Tall, Dark & Deadly (Agents of the Bureau, #1)

by Kharma Kelley

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I am a huge fan of the paranormal/urban fantasy genre I am always on the lookout for stories that has a unique and refreshing take, so when Tall, Dark, and Deadly came on my radar I could not resist. From the moment I started this book, I knew that this would be an interesting read.

Tall, Dark and Deadly tells the story of Chloë Hunter a hybrid vampire (Dhampir) and Ethan Raines a 3000-year-old vampire. Chloë attracts trouble like steel to a magnet. She was once part of a gang of rogue vampires, but now she works for the Bureau. Her working for the Bureau was due to Ethan coming to her rescue, and saving her from possible execution and besides, they could use her unique skills. (The Bureau is like federal agency for supernatural beings). Chloë possessed the strength of vampires but none of their weaknesses. Sun nor silver has any effect on her, as a result, she was a target for rogue vampires. Her telekinetic powers made her a force to be reckoned with. She considers herself a freak because of her half-breed nature. Humans want nothing to do with her and vampires either cursed her or wanted to exploit her.

Her working with the Bureau meant she could not afford to go to her old ways; however, a situation involving her old gang arose placing her in a difficult situation. She needed to honour her pledge to the bureau, but at the same time to save an innocent life she had to do the bidding of her former gang.

Ethan who so happens to be Chloë’s boss is a man of mystery. He is attracted to Chloë; however, he kept his feelings hidden, because he felt he did not deserve to be happy. In addition, he felt that revealing how he felt would ultimately lead to Chloë getting hurt. He came off as formal and uptight, but as the story progressed we see that there was more to him. The author’s portrayal of Ethan was engaging and I enjoyed discovering what made him tick. There were so many layers to him. His focus has always been work and governance, but all that change when Chloë entered his life. He now had someone and something worth fighting for, so when Chloe confided in him about her situation he helped her to conceive a plan as for how to approach this dire situation without involving the Bureau. Will their plan succeed?

The start was engaging. At this point, the pacing was fast, but then the story slowed down somewhat as the focus of the story was on the development of Ethan and Chloë’s relationship. It maintained that pace until around 40% the story when Chloe and Ethan found themselves in an untenable position. This aspect of the story had me on the edge of my seat. I could not wait to find out if the rogues would achieve their diabolical plan or if Chloe and Ethan would be able to stop them before they did.

Chloë is impetuous making her the complete opposite of Ethan, but despite their differences, they were great for each other. I loved that they trusted each other both professionally and personally. I loved the pace at which their romance developed. It was not an insta-love connection. Their feelings for each other grew overtime which proved that what they had was the real deal. The supporting characters played their part in making the story enjoyable.

Overall, this was a good story and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. ‘Tall, Dark and Deadly is a well-written story that will keep you glued to the pages from start to finish. If you love paranormal romance then you will love this book.