferrari for 30 days. This is his ploy to disappear and go somewhere else to begin a new identity, which all dragons must do periodically since they never show signs of age. Now, all of Lorenzo's plans are in jeopardy, with an unexpected (pregnant) mate and two adversaries who are determined to carry out their own devious and deadly plans. As the climax approaches, Lorenzo must decide whether he should continue his solitary life or make room for love.

     This is a well-told, action-filled story, with two strong lead characters. Lorenzo has just the right amount of angst over his tragic family history and his determination to face life on his own terms. Cassie is feisty without being whiny or stupidly stubborn, although sometimes she is just a tiny bit too accepting of Lorenzo's eccentricities. For me, she is one of the better heroines in this series.

Jeannie Holmes: ALEXANDRA SABIAN

Author: Jeannie Holmes
Series: ALEXANDRA SABIAN (Romantic Horror)
Ratings: V5; S3-4; H1
Publisher and Titles: Blood Law (2010); Blood Secrets (7/2011) 

     This blog entry was updated on 9/1/11 to include a review of Blood Secrets, which follows this summary of the series so far:

    Let me say right off the bat that, contrary to the cover art and the author's web site, this is not an urban fantasy (UF) series. We are missing all of the requisite UF characteristics: no kick-ass heroine, no dark and gritty urban setting, and no well-developed supernatural mythology. Blood Law and Blood Secrets both read like hackneyed serial killer horror stories with some vampires thrown in without much thought. We do have lots of scenes in which the killer gloats over his bloody trophies (the reason for the high violence rating and the "horror" caption).

     The world portrayed in this series has vampires, but no vampire mythology. The small town of Jefferson, Mississippi, looks pretty much like any small town, even with half the population being vampires. These vamps have made themselves known to the public, but the only vampire traits they have are their fangs and their need for human blood or its synthetic equivalent—and  they don't seem to need much of that. At one point, the heroine goes for three days on just a small vial of synthetic blood (aka Vlad's Tears). Otherwise, the vampires are much the same as humans: able to walk in the sun, bear children (who are also vampires), and eat regular food. In other words, these vamps are more June Cleaver than Bill Compton. In one scene in book 1, a vampire shows extra strength when he carries two beer kegs, but that trait is not really played up anywhere else. The heroine tells us that vampires have superior night vision, but we never see any of them using it. The heroine does have psychometric powers, but she really doesn't do much with that talent except to allow it to mess with her mind.

     Blood Law opens with a description of bloody decapitated vampire heads, the result of murders by a mysterious serial killer who is getting revenge for the unsolved murder of his wife by a vampire. We aren't told the identity of the killer until late in the book, but we figure it out long before that, even with the multitude of red herrings that are strewn throughout the chapters. The story is told in the third person, jumping back and forth among about a half dozen of the main and supporting characters. No typographical clues are provided between the shifts in point of view, and that can get to be confusing. Usually, a publisher will use some type of symbol as a separation device when the story shifts to another person.

     The lead couple is made up of two Enforcers for the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation (FBPI). Alexandra Sabian handles supernatural crime in Jefferson. In her past cases, she has had to contend with drug busting (Midnight, a drug used by vampires to get high) and with the continual disparagement of the local cops, many of whom hate vampires with a passion. Alexandra's ex-fiancé is Varik Baudelaire, a retired Enforcer who was also Alexandra's mentor. They split up several years ago after he attacked her in a fit of blood lust after being injured on the job, almost draining her. When decapitated vampires begin showing up around Jefferson, Alexandra is on the case, but the FBPI decides to reactivate Varik and send him in to help her. Needless to say, Alexandra is not thrilled when Varik shows up.

     In Blood Law, the two Enforcers spend more time mooning over their lost love and trying not to fall into bed with each other than they do on catching the killer. As the plot progresses, the mysterious killer is doing more killing and the Human Separatist Movement members are holding hate meetings, but the police aren't doing much in the way of investigation. Instead of studying the clues and trying to solve the crimes, the Enforcers and the local cops spend most of their time standing around sniping insults at one another or racing off to new murder scenes. To add confusion to the action, Alexandra has a series of dreams about her dead father (also a vampire), who was murdered in the same manner as the current dead vamps. Apparently Dad is caught on a metaphysical plane (aka the Shadowland) that exists between the physical world and the spiritual world. Once again, there is a complete lack of mythology to explain the Shadowland's existence. Every time Alexandra faints (which she does a LOT) or is knocked unconscious (ditto), her mind wanders off to visit Daddy. This whole "crossing the Veil" thing seems weird and adds nothing to the main plot. Neither do the ghosts that appear in a few scenes. Only Alexandra can see them, but it's hard to know why they're included in the story because they certainly don't seem to have a purpose. 

     The villains have absolutely no redeeming qualities. They are all stereotypical bigoted southern redneck SOBs—straight out of a B (or D) movie. In the worst of the clichéd scenes, one of the villains leans back in his chair with cigarette smoke curling around his face as he thinks about his crimes and laughs and laughs, like the Joker in a Batman movie. We can almost see him twirling his moustache and cackling, "Bwahahahaha!"

FBPI. Alexandra and Varik have one bedroom (really, hotel room) scene near the end, but with not too many details. The sensuality rating is barely a 3.

     Just as in the previous book, Blood Secrets begins with a grisly scene starring the book's serial killer, who is ritually murdering every red-haired young girl he can find in Jefferson. (What's up with these tiny towns and their hordes of serial killers?) And just as in the previous book we have multiple villains, some more despicable than others. Once again, the ups and downs of the romance between Alexandra and Varik are front and center. The plot moves from one cliché to the next (more than one character has his "stomach knot with dread"), with the demented killer trying to wipe Varik out of Alexandra's mind and make her his soul mate—for no apparent reason other than that he saw her in the Shadowland years ago and liked her looks. We never really learn much more about him. As the plot plays out, Alexandra and the killer sporadically visit the Hall of Records, which exists in the Shadowland beyond the Veil, but, once again, there is no mythology and no real explanation of how and why any of this exists. Clues are dropped about the earlier years of Alexandra's family, including a big reveal about her parentage, but for no apparent purpose, except to lead the way to yet another horror-filled book. We also learn more about Varik's past—none of it good. This is derivative horror fiction masquerading as urban fantasy, and I won't be reviewing any more books in this series.

Creepiest line in Blood Law When Alexandra gets accusatory with Varik about his days as a hunter and killer of rogue vampires, he explains that she is "too young to understand" and "it was different back in those days." He tells Alexandra that her mother would understand: "Your mother and I are from a different age..." Ewwww! That is NOT that what you want to hear from your boyfriend!  

A few overwrought lines from Blood Secrets demonstrate the level of triteness as the killer snuffs out yet another victim: 
     "The scalpel flashed in the light and her breathing increased, as did her futile pitiful sniveling....Peter pressed close to her naked body. The need to find solace from the inner fire that burned his flesh and tortured his mind consumed him." (p. 132) (At least his stomach isn't knotting with dread.)