He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell’s deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night—or this man—is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed—a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.
Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind—and the unwitting humans existing alongside them—from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.
Here, in the arms of the Breed’s formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all. . . .
I understand that dialogue and character development can be technically difficult to write. I also accept that there's a very fine line between steamy sex and unintentionally funny sex. These books seem to be crafted with care, but I'm just not the target audience.
If you like bosom-heaving-eyelid-fluttering helpless females being rescued by big 'dangerous' (but marshmallow creme on the inside) vampire aliens and H.E.A. endings then these are probably right on target. (Look, they even turn physiologically monogamous after 700+ years of rampaging blood-sucking tantric sex preying on women (and men) indiscriminately).
The whole 'boys club only' thing bugged me. The whole 'breedmates are goddesses to us and stay home and cook and take care of us and patch us up after we come home from being violent psychopaths' REALLY bothered me.
I see these books as being read (devoured?) by young women who like romance genre books. None of these relationships are particularly healthy. Then again, yes, it's fantasy... but there are so many better alternatives.
Conclusion:
Not for me.
*Too many 'melting slippery cores'.
*Vampire aliens/hybrid compatible human DNA could be interesting, but the birthmark thing is ridiculous - (full disclosure: I'm a professional bionerd).
